Good morning and welcome to the broadcast of the Divine Service at Zion Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls.
To help you follow along, the Order of Worship for today's service is available under the radio tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org.
The Lord bless you today through the hearing of his word.
Great to have you all here.
A couple of announcements before and a couple afterwards.
We do have a special voters meeting today to discuss the sale of the Carol Evenson property.
So, unfortunately, we won't add Bible study today, but next Sunday.
Then also, before I forget, Katie Peterson, thank you for doing this.
She said she didn't do it just to make it pretty, but to have a nice stiff backing so that when you
put those in the slot, and took it from somewhere, then it doesn't bend over.
And you have the seal there too, and the solas, which tie into today's message, faith alone and Christ alone.
So, thank you, Kathy, for doing that.
But also, we've modified the bulletins, so the intro, the proppers are on the yellow insert, so you can tuck your...
your bulletin in your hymn also that you're able to follow the outline of the service beginning on page 184 for divine service setting three to list your hymns and then the pages that you pick up throughout and then what we call the proper intro it that will chant together the readings the song those you can pull out as appropriate so hopefully that makes it easier for you not more difficult so
all right well let's begin looks like so look at this hymn 797 praise the almighty
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Beloved in the Lord, let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord.
O Almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities, with which I have ever offended you, and justly deserve your temple and eternal punishment.
But I am heartily sorry for them, and sincerely repent of them.
And I pray you of your boundless mercy, and for the sake of the holy innocent.
bitter sufferings and death of your beloved son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me before sinful being.
Upon this, your confession, I by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the word, announce the grace of God unto all of you.
And in the stead and by the command of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins.
In the name of the Father.
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
You may turn to your yellow insert.
We'll sing together the
intro.
I will see
I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day.
How long shall my enemy be insulted over me?
Consider and dance with me.
you
you
Glory
be to God on high.
the world.
The Lord be with you.
And
with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Oh God, the strength of all who trust in you, mercifully accept our prayers.
And because through the weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing, grant us your grace.
to keep your commandments that we may please you in both will and deed through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.
The Old Testament reading for this first Sunday after Trinity is from Genesis chapter 15.
After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision.
Fear not, Abram.
I'm your shield.
The reward shall be very great.
And Abram said, O Lord God, what will you give me for I continue childless?
And the heir of my house is Eleazar Damascus.
And Abram said, behold,
You have given me no offspring and a member of my household will be my heir.
Behold, the word of the Lord came to him.
This man shall not be your heir.
Your very own son shall be your heir."
And he brought him outside and said, look toward heaven and number the stars if you're able to number them.
And he said to him, so shall your offspring be.
And he believed the Lord and he counted to him as righteousness.
This is the word of the Lord We turn to the yellow insert and sing together the
song
The Lord looks down from
is great.
you
Because we trust in his holy name.
Let you step fast love over him upon us, even as we.
The epistle is from 1 John chapter four.
or fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
We love because he first loved us.
If anyone says I love God and hate his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
In this commandment we have from him, whoever loves God must also love his brother.
This is the word of the Lord.
We stand in honor of the gospel.
The Holy Gospel according to St.
Luke the 16th chapter.
Jesus said there was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table.
Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side.
The rich man also died and was buried.
And in Hades, being in torment,
He lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his side.
And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I'm in anguish in this flame.
And Abraham said, child, remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner, bad things.
But now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
Besides all this between us and you a great chasm has been fixed in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able and none may cross from there to us He said then I beg you father to send him to my father's house for I have five brothers so that he may warn them Lest they also come into this place of torment But Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them And he said no father Abraham, but if someone
goes to them from the dead, they will repent."
He said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Together we confess our faith as written in the words of the Nicene Creed.
the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, light of light, very God, a very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father.
by whom all things were made, who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures, and descended into heaven.
and sits at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who's spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian, an apostolic church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father the Lord Jesus Christ amen Very ram tells the rich man they have Moses and the prophets let them hear them Moses and the prophets as you probably know that sure and for what we call the Old Testament the scriptures that this rich man would would know about and his brothers would know about and yet They're not believing them
Abraham's telling them that's what they need.
That's what the brothers rich man is trying to spare from torment.
That's what they need The word of God is what we all need to hear and believe to be spared from And cut off from God, which is torment in hell Rich man was a descendant of Abraham.
He refers to him father Abraham He knows what he's talking about the Moses and the prophets
So it's not ignorance about God's word, but it's lack of faith in the word.
