The Rich Man And Lazarus - Luke 16:19-31

Every single person comes into this world. They

grow. They have many different experiences. Many

of them go to church. Some don't go to church.

They continue to mature and they continue to

age. They have more experiences. Some are exposed

to the Word of God. Others are not exposed to

the Word of God. Everybody has the law of God

written on their hearts. Everybody knows that

there's a God. They have the knowledge of God,

but they suppress that truth and unrighteousness

in their hearts. They continue to age and mature.

And one day they come to a moment in time in

their life when they die. Everybody. Every single

person breathes their last breath. But in between

the time they're born and the time they die,

God has been merciful and God has been gracious

because he's given us his word. He's given us

truth. He's given us the world around us so that

we know that there's a maker. He's given us the

preaching of the gospel. So for those present

today who do not know Jesus Christ by faith and

repentance, I want to tell you right now that

there is hope for you because the gospel is still

being proclaimed to this day. There is mercy

available. Because if you are present, you are

under the ministry of God's holy and errant and

perfect infallible and sufficient Word. There

is hope for your soul that you can be spared

from the wrath to come. Because the Gospel is

being proclaimed. Repentance can be exercised.

Christ can be believed upon. The day is coming

when that will not be the case. When you die,

there is no longer the preaching of the Gospel.

When you die, there's no longer the opportunity

for repentance. When you die, there's no longer

opportunity to believe on Jesus Christ. But there

is now. There is presently in this world, in

your life, because it's being proclaimed to you

at this very moment. Today we come to this story

and we're presented with two men. A rich man

who ends up in torment and a poor man who ends

up in heaven. So let's consider the rich man

first this morning. His life is seen clearly

in this text. The text says that this rich man,

that he habitually dressed in purple and fine

living, joyously living in splendor every day.

Now, it's implied in the next few verses that

he feasts, that he eats very, very well. Now,

the Nazby uses the terminology joyously. I don't

think that's the best translation of this verse.

Other translations use the word sumptuously.

Joyously makes it sound like there's something

good and rooted in biblical reality and Christ

and God and true things, but that's not what

is taking place here. This man is living sumptuously.

He's living extravagantly. He's living, this

word, it carries this idea of excess and abundance,

or a word that might make us think of that as

decadence in every area of his life. Now, he

was living literally like a king. If you had

purple, and you wore purple in that day, in that

age, you're trying to make... a statement about

yourself, your status, your influence, your power,

and who you are. Purple was a very rare color

for any clothing or linen. It was unique to royalty.

This man was seeking to describe himself that

he was somebody. He was trying to make it known

to everybody around him that he was somebody,

that he was known, that he was a person of honor,

that he was a person of influence, that he had

pomp in his life. This characterized every part

of his life. His dress, his clothing, what he

wore, what he looked like. But he did this every

day over and over and over. But it wasn't just

that. It was in his eating. It was in his food.

It was in what he did throughout the day. This

is what characterized the whole of who he was.

Excess. His wealth was his life, brothers and

sisters. This life, this world, the worldly things,

the carnal things of this life. Those were the

things that satisfied him. Those were the things

that he had his eye on. And most likely, this

rich man, brothers and sisters, he didn't even

think about death. He was so living in the moment.

He was so caught up in the sumptuous, pleasuring,

and carnal realities that he enjoyed in this

life that he never thought, About what was to

come. He didn't think about his soul. But I bet

you one thing. He still went to the temple. This

man was a first century Jew. He still went to

church. He still did what was religiously right.

And religiously correct. Even though he's living.

In all his splendor. Now there's an issue with

this man and his wealth. And we'll see a little

later, this is not a condemnation of wealth.

There's an issue with this man. In all his ample

supply, in all of his excess, he never shared

any of it. He never... gave away anything. It

was his. I'm not going to share this. I'm not

going to give it to him. It's mine. How do we

know this? Because there was a legitimately poor

man, impoverished man, malnourished man on the

brink of death that was laid, that was brought,

that was carried to his gate and laid before

him. A man that just wanted some of the scraps

off of his table. A man that just wanted the

leftovers. A man that just wanted a little something

that desired and longed to be fed because he's

hungry and he was starving. He was dying most

likely. Yet, this rich man never exercises a

generous fiber in his being. He's not moved to

compassion for this lowly, impoverished man.

