WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.080 Happy Palm Sunday. 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:09.839 It was on this day that we celebrate Jesus riding through town on a cult in the beginning of Holy Week. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:13.759 And the crowd cried out, Hosanna. 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:16.239 And how quickly the crowd changed. 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:21.039 But I'm so thankful for Holy Week and for what it means for Christianity. 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:23.920 And we're continuing this morning on the way to the cross. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.960 So if you got your Bible, take them out and turn to Luke chapter 16. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:31.600 Luke chapter 16. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:39.439 We're looking more of focus this morning on a reason, the reasons that Jesus went to the cross on the way to the cross. 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.640 Last week we looked at Gethsemane and the stress that was felt there. 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:46.240 This week is the gates of heaven and hell. 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:50.159 A few years ago, I injured my back. 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:55.439 And when I did, the nurses begin to come in, as you know they do, one after the other. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:01:00.640 Different ones come in and they began to come in and ask me some questions. 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:04.079 Tried to comfort me, smile at me. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:06.319 Some said to me, Okay, Mr. 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:09.599 Wright, I think from what we've gathered, it's not going to be that bad. 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:13.200 Another nurse came in and said, What is your pain level? 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:14.799 You've had this question asked. 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:15.760 One to ten. 00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:20.640 And I'm like, listen, if you're at the hospital, it better at least be a six. 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:22.879 You know, or else, what kind of man are you? 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:25.359 So I'm like, I'm a six, right? 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:31.200 And uh she came by and said, Okay, you know, or even or even a man if you're there, if it's more than six. 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:36.719 So then she says, another one comes in and says, Okay, it looks like we're gonna have somebody see you soon. 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:39.040 It doesn't look like it's gonna be that bad. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:45.120 And another one comes in and she says, We are going to come give you a shot of tortol. 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:47.359 I said, Toridol? 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.359 That doesn't sound pleasant. 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:51.359 That sounds like what I just did. 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:52.959 I tore it all. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:57.840 She smiles and she says, Okay, Mr. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.000 Wright, little poke. 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:04.000 And then she looks at me and said, Did you feel that? 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:05.439 I'm like, the needle? 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:06.480 Yes, yes, I did. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:07.599 I felt the needle. 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:09.120 I felt that. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:12.080 And she said, Sir, this is what we need you to do. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:17.840 We need you to rest, take a couple of weeks, and it shouldn't be that bad. 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:25.120 And I want you to understand, as we look at this message today, the problem for us is we don't suffer from a broken back. 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:31.439 But in humanity, we suffer from what's called a broken S-O-U-L, a broken soul. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:39.120 Mark 16, 15 says, What profited a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:45.199 And so we have a broken soul, and the message from society is it's not gonna be that bad. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:46.639 It's really not that big a deal. 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:51.199 You can deal with it later, and it's really not all that big a deal. 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:59.360 And but scripture tells us that Romans 3.23, like a bad strain of the flu, sin entered into the world. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:04.000 It says in Romans, and by one man it entered into the world, and to all men. 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:10.000 And then it says to us in Romans 6.23 that the wages of that sin, that strain is death. 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:15.120 Hebrews 9.27 says, and after this, the judgment. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:22.719 And the great tragedy of today is this that people are saying, it's not that big a deal. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:26.879 It's not that bad, and it's gonna be okay. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:32.479 And I want you to understand before we get in God's word this morning, is it's your soul. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:37.280 What happens when you don't deal with your broken soul? 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:40.800 And in Luke 16, we see a story of two people. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:47.599 And I want you to know that Jesus rode to the cross was a fight for the eternity of souls. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:49.280 Pray with me. 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:56.719 Father, I pray, God, that you would use the reading of your word this morning. 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:59.759 And God, this has been heavy. 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:03.280 Just being transparent, Lord, all week. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:13.520 God, we have a people in a society by and large, who just don't care about their broken soul. 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:18.720 And God, it's not just gonna be okay. 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:31.040 And so, Lord, I pray that today, as we enter into your word, that you would speak to us, show us the weight of this, help us to come from it, being met with you, Lord. 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:36.319 I pray for your presence and the reality of the truth to be spoken this morning. 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:37.439 In Jesus' name. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:38.319 Amen. 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:43.519 And Luke chapter 16, point number one this morning is this a comparison of two people. 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:48.639 Luke 16, go down to verse 19 through 21. 