And he actually protests Abraham from his condition in torment, hopeless condition, and he tells Abraham, no.
No, Father Abraham, it's not gonna work.
It's not enough.
Here's what you need to do, kind of a thing.
If someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.
This man did not, does not believe the good news proclaimed by Moses and the prophet.
He doesn't believe it's enough to save his brothers.
But faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.
Lazarus, the poor man who was laid at the gate of this rich man hoping for food that fell from the rich man's table.
Well, now he's in heaven.
He's comforted at Abraham's side.
He has rest after a hard life.
He died believing in the promises of God.
He had heard the word, believed, held on to them.
In the Old Testament reading today, we hear Abram, the name that he was going by.
The time before God changed his name to Abraham, Abraham believed the Lord and he counted to take him as righteousness.
Abraham believed the promise of God that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars.
And he also knew that his offspring would include the heavenly offspring, heavenly seed, son of God, the son of man who would overcome the enemies and bring
Abram and his offspring into the eternal promised land.
St.
Paul helps us to understand this teaching in Romans.
He cites the Psalms as it is written, none is righteous, no, not one.
And everyone, including Abram, all short of God's righteousness in terms of obedience to the law, the law we have for Moses also, right?
as Paul explains in Romans, but now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.
The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
For there is no distinction for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood.
to be received by faith.
This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show us righteousness at the present time so that he might be just the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
You notice how Paul refers to the law and the prophets bearing witness to the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
This is the faith of Abram and why it was counted to him as righteousness Without this faith in Christ Abraham and Lazarus would also be an eternal torment That's the faith the rich man lacks We know because he's in the flames of Hades in this torment.
He's there because he didn't believe the word of God and Didn't believe Moses in the prophet didn't believe and he lived his life
accordingly.
Portoriate sumptuously every day.
Evidently didn't care about the poor man Lazarus, who'd been laid at his gate.
He simply wanted something that had dropped on the floor, which man was enjoying these inherently good things of life for himself.
And yet, the poor man
Lazarus was in outside suffering, hungering.
Perhaps oblivious the rich man was.
His conduct, the rich man's conduct reflected his heart, loved himself, but he didn't fear God.
Love God didn't trust God.
It heard the word of God at some point.
Perhaps the young Jewish boy.
But at this point, he's not believing in the word of God.
Perhaps the riches that he was given by God and the lifestyle that he enjoyed gave him the illusion that he was right with God.
But if he believed the word of God, he would know that none is righteous.
He believed the word of God, he would know the love of God in Christ Jesus.
The heavenly offspring would fulfill the demands of the law and save all who believed in him from suffering eternal torment.
If the rich man knew the love of God in Christ, he would have loved the poor man Lazarus.
who was laid at his gate.
As we heard in the Epistle reading, we love because he first loved us, God.
If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he's a liar for he does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
This commandment we have from him, whoever loves God must also love his brother.
The earthly riches, comfortable lifestyle can tempt us
to think that we're right with God, even though our heart is far from Him.
How we live, what we do with what God gives us, does reflect our hearts, our faith.
Lazarus died trusting in the promises he heard from Moses and the prophets.
We know that.
We know that suffering and this life doesn't mean that you're outside of God's grace.
Often it's in the midst of suffering where God strengthens our faith in him.
The words from Psalm 13 we sang in the intro reflect this faith.
You can imagine Lazarus praying this song while suffering at the gate of the rich man.
How long, oh Lord, will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart?
All the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God.
Light up my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemies say I have prevailed over him, lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love.
My heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The faith of Lazarus was rewarded when he was carried away by the angel's Abraham side Comforted no longer suffering the afflictions of this earthly life.
He's in the place of honor beside Abraham They both died with faith in the promises of forgiveness life salvation and the resurrection They heard from God's word If you identify with the poor man Lazarus and you're suffering in your life now
You can rejoice in the life that awaits all who trust in Christ as their righteousness, his promise for you.
Or you may identify with the rich man in this earthly life, recognizing how frequently you dine sumptuously, not paying attention to the needs of others.
You have no lack, no want of anything.
Take caution.
Where your heart is as Jesus had told the disciples where your treasure is there will your heart be also We don't have to worry about this things in this life because God knows our needs And we are of great value to him As Jesus said seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you It wasn't as well that kept the rich man out of heaven it was his misplaced faith
He was not trusting the Lord.
He was not hearing the word of God.
He enjoyed the good life, temperal life, but he neglected the one thing needful, the word of God.
Every week we have a blurb, stewardship blurb in the bulletin and today's points out there's another rich man in the story, Abraham.
