Is Life Fragile? (Luke 16:19-31)
Gary McManus, 08/21/2021Part of the God's Word is Life series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
August 22, 2021 Luke 16:19-31
The world-wide Pandemic has given many
people pause to re-think their sense of security
in this life.
Pastor’s experience: do you know anyone who
died from Covid-19? Talk to anyone who has
been hospitalized with Covid-19?
Pastor had a funeral this past week (not Covid
related). A family member commented on the
uncertainty of life. The loved one who died
was 54 years old.
You perhaps read or heard of the three teenagers
killed in a vehicle accident on a trip in South Carolina. (Public health issue: drunk driver)
Shootings are up in Indianapolis.
Victims of violent death are also up.
One scientist commented that you CAN live your entire life on this planet without seeing much more violence than thunderstorms.
The crowds Jesus spoke to did not know life to be
that secure. Jesus’ crowds knew famine, earthquakes, plagues, pestilences, leprosy, poverty, deadly accidents (Luke 13:1-4), government murder (Matthew 2:16).
Jesus knew that his crowds worried about living.
(Matthew 6:25).
Jesus tells more than one story where one of Jesus’ characters in the story dies. (today’s Bible reading) Jesus came to them—and Jesus came to us proclaiming:
. . .(Luke 4:18, reading from the prophet Isaiah Chapter 61).
“. . .to proclaim TO YOU the year of the Lord’s favor.”
. . .the Lord’s FAVOR?
The poor will know the Lord’s favor?!?
The “friend of sinners” spoke peace to people
that most Pharisees SHUNNED.
Jesus would be sacrificed for our sins so that we
might. . .(Hebrews 4:16)
The book of Hebrews 3X =“draw near to God”
(Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 10:1, Hebrews 10:22)
Has the pandemic made you appreciate the miracle
and preciousness of your life?
At every funeral, Pastor states:
Our lives have within them an expiration date.
We must all die. Funerals are supposed to remind us
of something we don’t want to think about—death.
But our God has come to us (Matthew 1:23).
Followers of Jesus proclaim: God's loving presence,
a first-hand knowledge of life on earth and. . .death.
The Apostle Paul speaks comfort: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.
We experience loss in death, but death is not the end. Jesus spoke peace to us (John 14:1-2, John 14:27, John 6:35)
.Jesus was saying REAL LIVING. . .LIVING A LIFE
that goes on for eternity is a life that abides in me, Jesus. (John 15:4)
More about this abiding relationship next time.
There is no need to perish.
(See John 3:16 and Luke 13:5, notice today’s God’s Word, Jesus’ story: Luke 16:27-29 )
No one has to go through life alone, without the Lord. Amen.
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