“Location, Location, Location!”
Introduction: The late Lord Harold Samuel, a real estate tycoon in Britain, coined the expression: ‘There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.’ Location determines value where real estate is concerned. But it is also important where eternity is concerned. It is my belief that our creator God has placed and awareness of eternity in every human being. There is even a verse of Scripture that states this very truth:
Ecc. 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. NKJV
Because we will spend eternity somewhere, the location is of the utmost importance. In this morning’s text we have a perfect illustration of the importance of location and where we will each spend eternity. Will you stand as we read from the Word of God?
Luke 16:19-31
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Unique phrase found in a parable of Jesus describing the place where Lazarus went after death (Luke 16:19-31 ). It is a figurative phrase that appears to have been drawn from a popular belief that the righteous would rest by Abraham's side in the world to come, an opinion described in Jewish literature at the time of Christ. The word kolpos [kovlpo"] literally refers to the side or lap of a person. Figuratively, as in this case, it refers to a place of honor reserved for a special guest, similar to its usage in John 13:23. In the case of Lazarus, the reserved place is special because it is beside Abraham, the father of all the righteous. The phrase may be synonymous to the paradise promised to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43 ). Together these passages support the conviction that a believer enjoys immediate bliss at the moment of physical death.
Sam Hamstra, Jr.
What can we learn from this story that Jesus shared
I. Our life does not end when we pass
a. Annihilationism is the teaching that those who die apart from Christ will simply cease to exist. It is the belief that unbelievers will be "wiped out" or "annihilated" sometime after death. In other words, unbelievers will not experience eternal punishment in a literal hell, but will simply vanish (or have their souls extinguished) instead. If you believe in annihilation, that when you die you will just cease to exist, you are wrong. Most Hindus believe that humans are in a cycle of death and rebirth called samsara. When a person dies, their atman is reborn in a different body. Some believe rebirth happens directly at death, If you believe in reincarnation, that you will come back in another form like a dog or a cat, you are wrong. The Muslims believe after death, that the soul will enter Barzakh, a state of waiting, until the Day of Judgement.
When a person dies, their soul is taken by Azra'il, the Angel of Death.
God sends two angels to question the waiting soul.
If the questions are answered correctly, the good soul then sleeps during Barzakh.
If the questions are not answered correctly, the soul is tormented by angels, known as punishment of the grave. If this is what you believe you are wrong.
The Word of God does not teach any of these things about life after death.
II. Our choices determine our place
a. The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich and the beggar did not go to Abraham’s bosom because he was poor. Wealth and poverty have nothing to do with our eternal location. Jesus teaches us that when we die we will go directly to one of two locations.
Listen to these words from a commentary on this parable: At the moment of death, it seems Lazarus journeys to Abraham’s bosom while the Rich Man descends into torment. Does death deliver us immediately to our eternal fate? (Paul may voice a this view in Philippians 1: “to live is Christ, but to die is gain.”) Luke’s story of the thief on the cross also suggests an immediate transition into the afterlife: “Truly I tell you: Today you will be with me in Paradise” (23:43). Moreover, does this parable teach that the wicked suffer torment in the afterlife? The answer is yes. The testimony of the rich man makes this plain. (I am tormented in this flame.)
The parable does not explicitly explain why the Rich Man suffers torment in Hades while Lazarus reclines at Abraham’s bosom, though one might read 16:25 as such a justification. Through verse 23, all we know about these characters is that their fates have been radically transformed. The Rich Man descends from luxury to suffering, while Lazarus is promoted from pain to blessedness. In this life, Lazarus lies at the gate (the Greek suggests Lazarus is “thrown” or “dumped” there; 16:20), affording the Rich Man an opportunity to intervene. In the next life, a great chasm divides the two and cannot be crossed (16:26).1 Do we take seriously Luke’s Jesus: “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. . . . But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation” (6:20, 24)? The Greek noun translated consolation in 6:24 shares the same root as the verb describing Lazarus’ comfort in 16:25.
The parable does not exactly depict a reversal of fortune — blessedness is not the opposite of luxury. People seek comfort in luxury, and certainly we are happier when we have enough. Yet, research shows conclusively that luxury has little to do with long-term happiness. More importantly, luxury is no substitute for blessed comfort.
This parable invites meditation into what wealth and poverty look like, perhaps in your own locale. The story begins with word pictures of the Rich Man’s clothing and sumptuous feasting, on the one hand, and Lazarus on the other, hungry, diseased, not even capable of fending off the dogs. Only the gate divides them.
