The Lutheran Hour
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"The Courageous Coward"
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Text: Acts 4:8-13
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The good news of Jesus’ resurrection victory changes everything. With faith in the forgiveness which comes from a living Lord, the weary find rest; the lonely find a Friend; the lost have a Family; the damned are given deliverance, and the hope of heaven has become a reality. Today the word of the Lord says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name, under heaven, given to men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
You can’t tell a book by its cover. I’m a child of the television age. I grew up watching Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the great metropolitan newspaper, The Daily Planet. You remember Him. He fought a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way. I grew up watching this ordinary looking guy respond to some need that confronted Jimmy Olsen or Lois Lane. I watched as Clark Kent, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, transform himself into Superman.
We knew you can’t tell a book by its cover. That’s what they say; and I suppose it’s true in real life as well as on TV. For example, the passing of 81-year-old Traudl Junge in February of 2002, went almost unnoticed. What little attention she received came because of her reminiscences about her old employer. Concerning that man, she said, “He was a pleasant boss and a fatherly friend. I ….enjoyed the time by his side almost until the bitter end. It wasn’t what he said, but the way he said things and how he did things.” Her boss sounds like a nice guy, doesn’t he? You can’t judge a book by its cover. To Traudl, he was a nice guy. And who was this nice guy? Her kindly boss was Adolf Hitler. That’s right. Adolf Hitler, one of the most reviled personalities of modern history. Adolf Hitler, the man responsible for one of the greatest cases of mass genocide in all history. Adolf Hitler who ordered the imprisonment and slaughter of more than six million Jews. Traudl confesses, as many others might confess, Hitler, along with being a monster, was also a master of public relations who managed to manipulate the minds of millions.
You can’t judge a book by its cover. Anyone who watches the evening news knows that to be so. This year in Denver, Richard White, self-confessed murderer of five, has been described by some, as being “a friendly man.” Another said, “He’s a nice guy. He would invite me over and we would have a beer.” (http:// www. thedenver channel.com/news/2477707/detail.html) Then there is the man who killed his ex-wife, threw his daughter off the Golden Gate Bridge; he was described as being “a sweetheart” and a “loving father.”
It’s pretty nigh impossible to tell a book by its cover. That’s true for you, for me, for all of humanity. All of us, inside of us, have a person that we try to keep hidden. All of us deep down, have qualities of which we are neither proud nor pleased. All of us, no matter how cool we try to be, how civilized, how sophisticated or well-mannered we want to be perceived, possess a dark side, a sinful side, an evil side. You may not want to believe it, but the nicest, kindest, little old lady has another side. The best of Boy Scouts may strive, and many of them really do strive to be: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. But the best of Boy Scouts has another side to him.
If you doubt what I’m saying, look at the Bible. One of the great things about the Bible is it shows people as they really are. It doesn’t clean them up. It doesn’t wipe the dandruff off their souls; it doesn’t hide their spiritual acne, or take away the halitosis of their souls. The Bible shows people with all their sins and shortcomings. Adam starts out perfect and then sins. Noah faithfully built the ark, but he was not above enjoying a bit too much wine. (Genesis 9:21) Moses leads the people through the wilderness and then disobeys God. Abraham and Isaac are the revered fathers of nations, but they still, in order to save their hides on different occasions, pass their wives off as their sisters. (Genesis 20:2ff; 26:7ff) Jacob was one of the respected patriarchs of the Jewish nation, but he was not above fooling his father. (Genesis 27:5ff). David may have been a great king, but he was also an adulterer and murderer. In every person you will see this admixture of good and evil. St. Paul summed up what I’m saying in the book of Romans. He wrote: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19)
You can’t judge a book by its cover. That was certainly true for Peter. In the Bible, Peter’s narrative begins when his brother came home shouting that he had met the Savior, the Messiah. Peter went to look, but there can be little question he would have found the idea just a little hard to swallow. Nevertheless, Peter went and soon met Jesus, who looking at Him, said, ‘So you are Simon, the son of John? You shall be called Cephas.” (John 1:42) In contemporary language, Jesus said, “So you’re Simon Johnson! I’m going to call you, ‘Rocky!'” Rocky! Peter may have wanted to be worthy of that name, but before that would happen, his book cover would have to be changed.
