GRACE – Practical Bible Teaching

TOO GOOD TO FORGET

Uninvited thoughts may come in, but you do not have to pull up a chair and offer them hospitality.

NOTE: For an expanded video version of this message, click here.

NOTE: For an audio version of this message, click here.

Many of us are reaching what is ordinarily called advanced age.

That means we have lived longer than many people expected.

One of the benefits of this is our ability to forget things.

We are the brunt of jokes, because we have mastered the ability to take five steps in a certain direction and then stand there wondering why we were moving.

Forgetting things is not just the realm of the aged, because the younger set today is discovering that they forget things even though they had made a list.

Their problem is having too much on their mind at one time.

The reverse side of this forgetfulness is a cause for awe with those suffering from Alzheimers, which we know is a disease causing immense forgetfulness.

It is amazing what an Alzheimers victim recalls.

Gracie’s mom could not remember having babies, which is something she loved about her life.

She could not remember her children, but she could still recall scripture verses she had learned.

We could see the joy on her face as she remembered what they meant to her.

Over and over again we hear of this among Christians afflicted with the dementia disease.

Why is that?

Why do we seem to forget important milestones in our life, but can recall the eternal truths we learned along the way?

Do you think maybe it is that phrase—eternal truth—that might be the difference?

Maybe there are some things that are just too good to forget.

The prophet Jeremiah, in the midst of all his struggles that came with trying to serve the Lord, felt that way at times.

As was true of many of God’s prophets, Jeremiah was not a popular guy.

He was often ridiculed for his words, and one time was left in the bottom of a cistern, which was much deeper than a 55-gallon drum.

As he would look at his circumstances, he would begin to get the mullygrubs.

We can see that in his writings called Lamentations.

First, he calls out to the Lord to look at his situation.

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!
Lam 3:19

The word “wanderings” has a different meaning than what we would ordinarily think of.

Picture someone in the middle of a circle of bullies being shoved back and forth from one bully to another.

That is the type of wandering to which Jeremiah was subjected.

After he asks the Lord to see what is happening, he says that these things weigh heavily on his mind.

My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.
Lam. 3:20

Don’t we also get the same way when we find ourselves in challenging circumstances?

When we are sick or in pain, we believe there is nothing good worth thinking about.

Our mind is consumed with the discomfort.

When a machine that we depend on breaks, our mind is consumed with thoughts about how to take care of the problem.

If our problem is not soon alleviated, our soul becomes like Jeremiah said—bowed down within us.

All joy is gone, and nothing anyone says or does seems to lift us out of the mullygrubs.

But then, a light begins to dawn for Jeremiah.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Lam 3:21

He calls something to mind.

In the midst of overwhelming sorrow, he calls on something to remember.

We do this with the passing of a loved one.

In the midst of our sorrow, all of a sudden a thought comes in about them that makes us smile as we recall a pleasant moment with them.

Usually, something like that happens without our conscious thought.

It just appears while we are in the midst of our pain over the loss.

But, there are things in the Bible that seem to indicate that we do not have to wait for the thought to show up.

There are things we can do that can keep us from ending up in the deep dark hole of depression that attends a prolonged period of the mullygrubs.

King David also had his bouts with depression as people and things would turn against him.

And David was greatly distressed;
for the people spoke of stoning him,
because the soul of all the people was grieved,
every man for his sons and for his daughters:
but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
1Sa 30:6

David realized he was on a downward spiral with his feelings and took charge over his thoughts and emotions.

How often do we get caught in one of those downward spirals and feel as if we just want to ride it all the way down?

There is something mesmerizing about those feelings coming from the negative thinking we have been relishing.

The hypnosis of depression is somewhat like the white lines on the highway droning underneath as we lose conscious thought about our driving and begin to drift off in our thoughts.

It is quite possible for that to not end in a good way.

Unless you take charge of the situation and snap out of it.

That is what David did in the midst of his downward plunge into depression.

He took charge of his thoughts and encouraged himself in the Lord.

Maybe he was aware of the principle the apostle laid out for us and the Philippian church.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Phl 4:8

The word “think” in this verse is an intense word.

It is not about what simply passes through our minds without notice.

This word means to force your thoughts.

Obviously, we are to force our thoughts onto good things to think about.

Left to ourselves, most of us will soon go down the path of negativity thinking about the economy, or government, or other types of idiots.

Given the reality of our human existence, we know that we are not able to continually force our thoughts to conform to any form of rigor.

