WEBVTT 00:00:10.390 --> 00:00:13.929 Fellowship halls still warm from supper. There's 00:00:13.929 --> 00:00:15.609 a faint clatter of dishes in the kitchen, the 00:00:15.609 --> 00:00:17.829 smell of coffee and cornbread hanging in the 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:20.870 air, and somebody, well, they just scraped the 00:00:20.870 --> 00:00:24.190 last bit of peach cobbler from the pan. It's 00:00:24.190 --> 00:00:26.929 Wednesday night in a small town, Oklahoma church, 00:00:27.070 --> 00:00:31.149 and it's time for Bible study. You don't have 00:00:31.149 --> 00:00:33.109 to be here in the country to pull up a chair. 00:00:33.210 --> 00:00:36.130 Maybe you're driving home, sitting on your porch, 00:00:36.149 --> 00:00:38.750 or just trying to wind down after a long day. 00:00:39.070 --> 00:00:42.990 May not be Wednesday where you are, but in your 00:00:42.990 --> 00:00:47.149 headphones right now it is. And you have found 00:00:47.149 --> 00:00:50.530 a seat at our table. And around here we don't 00:00:50.530 --> 00:00:55.149 rush the word, we read it slow, like conversation 00:00:55.149 --> 00:01:00.649 after supper, honest, hungry, little holy. Tonight's 00:01:00.649 --> 00:01:03.869 lesson is called The Gulf Between Wealth and 00:01:03.869 --> 00:01:07.129 Mercy, The Rich Man and Lazarus. It is a story. 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.200 about blindness and distance, about gates and 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:15.319 grace, and what happens when the chasm between 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:20.019 them starts to close. I'm Pastor Jim Wellhelm, 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:24.459 and this is the Semi Seminary. I'll see you on 00:01:24.459 --> 00:01:37.659 the other side. Wayne's given me the thumbs up. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.920 So welcome again, my Wednesday night Bible study 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:45.879 buddies. If you've been coming along with us 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:47.859 on Wednesday nights, you know that we have been 00:01:47.859 --> 00:01:50.420 talking about the various parables of Jesus. 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:53.340 And we're just going to keep on talking about 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:55.959 those parables till we run out of them. And so 00:01:55.959 --> 00:01:58.859 we haven't run out yet. Tonight is another parable. 00:01:59.219 --> 00:02:02.719 And tonight's story is called The Gulf Between 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:07.909 Wealth and Mercy. the rich man and Lazarus. Now, 00:02:07.909 --> 00:02:11.289 real quick, just so there's no confusion, the 00:02:11.289 --> 00:02:14.069 Lazarus in this story is not the other Lazarus 00:02:14.069 --> 00:02:16.770 you're thinking about. The one who gets raised 00:02:16.770 --> 00:02:19.830 from the dead? This guy dies and is in heaven. 00:02:20.409 --> 00:02:23.150 So we know it can't be the same one, plus Jesus 00:02:23.150 --> 00:02:25.169 ain't done that yet. It's not in that part of 00:02:25.169 --> 00:02:28.949 the story yet. So in case you were wondering, 00:02:29.349 --> 00:02:32.729 well, how common was the name Lazarus back then? 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.599 So I looked it up because I didn't know. It's 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:39.000 the third most common name in Judea during the 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:43.460 time. Although they probably, that's the Greekified 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:45.560 version, they probably though would have used 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:49.020 the Hebrew Eliezer, which you've probably heard 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:52.180 of before and comes from the Old Testament. So 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:55.780 that's a different guy. But here we are, the 00:02:55.780 --> 00:02:58.539 gulf between wealth and mercy. And as we begin 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:02.509 our story tonight, We're standing on the side 00:03:02.509 --> 00:03:07.490 of a Galilean road, and you can feel the crowd 00:03:07.490 --> 00:03:11.969 pressing in around Jesus. And in this crowd, 00:03:12.090 --> 00:03:14.229 you've got the disciples that are close. They're 00:03:14.229 --> 00:03:17.909 still nodding along, trying to understand what 00:03:17.909 --> 00:03:20.629 he means when he talks about the upside down 00:03:20.629 --> 00:03:24.189 kingdom. Then there are a few tax collectors 00:03:24.189 --> 00:03:28.189 that are along the fringes, half hopeful that 00:03:28.189 --> 00:03:31.050 maybe Based on some of his other things he's 00:03:31.050 --> 00:03:34.949 been saying, Mercy might still have their name 00:03:34.949 --> 00:03:42.310 on it. And then there are the Pharisees watching 00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:45.889 from the shade of their fine linen, whispering 00:03:45.889 --> 00:03:50.430 behind their hands to each other. Luke actually 00:03:50.430 --> 00:03:56.789 says they were lovers of money. And When Jesus 00:03:56.789 --> 00:04:00.849 warned that you can't serve both God and wealth, 00:04:01.990 --> 00:04:06.009 they laughed under their breath. That's what 00:04:06.009 --> 00:04:09.289 he turned towards them and looked at them, not 00:04:09.289 --> 00:04:14.189 to scold, but to tell a story sharply enough 00:04:14.189 --> 00:04:18.069 to cut through all of their silk of certainty. 