1ST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

In this same Savior, dear Christian hearers!

Each person has every reason in the world to think of his death every day, yes, every hour, for in this world nothing is more certain than death, and nothing, is more uncertain that the time of his death, and nothing is more important that the results of his death.

That we will all die in an established fact. Though most consider our hopes for this life empty hopes which are not fulfilled; though they may consider our apprehensions for the future empty fears which never come, that we will die is beyond any doubt. Though in trying to predict the future a person can become a false prophet, this I can predict without any danger of erring, or the anxiety of becoming a liar: the day and the hour is coming when none of us will walk, upon the earth, because everyone of us will be taken from this world and others will take our places here. Of all the countless millions of people who have been born into the world in the past 6,000 years, one generation after the other, after a short stay here, has left the stage of this world; no one has been left behind; death has forgotten none. Our turn has now come, and how long will it last? Soon they will say of us, They are dead.

As certainly as death will come for us, so uncertain,, on-the other hand, is the time of our death. No one knows whether he will live to see the next morning, yes, we have no claim upon the next hour. No one can guarantee that we will not die today or this year but only after many years have gone by. If you are already advanced in years, if the time of your pilgrimage has already passed the 50-year mark, then it is evident that you stand with one foot in the grave, and nothing is more likely than the nearness of your death. If you are still young, then look about; you will notice how death very often snatches the infant in his crib, the suckling from its mother's lap, yes, that death's sickle constantly mows down more tender flowers than trees bearing fruit. Are you a young man or woman in the full strength of your age? You dare not consider yourselves safe from death; the ax of death has already been laid at the root of many a young tree; not even does the bridal veil scare, death away; often it suddenly and unexpectedly snatches its prey from the very midst of laughing companions. Nor does death ask whether your life is so necessary and indispensable for your family or the general welfare of the Church and state; whether thousands are praying for your life; whether a poor wife with a number of orphans weeps at your sickbed; if your hour has come, resistance is of no avail; death pitilessly takes you along out of the land of the living. Though you may be ever so rich, your money cannot bribe death; though you may have all the arts at your command which otherwise cure sickness and strengthen the powers of life, no herb to cure death has ever been grown.

As certain as death is and as uncertain the time of death, just so important are its results. Death is either the gate of heaven or the gate of hell, either the entrance into eternal blessedness, or the entrance into eternal damnation; for the Scriptures say, "It is appointed unto men orce to die, but after this the judgment," Heb 9:27; "where the tree faileth, there it shall be," Eccl 12:3c; that is, as death finds us, whether it is in a blessed or sinful state, in God's grace or under his wrath, in sin or in righteousness, in the peace of Christ or in the restlessness of the world, there shall we remain forever and ever.

So, do we not therefore have every reason in the world to think of our death every day, yes, every hour? Since our death is so certain, the time of our death so uncertain, and its results so infinitely important, what can be more foolish than to live on securely and thoughtlessly and not even want to think of the fact that, stricken by the invisible arrow of death, we can collapse perhaps within the next hour? And what can be more terrible than to be surprised by death without being prepared for it, yes, without having thought of it? Oh my friends, learn to look into the hollow eyes of death before he looks into your dimming eyes. Let us now ponder how important it is to think of death.

The text. Luke 16:19-31.

My friends, in the Gospel just read Christ describes a man whose life the world considered a wise and happy one, and then a man whom the world considered foolish and unhappy; then he lifts the veil from eternity and shows us the eternal fate of both after their death. We see from this: those whom the world called wise and happy are the fools and the most unhappy, and those whom the world despised as fools and unhappy are the truly wise and happy, and it is death which makes this clear. Therefore, permit me to show you that

DEATH CONTRADICTS THE JUDGMENT OF THE WORLD CONCERNING

WISDOM AND FOLLY, HAPPINESS AND UNHAPPINESS

I. It Contradicts the Judgment of the World About Who is Wise and Happy, and

II. It Contradicts the Judgment of the World About Who is Foolish and Unhappy.

I.

In the eyes of the world who is the wise man? He who seeks to enjoy life as much as possible, who understands how to become rich and win the respect of his fellows, who knows how to live in peace and friendship with all men, and who dismisses all. concern for the future and especially eternity from his mind, him the world considers a wise man. And whom does the world regard as happy? He who can enjoy the joys and glory of the world, who is rich, who is healthy, who is greatly honored, who has many friends, who can dress fashionably and live well, who lives in a splendid palace, has no need to work, and is waited on by a host of servants, he passes for being happy in the eyes of the world.

Such a man was the rich man of whom Christ speaks in our Gospel, "He was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day." V. 19. Beyond all doubt: while he still lived, all the world would have praised him highly as a wise man who knew how to live, as a happy man who was a favorite of heaven; many thousands would have wished to be able to change places with him.

