Trinity IV [Luke 6:36-42] (27-June-2021)

                              

This sermon was preached at St Peter's Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am.

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

Prayer: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

 
 

Jesus says at the beginning of our reading today: Be merciful, even as your Father in merciful. We learn here a couple of things: first, that our heavenly Father is merciful. And also, Jesus teaches us to imitate that mercy.

Let’s, first of all, consider how God is merciful. We use all kinds of words to describe God. For example, we say that God is good, he is loving, he is gracious, he is patient and long-suffering. We also say that he is merciful. We often read in the Old Testament, where it says that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

It’s one thing to say that God is good and loving, and he is. But it’s quite another thing to say that he is gracious and merciful. The fact that God is gracious and merciful doesn’t just say something about God, but it also says something about us.

You see, in the beginning, God was so good and loving, that he decided to create human beings in his image and likeness. And this was an incredibly wonderful thing! He imprinted his own characteristics into the first people, the first man and woman, to reflect his own goodness and love back to him. We read: God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Just as God was good, so also he let everything that he had made share that goodness.

But then, the first humans fell into sin. They were tempted by Satan, the devil, the evil one, and turned against God, in such a way that they changed his word around and were deceived into thinking that God did not mean what he had said. And so, they fell into sin, and became full of sin. Their descendants were also sinners, right down to us, and we not only share in their sin, but we also add and heap up plenty of our own sin.

And so, God is not just good and loving, but he is also gracious and merciful. Because, God’s grace is his goodness towards us, even though we haven’t deserved it at all. God sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world, to make a full payment for sin, and to atone for sin, to die for sin and to lay down his life and his blood for us. And because of what Christ has done for us, God is good toward us, and shows his grace.

God is also merciful towards us. He sees us in our sin with all our problems, with all our corruption, and all the trouble that we have brought upon ourselves and such like, and he reaches out to us and saves us. And so, because of what Christ has done for us, God looks at us with his grace, with his favour, with his mercy. Even though we don’t deserve it, even though we had rejected him, even though we were full of sin of our doing, God is merciful to us. He gives us a Saviour, and he forgives us all our sin, and even promises to do so because of Christ, and for his sake, and he charges our account and all of our sin to Christ, and he takes all of our Christ’s righteousness and holiness and purity and he clothes us with it.

We Christians are God’s baptised children. We have been saved from sin, death, hell, and from the power of the devil. And now that we have become Christians, we still struggle with our sin, but God forgives us. And as we continue in our life as Christians, we need to constantly learn from God, and from his word, what a Christian life really looks like, because it is a different life from what we had before. It is not a life that comes from our own hearts, but the Christian life is a life that comes from God’s Holy Spirit, who then changes our hearts. And so, our whole life as Christians, is one of learning to put to death our sin and our old self, our old Adam, our old man, as the Scripture puts it. But also, as we do that, as we bring our sin to God in repentance, God works in us by the power of the Holy Spirit a completely new person, a completely new self, a new Adam, a new man or woman.

Now, God saves us simply through faith in Christ alone, and not because of any of our own good works. But then, God also gives us good works to do as a gift, because he wants to change our whole hearts, our whole attitudes, our whole selves, and he wants us to show and demonstrate the love which he has shown to us to other people. And this is what Jesus is teaching us in our reading today. He says: Be merciful, even as your Father in merciful.

Just as God the Father has been merciful in so many ways to you, so Jesus wants to lead you by the hand and show you how you can now live a life of thankfulness to God, in showing that same mercy to all kinds of other people who need you in their lives. God wants to create in you a clean heart, a new heart, a heart that is like his heart, a heart that burns in love, and which reaches out in mercy and compassion to other people in their need.

Now, you might not actually think that you are all that merciful. Well, of course you’re not. At least, nobody is as merciful as God himself. But now, as a Christian, you have been baptised into God’s family, and you are one of his children. And so, he wants you to sit on his lap, and learn his characteristics, and his traits, and the things that are precious and valuable to him. Just as the world and its people are valuable and precious to God, and just as he continually shows mercy to all kinds of people in all kinds of ways, so also God wants the world and its people to be valuable and precious to you, and he wants to open your eyes, in such a way that you can see the needs of other people, and wants to give you a new heart which reaches our in mercy in all kinds of ways to them.

Now, Jesus in his sermon in Luke here today, also gives us lots of things to think about and consider when it comes to this mercy, that he wants us to learn from his Father, and show to others.

He says: Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Now, let’s think about these first two things about judging and condemning.

We need to understand this saying of Jesus very carefully. Sometimes Jesus forbids something, when he actually does permit it, in particular circumstances. For example, the Fifth Commandment says: You shall not murder. In general, human beings are forbidden from killing other human beings. So, if you want to take revenge upon someone else, you are not permitted to kill them. You are not permitted to kill someone when you think that they are no longer of any earthly use, but rather you should care for them and look after them. You are not permitted to kill a baby in its mother’s womb, and things like that. All these things come under the heading, “you shall not murder.” However, we also read in the Scripture that a policeman or a soldier is allowed to kill as part of their particular calling and vocation. St Paul writes in Romans 13: He is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carried our God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. So, for example, if there is a terrorist, who comes into a public place and starts shooting people with a gun, that is a called murder. But if a policeman or the army come along and kill that terrorist or that gunman, he is doing a good thing in protecting the citizens of the country from harm. In this case, the commandment not to kill doesn’t apply. Instead, a policeman or a soldier should be ready to kill someone for everyone’s good and safety.

Also, Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, not to swear an oath. What we need to understand is that in those days, people used to swear oaths all the time, and they thought that they only needed to tell the truth if they promised or swore that they were telling the truth. If they didn’t swear, then they didn’t need to swear. Jesus says, rather, let what you say be simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

However, Jesus himself swears oaths, and actually, he does it constantly, not because when he doesn’t he’s not telling the truth, but because he wants us to be absolutely certain of what he has to day. Jesus swears oaths, when he says: Truly, truly, I say to you. He says this all the time. Also, if we’re asked to go to court, we might be asked to swear an oath. And this is a good thing, and an important thing, because telling the truth in court, in a legal case, is the most important thing, and everyone needs to be certain that what we say is true. So there’s no problem for Christians in this sense to swear, or to take an oath on the bible, or something like that. But in our every day lives, in all our normal dealings with people, there’s no need to swear an oath.

