Here is a teaching on chapter 16 of the book of Luke. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
I did want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please open up our eyes, our ears, our hearts, and our minds to you Lord. Holy Spirit please guide us and help us to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and live by the truth. I pray that whatever it is that each person is supposed to receive from this Bible study, they receive it and implement it in their daily lives. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Luke Chapter 16:
1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “ ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and money.”
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.
So the rich man was going to fire the manager because he was cheating him. He was being dishonest and not handling the man's possessions properly. So the manager called and got his master's debtors to settle their debt and he made friends with them by settling their accounts for less than they owed, The word "shrewd" means having sharp powers of judgment. So the master commended his
manager for this because he acted shrewdly. In verse 9, we have to use our money wisely, give to others, and not have a love for money but use it for good.
In verses 10-12, we have to be honest and trustworthy with everything that we have and receive. How can we be trusted with true riches in heaven if we're not trustworthy with worldly wealth (which is money and materialistic things)? So we have to always be honest and trustworthy with everything that we receive because everything that we have is given to us by God. In verse 13, as Christians and as believers of Jesus Christ we have to serve and love God. We can't love God and money both. Money should only be used as a tool to further the calling that God has placed on our hearts and to help and serve others.
In verses In verses 14-15, these Pharisees were full of greed, the love of money, love for this world, and their hearts were full of evil and God could see what was in their hearts. What Jesus says in verse 15, "what is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight," because men or people value money, greed, worldly and materialistic things, and pride but the thing that we should be valuing the most is our relationship with God. So the worldly things that people value are detestable in the sight of God.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
So in verses 16-17, until the time of John the Baptist, the law and the prophets were proclaimed. Since that time the good news of the covenant was presented. With the new covenant that is made when Jesus dies on the cross for our sins. It fulfills the law and prophets. In verse 17, the new aspect of God's work that started after John the Baptist didn't neglect the law but fulfilled it. God knew that these people were full of evil and corruption and there were so many laws and different things that they had to abide by that they weren't abiding by and they still were forgetting the most important thing which is loving God and having a relationship with him. So Jesus came on the earth and was on a mission to save lives and with him dying on the cross and with his blood shed to forgive us of our sins there was a new covenant and his work was completed once he was crucified, then he was resurrected, and then he ascended back to heaven.
In verses 18-19, he's showing here that the law concerning marriage was still binding. This was anyone who divorces without Biblical cause. In Matthew 5:31-32 Jesus says, "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery." Also in Matthew 19:7-9, it says, Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." Also in 1 Corinthians 7:15, the apostle Paul says, "But if the unbeliever leaves, let him so do. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace." So in the verses above, those are the only Biblical causes for divorce.
Oh hey friend, sorry to interrupt this blog post, but I just wanted to remind you guys that "Christ Transforms Me," my 90-day journal is available for purchase on Amazon. Until further notice, all of the money that I receive from the purchases of that journal will be donated for the disaster relief of the people that were affected by the tornadoes that hit my hometown in Kentucky. To learn more about the journal or to purchase one, go to www.faithfuelsmyfire.com/journal
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Alright, so those are all of the verses of chapter 16 of the book of Luke, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So this rich man had an abundance of things and he didn't have compassion for the beggar, Lazarus. This rich man was full of pride and greed and he didn't want to help those in need. In verses 22-23, we see that the rich man was in hell and Lazarus was in heaven with father Abraham. The rich man didn't love God because when you love God then you have love and compassion for others. In verse 24, the rich man wanted Lazarus to come and have compassion for him even though he didn't have compassion for Lazarus, but it was too late because the rich man was already in hell. In verse 26, no one can go to heaven that is already in hell and no one can go to hell that is already in heaven.
We have to make sure that we are having compassion for others, loving and serving others, and we can't chase after an abundance of money and materialistic things, but we have to love and serve others. When we are given a lot of things by God and we have wealth we have to share that wealth with others, have compassion for them, and help others in need. Our true treasure is in heaven and we can't love this world and be full of greed and pride.
In verses 27-28, the rich man wanted Lazarus to be sent to his family so that they won't go to hell also. In verses 29-31, Moses and the prophets spoke the truth of God's words and the rich man's brothers had all the information they needed to escape hell. The rich man knew that his brothers wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets and if they are not going to listen to them then they are not going to listen to someone that raises from the dead either.
Here are 3 takeaways to write down:
1. We can't love money or materialistic things
2. The new covenant fulfills the law and prophets
3. We have to help those in need
Luke Ch 16 Study Guide
In verses 5-7, why did the manager settle their debt for less than they owed?
Why should we be honest & trustworthy with everything that we receive?
What should money be to us?
What fulfilled the law and prophets?
What are the Biblical causes for divorce?
Did the rich man love God? Why or why not?
Why did the rich man want Lazarus to go to his brothers?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 16 of the Book of Luke. Tomorrow we're going to go into chapter 17, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights