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| By Norma Boeckler |
Lord, let at last Thine angels come, To Abram's bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing; And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep Until Thy reappearing.
My body safe in peaceful sleep Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face, My Savior and my Fount of grace,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face, My Savior and my Fount of grace,
Lord Jesus Christ, My prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end. TLH #429
The First Sunday after Trinity, 2019
And I will praise Thee without end. TLH #429
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The melodies are linked in the hymn name.
The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Faith and Unbelief
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #50 Lord Dismiss Us
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #50 Lord Dismiss Us
KJV 1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
KJV Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
First Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we beseech Thee so to rule and govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not, like the rich man, hear Thy word in vain, and become so devoted to things temporal as to forget things eternal; but that we readily and according to our ability minister to such as are in need, and not defile ourselves with surfeiting and pride; in trial and misfortune keep us from despair, and grant us to put our trust wholly in Thy fatherly help and grace, so that in faith and Christian patience we may overcome all things, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Background for Sermon
This is an interesting parable of Jesus because it portrays the lives and deaths of two men, and the consequences of their lives. The parables are short stories, fiction, which tell an important story. This one is especially notable because a brief story teaches so much in a few words.
Jesus often taught with ironic contrasts. What we overlook or do not expect turns out to be true and significant for our faith. The overlooked parable of the leaven mixed in dough (Matthew 13) is one sentence. No content? Wrong - the parable of leaven connects many parts of the Bible and teaches us that the good leaven of the Gospel works through our lives slowly, just as sourdough leaven works through a lump of bread. Bakers understand - without leaven, the lump remains a lump and never becomes bread. To make the dough into bread, the leaven is kneaded in, folded over, pushed with the fists, spread out, rolled together again, many times until the leaven grows and enters every part. So the Gospel leavens us, as Luther wrote, making us more patient, more kindly, more loving, more forgiving.
There is a vast enterprise laboring to teach people about theology, or about the Biblical facts, or about the organization. But the purpose of the Jesus' entire work is to teach faith in Him, because that faith receives His righteousness. Nothing else makes a person forgiven of sin, righteous, saved. Sincere faith moves people to lead godly lives, never hesitating to help others.
Faith and Unbelief
KJV Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
As Luther pointed out, many lessons are about faith in Christ and love for our neighbor. However, this one contrasts faith and unbelief.
The rich man has obvious wealth, which is not a sin. Many people in the Bible were wealthy and enjoyed material possessions far above most other people. Some were rulers like David and Solomon. Others were successful in their occuptation, like Abraham and Lydia (Acts 16:14) - who had a chemical business, purple, the color favored by the wealthy.
The second part of the description shows that he worshiped his belly. We all enjoy a banquet, a special meal, but he made every day a banquet for himself. So here was a man on display with all of his wealth. It reminds me of how the author of Catch Me If You Can could manipulate bankers because he drove up in a rented Rolls Royce, yet inwardly was a thief who was always stealing and lying to keep himself comfortable. But he knew the weakness of most - to put on a show that no one would question because they let their imaginations dazzle and blind their common sense.
One man came into a small town, Sturgis Michigan, where we lived. He said he was moving his family and business into town and told each minister, "I heard you have great sermons. We want to join your church." Later in the conversation, he said, "I haven't established a bank account here. Would you give me 20-50-100 to meet my expenses until I get that done?" Later, at the ministers' meeting, they discovered all of them "gave great sermons" and loaned him money, never to see him again. (I know what you are thinking. It happened before I moved there.)
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
The rich man has no name in this story, because he was not known in heaven. Lazarus has a name and two verses to describe him at the beginning. He was placed in a good location for begging, at the gate of this man's house. All he wanted was some of the scraps from the banquet table of the rich man. The best meal we ever had was on a Christmas trip when no restaurant was open. We found our favorite, and it was officially closed. Christina said, "Give us anything you have." We took a large container of delicious, heated, rice out to the car and took turns eating it - truly a banquet because we were hungry and cold. That is nothing compared to someone with no food at all to eat.
the dogs came and licked his sores.
Village dogs were despised as mongrels, scavengers, unclean beast. But God made dogs able to connect with humans, love them, and care for them. The dogs were kinder to Lazarus than the rich man and passers-by. They knew the wounds were troublesome and licked them, as they would their own. Lazarus truly had nothing and was the lowest of the low in the village.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
This is a very important point. The angels came and carried Lazarus to Abraham's bosom, not to Moses, not to Isaiah. Why Abraham? Abraham is the central figure in Genesis and the New Testament for the Chief Article of Christianity - Justification by Faith.
The foreshadowing of the Atonement is in Genesis 22 -
Genesis 22:
7 And
Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am
I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for
a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb
for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
His
faith and works are honored in Isaiah -
Isaiah
41:8 8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of
Abraham my friend.
Isaiah
51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called
him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
Matthew showed how Jesus descended from Abraham, as promised
in Genesis 15.
Matthew
1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and
from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and
from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
Luke 16 - Lazarus is with Father Abraham in eternal life, and
Abraham answers unfaith.