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:50.720 Look at what it says here. 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:57.680 It says there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:08.319 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:14.079 So the comparison of two people this morning, this letter A is a rich man with earthly possessions. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:16.800 This was a rich person, he was a somebody. 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:18.480 He was somebody with wealth. 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:25.519 And if you look today in our society, most people define success as climbing the financial ladder. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:34.480 The way that the world views success is that you've reached the top of your workplace, you've climbed, you've reached that top rung, and now you're going way beyond. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:37.600 And that today is an equation of success. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:40.319 Well, this man was full of wealth. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:44.000 But I want to present to you a question to think on. 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:48.160 Does financial wealth equal true riches? 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:58.959 Adrian Rogers, the prince of preachers, was said to quote this it's very hard to be poor, but it's even harder to be rich. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:00.399 Let me say that again. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:03.600 It's very hard to be poor, but even harder to be rich. 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:06.160 This was a rich man in Scripture, right? 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:07.439 We got a description. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:10.480 I mean, he could probably strut sitting. 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:12.639 This was the kind of wealth that this man had. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:14.879 He walked around in his purple, right? 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:15.839 That's what it said. 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:17.920 Purple and fine linens. 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.439 This was a rich man. 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:21.759 He probably had his Gucci suit on, right? 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:26.720 And purple was recognized as royalty or someone with a lot. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:31.839 To have purple, you had to infuse a special dye into your clothes. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.920 To have that dye meant that you had a lot of money, okay? 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:43.920 And so it says that he was wearing his fine linens, he had his strut, and then it says he fared sumptuously. 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.439 Faring sumptuously means every day was a feast, right? 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:49.759 If he wanted it, he got it. 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:51.199 That's the way he was living. 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:54.800 If he lived today, he probably said, now I picture him having an accent. 00:06:54.959 --> 00:07:02.480 Maybe you don't, but when I think of rich people, he probably said things like this, Jeeves, won't you be a deer and pick up Fluffy from the dog spa later? 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:06.560 And while you're at it, won't you go ahead and fill up the gas on the jet? 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:07.839 It's gotten low. 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:08.480 Right? 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:11.600 This is this man had wealth. 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:16.079 I was looking at some statistics from a website this week. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:17.199 Listen to this. 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:20.959 Top ten things that people want out of life. 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:21.519 Okay. 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:23.600 Number one was happiness. 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:25.120 Everybody wants happiness. 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:28.720 Number two was money. 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:31.199 Number three was health. 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:32.560 Four, security. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:35.040 Five, good family and friendship. 00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:36.399 Six, a good job. 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:38.240 Seven, to leave a legacy. 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:39.519 Eight, to have hope. 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:43.680 Nine, to have peace of mind, and number ten was to have life fulfillment. 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:53.600 But what struck me was that more than peace, more than fulfillment, more than good family and friends, more than a good job, people want money. 00:07:54.720 --> 00:08:00.480 Now I've said before that I've been without and I've been with, and with was always better. 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:01.600 Y'all hear me? 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:02.560 So work hard. 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:06.240 I'm not telling you, don't have it if it's within your grasp to work hard. 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:07.199 I'm not saying that. 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:19.439 But I want you to know when we look at the picture of this rich man with all his earthly stuff, the Bible says the love, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:21.680 I'm not saying wealth is a sin. 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:23.199 Wealth is not a sin. 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:26.560 But it's not without its difficulties. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:31.839 In this world, we live by something called hedonism. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.000 Hedonism is the pleasure principle. 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:39.919 And over and over and over, I've spoken this that people live by these three P's in this world. 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:42.720 If I can amass pleasure, then I'll get pleasure. 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:46.399 And then when I get pleasure, I want to get power or popularity. 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:52.159 When I can rise and people can look at me and look at my position, and then I want possessions. 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:59.679 And so the world basically says, if you can climb in this way, you will have reached the very top. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:03.360 Look back at verse 13 and 14 of chapter 16. 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:10.720 Jesus had been talking about this matter of riches through parables. 00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:12.159 Look at verse 13. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:14.799 He says, No man can serve two masters. 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:19.360 Either he'll hate one and love the other, or else he'll be loyal to one and despise the other. