St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for Pentecost 19 – October 7^th and 10^th, 2004

Dear Children of God

The other day I as reading some material on the subject of poverty. In this study there was some information on what income level is considered as living in poverty. It was interesting to read that a family of 6 with an income at roughly $23,0000 or less is considered living in poverty. They estimated that a person needed to have a job making at least $12.50 dollars an hour to be at a income level above poverty. I not great with numbers, but it would seem to me that many people are living at a level below $23,000 a year. I’m also sure that there are many people who are making this kind of money or even less who wouldn’t consider themselves poor. And I’m sure that there are many people who make more than $23,000 who might consider themselves poor. It is very difficult, because each of us places different values on money and how many things we need to be content.

Today as we look at God’s Word we are reminded that trying to measure rich and poor is not all that important. Physical dollars and cents are not what make us rich or poor. It is some thing far greater than that. That is why we want to use the theme today:

The first man was A Poor Rich Man. In this well-known story that we many of us have heard from little on. Jesus talks about two specific people, and each of these people describes one of the two sides on which all people fall. Let us take a look at the first person. The first person is the Rich man. It tells us that this man dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. As we look at this man it is very clear that this man had all that he needed for a comfortable earthly life. Purple clothes were only won by the rich, because they were the only ones able to pay the price to dye them purple. He lived in luxury every day, not just once in awhile, but always. He was living on easy street.

Earthly wealth and pleasure wasn't the problem with this rich man. God didn't condemn him, because he hates all people who accumulate wealth on this earth. After all, isn't wealth a gift from God? All the blessings that a person receives are from God, and earthly wealth is one of those blessings. Jesus however tells us that money can lead to many extra temptations that people with less many may not have. Jesus tells us it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven. Satan has many more opportunities to work in the heart of those occupied with the love of money. That seems to be the case with this rich man. He didn't have time for God. No where do we hear that he thanked God for his wealth. He definitely didn't show his love by helping others with his wealth. Just look at how he treated the beggar Lazarus. The problem in this rich man's life is that his use of the money was not very God-pleasing, and even worse than h! ow he used his money was how his spiritual condition was while on this earth. He was a very rich man who trusted in himself and his wealth.

The problem that this rich man had wasn't made known until some time later when he died. It tells us that when the rich man died he was buried. However the next words of our text that the rich man speaks fill in exactly where he was and what it was like there, "In hell where he was in torment." He went some place when he died all right. He went to suffer the agony of the torments of hell, which had resulted from his unbelief. At the time of this plea he was looking for help. He called to Abraham asking him to dip the finger of Lazarus in water and put it on his tongue. He wanted relief from this unending torment. What was Abraham reply? There is a chasm between where the rich man was and where Lazarus and Abraham were. There was no way that they could cross over to help each other. God's judgment was final, and that decree of condemnation could not be reversed. God judged the rich man on how he lived on this earth. Did he thank God for his many earthly ! blessings? Did he use these blessings to help those around him? We know from the story that this wasn't the case. He rejected God while on the earth, and now he was suffering permanently in the fires of hell.

The rich man's thoughts now left himself. He now wanted to help his brothers. From the way that the rich man speaks, his brothers must have also been living in the ways of the world. They must have also rejected God and all that he gave to them. The rich man knows that they will see the same condemnation that he has in hell. Abraham gives an answer to the rich man that didn't make him happy. Abraham told him that his brothers had Moses and the prophets, and if they didn't listen to them, they would not listen even if someone was raised from the dead.

As we look at this rich man, we need to see the real purpose why Jesus told this story. It wasn't necessarily to condemn wealth. It wasn't to promote giving to charities. It wasn't to direct us to a life of poverty so we gain heaven. It does however point us to one underlying theme. Why did that rich man go to hell? It was for one reason, because he despised God and His saving Word. The Word of God was given to him as well as to the 12 disciples and all other people on this earth. It wasn't hidden from him or anyone else. The difference is that he chose to reject God's saving Word. He chose to live for the world and all that it has to offer. That is why this rich man is considered poor in God's eyes. He was poor and lacking in the spiritual wealth that we have as the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts. The Word and Sacraments are the only thing that the Holy Spirit uses to lead us to faith. And anyone who despises them for any reason has rejected God and ! his salvation. Plain and simple! The Rich man was poor in regards to his lack of faith. He has lived in unbelief as he rejected the saving Word of God. He was a very POOR rich man.

