A Preacher From The Dead (Luke 16:31) - Charles Spurgeon Sermon

Devotional

Day 1: The Crumbs We Ignore and the Tongue Uncooled

A beggar lies at the gate, longing for scraps while the rich man feasts. Death reverses their positions, but the chasm between them remains unbridgeable. The rich man’s plea for a drop of water reveals the eternal cost of a life spent dismissing the suffering at our doorstep. Comfort and torment are fixed by choices made in the land of the living. What we call “crumbs” here—neglected convictions, ignored opportunities to repent—shape our eternity. The gate we pass daily holds eternal stakes. [00:46]

“And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’”
(Luke 16:23–24, ESV)

Reflection: When has your soul craved “crumbs” of God’s truth while you fed on lesser things? What moment this week did you dismiss a prompting to repent or act justly?

Day 2: The Gulf No Finger Can Cross

Abraham’s reply to the rich man is final: a great chasm separates heaven’s comfort from hell’s anguish. This gulf is not geography but justice, fixed by God’s decree. No bargaining, no second chances, no post-death negotiations rewrite the story. The rich man’s lifetime of self-indulgence carved the chasm himself. Eternal realities are decided in the ordinary moments of today—the gate we ignore, the Word we neglect. [01:20]

“And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.”
(Luke 16:26, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your current lifestyle assume you’ll have time to “cross the gulf” later? What habit today quietly widens the chasm?

Day 3: Five Brothers and the Useless Miracle

The rich man begs for Lazarus to warn his brothers, certain a resurrection would shock them into repentance. Abraham refuses: even a miracle cannot soften hearts hardened against Scripture. Signs and wonders are no substitute for surrendered obedience. The living Word—Moses, the prophets, Christ’s gospel—is enough. To demand flashier proof is to excuse unbelief, not cure it. [01:35]

“He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’”
(Luke 16:27–29, ESV)

Reflection: What spiritual “miracle” have you secretly demanded before fully obeying? Where do you trust methods over Scripture to change someone’s heart?

Day 4: Moses, the Prophets, and the Sufficient Word

Abraham’s answer cuts through excuses: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” Scripture needs no supplement. Its warnings are clear, its promises sure. To dismiss its voice is to choose blindness. The Bible’s ordinary pages hold extraordinary power—when read with humility, not as a relic but as a lifeline. [01:51]

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
(2 Timothy 3:16–17, ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life still resists being “equipped” by Scripture? Which verse have you sidelined as “inconvenient” this month?

Day 5: The Spirit’s Draw or the Spectator’s Curse

Sermons, deathbeds, even resurrections cannot convert a heart resisting the Spirit. Intellectual assent to truth is not salvation. Only the Spirit melts rebellion into repentance. Spectators critique preachers and demand signs; the convicted cry, “God, be merciful to me!” The chasm is crossed not by human persuasion but by divine intervention. [46:19]

“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”
(John 16:8–11, ESV)

Reflection: When have you mistaken spiritual curiosity for true conviction? What step have you avoided taking, waiting for a “feeling” instead of yielding to the Spirit’s nudge?

Sermon Summary

Luke’s account sets a rich man in purple and fine linen over against Lazarus, laid full of sores at his gate and desiring crumbs. The great reversal after death shows Lazarus comforted in Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man, buried and tormented, finds a great gulf fixed beyond all crossing. The rich man’s plea for Lazarus to warn his five brethren brings forth the solemn answer: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” The text shuts the door upon the common fancy that a greater wonder, a voice from the dead, would make hardened men repent.

Man’s corrupt heart is ever ready to put the saddle on the wrong horse. Sin blames poverty or riches, society or upbringing, constitution or ministry, hypocrites or defective circumstances. The heart will blame everything but itself; yet a renewed heart alone makes the difference. Society might be remodeled to perfection, ministers made angels, and professors of faith made seraphs, but the unchanged heart would remain none the better.

The imagined preacher from heaven would indeed draw crowds, stir nations, and set every ear listening for his faintest syllable. But the resurrection of such a man would add no saving power to the Word already given. Scripture records persons raised from death, yet none return with secrets that supplement divine revelation. Infidelity would only demand fresh proofs, dispute the miracle, and cry “Give, give” like the horse leech.

