God or Money
Luke 16:1-31;
Key Verse: 16:25b
“…but now he (Lazarus) is comforted here (in heaven), and you (the rich man) are in anguish (in hell).”
In Luke 16, there are several events, including the story of the rich man & Lazarus (19-31). From this story, let’s examine the popular doctrine of heaven & the very unpopular doctrine of hell, since Lazarus went to enjoy eternal glory with God in heaven, while the rich man went to hell where he was in unbearable torment that will last forever. In many contemporary polls, it’s interesting that the majority of people think they’re going to heaven (up to 95%!), & only very few people (often less than 5%) think they’re going to hell. This is clearly not what Jesus said. In Luke 13:24 Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and not be able.” Matthew 22:14 says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Let’s study Luke 16 & find out who are those who are going to heaven.
1st, a heaven bound person uses his money & his wealth for eternity & not just for himself (1-13). One of the jobs that I had was at a hospital when I worked as a pharmacy technician. I remember when one of the Korean missionaries from our ministry who has a passion for serving God went to work with me. She said it her first job in the US. I also remember what she said when she got her first paycheck. She said, “This first paycheck goes to God.” Now I can’t remember what I did with my first paycheck, but I know I spent it something else. Giving it to God was the last thing in my mind. Most people use their hard earn money mainly for themselves, for their family & for their own pleasure. We say to ourselves, “We work hard for it and we deserve to spend it on what we want!” Those with credit card debt are almost invariably, those who are self-indulgent & who are ruled by their own sensual appetites for the world. Our consumer mentality & the resultant national & global economic woes are the result of using our money in selfish, self-indulgent, ungodly ways. When I went to get a hair cut last week, an old lady was talking to the hair stylist who was cutting my hair and was complaining about someone who gives 10% of their income to church. She thought it was stupid. Sadly to others, giving money to God is like giving a tip to a waiter.
Verse 1a says, “He also said to the disciples.” This parable is not just the unbelievers. Jesus wants all Christians to learn from this parable. Malachi 3:8 says that those who offer less than 10% of their income are robbing God. A Barna report in 2003 found that just 6% of born again Christian households offered 10% or more of their income, & that each year the proportion of Christians who tithe drops. So, the Parable of the Dishonest Manager in verses 1-13 is Jesus’ parable for Christians to seriously & prayerfully consider with fear & trembling in our hearts how we should use our own hard earned money & our wealth.
In Luke 14 & 15, Jesus told the Parable of the Great Banquet (14:12-24) & about celebrating a great feast when a lost sheep, a lost coin, & a lost son was found (15:1-32). These feasts & celebrations allude to our great joy in the kingdom of God, which is forever. What would Jesus speak about right after speaking about the blessedness of heaven? It’s money. Why? What has money got to do with heaven? To Jesus, money reveals where our heart is & what our heaven is (Mt 6:24). Is our heart in money & this world, or is our heart in the kingdom of God that we claim as Christians? Let’s listen to Jesus’ parable.
In this parable a manager was wasting his rich master’s possessions (1b). So, the master said to him, “Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager” (2b). He would soon be fired. Then in verses 3-7, this manager devised a shrewd plan to provide for himself after he is fired. Briefly, he reduced the debt of what was owed to his rich master, so that after he is fired, they would be indebted to him (4). What he did was clearly dishonest. So the parable is known as The Parable of the Dishonest Manager. But Jesus praised this dishonest manager, not for being dishonest but for being shrewd & wise, implying that we Christians must learn how to be wise like this dishonest manager. Read verse 8. “The master commended (praised) the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation, than the sons of light.” Here, Jesus is saying that worldly people are smart in making success, while “the sons of light,” that is, Christians are not so smart. So what should Christians do? Verse 9 reads, “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” The NIV translates “unrighteous wealth” as “worldly wealth,” which is the money we make. This means that we Christians, “the sons of light,” should spend our money for “eternal dwellings,” the kingdom of God by “(making) friends” with lost souls who cannot repay us (14:13), instead of using our money selfishly for ourselves in this life time.
