Tag Archives: Heaven

Feast & Famine – Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 for the First Sunday after Trinity

Luke 16:19–31

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 37:16 says, “Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked” (see also Pro. 15:16).

Today, Jesus puts before us two men. One is fabulously rich, the other pitifully poor. One wears royal clothes, the other painful sores. One feasts sumptuously every day, the other craves crumbs. Jesus makes sure to highlight these major differences between the two men, but Jesus also makes sure that we know what they have in common.

First and most obviously, both die. Both face an eternal existence after death. And that existence is something that all the powers of this world have no influence to change or control. After his death, the rich man is no longer rich, and he is powerless to modify that. After his death, Lazarus is no longer poor. He has eternal riches and gifts that he didn’t earn and cannot be taken away.

But there is something else that these two men have in common with one another. Both men are passive. In other words, things happen to them. Now, this can be easy to miss, but once you see it you can’t ignore it.

To see it, let’s start with Lazarus. Jesus says that Lazarus is located at the rich man’s gate. But notice how Lazarus gets there. Jesus says that Lazarus is laid there. In other words, someone or something puts him there. Lazarus doesn’t intentionally go to the rich man’s gate day after day after day. If you were a destitute beggar but could move on your own, you’d go places where you would get help. And it would make sense to go to a rich man’s gate, but if you saw that rich dude feasting every day and he never gave you crumbs that fell from his table, you’d probably move somewhere else and hope to get noticed and helped in that new location. So, Jesus is clear that Lazarus is laid there (v. 20), but Jesus doesn’t say exactly who put Lazarus there, so let’s keep investigating.

Jesus says that the dogs came and licked Lazarus’ sores. Where did those dogs come from? They weren’t people’s personal pets that are sent to Lazarus. They were likely wild dogs. Psalm 50:10 says that every beast and the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God. Again, it isn’t directly stated that God sent the dogs. So, let’s keep looking.

When Lazarus dies, what happens? Jesus says that the angels are standing there, waiting to carry him to heaven. Now, there’s an important clue. Psalm 103:20 says that the angels are the mighty ones who obey God’s Word. Here, these angels are commanded to not only escort Lazarus to heaven, they are also the ones who carry him there. They wait for God’s command and direction. And in God’s timing, those angels carry Lazarus to heaven but not one moment before God decides.

Now, if God is in total, complete control of the end of Lazarus’ life, it would make sense that God was in control of everything leading up to that as well. No sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing it. Scripture promises that the hairs of your head are numbered (Mt. 10:29-31). The Bible is clear that God was in control of everything happening to Lazarus during his entire life (Ps. 139). God was governing all of his steps and movements. So, Lazarus, poor and sick though he was, was being taken care of by God throughout his entire life. God was the one who laid him at the rich man’s gate. God sent the dogs to comfort him by licking his sores. God sent the angels to carry him to heaven. And after he dies, God comforts Lazarus in paradise. Lazarus is passive. Things happen to him at God’s direction.

Now, consider the rich man. When Abraham is responding to the rich man’s request for Lazarus to give him a drop of water (more on that in a bit), Abraham says, “Remember that you in your lifetime received your good things” (Lk. 16:25). That tells us a lot about the rich man and his riches. All the things he enjoyed in his lifetime were given to him as gifts. His royal, purple clothes were a gift. His sumptuous feasts, a gift. His house and gate, a gift. Even the beggar Lazarus lying at his gate was a gift from God. Lazarus was a God-given opportunity for the rich man to share all the good things he received. But the rich man didn’t see any of his blessings as a gift. By all appearances, the rich man imagined those gifts were all things that he had earned, and he saw Lazarus as an inconvenient nuisance. But from heaven’s perspective, they were all gifts that were given.

That doesn’t mean that the rich man wasn’t a hard worker or a savvy investor. What it means is that He was a recipient of all the good things he enjoyed during his life. God gave it all. Everything he had – even the things he had earned – was given to him by God. But this rich man didn’t receive them as God’s good gifts. Instead, he saw everything revolving around him. If it was good, it was for his own pleasure and use. If it was inconvenient – like a beggar at his gate, it was a hurdle to his pleasure. He never gave thanks to God for the gifts, so he never thought to share the gifts God had given to him with others. He was foolish in his thinking and life (Ro. 1:21-22). All of this meant that he couldn’t enjoy the gifts he had been given. Even his feasting was a famine because he received it in isolation. He didn’t share his bounty with others.

