A VOICE FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
Luke 16:19-32
Introduction: We have those today who sit around waiting for messages from other worlds.
Reputable scientists spend multiplied millions of tax payer dollars to build vast arrays of radio tele- scopes, construct elaborate computers, and design advanced computer programmes, in an effort to get just one intelligible message from another world. Many New Agers and UFO buffs believe that if we could only get a message or have a visit from one of the so-called advanced civilizations they fantasize about, all our problems would be solved. An increasing number of books and movies use this idea as a basic story line. The wide acceptance of such myth seems to indicate that a large proportion of the world's population, even some who call themselves Christians, have accepted such fantasy as fact. They are absolutely convinced of the inevitability of such contact and communica- tion. There are those who study the end times who believe that Satan may be involved in this. That it could be part of the plan he has to deceive the world and facilitate the acceptance of the anti-Christ after the rapture takes place. After all, what better explanation for the sudden disappearance of all true Christians than, “a good and benevolent master race from outer space has zapped all the badies and their leader is now here to teach the ways of peace!” Sounds ridiculous, but . . .
But have you ever wondered what those who have gone out into eternity before us would say if they could span the communication barrier that of necessity exists between this world and the very real world to come? What our loved ones who have entered into the joy and peace of the eternal presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would say to us if they could speak to us? We have a record of some early New Testament saints who did get a peek into heaven. As Stephan, the first Christian martyr of record, was being stoned to death, he lifted his face toward heaven and joyfully cried out that he could see Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Paul was caught up into the third heaven and saw marvelous things. But he said they were beyond communicating to man. Of course, we also have the prophetic vision of the prophets, including John the Revelator.
But if we wish to have a real look into life and conditions in the world to come, Jesus our Saviour gave us a detailed account in His story of the rich man and Lazarus. Some would say this is only a parable. I would respond, ""If that is the case, that fact could give no consolation to the lost. It would seem that Jesus would of necessity be using parabolic language to describe a place and a condi- tion that is even more terrible than can be imagined." But this true story is not a parable. Every rule of Bible analysis and exegesis confirms that He gave an important factual account of a real historical occurrence. Because of its importance I wish to share with you the message given to us by, "A Voice Beyond The Grave."
How long has it been since you have heard a clear and uncompromising message on the subject of hell? If Jesus had as much or more to say about hell, and logically so, as He did about heaven, surely we should follow His example and warn those around us of the reality of this awful place. I know it is considered old fashioned and archaic in some quarters, but I believe in a literal burning hell. Man makes fun of it. He seeks to eradicate it. Even those who call themselves Christian preachers and evangelists seek to deny it or down play it. Evidently for fear of offending the sensibilities of the world's crowd.
Throughout my long ministry it has not been unusual to be asked, "Do you mean you believe that a God of love would condemn a soul to eternal separation from Him in the fires of hell forever?" My answer has always been a consistent and emphatic, "Yes." Why? Because this is what the Word of God teaches. If we are consistent and sensible we must either accept or reject the whole Word of God. If we reject or qualify any part, we reject the whole. It is one ball of wax, so to speak. It is all or nothing. Of course, I always try to qualify my response by saying that in reality God does not condemn anyone. But man condemns himself by his rejection of the love of God as ex- pressed on the cross of Calvary. (John 3:18) As a popular bumper bar sticker says, "If you go to hell, don't blame Jesus."
But we must all must consider that if there was no hell there could be no heaven and justice would be a mockery and grace and mercy mere empty words. The cross would be senseless and meaningless. It is significant that those who preach no hell normally preach no cross and no gospel.
I read a story long ago of a young liberal seminary graduate being called to a particular church.
As the months progressed he continued to negate and omit the great truths of the gospel in his mes- sages. An older deacon in the church began cutting out the pages and passages of his Bible that corresponded with his attack upon the Word of God. When he finally was left with but a few tattered pages, he confronted his pastor, who was horrified at such desecration. But are not those who deny hell committing such desecration in thousand of pulpits around the world today?
