Now, if you will, let us open
our Bibles to Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16, and I'm going
to begin my reading today in verse 19 and read through the
end of the chapter. But before I read these verses,
I would like to say this. The apostle Paul met with the
elders of the church at Ephesus for the last time, and this is
recorded in Acts chapter 20. And the elders of the church
knew, and Paul knew, this was the last time that they would
ever meet, they would ever see each other's face in this world.
And the apostle was able to say unto them, I have kept back nothing
that was profitable unto thee. that he had not shined to declare
unto them all the counsel of God. That is what every man that
is called of God to preach the gospel strives to do. And I trust
that the last time that I come into this pulpit that I too will
be able to say the same. that I kept back nothing that
was profitable unto you, that I had not shunned to declare
the whole counsel of God. So let's begin reading this morning
in Luke chapter 16, verse 19. There was a certain rich man
which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously
every day. And there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores. And
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table, moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 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. And in hell he lift up his eyes,
being in torments. And seeth Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me. And said Lazarus, that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for
I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, son, Remember
that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted, and
thou art tormented. And beside all this between us
and you there is a great guff fixed, so that they which would
pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that
would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore,
Father, that thou would send him to my father's house. For
I have five brethren that he may testify unto them, lest they
also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him,
they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said,
no, nay, Father Abraham. But if one went unto them from
the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, if they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead. These words that I've just read
that you've followed along with me as I've read them, I would
remind us are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are
the words of him who is love incarnate, because the scripture
says, God is love. And the Lord Jesus Christ, he
is both God and man. These are his words. And yet
this one, who, as I said, is the God of all mercy in flesh,
that he spoke these words about hell. And I know that all of
us are agreed that these are very solemn words, words which
speak to us of the experiences of two men, their experience
in this world and their experience in the world which is to come. Now, as all of the word of God
is the word of God, Any passage of scripture may be spoken from,
preached from many times, and different truths will be emphasized. But this morning, I have four
truths, four truths from this passage of scripture that I would
like all of us to think about. First of all, the truth about
things. The truth about things. Both of these men had things. Both of them had things. Very
different things. That's true. But both of them
had things. The truth about things. Now let's look at the things
which the rich man had first. He had four things that are mentioned
in this passage. First of all, His clothes, his
clothes, they were the finest. They were the finest. The scripture
says he was clothed in purple and fine linen. People might
say today he only wore those clothes that were the name brands. He shopped at the best places.
That's the first thing that we are told that he had. He had
the finest of clothes dressed in fine linen. The second thing
that he had, he had food, very sumptuous, very good food, the
finest of food as well. The scripture here tells us our
Lord said he fared well every day. There never was a day that
there was not a banquet feast set upon his table. And then
the third thing that we see that he had, he had a gate. He had
a gate which kept people out, let people in. He had a gate
that he owned, no doubt a gate that led up to his beautiful
mansion. He was a rich man. And the fourth
thing that we find that this man had, he had a large family
because he told Abraham, I have five brethren. So he had a large
family. Those are the things that we
are told that this man had. And then the things that Lazarus
had, really there's only one thing here mentioned that Lazarus
had, and that was the sores on his body. Now we assume, and
I think rightly so, that he had clothes, but probably they were
more like rags, because after all his Occupation was that of
a beggar. No doubt he dressed the part,
not by choice, but that's all he had. They were not glad rags. They were rags, no doubt, but
not glad rags. And then as far as food, we know
that he did desire at least the food, the crumbs, which fell
from the rich man's table. But the only thing he had that
we are told in this passage of scripture, the only thing the
Lord said he had was sores. And he only had dogs to attend
unto his sores. Now we may assume he had a family,
we're not told that, but we are told that someone laid him at
the gate of this rich man every day. So he had someone who carried
him or brought him somehow to the gate of the rich man. And I want you to notice, if
you will, my friend, what the Lord Jesus Christ said that Abraham
said about these things, what he told this rich man about the
things which he had and the things which the beggar had. If you
notice in verse 25, but Abraham said, son, Remember that thou
in thy lifetime receivest thy good things. And I want you to
notice it said he received these things. He was given these things. And you know the Bible tells
us to whom much is given, much is required. And how few people,
how few people really recognize that everything we have is a
gift from God. Wealth, if it's good things,
that's what Abraham said to him. You received your good things
in your life. But now Lazarus, evil things,
