POOR MAN AT THE GATE

LUKE 16:19-31

      Jesus contrasted two men , Dives (Latin for “rich”) and Lazarus, before and after death (Lk. 16:19-22). This is the only parable where Jesus gave someone a name.

      In this parable Jesus taught the poverty of the rich who died lost and the riches of the poor who died saved. Jesus showed the complete reversal in eternity for those rich in life but bankrupt in death.

Lk. 6:24 [GW]. But how horrible it will be for those who are rich. They have had their comfort.

Lk. 12:19, 20-21 [NIV].And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”

 20. But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

 21. “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Lk. 18:24 [NIV]. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

Jas. 2:3 [MSG]. And you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,”

Jas. 2:5 [ESV]. Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Rev. 18:17 [NIV]. In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!

      Jesus came to preach the gospel to the poor (Lk. 4:18, 7:22).

Lk. 14:21 [NIV]. The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

      Lazarus lived with constant hunger (Lk. 15:16). Lazarus could only think of silencing the hunger with crumbs from the table (Mt. 15:27).

Jas. 2:16 [NIV]. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

      Each of the two men experienced sudden death and swift judgment. One second after death both men consciously entered two different eternal states (Heb. 9:27).

      Heaven’s angels welcomed Lazarus home (Mt. 24:31), while funeral directors celebrated the rich man’s burial.

      The dogs licked the sores of Lazarus in life, but in death the hounds of hell (Lk. 8:28) tormented the rich man (Rev. 20:14).

Rev. 20:10 [NIV]. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

      Immediately in death, the rich man asked for everything he did not give in life. Dives experienced unfulfilled desire (Lk. 16:24-27; no mercy, water, passing over, or message to brothers). In hell Dives begged for a thimble full of water, but in life that rich man did not share a crumb. The rich man did not know any pain back at home but now in hell suffered the pain of a place without God’s mercy.

      In this parable Jesus revealed the sorrows of hell.

•          Having no angel to carry you to Jesus (16:22)

•          Lifting up your eyes in a place you never expected to be (16:23)

•          State of never-ending pain (16:23)

•          Seeing what could have been yours (16:23)

•          Being a child of God in name only (16:24)

•          Prayers unanswered (16:24)

•          Unfulfilled desire (16:24-27)

•          Memory of a wasted life (16:25)

•          Receiving what you really deserve (16:25)

•          Eternal separation (16:26)

•          Knowing others are headed to hell (16:27)

      Abraham spoke to the rich man of the hottest flame in hell–a mind to remember.

∙          Spiritual pain (separation from God)

•          Physical pain (second death; rich man’s eyes–see, tongue–speak, body–feel)

∙          Mental pain (memory of sins, opportunities to receive Christ)

      The rich man already experienced in life all the comfort he would ever know. In life the rich man filled up the cup of God’s wrath and now tasted its bitter end.

1 Tim. 6:17-19 [NIV]. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

 18. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

 19. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

      The rich man made money in life (Jas. 4:13) but now would trade the brevity of that pleasure for an eternity with God. His wealth on earth seemed like pennies compared to the innumerable blessings now enjoyed by Lazarus.

Jas. 5:1[NIV]. Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.

      Matthew Henry said, “The day is coming when those that make light of divine mercy will beg hard for it.”

      The rich man fixed his eternal state in the abyss (Rev. 9:2) by what he failed to do day by day for the man at the gate. At death God forever closed the opportunity for one to traffic from hell to heaven. The rich man uttered a plea from hell for evangelism on earth only to hear that citizens of heaven like Lazarus could not cross over to witness.

      Dives’ wrongful influence on earth added to the pain he would know in hell. The rich man influenced five brothers to follow him to hell. If only the rich man listened to the witness at the gate, then eternity would be different for a whole family.

      In life the rich man never noticed the poor beggar at the door. Now, in death the rich man begged the beggar to go to his door.

      The rich man offered no place at the table for Lazarus, and now heaven offered no place in heaven for him (Jn. 14:2).

      The rich man never listened to what Moses and the prophets said about the poor (Dt. 15:10-11). He did not heed a living witness in front of his eyes much less the written Word of God.

      God intended the beggar at the gate to be a witness to the rich man, not a death visitor. God will not send an evangelist to preach in hell. The will of God must be done in life to avoid hell in death.

      Dives missed the voice of Jesus calling him to heaven by missing the opportunity sitting at the gate.

      What did Jesus teach through the poor man at the gate (Acts 3:10)?

  I. In the last day God will hold each one accountable for the person that could be helped day after day.

 II. God will not dismiss anyone in the judgment with an excuse of not knowing about a brother near or far.

III. God placed this world’s wealth in a person’s hand for the purpose of opening that hand to others.

Mt. 25:34-35 [NIV]. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,