King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Monday, October 28, 2024
Chapters: Luke Chapters 16-17
Message: In The Days of Noah
Hello My Friend,
This time last year I set out to start an online bakery that would lead to a food truck that not only provided fresh baked goods that were nearly allergy free, but the Gospel as well. I am no more closer to that happening than I was last year, other than I did develop a few good recipes. Life, had a way of getting in the way of my plans, and once again I am reminded that God has the plan and sometimes that plan includes some suffering. Now, there will come a day when we as saved, born again Christians will never have to suffer again, but that cannot be said for those who are not saved. In fact, things are going to become quite atrocious for them. Jesus, warned what would happen when He reveals Himself to the entire world.
[Luke 17:26-30 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.]
When the Son of man, Jesus Christ Himself, is revealed from heaven in flaming fire, in all His glorious power, and when He returns to avenge Himself of the Jews and everyone else who rejected Him, all will know who He is. And here is the thing, He will return when they least expect it. Yesterday, we learn of three parables that Jesus spoke that had been addressed to the Pharisees and scribes in the presence of the publicans and sinners, and of the disciples. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, still speaking to the same crowd, Jesus, focuses His attention on the disciples, speaking a powerful parable.
[Luke 16:1-4 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. 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. 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. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.]
[give an account of thy stewardship;] Each and every saved, born again Christian will give an account to what they did with the gift of eternal life given to them. If we have been careless with such a great gift, while we can do nothing about yesterday we still have today to use it for good, [Romans 14:11-12 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.]
Well, from the sound of it, the steward was guilty of being careless with his employers goods, but there was still some chance that if he could redeem himself so he came up with a plan that actually worked.
[Luke 16:5-9 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 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. 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. 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.]
[Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.] The debt we owe for our sin is so much more than what we can afford to pay, in fact, we could never earn enough to pay it off. This is why Jesus paid that debt for us, it does not matter how much sin debt we have on our account, Jesus paid it all, and now those who accept Him as their Saviour are one hundred percent debt free, [1 Corinthians 7:22-23 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.]
[the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely:] While his employer did not condone what he did, he did have respect for what he had done in that he was able to recover some of what was lost. Believe it or not, Christians, can learn a lot from the world in how they do business, while it is not ideal to live like they do, they are a prime example of the perseverance and dedication that we as Christians often lack when we get too comfortable in our salvation, [Hebrews 6:9-11 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:]
Whenever I read this it always convicts me because I can get careless with the things I am given. In fact, just this morning even before I read this I asked God to show me what I needed to do so that He could trust me with the extra money that is coming. Jesus, concludes the parable with the reminder that if we cannot be trusted with the world’s riches, God, may not trust us with His true riches.
[Luke 16:11-13 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 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.]
[ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,] The true riches that we receive through our using what God has given us cannot compare to anything that we will receive from the world. However, if we continuously take for granted what we are given here, we cannot expect God to trust us with more. While we cannot lose our salvation, we can lose out on many earthly blessings. Now, when the Pharisees heard this they actually got kind of defensive, but Jesus calls them out.
[Luke 16:14-17 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 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. 16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.]
[it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.] In other words, they can destroy as many prophets as God sends, but heaven and earth will be destroyed before even one of the prophecies spoken from His Word does not come to pass. They can deny the truth, and they can attempt to destroy the book that contains the truth, but nothing will stop what has been written from coming to pass. To prove His point, Jesus speaks a parable.
[Luke 16:19-23 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 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. 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; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.]
[the rich man also died, and was buried;] It is often wondered why those who are saved suffer and die before the unsaved, but the truth is that Jesus is giving them time to come to their senses. However, that time is limited, once the door is shut there is no getting in, [Luke 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:]
[carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:] Until Christ’s passion and all those saved prior would go up to heaven when He arose, it is said they were carried into Abraham’s bosom, which was a phrase well known to the Jews, commonly expressed as the happiness of the future state in what is also called paradise, [Luke 23:42-43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.]
Did you notice that the rich man’s name is not mentioned, but the rich man sees and knows who Abraham and Lazarus is? Point blank, it does not matter what family we came from or how much money we have, we are going die, but those who are not saved will be cast straight into hell and nothing and no one can change that. Jesus, goes on to explain how and why it is not possible for someone in hell to get saved.
[Luke 16:24-26 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. 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. 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.]