You see, like the rest of us, Peter had a problem. He wanted to do right, but somehow, holding on to the right seemed a very hard thing for him to do. Let me explain: Peter showed extraordinary faith by walking on the Sea of Galilee, so that he might answer the call of His Master. That was a good thing to do. He promptly followed up the good thing, by becoming fearful, and sinking. That was not so good. To Jesus’ question, “Who do you think I am?” Peter gave a right and inspired witness: “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15ff). Then, as Scripture records it, Peter immediately followed up the good thing he did by trying to talk Jesus out of going to Jerusalem, where He was going to die, so that we might be saved. That was a bad thing. (Matthew 16:23) Peter promised never to fall away from Jesus, a good thing, and then Peter promptly ran away in the Garden of Gethsemane, a bad thing. (Matthew 26:31ff). Peter went to the High Priest’s palace to see how Jesus’ trials were progressing, a good thing; and then three times denied knowing the Savior, a bad thing. (Matthew 26:69ff) Peter was two people. He was a man whose success was always limited by sinful shortcomings. Peter was a courageous coward.
Peter might have lived his entire life trying, then tumbling; striving, then stumbling; climbing, then crumbling. He might have spent the rest of his days torn by an internal battle. He might have, but he didn’t. Peter changed. No, that’s not right, is it? Peter didn’t have the ability to change himself. If he had had that ability, he would have done so right away. Honestly, none of us, not individuals or the entire human race, have the ability to change ourselves. Think about it, if we could change, would we still be sending our sons and daughters off to wars all around the world? If people could change, would there be a need? If we could change ourselves by sheer force of will, would we still see the greed, the betrayal, the lust, the violence that are all around us? If we could change, all by our lonesome, would we see families and marriages breaking up? No, by our own reason or strength we cannot change. But we can be changed. Peter was changed; His book got a different cover. The courageous coward was converted into a committed Christian.
Let me tell you how it happened. After Peter had denied knowing his Savior, he went out and cried. He thought he had reached bottom. He knew his dark side had, once again, won out. Then His Master was crucified. Peter wasn’t even given the chance to apologize or make amends. That put him below bottoming out, if such a thing is possible. In fear, he with his compatriots, locked themselves away, hoping to lay low until the whole thing had blown over, and Jesus and His disciples were forgotten. Then, the third day after Jesus had died, some startling news came to the secluded disciples. Women, going to finish the funeral proprieties, had found Jesus’ tomb empty. An angel said, “He had risen.” Then they said they had seen Jesus. Startling news? More than that! Unbelievable news! Peter, with his friend John, ran to take a look. They found the tomb was empty, even as the women had related. Reeling under the impact of that unprecedented and Divinely directed event, Peter tried to make some sense of what was happening. Then, later on Easter Day, Jesus, in a private meeting, showed Himself to Peter. Did Jesus hear Peter’s apology? Did Peter make excuses? Did they reconcile? Was forgiveness given? We don’t know. But we do know that Peter saw Jesus Who was more than a Teacher, more than a Rabbi. Peter saw Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living Lord.
But there was more to come. Jesus appeared to Peter, along with others, hundreds of others, time and time again. Eventually Jesus ascended into heaven, and sent on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God who in creation had moved across that which had been created, and brought life out of nothingness, came to Jesus’ disciples. He came and gave them understanding, courage, special gifts and faith. They finally understood what Jesus had been telling them. They understood how Jesus Christ had been born into the world to fulfill His Father’s promise to bring light where there had been darkness. They understood that Jesus succeeded where they had failed. The laws they had broken, Jesus had kept. The debt they owed, Jesus had paid. The death they deserved, Jesus had suffered. They understood that Jesus had lived His life so they might be forgiven; so they might be saved; so they might share His story with others. They understood the battle for their souls had been won, and they were, because of Jesus Who loved them, more than conquerors. They, for the first time in their lives, no longer had split personalities, no longer had divided loyalties, no longer had two masters. Their books had new covers.