The mind is going to go where it goes, and we are at the effect of it.

Uninvited thoughts may come in, but you do not have to pull up a chair and offer them hospitality.

That is why we need to recall these principles of bringing our thoughts into captivity, especially when they begin to run wild.

Paul mentioned this in another of his letters.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion
raised against the knowledge of God,
and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
2Co 10:5

We are to bring our wandering thoughts under control.

It is often our wandering thoughts that get us into trouble sending us down that path of negative emotions.

That negativity, that path toward depression is often brought about by our thoughts.

Our negative thinking is often brought about by the circumstances in our life in the moment.

When things are not going well, we tend to agree with the thoughts that say things are not going well.

Pretty soon, we are on that slide.

That is where Jeremiah was going as he looked at his situation and thought about all the bad things happening to him.

Then he took charge of his thinking.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Lam 3:21

He called something to mind.

He brought it up so that he could destroy the downward path he was on. On the surface, it looked as if God had forgotten about him, that He didn’t care what was happening to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah then tells us what it was that he called to mind.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lam 3:22-23

I don’t know if my faith is strong enough to be able to say that from the bottom of a cistern.

But, I want to.

I want my faith to be at the place where things only get me down for a moment before I am able to call to mind the promises of God.

And you want that also, don’t you?

Look at this statement of fact carefully.

At what point does God’s love run out?

At what point will He lose patience with you?

When will His mercy be shut off for you?

There are some of God’s promises that simply do not cheer us up—such as Rom. 8:28—but this fact about God’s love and mercy should be something that we never forget.

He starts every morning out with a new batch of mercies for His people so that His patience with us is never-ending.

You cannot push God over the edge so that He loses His temper with you.

His faithfulness is great.

May you remember His love and mercy regardless of the depth of your trial.

The steadfast love of the Lord for you never ceases, and His mercy towards you will never be exhausted.

That kind of love and mercy is simply too good to forget.

NO CROSSING ZONE

There is a place in which none can cross from one to the other side—at least according to the thinking and teaching of some.

For an extended video teaching of this, click here.

For an audio podcast of this teaching, click here.

Did the rich man go to hell because he was rich, or because he didn’t take care of Lazarus?

There are more than 40 recorded parables of Jesus.

When we consider the parables in the light of the rest of His ministry, we realize Jesus was a storyteller.

The stories and illustrations He told are called parables and there is something unique about them that makes them stand out.

One of the more interesting aspects of His parables is that it was a completely new way of presenting truth.

There is no evidence of parables in any of the rabbinic literature prior to this time.

He used parables to influence and challenge the thinking of the original audience and to help people consider a different perspective about Himself and the kingdom of God.

The parables are not presented as some science fiction idea of which the people would be unfamiliar.

Nor are they presented with the idea of teaching or explaining a particular doctrine or belief.

They are all stories filled with concepts from their everyday life.

Sowing and reaping, plowing and harvesting, sheep, wolves, coins, family relationships, work relationships—all found a place of understanding with the crowds to whom Jesus spoke.

There are a few people who have tried to maintain that this is somehow a true story, or a true rendition of what may occur.

However, most scholars from the many different schools of theology generally agree that this story is just that—a story, which we call a parable.

This was a long story, and rather than rehearse it for you, I will just give a synopsis of the points encountered in the parable. (Of course, you can read it in Luke 16:19-31)

Rich man & Lazarus, a poor man
Both men died
Lazarus carried by angels to Abraham’s side
Rich man to Hades
Rich man could see Abraham
Rich man called out to Abraham for mercy
Abraham said no
There is a great gulf fixed between the two places
No one can cross in either direction
Rich man—then warn my brothers
Abraham said no
Listen to Moses and the prophets
If they do not listen to Moses, they will not listen to someone coming back from the dead

This is a long story leading up to the concluding statement about someone coming back from the dead.

Everything else helps to embellish the story.

However, many have tried to build doctrinal understanding from the things presented in this parable.

The main doctrine most people get from this parable is that of hell, based on the statement about hades, which we will get to in a moment.

First, though, let’s consider some of the lesser points of the parable.

What about Lazarus being carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom—or side.

If that concept is presented anywhere else in the Bible, I am not aware of it.

It is a figure of speech used to indicate a place of blessing.

We are told what happens to our spirit when we die.

and the dust returns to the earth as it was,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Ecc 12:7

We are not told how.

We are not told of any intermediaries who will carry us anywhere.

