Title See with the Soul / 2005.6.5.
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Luke 16:17-31, Revelation 3:17-18
A Christian is a person who cares about the soul. You don't need to have any qualifications or do anything special to be a Christian. But at least to be a true Christian, you must have a clear confession.
The first is to believe that humans have souls.
The second is to believe that there is an eternal kingdom of God.
Third, we believe in receiving the forgiveness of sins through the cross of Jesus Christ.
When you have faith in these three things, you are a Christian. If any one of them is uncertain, it is an uncertain faith and an uncertain Christian. Therefore, we, the believers in Antioch, always hope that these three confessions are clear.
The basis of all our confessions of faith, all our religious lives, and all the work of our church begins with knowing and believing that human beings have souls. Otherwise, all of our actions will become psychological, cultural, and human. Those who do not believe in the existence of a soul cannot believe in God. To those who do not believe in the existence of a soul, the eternal kingdom of God has no meaning. To those who do not know the soul, the grace of the forgiveness of sins has no value. because of. What does the Lord's Supper mean to those who do not know the soul? I don't know if it's just psychological comfort. But faith is not so shallow. For such a shallow thing, over thousands of years, would so many people have dedicated their lives and devoted their lives?
Today's text tells the story of a rich man. The rich man was said to have 'worn in purple and fine linen and communicated with luxury every day.' He is said to have lived every day in luxury and pleasure. Every day, I was satisfied with the good food that was set on the table and filled my stomach. There was nothing lacking, and there was nothing lacking.
But there was one thing this rich man didn't have. It's a name. It's just listed as rich, but there's no name. Wouldn't it have a name? no. The whole world knew the name. But that name did not exist before God. Because that life had no meaning in the sight of God. For the body, they had a name and a favor, but they did nothing for the soul. That much money and wealth was used only for luxuries, eating and drinking. Such a life is a life that has no meaning in the sight of God. What his physical life was like, his soul was starving, naked, pitiful, and without existence before God. So it has no name.
Another main character appears in today's text. It's called 'Lazarus'. This beggar is naked and sick. He had a poor life, earning a living by digging through trash cans at the doorstep of someone else's house. Today, they are homeless with nowhere to go. He was a pitiful man who had no place to put his head in the world and, of course, no one to rely on. But this person has only one thing. That's the name.
"Lazarus"-- that name means 'God is my help'. As the name implies, Lazarus was rummaging through the trash cans of other people's houses and dogs came and licked him due to boils, but his daily life was a life of trust and gratitude for God's help.
Therefore, you must open your soul's eyes and see the soul. What the flesh looks like is not life. You must be able to see the soul with the eyes of the soul. It is said that the first gate of faith begins with the recognition of the soul to a person. When you know that you have a soul, you will be interested in how to nurture and care for it.
A wealthy life itself cannot be a sin. But if you don't, you will lose your soul in that comfortable life. Because by indulging in pleasure in the body, the existence of the soul is forgotten. Such was the life of this rich man. Because of that, although he may have been a famous person physically, materially, and in the world, he became an unknown and non-existent person in the sight of God. Just as poverty is not a sin, of course, poverty is not a blessing either. However, if you have the heart to be grateful for even the smallest things in your absence, you will realize that there is happiness. Although Lazarus was a beggar, he realized the meaning of life and lived a life of gratitude for God's help. Because of this, it seemed that there was not much in the world, but God knew him and sealed him as a man of God. That is why the name appears in the Bible.
You need to know the gist of this story. This is not to say that all the rich are spiritually poor and all the poor are spiritually rich. It's just a dramatic contrast. It means that no matter how rich they are outwardly, there are people who are poor in spirit, and no matter how poor they are outwardly, there are people who are rich in spirit. Why aren't there people who are rich on the outside and rich in soul? There are many people who are poor on the outside and withered in spirit. This is a word that teaches us that our attitude in life is different from the outside if we look at it with the spirit.
We all know the ending of this story. Lazarus died after a painful life and ascended to the kingdom of God. And the rich man whose name does not appear also died shortly thereafter. Perhaps when the rich man died, a more lavish funeral was held than when he was alive. The finest shrouds, the finest incense, the finest coffins and great bonuses, and perhaps the finest marble tombstones have been erected. Perhaps a huge crowd gathered to mourn his death. What was actually going on with the rich man during this world's finest, great praise and mourning?
