Life Comes Through The Word Alone
Skeptic or believer?
A healthy dose of skepticism can be beneficial. It can be a helpful guide to keep us out of trouble – financial, physical or otherwise. But do you take it too far and have to “see it” to believe it? And even if you did “see it”, would you really believe?
Our human logic wants to believe in things that we can see, taste, touch, and feel. On the other hand, our God is beyond logical comprehension and cannot be understood with mere senses, even in the presence of miracles. In today’s lesson, we see the rich man learn this lesson as he finds himself in Hades. Wanting to help those still alive, he asks that Lazarus be sent back to warn the others. But Jesus says, “‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
How prophetic! How true! Even after Christ rose from the dead, many people still did not believe. And so Christ reinforces the truth that faith and through it, eternal life, only comes from the Word of God.
Sola Scriptura!
We do not believe because of miracles or good works. Those are machinations of our human minds and bodies. We believe because of the Word of Christ.
Thanks be to God for the Word of Christ which brings us to faith and grants us eternal life! Alleluia!
Here is today’s sermon text from Luke 16:
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘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.’ 25 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. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 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.’”
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Announcements
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