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:23.200 You cannot serve God and money. 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:28.399 And so he says, You can't live in this world for that wealth or that riches. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:29.440 You can't live for that. 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:31.919 You have to decide what you're going to live for. 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:34.559 And so we see this was the rich man. 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:36.720 Living it up, faring fine. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:40.159 On this earth, he had a good life. 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:42.879 But then we meet the poor man. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:44.799 Look at verse 20 again. 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:45.840 The poor man. 00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:50.240 There was a beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at the gate. 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:54.080 Verse 22 says that he was a beggar and died. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:55.919 This was a poor man. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:01.120 He didn't have earthly pleasures, let her be a poor man with eternal peace. 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:05.039 Lazarus, it's important that you see that they give his name. 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:13.039 Because before this, there's a lot of debate whether or not this is a parable in its writing, because there's parables before it. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:20.399 There's a parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, lost son in chapter 15, parable of an unjust steward in the beginning of chapter 16. 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:26.240 But then in my Bible, maybe in yours too, it doesn't label this as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:28.159 It just says the rich man and Lazarus. 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:34.720 So it's important to note that his name is given because a lot of people will like to debate about this. 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:40.399 And so we see all those things about those parables, but Lazarus, it says, is a nobody on earth. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:40.879 Right? 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:42.480 He doesn't have anything on earth. 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:43.759 He's very poor. 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:45.600 Probably has worn-out clothes. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:47.279 It says he's full of sores. 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:51.519 He smelled, he didn't have the money to get cleaned up, to have a shower. 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:54.559 And he's laying there at the rich man's gate. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:56.960 He was envisioning the day. 00:10:57.120 --> 00:10:58.799 Listen to what it says. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:04.799 It says right there in verse 20 and 21, desiring to be fed with crumbs. 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:10.639 He was envisioning the day, dreaming of the chance to get crumbs. 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:13.279 Now understand the picture of what crumbs. 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:23.360 When a rich person had a feast back in these days, often they would wash their hands and they would wash their hands from the feast in leftover bread. 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:31.759 And so they would wash out their hands, and the breadcrumbs would fall from the table, and the dogs would then have a bite of something. 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:41.200 And so the rich man was envisioning that he could just have the leftover of the dirty towel to eat from. 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:27.519 I'm like, what do you do with 200 million? 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:29.519 Like he can buy the Bahamas. 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:32.240 What can you do with money like this? 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:36.159 And so the poor man is just sitting there. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:39.200 Just a percent, just a crumb. 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:41.279 Let me just have a peace. 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:43.039 And I was thinking about that. 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:50.240 Um you've heard me say this, but for my wife, her security in life is having a full pantry. 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:51.440 Okay? 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:54.960 She likes for food to be in the pantry, right? 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:56.559 And that makes her feel good. 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:59.679 And so, you know, a hot date for us is Sam's Club. 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:01.200 All right, I'm gonna tell you. 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:04.080 Her favorite thing is bulk. 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:04.879 All right? 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:09.279 So that's why we go to Sam's Club, and that's why I'm going to the gym as much as possible. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:30.399 Um, so, anyways, but when I was thinking about that, our first five years in ministry, um, we got in when the market was getting bad, and we without taking any real good counsel, we got into a housing situation that, you know, people tell you you you shouldn't output more than your first week's paycheck. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:39.919 We were outputting more than two weeks' paycheck on our mortgage, and it was 8.5% first-time home buyers, and all this. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.720 It was just, I was so eager to get in ministry that I we didn't think anything through. 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:49.679 And what we did was we got ourselves in a week-by-week struggle. 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:51.039 I mean, it was. 00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:57.759 I remember a time Heather needed maternity clothes. 00:13:57.840 --> 00:13:59.200 She was pregnant. 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:04.320 I remember her telling me that, and I'm like, we don't have it. 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:07.600 We cannot buy maternity clothes. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:16.080 And there were times when the kids early on that we had to make a decision between diapers and groceries. 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:19.600 And it was like, what are we gonna eat this week? 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:21.600 You know, what are we gonna do about diapers? 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:27.200 And so I remember those struggles and thinking about this and the crumb. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:33.759 Like, I'm gonna tell you, church, why I love my church family so much. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:37.360 Because God sent angels to Heather and I. 