Holy Scripture already tells enough concerning hell, judgment, sin, heaven, and the way of salvation. Christ’s dreadful words concerning everlasting fire, and His blessed promises concerning the celestial city, leave no profitable truth wanting. Curiosity may long for little details of another world, but curiosity does not confer blessing. Moses and the prophets give a well-mapped road, and the Word of God plainly declares that man destroys himself while help is found in God.

The manner of a preacher cannot accomplish what the Spirit alone must do. A glorified Lazarus could not feel the terrors of judgment as a living man can, with winter on his lips and heaven in his eyes. Death, conscience, bereavement, sickness, and solemn appeals have already preached personally to many unmoved souls. God the Holy Spirit must bless the Word, draw sinners by the hands of love, and bring them guilty and burdened to Christ.

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Key Takeaways

1. The blame lies in the heart [05:33] Man’s excuses may sound reasonable because circumstances often are difficult, wounds are real, and temptations are fierce. Yet corruption uses even true hardship as a hiding place from personal guilt. Renewal must reach deeper than conditions, because the unchanged heart can turn every blessing into another occasion for sin. [05:33]
2. Miracles cannot cure unbelief [18:43] Unbelief is not merely a shortage of evidence; it is a settled resistance to God’s witness. A man determined not to hear God can dispute a resurrection as readily as he disputes Scripture. Greater signs can increase guilt without producing repentance. [18:43]
3. Scripture gives sufficient warning and hope [31:20] The Bible does not leave the eternal world as a bottomless unknown. Its warnings are terrible enough to awaken fear, and its promises are bright enough to sustain faith. A hunger for hidden details can become a way of evading the plain commands already known. [31:20]
4. Feeling cannot replace the Spirit [41:57] Earnest words, tears, and dreadful providences may strike the conscience without changing the soul. Death itself can preach close to home, laying a man’s whole life before his eyes, and still leave him unconverted. God the Holy Spirit must make the outward Word an inward call. [41:57]
5. The Spirit draws sinners to Christ [46:19] Conscience, reason, and persuasion have their place, but none can bring a sinner to Christ by their own strength. Divine grace does not merely alarm the soul; it draws the guilty toward the hope held out in Jesus. The proper cry for the unconverted is that God would give this drawing power.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:13] - The Rich Man and Lazarus
[02:06] - A Preacher From the Dead
[02:25] - Man’s Excuses for Sin
[06:23] - The Rich Man’s False Hope
[07:16] - Imagining a Preacher From Heaven
[12:15] - Would Resurrection Prove the Gospel?
[15:56] - Why Infidelity Demands More Proof
[24:59] - Scripture’s Sufficiency About Eternity
[34:20] - The Dream of a More Powerful Preacher
[37:02] - Deathbed Voices and Personal Warnings
[44:01] - Death and Conscience as Preachers
[46:01] - The Holy Spirit Must Draw Sinners

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 16:19-31
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” [00:00]

Proverbs 30:15
“The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, ‘Enough’:”,”

Observation questions

What contrasts does Luke draw between the rich man’s daily life and Lazarus’s condition at the gate?
After both men die, what changes, and what remains impossible because of the great gulf between them?
What does the rich man ask for his five brothers, and what answer does Abraham give about the witness they already possess? [01:30]
What kinds of excuses for sin are described—such as circumstances, upbringing, personality, society, or the failures of religious people—and where is the true blame placed? [05:33]

Interpretation questions

Why does the rich man believe that a messenger from the dead would persuade his brothers, and why does Abraham reject that conclusion? [06:32]
How does the rich man’s request show that unbelief is not simply a lack of information or a shortage of dramatic evidence? [18:43]
What does the sufficiency of Moses and the prophets mean for a person who is more interested in hidden details about heaven or hell than in obeying what God has plainly revealed? [33:56]
Why can powerful emotions, serious warnings, sickness, bereavement, or a troubled conscience fall short of bringing a person to true repentance and faith? [45:56]

