Jump Start # 622

Luke 16:26 “And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.”

We continue our look at the Lord’s teaching about the rich man and Lazarus. These two men were so different in life and so different in death. They both saw things after death that they never saw in life. The Bible up to this point doesn’t say much about the world beyond death. There are a few insights, but not the details we have revealed here. I expect neither knew nor thought much about the “great chasm fixed.” God allows us to know about it. We know more than they did. We need to give that some thought.

Some versions use the word “gulf” instead of “chasm.” I think of a canyon—wide and deep and impossible to jump across. It is a separation between Abraham’s bosom and torment. There is no crossing from either direction. I can understand why the rich man and those in torment would want to cross over. They want to flee the pain that they are in. They want to be comforted. Our passage also states that “those who wish to come from here to you” cannot cross either. That is, from Abraham’s side or comfort to torment. No one who wishes to leave comfort for torment can cross over. That seems odd to us. Why would anyone want to do that? I don’t think that’s so much a real problem as it is showing that there is no changing positions or crossing over from either direction. Separation has taken place and it will remain that way.

For both men, life as they knew it has changed. Choices, freedoms, the ability to do as one pleases is gone.  They cannot go where ever they want. The rich man could not go back and make amends for the way he had lived. He could not cross over to where Lazarus was. He could not get a drop of water for his tongue. He could not send word back to his brothers. His pleas were denied. He once was in the position of commanding and giving orders. Not any more. He was stuck and there wasn’t anything he could do about that. He is truly the poster child of hopelessness. He lived after death without hope. There was no hope of things getting better. There was no hope of someone coming to bust him out of there. There was no hope of someone pleading his case. I expect his brothers had no idea had terrible his plight was. A man that lived with choices, now had nothing.

There is an Old Testament passage that says a “a live dog is better than a dead lion.” The reason is, there is always hope with life. Today can be a disaster. Tomorrow offers the hope of a better day. A dead end job doesn’t have to be a life sentence. There is always the hope of finding a better job. Even those with dreaded diseases have hope that some medicine, some treatment might give them a bit longer to live. Hope. When all hope is gone, desperation sinks in. A person gives up when there is no hope. Here the rich man now lived in a world without hope. There was nothing nor no one that could help him. He was stuck. The mighty hand of God was upon Him.

In the opposite way, Lazarus faced a similar fate. His world changed as well. He was removed from temptation, Satan and sin. He didn’t live with the fear of upsetting God. He didn’t live with the anxiety that he might mess up and be kicked out. There is no crossing over. Satan couldn’t touch him anymore. Which means, the choice of doing wrong, the temptation of sin was gone. He, like the rich man, but in the opposite way, did not have freedoms, choices, or decisions. He was comforted and would remain that way. He was in the presence of Abraham and all the faithful of God. He was comforted. Comforted from his pains of suffering. Comforted with the company of others. Comforted with the knowledge that he had pleased God.  We sing a song, “Safe in the arms of Jesus.” I tend to think of Lazarus that way. Safe. Home safely. There is something peaceful and assuring about that.

Lazarus was a poor man. That’s the impression we are supposed to get about him. He didn’t have the resources to help others, he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t travel. Someone dumped him by the rich man’s gates. There are many things that he couldn’t do. There is no indication that he preached in foreign lands. There is no indication that he helped dozens of people. I doubt that he built any places to worship. I doubt that he ever fed Jesus. What he did do was trust God.

I think some where along the line we’ve gotten the idea that we must do something big to impress God in order for us to make it to Heaven. Overseas evangelism…leadership role in the church…donate tons of money…something big. Something impressive. Those that can’t do those things, seem inferior to those that  can. Some feel like they haven’t done anything. First, we are not saved by what we do. You can’t impress God by doing things. You impress God with faith. The times Jesus marveled in the Bible, it was about faith of others. Second, look at Lazarus. He made it. He was poor, sickly, and without a friend. He made it. He trusted God. If he could have done more, he would have. Faith will do that to a person. So, stop trying to win God’s favor. You already have it. Do what you can do. If all you can do is raise your kids to be godly citizens who have the heart of a servant, you’ve done great. Don’t compare yourself with others. Look within. Love God. Let God use you and work with you. Great things will happen.