But what does this have of do with us or in particular each individual here this morning? First of all we cannot deny the fact that we are living in the richest country in the world or close to it, and we make more money than most people in the world. The material wealth that is in this country is unlimited. We as a part of living in this country enjoy one of the highest standards of living in all the world. This is a wonderful blessing from our heavenly Father. This also can cause problems. Can all this material wealth pose any threats to our loving God above all things? Can all that wealth which clearly has made its way into all our lives direct our love away from God to the things of this world? Do we become more wrapped up in wanting a new car or house or TV rather than remembering to thank God and show that thanks as we return these blessings to continue his work? Does the love of money or wealth dictate our lives to some degree? We never want to fall into ! the trap of trusting or looking to the things of this world over against the love that we have in God and his Word. The day that this occurs is the day that we become poor and need to ask God for forgiveness for our sin. It is tough, and Satan knows just which stings to pull to lead us to love our money and worldly possessions, but we need to remember the other man in Jesus' story.

The other man who is called Lazarus is our RICH poor man. As far as being poor, we can see how Jesus describes this man. He was laid at the door to the rich man's house in order to eat the scraps off the rich man's table. He was laying there by the gate covered in sores. As he laid there the dogs licked his many sores. This seems to be a person that we all would consider poor from a worldly point of view. If anyone has seen a homeless person living on the streets they can think of what Lazarus must have been like. As far as earthly wealth was considered, he had none.

That is what the people of the world saw when they looked at Lazarus -- A poor bum. But it was quite the opposite when he died. He went to Abraham's side. When he died, he began to enjoy the eternal bliss of being one of God's children. It tells us that the angels carried him to be with Abraham. Lazarus was far richer than anyone could have ever imagined. He was a child of God waiting to obtain the final riches of eternal life. He believed in the promise of a Savior that would take away his sins and thus gain salvation for his many sins. Although he was poor and suffered much while on this earth, he still knew where to put his full trust. He recognized that God would help him and that God would carry him through all his suffering to be with him in heaven.

But before we get sidetracked we need to remember something about Lazarus. He was poor while he lived on this earth, but he didn't gain heaven because of this poverty. God didn't feel sorrow for him, because he suffered so much on this earth. God didn't say to himself, "I think I will let him into heaven, because he has suffered alot." It is faith alone worked in Lazarus' heart that gave him eternal life. Just think if we were in Lazarus shoes. Would we have remained faithful to God and trusted in him? Or would we have begun to doubt whether there is a God because of all our suffering? Would we have coveted and lusted after all the wealth that the world has to offer? Or would we have been content in knowing that our final goal is eternal life in heaven? We may not be as poor as Lazarus was while on this earth, but many times we have similar situations in a lesser degree. How many of us become discouraged with God for not giving us the money to do the things our! friends do? How many times have we asked God why do we have to suffer all these things? Have we ever let our love for money or our suffering step in the way of the love that God has so willingly offered to us? All that we have is a blessing from God. God has a reason for all things. But in the end the only thing that really matters is the eternal riches that are ours through faith worked in our hearts.

It boils down to two things. Are we full of faith and love for God who has called us to be one of his children? Or are we rich for the things of this world and all that the world had to offer? Are we willing to give our all to spread God's love into the world at any cost? Or are we to worried about whether I can afford to help God and live for the world at the same time? We are tempted on all sides by the ways of the world and the temptations that Satan brings against us. Let us remember what God has given to us. Let the love of God that was shown us by the death of God's own Son be the riches that we all strive for. Let that love lead us first of all in our every day life to God, and let this love lead us to show that love to all that may not know what the true riches are. Amen.