September 28 Sunday Sermon Manuscript

God's Standards vs. The World's Standards

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Before We Begin

• Last week we had an earthquake. It was about magnitude 4.9, so it wasn't small. But since the epicenter was in Berkeley, when I felt the earthquake at dawn, it seemed like I woke up to the sound of a bomb exploding rather than the shaking. Instinctively, I opened the window, looked around the room where my child was sleeping, and breathed a sigh of relief.

• Usually when earthquakes come, the neighborhood dogs start barking first, but maybe because it was so sudden, there was no sound of dogs barking and I barely felt any vibration. From conversations with neighbors, I heard that other areas felt quite strong vibrations and things fell down, but our house was fine, so it seems the shock was felt more strongly in the surrounding areas where the waves were created rather than in the center.

• It suddenly occurred to me that one person's change might not be greatly felt by that person themselves, but what's felt by those around them can be strong. At the same time, I thought that even if we in the church community don't realize it ourselves, the influence we have on our surroundings can be felt strongly like ripples.

• Frequently, we don't realize how great and thankful the things we enjoy are. What we enjoy now, experience now, and encounter now is precious and valuable, but sometimes we turn our eyes and attention elsewhere.

• Personally, as I read today's scripture passage, I came to think about what a great event it was that I became a believer in Jesus. I felt grateful for being able to worship like this today, and really grateful to get to know each one of you.

• I also realized that living together and holding concerts like yesterday's, and making efforts together to do missions, has great meaning.

• You might not understand what I mean right now, but as you listen to today's sermon, you'll come to understand why I'm saying these things. So please focus your hearts, and let's share today's text together.

Introduction: Discomfort in the Face of Clear Truth

• Today's text is by no means easy. Not because the content is complex, but because the message is so clear and direct that we wonder if we're reading it correctly, and think there might be some hidden meaning. Also, reading it repeatedly can make us feel uncomfortable, like standing in front of a mirror and seeing our bare face.

• If we look at the context in which Jesus told this parable, after speaking about using wealth properly through the parable of the dishonest steward, content directly pointing out that "the Pharisees were lovers of money" appears before today's text. So was the text we just read a message intended only for these Pharisees? No. This can be seen as conveying the core values of God's kingdom that are thrown at all ages and all people.

The Formula for Success That the World Teaches

• In today's text, we can see that wealth disparity existed even in Jesus' time. Whether then or now, our current age has seen that gap widen even more, and we live in a time when the world more blatantly presents wealth as the measure of life's success. We live in a time when questions about whether you're investing in stocks, whether you're preparing well for retirement, and what your real estate investment plans are dominate everyday conversation.

• I heard our daughter say at some point that her dream is to buy a house in Palo Alto. We wouldn't have had such conversations or discussions at home, would we? Probably, such values were absorbed from somewhere, from someone, or from the surrounding atmosphere.

• When talking with young people, I often hear that they have considerable interest not only in stock investment but also in cryptocurrency. Those familiar with such conversations would naturally continue the discussion, but some people might worry they're falling behind the times when they hear such talk. Like this, the world constantly makes demands of us, saying that we must live well according to these demands to have a life without regrets, and that we must become rich to be happy.

• But what's the reality? There are wealthy people who complain of unhappiness, and there are people who live happily despite being materially lacking. This shows that wealth itself cannot be life's absolute value or guarantee of happiness.

Text Interpretation: The Collision of Two Worlds

• In today's text, the rich man's name doesn't even appear. No matter how famous and wealthy he was in the world, he had no value worth remembering before God. On the other hand, the beggar's name is clearly recorded as Lazarus, meaning "God helps." This means God remembers and embraces in His arms those whom the world ignores.

• The situation after death was completely reversed. Lazarus is embraced in Abraham's bosom, and the rich man suffers in Hades. The distance that was separated by just one gate during life has now become a great chasm that cannot be crossed eternally.

• The rich man makes two requests. First, he asks for the coolness of a drop of water. Just as Lazarus earnestly desired even crumbs during life, now the rich man in death has become one who earnestly seeks a drop of water. The rich man's earnest request is rejected in the text, just as the beggar Lazarus was rejected by the rich man during life.

• Second, the rich man requests a warning for his brothers. He asks that Lazarus be raised again to inform his brothers of his situation, giving them warning so they can repent. The rich man's second request in today's text contains an important theological message.

Fundamental Insight About Faith

• Abraham's answer to the rich man's request is shocking. The rich man's brothers have Moses and the prophets, so they should listen to them, and if they don't repent even after listening to Moses and the prophets, they won't accept the request even if someone risen from the dead goes and tells them. Even if any miracle unfolds before their eyes, those who don't listen to the words of Moses and the prophets have no way for any miracle to generate faith.

• I often see such things in actual pastoral ministry. People who say "I'll come to church soon" eight or nine times out of ten don't come. On the other hand, there are cases where someone who said they absolutely wouldn't go suddenly sits in a church pew one day.

• Looking at the Old Testament, we see the Israelites witnessing countless miracles happening before their eyes and still worshipping idols. This situation doesn't make sense, but this is humanity's existential reality.