Also, in our reading today, Jesus says: Judge not, and you will not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. As a general rule, this is true. But there are some people who are called to judge and condemn in certain situations. For example, a judge, in a court! Their job is to judge and to give sentences, and things like that. Could you imagine if there’s a criminal on trial, and the judge sentences him to 20 years in prison, and he says to the judge: Judge not, and you not will not be judged! Obviously, Jesus is not talking about judges, who have a duty and vocation and calling to judge.

But also, in many places in the bible, pastors are called to speak a word of God of judgment. St Paul says to Timothy: All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. When we need to speak a word for reproof and for correction, we are called to speak a word of judgment.

Also, all Christians are called to judge a pastors’ teaching, and his sermons. It’s a right thing to do! Christians are called to discern between true and false prophets, between shepherds and wolves in sheep’s clothing. Very many times, we Christians need to hold someone to account if they have taught falsely. Also, sometimes, we are called to go alongside of someone like a brother or sister, and help them to see that what they are doing is the wrong thing, and to put them on the right path. All these things are not what Jesus is talking about when he says: Judge not. Even John the Baptist and Jesus himself spoke very sharply and harshly to the Pharisees, and called them a brood of vipers! Sometimes these things are necessary. We are called constantly to judge what is right and true, and discern who are true and false teachers.

The reality is, that God has already made a judgment in advance. We do not need to make any further judgment. God has spoken, his Word says it, and that settles it. We Christians are called to speak the truth, and to speak it in love. But the reality is that many people use these words of Jesus: “Judge not, and you will not judged”, as a way to shut people up, when they don’t want to hear the Word of God. Because you see, the Word of God does judge people. The Law of God very clearly teaches us what is right and what is wrong, how we should live, and we should not live.

Actually, the Law of God doesn’t just point us back to when Moses received the 10 Commandments with the thunder and lightening on Mt Sinai. The Law of God points us back to the Garden of Eden, before there was sin. The Law of God is actually the beautiful, perfect order of God in the world, and it is his wonderful, precious gift. However, because of sin, people hate the law because it shows us what’s wrong with us, and shows us where we’ve strayed from that perfection, from that beauty. It shows us that there is an angel with the flaming, flashing sword, preventing us from entering back into the Garden of Eden.

And so, when people hear the Law of God, it’s only to be expected that they should feel judged. But God did not just set up his Law, but he also commanded it to be preached.

Today, there are many Christians all throughout the world, who are being persecuted because they have said “no” to something. Sometimes, Christians are persecuted in their own churches, for saying “no”. Daniel, for example, said “no” to bowing down to the king’s statue in Babylon. Many Christians are learning to say “no” to modern, progressive, interpretation of the bible. Many Christians have had to say “no” to false teaching, or false teachers. Many Christians have had to say “no” in the face of all kinds of moral issues, like gay marriage, or abortion, or euthanasia. And whenever someone says “no”, people feel judged. And when they harden their heart, they throw the words of Jesus back over their shoulders, saying, “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” What they really mean is: “We don’t want to hear the word of God.”

But Jesus also really does say these words to us! Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. He says these things because he wants us to take no joy in telling others that they are wrong, just so that we can be so proud of being right. We need to share the truth with people, and sometimes we need to show to people that they’re walking away from God and contrary to his word. But we do this, because we know that somewhere along the line God needed to share his truth with us first, and needed to draw us back from walking in the wrong direction. God shows his mercy to us first, so that we can show his mercy to others.

We must never speak to someone as if they are simply at fault because they are not as perfect as us. We are still struggling in this life, just as they are. Only Christ is perfect, and we strive to follow him.

And so, in all these things, when Jesus says: Judge not, condemn not, forgive, give, we always need to keep it in mind that it is only by God’s great mercy toward us in Jesus, that he does not judge, condemn or withhold his forgiveness from us. And so, we commend ourselves to Jesus, that we would learn from him, how to treat people in this way, in the way that Jesus had reached out to us and treated us.

Jesus wants to encourage us to treat people in a merciful and compassionate way, and so he says: Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Jesus is not teaching salvation by works here. He is not saying, “If you want to be forgiven by God, you have to go and forgive other people first, and only by forgiving people, can you earn God’s forgiveness.” Not at all. All he’s saying is that when you forgive people, you can take confidence in the fact that God has forgiven you. Your forgiveness has flowed from God’s forgiveness. You have shared what you have already received from him, and so you can also trust that he will forgive you again.

At the end of our reading, Jesus tells us three parables about being merciful. He says: Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? When we are merciful to others, we recognise that God rescued us from our blindness. We, because we now see clearly, can lead others into God’s light. If we think we that we are so holy, but those people are so rotten, then we are still blind. 

Jesus tells us a second parable: A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is full trained will be like his teacher. Jesus is saying here that we are constantly learning to be merciful from Jesus and from the Father. We learn from him, and we rely on him to show mercy to us, so that we can learn it in real life, in very practical ways, in order to share God’s mercy with others.

Jesus tells us a third parable: Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Here we see very clearly what Jesus means, when he says: Judge not, and you will not be judged. He is not telling us that we should not judge what is right and wrong, or lead people away from what is wrong to what is right. Sometimes we do need to tell people that they are in sin. But whenever we feel that we need to do this, we should always look at our own sins first. We are in just as much need of God’s mercy as the other person. Sometimes, we are even in much greater need of God’s mercy than the other person. Sometimes, we can see a speck in someone else’s eye, but not the log in our own. So, we should always judge ourselves and our own sin before we presume to tell others about theirs.

