A steward has the responsibility of caring for his master’s goods. The steward in our chapter was not only a waster, but he was lazy. When told that he would lose his job, he said within himself, “I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.” We should be willing to dig in the Word of God for ourselves and beg from others that which they enjoy of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this man was thinking of the future in making friends who would receive him afterwards. The Lord wants us to use the things of this world for future blessing. Soon, the things of this world, called the mammon (riches) of unrighteousness, will pass away, but the children of light are going to enjoy everlasting habitations.
The Pharisees were trying to serve God and riches because they were covetous. This is not possible. A servant can only serve one master faithfully. They thought that if a man was rich, it was a sign of God’s favor. The following account is of a rich person who was covetous, for he didn’t help Lazarus. His riches didn’t help him, for when he died, he lifted up his eyes in hell. He certainly did not have God’s favor. Lazarus did, for he was found in a place of comfort and rest.
Do you think the rich man wanted company where he was? No, he asked that Lazarus be sent to his five brothers and tell them what an awful place hell is. Today we tell people about the judgment of God for sin and they reply, “No one ever came back to tell us.” But do you think they would believe if someone rose from the dead? Remember, the Lord Jesus raised another man named Lazarus from the dead in John 11, but the chief priests tried to put him to death again!
1. There were two things the steward said to himself that he would not do. What were they? __________ Luke 16:___
2. If we have not been faithful with the unrighteous mammon, we should not expect to be entrusted with __________ riches. Luke 16:___
3. Is it possible to serve two masters? __________ Luke 16:___
4. When the rich man died and was buried, where was he when he opened his eyes? __________ Luke 16:___
5. The rich man’s five brothers would not be persuaded even if someone __________ from the dead. Luke 16:___