Romans 8 Verses 35 to 39 and Luke16 Verses 19 to 31 Angels at Our Death December 31, 2023, Lesson 13

John R. St John

Heaven and Angels • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

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· The presence of angels reminds us we are never separated from the love of God—even at death.

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Romans 8 Verses 35 to 39 and Luke16 Verses 19 to 31 Angels at Our Death December 31, 2023, Lesson 13

Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scripture:

· Luke 16:19-31 (NKJV)

Main Idea:

· The presence of angels reminds us we are never separated from the love of God—even at death.

Study Aim:

· To understand the helpful role angels play at the time of our death.

Create Interest:

· In our Heaven and Angels study we have seen many ways and read many examples for how angels help us. In our study today we will are assured ahead of time that in this “never separation” God uses His angels to usher into his presence when we exhale our last breath.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· In Romans 1–8 Paul explained that all humanity stands guilty of sin before God but that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works of the law. Paul then detailed how the Holy Spirit assists believers. Paul brought chapter 8 to a close by proclaiming the full assurance believers have that God will bring to completion His work of salvation in them and by describing the nature of God’s incomparable love for believers in Jesus Christ.[1]

· At this particular time the Jews had a highly developed belief in angels. Everything had its angel. There was an angel of the winds, of the clouds, of the snow and hail and hoarfrost, of the thunder and the lighting, of cold and heat, of the seasons. The Rabbis said that there was nothing in the world, not even a blade of grass, that had not got its angel. According to the Rabbis there were three ranks of angels. The first included thrones, cherubim and seraphim. The second included powers, lordships and mights. The third included angels and archangels and principalities. More than once, Paul speaks of these angels (Ephesians 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Colossians 2:10, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:24). Now the Rabbis—and Paul had once been a Rabbi—believed that they were grudgingly hostile to men. They believed that they had been angry when God created man. It was as if they did not want to share God with anyone and had grudged man his share in Him. The Rabbis had a legend that when God appeared on Sinai to give Moses the law he was attended by his hosts of angels, and the angels grudged Israel the law, and assaulted Moses on his way up the mountain and would have stopped him had not God intervened. So, Paul, thinking in terms of his own day, says, “Not even the grudging, jealous angels can separate us from the love of God, much as they would like to do so.”

· No age in time can separate us from Christ. Paul speaks of things present and things to come. We know that the Jews divided all time into this present age and the age to come. Paul is saying: “In this present world nothing can separate us from God in Christ; the day will come when this world will be shattered and the new age will dawn. It does not matter; eve then, when this world has passed and the new world come, the bond is still the same.”[2]

Bible Study:

Romans 8:35-39 (NKJV) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

· In Romans 8:31–34 Paul proved that God cannot fail us, but is it possible that we can fail Him? Suppose some great trial or temptation comes, and we fail? Then what? Paul deals with that problem in this final section and explains that nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.

· To begin with, God does not shelter us from the difficulties of life because we need them for our spiritual growth (Rom. 5:3–5). In Romans 8:28 God assures us that the difficulties of life are working for us and not against us. God permits trials to come that we might use them for our good and His glory. We endure trials for His sake (Rom. 8:36), and since we do, do you think that He will desert us? Of course not! Instead, He is closer to us when we go through the difficulties of life.

· Furthermore, He gives us the power to conquer (Rom. 8:37). We are “more than conquerors,” literally, “we are super conquerors” through Jesus Christ! He gives us victory and more victory! We need not fear life or death, things present or things to come, because Jesus Christ loves us and gives us the victory. This is not a promise with conditions attached: “If you do this, God will do that.” This security in Christ is an established fact, and we claim it for ourselves because we are in Christ. Nothing can separate you from His love! Believe it—and rejoice in it!

· A review of this wonderful chapter shows that the Christian is completely victorious.

o We are free from judgment because Christ died for us, and we have His righteousness.

o We are free from defeat because Christ lives in us by His Spirit, and we share His life.

o We are free from discouragement because Christ is coming for us, and we shall share His glory.

o We are free from fear because Christ intercedes for us, and we cannot be separated from His love.

§ No condemnation! No obligation! No frustration! No separation!

📷 If God be for us, who can be against us![3]

· 8:38–39. Paul then ended his discussion on believers’ safety in Jesus Christ and the certainty of their sanctification with a positive declaration—For I am convinced (perf. tense, “I stand convinced”; cf. 15:14) that nothing can separate believers from the love of God (God’s love for them, not their love for God; cf. v. 35). Paul’s list of 10 items begins with death, where the list of 7 items in verse 35 ended. These elements in God’s universe include the extremes of existence:

o death and life(in either death [2 Cor. 5:8–9] or life, believers are in God’s presence); the extremes of created spiritual armies:

o angels and demons (angels would not and demons could not undo God’s relationship with His redeemed ones);

o the present and the future (nothing known now, e.g., the hardships listed in Rom. 8:35, or in the unknown time to come); spiritual enemies:

o powers (perhaps Satan and his demons; cf. Eph. 6:12; or possibly human governments); the extremes in space:

o height and depth (nothing overhead or underneath can suddenly come swooping down or up to sever believers from God’s love); and

o everything in the entire created realm.