Let’s thank God for his wonderful mercy toward us, for the wonderful compassion he constantly shows to us, and let’s ask him to teach us and to lead us to be merciful, just as he is merciful. Amen.

  

And the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Trinity III [Luke 15:1-10] (20-June-2021)

                             

This sermon was preached at St Peter's Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am.

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

Prayer: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

 
 

Our Gospel reading today tells us about two parables of Jesus: the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. And these two parables are some of the favourite parables of Christians everywhere. These two parables also come from Luke chapter 15, where we also read about the parable of the prodigal son. In each of these parables, we read about something that was lost and then found: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son.

Right at the beginning of the chapter, we read about the reason and the occasion why Jesus told these parables. It says: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

On the one hand, we have the Pharisees and scribes. On the other hand, we have the tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect or faction that existed at the time of Jesus, and they were particularly noted for their strict observance of the law and various traditions. Today, when we hear the word Pharisee, we often think of someone who was self-righteous or hypocritical. We often think of the Pharisees in a very bad light. But sometimes we forget that the Pharisees were very devout and pious people. The scribes too, were also very knowledgeable people who studied the Scripture, and knew it thoroughly.

So the Pharisees and the scribes had some good traits, in that they were devout and pious, and also learned in the Scriptures. But they fell into a very bad trap: they trusted in their own righteousness. They thought, because of their observance of the law and their traditions, that they were unclean people, and pure and holy in God’s sight, because of what they did.

On the other hand, we have the tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors were generally thought of quite badly in those times, and they are often singled out and mentioned. Of course, people in general don’t like paying taxes, but this isn’t why the tax collectors weren’t liked. The reason is that these were Jewish people who were collecting tax for the Romans—they were working for the other side—and also they often lined their own pockets with a bit of extra for themselves. So not only were they thought to be betraying their own people,  but also “ripping off” their own people.

We also read, that there were all kinds of sinners that were coming to Jesus. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we are told that the young son asked for his father’s inheritance, and then went and squandered his property in reckless living. When he came home, his older brother said, that this son of yours… has devoured your property with prostitutes.

And so, we read: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

The question for us today is: who are you? Are you a tax collector and a sinner, or are you a Pharisee and a scribe? You see, one of the most important things about Christ’s kingdom and his church, is that there is a huge difference between what things look like, and between what things actually are. The Pharisees and the scribes are looking at the outward appearance of things. They look at themselves and they see good, clean people, who are morally upright, and decent, and righteous. They look at the tax collectors and sinners, and they see bad, dirty people, who are morally bankrupt, and shameful, and corrupt. And they see Jesus talking to these people and eating with them, and they say: If Jesus is who he says he is, then he should be eating with clean people like us, not with the dirty people like them.

The truth of the matter is that the tax collectors, sinners, the Pharisees and the scribes, are all sinners. They are all corrupt, they all are made of the same flesh, they are all tainted, they are all sinful, they have all fallen short of the glory of God. The difference is that the Pharisees and the scribes actually think that they have something in and of themselves to offer to God. The tax collectors and sinners have nothing. But what this means is that the Pharisees and the scribes refuse to come to Jesus for his righteousness, because they already think that they have their own. They think that because they are better than those people, that they are more presentable to God.

It’s not true. In fact, salvation is not throughout own works, or piety, or sanctity, or righteousness, or sanctimoniousness. It is through Jesus Christ alone, and his righteousness alone. In John 16, Jesus teaches the disciples that the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. There is one thing that saves us: faith in Jesus Christ. And there is one thing that condemns us: refusal to believe in Jesus Christ. As St Paul says in Romans: For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Now this self-righteousness of the Pharisees is a very dangerous thing. It is very common, and we always need to be on guard that we don’t fall into this kind of self-righteousness ourselves. In fact, it is so common that in the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus talks about the self-righteous as ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Yes, we need repentance. We have nothing in and of ourselves to present to God to make us holy and righteous in his sight. In fact, we need repentance every day. Repentance is not something that we do once, and it’s done. Repentance is a daily business, a continual turning to God from all our sin, and self-righteousness. And even this repentance is not our work, but it is a result of Jesus himself having come and looked for us, and searched for us, and found us.

And so, Jesus tells us the Parable of the Lost Sheep. He says: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? Why would a shepherd bother to go after one lost sheep, when he already has ninety-nine others? Can’t he afford to be one short? Is it just because he’s stubborn that he goes looking for the one sheep, and says: I started with 100, I’m going to finish with a 100?

Listen to Jesus’ words in John 10. He says: I am the good shepherd… The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

Do you hear how much Jesus talks about the sheep recognising and hearing the voice of their shepherd? Sheep actually do this. They recognise the voice of their farmer. If you raise a lamb, it will recognise your voice, and will come to you when you call it. The same for this lost sheep. The shepherd goes after the lost sheep, because it’s his, and he loves it, and he knows this sheep by name, and this sheep matters to him, because it’s one of his, and he raised it.

In Isaiah 53, we read: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. This is a wonderful passage. We see, on one hand, we the wandering sheep, going astray, going to our own way. On the other hand, we see God the Father laying our sin upon our Good Shepherd, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, he laid down his life for his sheep, and made a sacrifice for each and every sin of the whole world.

But in our reading today, we are not so much reading about the way in which Jesus died for the sins of the world, but the way in which he rescues each and every one of us individually. We read: And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

And so, this is exactly what was happening in our reading, that the Pharisees and scribes were grumbling about. Jesus found his lost sheep, and laid them on his shoulders, rejoicing. These sheep recognised that that they had failed God, that they had no hope in themselves, that they had the commandments of God but they had broken them. It’s not as if Jesus found sheep that were already saints. No, he found sinners, and they were lost and condemned by the law.

But Jesus wants to lay down his life for them. He will take their sin, and make a sacrifice for it. And so, in our reading, he welcomes them, receives them, and eats with them.