not morally evil, not morally evil, but we would probably use
the word bad rather than evil. You received good things in your
lifetime and he received bad things in his lifetime. Their lifetime was now ended
in this world. The rich man's life was ended
and so his relationship with the things that he had was ended. The fine clothes, the good food,
the gate to keep enemies out, let friends in, and the Lord's
family. His relationship with those things,
the things of this world, were now ended. And the things were
ended that the beggar had also, that Lazarus had. The Lord Jesus
in Luke chapter 12 tells us another parable, or a parable rather,
I don't believe this that we are looking at today is a parable
because the Lord said a certain rich man and a certain beggar
even calling his name. But in Luke chapter 12, our Lord
does tell about a parable that involved a rich man. And this
man, a rich man, was evidently a farmer and his farm produced
so much. The crop was so great, a bumper
crop one year. I mean, it was just a bumper
crop. And as he looked at all of the
fruit and all of the crop, he was determined, this is what
I'm going to do. I'm going to tear down these
barns and I'm going to build bigger barns. And then when I
do, this is what I'm going to say to my soul. He determined
to say this to his soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid
up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink,
and be merry. He determined to say that to
his soul, but the Lord said he never got the opportunity. He
never got the opportunity because God said, thou fool, this night
thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall these
things be? the truth about things. The truth
about things, whether they be what one called good or evil,
is we will all leave them. We will all leave them. All of
us will be able shortly to say, like Job said, I shall go the
way whence I shall not return. And when that time comes, then
our relationship to all these things will be ended. You know,
Paul said this about things. He said, things seen are temporal,
but things unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18. Let me ask you this. You learned the truth about things. Have I learned the truth about
things? The truth that things can never
satisfy. They can never satisfy a man's
soul. God has created man in such a
way, my friends, that the things of this world, the temporal things,
things which may be seen, can never satisfy the soul. Only God can fill that void that
is in the soul of all men. And I've noticed this about myself
and about others as well, that you never have enough things,
no matter how many things you have. And you can imagine at
my age, how many things I've accumulated over the years. and
yet we're still wanting things, things. Have we, have you, have
I, have we learned the truth about things? I pray that God
would teach me that truth. But here's the second truth,
the truth about death, the truth about death. Have you ever noticed
this little word also here in this passage? If you look with
me again in verse 22. And it came to pass that the
beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man, now notice, the
rich man also died and was buried. Most likely no one was surprised
when they noticed that the beggar had died after all. They knew
he was sick with his sores, probably couldn't afford a doctor or medicine. But they may have been somewhat
surprised when they heard that the rich man also died. Rich
man could afford the best medical help that was available at that
time. And besides that, he lived on
the other side of a gate. the gate that he owned that kept
undesirables out. But there was one enemy that
that gate could not keep outside, and that was the enemy of death. The truth about death is that
it comes to all, rich and poor. Death came into this world by
sin, and that's the reason death comes unto all. The wages of
sin is death. Just as our father Adam died
that very day that he sinned, that he disobeyed God, he died
spiritually that day. Yes, he lived on physically for
several hundreds of years, but he died physically. And all men
shall die, rich and poor. There have been only two cases,
only two men have escaped this world without dying. That is Enoch, the seventh from
Adam. The scriptures tell us Enoch
walked with God and Enoch was not, for the Lord took him. And
then the prophet Elijah, remember how that the Lord took him up
in a chariot of fire. But even both of those men, though
they escaped dying, they had to undergo some change, no doubt. Much like is going to take place
when the Lord comes again. Because as the Apostle Paul said
in that passage in 1 Corinthians 15, flesh and blood cannot, cannot
inherit the kingdom of God. And so both Enoch and Elijah
went through some change. You know, Paul says that when
the Lord comes again, it's for those who are alive and remain,
those who are living, God's people who are alive. If Christ were
to come today, those who are alive, we would be changed in
a moment in the twinkling of an eye. Yes, death comes to all. But I want to tell you something
about death, and I know you probably know this, but I'll remind us
of this. Death doesn't change a person. It does change a person's location,
no doubt about that. The rich man, he lived in a mansion
and death came and now he had changed locations. He was in
hell. Lazarus had lived the life of
a poor man, and he died, and he changed locations. He was
now carried into Abraham's bosom. And remember, that was the way
the Jews are termed, rather than the Jews used for what we know
as heaven. So yes, they changed locations,
but their state didn't change. You know, It seems to me just
as soon as a person dies, no one likes to speak bad of
a dead person, and I'm sure that's good. But just as soon as a person
dies, the world has a different view of that person automatically. No one wants to speak bad of
the dead, and because I'm sure most people have been convinced
that God loves everyone, that they must be okay. They must
be okay, no matter what they believed or what they didn't
believe. No matter who they served or
who they didn't serve, no matter what they loved and what they
didn't love, they're in a better place. How many times have I
heard that? They've gone to a better place.
