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Luke 16 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

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  Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
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  Testament. In each episode, we take just a
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  few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New Testament,
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  exploring the truths God is teaching us through His Word and
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  expanding our view of who He is. Before you listen, make sure
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  you've gone straight to the source, either by reading
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  today's chapter of the Bible yourself or listening to today's
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  read along episode in this podcast feed.
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  If you haven't done that yet, feel free to pause and do that
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  now. When you're ready, let's dive
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  into God's Word together. In Luke chapter 16, Jesus tells
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  the story of an unnamed rich man and a poor man named Lazarus.
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  On the surface these two have nothing in common, but the
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  parable puts them on common ground in that, as humans do,
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  both of them die. Listen to this story as Jesus
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  tells it. Now there was a rich man, and he
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  habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in
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  splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was
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  laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed
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  with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's
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  table. Besides, even the dogs were
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  coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was
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  carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom.
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  And the rich man also died and was buried in Hades.
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  He lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far
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  away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said,
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  Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may
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  dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue,
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  for I am in agony in this flame. But Abraham said, Child,
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  remember that during your life you received your good things,
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  and likewise Lazarus bad things. But now he is being comforted
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  here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between US
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  and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to
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  come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may
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  crossover from there to us. And he said, Then I beg you,
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  father, that you send him to my father's house, for I have 5
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  brothers, in order that he may warn them, so that they will not
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  also come to this place of torment.
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  But Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets let them hear
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  them, but he said no father Abraham.
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  But if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.
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  But he said to him, if they do not listen to Moses and the
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  prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises
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  from the dead. Now there's a lot that could be
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  impact in this story, but I want to show you 2 main takeaways.
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  First, we see a contrast between the rich man and Lazarus.
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  One lived for himself in this life.
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  The rich man lived in splendor every day.
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  He did not seek what was eternal, rather he lived for his
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  own temporal pleasure. Meanwhile, Lazarus experienced
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  pain, sorrow, and suffering in this life.
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  But we see from the text that despite his suffering, his faith
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  and hope were in God. The rich man's comfort and
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  pleasure passed away at his death.
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  His short time on earth ran out, and there was nothing left for
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  him but torment and agony. Meanwhile, Lazarus endured his
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  suffering and faith and received the reward of faith and eternity
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  with God. Which path will we choose?
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  Will we pursue our own comfort and pleasure here and now,
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  comfort that will pass away? Or will we pursue God no matter
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  our circumstances and seek a reward that will last throughout
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  eternity? Secondly, I don't want you to
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  miss this. Look at the rich man's response
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  after his death. He wants to go back to warn his
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  brothers of the torment that awaits them if they do not
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  repent. He pleads with Abraham that
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  Lazarus might go to tell his brothers of what's coming for
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  them, but Abraham refuses. He tells him they have Moses and
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  the prophets. Let them hear them.
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  Here is the reality. We live in a world that is
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  largely rejecting God, a world that is refusing the truth of
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  the gospel in large part. But listen to the testimony of
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  those in hell, the ones who have been eternally separated from
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  God. They are begging that someone
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  might go and tell their loved ones of the hope that can be
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  found in Jesus. They're pleading that their
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  loved ones might turn from their selfishness and arrogance and
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  trust in Christ. Heed their testimony.
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  Do not seek your own in this life.
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  Seek Christ and proclaim Him. Spread the news of Jesus
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  salvation throughout your spheres of influence while there
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  is yet time. Implore your brothers and
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  sisters and friends and neighbors to repent.
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  Implore them with your words. Implore them with your actions.
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  This life is a vapor. Don't waste it and.