YOUR CHOICE DETERMINES YOUR DESTINY

LUKE 16:19-31

          Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

          Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'

          But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is 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.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house--for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

          But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'

          "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead'" (NASB).

 

INTRODUCTION

          There have been many definitions of hell, but for the English the best definition is that it is a place where the Germans are the police, the Swedish are the comedians, the Italians are the defense force, Frenchmen dig the roads, the Belgians are the pop singers, the Spanish run the railways, the Turks run the government, and the common language is Dutch.

          E. Stanley Jones wrote about a fictional person (one of his characters) who lived out a fantasy life. All he had to do was to think of it and (poof!) it happened. And so this man in a moment time stuck his hands into his pocket and leaned back and imagined a mansion and (poof!) he had a fifteen-bedroom mansion, three stories, with soft-footed servants to wait upon his every need.

          A place like that needs several fine cars, so he again closed his eyes, and he imagined the driveway full of the finest that money could buy. He drove them where he wished, or he sat in the back of the car that’s got Mafia glass on it, as the chauffeur drove him wherever he wished.

          There is no other place to travel so he returned home and wished for a sumptuous meal and (poof!) there’s a meal in front of him in all its fragrance and beauty—which he ate alone. But there is still something needed more than that.

          Finally, he grew bored and unchallenged, and whispered to one of the attendants, “I want to get out of this. I want to create something. I want to earn something. I even want to suffer for some things again. I will rather be in hell than be here.” To which the servant replied quietly, “Where do you think you are?”

          On a serious note, hell is not a place anyone of our friends, our families and us should belong. I would like to share with you on the topic: “Your Choice Determines Your Destiny.”

Setting:

          The Parable of the Shrewd Manager and that of the rich man and Lazarus have a few things in common. First, a most obvious point: the introductory clause of the two parables is identical: “There was a rich man . . .” Second, the teaching of the parable of the shrewd manager is the admonition not to store up treasures on earth but in heaven. This is also one of the themes in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. And third, the two parables present the call to repent before it is too late. They challenge the listener to turn to the teachings of God’s Law in regard to the use of wealth, the exercise of honesty and respect, and the application of mercy and love.

I.                  THE CONTRAST IN LIFE VV. 19-21

          Jesus told a vivid story of a rich man and a poor man. This parable is unique to the Gospel of Luke. The rich man was dressed in the purple garments that kings wore in those days. His underwear was made of fine Egyptian linen. Purple and fine linen were first century equivalent of silk sheet and designer clothing. Jesus paints the picture of the rich man so that we see clearly the affluence in which he basked. His lifestyle was sumptuous; he enjoyed comfortable surroundings, rich food, and self-indulgent luxury. Day after day he spent his time at banquets, for he did not have to work. He spent his life feasting. His was the good life, and he was very good at living it.

          When Henry David Thoreau was on his deathbed, a pastor visited him and urged his dying friend to be ready for death. “Do you know where you are going in the next world?” Thoreau waved him away with the words, “One world at a time.” His attitude has caused humanists to uphold him as a man of moral courage, resisting a cowardly flight to religion. He was, in fact, the model of a fool. Imagine a man in Florida boarding a plane to Alaska in mid-winter with no baggage, who answers the question, “Do you know where you are going?” with “One city at a time, my friend.” Only a fool fails to plan ahead for the inevitable.

          When most of the world looks at the United States, it sees people who resemble the rich man in Jesus’ parable. There is something both enticing and deceiving about living in prosperity. We can shelter ourselves from the darker realities of life and busy ourselves so that we suppress disturbing questions. "Our real problems are hidden from us by our current remarkable prosperity as a nation, which results in part from our new way of getting rich, which is to buy things from one another that we do not want, at prices we cannot pay, on terms we cannot meet, because of advertising we do not believe” (Robert Maynard Hutchins).

          At the rich man’s gate was a man at the opposite end of the economic spectrum, in abject poverty. Here in the United States we have become familiar with homeless people living on crates outside buildings containing luxurious apartments. When you go to Ghana, Nigeria, or some of the developing world this picture becomes even more vivid. Abject poverty exists side by side with vulgar display of wealth. It is hard to enjoy a meal in a restaurant when you realize that the person at the door is a guard, posted not to help you in but keep beggars out. It is even harder when children get in and stand by your table with hands extended for money or food. This parable depicts the tragic reality of life in many parts of our world.

