Luke 16:19-31

I am heading off towards holiday this week and I want to start by telling you this wonderful news.

! I practice at home a song to sing in Bulgaria in karaoke with my father. It's a Bulgarian anthem of the foreigners abroad, immigrants who are returning home and hugging their moms and rejoicing.

So, when I practice the song, I actually start crying and I try it a second time and I start crying because my mom passed away and we are going to celebrate one year. This is our month anniversary.

But what I am going to do is I can hug my father. And imagine this story would have turned a completely different way if my mom hadn't repented and had the same story like the rich man.

So, notice the audience at the beginning of chapter 16, verse 1, are the disciples. But when you go down and look at the parables, in verse 14, we already see the Pharisees.

So, Pharisees were thinking that they are certainly doing well and not going to hell. Very similar to what a rich man thought. He is blessed and that means he is not going to hell.

But what God says is this, you are those who justify yourself before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is abomination in the sight of God.

So, the key to understanding the parable is simply this, we look at the external aspects of our lives where God looks at our hearts.

We look at the material aspects where God looks at the spiritual.

And so, this story is about false religion. It is a genius story. It is a story about contrast and reversal.

And so, let me run a few contrast and reverses.

There is a rich man and there is a poor man. The rich man becomes horribly poor and the poor becomes rich.

There is a rich man on the inside and there is a rich man on the outside and that changes.

And then there is a rich man who feasted sumptuously and there is a poor man who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table.

And then there is a poor man at the feast and there is a rich man who can't even find a drop of water.

There is a poor man with immense needs and there is a rich man with no needs.

And there is a poor man with no needs and a rich man with great needs.

There is a poor man who has nothing and desires everything and there is a rich man that has everything and desires nothing.

And a poor man that has everything and desires nothing.

So, there is a poor man licked by dogs and there is a rich man surrounded by dignitaries.

And then there is a poor man surrounded by dignitaries and a rich man surrounded by worst of dogs.

And there is a poor man who suffers and a rich man who is satisfied.

And then a rich man who suffers and a poor man who is satisfied.

There is a poor man who is honored and a rich man who is humiliated.

There is a poor man who seeks help and a rich man who gives none.

And there is a rich man who seeks help and a poor man who can't give any.

