October 14, 2001 Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 ”‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
In the 1980’s the Boston Red Sox were poised and ready to win the World Series. Mookie Wilson stepped up to the plate and hit a dribbler down the right field line. It was a routine play that any professional would make 99 times out of 100. As fate would have it, Billy Buckner did not make the play. As he put his glove down to make the easy out, the ball went right beneath his glove - right between his legs - giving the opposition a second chance. The Red Sox went on to lose that game and the series. Bill Buckner had an excellent career. I was a big fan of his. I think I even have his rookie card. Unfortunately, everyone remembers Bill Buckner for the error he made. He is constantly remembered as a “loser,” even though he was actually a gifted athlete with a good career, except for one mistake.
In today’s seeming parable, Jesus gets us to think about this question - who’s the true winner and loser in life - as we look at the life of the rich man and Lazarus. So we’ll ask the question -
Who’s the Loser Now?
I. On earth it appeared to be Lazarus
Since our church is located right off of the interstate, we tend to get a lot of people stopping in and asking for money or help. We also get a lot of phone calls from people asking for help. It’s amazing some of the stories that people come up with - “someone stole my car. I lost my job. My father died. I’m on my way to Colorado - and someone I got a ride with took my clothes.” As I listen to these stories, I can’t help but be skeptical as to whether I am being told the truth or not. I wonder to myself whether a lot of their problems are not due to drug and alcohol problems or just plain laziness. You want to feel sorry and help people in genuine distress, but you can’t help but wonder if these are problems they have brought on themselves. Most people would seem to judge them to just be “losers” after taking one look at their appearance.
What about Lazarus? Was he a winner or loser? According to his earthly appearance, I think most people would have pegged him to be a loser. How did Jesus portray him? At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. Lazarus was a “beggar.” He had to ask people for money or just some spare food. The Greek says that Lazarus literally “had been thrown” at the gate of the rich man. Perhaps he couldn’t walk - so they “threw” him there. What is worse was that Lazarus had sores all over him - which may have been ulcers or some skin disease. Not only was Lazarus possible crippled, but he was also probably not a very pretty looking man. Out of no fault of his own, he couldn’t work and he was difficult to even be loved. So he was left to begging for money at the gate of the rich man. The only friends he had were a bunch of stray street dogs who liked to lick the puss out of his sores. When he died, Lazarus probably had no proper burial. He probably had no mourners. In the eyes of the world, Lazarus was just a waste of space, a loser.
On the other hand, there was the rich man. In the eyes of the world - here was a winner. He had achieved the Israelite dream. He was able to dress like a king with purple clothing. He was able to wear nice and soft linen. Also, he lived he lived literally - being made merry brightly every day. You could envision this man enjoying the finest of wines - having extravagant parties - probably having a heated pool and house - some plumbing - having the front row at the sporting events - and truly enjoying all of the modern amenities of life back then. This guy was just plain fun to be with. People would have loved to be friends with the rich man - because he would spare no expense. He was even nice enough to allow Lazarus to sit at his gate and possibly throw him some scraps now and then. In the eyes of the world, this guy was a sinner. He was a successful and friendly businessman who supported the economy very nicely. When he died, you could imagine the Rich Man having all of his friends of the community testifying to what a great man he was. Maybe they would have told stories about “good ol’ Joe” - all of his parties and all of his festivities. Who was the winner and who was the loser? In the eyes of the world, the rich man was the winner.
What made the rich man a loser in God’s sight? It wasn’t that he was rich. Abraham too was rich. It was that his total life was consumed around how much he could get out of it - “eat, drink, and be merry.” That’s not how God designed us. The primary purpose and focus in life is to “worship the Lord and serve HIM only.” Jesus compares serving the Lord to “carrying a cross.” Life is about fighting temptation - walking through the valley of the shadow of death. That doesn’t mean there is fun and enjoyment. Ecclesiasties 3 says, there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. But when your work becomes your only purpose in life - then you are a loser in God’s sight.
