The Lutheran Hour

"Absolutely"

#71-34
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on May 2, 2004
Speaker: Rev. Ken Klaus
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: John 10:28-29

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Because the Savior has risen from the dead, frightened and fearful humanity has Divinely-given hope. No longer need we be held captive in sin, or be enslaved by Satan. Jesus Christ has conquered, and with His great victory on Resurrection Sunday, has assured us that we can absolutely believe that no one can snatch believers from His loving hands.

At the top of the one thousand foot mountainous peaks of Meteora, Greece, monasteries have been built, not recently but hundreds of years ago. Their inaccessible location gave the monks an opportunity to remove themselves from the cares and concerns of the world. These monasteries also became, because of their impossible location, places of solitude, safety and security. Up until the last century, goods, and the most rare of individuals, visitors, had to be winched up in a basket that was hand-powered by the monks. Those who made the ascent found the ride a terrifying experience, what with the basket swaying and swinging. One of these tourists recording his adventure, admitted to getting nervous about halfway up the cliff. That’s when he noticed the rope seemed old and frayed. Thinking that he might relieve his fear, at least somewhat, he asked one of the brothers who was riding with him, “How often do you change the rope?” Without a moment’s hesitation, the reply came back, “Whenever it breaks!” That kind of response doesn’t give a person a feeling of absolute security, does it?

It was over twenty-five years ago that an older couple, at that time they were retired, became alarmed at the threat of a nuclear war. They wanted to find that location which would give them the best chance of survival, and be least affected by an atomic catastrophe. Eventually they did manage to find such a place. At Christmas, they sent their ex-pastor and their distant friends a card from their new home. They had found their ark of absolute security in some islands off the coast of Argentina in the South Atlantic. When people got the card, nobody had any idea where these islands were. Less than a year later everybody knew. In less than a year, Argentina and Great Britain who both claimed to own these islands, were engaged in a war there. So much for absolute security.

Now the odds are that most of you are not going to go to Meteora, Greece and ride in a basket being drawn up by a ragged, ratty rope. It is highly unlikely that you will pick up and move your entire family to the Falkland Islands to escape nuclear catastrophe. Because you avoid such places, that in no way exempts you from the search for security. Our high schools are secured by metal detectors at the doors, and some of our athletic fields are secured by barbed wire wrapped around the playground. Our churches and homes are equipped with security systems for fire, burglaries and break-ins. Our national monuments have bomb-sniffing dogs, and our big parades have police placed along the perimeters, and helicopters high above. Our airports screen our luggage, our identity, our vehicles, our tickets, and, when you have a beard like I do, your shoes and everything else you wear. The U.S. government has even created a Department of Homeland Security which keeps us abreast of the world’s insecure situation with a rainbow of color-coded cautions.

All of us are looking for absolute security. We are searching for something, someone that can make us feel safe. So we can be secure when we eat out, the health inspector examines the restaurant’s kitchens and washrooms. So we can be secure when we take our medications, feel safe when we sit down to supper, the authorities run what we pray, are exhaustive checks upon most of the things we put into our mouths. Willing to keep our computers secure, we pay for a continuously updating virus protection plan, which, when married to a firewall or two, we pray somehow will manage to hinder hackers and trip up identity thieves. We want our jobs to be secure as well as the company that pays us. Sell is the order of the day for a stock that seems to be unsure, unstable, and insecure. Our bank accounts are guaranteed by the government’s promises; our neighborhoods try to keep themselves safe with security watches manned by volunteers who keep a vigilant eye upon anything and anyone that looks fishy. “Be secure” is the cry that goes out from those who would stop citizens from having guns. Strangely, that same cry is being shouted by those who wish for us to have guns.

Sadly, those who search for security are often forced to confess the initiation and implementation of countless security measures have not made us feel all that much safer. Those of you who are blessed to have an elderly member as part of your family, ask them if this world is more or less secure than it was fifty, sixty, or seventy years ago. I suppose you really don’t have to do that, do you? You know the answer already. Being scared, not secure, is the sad situation of our sinful society. Years ago I was told of a little boy who had been given a part in the church’s Easter play. In the role of the angel at the empty tomb, he had one line. That line was this: “It is I, be not afraid.” In spite of his practicing, the day of the service the boy was a wretched wreck. His stomach churned as the teacher coached him. Finally he walked out on the stage, saw the hundreds of faces looking right at him; his mind went blank, his tongue kept working. Rather than saying, “It is I, be not afraid,” he said, “It’s me, and I’m scared to death.”

We’re scared to death. Too many of our homes are no longer safe. Wedding vows are often disposable, parenthood can be discardable, and faithfulness seems flawed and failing. We’re scared to death. Some would position security in the workplace as worthy of placement on the endangered species list alongside the black-footed ferret and the Florida panther. We’re scared to death. Churches once thought to be comfortable places of complacency and contentment, have become battlefields for doubtful doctrines, maligned moralities and questionable clerics.

