18th Sunday after Pentecost 9/26/10 Text: Luke 16:19-31
18th Sunday after Pentecost
09/26/2010
Text: Luke 16:19-31 and Amos 6:1-7
Title: Clueless?
This morning both the Old Testament and the Gospel readings at first glance appear to have one thing in common. They both speak of the fate of rich people who take a life of ease forgetting about those in need. Just look at the Amos text verse four. “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, that means newly born calves, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls, notice bowls not cups, and anoint themselves with the finest oils.” They are going to be the first to go into exile. God is really getting those filthy rich people who don’t care for others isn’t he?
Then in the Gospel lesson we hear about another rich man who did not care about the poor, getting punished by God, by being thrown into hell. Notice the contrasts in the Gospel reading. The rich man is clothed in purple. Purple, is traditionally the color of royalty because only the very very rich could afford it and even the rich only wore their purple robes for special occasion. It was just too expensive. The poor man who was laid at the doorstep of the rich man by someone who was the poorest of poor. He was covered by nasty sores.
The rich man is feasting, not just eating, he is feasting sumptuously, or as we might say today making a pig of himself every day. He is a perfect example of over indulgence. Lazarus on the other hand is literally starving. He would be satisfied if he could only have the scraps of bread that fell from the rich man’s table; if he could get them before the dogs did. By the way these bread scraps are thought to be what was thrown on the floor after the rich man used the bread to clean his greasy hands between courses. That is how desperate Lazarus is for something to eat.
Then there is the contrast of the rich man dying and going to hell and Lazarus being carried to heaven by angels. The rich man is in agony while Lazarus is in heaven. Listen to what the man who feasted lavishly says to Abraham, “Send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool my tongue.” He who had so much is now begging for one drop of water off of the finger of the one he despised. It is interesting to note that he asks for Lazarus which meant that he knew his name before he died. He also still sees him as someone lower than himself. These are signs of how hardhearted he is.
By now most people would feel pretty smug about these texts, for there is not a single person among us who has the wealth and acts like the rich people spoken of in these two texts. They just don’t talk to us even though those making among us who only make 11,000 a year make more than two-thirds of the world’s population. Most of us are way above that dollar amount. We are rich.
Now there are all sorts of false conclusions that you could draw from this Gospel story.
1. All who are rich and enjoy luxuries will end up in hell.
2. All who are poor and suffer here will end up in heaven.
3. Those in heaven and those in hell can see one another and communicate with one another.
4. Hell is a physical fire.
5. Heaven and hell are separated physically by a great chasm.
6. Those in heaven and hell are aware of and concerned about those still living on earth.
All of those things are false beliefs. What this Gospel reading is about is being in the Word of God. When I say being in the Word of God I am not talking about, and neither is God’s Word talking about, intellectual knowledge of his Word, even though it is good to be well studied in God’s Word. Being in the Word of God is living one’s life according to God’s Word. It requires knowing and believing in the Word of God.
Most of the religious people of Jesus’ day especially the religious teachers and priests knew the scripture. They could quote vast sections of what we know of, as the Old Testament, but their lives showed that it had not touched their hearts. There was no true understanding of God’s Word, for if there had been they would have known that God’s desire is for everyone to first keep him number one in their lives and secondly to love others as themselves.
It is not any different today. Many still faithfully attend church where they go through the motions and leave unchanged, still not keeping God first in their lives and loving their neighbor. It is sad and it grieves my heart when I see it happening. Sunday morning Christians are what they are.
The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich just like Lazarus did not go to heaven because he was poor. The rich man went to hell because he did not believe the Word of God that Moses and the Prophets had written down any more than his brothers believed them or would believe them if someone came back from the grave and told them.
The whole point of this story, actually both of the stories we read this morning is that, for those who don’t know the Word of God, it wouldn’t make any difference if someone would come back from the grave. Jesus came back from the dead and most still rejected him. It is not any different today. If you don’t know the Word of God you can’t know God because it is only in the Word of God that you find out who he is and what he did. It is only in and through the word of God that hearts are changed and love is expressed.
My dear brothers and sisters in the faith it does not make any difference how much money you have or don’t have. You can only be saved from your sinful nature, that sinful nature that is working on you right now, by believing in, that is trusting in, Jesus. That is the only way. It does not depend on being buddies with the nation of Israel or following some wonderful pastor’s teachings, or giving one’s money away, even if all of it is given away. It depends on your faith in God’s promise that Jesus has taken his wrath, the wrath that we all still deserve as sinners. God is very clear on that matter.
This past week I received an email, one of those emails that keep circulating through the internet. I don’t know if it true or not. It really does not make any difference because the thought behind it is true.
It seems that there was a retired preacher, a powerful well spoken preacher who was asked to come back to preach at one of his former congregations. The congregation could hardly contain themselves, for they knew they were going to hear a great sermon.
He got up, stood in the pulpit and said, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible has told me so.” Then he sat down. The congregation was stunned. Was that all that he was going to say?
They expected him to get back up, to continue with his sermon, but he didn’t, for he had said to them in those thirteen words the most powerful words that can be spoken. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible has told me so.”
He knew who his Savior was and he knew who he was, for he knew what the Bible said about Jesus and himself. A powerful sermon delivered in thirteen words instead of the 1500 to 2500 words of the average sermon preached today.
In God’s Word we also learn another wonderful truth about our Savior and his relationship with us. It is expressed in this little song based on Psalm 23. “I am Jesus' little lamb. Ever glad at heart I am. For my Shepherd gently guides me, knows my needs and well provides me, loves me every day the same, even calls me by my name." Amen.