there is a poor man who is nobody

and a rich man who is somebody

and then there is a poor man who is somebody

and a rich man who is nobody

a poor man who has a name

and a rich man who hasn't even got a name

a poor man

with no dignity in life

becomes somebody dignified

and the opposite for the rich man

so there is a poor man with no hope

and a rich man with hope

and a poor man whose hope is realized

and a rich man who has none

and I found this contrast helpful

and look at the rich man

he is described as what he wore

what he had

and what he had

what a way to describe a person

he wasn't a teacher with profound wisdom

he wasn't contributing anything to the society

but how would the Lord describe us

do we love the Lord

do we serve Him

do we know Him personally

are we a blessing to other people

are we humble people

are we good people

are we people

who find against our sins

do we use our money for ourselves only

or are we people of value

and helpfulness

and purity

notice that the poor man

is silent in heaven

in heaven

in the story

he is only there

for the contrast

but the story

is not about heaven

it is a story

about rich men

in hell

only the rich man

speaks to Abraham

and he is the main character

in the story

he gives a personal testimony

of what it is

to be in hell

the Lord gives

a wonderful name

to Lazarus

which means

somebody

to whom

God helps

we see that

God gives him

access to heaven

grant him salvation

no one in hell

has a name

there are no

relationships in hell

but everyone

in heaven

has a name

and his story

breaks into three parts

life

death

and life

after death

what I really like

about the story

is that the Lord

paid unforgettable

images

the rich man

was clothed

in purple

in that time

to dye

clothed in purple

was extremely expensive

who does he think

he is

a royalty

in purple

indulgence

and splendor

was his activities

daily

on the other hand

we see Lazarus

extremely poor

and sick

he was covered

in sores

he had probably

had some

crippling disease

which

and because of that

he was laid

at the gates

and the rich man

was like the Pharisees

detestable

to God

and so the rich man

gives Lazarus

no help

does he know him

of course

he knows him

he is laid

everyday

in his gates

licked by the dogs

and at that time

the dogs

were not pets

but what happened

what is in verse 22

they both

died

and everybody

dies

there is one

event

in our lives

that is

absolutely certain

we may

or we may not

achieve our dreams

the life

may or may not

turn the way

we want it

but it is

one thing

which is certain

we will

die

it is

irreversible

that

they say

that every

single

second

somebody

dies in this

world

and yet

vast majority

of people

are not

prepared for it

there is so

many people

in London

today

who have

only a vague

idea

what is hell

and heaven

and they

would meet

with God

one day

unprepared

Lazarus

probably did not

have a

proper burial

most likely

he was in

common grave

or dump

but the rich

man

though

has a

certainly

proper burial

with lots of

guests

who were

honoring him

but the shock

is that

Lazarus

is being

carried

by angels

where

in heaven

and that

takes us

to life

after that

the rich

man

is in

torment

in hell

this is

completely

opposite of

what the

Pharisees

would expect

to hear

God

sends

angels

to take

care

of

one

of

his

own

to be

a companion

of

Abraham

the

Jewish

hero

remember

the father

was their

pride

the father

of faith

a friend

of God

and the

Pharisees

wonder

how can

a poor

and cursed

man

become

a guest

of honor

in heaven

extreme

reversal

on the

other

hand

the rich

man

is in

hell

or in

Hades

he had

everything

in life

but now

is in

hell

and there

is no

transition

from hell

there is

no

purgatory

this is

a snare

delusion

when I

was younger

I watched

a movie

which confused

me so much

I lived

probably

10 years

with this

movie in

my head

because this

movie was

about people

who were

stealing

they lived

50 years

in purgatory

and eventually

end up

in heaven

and there

were murderers

who lived

150 years

and they

eventually

said their

sins are

forgiven

what a

lie

I was

so confused

with this

until I

got really

converted

and find

out the

truth

and so

this is

the experience

of the

rich man

he is in

torment

the way

Jesus

explained

is

gnashing

of teeth

wailing

fire

and for

the sake

of the

example

rich man

is allowed

to look

at heaven

and here

is the

shock

sometimes

we become

so superficially

familiar with

the bible

that we

miss to

see the

shock

and instead

of saying

the rich

man

say

oh

Lazarus

please

forgive me

I got

it all

wrong

he ignores

him

he doesn't

even speak

to him

instead

he speaks

to Abraham

he assumes

because he

is a child

of Abraham

he would

have to

take care

of him

have mercy

on me

he is

playing his

Jewish race

card now

notice that

he was

the one

that never

showed

mercy

to Lazarus

and asking

for mercy

now

Lazarus

was a

beggar

but now

the rich

man is

begging