Get busy now. We have choices now. We have opportunity now. After death, things change. Many will have regrets because they spent too much time chasing things that didn’t matter. They ignored the spiritual. They neglected their soul. The rich man knew that. It was too late for him. It will be too late for us if we walk in his steps. Hebrews tells us to encourage one another while it is still called today. That’s the idea. Get about things now.

Roger

Jump Start # 621

Luke 16:23 “And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

We continue our look this week at the Lord’s story of the rich man and Lazarus. This powerful lesson teaches us not so much about what happens after death but more so how we ought to live today. What we do now determines what happens later. That’s a hard lesson for us. The temporary and the present seem to trump the eternal and the later. We do that in many areas. We’d like to lose weight, but a bag of chips and dip sure taste good late at night. We need to save money, but the latest I-something just came out and we sure would like to have it. It’s hard to live beyond today. Maybe the rich man thought that way as well. Sooner or later, he, as well as us, will run out of todays.

Both the rich man and Lazarus died. Lazarus was taken to Abraham’s bosom—an expression of love, comfort and acceptance. It’s like a huge bear hug. He was wanted and loved. The rich man didn’t make it there. His word was flame, agony and torment. He was not in Hell. That was still to come. He was in Hades. (For those with the King James Bible, the word ‘Hades’ is not used. It ought to be). Hades means the unseen world. It is not purgatory as some folks believe. It is where ALL souls go at death. Jesus went there. The penitent thief went there. Jesus called the place, “Paradise.” This is the same as Abraham’s bosom.

Notice a few things here:

First, the rich man recognized Lazarus. He was not a ghost or a cloud. He was recognizable. Also, he communicated with Abraham. They had a discussion. He asked for things. He didn’t receive them. He also had memory. He remembered that he had five brothers. He remembered what Moses and the Prophets were. He had feelings. He felt the agony of torment. This tells us that all that we are, remains beyond death. You will know whether you had a good life or not. You will know if you were married, how many children you had.

Second, the suffering after death is worse than the suffering in life. We don’t talk this way very much. A friend dies with a dreaded disease and immediately we say, “at least they are not suffering any more.” You couldn’t say that about this rich man in our story. Lazarus’ suffering ended. He was comforted. He no longer had dogs licking his wounds. He no longer was dumped by a stranger’s gate. His problems were over. For the rich man, they were just beginning. What does this say about suicide? What does this say about one who lives without Jesus? Death is not the worst thing that can happen. For the rich man there was no one to help him. He had no hope of improvement. He had no hope that this would end after a while. The picture Jesus gives us is not pretty. It’s not supposed to be. Don’t soften this. Don’t water it down. The feel-good gospel that is being preached in too many places today would remove the rich man from torment. Jesus didn’t. We need to obey Jesus!

Thirdly, the good life doesn’t look so great for the rich man in this scene. His fine clothes, his fancy meals, his big house, his gates—none of those things helped him. He probably thought that Lazarus was a poor, pitiful bum. Now look at them. The rich man is in a world without choices. He is begging. He has no one to wait upon him. He has no status.

What do we learn from all this? Maybe, we shouldn’t be so occupied with the material and start to get our spiritual house in order. Maybe, we ought to spend more time following Jesus instead of keeping up with what ever is the hottest item out there. Maybe what we think is so important, really isn’t. I wonder who got the rich man’s house? I wonder what they did with all his fancy clothes? Did his descendents follow his path to torment? Did his brother’s ever sober up spiritually? Did his death change anything? Will your death change anything? Will others walk in your steps and follow you to where you are going? Do you want them to?