09/26/2010
Text: Luke 16:19-31 and Amos 6:1-7
Title: Clueless?
This morning both the Old Testament and the Gospel readings at first glance appear to have one thing in common. They both speak of the fate of rich people who take a life of ease forgetting about those in need. Just look at the Amos text verse four. “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, that means newly born calves, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls, notice bowls not cups, and anoint themselves with the finest oils.” They are going to be the first to go into exile. God is really getting those filthy rich people who don’t care for others isn’t he?
Then in the Gospel lesson we hear about another rich man who did not care about the poor, getting punished by God, by being thrown into hell. Notice the contrasts in the Gospel reading. The rich man is clothed in purple. Purple, is traditionally the color of royalty because only the very very rich could afford it and even the rich only wore their purple robes for special occasion. It was just too expensive. The poor man who was laid at the doorstep of the rich man by someone who was the poorest of poor. He was covered by nasty sores.
The rich man is feasting, not just eating, he is feasting sumptuously, or as we might say today making a pig of himself every day. He is a perfect example of over indulgence. Lazarus on the other hand is literally starving. He would be satisfied if he could only have the scraps of bread that fell from the rich man’s table; if he could get them before the dogs did. By the way these bread scraps are thought to be what was thrown on the floor after the rich man used the bread to clean his greasy hands between courses. That is how desperate Lazarus is for something to eat.
Then there is the contrast of the rich man dying and going to hell and Lazarus being carried to heaven by angels. The rich man is in agony while Lazarus is in heaven. Listen to what the man who feasted lavishly says to Abraham, “Send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool my tongue.” He who had so much is now begging for one drop of water off of the finger of the one he despised. It is interesting to note that he asks for Lazarus which meant that he knew his name before he died. He also still sees him as someone lower than himself. These are signs of how hardhearted he is.
By now most people would feel pretty smug about these texts, for there is not a single person among us who has the wealth and acts like the rich people spoken of in these two texts. They just don’t talk to us even though those making among us who only make 11,000 a year make more than two-thirds of the world’s population. Most of us are way above that dollar amount. We are rich.
Now there are all sorts of false conclusions that you could draw from this Gospel story.
1. All who are rich and enjoy luxuries will end up in hell.
2. All who are poor and suffer here will end up in heaven.
3. Those in heaven and those in hell can see one another and communicate with one another.
4. Hell is a physical fire.
5. Heaven and hell are separated physically by a great chasm.
6. Those in heaven and hell are aware of and concerned about those still living on earth.
All of those things are false beliefs. What this Gospel reading is about is being in the Word of God. When I say being in the Word of God I am not talking about, and neither is God’s Word talking about, intellectual knowledge of his Word, even though it is good to be well studied in God’s Word. Being in the Word of God is living one’s life according to God’s Word. It requires knowing and believing in the Word of God.
Most of the religious people of Jesus’ day especially the religious teachers and priests knew the scripture. They could quote vast sections of what we know of, as the Old Testament, but their lives showed that it had not touched their hearts. There was no true understanding of God’s Word, for if there had been they would have known that God’s desire is for everyone to first keep him number one in their lives and secondly to love others as themselves.
It is not any different today. Many still faithfully attend church where they go through the motions and leave unchanged, still not keeping God first in their lives and loving their neighbor. It is sad and it grieves my heart when I see it happening. Sunday morning Christians are what they are.
The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich just like Lazarus did not go to heaven because he was poor. The rich man went to hell because he did not believe the Word of God that Moses and the Prophets had written down any more than his brothers believed them or would believe them if someone came back from the grave and told them.
The whole point of this story, actually both of the stories we read this morning is that, for those who don’t know the Word of God, it wouldn’t make any difference if someone would come back from the grave. Jesus came back from the dead and most still rejected him. It is not any different today. If you don’t know the Word of God you can’t know God because it is only in the Word of God that you find out who he is and what he did. It is only in and through the word of God that hearts are changed and love is expressed.
My dear brothers and sisters in the faith it does not make any difference how much money you have or don’t have. You can only be saved from your sinful nature, that sinful nature that is working on you right now, by believing in, that is trusting in, Jesus. That is the only way. It does not depend on being buddies with the nation of Israel or following some wonderful pastor’s teachings, or giving one’s money away, even if all of it is given away. It depends on your faith in God’s promise that Jesus has taken his wrath, the wrath that we all still deserve as sinners. God is very clear on that matter.
This past week I received an email, one of those emails that keep circulating through the internet. I don’t know if it true or not. It really does not make any difference because the thought behind it is true.
It seems that there was a retired preacher, a powerful well spoken preacher who was asked to come back to preach at one of his former congregations. The congregation could hardly contain themselves, for they knew they were going to hear a great sermon.
He got up, stood in the pulpit and said, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible has told me so.” Then he sat down. The congregation was stunned. Was that all that he was going to say?
They expected him to get back up, to continue with his sermon, but he didn’t, for he had said to them in those thirteen words the most powerful words that can be spoken. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible has told me so.”
He knew who his Savior was and he knew who he was, for he knew what the Bible said about Jesus and himself. A powerful sermon delivered in thirteen words instead of the 1500 to 2500 words of the average sermon preached today.
In God’s Word we also learn another wonderful truth about our Savior and his relationship with us. It is expressed in this little song based on Psalm 23. “I am Jesus' little lamb. Ever glad at heart I am. For my Shepherd gently guides me, knows my needs and well provides me, loves me every day the same, even calls me by my name." Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 5:22 PM
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