Thought on This Chapter
LK 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is
faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in
much.
LK 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the
unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
LK 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which
is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
You have most likely heard people say, I would give
more to my church and give to missions if I was rich. Or how about, the
things I would do for God if I won the lottery. That is just a lot of hot
air. No they would not. If they are not faithful in the little that
they have, then they will not be faithful if they had more.
Jesus does not just look at how much is given. It
is how faithful are you with what you have been given. Verse 10 teaches
that if you are faithful with the little you have, then you are actually
faithful in much. If you make 100.00 and give 10.00 you are more faithful
than the man who made 800.00 and gave 40.00. It is not the total amount;
it is how faithful with what God has put into your care. Being faithful
with a little is being faithful in much. The opposite is also true.
If you are unfaithful in a little you are unfaithful in much. You might
say I only kept back 10.00. Ten dollars is no big deal. Actually it
is to God. It is not the amount of money that is the issue; it is how
faithful you are with what you were entrusted with.
Thought On This Chapter
LK 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous,
heard all these things: and they derided him.
LK 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which
justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is
highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
One of the big problems with the Pharisees was that the
were covetous. They coveted many things. Money, power, prestige, the
best seats, the praise of men, and so on. The scriptures that they
memorized and professed to love clearly told them that thou shalt not covet.
That then brings a big conflict does it not. Their covetous lives did not
match up with the scriptures. What they should have done was realize that,
repent of it, and get right with God and stop all the coveting. But that
is not what they did. Instead of getting right they come up with ways to
justify their coveting. This justifying is says was before men. They
might fool themselves, and they might fool others, but it was not fooling God.
"but God knoweth your hearts:"
God knows every thought that you have. Nothing
escapes Him. Jesus was telling them that they were not going to get away
with it. It did not matter how highly they or other thought of their
excuses and twisted logic. Man thinking well of something does not make it
right and it does not impress God. In fact just the opposite is true.
"for that which is highly esteemed among men is
abomination in the sight of God."
The things of God are not highly esteemed by the world.
And the things that are highly esteemed by the world are abomination to God.
The two cannot walk hand in hand. They are opposites. Be wary of
things that are highly esteemed among men and instead set your heart upon the
things of God.
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King James Bible Main Index:
LK 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
LK 16:2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
LK 16:3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
LK 16:4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
LK 16:5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
LK 16:6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
LK 16:7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
LK 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
LK 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
LK 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
LK 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
LK 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
LK 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
LK 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
LK 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
LK 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
LK 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
LK 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
LK 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
LK 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
LK 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
LK 16:22 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;
LK 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
LK 16:24 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.
LK 16:25 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.
LK 16:26 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.
LK 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
LK 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
LK 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
LK 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
LK 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
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LK 16:19 There was a certain rich
man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every
day:
This is not a parable because Jesus says that it
is a certain rich man.
This man died.
LK 16:23 And
in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom.
The first thing that this rich man saw after he
died was the flames of hell. There is no waiting period and there is no
purgatory.
LK 16:24 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.
LK 16:25 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.
Hell is a real place with real flames. It is a real
place of torment where no mercy is to be found. The rich man could not
even get a drop of water.
LK 16:26 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.
There is a great gulf fixed so that no help can reach you
in hell and so that you cannot escape.
LK 16:27 Then
he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my
father's house:
O how the rich man's attitude has changed. He did
not care about the things of God in life, but now he is praying. He said,
I pray thee.
LK 16:28 For I
have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this
place of torment.
And notice what the rich man in hell is praying for.
He wants Lazarus to go to his brothers and tell them how to escape hell.
How many souls in hell are praying right now that we will
tell their relatives how to be saved?
LK 16:29
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
LK 16:30 And
he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will
repent.
LK 16:31 And
he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
The rich man thinks that if his brothers were
told by someone who was raised from the dead that they would repent, but that is
not the case.
We are told that if they will not hear the scriptures then
they will not be persuaded.
We see a very important principle here. It is not by
miracles that people come to believe. It is by the word of God.
Rom 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
You are not going to get people saved by having a rock
n roll program in your church. What saves is the hearing of the word of
God. It is the preaching of God's word that needs to be
the focus in our churches. |
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