If the rich man and Lazarus could go back for one day, what do you think would be different? I expect the rich man wouldn’t go to work. I tend to think that he’d rush to the gates and carry Lazarus into his home and find the best doctor and bring the best care. That’s what he should have done. Too late. I wonder what we would do different if we could come back for one day after we died? Do you think Jesus told this to possibly get people to think that way? It is interesting how this chapter falls in the gospel of Luke. In chapter 15, we have the prodigal who wasted given wealth. Then chapter 16 begins with the dishonest steward who found a way to keep from getting into trouble. Then our story of the rich man, who horded his wealth. Jesus is teaching about wealth, responsibility and discipleship. God is concerned about you and your money. Don’t waste it like a fool. Don’t horde it. Use it properly. Bring glory through your money.

• Make money without neglecting your soul
• Save money without ignoring others or the kingdom of God
• Spend money without it defining your life

Simple principles—the prodigal didn’t get it. The rich man didn’t get it either. I hope we do!

Roger

Jump Start # 620

Luke 16 22 “Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.”

We continue our look at the great lessons found in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. There are so many wonderful thoughts and lessons found in these verses. This is given to us like a postcard. It shows us what it is like on the other side. What we find is so different than what many of us believed and especially the way Hollywood portrays it. But before we get there, we must talk about the subject of death.

We don’t like that subject. Possibly, we feel, that if we don’t think about it, maybe it will just go away. It won’t. It never does. What is it like to die? Have you ever thought about that? In the movies, at least the action thrillers that I watch, someone dies all the time. There is a blast of weapons and someone falls. He doesn’t get up. The movie moves on. We can become insensitive to death. I have seen several people actually die. It’s not like the movies. No music is playing in the background. There is no great final speech. What I have seen is that a person just quietly stops breathing. That’s it. No grand trumpets blowing. No profound “this is it” moment. They simply pass to the other side.

The Bible is the place to turn to in order to understand the subject of death. There are no experts who can tell us what it is like. There are no movies that can accurately prepare us for what death will be like. One fact is true, everyone that we know, other than Jesus, who has died remained dead. No one dies over the weekend and then comes back to work again on Monday. There are books on the market that makes the claim that the author died, went to Heaven and then somehow came back. Don Piper’s best selling book, “90 minutes in Heaven,” details what he saw and even names the songs that he heard when he spent his 90 minutes in Heaven. There is another book, telling the story of a boy who died and went to Heaven. He was told things and met people that he never knew on earth. He then came back. People get caught up in those kinds of stories and put more faith in what those books say than what the Bible teaches. Now I might get some of my readers upset with me, but I can assuredly say that those things did not happen. They fly in the face of Scripture. I take my stand with what the Bible says.

1. In our look at Luke 16, the rich man wanted word to be sent back to his brothers. It was not allowed. Of all the people who died in the Bible, no one ever sent word back. There are 10 resurrections in the Bible. Not one of them told of what they saw, felt or heard. Nothing. Paul was allowed to go to the “third Heaven” in 2 Cor 12:4. He said it was unlawful for him to repeat what he heard. How is it that an inspired apostle could not tell, yet a truck driver can? More than that, a person is allowed to write a book and make tons of money on this? Does this not seem odd to you? The Scriptures do not tell of lights at the end of tunnels or bright lights or floating sensations or all the other stuff that is popular today. I’ve heard folks say that if you find a penny on the ground that is face up, the date of the penny is the date of someone that you know who died that year. It is a message from them. Really? What’s the message? A face up penny? A person who gets into those kinds of superstitions will likely believe in ghosts, zombies, and leprechauns.

It’s amazing also, that everyone who claimed to have died and came back, all went to Heaven. They are of different faiths, different doctrinal attitudes, different concepts about Jesus –yet they all went to Heaven. That’s not what the Bible teaches. How is it that a Baptist, a Catholic, a Hindu and an atheist all have the same experience? That’s odd in my book. How come no one comes back with stories about Hell? Jesus said more would be lost than saved. Odd isn’t it?

2. In the Bible, a person came back from the dead as a result of a miracle, mostly, by a man of God bringing him back on purpose. Elijah did that. Jesus did that. Paul did that. There was a resurrection of righteous people at the death of Jesus. This was in connection with many miracles by God—the sun was dark, there was an earthquake, the veil of the temple was torn into. Did anyone in the Bible, other than Jesus, come back from the dead on their own? I don’t know of any. I’m to believe that a truck driver is killed in a car accident and goes to Heaven for an hour and a half and for some unknown reason, he is sent back? No apostle bring him back? It just happened? Strange you don’t read about those things in the Bible.

