- Luk 16:15-31 KJV And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. (16) The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. (17) And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail... (19) There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (20) And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, (21) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. (22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; .. (27) Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: (28) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. .. (30) And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. (31) And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
But does it mean that the poor won't see any 'Lazarus' because they themselves are the 'Lazarus'?
Many believers, who think that they are poor or they are too poor to help others, would conclude that the teaching of the Lord on the rich man and Lazarus is no longer practical for them. Hence, they love the teaching of the radical grace preachers who conclude that all the teachings of Jesus, before His crucification, are Old Testament teachings for the Jews or for those who were under the law. They feel that radical grace is the New Testament message which has set them free from the teaching of the Lord on God's laws and commandments to love and help those who are in needs. Hence, they would justify that as long as they confess the name of the Lord and criticise those who pray or believe like the Pharisees, they would be the grace or New Testament believers who can never be condemned or judged, even if they do not keep any God's commandments to help the poor.
I will tell them, The parable of the rich man and Lazarus was not only a real case in which a beggar named Lazarus had died; it was also a parable of the parables for everyone in the world, including the sinners, Jews, and the believers. Why? It is from law and the prophets (see v16 above) which will not pass away until everything is fulfilled at the judgement day when the Lord will judge both the 'sheep' and the 'goats':
- Mat 25:31-46 KJV When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (32) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (33) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (34) Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (35) For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: (36) Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. (37) Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? (38) When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? (39) Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? (40) And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (41) Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (42) For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: (43) I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. (44) Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? (45) Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. (46) And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Does it mean that the preachers are more righteous because they have believed God?
Many preachers would say, "Oh, those 'goats' can never be us because we are the believers. Believers, according to the Bible, can never be 'goats'. If we have been set free and given the power of grace to be the children of God, to be sheep, or to be the light of the world, how can we be in the darkness or become 'goats' again? No, it is impossible. Once we are saved, we are forever saved. Once we are justified by faith, we can never be condemned again. We can never be condemned just because we have sinned a few sins. No, all our sins have been forgiven - past, present, and future sins.. Don't let any false prophets rob you of the assurance of God's salvation .."
I will tell them, Of course, the true believers who do the words of God can never be the 'goats'. However, if you sin and twist the words of God, you can be the 'goats' even if you do not sin like the Gentiles. How can you give a false promise to the believers when the Lord did not say that we can sin and still be righteous. Yes, the Lord did say that all our sins are forgiven because we have repented; but He did not say that all our sins are forgiven even if we do not repent and do His words. Please think, If all our future sins are forgiven without us doing anything, why did Jesus tell the disciples to pray like this:
- Luk 11:1-4 KJV And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (2) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (3) Give us day by day our daily bread. (4) And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Hence, I don't think that the preachers today are exempted from seeing any 'Lazarus' in their lives too. If they are honest themselves, they would not only teach others; but also themselves. They would not just keep criticising against the scribes and Pharisees who could not see any 'Lazarus' in their lives; they would also reflect and ask themselves, "Have I 'walked by the other way' to avoid seeing any 'Lazarus' in my life too?" :
Luk 10:23-37 KJV And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: (24) For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. (25) And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (26) He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? (27) And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. (28) And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. (29) But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? (30) And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. (31) And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. (32) And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. (33) But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, (34) And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (35) And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. (36) Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? (37) And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.In fact, there are many 'ways' which we use to avoid seeing any 'Lazarus' in our lives. We may not walk by the other way, like the priest or the Levi in the 'parable of the good Samaritan' above. We may not follow many Old Testament laws, circumcision rules, and temple rituals, to avoid seeing any 'Lazarus', like the priest or the Levi in the parable. However, today when we come before the Lord, do we still use 'our ways' to avoid seeing any 'Lazarus' in our lives? We may have sung many beautiful songs and praises, prayed fervently and enthusiastically, worshipped with many fantastic sounds and musical instruments, and heard very anointing messages from the pulpits. However, have we used all these to blind our minds from seeing any 'Lazarus' in our lives? If we do, we do not know the Lord and His words.
Does it mean that the rich men today won't see any 'Lazarus' because they don't see any beggars at their doorsteps?
