Rich Man Poor Man Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/August 17, 2014
Rich Man Poor Man Sermon Notes August 17, 2014 I. Jesus Discourse with the Religious Big Shots A. He knew their hearts 1. They loved money 2. They believed that riches were a sign that God was blessing them B. He was attacking their idol of greed 1. The preceding context 2. The earlier parable 3. The sneering of His audience II. The Earthly Life of the Characters A. Introducing the characters 1. The rich man a. Extremely opulent b. Very selfish c. Chooses to be ignorant of Lazarus suffering 2. The poor man - Lazarus a. A Beggar b. Diseased c. His only friends are stray dogs B. The painful imagery 1. The rich man represents Jesus audience 2. Lazarus represents sinners, tax collectors, the poor, and even Gentiles On hearing Him, the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, scoffed at the Lord (Luke 16:14), who then accused them of being selfrighteous and trying to press, or force their way into the Kingdom on their own terms (Luke 16:15-16). That is to say, they were counting on their self-proclaimed righteousness to open the door of the Kingdom to them. Jesus plainly declared that the terms of the Law were solid and could not be circumvented. The principles underlying the Mosaic Law express God s character, and therefore the Law is more enduring than the whole of creation (Luke 16:17). He then revealed their hypocrisy by pointing out that their attitude about divorce and remarriage was not in line with God s purposes (Luke 16:18; cf. Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9). The key to understanding the point that the Lord is making in telling the story of the rich man and Lazarus is found in verses 15 and 16; 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. The Law and the Prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it (Luke 16:15-16). Though their self-justification might gain them favor among men, it would not gain God s favor because He knew what was in their heart (cf. Jeremiah 17:9-10). The things that men hold in high regard, things that gain them position and respect among men, are disgusting to God. In truth, the love of money reveals a covetous heart that has given its allegiance to mammon rather than God (cf. I Timothy 6:10). In the Law and the Prophets, a general term for the Old Testament Scriptures, is found the promise, or proclamation of God s coming Kingdom on earth, which Israel was waiting for. John the Baptist came on the scene to introduce the Messiah, who would usher in the Kingdom Age, to Israel (John 1:26-34). After being baptized by John Jesus Christ began His public ministry by saying, The Kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel (see Mark 1:9-15). Of course, the Jews, especially the Pharisees, knew that entrance into the Kingdom was conditioned on obedience to God s Law. To drive home His point about how the money-loving Pharisees were misusing their wealth, to their own peril, the Lord told the true story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man wasn t lost because he had wealth, nor was Lazarus saved because he was poor. This was a matter of the heart with the focus being on the rich man, not Lazarus. 2 19
The Rich Man & Lazarus by W. Edward Bedore, Th.D. The main point of the story of the rich man and Lazarus is that an individual s wealth and social standing, or the lack thereof, is not necessarily an indication of that person s spiritual standing before God. Many of the Jews believed that the fact that they had accumulated wealth that afforded them social status and prominent positions in the religious community proved that they were under the blessing of God. They also thought, according to their logic, that those who were poor were under the curse of God. They no doubt appealed to the promises made to Israel in the Law of Moses concerning the blessings of prosperity for obedience to God s Law and the curses of poverty because of disobedience, failing to recognize the national rather then the personal nature of those promises (see Deuteronomy 28:1-45ff.; etc.). They were also ignoring the many warnings found in Moses and the Prophets that were directed towards the leaders of Israel who selfishly misused their power and wealth (see Isa. 56:10-12; Ezekiel 34:1-4; Micah 3:1-4; etc.). To challenge their seriously flawed thinking, the Lord Jesus told the parable of the unjust (or dishonest) steward (Luke 16:1-13). The main point of this parable was that the dishonest steward, who represented the Gentiles, was wiser than the children of light, a reference to the sons of Israel, who were to be a channel through which God s light would reach the Gentiles, i.e., the nations of the world (Isa. 42:5-7; 49:5-6; 60:1-3; 62:1-3). The true Light of the World is Jesus Christ Himself (John 8:12), who is the Messiah of Israel. In the prophetic program, the only avenue