Plain and simple, the sprit returns to God, the one who gave it in the first place.

If this were something we should look forward to—being carried to Abraham’s side—what happens to Jesus?

Is Jesus not greater than Abraham?

So, if this point was something that is true and should be considered by those listening to Jesus, then it only applies to those who were under the Old Covenant, or at least only to Jews, who are the descendants of Abraham.

However, I see this as merely a figure of speech.

It is not a point of doctrine that must be received and believed.

The next point to consider is that the rich man could see Abraham.

I cannot find any biblical reference to the concept that the people in hades can see over into heaven, paradise, or the place of blessing and bliss.

Again, we are faced with a figure of speech for the purpose of bringing the story towards its main point.

And not only could the rich man see Abraham, he could talk to him and Abraham could reply.

If this were trying to teach a doctrine for us to understand, we would be in a most difficult position.

Talking with the dead is called necromancy and is specifically forbidden in the law of Moses.

A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer
shall surely be put to death.
They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.
Lev 20:27

The situation we have in this story, though, is not specifically that of necromancy, because both parties are dead.

Necromancy is that of a living person communicating with the dead.

Obviously, Jesus was not recommending the practice of communicating with the dead.

He was simply using a figure of speech to highlight His parable and the conclusion He was aiming for.

Now we can begin to talk about the part of the story where people have set up a doctrinal camp that they think must be believed.

Hades

The KJV uses the word ‘hell’. And that is just the beginning of the difficulties associated with the word.

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water,
and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luk 16:23-24

This passage, coupled with the “lake of fire” references in the Revelation, has given rise to the concept of eternal conscious torment inflicted on those who do not choose to accept the salvation that Jesus offers.

There is only one place in all of the Bible were the idea of “forever and ever”—or as we would like to say—eternally—is mentioned.

and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were,
and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Rev 20:10

If we pay attention to the details, we see that it is only the devil, the beast and false prophet who are tormented forever and ever.

There is no verse which mentions this in reference to people, except where we hear of their worm not dying for those cast into Gehenna.

The word Gehenna is also translated as hell in the KJV, but we will save that for another time.

For right now we are considering hades as mentioned in this parable.

The word hades is a Greek word which is transliterated straight into the English.

It is hades in Greek, and it is hades in English, which is how the modern translations render the word.

Hades has an interesting history of development through the different periods leading up to the time of Jesus.

In Greek mythology, hades was the god of wealth,

Despite modern connotations of death as evil, Hades was actually more altruistically inclined in mythology.

Hades was portrayed as passive and never portrayed negatively; his role was often maintaining relative balance.

Aside from the mythological use, the concepts and beliefs taken from this word and its usage went through three distinct periods.

In the LXX, which is the Greek translation of the OT written almost 300 years before Christ, the word hades is used almost exclusively for the word sheol, which consistently means the grave.

Then after the Babylonian exile, the concepts went through some incisive changes.

By the time of Jesus, there were two concepts being taught, and Jesus seemed to be aware of both, since He offered differing concepts in His parables.

The main thought during His time was that hades was the realm of punishment and Paradise was the realm of blessing.

These thoughts can be found in the various writings of teachers and scholars outside the Bible, but neither is spoken of definitively in the Bible.

However, in the preponderance of places the word hades is used—which is only 11 times—it refers to the place of the dead, not the place of eternal torment.

It refers just as it did in the OT to the grave.

There is one last consideration we should look at.

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
…he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ,
that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
Act 2:27, 31

Both of these verses show that hades is the grave, which is the same as its use in the OT.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus was not given for us to develop a doctrine about hell.

It was given to emphasize a point for the Jews who heard Jesus and what they believed about the Law and prophets.

But Abraham said,
‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
And he said, ‘No, father Abraham,
but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets,
neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'”
Luk 16:29-31

This is the main point of the parable.

The conclusion is the main point in all the parables.

The idea here is that if you try to alter the effects of the Mosaic system by adding the terrors of the life to come, you will not succeed.

If the promises and threats of Moses failed to bring a change, it will not be changed by appealing to life in another world.

And the same applies for us today.

Trying to scare people with thoughts about hell just doesn’t work.

Jesus rose from the dead during the time those folks heard His teaching on the rich man and Lazarus, but His resurrection still had no effect on them.

The gospel is called good news.

Hell—for all of its misrepresentations—is not a part of the good news.

The good news cannot go through the no crossing zone and still be good news.