{"id":5072,"date":"2022-06-23T18:41:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T18:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/?p=5072"},"modified":"2022-06-23T18:41:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T18:41:32","slug":"whats-at-stake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2022\/06\/23\/whats-at-stake\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s at Stake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Gospel: Luke 16:19-31<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/2022-TRINITY-LUTHERAN-CHRIST-FOR-US-06262022-15081.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>19 [Jesus said] \u201cThere 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\u2019s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham\u2019s 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, \u2018Father 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.\u2019 25 But Abraham said, \u2018Child, 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.\u2019 27 And he said, \u2018Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father\u2019s house\u2014 28 for I have five brothers\u2014so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.\u2019 29 But Abraham said, \u2018They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.\u2019 30 And he said, \u2018No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.\u2019 31 He said to him, \u2018If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trinity 1| Luke 16:19-31| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| June 19, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is at stake? When discussing matters of religion, what is at stake? Jesus tells us. The rich man died and found himself in fiery anguish. The poor man died and angels carried him to the bosom of Abraham. &nbsp;&nbsp;There is no middle ground. When you die, you either go to heaven or hell. Jesus teaches you clearly that you should fear eternal punishment if you do not repent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rich man went to hell. Lazarus went to heaven. There is no other option when you die. And heaven and hell are forever. Jesus says in Matthew 25, \u201cAnd these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.\u201d There is a great chasm between heaven and hell. No one can pass from one to the other. So, the only time we have to prevent spending an eternity in hell is now. Once you die, it is too late. The stakes are high. We should not fool around with matters of religion. Rather, we should pursue the truth. We must know how we go to heaven and not to hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why did the rich man go to hell? Why did poor Lazarus go to heaven? It\u2019s not that the rich all go to hell and the poor all go to heaven. Abraham was rich, and we see that he went to heaven. And poor people can certainly go to hell. We find our answer by the fact that poor Lazarus is carried by angels to Abraham\u2019s bosom. Abraham\u2019s bosom is an image of heaven, because God gave the Gospel promise to Abraham and he believed it. God told Abraham, \u201cIn your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.\u201d (Genesis 22:18) The promise which will bless all nations is in Abraham\u2019s offspring, that means, it comes from Abraham\u2019s body. This means that Jesus Christ would be born a descendent of Abraham, and that all who believe in him will be eternally blessed. How do we know that those who believe in him will be blessed? Because Abraham himself believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only did the promise concern Abraham\u2019s body, because God promised that the Savior would come from Abraham\u2019s body, but the promise concerned Abraham\u2019s faith, because Abraham believed the promise. This shows that the true children of Abraham are those who believe the promise. St. Paul explains this in Galatians chapter 3, \u201cAbraham \u2018believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness\u2019? Know then that it is those of faith who are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, \u2018In you shall all nations be blessed.\u2019 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.\u201d (vss. 6-9)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, how do we know that the rich man did not have faith in the promise of Abraham? And how do we know that Lazarus did? Abraham tells us. He told the rich man that he received good things in his lifetime, but Lazarus received bad things. What this means is that the rich man stored up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and which are lost to you when you die, but Lazarus stored up his treasures in heaven and remained poor in spirit on earth. It\u2019s not just that the rich man was rich, but that the rich man worshipped his riches. He served mammon rather than God. And it was not just that Lazarus was poor. He was poor in spirit. He desired only to be clothed and fed, otherwise, he was content. His treasure was in heaven, from which he eagerly waited for his Savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rich man lacked love. St. John tells us, \u201cBut if anyone has the world\u2019s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God\u2019s love abide in him?\u201d (1 John 3:17) The rich man had the world\u2019s goods. His brother was in need right at the gate of his very house. Yet, his heart remained closed to poor Lazarus. So, we must conclude that the love of God did not abide in the rich man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>St. John again teaches us, \u201cWe love because [God] first loved us.\u201d (1 John 4:19) Of course, God loves the whole world (John 3:16). So, what this means is, those who receive God\u2019s love through faith will love, but those who do not know God\u2019s love will not love. Jesus says this very thing in Luke chapter 7, when he speaks of the sinful woman who washed his feet, \u201cTherefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven\u2014for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.\u201d (Luke 7:46) He then turns to the woman and says, \u201cYour faith has saved you.\u201d The woman had faith in the forgiveness of sins, so she loved much. But a person who does not believe in the forgiveness of sins, who does not accept God\u2019s love through Christ Jesus, will not love much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important that you get this in the right order. Some people think that you go to heaven and are saved, because of how you love. Many even think that faith in Jesus is not important, as long as you love. But Scripture makes clear that you cannot love unless you first have faith in God\u2019s love. And it is not possible to please God unless you have faith (Hebrews 11:6). This is very offensive. People don\u2019t want to hear that they can\u2019t love. Love is so personal. \u201cAre you saying that if I\u2019m not a Christian that I don\u2019t love my wife or my children or my dog?