Luke 16:19

In the last part of Luke chapter 16 Jesus told the story of two men, the rich man and the poor man named Lazarus. Both men died and one went to heaven and one went to hell. Jesus said in Luke 16:19-26, “There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who 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 sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from there.”

Of course, we notice immediately the great contrast between the rich man and Lazarus. I think that one of the lessons that Jesus was trying to teach us was the fact that it’s much more important what happens to someone in the next life compared to what happens to them in this life. Elsewhere Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man, should he gain the whole world but lose his own soul?” The rich man seemed to have it good for a while, but life is short compared to eternity. The end of every life is just over the horizon. “It’s appointed unto men once to die and then comes the judgment.”

The problem that the rich man had was that he was not ready for the judgment. Are you ready? Most people would think that poor Lazarus had very little in this life. He did not have power or fame or possessions, but he did have one thing that was priceless. He had a relationship with God in his heart. In this story Jesus gave the name of Lazarus, but he did not give the name of the rich man. This emphasizes the fact that the rich man did not have a personal relationship with God. There will come a day when everyone will cry out seeking entrance to the kingdom of God. Woe to those to whom the answer will be, “Depart from me, I never know you.”

In this story of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus made it very clear that there is a place of eternal torment. Jesus quoted the rich man as saying, “I am tormented in this flame.” There is a judgment to come, and there is a hell where those who do not know God will burn forever and ever. Notice also that the rich man requested that Lazarus be sent to dip his finger in water to cool the rich man’s tongue. But for the rich man, it was too late. The time for repenting of one’s sins is now. If you are going to make your peace with God, you must make it now. “Now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time.” Repent of your sins and turn to Jesus while you can, or you risk joining the rich man forever.

Notice also that the torments of hell involve much more than the burning fire. Abraham said to the rich man, “Between us and you is a great gulf fixed.” Those who are in hell will be isolated. They will be alone forever to think of the greatness of their sins. They would not think of their sins long enough in this life to repent from them, so they will have eternity to regret over and over every sin that they committed. Sometimes people joke about hell, saying that they will at least be with their friends, because all their friends will be there. But those who go to hell will be alone forever, separated by a great gulf from all that is good and all that is pure and all that is wonderful. In this life both sunshine and rain fall upon the just and the unjust equally. But for those who go to hell, there will only be the lonely, painful, eternal darkness, with nothing but their own conscience to gnaw at them forever, as a worm that dies not.

Now the rich man certainly knew the reality of the tortures of hell, and if he could not escape, he knew there was still a chance for his brothers. Notice that the Bible says in Luke 16:27-31, “Then he said, I pray you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house: For I have five brothers; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, No, 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.” If you really care about someone, you will care about the eternal destiny of their soul.

It’s important to notice the response of Abraham to the rich man’s request to have Lazarus go back from the dead to warn his brothers. The rich man obviously thought that something as shocking as a person raising from the dead would awaken his brothers to the reality of life after death and the need to make sure they end up in the kingdom of God. But Abraham said, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

The response that Abraham gave goes to the core of why anyone gets saved. First of all, salvation starts with God. God sent His Son to die for the sins of the world. God has also already chosen the method by which His truth is offered to mankind: the written Word of God. If someone does not respond to and receive that which is found in the written Word of God, then nothing else will wake them up to the truth. Miracles do not save people. Knowing the truth is what saves people. One of the greatest miracles possible is the raising of a dead person. Jesus rose from the dead, and there were still people who chose to not believe. The Word of God is more than a book. It’s the living truth, revealed from the Almighty Himself. “The Word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.” If you want to teach the truth, make sure you teach God’s Word and not your own opinions. The Word of God can change lives. The Word of God can save souls. The Word of God will keep people out of hell.

What will cause people to miss the Kingdom of God and to end up in hell? Of course, to not be born-again and to not receive Christ as Savior will result in such a horrible destiny. But why is it that some people do not accept Christ? Jesus spoke of one of the reasons that some people do not get saved in Luke 17:1-2 where the Bible says, “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” The word that is translated “offences” in this passage literally means “to cause to stumble.”

