The Bryce Crawford Podcast - Luke Series Chapter 16 (EP 70)

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

In this episode, Bryce breaks down Luke Chapter 16.

What's going on, guys. Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce, and today we're on Luke chapter 15, day 16 of the 24-day Luke challenge where every day we're reading the chapter of Luke. So by the time you get to Christmas Eve, you would have read the whole gospel of Luke. Guys, we're getting so close to the end. That's been such a fun podcast time. Before we get into it, guys, January 19th, 6 p.m. First ever live podcast show. Go get your tickets at Jesusendestree.org slash tickets. It's in Los Angeles. I want every one of you guys there. So come out. It's going to be a fun time. It's going to be awesome. them. But we're going to dive right in to Luke chapter 16 here. We're going to read a parable and we're going to listen to a couple different parables here. And it's going to be powerful.

So let's read this first parable together. He also said to the disciples, there was a rich man who had a manager and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, what is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management for you can no longer be the manager. And the manager said to him, what shall I do since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. So summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, how much do you owe my master? He said, 100 measures of oil. He said to him, take your bill,

sit down and write 50. Then he said to another, and how much do you owe? He said 100 measures of wheat. He said to him, take your bill and write 80. The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light and i tell you make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwelling so right now jesus is giving a parable about money okay now when we look at money from a biblical standpoint money isn't inherently evil the love for money is jesus is very clear the bible's very clear that greed the love for money is evil. Not money itself. Money inherently isn't evil. It's a very neutral tool.

And so there are a lot of things in this world that are quote, neutral that can be sinful, but also aren't necessarily sinful in itself. And so we're watching Jesus talk about it here. And he says, one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much. And one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest and much. I've found that when we can be faithful with little in our finances, in times where, you know, things may be tough. Like when the Bible says to give back 10% of our money, like that, that's a no-brainer.

Like, we automatically do that. Like, we must do that. That's just a commandment from the Lord. And then everything else, we hold open handedly and we give generously. We're radical givers, right? And I think when we look at this story, and I've known from personal experience,

like whenever we are able to handle our finances in very little, whenever we are able to trust, God trusts us with us, little and he sees that we're good stewards of that little, then he can take us from a place of little. And as we start growing, he watches us steward much more. And so if you can be trusted with little, you can be trusted with much. Because money can corrupt people. Money is a neutral thing, but the love for money can corrupt people. And it is corruption. The love for money is. I mean, Jesus below here is he going to say, we're going to see in verse 13, one of the most popular verses about money, But, man, the love for money is such an interesting thing because money is a tool that God uses to calibrate our heart.

And so if God can trust us with little, that he can trust us with much. And if we can be faithful and steward the little, then he can trust us with much. We can be faithful and steward much. Verse 11, if then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust you to the true riches? So then Jesus is saying, look, if you couldn't even be trusted with earthly riches, steward that way, and not let it sit on the throne of your heart, then how can you be trusted with things that are not of this earth? That is very heavy, very heavy.

And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that as which your own? He's like, okay, now, if you had a job to do and you couldn't even be faithful in steward what was someone else's and that was your job, then how can you be responsible and steward your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one

love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. You can't have two things sitting on the throne of your heart. Like God doesn't split rent on the throne of your heart. The Holy Spirit doesn't share a bedroom of rent in your heart. Like God wants all of your heart. And if God has all of your heart, then the things that are below us like money, which is a neutral thing, will be stewarded and honored well. Because we honor God with it. But if money sit on the throne of your heart, then it's all you care about. You live and breathe money. You die for money, and none of it will go to the grave with you. And then when you stand before God, you'll realize that all of your effort was,

and toil was for nothing. And it was worthless. The Pharisees who were lovers of money heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. It's so interesting how the Pharisees love everything that Jesus is in total opposition to. Like they hate the tax collectors and sinners. He loves them. They love money. they have a love for money.

God hates God is like, no, no love for money. It's just so interesting. And he said to them, verse 15, you are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your heart. He doesn't look at the outward expressions. Like, yes. Like, we need to clarify something here.

Like, oftentimes what we believe, the Bible says out of the mouth comes from, comes from the abundance of the heart. So oftentimes our actions are a byproduct of our heart. what we believe. But there are also times when people do things for show, do things for the approval of man, do things, well, it's just because I'm supposed to do it. But God says, look, I look past all of this like, you know, willy-nilly action, something I look at the heart. And from the heart, I can tell if your actions are true. For what is exalted among men is an abomination

in the side of God. This is just confirmation that everything that the world exalts, God is like totally against. like the world exalts sex the world exalts drowning away in alcohol and drugs the world exalts fame and status over being known by God like let's go back you know

a couple few chapters before now when Jesus is looking at the 72 after they've come back here in Luke and they're like yo they got to listen to you Jesus and he's like look like it's cool that the demons listen to you but rejoice over the fact that your name is written in the book of life. And he's like, man, these people on this earth, they're more worried about making themselves known than just being known by the one who created them,

the one who instilled breath inside of their lungs, one who writ, who will write their name in the book of life, who knows the amount of hairs on their head. That's the deal. The law and the prophets were until John, John the Baptist. He's saying the law and the prophets were up until John the Baptist. Since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.