• In this sense, who knows how amazing a miracle it is that we have come to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and become Christians. The reason I said earlier that becoming a believer in Jesus was a great event is right here. Looking back at ourselves, sitting here and believing in Jesus is not the result of our will or effort, but pure grace from God. This means we're not believing in Jesus because we saw some miracle, nor can we believe in Jesus only if some event happens, but we are worshipping in this place entirely by God's grace. Thinking like this, how precious it is!

The Fundamental Error of the Pharisees

• That the Pharisees loved money goes beyond simply meaning they had strong material desires. They discriminated against and evaluated people according to their degree of material possession. Looking at Matthew 23 where Jesus criticizes the Pharisees as hypocrites who devour widows' property, we can see that the Pharisees unhesitatingly performed all shameful acts revealed through material things.

• This is completely opposite to God's perspective. They prided themselves as being the most faithful people of God who kept the law well. But they had no idea what God wanted or what His standards were.

• This is a story I've told often, but it's an interesting one. A certain elder received God's call and went to heaven. From the entrance of heaven, Jesus welcomed him with open arms. How moving! Jesus personally guided him through heaven, and when lunchtime came, He suggested they go to a Chinese noodle restaurant for lunch. What great emotion to eat Chinese noodles with Jesus! Sitting in heaven's Chinese restaurant, Jesus places an order: "Two bowls of black bean noodles here!" But looking at the next table, he saw a deacon who had recently gone to heaven. That deacon's table was full of all kinds of dishes. Sweet and sour pork, eight-treasure vegetables, yangjangpi... Seeing this, the elder became a bit jealous. "Jesus! That deacon got all kinds of dishes with a table ready to break from the weight! Why did you only order one bowl of black bean noodles for me!" Then Jesus says: "Just eat what you're given! Your senior pastor went out for delivery!"

• Well, it seems like an obvious story, but it's interesting because it doesn't develop with obvious content.

God's Standards vs. The World's Standards

• The text is not a simple dichotomy that the rich are bad and the poor are good. The key point is that the rich man didn't care for Lazarus. This reveals that the Pharisees, like the rich man, were endlessly generous to those with fine clothes and fine adornments, while unhesitatingly discriminating against those like Lazarus. Considering that God's desired standard is compassion, care, and sharing, we can see that these people exerted their strength toward a direction of life completely opposite to God.

• We can examine our current lives. Previously, redevelopment took place near a church where I served. Good apartments were built on one side, and low-income apartments were built on the other side. At that time, I saw the church seriously worry about children from the low-income apartments coming to the church school.

• I was quite shocked to hear that there were discussions about whether such children should be separated even within the school. Even if the world does that, the fact that even the church thought that way was confusing because it was completely different from the reality I was experiencing and the Jesus I believed in.

• Adults' such behavior is passed on to children as well. Children divide friends within the barriers adults have created, and I remember being at a loss about the reality where the church joined in their finding comfort in not living in low-income apartments themselves. We should teach values of gratitude, sharing, and service, but could children really feel and learn from such teaching?

• Seeing churches evaluating their success by offering amounts, number of members, and building size just like the world, and seeing churches struggling with standards the world has prepared rather than loving and caring for one soul, I can't help but feel that today's church is no different from the "money-loving Pharisees" that Jesus spoke of.

Conclusion: The Opportunity for Repentance That's Not Yet Too Late

• The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is not a story of the past, but a crossroads of choice given to us at this very moment. After death, there's a great chasm that cannot be turned back from, but right now there's still opportunity.

• Rather than grand plans, we can start living as complete Christians through small attention and consideration in daily life. To reset our life priorities with the values of God's kingdom rather than the world's success standards, we must apply today's message to our current lives without addition or subtraction.

• So first, we must remember that believing in Jesus itself is the greatest miracle. I didn't become a Christian because I believed well on my own, but became a believer in Jesus entirely by God's grace, and I'm in this place now. This means we must strive to live life in the direction Jesus wants.

• Dear saints, God's standards don't change. Facing the world with compassion, love, sharing, and care is God's standard by which we should live. No matter how much the world encourages other values, we must hold onto and live by God's standards.

• In this sense, we gather together to hold concerts, help Nepal through those concerts, and though we live as immigrants, even if politics and ideology shake us, we must strive to make the values God has entrusted to us stand out.

• The title is simple and childish. But please remember that it's a story and title about the most basic principles of life.

• With just a little more effort here, I believe we will be firmly established as a more mature Jesus-believing community in this area.

• It's fall 2025. Rain has fallen, and as time comes urging autumn, the time to finish the year is coming. Yesterday and today must be different, last year and this year must be different, and next year we must serve with God's heart with greater ideals and a spirit of tolerance than this year.

• This evening I'm taking a flight to New Jersey to attend the Korean General Assembly and then visit Korea. There are various reasons. There are plans for dental treatment and health checkups, but I also plan to bring calendars blocked by tariffs and spend time preparing plans for the church's future.

• What I'd like to ask is for your prayers, and above all, please accompany me in prayer so that I can learn well what's needed to firmly establish our open church.

• Through today's message, I hope it becomes a time to look back on our lives and realize what true richness is. It's not too late yet. I bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to become blessed saints who live by God's standards from today. Amen.