Two roads to eternity

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 4 AUGUST 2024 – JASON CRUISE

MATTHEW 7 VERSES 13 AND 14, LUKE 16 VERSES 19 – 31

We have read back in Matthew 7 of 2 roads that lead out into eternity – the broad and the narrow way.  We have also read of 2 men who trod these 2 roads – one was on the broad road and the other on the narrow road.  They led to 2 separate destinations.  Which road are you travelling on?  We have maybe travelled on different roads to come here tonight but which road are you travelling on spiritually speaking?  Which road represents you?  Are you on the broad way that leads to destruction and hell or are you on the narrow way that leads to heaven and home?  Verse 19 – here is this rich man.  He has plenty of money.  He fared sumptuously every day.  He was clothed in purple and fine linen.  The best of clothes.  Purple reminds us of royalty.  He was living just like a king.  Is that just like you?  You have a lavish lifestyle, all the world can offer you.  You are preoccupied with the temporal things, taken up with material.  You don’t have the eternal though.  It is only by putting your faith and trust in Christ that you will know for sure.  You are sitting here or are listening in on line and are still in your sin.  You are heading out on the broad way to a lost eternity tonight.  Maybe you are shouting back “I am nowhere near as bad as you say.  I am not as bad as the man or woman in my street or my neighbour next door.”  Maybe you are not but on the authority of God’s word you are still a sinner.  Romans 10 verse 9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  Romans 3 verse 10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” Galatians 3 verse 22 “ But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”  Isaiah 64 verse 6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”  You can do nothing to save yourself. This man has all the worlds riches that he could possess.  Salvation has been purchased for you on the centre cross of Calvary.  He was willing to shed his blood for you to be saved, to lift you from the broad road and set you on the narrow road to heaven and eternity. 

Verses 20 and 21 – here’s a man Lazarus.  The Lord mentioned him by name.  These 2 men did exist, they exist in eternity just now.  The Lord knows this man personally.  He names him Lazarus.  A stark contrast between how this man lives and the rich man’s life.  When these 2 go out into eternity.  He lay at the rich man’s gate.  Originally meant “cast out or thrown down”.  At the rich man’s gate.  He cannot walk and therefore cannot work so he lies every day at the gate of the rich man.  Maybe some scraps were carried to him every day.  You can see the dogs coming down the road licking the sores on his body.  What a contrast between these 2 men.  Each one represents you and I.  One taken up with material worldly things.  Maybe you are going about dressed like a king.  This man had 5 brothers.  I wonder when they came to visit and went past Lazarus did any of them have sympathy on Lazarus and ask “should we bring him to our table tonight?”  I wonder did the rich man say “no we don’t want his type up here.”  It was ok for him to lie there and for the servants to take him scraps.  What a stark contrast between 2 lives lived.  2 men are on different roads.  A broad way and a narrow way.  Lazarus has put his trust in God.  He knows when he dies he will be in heaven.  The rich man is heading to a lost eternity.  Which road are you on this evening? 

Verses 22 and 23.  Here we see that death comes.  The beggar has died.  There is no mention of a funeral service for the beggar.  No-one is concerned about him.  We read that the rich man also died.  It doesn’t matter rich or poor, what area we live in, we may be brought up in millionaires row or poverty street – death will come one day.  Unannounced.  Unexpected.  No way back.  Rich man was in hell and Lazarus was in heaven. 

Verse 24 2000 years since Jesus told this story we don’t know how long it has been since the rich man entered hell but he is still there.  Each of us are on a collision course because of sin.  “Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.” James 1 verse 15  Hebrews 9 verse 27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” We cannot put off that appointment with death.  The French philosopher Volatair was  very rich man who said “if you give me another year I will give you half my fortune.”  To which the reply came “if you give me it all I couldn’t give you another day.”  There is a day set for us when death will come.  Where are you going into eternity?  5 minutes after you die where will you be?  Lazarus’ name means “Eliezar, God my help”.  Surely he found God was his help when he died. God wants to offer you that same help tonight, right where you are.  Now he wants you to come and put your trust in him.  No burial or funeral service for Lazarus but the rich man had a great funeral.  There was probably a great eulogy, proclaimed as a great business man and had fared well.  Before the coffin was lowered into the ground the rich man had already opened his eyes in hell.  These men had 2 things in common – a soul that would never die, last through countless ages of eternity.  You have a soul that will never cease to be.  Where will your soul be in eternity?  “And in hell he lifted up his eyes being in torment.”  A man who enjoyed so much here on earth.  Mark 8 verse 36 “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul.”  What an awful thing to sit through a gospel meeting or tune in on line and yet go out into a lost eternity having been warned of the place called hell when Jesus was willing to die to save your soul.  John 3 verse 16.  What love God has had for you.  What love has he for this world of sinners lost and ruined by the fall.  That Jesus would hang on the centre cross so we could be redeemed.  He was dressed in fine linen – verse 1.  This land is known throughout the world for its fine linen industry of the past.  We can see many run down buildings showing that past industry.  Linen is good for keeping the body clothed.  This man had fine linen.  He probably had great banquets in his lifetime.  Today this man is in a lost eternity.  No second changes.  Here is a man who from the very first day in hell cries out for something – a drop of water.  This man fared sumptuously in this life each and every day.  All he wants now is a drop of water from the finger of the man who lay at his gate.  Notice what he says “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finer in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” He came from a religious home.  He was clothed in the cloak of religiosity.  Many are in a similar situation tonight.  Could it be said of you?  You can remember times when you were sent to Sunday School and church.  Perhaps you even attended gospel services.  You know the scriptures so well, perhaps even better than the preacher.  Sadly you don’t know the Saviour.  You might even have been baptized and taught in the catechism.  You may be relying on good works or church attendance, paying in to church, having your name recorded on the church role book.  Titus 3 verse 5 “not by works of righteousness we have done but according to his mercy he saved us.”  Salvation is of the Lord, found in and through a person, the Lord Jesus.  Do you know him personally?  Can you look back to a time when you trusted him for yourself?