In the end, it didn’t matter how little Lazarus had, and it didn’t matter how much the rich man had. What mattered was faith. Lazarus had faith that was credited to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). The rich man didn’t have faith, and when he stood before God to be judged (Heb. 9:27), he lacked the righteousness God demands (Mt. 5:20).

Now, we might feel sorry for the rich man as he’s suffering in hell. It is a pitiful thing to see someone think that a drop of water is merciful. And we certainly don’t want anyone to go to eternal condemnation. But the rich man’s torment doesn’t lead him to repentance. Look at how the rich man acts in hell. It doesn’t seem like the rich man has changed at all. He doesn’t ask to leave hell. He’d rather have Lazarus leave his comfort. Even in torment, the rich man is bossing people around. He still doesn’t talk to Lazarus; instead, he tries to tell Abraham what to do. The rich man thinks it is unfair that he is in hell. Underlying his desire to have Lazarus rise from the dead and warn his brothers is an attitude that arrogantly says that he knows better how to evangelize unbelievers. The rich man is basically saying, “If someone rises from the dead, then there will be a lot more people in heaven and fewer in hell. If I had seen someone rise from the dead, I wouldn’t be here.”

But in the end, the rich man hadn’t listened to the Scriptures. He hadn’t believed God’s Word. He hadn’t repented. He hadn’t believed in God’s mercy. Instead, he neglected God’s Word, and because of that, he was poor. On the other hand, Lazarus had the eternal treasure of God’s Word which made him rich – even in his earthly poverty. In Lazarus, we see the truth of what Pro. 15:15 says, “All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”

Now, where does this leave us? We aren’t as wealthy as the rich man, and we aren’t as poor and destitute as Lazarus. All of us are somewhere in the middle, but that doesn’t change the fact that everything we have – whether it is a feast or a famine – is given to us from the hand of God.

God has given you two hands with two palms which are created to receive the things that God gives. And those hands have five fingers with space between them, which allows the good gifts of God fall through your hands to others. Because He is the Creator of all things, God has an infinite supply of gifts to give to you. He gives you everything freely, and He desires that you receive it as a gift so you don’t clutch at it and try to keep it for yourself. You, dear saints, are a conduit that receives from God and passes His bounty on to others. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”

Most importantly, you were poor miserable sinners. But Jesus saw you in your poverty. He left His feasting and became poor for your sake so you, through His poverty, would become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). Christ has come to give His own Body and Blood unto death for your sake. Now, He is risen forever and invites you not to have just some crumbs that fall from His plate. He invites you to have a seat at His table. Leave the famine of your sin and greed. Come and feast in His presence. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Purified & Redeemed – Sermon on Hebrews 9:11-15 for the Fifth Sunday of Lent

Hebrews 9:11–15

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Blessed Wages – Sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 for All Saints’ Day (Observed)

Matthew 5:1–12

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, that’s you. If you are a Christian, you are a saint. A saint is nothing more than a holy person. I don’t imagine you think that you are holy in and of yourself. If you think you are, that is nothing more than pride, which is evidence that you are not holy. No, you are a saint because you belong to Jesus. He has made you holy by shedding His blood and dying for you. Christ has purchased and redeemed you and has made you holy.

Now, that brings us to the Beatitudes, but we’re going to start at the end so we can better understand the whole thing. In the last two verses, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”

Jesus commands us to do something here, but it might be one of the most difficult commands in Scripture. Your Lord commands you to rejoice and be glad when you are reviled, when you are persecuted, and when people utter all kinds of evil against you falsely. This command doesn’t have to do with how you use your body. We’re used to those kinds of commands – don’t use your mouth, tongue, and lips to lie; don’t use your arms and hands to kill or steal. We can do those things at least outwardly – even though we don’t perfectly keep those commands when we don’t lie, kill, or steal. But with this command, Jesus demands that you have certain feelings. Be joyful and glad. Yes, Jesus commands even your emotions and feelings, and Christ gives the reason we are to have those feelings.

“Rejoice and be glad for,” in other words, ‘because,’ or ‘here’s why,’ “your reward is great in heaven.”This is so helpful. The reason you are to rejoice is your heavenly reward is great. If you looked up the Greek word that gets translated as ‘reward,’ the first definition you would see is ‘wage.’ In fact, it’s the same word Jesus uses in the parable about the workers in the vineyard who all get paid the same wage of a denarius, no matter how many hours they worked (Mt. 20:1-16).

