Parable of Lazarus & the Rich Man

Today on Renewing Your Mind a rich man and a poor beggar and their eternal destiny's cleansers debugger language that the rich man's gate, never receiving any comfort from the man, but we both lived on the tables turn drastically. We continue Dr. RC Sproul series the parables of Jesus in this fourth part.

RC looks at one of the most sober warnings Jesus ever again.

Our last session, we considered the parable of the rich fool and how dangerous it is to put our trust in Richardson to be access with our possessions, so I want to move to a lighter thing on this one so in this session I thought would talk about a parable that deals with health and berating the parable that is often called the parable of the IVs and Lazarus.

Or sometimes simply called the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The reason why the word diabetes is in there is that that's really not a proper man. It's not that you have one man named Lazarus, and the other man named IVs. The dive is certain forms of lot just simply means a rich man, so he really is unnamed in this parable. Let's take a moment to look at this parable that Jesus gave we find this in chapter 16 of Luke's gospel beginning in verse 19. There was a certain rich man who was closed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.

But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sorts who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

So it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and being in torments and Hades he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then 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. Ryan tormented in this flame that Abraham said some remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted and you are tormented and besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so those who want to pass from here to you cannot work in those from their past to us.

Then he said I beg you therefore, father, that he would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment. Abraham said to him, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said no father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent. But he said to them if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead. This terrifying parable. It's a parable that focuses attention on severe contrast, the characters in the parable included in the first instance the rich man called diabetes and the beggar named Lazarus, the rich man is described in the most opulent terms dresses like royalty in purple and fine linen and he fares sumptuously, not once a year or once a month with his sumptuous style of living is a daily matter.

But in contrast to him. There was this beggar named Lazarus who obviously had some kind of incurable chronic skin disease that left his body covered with sore he was not even able to move himself to the gates of the rich man but had to be carried there.

Presumably by friends and there he was laid at the gate desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. He was willing to live on the scraps of garbage. The leftovers that were thrown away from the sumptuous feasts of diabetes. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. Remind you that in Israel Palestine. The dog was not man's best friend the dog was not a household pet the dogs were basically feral and they were seen as the worst of the scavengers were hated by people knit the dogs were kinder to this beggar than diabetes.

I don't know whether you realize this but I have to take medication that involves blood thinners and so as a result, the slightest bump on my skin. I start to bleed and live watches and spots all over my arms. So much so that my wife one of her endearing nicknames for Mavis spot like the dog in our first grade from her. See Spot run. Well, this is concerned about that.

She's always putting Band-Aids on my arms and our German Shepherd every night comes beside me and all she wants to do was lick my wounds, my have to shush her away. But the dog is concerned to try to give me the kind of healing treatment that the dog would give to herself if she had a wound or an injury of sorts, so these scavenger dogs, and give the only relief to this poor beggar that he can get by having the dogs lick his wounds and so we were told the beggar died and as soon as he tied. He was accompanied not by friends or by relatives before the angels of God, so that in his dying breath as his eyelids close to life in this world first thing that Lazarus saw after he died, was refolded to glory of the heavenly host, who picked this poor sorrowful beggar up in their arms and carried him to paradise and placed Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham is probably no more tender portrait of the mercy of heaven that we find anywhere in the Bible that in this illustration of the death of Lazarus was transported to heaven personally.

Plaintiffs nothing is said of his burial. Nothing is said of the monument to him in this world's but we read that the rich man also died and he was very and where he went was not to the bosom of Abraham is not carried in glory by the angels of God was sent to be tormented in help and there he lifted up his eyes and he could see into the heavens and he could see this miserable beggar now being grasping the arms of Abraham in glory, and he cried out. Notice he doesn't cry out to God. There's no cry of repentance in Christ. Abraham and asked Abraham to do something to ameliorate his condition. He says father Abraham, have mercy on me, send Lazarus know Lazarus east stopped by Gary's servant and you're the great patriarch Abraham, you have the authority to send servants like this wherever you want to send them. So I'm asking you Abraham send that servant Lazarus over here to me.

They made dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for Ryan tormented in this flame.

All I want is just the tip of his finger dipped in water that it might touch my tongue to give me that much relief and professor wants or sets me that the center and L would give everything he had and do everything he could to make a number of his sins in this life.