Yes, the doctrine of hell is at the very heart of the gospel and emanates from the very heart of a loving God. Many years ago I heard of a mother whose young rebellious son was killed in a pub brawl. He was obviously unprepared to meet his God. In her sorrow, the mother understandably cried out in her sorrow, "Where was God when my boy was killed, if he has gone to hell?" After the trauma of grieving was over, her pastor told her in love, "God was at the same place he was when His only begotten son was killed and suffered hell in your boy's place."
If the lost are to be warned of the finality of this awful eventuality we who are saved must understand that men, women, and boys and girls, who have reached the age of accountability, are dropping off into hell at an alarming rate every second of every day. Many of them are our relatives, neighbours and friends. Others are those we are called to share the gospel with around the world.
Jesus was good and gracious to us when he lifted the veil of secrecy and allowed us just a peek into that awesome place. As a warning he allows us to hear the hideous voice from beyond the grave. We would do well to understand and heed this voice from beyond the grave.
First, let us consider the voice of a man. This is a real person who lived and breathed in this world who is a permanent resident in that awesome underworld because he rejected the love of God. His destiny is not the destiny God desired for Him. God made him for the heavens. "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."
(Psalm 8:4-5)
God created him to be His eternal son. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God . ." His plan for man encompassed His eternal purpose to make unto Himself eternal sons with whom He could commune and love forever. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good plea- sure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Eph. 1:4-5) Surely every person who rejects Christ as Saviour and insists upon joining this one whose voice we hear from beyond the grave, must break the heart of the Father who gave His Son and the Son who gave Himself as a complete sacrifice for our sins.
Did you ever consider the value God placed upon the soul of man? "Or what it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36-37) The billions of souls living on God's earth, breathing His air and freely accepting the provisions of life from His hand, are not just ciphers in a computer, numerals in a statistical report or entities in demographic analysis by anthropologists or sociologists. They are beings created in the very image of God. Living souls with an eternal future existence.
God showed the value He placed upon man at the cross. He who owned the cattle on a thousand hills gave the eternal life of His only begotten eternal Son as a ransom for man. I have often pled with sinners to see the enormity of the sin that cuts them off from God in this light. I've begged them to see themselves as Paul saw himself when he said, "This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta- tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (I Tim. 1:15) I've urged them to consider that if God had chosen to just make them as the only being in His image and that if they had then chosen to express their will against God and sin, then Jesus of necessity would have had to come and die on the cross to enable them to be saved. This is the value God placed upon the rich man in hell and upon everyone who follows in his footsteps.
In our story we can see that the rich man finally saw the real value of a soul. He saw the value of the soul of his brothers. He finally knew the truth of what our Saviour said when he talked of eternal things versus temporal things. Could he have been the same rich man who boasted of his riches and built more barns? We don't know, but surely this rich man now knew the relative futility of trying to satisfy and sate the desires of life with material things.
The lesson to us today is to learn eternal values. To turn away from the priorities of materialism and acquisition and the value judgements our secular world thrusts upon us in such an overwhelming way today. We should focus on preparing to meet God and renew our efforts to snatch the lost as embers from the eternal fires of hell. This voice from beyond the grave can only be heard by those around us as we share the gospel of Christ with a lost and dying world.
Next , let us consider a voice out of the darkness. Could a place of darkness exist with fire, flame and brimstone? Can such rapid combustion occur and emit no detectable light energy? By all the rules of physics it would seem scientifically impossible. But God laid down the scientific laws of this universe. With Him all things are possible. There could be no real eternal light here because the Light of the world is absent. "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:4-5) But it would seem that this man, as all other residents in that place, chose this eternal darkness. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)
How awful this darkness must be. Have you ever been in absolute darkness? So thick you could cut it with a knife? Were you afraid? I will never forget the terror that gripped my young heart once when my torch went out after I became separated from a “-Possum” hunting party in a deep, dark woods in my native land. Alone and isolated, not knowing which direction to turn, I cried out in desperation for help. Thankfully, my older brother was looking for me and listening for my cry.