This is the wonderful message of Christianity. Sometimes we read in the bible, for example, on the day of Pentecost, that 3000 people converted all at once to the faith. But many times, we read about one person at a time. We read about a Roman centurion with a sick servant, we read about a Canaanite woman with a demon-possessed daughter, we read about a paralytic, we read about 10 lepers, but only one that thanked Jesus. What about Zacchaeus, the tax collector? What about the blind man who wanted to be washed in the pool? What about the thief on the cross? What about Paul on the road to Damascus? What about the Philippians jailer? What about the Ethiopian eunuch? What about me? And what about you? You see, Jesus converts us, and leads us to repentance, and saves us, one person at a time.

No matter who the important people in the world might be, no matter what might be happening, no matter what’s going on, when God shines the light of his grace on one sinner who repents, that person is the most important person in the world. We read: When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Jesus says, that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.

But then, let’s hear the second parable of Jesus. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

There’s something very interesting about these two parables. He tells the same parable twice, but with different pictures, and with different people, and with a slightly different point. For example, in the first parable, we have a shepherd, in the second parable, a woman. In the first parable, a lost sheep, in the second parable, a lost coin.

You know, it’s always the nature of a parable that Jesus wants to relate something to people. He’s reaching out to people, to put wonderful heavenly truths in their own hands, so that they tick over in their mind, so that they can think things through in light of their own experience and their own lives. You can also imagine Jesus saying, “Now, you shepherds, let me tell you something that you can relate to.” And then he says, “Now, you ladies over there, let me tell you something that I know that you have experienced.”

And this is very interesting, because we can often look at the Parable of the Lost Sheep, and think of Jesus as the shepherd, which is true. But in the parable of the Lost Coin, Jesus compares himself to a woman, who just happens to have lost something at home.

But there’s something very special in this, because it shows to us, yes, that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who searches for us. But he tells different kinds of stories about looking for different things, because he wants to let us know that we Christians are also to be involved in the searching out for lost sheep. He will use his own people in this work, and for this purpose. So for example, in Ephesians, we read that the church is Christ’s wonderful bride. And that just as a husband and a wife are joined together in marriage in one flesh, so also Christ and his church are joined together in a spiritual way, through holy Baptism, through the water and the Word, through the water and the Spirit.

And so, just as Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is always searching for his sheep, so also the mission of the church, Christ’s bride, is always to reach out to the lost for the salvation of souls. Jesus tells these parables in all kinds of different ways, because he wants to show on one hand, how he works in all kinds of different ways, but also because he wants to show us how his Christian people will also work with him. That is to say, just as Christ has compassion for the lost, so also we should have compassion for the lost. Just as Christ goes out to find the lost, so also we should also go out to find the lost. But also, just as Christ deals with one lost sheep at a time, so also we should never underestimate the importance and the significance of dealing with one person at a time.

So in the parable of the coin, we read about a woman who has ten silver coins and loses one. Now, in Australia, a silver coin, like a 50c, 20c or 10c piece, is not worth very much. We might not bother too much searching our whole house for 20 cents! However, in these days, a silver coin, the drachma, was worth a day’s wage for a labourer. It might be better to think of this woman looking for a $100 note.

I remember, about 10 years ago, being once at a family’s house, and the son had just received his first pay-cheque and had lost it! You can imagine everyone was quite in a fluster about it all! Whatever value we might put on this silver coin that this woman has lost, we know that it is of great value to her. That’s the point. The missing coin is valuable!

And so, this woman, lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and seeks diligently until she finds it. She needs the light to see, but she also cleans everything else up. This is how the church works: we hold the light of Christ and his word in our hands, and look diligently for the lost coin. In fact, Christ searches together with his church, because we know that he has given his church the light of his Word to preach and to speak, and so we see here a wonderful unity of Christ and his church.

If we don’t hold the light of Christ’s Word and his Gospel in our hands, we will never be able to see. If we hold something else in our hands, and simply want to be a kind of social club, or we are looking for people simply to boost our numbers and pay a budget, then we lose our mission for the salvation of souls. When we come to Christ, we come out from the darkness, and we come into his light. We come out from being stuck behind a couch somewhere, and we are placed into the woman’s hands. We are brought from being lost, into the company of those who are found.

So we thank Christ for saving us, for baptising us, and receiving us into his kingdom, into his church, and together with him, we hold his light in our hands, looking for those who were lost, just like us. What a wonderful joy and privilege and honour it is to be part of Christ’s kingdom!

Now, let’s assume for a minute, that this woman is really desperate to find this coin. She’s planned her finances for the week, and without this one coin, she can’t pay her rent, or something like that. Sometimes, as well, someone we know and we love, who is close to us, decides to live in darkness, and we don’t know what to do about it. This person is precious to us, and we love them, and even we think about talking to them about Jesus and the faith, and the relationship between us and them just becomes worse. The joy over one sinner who repents is great, and so too the sadness and the grief over one sinner who hardens their heart is also tremendous.

Remember: Jesus is the Good Shepherd. You don’t know how Christ has used you for a person’s blessing in all of this. Don’t underestimate the value of your words and your conversation with them. Ask him to go before you, to go without you, and find his lost sheep. Ask him to go to them – remember that he went to Paul, when he was still breathing threats and murders against the Christians. Remember how after Easter, when Jesus went and met the two men on the road to Emmaus, and they recognised him. In the meantime, we Christians, Christ’s bride, hold the light of Christ’s Word in our hand, searching diligently. The church is involved in the saving of souls, but it is Christ and the Holy Spirit who saves them. We speak the Word of God, we pray, we receive people through baptism, we strengthen people with God’s heavenly food in the Lord’s Supper. However, the work of saving belongs to Christ and the Holy Spirit. As Paul says: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. At least, in our Gospel today, we are taught that the value and the significance of each individual person in the sight of God is far beyond we can imagine.