We do use the word ‘reward’ in a similar way. If you win a game or a race, your reward is a trophy or medal – it’s what you’ve earned for all your work before and during the contest. But ‘wage’ puts a little more of an edge to it. Wages are what you get paid for doing something, and Jesus promises great, heavenly wages.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus lets you know that things are going to be difficult in this life, at least for a while. You will be poor in spirit. Many things will cause you to mourn. You will be meek and humble. You will constantly hunger and thirst for righteousness. You will be merciful instead of vengeful. You will be pure in heart. You will seek to make peace instead of demanding your rights. And when you do all of that, Jesus says, people will persecute you because of it. But Christ wants you to endure all of that with rejoicing because He will pay you. And He will pay you well.

And to be clear, this isn’t the only time Jesus says something like this. In Luke 14:12-14, Jesus says, and I’ll paraphrase: “When you give a feast, don’t invite your friends, family, or rich neighbors because they will invite you to repay you. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind who cannot repay you. Do this because you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” There, Jesus says that one of the reasons or motivations for you to treat people well – even those who can’t repay you – is that you will be repaid by God at the resurrection.

Shouldn’t you just do this because Jesus has been so kind and merciful to you? Yes, you should. God’s mercy freely given to you is all the motivation you should need. But Jesus gives another motivation here in the Beatitudes and in Lk. 14:14, and that motivation is that God Himself will repay you.

This is a great promise, and we should use it more often. So, take this promise, and keep it in your back pocket so you can pull it out regularly. The next time you are mistreated, pull this promise out of your pocket. When you spend hours planning, shopping, chopping, and cooking a nice meal for your kid and you place that that healthy food in front of him, but he says, “I don’t like that!” and slides it off the table so it spills all over the floor, take a breath. Remind yourself, “Jesus promises that I will be repaid.” When you are waiting in a long line and someone rudely and budges in front of you, take comfort in the fact that you will be repaid. When someone dominates the conversation and constantly interrupts you, don’t be impolite back and take your vengeance. Instead, think about those heavenly wages that Christ promises.

Of course, none of this – not one bit of it – is the basis for your salvation. You aren’t earning God’s favor or pleasure because of these works. But, again, this promise of blessed, heavenly wages can give you patience and motivate you toward good works. This is simply doing what you are called to do in Colossians 3:1-4, “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your Life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

So, to go through the Beatitudes quickly:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You are the subject of a king who isn’t going anywhere. He won’t ever be unseated. This world is not your home. You have a better one now and forever.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. That’s a heavenly reward. You will be comforted by Jesus. Yes, you have this comfort now through the Gospel and forgiveness of your sins, but there is even more and greater comfort yet to come in heaven.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. The new creation will be yours. You, dear saint, will be co-owners of the new heavens and earth. It belongs to you.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. You already have the righteousness of Christ. You don’t hunger and thirst for that. But you do hunger and thirst for the righteousness that will be yours when your sinful nature is finally done away with. That will come, and it will be paid to you as your blessed wage.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Yes, you have mercy now, but there’s still more to come. And you will be given this mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. You will behold Him and His face forever. The closest you get to that here is in the Lord’s Supper where you get to eat and drink His Body and Blood. But here, He is still veiled. Eventually, that veil will be removed.

Finally, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Yes, you are God’s children now, but what you will be has not yet appeared. But know that when He appears, you will be like Him because you will see Him as He is (1 Jn. 3:2).

The treasures of earth are going to fade and pass away (Mt. 6:19), but your blessed wages will not. Dear saints, blessed are you. Jesus promises. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Your Good Things – Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 for the First Sunday after Trinity

Luke 16:19–31

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

If you had to choose, which character in this parable would you rather be? The rich man is clothed like royalty and has daily feasts. Sounds like a pretty good life. Lazarus has nothing. He apparently can’t walk; he has to be laid at the rich man’s gate. He’s poor and diseased. He’s so hungry he wants to the garbage that falls from the rich man’s table. And he can’t even fend off the dogs who come and lick his sores. But then, both of them die, and everything changes. Lazarus is escorted by the holy angels to paradise and bliss. The rich man dies, is buried, and goes to hell and eternal torment. So, which character would you rather be?

Most of you are probably thinking Lazarus. No one would choose to be the rich man. But a few of you smarties out there would say, “I’ll be Abraham. He was rich during his earthly life, and he went to heaven.” Very clever of you.