Of a truth, my friends, if there were no death and no judgment after death before which all men must appear, so that everyone may receive as he has done in his body, whether it be good or bad, who would contradict the judgment of the world? Then no one could find fault with the children of the world when they,-as we read in the book of The Wisdom of Solomon, "Come now, and let us be merry while we have the chance, and use our body while it is young. We will fill ourselves with the best of wine and ointment; let us not waste the blooms of May; let us wear wreaths of young roses before the wither. Let none of us fail to radiate happiness that every one may know how happy we have been. We will have no more than this to enjoy." (2:lff)

But that is not so; man must die, and then he must appear before God's judgment throne and give account of how he used the life given him to prepare for eternity; he must give account of the thoughts he had, the words he spoke, the deeds he has done; if he does not stand in this judgment, his eternal fate is worse than words can express; it would have been better for him if he had never been born; thus his seeming wisdom proves to be folly, his seeming happiness as the. greatest unhappiness and ruin.

An example of this we find in the rich man in our Gospel. We read of him, "The rich man also died and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said. Father Abraham, have mercy one 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. 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. 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." Vv.22b-26.

On the basis of our text, tell me my dear hearers: what must we say of the wisdom and happiness of the rich man, when we see to what place his wisdom and supposed happiness has brought him? Tell me what did his wisdom amount to which finally brought him into eternal ruin? What did his riches amount to which he not only lost, but which also hurled him into eternal poverty? What did the glory of his purple and fine linen amount to of which he finally was stripped

and in its place must now don the flames of hell as his eternal garb? What did the brief joy amount to, the brief laughing and joking, his brief life of daily pleasure which he had enjoyed here upon earth, after which followed eternal pain, eternal lamentation and howling, eternal misery and sorrow? What did the carousing in sumptuous eating and drinking which made up his life amount to, after which followed eternal hungering and thirsting, an eternal unappeased languishing and pining in unutterable heat? What did the gay parties amount to which he could enjoy every day after which followed eternal separation from all the joyful and eternal fellowship with all the damned? What did all the pleasures amount to which he had enjoyed upon earth, after which he had to hear the voice, "Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things;" the cup of joy which God had given you has been drained to the very last drops; others have had hell upon earth; they are now comforted; you have had your heaven upon earth: now "thou art tormented?" Do you suppose that the rich man would still claim that his earthly life was a happy one? Oh, of a truth, no! In his heart he will rather have said, Miserable wretch! I thought that I was wise; alas, I see now that I was a fool; I have made a mistake about the true way, and the light has never risen upon me; I thought that I was happy; but alas, I see that I was unhappy; my purple was merely the blinding gloss of my misery; my money and goods were merely cords which drew me into ruin; my earthly joys were merely a sweet poison which killed my soul; the honor I received from men was merely the noose of death; my whole life was merely a broad way to hell. Alas, all the days of my life were dark days, days of curse, birthdays of eternal misery. Oh that I had never been born! sheer misery is now my portion forever and ever.

See, there is the unanswerable judgment of death upon those whom the world calls wise and happy.

Whoever seeks to enjoy life and is unconcerned about eternity, him the world calls wise; but death shows: whoever seeks to enjoy life and is not concerned about eternity squanders his life, the precious time of grace, and tramples it underfoot, he. is idle during the seedtime and on the day of harvest will reap eternal ruin. Whoever serves the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, him the world declares happy; but death shows: that person's life is a dream; as little as he who merely dreams of riches is rich for all is gone with the dream, so little is he rich who is rich merely in this life, for in death he awakens from his dream and his riches are turned into eternal poverty.

Death shows: this world is merely a stage upon which all people appear not in their true but disguised form; as little as he truly is a king who in a play is merely dressed as a king and plays the role of a Icing, so little is all earthly greatness true greatness; in death everyone has acted out his role; after death the only question remains: Were you a true Christian?

Death shows: man's life is a walk to the throne of the divine Judge; as little as he is happy who is led to the place of execution, even if all kinds of tidbits which he desires are given to him on his last walk, so little is he happy who, as the rich man, can pass all his days in splendor and joy; they are merely the tidbits before the execution.

You who still seek those things which the world calls happiness, open your eyes and see that up until now you have not sought happiness but unhappiness without knowing and wanting it. Or are there not many among us who wish to be the rich man in this life? Are there not many among us who seek riches and think ..that if they would become rich they would be happy? Are there not many among us who, though they may not wish to clothe themselves in purple and fine linen, still wish they were able to dress themselves in the latest fashions?

yes, do not many bedeck themselves above their station and means and therein seek their happiness? Are. there not many of us who think, that there is a no more happy life than being able to live splendidly and joyously every day, sharing in the pleasures of the world, and enjoying its lusts ? Are there not many among us who, if they did not hear that the rich man in our text died most wretchedly and after his death awoke in the flames of hell, would with a thousand joys exchange the lot which God has given them with that of the rich man, exchange their slim savings for his pile of gold and treasures, their hut for his palace, their common clothing for his purple, their simple meals for his brilliant banquets? Oh my friends, do not join the world in its judgment concerning happiness and wisdom; form your opinion on the life of man after he Has died; this sets aside the judgment of the world and shows that of a truth the world's riches is poverty, the world's honor is shame, the world's joy is misery, the world's wisdom is folly, the world's happiness is unhappiness.

My friends, death also sets aside the judgment of the world as to who is foolish and unhappy; permit me in the second place to speak of this.

