ARE YOU RICH OR POOR? (Outline)
October 11, 2009 --
PENTECOST 19 --
Luke 16:19-30
INTRO: Are you rich or poor? It all depends doesn’t it? The world looks at wealth and prosperity very, very differently from God’s view. The world wants to have lots of things to enjoy on this earth. The Lord wants us to have everything to enjoy in heaven. The riches of this world perish. Heavenly riches endure forever. The writer in Proverbs presents us with an interesting prayer. "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, `Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God" (PROVERBS 30:8,9). Believers recognize God’s gifts as daily bread. Too much and one might forget God. Too little and one might be tempted to steal. We can be thankful the Lord provides always and daily.
ARE YOU RICH OR POOR?
I. Look at the poor, rich man.
II. Be like the rich, poor man.
I. LOOK AT THE POOR, RICH MAN
A. Verse 19. Purple was a sign of royalty. Fine linen was the most expensive cloth.
1. The rich man lived in luxury every day. He enjoyed the finest things as a normal way of life.
2. The rich man had his heaven on earth. Everything on earth comes to an end, verse 22b.
B. Verse 23. The rich man’s death was not the end. He ended up in hell, apart from God and heaven.
1. The rich man was suffering in torment. Hell is a real place. Hell is a real place of suffering.
2. Verse 24. The rich man sought only a drop of water from the tip of a finger. Such torment.
C. Verses 27,28. The rich man pleads for help for his five brothers still living.
1. Verse 29. The word of God is what will save them. The power of God’s word changes hearts.
2. The rich man insists, verse 30. Verse 31. A ghost will not / cannot change their minds.
D. Much like the rich man all too many today seek out miracles, visions, and dreams as proof that God is God. It is still and always will be the powerful, living word of God alone that changes hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. It is only the word of God that is living and active. It is only the word of God that is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. "The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands" (PSALM 119:72,73). The believer is rich whenever the word of God is the center of his/her life. Believers are rich in knowing the answers to life’s troubling questions. Many ask, continually wondering: Where do we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? God’s word makes these hard questions simple. God created us to love and serve here and finally, eternally in heaven.
E. In this world we are not exempt from the temptations and sins of this earthly life. We do not always make God’s word the center of our lives. Believers are constantly attacked by the philosophy and teach-ings of this selfish, sinful world. The worldly message is that money is power. Wealth and success and prosperity have become the gods of this age. "The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful" (MARK 4:19). At times we have choked out God’s word in our lives in the pursuit of the good life in this world. Who among us has not worried about having enough or not enough money? “Seek first God’s kingdom and …”
F. Born with a sinful nature mankind naturally wants to look out only for himself. By nature, mankind pursues everything that is pleasing to his sinful desires with very little thought for others. The American dream is to have one’s own heaven here on earth. Yet, the riches of this world offer not one eternal answer that the soul of man deeply desires and truly needs. "People who want to get rich fall into tempta-tion and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction" (1 TIMOTHY 6:9). There is nothing at all wrong with wealth, prosperity, or money. It is the sinful desire to get rich that “plunge men into ruin and destruction”. Please check out 1 TIMOTHY, chapter 6.
ARE YOU RICH OR POOR? Man thinks believers are poor.
Faith makes believers rich toward God!
II. BE LIKE THE POOR, RICH MAN
A. Our text points out the drastic differences between the rich man and the beggar, verses 19,20.
1. What is the name of the rich man? It is not listed. The name of the beggar is Lazarus.
2. God knew the name of the poor beggar. (This Lazarus is not the brother of Mary and Martha.)
3. Verse 21. The life of Lazarus was not pleasant at all. He waited for crumbs. Dogs licked him.
B. Verse 22. Lazarus died and was welcomed into God’s kingdom of heaven. The rich man was buried.
C. Verse 26. Man dies once and then faces the judgment. Heaven is a very real place. So is hell.
1. In hell there is only eternal agony and torment. There is separation from God and believers.
2. There is no travel between the two places of eternal destiny. Man’s time of grace has ended.
D. Are you rich or poor? Many felt the rich man had everything. Many did not even consider the poor man, Lazarus, as even having an existence. Lazarus lay at the gate while others stepped around him. So today, the wealthy consider those with less than themselves as poor people. The rich have very little time or use for those considered to be lower than their social standing. What good is it for anyone to gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul? "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" (JAMES 2:5). The eyes of this world might consider humble, quiet Christians as poor. The Lord looks at the least in this world as the greatest in the kingdom of God. Believers are rich toward God.
E. Granted, at times this life can seem unfair. Life offers many challenges that all of us face at one time or another. We might look at our lives longing for something better than what we already have. We might even feel that we deserve much more than what we already have. As a believer you do have much more than you ever deserve. "Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory"(ROMANS 8:17). By grace God has made us his children. By grace God has given us an inheritance in heaven. This inheritance can never, perish, spoil, or fade. God’s promise of an inheritance is absolutely guaranteed. We also share in Jesus’ sufferings. This does not necessarily mean we will have to suffer like Jesus. But we share in Jesus’ sufferings by knowing of them. We know Jesus went to Jerusalem to be crucified and rise again.
F. It is only by God’s grace that we are saved. It is only by God’s grace that we have been made rich. It is only by God’s word that we learn of God’s grace. The world tries to distract believers with wealth, riches, power, and glory. BUT it is the Lord alone who can offer us all things needful. Not only does the Lord God Almighty offer each of us everything needful, God also provides us everything needful. "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" (EPHESIANS 1:18,19). God’s great power provides glorious riches in heaven, forever!
CONC.: ARE YOUR RICH OR POOR? Look at the rich man. He had everything yet ended with nothing forever. Look at Lazarus, a poor beggar whose sores were licked by dogs. The Lord God Almighty knew Lazarus by name. He seemed to have nothing yet ended up with everything forever. Neither one deserved anything on earth or in heaven. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 CORINTHIANS 8:9). Christ left his royal throne in heaven and lived on earth in poverty. By the poverty of Jesus we have been made, actually are rich – beyond all imagination. ARE YOU RICH OR POOR? God declares every believer rich. That is all that matters. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENTECOST 19 rdgs:
NUMBERS 11:16,24-29;
JAMES 4:7-12;
MARK 9:38-50;
(PSALM 51)
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