Today, we are going to focus on v. 25 of the parable where Abraham says to the rich man, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.”

That response is a little surprising to the eternal torment of the rich man. We expect that Abraham would tell the rich man, “You didn’t believe in Jesus,” or, “You didn’t love the Bible,” or even, “You received good things.” But Abraham doesn’t say any of that; instead, he says, “You received your good things.” It’s almost a little sarcastic as though Abraham is saying that the rich man received things that he thought were good – the clothes, the feasts, the expensive house, etc. All of those are good things and are gifts from God’s hand, but those aren’t God’s best things.

The rich man didn’t receive God’s steadfast love and salvation (Ps. 13:5-6); he didn’t receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. The rich man didn’t care about those things during his life, and he didn’t even care about them while suffering in hell. In hell, the rich man only desired relief from his suffering, and, when he couldn’t get that, he wanted his brothers to avoid the suffering. The rich man’s problem is that during his life and even in hell he rejected the means to avoid that suffering which is God’s mercy, steadfast love, and salvation which is delivered through the Bible – through the word of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles.

The devil wants to twist this parable so we think that we have to choose between two different existences. On the one hand, we could love God and go to heaven, or, on the other hand, we could love money and stuff and go to hell. So, we suppose, “I guess I’ll pick God” and go grumbling through this life. But the idea that you can only have either riches and hell or poverty and heaven is a false dichotomy.

God is the One who gave you the desire for nice things. The Scriptures even teach that God promises to fulfill the longings you have. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

So, Christian, do you care about living in a fancy house? Yes, you do. Don’t lie. Remember Jesus promised, “In My Father’s house are many mansions, and I’m going to prepare a place for you” (Jn. 14:2). When you go to heaven and Jesus shows you the mansion He prepared for you, are you going to tell Him, “Meh. I don’t really care about that”? No!

Christian, do you care about good food and feasting? Yes, you do. How many times does the Bible talk about eternal life as a lavish feast (Is. 25:6; Mt. 22:1-10; Rev. 19:9)? God promises that feast because He knows that it is appealing to you. It’s something you want from His hand.

Christian, do you care about nice clothes? Yes, you do. The Bible promises that you will have extravagant, dazzling robes that are washed white in the blood of the lamb (Eph. 5:26-27; Rev. 7:13-14).

Christian, do you care about living a pain-free life? If you don’t now, just wait a few years and you will. You care about a life without pain, and God has promised that one day your body will be raised incorruptible, glorified, imperishable (1 Cor. 15:42-44) and you will have no more pain (Rev. 21:4).

Being a Christian doesn’t mean you have to give up your desire for nice things. You don’t have to have some Buddhist or monastic attitude toward the blessings that God gives you. Instead, you can and should give thanks and praise to God who gives every blessing. The Bible talks about the mansions, feasting, spectacular clothing, and escape from pain and suffering because God knows that it is a draw for you – it’s something you desire. You long for those things, and that isn’t a problem – not by itself anyway.

What is a problem is trying to get those things apart from God’s giving of those things. When you’re narrowly focused on living a comfortable earthly life, it becomes easy to forget about eternity. When you are focused on temporal mercies, you quickly forget about eternal mercies. Do you want your enjoyment of all those nice things now for the fleeting moments of this life? Or would you rather have them just a little bit later and retain them forever?

I know this sounds like some of the prosperity preaching you might hear on TV. To be clear, the health and wealth preachers are heretics, and I’m not becoming one of them. Those preachers are wrong – not because they promise health and wealth – but because of when they promise it. They promise it now when God makes no such promise in the Scriptures, but God does promise you will have it for eternity. 

The point of the parable is that the rich man loved those blessings more than he loved God and His Word. The rich man found his joy in the God’s gifts more than in the God who gives those gifts. The parable wants us to consider this question: What are my good things? Are your good things the temporal, fleeting pleasures of this life? Or are your good things the steadfast love, mercy, and salvation of God?

No one here is as destitute as Lazarus, and no one here is as wealthy as the rich man. You are all somewhere in between. The point of the parable is not for you to make yourself poor like Lazarus was, and the point is certainly not to make yourself like the rich man. The point of the parable is to get you to take your eyes off of the earthly things you either have or don’t have and focus on the eternal things that God gives you in His mercy which cannot be taken away. Remember, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt. 6:21).