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:43.360 He sent people to us, and I'm and they didn't even know it, but they were being a tool of blessing. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:51.039 How many times people would ask us out to eat on a Sunday after church, and we're like, man. 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:59.039 And they don't know the blessing that they were, that they would go get our ticket, and how God would show himself in things like this. 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:04.960 And and I want you to understand something, by the way, you know, learn your lesson in the struggle, okay? 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:09.039 We learned the lesson, God, we learned the lesson. 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:20.639 But we talked about in those days, if there ever be a chance that God would get us out of that, one day, if we had the opportunity, we would help people and we would feed people. 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:29.360 And any chance we got, and so we bring lots of people to our house, and I want you to know, church, it means more to us than just a meal. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:39.279 It's something in our hearts, and I want you to know, church, there are people with needs all around you that just wish they could get a crumb. 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:43.440 And this man, he just hoped for a crumb. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:46.080 Man, if I could just have a peace. 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:48.960 And he just sat at the gate sad. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:56.960 Well, now I want to take you to the second point, which is this there's a comparison of two places. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.279 You see, on earth it was one way. 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:07.200 There was a poor man and a rich man, and one fared sumptuously, one was just skating by. 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:14.799 But we have to look at two places to understand what happens with their soul. 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:21.919 We're gonna look at verse 23 through 25. 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:27.679 But in these two places, Jesus rode to the cross was more than an earthly experience, church. 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:31.600 What Jesus was facing would create echoes through eternity. 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:37.360 And the rich man and Lazarus had very different experiences when their lives ended. 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:42.480 There's a big debate today, church, about what happens after we die. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:47.039 Very different views on what happens from different people. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:50.240 The atheist thinks that nothing happens after we die. 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:57.759 There's people that believe that we are reincarnated and we return in different life forms based on the life that we lived previously. 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:03.039 There's a term called universalism, which says everyone, when this life ends, goes to heaven. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:11.039 There's a term called the annihilist, and what they believe is that there are some people that will go to heaven and other people will just cease to exist. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:16.880 There's people that believe in a metaphorical heaven and hell, that this book is not actually literal. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:22.720 And so I want you to understand today as we go through this what scripture tells us. 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:25.279 And here's what I need you to know. 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:32.240 Either you believe this is fully true, all of it, or it's not true. 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.960 Let's look at verse 23 through 25. 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:39.359 Says this. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:42.240 We'll go back to 22. 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:49.359 So it was that the beggar died and he was carried by the angels to Abram's bosom, and the rich man also died, and he was buried. 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:56.000 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:04.160 Then 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. 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:06.559 For I am tormented in this flame. 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:16.880 But Abraham said, Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil, but now he is comforted, and you are tormented. 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:20.480 So let's look first at what happened with Lazarus in verse 23. 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:26.880 It says that they lifted up his eyes, and Lazarus was taken to a place called Abram's bosom. 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:31.200 If you're new to church, this probably sounds strange. 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:33.039 Let me unpack it a little bit. 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:35.039 Go back to Matthew chapter 8. 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:38.079 Matthew chapter 8. 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.240 I want you to look at verse 11. 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:42.160 What is he talking about? 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:45.759 That Lazarus opened up his eyes. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:52.079 Says this, Matthew 8, 11. 00:18:52.160 --> 00:19:00.559 And I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abram, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:07.039 So what he's talking about in this passage here is that he woke up in heaven. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.359 In John 13, 23, we don't have time to go through it, but it's the same thing. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:13.200 Where was Abraham at this point? 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:15.359 Abraham was in heaven. 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:20.000 And Scripture tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:22.720 The angels carried Lazarus to heaven. 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:26.240 On earth, Lazarus was nothing. 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:28.079 He was nobody. 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:34.480 But let me tell you, he knew, church, the right somebody. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:37.359 Lazarus has dealt with his broken soul. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:45.200 And because of that, listen, this 70, the Bible says three score and ten years, is a long life on this earth. 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:51.839 This 70 might not have been like the rich man, but his eternity was spent in heaven. 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:53.680 I want you to see a little bit about heaven. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:55.279 We've got a slide with a picture. 00:19:55.359 --> 00:20:00.000 I want you to see Revelation 21, if you want to turn there for a moment. 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.160 It talks about heaven. 