through which the Gentiles can come to the Light is through the nation of Israel (Isa. 60:1-3; Zech. 8:20-23). The point of this parable was that those who were striving after riches were actually self-serving rather than servants of God. He was calling on them to choose between the two, saying: 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 [money] (Luke 16:13). The implication was that those whose priorities were based on accumulating wealth were demonstrating that their hearts were not right with God (cf. Matt. 6:19-21). III.The After-Life Conversation A. Jesus turns conventional thinking on its head 1. The rich man was in Sheol a. He had not listened to the Law and Prophets (probably specifically as they prophesied the coming Messiah - Jesus) b. He had lived a life of self absorption c. He was unrepentant d. Therefore, riches were NOT a sign of God s blessing 2. Lazarus was in Abraham s bosom B. Sheol and Abraham s Bosom - the Concepts explained 1. Sheol - Before about 500 BC, a place of the dead a. Everyone went there b. There was no evil or good ascribed to it 2. Sheol - After 500BC up to Jesus time a. A place for sinners, unbelievers, and the Gentiles b. Good Jews went to Abraham s Bosom 3. Abraham s Bosom a. A concept popularized by religious thinkers starting around 500BC b. A place for the righteous before the recreation of the heavens and the earth c. Paradise C. The Rich Man in Torment 1. Unrepentant and miserable a. Still sees classes between people b. Still sees Lazarus as a servant c. Still spiritually blind d. His request of Abraham e. Please send a resurrected Lazarus back to warn my brothers 2. Request denied a. Abraham denies the rich man s request b. The significance of the name Lazarus 18 3
Life Group Questions for August 17, 2014 Message = Rich Man Poor Man Ice Breaker: Tell about one of your first experiences with someone poor or less fortunate and how it impacted you. Read Luke 16: 19-31: 1. What stands out to you about this parable? 2. How does this parable sober you? Does it in any way cause you to sense that God is just? 3. What do you think the rich man s sin was that got him sent to Sheol? 4. Describe the rich man s acitude while in Sheol. 5. As a group, discuss what the contemporary definition of the words Abraham s Bosom and Sheol mean. 6. Does the reality of a Hell cause you to live differently? Please explain. 7. Have someone read verses 27-31 again. What do you think of Abraham s answer to the rich man about believing the Law and the Prophets? 8. What specific message in the Law and the Prophets do you think Jesus was referring to in this parable? 9. Pray for one another. IV.And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors A. Acknowledge my sin and thank God for forgiving me through Jesus sacrifice on the cross B. Forgive and release others for their sins against me 1. Acknowledge that someone sinned against me and hurt me 2. Give the memory of the violation to God 3. Cut them loose from all debt they owe me 4. Acknowledge that bitterness has NO HOLD on me 5. Lavish love on them and pray for God to bless them V. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil A. Put on the whole armor of God (Put on the Lord Jesus Christ) 1. The belt of truth (Mentally accept God s truth over lies I have been hearing) 2. Breastplate of righteousness (Thank Jesus for giving me His righteousness which enables me to boldly enter His presence) 3. Shoes of preparation (readiness) of the Gospel of peace (Take time to digest the scriptures - committing them to memory) 4. Shield of faith (Step out on God s truth for my situation) 5. Helmet of salvation (Thank God that He has saved me and remember that I am different than the world. Satan has no power over me except the power I give him by believing lies.) 6. Sword of the Spirit (Apply the Word to the lies I hear, and the situations I find myself in today.) B. Run to the Lord for protection (You are my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!) 1. I set my mind on things above, not on things of the earth 2. God has set His love upon me 3. He knows my name and will never leave me or forsake me VI.For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever A. Make your faith declarations B. Return to praise 4 This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea 17