\u201d Yet, when people say things like this, they ignore the fact that we are by nature sinful. As Jesus says, \u201cOut of the mouth come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.\u201d (Matthew 15:19) So, even if unbelievers do show outward acts of love, which they do, their love is tainted with sinful desires. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. No one loves purely. And without faith, the love we show is not pleasing to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, if you have faith in Christ, you must bear good fruits of love. It is not optional to love. \u201cIf anyone says, \u2018I love God\u2019 and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.\u201d (1 John 4:20) If you have faith in God, you love God. And if you love God, you love your neighbor, because God loves your neighbor. When you love your neighbor, you confess God\u2019s love for his creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The word love has been greatly perverted, so it is important to remember that love is God\u2019s Word. God is love (1 John 4:16). And God demonstrates love in this way, by giving his Son to die for us so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). So, the love we then show should mirror the love God shows to us. Our love should be selfless and for our neighbor\u2019s good. This is why we should seek to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and visit the sick. We should seek to preach the Gospel to those who have not heard it, so that they may escape their sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a catchphrase, which says, \u201cLove is love,\u201d which is meant to defend all forms of sexual immorality. But there is a big difference between love and sexual infatuation and lust. Love is not lust. Love does not seek to do harm to a neighbor or rejoice in wrongdoing (Romans 13:10; 1 Corinthians 13:6). So, defending or promoting sexual immorality in any of its forms is not loving in the least bit. Sexual immorality focuses a person in on himself and his own lusts. It does not seek out the good in the neighbor. And sexual immorality is not only damaging to the body, but it is destructive to the soul. Scripture warns, \u201cDo not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers will inherit the kingdom of God.\u201d (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) And so it is loving to call fornication, homosexuality, adultery, pornography, narcissism, drunkenness, and all other sins which are now celebrated, sins. We should warn people of the dangers of sin, call them to repent and to believe in the Gospel. Those who are currently celebrating pride in sexual perversions need to be called to repentance and they need to know that Jesus died for their sins, so that they too may be saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three times the rich man from hell called Abraham his father. He no doubt was a Jew, who could trace his lineage back to Abraham. But in fact, Abraham was not his father. If Abraham were the rich man\u2019s father, then the rich man would have done what Abraham did. Abraham listened to the word of God and believed the Lord. Abraham offered food and shelter to strangers and helped those in distress. St. Paul says in Romans chapter 9, \u201cNot all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but \u2018Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.\u2019\u201d This means that we are children of Abraham when we believe in the promise of Jesus Christ, the descendant of Isaac. And children of Abraham prove that they are his children by how they love one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of us are probably not physical descendants of Abraham, but we who believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior are certainly children of Abraham through faith. Abraham is our father. And this also serves as a good message for fathers on Father\u2019s Day. Any man can become a father. What makes a good father? Well, it must be spending time with your children, sharing your interests with them and taking an interest in theirs; it must be to teach them how to catch and throw a ball, take them fishing, and tell some good \u201cDad jokes.\u201d And that\u2019s all fine and all, but that is not what makes a man a good father. There is one thing that is indispensable to being a good father, and that is teaching your children the Gospel of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abraham told the rich man that his brothers needed to listen to Moses and the Prophets, that is, to Holy Scripture in order for them to be converted. The rich man disagreed. He thought a dead man rising could scare them into faith. But that\u2019s not how it works. Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). The only way for these brothers of the rich man to become children of Abraham, was for them to listen to the promise of Jesus Christ. We aren\u2019t scared into faith, but we are converted by the promise that Christ has paid for all our sins and that whoever believes in him will be saved. This is also why fathers should teach their children the Gospel at home and bring them to church to hear Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles, who all proclaim Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our communities would be much better off if fathers would be married to the mothers of their children, and if fathers would work hard, yet still spend quality time with their kids. But the stakes are much higher than living in a nice community and having good memories here on earth. The stakes are eternal damnation and eternal salvation. This is why every father should acknowledge his duty to be a spiritual father to his children. Scripture says, \u201cFathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.\u201d (Ephesians 6:4) The most important thing for a Christian father to pass on to his children is the saving faith, that all who repent of their sins and trust in Christ Jesus for forgiveness, will be saved. That is the most loving thing a father can do for his children. And if he believes in the Lord Jesus, he will strive to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God grant all Christian fathers the strength to carry out this sacred task and grace to their children to keep the faith. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;Gospel: Luke 16:19-31 19 [Jesus said] \u201cThere 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\u2019s table&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2022\/06\/23\/whats-at-stake\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,7,55],"tags":[516,615,204],"class_list":["post-5072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-sermons","category-sermons-by-historical-lectionary","category-sermonsbyrevjamespreus","category-trinity-1","tag-luke-16","tag-pastor-james-preus","tag-trinity-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5072"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5074,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5072\/revisions\/5074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}