          Lazarus was not only a beggar he could not walk as well. His friends had to carry him about and prop him up near the gate of the rich man’s mansion. Because of a lack of care and personal hygiene, he suffered from a skin disease and was covered with sores. His body had wasted away, hunger was his constant companion, and his longing eyes were focused on the scraps of food that had been swept from the dining room floor and were distributed to dogs and beggars outside. This human wretch had no companions other than the dogs that came to lick his sores. The dogs that came to lick his sores were not pet poodles but wild dogs, who only made his condition worse. But he lacked the strength to keep them away. He was the epitome of helplessness and wretchedness. Although he went through life as "a nobody" he had a name. He was called Lazarus, the abbreviated form of Eleazar, which means “God helps” or “God is my helper.” Both men were Jews, but the rich man ignored God’s commands to care for the poverty-stricken Jew. The rich man could not be completely ignorant of the Scriptures, for the teachers of the Law diligently instructed the people in the divine precepts. Besides, the rich man had become acquainted with Lazarus and even knew him by name.

          A more dramatic contrast cannot be imagined—two men at the opposite poles of affluence and misery. A superficial evaluation pities Lazarus as the loser and condemns the rich man as the criminal or bad guy, who ignores appropriate decencies. Lazarus certainly was a sufferer, and the rich man’s inhumanity was wicked. However, there is a deeper contrast between the two men, not visible to the human eye and revealed only after death. It has nothing to do with economic status. The poor man, who never complained and never addressed the rich man, trusted God as his helper as his name reflects.

II.   THE CONTRAST IN DEATH V. 22

          Death came and put an end to Lazarus’s suffering and misery. Probably Lazarus’s death came not as a surprise to anybody and of concern to a few. His body, which was nothing but skin and bones, was quickly removed. His body’s disposal is not described. Because there was no one to show or to receive sympathy, his funeral was not even worth mentioning. Conventional Jewish wisdom suggested that misery on earth was due to divine disapproval. On those terms, Lazarus would obviously qualify as a man under God’s punishment. However, Lazarus was not alone in death. God’s angels came to take him to the place of honor in heaven. Lazarus has been transported from the gutter to heaven’s head table. He was seated next to Abraham, where he might enjoy a messianic banquet. “Abraham’s side” literally means “Abraham’s bosom” or “chest.” The “chest” is spoken of in Scripture as a place of special intimacy of fellowship and care. Let me set the record straight before I continue the message. The merit of Lazarus was not found in the sad fact that he was poor and helpless and diseased. God did not offer heaven to Lazarus as a consolation for his poverty on earth. A beggar may be as vile and filthy in heart as he may be in body. Ultimately, Lazarus went to Paradise not because he was poor and diseased but because in spite of his pitiful condition, he had served God, finding his constant help in Him. This is a rebuke to the proponents of the good health, wealth, and prosperity gospel.

          As time went on, death that is the great equalizer and a respecter of no one came for the rich man. The rich man also died. His life of ease, luxury, comfort, pleasure, and pomp suddenly ended. The funeral of the rich man was elaborate. His five brothers took care of all the arrangements. Flute players and mourners came, and all his friends were in attendance. A beautiful eulogy was said about how good he was. The deceased had lived in luxury; he was buried in luxury. But all those who came to mourn the rich man could not see beyond the grave. They continued to think of him as the rich man, although now departed. The rich man died as he had lived, with no provision for his soul. Money and luxury cannot follow him past the grave. No angel carried him to Abraham’s side. While angels carried Lazarus to Abraham’s side, the rich man without his earthly possessions entered hell. In his death, the rich man was more of a pauper than Lazarus had ever been. He went into eternity stripped bare of all he had possessed and with the terrible realization that an eternal inheritance would never be his. How different it would have been if God, and not gold had been first in his life. This is a lesson for the young and upcoming people of Ghana who pursue "sakawa" (selling of the soul to the devil for money and material gain).

III.           THE CONTRAST IN ETERNITY VV. 23-31

          Everything changed at the moment of death. Lazarus was given a place of highest honor next to the father of believers. Angels had brought him to Abraham’s side, where he would enjoy the company of God’s people. The rich man, who on the earth was surrounded by friends, no longer bore the name rich in hell. Stripped of all his wealth, he was alone. On the other side of the grave, Lazarus remained silent toward the rich man, although understandably he conversed with Abraham. It was Abraham who answered the rich man’s request. Not Lazarus but Abraham instructed the rich man in the realities of eternal destinies. The rich man was in torment, while Lazarus enjoyed the pleasure of Abraham’s company. The torment of hell involved extreme thirst and the agony of fire. The rich man’s experience set before us three terrifying facts: First, "Hades is real." The language may be symbolic, but the experience is real. Jesus Christ speaks more about hell or eternal punishment than anybody in the New Testament. Second, "Hades is terrible." The rich man is not annihilated or unconscious. He is in “torment” (vv. 23, 28) and in “agony” (vv. 24-25). That is expressed in psychological, physical, and spiritual terms. A great unbridgeable chasm is fixed, and the rich man is fully aware of what Lazarus enjoys that he does not. At the same time he is fully aware that he deserves what he is receiving. Third, "Hades is final." That is to say, the rich man’s destiny is unchangeable. There is no graduation or parole from Hades. There is no purgatory, no suspended sentence, and no conditional immortality. Separation from God is eternal.