Therefore, it isn’t a sin to be rich. For this could happen to rich and poor alike. There are many poor people who are more consumed with their own happiness and relaxation than rich people are. If a poor person spends all his or her money on beer and cigarettes, what makes him any better than a rich person who spends all his or her money on cars and clothes and boats? So we need to be careful in our judgments.
We also then need to be careful in our lives. What a selfish thought for us to think - “I want to retire by the time I’m 40 - live on a lake - go fishing every day,” etc. People will work fifty and sixty hours a week so they can retire ten years early. They’ll save up all they can - cheat the Lord - the needy - and their families - all for their retirement. What kind of a goal is it to greedily amass a small fortune so you can live in a mansion some day? Or what kind of a goal is it to just live for the next dance or the next date? That’s the same as living for luxury as the rich man did. If your life only revolves around what kind of a mansion you can live in or how much money you can save or what kind of fun you can get out of life - you’re no better than the rich man in the parable - a loser. God forgive each and every one of us. How often do we lose sight of the fact that God didn’t put us on this earth to eat, drink and be merry? If that is your purpose - than to hell with your retirement and your IRA’s - and may your cars, boats and houses all burn. If that’s all you live for, you’re a loser.
II. After death it was the Rich Man
In 1923 a group of the world’s most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth than there was in the United States Treasury, and for years newspapers and magazines had been printing their success stories and urging the youth of the nation to follow their examples. Twenty-seven years later, let’s see what happened to them. (1) CHARLES SCHWAB—the president of the largest independent steel company—lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life, and died penniless. (2) ARTHUR CUTTEN—the greatest wheat speculator—died abroad insolvent. (3) RICHARD WHITNEY—the president of the New York Stock Exchange - served time in Sing Sing. (4) ALBERT FALL—the member of the President’s Cabinet—was pardoned from prison so he could die at home. (5) JESSE LIVERMORE—the greatest bear in Wall Street—committed suicide. (6) LEON FRASER—the president of the Bank of International Settlement—committed suicide. (7) IVAR KRUEGER—the head of the world’s greatest monopoly—committed suicide. Winners or losers? What do you think?
When Jesus was put on the cross, what must the Jews have been thinking? “What a loser! What a fitting end to this phoney! Here he claimed to be the Messiah - now he’s getting what he deserves - death as a criminal. He’s paying for his blasphemy!” The devil must have thought, “ha! I am the victor! Jesus is a loser! He’s not going to save the world!” How his jaw must have dropped when Jesus appeared in hell that Sunday - announcing to him, “guess again! Who’s the loser now! Satan, YOU are! I have just paid for the sins of the world - and God just accepted that sacrifice! Now you and all your followers are doomed! Your power is gone!” How the Jews’ jaws must have dropped when darkness came over the land at the death of Jesus! How they must have been amazed when the earth shook! Jesus was in fact saying, “I’m not the loser you thought I was!” After Jesus rose from the dead, he proved to actually be the winner, not the loser.
When Lazarus died, what happened to this “lonesome loser?” The angels carried him to Abraham’s side. He instantly went from dogs breathing in his face to being surrounded by a heavenly escort straight to heaven! What a surprise! And where did they lead him? Straight to Abraham’s bosom to be comforted. What a rich word: “comforted”! Think of a big brother or sister tenderly consoling a little brother who has hurt himself. In a similar way Abraham is dealing with Lazarus, who has come out of much tribulation. The “loser” in life ended up being an eternal winner!
And what kind of escort did the rich man have? While the rich man’s friends and family were all gathered around his dead body, he was surrounded by flames of fire. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ What was worse, was that there was no crossing over. Lazarus couldn’t come and help - no one could. The rich man was eternally lost - stuck to burn in the fires of hell forever. Who was the loser now?