God also had given him great riches in his life, but Abraham used those riches in a different way Abraham and his conduct The kindness and generosity to others and it reflected his trust in a kind and generous God The rich man on the other hand lived for himself ended in an eternity cut off from God from everyone
You and I have been given much.
You're blessed to be given faith in Christ.
Because of this faith, God counts you righteous.
Your baptism assures you of this declaration on you.
And we regularly hear the word of God.
We receive his holy sacrament to strengthen our faith in him and our love for one another.
We love others because God first loved us.
Our life, our decisions, they flow from our faith in a kind and loving God.
We receive His grace and mercies every day.
The mercies that we have received because of Christ.
It's taken our sins and our selfishness and our greed and our carelessness upon Himself to suffer.
Formant on the cross, cut off from God.
so that we don't have to.
And while we live in this world, we can bring this word to others.
We know others who don't hear or believe the word of God, but there's still time.
We can bring them the word of God ourselves, bring them into church, so they hear the word of God here.
We can make known the love of Christ to them in word and deed.
That's what we get to do with the good things that God gives us Amen May the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen You stand
and for all people according to their needs.
O Lord God, help our hearts to fear you rightly and to hope in your steadfast love.
Hold your eye upon us and deliver us from death.
Lord, in your mercy.
Almighty God, you have given Matthew our Synod President, Timothy our District President, Brad our Circuit Visitor, and our Pastors that they may
that we may hear Moses and the prophets, and so be convinced by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Make their proclamation fruitful among us in repentance and faith that we may not fall into the torments of Hades, but be carried by the angels to Abraham's side in heaven, Lord, in your mercy.
Holy Father, you promised great and abundant blessings to Abram, which he believed by faith.
Lest the hearts of Christian fathers to prize the gift of their children and to work their lives for the good of generations yet unseen especially pray for the new father Aaron Milkert and and Mother Jordan for the birth of their son Lewis Lord in your mercy Lord you have called rulers to high positions
that they might exercise their authority for the good of all whom you have entrusted to their care.
Grant them every good gift and grant that we might not misuse the blessings of prosperity and security, but live peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way.
Lord, in your mercy.
Merciful God, gift your servants all that is needed for this body and life.
Heal, strengthen, comfort the sick.
the suffering, the sorrowing, and the dying, and in here the prayers of all who call upon your servants in your saving name.
We especially pray for the family of Bertha Janky, Vicki, Lynn, Anita, Daryl, Lewis, Lois, Marlis, Tim, Greg, Grant, Doris, Matthew, Megan, Mark, Ethel, Dave, Peter, Red, Harold,
Joan, Jaden, Rick, Thorfinn, Lacey, Marilyn, Marlene, George, Anne, Marge, Dawn, and Florence.
Be just to pray that our hearts may not be undone by anxiety and fear, but rejoice in your grace, sufficient for every need.
Lord, in your mercy.
Amen.
Instead of last love, you are love, and you always reveal your love through your son.
that all who come to your feast of love may worthily eat of Christ's body and blood, that whoever abides in this love forever abides in you and you in him.
Lord, in your mercy.
Amen.
Almighty God, as you have given us much, open our eyes to those truly in need and give us both wisdom and generosity to be your hands and voice.
Lord, in your mercy.
Father of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lazarus, and all who rest in you, keep us by your spirit in one true faith in Christ, that when our last hour comes, we may be gathered into your eternal home through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
The Lord be with you.
And
with thy spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up unto the Lord.
Let us give thanks unto the Lord.
It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and at all places give thanks to you, Holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on this day overcame death and the grave and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name, ever more praising you and saying.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power.
and the glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, take, eat, this is my body, which is given for you, this dew in remembrance of me.
in the same way also he took the cup after supper and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink of it all of you this cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins as to as often as you drink it and remember it's of me
The peace of the
Lord be with you
always.
you
Thank you for tuning in to the Divine Service at Zion Lutheran Church in Chippewa Falls.
May the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
If you have any prayer requests, please let us know.
You may call us at 715-723-6380 or stop by and visit 110 East Grand Avenue in Chippewa Falls.
If you're looking for a church home, we'll gladly tell you more about Zion or help you find a congregation near you.
These broadcasts are paid for by generous gifts made to our radio fund.
If you'd like to contribute, click the Give tab on our website, ZionLCMSCF.org, or send a check to Zion Lutheran Church Radio Fund, 110 East Grand Avenue, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 54729.
Zion is a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.