the rich

man

cannot

give him

give up

his

self

importance

send

Lazarus

to dip

his finger

to cool

my tongue

not a

glass of

water

just to

dip

in other

words

he demands

mercy

from

somebody

to whom

he never

showed

mercy

he never

even gave

him

dog food

there is

no repentance

here

the suffering

and pain

in hell

is so

severe

that

one tiny

drop

will make

a huge

difference

for him

but there

is no

relief

in hell

once

no crumbs

for the

poor

man

but now

no

drop

for the

rich

man

and

Abraham

answered

him

yes

generically

speaking

you are my

child

but during

your life

you received

the good

things

and Lazarus

in like

manner

bad things

but now

he is

comforted

here

and you

in

anguish

and it's

true

believers

could die

poor

and unbelievers

could die

few

thinking rich

like some

billionaires

die

one can

enjoy the

providence

of God

in common

grace

and go

to hell

and spend

eternity

without

God's

presence

there

instead

of going

from

providence

to faith

in God

we see

him

going

into

self

indulgence

you might

wonder

how

Lazarus

got to

this

state

in life

so

maybe

physical

disability

is the

reason

we don't

know

but

in that

time

we must

have

it must

have been

really tough

for disabled

people

not like

what we

have now

and Abraham

answers

this

Lazarus

is comforted

now

and you

are in

agony

the

Lazarus

was

temporarily

and you

are going

to be

eternally

miserable

what you

did not

provide for

Lazarus

he cannot

provide for

you now

and it's

never going

to change

and besides

this

between us

and you

is a great

chasm

has been

fixed

and in

order

those

who

pass

from here

to you

may not

be able

and none

may cross

from there

to us

and mark

the words

of Jesus

when you

are in

hell

you are

not going

to heaven

and when

you are in

heaven

you are not

going to

hell

it's fixed

forever

no relief

no hope

there is

no love

in hell

there is

no friendships

no tenderness

there are

no smiles

there is

no laughter

no music

can you

imagine life

without

music

no craft

no science

nothing good

only fear

and hatred

once you

die

and pass

into eternity

and if you

have not

established

a relationship

with God

you stand

before Christ

not as a

savior

but as a

judge

and you

hear

guilty

and it's

too late

you've left

it too late

a great

sorrow

and fear

will grip

your soul

and you'll

hear

no more

gospel

you'll hear

no more

earnest

appeal

from

preachers

or from

Christian

friends

or from

Christian

parents

husbands

lives

relatives

you'll

hear

no more

appeals

turn to

Lord

be safe

repent

for your

sins

believe in

Christ

and he

will

freely

forgive

you

you'll

never

hear

anything

like

this

again

no more

pleading

no more

movements

in the

spirit

of your

heart

urging you

to come

to Jesus

Christ

no one

will invite

you to

church

on Sunday

or for

Christmas

carols

or mowed

wine

and

lunchtime

talks

you are

going

to

eternity

it's

too late

you only

hear the

voice of

the judge

sending

you into

this

terrible

place

of

punishment

and all

that you

know

is

I

deserved

it

you

would

hate

to

say

but

you

deserve

it

you

rejected

him

and now

he is

rejecting

you

don't

you want

to be

persuasive

that there

is a

savior

a

redeemer

who

will

save

your

soul

and

forgive

your

sins

and

make

you

his

own

and

change

your

life

and

bring

you

to

love

him

and

walk

with

him

in

this

world

doesn't

creation

persuade

you

that

there is

a

wonderful

divine

creator

one

day

you

would

have

to

look

him

in

the

face

and

there

is

nothing

more

scary

to

look

at

the

Lord

with

sins

not

forgiven

don't

your

instincts

tell

you

that

there

is

a

life

after

that

and

you

better

be

ready

for

it

haven't

you

spoken

with

other

Christians

and

they

say

oh

of

course

it's

real

I'm

experiencing

this

every

day

it's

real

to

know

him

it's

real

to

walk

with

him

and

it's

real

to

love

him

can

nothing

convince

you

not

the

words

of

God

in

the

Bible

is

your

heart

so

hard

or

you

better

pray

tonight

Lord

soften

my

heart

Lord

take

these

chains

away

from

me

which

bind

me

in

the

way

to

hell

and

for

your

heart

to be

softened

that

you

may

see

the

truth

and

may

see

reality

don't

go

just

looking

at

the

external

look

at

the

spiritual

things

you

must

come

to

him

don't

throw

your

life

away

Satan

is

pulling

you

down

as

each

day

goes

by

do

you

want

to be

described

like

the

rich

man

what

you

had

what

you

had

what

you

wore

seek

the

Lord

and ask

him

for

his

wonderful

love

and

mercy

why

you

still

here

and

it's

possible

and

he

would

forgive

you

and

he

would

bless

you

and

make

you

his

own

child

he

would

change

your

whole

character

and

make

himself

known

to

you

and

if

you

mean

this

prayer

he

will

but

the

rich

man

is

not

satisfied

he

has

now

one

more

request

then

I

