After This Life!
Text: Luke 16:19-31
There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
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Let me tell you about two funerals I witnessed in the same week. The first was elaborate—a sea of black suits, flowers worth thousands, eulogies praising the deceased's business acumen and success. The second was sparse—a handful of faithful believers, simple wooden casket, songs of victory sung through tears. Within 72 hours, both bodies returned to dust. But that's where their stories diverged eternally.
Brothers and sisters, we must confront what most modern Christianity tiptoes around: there is life after this life, and it is terrifyingly permanent.
What Determines Your Destination?
Here's where we must dig deep into what this passage actually teaches. The rich man wasn't condemned for being wealthy. Abraham himself was enormously wealthy. The issue was spiritual poverty masked by material abundance.
Examine the text carefully: the rich man had everything except what mattered. Purple and fine linen—the clothing of royalty and luxury. Feasting "sumptuously every day"—the Greek lamprōs means brilliantly, splendidly, living in conspicuous consumption. But at his gate—pulōn, the very entrance to his estate—lay Lazarus.
The rich man stepped over eternal destiny every single day.
He wasn't ignorant. He knew Lazarus by name (verse 24). He saw him. He simply didn't care. This is the sin that damned him: practical atheism. Living as though this world is all there is. Making decisions based solely on temporal comfort while ignoring eternal consequence.
Lazarus, covered in sores that dogs licked, possessed the one thing that outlasts death: faith in God. His poverty wasn't virtue, but his trust in the Lord transcended his circumstances. The angels—not pallbearers but heavenly escorts—carried him to Abraham's bosom, the place of honor and comfort, what we now understand as Paradise.
The Permanence of Your Choice
Verse 26 devastates every false hope: "Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us."
The perfect passive participle estēriktai means "has been fixed and stands fixed." This is divine, immutable establishment. Death seals your eternal state. Hebrews 9:27 confirms: "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."
I've sat with dying people who suddenly wanted to "get right with God" after decades of rebellion. Thank God many did find genuine repentance. But I've also watched people whose deathbed "conversions" were merely fear-based crisis management—gone the moment they recovered. The rich man's plea in hell was for himself first (verse 24), then for his brothers (verse 27), but never once does he express repentance toward God.
He wanted relief from consequences, not reconciliation with the One he'd ignored his entire life.
The Urgency of Warning Others
The final section reveals something profound about hell: it produces eternal regret but not spiritual transformation. The rich man, now acutely aware of what he'd lost, begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers.
But notice Abraham's response in verse 29: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." They have Scripture. They have God's revealed Word. The rich man protests—"if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent." But Abraham's answer should shake every soul: "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."
What This Means for You Today
Let me be direct: Where will you be after this life?
If you died tonight—and any of us could—would you wake in comfort or torment? Don't hide behind religious activity. The rich man probably attended synagogue, observed feast days, tithed his mint and cumin. But he didn't know God.
Here's the practical reality: Your daily choices reveal your eternal priority. What you pursue, what you treasure, how you respond to need around you, whether Scripture actually governs your decisions—these are the measures.
Consider your calendar from the past month. Where did you invest your time? Your money? Your emotional energy? Now imagine standing before God and explaining those choices. Does that examination produce peace or panic?
If you've never truly surrendered your life to Jesus Christ—not just acknowledged Him intellectually but actually bowed the knee of your will and trusted Him alone for salvation—today is the day. Right now. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you through God's Word, just as Abraham said. Don't wait for some miraculous sign. Don't assume you have more time.
2 Corinthians 6:2: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
For the Believer: Live with Eternity in View
And for those of us who know Christ, this passage must ignite urgent compassion. The rich man's brothers were heading for the same fate. He couldn't warn them. But we can warn ours.
Who in your life needs to hear about Jesus? Your coworker who thinks they're fine because they're "a good person"? Your friend drowning in materialism? Your family member who's spiritual but not Christian? The neighbor you pass every day just like the rich man passed Lazarus?
We have what the rich man begged for: the opportunity to speak truth to people while they can still respond. Will we?
This week, I challenge you: Have one eternal conversation. Not about weather or sports or politics—about where someone will spend eternity. Yes, it's uncomfortable. Yes, you risk rejection. But what's their eternal soul worth?
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After this life, there is life—abundantly glorious or agonizingly terrible, forever. The chasm is real. The judgment is certain. The time is now.
Don't step over Lazarus on your way to hell. And don't let your brothers and sisters walk there without warning.

