In this Bible Story, Jesus speaks of generosity through the story of a glutinous rich man and a poor beggar. The rich man gorged on his wealth with no attention to the sick and cold beggar right at his door. As a result, the rich man suffered when he died, but the poor man was restored. This story is inspired by Luke 16:19-31. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is Luke 16:25 from the King James Version.
Episode 199: Another time as Jesus was teaching His disciples He told them the story of an ignorant rich man and a pitiable beggar. The rich man was selfish and indifferent to the suffering of the poor beggar that lived in front of his gate. When they died, it was Lazarus, the poor beggar, that was in the home of Abraham enjoying the good things he missed out on in life, while the rich man was in Hades tormented by hunger and thirst. Though the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family about this, he refused saying they have The Word of God already to warn them, if they don’t listen to this, they won't listen to anything else.
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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard
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Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn
Let us pray. But Abraham said, son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Luke sixteen twenty five. When I look at everything You've blessed me with in my life, Lord, I stand in awe and reverence at all the times You've come through for me, and for all the times you've lavished me with provision. As I think about to day's story from Luke, I'm reminded through the life of the rich Glutton that the purpose for blessing is to be a blessing to others. May my life be first known by my love for you God, then second by the generosity I lived by. With every new year, I will not ask how how much I can make. I will ask instead how much I can give. With this paradigm shift, I acknowledge that blessing and abundance are a by product of my generous heart. For the life of the stingy gets smaller and smaller, while the life of the generous gets larger and larger. Because I am a change agent, I am always in tune with the needs of your children Lord, whether time, talents, or treasures, I will give where I can because You've blessed me so much. In Jesus's name. Amen, thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com.
The Rich Glutton and Poor Lazarus. In our last story, we learned about Jesus's provision over Peter's taxes. Jesus also gave a stiff warning to those who would threaten the innocence.
Of a child.
Now we hear a story told by Jesus, a story that has an eternal lesson with great consequences, as inspired by the Gospels.
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year. In our previous episode, we heard how Jesus taught Peter about the freedom we have as children of God, and we discovered the upside down nature of God's kingdom, where the way up is down, where humility and servanthood is a strength rather than a weakness. So today we'll hear as Jesus tells a story that reveals more of God's heart and speaks to the eternal implications of our faith. In this life and in the life to come. Let's listen now to the Gospel.
Jesus sat among his disciples by the fire. The coals glowed under the darkness above them. They ate beside the flames, and Jesus told them parables and stories to illustrate heavenly meaning. There was once a wealthy man. He was clothed in fine linens, fat and content. He lavished in his chambers, consuming fine meats and cheeses to fill his gullet. Crumbs littered the floor of his dining hall and were picked up by the dogs and rats. His wealth made him comfortable, His comfort made him lazy, and his laziness made him selfish. Only a few yards away, at the gates of the rich man's property was a poor man named Lazarus. He laid at the gate, nursing the sores on his feet. Lazarus was hungry, thin, and sickly. Every night he would dream of feasting on the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Every day, the rich man would pass by him, belly full in eyes forward. Lazarus was invisible to the wealthy man. The only companions he had were the dogs that licked the sores on his feet. On one cold and dark evening, Lazarus was shivering outside the gate. He lay on his side, eyes fixed on the warm fire that could be seen from the window. Lazarus could see the rich man gorging himself on fruits, meats, and bread. His bones quivered from the frosty night. As Lazarus lay on the cold ground, his heart began to beat slower and slower, until eventually he drifted off into a deep sleep. That night, alone and hungry, Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man died not too long after, no doubt, due to his plutony. However, he was not embraced by angels. Rather, he was cast out into the dark depths of Hades. There he was tormented with hunger and thirst. In his discomfort, the rich man cried out to Abraham, saying, Father, Abraham, have mercy on me. Then he peered into the light above. In the windows of Abraham's house, he could see Lazarus drinking the cool water of heaven and feasting. Please, the rich man shouted, send Lazarus to dip his finger in the water, so I might have one drop. But Abraham shook his head and said, remember your life, my child. Remember that you received only good things and shared none of it, but Lazarus only received bad. Now he dwells in comfort, and you are the one who suffers. The once rich man anguished in his hunger and pain, he looked up to Abraham, gasping for every breath. Please, Father, send Lazarus to my family's home, war my father and brothers of this punishment. Abraham shook his head again and said, they have the prophets in Moses to guide them in how to live and treat others, just as you did. But if someone were to come from the dead and warn them, perhaps they would listen. The man responded, Abraham began to shut the gates between them and said, if they were unwilling to listen to the word of God himself, surely they would not be convinced if someone rose from the dead. And with those words, the rich man was shut away forever.