No, neither do I need to help the rich men to see it. I do not want to talk too much about it. If they are the non-believers and they do not know the Bible, God can still speak to them in many other ways. If they are self-deceiving, they may still argue with God and say, "No, where, where is 'Lazarus'? I don't see any beggar at my doorsteps. In fact, I don't even see my neighbours; let alone beggars. However, I do see more and more security guards for our pastors and churches. I know of some pastors who would preach with two big 'black angels' beside them.. oh, yes, I mean, 'two strong security guards in black uniform' sitting or standing at both sides of their pulpits below. Today we are all living in well protected home and churches, including the pastors who are setting an example for us. Few people or neighbours can come near to us because of our affluent and modern lifestyle. Therefore, it is normal for us to hardly see any neighbour or 'Lazarus' like it was during the time of 'the good Samaritan'. If you still want to find any 'Lazarus' as your neighbour today, please go to the third world countries. But, as far as good work is concerned, we have done enough for everyone around us here. So, don't bother us, please .." But one day, the Lord will make them reflect. He will ask them, "Have you 'walked by the other way' to avoid seeing any 'Lazarus' in your life too? Have you understood, Who is my neighbour?"
But I will now tell the radical grace preachers, If the parable of the rich man and Lazarus was only for the Jews who were rich or only for those who had beggars at their doorsteps, then the teaching of the Lord would be too miserably limited or lacking for the whole world. It would not have any great impact to the world. No, if the words of the Lord is powerful enough, it should be preached as the light and salt to the world, and even as the sword of the Spirit too. It should bring a shaking conviction and shock to those who are still 'sleeping'.
- Mat 7:15-29 KJV Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (16) Ye shall know them by their fruits ... (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity ... (28) And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: (29) For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
- Mat 22:33-46 KJV And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine. (34) But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. (35) Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, (36) Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (41) While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, .. (46) And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
- Mar 1:15-22 KJV And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel ... (22) And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
- Mar 4:2-9 KJV And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, (3) Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: .. (9) And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
- Mar 11:17-18 KJV And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. (18) And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
- Joh 7:15-17 KJV And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? (16) Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. (17) If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
- Rom 6:16-18 KJV Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (17) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (18) Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
- Rom 16:17-19 KJV Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (18) For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. (19) For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
- Tit 2:7 KJV In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
- 2Jn 1:9-10 KJV Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (10) If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
The 'Lazarus' message is still relevant for many of us, especially the believers
Many may still wonder, Why do I talk about the 'Lazarus' message; not about the grace message? Apart from the reason that it is the Lord's message, I want to talk about it now because it has been greatly distorted or ignored by many preachers. The 'Lazarus' message is the Lord's teaching which will reveal that radical grace and 'prosperity gospel' have no place or very little place in the heart of a true follower of Jesus Christ:
- Radical grace teaching gives the hidden message to everyone, including the millionaires and the rich, that everyone is a 'Lazarus'. Hence, everyone thinks that he or she is still the 'Lazarus' who still needs more grace, more favour, more success, more blessing, and more prosperity. In another words, everyone would be influenced to think that God's grace is not sufficient and, therefore, they need radical grace and confess it radically as taught by the radical grace preachers. They need to hear more radical grace, confess for more radical grace, pray for more radical grace, and prosper more with radical grace. That's why this will also, sooner or later, lead them to believe and accept the 'prosperity gospel'.
- But the 'Prosperity gospel' is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. It gives the same hidden message to everyone, including the millionaires and the rich, that they are not rich enough, successful enough, healthy enough, or spiritual enough, to help anyone. Hence, many may still think that they are too poor to do anything for the 'Lazarus', except for praying, thinking, or confessing for more and more prosperity, even though they have already prospered enough. Hence, if they are the millionaires or billionaires, they would still keep confessing for more and more and more and more .. But, when will they stop confessing (or thinking) and start doing something for the 'Lazarus' ? God knows ..
- Luk 12:15-22 KJV And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (16) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: (17) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? (18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. (20) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (22) And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
He who has eyes to see, let him see
I believe that the Lord want all of us to see beyond our mental desires and the natural. I have explained why the Lord want us to hear beyond our hearing or think beyond our thinking too. I have explained why the Lord would never tell those, who have ears to hear, to hear only; or have eyes to see, to see only; or have brain to think, to think only; or have faith to believe, to believe only (see "Jesus did not say, Hear only; He said, Hear , Receive, & Do" in my previous post here.). Obviously, the rich man who created barns after barns of commodities in the parable above had seen only bigger barns or more barns in his mind; he could not see greater suffering or more suffering of the people as a result of his 'hogging' - a selfish act which is used to block the regular supply of the basic goods in the market and then sell it later to the needy with an inflated price.
