(Notes of an Address on Luke 16:19-3119There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And 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; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And 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. 25But 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. 26And 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. 27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:19‑31); 2 Corinthians 5:10-1510For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. 12For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. 13For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. 14For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (2 Corinthians 5:10‑15).)
I CANNOT bring before you here all the eternal realities of Scripture, but I want to show you what lies before a man that dies in his sins. If I had died forty-seven years ago, I should have died in my sins, but if I died tonight, I should die in Christ, and that is very blessed.
I turn to 2 Corinthians 5, to draw your attention to the attitude and spirit which moved Paul as he wrote the solemn words, “We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ.” We must all go there, but when I get there I shall be like the One who is going to be the Judge. You say, Will you have any fear? No, because He will find nothing in me to judge—it has all been judged at the cross. There will be a reward for everything in your life and mine that suits Christ.
And what about judgment? Ah, that is the dark background of the gospel. If I see what I have escaped, my heart will be thankful to God, and if you have not escaped yet, you will be a wise person to do so at once. Paul says, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” He knew what an awful thing it will be for a man to be at Christ’s judgment-seat in his sins, with the guilt of his life upon him. Paul knew he would not be there in his sins, and every believer is entitled to know it, because Christ has cleared away the sins for which He died, and saved the sinner for whom He gave His life.
“If one died for all, then were all dead,” gives us the most comprehensive view of man’s condition as fallen man. You cannot be before God without the possession of life—you must have what suits God. You cannot win, and you do not deserve life, but it is what God presents. “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.” Someone may say, I thought He died for the elect. So He did, but He died for all, and that takes in those who are not the elect.
There were two things that moved Paul, the love of Christ—that was what made an evangelist of him, it impelled him—and the terror of the Lord. Not only do I know that Christ has loved me, but I know what is to be your end if you do not love Christ. It is a very serious outlook. Is the Lord hard in thus judging? God forbid! He gave His own blessed Son that you might live through Him. How He has pled with you many a time, and you have hardened your heart against Christ. “Knowing the terror of the Lord,” I want to persuade you now.
Eternity is an awful reality—the Lord Jesus Christ has described it to us. You say, I do not like to face it. Of course, you do not, but, my friends, I believe it too seriously to let you go on in your careless, sinful state without warning you of it. What does Paul put in the forefront I Christ and His love. What is the gospel? That Christ has died for sinners, and the Holy Ghost has come down, and has been telling men for nearly two thousand years that “God is love.” Noah was one hundred and twenty years building the ark. Men thought him very foolish to build that vessel hundreds of miles from water, but what did he do? He went on driving his treenails, and each one said, “Wrath is coming,” and one day “the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 18:2727And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. (Luke 18:27)). Do you not believe that? I do—I believe God. Paul says, I know very well that every living soul of man has yet to do with God, so meantime “I persuade men.” Did Noah persuade men? He tried to. Not one believed, but on he went, and at length the judgment fell.
The last chapter of Acts relates how Paul was from morning to evening persuading men. Did they all get persuaded? No. Some people never are persuaded, and they pass into eternity. The moment is coming when you will pass into eternity. You cannot tell how near it is, but you know very well what a shallow thing human life is, therefore the unspeakable importance of being right for eternity. “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” You are very busy trying to get on in this-scene—you take care of the body, but you have never thought about your soul. The most precious, the most important, the only immortal part of you, you pay no heed to whatever.
To meet God in your sins will be unspeakably awful—for you to pass into eternity where you must meet Christ, the One who died on the tree, but whom you do not know, will be something indescribably awful; and that is why the apostle uses this language, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” There is no terror in my heart as I think of God, oh no; Jesus died for me and, believing in Him, God now justifies me. A believer has peace with God, is reconciled to God, and joys in God. If I could only persuade you to consider what lies before you, and to turn to Christ, you would be eternally blessed. He would heal and save you, and put you into possession of eternal life, and all the everlasting joys that belong to the Christian.