          Even in hell the rich man did not seem to realize that his utter neglect of God’s commands on earth had ended any claim to spiritual heritage. The rich man went to hell because while he was on earth, he broke the two great Commands of God. “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, might, and your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.” He had neglected God and His Word. He had pursued the goal of self-gratification. And now in hell he was left to himself. Even in hell the rich man remained unrepentant. He did not appeal to God for mercy but to Abraham. He called Abraham his father and expected the patriarch to have pity on one of his descendants. He instructed Abraham on how to show mercy and send relief (v. 24). He thought Lazarus was his errand boy who could be sent at his call with the approval of Abraham. On earth the rich man never helped Lazarus; in hell, however, he expressed the need for human help. He recognized Lazarus, yet he did not address him directly. In a sense, he acted as if he were still on earth.

          As I said, the rich man is not in hell because he is rich. There will be many rich people in heaven and many poor people in hell as well. If you want to understand the reason the rich man is in hell listen to the dialogue that ensued between him and Abraham. Abraham addressed the rich man as “son,” by which he acknowledged only the physical relationship. Even this relationship could not bring the man relief for two reasons: First, the law of retribution, and second, the irrevocability of God’s verdict. No one could go from heaven to hell or vice versa. God had pronounced judgment without the possibility of appeal. The die was cast at the moment of death. The rich man realized the permanency of his state. His own lot was fixed, but that of his five brothers was not. They could still change their way of life and thus avoid eternity in hell. Once more he called Abraham “father,” and once more he wanted to use Lazarus as his servant. He assumed that Abraham had authority to send Lazarus who could be an eyewitness and testify to his brothers. Somehow he realized that he himself could not leave hell to return to earth. He had to stay where he was. He was of the opinion that his brothers needed to be warned, and they needed to repent. Surely a message from a resurrected Lazarus would have the desired effect.

          Implicit in the rich man’s request is an attack on God Himself: He was saying, “I didn’t have a fair chance." God could have done more. If He had communicated more clearly or attracted my attention more dramatically, I would have repented. And so will my brothers. My destiny is God’s fault, not mine. Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to submit to you that God does not send anybody to hell. God has given His Son Jesus Christ to you as His gift of salvation, but if you reject Jesus Christ, you are choosing hell as your eternity destiny.

          There are many people in our world today who are just like the rich man. They say something like: “I will believe if God makes it clear enough. If I do not believe it is God’s fault.” Such an attitude betrays profound ignorance about ourselves and the deep blasphemy against God.

          In one of his movies, Woody Allen has his character say to his beloved Laura, “If only God would speak to me—just once. If he would only cough. If I could just see a miracle. If I could see a burning bush or seas part. Or my uncle Sasha pick up the check.” The humor is typical of Allen; so is the unbelief. God has spoken in His creation. He has spoken in history. He has spoken in His Word. Above all, He has spoken in His Son, and no one is without responsibility or has a valid excuse (Hebrews 1:1-2).

          Abraham will not entertain this slander on God for even a moment: “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” God needs to do nothing greater than He has done in giving you the Bible. Abraham’s response goes to many Africans who are jumping from church to church looking for vision, prophecy, and miracles. God has given us two important revelations. First, is the written Word (the Bible), second, is His Son Jesus Christ. If these are not enough for you, then I am sorry for you. He has even given you His Holy Spirit. What else do you need from God?

          Abraham said “They have Moses and the Prophets,” let your brothers hear them. Nothing spectacular or miraculous can have any effect upon the life of men, if the Word of God is not believed and obeyed. We have no light beyond the revelation of God. Concerning miracles refer to Elijah on Mount Carmel; Saul calling Samuel from the dead; the raising of Lazarus from the dead; and the resurrection of Jesus even did not change the heart of the religious leaders. The primary use of miracles in Scripture was not to "convince" people of the truth by replacing the Bible, but rather to "confirm" the truth of Scripture. You are responsible for hearing and repenting of your sin on the basis of what God has said in His Word. The parable warns us about two destinies—heaven and hell. The choice is yours. I appeal to you to surrender your life to Christ before it is too late.