” ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’    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 16:30-31  NIV

This is the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus as told in the gospel of Luke.  There was a very wealthy man and a beggar named Lazarus.  They both died and Lazarus went to Abraham’s side or Heaven and the rich man went to Hades or Hell, where he was in torment.  He asked Abraham is he could send Lazarus to dip his finger  in water and cool his tongue and was told no.  He then asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his family, his five brothers, so that they would know what happened and would straighten up and not go to hell.  Abraham tells him that they have Moses and the prophets, and if they won’t listen to them it won’t do any good to send Lazarus.  Then the rich man tells Abraham, but if they see someone come back from the dead, they will repent and this leads up to the scripture passage for this morning.

I love the last part of this scripture passage where Abraham tells the rich man that “if they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead”.  The irony here is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and yet many still do not believe.  Oh many will tell you that they believe in Jesus Christ, that they believe the Bible, but they sure don’t live like it.  They also sure don’t love like it.  If we did as the Bible instructed and loved God with all we had and loved others as we loved ourselves, we would live differently.

The saddest thing is that I have seen people living in hell right here on earth.  What’s sad is that most of the time it is a hell that they, themselves have created.  They lie, cheat and steal and plot evil against others.  They harbor bitterness and resentment in their hearts and don’t understand why God is not blessing them.  We have the Bible, we have a church on every corner, we have evangelist on the television, we have internet podcasts from the bigger churches.  What will it take to reach these people?  What will it take to make them truly believe.

Someday, hopefully soon, God is going to send His Son back to earth.  If that’s what it takes for people to believe, I’ve got bad news.  By then it will be too late.

I know it gets very frustrating if you are a Christian and you are trying to win friends and family members to Christ, but don’t give up.  Many in our family prayed for my Dad and encouraged him for many years.  He was saved at the age of eighty, just five years before he passed away.  Our pastor researched people that get saved at that late age and said that there is a one in a million chance.  What a miracle! Praise God!

As Christians, we know there were two people raised from the dead in the Bible.  Lazarus (not the one from this scripture passage) was raised from the dead by Jesus.  And Jesus was raised from the dead and later ascended to heaven to be with the Father.

If you are reading this and don’t believe in Jesus Christ and have not accepted Him as your savior, I encourage you to read your Bible.  I encourage you to talk to someone and to get into a good, Bible teaching church.  Make sure that  if you are listening to an televangelist or attending church services, that you make sure that what they say lines up with what’s in the Bible.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).  It’s not too late.

I look around at friends and loved ones that I know believe in God, but they just don’t seem to take their relationship with Him seriously.  I pray for them.  I pray for you if you are not saved and I pray for anyone who is saved that  is struggling to lead loved ones to Christ.  It’s a tough job.  God never calls us to do the easy stuff.

So what will it take, well sometimes  it takes total catastrophe.  Sometimes someone must face total devastation before they commit to Christ.  Some people have to hit rock bottom before they can start to come up.  Sadly, there are times when nothing draws people to God.  Ask Christians we must do all we can and we must not give up.

If you are not saved, I pray that you will draw close to God and seek salvation.  If you need assistance with this, feel free to contact me through this website.

If you are saved, then I pray that you stay strong and keep up the good fight.  I pray that God gives you strength and wisdom as you try to lead others to Christ.

Have a great day!