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Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Luke 16 – Strive to Enter the Kingdom of God

Friday, 17th November 2023

Pastor Jason Wang

The kingdom of God requires hard work to enter, and it must be entered with all your might, with all your strength, without hesitation, and with all your strength.

1. Children of light must be wise (v.1-13)

This passage tells about a rich man’s steward who was discovered to have wasted his master’s money and was about to be fired. To plan for the future, he called all the people who owed the master debts before leaving and discounted their debts. He hoped that they would be able to accommodate him when he was not working.

“The master praised the unjust steward for his cleverness. For the sons of this world are wiser in worldly matters than the sons of light.” (v.8) The master appreciated his intelligence, knowing that his time was limited, and how to protect his future generations, make arrangements and make friends. The steward knows how to manage unrighteous money. Any money that does not belong to God is unrighteous. He knows how to use it to prepare a way out for himself. We are all Christians saved by grace, and if we are smart enough, we should spend the next few decades working toward eternity. We must be wise, knowing that there will be rewards in eternity.

“Again I say to you, make friends through unrighteous money, so that when it becomes useless they will receive you into an everlasting tabernacle.” (v.9) When we leave the world, we come to the place where money has no use. At that time, will we enter the eternal kingdom? We must know how to use money according to God’s will.

“If you have been unfaithful with unjust money, who will entrust you with real money?” (v.11) The original word “real money” is just “real”, which means that money will pass away, what God said “Reality” can be put into eternity. If all the fake ones are messed up, how can the real ones be given to us? If we cannot faithfully handle money that cannot be taken away after death, then how can we be entrusted with the eternal reality?

“But if you have been unfaithful in regard to what is other people’s, who will give you what is your own?” (v.12) When we come before God, which one thing can be said to be ours? Not at all. In fact, “other people’s” belongs to God, and we don’t have anything. “My own things” refers to things that can be carried to eternity and are given by God. For example, in the Book of Revelation, the twenty-four elders presented crowns to God (Revelation 4:10). In heaven, God gave golden crowns. Give them what they receive in eternity, which is heavenly, and then they offer it to God. This is a gift from heaven, and nothing on earth is ours. During the decades on earth, we must be loyal, be smart, plan for the future, be good stewards of money, and do what God has entrusted us with, so that we can have our own share in heaven.

2. Everyone must vigorously enter the kingdom of God (v.14-18)

“The Pharisees were lovers of money, and when they heard all these things they laughed at Jesus.” (v.14) They thought that prosperity was a blessing from God. However, Jesus said: “The law and the prophets ended with John, and from then on the gospel of the kingdom of God was preached, and everyone strives to enter.” (v.16) In the past, the knowledge or entrance to salvation seemed to be guarded by the Pharisees. They can understand and interpret the Bible, but now, everyone can understand the kingdom of God and work hard to enter it. The original text of “effort” refers to trying your best throughout your life to enter the kingdom of God. Salvation is free, but it is actually because Jesus paid the price. He died for us so that we should walk in the path He took, take up the cross, and leave everything to follow Him, because Jesus left everything to redeem our lives. We must focus and do our best to follow His footsteps and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

3. Children of this world, repent quickly (v.19-31)

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple robes and fine linen, and lived luxuriously every day.” (v.19) This rich man felt that he was good, and as he was a descendant of Abraham, he should have no problem being saved, so he focused on his own affairs and had no regard for others. mercy. After his death, he suffered great pain in Hades. In pain, he prayed to Abraham and asked him to ask Lazarus to give him a drink of water (v.20-24). We think that there is nothing after death, but in fact it just goes to another state, either in the lake of fire forever, or with God.

Abraham answered the rich man and said, “There is a great chasm between you and me, so that no one can pass from here to you, nor can anyone pass from there to us.” (v. 26) “The rich man said, ‘My father, then, I pray you, send Lazarus to my father’s house;’” (v.27) “Abraham said, ‘Unless you obey the voice of Moses and the prophets, one will rise from the dead. , and they did not listen.” (v.31) This implies that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was of no use to the Pharisees. Although the Pharisees preached the words of Moses and the prophets, they themselves did not listen. Here we talk about the real conditions of hell, which are very painful.

Everything on earth is short-lived. We must be smart and wise to spend decades in exchange for eternity in heaven. And with all our strength, it is very worthwhile.