Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
There are many people who are living in fear. They cannot find rest from their fear. We are now more than four years away from the Wuhan virus hoax. There are still people walking down a sidewalk by themselves, wearing a mask. There are still people driving by themselves in a car wearing a mask. During the height of that government approved experiment, thousands of masks were made and sold and thousands of masks were destroyed. Thousands of ventilators were purchased and later sold for scrap, because there was no need for them. Thousands of people have died, not from the virus, but from the poison shots they fearfully took because the government and the WHO scared them into believing a lie.
The government and the WHO are not finished yet. No one has been punished for that experiment in death. They claim the flu strain of this year is a new one and there is no vaccine to counter it. Those who have taken the flu shots over the years have willingly weakened their immune system. It could be the current flu bug is different, but a vaccine is not the answer.
We are also being told there is a measles outbreak and they are trying to scare people with that one as well.
Why don’t we just stop for a moment and take a deep breath. Why don’t we start by reading our Bibles. Those who have read their Bibles and are saved, know that Genesis 3 changed everything. Eve was deceived by the devil. She took of the forbidden fruit and ate of it. Then she gave of that forbidden fruit to Adam and he ate of it. The Bible tells us that Eve was deceived. However, Adam was not deceived. He knew what he was doing, and God held him accountable for his sin of disobedience. Adam knew better than what he chose to do.
The result of Adam’s sin, was that God cursed him, and Eve, and the devil. The earth was cursed as well due to Adam’s sin. Sickness and death are the direct result of Adam’s sin. There are quacks who suggest that those who have the right faith will not get sick. Kenneth Copeland and his wife Gloria were big promoters of this lie. Kenneth Copeland is still spouting his wicked lies to the many gullible people who will listen to him. You will notice that his wife Gloria is not by his side. She has a severe case of Alzheimer’s. This is no laughing matter. It is a tragedy. Her lies did not prevent her from getting this disease and she will likely die from it.
Fear of death is quite common to man. What comes after death? Fools scoff and say, no one has ever come back to tell us what happens after death. Then there are some who claim to have died and gone to heaven and they come up with some worthless lies of what they “experienced”.
The fact is that there is One Who did die and came back to tell us about. He actually told us about it already before He died. That One is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 16 gives us a clear account of what happens after death.
Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And 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 thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
In spite of what some people want to believe, this account is not a parable. It is an actual account of what happens after death. The characters involved here were real people. Lazarus was a real person. He was a poor man who suffered health issues prior to dying. The rich man is not named in that account. There are thousands of rich men just like him. Our parliament if full of such men. They live in a carefree world. They despise the poor and talk lies to get the poor to keep supporting their greed.
Death comes to all, rich and poor. Jesus stated that when Lazarus died, the angels carried him into Abraham’s bosom. What a beautiful picture. Jesus also stated that the rich man died and was buried. Jesus stated that the moment the rich man died, he was in hell. He was in the place of torment immediately after he died. There was no purgatory and no soul sleep. He felt pain and agony far worse than anything Lazarus endured during his short life on this earth.
You notice in that account that the rich man did not ask to be removed from his place of torment. When he died, he understood fully why he was in hell. He also knew there was no exit from that place. He knew that when he was alive but he shrugged it off. It was not that he did not know, it was just that he did not believe what was true. Unbelief is a strange thing.
The rich man begged Abraham to allow Lazarus to come and bring him just a drop of water from off his finger. The rich man had no time for Lazarus while they were alive on earth. Now he wanted some sympathy. No doubt Lazarus had some sympathy for the rich man. We know Abraham did. The fact is that neither one of them had any power to change the condition of the rich man. There was a vast gulf between Abraham and the rich man. No one from hell could leave and go to Abraham’s bosom, and no one from Abraham’s bosom could go to ease the torment of those in hell.
Thousands of people are so afraid of what people will think of them that they refuse to believe the truth. Their pride has such a tight grip on them and they refuse to humble themselves and believe the truth. They are snared by their fear of man.
A snare is a noose that gets around the person’s heart and holds him so tight. That snare is self imposed due to the inordinate fear of man. It is not that any person is born in that snare. Each person puts himself into that snare due to their wilful pride.
The rich man in Luke 16 placed himself in that snare. He lived sumptuously. He had all he wanted. He ignored Lazarus. He probably avoided going past him because he saw him as a nuisance.
Lazarus put his trust in the LORD. He was not a rich man. That was not because he was lazy. It was just a fact of life. Some people get rich and others do not. Sometimes it is due to choices made, but sometimes it is just a fact of life.
Sometimes a person who gives their life to serving the Lord does not have much of this world’s treasures. I am not referring to Catholic priests. They are well looked after by their cult, but they act as though they are poor. There are true, born again Christians who are called to serve the Lord and their labours are spent in serving God. They are rich in faith toward God, but may not have much of this world’s things.
This life is short. God expects those who have wealth to see the importance of supporting those who give themselves to preaching and teaching the Word of God. You cannot put a price on the value of a soul.
In Jesus’ account of what happens after death, Abraham reminded the rich man that he was on his own. There was no help available for him. The rich man tried another angle. He had five brethren who were still alive but not saved. They may have looked up to the rich man and assumed all was well with him and they would follow a similar path. The rich man knew they were not ready to die. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to go and talk to them.
Abraham told him they had the same opportunity he had. They had Moses and the prophets. They could read them and they could listen to faithful men teaching them the truth. If they would not hear God’s preserved Word, they would not believe even if one rose from the dead and spoke to them.
The fact is that Jesus rose from the dead and thousands of people still rejected Him. The chief priests convinced Pilate to accept a lie about His resurrection. They paid him and the soldiers to spread a lie that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body and buried it somewhere else.
God has preserved His Word and we can know the truth. There is no need to fear man. The most man can do is kill your body. Man cannot send you to hell. Those who put their trust in the LORD are safe. They have eternal life. They have a home in heaven. There is no greater reward offered to man.
Not too many people want to be poor. However, it is better to be materially poor and spiritually rich, than the other way around. At death we take nothing with us. We can send things ahead of us. We can lay up treasure in heaven. That treasure is measured in things done for the Lord. That would include witnessing unto Jesus and praying for sinners and saints. It would also include the privilege of leading a poor lost soul to Christ. It is serving God with the talents He gives you and leaving the results in His hand. He is good and He will honour His Word.
If you are living in fear of man today, you can change that right now. You can turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour right now. You need to humble yourself and get rid of any preconditions you might have. You need to surrender your will and your life to God and trust Him to bless you with His gift of forgiveness and eternal life. He is still willing to do that for anyone who will put their trust in the true God.
Those that are saved need to guard against fearing man. The devil has many tactics he likes to use. However, we have the sure Word of God. Trust Him and grow in Him. He will never fail you.
Pastor Bartel
