19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31 NIV)
Do you know what was the biggest battle of the Revolutionary War? The Battle of Brooklyn. I have to admit, if you had asked me a couple weeks ago, I would have had no idea. Do you know how the Battle of Brooklyn went? After the Declaration of Independence was signed, the American army needed to keep the British from conquering New York City. George Washington made the battle plans. Manhattan was heavily fortified. In Brooklyn, six forts were built, with more soldiers stationed on nearby hills. The Americans were ready to defend New York City.
Have you heard what happened? It was a total defeat for the Americans. On August 27, 1776, the British attacked. The American forces were completely overwhelmed. The forts on Brooklyn turned out to be useless. Hundreds of Americans were killed. Over a thousand more were taken captive. The only silver lining was that 10,000 American soldiers were able to flee. That was the best part—at least some men got away. The defeat was so humiliating that scores of soldiers deserted the army. Almost all hope of winning the war was lost after the Battle of Brooklyn.
For some reason, we don’t remember that. Isn’t this what we do? We remember the victories, but we skip over the defeats. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, and just like that, we had a free country, right? No, actually the Revolutionary War lasted eight years, and for much of that time, it looked certain that the Americans would lose. There’s something very important we can learn from that. In life, what you see doesn’t tell the whole story. No matter what is happening, when you least expect it, roles can be reversed, and everything changes.
The Bible is filled with stories like that. True stories of people who were in the worst possible situations before God suddenly turned things around. Situations in which all hope was lost before God miraculously provided salvation. There was a giant fighting against a shepherd boy… Who won? The shepherd boy. An old man was thrown into a lions’ den. Did he live? Yes! Three believers found themselves in a fiery furnace. Did they make it out? Yes! Salvation is not by our strength. Salvation is by God’s power and grace. What you see doesn’t tell the whole story. God is working behind the scenes in ways you can’t imagine. Always be ready for a role reversal.
Today Jesus tells perhaps the greatest story of role reversal: Lazarus and the rich man. In this parable, Jesus tells us about two totally opposite people. “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.” The rich man had everything. He even had purple clothes. The best! Every day was like a big feast. I bet he had a big screen TV and a golf cart and a yacht… He had everything. He had the life that you and I probably dream of.
But Lazarus had nothing: “At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.” Lazarus had nothing but sores. That he was laid at the gate suggests that he was paralyzed. He longed to eat scraps off the floor like a dog. Who would you rather be? The rich man or Lazarus? Dressed with fine linen or covered with sores? Can I see a show of hands? Wealth, friends, and food… or hungry, forgotten, and alone? It’s not even a question, right? The rich man!
Then they both died. Death comes to everybody. Rich or poor. Man or woman. Everybody dies. When these two men died, the most surprising thing happened: Lazarus went to heaven. Really? This dirty, stinky, homeless man? Yes! Actually, Lazarus didn’t just end up in heaven. Did you hear how he got there? “The angels carried him to Abraham’s side.” On earth, Lazarus seemed unknown and forgotten. Was he? No way! Lazarus’ name was written in heaven. On earth, it seemed like only the dogs were on his side. Was that true? No! Lazarus was loved by God. This is a powerful story that we are saved by faith. Not by wealth. Not by fame. We’re saved by faith.
Just look at the rich man. He “also died and was buried. In Hades—hell—where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.” The rich man went to hell. Is hell a real place? Yes! Hell is a place of fire and torment. It was so bad that the rich man longed for a drop of water on his tongue. Can you imagine the agony? That rich man learned a powerful lesson too late: Money won’t save you. Friends won’t save you. Popularity won’t save you. Can you see why I would call this the greatest story of role reversal ever? Poor Lazarus ends up in eternal happiness in heaven. The rich man ends up in eternal torment in hell.
But the rich man still didn’t understand. Even in hell, he still thought he was better than Lazarus. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus to help him: “You see, Father Abraham, I’m rich and important. Lazarus isn’t. Please send him to help me.” What was the answer? “No!” Abraham’s answer is chilling: “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.” That rich man enjoyed all his good things on earth, but now there was hell to pay forever for his unbelief.