Some people fall because of the influences of others. We call this peer pressure, or going along with the crowd. There are some advantages to being young, but there are also some disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is the fact that the young are easily influenced. A young person needs good influences to help him go the right way. Many of the worst people in the world got their start to a miserable life because of evil influences when they were young. Think of the sorrow and the damage and the ruin that has been caused by those who have molested or abused little children. Those who have been a bad influence on the little children are in the same category. Jesus made it clear that such people face a harsh judgment and a very deserved judgment. Jesus said, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Is there a hell? Of course, there is a hell. It is the only punishment that would be just for the sins that some people have committed. In this life there is no punishment great enough for some people. Thank God that there is a hell. In spite of this, God does not want anyone to go there. If you deserve to go to hell, you can escape it by turning from your sins and turning to Christ before it is too late.

Jesus said, “Offences will come.” He was describing one of the characteristics of the age in which we live. In this world people are going astray, but no one goes alone. Each takes others with them. If you are a follower of Christ, your goal should always be to influence others for good instead of them influencing you for evil. We are told to “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” If we find out how to stay unspotted from the world, we will have a good influence on those around us. If we are to follow Christ, we are to be on guard against being wrongly influenced by those around us, and we also must desire to be good influences on those around us and especially on the young who are more easily influenced. What a shame it would be if it turned out that you influenced others in the wrong way. What a waste of opportunity and what a waste of your life!

In Luke 17:3-4 Jesus told us something else that is very important to remember as we walk through this life. He said, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” The principle of forgiveness is important in our relationship with God, and it’s also important in our human relationships. Without forgiveness we could not have a relationship with God. Without forgiveness many human relationships fall apart. Concerning the principle of forgiveness Jesus said, “Take heed to yourselves.” This is a very clear warning. The person who cannot forgive and who does not forgive is in for a lot of trouble. Not only are their human relationships doomed to fail, but a spirit of bitterness and revenge will easily take hold of their soul. Such people will be small people: never able to become what they could have become.

Jesus said, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him.” There are people in this world that perhaps you should not rebuke. It would not do any good anyway. Those who love the world will not love the truth and will not recognize the truth. “Do not cast your pearls before swine.” But you should rebuke your spiritual brother if he needs it. After all, someone may not understand what they have done, or why they should not do it. A soft word is not always the right word. Paul wrote to Timothy and said, “Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” If you give a rebuke, remember the reason for it. You are not supposed to be telling someone off. You are supposed to be trying to renew your relationship and communication with them. If you rebuke for the right reason, then you should be able to fulfill your side of the equation if the person asks for forgiveness. You should be able to forgive them. You do not hold a grudge against them. You do not get even with them. You forgive them. If God has forgiven you all of your many sins, surely you can forgive your brother.

The Bible says in Luke 17:5-6, “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Sometimes we feel just like the apostles did. Sometimes we feel like our faith is weak, and if only it was stronger, we would see the results that we are hoping for. But Jesus reminded the apostles of a very important detail about how faith works. The real question is: do you have faith or do you not? It is not really so much a question of how strong is your faith, but do you have faith or not. A weak faith can accomplish a great deal, because a weak faith is still faith. Remember your faith is in God. God is strong and He can do it. Much more important than how strong is your faith is who is the object of your faith. Even a small faith is still faith in the Almighty Powerful God who can do anything, and who just might perform a great miracle just because you ask Him to do so. Your weak faith may very well be just the thing that results in God doing a great and mighty act. That’s what Jesus said. He would know. Jesus said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

The apostles asked the Lord to increase their faith, and then in response Jesus gave them a great promise about the fact that even faith as a grain of mustard seed will be honored and will have great results. The promises of God will increase our faith, because our confidence will be increased that what God has promised, He will indeed fulfill. The Bible is full of many great and precious promises that God has made. Read them and think about them often. They will be the source of a constant faith in your heart and mind. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

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