Why did it work that way? Whether it’s Lazarus, a child, or the Apostle Paul - God is illustrating an eternal truth of Ephesians 2, it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith - it is the gift of God. Lazarus had absolutely nothing that he could really offer God. No money, no ability to work, no seeming speaking ability - no modeling career. When you look at Lazarus, what an obvious illustration of the fact that we sing when we say, “nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.” The only reason Lazarus could have been saved would have been by God’s grace. He had no ability to do anything else. That’s what makes the poor and the disabled and the elderly and little children such good candidates for the gospel. When the world looks at them as “losers” or of “little worth” they feel a need for love. They feel a need for help. They feel a need for someone! They aren’t full of themselves, and their hearts are open to the loving gospel which says, “Jesus loves you so much that he died for you. Your salvation is not based on what you can do or what people think of you - it’s based on the fact that Jesus died for you and covered your sins.” That’s why Paul said, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Whether you are a winner or a loser has nothing to do with how much money you make or how popular you are. It has to do with what’s in your heart.
III. In the future it would be the brothers of the rich man
Isn’t it amazing how hell changed this man’s outlook on life? All of the sudden he realized that life wasn’t supposed to be about partying it up and just living for himself. As someone once said, “there are no atheists in hell.” But even in hell, he still didn’t get it, did he? You see no sign of remorse from him. All he wants is pity. And then, when that is impossible, what is his suggestion? ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ His brothers most likely had inherited his small fortune. They too were doomed. And so he thought that sending Lazarus back from the dead would work to shake them out of their materialism. He still thought he knew better than God. Even hell couldn’t shake him from his unbelief.
Just stop and think for a minute how much more time we would spend into spreading the gospel if God gave us a glimpse of hell! If we actually had to experience one minute of hell - how we would realize what a terrible place it is to be! But this is actually wrong kind of thinking. Is the same thinking of this Jewish man, who thought that a miracle - a visual resurrection of Lazarus would be able to change his brothers and shake them out of their unbelief. That’s kind of ironic, because a different Lazarus was resurrected from the dead by Jesus. And what happened after his resurrection? John says in chapter 12, the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him. Instead of converting them, this miracle hardened them in their sins.
So what did Abraham say? “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ Moses and his law condemned his brothers as sinners who needed a Savior. The Prophets predicted the coming of Christ Jesus- who would come and suffer and die for their sins as their Messiah. This was all they needed for conversion. If these brothers of his would not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they wouldn’t listen to Lazarus either. These brothers of his would have been Jews, since Abraham calls the rich man a “son” of his. If these Jews - who had the Word - were going to remain losers in the eyes of the Lord after hearing Moses and the Prophets - then a resurrection wouldn’t change that.
Peter said in his second letter, we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. What good news this is to us! We don’t have to rise from the dead to make converts. We don’t have to show signs. We have the powerful Word of God - the Living and Active force of the Holy Spirit that can bring people from death to life. It’s through this message we know that a fiery hell exists. More importantly , it’s in the message of Christ that can turn people from searching for the riches of this world to the true riches of eternal life in Christ. Within this book we have the tool to take people from the depths of hell and despair to the hope of heaven - to change them from losers into winners - all through the blood of Christ.
Several months ago I performed a funeral for a woman who spent most of her life in a nursing home. None of her family wanted to claim her. She only had one relative show up for her funeral. In the eyes of the world, Sharon Callahan was a loser. She had no money. She had no outstanding abilities. But she had the one thing necessary - she had faith in Christ as her Savior. In God’s eyes, she was a winner.
So what are you? Are you a winner or a loser? You may not be the most famous person in the world. You may not make a lot of money. You may not have the most talents. In the end - it doesn’t matter. Don’t judge your life by what you have done, how popular you are, or how much money you have. Everyone may think you’re a loser. But that’s not what makes you a winner or loser. You have the Word of God. In that Word Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:57 thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died for you and rose from the dead. Believe in that - and you know what God will say on Judgment Day? “You’re a winner.” Amen.