Verses 25 and 26.  We read about a great gulf fixed.  Many are praying for those who have gone out into eternity that somehow their prayers will transport them to heaven.  If you go out into a lost eternity there is a great gulf fixed.  There is no way to pass from here to the place of paradise, heaven itself.  There is no way for you to be prayed out of hell.  For the first time in his life this man starts to pray.  It is all too late.  Over the gates of hell could be written these words “abandon all hope all ye that enter here.”  He was there for all eternity.  There was absolutely no need to be there.  Jesus came to suffer, to bleed and die.  The one who told this story to the Pharisees that day would one day not long after, bleed and die for the worlds sins.  Why would you not repent and believe the gospel.  There is one thing about hell we need to note – there is no exit.  No matter where we go around our land, into any building we will see an exit door.  If you end up in hell there will be no way out.  What an awful thing – to look back to this day when you were warned to come and trust in Jesus who paid the price for your sin.  Why are you still tramping a lost road when Christ offers you a sacrifice for your sins?  Christ died for you, to set you free, for you to have a home in heaven.

Verses 27 and 28.  This is an awful sad story.  We read of a family of 6 brothers.  One brother is in hell and the other 5 are making their way there.  He begins to pray for them.  What an awful thing to go out into a lost hell.  Many would say we want to go there because they will be able to have a party with their friends because they will be there too.  This man didn’t want anyone there.  I am sure you have known difficult times in your life and all you longed for was to have your family around you.  This man didn’t want anyone of his brothers to come to where he was.  This man had memory and feeling.  People in hell tonight still have their memory.  It is an awful thing to realise there are men sitting in hell that can recall times when they heard the gospel preached so well.  They can look back to nights when they were almost saved.  Is that you tonight?  You are going to leave the meeting again a Christ rejecter.  If you would do that and suddenly were called into eternity you would be without hope.  Why? Because you are still tramping the broad road.  What an awful thing must grip a person when they die in that instant they will be in hell.  Willie Mullan, the late Baptist preacher used to tell the story of a pond that was frozen over.  A group of young boys would skate on the pond.  Willie would go out further onto the pond and stamp the ice to see if it was still frozen.  The young boys would run back to the bank when Willie came out and wait until he had moved back himself.  On one particular occasion Willie went out and stamped the ice as before.  This time however the ice broke and Willie went down into the water.  He recalled how he could feel the weeds wrapping around his legs.  Then he felt a hand reaching out to him.  If it hadn’t been for a friend watching him and running to help him at that moment he would have drowned.  Fear gripped Willie at that moment.  Is God speaking to you tonight?  Hebrews 3 verse 15 “today if you will hear his voice harden not our heart.”  What if tonight it was your last opportunity?  Proverbs 27 verse 1 “Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” 

Verses 29 – 31.  Notice the last verse “And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”  The one who told this story that day is the one that has risen from the dead.  He died on the cross of Calvary and they laid him in the tomb.  He was only there for 3 days.  We preach not of a dead Saviour but a risen Saviour.  He is seated in glory tonight.  He wants you to come to him tonight.  The one who was whipped by the Roman soldiers, whose back was like a ploughed field, was led out into the streets of Jerusalem.  He carried his own cross and outside the city walls they laid him on that cross.  He allowed them to nail his hands and feet to the cross and it was raised into position.  He suffered for our sins to bring us back to God.  The Lord suffered in our stead.  Rembrandt the great painter painted a picture entitled “the raising of the cross.”  He had painted many biblical scenes in his painting before but in this painting he depicted himself as one standing watching Jesus die.  He knew Christ hung on the cross for him.  Life is short, eternity is long.  Your decision is required.  Will you come and accept Christ as your Saviour?  “Come unto me all that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.  We started by reading the words of Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14 of a broad and a narrow way.  Which way are you travelling on?  Which one can you related to?  The rich man was dressed in fine linen and fared sumptuously but he went out on the broad way, hell for ever.  Are you like him?  Or are you like Lazarus?  Do you have the assurance of sins forgiven?  Do you know you will be in heaven one day?  Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father except through me.”