Gems from Volume 4 of Luther’s Sermons
Lazarus and the Rich Man, Faith and Love
1.We have hitherto heard in
our Gospel lessons of various examples of faith and of love; for as they all
teach faith and love, I hope you are abundantly and sufficiently informed that
no human being can be pleasing to God unless he believes and loves. Now in this
Gospel text the Lord presents to us at the same time an example of faith and of
unbelief or of the state of the godless, in order that we also may abhor the
contrary and the opposite of faith and love, and that we may cleave to faith
and love more diligently.
The First Sunday after
Trinity
When Unbelief Reigns
6. But where unbelief reigns
man is absorbed by these vanities, he cleaves to them, seeks them and has no
rest until he has acquired them, and after he possesses them, he feeds and fattens
himself with them as the swine wallow in the mire, and finds at the same time
his happiness and felicity there. He never inquires how his heart stands with
his God and what he possesses in God and may expect from him; but his belly is
his God; and if he cannot get what he wants, he imagines things are going
wrong. And lo, these dreadful and wicked fruits of unbelief the rich man does
not see, he covers them over, and blinds his own eyes by the good works of his
pharisaical life, and hardens himself until no teaching, exhortation,
threatening nor promise can help him. Behold, this is the secret sin which today’s
Gospel punishes and condemns.
First Sunday after Trinity
Unbelief Makes People Blind
and Hardened
9. But the nature of
unbelief is that it does not expect any good from God By which unbelief the
heart is blinded so that it neither feels nor knows how good and gracious God
is; but as Psalm 14:2 says: he cares not for God, seeks not after him. Out of
this blindness follows further that his heart becomes so hard, obdurate and
unmerciful that he has no desire to do a kindness to his fellow man; yea, he
would rather harm and offend everybody.
First Sunday after Trinity
Suffering Acceptable Only When…
Poverty and suffering make no
one acceptable to God; but, whoever is first acceptable to God, his poverty and
suffering are precious in the eyes of God, as Psalm 116:15 says: “Precious in
the sight of Jehovah is the death of his saints.”
#12 First Sunday in Trinity
Why Rich Abraham Received Poor Lazarus
For the saints should have
one and the same inner mind and spirit, but they cannot have the same outward
work and suffering. Therefore Abraham also recognized Lazarus as one of his own
and received him into his bosom; which he would not have done, were he not of
the same mind and had he not taken pleasure in the poverty and maladies of
Lazarus. Thus is set forth the sum and meaning of the Gospel, that we may see,
how faith everywhere saves and unbelief condemns.
#20 First Sunday after
Trinity
Despise Ghosts as Satan
Behold,
you see that the ghosts are Satan, and there is little use to dispute with
them; but one should despise them with a cheerful spirit as nothing.
#34
First Sunday after Trinity
True and Lasting Wealth
For
God blesses the little which the righteous have (says Psalm 37:16), so that he
may not only possess it with a good conscience, but will also be to his benefit
and he will use it so that God may be pleased with it. But the wealth that has
been unjustly obtained, may be enjoyed for a time; yet because God’s blessing
does not rest upon it, it wears away and loses itself, so that we cannot tell
what has become of it; for it has been won by greed and wrong, and as they did
not regard it as stealing for one to scrape all together and give nothing away,
the rust is entered into it and eats it up, so that it cannot be seen that
there ever was a penny there. As also the heathen have learned from experience
and said: “By evil acquired, by evil it goes,” “As it is won, so it is gone.”
#34
Second Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon
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| Paul the Plagiarist made a point of copying Robert Preus at Bob's worst, quoting the idiot Edward Preuss, who leveraged his UOJ into a stellar career in Roman Catholicism. |
Against
Edward Preuss’ Later Fantasy
38.
This wrath must terrify them and make their consciences timid and fearful, that
they constrain themselves and say: O, Lord God! What shall I ever do to be
relieved from this distress? Now when man is terrified and feels his
wretchedness and misery, then it is right to say to him: Sit down at the table of
this rich Lord and eat, for there are yet many tables without guests and plenty
to eat, that is, be baptized and believe in Jesus Christ, that he has made
satisfaction for your sins. Otherwise, there are no means to aid you, except
you be baptized and believe. Thus wrath will cease and heaven will shine with
pure grace and mercy, forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Second
Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon
11. Now all unbelieving people are like this
rich hypocrite. Unbelief cannot do nor be different than this rich man is
pictured and set forth by his life. And especially is this the character of the
clergy, as we see before our eyes, who never do a truly good work, but only
seek a good time, never serving nor profiting anyone; but reversing the order
they want everybody to serve them. Like harpies they only claw everything into
their own pockets; and like the old adage runs they “rob the poor of his
purse.” They are not moved in the least by the poverty of others. And although
some have not expensive food and raiment, yet they do not lack will power and
the spirit of action; for they imitate the rich, the princes and the lords, and
do many hypocritically good works by founding institutions and building
churches, with which they conceal the great rogue, the wolf of unbelief; so
that they become obdurate and hardened and are of no use to anybody.
These are the rich man.
These are the rich man.