Listen, brothers and sisters, this man was a

Jew. He had Moses and the prophets. He had the

Word of God. He knew what was required of him

with regards to the orphan and the widow and

the poor among the nation of Israel. But he chose

not to share his wealth. There was greed and

jealousy even in his heart, I'm sure. Now this

man, this rich man, he dies like all. Men do.

Poor and rich all die. It's interesting that

his death is mentioned, but then his burial is

mentioned as well. The poor man, his burial is

not mentioned at all. I'm sure that this man,

he came to the end of his life and his funeral

was something. I'm sure it was well attended.

I'm sure that there were those who came and paid

their respects to this man and his life. And

I'm sure that they came and some even mourned

and grieved and some were saddened at the loss

of this wealthy, this powerful, this influential,

this rich man that had passed. But what of his

fate following? his death. What came of this

man after he died? All the excess in life, all

the carnal pleasures, every need met. Everything

he could dream of, everything he wanted, every

longing, every desire was met because of his

excess wealth, because of his great power, because

of his great influence. But what of after his

death? Well, the text tells us, doesn't it? In

Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment.

This rich man had a good life in worldly terms

and carnal terms, but he did not have a good

death. This rich man opened his eyes in conscious

torment, conscious suffering, conscious agony,

conscious pain and suffering. This man was well

aware of what he was experiencing. A drastic

change. From his life in this world to his life

after death. Now, it's interesting that this

man immediately cries out for what? Mercy. Now!

Now this man, who's had it all, Now this man

is crying out for mercy to somebody else. He

wants mercy. He wants compassion. He's looking

for help because he recognizes his need, something

he never gave in his life. He's looking for compassion,

that one thing that he never showed to those

in need. He wants somebody to show mercy on him.

And what does he do? He cries out and he says,

Father Abraham, have mercy on me. And send Lazarus

so he does know who that poor, impoverished,

malnourished man was that was in his gate. He

knows his name. He knows who he was. Send Lazarus

so that he may dip the tip of his finger. and

water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony

in this flame. He just wanted a little bit. He

just wanted a drop, brothers and sisters. How

much did Lazarus want? He just wanted the crumbs.

Now this rich man in agony and terror and hell,

brothers and sisters, now he just wants a drop

of mercy. He just wants that which would fall

off the finger. Of Lazarus. The man he didn't

know. And the man he refused. To help. What does

Abraham respond? He says listen. You got your

good things in life. You got what you wanted

in life. You got your heart's desire. Good things.

You got the thing that your heart longed for

in this life. You had your wealth. You had your

power. You had your pomp. You had your influence.

You got those things. Now you're in agony. And

Lazarus is being comforted. The man who suffered

in life is now being comforted. And the man...

who had everything in life and every pleasure

and every comfort, is now in agony and conscious

torment after his death. Now, this man, he goes

on in the appeals to Abraham again. And he says,

Then I beg you, in verse 27, Father, that you

send him to my father's house, meaning Lazarus.

For I have five brothers in order that he may

warn them so that they will not also come to

this place of torment. So we think to ourselves,

finally, this man is thinking about somebody

else other than himself in torment. Finally,

he's changed. But what's implicit in his statement?

It's the fact that he himself was not warned

about this place. Let them be warned. I wasn't

warned and that's why I'm here. Let them be warned.

But not by the word of God. By some miraculous

show or appearance of something else other than

the word of God. And also notice how this man

is still commanding. He's still ordering even

Father Abraham. The father of the faithful, brothers

and sisters. Abraham, the father of their religion

and their nation. We've been reading in Genesis

how this man of faith was so mightily used of

God. and God worked through him, and that he

is the source of their very nation and their

religion. And here is this rich man ordering

Father Abraham around. Do you see the hardness

in his heart, the arrogance, the condescension

in his heart, even to Abraham? And then we see

it epitomized in the last appeal, the last thing

that he says, the last statement that he says

to Father Abraham. He says, but this is what

the man says to Abraham. But he said, no, Father

Abraham. But if someone goes to them from the

dead, they will repent. How haughty and prideful

can a man be to argue with Abraham in... Hell.

Abraham clears up the subject and what does the

rich man say? No. The pride. The vanity. Brothers

and sisters, you would think that being in hell,

being in agony, being in torment after death

would change a man's heart. But we see this man

is exactly the same as he's always been. Full

of pride, unbelief, arrogance, and carnality.