He's saying, look, now people are trying to make their way into it, but look, the way you get into the kingdom of heaven is by believing in Jesus Christ, putting your faith and trust in him. But I love this. He's saying like, look, the law, the prophets, John the Baptist was the last time. It's here. But now you have me, who is the good news, who died and resurrected, who doesn't abolish the law, but I've fulfilled it.

Like there's this first part of God's plan, which is great and wonderful. And then the second half of this plan is Jesus Christ fulfilling it. And I love how he closes this out. He says, but it's easier for heaven. earth to pass away than for one doubt of the law to become void. So he's not neglecting the law. Like a lot of people think that Jesus disregards the law and contradicts himself. He doesn't. He actually says like, look, the law is important. But by loving me and treasuring me, obedience to the law, my commandments naturally come. That's why Jesus says, the greatest

commandment is loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. He sums up all 613 laws and 10 commandments into this one that says, just love me and you'll obey you'll obey them all. And then he says this. Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. Now, this is like laws about divorce, but it's not just sort of randomly placed in here. He's giving an example here saying like sometimes the Pharisees give excuses for divorce. He's like, no, they've stayed the same. And like, look, I'm telling you they've stayed the same. This is coming from me because I am the good news. I haven't abolished it. Like the divorce laws are the same. But listen, I fulfilled it.

I have fulfilled it. And now we're about to hear a story here to close out chapter 16. He says there was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. Purple linen, purple cloth was one of royalty. Okay, so this man was rich and of high status. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus covered with sores who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table.

I mean, he's just taken what he can get. The crumbs, the leftovers. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his soars. It's like it was so much so he couldn't get any attention from anyone that the dogs would come and lick his sores to try to heal him. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. So although in this lifetime, this poor man Lazarus had nothing, barely had any food, no attention, or even the animals would lick his sores, yet his treasure was in heaven. His heart and faith and trust was in Jesus.

He suffers not anymore. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. Jesus is giving a clear warning here not to put your faith and trust into the earth. Now, things of the earth, like we said, money is inherently neutral. It's not necessarily sinful, but the love for money is. and when we allow things of the world to sit on the throne of our heart,

that's when they're evil is when they're on the throne of our heart. There are many things in this world that are simply tools that we can enjoy, but if God is on the throne of our heart, then we're good. But this man had everything else on the throne of his heart other than God. But he looks up and he sees Lazarus, who was physically broke, had nothing in this lifetime, but was spiritually flourishing. And on the other hand, you have this rich man who is physically flourishing, but spiritually bankrupt now and he doesn't recognize it until he's in the position.

And he called out Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in the water and cool my tongue. He's like, look, Lazarus was out there. He was in need of help. You never gave it to him, but now you're asking Lazarus for help. But Abraham said, child, remember that in your lifetime you received good things in Lazarus and like manner, bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you, a great chasm has been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and none may cross from here, there to us. So he's saying, look, there's nothing we can do anymore. Like, you had your chance. And that's a scary thing about hell.

Like, yes, there's this depiction, like hell is suffering, but hell is suffering for the most part because you're in separation from an eternal, glorious God. And so this guy, this rich man who's not really rich, is in hell suffering because he's separated from this eternal God. And he said, then I beg you, Father, to send Lazarus to my father's house. Like, resurrect him. Send him to my father's house. For I have five brothers that he may warn them lest they all come to this place and be tormented as well.

She's like, look, make Lazarus rise from the dead. Send him there. They'll know he was dead. They'll see him resurrected. Then they'll believe him so that they don't have to torment. like me. But Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them. And he said, no, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. He said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. The story

tells us like, man, we have enough evidence from just what the prophets of old and from Moses have foretold about the Messiah. But this is where like we get now in today's society after he closes in Luke chapter 16 where you have people who say you know what if Jesus is real he can appear before me and all believe well Jesus came and took on flesh and the same people that he came before the same people that nailed him to a cross okay so it's not the fact that oh if he comes in front of me I'll believe like no the evidence is here Jesus is who he says he is he lived a perfect life became agony died on the cross and resurrected and if we put our faith and trust in him we'll be saved guys I pray that Luke chapter 16 was a blessing can't wait to be with you guys

for Luke chapter 17. Love you guys. Follow us on all platforms. Guys, partner with us financially as we begin this journey in 2025 to take on the world and infiltrate the world with the gospel through digital ministry. If you want to partner with us tax deductible one time or monthly, go to Jesus in the street.org and donate to us, partner with our ministry. We're a 501 non-profit and we are funded. All these videos are produced because of you guys. And another way to partner with our ministry and that actually helps mobilize us is get your tickets for the live show. Jesus in the street.org slash tickets. If you come, those funds actually help us produce

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See you guys tomorrow for Luke chapter 17.