Sermon Tone Analysis

The text that confronts us today is a story about two men.

There was a wealthy man, whose name we are not given.

However, we are told that this wealthy man was dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day.

As many of you may remember, purple clothing was for nobility and was a sign of extreme wealth.

Purple dye was very expensive in those days.

Only the upper echelon of society and the High Priest could afford it.

We are also told that his undergarments were of fine linen.

Linen, the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

And then we see our second man, Lazarus.

He was on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Lazarus was very poor and destitute.

He was disabled and covered in sores that even the dogs would come and lick.

Lazarus barely made it day to day, surviving only on what scraps was afforded him from the rich man’s table.

Are You Convinced?

The text that confronts us today is a story about two men.

There was a wealthy man, whose name we are not given.

However, we are told that this wealthy man was dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day.

As many of you may remember, purple clothing was for nobility and was a sign of extreme wealth.

Purple dye was very expensive in those days.

Only the upper echelon of society and the High Priest could afford it.

We are also told that his undergarments were of fine linen.

Linen, the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Then came the fateful day when Lazarus and the rich man died.

The text tells us that Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.

But the rich man was buried and was in hell.

The rich man would fit very well in today’s society.

You see, the rich man lived the lifestyle that seems to engulf each of us here today, a lifestyle of self-indulgence.

He had everything he had ever wanted in life.

He ate rich foods every day, was dressed in the finest attire attesting to his way of life.

But this does not seem to be the issue here, as the Gospel is silent in regards to any sins of this man, for it would speak loudly on the subject.

But here, though the fancy attire and decadent food are but menial and external things.

Luther says, “Wherefore, we must conclude that he carried outwardly a sort of decorous and holy conversation; and so much so, that he seemed both to himself and to others, to fulfill the law of Moses.”

(Select Works of Martin Luther: Offering to the Church of God in “the Last Days,” Vol 1, pg 428).

And then we see our second man, Lazarus.

He was on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Lazarus was very poor and destitute.

He was disabled and covered in sores that even the dogs would come and lick.

Lazarus barely made it day to day, surviving only on what scraps was afforded him from the rich man’s table.

However, Lazarus had been afflicted his entire life.

nothing really to call his own, could not work, and therefore could not support himself.

He was really down and out, with some sort of skin disorder that left him with open oozing sores all over his body.

Lazarus’ only recourse was to beg for the rest of his life, just to make it one day at a time.

Then came the fateful day when Lazarus and the rich man died.

The text tells us that Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.

But the rich man was buried and was in hell.

The rich man would fit very well in today’s society.

You see, the rich man lived the lifestyle that seems to engulf each of us here today, a lifestyle of self-indulgence.

He had everything he had ever wanted in life.

He ate rich foods every day, was dressed in the finest attire attesting to his way of life.

But this does not seem to be the issue here, as the Gospel is silent in regard to any sins of this man, for it would speak loudly on the subject.

But here, though the fancy attire and decadent food are but menial and external things.

Luther says, “Wherefore, we must conclude that he carried outwardly a sort of decorous and holy conversation; and so much so, that he seemed both to himself and to others, to fulfill the law of Moses.”

(Select Works of Martin Luther: Offering to the Church of God in “the Last Days,” Vol 1, pg 428).

This parable points to a couple of very important things, faith/unbelief and the finality of death and judgment.

In this text, we also see the graciousness of our Lord that saves the least of these who are externally unworthy, yet who are convinced by Moses and the Prophets fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

However, Lazarus had been afflicted his entire life.

nothing really to call his own, could not work, and therefore could not support himself.

He was really down and out, with some sort of skin disorder that left him with open oozing sores all over his body.

Lazarus’ only recourse was to beg for the rest of his life, just to make it one day at a time.

Are you convinced?

Dear family, you all who sit there and listen to me go on and on every Sunday from Moses and the Prophets, are you convinced?

The rich man was certainly not.

And from his lifestyle, he and everyone else considered him blessed by God.

But remember, the Pharisees and Sadducees appeared to be blessed by God externally also.

They all had wealth, the best of foods, the finest of clothing and Israel in Jesus’ day considered them the finest examples of their faith.

But they were, in reality, wolves in sheep’s clothing.

By the externals of life the world judges who is blessed and cursed.

Those of us with large homes, nice clothes, decent cars, we are considered blessed.

But what they cannot see is what is in the heart.

Only One can do that, God Himself.

This parable points to a couple of very important things, faith/unbelief and the finality of death and judgment.

In this text, we also see the graciousness of our Lord that saves the least of these who are externally unworthy, yet who are convinced by Moses and the Prophets fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

God looks into the heart.

He alone sees faith and loving obedience, or rejection and self-fulfilled life.

The interesting thing in this parable today is that the rich man, who is suffering in hell, is trying to make a special deal with God.

He calls Abraham “father” which means that he was a Jewish man, he had heard Moses and the Prophets, as has his brothers.

So he begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his brothers.

In essence, he is trying to subvert God’s only way of salvation.

He is seeking special dispensation to have a dead man come back to life and warn his family, a treatment that no one else is afforded.

Are you convinced?

Dear family, you all who sit there and listen to me go on and on every Sunday from Moses and the Prophets, are you convinced?

The rich man was certainly not.

And from his lifestyle, he and everyone else considered him blessed by God.

But remember, the Pharisees and Sadducees appeared to be blessed by God externally also.

They all had wealth, the best of foods, the finest of clothing and Israel in Jesus’ day considered them the finest examples of their faith.

But they were, in reality, wolves in sheep’s clothing.

As the Holy Spirit searches hearts, what does He see in yours?

Does He see in you a heart that is pure, that is a heart that knows its place before a holy and just God?

Does He see a humble heart, that is broken and shredded by your own sin, the ways of the world and the devil himself that knows it cannot save itself and must rely on the all sufficient atoning sacrifice of Jesus?

Or, does the Holy Spirit see right through the sheep’s fleece that you cloak yourself in?

Does He see a heart that believes it is righteous in and of itself?

Does He see a heart that is as black as midnight with no moon?

A heart that has been so desensitized that sin is no longer a sin in your mind, because that is how the world works?

Does He see a heart that thinks it has everyone, including God, fooled with its costly attire and Christianized speech yet in its depths it is full of “dead man’s bones” as Jesus puts it?

It is here deeply hidden in the secret recesses of the heart: namely unbelief.

For when the heart is destitute of faith, the heart chases after things the vanities of the world; they fill his thoughts, and he continues to seek after the, and never rests until it has acquired them.

And as soon as he has gained his heart’s desire he begins to feed himself like a hog, wallowing in this muck, he crams his belly, and places all his happiness in these vanities and is quite unconcerned how it is between God and his heart.

Then he falls into yet other sins such as not loving or caring for his neighbor, for it is impossible for one who is so destitute of faith to show any care or concern for his neighbor.

The second point this text makes is the finality of death and judgment.

Both men, Lazarus and the rich man, died.