Luke 16:19-31 Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “Now there was a certain rich man who was habitually dressed in expensive purple and fine linen, and celebrated and lived joyously in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, covered with sores. 21 He [eagerly] longed to eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s [a]bosom (paradise); and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom (paradise). 24 And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things [all the comforts and delights], and Lazarus likewise bad things [all the discomforts and distresses]; but now he is comforted here [in paradise], while you are in severe agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you [people] a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to come over from here to you will not be able, and none may cross over from there to us.’ 27 So the rich man said, ‘Then, father [Abraham], I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may solemnly warn them and witness to them, so that they too will not come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have [the Scriptures given by] Moses and the [writings of the] Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 He replied, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent [they will change their old way of thinking and seek God and His righteousness].’ 31 And he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to [the messages of] Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Mark 10:17-31 Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Rich Young Ruler

17 As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?” 18 Jesus said to him, “[a]Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my [b]youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” 22 But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].

23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were [c]amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is [for those who place their hope and confidence in riches] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were completely and utterly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved [from the wrath of God]?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

28 Peter started saying to Him, “Look, we have given up everything and followed You [becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord].” 29 Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Where are you storing up your treasures; on earth or in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20)?

Luke 12:13-21 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Covetousness Denounced

13 Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator over [the two of] you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions.”

Parable of the Wealthy Fool

16 Then He told them a parable, saying, “There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place [large enough in which] to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my storehouses and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many good things stored up, [enough] for many years; rest and relax, eat, drink and be merry (celebrate continually).”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own all the things you have prepared?’ 21 So it is for the one who continues to store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich [in his relationship] toward God.”

Matthew 19:21

“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I give credit and have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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HIDDEN TREASURE -- FIELD -- PEARL -- DISCIPLE

“The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for himself]. Matthew 13:44

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, and upon finding a single pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46

Lessons From The Pearl

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari

1. A PEARL IS THE PRODUCT OF SUFFERING
A. A pearl is formed when an oyster gets a grain of sand trapped in the soft flesh inside its shell. This piece of sand irritates the oyster and it responds by coating the grain with layers of saliva and calcium.
B. The church was formed from the terrible pains and death Christ bore for sinners upon the cross! (Eph. 5:25; Rev. 1:5)

2. A PEARL IS FORMED FROM WORTHLESS MATTER
A. The pearl is formed from all types of junk. Pieces of sand, bone fragments from dead fish, and other wastes on the sea floor.
B. The composition of the church comes out of condemned and hell-bound sinners! (Matt. 9:12-13; Eph. 2:1-3)

3. A PEARL IS A COMPOSITE THING
A. It is a combination of several things. There are at least 3 materials used in forming a pearl – the irritant material, the oyster’s saliva, and calcium.
B. The church is composed of all kinds of people from all races and backgrounds (Gal. 3:26-28). They have one thing in common – salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone!

4. A PEARL GROWS GRADUALLY
A. After a grain of sand enters inside the oyster, it can take the oyster up to 3 years to produce a magnificent pearl.
B. God has slowly and gradually built His church in this world. It has been growing for 2,000 years as the Spirit convicts sinners and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:21-22).

5. A PEARL IS A HIDDEN WORK
A. The pearl grows hidden in the oyster submerged in water.
B. Aside from the physical numerical aspect, no one can truly see the actual spiritual growth of the church. We can only see the visible local church but not the invisible spiritual body which forms the vastness of whole church (Eph. 1:22-23).

6. A PEARL IS A VERY VALUABLE OBJECT
A. Pearls can be worth a fortune. In fact strings of pearls can actually be worth millions of dollars.
B. The church was worth the treasure of heaven to God! He paid the highest price, the very best of Heaven – His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to save the church from Hell! (Rom. 5:6-8)
C. The church is truly very valuable to the world even when the world does not actually appreciate it. The church serves as a restraining force against evil that will one day sweep over the world. Therefore she is worth all the price and efforts that we need to give to keep her alive, active and strong in the Lord. It is worth all our praying, our giving, our working, our sacrificing. The church is worth all we can give to her!

7. A PEARL IS A UNITY
A. The pearl is the only gem known to man that cannot be cut. Large diamonds are cut and made into several smaller, more valuable stones. The pearl cannot be divided without destroying its natural value and beauty.
B. The local church may be divided in the eyes of man, but the true spiritual church (the true body of Christ made up of both dead and alive in Christ) will ever stand as one (Phil. 1:27).
C. When any local church is divided, it loses its value and beauty to the watching world! Therefore, there is a great need for us to be of one mind and of one accord for testimony’s sake! It doesn’t look good when God’s people cannot get along well!

8. A PEARL REFLECTS LIGHT
A. One of the outstanding qualities of the pearl is its ability to reflect light. The church is called to reflect the true light of the world – the Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:12; 9:5)..
B. The church, like the moon reflecting the light of the sun at night, is to reflect the light of the Lord Jesus Christ to this spiritually darkened world (Phil. 2:15).

Conclusion: And so we have seen that the little pearl teaches several great Bible truths about Christ and His church. Let us learn a lesson from the qualities of the pearl – from its beauty and value to the owner! The next time you see a pearl, meditate on these wonderful truths.

The Rich Young Ruler

Mark 10:17 As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?” 18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my [d]youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” 22 But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].