Life, Death & Eternity

You are here this morning, that establishes the fact that you had an origin, a beginning, a physical birth. This life is a gift from God. But the reality is that you also have a destiny, a future that is eternal. We are all immortal beings. We will live forever. There are only two eternal destinies for every person, heaven or hell. Today you will hear this truth denied often. Atheists will deny the existence of heaven or hell. Some teach that the grave is hell. Some teach that hell is not eternal but only temporary. Others hold on to a universalism that teaches that in the end everyone will be saved and ushered into heaven. The truth of the word of God and Jesus himself teaches us that heaven is a real place and hell is a real place. In fact, Jesus spoke more about hell than he did heaven.

This passage is a warning for people who reject Jesus. It is a warning to those who are deceived…as the rich man was..he was quite shocked I believe to find himself in hell..

This passage is a study in contrasts..this is clear. It teaches us about life, death and eternity. It is also a study in compassion. Those who lack compassion in their heart do not know God and are in danger of judgment. I want us to focus on the contrasts that we see..I want you to see first:

I. The Contrasts in Life

First we see that this rich man enjoyed:

Life in The Lap of Luxury

The rich man is described here as having everything that this life could offer. He was dressed in the finest clothing and feasting every day on the finest foods. From the context of the chapter, it is clear that Jesus is directing this teaching at the Pharisees. Those religious rulers who instead of sharing with the poor considered themselves righteous and blessed by God because of their status and wealth. They would be sorely mistaken.

Their lack of mercy and compassion revealed their hearts true condition. The Old Testament prophets loudly proclaimed the judgment against people who lacked mercy and compassion.

Amos:

, “ 6 What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the child of my body for my own sin? 8 Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?

7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams

or with ten thousand streams of oil?

Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,

the child of my body for my own sin?

8 Mankind, He has told you what is good

This rich man ignored God’s law and disregarded the poor man sitting right there under his nose. The beggar he passed by everyday at his gate was just simply an eye-sore on the landscape of his life. Do we view others this way? Check your heart friend.

and what it is the Lord requires of you:

to act justly,

to love faithfulness,

This man, a son of Abraham, was heartless. He was not an atheist, he believed in God…his theology was most likely orthodox..he knew the Torah and the law..but failed to take it seriously. There are millions just like this man today. Almost 90 percent of people in this country believe in God. Over 80 percent say they believe in Jesus. Most people believe they are going to heaven when they die..but hell is filled with people today who thought they were headed to heaven.

and to walk humbly with your God.

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), .

We also see the beggar:

Life in The Lap of Misery

At the other end of the social spectrum we find the beggar…sitting in the lap of misery. He had literally been cast out at the rich man’s gate. Left there to die. The sick and the lame were left to die…cast off by society and treated harshly with no compassion by society at large. This man is so ill that he had to be carried to the rich man’s gate and left there.

This man is covered with sores and starving within sight of a wealthy and prosperous man who did not even share the crumbs from his table with this beggar.

His sores were most likely the result of a lack of nutrition and these sores oozed..dogs came and licked his sores…how humiliating and painful. This is a man in this life who is utterly abandoned and helpless.

II. The Contrasts in Death

As we stated in the beginning..there are two destinies..Jesus’ teaching here leaves no question about the two destinies after death. One of eternal joy and peace and the other of eternal torment and despair.

The Reality of Death

Death comes to all. Rich and poor die. Young and old die. Lost and saved die. Physical death comes to all. But the dead are not dead, they are very much alive..either with God in heaven or separated from him and tormented in hell.

The Death of the Poor Man

The poor and sick man dies and his body is most likely taken to the garbage dump..no proper burial or funeral. The rich man is probably satisfied to be rid of the nuisance. Jesus states that the poor man is carried to Abraham’s bosom or side. Literally he has been ushered into God’s presence. Ignored in this life by all men…he is not ignored by the God of heaven and his angels.

Phillips states, “So poor Lazarus, poor no more, was in paradise in the company of Abraham and in the presence of God and the Old Testament saints.”

The Death of the Rich Man

In stark contrast, the rich man dies and is buried. This indicates he more than likely had a lavish funeral and an impressive marker at his grave. He dies, but he is still alive. He is in torment in Hell - separated from God. The greek word often translated hell is Hades..the dwelling place of the dead prior to the great white throne judgment..it is hell, a place of torment.

At death, Christians enter immediately into the presence of Christ in heaven and exist there as disembodied believers.

At death, non-Christians are plunged immediately into the torment of hell and exist there as disembodied unbelievers.

Both believers and unbelievers await the resurrection of their bodies. The final state representative of the lake of fire for the unbelievers and the new heaven and new earth for believers.

Death comes for all..if you are not ready to die you aren’t ready to live. This leads us to see:

The Contrasts in Eternity

Death and Hades in the end will be cast into the lake of fire..eternal hell…regardless, at death, the status of these two men changed completely for all of eternity. The rich man could both could see and hear..all of his senses and faculties present. Including his ability to reason and remember..