§ Absolutely nothing in His Creation can thwart His purpose for believers in Christ. What a climactic way to affirm the certainty of believers’ salvation![4]

Luke 16:19-31 (NKJV) 19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 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. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then 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.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, 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.' 27 Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29 Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "

· The stage of Jesus’ parable is set by the extravagant parallelism resident in the depictions of the two main characters. The social distance between the two is continued through to the end, symbolized first by the gate, then by the “distance” (“far away,” v 23) and the “great chasm” fixed between them (v 26).

· Vs. 19: The rich man is depicted in excessive, even outrageous terms, while Lazarus is numbered among society’s “expendables,” a man who had fallen prey to the ease with which, even in an advanced agrarian society, persons without secure landholdings might experience devastating downward mobility.[5]

o The color of his clothes is significant, for purple was the most highly esteemed dye of all. It was the color of kings. This rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, lived in splendor every day.

§ So, the picture that Jesus paints is one of a man who is enormously wealthy.

Thought to soak on before moving on:

· The unnamed rich man was wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked in spiritual matters. His wealth was in things that perished and would turn to dust; thus it was temporary and would not last very long.

· His wealth in eternal things that never fade or corrupt was zero. Every day that he lived brought him closer to losing everything he had, including his eternal soul. The praise and glory that he received from men would soon fade like autumn leaves that take their flight from the arms of majestic trees. Jeremiah warned us to not make this mistake but to focus our lives on the Lord and pleasing Him. That is what really matters.

o Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV) 23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise manglory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.[6]

· Vs. 20-21 The dogs came. Such was his miserable condition that even the dogs, as if moved by pity, came and licked his sores in kindness to him.

· These circumstances of his misery are very touching, and his condition, contrasted with that of the rich man, is very striking.

o It is not affirmed that the rich man was unkind to him, or drove him away, or refused to aid him.

§ The narrative is designed simply to show that the possession of wealth, and all the blessings of this life, could not exempt from death and misery, and that the lowest condition among mortals may be connected with life and happiness beyond the grave.

o There was no provision made for the helpless poor in those days, and consequently they were often laid at the gates of the rich, and in places of public resort, for charity. See Ac. 3:2.

o The gospel has been the means of all the public charity now made for the needy, as it has of providing hospitals for those who are sick and afflicted.

o No pagan nation ever had a hospital or an almshouse for the needy, the aged, the blind, the insane.

§ Many heathen nations, as the Hindoos and the Sandwich Islanders, destroyed their aged people; and all left their poor to the miseries of public begging, and their sick to the care of their friends or to private charity.[7]

Let’s call this next section, Heavenly Lifestyles😊………………………….

I’ll bet you have been wondering where angels fit into our lesson since the series is on Heaven and angels…well, wonder no longer, Pilgrims

· Vs. 22a: ‘The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side’.

o Could you surmise from this verses that angels carry the soul of believers instantly to the presence of Jesus when they exhale their last breath….Soak on this and believe

o Weigh this considering our lesson beginning on Romans 8:35-39 and allow God to give you a peace about your now belief.

o Think how you would share this with someone who has uncertainties about death….and give them peace to pray about.

· It would seem obvious that when the beggar was carried by the angels, it was his soul or spirit that was carried; the immaterial and eternal aspect of his being. Except for the angel’s carrying work, the same was true of the rich man. His body was buriedand remained on earth, but he was in torments in Hades.[8]

o Death sometimes brings a dramatic reversal of lifestyle. This happened first for Lazarus: “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side” (v. 22a). No one bothered to give the beggar’s loathsome body a burial.

§ It was probably tossed onto the trash heap in the Valley of Hinnom.

o Ignored by human beings, he was carried by heavenly beings to Abraham’s bosom—a place of honor at a heavenly feast, where he reclined to the right of Abraham as they enjoyed intimate conversation (cf. John 13:23).

o Lazarus was in Abraham’s bosom not because he was poor, but because though his name (“God has helped”) had mocked him in life, he believed God’s Word and trusted in him. He was at rest, serene, and eating his fill at the messianic table.

· Vs. 22b-23: Then came the exodus of the man who loved purple: “The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side”. You can be sure he had an impressive funeral! Everyone(we imagine) was there, and properly mourning. How marvelous his obese body looked with his beard and dressed in the purple clothes. He was then laid in a beautiful above-ground tomb. But that was not the end of the story.

o Christ is not here indicating the geography or juxtaposition of Heaven and Hell—that they exist within view of each other and so on.

o This is a parable, not a historical account.

§ At the most, it alludes to Hades as an intermediate state in which the dead await the final resurrection.