00:04:19.329 --> 00:04:22.970 And you can almost follow his eyes scanning them. 00:04:23.259 --> 00:04:27.560 And he begins, the quiet way he says, there was 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:33.699 a rich man. You ever notice how a thin fence 00:04:33.699 --> 00:04:40.480 or a gate can create a canyon between what's 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:46.480 kept in and what's kept out? Let's walk right 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:50.660 up to that gate, the middle of a Galilean afternoon. 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:55.639 You don't need a map. or be a historian to understand 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:59.800 this first scene. You just need to understand 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:03.839 the relationship between a high fence and a clear 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:09.259 conscience. You look down at your own sandals 00:05:09.259 --> 00:05:12.939 dusty from the road, and then you look up at 00:05:12.939 --> 00:05:17.199 the rich man's house. The stone is cool and clean. 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:22.579 This house isn't just a dwelling, it's a fortress. 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:27.860 built against the intrusion of the very inconvenient 00:05:27.860 --> 00:05:34.220 truth of human suffering. Every perfectly manicured 00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:39.779 shrub, every locked gate, every footman stands 00:05:39.779 --> 00:05:44.639 guard, all of it designed to filter reality. 00:05:45.980 --> 00:05:49.240 Money, you see, my dear friends, doesn't just 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:56.899 buy things. It buys insulation. It buys the right 00:05:56.899 --> 00:06:01.100 not to smell things you don't want to smell, 00:06:02.379 --> 00:06:05.060 not to hear the voices you don't want to hear, 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:11.319 and certainly not see the raw exposed brokenness 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:16.459 right outside your perimeter. This man unnamed 00:06:16.459 --> 00:06:20.279 in the story, let's call him Dives. It's the 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:24.620 Latin word for rich. He wears purple and fine 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:28.519 linen. It's not a business suit. That's royalty 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:32.839 and ritual. The two most costly things in the 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:37.500 world worn for breakfast. Purple died from tens 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:43.860 of thousands of crushed sea snails. His linen 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:47.100 symbolizing the power that only the ruling class 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:51.980 could afford. Fine linen worn by the priests, 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:57.779 his life every day, was a performance of private 00:06:57.779 --> 00:07:02.699 revenue and religious self -assurance. He was, 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:09.699 to all outwardly appearances, blessed. I think 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:12.500 you already know people who wear their prosperity 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:17.430 like some sort of spiritual uniform, often mistakes 00:07:17.430 --> 00:07:22.250 material success for moral superiority. This 00:07:22.250 --> 00:07:25.370 man lived every day like the Sabbath feast, oblivious 00:07:25.370 --> 00:07:28.790 to the fact that his abundance was built upon 00:07:28.790 --> 00:07:34.269 a foundation of scarcity. Then your eyes continued 00:07:34.269 --> 00:07:38.170 to track down the dirt right at the base of this 00:07:38.170 --> 00:07:45.430 towering gate. There he is, Lazarus. Jesus names 00:07:45.430 --> 00:07:53.459 him That means God is my help. And it's the most 00:07:53.459 --> 00:07:56.319 radical grace of the whole story. Lazarus is 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:01.120 everything the rich man is not. He's covered 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:06.579 with sores. He is a living, breathing testament 00:08:06.579 --> 00:08:12.279 to suffering. He's fed only by street dogs, the 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:16.290 unclean animals. who are closer to him and more 00:08:16.290 --> 00:08:19.529 empathetic to his pain than the priest -like 00:08:19.529 --> 00:08:23.870 man behind the walls. Lazarus is right there 00:08:23.870 --> 00:08:29.750 at the threshold. Think about