Utilizing brutally stark imagery, Jesus seeks to impress upon his disciples the seriousness of the things that people do (or fail to do) that lead others into sin or otherwise cause them to 'stumble', particularly when those being affected are those who believe in Jesus. In addition, Jesus also warns about the seriousness of sin to our own condition, equating it with the kind of handicap that we do fear, when tragically many do not concern themselves with the much greater reality of hell. What would we be willing to pay, what hardship would we be willing to endure in order to avoid damaging our relationship with God? For far too many Hell is treated like a remote possibility (like being bitten by a shark in the ocean) rather than the inevitability that it is for all those who spurn the Son of God.
This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
Showing posts with label Hell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hell. Show all posts
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Sermon Video: The Rich Man and Lazarus - Luke 16:19-31
In his ongoing effort to explain the deficiencies of the religion of the religious authorities, Jesus tells his last parable in the Gospel of Luke, the Rich Man and Lazarus. The parable begins with an expected lesson about the limited value of riches in this life, relative to poverty, if the former does not lead to the spiritual renewal that will lead to heaven. The rich man's riches do not avail him when he dies, for he ends up in hell, while Lazarus' extreme poverty is no hindrance to his final destination at Abraham's side in paradise. The lesson is reinforced when the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to give him a slight momentary relief of a drop of cold water to ease his torment, only to find out that it is not possible for any to interfere with the punishment given to those who reject God.
The unexpected twist of the parable comes when the rich man follows up his rejected request by asking Abraham to send Lazarus instead to his five living brothers to warn them of what awaits them if they follow in his footsteps. This request is also rejected, but not because it is impossible, instead it is rejected because the living already have a miraculous witness that they ought to be listening to, not someone raised from the dead, but the Word of God as revealed through Moses and the Prophets. The rich man insists that a visit from the dead is what is necessary to turn his brothers from their path, but the parable ends with Abraham's ominous response that not even someone coming back from the dead would be sufficient if they have already rejected God's Word. Thus the parable of Jesus, while continuing the warning about shallowness of riches, is really a much sterner and more important warning about the eternal consequences of missing out on the call of God to repentance.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
The unexpected twist of the parable comes when the rich man follows up his rejected request by asking Abraham to send Lazarus instead to his five living brothers to warn them of what awaits them if they follow in his footsteps. This request is also rejected, but not because it is impossible, instead it is rejected because the living already have a miraculous witness that they ought to be listening to, not someone raised from the dead, but the Word of God as revealed through Moses and the Prophets. The rich man insists that a visit from the dead is what is necessary to turn his brothers from their path, but the parable ends with Abraham's ominous response that not even someone coming back from the dead would be sufficient if they have already rejected God's Word. Thus the parable of Jesus, while continuing the warning about shallowness of riches, is really a much sterner and more important warning about the eternal consequences of missing out on the call of God to repentance.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
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