Luke: Does Your Heart Need Healing
“How do You Pray?”
Luke 16:19-31
2-26-2023
Justin Scarberry
Message Notes
Luke 16:19-31 NASB
19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms. 24 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.’ 25 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. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well.’ 29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 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.’”
Abraham’s arms=Abraham’s bosom=A place of comfort
2 Main Interpretations
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A parable about having money as an idol
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A real life story from Jesus about what happens when you don’t turn from an idol.
Hades (NT)=The grave=Sheol (OT)=a place for the dead before Jesus’ sacrifice was made on the cross.
Jesus Teaching on the afterlife:
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There is an eternal comfort in Heaven
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There is eternal agony in hell
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Once you are in there is no way to get to the other
The pharisees as well as most Jews erroneously felt that because of their lineage to Abraham they were saved. They felt that their monetary blessings in this life was proof of their salvation
Jesus teaches us that the things the world loves have no value in eternity.
God allows pain and suffering in this life as in the case of Lazarus. Why? Because there is so much more waiting for us after this life.
2 Timothy 3:12
12 Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus will be persecuted
Matthew 16:24-25 NIV
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
This life, in comparison to eternity, is extremely short.
Where did Jesus go when He died on the cross?
Two compartments in Hades- Side of comfort and a side of torment.
What happens when we die?
There are only 2 options:
For the Believer:
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
For the non believer:
Isaiah 5:14NLT
The grave is licking its lips in anticipation,
opening its mouth wide.
The great and the lowly
and all the drunken mob will be swallowed up
Which option have you chosen?