Now I want you to see the end of the man that is not a Christian. Turn back again to Luke 16:19-3119There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And 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; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And 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. 25But 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. 26And 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. 27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:19‑31). You may say, It is only a figure. Quite true, I do not deny it—it is one of the Lord’s parabolic unfoldings of the truth. In Luke 14 you get the parable of a man who made a great feast, and bade many. That is earth; it is the call of God going out, but men are too busy and too preoccupied to heed it. In Luke 15 the Lord says, I will show you the man that responded to the call, and got the blessing. Who was he—a good man? No, a man so bad that he had nothing to commend him except his misery, and what a welcome he got. It is God rejoicing in man’s salvation. If Luke 14 present earth with all its hindrances, Luke 15 is heaven with all its deep, divine happiness, and I am going there, by grace. The Lord in Luke 16 describes the horrors of hell. How awful to find yourself for eternity in the dark and terrible dungeons of hell! I will not meet you there.
The Lord tells the story of the rich man, faring sumptuously every day, and clothed in purple and fine linen; and of Lazarus, the beggar, lying at his gate, full of sores. The rich man died, was buried, “and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” Abraham’s bosom to a Jew was the spot of perfect blessedness. Look at the contrast in the case of the rich man―ease, luxury, and enjoyment followed instantly by death, burial, and torment. This is the language of the Lord Jesus, it is not mine, but is penned by the Holy Ghost, in the deepest mercy of God, and is like a beacon light on a dangerous coast, to warn you and me.
See a vessel going up a narrow rock-strewn channel on a dark, misty night. The captain knows there are rocks there. Presently the beacon flash of the lighthouse appears, and he knows how to steer. Luke 16 is God’s beacon light, put up in the pathway of sinners traveling to eternity. If you take my advice you will bear away from the woes the warning light of Luke 16 discloses, and glide into the warm, heavenly light of Luke 15—the love of God.
Notice that lost man’s agony. “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me.” He never prayed on earth, but he cries now. He had no sense of his need while he lived. It was after life was over, and he was done with time, that he got a sense of his deep need of mercy. You are a sinner, about to pass into eternity, and you will then get a sense of your need of mercy which you never had in your life. Though you may never have been a praying man, you will come to it yet. You do not believe in prayer—God is at a discount—Christ unwanted—the Holy Ghost despised and done despite to, but hell is the spot whence prayers arise, and—forget it not—they are never answered.
I could tell you of answers to prayer—do you know how I was converted? Some Christians in the South of England had put a network of prayer over the utterly godless man I then was. I found it out after. You will never thank God for your damnation, unsaved friend, but mark, it draws nearer and nearer. Awake, ere it be too late. “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” Dives wakes up now to pray. Mark his prayer: “Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue.” Look at the insensate folly of that prayer. How could one drop of water cool his tongue? Do not forget this, the one drop he asked for he never got. There is thirst in hell—there is no water. “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men,” be persuaded now to see the road you are on.
He has to own, “I am tormented in this flame.” I know you do not believe it, but we will hear the Son of God—the voice of incarnate truth—the language of the One who loved you and me enough to go into death to take us out of it. The speaker says, “I am tormented in this flame,” but he does not ask to get out of it, and all the answer he gets is this, “Son, remember.” Whatever you may leave behind you—and whatever now governs and controls you, must all be left behind—there are three things you will carry with you into eternity. One is your sins, because they have not been washed away; another is your eyes—you will see, you will be conscious, you will have perception; and the third is your memory. “Son, remember.”
Fancy memory let loose in eternity, what a scourge Tell me not of scorpions, of the poison of asps, of vipers—what will the sting of memory be to a lost man, as he remembers privileges despised, opportunities neglected—the calls, and claims, and beseeching’s of the gospel, that touched his heart, but, influenced by things present, he put from him? You will remember by and by that you got a blessed chance of being saved and missed it. God save you now. Make it impossible that the terrors of this scene shall ever be re-enacted in your case. Turn to God, like the prodigal, or memory will by-and-by bring up to your soul the recollection of the privileges you have had and slighted.