Prayer Guide I. Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name A. Picture Calvary and thank God you can call Him Father by virtue of the blood of Jesus B. Hallow (lift Him above everything in your life) the names of God corresponding with the five benefits in the New Covenant and make your faith declarations Benefit Sanctify Spirit Soundness Success Security Name Jehovah-Tsidkenu Jehovah-M Kaddesh Jehovah-Shalom Jehovah-Shammah Jehovah-Rophe Jehovah-Jireh Jehovah-Nissi Jehovah-Rohi Meaning Jehovah our righteousness Jehovah who sanctifies Jehovah is peace Jehovah is there Jehovah heals Jehovah provides Jehovah my banner Jehovah my shepherd Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: II. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done (God, what are you doing? How can I (others) get in on what You are doing?) A. Myself Give me awareness of how to meet others needs today I choose to take the initiative to love others B. My family (spouse, children, other family members) C. My church (pastor, other leadership, faithfulness of people, the harvest) D. My nation (city, state, and national political and spiritual leaders, the harvest) III.Give us this day our daily bread A. Believe that God desires to provide for me B. Be specific C. Be tenacious D. Talk openly about my worries and give them to Him E. Today s needs - Tomorrow will care for itself ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 This outline inspired by Henry Blackaby & Larry Lea 5
Day One Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. Then the rich man said, Please, Father Abraham, send him to my father s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them about this place of torment so they won t have to come here when they die. But Abraham said, Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read their writings anytime they want to. The rich man replied, No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins. But Abraham said, If they won t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won t listen even if someone rises from the dead. ~Luke 16:27-31, NLT 2. Slowly read Luke 16: 19-31. 3. What have you heard God say to you this week? Write it down in this space. Memorize Psalm 25: 1-2. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of this verse. Memorize Psalm 25: 1-3. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of this passage. Memorize Psalm 25: 1-7. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight into the meaning of these passages. 6 Abraham s discussion with the Repent! doomed rich man should sober any of us who read it. Abraham tells the man that if his brothers don t believe Moses and the prophets, then they will not believe the message of a man risen from the dead! Apparently, if I cannot humble myself enough to believe the Old Testament, then I certainly wouldn t believe a miraculous messenger telling me the same message. What s interesting is those same Jews saw another guy named Lazarus get resuscitated from the dead in John 11. You should check that passage out and see the reaction of the Jewish leaders. They were even more anxious to kill Jesus after that than they ever had been before! It was as if Jesus was prophesying that they would reject Him after He raised his friend from the dead. Simple belief in the words of the Bible is what transforms us. When I believe what it says about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, He begins to transform my life! Oh God! Bring it on! 15
Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read all of Luke 16 today. 3. Take time to pray God to show you what He is doing today and ask Him how you can get in on what He is doing. Day One Jesus said, There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed and who lived each day in luxury. At his door lay a diseased beggar named Lazarus. ~Luke 16:19, 20, NLT In Luke chapter 16, this parable seems to jump up out of the narrative like Mount Hood pops up out of the landscape around Portland. Or, maybe not. Perhaps Jesus tells this parable to His audience made up of lots of religious bigshots in order to further shake them up. Just a few verses above, we find them sneering at his words about faithfulness with money because they were lovers of money. Maybe Jesus is still talking about the selfishness that can capture us when we get consumed with riches. Perhaps He is trying to sober them with this parable. After reading it, we should all be sobered. Jesus introduces the unnamed rich man to us first in this parable. He s filthy rich. He wears the finest of clothing, usually reserved for the ruling class, and he lives in an opulent house, complete with an outer gate. He ate of the finest foods EVERY DAY, which tells us he s probably a plus size. 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. No greater contrast could be made than the character of Lazarus, the poor beggar Jesus introduces next. He lays at the gate of the rich man daily, hoping just to get crumbs from the rich man s table. Where the rich man has only the most influential and wealthy of friends, Lazarus only company is the mangy strays who lick his boils and sores. We get the picture - Lazarus is diseased. Father, speak to me through this parable. Show me where I have neglected You for my own comforts. 14 7