beg

you

father

verse

27

to

send

him

to

my

father's

house

for

I

have

five

brothers

so

that

he

may

warn

them

lest

they

also

come

to

this

place

of

torment

if

he

ever

hit

any

redeeming

value

that

was

it

and

I

like

this

about

this

about

him

although

some

people

disagree

with

that

but

he

knew

that

his

brothers

were

like

him

and

they

were

coming

so

in

order

to

prevent

that

he

says

if

I

knew

what

horrible

place

the

hell

is

I

would

never

have

come

here

but

do

you

know

what

his

problem

was

he

did

not

listen

to

the

word

of

God

and

that's

exactly

what

people

do

Jesus

says

you

hear

but

you

don't

understand

they

have

Moses

and

they

have

the

prophets

let

them

hear

from

the

old

testament

they

would

have

learned

about

the

creator

the

lawgiver

the

judge

the

true

God

they

would

have

known

about

their

sinfulness

and

need

for

repentance

they

would

have

heard

about

salvation

by

faith

alone

in

Christ

alone

they

would

have

understood

that

substitution

the way

that God

deals

with sin

is

substitution

they

would

have

understood

that

there

is

a

Messiah

coming

he

would

crush

the

head

of

the

Satan

the

redeemer

would

provide

redemption

for his

people

and

he

would

be

the

suffering

substitute

and

then

he

would

establish

his throne

finally

they

would

have

understood

the

need

to

repent

and

believe

to

forsake

their

other

gods

and

if

they

listened

and

understood

the

prophets

they

would

have

known

that

Jesus

is

this

Messiah

who

has

been

promised

so

let

them

hear

the

scripture

salvation

comes

by

hearing

the

word

of

God

if

they

don't

hear

the

scripture

there

is

no

hope

and

it's

so much

easier

for us

we have

because

we have

not only

the

Old

Testament

we have

the

New

Testaments

we have

all

the

Gospels

all

the

prophecies

fulfilled

we have

the

epistles

that the

apostles

wrote to

the

churches

established

in

first

century

we even

have

the

revelation

of

God

and

the

second

coming

of

Jesus

we have

everything

what

else

we need

but

no

said

the

rich

man

father

Abraham

you are

wrong

once

he was

a rich

man

then he

became

poor

man

now he

becomes

a

theologian

let me

correct

your

theology

if

you

somebody

goes

from

that

they

would

repent

father

Abraham

scripture

is not

enough

I

had

the

scripture

Pharisees

had

the

scripture

and they

didn't

understand

and they

were

heading

the same

direction

like the

rich

man

and that's

the point

of the

story

and he

goes on

my

brothers

knew

this

wretched

Lazarus

and if

they

see

that

this

poor

guy

come

back

from

heaven

and tell

them about

heaven and

hell

they would

certainly

listen

and avoid

the torment

but

who was

raised from

the dead

Jesus

did they

did everybody

believe him

no

in fact

in the

interesting

divine

coincidence

Jesus

raised from

a man

called

Lazarus

and the

rulers

knew that

and that's

one of the

reasons they

wanted to

kill him

if you

don't

want to

go to

hell

be warned

religion

will not

protect you

going to

church

will not

rescue you

having

friends

and relatives

who are

Christians

will not

help you

only the

true gospel

will help

you

and only

sincere

faith

and believe

in Jesus

Christ

Jesus

Christ

went to

the cross

to take

the punishment

we deserve

for our

sins

all we

have to

do is

believe

and ask

for

forgiveness

and like

Lazarus

God will

send angels

to escort

you to

heaven

into the

fellowship

rejoicing

with all

the saints

and the

faithful

including

Abraham

Abraham

and in

my

conclusion

I want

to say

this

remember

I told

you

the

beginning

of

the

story

about

my

mom

the

reason

between

the

difference

between

me and

my

father

who is

non-believer

is that

I know

that I

will see

her

she

loved

dancing

and

singing

and we

will dance

and sing

again

together

with her

but my

father

has only

memories

that connect

him

to her

like

Hollywood

movies

he goes

to the

grave

and talks

to her

he even

I'm not

sure

some of

you don't

even remember

but we used

to have

this

not tapes

but big

round circles

with huge

tape

so they

were

going like

this

and so

playing

using

recording

that was

in 70s

and my

father

even

restored

this

machine

that is

like

antique

and ancient

in order

to hear

her voice

when he

was recording

her in

70s

but

one day

if we

believe

we will

all meet

together

and we

all sing

together

and let

me give

you

a glimpse

of what

God

has

given

us

in

the

revelation

about

heaven

God

will

wipe

away

every

tear

from

people's

eyes

that

shall

be

no

more

neither

shall

there

be

mourning

no

crying

no

pain

anymore

there

would

be

not

even

need

of

sun

because

God's

glory

will

shine

in

heaven

and

Jesus

says

surely

I'm

coming

soon

come

Lord

Jesus

may

the

grace

of

the

Lord

Jesus

be

with

you

amen

Thank you.