Read verses 10-12. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” The phrases in verse 10, “faithful in a very little” & in verse 11 “faithful in the unrighteous wealth” means how we Christians use our money. Do we spend it on what we want? Or on “true riches” (11b), which is eternal life & the kingdom of God? Jesus’ point is that how we use our money reveals what we truly value. Do we value our devices, our collection of DVDs, our cars & our clothes, our house, or do we truly value eternal life & “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (14:13), & those who don’t know Christ? Do we think that our money is ours, or that it belongs to God? Is our money being used for God & for God’s purpose? Jesus’ conclusion is in verse 13: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” We learn here that the authenticity of our Christian life is best shown by how we use our money. So, if we do not value God, we will, by default value money (Mt 6:21), & live for money, & for the things money can buy, such as pleasure & entertainment. We must know that a life lived for money is a most tragic life, because it often forfeits an eternity in heaven (1 Ti 6:10). May God have mercy on us not to be deceived & enslaved by money.
2nd, a heaven bound person is not a lover of money (14,15). The Pharisees in the New Testament were the religious people, or even modern day Christians. How did they respond to Jesus’ teaching? Read verse 14. “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.” The Pharisees ridiculed Jesus’ teaching about money. Verse 15a implies that they strongly justified their selfish use of money. But Jesus said, “God knows your hearts” (15b). It means God knows how they use their money selfishly. Jesus calls their selfishness, “an abomination in the sight of God” (15c). The word “abomination” means “outrage,” “hatred,” “disgust.” So, “an abomination in the sight of God” means that God wants to throw up when He sees an idolatrous heart that is filled with selfishness & money (Exo 20:3), rather than loving God & lost people. It is surely not wise to be “an abomination” when God looks into our hearts to find out what our secret desires are (Ro 2:16).
3rd, a heaven bound person forcefully desires the kingdom of God (16,17). Read verse 16. “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.” We are forceful toward whatever we desire. There are people who are willing to travel long distance, wait in line, even camp overnight to get the newest gadgets like the I-pod, video games, and cell phones. Some love to hear stories of great financial success and are jealous of those who have money coming out of their ears. And others are hoping and wishing that they would be chosen by the reality tv show, “Extreme makeover home edition.” Their desire for such things is forceful because that’s what their heart desires. But those who desire God would forcefully desire the kingdom of God more than money & the things of the world. (1 Jn 2:15-17). Jesus says that the Law, that is, the teachings of the Bible, will surely be fulfilled. Read verse 17. “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.” So, if our lives are ruled by money & the world, we’ll forfeit the kingdom of God. This is a biblical constant.
4th, a heaven bound person is not adulterous & does not divorce his spouse (18). Read verse 18. “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” It might seem random & unrelated for Jesus to suddenly speak about divorce & adultery right after speaking a lot about money. But when we look at the scandals & affairs in Hollywood & among rich & powerful politicians, we can understand how money, divorce & adultery are closely related. James 1:26,27 tells us 3 concrete evidences of a true Christian: 1) a true Christian controls his tongue; 2) he takes care of helpless people, like orphans & widows; 3) he keeps himself unstained from the world. A sad tragedy in the church is when a Christian commits adultery. Divorce & adultery, & their close cousins, lust, pornography, & romance novels are a result of a Christian becoming stained by a world of sensuality, as though sex & romance is better than heaven. But a heaven bound person cries out to God to truly value eternal life.
5th, a heaven bound person sees life with an eternal perspective (19-31). In one of my jobs in the past, my boss one time told me, “Art, if you are late again, I will fire you.” That warning made me think deeply and repented of my laziness. 4 years ago, my older brother was a chain smoker. He smoked cigarettes like crazy. Then he suffered a mild hard attack and had a double bypass surgery. His doctor told him to stop smoking. That warning made him to never smoke a cigarette again. In this story Jesus gives us a very serious warning. This final part is Jesus’ story of the rich man & Lazarus. This is a really scary story. Because once we die & leave this life & this world, our eternity is set & permanent forever & it can never be changed, ever. So, let us examine this story closely as Jesus intends for us to do, & seriously consider what life is really all about. Briefly, we can say that our present life is our preparation for eternity. Let’s see how the rich man & Lazarus did in their preparation for eternity.
