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The Story of the Rich Man and LazarusIntroduction:
I. Most people are familiar with the story of the Rich
Man and Lazarus.
II. The story of the rich man and Lazarus was given as:
A. A lesson on the proper use of riches. Luke 16:13
B. A reply to the scoffing of the covetous Pharisees.
Luke 16:14-15
III. This story gives us a glimpse of what happens after
death and refutes many false doctrines.
A. One of these is the following:
1. Human soul dies; not immortal.
2. When spirit goes out, conscious life ceases.
B. These will be the primary focus of the lesson
tonight.
Body:
I. Background of the story.
A. The rich man was obviously rich.
1. While alive he did not have a care in the world.
2. Apparently, he did not use his money in the
proper way. Because, he did not relieve the
needs of Lazarus
B. Lazarus was very poor.
1. He was dumped.
2. He was filled with uncovered, revolting sores.
3. He didn’t to heaven just because he was poor.
II. The rich man was dead and buried, but lift up his eyes
in “hell.”
A. “Hell” is from the Greek word “adhs” (Hades).
1. “Thayer’s – “the common receptacle of
disembodied spirits.” p. 11 “The realm of the
dead.”
2. Vine – “It never denotes the grave, nor is it
the permanent region of the lost; in point of
time it is, for such, intermediate between
decease and the doom of Gehenna.
3. Vincent’s – Hell - Rev., Hades. Where Lazarus
also was, but in a different region.
B. Please notice the following things about the rich
man while he was in “Hades.”
1. He was conscious.
2. He recognized Abraham and Lazarus.
3. He was represented as speaking.
4. He could feel pain.
5. He could remember conditions on earth
6. He thought about his brothers.
III. Lazarus’ soul or spirit went to “Abraham’s bosom.”
A. When Jesus died his soul was in “Hades.” Acts 2:27,
31.
B. Christ’s soul or spirit was in the “place of
departed spirits.”
C. Jesus said to the thief, “This day shalt thou be
with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43
D. Christ was not in heaven. John 20:17
E. Abraham’s bosom and paradise correspond to the same
place.
F. It is the place of the souls under the altar.
Revelation 6:9
IV. Great gulf separates the two parts of the “Hadean”
world.
A. Luke 16:26
B. There is no crossing over from one part to the
other.
V. The story of the Rich man and Lazarus is called a
parable by some.
A. It is not identified in the New Testament as a
parable.
1. Most parables being – “Another parable put he
forth unto them.” Matthew 13:31 “He added and
spake a parable.” Luke 19:11 Or “The kingdom of
heaven is likened unto.”
2. This story has nothing to identify it as a
parable.
B. It is associated with real characters.
1. Abraham, Lazarus, and a certain rich man.
C. If it should be considered a parable, it should be
observed:
1. That the parables of Jesus never introduced a
fictitious condition.
2. The parables of Jesus never violate the order
and course of nature.
3. It was the Jews (Pharisees) who believed these
very things about life after death. It would
have been contrary to every principle and
example of Jesus’ teaching to lead support and
credence to a false theory, or allow a false
impression to pass without correction.
4. Jesus accepts and confirms the doctrine of the
Pharisees on this point of life separate from
the body – and never gives one word of
correction to it.
5. It is inconceivable that Jesus would have
endorsed error in this case and not given us any
instructions to the contrary.
VI. The events occurred between death and the resurrection
while the “brethren” of the rich man are still on
earth. Luke 16:28
A. Hence immediately after death and before the
resurrection, the Rich Man is in hell (Hades) and
Lazarus is rewarded.
B. All are conscious – Abraham, Rich Man, and Lazarus.
This is a deathblow to the idea of soul-sleeping.
C. Both Abraham and the Rich Man are represented as
thinking and talking.
D. Therefore, the dead know something – they are not
asleep.
E. Man is not wholly mortal.
F. This story of Christ is recorded by the Holy Spirit
for all time, foreseeing the infidelity of men.
G. It lays an axe at the root of all soul-sleeping and
hell-annihilation theories, for it shows that one
can suffer separated from his body.
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