Rich Man and Lazarus!

July 28, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 16:22-23 NLT, Jesus telling the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.”

Just so you know, this is not the same Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, who was a close friend of Jesus. Jesus just used this name for a character in a story he was telling.

This poor Lazarus lived alongside the dogs just outside the main gate to a rich man’s mansion. There he begged as the wealthy came and went, transacting their business. As Jesus tells it, Lazarus was sickly and had sores all over himself. Lack of resources had finally taken its toll on his body. Lazarus died, and angels carried him to heaven. The rich man also died and was delivered to the place of the dead, Hades. Here’s where the story gets interesting!

From his place of torment, the rich man caught a glimpse of Lazarus sitting beside Abraham. He pleaded, “Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.”

Well brother rich man, you made your bed, and now you have to lie in it! “No can do! During your lifetime, you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.” The first will be last, and the last will be first! “Besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.”

Q: Is it possible that part of hell’s punishment is being able to visualize just how great heaven is? Are people in hell confronted daily with their bad decision, having turned their backs on Jesus? They had a chance, but turned down a golden opportunity. The Bible doesn’t say for sure, but Jesus seems to imply that scenario. He also teaches that accepting salvation is a forever decision. Once we reach the next reality, there’s no changing our minds. The chasm is too wide, and no one can cross over in either direction. Repent and return only works in this life!

Today is the accepted day to commit or re-commit our souls to the service of God’s Son. We never know when tomorrow will come, and we must be prepared to embark on the best journey of our lives. Jesus will meet you with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Making Disciples!

For Tuesday, May 6, 2025:

Luke 10:16 NLT, Jesus speaking to the 72: “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me.”

Jesus sent out 72 disciples to prepare cities for his arrival. Nowadays he is sending you and me, and in fact all believers! We are the ones responsible for sharing the Good News with our friends, neighbors and co-workers.

It’s kind of a chain of command, but I prefer to look at it as a relationship. The Father sent Jesus to us. He then welcomed believers as his disciples and commissioned us to “make (more) disciples of all nations.” Our invitation to follow Jesus requires a decision from the candidate. If the newcomer accepts our testimony, they’re also accepting Jesus and the God who sent him. If they reject our words, they’re also rejecting Jesus and his Father. So your words are extremely important!

Don’t ever take this assignment lightly. For the candidate, a decision to follow Jesus has eternal ramifications. When we leave this life and move to the next reality, those with Jesus will live in the presence of God Almighty. Those who have rejected Jesus will find themselves in Hades, living under Satan’s misery.

A believer’s responsibility to share the Good News is a 24/7 assignment!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship

Sunday's Coming!

For Saturday, March 30, 2024:

Mark 15:43 NLT: “Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.)”

It was still Friday when Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a believer, asked for Jesus’ body. When a soldier confirmed the death, Pilate granted his request. There was just enough time to place Jesus’ body in Joseph’s tomb, and secure it before the weekend. At sundown, it would be the Sabbath, and no more work could be done.

Nowadays we count a new day when the sun rises. But in the Hebrew culture, a new day began at sunset. So Jesus died on a Friday, day one. His body lay in the grave for the Sabbath, day two. And on Sunday, day three, the tomb was discovered empty. He is risen, just as was prophesied!

But what happened on the Sabbath, the in-between day? The Bible tells us that Jesus went to the place of the dead, Sheol or Hades, not to be confused with the lake of fire or hell. This would be Jesus’ spirit, his eternal essence, as the body had not yet been resurrected. There are many conflicting theories as to what occurred that day, but I don’t find most of them to be credible. Since the second day is the Sabbath, we could simply count it as a day of rest and devotion to Jesus and our Lord. Nothing on that in-between day is a redeeming ordinance. The real action was on Friday when Jesus died for our sins, and on Sunday when the bodily resurrection took place.

