Convinced

There’s an old saying: “Seeing is believing.” But in today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus flips that completely on its head. A man begs for a miracle from beyond the grave to convince his family to repent and Abraham says, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” In other words, if the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, won’t convince them, nothing will.

Jesus gives us this story not to alarm us with visions of the afterlife but to convince us now, in this life, of the truth: that God has given us everything we need in His Word, that is His Law and Gospel, to prepare us for eternity. And to ignore that Word is to risk eternal ruin, even condemnation

So today we listen to this teaching from our Lord with open ears not just to learn about heaven and hell, but to be convinced. Convinced of what? To be convinced of God’s purposes in giving us wealth, convinced that salvation comes by faith alone, and convinced that God’s Word is more powerful than even great miracles.

Hear the rest in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!