“It’s me, and I’m scared to death.” I suppose in this world, there are some people who aren’t scared. I’ve yet to meet everyone, so I’m willing to concede that possibility. They may exist, but I’ve never encountered a single one of them. The devoted dad, the loving mom, the successful salesman, the brilliant banker, the faithful farmer, the diligent doctor, every person, at every age, in every occupation, in almost every situation has fear. All of us are supremely conscious of the fact that there is nothing that is unconditionally secure, unreservedly safe, unalterably solid. The commercial may say, “Don’t let them see you sweat,” but we do. Peel away the fake facades, the bold bravados, and you will see cringing, cowering children who on the inside, are shouting, “It’s me, and I’m scared to death.”

And Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Let me read those wonderful, powerful words of the Savior one more time. In this world where nothing is secure, and everything seems unsure, listen to His absolutes. And Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Did you hear them? The absolutes? Never perish. No one can snatch them. My Father is greater than all.

“What a wonderful thing it would be,” you’re thinking, “if those words were true.” “How changed my life would be,” you say, “if I could count on what Jesus says.” It is, my friends, perfectly human for you to say and think such things. After all, you live in a world where, if anybody else had said such seemingly preposterous words, you would be compelled to laugh. But these words were not said by anybody else. They were said by Jesus. Of course your next question should be, “Can Jesus back up His words?” I know what I believe, but that doesn’t help you. Take a look at the Savior; who He was and the things He did. When men, afflicted with the then, incurable disease of leprosy, came to Him, He healed them. When a crippled man was carried to Him, Jesus sent the man home with his sick bed tucked under his arm. When a man possessed in body and soul shouted at Him, Jesus set him free and restored him to his family.

Is that not enough? Then talk to the devastated father who asked Jesus to come to the sickbed, no, the deathbed of his daughter. Jesus brought her back from the dead, more easily than you might awaken your sleeping spouse. He did the same for His friend, Lazarus. He did it for the son of a mourning widow from the city of Nain. Do you known anyone else who could do such things? His actions, always healing, always helping, never hurting, show that Jesus speaks the truth when He says, “His followers will never perish.”

But there is more to prove Jesus’ words and Jesus Himself, can be trusted. When He was arrested, even though He was innocent, He did not fight or flee. Far from it. He allowed Himself to be lead off as a Lamb to be sacrificed. When He was struck, He did not strike back. He could have, but He chose not to. When He was unfairly accused, He did not melt the false witnesses with a withering glance. When He was unjustly condemned, He did not turn the tables and condemn His judge. When He was nailed to the cross, He did not curse those who crucified Him; instead He forgave them, as He has all of us, for their sins. When He was laughed at and encouraged to come down from the cross, He stayed where He was. The nails could not have held Him, the cross could not have contained Him. He stayed where He was, bleeding, dying, so that your sins and the sins of all who believe, might be removed. He died so that you might live. By His life, by His death, He has won your salvation. By His resurrection, He has shown that His words are true.

And Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” The disciples believed those words with every fiber of their being. The world tortured them, but it could not manage to snatch them from Jesus’ loving, nail-pierced hands. The world hated them, hounded them, battered and abused them, but nothing the world could do dampened the faith the disciples had in the true words of Jesus. They knew they could not be snatched from the Savior’s hands.

And do not think that these things are long ago and far away. Do not believe for a moment that Jesus’ compassion and care are confined to centuries that have passed. I have seen. I have seen parents who said an earthly farewell to a child, parents whose hearts were torn, parents who should have been destroyed, clinging to these words of Jesus. They knew their child was with Jesus. They knew that Jesus would provide a reunion. They knew that Jesus would bring their family together in a place where no more tears would be shed, and farewells would never need to be uttered. This I have seen.

I have seen widows and widowers walk away from their spouse’s cold grave. They mourned but they had hope. I have seen men and women, solid supporters of their families lose their jobs, and through their confusion and uncertainty, still manage to smile. They knew the world wanted to snatch them from Jesus. They also knew that Jesus was not going to let them go. I have seen. Oh so many things I have seen; pastors in your community have seen; Christians have seen. We have seen the truth of these words. Jesus has shown us in the hearts and lives, the words and actions of our fellow believers that He speaks the truth to us, absolutely. This He does because He is God’s Son, the Savior of the world. This He does, because Jesus cares for you.

If this day you do not know Him, “The Lutheran Hour” stands ready to make the introduction. If in your heart, in your mind, in your gut you are saying, “It’s me, and I’m scared to death,” Jesus is ready to hold your hand. Call us. If you found there is no one else you can trust or believe, today believe this: Jesus can be trusted; Jesus’ words can be believed. And Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”

Years ago in South Florida, a little boy went for a swim in the large pond behind his house. His mother, looking out the back window, saw what his young eyes had ignored: an alligator swimming on an intersecting course with her son. She ran toward him screaming. Quickly he turned and started to swim back. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. The mother lunged and grabbed his arms as the gator grabbed his legs. The gator’s strength was met by a mother who would not let go.