This is the reason why when we come together, we sing words which are taught to us by angels. We sing: Alleluia! Glory to God in the highest. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. The church sings these words every Sunday, because we join in with the joy of the angels who rejoice over one sinner who repents. So we say with the words of Psalm 148: Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Let’s thank our Good Shepherd, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, for his wonderful mercy, his love, his forgiveness, his compassion for us, his people, that in all your insignificance, your lowliness, he searched for you, and he found you. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Trinity II [Luke 14:15-24] (13-June-2021)

                            

This sermon was preached at St Peter's Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am.

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God! (Luke 14:15)

Prayer: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

 
 

In the book of Exodus, we come across an amazing passage, where we read about Moses sprinkling the people with blood of the covenant. We read: And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

The people of Israel had been rescued from Egypt, and were now in the wilderness, and had received the 10 Commandments. After this, God gives them various laws about how they should set up and establish the worship, and build the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant, and all kinds of things like that. But before all that, we read about how Moses makes a sacrifice and offering to the Lord, and he takes the blood of the animals and sprinkles the people with it.

Then we read: Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

This is a wonderful passage, and describes an amazing thing, where Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and these seventy elders, go up, see God, and eat and drink in his presence. It’s hard to say too much about this passage, because of the great and wonderful mystery that it describes.

We should keep this passage in mind, when we come to our Gospel reading today, which describes a great banquet. Our reading begins where a man says to Jesus, Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God! And Jesus tells a parable: A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.” Then we read: But the all alike began to make excuses.

Our reading today is talking about these two things. First of all, it’s taking about the banquet itself, about eating bread in the kingdom of God! Second, it’s talking about the excuses that people make who refuse to come.

First, let’s talk about the banquet itself.  What do we think that the banquet is? I’d like to consider this banquet in three different ways: first, this banquet is the whole Christian faith. Second, this banquet is the Lord’s Supper. Third, this banquet is the life of Christians in prayer. All three of these things are connected, of course, but I’d like to consider each of these things separately.

So, let’s think for a moment about how the whole Christian faith is a heavenly banquet. Remember that in the Old Testament passage we read before, when Moses ate with God, we read that they saw God: We read: They saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. Normally, human beings were not allowed to see God, but this passage shows us Jesus Christ, who will descend from heaven in the fulness of time, and who will allow us to see him, and touch him, and meet him, and that kind of thing. St John at the beginning of his first letter, says: That which was from the beginning (he’s talking about God, who was from the beginning, in fact, Jesus Christ, who was with the Father from the beginning) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life… that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you. At the beginning of the book of revelation, we also see this wonderful picture of Jesus, where his face was like the sun shining in full strength. This is also like the Transfiguration, where Jesus himself took Peter and James and John with him up a mountain, and his face and his clothes began to shine.

We see here in the Scriptures many wonderful descriptions of Jesus as the true Son of God, in fact, true God himself, our heavenly king. And when we become Christians, we meet this heavenly king, we become part of his kingdom, and he invites us to his heavenly banquet. In the Gospels, we read about Jesus and how he meets people in a humble way, eats and drinks with them, teaches them, gathers them, blesses them, heals them, talks with them. Jesus clothes himself in the form of a servant, he gives a friendly appearance, and becomes just like us, so that people can approach him, trust him, and be with him without fear.

So right at the heart of Jesus teaching about this heavenly banquet, is himself, as the man who puts on this banquet himself, who throws this wonderful banquet. And although he is God himself, he appears in the Gospels in human flesh, so that he can welcome people in a friendly and accessible way.

This brings us to the fact that at the heart of the Christian faith is Jesus himself, but also the forgiveness of sins, as the great gift of Jesus to his people. You see, if Jesus only appeared like he did with Moses and the 70 elders, standing on an expanse of sapphire, if he only appeared like he did in the Transfiguration, standing on the mountain with his face and clothes shining with white light, if he only appeared like he did to John, in the book of Revelation, in radiant light and with glory and power, we would be afraid of him. We would avoid him. We would be like the people of Israel when God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, and say: Do not let God speak to us, lest we die.

So, right at the heart of the Christian faith, is Jesus himself, but then also the forgiveness of sins. Jesus actually comes to meet people in human flesh, in a friendly way, in the form of a servant, as a gentle and humble king, because he wants to give us the forgiveness of sins. And when we have the forgiveness of sins, then we have access to God. We can come into the heavenly banquet, and eat with God.

And, then, of course, at the heart of the Christian faith, is Jesus himself, the forgiveness of sins, but then also the gift of eternal life with him, where we will feast in a heavenly banquet for eternity.

At the heart of our reading, and in its most simple reading, this is what Jesus is talking about. He wants people to come to him. He wants people to receive the forgiveness of sins. He wants people to have eternal life. This is exactly what we read in that famous passage in John’s Gospel: God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

However, we read: But they all alike began to make excuses. We read in our reading that people make all kinds of excuses, and then the master sends his servants to invite others, the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, and even to compel others people to come in from the highways and hedges, so that God’s house would be filled.

The three excuses we read about are that one man wants to see his field that he bought, one man wants to inspect the oxen that he bought, and one man has married a wife. Now, of course, all of these matters are very practical, every day things that we often need to deal with. We need land, we need livelihood, and we need marriage, a family. Having these things are all good gifts from God, and are good things to be occupied with. However, they should not be our excuses not to come to the banquet. Rather, Jesus says: Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.

When Jesus calls you, you should come. When he invites you to his banquet, you should not make excuses, but come. The banquet will happen with or without you. If you don’t come, others will come. But you are invited, and it is a wonderful thing to be part of this banquet: it is a wonderful thing to be with Jesus and to meet him, it is a wonderful thing to have the forgiveness of sins, it is a wonderful thing to have the promise of eternal life.  

Now, let’s also consider the fact that the whole way in which the Christian faith is structured, if you like, is around this heavenly banquet. What I’m talking about is that just as Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the 70 elders saw God and ate and drank with him, so also on the night before Jesus died, he gathered his disciples together, and they ate and drank with him. Jesus instituted his holy Supper, which is the heavenly food of Christians. Through the means of bread and wine—in, with and under bread and wine—Jesus gives us his body to eat and his blood to drink. It is a wonderful precious gift.