This voice comes from an isolated darkness beyond the penetration of the light and love of God.
It's too late for God's merciful and attentive ear to hear his cry from the darkness. "When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:" (Prov. 1:27- 29)
Let us now consider a voice crying out in loneliness. I believe we are shown a deliberate contrast here. Lazarus, the poor, penniless beggar, kicked and slapped around all his life, friendless and lonely, even in the midst of the revelry in the mansion of a rich man, is now comforted in the bosom of friends. His eternal abode will be the paradise of man's greatest friend, Jesus Christ.
Those of us who walk with Jesus already know that there is no friend like the lowly Jesus. How much more will this be so in the eternal ages to come! But the voice we hear from beyond the grave is the voice of a rich man. A man who spent his life surrounded by friends. Many of them were probably fair weather friends. Others were possibly parasitic hangers on; their companionship per- haps purchased by his riches. Now, how appropriate the saying that misery loves company.
But have you ever been alone in a crowd? Here surrounded by the teeming, squirming, masses of lost humanity, a terrible cry of loneliness comes to us from the great abyss of darkness. A man who was created to live forever as God's blessed and eternal son, now cries out from the indescribable loneliness of eternal separation from God.
Next, let us hear a voice of fear as it echoes from beyond the grave. Have you ever been afraid? Fear is one of man's most basic emotion. It is true that all men live in varying degrees of fear. The only real release from our basic fear is our trust in the living God. We fear in proportion to our lack of faith and trust in Him. Our fears are diminished only as we follow the advice of the wise man, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Prov. 3:5-6)
Those who live in the flesh do have much to fear in our day. The much heralded end of the cold war has done little to allay real fear of the mass destruction of nations and peoples. At least the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD) seemed to serve as an effective deterrent. But now we see a proliferation of the means to destroy whole cities and nations and the ability to do so placed into the hands of petty tyrants, despots and even single terrorists. As the end of the age approaches it seems even the weather conspires to strike an abiding fear into the heart of man.
Yes, fear is a real and terrible emotion. Have you ever seen a grown man cry as a little boy with fear? It's not a very pleasant sight. It is said that it is not unusual for those who meet a violent death, especially in warfare, to cry out in the last moments for the comfort of their mother's arms. That's certainly not what you see portrayed in the popular movies or our day that seem designed to devalue life and death. This cry of fear that comes from beyond the grave is a summation of all the primal fears ever felt or expressed by man. Yet the echo of that pealing cry of fear that joins the hellion chorus forever, comes to late for any response or remedy.
As much as we may wish to avert our eyes and ears, Christ would have us to hear the voice from beyond as it cries out in suffering. A very real suffering. Jesus experienced this suffering that we need not experience it. His was vicarious suffering that is anticipated in His Father's statement, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." (Isa. 55:11) A suffering that found it's culmination in His awful cry from the cross, "....My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46)
It would be well to notice the description Jesus gave of this man's terrible suffering. He surely intended to make a real issue of it or we would not have such candid and graphic language. Of course, there's much suffering in this world, but nothing to compare with this. Have you every been really thirsty? Real thirst has driven men to commit awful deeds, even murder and cannabalism, to slack their thirst. Men have drunk sea water, knowing it would end in a horrible death.
Imagine this desire for just a touch of a moist finger with a possible small drop of water. Do we dare consider the torment of the flame? Jesus clearly wishes us to know about it. Have you ever had a severe burn? Have you ever visited a special burn ward in a hospital? Can you imagine the sleepless nights, the horrible screams the stench of burning flesh? This voice from beyond the grave speaks of unimaginable suffering.
