Living with Eternity in Mind: The Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16

We prepare carefully for retirement, careers, weddings, and vacations, yet many of us rarely prepare for eternity. Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 confronts that imbalance directly. Your life on earth is temporary, eternity is permanent, and the way you live today reveals what you truly value. A life that counts is one lived with eternity in mind.

What happens in the story of the rich man and Lazarus?

A wealthy man lived in luxury every day, while a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores and hoping for scraps from his table. Both men died. Angels carried Lazarus to Abraham's side, and the rich man found himself in torment in Hades.

But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

Luke 16:25 to 26

Pastor Marty Sloan noted how many contrasts fill this passage: rich and poor, comfort and suffering, then and now. The big idea is that life counts most when it is lived in preparation for eternity. Both men died, but their endings were different, and how they lived revealed what mattered to them most. As he put it, "You will not always be here, but you will always exist."

Is there really life after death?

Yes. Every person is an eternal being, and you will exist somewhere forever. The good news is that God lets you choose where.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:27 to 28

For example, Pastor Marty has officiated and attended many funerals over the years. He described how different it feels when the person in the casket was a believer. The family grieves, but not without hope, because they expect to see their loved one again. At other funerals, the mood feels as though someone simply turned out the lights.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God "has also set eternity in the human heart." That longing explains why people chase youth and resist the idea of ceasing to exist. The eternal God made you in His image, and you were built for more than this life.

Why does Jesus say this life is temporary?

This life is temporary, but eternity is permanent. Both men in the story, the rich man and the beggar, faced the same death. Wealth, comfort, and status didn't change that outcome. Pastor Marty observed that there isn't a rich line and a poor line at death. Everyone shares the same deadline. Everyone will die, so the issue is whether you are ready.

Money disappears, fame fades, possessions come and go, and even pain is temporary. Pastor Marty urged the church to stop chasing things with an expiration date and to pursue what lasts forever.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

An eternal mindset is the habit of making today's choices in light of where you will spend forever. It doesn't mean ignoring daily responsibilities. Pastor Marty was clear that believers should still go to work, raise their families, love their spouses, and love their neighbors well.

Is it wrong to have money?

No. How you live reveals whether you value the eternal above the temporal. Pastor Marty emphasized that there's nothing wrong with having wealth or possessions, as long as they don't have you. The rich man's problem was a temporal mindset. He walked past Lazarus every day, even knew him by name, and never treated him as an eternal opportunity.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17 to 19

For example, when a youth pastor asked for sponsors to send students to summer camp, Pastor Marty raised his hand immediately. He pictured someday meeting a person in heaven whose life was changed at that camp, someone who then carried the gospel to others. "You'll never invest anything eternally and regret it," he said.

Why won't more proof convince people?

Because God has already given us what we need to respond, and more evidence cannot soften a hard heart. From torment, the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his five brothers. Abraham refused.

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

Luke 16:31

The rich man thought the right messenger would make the difference. Pastor Marty said what matters is a tender heart. Faith comes from hearing the message (Romans 10:17). He applied this to believers who keep postponing obedience. Many people hear something in a message or read it in Scripture and then wait for God to prove it one more time. What you already have in your hand is sufficient. Faith grows the way muscle grows: you use what you have, and obedience multiplies it.

And the entire Christian faith rests on Jesus rising from the dead. If you can believe that, you can trust Him with the next step He's already shown you.

When should you decide where you'll spend eternity?

Today. After death, eternal destinies are fixed, and no one is promised another sunrise. "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Make life count now, because eternity is too long to live unprepared. Pastor Marty said he isn't afraid of that day. He wants to hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." For further reading, he pointed to Driven by Eternity by John Bevere and Luke: That You May Know the Truth by R. Kent Hughes.

Common questions

What is the main point of the rich man and Lazarus?

In Luke 16:19 to 31, Jesus shows that life after death is real, that eternal destinies are fixed after death, and that God's Word is sufficient to lead people to repentance. How we live now reveals what we value most.

Does the Bible say there is life after death?

Yes. Hebrews 9:27 says people are destined to die once and then face judgment, and Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has set eternity in the human heart. Every person will exist forever somewhere.

How do you store up treasure in heaven?

First Timothy 6:17 to 19 tells believers to put their hope in God, do good, be rich in good deeds, and be generous and willing to share. Investing in people and God's kingdom lays up treasure for the coming age.

What does it mean to live with an eternal mindset?

It means making today's choices in light of eternity. You still work, raise your family, and love your neighbor, but you invest in what lasts and respond to God now instead of waiting for more proof.