There was a man who thought everything was fine. He had his place with God and as far as he knew life was good. He had great wealth and enjoyed it. The Bible does not say he did anything else wrong, only that he did not help a sick beggar man who had nothing and that seems to have put the rich man in hell.
In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which I will post at the end. The man found himself in hell, but he was not expecting to be there. The only fault shown in the story is that he did not have mercy on the poor that was there by him. This one thing caused him to be in hell.
The rich man should be a warning to everyone. Christians typically think they have arrived, they are saved and now they are just waiting for the Rapture or death, whichever comes first, and that is all there is to the Christian life. They think we are just here to live and play and then walk into glory when life is over. They THINK they are alright and their future is sealed, but is it? The rich man thought the exact same thing, but he begged to have someone go tell his family that they did not end up in the same place he found himself. The answer was that they had the Word, they should already know...
Are we listening to this horrifying warning or do we just sweep it under the rug and ignore it as we do so many Scriptures? One little thing and the man was found in Hell. At what level is that bar set, at what point do we find ourselves cast out? I know, some say that once you are saved then you are forever saved, but is eternity really worth betting on a doctrine of man? At least some that believe that way, will say that if a person lives in sin then they never were saved in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying we can EARN our salvation, as that is a gift from God and no man can justify himself by his works, but if we have not the works that show we have been saved, are we? In James 2 it ponders this issue of works and faith with the simple statement “I will show you my faith by my works”. The point is one of appreciation and reasonable service. In Romans it says:
Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God
It is about “Reasonable Service”, if we do not have this are we only deceiving ourselves? In Matthew 22 we have the story about the a king that had a wedding supper for his son and everyone made excuses why they could not come. So the king called everyone else to his supper instead of those that were chosen and filled the place. Once it was all filled there was one man found that did not have on a wedding garment and was cast out into “outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Why? He was called and he came and accepted the invitation, but did not have respect for what was offered, he did not do his “reasonable service”!
At what level is the bar set? In Galatians we have one of several lists in the Bible that keep our feet on the ground as to what is right and what is wrong and what will keep us from Heaven:
Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Oh, that is quite a list and people will say they do not fit anywhere in this list, but is this list the only things that will keep you out? Look at just the one, “drunkeness”. The Bible clearly says that an addiction to alcohol will keep you out of heaven if you give into it. What about other addictions, why should it be limited to JUST the addiction of alcohol? An addiction controls you, it makes you act against your own judgment. Perhaps this would apply to all addictions, like smoking, food (either repeated gluttony or anorexia which is another form of addiction), money, work or other addictions. If something other than God is controlling you, then you might find yourself lost. Listen to the warning from the rich man.
At what level is the bar set? In the book of Revelation we have the letters to seven different churches. Some believe that this represent different ages of time and the last church would represent our current time. What was said to the last church which would be the Church of the Last Days of this Age:
Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Pay attention here, He is talking to Christians, He wrote this letter to the “Church” and He knows their WORKS that they are lukewarm, that they have put no effort into anything, they THINK they have arrived and have no need of anything, just enjoying life and satisfying themselves. But.. But… They did not know they were Wretched and Miserable and Poor and Blind and Naked! They were in the same boat as the rich man, they THOUGHT everything was fine but their works did not show it, they where deceived!
At what level is the bar set? We are to bare fruit! In John it says:
Joh 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Joh 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
I know that is long passage and contains lots of different things, but here we will only focus on a two. First, we can see clearly that we are to bare fruit and IF NOT we are cast off. Sound familiar yet? We are not here to simply live for our own pleasure, build a family and die and go to heaven, we are to bare fruit, we are to be about the work, we are to grow in the Lord and in His might, we are to help those that are in our path, we are to comfort those we can, we are to provide for those which we are able, we are to receive from God to be a blessing to those around us, our minds are to be on the Kingdom of God and NOT ON our own Kingdoms.
The other point in this passage is that we have been called out of the world (the cultures of the world). We are not to be like the world, nor should we desire to be part of it, we should desire to be part of the Kingdom of God (the Body of the Christ) and keep that as our focus. There are things that seem Worldly, such as fads, cultures, ways of doing things because others do them that way, which should not be part of us. If our desires go down that path, then are minds and hearts are not on the Kingdom of God. Some might say, “well it is my life and can do what I want”, can you, is it?
1Co 6:19-29 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Which Kingdom are you in, the one of the World or the ONE of God? You cannot be in both Kingdoms, it is nothing more than deception, you cannot be divided, you must choose.
Listen to that warning from Hell! Do not allow yourself to be deceived! Just because you do not feel conviction on something does not mean it is not wrong, you can easily be deceiving yourself and ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Learn the Word of God and know the nature of God so you can clearly see what is and is not pleasing to Him. Eternity is a long time to pay a price for not listening and making wrong choices.
At what level is the bar set? At what point are we deceiving ourselves and we are really lost? Where are we compared to that bar? Where are those around us, compared to that bar? Are you listening to those that spend time with God’s Word or those that are living more in the World? It is time to know the Word and repent. People need to know the full council of God’s Word, read the Old Testament also, the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament! In Hebrews we are told the stories in the past are there so that we do not do the things they did and provoke God. Know the FULL WORD of God!
It is time to wake up and listen to the warning from a person in Hell! When life is over or the Rapture happens, it will be TOO LATE to listen, don’t find yourself in the same position as the rich man, LISTEN TO HIS WARNING!
Rich man and Lazarus:
Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Luk 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luk 16:22 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;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 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.
Luk 16:25 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.
Luk 16:26 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.
Luk 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
Luk 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Luk 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luk 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.