Read verses 19-21, which describes their respective lives in this world: “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.” Their lives are a sharp contrast to each other, perhaps like comparing a resident of Lower Wacker Drive with Bill Gates, who lives in a 60-70 million dollar house by a lake, that has 7 major bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, & 6 fireplaces. But how the rich man & Lazarus lived on earth is not the final destiny of their lives. Read verses 22-24. “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 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.” Though the rich man lived in abundant luxury during his lifetime, in hell 2 words stand out in describing his life: “torment” & “anguish.” What a reversal! His life in hell was so unbearable that he pleaded with father Abraham, “Send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue… (Please!)” This was his 1st of 2 requests. How did Abraham respond? Read verses 25,26. “25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 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.’” These verses describe heaven & hell more clearly & vividly than any other passage in the Bible. In this story, Jesus wants his disciples & all people to take the doctrine of heaven & hell with utmost seriousness, somberness & solemnity. If we dismiss this very important biblical doctrine, the devil will deceive us to think that we have to maximize our life in this world, like the rich man, who lived the “best” possible life on earth. But when he went to hell, he realized too late that he completely failed the test of life! Once in hell, there’ll be no reversal of fortune, & no more 2nd chances. Therefore, in this life, we must cry out to God to help us live with the constant awareness that our eternal destiny will not be in this world, but that it will either be in heaven or in hell. There is no purgatory. Once, we’re there, that’s it! When we deeply meditate & reflect on this, God will help us think differently about how we spend our money, which is given to us by God. It is God’s gift, & God’s grace to us.
The conclusion of this story also has a very important teaching. When the rich man realized too late that heaven & hell is real, permanent & irreversible, he made a 2nd request to Abraham in verses 27, 28, “Then I beg you, father, to send him (Lazarus) to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” His request sounds reasonable, but it was denied, because God has already provided the knowledge of salvation to all people in His word, the Bible. Read verse 29. “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’” But the rich man protested again, saying in verse 30, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” It is interesting that the rich man understands the word he hated the most in his lifetime: “repent.” Repent simply means to change. Repent means: Turn to God. The rich man knew that he should change his idea that money is everything to him. He should also change his indifference & selfishness toward suffering people, like Lazarus. But he refused to repent. Then in hell, he realized too late that he should have repented. Abraham’s final answer to him is that one who rejects the Bible as the Word of God will also reject the witness & testimony of one who rises from the dead. Read verse 31. “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.’” Jesus is saying that unless we humbly & sincerely study the Bible, live according to God’s word, we will miss heaven. May God bless you to study the Bible from your heart, for only the Bible is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Ti 3:15).
In today’s sermon, we touched on several quite sensitive topics, such as money, heaven & hell. Many people’s unspoken attitude toward money is, “My money is mine. So don’t tell me how I should use my money.” But Jesus gently teaches us that we either have God or money in our hearts, never both. Also, many think of heaven & hell as old-fashioned scare tactics to try to either convert us or control us. But the Bible never mentions heaven & hell to threaten us, or manipulate us, or to force us against our will. Jesus mentions heaven & hell simply as every man’s ultimate reality & destiny. Therefore, every man should consider these teachings with utmost seriousness & gravity.
Also, Jesus’ own life example teaches us how seriously & intensely we should avoid hell & go to heaven. To help us avoid hell’s eternal torture & torment, Jesus himself voluntarily faced hell’s full force on the cross, when he took our sins upon himself, & God had no choice but to inflict his full wrath & anger & fury on Jesus (Isa 53:6; 1 Pe 2:24), instead of on us. Jesus’ agony & torment on the cross expresses to all people the grievousness of our sins, & the depth of his love for us, & the costly price he was willing to pay to purchase our salvation. Because of our sins, all of us deserve hell’s eternal torture & torment. But Jesus bowed his head on the cross willingly, & faced hell’s damnation, so that we never ever have to go there. This is the unspeakable greatness of the love of God (Ro 8:32). Praise Jesus who not only taught us about heaven & hell, but who also gave his own life, so that we may have eternal life in heaven.
In conclusion, we learn that heaven & hell is very real, permanent & irreversible. May God purify our hearts so that we may live for the kingdom of God during our life, instead of living for money and the things of this world. Jesus says that when we truly value the kingdom of God, we’ll use our money & all our resources to win friends for Christ & for his eternal kingdom, just as Jesus showed us on the cross.