One less just to get 1 ounce glass of torment that is more horrible than any of us can ever contemplate. Here's the man who fares sumptuously every day thinking for a drop of water one drop of honest but Abraham replied Sunday. Remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he's comforted and you are tormented situation is reversed itself president's son but diabetes it's too late. You should have done this way you didn't care at all about the suffering of this manna now you want this man to come and minister to you in the midst of your torments to light. Not only that, he says in this I think is perhaps the heaviest part of the whole parable. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from their pastor was Dr. understand God's between you down there and us appear in the bosom of Abraham. There is immeasurable as an unbridgeable chasm. There's no material in the world strong enough to build a bridge over this chasm, you are where you are and you're there forever and there's no way that you can come here from there or Lazarus can leave here and go to you. Don't you understand that on your side of this golf on your side of the chasm. There are no provisions for parole sentence that is been given to you is forever there is no hope of future probation. You had your probation. There is no hope for a Court of Appeals that will get you out of there and free you for another place and don't even entertain the idea of a second chance. But Abraham isn't everybody entitled to a second chance. They were inside read anywhere in Scripture that God is such an entitlement program to anybody but even if he did, how long ago did you use yours up you been living on second and third and fourth chances are your life and you've had no repentance, no compassion totally self absorbed and self-centered and you scoffed at the idea that there might be a day of accountability and that God is good and loving and gracious God could be so mean and nasty this to put you in this place of torment has not his only begotten son warned you again and again and again, don't you know that Jesus talked for about L than he did about heaven, though, to know that the Lord Jesus Christ said that at the judgment every idle word that we've ever spoken, not every sober word that not every practice word.

I just every intentional word but those things are just roll up our time so easiest idle frivolous things that we say every one of those words will come in to the judgment and not one thing will escape the father's notice and that that judgment every time will be stopped and you will realize that any excuse that you try to give will be a waste of their because you can't argue and debate with a perfect judge who knows all things. But I'm sorry my son just can't get here from there and IVs understood and now he becomes the beggar parable started identifying Lazarus is the beggar now it's diabetes who doesn't just ask a question he starts to beg his I beg you therefore, father that you would send him that is Lazarus to my father's house of your can't send them to me and that there's an unbridgeable chasm between you and may Lazarus can't cross it. At least send them to my father's house by five brothers hi don't want to meet them here and let Lazarus testified and then less. They also come to this place of torment paper and said you want me to send Lazarus on a mission trip from heaven. Go to your house and give a special revelation to your brothers I should interrupt this felicity that he enjoys here in his father's kingdom. So you go to your house and talk your brother are you kidding me willingly Lazarus for they have Moses don't you have a Bible trip.

Have the prophets with your brothers here then Dionysus so that's no good won't do it. That's not going to convince my brothers you know my brothers are worldly there hardened in their heart. They are not tuned in the spiritual thing. I think that the law of Moses and prophecies of the property filters.

With so much bunk and not a petty attention to that.

But if somebody comes to them from the different somebody who's been there like Lazarus maybe don't listen to him and they will repent and he obviously understood that his brothers needed to repent and if they didn't repent. They would end up exactly where he is.

Abraham answered him and said if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded there one rise from the dead.

Jesus is telling the people who listens you don't listen Moses don't listen to the prophets. My father raises me from the dead, you still reason you listen season one of us and you don't have ears to hear and the reason why I have ears to hear, because you don't want to have ears to hear, because you don't want God in your thinking and you certainly don't want how in your thinking scares me to death. This is one of sober warnings that we have received from our Lord in this passage, warning us that now is the time for us to seal our eternity because once we die. It's too late, and it's too far (father, help us to hear Moses and the prophets to hear Jesus risking his name. The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is been our focus today on redoing your mind, I'm Lee Webb, thank you for being with us as we make our way through this series with Dr. RC Sproul were learning Jesus purpose in telling parables and the meanings behind them. The series covers 12 of the stories of Jesus, including the parable of the hidden treasure.

The parable of the workers in the vineyard and the parable of the unforgiving servant we like to send you the full series on two DVDs just contact us today with your donation of any amount to leader ministries. You can reach us by phone at 800-435-4343 or if you prefer to give your gift online or web address is Renewing Your Mind.work when you give your donation and make a request. The video lessons will be added to your learning library so you can begin watching them right away while you wait for the DVDs to arrive you'll have access both on your computer and on the free link in your app so again request the parables of Jesus by Dr. RC Sproul or web address again is Renewing Your Mind.work phone number 800-435-4343 if you found a huge treasure what would you do with it tomorrow. RC tells us about the parable of the pearl of great price so valuable it's worth selling everything to obtain will learn more tomorrow on Renewing Your Mind