That seems to be the common lot of everyone who dies today. Well, let me tell you something. That wasn't what our Lord Jesus
Christ said about this rich man. No one would say that he was
now in a better place. He didn't say that. He said,
I'm tormented in these flames. Death doesn't change a person. This is what the Bible declares, and that is not what this man
experienced. In fact, the scripture says in
Revelation 22, in verse 11, he that is unjust, let him be unjust
still. He that is filthy, let him be
filthy still. He that is righteous, let him
be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him
be holy still. You say, what does that mean?
What's that verse of scripture saying? Well, it simply says
this, he that dies unjustified, he will always be unjustified. He who dies having never been
justified by God Almighty, justified by the imputed righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who dies trusting in his own
works, in his religion, in his creed, in anything and everything
other than Jesus Christ our Lord, he that is unjust when he dies,
Let him be unjust still throughout all eternity. He that is filthy,
what does that mean? He who has never been washed
in the blood of Jesus Christ. You say, well, what does that
mean, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ? It means cleansed
through the person and work, the suffering and sacrifice,
the death of Jesus Christ. Or the prophet of old, God speaking
through him, said, come now, let us reason together. Though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. And Zechariah,
that Old Testament prophet by the name of Zechariah, God tells
about opening up a fountain, a fountain that God opened in
that day. And it is a fountain not for
show, But my friends, it's a fountain
in which sinners may be washed white as snow. The blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. It didn't just
cleanse us in the past, it continually cleanses us from all sin. But if a person dies unwashed,
filthy, Let him be filthy still throughout all eternity. And
the same thing is true about the righteous. He that is righteous,
he that is dressed, clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
That's perfect righteousness. That's righteousness that God
accepts. Not only accepts, but he says
he's well pleased with this righteousness. The righteousness, he that is
righteous, he that is looking to Christ, trusting in Christ
for all his righteousness, not most of it, all his righteousness. Let him be righteous throughout
all eternity. One day when we see him, we shall
be made like him. He that is holy, set apart, sanctified,
by the Spirit of God, let him be holy throughout all eternity. Now it is true that one of these
men was in a better place, but not the other. That's not true
when all men die. Don't listen to that. Don't be
guilty of saying that about someone you have no idea what he believed,
who he loved, who he served, That somehow just because he
died or she died, they're in a better place. Have we learned the truth about
death? Here's the truth I would encourage
us to learn today. It will leave you as it finds
you. When death comes, and it's going
to come to you, it's going to come to me, some of us sooner
than others, but it's going to come. And when it does, it's
going to leave you exactly as it finds you. If it finds you
accepted in the beloved, it's going to leave you accepted in
the beloved. But if it finds you outside of
Christ, your lot is going to be the same as this man. Now
the third truth, The third truth that I would emphasize from this
passage is about the Word of God. The Word of God. And I would point this out to
us. The rich man, even in hell, thought he knew more about God's
way of saving sinners than Abraham did. Abraham was a saved sinner. He believed God and it was imputed,
counted unto him for righteousness. That's what the scripture says
about Abraham. But this man even in hell, he
argued, he argued with Abraham about how God saves sinners. Hearing the word of God, hearing
Moses and the prophets, well that's not good enough. That's
what he said, that's not good enough. And yet that's God's
way. But no, this man argued. Something better than that is
a miracle. A miracle. If my five brothers,
if they saw Lazarus, they knew Lazarus, they saw him laying
there at my gate, if he would rise from the dead and go back,
they would believe. In other words, he says, a miracle
is what they need. A miracle. But God, you know,
God, works miracles and there's miracles every day if a person
has eyes to see them. The birth of a baby. I know some men, they've watched
the birth of their children and they've all told me the same
thing. What a miracle. What a miracle. It's just, if
a person has eyes to see, yes. But the generation that God delivered
out of Egypt, think of all the miracles that they saw. The miracle
of the flies, the miracle of the frogs, the miracle of the
darkness, and the miracle of the water turned to blood, and
just so on, so on, so on. And then the miracle of that
time, the miracle, the Red Sea opening up, and they walked through
on dry land. And yet did you know that everyone
above 20 years of age of that generation, except two men, they
all saw those miracles, but they all died in the wilderness. Why? Unbelief. Unbelief. No, God's way of saving sinners
is still the same. It is, go into all the world,
this is what the Lord Jesus Christ said, go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature, whosoever believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, whosoever believeth not shall be damned. God's way
of saving sinners has always been the same, the preaching
of his gospel. God has chosen the foolishness
of preaching. Faith cometh by hearing. The
apostle Paul said, in hearing, by the Word of God. Let me read
a passage of Scripture. You may want to turn to 2 Timothy
with me just a moment. 2 Timothy. But this is so important
that we see and hear this again. Because, you see, we live in
a day when people think they've, they're like this rich man, they
can improve on God's way. They know better than God. They've
given up on preaching the Word, using the Word. Paul said in 2 Timothy 4 in verse
1, I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in
his kingdom. Now notice, preach the word.
