Good Morning Brothers in Christ,
I wish your families and you a Happy 4th of July. We have much, much to be thankful for in this country and in life. There are only two countries that have been founded on the Word of God: Israel and the United States. It is no secret as to why the United States rose to such prominence in the world among nations in such a short period of time. Only the grace of God can do this. When a nation or a person honors the Most High God with willingness and obedience to His Word, God honors and promotes them with never ending showers of His grace. He brings prosperity, protection, deliverance, and healing to the land and to the person. Other than Israel, there will never again be a country like the United States.
Father, thank You for Your goodness and Your grace to the United States and its people. Thank You Father for the wonderful abundance and protections you’ve granted us. Thank You most of all Father for the blessing of Your Word in this nation. Father, I pray Your Inerrant Full Word washes over this nation as a tidal wave, changing the hearts of all men and women to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I pray those who are Believers completely surrender themselves to You and to Your Word. I pray a large army of Believers in Your Son rises up with Your strength, wisdom, peace, love, joy, power, boldness, courage, and full knowledge of their authority from You to go on the march across this nation bringing Your Kingdom to this earth and dismantling the strongholds of Satan and his followers. Father, the war has been won, Satan has been defeated, Your Son is Lord and King over all, and we, the Believer, are a mighty god in this earth to bring Your will in Heaven to be done in this earth. I ask this in Jesus Christ’s precious and holy name. Amen.
Gentlemen, I want to finish up the second part of the “Beggar – Spiritually?” lesson on Lazarus, the beggar, and the rich man. There is one last verse I wanted to bring attention to in this passage.
Luke 16:25
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
I remember in years past hearing preachers teach this in a manner which said or implied that we, as Believers, may have terrible things happen to us; however, always cling to the hope and confidence that when we die we will be in the arms of God, comforted in Heaven, and living a wonderful existence for all eternity. I also remember the “fear” it placed into me as a child, teenager, and adult. The “fear” that I might be one of those who have terrible things happen to them, and I have to cling, hang on, suffer through, for the glory of God, until I died and was received into the arms of Christ. Thankfully, this is not the truth. No where does God say He will send you trials and tribulations. He does say trials and tribulations will come, but He also counters that by saying:
John 16:33
These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world, you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man:
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
To keep it short and to the point, Lazarus never had to receive the evil things in his life. He, too, could have experienced all of the good things experienced by the rich man. How so you ask? The key is the word, “received.” What you believe is what you’ll decree and what you decree is what you’ll receive. God’s Word teaches us in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he:” Why was Lazarus a beggar? Very simply, it was his “stinking thinking.” He allowed the world and the world system to influence and dominate his thinking.
Let’s look at the Greek word for “receivedst.” The Greek word is “apolambano” which means “to receive from, receive as one’s due.” The more detailed definition is, “to receive what is due or promised; the good things which you could expect and demand, which are due to you.” I don’t know about you, but it becomes apparent very quickly that Lazarus had a mind and heart problem. Yes, he believed in God, and I believed he followed the Jewish law as best he could given being a very poor, impoverished man. But, aside from this, it appears Lazarus didn’t fully believe in Deuteronomy 28:1-4, Psalm 1, Psalm 91, Psalm 112, and the many other places where God said he is a blessed and mighty man in this earth, Genesis 12:2-3 where he and all of Abraham’s seed are blessed.
Lazarus received “evil things.” Lazarus received what he expected to receive. You can see Lazarus’ thinking in Luke 16:21, “And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:” Lazarus’ thinking was so bad, his image of himself was so bad, the best he could see himself doing is possibly, hopefully having some crumbs. Brothers, there are many Believers in the same place today. They believe the world, they believe others, they believe anything but what God’s Word says about them. We are taught in Galatians 6:7
Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
You sow seed. What seed was Lazarus sowing? Yes, because of his flawed thinking, he sowed the seeds of fear, doubt, anxiety, poverty, lack, need, and he reaped them. It is the spiritual Law of Sowing and Reaping. God designed this law for our benefit and our blessing. However, Satan takes this very law and works the mind of men to use the law against themselves. God cannot change His law. We have to change our thinking.
In closing, what seed are you sowing? Are you begging God for something He has already done for you? Are you working against God and His blessings for you by sowing the words of the wisdom of the world? I end with these two verses which I encourage you to meditate upon:
I Corinthians 2:12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
I Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy:
God has freely given us through the finished, redemptive work of Jesus Christ, all things for us to richly enjoy.
Have a great 4th!
In Christ,
Larry