Send Lazarus

For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
— Luke 16:28

But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
— John 12:10-11

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
— Luke 16:31

And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
— John 8:23-24

Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
— Psalm 88:10, Psalm 115:17

And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
— Ezekiel 37:2-3

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
— Ephesians 2:1

Send Him to My Father’s House, by John Bunyan. The following contains an excerpt from his work, “A Few Sighs From Hell.”

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house.
— Luke 16:27

The verses before, I told you, were spoken partly to hold forth the desire that the damned have to be freed of their endless misery. Now this verse still holds forth the cries of those poor souls very vehement, they would very gladly have something granted to them — but it will not be; as will more clearly appear afterward.

‘Then he said, I beg you therefore, father,’ etc. As if he should say, seeing I have brought myself into such a miserable condition, that God will not regard me, that my exceeding loud and bitter cries will not be heard for myself; seeing I must not be admitted to have so much as one drop of cold water, nor the least help from the poorest saints. And seeing, ‘beside all this,’ here my soul must lie to all eternity, broiling and frying; seeing I must undergo the hand of eternal vengeance, and the rebukes of devouring fire; seeing my state is such, that I would not wish a dog in my condition,’send him to my father’s house.’

It is worthy to be taken notice of, again, who it is he desired to be sent, namely, Lazarus. O friend, see here how the stout hearts and stomachs of poor creatures will be humbled, as I said before, they will be so brought down, that those things that they disdained and made light of in this world, they would be glad of in the life to come. He who by this man was so slighted, as that he thought it a dishonor that he should eat with the dogs of his flock. What, shall I regard Lazarus, scabbed, beggarly Lazarus! what, shall I so far dishonor my fair, sumptuous, and mirthful house, with such a loathsome beggar as he! No, I despise that he should ever be entertained under my roof. Thus he would say in his lifetime, while he was in his bravery; but now he is come into another world, now he is parted from his pleasures, now he sees his fine house, his dainty dishes, his rich neighbors and companions, and he, are parted asunder; now he finds . . .

instead of pleasures — torments;

instead of joys — heaviness;

instead of Heaven — Hell;

instead of the pleasures of sin — the horror and guilt of sin; O now, send Lazarus!

Lazarus, it may be, might have done him some good, if he might have been entertained in time past, and might have persuaded him, at least not to have gone on so grievously wicked — but he slights him, he will not regard him, he is resolved to disown him, though he lose his own soul for so doing. Ay — but now send Lazarus, if not to me — yet to my father’s house, and let him tell them, from me, that if they run on in sin, as I have done, they must and shall receive the same wages that I have received!

Take notice of this, you who are despisers of the least of the Lazaruses of our Lord Jesus Christ; it may be now you are reluctant to receive these little ones of his, because they are not gentlemen, because they are unlearned.

Though now the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ may be preached to them freely, and for nothing; nay, they are now begged to hear and receive it: though now they will not own, regard, or embrace these Christian offers of the glorious truth of Jesus, because they come out of some of the basest earthen vessels; yet the time is coming, when they will both sigh and cry, Send him to my father’s house (1 Cor 1:26). I say, remember this, you who despise the day of small things; the time is coming, when you would be glad, if you might enjoy from God, from Christ, or his saints, one small drop of cold water, though now you are unwilling to receive the glorious distilling drops of the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Again, see here the lamentable state they are in, who go to Hell from their fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, etc. While they are in this world, men delight to set sinful examples for their children; and also children love to follow the wicked steps of their ungodly parents; but when they depart this life, and drop down into Hell, and find themselves in irrecoverable misery — then they cry, send somebody to my father’s house, to my brother’s house. Tell them my state is miserable, tell them I am undone forever; and tell them also, that if they will be walking in these ungodly steps wherein I left them — that they will assuredly fall into this place of torments.

‘I beg you — send him to my father’s house.’ Ah, friends and neighbors, it is likely you little think of this, that some of your friends and relations are crying out in Hell, Lord, send somebody to my father’s house, to preach the gospel to them, lest they also come into these torments!

Here, men while they live, can willingly walk together in the way of sin, and when they are parted by death, those who are living, seldom or never consider of the miserable condition that those who are dead are descended into! But you ungodly fathers — how are your ungodly children roaring now in Hell? And you ungodly children — how are your ungodly parents who lived and died ungodly, now in the pains of Hell also? And one drunkard is singing on the ale bench, and another roaring under the wrath of God, saying, O that I was with him, how would I rebuke him, and persuade him by all means to leave off these evil courses. O! that they did but consider what I now suffer for pride, covetousness, drunkenness, lying, swearing, stealing, whoring, and the like. O! did they but feel the thousandth part thereof — it would make them look about them, and not buy sin at so dear a rate as I have done; even with the loss of my precious soul!

‘Send him to my father’s house.’ Not to my father — but to my ‘father’s house.’ It may be, there are ungodly children, or ungodly servants, wallowing in their ungodliness — send him therefore to my father’s house. It is likely that they are still the same that I left them; I left them wicked — and they are wicked still; I left them slighters of the gospel, saints, and ways of God — and they are still. ‘Send him to my father’s house,’ it is likely there is but a little time between them and the place where I am; send him today, before tomorrow,’lest they also come into the same place of torment. I beg you that you would send him!’

I beg it on my bended knee, with crying and with tears, in the agony of my soul. It may be they will not consider — if you do not send him. I left them sottish enough, hardened as well as I; they have the same devil to tempt them, the same lusts and world to overcome them! ‘I beg you therefore, that you would send him to my father’s house’; make no delay, lest they lose their souls — lest they come here! If they do, they are likely never to return again. O! little do they think how easily they may lose their souls; they are apt to think their condition to be as good as the best, as I once through ignorance did; but send him, send him without delay,’lest they also come into this place of torment.’

But now, O that I was to live in the world again; and might have that privilege to have some acquaintance with blessed Lazarus, some familiarity with that holy man; what attendance would I give unto his wholesome words! How would I learn his doctrine, and close in with it! How would I square my life thereby! Now therefore, as it is better to hear the gospel under a hedge than to sit roaring in a tavern, it is better to welcome God’s begging Lazaruses than the wicked companions of this world. It is better to receive a saint in the name of a saint, a disciple in the name of a disciple, than to do as I have done (Luke 10:16). O! it is better to receive a child of God, who can by experience deliver the things of God, his free love, his tender grace, his rich forbearance, and also the misery of man. O! I may curse the day that ever I gave way to the flatteries and fawning of a company of carnal clergymen, but this my repentance is too late; I should have looked about me sooner, if I would have been saved from this woeful place! Therefore send him, not only to the town I lived in, and unto some of my acquaintance — but to my father’s house.

In my lifetime I did not care to hear that word that cut me most, and showed me my lost estate aright. I was vexed to hear my sins mentioned, and laid to my charge. I loved him best, who deceived me most; who said, Peace, peace, when there was no such thing (Jer 5:30,31). But now, O that I had been soundly told of it! O that it had pierced both my ears and heart, and had stuck so fast that nothing could have cured me, but the blood of Christ! It is better to be dealt plainly with, than that we should be deceived; they had better see their lost condition in the world — than they be damned, as I am. Therefore send Lazarus, send him to my father’s house. Let him go and say, I saw your son, your brother, in Hell, weeping and wailing, and gnashing his teeth! Let him tell them plainly it is so, that they shall see their everlasting misery. ‘Send him to my father’s house.’

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