Oh, I don’t want you to think that Peter and Jesus’ other followers attained perfection. They never did. They remained sinners, but they were different; they were saved sinners. They still did things wrong, but they were by Jesus’ blood, forgiven of those wrongs. They had moments of darkness, but they lived in the light. The books of their lives had been given new covers; the stories of their lives had a new ending: heaven, not hell. The way they conducted their lives was different: they became willing witnesses, proud proclaimers of the good news that says Christ had died to save us.
They shared their good news with tourists, and thousands of travelers were converted. They shared when they were in prison, and when they were released from prison. They shared when they were coming out of the temple, and they shared when they went into the temple. They shared in as many ways as they could. When a cripple asked for charity, they gave him Christ, and the cripple forgiven, walked. It was a glorious witness of God’s grace. Of course, not everyone liked these new covers that had been given to the disciples. Wishing to pull the disciples out of circulation, the authorities had Peter, with his friend John, arrested. And what did Peter do? The old Peter would have collapsed and crumbled like a deck of cards. The new Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit gave this witness: “…by the name of Jesus Christ …Whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healed….” Then Peter continued, “Salvation is found in no One else, for there is no other Name, under heaven, given to men by which we must be saved.” It blew those doubters right out of the water. They were astonished at the new covers on these men. They were ignorant. They were fishermen. They couldn’t talk this way. But they did. And Scripture says they took note that “these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:10-13)
It was a good note they took. When you are with Jesus; no, when Jesus is with you, it makes all the difference. In Jesus, God gives your book a new cover. The Lord, through the sacrifice of His Son our Savior, rewrites the chapters of your life. The Holy Spirit gives your book a new ending. That is what, for almost 75 years, the voices of “The Lutheran Hour” have been saying: the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanses from sin. Trust it to be so. If you need to know more, call us. The Lord wants to rewrite your life.
Of course, you may postpone. You may say, “This is not for me.” You may think, “I’m OK.” Trust me, you’re not. Do you remember how we started out this message? We talked about how, without Jesus, each of us on the inside, have qualities we can’t stand, things that aren’t very pretty. No matter what you try to show the world, you know that is so. You should also know the Lord can get rid of those things. The Lord can change you. Today should be the day. Today should be the day because time, your time, is limited. Your book has only so many pages. Your story has only so many chapters. The day is quickly coming when your last page on this earth will be reached, and it will say, “The End.” The Lord sent His Son so that ending could be a happy one, filled with hope.
But don’t take my word for it. Let me, as this message ends, share the story of a South American Indian who knew how the Lord had changed his story, had given the book of his life a different cover. He said, “It used to be, when I was living in the jungle without Jesus, we never knew a day without fear. When we woke up in the morning we were afraid, when we went out of our houses we were afraid, when we walked along the river, we were afraid. We saw an evil spirit in every stone and tree and waterfall. We saw evil spirits inside of us. When night fell, fear came into our huts and stayed with us all night long. But when Jesus came, the fear was gone. When Jesus came, we had hope and we could rest, because we knew He had changed our world. We were still surrounded by the jungle, but we had Jesus.” Are you surrounded by the jungle? Jesus is the answer. He can give your book a different cover. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for January 18, 2004
ANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi Mark. You know, some time ago I received a letter from a faithful listener. I’m not able to say that she is a happy listener.
ANNOUNCER: How so?