[between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:] The man wanted Lazarus to be sent down to him, it is no wonder why he was in hell, he would rather risk the soul of another to save his own. This is also a reminder that those who are not saved are not known to God, but those who are have their names written in the book of life, [Revelation 20:12,14-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.]
Can you imagine being burned over your entire body with no relief? I have gotten sunburn over much of my body and that was torment enough. I believe that what is more tormenting to those in hell is not the fire continuously engulfing them, it is seeing Jesus and knowing that they had to opportunity to be saved, but rejected Him. Well, the rich man thought that if he could not be helped, then perhaps his brothers could so he begs for him to send Lazarus back to warn them.
[Luke 16:27-31 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 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.]
[but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.] Those who reject Jesus will never be persuaded to believe in Him, even if they saw someone come back from the dead Why? It is all about their faith in God. Do you know how many unsaved people today recover from something life threatening and yet all they account to as it being some medical miracle? Millions. The point that Jesus is making here is that everyone is going to die in their flesh, but the soul is eternal and will end up in one of two places, heaven or hell. Regardless of what choice we make, we will spend eternity somewhere, [John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.]
Now, with that said, there are so many saved, born again Christians living their lives without the Saviour being prominent in them, they really have nothing to show for their faith, not even their salvation yet God continues to bless them. Then there are His faithful who attempt to do everything they can to keep Him at the center of their lives, suffering through things they would not wish on their enemies. They are left to wonder what the point is to living by faith when they still suffer. Well, Jesus has an answer for that too.
[Luke 17:1-4 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! 2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.]
[Take heed to yourselves:] In other words, Jesus, is telling us to stay faithful to Him, we are better off facing Him having suffered for things that we have not done rather than suffer for sinful things. There is some hope thrown in there if we do suffer with sin, we are forgiven as long as we are repentant. There is also something else, while God’s faithful are definitely worthy of their labor we should not expect any compensation for doing what we ought to be doing anyway. Jesus, explains this through a parable.
[Luke 17:7-10 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.]
[we have done that which was our duty to do.] Way too many “Christians” appear to be faithful to Christ in order to get rich, which is why Jesus said that we cannot love Him and the riches of the world at the same time, one will overtake the other, [1 Timothy 6:17-19 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.]
Now, to prove that the majority of people will not believe someone who had risen from the dead in order to be saved, Luke, recalls when ten men who were leprous came to Jesus to be healed. While they all wanted to be healed and were glad to be healed, only one returned to Jesus to thank Him.
[Luke 17:12-19 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 9 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.]
[Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.] Do you see what the difference is? While Jesus healed them all physically, the only one who got saved was the one who acknowledged that He healed him. This is an illustration that one out of ten people, who believe in God will actually acknowledge Christ as their Saviour. Today, that number is more like one out of one hundred thousand, and I am not exaggerating when I say that because we closer than ever to Jesus returning, [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.]
Now, we may not know the hour, but we will be given some signs as to prepare ourselves for when that day comes. As for the lost, they may want to be saved from their judgment, but very few will because they will not trust that Christ is the only escape. Jesus, goes on to explain this to the Pharisees who demanded that if He knew everything about God, that He tell them when His kingdom would come.
[Luke 17:20-24 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.]
[behold, the kingdom of God is within you.] You see, there are two things that await us when we believe in and receive Jesus as our Saviour, the Kingdom of God, which is not a physical place, but a spiritual place within every believer. And second, the physical Kingdom in which all believers will dwell and Christ will reign. Jesus, goes on to explain this, but this time it was not a parable.
[Luke 17:34-37 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.]
[Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.] In other words, those who are not saved, will be like a decaying animal, dead on the side of the road, whose stench rises up into the heavens. We need to understand that we are going to be persecuted, we are going to be derided, we are going to be looked like fools for Christ, but in the end, they are the fools for denying Christ when they had to opportunity to accept Him, [Revelation 21:7-8 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Luke 17:18-19 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You, for taking my place on the cross and dying the death that I deserved. Because of my faith in what You did for me, I am saved from hell, and the torment that I rightfully deserve. Because of You, I was made me whole, and it does not matter if this time in my life brings suffering, I know that one day I will suffer no more. There will be no more pain, no more tears, and I will be right there beside you. Lord, Lead us and guide us, fill us with Your mercy, grace, and protection from the worlds evils. Give us Your strength, Your words, and Your Light to shine upon the world so that we might lead some to You, even if we reach just one. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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