Departing from the Lord usually begins with what appears to be good intentions. What lessons can we learn from Lot's experience in Genesis 13?

Do You Know the Light of the World?
Good morning, friend. Thank you for being here.
I want to start today by saying something you might need to hear: wherever you are right now, whatever you're carrying, you're not alone.
Maybe you're listening while driving to work, and you're already feeling anxious about the day ahead. Maybe you're at home, and you're struggling with something you haven't told anyone about. Maybe you woke up today feeling empty, wondering if things will ever get better.
I see you. And more importantly, God sees you.
Let me read you something Jesus said. It's from John chapter 8, verse 12:
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Those words—"I am the light of the world"—they're not just pretty words. They're a promise. They're an invitation meant for you, right now, in whatever darkness you're facing.
Because we all face darkness, don't we? Sometimes it's grief. Sometimes it's fear. Sometimes it's just feeling so tired and alone that you don't know how to keep going. And the world tells us to push through it, to be strong, to figure it out ourselves.
But Jesus says something different. He says, "I am the Light. Follow me."
There's a story in the Bible about a man who was born blind. He'd never seen a single thing his entire life. Can you imagine that? Never seeing a face, never seeing the sky, never seeing light.
When Jesus healed him, some religious people got upset and started asking the man all these complicated questions. And you know what he said? He said, "I don't know about all that. But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see."
That's it. Simple. Real. Honest.
And I think that's what Jesus wants from us too. Not perfect faith. Not all the answers. Just honesty. Just: "I was lost, and You found me. I was in the dark, and You brought light."
Maybe this morning you're thinking, "But I've made too many mistakes. I've messed up too badly. God couldn't possibly love me."
Friend, listen to me. Jesus didn't come for perfect people. He came for broken people. Tired people. People who've failed and fallen and don't know how to get back up. That's who He came for. That's who He loves.
When you know the Light of the world, you know you are seen. Not just the version of yourself you show other people, but the real you. The you that's afraid. The you that feels like giving up sometimes. The you that wonders if you matter.
Jesus sees all of that, and He doesn't turn away. He moves closer. He says, "I know. I see it all. And I love you anyway."
You don't have to clean yourself up first. You don't have to get your life together before you come to Him. You can come exactly as you are, right now, in this moment.
And here's what happens when you do: you start to see differently. Not all at once, maybe. But little by little, the Light shows you the way forward. One step at a time. One day at a time. Sometimes one breath at a time.
And as you walk in that Light, something beautiful happens. You become light for other people. Not because you're perfect, but because you know what it's like to be in the dark. You know what it's like to need help. And that makes you the kind of person who can reach out to someone else who's struggling.
So this morning, I want to ask you: Do you know Him? Do you know Jesus, the Light of the world? Not just know about Him, but really know Him as the one who walks with you, who sees you, who loves you?
Jesus promises that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Not a life without problems, but a life where you're never alone in them. Not a life where everything makes sense, but a life where you're held even when it doesn't.
The Light is shining for you right now. Right this moment. Jesus is reaching out to you with more love than you can imagine.
All you have to do is reach back.
Go in peace, friend. You are loved. You are seen. And you are not alone.

Preachify Daily Devotion

Preachify Daily Devotion

Preachify Daily Devotion

As free, moral agents and as Christians what kind of choices are we making?

Preachify Daily Devotion

Preachify Daily Devotion

This is a repeat episode from an earlier broadcast. We hope you find it useful today and always