It seems that all the bad stuff happened during the previous week, and all the good stuff occurred from Resurrection Sunday forward. S. M. Lockridge gave us a famous sermon, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!” Our worldly walk looks much brighter knowing that in spite of all we might think is wrong, God is still in charge, and Sunday’s coming for us all!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Eternal Destiny!

For Sunday, October 30, 2022:

Revelation 1:18 NIV, Son-of-man speaking: “I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

Q: Who determines your eternal destiny – your place of residence in the life-after-this-life?

Here we are told that it’s Jesus, who called himself “Son-of-man.” He first did these things himself. The Roman Centurions certified Jesus’ death, and he was placed in a tomb. But three days later he was up, out of the grave and walking around, something ultimately witnessed by hundreds of people. He had conquered death!

And when Jesus died, he took the sin of the world to the place of the dead. Having their sin forgiven and removed, believers can now count on spending eternity in God’s presence. He gave us us assurance of salvation.

Jesus alone holds the keys to overcoming death and hell, and that’s Good News!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

I believe in Jesus Christ...

March 14, 2011 Monday Message:

“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.” from the Apostle’s Creed

The Apostles Creed, a statement of faith used by many denominations, can be studied in three parts. Last week we talked about God the Father, and next week we’ll move on to the Holy Spirit and everything else (at least that’s what I call it). But this week we’re in the middle - Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

Saying, “I believe in Jesus Christ,” implies way more than is written. It’s not just believing that Jesus was real, that he actually walked on earth. It’s believing that Jesus is who the Bible says he is. Simon Peter stated it best: "You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:16

This creed goes on to list some unique and notable events in the life of Christ; significant yes, but this is certainly not an exhaustive list.

We believe in Mary’s super-natural conception and the virgin birth of Jesus, fulfilling the prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, where it also names Jesus, “Immanuel – God with us.”

We believe Jesus suffered under the Roman Perfect (Governor) Pontius Pilate. We believe Jesus died on the cross - no heartbeat, no breathing – dead by all our earthly standards. He was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

Next, the version of the Apostle’s Creed on the ELCA web site says, “He descended to the dead,” but explains that the traditional reading is “hell.” From Hebrew to Aramaic to Greek to English, there’s a bit of confusion here, as different religions, different cultures and different times held different understandings of life after death. For example, “sheol” (Hebrew) or “hades” (Greek) sometimes means “pit (hell),” “grave,” or “abyss (separation).” So it can mean “place of the dead,” but not necessarily a bad place. When a Greek citizen died, they were said to be “sleeping.” And the Bible says that the dead will rise again, meaning, in a way, that they weren’t really dead in the first place. See the potential confusion?

So did Jesus go anywhere during the 3 days he was “dead?” The truth is we don’t really know, but he may not have gone anywhere. I’ve had people tell me that Jesus had to duke it out with Satan, to let him know who’s the boss. Others say that Jesus personally delivered the sins of the world to hell, where all evil belongs. Still others say that because Jesus had the sins on the world upon him, he was temporarily sentenced to the lake of fire.

Personally, I don’t buy any of it. Reformed Theology teaches that Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself, and in the great exchange, covered the people with his righteousness. Since Jesus was a lamb without blemish, he was a sufficient sacrifice to pay for the sins of the whole world. And that’s all that was necessary. When Jesus spoke from the cross, “It is finished,” the mission was indeed complete. Jesus had fulfilled his greatest purpose in coming to earth – to redeem mankind. John 19:30a

Death has no hold on the Son of God, and we believe Jesus walked away from it all. The women found the tomb empty, but over the next 40 days about 600 people saw our Lord walking around and heard him speak the Good News. Then they watched in awe as Jesus was taken into the clouds, returning to the Father. We believe he will return again (with fire in his eyes and a sword in his hand, riding a white horse – don’t make me sing the whole song!). That will be the time of judgment, and Jesus will be in charge.

Next week we’ll move on to the Holy Spirit and remainder of the Apostle’s Creed.

Blessings,

Norton Lawellin