In the same way that the whole Christian faith has Jesus at its centre, with the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of eternal life, so also in the same way, in the Lord’s Supper, we have Jesus actually giving us his own body and blood to eat and drink, we have Jesus actually, physically, present here, we have him giving us the forgiveness of sins (he says: this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins), and we have the promise of eternal life. St Paul says: As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. The Lord’s Supper continues right up until the end of time, and also for us personally, we receive the Lord’s Supper right up until that time when we enter into the gates of heaven, strengthened in that heavenly food.

Actually, Luther says in his catechism that in the Lord’s Supper, that Christ gives us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Why does he say: “life and salvation”? Luther explains by saying: For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

Of course, this makes sense, but what is he talking about, and why does Luther make this particular point about the Lord’s Supper? Let me give an example. Let’s say you have a friend, and you enjoy going around to their house, and doing things with them, and eating at their table, and all that kind of thing. But then you have a fight and some kind of disagreement. When this happens, not only have you lost your friend, but you can’t come into their house anymore, and you can’t come and eat at their table like you used to, and enjoy the many things that they have in their house, and the joy of just being in their company. But if your friend forgives, then you can come into their house again. So also in the same way: in the Lord’s Supper, we don’t just receive the body and blood of Christ, but we also receive the forgiveness of sins, and also the door of heaven is opened for us, and God invites us into his own home to feed us, and we can come in and enjoy his company and all the wonderful things in his kingdom. So the forgiveness of sins gives us an entry into heaven, and this is how the Lord’s Supper works too. St Paul says in Romans: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

But also when we come to the Lord’s Supper, there is a warning on the part of Paul that we should receive the Lord’s Supper recognising what it is that is actually there, the body and blood of Christ, and trusting that this is for the forgiveness of sins. He writes in 1 Corinthians 11: Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Of course, all of us are unworthy. But Paul is not talking about that. He knows that he unworthy to receive the Lord’s Supper too. But he is talking not about who we are, but how we receive the Supper. We are sinners, and we struggle with sin, and against sin. We are not worthy to come into God’s presence, but when we eat and drink in faith, trusting that this is the body and blood of Christ, which is for the forgiveness of sins, we eat and drink in a worthy manner, not because we are worthy, but because of Christ and his Word.

Now Paul says here: For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. Notice the warning of Paul against receiving the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. He gives the warning of judgment, and even possibly weakness, illness and death. But, if we turn these things around, and consider what happens when receive the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner, instead of receiving it to our judgment, we receive it to our blessing and for salvation. Instead of receiving it for weakness, illness and death, we receive it for our strength, for our health and healing, and for eternal life. This is why when Christians are troubled, and worried, and feeling weak, and such like, we should go to the Lord’s Supper, and feed on Christ’s body and blood, and trust him to look after us as our Good Shepherd. We commend into his hands our sins, but also our weaknesses, our sicknesses, our troubles, our fear of death. This is why the church has a special ministry to take the Lord’s Supper to people when they are weak and ill and close to death.

But this brings me to third thing I wanted to talk about with respect to this banquet, and that is the life of prayer of Christians. Now, we have a wonderful Good Shepherd, and in our culture, we are often so practically minded, that we make all kinds of excuses not to come to Jesus. Unbelievers make all kinds of excuses not to come to the faith, as we mentioned before. Many Christians make all kinds of excuses not to come to the Lord’s Supper. But also, many Christians make all kinds of excuses not come to Jesus in prayer. We often only come to him as a last resort.

Sometimes when we talk about prayer, it’s easy to think about these super-duper Christians, who are super-spiritual, and who pray in such a way that the words just roll of their tongue. I know that you have worries, and troubles, and things that weigh on you. Bring them to the Lord’s Supper, and bring them to Jesus in prayer. Jesus says: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Jesus has a wonderful banquet in his hand prepared for you. But we often treat him as if he is just so stingy, and never wants to give us anything. At the same time, we know that in this life, whatever he gives to us, is according to his will. If we are poor, if we are sick, if we are weak, if we are anxious, never mind: we are with Jesus, we have a Good Shepherd, and he will give to his sheep everything that they need according to his will. This is what we’re talking about when we read in Revelation, where Jesus says: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. You see, there’s a banquet here. And so many times, when we feel pressured and troubled and anxious, we know that Jesus is knocking on the door, asking us to give him access to our troubles, and not to deal with them all by ourselves. This is what the Christian faith and the Lord’s Supper and the whole teaching about the heavenly banquet is all about. What’s troubles do you have that you won’t tell Jesus about, and that you want to solve yourself?

Don’t you know that Jesus says: Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest? Don’t you know that Jesus says: I am with you always to the very end of the age? Don’t you know that the Lord is your Shepherd, and that you shall not want, that he makes you to lay down in green pastures, and that he restores your soul? Don’t you know that when Jesus fed the five thousand, that he took the loaves and the fish, and thanked God for the wonderful provision he gave to them before they had even received it?

But also, don’t you know that your troubles have been of great benefit to your soul? Don’t you know that Jesus has never left you, and that he will lead you through every valley of the shadow of death, for his glory? Don’t you know that the place where you find yourself now, is precisely where the Lord wants to have you? Cast your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. He has peace, strength, provision, rest and refreshment, and a rich banquet, already in his hand for you, and he will give it or even withhold it for a time, according to his blessed way that he wants to deal with you. Be satisfied with him, be satisfied with the banquet he gives to you, the Supper he feeds you with, so that whether you are in need or in plenty, you have his glorious grace. When you have Jesus, you have everything. If you don’t have Jesus, you have nothing. You don’t even have your field, your oxen, or your marriage, or whatever else it is, that is your excuse. You are nothing, you have nothing, you can nothing, but you have a Saviour, who is all, who has all, and who can do all!