Condescending to everybody around him. So what

was his sin? Why is he in agony following his

death. Well, it's not simply the possession of

wealth. We know that. There's many, many wealthy

people in the Bible who are commended for their

godliness. Think about Abraham himself. Brothers

and sisters, Abraham was very, very wealthy,

but Abraham was very, very godly. Think about

Job. Job was very, very wealthy. But Job was

very, very godly. You see, it's not wealth that

was his sin. There was something deeper. There

was something underneath the wealth that was

the issue. Maybe it was the absence of compassion

and mercy in his life. Maybe it was his refusal

to be generous. With the poor man that was laid

at his gate. That's certainly sin. That's certainly

an issue. But I think there's something even

deeper. What about the fact that he doesn't believe

in the word of God? That he doesn't believe.

In Moses and the prophets. That he's never repented

of his sin. And never trusted. in the promises

of salvation, in the Word of God. Is there anything

deeper than that? Brothers and sisters, this

man had Moses and the prophets. This man had

the Scriptures and he did not believe them. But

here's another question. Why did he not believe

the Scriptures? Why did he not believe in the

sufficiency of the Scriptures to save? Was there

even something below that? Brothers and sisters,

it's the sin in his heart. It's pride. It's vanity.

It's arrogance. And out of that pride and that

vanity and that arrogance, He loves all his possessions

and he does not love the God who has made him.

He doesn't believe because he's trusting in everything

else. He doesn't believe because his heart is

wicked. His heart and his affections, his longings

are set on everything in this world. His heart

loves that linen. His heart loves that purple.

His heart loves the power and the pomp and the

prestige that those things give to him. He loves

himself. That's why he does not love God, and

that's why he does not believe in the Scriptures.

Belief is not about information, brothers and

sisters. Get this. Understand this. If you're

here today and you don't know Christ, your problem

is not having enough information in your head

and not understanding something about the Word

of God. Your issue is this, that you are exalting

yourself into a place of judgment over God and

His Holy Word. That's pride. It's the fact that

you think you are a person, you are in a place

to judge the God who made you and look down at

His Word. Your problem is not informational.

Your problem is moral and it has to do with sin

and your very nature. That's why we don't believe

the Word of God. That's why we don't believe

in Jesus Christ. That's why men don't call on

His name. That's why men don't repent of their

sins. Because they love their sin and they love

themselves and they exalt themselves and they

refuse to get down off of their high horse to

humble themselves under the grace of a sovereign

God. That's why this man is in agony. Because

he never gave God the rightful place in his life.

He never repented of his sin. He never humbled

himself and exalted Jesus Christ as Lord and

Savior of his life. He never saw the need in

his own life to be saved. He had everything he

needed. I've got a good life. I've got health.

I've got the best doctors. I've got a pleasant

and enjoyable life. I'm not going to think about

death. I'm just going to worry about my body

and my physicality. I'm just going to worry about

everything else in my life and enjoy it while

I can. All the while, he neglected his own eternal

soul. He neglected eternity. He never prepared

himself for that which is to come in death. He

never looked forward. He just looked at himself

and his own life. That's his sin, brothers and

sisters. Everything else is a symptom and a result

of that. Why did he not share his wealth and

help and serve his neighbor? Why did he not serve

the poor man? Because his heart. Loved those

things because of his sin. Why did he not repent

and believe in the word of God, Moses and the

prophets? Because his heart was trusting in anything

and everything besides that. Because he was a

prideful and arrogant man. And where did it bring

him? Where did it lead him? Into agony. It led

him into divine judgment and conscious torment,

brothers and sisters. That's where that pride

brought him. The same pride he had in his life

is now the same pride he enjoys in hell. He won't

let go of it. Brothers and sisters, give it up.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of a sovereign

God who has sent Jesus Christ to save sinners.

Humble yourself. Give up your pride. Recognize

your inability. Recognize your sinfulness. Recognize

the vanity of loving things. Recognize the vanity

of not trusting in the Word of God that God has

revealed in Moses and the prophets and the Scriptures.

Forsake your vanity, your pride, and your arrogance.

And humble yourself. And come to Jesus Christ.

And receive eternal life. This was the rich man.

Now there was another man. The poor man. Not

as much time is spent on him in this parable.

It's much smaller in proportion to the rich man.

And the parable doesn't seem to be as much about

the poor man. So his life. And his situation

is drastically different than that of the rich

man, isn't it? What does the text say? And a

poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate,

covered with sores and longing to be fed, with

the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's

table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and

licking his sores. This man... wasn't living

the life of luxury. This man was suffering. This

man was genuinely and sincerely impoverished.