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:06.960 Revelations 21, 16. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:09.119 Let me tell you what it says. 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:20.319 It says, the city is laid out as a square, its length is as great as its breadth, and he measured the city with a reed, 12,000 furlongs, its length, breadth, and height are equal. 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:25.359 And so what it talks about heaven, one thing we know about heaven is that it's big. 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:32.240 It says that it's four square length, breadth, and height, and 12,000 furlongs, which is 1,500 square miles. 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:32.559 Okay? 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:34.799 So picture with me in your mind. 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:43.519 In heaven, it'd be like us going from the border of Mexico up to Canada, coming across and in a square, 1,500 square miles. 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:46.640 But then it talks about its height, breadth, and depth. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:51.599 So that's the breadth and depth, but the height, so 1,500 square miles up. 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:56.559 This is a picture, and I can't do justice to what the writers are trying to do, but heaven is big. 00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:03.039 And we're told that in scripture that it says in John 14, 2, I have gone away to prepare a place for you. 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:06.160 And in my father's house, there's many mansions. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:08.720 So heaven is a big place. 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:12.640 And then as you go through scripture, it talks about the beauty of heaven. 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:26.799 And it says that heaven shines with the glory of God, the brilliance of the walls, the streets made of gold, the walls with jasper and precious stones, that heaven is going to be a beauty unparalleled. 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:30.160 I have another slide I want you to see about heaven. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:32.240 Heaven is a blessed place. 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:38.480 And it says that in heaven there'll be no more tears. 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:43.279 That there'll be no more grieving. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:44.720 There'll be no more pain. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:47.039 That heaven is a blessed place. 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:48.799 You'll never be hot in heaven. 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:50.480 You're never going to get hungry in heaven. 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:52.160 Anyone say amen to that? 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:55.359 Some of y'all that you can't get the temperature right. 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:59.440 You'll be eternally satisfied in heaven, worshiping. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:05.200 In the presence of Jesus, Lazarus was a nobody on earth. 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:13.200 But because he dealt with his broken soul, he had a new citizenship in heaven. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:17.359 Listen, I want you to understand something though. 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:20.640 Lazarus didn't go to heaven because he was poor. 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:24.319 That's not the picture that because he was poor, he went to heaven. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:29.119 John 14, 6 tells us, church, that I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:32.240 No man cometh unto the Father but through me. 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:35.839 And so Lazarus had dealt with his broken soul problem. 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:37.279 There's only one way. 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:40.000 Well, that takes us to letter B. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:44.880 We saw Lazarus was living in a place of delight, but letter B. 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:48.960 We find the rich man dying in a place of destruction. 00:22:53.119 --> 00:23:02.880 Verse 23 through 25, again, he cried, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:05.359 I'm tormented in this flame. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.200 I'm tormented. 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:15.200 One pastor I was reading was saying why he won't make mention of hell in his service. 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:18.880 And he said, People feel guilty already enough. 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:22.000 When I leave my church, I want them to feel uplifted. 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:28.079 And I gotta be honest with you, the weight of this study this week is just heavy. 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:29.599 It's heavy. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:31.759 But this is what I found out. 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:37.039 Jesus talked more about the topic of hell than anyone else in the Bible. 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:39.119 He talked about it more than heaven. 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:42.960 So if Jesus preached about hell, so are we. 00:23:43.759 --> 00:23:47.200 And I want you to know it's not just gonna be okay. 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:49.680 It is gonna be that bad. 00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:54.240 And if we don't deal with our broken soul, we have eternity to deal with. 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:56.559 I know that's a heavy thought. 00:23:56.880 --> 00:24:01.599 But after this life is over, what is going to happen? 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:06.559 Well, I want to share with you some things that the Bible says about hell. 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:09.599 Turn your Bible to Revelations chapter 20. 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:19.839 You guys can put that first picture up, but this is what it says. 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:22.000 Hell is a forever place. 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:30.880 Revelations 20, 15 says, Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:33.279 What is a lake of fire like? 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:37.200 What does that mean? 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:41.279 A lake that burneth with fire. 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:45.599 Turn your Bibles to Mark chapter 9 and just get this picture in your mind. 00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:52.640 And this is heavy, this is hard, but we need to understand the depth of what eternity looks like. 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:55.039 Mark 9, 43 through 48. 00:24:57.279 --> 00:25:00.799 Over and over and over, Jesus gives these words. 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:10.480 It says, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, it's better for you to enter into life, maim rather than having two hands to go to hell and to the fire that shall never be quenched. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:15.279 It says the worm dies not, and then again, and the fire is never quenched. 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:24.160 Verse 45, it talks about not having your pieces and parts to betray you, and then again it says to be cast into the hell where the fire is never quenched. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:27.440 And it says the worm does not die and the fire is never quenched. 00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:36.000 Verse 45, and it goes on through verse 47 to be cast into hellfire where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:41.359 It's called a lake of fire where there is no quenching for this fire. 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:45.039 There's no fire truck, church. 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:48.799 There's no 911, there's no water supply. 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:58.480 You can be drowning today in the Atlantic Ocean, and you can have a phone and you can get a hold of the Coast Guard to come and save you in the middle of the ocean. 00:25:58.559 --> 00:26:00.240 They can get your coordinates. 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:08.559 You can be in your home today, and we've got firemen here, and you can call 911 and you can be saved in that moment. 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:14.559 But I want you to understand in hell it is a fire with no possibility of relief. 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:22.799 And I know that that's not popular, and we want to be encouraged, but I want you to know reality, church. 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:27.039 There's another slide I want you to see. 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:29.359 Over and over and over, this word is used. 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:31.920 Weeping and gnashing throughout Scripture. 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:34.480 Over and over and over we see it. 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:40.400 If Jesus felt like this is important for us to hear, over and over, he said there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:45.119 And he's talking about the type of agony, the type of torment where you just can't. 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:49.200 I don't know that we literally can explain the depth of the pain. 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:50.400 There's just agony. 00:26:50.480 --> 00:26:56.480 There's weeping, gnashing, screaming at the pain and the torment of hell. 00:26:57.279 --> 00:26:58.720 It's unquenched. 00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:01.759 There's no 911, there's no call. 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:08.720 I was watching a special on Bruce Lee. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:15.759 And Bruce Lee, they said, created or was able to harness the power of what he called the twitch reflex. 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:19.920 He had this one-fingered punch, and he'd go and knock a man over. 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:33.839 You know, and the twitch reflex is something, if you actually look it up, you see that it happens so fast that your mind doesn't have the time, it doesn't have to take the time to make a decision. 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:40.079 And the only way that I can summon how this works next time you touch the burner on the oven, right? 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:43.200 You will test your Bruce Lee twitch reflex. 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:47.599 You probably won't go, ooh, I think that hurts. 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:50.240 I've got to make a decision right now. 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:52.480 Or this is gonna really hurt. 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:53.759 No, you know what happens? 00:27:53.839 --> 00:28:01.359 You go, ah, and you run over to the sink, and immediately you start pouring cold water on that finger, and it does not matter, right? 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:05.200 You're feeling the throb through the cold water, you're like, oh, why? 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:05.759 Right? 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:10.079 Or you got the kid, you've told the kid they got close to the burner, and you're like, don't do it, right? 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:12.720 And you got one of y'all got that kid that had to do it anyway. 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:16.319 You're like, I just told you! What's wrong with you? 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:19.200 You probably say, You're too much like your father, right? 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:26.079 But it didn't take much for you to feel that. 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:29.920 And I need you to understand something. 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:38.799 When I was eight years old, my mom, we had an old wood-burning stove. 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:45.440 And when I was eight, I would never ever forget the sound. 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:55.599 About 9:30 uh at night, I'd been in bed, but I heard my mother scream to the top of her lungs. 00:28:57.119 --> 00:29:01.920 And I was recounting the story with my mom this week, just asked, I wanted to get the right details. 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:16.000 But I remember that scream and her cries, and what happened was my mom was reloading uh the wood stove, but the fire was going, and she was putting some more wood in, and when she was, she tripped going to the wood stove. 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:22.640 And she caught from wrist to forearm, she was against the wood stove. 00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:27.039 And to get herself off of it, she used this wrist to push off. 00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:33.200 And I'm telling you, the screams were unbearable in my house from what happened to my mom. 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:39.599 And I talked to her about what happened, and she said she had gotten second and third degree burns from here to here. 00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:42.880 And I said, Mom, tell me about what the pain was like. 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:45.440 And what I'm telling you is it was seconds. 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:58.559 My mom was against it, and as quick as she could react, as quick as that twitch can react, she was off it, but screaming and crying for hours because of what had happened to her, and I'm telling you, it was seconds. 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:13.279 And she said, she's had a lot of different health problems through her life, and she's had lung surgery to remove a lung, and um she's had slip disc in her back and had pain in her back and surgeries, and she told me this, Rick. 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:19.440 There's none of them that have been able to touch what happened when I fell against this wood stove. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:21.920 Nothing's touched it. 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:25.839 She said, For six weeks I felt this pain. 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:32.480 And she reacted as quickly as she could. 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:40.960