II.

Whom does the world consider a fool? He who denies the joys and lusts of this world, does not seek good days, nor riches, nor honor before men but first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, nor seeks to obtain the friendship of the world but would rather have all men as his foes than God, gladly lets himself be ridiculed and persecuted for the sake of his faith and the truth, and would rather suffer everything, yes, death itself than consent to the smallest sin, him the world considers a simpleton, a fool. Whom does it, therefore, also regard as unhappy? He who is poor, sick, forsaken, and rejected, he passes for an unhappy person in the eyes of the world.

Such a man was Lazarus, of whom Christ relates the following in our text, "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores." Vv. 20,21. Beyond a doubt: while he still lived, the world would despise and revile him as a simple, foolish man who did not know how to get on in the world, a miserable, unhappy wretch about whom God was unconcerned; many thousands would have esteemed themselves happy when comparing their life with his and blessed themselves in their hearts when they saw him; no one would have wanted to change places with him.

And it is true, my friends, that if there were no death and no eternal life after death, no salvation by grace, no mansions of peace for the tired pilgrim, no crown of life for the faithful warrior of the faith, no glorification of those who were reviled and dishonored by the world for the sake of God and his Word, the judgment which the world passes upon the suffering children of God would naturally be a true one; they would of all men be the most miserable.

But that verdict is not true. As the delights and glory of the world disappear, so does also the suffering, tribulation, sickness, pain, and misery of the world; yes, in death all this leads to joy and glory. For the Scriptures say, "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Rom 8:18. "Blessed are ye that weep now; for ye shall laugh." Lk 6:21b. "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." Ps 126: 5. "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Lk 14:11. "The last shall be first." Mt 20:16a. "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him." 2 Tim 2:11,12a.: "If we suffer with him, we shall be also glorified together." Rom 8:17b.

We find an expressive example of this in Lazarus; we read of him, "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom." V.22a.

On the basis of this verse, tell me, my dear hearers: what must we say of the supposed folly and unhappiness of Lazarus, when we see the place to which his folly and unhappiness finally brought him? What did his earthly poverty amount to which led him to heavenly riches? What did his homelessness in this world amount to, which led him into the eternal mansions of righteousness? What did his brief illness amount to which brought him to eternal health? What did his brief pains amount to, which guided him to eternal joy and blessedness? What did his hungering and thirsting in this world amount to, which brought him to the eternal marriage feast in the halls of heaven? What did all the disgrace, contempt, and shame amount to, which he here experienced and which finally led him into unspeakable honor, to heavenly glory? What did his brief lonesomeness and forsakenness by all men amount to, which called for the angels in his death who led him into eternal fellowship with all the saints and angels and the Triune God himself? What did all the tears amount to which he here shed, all the sighs which he uttered, all the sufferings which he endured, because he at the last heard the voice, "Lazarus received evil things, now he is comforted"?

He has shed the last tear and uttered the last groan; he shall now forever drink of pleasures as from a stream; he shall drink of the riches of God's house; he shall have the fulness of joy and pleasure at God's right hand forever more. Do you think that Lazarus will now claim that his earthly life was a miserable and unhappy one? Truly, no! His heart will the rather say: Oh God, the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places, I have received a beautiful inheritance. What the world called poverty in me was a treasure from God's hand, which outweighed all the treasures of the world; what the world called shame in me was a crown of honor which God himself placed upon my brow which shines with infinitely greater glory than all the crowns of gold and diamonds of kings and emperors; what the world called my sickness and misery was the fount of health and eternal glory which God caused to flow upon my way of life. Oh, golden way of the cross upon which God has led me! Oh blessed guidance! Oh unspeakable grace! To him be honor and praise and thanks and glory and adoration from eternity to eternity.

There you have the unanswerable judgment of death upon those whom the world calls fools and unfortunate.

Whoever forsakes the world and follows Christ and above all seeks to save his soul, him the world considers a fool, but death refutes the world and shows that it was true wisdom to lose the passing and to win treasures eternal. Whoever goes the narrow way of the cross and tears and sighs, amid watching and praying, amid struggles and warfare, him the world considers unhappy, but death refutes the world and shows: the tears of the Christian are pearls in their crown in eternity, a seed from which they there on the day of the harvest gather sheaves of eternal joy into their granaries; here their cross is the ladder to heaven and there it is a throne of eternal honor; here their bitter sighs are a key to God's heart and there they will be turned into sweet harmonies in the eternal temple of him who has mercy upon them.

You therefore who have forsaken the world and chosen the one thing which is needful, who are pitied and despised by the world as unhappy fools, do not be deceived by the judgment of the world. Look ahead to your last hour in this world; that is the hour of decision; then the world will quake and tremble but you will be comforted and rejoice; then the world will weep and howl but

you will laugh and skip for joy; then the world will curse its life with all its riches, honor, and lust of the world, but you will bless your life of poverty, disgrace, and tribulation. All the glory of the world will then come to an end and their endless woe will begin, but your endless joy and glory will then begin and all your misery will cease forever. Amen.

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