Application questions

What explanations are most tempting to use when facing personal sin: difficult circumstances, past wounds, other people’s failures, or temperament? How can a person honestly acknowledge real hardships without using them to avoid responsibility before God? [02:49]
Is there an area where someone keeps thinking, “If only I had more proof, a better explanation, or a more dramatic experience, then I would obey God”? What clear truth from Scripture may already require a response? [23:40]
What forms can “give, give” unbelief take today—continually demanding another sign, another answer, or another experience before trusting Christ? [19:41]
Are there questions about the future, judgment, heaven, or hell that may be functioning more as curiosity than as a desire to know and obey God? What plain biblical command or promise deserves greater attention this week? [34:00]
When conscience has been stirred by a loss, a close call, a serious illness, or a searching conversation, what helped that concern fade? How can the group respond differently when God brings conviction? [44:24]
Who is a person known to the group who needs more than outward persuasion and needs the Holy Spirit to draw them to Christ? How can the group pray specifically for that person and lovingly point them to Jesus? [46:29]

Sermon Clips

Nothing will ever do it except God, the Holy Spirit. Oh, do you feel that you are drawn this morning? Does some sweet hand draw you to Christ? And does some blessed voice say, "Come to Jesus, sinner. There is hope for thee." Then that is God's spirit. Bless him for it. He is drawing thee by the hands of love and the cords of a man. [00:46:29]

Then learn this truth that no outward means in the world can ever bring you to the foottool of divine grace and make you a Christian. If Moses and the prophets have failed, all that can be done now is this. God the Spirit must bless the word to you. Otherwise, conscience cannot awaken you. Reason cannot awaken you. Powerful appeals cannot awaken you. Persuasion cannot bring you to Christ. [00:45:56]

The blame is on your hearts, nowhere else. If your hearts were renewed, you would be better. But until that is done, if society were remodeled to perfection, if ministers were angels and professors of faith were seraps, you would be none the better. But having less excuse for your sin, you would be doubly guilty and perish with a more terrible destruction. [00:05:40]

If you do not know the difference between right and wrong from reading the scripture, you would not know it if a spirit should tell you. If you do not know the road to hell and the road to heaven from the Bible itself, you would never know it at all. No book could be more clear, no revelation more distinct, no testimony more plain. [00:30:51]

And besides, my friends, if men will not believe the witness of God, it is impossible that they should believe the witness of man. If the voice of God from the top of Si and his voice by Moses in the book of the law, if his voice by the diverse prophets in the Old Testament and especially his own word by his own son, who hath brought immortality to light by the gospel, cannot convince men, then there is nothing in the world that can of itself accomplish the work. [00:23:04]

Beloved, we do solemnly say again that holy scripture is so perfect, so complete that it cannot want the supplement of any declaration concerning a future state. All that you ought to know concerning the future, you may know from holy scripture. [00:31:52]

If someone should rise from the dead, yet would sinners no more repent through his preaching than through the preaching of any other. God might bless such preaching to salvation if he pleased. But in itself, there would be no more power in the preaching of the sheetated dead or of the glorified spirit than there is in the preaching of feeble man today. Though one should rise from the dead, they would not repent. [00:10:29]

What more do you want than that? If that solemn preaching of some mighty preacher whom God has inspired for the time, if that did not save you, what can save you apart from the influence of the spirit? [00:36:50]

The great power of preaching next to the power of God's spirit lies in the preachers feeling it. We shall never do much good in preaching unless we feel what we utter. Knowing the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men. [00:42:01]

No. For if God speak once, but man regardeth him not, we need not wonder that we have to preach many a time without being regarded, and we should not harbor the thought that some men who had risen from the dead would have a greater power to convince than the words of God. [00:23:40]

But yet men will always be having it. That if things were different, they would be different too. Whereas the difference must be made in themselves if they begin in the right place. [00:06:07]

Man is very loathed to think ill of himself. The most of mankind are very prone to indulge in apologies for sin. They say, "If we had lived in better times, we had been better men. If we had been born into this world under happier opices, we should have been holier. And if we had been placed in more excellent circumstances, we should have been more inclined to the right." [00:02:23]

Blessed be God, the saint, does not look down upon a bottomless abyss. He looks up to the celestial city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. [00:32:30]

Now God knoweth best. We will not compare our summises to divine decision. If God decided that resurrection men should be silent, it was best it should be. Their testimony would have been of little worth or help to us, or else it would have been born. [00:15:34]

But you will note this memorable fact that they never any of them spoke one word which is recorded by way of telling us what they saw while they were dead. [00:13:18]

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