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Title:
The Grand Canyon: Text:
Luke 16:19-31 Have you ever longed for something that you know
you’ll never have? Yet, at the
same time you despise yourself for making the choices that got you where you
are. You even despise anyone who
gains your desire. Enter this
story with me. Can you imagine being lost in a desert and you’ve
just finished drinking your last canteen of water? You walk about a mile further.
You begin to thirst again. An
hour or so passes, you feel faint from the heat of the day.
You see no one around you. You
want to find somewhere to escape from the heat.
You can’t, all you see before you is barren landscape.
You sit down on a large rock. As
you look out over the horizon, you see something move.
At first you think it’s only a mirage.
Wait, no, it looks like an animal. You
get up and stand on the rock. No,
it’s not an animal. It’s a man.
You believe that help has finally arrived and your hope is renewed.
You quickly overcome your fatigue and your thirst.
You start running towards this lone figure, trying to catch up with him.
Then you see him sit and rest for a moment. Then he gets up and goes a few feet further, where he drops
to his knees. You wonder if he’s
all right. Then you see him lean
over and drink from what must be a spring in the middle of the desert.
He continues to drink until his thirst is quenched.
He then begins to splash the cold spring water onto his sun-parched body. You stand where you are for a few minutes taking in
the sight that is before you. The
man on the other side of the desert has his needs provided.
He has rest and he has water, the two things that your body so
desperately craves at this moment. You wish you were just a little closer so that you could
satisfy your thirst and cool your parched skin.
You begin to run again, renewed that your needs are about to be met.
Only now, when you get closer, do you realize that there is a great
canyon between the two of you.
Now you start screaming at yourself, “Why did I
choose this route. I had a map in
my hand. This just looked like a
closer route. It looked like it had
less obstacles.” I know that most of you have never experienced
anything this drastic. Yet there
has been many times where we have taken the wrong roads in our lives that have
led us down paths of despair and regret. There
is a story of a man in the Bible who had a similar experience.
Turn with me, if you will, to Luke 16:19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in
purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain
beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to
be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores. And 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; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And 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. But 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.
And 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.” Let me go back and read the last verse again.
“And 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.”
In this story we see two contrasts.
First we see the contrast of material possessions.
The rich man had every thing he would ever need on this earth.
The rich man was set for life. He
had ever comfort life could offer him. He
probably had many servants who catered to his every need.
He reminds me of the traveler who thought he would take the easy route.
His life seemed to have no surprises. Yet Lazarus had a different story.
Lazarus had nothing; he was a beggar.
He laid waiting at the door of the rich man’s house, hoping for table
scraps that might be thrown to the dogs. He
never knew from one day to the next if he was to have anything to eat.
Lazarus could have been blind; he could have been lame. He may have been utterly helpless to defend himself.
He never knew from one moment to the next if he was going to be killed
because he was an eyesore to the community.
Lazarus constantly lived in the uncertainty of tomorrow.
We may want to say, “Poor Lazarus”, but don’t be quick to say that. There is another contrast that I want to show you,
one that is much more important. It
is the contrast of eternal positions. One
day both men died. They were
carried to the place of their eternal abode.
Lazarus was carried on angel’s wings to Paradise.
He now had all things. He
was at peace. Lazarus’ body was restored to perfect health.
He cried no more tears of sorrow or pain. When he was at thirst, he had
the Water of Life. When he was hungry, he had the Bread of Life.
Lazarus knew “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18). As before, I said, both men died.
The rich man was also carried to his eternal abode.
You’re probably thinking, “Oh, I’m sure he had to go to Paradise!
Look how he helped Lazarus. He
allowed him to stay at the door of his house and his servants feed him the
leftovers. He didn’t have to do
that.” I’ve got to tell you,
though, you’re wrong. Look again
at verse 22 &23. It says that
the rich man was in hell! You may
ask, “How did this happen? Wouldn’t
God be merciful to him, he never did anything to deserve hell?” That may be true.
He may have never done anything bad, but that doesn’t justify him.
The Scripture says “there is a way that seems right to a man, but the
end thereof is death” (Pro 16:25). The
rich man was right in his own eyes. There he was, in hell, with great thirst.
The poor, rich man looks over and thinks he has found hope.
He sees the beggar, Lazarus. He
calls out for help, ask that Lazarus could dip his finger in water in an attempt
to quench his thirst, yet he could not. He
thought he had taken the easy way, but when he had gotten to the end of his
journey, he discovered that the easy road ends up on the wrong side of the
canyon. Has anyone here tonight realized that you have taken
the easy road, the wrong road? You’ve
decided that it’s easier to bail out on your family because it’s too hard to
make things work, to reconcile differences.
You’ve decided to sell out at work, just to get a little extra pay.
You may have decided to be a pew warmer rather that truly commit your
life to Jesus Christ, just because you want to have a little bit more fun. |
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Last modified: April 27, 2003