Similarly, many religious preachers or false prophets today could have blinded themselves and others from seeing the true spiritual situation around them too. They may not do religious businesses or practices to sell pigeons, oxen, sheep, utensils, holy water, circumcision service, or sacrifices in the temples, like the Pharisees; however, they create and sell 'barns after barns' of deception / false doctrine in CDs, DVDs, books, and TV broadcasts, to blind the people from seeing the needs of other people. They just want to see bigger, better, and greater blessings for themselves or for the 'old man' (or 'rich man') inside them. They see 'barns' for themselves; and not 'people' who are like 'Lazarus'. If they were rich, they want to be the 'prince'; if they were the 'prince', they want to be the 'king'; if they were 'king', they want to be 'gods'..., and this will keep them going .. They preach and boast that this is the only type of pursuit which may require much effort, which is better than the effort of keeping the commandments of God, and which they consider as a justified course of action. They boast that it will always lead them to a greater inner peace within their souls, and this will also lead them to greater grace, greater favour, greater prosperity, greater maturity, greater anointing, greater wisdom, greater holiness, and greater righteousness. Is this a spiritual truth or hypocritical lie? God knows.
We do not teach 'Lazarus' vs another 'Lazarus' (or 'law' vs 'grace'); we teach both 'Lazarus'
Many will still argue, "What you see is not what we see.. Obviously, what you see is the 'Lazarus' which is 'the Law' (or the beggar) that produce lacks, poverty, failure, sins, judgement, demands, cynicism, negative reports, and death. But what we see is the other 'Lazarus' which is the 'Lawless' solution to the problem of 'law' in our world today. It is also the revolution, rest, resurrection, righteousness, and life.. As far as I and my household are concerned, we will only think of the second 'Lazarus'.. Haha.. we are the blessed ones because we always see ourselves as the righteousness of God .. Amen."
I will ask them, Is that another fantastic contrast of your 'grace' vs 'law' (or 'grace' against the 'law') arguments? Yes, of course, you can brainwash your thoughts or the thoughts of others to think only of the second 'Lazarus' and to have more inner peace without seeing the 'poor Lazarus', but it is not the will of God. You can't tell people to read only the gospel of John and reject the gospel of Luke just because you do not want to think about the poor 'Lazarus'. Do you know that we can still learn many important teachings and commandments from both the Old and New Testaments too?
- Of course, we can still learn much about the will of God from both the Old and New Testaments; or else why do you still flip to the Old Testament for references?
- Of course, we can also learn many important lessons from the records of both the 'poor Lazarus' (in Luk 16:15-31) and the 'resurrected Lazarus' (Joh 11:39-45); or else we would not find the gospel of Luke in the New Testament too
- Of course, we can also learn many important lessons from both the laws of God and the grace of God; or else Jesus would not do and teach from the laws and commandments of God when He taught His disciples
It is ridiculous to use the gospel or any teaching of Jesus to preach against the law of God
Many will now change their preaching. They will say, "Ok, you are right. We must still preach about the 'poor Lazarus'. We do preach about the 'poor Lazarus' now. But he is a type of 'grace', whilst the rich man is a type of the 'law'. You will find that 'law' and 'grace' can never mix because the rich man (who represents the 'law') was below and Lazarus ('grace') was above after both of them died. They could not cross over to each other. The rich man was a type of the law because he died without Christ. He was a hypocrite. He was a believer of the law. He did everything by self-effort. He was under the law .."
I will tell them, Please stop preaching like the 'old broken record' again.
Firstly, do you know that you have quoted everything out of context whenever you preach against the 'law' or the law of God? Obviously you do not know the difference between the law of Moses (or the 'law' which is the old covenant) and the laws of God. You are totally confused and you become a total confusion which brings misunderstanding to everyone in the churches.
Secondly, have you really read your Bible carefully? How did you know that the rich man was under the law when the Lord did not say that he was a Jew or a Gentile? Yes, of course, you could make assumption and claim that your assumption is biblical and spiritual. So could we. We can agree with you that the rich man was a Jew and that he was under the law. But can you please use your anointed brain to think also, If everyone or every Jew under the law was hypocrite, why did Jesus say that only the rich man was found in hell? Where were all the other Jews or those who were under the law? Did Jesus say that all of them were in hell too? No, Lazarus could also be a Jew and he could be under the law too. He was obviously not in hell. Please stop using any Bible examples or typology to preach lawless doctrine or teach against the law of God if you are not familiar with the law of God, please.
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