§ As a parable, it is intended to teach principles, not to give an exhaustive picture of the afterlife. The rich man was in eternal torment. Massive eternal equity was underway. The eternal state will be perfectly equitable for everyone, though some will experience incredible reversals.[9]

· Vs. 24, 27-28: Now when Lazarus opened his eyes, he saw Abraham too, but he had to adjust his eyes to see him because he was so close to him, nestled on his bosom. The rich man, however, saw Abraham from a great distance, remote and far removed.

o Not only did he see Abraham, but there in Abraham’s bosom he saw the same person that he had seen every day when he walked out his gates. No doubt when he left the opulence of his palace, he would turn his eyes aside, not wanting to look at that miserable beggar.

o Now here he is waking up in Hades, and there in the distance he sees Abraham with Lazarus. So, the rich man called to Abraham, one whom he would obviously regard as a peer, ‘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’ (16:24).

o Talk about wretchedness! This wealthy man was not asking to have restored to him his palace and power. He was asking only that the miserable beggar, Lazarus, would dip his finger in water, and just touch the tip of his tongue. He was in such torment that he would have given everything or done anything he could, just to be at the gates of his own house, having dogs lick his wounds.

· Vs. 25-26, 29-31:‘ But there are two problems.

o Lazarus had a lifetime of suffering (v. 25). Now it’s his turn to enjoy the comfort of being with God.

§ All our suffering will be turned to comfort in the presence of God.

§ Suffering will give way to glory.

§ The first will be last, and the last will be first.

§ No one who trusts Christ will face shame in eternity. Lazarus sits with Abraham—a picture of fellowship with God—and it will never be taken from him.

📷 Big Note: There will be no changing things after we die. There’s a great chasm firmly in place so that no one can pass from hell to heaven or from heaven to hell. Once you’re in heaven, you’re in heaven. Once you’re in hell, you’re in hell. There can be no change of address.

o There’s a second problem. People who will not believe God’s Word will not believe even a great miracle like someone coming back from the dead (vv. 29–31). The Old Testament (“Moses and the prophets”) is enough to get someone saved from hell and into heaven, provided they believe it. The rich man’s family had enough gospel in those Scriptures to come to God and be saved.

§ A person who will not believe the Bible and repent of sin will not believe and repent even with a resurrection.

📷 How many mock the good news of the resurrection!

· There are some who hear “the good news of the kingdom of God” proclaimed and urgently “enter it” (v. 16).

o This urgency begins with turning away from sin, away from their desires, and away from the world in order to follow Jesus wherever he leads as Lord and Savior.

o This urgency to enter the kingdom continues with obedience to Christ and growing in holiness. The reward will be the comfort and joy of being with God in glory.

Thoughts to Soak on:

· As Christians we believe that when we exhale our last breath, we are in the presence of Jesus in Heaven. We believe, that like Jesus, we receive a glorified body as he did when resurrected. We believe we will recognize our loved ones gone before us.

· We like to believe in heaven; we hate to think of hell. But now is the time for someone who has not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, to think about it. If we will not believe Moses, and we will not believe the prophets, and we will not believe Jesus who has come down from heaven, what will persuade us?

· What will prepare us for that moment when we will be placed on one side of that gulf or the other? My prayer is that you will accept Christ now, before it is too late.[10]

Reflect and Discuss

1. Do we recognize that all that we have belongs to God?

2. Do we use what we have in a way that pleases God or cheats God?

3. Are we storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven, or are we trusting the world’s riches that will fail?

4. Where would you say you’re strongest as a steward: in character, in considering consequences, or in worshiping God alone?

5. Where would you say you need to ask God for more grace and sanctification: character, consequences, or the challenge to worship God alone?

6. Very practically: What decisions about money and possessions do you need to make differently to demonstrate your devotion to God?

7. Is there any area of your life where you trick others into thinking you’re religious, but the truth is something different? Have you considered that God knows your heart?

8. Is there an area of our life where we think God must be pleased with us or something we’re doing simply because it pleases us? Have we considered that area or thing might be revolting in God’s sight?

9. Have we been thinking God’s commands no longer apply to our life or that we do not have to obey God?

10. How do you feel about the doctrine and reality of hell? How does the rich man’s testimony from Hades affect your understanding of hell and what those there would desire for those still living?[11]

Grace and Peace to you as you look forward to a new year in 2024😊.

[1]Ronald K. Brown, Bible Studies for Life, Fall 2015, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2015), 48. [2]William Barclay, ed., The Letter to the Romans, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1975), 117–118. [3]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 542–543. [4]John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 475–476. [5]Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 605. [6]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Luke, vol. 4, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, n.d.), 252. [7]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke & John, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 115. [8]David Guzik, Luke, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Lk 16:22–23. [9]R. Kent Hughes, Luke: That You May Know the Truth, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), 158. [10]R. C. Sproul, A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1999), 315–318. [11]Thabiti Anyabwile, Exalting Jesus in Luke, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018), 252.