Our call to worship helps us have the right focus. Psalm 13:5-6 says, “I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.” Christian, you have God’s steadfast love; you have His salvation. God be praised! That is more than enough. God has dealt bountifully with you because of what Jesus has done. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, you have an eternal inheritance that surpasses anything that the richest person could even dream of having.

Recognizing that you have the riches of Christ’s death and resurrection is the main point of the parable. And the parable has something to say about the riches you have in this life.

All of us are richer than we know. Even the poorest in our country would be the envy of most kings throughout history. Again, you aren’t the wealthy like the rich man, but you aren’t destitute like Lazarus. You’re somewhere between.

Don’t think to yourself, “If I were a little wealthier and closer to the rich man, I would be more generous with my things.” Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Jesus praised the two small copper coins that the widow gave, and not the fat checks of the rest (Lk. 21:1-4). Even though that widow’s gift was nothing in earthly comparison to the large sums put in by others, it was much more in Jesus’ eyes than all the other offerings combined. And remember, Lazarus didn’t want the rich man’s house, fancy clothes, or lavish feast. Lazarus only wanted what fell from the rich man’s table.

So, no; you probably can’t set up a trust fund that would cover the annual expenses of our congregation. Fine. But you can give your tithe. You probably can’t give a donation to pay for a new addition of a fellowship hall. Fine. But you can come and vacuum the sanctuary and scrub the toilets.

Dear saints, share your crumbs. They are more valuable than you know, and God will bless you as you give them away.

Hebrews 10:34 says, “You [Christians] joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” In other words, whatever blessings you might lose in this life, they pale in comparison to the eternal blessings and treasures God has in store for you. So, if you lose something here, don’t worry about it. Your eternal inheritance cannot be taken from you.

Dear saints, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness – which God freely gives through His Word – and every other blessing will be added unto you (Mt. 6:33). Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Carried – Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 for the First Sunday after Trinity

Luke 16:19-31

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Right off the bat, this text confirms that there are things much worse than being poor, hungry, covered with sores, and having dogs as your only friends and caretakers. There is eternal life after this life, and after you die, there are only two destinations. Heaven and hell are real. You will spend eternity either in bliss with God your Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, or in eternal damnation and torment.

Because that truth stares you in the face when hearing this text, I want us to focus for a moment on a rich man in this text.

There was a rich man who was adorned with the finest garb. This man daily feasted on the best food. Wherever he went, he was chauffeured around in decadence. This rich man had the most precious things in all creation and was truly blessed. And this rich man’s name was… Lazarus.

Now, I can hear what you’re thinking: “Pastor, Lazarus didn’t have anything good in this life. Abraham even said that Lazarus received bad things in his lifetime.” Absolutely, I’ll concede that point. But with this parable, Jesus is trying to fix our hearts where true joys are found. Both in this life and the next, true joy is to be found in the promises of God’s Word.

Too often, we Christians are tempted to think that if things aren’t going a certain way that God is mad at us. I often hear testimonies of Christians who will say things like, “I thought I was saved, but…” Then, they’ll recount some difficulty or hardship they have gone through. Then they will continue, “But then, I truly gave my life to Jesus, and everything got so much better. And now I’m really saved.” Honestly, that is sad to hear.

Dear saints, beware that kind of thinking and mentality. The devil wants us to tie our assurance of salvation to how things are going in this life. Honestly, that type of thinking is precisely what the book of Job is teaching against. God says that Job is righteous and upright (Job 1:8, 2:3), but the devil says, “Hey God, let me have a crack at him. Let me take everything from him – his wealth, family, possessions, and health. And Job will curse You to Your face, God” (Job 1:9-11, 2:4-5). And even when Job’s friends try to get Job to confess that he must have done something sinful to cause all the evil he endured, Job clung to faith in God’s promises.

Considering our life and judging what God thinks of us based on our blessings or lack of blessings is a dangerous place to be. Jesus Himself says that the life of faith is going to be difficult. Remember, Jesus promises that if the world persecuted Him, believers will be persecuted too (Jn. 15:20). Jesus calls Christians to follow Him which means picking up a cross – not a lazy boy (Lk. 9:23). If we are always stuck looking at how our lives are going, we’ll never be at rest as Christians. In fact, we will easily fall away. All the devil will have to do is keep bouncing us between highs and lows, and eventually, we will break.