Now, we can't think about poverty and being poor

like we do today in our society. This was a legitimate

poverty by which he was incapable of supplying

Food and money and clothing for himself because

he was unclean to the general population. This

man was an unclean individual. He could not go

where most of society could go. He could not

do what most of society could do because he was

unhealthy. His body was broken. It says that

he was full of sores or ulcers all over his body.

And the only medical care that he got, brothers

and sisters, it wasn't from the hands of man,

was it? The only medical care and treatment and

compassion that this man received was from the

wild dogs that ran stray in the town. They would

come and lick his sores. The rich man didn't

take care of him, but the dogs seemingly take

good care of him. These weren't your little house

puppy. These were feral creatures that were a

nuisance and danger to everybody else. And these

were the ones that would come and lick this man's

sores. This was the crowd he ran with. This was

the group of folks that accepted him, these wild

animals. These were the ones that would come

around him. It wasn't the people in the town

or the population. In essence, this man was the

very bottom of society. He was the dregs of the

barrel, brothers and sisters. Very, very different.

He was malnourished. He didn't have enough food

and he longed for anything. He was hungry and

starving, most likely on the brink of death.

Nobody took note of him. He was obscure, unknown,

and overlooked. Now this man, just like the rich

man, dies. He passes. Just like the man with

all the wealth, now the man with nothing in his

possession and no health and a very difficult

providential situation in his life dies. and

breathes his last. Now, this man, who was not

cared for, was not shown compassion, was shown

no mercy in life. Now this man, his burial is

not mentioned. There's no reference to it at

all. We don't know what happened to his body

after he died. R .C. Sproul said, we can just

imagine. That somebody came along with a trailer

or a cart, picked up his body, went and tossed

it in Gehenna and burned it. Nobody looked after

him. He wasn't worth anything to anybody in this

world. But what about his fate following death?

What came of this poor man that died? Well, immediately

we read that this one that is unnoticed, immediately

we read that this one that was unobserved and

unseen and overlooked all his life because of

his situation, what he's taken note of by the

angels of God. This man is carried away to Abraham's

bosom. He's taken to the father of their faith

to his side. to the inner circle, to the place

of honor. This man is cared for in his death,

even though he was never looked at or cared for

in this world. The angels take note of him. He's

brought to the place of honor at Abraham's side

or Abraham's bosom. It carries this idea, if

we think of the Last Supper, The Apostle John

in Jesus' bosom, his chest leaning on him, it

has this idea of closeness and nearness, this

idea of feasting and fellowship. That's what

it's saying. That this man who was hungry, this

man who was sick, this man who was dying, this

man who was overlooked, this man is swooped up

by the angels of God and he's brought into sweet

fellowship with the saints of God for all eternity.

That he's... cared for, that he's fed, that he

has abundance, that he has a sweet experience.

This man, brothers and sisters, could agree with

the Apostle Paul when he says, to live is Christ

and to die is gain. Because just like the wicked

man, this man's death brought a drastic change

in his life, didn't it? His life is no longer

anything like what it was. His life is drastically,

it's dramatically different and changed immediately

following his death. Now he's being comforted.

Now he's being taken care of. Now he's being

watched over. Now he's being fed. Now he's being

nourished. Now he's in sweet fellowship. Now

he's taken note of by the divine creator of the

world, brothers and sisters, by his Savior, by

the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he is

cared for for all eternity. This man, interesting

enough, is now the object of desire for the one

in torment. No longer is it that he's longing

for food from the rich man's table, but now the

rich man is longing for a drip of water off of

Lazarus' finger. This man, his circumstances

have dramatically changed. And just like the

rich man, it's permanent. It's unalterable. Notice

in the text that Abraham responds to him and

he says, and besides all of this, between us

and you, there is a great chasm fixed. Now why

does the Lord Jesus Christ include this in the

text, in the parable? Why does he put this in

there? To show us. That the state and the condition

into which we enter following death. Is unalterable.

It is certain. It is fixed. And is unchanging.

This man would enjoy the comforts of heaven.

