Bible Lesson: Parables-Our Lord's-The Rich Man And Lazarus

Bible Lesson: Parables-Our Lord's
Parable: The Rich Man And Lazarus

Text: Luke 16:19-31 KJV
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 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;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 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.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.


Luke 16:19-31 NLT
19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.
20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.
21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Perhaps no other parable is so pregnant with meaning as this one.
All kinds of questions may arise from reading this simple story:

*Does adherence to poverty, bring with it righteousness, and worldly riches damnation?
*Is there such a thing as “Future Compensation?”
*Is there such a thing a “purgatory,” where through suffering, lost souls, “seek the things of
God?”
*Is there life after death?
*Is the eternal body, (In spirit or body form,) much different than the earthly one?
*Is there a judgment after death?
*Does God really send people to hell, a place of eternal torment?
*Etc. etc. etc. etc.......

It would seemingly appear that Lazarus had no display of righteousness, and that he was saved merely because of his poverty.
Pity the very thought, for nothing could be any further from the truth!

Luke 16:20 KJV
“And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus*,...”

Lazarus-Greek: Lazaros (Lad-zar-os): Hebrew: Lazarus i.e. Elazar.
Elazar-Hebrew: Elazar (El-aw-zawr): God is (my) helper.

Lazarus, was a Godly, man who believed in the commandments of God.

Mark 12:28-33 KJV
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that He (The Lord Jesus.) had answered them well, asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto Him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He:
33 And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Lazarus, believed that a Jewish man, the rich man, surely would believe in these two commandments of God!
Lazarus, believed in the mercy of God.
Lazarus, believed that, “God was his helper!”

All these facts, “are,” without any doubt clearly seen in this story.

Did poverty save him, absolutely not, it was his “faith,” that saved him!

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Galatians 3:6,7 KJV
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

One is not transported into heaven, based upon his poverty, or his wealth, as wealth is no sign of salvation either!
One is transported to heaven based upon his faith (Since Calvary, in the finished work of Jesus Christ), and obedience to that faith!

What was the sin of the Rich Man?

Gluttony, and luxury:

Luke 16:19 NLT
Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.

Philippians 3:18,19 KJV
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Philippians 3:18,19 NLT
18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

Selfishness:

Luke 16:23,24 KJV
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 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.

The rich man, was used to servants that did his bidding, in hell he found that this luxury was gone.
Besides that, water cannot, by reason of its design, exist in fire.

Matthew 25:41-46 KJV
41 Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not.
44 Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.


That there is an after, “eternal-life,” this story of Christ attests!
Lazarus, was carried to paradise, the “selfish rich man into hell.

Hebrews 9:27 KJV
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

How many deaths, reincarnations? Anathema!
Such teachings falsely teach endless reincarnations, of self improvement. False, says the Word of God.

What shall we say then, of the rich man's gaining faith in hell, to the extent of caring for his five brothers!

Luke 16:22-31
22 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;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 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.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Dear friend, and prayerfully we are at the least, friends, if not brothers and sisters.
Have you ever wondered if it had been you in the garden, instead of Adam or Eve, would you have been deceived?

Think long and hard, before going on.

How many would gladly say of themselves, “not I!”
Really?

Friend if we say such a thing as that, we confess that we do not as of yet fully understand, the depths of our wiley, enemy, Satan.

Are we subject to deception? Could the enemy be so slick, so cunning as to deceive us?
We are an enlightened people, we are a scientific and cultured people. True our ancestors, were susceptible to the enemies wiles, because they were “not,” as an enlightened people. They did not have the Bible. They were not an educated people, and the more.

Friend if you thought that the rich man was contrite for his five brothers, than you were deceived!

Selah
(Take some time here for personal reflection, too often we race from one thought to another!)


Oh, how some would love to murder the Word of God!
Second Chance Religion / don't make it in this life....well, make it then in the next!
Anathema.

What is the truth?
The truth is that not one soul who has ever gone to hell, has ever, no matter what the torment for rejecting God, has ever changed one scintilla, nor could they ever!

The rich man was a, gluttonous, selfish man.

In hell he is forever, the same, locked in by his "life-time" choices, that he alone had made.

When he protested his five brothers coming to hell, it was “Not,” because of their coming to torment, but it was because of his “additional,” torment by their coming! (Can the torments of hell, increase? According to this story of the Lord Jesus, yes!)

And they would come because of he being the eldest son, they would no doubt follow his example to their own graves. Once there, they would, time without end, curse him, for the sinful example he had left them.

The selfish rich man, was looking out for himself, as he had done all through life. His only concern was himself.

Oh the deception of sin!
Selah

There are those today, who think they can be the master of worldly things, that they so love, to use them according to their own likings, what ever that may be.
Danger, danger, those who do so, walk on the very precipice of the pit.

Satan, the enemy of our souls is a master of deception!

I John 2:15-17 KJV
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Our Lord's Warning: (Three times Jesus warns.)

Mark 9:44:43-48 KJV (Our Lord is speaking symbolically.)
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Men who feed on the baser things of life, and who refuse to “die to self, and it's earthly lusts of the flesh,” stay worm (larva) like forever.

Philippians 4:8 KJV (God's People)
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think (Feed)on these things.

Romans 6:3-14 KJV (God's People)
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him.
10 For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

II Corinthians 3:18 KJV (God's People)
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Those who refuse to “feed on the things of God,” and who refuse to “die to self, and its lustful desires, forever seal their eternal fate as the worm, feeding on the base things of the world. Forever “self-condemned,” to a world of base, or sinful things.

Never to die to self, is never to have metamorphosis, always the worm. Never to know the “higher-life” that the butterfly knows.
Never to know the joy of the heavens.


The place of safety:

Psalm 91:1,2 KJV
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.

The only place of safety is with the Lord Jesus.
How close must you be to Him?
You must be close enough to be in His shadow!

Question:
Will the spiritual body, that we have after this life, be much different?
Answer:
Yes.

As this story gladly submits:

Men and women will be able to withstand “joys, perhaps beyond, what we could withstand in this life!
John 16:12 KJV
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Men and women will be able to withstand “fire, sorrow and torments beyond, what we could withstand in this life!

And again....

Luke 16:22-26 KJV
22 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;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 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.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

How could the rich man, now in hell, see Lazarus and Abraham, in paradise, seeing how they were afar off, a great gulf, between them?
He could, because the senses of immortal man are heightened, becoming much more acute than they were while alive on earth, in the flesh.

What a misnomer, God sends people to hell!
The God of love sends no one to hell!

Men, that go there, have decided themselves that, that is where they long to be!

Ezekiel 18:23 KJV
Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.

Proverbs 8:35,36 KJV
35 For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
36 But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate Me love death.

Another point to be made from this story, is that in the next life there are “rewards,” for what has been accomplished in this one.
Judgment and torment for the sinner, glory and crowns for the believer see.....

Rewards For The Christian

Rewards For Faithful Believers