Today's scripture begins with Jesus telling the disciples a story. It's a parable. It's interesting to note that of all the parables Jesus told, this one is unique in that he named one of the characters. It was a man named Lazarus. The meaning of this man's name is God Will Help, which may seem an odd choice given the man's condition. Lazarus, you see, had nothing and no one. He lived in hunger, cold, and pain. Dogs would come to lick his swords, surely compounding his pain, his suffering, and his humiliation. Why would such a man be given a name like God Will Help? Lazarus lived outside the gates of a rich man's home. He isn't given a name, that is, the rich man is not given a name. But it seems he has everything that he needs, the best clothes made of fine linen, and delicious, sumptuous food to enjoy. But as we all know, death is no respect of wealth, or position or power. And so one day Jesus said, both of the men died, and just as in life, their condition could not have been more different. Their condition and death was polar opposite of one another. Lazarus went to the bosom of Abraham, a place of rest for those who followed God and obeyed his commandments. In an instant, his life was changed. The hunger, the thirst, the pain was gone, and he entered a place of peace and comfort. This is like heaven. The rich man, however, went to Hades, where he lived in punishment and pain outside of Paradise. Jesus then said, the rich man called from his place of torment to Abraham, asking for just a bit of comfort. If Lazarth could just dip his finger in water and place just to drop on his tongue, to get one moment of respite from his anguish and torment, this, my friends, is hell. Of course, it is impossible for him to be comforted in hell. Abraham reminded the man of the comfort and pleasures he enjoyed in life, and the suffering that the other man, the poor man Lazarus, had endured. Though Abraham did not say so specifically, we can understand that in life this man was indifferent to the pain of others. Surely he would have seen and even heard Lazarus outside his gates, and yet he nor no one else provided for the poor man. The only comfort Lazarus had was God's comfort. Indeed, as his name suggests, God will help. Abraham also pointed out that there was a great chasm separating the two places, reaching him would simply be impossible. At this point, he was beyond hope. You see, we are all separated from God by this great divide in life. There is only one who can cross it, and that one is Jesus, who brings us to the Father. He died on a cross to bridge the chasm between heaven and Hell. He bridges the separation between us and God, just as it was true for the rich man in death. There is no hope for those who have rejected God, those who have turned their back on Jesus. The choice is made and fate is final. This is why we must be so urgent and sharing the Gospel, the good news of Jesus with our friends and family, and even strangers we meet who are separated from God and need the hope that we know in Christ. The rich man then made another request, if Lazrath could just return to his family's home and warn them that they might not come to this terrible place of separation from God. He was desperate to save his loved ones from this eternal fate, but it was too late. Abraham then replied that they have Moses and the prophets, that they should listen to them. That wasn't enough for this man. He protested, saying that if someone could just return from the dead, they would repent for you and me. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see the foreshadowing of this statement, and we can understand the hard truth in Abraham's response. For in Luke sixteen thirty one we read 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 knew that he himself would one day soon die and then rise from the dead, and many who had failed to see God's truth pointing them to the Law and the prophets would also fail to believe in him, even though he rose from the grave. Ultimately, Lazarus name reminds us, Yes, God will help. He'll help us in this life to find comfort even in the most dire and deathly of circumstances. And He's provided the true help, the everlasting help. We need, the Savior who can open Heaven's doors with nail scarred hands through his death and resurrection. But we must believe in him by repenting of our sin and putting our faith in Christ and Christ's alone. He is the help we need. He is the hope that we have in this life and in the life to come. And if you want this brand new life, why not where you are right now, bow your head and pray a prayer like this. Dear God, I thank you for loving me, for sending your son into the world to be my savior. I believe Jesus that you died and rose again and that you're coming again for me. And I trust you as my Lord and my savior. Lord. I give you my heart. I will follow you by the power of your spirit all the days of my life.
Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Prey dot com app and make prayer a priority in your life, just like over twenty million people have done to this date. If you enjoy this podcast, share it with someone you know and love, because by sharing this message of the Word of God, you can make an eternal difference in someone's life. And I want to encourage you to go to Jack Graham dot org. That's me at Jack Graham dot org. We have resources available to you and we're also taking a trip two trips next year, one to Israel, leaving April first, and then in an Alaskan adventure and Bible study cruise in July of twenty twenty four. You can go to our website Jack Graham dot org or Prestonwood that's p R E S t O n WO D dot org Prestonwood dot org for information about the trip to Israel and the cruise to Alaska. God bless you, and we look forward to joining you again the next time. This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.