3. Death is the separation of the body and spirit (James 2:26). It is something known by God. Death is a process, just the opposite of birth. No one stays in the state of birth. It’s merely a doorway to take us from one world into this world. Death is just the opposite. It takes us from this world into the next. We don’t stay in the state of death. We live. We exist. The road doesn’t end at the cemetery. Both the rich man and Lazarus were “alive” after they died. They both knew, felt, remembered and recognized. They lived after they died. Death was simply switching rooms.

4. God is with the righteous, even in death. When Lazarus died, the angels carried him to Abraham’s bosom. What a contrast to being dumped by the rich man’s gate. He is carried by angels. Did that really happen? Yes. Does it still happen? For the righteous, certainly. There is nothing to think otherwise. What comfort to know that the righteous do not die alone. God cares for them. What about the wicked? How do they get to the other side? Demons? Don’t guess. Don’t speculate. Don’t park your car at a place we do not know. God doesn’t say. That’s the answer. I don’t know, and neither do you. Forget the movie, Ghost. It was just a movie.

5. God uses wonderful words to describe the death of his children. Paul said it was a gain (Phi 1:21). The Psalmist said it was precious (Ps 116:15). The Corinthians were told that it is a victory (1 Cor 15:54). The Thessalonians were told it was hope (1 Thes 4:13). The sting and fear of death are removed by Jesus Christ. The world uses words like “gone,” “departed,” “kicked the bucket,” “bought the farm,” and “tragedy.” God sees death differently. It’s the door we go through to get where God is. He’s on the other side. All the blessings and joys await us. We must go through the doorway marked “Death.” For the child of God, death is not so bad. In fact, they long to be on the other side. The other side is much better than this side.

Learn to develop the right attitude about death. See it as God sees it. Walk with Jesus and you have nothing to fear. Shelve all those modern books about Heaven and coming back from the dead, and read what God says. God’s word is where our faith needs to be.

It will be just as God said. You can count on that!

Roger

Jump Start # 619

Luke 16:22 “Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.”

The rich man and Lazarus—what a great lesson the Lord taught! I want to devote our next few Jump Starts to looking at this powerful story. It is rich with lessons and many intriguing thoughts that can make a difference to our faith and our walk with the Lord.

This is one of the few pictures we have from the other side of death. We have tons of questions about what will we be doing and what it will be like and what we will look like and so forth. This passage doesn’t answer all of those curious thoughts. They are not intended to. The Bible is for the living. It is to get us to the other side safely in Jesus. So many are so focused on the other side of death that they forget to live.

Let’s begin by realizing that these two men, Lazarus and the rich man, have many contrasts, both in life and death. One is rich. We know him as the rich man. We don’t even know his name. He lived well. He ate well. He had much.  He had a table, house and gates. Lazarus was poor. Nothing is said about his house, table nor gates. He is laid at the gates of the rich man’s house. The word “laid” may bring the thought of tender and loving care. Maybe someone tucked a blanket around him, patted his head and wished him well. I wish that was the case. The Greek language won’t allow that. The word means to “dump,” “cast,” or, “throw.” There’s no loving care there. It seems that someone rolled Lazarus off the cart in front of the rich man’s house. The image is that Lazarus didn’t have anything, nor anyone. That’s a pitiful way to live or die. Could it have been that Lazarus had no money to buy the medicine that he needed? Dropping him by the gates of the rich man was a desperate act of trying to find someone to help him. Lazarus is so pitiful that he can’t even chase away the street dogs that have gathered to lick his wounds. The picture is painted in such a way that we ought to feel sorry for him. We should. The rich man didn’t. He acted like the priest and the Levite in the story of the good Samaritan. He ignored Lazarus. The sick man wasn’t living in Africa. He wasn’t down in a ditch where no one could see him. He was by the gates, the only way in and out of the place was through the gates. The rich man had to see him. He probably thought, how disgusting that the dogs were all around him.

