However, this interpretation is part of the exact scenario being preached in many churches and revivals today. Simply because someone in China or the Soviet Union (to pick two atheistic countries) never had a chance to hear of Jesus Christ and His redemptive message, and confine him to a never-ending HELL is beyond belief for a merciful and loving God who sent His only begotten son to save and redeem this world (John 3:16). It never seems to occur to such preachers that this consignment by Christ to a never-ending judgment for sins committed in this short life, makes Him to be the most unjust and unreasonable person in the universe. Such a scene is so horrendous to imagine that it is no wonder vast numbers of fearful people walk down the aisle to accept Christ after hearing a sermon on the literality of the story. And true enough, if the account of Lazarus and the Rich Man is not a parable of thoroughly symbolic meaning, this would be their fate! A sure and quick way to inflame the wrath of some preachers and Christian laity is to say the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man is a parable. They appear to be conscious, in extreme torment, engulfed in flames that will never be extinguished and that they will remain in such excruciating pain for all eternity. And one must admit, it shows a judgment of severest consequences! It seems to state, in vivid and graphic detail, the condition of wicked sinners after death. They will not have it! The mere suggestion that the account is symbolic is enough to bring on the charge of "theological liberalism." To many people today the normal bedrock of teaching concerning Christ’s judgment upon sinners rests with the literality of this story. Once this important point is understood, the meaning becomes clear and significant.Ī sure and quick way to inflame the wrath of some preachers and Christian laity is to say the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man is a parable. The truth is, however, the narrative is a parable from beginning to end. There is a definite reason for it! It is the assumption that Christ is relating a story of literal occurrences, rather than an account rehearsed in parable form. I imagine that he passed by Lazarus so many times that he eventually got to the point that he didn't see him at all.His section of Scripture has been more misunderstood by students of the Bible than many other parts of the divine revelation. But every day the rich man passed by Lazarus without even giving him a thought. He was hoping that the rich man might have pity on him and that he might be able to satisfy his hunger with the leftovers from the rich man's table. Lazarus was hungry and his body was covered with sores. A beggar named Lazarus lay outside the rich man's gate. Jesus told a story about a rich man who wore the finest clothes and lived in luxury. That is what happened in our Bible story today. When they finally wake up, they find out that it is too late. The second problem is that if you keep hitting the snooze button, you may get so used to the sound of the alarm that you don’t even hear it at all and you will sleep right through the alarm.ĭid you know that God sometimes sounds a "wake up" alarm in our lives? He speaks to our heart and says, "It is time to wake up and follow Me." Some people hit the snooze button and say, "Not now Lord, call me again - a little bit later." Some people hit that "snooze button" so many times that they get to where they don’t even hear God’s voice. The first is that if you keep on hitting the snooze button, you may be late or miss out on something completely. Maybe it is nice to get that extra sleep, but there are two problems with snooze buttons. You can just keep on doing this and go right on sleeping. In about 10 minutes, the alarm will go off again. (Show snooze button.) When your alarm goes off, you can hit that button and go back to sleep. Children's Sermon: The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)ĭo you use an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning? A lot of alarm clocks have a button on them called a snooze button.
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