If we listen closely we can also hear a voice of desperation calling from beyond the grave. It is true that sometimes life's little problems seem insoluble. People despair and drop into deep depression. It seems this is a key to the increase in suicides in our culture. I am sure the hard and harsh life of Lazarus had know its moments of despair. But now he has his eternal release and bliss in the bosom of God.
It is a sad fact of history and contemporary life that many of the rich and famous live in the shadow of despair and in the pit of depression. We pastors have been called in the middle of the night to try to help those who have fallen into such seemingly bottomless pits of desperation. Many times there is little one can say to a person with a gun or who is intent upon ending it all. The old cliche' of, "While there's life there's hope," sometimes seems a very slim thread to throw to someone who needs a great rope of rescue. But as long as we live we can have hope. This cry of desperation from beyond the grave comes from a land where there is no hope.
Our Saviour makes sure we hear his vioce from beyond the grave cry out for mercy.
Again we can see a contrast. Here is a man who evidently had very little mercy for anyone while on earth. If not, why did Lazuras have to be content with just a few crumbs from his table and settle for the medicinal value of dog saliva for his sores? Now Lazuras has the mercy he had been denied and this rich man has justice.
Notice, he did not cry for justice because he knew he already had it. The common cry of criminals in our world today is for justice. Those who have been involved in jail ministries are acutely aware that most criminals will tell you they are not guilty. That there has been a miscarriage of justice. That if the truth was really known they would go free. That's the problem here. The truth is known about this man and he will never, nerver go free.
But for the rich man the day of mercy has passed. God offers mercy to the lost again and again, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isa. 55:6-7) God cries out repeatedly for sinful man to come to Him for mercy and pardon. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa. 1:18) "The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. " (II Pet. 3:9)
This voice from beyond the grave is a voice of compassion and concern. His final, desperate request is that his brothers be warned about this place. That they be told the good news of the gospel. That, even though he will not benefit directly, they might avoid his awful fate and spend eternity in the eternal happiness and bliss that is Lazarus'.
In his riches he had been hard and calloused. We see no evidence of compassion, care or concern for others while he lived on planet earth. It seems logical and in character that he could have kicked the old beggar, Lazarus, or robbed a widow without batting an eye. It is reasonable to assume that while he was on earth he had never given any thought to his or his brothers' salvation. But hell had changed all this. He now has a great burden for the lost, his brothers in particular.
Those who may have no compassion for their own soul or the souls of others should heed this cry from beyond the grave. If you aren't saved you need to be saved. Only then can you really warn those you love about what lies ahead at the end of a Christless life. If you are saved, you need to have the compassion of this man in hell. The compassion expressed by our Saviour as He wept over Jerusa- lem. The compassion shown by Jeremiah for the people of Israel. The compassion of Paul, who would wish himself accursed for the salvation of his people.
As we end our look at this important story, let us think again of an unanswered cry. The concept and reality are so sad. I can remember reading Mark Twain's novel, "Tom Sawyer," as a child. One of the most poignant moments in the tale occurred when Tom and Becky, lost in the awful darkness of the cave, cried out for help, and there was no answer. What pathos. In my young mind I wanted so desperately someone to hear and answer their call and come and rescue them.
I also remember a moment long ago during the Korean conflict. I was stationed in a commu-nications centre in the Pacific. An evacuation plane loaded with wounded soldiers and attending doctors and nurses was winging its way across the ocean. Then engine trouble occurred. I will never forget the pilot's desperate cry of "May day, may day," as it resounded in the radio receivers in our tower. But there was nothing we could do. All were lost.
But God will answer our call today. His ear is not heavy that he cannot hear a sincere cry for mercy and salvation from the heart of a lost sinner. In His last words to the world Jesus emphasized God's willingness to hear and save all those who will cry unto Him in true repentance and faith. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 22:17) In His last moments on the cross our Saviour even heard the cry of a repentant thief and responded with the gift of eternal life. I am sure He listens intently and anxiously for such cries today. Why not come to Him now?