So come to his banquet. Don’t make excuses. The Lord of heaven and earth is here, standing on his crystal expanse, and he prepares rich and heavenly food for you. And blessed are those who will eat bread in the kingdom of heaven! Amen.

 

And the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Trinity I [Luke 16:19-31] (6-June-2021)

                           

This sermon was preached at St Peter's Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am.

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

 
Prayer: May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
 
 

Today we read a wonderful passage from the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus tells us about the rich man and Lazarus. In the Gospels, we read many parables of Jesus; however, this particular text is not called a parable, and it’s not entirely clear whether Jesus is telling us a story or he is telling us something that actually happened, which only he, as true God, would actually know about. Anyway, this passage is extremely important, and teaches us about many different things: Jesus teaches us about salvation, about the next life, and about heaven and hell, he teaches us about being rich and being poor, he teaches us about the Scripture and the importance of listening to it while we have the opportunity. 

So let’s begin by looking at the first part of the reading, where the earthly lives of these two men are described. We read: There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

In the Old Testament, we read a wonderful passage about when the prophet Samuel went to the house of Jesse, and chose his David to be anointed as king. Samuel said on that occasion: Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. In the first place, Jesus tells us about the outward appearance of these two men. What do we think of them? Well, it looks like the rich man is blessed, and the poor man is cursed. And it’s true, to have money and possessions and wealth is a blessing from God. On the other hand, to go without, to be hungry, to be sick, all these things come about in our life because of the fall into sin.

However, even though wealth is a blessing from God, it can still be a curse for us. St Paul says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It’s not money itself that is evil, but the love of it. And this rich man in our reading, we read dressed himself in purple and fine linen. Purple, in those days, was a very expensive cloth, made out of a dye which they collected from sea snails. And usually, it was only kings and royalty that wore purple. However, in our reading, this rich man, who was not a king, dressed himself in purple.

There is always a temptation for people who are rich to think that, because they are rich, they are now kings. Now that they have money, they can have influence. But they have to be careful, because they are not kings. Also, we read that he feasted sumptuously every day. He didn’t just eat, but he went overboard, he feasted on the best food, the finest food, he fed in excess, and had lots of it, more than what he needed.

On the other hand, there was a poor man, called Lazarus, laid at his gate. Lazarus was desperate, and was suffering tremendously. Someone, who might have been a friend of Lazarus, knew that this man was rich, and might be in a position to help him. When the rich man went in and out of his house, and passed by his gate, he would have seen Lazarus. When the rich man was speaking to Abraham later in our reading, he certainly knew Lazarus by name and recognised him. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, we read where the man poured oil and wine on the man’s wounds. Wine was used in those days for an antiseptic, because of the alcohol content, and then oil was used to soothe the wound. The rich man certainly would have had a little wine and oil for the poor man’s sores, and also he would have had plenty of excess food, which he could have given to Lazarus. In fact, if he had done these things for Lazarus, it would have probably been no great sacrifice for him. It would have been easy for him to do it. He probably could have even paid someone to go and do the job for him, if he didn’t want to get his hands dirty and do it himself. But he didn’t. That’s the point that Jesus is telling us here: the rich man didn’t help him. He was a man who was hardened to human need, who was blind to human suffering right on his doorstep, and didn’t realise that before God, rich and poor are all alike, and that God shows no partiality. No matter where we’re from, or what privileges we have in life, or what important or unimportant families we’re from—we are all the same human race, and when people need help, we should make whatever effort we can to help them.

Now, what happens to these two men? We read: The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

Think about the funerals that these two men must have had. The rich man probably had a rich, lavish funeral, at great expense, with great pomp and ceremony. The poor man, Lazarus, was probably rolled up and put in a mass grave with a whole lot of other poor people. However, when we think of our life and about our death, the most important thing is not the funeral that people put on for us, but which God puts on for us. It’s not important when we die, whether we have hundreds of cars following the funeral car to the cemetery, with the police stopping the traffic, with large bunches of flowers. The most important thing is not the funeral procession which is arranged for our body, but the funeral procession for our soul.

You see, when we die, our bodies are buried in the ground. But at death, there is a separation between body and soul. Our body, though, on the other hand, is not like a plastic packet, which is thrown away in the bin. On the last day, we also read, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and that for us who believe in Jesus, our souls and our bodies will be reunited and our bodies will transformed to be like Christ’s glorious body. In the Gospels, we read about when Christ was on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, and his body shone with wonderful divine light. St Paul says in Philippians, that Christ will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body. In the meantime, we also read that when we die, and leave this life, St Paul writes that we depart to be with Christ. Simeon, the old man, who blessed Mary and Joseph and Jesus in the temple, when Jesus was a baby, said: Let your servant depart in peace. This word, “depart”, that Simeon and Paul both use comes from shipping. It’s the same word you use to speak about a ship departing from a harbour. The question for us, which Jesus puts before us, is where will our little ship come to shore? Heaven or hell?

We see this question put before us too when Christ was on the cross, between two criminals who were crucified with him. One criminals mocks Jesus and says: Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other rebuke him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Even though Jesus body is buried in a tomb, even though this criminal’s body would have been thrown on the scrap heap, Jesus promises him the gift of Paradise, to be with Jesus, even on that very day. We learn here about the separation of the body and the soul at death. When Jesus rose from the dead, on Easter Sunday, he is not the last person who will rise from the dead. Rather, he is the first to rise from the dead, and many will follow. St Paul writes: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

So, in our reading, these two men, Lazarus and the rich man have fallen asleep. They have died. And both of these men have a funeral not just for their bodies, but for their souls. The rich man died and was buried and goes to hell, and is in torment. Lazarus died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. Actually, in Greek, the word there is properly, “Abraham’s bosom”. Lazarus doesn’t stand next to Abraham, but is embraced by him, held close to heart, as his child.

