Until last week we studied the subject of “justification.”  Before I go into a new subject, allow me to give a few final words to the believers.  Sometimes, the doctrine of justification by faith may be bright and clear.  At other times, it becomes dull and dim.  Or it may be high and full, like the flood-tide, or low like the ebb.  However, our justification is a fixed, changeless, and immovable thing.  But our sense of justification is liable to many changes.  Then, what are the best means of preserving in a believer’s heart. The lively sense of justification which is so precious to the soul that knows it?  A few suggestions are as following: (1) Looking to Jesus constantly, (2) Communing with Jesus constantly, (3) Watching against the enemies of your soul constantly, (4) Following after holiness constantly, (5) Labouring after humility constantly, (6) Being bold in confessing Lord Jesus before men constantly, (7) Being diligent about means of grace, and good works constantly, and (8) Beng jealous over your own souls and frequent self-examination. 

Be blessed by reading a few wise words as following: “Dost thou believe that thou canst not be saved but by the death of Christ?  The sick man answereth, Yes.  Then let it be said unto him, Go to then, and whilest thy soul abideth in thee, put all they confidence in this death alone.  Place thy trust in no other thing.  Commit thyself wholly to this death.  Cover thyself wholly with this alone.  Cast thyself wholly on this death.  Wrap thyself wholly in this death.  And if God would judge then, say ‘Lord, I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and Thy judgment; and otherwise I will not contend with Thee.’  And if He shall say unto thee that thou art a sinner, say, ‘I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my sins.’  If He shall say unto thee that thou hast deserved damnation, say, ‘Lord, I put the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between Thee and all my sins; and I offer His merits for my own, which I should have, and have not.’  If He say that He is angry with thee, say, ‘Lord, I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and Thy anger” (Quoted by Own in his Treatise on Justification – Johnstone’s Edition of Owen’s Word, Vol. 5., p. 37).  Thank and Praise the Lord for His grace of justification.

Now we are moving into another subject, “Rich and Poor,” based on Luke 16:19-23:

“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰ And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹ And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² 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; ²³ And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” 

I am sure that most of you are familiar with the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.  It is one of those passages of Scripture which leave an indelible impression on the mind.  The whole parable is a most vividly painted picture, and so while we are reading the story we see pictures of all the events described.  We fancy we could almost touch.  The rich man’s banquet, the purple, the fine linen, the gate, the beggar lying by it, the sores, the dogs, the crumbles, the two deaths, the rich man’s burial, the ministering angels, the bosom of Abraham, the rich man’s fearful waking up, the fire, the gulf, the hopeless remorse – all stand out before our eyes in bold relief and stamp themselves upon our minds.  This parable turns the ear into an eye.  Let us find a few spiritual lessons out of it. 

1. God allots different conditions to different people.

As Jesus speaks this parable, he does not say a word in praise in either of poverty or of riches.  He describes the circumstances of a wealthy man and the circumstances of a poor man.  He does neither condemn the temporal position of one, nor praise that of the other. 

• The contrast between the two men is painfully striking. Here is one who possessed an abundance of this world’s good things.  “He was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.”  Here is another who has literally nothing.  He is a friendless, diseased, half-starved pauper.  “He lies at the rich man’s gate full of sores,” and begs for crumbs. 
• Both are children of Adam. Both came from the same dust and belong to one family. 
• Both are living in the same land and subjects of the same government. Yet how different their condition! 
• As we read this parable, we must be careful to not draw lessons not taught in it. In fact, we should know that the rich are not always bad men and do not always go to hell.  The poor are not always good men and do not always go to heaven.  We must not rush into the extreme of supposing that it is sinful to be rich. 
• God does not intend all men to live in equal conditions. Jesus in the parable simply describes things as they are often seen in the world, and as we must expect to see them.  Many people in every age have disturbed society by stirring up the poor against the rich, but for as long as the world is under the present order of things, universal equality cannot be attained.  As long as some are wise and some are foolish, some strong and some weak, some healthy and some diseased, as long as children reap the fruit of their parents’ misconduct, as long as sun, rain, heat, cold, wind, waves, drought, blight, storm, and tempest are beyond man’s control, there will be inequality.  We might as well say that all men ought to be of the same height, weight, strength and cleverness, or that all oak trees ought to be of the same shape and size, or that all blades of grass ought to be of the same length, as that all men are meant to be equal. 
• Settle it in our mind that the main cause of all the suffering we see around us is sin. Sin is the grand cause of the enormous luxury of the rich, and the painful degradation of the poor, of the heartless selfishness of the highest classes, and the helpless poverty of the lowest.  Sin must be first cast out of the world.  The hearts of all men must be renewed and sanctified.  The devil must be bound.  The Prince of Peace must come down and take His great power and reign.  All this must be before there ever can be universal happiness, or the gulf be filled up which now divides the rich and poor. 

Beware of expecting a millennium to be brought about by any method of government, by any system of education, by any political party.  Labour with might and main to do good to all men.  Pity our poor brethren and help every reasonable endeavour to raise them from their low estate.  Slack not our hand from any endeavour to increase knowledge, to promote morality, to improve the temporal condition of the poor, but never, never forget that we live in a fallen world, that sin is all around us, and that the devil is abroad.  And we can be sure that the rich man and Lazarus are emblems of two classes which will always be in the world until the Lord comes.

Lovingly,

Your Pastor

More Lively Hope

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