Rev. Cyril A. Stevens – Sermon 0096A recorded on October 7, 1979 teaching from Luke 16:19-31 – The Rich Man and the Begger.
Pastor Cyril A. Stevens explores the spiritual peril of self-sufficiency and the finality of the afterlife. He contrasts an unnamed wealthy man, who lived in sumptuous, outrageous luxury, with a suffering beggar whose name, Lazarus, signifies that God is his only helper. Stevens emphasizes that while earthly status can mask a rotting, hypocritical heart, death reveals an unbridgeable abyss where there is no second chance for those who rejected divine grace. Ultimately, Pastor Stevens argues that the Word of God is a sufficient warning, asserting that true rescue is found only by abandoning sinful foolishness and accepting the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.