Suddenly, that awful reality began to set in. The rich man pleaded, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” Hell is that bad. I once heard someone say that Lutherans must not believe in hell. Of course we do! Why would they say that? Because sometimes we don’t have much urgency in our evangelism. If you believe hell is real, you’ll tell everyone you know! “Go and warn my brothers, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” But Abraham said, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” Have them listen to the Bible.
Here’s where that rich man’s unbelief comes out in full force: “No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” In other words, “God’s Word isn’t enough. They are not going to be believe the Bible. Come on, Abraham, they need more then that. Do something big. Send Lazarus back from the dead!” But Abraham said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” This is so important! Faith in Jesus comes from the Word of God. If we don’t believe the Word of God, then nothing will convince us, not even if someone rises from the dead.
These are powerful words about God’s Word. If you don’t believe God’s Word, no miracle will convince you. Those whom God’s Word does not save, nothing can save. When you turn away from God’s Word, it’s like turning off the light in the darkness. It’s like throwing away your staff to lean on. It’s like running away from the castle in the middle of the war. It’s like jumping out of a boat in the middle of a hurricane. Salvation comes through God’s Word. If you have faith in God’s Word, no trial or trouble will be able to overcome you. Trust in God’s Word!
God has such a beautiful message for us: Your position in life right now doesn’t dictate eternity. God is able to turn sinners into saints. Lost into found. Alone into loved. Sick into healthy. Broken into beautiful. All by his grace. What does that give us? Hope! Do you ever feel like Lazarus? Like you have nothing? Like everyone is against you? That’s not the whole story! God sees. Don’t lose heart. You don’t know when there will be a role reversal by God’s grace.
Maybe like being a Thunder fan. Remember how I said that life itself is filled with role reversal stories? Four years ago, the Thunder suffered the worst loss in NBA history: 73 points! On December 2, 2021, they lost a game 152-79. It’s hard to imagine a team losing by that much in professional sports. The Thunder were the laughingstock of the NBA. They were really bad!
Then what? Did you happen to hear something about the Thunder this past week? Just three and a half years later, they are the NBA Champions. This season, they had the seventh best record ever. They won trophies. They had a parade. Everybody wants to be like the Thunder! Life itself reminds us of one of the Bible’s great teachings: The last will be first, and the first will be last.
Let’s learn our lesson: If things are going great right now, don’t assume your heart is right with God. Earthly success does not mean that you are saved. Instead, when success comes, be quick to acknowledge the Lord. God is the giver of all good gifts. I noticed something sad in all the interviews after the Thunder won the championship. Not a single person acknowledged God—at least not in what I saw. Player after player said, “We’ve worked hard for this. We deserved this. This is all about us!” Isn’t that what our sinful natures always think when times are good? “Look at all the good things I’ve earned for myself!” Whom are we always tempted to forget? God!
Watch out! The very worst thing would be to one day hear God say to you or me, “In your lifetime you received your good things, but not now.” No earthly pleasure is worth forever in hell. No matter how good life seems, eternal torment is waiting if—like that rich man—we refuse to believe in Jesus. So repent. If things are going great in your life right now, give all glory to God. Show compassion for the poor. Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
But if things are going bad in your life right now, hold on to Jesus’ promise that eternal blessings are waiting for you in heaven by faith in Jesus. The rich man said it would be great if someone came back from the dead. The irony, of course, is that someone did. Who? Jesus! Jesus died, so that we can live. Jesus was poor, so that we are rich. What we see with our eyes doesn’t tell the whole story! The Gospel message is not about seeing. It’s about believing. Believing that Jesus won the victory for us on the cross. Believing that those who are poor are blessed. That those who are weak are strong. That those who die, live. Trust that one day the roles will be reversed.
Somehow the Americans won the Revolutionary War. What a role reversal after that Battle of Brooklyn! Somehow the Thunder won the NBA championship. What a role reversal after so many losses! Somehow you and I have eternal life. What a role reversal after all our sins! Whether you’re rich or poor, you matter to Jesus. Life doesn’t make sense until you see what happens after death. Until you see faithless men in flames and beggars with angels. When times are good, your success doesn’t mean that you’re better than anyone else. So be careful not to trust in it! When times are bad, your suffering doesn’t mean that you’re forgotten by God. He knows your name. It’s written in heaven! Don’t despair. One day the roles will be reversed…
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
Upside-Down Savior 