The Parables of Luke 14-17, Part 7 – Covetous Behavior

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The Parables of Luke 14-17 Part 7 Covetous Behavior

[Study Aired March 31, 2020]

Luk 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 
Luk 16:15 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.
Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luk 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 
Luk 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. 

Our first two verses are dealing with the Pharisees and their covetousness. 

Luk 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 
Luk 16:15 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. 

The prophets have been warning Israel of this for generations. 

Isa 56:10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 
Isa 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 

Jer 8:10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for everyone from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest everyone dealeth falsely. 

Eze 22:25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
Eze 22:26
Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 

Each of us has been like these Pharisees in our walk. If our heart is not moved to be changed, we will miss our reward, as demonstrated in the parable of the “Rich Fool”. 

Luk 12:15 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. 
Luk 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 
Luk 12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 
Luk 12:18 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. 
Luk 12:19 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. 
Luk 12:20 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? 
Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

What did the Pharisees treasure? What did they covet most? This brings us to our next verse. 

Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 

The Pharisees coveted the law and the prophets. These were their doctrines and way of life. Of course, they were not able to keep the law. 

Joh 7:19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? 

Gal 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 

Christ came to fulfill the law and the prophets and to change the law. The Pharisees did not want this to happen. 

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

Mat 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 
Mat 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

The Pharisees hated Him for this. 

Luk 19:47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 
Luk 19:48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. 

Joh 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 

Back to the verse we see there is a continuation into something different. 

Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 

The ASV translation puts it this way. 

Luk 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it. 

As you know, these parables are all dealing with the kingdom of God, and this is within each of us. 

Luk 17:20 And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. 

Every man enters the kingdom violently. 

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Joh 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 

Continuing with the next verse we see that the law will not fail until it has completed what it was designed to do. 

Luk 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

“That except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Here is Christ’s explanation to this teaching in the last verse of the study. 

Luk 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

The wife represents the church, in this case Babylon, the great whore, and until we divorce this wife, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Putting away is not enough. 

Deu 24:1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 

If we do not completely divorce this wife, we are committing spiritual adultery. 

Just as in the days of Christ, the Pharisees of today’s “Christianity” have their own laws. Just yesterday we were among them. The following is a list of the “Christian” treasures which they covet. This list came from the online source below. https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/what-is-essential-christian-doctrine/ 

The essential tenets of the Christian faith are: Deity of Christ Original sin Canon Trinity Resurrection Incarnation New creation Eschatology 

We must be careful to not commit spiritual adultery and must divorce the above doctrines and all idols of the heart. Day by day we are dying to these things by the renewing of our minds. 

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

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