Day Two 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Slowly and carefully read Luke 16: 19-31 again today. 3. Who do you relate to more, Lazarus, or the rich man? Please write down why in this space. 4. Pray for your loved ones and family. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you specific requests for each one. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. Day Four But Abraham said to him, Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. Anyone who wanted to cross over to you from here is stopped at its edge, and no one there can cross over to us. ~Luke 16:25, 26, NLT As we read this discussion between Abraham and the rich man, we must remember that during his life on earth, Abraham was himself a very wealthy man. The rich man is apparently not assigned to the place of torture just because he was wealthy - otherwise Abraham would be the chief of hypocrites! The first sentence above conveys the idea that there was no mercy, no sharing with the poor emanating from the rich man when he lived. At the time, there were no napkins, and people ate with their hands. Typically, the wealthiest of people would use chunks of bread to wipe their hands off after eating. Lazarus had sat at the gates hoping the rich man s servants would throw the scraps to him. That was his greatest hope - to get a scrap of dirty bread! The story tells us that the man lived in great luxury without any thought of his fellow man. His was a life of self absorbed opulence. I think he begins to recognize this and later hopes that Lazarus would return and tell his brothers to repent of their self centered lifestyles. Father, give me eyes to see my own selfishness and any focus on comforting myself rather than caring for others. 8 13
Day Four 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read slowly through Psalm 25. 3. As you think about the rich man and Lazarus, try to objectively look at your life and see how willing you are to share your resources with those who are in need. Day Two Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham. ~Luke 16:22, 23, NLT This story flies in the face of the contemporary theology of Jesus day. The Jews believed that the outward sign of God s blessing was material wealth. In their worldview, poverty and sickness were laid on people because of sin. Jesus gets His audience s attention when He says Lazarus, whose name means God is my help, gets carried by the angels to Abraham s bosom. The rich man is buried and goes to the place of the dead. Abraham s bosom was a paradise where good Jews went after death. Most Jews believed they were destined to go there simply because of their Jewish blood, but also because they were law abiding people. Sheol was the Hebrew place of the dead which carried with it the idea of torment for sinful, or non-jewish people. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Just imagine the surprised looks on the faces of Jesus audience when He said the rich man went to Sheol! And how could a poor, diseased man go to paradise? Jesus flipped everything on it s lid! The rich man went to Sheol because he did not believe the Law and the prophets message about the Messiah. Jesus continually showed the Jews that He came as a fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. What do I believe about the reality of Heaven and Hell? 12 9
Day Three 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Luke 16: 19-31 3. Bring at least three friends or loved ones to the Lord and ask Him to bring them to repentance and faith. Ask Him to show you how you can boldly love them and speak the words of Jesus into their lives. Day Three The rich man shouted, Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in these flames. ~Luke 16:24, NLT The painful message of this parable is that not only is there a paradise for those who follow Jesus, but there is definitely a place set aside for those who do not believe in Him. This parable makes Jesus quite edgy. He s not a sweet little sugar daddy - He s Lord of the universe and refusing Him has eternal consequences! As we observe the rich man in Sheol, the first thing we may wonder is if this place is equivalent to what we call Hell. The brief answer is a definite Yes. The man is in agony. It s hard to read with any level of intellectual honesty. What makes the parable even more difficult is that we see no humility, no confession of sin, and no remorse for his unbelief. He still sees himself as a man of authority and power, and his only request is to get the no longer sick or poor Lazarus to bring him some water. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Take note of how the socio-economic lines are still drawn between him and Lazarus in the afterlife. Though his eternal destiny is sealed, he still thinks he can throw out orders to a man he sees as inferior. Jesus reveals this about the man to show his hard heart, his stubborn will, and his unrepentant attitude - even after being thrown into a place of torture! Father, show me the reality of Heaven and Hell. Grant me a passion to help others come to know You! 10 11