That soul was judged and went to hell. He was groaning in pain in a flame that would never go out. The sumptuous, majestic, and finest burials and tombs and adorned marbles of the world were of no avail to him. The rich man looked up in pain and saw Lazarus in Abraham's arms. These words symbolically show that Lazarus was saved through faith. When the beggar died, Lazarus, who had no one to bury him, let alone a burial, reached the holy and eternal kingdom of heaven.
Then the rich man cried out, 'Lord, have mercy on me, and have Lazarus put just a drop of water on my parched tongue.' God speaks through Abraham. 'You have enjoyed the good things in the world, and that is enough. Not only that, but since this place and that place are separated so that they cannot come and go, they cannot go from here to there, nor can they come from there to this place.' In other words, once an opportunity is missed, there is no turning back. Life is only one life, not another chance. You have to live your life with faith and value. The rich man pleads again. 'There are five of my brothers in the world, so send Lazarus and tell them that Hell is like this, so they don't come here.'
When this rich man ate and drank the fat from his table, he must have told his friends and brothers. "It's enough if you die. Where is heaven or hell? Who has died? If you don't do anything bad to others, why do you go to hell? So, eat, drink, and enjoy while you live!" But the rich man now wants to go to hell and let his five brothers know that hell is there. God speaks through Abraham. 'There are prophets in the world, and the Word clearly testifies that we must believe, but don't we believe? 'If the dead come back to life and testify that I have seen heaven and hell, they will believe.' Abraham answers clearly. 'Those who do not believe the testimony of the witnesses in the world will not believe it even if the dead come to life and testify.'
Therefore, saints, if you truly believe that people have souls, the answer is clear. There is also an eternal kingdom. Therefore, we must have clear faith and hope in the kingdom of eternal life. The saints are the people of God who have been saved through this faith and become citizens of the kingdom of God.
In this belief, today we would like to focus on two things. One is Holy Communion. Those who believe that there is a soul and care about the health of the soul, please yearn for the grace of this Lord's Supper. The filth of the body is immediately visible, just like the body. The filth of the body quickly stinks. But, as the soul is, the uncleanness of the soul is invisible. You can't even smell it with your body's nose. But if you look, you can see the dirt. When you smell it, it smells ugly. Therefore, we must be washed clean through the Holy Supper. The Lord spoke to the church in Laodicea.
You say that I am rich, I am rich, and I lack nothing.
You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
I urge you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich
Buy white clothes and put them on, so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen.
Buy eye drops and put them on your eyes so you can see. Revelation 3:17-18
Buy eye drops and put them on your eyes so you can see. It's about opening the eyes of your soul. May today be a time for all of us to put on new clothes for our souls through the Eucharist. New clothes for the soul--May it be time to buy and wear white clothes washed in the blood of Christ. That's Holy Communion.
And another thing to note is at the end of today's text. You should listen to the rich man's mention of his five brothers. The rich man said that there are five of my brothers in the world. Perhaps the message that Jesus is trying to give us through these words is here. This is not the story of the rich man going to hell or the beggar going to heaven, but the Lord is trying to tell us something about the five brothers who are still in the world.
Who are the five unsaved brothers left to us today? Who will have to save those five brothers? Lazarus, who went to heaven, does not come back to testify. The rich come again and cannot testify of hell. This is what believers who have been saved and chosen from the world must testify.
If you look at the soul, you see poor souls. Like the rich, I see people who look gorgeous on the outside but have dead souls on the inside. Poor soul. Please take a look. They are famous in the world, but they have no name before God. Let's give them a name. Let's give them a soul name. Please take a good look at who the 'five brothers in the world' are around me. And soon, we must run and exhort us with faith, deliver us from the children of hell, deliver us from the servants of Satan, and transform them into children of salvation, children of life, and children of God.
Through Joy Meeting, I hope you can handle this work with grace. I hope all of the saints will participate in leading one person to the Lord while praying. When we work, the Holy Spirit also works. When we move, the Holy Spirit moves. Therefore, I hope that you will become the saints who participate in this work with all your might.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become believers who always care about the soul, think about the health of the soul, and see.
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