Death and Hades in the end will be cast into the lake of fire..eternal hell…regardless, at death, the status of these two men changed completely for all of eternity. The rich man could both could see and hear..all of his senses and faculties present. Including his ability to reason and remember..

Gravestone that reads: “Here lies an atheist-all dressed up with no place to go.” The reply by C.S Lewis to that grave marker was simply, “I bet he wishes that were so.”

This leads us to see:Death and Hades in the end will be cast into the lake of fire..eternal hell…regardless, at death, the status of these two men changed completely for all of eternity. The rich man could both could see and hear..all of his senses and faculties present. Including his ability to reason and remember..

There is no soul sleep, both the rich man and Lazarus after death were immediately conscious and aware. The contrasts are clearly presented…one eternal destiny of torment and the other of comfort. This is the truth communicated..not to give clear doctrinal teachings concerning the specific other particulars of heaven or hell..what we know is that immediately at death we enter into either the presence of God and comfort or of separation from God and in a place of hopeless torment and agony.

Hades is the temporary realm of the dead until the judgment..one realm for the saved and another for the unsaved.. in the end the unsaved will be cast into the lake of fire..eternal hell…() and the saved will enter into the new eternal kingdom of God - the new heaven and earth..regardless, at death, the status of these two men changed completely for all of eternity

The Torment for the Rich Man

. The rich man could both could see and hear..all of his senses and faculties present. Including his ability to reason and remember..

He could see Abraham and the poor man beside him in God’s presence. He prayed, he pleaded for mercy and relief from his torment. But none would come…the great chasm between the two eternal destinies prevented any relief. This man who was rich in his earthly life is now the tormented beggar in eternity.

This man has no hope…to live without hope is torment indeed…there is absolutely no prospect of this man’s status changing. He prays, prays to Abraham for relief…there is no saint you can pray to that will save you..only Jesus.

This torment is accentuated by this rich man’s memory and his awareness. He begs for relief and also messengers to go and warn his brothers about this place..more on that in a moment.

What about Lazarus?

The Comfort for Lazarus

The name “Lazarus” literally meant “One who God has helped.”

This poor man was no longer poor. This crippled and ill man was no longer crippled or ill. This hungry man was now feasting at the Lord’s table continually. In his earthly life he experienced pain and bad things…but now he is in a place of complete peace and perfection. He is comforted.

The Reality of Hell

There are good people with good intentions and good theology in hell today. This place is a real place filled with real people. The bible does not teach conditional immortality - that is that believers in Christ live forever while unbelievers cease to exist after death. Nor we believe the bible teaches annihilationism, that is that unbelievers are destroyed by punishment in hell and that hell is not eternal. Eternal conscious punishment is the eternal state for all unbelievers who die.

It is an Eternal Place

It is a Painful Place

It is a Hopeless Place

Dante’s Divine Comedy describes the fictional journey of the author through hell and ultimately to heaven. In the “Inferno” section, he describes the sign above the portal of hell. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”

Dante’s Divine Comedy describes the fictional journey of the author through hell and ultimately to heaven.

Concluision:

Conclusion:

As I stated in the beginning, this passage teaches contrasts but it also teaches compassion. Do we have compassion on the poor? The church should be engaged actively in meeting physical needs - this is directly linked to love and compassion that also is demonstrated in our desire to urge people to believe in Jesus. If we desire that any person be judged eternally in hell we are not reflecting the heart of God. Therefore, we need to remember that:

Hell is an Avoidable Place

In the “Inferno” section, he describes the sign above the portal of hell. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”

, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

, “ “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him

Let us be reminded of Jesus’ words:

14 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” x

See, God may speak and draw today, and you may say, “I’ll come when I want to,” and close the door, and you may never sense again what you’re sensing now. Some of you men need to look at your wife and say, “Go with me, I need to come to Jesus.” Some of you ladies need to say, “I’ve been playing games; I’ve never known inside.” Some of you children need to say to your mom and dad, “I need Jesus, mom and dad.” Some of you as a family, individuals, ought to come this morning to Jesus.

5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), .

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

I want to settle my commitment. I want this morning to repent of my sins, place my faith in the gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” If that is the desire of your heart, and you are acknowledging you’re a sinner, you’re sorry for your sins, you acknowledge that you don’t have to be accursed because Jesus Christ was accursed for you, and you want to receive His payment on the cross, the wrath He absorbed for you so you could be saved. If that’s your desire, would you ask Him right now? Make this prayer your prayer. Ma’am, would you do it? Sir, would you do this?

Lord Jesus, tell Him, Lord Jesus, I’m sorry for my sins. Would you please come into my life and save me? Cleanse me of my sins, come live in me. I give you my life, and I receive your life. I mean with all of my heart this commitment to Jesus Christ. Oh, God

, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

When we examine this passage, we discover that these men had strikingly different experiences in this life.

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