it. Close enough 00:08:29.750 --> 00:08:34.409 that the rich man has to step around him to exit. 00:08:35.509 --> 00:08:39.889 Close enough to hear the clinking of gold and 00:08:39.889 --> 00:08:43.759 the laughter from the perpetual banquet. The 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:48.700 rich man's life was a feast. Lazarus' life was 00:08:48.700 --> 00:08:54.000 hunger pains outside the door. And here in this 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:58.879 story, friends, the tragedy isn't distance, actually 00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:04.840 adjacency. The chasm, the canyon is not geographical, 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:09.320 it's perceptual. Because it was a deliberate 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:13.730 refusal to see the human being who shared his 00:09:13.730 --> 00:09:18.889 common dust. Maybe now that you're seeing it 00:09:18.889 --> 00:09:23.070 that way, you're noticing the Lazarus in your 00:09:23.070 --> 00:09:27.909 own field of vision, the one the media filters 00:09:27.909 --> 00:09:31.629 out, the one the algorithm ignores, the one whose 00:09:31.629 --> 00:09:34.870 need is so persistent that you've just learned 00:09:34.870 --> 00:09:41.100 to build an emotional gate against him. The first 00:09:41.100 --> 00:09:46.120 act of blindness is simply learning to step over 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:52.539 the truth. Beloved, still your hands steady your 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:56.279 heart. The word of the Lord is a lamp and sometimes 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:59.440 that light reveals the dust of our own souls. 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:04.019 This parable is often preached as a simple fire 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:08.039 and brimstone warning, but it is far richer than 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:11.639 that. Let the scriptures speak the truth that 00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:15.559 we need to hear, the truth of two men, two realities, 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:20.559 and one unbridgeable gulf built by comfort, not 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:24.139 the comfort we want to claim. Reading of the 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:27.960 word, Luke chapter 16, beginning with verse 19. 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:31.799 There was a rich man who was dressed in purple 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:34.620 and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 00:10:35.340 --> 00:10:39.070 At his gate, a beggar man named Lazarus covered 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:41.970 with sores and longing to eat what fell from 00:10:41.970 --> 00:10:46.269 the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and 00:10:46.269 --> 00:10:51.250 licked his sores. The time came when the beggar 00:10:51.250 --> 00:10:55.190 died and the angels carried him to Abraham's 00:10:55.190 --> 00:11:00.590 side. The rich man also died and was buried. 00:11:02.250 --> 00:11:08.559 In Hades, where he was in torment, He looked 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:14.100 up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his 00:11:14.100 --> 00:11:21.600 side. So he called to him, Father Abraham, have 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:25.500 pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:29.159 his finger in water and cool my tongue because 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:36.860 I am in agony in the fire. But Abraham replied, 00:11:38.139 --> 00:11:43.879 Son, remember that in your lifetime you received 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:48.740 your good things, and likewise Lazarus his bad 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:55.080 things. But now he is comforted here, and you 00:11:55.080 --> 00:12:01.460 are in agony. And besides all of this, between 00:12:01.460 --> 00:12:07.690 us and you is a great chasm, so that Those who 00:12:07.690 --> 00:12:12.429 want to go from here to you could not, nor can 00:12:12.429 --> 00:12:17.809 anyone cross over from there to us. He answered 00:12:17.809 --> 00:12:22.590 the man, Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus 00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:28.090 to my family, five brothers. Let him warn them 00:12:28.090 --> 00:12:31.610 so that they may also not come to this place 00:12:31.610 --> 00:12:38.120 of torment. Abraham replied, They have Moses 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:44.840 and the prophets. Let them listen to them. He 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:48.539 said, no, Father Abraham. But if someone from 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:53.299 the dead goes to them, they will repent. He said 00:12:53.299 --> 00:12:58.179 to them, if they do not listen to Moses and the 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:01.820 prophets, they will not be convinced even if 00:13:01.820 --> 00:13:07.179 someone rises from the dead. This is the word 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:10.820 of the Lord. Warning to the comfortable and comfort 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:15.720 for the wounded. Thanks be to God. With the remembrance 00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:18.720 echoing in our ears, let us walk inside this 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:22.419 story until it causes us to refocus our vision. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:27.259 The memory of what we ignored is the sharpest 00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:33.700 pain of all. The story moves quickly now. Time 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:38.970 does what it does. and they both die. Lazarus, 00:13:39.070 --> 00:13:42.269 the man who knew only the dust and the pain of 00:13:42.269 --> 00:13:46.509 the gate, is carried away by angels to Abraham's 00:13:46.509 --> 00:13:50.029 side. The highest place of comfort, the bosom 00:13:50.029 --> 00:13:55.149 of the father and the rich man, he wakes up in 00:13:55.149 --> 00:13:59.850 torment. And he hasn't just lost his comfort, 00:14:00.950 --> 00:14:06.820 he's lost his control. And the very first thing 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:10.120 he does, and you might already see it coming, 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:16.080 is he looks up and finally notices Lazarus. Maybe 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:20.480 you've felt this before. That little hitch in 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:23.019 your step when you see a need so profound it 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:26.799 ruins your morning plans. That little tug of 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:28.919 your conscience, the one the rich man learned 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:34.139 to ignore every single day. Sin was it, his wealth. 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:39.519 It was selective blindness that sealed up his 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:44.440 heart. It was the refusal to allow his resources 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:47.399 to be distributed by proximity to suffering. 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:53.700 His luxury became his liability. He believed 00:14:53.700 --> 00:14:57.840 that the ethical or the spiritual trade meant 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:02.460 donating a percentage of his wealth. When Jesus 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:07.580 insists, The trade means giving your sight and 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:14.500 your presence. Now here in the reversal, the 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:18.759 rich man finally speaks Lazarus's name, a name 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:24.000 he probably never uttered in his life. He names 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:30.019 him only when he has a job for him to do. He 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:35.269 begs. Father Abraham have pity on me and send 00:15:35.269 --> 00:15:38.850 Lazarus to dip his finger in the water and cool 00:15:38.850 --> 00:15:42.570 my tongue because I am in agony in the fire. 00:15:44.370 --> 00:15:46.789 Do you ever caught yourself thinking that the 00:15:46.789 --> 00:15:52.509 person you ignored, the one you judged as lesser 00:15:52.509 --> 00:15:57.649 might one day be useful to you? He sees Lazarus 00:15:57.649 --> 00:16:04.240 now. but only as a servant, a means to his own 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:09.600 comfort. He learned Lazarus' name only when he 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:13.919 had a job for him, only when he required a drop 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:17.840 of the very mercy he had refused to offer Lazarus 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:22.279 himself. The whole tragedy of the rich man is 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:26.779 summed up in this request. He still wants Lazarus 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:32.049 to come to him. He still sees Lazarus' property 00:16:32.049 --> 00:16:38.029 to be sent and used. Now here is the ache that 00:16:38.029 --> 00:16:44.190 makes this parable a sacred, subversive masterpiece. 00:16:46.230 --> 00:16:51.730 Abraham does not condemn him with wrath. He confronts 00:16:51.730 --> 00:16:58.769 him with memory. Son, remember. that in your 00:16:58.769 --> 00:17:03.009 lifetime you received your good things and likewise 00:17:03.009 --> 00:17:08.430 Lazarus bad things but now he is comforted here 00:17:08.430 --> 00:17:15.309 and you are in agony. I think you already know 00:17:15.309 --> 00:17:19.869 that the chasm separates the afterlife was built 00:17:19.869 --> 00:17:23.730 in the rich man's heart while he was well alive. 