There is a temptation for us to look at this reading and to think that Jesus is teaching us that rich people are bad, poor people are good, or all rich people go to hell, and all poor people go to heaven. This is not the case. It’s true that Jesus does say that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. But, still, there are rich people who are disciples of Jesus, and some of them are very special and wonderful people, especially because we know that Jesus tells us that it’s not easy for rich people to come to God. For example, in the Gospels, we read about Zacchaeus, who was a rich man. When Jesus comes to his house, he says: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. What a wonderful thing this was! He wanted to share his wealth with those who needed it. Perhaps whoever put Lazarus at the rich man’s gate, thought that maybe this rich man was like Zacchaeus.

But also, Lazarus goes to Abraham’s bosom. If all rich people go to hell, what was Abraham doing in heaven? We read in Genesis, that Abraham had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. On one occasion, Abraham was given as a gift a thousand pieces of silver. He was certainly a rich man.

So how was Lazarus saved? Well, first of all, we learn something from our reading today. Later, when the rich man talks to Abraham, he says: If someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. The rich man realises that his brothers need to repent, and he recognises that he is there in hell because he himself did not repent. The same goes for us: we must realise while we still have the chance that our human hearts are full of sin. We are full of sin, and we sin much, and we need to repent while we have the chance, before it’s too late for us. But also, when we recognise our sin, when we realise we are lost and condemned, what hope do we have? Then, we need to learn something about Abraham. In Genesis 15, we read: [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Jesus promises eternal life to all who believe in him, because Jesus has offered his life and his blood in our place as the one true and perfect sacrifice for sin. When we believe in Christ, when we trust in this blood and this sacrifice of this man, God sees this faith, and he counts it to us as righteousness. It’s like if we go to a very expensive restaurant and get a bill, and we realise that we can’t pay. The debt of our sin is too great. Jesus takes our bill, and looks at it, and he sees all the things that need to be paid, and then he takes his blood, wipes it all out, and gives it back to us with a stamp on the bottom that says: Paid in full.

Abraham trusted in the Lord, and so did Lazarus. In fact, this faith and trust in the promises of God is what Lazarus and Abraham actually had in common, despite the fact that one was rich in this life and the other was poor. This faith and trust in God’s promises was what made Abraham welcome him into heaven as his child.

Now, in the second half of our reading, which we’ll read more briefly now because of time, tells about a conversation, a desperate conversation, between the rich man in hell and Abraham. And this conversation is very useful for us, because it takes away from us all the excuses about why we shouldn’t repent and turn to Christ now, while we have the chance.

We read: 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. 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. And besides all this, between us and you a 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.’

Now, first of all, we often don’t want to repent and turn to Christ, because we don’t think there is a hell. We could ask all kinds of philosophical questions, about God and his love, his judgment, and why there is a hell. Never mind that for now – there is one. The person who is telling this story to you in this Gospel reading has risen from the dead, and is true God himself, and he knows. We read here about the rich man’s anguish and torment. The rich man already enjoyed his good things – now it is time for Lazarus to enjoy some good things, which are much better and of far surpassing glory than anything that rich man ever had in his life.

But also, we read that there is a chasm between heaven and hell, so that no one can pass either way, back and forth. This means that the time to turn to God is now, and we should not leave it until later. There is no purgatory, as some people think, where you can go to a half-way place between heaven and hell, and eventually then get out. There is no promise that everyone will be saved, no matter what. There’s no Australian, “she’ll be right, mate!” We must keep this clear teaching of Jesus very much before our eyes, so that we understand this clearly.

Then the rich man says: ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’

Here, the rich man begs Abraham that Lazarus should go back from the dead to visit his family. It will be no use. If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.

Often I have heard it said, “If God spoke to Moses in a burning bush, why doesn’t he come and speak to me out of a burning bush today?” Well, the reason why God spoke to Moses in a burning bush, is so that you would listen to Moses, not so that you would have some burning bush experience too. Many people want a miracle, but even if they had one, they probably wouldn’t even notice it.

But what about people going back from the dead? Sometimes, someone has a dream about someone who has died. It doesn’t convince them. Sometimes, people believe they have ghosts in their house. It doesn’t convince them. Some people even think that it’s cool and fun. People make money out of ghost tours of old buildings and gaols and cemeteries. It doesn’t convince them. Even King Saul went and visited a witch, a medium, and asked her to call up Samuel from the dead. It didn’t lead him to repent – in fact, it was quite the opposite. This action of King Saul was the height of his rebellion against God, and a reason for his rejection by God.

But even so, the central claim of Christianity is a simple historical and geographical fact that three days after Jesus died and was buried in a tomb, he stood up and walked out of the tomb. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead. But you know, many people are not convinced, because they don’t listen to the Word of God. As Abraham says: They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. Actually, we have Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles and the Evangelists. And people still don’t listen. Even when the Apostles went out to tell the news of Jesus’ resurrection to Thomas, he didn’t want to listen. And Jesus said, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And just after we read these words in the Gospel of John, it says: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Do you see? Everything here in these little verses is exactly what we learn in our reading today. We are not saved by whether we are rich or poor. We are saved by faith. Jesus is the Saviour of sinners, he came to save the lost, he came to gather the lost sheep. By believing you may have life in his name. And the bible was written for a purpose. John says: These are written so that you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. As Abraham says: They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them. Yes, Moses and the Prophets point us forward to Jesus, the Apostles teach us about the life of Jesus and about life with Jesus.

So, let’s turn to him, place our sins into his hands, and receive from him his righteousness, his blood, his forgiveness. We place our wealth and our riches into hands. And we place our needs, our sicknesses, our troubles into his hands. And we pray that Jesus would also open our eyes, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to see those around us who need our help, and to show compassion to them, just as he has risen from the dead and shown his mercy and compassion to us. And we pray also that Jesus would also grant a wonderful funeral for our soul, and lead us to heaven on the wings of angels, so that when we depart from this life, we can be with Jesus, completely free and purified from every sin and trouble, in Paradise, and let down the anchor of our little ship with him, and rest in his harbour, and be at peace with him. Amen.

 

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.