SUMMER SCHOOL THINGS YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM YOUR PASTORS WHAT IF MY FRIEND DIES WITHOUT CHRIST? AUGUST 17, 2014 (GRADUATION DAY)

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1 SUMMER SCHOOL THINGS YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM YOUR PASTORS WHAT IF MY FRIEND DIES WITHOUT CHRIST? AUGUST 17, 2014 (GRADUATION DAY)

2 BRENTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH LUKE 16:19-31 AUGUST 17, 2014 TEACHING PLAN PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying Luke 16:19-31 and 2 Peter 3:8-13. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for our pastors, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study. HIGHLIGHTS BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: What happens in this life, and the next, if my neighbor dies without Christ? Our culture is full of closet universalists who embrace the idea of heaven but deny the existence of hell. Through the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus teaches that hell is real and that Moses, the Prophets, and the New Testament are God s instrument to convince us of the resurrection and reality of eternal life. TEACHING AIM: As a result of today s study, you will be reminded that 1) hell is a real place where God will hold people accountable for sin (Luke 16:19-31), and 2) God is patient with His judgment (2 Peter 3:8-13). 2 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

3 TEACHING PLAN AUGUST 17, 2014 INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. 1 Name a television show or movie that visualizes or discusses hell. In what manner is hell portrayed? Do the depictions of hell ever make it feel like a real place? 2 A 2013 Harris Poll found that only 58% of Americans believe in hell. 1 Why do you think that the majority of people either do not believe in hell or do not believe that people end up in hell? Compared with heaven, hell is not mentioned very frequently in pop culture, and when it is, the reference is often comical or cartoonish. Sometimes you may come upon a demon or Satan, but that s about it. Hell is rarely described as a real place where people spend eternity. Writers and thinkers today may deny the existence of hell, but the Bible tells us that hell is a very real place where everyone who does not believe in Jesus will spend eternity. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > Have a volunteer read Luke 16: The account of the rich man and Lazarus is a parable that includes many topics, including wealth, poverty, economic disparity, social justice, and the nature of heaven and hell. At its core, the parable is about God s judgment and His revelation of truth. Why do you think Jesus is telling this parable to the Pharisees? What is it about the Pharisees and about Jesus that motivated Him to tell this parable? Refer back to Luke 16:14 for guidance harrispolls/tabid/447/ctl/readcustom%20 default/mid/1508/articleid/1353/default.aspx 3 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

4 TEACHING PLAN AUGUST 17, 2014 What words would you use to describe Lazarus? On the other hand, what words would you use to describe the rich man? What is suggested by the detail that Lazarus was left at the rich man s gate each day? The central character of this parable is a rich man enjoying the most luxurious life possible. His dress and his food set him apart from Jesus disciples and from the ordinary Jewish citizen. Here was the man the Pharisees wanted to be. Lazarus, the other character in the story, represents the opposite side of the social ladder. He owned nothing, but Jesus honored him with a name, while the rich man remained anonymous. Lazarus was clothed with sores. He lived not in a gated mansion but on the street beside the rich man s gate, and he depended to live on. The rich man had the opportunity to live out Jesus teachings by taking care of this man, but instead, he ignored Lazarus and went about his luxurious life. > Have another volunteer read Luke 16:22-26 again. How hard may it have been for the rich man to beg for mercy and ask for help? Why did he do so? What is the basis of judgment for these two men? Why did Lazarus go to heaven and the rich man to Hades? The rich man s selfish orientation toward money and unconcern for a fellow human being revealed a lack of a relationship with God. The man trusted in himself. Similarly, the poor man s joyful place in eternity did not come because of his earthly poverty. He must have known God and benefited from that relationship that came about by grace through faith. 4 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

