It is interesting to notice the conversation in Luke 16:22-31 between the rich man and

Abraham. It is of great interest we observe what he had to say, but also to note what he asked

for. He asked for Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool his tongue for he was in torments

in the flame. He asked that Lazarus be sent to his home to teach his five brothers. However, I

stand amazed at the things this man did NOT ask. Let us notice several.

(i)He does not ask, “Why am I here?”                                                                                                                                            It seems to me that this would be the first question on his lips. He noticed Lazarus, who was a beggar at his gate. He sees him in the place of comfort, but he is in a place of torments. It seems he would ask, “Why am I here?” You often hear people interviewed in prison and many times they say, “I don’t belong here, I was framed, I don’t know what occurred, etc.” However, the rich man did not ask this question. He doesn’t protest and say, “I don’t belong here. It is somebody else’s fault I failed. the preacher didn’t visit men when I was sick one time…or they didn’t have enough children for the Bible classes, etc.”   You don’t read where he says he was framed or makes any excuse whatsoever. The question never comes, and I surmise the reason it never comes is, he knew exactly why he was there.   Notice Lk.16:30 “If one went from the dead they would repent.” He knew he had not repented.  He knew he was not right with God.

(ii)He never asks, “Why is Lazarus in heaven?”                                                                                                                  He sees and knows Lazarus is in paradise. He is a man who received few things here on earth, but now he is receiving  his rewards. He is not in heaven because he was poor, but because he was righteous. He was faithful to God. I wonder if Lazarus ever talked to the rich man and warned him he needed to repent. This may have annoyed the rich man so he ignored the request for table crumbs. Regardless, this man did not question God’s righteous judgment. The man in hell never asked for it to be explained for he knew.

(iii)He never asked, “When is this torment going to end?”                                                                                      When I visit the hospital and there is someone in great pain, they want to get the pain over. They ask the doctor and sometimes even ask me questions. “When will this stop, will this ever end?” It’s interesting to note the rich man in hell never asked, “When is this torment going to end?” He did ask for some relief in vs.24 “Have mercy on me”, but he never asks when torment will end. The man did not ask, “how long do I have to stay here?” Hell is forever. In hell there is no getting out.

(iv)The man in hell never asked for justice.                                                                                                                             In Lk.16:24 he cried out for mercy, but not for justice. He was getting justice, but never said, “I want to receive exactly what I deserve.” He knew he was receiving what he deserved.

(v)He never asked for company.                                                                                                                                                   In fact, notice vs.28 he doesn’t want his five brothers to go to that place of torments. Isn’t that interesting? People in jail like visitors, but this man does not want anyone else to go to that place of eternal torments.

Consider the following:

If you go to hell you will know why. You never came to Christ. Hell is exclusion from God. If you live your earthly life with God excluded, then you will spend eternity excluded from God. We need grace and mercy. Lk.23:41 we read the conversation between the two thieves on the cross. One says we are here justly. In others words, “We are getting what we deserve.” Salvation is according to God’s mercy and grace (Eph.2:4-5). May we receive God’s amazing gift and not the wages of sin (Rom.6:23). The question is, are you right with God?

In Luke’s gospel and the 12th chapter verses 13-21 we read a parable Jesus teaches in regard to a rich farmer. Jesus taught this parable to show that a man’s life does not consist of that which he owns. Yet, as you look at society today it is not difficult to see that many refuse to believe this teaching of Jesus. However, one can see the truth of this teaching if one but look.

(i)The Rich Farmer Forgot God! The Scripture does not say that He denied God, the implication is that He forgot God. He left God out of His life. He failed to recognize his dependence upon God, thus he ignored God. Several scriptures come to mind when one considers that one can “forget” God. Psa.14:1; Eph.2:12; Rom.1:18-20; Rom.2:15

The rich man knew there was a God, but he ignored God. He did not take heed to what God said. The problem with this man was that his mind was on himself. Notice how many times he uses the personal pronouns of-- I, me, my, etc. He was rich towards self, poor towards God Almighty.

This man was like Belshazzar in Daniel 5. Daniel said of Belshazzar that he was “weighed in the balances and found wanting.” The same could be said of this rich farmer. Jesus calls this man a fool. He was a man that was willing to gain something in this life and lose his soul in eternity (Mk.8:34-38).

(ii)He Forgot to Save for Eternity! He saved for the future time on earth, material goods, etc., but he did not spiritually look ahead. Financially sound on earth, but spiritually bankrupt for eternity.

(iii)He Forgot Time Belongs to God! He told himself to take ease for years to come, yet he did not control time. We live in a world of time and chance and we do not know when death comes. We do know God has told us today is the day of salvation (2 Cor.6:2).

(iv)His Forgetfulness Led to a False Conclusion! The conclusion that his possessions here were enough. He was sincerely wrong, but still wrong (Lk.12:15). A false conclusion is still a wrong conclusion.

(v)Lessons For Us Today: (1) People often forget God when their eyes are on possessions. (2) People who focus on the here and now often forget there is an eternity. (3) We cannot control time. We do not know how long we will live on this earth. (4) A false conclusion can cost you your soul (Matt.7:21).