Two Unanswered Prayer Requests | Pastor Mike Fortuune | August 19, 2017

Audio

Download (right click and save as)

Video

Outline

TWO UNANSWERED PRAYER REQUESTS
by Pastor Mike Fortune
August 19, 2017

Hades and Persephone

Manuscript
Interesting Questions and Answers about Hell (2017)
  1. Jesus wants us to meet the poor where they are (Luke 16:19-21; Matthew 5:3)
  2. Prayers in this parable aren't answered because immortal souls and eternal torment aren't Biblical (Luke 16:22-24; Quotes)
  3. Now is the time to go God's way (Luke 16:25-31; Daniel 12:13)
Luke 16:19-31
19 Jesus said, "There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
 
Matthew 5:3
3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
 
Luke 16:22-24
22 "Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 "The rich man shouted, 'Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.'
  1. This is the fifth consecutive parable (preceded by the lost sheep, the lost coin, the prodigal son, and the unjust steward)
  2. The beggar died and was taken by the angel’s to Abraham’s bosom. No one believes that Abraham’s literal bosom is the abode of the righteous dead
  3. The rich man was in hell with a body. He had eyes, a tongue, etc. How did his body get into hellfire instead of the grave? Does anyone teach that the bodies of the wicked go into hell as soon as they die?
  4. The request for Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and come through the flames to cool the rich man’s tongue is obviously not literal. How much moisture would be left and how much relief would it give?
  5. In the parable vss 25-26, heaven and hell are separated by a gulf and yet the persons in each could converse with each other. There are probably few individuals in the world who believe that this will be literally true of the saved and the lost
Andreas Kostenberger, Darrell Bock, & Josh Chatraw (2014)
Secular  Westerners like us almost inherently recoil at the Christian doctrine of hell, and yet we generally find the Bible teachings on forgiveness and turning the other cheek to be quite appealing. Traditional societies, however tend to have a lot less problem accepting the idea of God's judgment than they do the biblical notion of mercy. The whole idea of releasing a debt seems abhorrent to them, unthinkable, senseless—the same kind of reaction we may feel when we hear about lakes of fire and eternal gnashing of teeth. They are "offended" by a forgiving God, just as we are conditioned to take offense at his judgement and justice. Why should cultural sensibilities be the final court in which to judge whether Christianity is valid? - Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World pp.36-37
 
Marc Alan Schelske (2017)
The influence of Platonic dualism on the church is hard to overstate. It's a topic for larger than can be discussed here. But know this: most people today, both Christians and non-Christians, believe the Christian view of humanity is dualistic. That's true even for people who have never heard of Platonic dualism. According to this view, we have bodies and we have souls. They are two separate things. Our bodies are our flesh. They're biological. They're the vehicles our souls use to get around for the duration of our earthly lives. When this life is over, we will shed our bodies. Only then will our true nature, our souls, be freed. This view sounds like Christian teaching. It's mirrored in popular culture, but this wasn't the early Hebrews view. It may surprise you that this isn't what the scriptural creation story teaches. - The Wisdom of Your Heart: Discovering the God-Given Purpose and Power of Your Emotions, pp.72-73
 
Thomas G. Long (2009)
Since we are not immortal, when the body dies, the whole person dies, period. We don't have deathless souls, spirits, or anything else. Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:16), and Christians speak of anything human as "immortal" only a derivative way. Paul tells the Corinthians that "this mortal body must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:53), but he is not spouting Platonism; he is preaching resurrection. He is saying that God's love for human creatures is so powerful and steadfast that God will not allow anything—not even death—to drive a wedge between us. - Accompany Them With Singing: The Christian Funeral p.25
 
N.T. Wright (2008)
Not to a disembodied entity hidden within the outer shell of the disposable body but rather to what we would call the whole person or personality, as being confronted by God. - Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church p.28
 
Karl Barth (1960)
They themselves are their souls, for their souls are the souls of their bodies. - Church Dogmatics Vol 3 p.491
 
Thomas G. Long (2009)
Christians, to sum up, do not believe that human beings are only bodies, not do they believe that they are souls who, for the time being, have bodies; Christians affirm, rather, that humans beings are embodied. What others call "the soul" and "the body," Christians call the "breath of God" and dust; and when it comes to living human beings, they form an inseparable unity. There is no such reality in the Christian lexicon as "the real me" apart from the "the embodied me." Moreover, the "embodied me" is a creature, created by God. Human life flows entirely from God as a gift. Take away the breath of God, and there is no immortal soul left over to make a break for it to freedom; there is just dust. - Accompany Them With Singing: The Christian Funeral p.24
 
Luke 16:25-31
25 "But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.' 27 "Then the rich man said, 'Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father's home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don't end up in this place of torment.' 29 "But Abraham said, 'Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.' 30 "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.' 31 "But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.'"
 
Daniel 12:13 (Scripture Reading)
13 As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.