5 TEACHING PLAN AUGUST 17, 2014 > Have a volunteer read Luke 16:27-31 again. Why did the rich man insist that Abraham send Lazarus to his brothers? What does Abraham s answer tell us about God s perspective on this situation? According to Abraham s word to the rich man in Hades, how can people learn instructions and warnings about life, repentance, and restoration? The final section of the account (vv ) illustrates the importance of making a response to God before it is too late and the sufficiency of Scripture to communicate the gospel. The conversation between the rich man and Abraham revealed the crucial nature of repentance. If we do not have a relationship with God, we need to turn to Him in repentance and reflect that change of heart in the way we live. Why do you think Jesus opens the parable with a contrast between the rich man and the poor man, and then closes it with a call to hear the Word of God? What is the connection between hearing the Word of God and moral behavior? The main point is that the gospel call of the kingdom of God is to hear the Word of the Lord and respond to it with repentance and faith. When this is done, the issues of wealth, compassion, and heaven and hell are profoundly affected. Why do some people postpone making a decision about having a relationship with God until it is too late? 5 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

6 TEACHING PLAN AUGUST 17, 2014 Discuss why people need to understand that at the end of life, they will give an account to God for their lives and face irreversible results. > Have another volunteer read 2 Peter 3:1-13. What warnings did Peter give about the last days? Why isn t God slow to fulfill His promises? How did Peter describe God s sense of time? How should this verse impact your life if you are a Christian? How should this verse impact your life if you are not a Christian? God is patient with us. He doesn t want anyone to die without having a saving relationship with Him. However, a day will come when God s patience will run out. There will come a time when we get our last chance to turn to Him, and after that, it is over. If you are not a Christian, this means you have a limited time before eternity in hell becomes your reality. Become His child, and He will save you from that future. If you are a Christian, this verse should motivate you to share about Jesus love with others in the hope that they will be spared such a terrible fate. 6 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

7 TEACHING PLAN AUGUST 17, 2014 APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 What does the parable of the rich man and Lazarus teach us about human nature? What is the lesson for us in this story? 2 What does the reality of hell teach us about God? 3 How should the reality of hell change the way you treat others? 4 How would you answer the question, What happens in this life, and the next, if my neighbor dies without Christ? P R A Y Close in prayer, asking God to constantly remind you of your need for Him. Praise God that we all need Him and those who will not praise Him receive justice. Thank God for being a just God and for showing mercy to all people who follow Him. 7 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

8 TEACHING PLAN AUGUST 17, 2014 FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up to your group with some or all of the following information: > Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: Who is someone that you can share Christ with this week? How should your praise reflect an understanding of the reality of hell and heaven? > A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group gathering. > The challenge to memorize Luke 16:31. > The text for next week s study, so group members can read it in anticipation of next weekend: James 1: Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

9 COMMENTARY AUGUST 17, HELL IS REAL (LUKE 16:19-31) 16: The rich man (called Dives, Latin for rich man ) clearly did not use his wealth to make friends in the eternal dwellings. Covered with sores is a medical term used only here in the New Testament, perhaps reflecting Luke s background as a physician (Col 4:14). It is ironic that the suffering poor man was named Lazarus since a man by that name would later rise from the dead (Jn 11:1-44). Notes: 16: Inevitably, the poor Lazarus died, perhaps from his illness, perhaps from malnutrition. The self-righteous and self-centered rich man certainly had some responsibility in his death. One day death also visited the rich man. Dying is the only thing the two men hold in common in the story. The difference Jesus emphasized was what happened after death. Lazarus died and went with the angels to heaven. Not only was he in heaven; he was positioned right next to Abraham, the father of Jewish faith (Gen ). Nothing better could happen to a Jew after death. The rich man went where his master money took him, to Hades, the place of torment. From there somehow he could see Abraham and what a shocking discovery. There beside Abraham, he saw Lazarus, the one he had been unable to see all those years at his gate. 16:24. The rich man was tormented even more than poor Lazarus had been as the dogs licked his sores and the rich man ignored him. In desperation, he called to Abraham for help. He addressed him as father, indicating that he considered himself to be of the seed of Abraham and thus, deserving of help from Abraham and from the God of Abraham. He cried for mercy, even when mercy meant having poor, unclean, filthy Lazarus come to his rescue, although he had never helped Lazarus. A fingertip of cool water would mean a lot in the horrible flaming torment he suffered. 16:25. Abraham could communicate from his eternal abode to that of the rich man. He continued the family terminology, acknowledging the man as a son of Abraham. The rich man needed a history lesson. In life he had enjoyed all the luxuries. Lazarus, on the other hand, enjoyed no luxuries, only bad things. Now the situation was reversed. Lazarus received the comfort 9 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

