Good Afternoon Brothers in Christ,
I pray this email finds your families, your businesses, your family’s and your health, and you operating in the “exceeding abundantly” state of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:20
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Our Father, God Almighty, and His Son, Jesus Christ, our King, Lord, Redeemer, and Elder Brother, has commanded us to live the “exceeding abundantly” life. This is why Jesus Christ became a living sacrifice for us, so we could be returned to the state of Adam and Eve before the fall. Adam and Eve knew no sin, had no health issues, didn’t know fear, doubt, anxiety, had no needs or wants, lived in complete love, peace, joy, and walked in the full measure of God’s faith in them. They thought, spoke, and operated in the spiritual realm, while they lived in the physical realm. They were the masters of time and space (in faith, there is no time. Faith only knows “now.” When in faith, you are the master of time and space). Jesus, the last Adam (study why He is called the last Adam), showed us during His three-year ministry how to operate just as Adam did before the fall and entry of sin into the world.
In Luke 16, there is a parable told by Jesus of the rich man and Lazarus, the beggar. Jesus is addressing the Pharisees, but His disciples are there hearing His every Word as well. This is a generally well-known parable taught in all churches and denominations with the focus on the greed of the rich man, his faith in his riches, and his eventual end-state in hell. Little is said, if anything, about Lazarus other than sympathy and pity upon a poor beggar and an object lesson for us to help the poor. We are certainly commanded by the Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ to help the poor, but there is SO much more to Lazarus that our Father wants us to see.
While praying in the Spirit a few days back, suddenly the Holy Spirit revealed something I had never seen about Lazarus, the beggar of the Luke 16 parable taught by Jesus. I’m going to be brief since this could turn into a long email. I’m only going to hit the very high points. It will be up to you to study it out with the Holy Spirit leading you into all the rhema truth. Lazarus, the beggar, is a picture of the church today.
Luke 16:20
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his [rich man’s] gate, full of sores,
Why would Jesus say a “certain” beggar? Isn’t a beggar a beggar? No. It is understandable the unsaved world are beggars. They have no hope beyond their own brains, their own humanistic doings. If they can’t do it in their own strength, there is no one else to help them. On the other hand, Believers have the hope of Christ in them, the mind of Christ, the fullness of His faith, His grace, His power and authority, etc. This beggar is a Believer. You say, no way. Yes way. Look at verse 23. If Lazarus were not a Believer, there is no way he would end up in Abraham’s bosom. So, why in God’s green earth would a Believer be a beggar? There are tons of them, today. Let’s study on.
Let’s look at “beggar” in the Greek. The Greek word is “ptochos,” which is to be “poor, destitute, beggarly, spiritually poor.” WOW!! Do you see it – SPIRITUALLY POOR. This “certain beggar” is a Believer who is spiritually poor. And what has his spiritual poverty led to – being poor and destitute, beggarly in both the spiritual and the physical realms. How are you “spiritually poor?” You spend no real study in God’s Word, you don’t believe it all, and the doubt cancels any faith; therefore there is no spiritual power.
Let’s look at “laid” in the Greek. The Greek word is “ballo,” which is to be “passive to lie sick, be prostrated by weakness.” Why was Lazarus “laid” at the gate? His spiritual poverty has led to spiritual weakness, which, in turn, leads to physical weakness. But, we need to look further to understand it better. What has caused this weakness, this sickness, this terrible state? We see spiritual poverty is the root.
Verse 20 speaks of Lazarus being “full of sores.” Obviously this is a physical reference, but there is a HUGE spiritual reference being taught by Jesus. We’ll look at the “sores” in verse 21.
Luke 16:21
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
There is SO much revelation in this verse. “Desiring” is the Greek word “epithumeo,” which is to “long for, covet, lust after, set heart upon.”
