Luke 16:1-17:10

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

October 15, 2011


 *MAR 8 - LUKE 16:1-17:10 - PARABLES: SNARE OF RICHES*


 *1. 16:8 (16:1-13) RICHES A HINDRANCE TO SERVING GOD. “And the lord
commended the steward of :unrighteousness for doing wisely: for the sons of
this :age are for their :own :generation wiser than the sons of the light.”
*We are to be as prudent and zealous in our service for You Father, as the
steward in this parable for this age. We apply the principles of Your
Kingdom to our daily lives. *Hallowed be your :name.*


 *2. 16:14. RICHES: DESIRED BY THE COVETOUS. “And the Pharisees, being
lovers of money, heard all these things; and scoffed at him.” *Why is it
that the religiously scrupulous people are so worldly-minded concerning
riches? Father, deliver us from greed! *Your :kingdom come!*


 *3. 16:16 (16:15-18) RICHES: LIKE ADULTERY. “The law and the prophets
wereuntil John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of :God is
preached,
and every one enters violently into it.” *This Good News is like the pearl
of great price, for which a man sold all that he had to possess it. It is
like the treasure hid in a field. These things come to us when we put Your
Kingdom first. *Your :will be done, As in heaven, so on earth.*


 *4. 16:31 (16:19-31) RICHES: CONTRASTED WITH LAZARUS. “And he [Abraham]
said to him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, if one rise from the dead.” *Father, forgive us that we so often
place more importance upon signs and wonders - than upon Your written word.
O may we feed on Your Word, until we are saturated and soaked in it, until
it drops from our head to our heart, and until we know that man does
*not*live by bread alone, but by
*every* word that proceeds out of the mouth of God! *Our :daily :bread Give
us this day!*


 *5. 17:3 (17:1-4) OFFENCES: CANCELLED BY FORGIVENESS. “Take heed to
yourselves: if your :brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive
him.” *We *are* our brother's keeper, Father; You in *Jesus* have made us
so. Yet it is redemptive in Your sight, leading to repentance and
restoration. May we always deal with one another in Kingdom spirit, careful
lest we fall in similar manner. *And forgive us our :debts, As we also have
forgiven our :debtors.*


 *6. 17:5-6 LITTLE FAITH: GROWS BY USE. “And the apostles said to the Lord,
Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If you have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, you would say to this :sycamine tree, Be rooted up, and be
planted in the sea; and it would obey you.” *It takes the obedience of faith
to both confront and forgive. The attitude of continual forgivness is the
victory, which grows out of unconditional love. *And bring us not into
temptation.*


 *7. 17:10 (17:7-10) HUMILITY: MAKES SERVICE ACCEPTABLE. “So you also, when
you shall have done all the things commanded you, say [that], We are
unprofitable bondmen; we have done what was our duty to do.” *Father, help
us to *ever* maintain this attitude. We can add nothing to Your Atoning work
that grants merit to us; nor do our good works add to our importance. We
acknowledge Your right alone in this. *But deliver us from the evil one!*


 *NOTE**: 16:13 (16:1-13) RICHES VERSUS GOD. “No domestic can serve two
lords: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will
hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” *We
see the analogy Jesus is making here, Father. We submit to His application.


 For many, this is an objectionable insight. It causes scoffing today, just
as it did among the Pharisees of Jesus' day. And our day is so oriented to
making money and riches, especially in America! And Jesus makes clear that
riches in themselves are not evil - it is the *love* of money that is our
enemy. There are and always have been those that have made their wealth a
blessing to God and His Kingdom. It is that subtle shift into a *love* of
this wealth - that becomes such an enemy to us.


 It is the entire 16th chapter of Luke that majors on this insidious danger.
Luke 17:1-10 strikes out in a different direction. Here our Lord sets before
us our need to forsake the bad spirit of Cain - and to become our brother's
keeper! When our brother sins, we *are* responsible to rebuke him. It is
parallel to disciplining our children, which to the liberal mind is so
unpleasant. But from God's point of view, both these areas are necessary. We
are responsible and guilty if we fail here - for God chastises *every* son
He receives! He sets us the *correct* example!


 And Jesus shows how little faith - when exercised - grows into greater
faith. Start out with what you have! Bloom where you are planted! Increase
comes when we accept what we have - and *use* it!


 And lastly in this section - we are to understand that *all* we have is a
gift from God - both natural and spiritual. When we effectively make use of
all of our gifts - this for us is *not* for our glory or credit. We are
merely exercising the talents given to us by God, and to give back to Him
all the glory! God says through Isaiah - “*My Glory* I will *not* give to
another!” Holy Ann learned this through trying to reward a chicken that
merely obeyed God! Let us then make sure that whatever success God gives us
in the exercise of *His* gifts - *all* the credit in this - and all the
glory - *must* be returned to Him!


 And our Psalm for the day: *68:18 (68:1-36) GOD SHALL SCATTER HIS ENEMIES.
“You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving
gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell
there.” *How this ascribes praise unto You, O great Jehovah Father! In
Christ You have blessed man with gifts, and given him dominion. You have
made him Your habitation! J.A.Watt



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