TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL
The Text, St. Luke 16:19-31 (v. 19-20a). “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.”
Lord, this is Your Word and these are Your words. Soften our hearts by the truth. Your Word is truth. Lord God, merciful Father, direct our hearts by Your Word of truth so that we may not, like the rich man, hear Your Word in vain and become so devoted to things temporal that we forget things eternal. Give Your Word power so that in trial and misfortune we will be kept from despair, and trust in Your fatherly help and grace; in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Dear people who are loved by God in Christ, in both prosperous times and times of trial: Grace and peace from God the Father and Jesus our Lord.
This story seems at first to satisfy our curiosity: “Lord, what’s the deal with heaven and hell? I’m curious, what are they like?” — “Here you go, here’s a story that tells you all about it!” But of course, Jesus wasn’t satisfying curiosity.
On the “hell” side of this story, you have the teaching that hell is real, and that it is in fact a place of everlasting torture, since he says he is “tormented in this flame.” On the “heaven” side of this story you have the teaching that the angels come at the hour of death and carry a believer’s soul to glory. Also, heaven is described this way: “now he is comforted.” So there are details here about heaven and hell. But Jesus’ point is not to answer all our questions about it. These details just come into the story Jesus tells to make His main point. Which is what? The contrast between temporal and eternal.
We use these words in church. Sometimes people mistake temporal for temporary, which isn’t exactly the same thing. Something temporary will come to an end. The word temporal means having to do with time. There’s no time in heaven. Time began in the creation of this world. So temporalmeans earthly. It’s the opposite of eternal, which means to have no end.
The difference between temporal and temporary, is that some temporal things will be with us in eternal life. We won’t enjoy them exactly the same way we do here, and all that is imperfect about them will be removed; but we will find them there, we’ll have complete and better enjoyment in them.
For example, my wife and daughters are blessings that are given to me here in time; yet by God’s grace, through their faith I’m confident they’ll be with me in eternity. We will not be eating tacos, washing dishes or watching TV. But we’ll enjoy each other fully, perfectly, with unlimited joy. In a similar way, my books are temporal things, they’ll pass away. But whatever in them is connected to truth and wisdom that are from the mind of God will endure. I won’t know anymore what happened to Beowulf or Scrooge or Ratty and Mole or Jane Eyre or Frodo and Samwise, but however the books I read enable me to see what is true, beautiful, lovely, and pure, will be with me still when I see the truth, beauty, loveliness and goodness of eternity.
Temporal things at their best are reflections of the eternal things. Your clothes will tear or become too small, your house has to be kept up and things replaced. But your clothes are actually a reflection of the righteousness of Christ that – like a white robe – covers your sin and dresses you in His purity; and your home reminds you that He prepares a perfect heavenly home for you. It’s why beauty in clothing and houses is a Christian virtue.
The problem for us in the contrast between the temporal and eternal life, or the temporal and eternal things, is that you don’t see the contrast. You see the temporal things and not the eternal. The temporal things become all there is. You can turn them into things you can’t live without. You cling to them.
We use these things with anxiety. In terms of this story, when you’re poor like Lazarus it’s easy to crave having it easier without the struggle, to think you can’t be happy as a poor person. It’s the anxiety of having things.
When you’re like the rich man, it’s anxiety that comes from living for your stuff. He wouldn’t give Lazarus anything, even for one day, he was obsessed with keeping the full amount of his wealth. It’s the anxiety of keeping things.
The irony is that there is one thing to be concerned about above all others: whether you’ll have the eternal things. It’s even worth being anxious about, to not rest but pray for your own faith, for the faith of your spouse, your children and friends. Since we mentally connect our money and things, when we speak about them in church, with “stewardship,” then OK – the first thing is to be good stewards of your faith and salvation by what place in your life you give to God’s Word, to be good stewards of His Word, that is, to hear it gladly, accept it as true, and have His Word form what you believe and do.
Then, moving on to other things: to not just have a home, but pray for it to be filled with the love of Christ, and to have it blessed and protected against evil influences. To pray not just for things you want, but that you would enjoy them as God intends. To pray not just to find a husband or wife, but that God would give you a God-fearing spouse. To pray not just for friends but for godly friends who will not undermine your faith. To pray not just for a job, but a vocation – a calling from God – where you’ll do His will, and be His light, in the world. See how the temporal is linked to the eternal for us?