Preach the word, Timothy. Be instant, in season, out of
season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. Now notice, For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine. Preacher, prophesy unto us smooth
things. How that God's too good to send
people to hell. Smooth things, that God's not
angry with the wicked every day, even though the word of God declares
it is. Prophesy unto us smooth things. Paul told Timothy, the day's
going to come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but
after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having
itching ears. Itching ears, wanting to hear
something new, something different. Listen, the gospel hasn't changed
and it never shall change. Tell me the old, old story of
Jesus and of his love. Yes, preach the Word, Timothy.
Can't we see that in our day? Can't we see that in our day? And I'd ask you and I today,
have we learned the truth about the Word of God? Do we prize
the Word of God? You know, Job said this about
God's Word. He said, I have esteemed the
words of thy mouth more than my necessary food. If we really
have learned the truth about the importance of God's Word,
how God has chosen to use His Word, we'll read the Word, we'll
hear the Word preached, and we'll meditate upon God's Word. Now,
in closing, here's my fourth truth, and I won't take long
on this, although it's maybe the most important point. The
truth about Christ. The truth about things. The truth
about death, the truth about the word of God, but the truth
about Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
great divider of men. A rich man didn't go to hell
because he was rich. Abraham was a very, very, very
wealthy man, and yet he knew the Lord. He didn't go to hell
because he was a rich man. And let me tell you something.
Lazarus didn't go to heaven because he was a poor man. People have
taught that I know, but that's not true. There's one way to
heaven. There's one way to the father.
And that way is Christ always has been and always will be.
This is what he said. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life, and no man, no man, no man cometh unto the Father
but by me. The way is narrow, yes. It's
narrow because Christ is the way. He is the only way. For Lazarus to go to heaven,
and we know he did. Our Lord said he did. He's there
today. Let me tell you something. For
Lazarus to go to heaven, he needed a righteousness that he could
not perform. He needed a righteousness he
could not offer up to God. And he needed a cleansing that
he could not effect by his good works, by his good deeds, by
his church affiliation, by baptism, or anything else man has come
up with. That righteousness and that cleansing
is found in Jesus Christ and in him alone. Have we learned
the truth about Christ? Who he is? He's God-man. What he accomplished? He finished
the work which the Father gave Him to do. Where He is, He's
at the Father's right hand. And He's there making reconciliation,
or making intercession, rather, for all who come unto God by
Him. Well, there's four truths, my
friends, that that I would impress upon us today from this passage
of scripture, four truths. And I pray that God would give
each one of us the grace to learn these truths and to take them
to heart. You know, I was blessed this
morning. Someone sent me a passage of
scripture. Let me read it before Bill comes
to sing. We're going to sing hymn number
58, Jesus, the very thought of thee.
But someone sent me a text a little while ago, and they said, these
words were brought to my heart this morning. Make a joyful noise
unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before his presence with singing. Know you that the Lord,
he is God. It is He that hath made us, and
not we ourselves. We are His people, the sheep
of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless
His name, for the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting, and
His truth endureth to all generations. What a blessing. I texted back
and said, what a beautiful and blessed passage of scripture
the Lord has given you to start your day with today and to start
our day with. Praise the Lord. Bless the Lord,
right? Be thankful unto him today. We
are his people, the sheep of his pasture, and we are so because
he has made us so. Well, Bill's going to come, and
I encourage you to join in with us now to sing number 58, Jesus,
The Very Thought of Thee.