“Fed” is the Greek word, “chortazo,” which means “to be satisfied, fed, fatten, feed.” What is Lazarus lusting, coveting after? CRUMBS. Crumbs of the world. How sad that a child of God, a Believer, doesn’t understand his position in Christ and resorts to lusting after the crumbs of this world. Yes, there are Believers that will say, I’m not poor, I’m not a beggar. If you don’t understand who you really are and what you really have and what you are really called to do in Christ, then, yes, you are a spiritual beggar and you’re willing to accept the crumbs of this world when your Father has given you EVERY spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Our Father has given us the riches of the earth. His very word says it over and over. You’ll have to look it up for time’s sake.
Let’s keep looking. What about the “dogs?” Why does Jesus mention dogs licking his sores? What is the relevance? Remember this. There is not one word that doesn’t have spiritual relevance in the Word of God. Every Word is there for a reason. But, you have to study to have God reveal it to you.
“Dogs” is the Greek word “kuon,” which means, “dog, man of impure mind, an impudent man, a spiritual predator who feeds off others.” There it is again – SPIRITUAL – a spiritual predator who feeds off others. Who do we know that are spiritual predators? Satan, his demonic forces, and those humans he uses to carry out his strategies against God, the Kingdom of God, and God’s Children. Satan also uses Believers who are ignorant of God’s Word or who reject some or much of God’s Word. Look who came against Jesus – the church, the religious.
Ok, before we finalize our picture from Luke 16:20-21, let’s look at “sores.” “Sores” is the Greek word, “helkos,” which means, “festering sore, a wound, ulcer.” When looking into this particular word, we are led to the root word, “helko,” which means to “drag, draw, pull, persuade.” We’ll see how these tie together.
Now, let’s take all we’ve learned so far from the two verses and understand who Lazarus really is according to Jesus. Lazarus is a picture of the church, of the majority of Believers today, who are saved and have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but who are spiritual beggars, subsisting from day-to-day on the crumbs of the world rather than the Word and Promises of God either through ignorance or rejection of the truth of God’s Word. The sores are the cares of this world, the burdens of life, the yoke of bondage that fester, ulcer, and eat away at this Believer every day. The dogs are Satan, his demonic forces, the unsaved, and the ignorant/rebellious saved that constantly condemn, deceive, and tempt this poor Believer into believing the lies of this world and not the Word of Almighty God. The sores which are unbelief, rather than faith, drag, draw, pull, and persuade this Believer to trust in man, to trust in his own knowledge, his own strength, his own self righteousness (the Pharisees) rather than use faith to believe in the unseen spiritual blessings of the Almighty Father God – to believe in the promises of Almighty God.
II Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in Him [Jesus] are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
There it is in black and white. This is so easy to understand, as Andrew Wommack would say, “you have to have someone help you to mess it up.” Every single promise of God in His Word is yes and Amen to the Believer through the finished, redemptive work of Jesus Christ. This means Old Testament and New Testament. If anyone is telling you different, you need to leave that church. The only thing we don’t receive from God is the curses.
This is a hard lesson for many Believers. Will they let their pride get in the way of recognizing they are this beggar named Lazarus or will they repent of trusting in the wisdom of the world and what they can see over the unseen spiritual blessings of God and His Word? The good news for the Lazarus’ of this world is they will end up in Heaven. The bad news is they are not remotely close to the will of God for their lives, and they will live a beggarly spiritual life in this earth which will come with physical challenges in health, finances, relationships, peace, testimony, etc. As the Holy Spirit instructs us in Hebrews 11:6, “without faith it is impossible to please Him [God]…”
There is more to this parable which I will finish up in another email. Look at verse 25. There is a lot of revelation in this verse. We don’t have to receive “evil” in this life on this earth. Neither did Lazarus. But, through his free will he chose to believe the world rather than the Word of God. Yes, he believed in his God, but he didn’t believe in all the promises of God.
I John 4:17
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment [trials]:because as He [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.
I know this about my King, Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ – He is not sick, He is not ill, He is not infirmed, He is not weak, He is rich, He is strong, He is wise, He is powerful, He is glorified, He is honored, He is blessed. If Jesus is all this, then what are you? The beggar or the joint-heir with Jesus Christ.
Blessings, Grace, and Peace to all in Jesus Christ,
Larry