KLAUS: Well, let me read part of her letter. She writes, “Dear Reverend Klaus, I want to thank you for your stories; they are interesting and sometimes touching. That’s the good part of listening to ‘The Lutheran Hour.’ The bad part is you seem to imply Jesus is the only way to heaven. While I consider myself a Christian, I also believe that kind of attitude is responsible for much of the hatred that exists between religions. My grandmother used to say, ‘If you can’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.'” As I said Mark, I received that letter a number of months ago, and I’ve been sitting on it ever since. I apologize for not bringing it on the air sooner, but I knew today’s sermon was going to touch upon her question, so I saved it until now.
ANNOUNCER: And what do you think about what she said, about implying that Jesus is the only way to heaven?
KLAUS: I would have a hard time sleeping at night if I only “implied” Jesus is the only way to heaven. Imply is a weak word; it leaves a lot of wiggle room. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Period. Jesus is the Son of God, He is the only One who can fulfill God’s laws that we had broken, and reconcile sinners with their heavenly Father. Period. If you and I meet in heaven, it will be because, and only because Jesus is our Savior.
ANNOUNCER: Period?
KLAUS: Period.
ANNOUNCER: Now that’s certainly a bold statement.
KLAUS: It is, isn’t it?
ANNOUNCER: And it’s not going to make people happy.
KLAUS: I imagine not. “The Lutheran Hour” is here because we want people to know the wonderful news that Jesus Christ is their Savior. Almost every one of the stories I tell, the stories the lady likes, point out that truth. We want everyone to know Jesus is the only name under heaven, given to men, that saves. We cannot water down the Word of God and say, “Everybody has a personal road to heaven. If you’re sincere in what you believe and faithful in walking that road, you’re gonna make it.” I can’t say that.
ANNOUNCER: It sounds kind of belligerent though, doesn’t it?
KLAUS: I don’t mean it to be so, Mark. I do mean it to be the truth. Look, over the years I’ve worked with a lot of compassionate, caring doctors. Not a single one of those doctors ever enjoyed telling a patient, “Look, unless something radical is done, you have two, maybe three months to live.” Still, most of those doctors felt they had no choice. Why do you think that was, Mark?
ANNOUNCER: Well, in order for the patient to have a chance, the doctor had to tell the truth.
KLAUS: Even if the patient didn’t want to hear the truth?
ANNOUNCER: Even then. The doctor had to say what was right for the patient.
KLAUS: I agree. Now people may not like it when this broadcast talks about sin or hell or judgment day; there are times when I would rather stand before the microphone and say, “I’m OK, you’re OK, we’re all OK” but I can’t do that because …
ANNOUNCER: it isn’t the truth.
KLAUS: Whose truth, Mark?
ANNOUNCER: God’s truth.
KLAUS: God truth – found in His inspired, inerrant Word. If I were making this up as I went along, that would be one thing; but my Savior said He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) In another place He said, “If you hold My teaching, you’re really my disciples, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31b-32) Mark, Jesus is the Truth, not one of many truths. Let’s continue talking about doctors, Mark. If you doctor said you could only live if you had an operation, what would you do?
ANNOUNCER: I’d have an operation.
KLAUS: What kind? Tonsillectomy, appendectomy, would any operation do?
ANNOUNCER: No, I’d want the right operation for my problem.
KLAUS: And would you allow your doctor, the dentist, to take out your bad appendix?
ANNOUNCER: Well, in fairness to my brother … I mean, my dentist, I know he would do his best, but he’d probably want me to find someone who specializes in that sort of thing.
KLAUS: Suppose there was only one doctor who could perform that operation?
ANNOUNCER: I’d go for him.
KLAUS: Mark, isn’t that discriminating against other doctors?
ANNOUNCER: Not when it comes to getting well. If it’s a matter of life or death, I’d go to the right doctor and have the right operation done.
KLAUS: Thank you. In that sentence, you have given the reason why we preach Christ crucified and risen. In religion we’re talking about spiritual life and death. When it comes to living, to getting well, to going to heaven, Jesus is the only One who can help us – the One who was sent to heal us.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.