The reason that the rich man ends in torment and Lazarus in comfort has nothing specifically to do with their status in life. The rich man wasn’t tormented just because he had wealth. God had many wealthy people on His side. Job is a great example. Abraham is another. It’s not money, it’s what you do with it and what it does to you. The rich man demonstrated that he did not love his fellow man. He was in the position to help Lazarus, possibly even save his life and he did nothing. Shame on him! God would not stand still for that.

Also, Lazarus wasn’t taken to comfort just because he was poor, sickly or had a hard life. This is difficult for many to get. We assume that if we’ve had a hard life here then we ought to get Heaven. It doesn’t work that way. A person doesn’t go to Heaven just because they died serving their country or trying to rescue someone. A person doesn’t get Heaven because they have had “hell” on earth. A person doesn’t get Heaven because the road has been long and hard for them. I’ve had discussions with people who just flat out said, “I deserve Heaven for all that I’ve had to put up with in this life.” WRONG. No one deserves Heaven. No one.

Heaven isn’t given out by chance, like a lottery ticket. It is for those who have chosen Jesus and walked with Him. Lazarus must have been a man of faith. That consistent lesson is taught throughout the Bible—the just shall live by faith. Poverty is not the ticket to Heaven, faith is.

Both men died. I expect the rich man had some funeral. His grave would have been marked with a fine monument. Tons of people would have shown up at his funeral. Prominent people would have been in the audience. The local paper would have featured his passing. Those things haven’t changed. And Lazarus? He most likely was tossed in a pauper’s grave. His grave was most likely unmarked. Few, if any, attended his funeral, if he even had one. There was one in attendance and one who noticed. That was God. God recognizes the passing of His children.

Even before we get to the rest of this great story, we find powerful lessons here. The rich man would have been the talk of the town. Big house—big chariot—big table—big gates– nice landscape– traveled far and well– newest stuff– latest stuff– coolest stuff. We understand that today. Big screen– cool sports car– tickets to the best events—finest labels on his clothes. A man of success. A man of wealth.

There are some things that the rich man saw after he died that he never saw before.

• He saw that his soul was the most important possession. His luxuries didn’t help him in death. All the fine food, all the exotic travels, all the fancy clothes, all the rich friends did not help him. They did not ease his pain nor make his eternity more enjoyable. God is not impressed with how big your house is. He is interested in how large your heart is.
• He saw that death comes to all people. Death often comes unannounced. It comes to those who are ready and those not ready. It comes to those you have nothing to do and those who are very needed. Death comes to the busy businessman, the famous musician, the housewife, the elder in the church, the young college student. Death doesn’t care that you have plans. Death doesn’t care that it’s not a good time for you. Death doesn’t care that others are counting on you and need you. Death doesn’t care. Death comes not just to the poor, but also to the wealthy.

• He saw that he had opportunity to do what is right. The story continues to where the rich man wants to warn his brothers about the place he was in. Obviously, they didn’t believe in it as he hadn’t. He is told that they have Moses and the prophets. That’s the Bible. They have the Bible. They have been given the answers that they needed. They have hope from God. The rich man knows that they won’t touch the Bible. He hadn’t. They were all cut from the same cloth. His brothers were going to be in terrible torment with him because they ignored their souls as he had.

• He saw for the first time that he was hopeless. He begs for water, just a drop of water. Probably for the first time in his life he begs. He can’t get what he wants. There is no one to obey his commands. No one to serve him. His status has changed. He has no freedom. He has no one to help him. He is alone and he is in misery. In many ways, he and Lazarus have switched positions. It was too late to say, “I’m sorry.” There was no second chances. His life was over. His life was wasted. He had failed. Nothing could be done for him.

Can you see these things? If you can, you are already better off than the rich man. He never saw them until it was too late. The passage is for us. It’s a wake up call. It’s a reminder to have a course correction before it’s too late. Some day will be our last day. What matters then, as what matters now, is you and Jesus. Are you walking with Him? Are you obeying Him? Are you connected to Him? Don’t let stuff keep you from Him or from Heaven.

More next time…
Roger