Introduction:

There are many things that must be done before it's too late. If you are in school, you must get your book report done before it's too late. Otherwise you might fail the assignment and maybe even the class. If you are an adult, you must pay your taxes before it's too late. If you forget or are too lazy, you might be penalized and have to pay more. If you are in the waning years of life, you might have to buy your cemetery plot before it's too late. Once you are dead, the task might unexpectedly fall upon your spouse or your children. There are many things in life that must be done before it's too late.

In the parable that we are looking at today, Jesus teaches us that a person must hear the Word of God and believe before it's too late. If this does not happen, the punishment is eternally greater than a bad grade, a tax penalty, or a burial burden on a family. The consequence is the difference between an eternity in heaven or hell.

Let's study the parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus this morning and learn how this story of Jesus guides our mission work. May the Holy Spirit lead us to a greater understanding of why mission work is so vital and show us what tool we must use to carry out our mission.

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."

Jesus begins the parable describing two men. The rich man had nice clothes and lived in absolute luxury. Lazarus was a poor man, who sick, covered in sores, and lived off the rich man's scraps. The two man were exact opposites.

The Savior, in telling the story, does not say that the rich man was a bad person. In fact, he may have been respected and well-liked. However the parable does describe the rich man as preoccupied with the pleasures of this world.

People caught up in the comforts and luxuries of this world often make three terrible mistakes that have eternal consequences. They mistake their bodies for their souls. They often treat their earthly bodies with much more care than they would ever think about doing with their souls. They also commonly mistake man for God. They think that every person is the master of his own fate and they reject God as the ruler of their lives. People who are wrapped up in the comforts and luxuries of this world also mistake time for eternity. They consider their earthly life more important than their eternal life. These mistakes could very well be attributed to the rich man.

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."

In faith Lazarus fell asleep in death and in faith he woke up in heaven. Lazarus did not have much help in this life, but the angels served him in death and carried him to Abraham's side in heaven. There Lazarus finally found rest, love, comfort, and companionship. Lazarus suffered in this life, but he patiently submitted to the will of God. In his earthly life he held on to the forgiveness of sins offered by his heavenly Father and enjoyed a peace of conscience.

In contrast to the beautiful picture of Lazarus being taken to heaven, did you take notice of how coldly Jesus described the rich man's passing? "The rich man also died and was buried." This account is so sad because we know what followed for the rich man.

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.'"

There are only two possibilities after death. One is heaven. The other is hell. The rich man, being in hell, now knew the awfulness of being separated from God for all eternity. Hell is not a place of good times and partying. Listen to how the Apostle Paul depicts hell in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power." The Rich man rejected God's will and chose to adore this earthly life.

There are many people in the world who choose not to believe that hell exists. However the Bible talks about hell very clearly and describes it as the eternal punishment for unbelievers.

The rich man had hoped that being a descendant of Abraham would pull some weight and he would find favor. Abraham told him differently. The rich man then tried to have Lazarus sent to relieve a little bit of his suffering. Now the poor beggar was being begged for.

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.'"

Once a person is judged, that person will remain judged for all eternity. There is a great canyon between heaven and hell which no one can cross. Hell is permanent. There is no purgatory. There is help. There is no love.

The things that the rich man thought were valuable he had already received in his earthly life. He was not entitled to ask for more now.

So then the rich man turned his attention away from himself to his brothers that were still alive.

27 "[The rich man] 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.'"

Abraham said that the brothers had Moses and the Prophets, the books of the Old Testament - the sacred writings of God. All the brothers needed to do was to hear and heed the message. For those writings testified about Jesus himself, according to the word of the Savior in John 5:39. And according to the words of 2 Timothy 3:15, those Holy Scriptures are able to make people wise for salvation.

Those brothers of the rich man needed to hear the law and the gospel, the message of sin and grace written clearly in God's Word. Nothing else could help 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.'"

The rich man did not have a very high opinion of God's Word in life and he carried that opinion with him into hell. He wanted a different way for his brothers to be saved instead of the gospel. He wanted to use the shock and awe of a ghost to bring his brothers to faith. But Abraham reaffirmed that sinners are not saved by supernatural appearances, but by hearing and believing God's Word.

Jesus' parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus reveals to us why we need to do mission work, why we need to reach out with the life-saving message of the gospel. Hell is real. Every person on earth, including all of us sitting here today, deserves to suffer the torments of hell for our sins. All people have rebelled against the will of the Father and deserve God's full wrath.

That is why we need to do mission work. The gospel saves. God's Word tells us that even though we deserve eternal death in hell, God loved us so much that he sent his only Son to be our Savior. Jesus Christ lived for us, died for us, and rose for us. He took away all of our sins. When we hear and believe that gospel message from God's Word, we are forgiven of our sins, given the gift of salvation, and a new life here on earth.

God's Word is the only tool that can bring people to faith in Jesus Christ, the only Savior. Good intentions and prayer will never change a person's heart to faith. The gospel in God's Word will. The gospel, taught in its truth and purity, saves people from hell. That is the message of Jesus' parable.

Thank God that he has worked faith in your hearts through the gospel. Cherish the blessing of faith in Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Motivated by love, act now before it's too late. If you act now, maybe the gospel will work faith someone's heart before it is too late. Maybe they will join us in heaven. Motivated by love let us support mission work.

How can you support missions before it's too late? How can you act so that others might hear the precious truth of the gospel and be saved? First, start at home. Look for the opportunities that are right in front of you to tell someone about Jesus. Don't wait for some supernatural event of shock and awe to awake the people around you from their unbelief. Be proactive before it's too late. Tell them about Jesus. Bring them to church and Bible study.

Then move out of your small circle and think about all the missionaries who are carrying the gospel to the lost in the world. There are missionaries here at home in the United States. There are missionaries abroad on far away continents. Pray for those missionaries. Support their work with your offerings. Be proactive and see if you can develop ideas to help them carry the gospel to lost souls.

We must take the gospel to the unbelieving world before it is too late. Mission work is vital because either a person goes to heaven or hell. There is no in between. AMEN.