God doesn’t only want you to have just the bare minimum of what you need. He may even give you plenty, as He did to this same Abraham, who was rich in earthly things. He would even give you fun, rest and leisure, pets, sports, music and movies and yes, even books. But God wants you to use all things in a sanctified way, as His child, to His glory and not for shame, and not to lead you away from the true faith or to detract from love for others.
There’s a prayer that speaks about this, which we’ll hear in church two Sundays from now, where we pray “that, with You as our Ruler and Guide, we may so pass through the things temporal that we lose not the things eternal.”
Your problem is not the things. The problem is you. It’s how you use them. Keeping our use of these things from leading to losing eternity, that’s the issue in the words of Abraham: “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.” He isn’t condemning the rich man’s nice clothes, plenteous food, spacious home, family and friends. He says they were “good things.” But the way he used them turned them into a curse.
This is a warning, that the good things from God, the temporal things, can be used by you – and often are – in such a way that you turn them into idols, cling to them, have anxiety over them, and all this increases your selfishness.
This is the message of the Law. It’s true that we have all these “good things” of our life here as gifts from God. But if we examine how we handle the things God gives, the Law reveals the greed in your heart, a materialistic tendency you can’t escape – in other words, a 1st commandment problem, that you fail to love God above all things and that you don’t have the love for brother that God demands. But the Law also reveals the anxiety and worry over money – that you fail to trust in God, another 1st commandment issue.
Our question, when we see the rich man in hell, is to ask how we can ever pass through the things temporal so that we do not lose the things eternal?
The answer doesn’t come from the Law – to try to be better at this, to be less worldly in our thinking, to be less materialistic. That’s a Law answer.
The answer is the Gospel – not what you do, but what Jesus did for you; not what you do to be better, but that your sins go away by God’s doing. That’s the Gospel. The Gospel removes anxiety and worry. Jesus gives peace that the world can’t give.
So the word to highlight in this story is “comfort.” Abraham says to the rich man about Lazarus in heaven, “now he is comforted.”
It has a double meaning. First it’s about physical comfort: Lazarus didn’t have any in life, was always in pain, even the dogs licking his sores increased his physical anguish; while the rich man lacked no physical comforts. We look forward to heaven where there is “no more pain” – that kind of comfort.
But the real meaning of this is: true comfort, true consolation, rest for the conscience. Even in this life, the rich man had none of that. He was always anxious about his things and received no true comfort from them. We feel that too: discontent and worry about this life. But even in this life, by faith, you receive true comfort from God. He forgives all your sins. He says you are His child whom He’s watching over. “He first loved us.” He laid down His life for us. This is the “perfect love which casts out fear.” There is nothing undone for you, nothing unfinished in your salvation and eternal security.
It’s because Jesus came down to be in this loveless world run by money and power, to bring His love into it. He came to suffer poverty and pain; He was born into a poor family. He suffered pain inflicted on Him by others. He was rejected. He suffered agony on the cross. He was tempted in these ways like we are, yet He did not sin. He did what you aren’t able to do. He did it for you. He won the victory over envy, greed, and loving things or people more than God, to give this victory to you, so that in God’s sight you are innocent of these sins and all others. He alone, by His own strength, was able to pass through the things temporal so that He did not lose the things eternal.
This is the Gospel. It’s beautiful. It becomes even more beautiful when you see all that God does to bring it to you. This is what Abraham says about the rich man’s brothers needing to heed “Moses and the prophets,” which was all of Scripture at that time, the Old Testament. We know the promises fully came true in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God gives you this knowledge, and has His Word available to you, spoken to you, because He spares no effort to ensure that you not lose the eternal things.
In His Word, in the Gospel, the Holy Spirit brings you the forgiveness Jesus won. He brings you the eternal things and puts them into your hands. We have many blessings in this life. But the Gospel is the blessing: Jesus’ word that pronounces you blessed, no matter what you have in life. Amen!
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