Now, there are all sorts of ways we can go wrong when we consider this parable about Lazarus and the rich man unless we understand Jesus when He says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it” (Lk. 11:28). Those who hear God’s Word and believe it live blessed lives despite all appearances to the contrary. And that is the main difference between Lazarus and the rich man.

So, back to the idea that Lazarus was the truly rich man in this parable: Yes, absolutely. Lazarus was poor in this life, but when we consider what God’s Word says, we see that Lazarus was rich. In the parable, Jesus doesn’t say what kind of rags Lazarus wore, but Scripture does say that all believers are clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:27). In fact, Ephesians 5:25-27 says that Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her and cleanse her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, holy and without blemish. Because Lazarus was a Christian, that is how he was clothed – despite the appearance of his beggarly clothes.

In the parable, Jesus says that Lazarus was hungry and desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. But because Lazarus was a Christian, he did not live on bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Mt. 4:4). Lazarus knew the mercy of Christ, the Word made flesh (Jn. 1:14), who is the living bread that comes down from heaven (Jn. 6:50-51). That Word of God was sweet to Lazarus’ taste, sweeter than honey (Ps. 119:103).

And Lazarus had the finest chauffeurs who, when he died, carried him to Abraham’s side. The angels took care of all his transportation needs. Yes, despite all the suffering Lazarus had in this life, he was truly blessed.

And when we consider the rich man in the parable, we see the opposite. For all the temporal blessings the rich man had in this life, he did not have the most important thing – faith in God’s Word. Even as he is tormented in hell, the rich man continues to reject God’s Word. In damnation, he has the audacity to tell Abraham that God’s Word isn’t enough to warn his five living brothers about the peril of their sins. He demands that Lazarus be raised from the dead and warn them. But Abraham responds, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets (in other words, the Scriptures), neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” In other words, to hold fast to God’s Word is to be truly rich through faith in Christ. Blessed are those who hear the Work of God and keep it.

Don’t trip up on v. 25 where Abraham says, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things.” Some will say that statement teaches that the poor in this life go to heaven and the rich in this life go hell. That can’t be the case. Instead that again teaches us to not look at our blessings in this life, whether they be many or few.

Just think about the other rich man you heard about today in our Old Testament lesson (Gen. 15:1-6) – Abraham himself. In his day, Abraham was one of the wealthiest men in the world. One night, the Lord promised Abraham that His reward would be very great. But when Abraham looked at himself, he saw an old, wrinkled man. When Abraham looked at his wife, he saw an old woman who was past the age of bearing children. Abraham looked over at his servant Eliezer who was going to get all Abraham’s stuff when he died because Abraham had no heir. So God took Abraham outside, told him to look at the stars and try to number them. And God promised, “So shall your offspring be.” And Abraham stopped looking at his temporal blessings, and he looked past the limitations that seemed to contradict God’s promise. Instead, Abraham believed the Lord, and God counted it to him as righteousness.

Lazarus had that same faith. The name “Lazarus” means “one whom God helps.” Even with his beggarly status in life, Lazarus rested on the promises of God for forgiveness, life, and salvation despite all appearances to the contrary. Those promises carried Lazarus throughout his life, so when he died, the angels carried Lazarus to paradise. Yes, the rich man had earthly treasures in this life, but once he died, those treasures were gone forever. Because he didn’t have faith in God’s Word, he had nothing and was truly poor.

So, parents, this is mainly directed at you, but it is also for all of us Christians: We need to reconsider how we encourage our children and young people. Too often, we urge kids to grow up to be like the unnamed rich man in the parable. Obviously, he was wildly successful financially. He was a family man who cared about his siblings. He was probably a very generous man. Why else would Lazarus be begging at this man’s gate each day? The unnamed rich man was independent, successful, and a model, upstanding citizen. But he lacked the faith and fear of God. And without that, he had nothing.

And don’t get me wrong here. It is good to teach, instruct, and encourage our children to work hard, be independent, earn an honest living, and take pride in their accomplishments. It is important to do that. But never to the neglect of faith in God’s Word. Above all else, let us train our children and encourage one another to be dependent upon God and rest in His promises.