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.779 It was constructed by all of the crumbs he kept, 00:17:30.140 --> 00:17:35.500 all of the sights he refused to see. Abraham 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:40.380 doesn't say Dives was wicked. He says Dives received 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:45.000 his good things. And this is actually a subtle 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:49.920 terror in this parable because his good things 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:55.589 was not a reward. but a final isolating payment. 00:17:56.829 --> 00:18:01.730 He chose to live in a closed economy, collecting 00:18:01.730 --> 00:18:06.970 his dividends in full while on earth, leaving 00:18:06.970 --> 00:18:11.630 no space for the open -ended, non -revenue -generating 00:18:11.630 --> 00:18:16.930 call of grace. And the question may not totally 00:18:16.930 --> 00:18:21.710 be obvious to us yet, but what did he forget? 00:18:23.180 --> 00:18:26.440 He forgot the very first commandment to love 00:18:26.440 --> 00:18:30.180 God by ignoring the second to love your neighbor 00:18:30.180 --> 00:18:37.779 He forgot the Shema the very breath of God He 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:41.740 forgot the call of Moses and the prophets that 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:48.420 demanded justice and mercy The chasm is the spiritual 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:52.559 and ethical distance dives created by walling 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:57.400 off his own heart. And maybe right now you're 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:00.819 noticing that your own trade is being tested 00:19:00.819 --> 00:19:05.839 every day. The trade between the pursuit of private 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:10.200 comfort and the utility of spiritual discipline. 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:18.720 The great gulf was his own refusal of mercy cemented 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:24.609 by his self imposed oblivion. He spent his entire 00:19:24.609 --> 00:19:28.869 life making sure nobody could cross the gate 00:19:28.869 --> 00:19:35.569 that might inconvenience him. Now, nobody can 00:19:35.569 --> 00:19:41.210 cross the chasm to comfort him. Two economies, 00:19:41.950 --> 00:19:45.390 one based on linen and luxury, one based on grace 00:19:45.390 --> 00:19:49.819 and lament have been finalized. separated not 00:19:49.819 --> 00:19:56.019 by God's whim, but by dives choices. The rich 00:19:56.019 --> 00:20:00.680 man, still trapped in the logic of spectacle 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:07.180 and control, has one desperation hand to play. 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:12.700 He begs Abraham to send Lazarus back, a ghost, 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:17.559 a phantom, a walking sign from the dead. to warn 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:23.440 his five brothers. Why five? I don't know. They 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:28.240 represent his own kind, his own class, his own 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:32.680 audience. They are people who right at this very 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:36.319 moment are still feasting and still stepping 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:41.039 over Lazarus, still convinced their purple linen 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:45.599 equates to spiritual blessing. And he wants a 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:51.420 spectacle. A divine magic trick to shock them 00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:55.380 into lie. He says, no, Father Abraham, but if 00:20:55.380 --> 00:20:58.640 someone from the dead goes to them, they will 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:03.920 repent. And I hope you don't need me to tell 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:07.319 you this, but we're all looking for a dramatic 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:11.279 sign in our lives because we somewhere along 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:14.380 the way have been convinced that salvation needs 00:21:14.380 --> 00:21:19.420 lightning and billboards. We think transformation, 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:24.519 for whatever reason, requires trauma. We believe 00:21:24.519 --> 00:21:29.779 that if God just gave us one irrefutable, undeniable 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:35.160 moment of televised glory, then we would change. 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:42.839 We think conversion needs shock value. But Abraham's 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:48.799 response is the O moment. The O moment of the 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:53.119 whole teaching. They have Moses and the prophets. 