Luke
16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham
said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that
they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us,
that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father,
that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren;
that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they
will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
32 And
ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered
him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest
thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth
not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37 I know that ye are Abraham's
seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 51 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52
Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is
dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall
never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is
dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered,
If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of
whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him:
and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I
know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day:
and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet
fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. 59 Then took they up stones
to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through
the midst of them, and so passed by.
Romans 4 is the central New Testament
message about Abraham and Justification.
Galatians 3 and 4 are the centerpiece of Paul’s epistle about
Justification by Faith.
Hebrews constantly references Abraham, throughout the
epistle, including chapter 11.
James 2:21 is deliberately
misunderstood, as if the author favors justification by works.[2]
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
The rich man had no faith, as shown to the public is his complete neglect of Lazarus, who only wanted a little food, a few leftovers.
5. Here one traces the secret sins of his heart as the evil fruit. For where faith is, there is no anxiety for fine clothing and sumptuous feasting, yea, there is no longing for riches, honor, pleasure, influence and all that is not God himself; but there is a seeking and a striving for and a cleaving to nothing except to God, the highest good alone; it is the same to him whether his food be dainty or plain, whether his clothing be fine or homespun. For although they even do wear costly clothes, possess great influence and honor, yet they esteem none of these things; but are forced to them, or come to them by accident, or they are compelled to use them in the service of others.
This is consistent with Matthew 7. An evil tree with corrupt fruit is the tree of unbelief. A good tree bears good fruit, and the two cannot be mixed around. Unbelief can never produce good fruit. Faith in Christ can never produce evil fruit. Because the rich rulers of Lutherdom care so much about their sumptuous meals, deluxe benefits, and enormous salaries, they have no concern for the poor ministers who are at their gates. So these synod potentates say, "We have made our board of education debt-free by selling our only college aimed at the poor in Alabama. Isn't that great?" That comes from the synod president whose dogma is Justification without Faith.
I know how many ministers are treated in the so-called "conservative" synods. They know the hint of a comment from one of them, traced back to them, will end their call. The lupine leaders lick their chops because they have more ministers than churches, so a few more man-made openings are good for their maneuvering. They will also force their seminary students into taking federal student loans and kick them out with large debts, no job, and no benefit from part of an MDiv in a dying synod. Some students and pastors should be removed, but many more District Presidents should be removed.
The rich man is tormented in death, so he only thinks of physical relief. Now Lazarus is very important to him, to do far less for the rich man than what Lazarus wanted in life. This shows again the unbelief of the rich man, because he was begging for something that could not be done. So it is with many who have spent their lives attacking the Gospel. They are tormented by their sins against the Gospel and against believers, but cannot see a way out. Many recent Catholic "saints" were like this, terrified of death, or unconsoled by the Gospel, yet unable to see the path to forgiveness and salvation. Paul Tillich, still praised by modern apostates, was also in torment as he was dying.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Abraham gives the advice and the damning truth. Life is very short, but the rich man did not consider that he lived for himself and had no faith until it really mattered to him - too late. Lazarus had nothing, only faith. I have known many people like that. One woman was given the official status in her state as "pauper." She laughed about it, saying, "The only thing I have is Christ. I have no money, no job, no home." And what did she value? - she kept a Christmas savings club at the bank so she could buy presents for everyone. She loved giving presents.
The great gulf cannot be bridged after death. This parable is devastating for Roman Catholic dogma, which declares that good works can be donated to the person suffering in Purgatory, that masses will shorten their stay and send them more quickly to heaven. They state the the holiest life of the holiest religious person would mean that individual would be in Purgatory until 15 minutes before the Second Coming. Works are not enough in this life. They say, "Jesus' death on the cross means forgiveness of sin, but you have to pay for your sins."
The state of Lutheran education today is proven by the number of "conservative" Lutheran clergy who cannot wait to join Rome or the Eastern Orthodox.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Unbelief does not change at death for the rich man. He has a sales pitch, go to my brothers and tell them the truth, so they do not likewise end up in torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
This is a key Biblical passage, because the lesson is a contrast between unbelief (someone from the dead) and the efficacy of the Word. The brothers have all the Gospel they need in Moses and the prophets, so they do not need ghostly appearances.
The final stroke utterly defeats all this falsehood, this castle built on his ravenous belly and need for showing off. If the brothers are not converted by the Gospel in the Old Testament (the only one at the time), they will not be converted even if someone rose from the dead.
This is also a fatal blow to all those who like to rake Easter offerings into their church accounts while denying the resurrection, the ascension, the miracles, the Virgin Birth, and the teachings of Christ.
Raised for our justification includes - "If believe on Him who raised Him from the dead." The Objective Justification parasites are like the rich man - they believe enough to affirm some parts of the Gospel, even the empty tomb, but they reject and mock faith in Him. The opponents are June bugs who devour prized roses so they can reproduce and expand to attack more.
[1]
Luther’s sermon for St. Stephen’s Day. December 26th, deserves
careful reading and consideration.
[2] Oxford Cyclopedic Concordance, as
recommended by Alec Satin, helped in making up this list.
