What Jesus Said about Prosperity, Death and Eternity

The subjects of prosperity, death and eternity are like labyrinths – there are so many different facets of each that we wonder where we should start our investigation. But then Jesus comes along and in less than 20 short verses tells us everything we need to know about each subject. You’ll find what he says in Luke 16:19-31.

Prosperity is neither a blessing or a curse – it’s a test to see what we’ll do with it. Jesus didn’t condemn money, as some people would like to give the impression, he simply said, “Don’t let it take over your life. Use your money in a way that demonstrates you are my follower.”

Death is not the end, it’s a transition either to a better (heaven) or worse (hell) existence. What people have always naturally felt, that human beings are held accountable for their earthly lives, is confirmed by Jesus.

Where we begin eternity, there we will stay for eternity. In the story Jesus told, there was a man who had a tremendous amount of prosperity when he was on this earth but went to hell because he let his money become his god. Instead of using his material blessings to glorify God, he spent them glorifying himself. When the confused man realized what a monumental mistake he had made, he pleaded for mercy. Unfortunately, he was informed that the time for mercy was while he was in the physical world of human beings.

The story Jesus told is strong. It is a story that challenges our priorities. It is a story that confronts us with the consequences of our choices. Jesus once said that the only thing that really matters is to receive him as Lord and Savior and then live in such a way that we prepare ourselves for an eternity with him.

It is easy to shrug off Jesus’ statements as too spiritual to be practically lived out in our world. But that is exactly why he told the story in such a hard hitting way. Yes, it is difficult to live life as a preparation for eternity, but the reality is, eternity is coming and we will enter it no matter how much we may resist. The only question is, “Where will we spend eternity?” Jesus told the story so that we would not have to be in doubt.

Saturday night worship: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning worship: 10:00 am