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:58.039 Let them listen to them. If they don't listen 00:21:58.039 --> 00:22:02.960 to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:07.380 by someone raised from the dead. And you could 00:22:07.380 --> 00:22:13.660 almost see what Jesus is saying here. The rich 00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:19.700 man's brothers are us. The warning is already 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:25.720 in the scriptures they have access to. The commands 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:29.400 to care for the poor, the widow, the stranger. 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:35.319 That's the whole law in the prophets. If the 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:41.079 everyday quiet word of the Lord, the honest unproduced 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:44.980 word, is not enough to change their perception 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:48.700 of their neighbor, then even a walking dead man 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:53.400 won't do it. Jesus is telling this parable with 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:58.519 his own cross and resurrection looming. He is 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:01.900 saying, I will rise from the dead and I will 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:08.619 be the ultimate undeniable sign. But for those 00:23:08.619 --> 00:23:12.640 who are selectively blind, those whose hearts 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:17.339 are already fixed on revenue and comfort, Even 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:21.579 my empty tomb will be met with disbelief, denial, 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:28.160 and a demand for another sign. Friends, the gospel 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:33.019 is that the good news is for the broken. And 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:36.200 it is not a performance test. It is grace first, 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:39.920 then transformation. But you cannot receive grace 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:44.670 if your heart is sealed by comfort. The rich 00:23:44.670 --> 00:23:47.549 man wanted to substitute a miracle for mercy. 00:23:48.730 --> 00:23:52.150 He wanted some grand gesture instead of simply 00:23:52.150 --> 00:23:58.269 opening his eyes and his gate. The Holy Spirit 00:23:58.269 --> 00:24:01.589 doesn't need Brahma. The Spirit needs utility. 00:24:02.789 --> 00:24:07.269 She needs open hands and willing hearts. The 00:24:07.269 --> 00:24:11.740 Spirit is already in the world. already at the 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:17.279 gate, just waiting for us to simply see. The 00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:21.059 ultimate ethical and spiritual failure is believing 00:24:21.059 --> 00:24:28.380 that the written law is enough, even if it doesn't 00:24:28.380 --> 00:24:32.160 lead you to living a practiced life of love. 00:24:33.619 --> 00:24:37.640 So friends, let's bring this back to our own 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:41.559 front porches. This parable isn't a judgment. 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:48.299 It's a profound, urgent invitation. Where in 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:54.220 your life is your gate? Who is the Lazarus you're 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:56.700 stepping over in your schedule, your budget, 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:02.160 your sphere of influence? Chasm begins when we 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:04.819 choose to live in isolation, treating material 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:10.000 comfort as spiritual safety. And I think we've 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.420 all felt this before. The slight sense of hurry 00:25:14.420 --> 00:25:19.339 when we pass a profound need. The quick scroll 00:25:19.339 --> 00:25:24.220 past the photo of crisis. The instant filtering 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:26.559 of the news story that threatens our peace and 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:32.240 comfort. That hurry, that immediate need to reestablish 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:36.099 our perimeters is the first layer of archasms 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:40.039 being dug. And I think you already know that 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:43.859 grace doesn't let you keep your fences tall and 00:25:43.859 --> 00:25:49.059 your conscience clean at the same time. This 00:25:49.059 --> 00:25:51.980 week, your spiritual trade is tested every day. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:55.900 The challenge is to stop waiting for some ghost 00:25:55.900 --> 00:25:59.140 to rise from the dead and instead change your 00:25:59.140 --> 00:26:03.759 perception right now. Changing the eyes of your 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:08.039 heart, it's difficult. but it is also the quiet 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:13.960 work of being able to see again. It means recognizing 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:17.240 that the man at your gate is the necessary condition 00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:21.920 of your own salvation, because if you cannot 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:27.019 find a way to love him, you cannot claim to know 00:26:27.019 --> 00:26:32.319 God. The utility of spiritual discipline over 00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:35.900 the pursuit of revenue simply looks like this. 00:26:37.069 --> 00:26:42.390 Look for the Lazarus at your gate. Give him a 00:26:42.390 --> 00:26:47.450 name. Offer not just crumbs, but a seat at your 00:26:47.450 --> 00:26:52.890 table. It means prioritizing presence over product, 00:26:53.589 --> 00:26:59.250 mercy over metrics. The only thing worse than 00:26:59.250 --> 00:27:04.809 not knowing a person's need is knowing it, choosing 00:27:04.809 --> 00:27:09.710 to look away. But the good news today friends 00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:13.769 is the gate is open Spirit is already on the 00:27:13.769 --> 00:27:16.329 move and the ones who thought God forgot their 00:27:16.329 --> 00:27:20.609 address church We're gonna find them and we're 00:27:20.609 --> 00:27:24.089 gonna remember their names We're gonna build 00:27:24.089 --> 00:27:28.150 a new porch Where the purple linen is traded 00:27:28.150 --> 00:27:31.829 for shared towel and the only golf that remains 00:27:31.829 --> 00:27:34.849 is the one between last night's ignorance and 00:27:34.849 --> 00:27:41.269 the coming morning's mercy Amen? Amen. Thanks 00:27:41.269 --> 00:27:52.130 guys, thanks for coming. So maybe what Jesus 00:27:52.130 --> 00:27:57.750 is really saying tonight is this, grace builds 00:27:57.750 --> 00:28:03.930 bridges where we build gates. The gulf between 00:28:03.930 --> 00:28:06.769 wealth and mercy isn't measured in miles, but 00:28:06.769 --> 00:28:12.289 in moments those small sacred seconds when you 00:28:12.289 --> 00:28:14.670 decide to see the person that you're used to 00:28:14.670 --> 00:28:18.910 stepping over. The rich man couldn't cross the 00:28:18.910 --> 00:28:21.890 chasm because he never learned how to kneel, 00:28:21.930 --> 00:28:26.029 but you still can. Mercy is waiting right outside 00:28:26.029 --> 00:28:30.130 your door and her name might just be Lazarus. 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:35.660 So go in peace, but don't go untouched Let your 00:28:35.660 --> 00:28:39.119 comfort be disturbed Let that disturbance be 00:28:39.119 --> 00:28:43.579 holy Because the same Jesus who told this story 00:28:43.579 --> 00:28:47.259 still stands at every gate calling every one 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:52.000 of us by name and Hey You might remember those 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:54.359 old -time preachers on TV used to say send me 00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:56.839 your money so we can keep preaching the good 00:28:56.839 --> 00:29:01.059 news Well, we're not asking you for a dime All 00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:03.460 we ask is that you throw that old like you've 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:05.160 got there in the offering plate when it comes 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:08.960 around. And if you really believe in what we're 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:11.500 doing here, if you want to know when this little 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:15.359 digital church gathers again, tithe your subscribe. 00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:20.720 That way, you'll know it's time for church. Hey, 00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:24.680 until we open the doors again, I'll see you next 00:29:24.680 --> 00:29:33.730 time. If you ain't gonna send your money to me, 00:29:35.130 --> 00:29:39.650 then at least put that like in Pastor Jim's offering 00:29:39.650 --> 00:29:44.089 plate. Do you hear me? I'm talking to the back 00:29:44.089 --> 00:29:48.730 row, the late night saints, the cigarette sniping, 00:29:49.130 --> 00:29:53.210 grace drinking, still ain't left, folks. This 00:29:53.210 --> 00:29:57.470 right here, this right here, in your ears, right 00:29:57.470 --> 00:30:01.640 now, this is revival. You don't have to pass 00:30:01.640 --> 00:30:04.319 the plate down the pew. You just have to click 00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:08.200 it. Click it like you mean it, brother. Because 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:11.240 the gospel don't travel on good intentions. It 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:15.680 runs on witness. And these algorithms? They're 00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:20.700 your digital deacons. So testify. Share it like 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:24.619 it saved you. Like you got baptized in broadband. 00:30:25.539 --> 00:30:29.119 Like grace finally made it to your front porch. 00:30:30.059 --> 00:30:35.660 Throw it in in the plate.