Those promises of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness carry us through this life. And when our time comes, may we be found faithful to Christ and like Lazarus be carried by the angels to the side of our crucified, risen, and ascended Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Unto Eternity – Sermon on Psalm 23, Revelation 22:1-21, and Luke 12:35-40 for Midweek Advent 3 2020

Listen here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dear saints, what will eternity be like? Through these Advent services, we’ve considered the comfort of Christ’s coming and what it means for us now and on the Last Day. But what does it mean for us beyond that? What does Jesus’ coming mean unto eternity? Even though we don’t get a ton of details, the overwhelming picture of Scripture has one common theme, and throughout the all texts tonight (Ps. 23; Rev. 22:1-21; Lk. 12:35-40), God serving you has been that theme.

First you heard how God serves you throughout your life. In Ps. 23, God serves you as your shepherd making you lie down in green pastures, leading you beside still waters, protecting you through the valley of the shadow of death, and finally preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies anointing your head with oil, and overflowing your cup. Indeed, God’s goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. Really, the translation there is too weak. ‘Follow’ is not nearly strong enough.

The Hebrew word there is almost always a military term to pursue. It gets used when Pharaoh had his army chase the Israelites to the edge of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:4, 8-9, 23). It is what Israel’s army did to the Philistine army after David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17:52). At the end of Ps. 23 – the picture is so beautiful – God’s goodness and God’s mercy pursue you and hunt you down all the days of your life. No matter how often you try to flee, God is coming after you with His goodness and mercy. And that care and compassion of God will continue because you will dwell in His house forever.

In our Gospel lesson, we have another picture of God serving us. And it is so interesting. Jesus opens that text by commanding us to, “Stay dressed for action.” Literally, the phrase is, “Let your loins be girded.”Now, I’m sorry to do this to you on a Wednesday night, but the grammar is too important to not do it. This is a perfect imperative. In other words, it is a command to already be in a certain state. So, Jesus is commanding you to have your loins girded – which doesn’t mean much for us today. But in Jesus’ day this would mean that men would lift up the heavy robes from around their feet and ankles so they were ready work or travel. This is important because God gave the same command to Moses on how the people were to eat the original Passover meal (Ex. 12:11). They were to eat the Passover with their belts fastened (that’s the girded loins idea), sandals on their feet, staff in hand, and eat it quickly.

Now, remember during the original Passover, they had to put the blood of the lamb around their doors to keep the angel of death from entering their household. And this was the final plague which brought God’s people out of slavery. But in this text, Jesus bringing about a beautiful reversal. He gets our minds to be thinking about the Passover with the command to gird our loins, but, dear people of God, we aren’t waiting for the angel of death to pass over. Instead, we are waiting for our Lord and master to come home from the wedding feast He has attended.

So, here’s the picture: Jesus has died, risen again, and ascended to God’s right hand in heaven where there is a joyful celebration going on. But Christ has promised that He will come back for us, and He wants us to be ready for His return. And those who have heeded Jesus’ command to be ready to work when He returns find the most amazing thing upon His return. Instead of us, Christ’s servants, serving Him, Jesus serves us. In other words, Jesus will go to work while you recline at the table and feast for eternity.

Dear saints, Jesus, the Son of Man, came on Christmas day not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for you (Mt. 20:28). And Jesus is returning not to be served but to serve you and shower you with His eternal love.

Finally, we have the most beautiful picture of this in our Epistle text (Rev. 22:1-21). Christ Himself will be your Lamb who shepherds you by the still waters of the river of life which flows from the throne of God. He will feed you in the eternal green pastures from the tree of life which bring healing for the nations. No longer will there be anything that is cursed. You will see God’s face, and His name will be on your forehead. There will be no more night. God Himself will be your light, and you will reign forever and ever.

Dear saints, throughout these Advent services, you have been reminded of the urgency to be ready for Christ’s return. Jesus could come back before this service ends, so be ready. It could be months from now, so do not grow weary, but be ready. It could be millennia before He returns, so ingrain the faith in your children and pass on the faith to ensure others will be ready as well. We need to heed Jesus’ warnings about being ready for His return.

But then we need to take a deep breath and let it out with a laugh because what we are waiting for an eternal party. Christ has already come winning your salvation. Jesus continually comes bringing you His forgiveness. And your Savior is returning bringing eternal joys. 

Ultimately, know this: Jesus isn’t returning like a picky mother-in-law inspecting the china she gave you as a wedding present to see if it’s been chipped or damaged. Instead, Jesus is returning like your favorite uncle with treats in one hand and a pile of fireworks in the other. Yes, we do need to watch and be ready for His return but mainly because it would be such a pity to miss all the fun. 

Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.