Admit It 

 

By Pastor Jeffrey Smith 

 

Is it hard for you to admit when you are wrong?  I struggle with this especially when I am driving somewhere with my wife.  I decide to take an alternate route to a place we’ve been before, and then after a few minutes it obvious that I’ve taken the long way to our destination. My wife will chime in “ Oh, you should have taken the parkway.”,  to where I quickly reply “ Can’t we just take the scenic way and enjoy the beautiful state of Florida?!”  Obviously, there is no way I would confess I was wrong in the situation. 

 

Jesus shares a parable of a man who struggles with admitting his wrongs, and his decision ultimately had eternal consequences.  In Luke 16:19-31, he introduces us to the rich man and Lazarus. Both men are a contrast of the other.  The rich man ran a household with servants, had a high status in society, and flaunted his wealth with the best clothes. He ran into Lazarus daily, who was a beggar outside the gates of his home. He was lame and the dogs on street would lick his sores. Lazarus was the lowest in society. 

 

In this story, both men died on the same day.   The poor man is in heaven reclining on the side of Abraham, and the rich man was in hell.  The rich man got what he hoped and now there is an eternity in front of him. He finds himself in a bad place and wants relief from suffering.  Even in his torment, he fails to repent and continues to view himself as superior to Lazarus. 

 

‘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.’ Luke 16:24 

One key factor is the meaning of Lazarus’s name which means “ God has helped me”. Similarly, heaven is for those who declare “ Jesus has helped me. Jesus is my life and salvation”. The rich man was not in hell because he was rich. The rich man was completely opposite of Lazarus. He chose a life that stated “ I’ve helped myself. I created my own path. I am my own salvation.”  

 

What keeps people from heaven? When they purposely choose to live life apart from God and his ways.  This parable is warning to not be like the rich man.  If you’ve been resisting God, admit to your wrongs and repent.  Submit to His ways and recognize your need for Him. Your heart will be revolutionized by the power of God’ love. 

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