10 COMMENTARY AUGUST 17, 2014 he had begged for all those years. But the rich man had slipped from the comfortable life to pure agony. Yes, those expecting to be first were last, and those who expected to be last were now first, right beside Abraham. This verse is an application of the principle in 13:30. The rich man had been first in this life, having enjoyed many good things, but was now last, referring to his agony in the afterlife. By contrast, Lazarus had been last during his earthly existence (vv ) but now was first (eternally comforted). Notes: 16:26. An eternal reality needed explaining. Abraham might be able to communicate with the man in torment, but he could not come to him. A great chasm separated them. There is no description of the chasm, no location geographically just the reality: You cannot get there from here. You are where you are going to stay, just as we are. Torment is your eternal reward, just as heavenly comfort belongs to Lazarus forever. 16: Not being able to improve his own lot, the rich man finally showed concern for the eternal destiny of his five brothers. The phrase Moses and the prophets is another way of referring to the entire Old Testament. Abraham pointed him to the Pharisees favorite source of authority. They already had the books of Moses the law and the prophets, which is the rest of Scripture. They give them all the information they need. They need to listen to them. Such a warning implies that the rich man had the same authorities his brothers did, but they refused to listen to them. Obeying Scripture should lead them away from torment and to the eternal kingdom. 16: The irony here is that Luke, writing from a time after Jesus resurrection, knew that very few people would be persuaded to repent even through witnessing the miracle of someone rising from the dead (Lazarus or Jesus). They must listen with ears to hear to the message of salvation in the Scriptures. 10 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

11 COMMENTARY AUGUST 17, GOD IS PATIENT (2 PETER 3:1-13) 3:1-2. Peter referred to his epistle as the second letter he had written to his readers. Presumably, the previous letter was 1 Peter. In both letters Peter reminded his readers not to forget the teachings they had received through the prophets and apostles. The command may refer to the revelation of God in Christ through the apostles, or possibly to specific warnings about false teachers. Notes: 3:3-4. The teaching of which Peter spoke included accepting Christ s return, which had been rejected by the false teachers. The apostles expected the presence of scoffers and their activities, and Peter warned his readers that scoffers will come in the last days to scoff. They were on the scene in Peter s day; they would also be present in the future. The last days refers to the period of time between Christ s incarnation and His return. The scoffers mocked Christ s return because many years had passed, and it had not yet occurred: Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation. The fathers probably refers to the Old Testament patriarchs given the mention of the beginning of creation. Because the false teachers distorted the Old Testament scriptures, Peter countered them by alluding to the Old Testament. 3:5-7. The heretics argued that the world was unchanging, that it would remain so, and thus, that the Lord would not return. To counter this charge, Peter took his readers thoughts back to creation to show them that the world had not always been orderly and that the source of the world s order was God. Peter appeared to speak of water as the element out from which God formed the earth. By the word means by God s decree He spoke and it happened. To counter the false teachers claims, Peter also reminded his readers of the great flood that took place in Noah s day when the earth was destroyed. So, God does demonstrate His power and intervene in judgment in a world that otherwise seems unchanging. By the same word, He will do it again when Christ returns. 3:8. What seems like a delay makes the Lord s return no less certain. Peter noted that God views time differently than human beings do. Christ will return in accordance with the divine timetable, not ours. Dear friends recalls the recipients of the letter (1:1). 11 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church

12 COMMENTARY AUGUST 17, :9. The Lord has not yet returned, says Peter, because He is patient with you, not wanting any to perish. You is variously interpreted as a reference to the letter s Christian recipients (identified in 1:1) or else more broadly as all people. In chapter 1 you and your both refer back to the recipients identified in 1:1. Peter s later use of dear friends, seems also to point back to those identified in 1:1. Notes: 3:10. God s patience toward sinners is not inexhaustible. The Day of the Lord will be sudden and will catch many people unprepared, as when a burglar sneaks in and robs a house. 3: Peter insisted that the anticipation of the Lord s return and its accompanying events of judgment should rouse Christians to holy living. Evil will be completely destroyed when Christ returns, and righteousness will permanently dwell in the new heavens and a new earth (see Isa. 32:16). 12 Dying Without Christ Brentwood Baptist Church