Famously, the Rich Man never does get it. He understands the message about wealth and the poor, but he approaches Abraham as if Abraham were his peer. Lazarus remains an inferior who can be “sent” to comfort the Rich Man or to preach to his ancestors. The parable turns from the changed fortunes of the Rich Man and Lazarus to the question of people who do not get the point. Surely Moses and the prophets supply enough reason to treat other people with dignity. If people still do not repent, even Lazarus’ miraculous return will not convince them. (Despite the possible allusion to Jesus’ resurrection in 16:31, the request for Lazarus’ return prompts the saying.)
1 Klyne R. Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 423-24, 725 n. 152; Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke (Sacra Pagina 3; Collegeville, MN: Michael Glazier, 1991), 252.
My point here is that the Lord makes it plain in this parable that there are only two locations and we will inhabit one or the other when we die.
III. Our lifetime is a time of probation
Probation is a period of time. In 16:25 Abraham reminds the rich man that he has had a “lifetime” to consider his fate. He has experienced a lifetime filled with God’s blessings without taking the time to thank the blessor! He has closed his heart to the condition of his fellow man. His conduct has betrayed his character. He has shown himself to be a man without empathy or sympathy for his fellow man. He has shown himself to be a greedy man and not a generous man. Lazarus would have been comforted by the crumbs from his table but he has marked his time with self-fishiness and self-centeredness. Time has run out for him and hell is all that remains. He will have plenty of time in hell to think of what might have been.
Apart from God, there is no _HOPE_
Those of you who know me well, may know that before I was married, my closest and dearest friends were my parents and my brothers. As a result, some of the most painful times I have endured were when I went away to seminary. Living alone in a trailer in Arkansas, I can remember times when such waves of loneliness and homesickness would come that they would threaten to overwhelm me. Even so, does our soul suffer when it is separated from God.
I remember as a young child, watching on TV as the soldiers returned from the Vietnam War. I remember watching as the planes circled the airfield. I remember watching the plane come in and land. I watched as the stairs were pushed to the sides of the planes. As I watched, the soldiers would descend the stairs, and each one, as he reached the bottom, would stoop and kiss the ground.
Those soldiers had been separated from home. Many had been captured. Many had been imprisoned. Some had been tortured. But, through it all they endured. Through it all they had one dream, one hope that kept them going. The hope that one day the suffering would end, that one day they would return home.
Do you remember the account of the rich man and Lazarus? The Bible records that the rich man cried out to Abraham, and asked that Lazarus be allowed to come and dip his finger, and place a drop of water on his tongue to cool the flames that were consuming him. But, he could not.
From Gene Gregory’s Sermon: The Great Invitation
Conclusion: There is an interesting word in 16:26. It is the word “fixed.”
The rich man’s fate was fixed…
The rich man’s future was fixed…
The rich man’s fellowship was fixed...
The Hinnom Valley was the place Jesus had in mind when He talked about Hell. The Hebrew word for this valley is, "Gehinnom", and the Greek word is, "Gehenna." The Hinnom Valley was located on the south and west side of the city of Jerusalem. It was a very dark place and many believe it is the valley that David thought of when he wrote in Psalm 23:4 of the "valley of the shadow of death".
Hinnom Valley was a place where horrific things took place. Paqans worshipped the god, Molech, there and, as part of their worship, they would take their babies and children and sacrifice them. Molech was merely an evil spirit that was carrying out the scheme of Satan to "kill, steal and destroy" (John 10:9-10). This is the practice the Old Testament calls "passing through the fire" (Deut. 18:10) which Israel begin to fall into and evoked the hot wrath of God who loves children.
After the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, the valley became a garbage dump where anything considered unclean was placed. Dead animals and bodies of executed criminals would be put there along with all trash. It was a sanitation dump because the city of Jerusalem was above the valley and the filth was allowed to flow into the valley. In fact, fires had to be burned there non-stop so the stench of the waste would not take over.
Because of the smoke and darkness, this valley was very scary to pass through. It was often so dark that one could not see their hand in front of their face.
Jesus thought of this kind of place when he talked about Hell. It was a place of death, darkness and, above a place of waste. It was the valley of the shadow of death, an evil place.
But David said that even when we place through a valley as dark as this.......we fear nothing because He is with us (Psalm 23:4).
