“One Shot At Eternity”
Text: Luke 16:19-31
10-9-2022
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. You know, sometimes I do things to see if you’re actually paying attention here in worship. Don’t look at me that way! It’s my job to make sure that God’s Word is sinking in and nurturing your faith. Anyway, did you notice anything strange this morning? No, I don’t mean the beginnings of my scruffy beard. Here’s your clue: You needed to be here 2 weeks ago in order to have noticed. Hopefully those of you who were here will know that we had the same Gospel reading this morning as then. And you may recall I said that we could have a whole sermon on the afterlife based on what this text can teach us. Well, that’s the reason why we had the same reading again and that’s what we’re going to tackle today. It’s important because far too many believers have a very limited and/or confused perception about heaven and hell. That’s not good, since everyone is going to spend eternity in one or the other. So, it’s worthwhile for us to search God’s Word to see what He has to say about it. This Scripture passage will help us do that.
Sadly, there are people both inside and outside the Christian Church who wish to ignore the subject. I can’t think of a better example than John Lennon’s famous song, Imagine. The first line sums up his beliefs: “Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky.” How convenient? Pretend that heaven and hell don’t exist so that you don’t have to be bothered with either. As some of you may know, John Lennon was murdered back in 1980 and if that’s what he believed when he died, then he had a rude awaking when he found out where he was going to spend eternity. I’m not his judge, God is. But going by what he said and how he lived his life, things don’t look good. Denying the afterlife or refusing to talk about it won’t make it go away. Rather, the Scriptures are replete with urgent calls to seriously examine our lives here on earth and where that is going to lead us in the afterlife. And in the parable that Jesus told in our text, there is a sense of urgency because it’s clear; you only get one shot at eternity. Once you breathe your last breath there are no second chances. Your eternal destiny cannot and will not change after that. So, now’s the time to make sure that heaven is indeed your home.
First, I’d remind you that the rich man didn’t end up in hell because of his wealth. Rather, his love of money and the comforts of life obviously destroyed his faith. Unbelief, that is, rejecting or neglecting the grace of God is what lands a soul in hell. The name Lazarus means “God is my help” and that certainly indicates that he trusted the Lord even in his destitute condition. Faith that trusts in God is the only reason why anyone will get into heaven. That’s why we stress worship and Bible study so much. This is not just a social activity with inspiring, moral lectures by your Pastor. No, this is where God calls us to access His means of grace which sustains our faith. When a person neglects worship because they’re distracted by worldly things, we should be very concerned. But are we? We’ll come back to that in a bit.
Ok, now let’s talk for a minute about what our existence will be like after death. When a person dies, their body is placed in the ground but their soul either goes to heaven or hell. On the Last Day when Christ returns, all those bodies will be raised and reunited with their souls. And in that state, you’ll spend the rest of eternity. While the souls wait for that day to arrive, their time will be spent in either the peaceful rest of heaven or the unending torment and pain of hell. That fact comes out loud and clear when we look at the existence of Lazarus and the rich man in the parable. Now maybe you’re wondering how a soul without a body can suffer excruciating pain and thirst like the rich man did. Well, what exactly is hell? Yes, it’s an actual place of torment. But the true suffering of hell is the separation from God’s gracious presence. Here on earth, even unbelievers get the benefits of God’s presence. As Jesus says elsewhere, He causes the rain to fall and the sun to shine on all people equally. However, in the afterlife those benefits of God’s presence end for unbelievers. And when God’s gracious presence is removed then all that’s left for an unbeliever to experience is His righteous wrath and punishment. That is described with earthly terms that we can relate to like, unquenchable burning, thirst, pain, and darkness with no possible relief.
Maybe you’ve heard someone argue against that fact by saying, “Oh, I don’t believe in hell because a loving God would never send anyone to such a place of torment.” I totally agree! The Lord will not send you to hell. However, by willfully getting entangled in Satan’s sin of rebelling and rejecting God, humans cast themselves into hell forever. The suffering is all their own doing because they refused God’s gracious offer of mercy through Jesus. God’s love didn’t change but they rejected it.
Another feature of this parable that can teach us about the afterlife is the interaction between heaven and hell. Will people in heaven be aware of the suffering that goes on in hell? Well, you tell me. How peaceful would it be for you in heaven to look down at the suffering in Hades? Obviously, the souls there are shielded from it somehow. Yes, in our text Abraham is aware of the rich man’s suffering. But you need to remember that not every little detail in a parable is supposed to be applied. Think about our question this way. God knows the suffering that goes on in hell and yet His peace isn’t disturbed by it. Likewise for the souls in heaven. We will be content in knowing that God is fair and just. We won’t be looking down, mocking the souls in hell and saying “Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. I made it to heaven and you didn’t!” No, our souls will be filled with humble gratitude for God’s grace that was showered on us. And one more thing. It does seem that part of hell’s punishment is seeing or knowing the peaceful rest of the souls in heaven and being tormented by the fact they will never experience it.