Christian, shall I tell you of your eternity? Thank God we have begun it down here—the Comforter has come down and given us the knowledge of the love of God in our souls, and we are passing on to spend our eternity with the Lord Jesus, who describes in our chapter what is the end of the pathway of those who know Him— “comforted.” God grant you may never know the real meaning of “tormented.”
Look again at Dives. Abraham said to him, “Beside all this, between its and you there is a great gulf fixed.” The past, the present, and the future of the lost is here depicted. The past “remember,” the present “tormented,” the future “fixed”— no alteration can then be—this is eternity. Have you ever pondered it—eternity? Observe how this man accepts his fate. The man whose own sin has landed him in this terrible condition accepts the state, for he says, “I pray thee, therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” He is praying for somebody else—he says, My state I accept, but I want no company. You may talk about company now—there is no company there. There is company, and fellowship, and delight, and joy in heaven, but none in hell. Observe, too, how the dead pray for the living. What a lesson to those who today, in absolute blindness, would teach the living to pray for the dead.
Dives says, “Send Lazarus to testify to my brethren.” But Abraham says, “They have Moses and the prophets (that is, the Scriptures), let them hear them.” This is very important, because we live in a day when the Word of God is belittled and scouted. The Lord Jesus Christ here says, “They have the Scriptures”— that is the very thing the devil will not let you believe today, because he knows the value of Scripture, and that it is the sword of the Spirit, and how God uses it, and therefore he gets you to doubt Scripture. You say, I do not believe that scene in Luke 16—and the devil will take care that you shall not believe it, if he can effect it, because it would rouse you absolutely, and you would say, “My case is serious, I must face it.”
I will now give you two or three other scriptures which show what is before the man that has not got Christ. Turn to Isaiah 33:14,14The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14) “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” Take what you like out of it, but observe it is something everlasting, and the Spirit of God says, Who will dwell there? Thank God, I shall not. That is what lies before the man that is not Christ’s.
Now turn to Matthew 18:8,8Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. (Matthew 18:8) “It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” If there is a hindrance, cut it off—better go into life maimed than go into everlasting fire. Christ the Lord uttered these words.
Again, look at Matthew 25:46,46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46) “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment”— very solemn, very serious, you do not like these words, nor do I, but there they are—I am not going to minimize them. Nor will you be wise to shut your ears to the following verse: — “He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation” (Mark 3:2929But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: (Mark 3:29)).
Isaiah says “everlasting burnings,” the Lord Jesus Christ speaks of “everlasting fire,” “everlasting punishment,” and “eternal damnation.” What serious words are these.
Further, we read from the pen of St Paul of “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thess. 1:99Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (2 Thessalonians 1:9)). This is not annihilation, for no man ceases to exist when he dies. The same apostle also speaks of “eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:22Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:2)). Let me most earnestly beseech you not to set your mind against the testimony of Scripture, of God’s Word. There is one other witness I will call, the apostle Jude. He writes of angels being “reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day,” and that Sodom and Gomorrha are “set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (vers. 6,7).
Take the language of Scripture as it stands, and no serious man but must be impressed with this—there lies before a man who passes out of this scene into eternity unsaved, an awful future, as described in these seven scriptures. The gospel is preached to save you from it, and if you are keen to get blessing for your soul you will get it. What I want you to do now is to ask yourself this question—Where, in the light of God’s Word, shall I spend eternity? There be some who are “never persuaded”; others, like Agrippa, who are “almost persuaded”: may you, like Abraham, be “fully persuaded” to trust the living, loving Lord Jesus. You will then receive the present pardon of your sins, and eternal glory will be your home.
W. T. P. W.