And sweet fellowship with the saints of God from

all ages. And that would never change. While

the rich man. would experience agony and torment

and suffering in an unalterable, unchanging,

eternal fashion under the judgment of a sovereign

and a holy and a righteous God. And this could

not be changed. This could not be altered. So

what's the difference? What's the difference

between these two men? Is it that one was born

better than the other? Is it simply that their

situations were different? One was born into

wealth and the other was born into poverty and

therefore their destinies were set. What is it

that makes the difference? The poor man, though

he didn't have any possessions in his life and

this world, he was in possession of two priceless

things. He was in possession of two invaluable

realities that are worth more than anything in

this life. This poor man possessed, he had in

his possession, he owned them, they had been

given to him, they had been graciously given

to him, and these two things are the thing that

make the difference in his life going to agony

or Abraham's bosom. Faith and repentance. This

man, believed Moses and the prophets. This man,

though he was impoverished and malnourished and

suffering and in distress in his life, this man

was a godly man, brothers and sisters. This man

had faith and he believed that he needed to be

saved. God gave him faith and God gave him repentance.

And that's what makes the difference. He believed

the Word of God. He believed in the redemption

and the Messiah that God had provided. That's

what made the difference. Not the man. Not their

situations. Not their circumstances. Not what

they possessed or did not possess. But the graces

given to them by God. The reality of repentance.

And faith. That's why this poor man is carried

away and cared for. Because Jesus Christ is gracious

and saves those who don't deserve it. That's

why this man enjoys Abraham's friendship and

his fellowship for eternity. Because God is merciful,

brothers and sisters. And He's made that mercy

known in Moses and the prophets. He's made that

mercy known in the Word of God. And it is sufficient

to... save. It is powerful to save. So as we

consider how to apply this text, consider, brothers

and sisters, that worldly conditions or circumstances

are not indicative of the conditions of one's

soul before the living God. Just because someone

has a bunch of stuff, just because someone dresses

very nicely and they're a nice person, just because

they're a good moral person, they have a nice

house, they have a nice home, they have a nice

car, they're a good person in the community,

does not mean that their soul is right with the

living God. We tend to make judgments and discernments,

at least I do, based on outward appearance, based

on what people look like, how they present themselves.

Every single time that I do evangelism, I always

struggle with sharing the gospel with those who

are presentable. More than those who look rough.

Do you know why, brothers and sisters? Because

I associate appearance and outward looks with

how someone is doing on their inside. With the

nature of their heart. With who they are. Appearances

are deceiving, brothers and sisters. Just because

someone has providentially been given wealth

and they're in a good place in their life does

not mean that their fate is set. It does not

mean that they are on the good path. It does

not mean that God is pleased with them. It does

not mean that God has given His divine favor

to you and that Jesus Christ loves you. Brothers

and sisters, it does not mean that you are going

to heaven. It does not mean that you will be

cared for after your death. What matters is that

we are born again in this life. What matters

is that we turn from our sin here and now, in

this day, in this age, and we trust in Jesus

Christ as He is revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

That's what matters, brothers and sisters. Yes,

listen to me. I know that we live in a world

of means. That we can take advantage of opportunities

and means and we can grow in our wealth. We can

do things in our life. But listen to me. We are

where we are because of the... Providence of

God. Your station, your circumstance in life

is the providence of God. And just because of

your situation, that does not indicate whether

or not your soul is right with God, that you

have the righteousness of Christ, that you've

been born again. Care for your soul. Look to

eternity. You can be the most... community -oriented

person in the room. You can have the biggest

house in the neighborhood. You can be the nicest

guy in Albion. You can be the nicest and sweetest

young lady that there is in Edwards County. But

if your soul is not regenerate and you do not

have faith and repentance, you will not go to

fellowship with Father Abraham. You will be in

agony for all eternity. you will be under the

just judgment of a holy and a righteous God.

Our outward circumstances do not dictate and

do not determine the condition and state of our

soul before a living God. We have to consider

the shortness of life and the certainty of death.

These men lived and these men died. The rich

and the poor. Whatever circumstance, whatever

situation, whatever providential place God has

placed you, you're going to die. And it doesn't

discriminate, does it? Death doesn't discriminate

on whether you had influence in life, whether

you had power and a place of authority in life.

Death doesn't discriminate on whether or not

You were supposedly a good person and a moral

person in life. We all die, young and old, good

and bad morally and supposedly morally. We all

die. This is the life, this is the time that

God has given for repentance and faith while

the gospel is preached. R .C. Sproul also said,

Now whenever he hears someone say that God is

infinitely merciful, that he is infinitely merciful,

that he wants to stick his finger up and say,

just a minute, I have a correction here. I just

want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly.

Yes, God is infinitely merciful in that he's

an infinite being and he has mercy, but if you

mean that God has mercy without bounds and without

limits, then you are incorrect. Because we all

die. And if we don't know Christ, if we are not

in Christ, and we do not have faith, and we do

not have repentance, then His mercy has found

a limit at your death. His mercy will not be

upon you if you are not in Christ. We have to

consider the shortness and the brevity of life.