In line with that, we need to clear something up about our heavenly existence. I’ve heard this at plenty of funerals, including within my own family, that your deceased loved one is now watching over you like a guardian angel. Let me ask you. How peaceful would it be for you to watch the foolish mistakes and sins of your loved ones or the dangers they encounter or their suffering? If they are then they’re saying things like: “No, don’t do that! Oh, what did you say that for? Don’t drive so fast. You don’t need another drink at the party. Your cancer is terminal and I can’t help you.” It’s best that we leave that up to our all-seeing, all-knowing heavenly Father who actually has the power and wisdom to do something about our situations.
But the overshadowing message in all of this is the finality of death. As I tell families before a funeral service, nothing we say or do can change their loved one’s eternal destiny. For the family of a believer who dies in the faith, there’s comfort in knowing the soul of their loved one is safe and secure, resting in heaven. Nobody can pray them in or out of heaven. And I can’t preach them into heaven or hell either. Unfortunately, for the family and friends of unbelievers that’s not good news. There are no do-overs. You get one shot at eternity and that’s it. That’s why we are encouraged and admonished to access God’s grace while we’re still alive! St. Paul drives this home in 2 Corinthians 6:2 when he says, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” In other words, don’t put it off, and don’t diddle around with this because when it’s over, it’s over.
Apparently, that’s what the rich man had done. Now, it may seem like he was showing some compassion by begging for Lazarus to be sent to his 5 brothers who were headed down the same path. But it’s not. Hidden in his request there is the accusation that God hadn’t done enough to reach these men. In his mind, they needed something above and beyond God’s means of grace through His Word. Supposedly, if there were some razzle dazzle added, like Lazarus appearing from the grave, THEN they’d believe and be saved. Jesus makes it clear that God’s Word is all-sufficient for salvation. Nothing needs to be added. And yet, how many times don’t we hear people today insist that if they could just see a miracle they’d believe and start coming to church? But it doesn’t work that way. God isn’t a genie in a bottle or a puppet on a string that we can manipulate. We can only be saved on His terms, not ours. Demanding more than His powerful means of grace is a sign of unbelief. Besides, God does perform mighty miracles right before our eyes in His Word and Sacrament. Souls are converted and saved through Baptism. Forgiveness is delivered through the words of Absolution. Salvation enters our ears and penetrates our hearts as the mighty Word is preached and taught. Christ mysteriously comes to us with His forgiveness and strength through His body and blood in Holy Communion. And yet, some still refuse to believe and demand more. But there is no more. Your only shot at an eternity in heaven is through these means of grace and nothing else.
You know, it’s sadly ironic that the rich man speaks of his brothers possibly repenting. He doesn’t understand what the word means. Even in the torments of hell, he himself did not repent. He can’t because his unbelief won’t allow it. For eternity he’ll suffer in the delusion that God could’ve done more to save him when it was his stubborn refusal that condemned him.
I know it sounds strange to hear, but like the shores are the limit to the ocean, God’s mercy actually has its limits too. It’s true that, as the Psalms repeat over and over, His mercy endures forever. But that’s His mercy in dealing with repentant sinners. There is no mercy shown toward rebellious sinners who reject Him. God’s justice which sentences them to damnation is all that’s left for them. God would have to deny the essence of who He is if His justice didn’t prevail. Don’t misunderstand. Scripture certainly tells us that the Lord desires all people to be saved. But those who resist His gracious will bring their eternal condemnation down upon themselves. So, as I said earlier, we dare not trifle with His grace. Now is the time to receive it.
Can you see now why this was such an urgent message that Jesus was trying to convey? His love for the whole world is so deep that He was willing to go to the cross and let God’s wrath for our sins be poured out on Him. He suffered the rejection that we deserved so that we could then receive God’s mercy. How sad it is when people reject this gracious offer. But it doesn’t have to be that way. As long as there is life, there is hope. And there is time for sinners to repent and receive His free gift of salvation. The Christian church has been given the task of distributing that grace to repentant sinners. As believers in Christ, we are admonished to diligently access God’s grace regularly through His Word and Sacrament. And we’ve been given the urgent task of reaching out with that good news to others. It’s not just the Pastor and the Elders job. The loving compassion of Christ compels us to invite and encourage the people around us to come and receive God’s grace, while there is yet time. May they see our confidence in the knowledge that a peaceful, joyful rest awaits us in the afterlife because of what Christ Jesus has done for us. And may the Holy Spirit work mightily through us to reach those lost souls with this saving Gospel. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!