It's here one minute. and it's gone the next.

I learn that gradually more and more as I age.

It's not just that we all die, but it's that

one moment I'm here, and the next moment I'm

already here. We lose track of time. We lose

track of where we're at in our life. And brothers

and sisters, listen. Death is not... This calculated

thing that we know when it's coming. We are aging.

We are maturing. We are nearing death every single

day. And we don't know when or how that death

is going to come to us. This is the day and the

age that God has given men for repentance and

faith. While the gospel is proclaimed. The day

is coming when you will not be able to repent.

The gospel will not be preached. And you will

not be shown grace and mercy sitting under the

word of God. Today is the day to repent. Today

is the day to believe on Jesus Christ. This minute

right now is the moment to turn from your sin.

To give up your pride and your arrogance. And

trust in him for eternal life. Don't delay. Don't

wait. Don't go another minute. Deal with God.

Deal with your sin. Give yourself to Him. We

don't know how or when we're going to die, but

we do know the gospel is being heard. Mercy is

available, brothers and sisters. Grace is available.

Repentance is available because the gospel is

being preached. There will be no proclamation

of mercy and grace in agony. There will be no

call to repentance after death, brothers and

sisters. When we die, our fate and our condition,

it's settled and it's determined, it's fixed.

It's too late. But it's not yet. There's still

time to believe on Christ. There's still time

to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have to

consider the reality of heaven and hell. Everybody

loves the idea of heaven. Everybody. I've not

found a single person that gets angry, mad, or

upset about the idea of heaven. Everybody wants

to go to that place. Everybody wants that. Everybody

wants to experience that future. They want to

know that. And they believe in that. They take

that. But hell is not so popular. And rightfully

so. It's a very difficult doctrine and teaching.

Our response to it teaches us even now. When

I think of hell and the divine just judgment

of God on the wicked, my heart is not broken

as it ought to be. How can we think about hell

and loved ones or friends and family or individuals

in this room going to hell? And not burst out

in tears. How am I not crushed more over that

reality? It teaches us of the hardness of our

heart. The compassion that we need. Brothers

and sisters, our response to hell teaches us

that we need to understand and receive and believe

revealed truth. depending on our emotional responses

to that truth. We have to receive the truth that

God has given to us. We don't pick and choose

what we believe. We don't get heaven without

hell, brothers and sisters. It's not one or the

other. It's both and. God is merciful. God is

gracious. But God is just and God is holy. He

is righteous. He will not leave any unpunished

who don't know Christ. But His grace will be

extended and His mercy given to all those who

know Christ for all eternity. If we knew anything

of the nature and character of hell, and there

are bound to be individuals in this room with

this many people, who don't know Christ, who

have not turned from sin. There are bound to

be people that at this moment are headed to agony.

If you knew anything about the nature of hell,

the severity of sin, and the holiness of God,

you would do anything it takes to get to the

cross of Calvary. You would give up anything

to be saved. You would give up your pride. You

would give up your vanity. You would give up

your arrogance. You would give up your morality.

You would give up your supposed goodness and

righteousness. Brothers and sisters, you would

crawl through flames on your knees for 20 hours

to get to the cross if you knew what hell was

like. Sin is that severe. And God is that holy.

None are going to slip by. None are going to

be overlooked. He is just. He is sovereign. He

is holy. And He will not let you pass. When you

die, are you prepared for eternity, brothers

and sisters? Do you know where your soul is going?

Are you going to be with Father Abraham and all

the saints from all eternity because you believed

in Jesus Christ and the salvation that the Word

of God makes known? Or are you headed to agony

and conscious pain and torment for all eternity?

Are you confident of your eternal future? Do

you know your eternal destiny? Take time to consider

your soul. Take time to consider your never dying

eternal soul. Take time to consider your eternal

future. Are you prepared for death? God has made

known these realities in His Word. There's no

more significant thing that you can take time

to think about, pray about, and meditate upon

than asking yourself, is my soul set for eternity

because I believe in Jesus Christ? Because He

has been merciful and He has been gracious. I

have been born again. My affections are new.

I love... and He loves me. Prepare yourself.

Take time to think about this most important

question. Will you be the rich man or will you

be the poor man? Two men, two faiths. Faith and

repentance on this earth. Trust in Jesus Christ.