The boy, with terrible wounds did live. A reporter covering the story visited him in the hospital and asked to see the boy’s scars. The lad lifted the sheets to give him a glimpse of his legs. Then the boy asked the reporter a question. He said, “Would you like to look at my arms. I have scars on my arms, too. I’ve got these because my mother wouldn’t let me go.” That my friends, is what a mother’s love can do. Can you imagine what Jesus’ love can do? The world will grab you, try to kill you, rip and scar you. But Jesus will not let you go. He will hold you safe and secure in His nail-scarred hands. You can believe it. Absolutely, with security. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for May 2, 2004
Topic: Sureness of Salvation

ANNOUNCER: And now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor Klaus, a listener wrote in to say, “When we were young, our dad made sure we all went to church and Sunday school. He was involved in a lot of church activities, but now that we’re all out of the house and moved away, he doesn’t go to church; he doesn’t give anything to the Lord’s work; he doesn’t read the Bible, receive Communion, or do anything else like that. I wonder, is my father still a Christian?”

KLAUS: Well first, I’m not in a position to look at this man’s inward heart or his outward life. More important however, is to emphasize our salvation is not based on what we do, but on what Christ has done for us. Jesus obeyed the laws we break. He died the death we deserve. He rose to give us eternal life. From start to finish, everything is the Lord’s work.

ANNOUNCER: But a lot of people would say Christians must do good works.

KLAUS: The key word there is “must.” Christians want to live their lives in thanksgiving to the Savior who has saved them. If they don’t, maybe Jesus doesn’t mean all that much to them. As we’ve said in other broadcasts, our lives are a response to God’s grace; but our works don’t earn God’s grace or salvation.

ANNOUNCER: So the daughter shouldn’t worry?

KLAUS: Worry? Maybe not. Be concerned? Definitely. By the way we look at things, dad appears to have slipped quite a bit.

ANNOUNCER: But didn’t your message today talk about the fact that we can be absolutely, one hundred percent sure, that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love? Nothing can take us out of God’s hand?

KLAUS: That’s what I said. More importantly, that’s what Scripture says.

ANNOUNCER: And so by that kind of thinking, this lady’s father is OK.

KLAUS: Hard to say. Let me assume this man was a Christian. By that, I mean when this girl was little, her dad wasn’t being a hypocrite, just going through the motions. If he was being a hypocrite, he never really was saved. But let’s assume dad was sincere in his faith. In that case, the question is, “Is it possible for him to have slipped away?”

ANNOUNCER: But you said nothing can take him out of God’s hand.

KLAUS: And I don’t disagree with that for a second. Let me explain this way: Almost all of Jesus’ disciples were persecuted for their faith. Some were tortured in terrible ways, but they never gave up the faith. Since that time, millions of others have suffered physical torment the same way. That didn’t pull them away from God. Financial pressure hasn’t pulled people away from God either. I’m acquainted with any number of men and women who walked away from a lucrative job rather than doing something that would compromise the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives. Christians who continue to rely on Jesus are absolutely safe from any outside force.

ANNOUNCER: Now wait a minute, you snuck something in on us, didn’t you?

KLAUS: Yes, I did. The words were “outside force.” There is no outside force that has the power or the authority or the ability to take us away from the Lord. St. Paul in Romans 8 had his list and he concludes, “… nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

ANNOUNCER: So you’re saying that although nothing on the outside has the ability to pull this woman’s father away from the Lord, he himself has that ability.

KLAUS: Exactly. If this man wants to walk away from God, if he wants to walk out of the Savior’s family, he can do it. He shouldn’t, but God has given him the right.

ANNOUNCER: What does Scripture say about that?

KLAUS: Well, in Luke 8 Jesus told a parable about a planter who went out to sow his seed. He listed those people who “believed for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away.” Passages like this one and others tell us that God gives us faith, He is able to keep us in that faith through His Word and Sacraments, but He’s not going to force it upon us.

ANNOUNCER: So it is possible for this lady’s father to have walked away from the Lord?

KLAUS: It is possible, yes. She should certainly pray for her father. She can keep the line of communication open. They may have a relationship in which they can talk about what has happened. But Mark, I’m simply too far removed from the situation; I don’t know the man or how he will respond. She should talk with her brothers and sisters, her mother, her pastor. Together they can plan an approach that would be best for dad.

ANNOUNCER: Anything we can do?

KLAUS: Well, right now I can imagine there are a lot of listeners who can identify with this lady’s difficulty. It has happened to them. We can enlist them to pray for all those who have a loved one who has wandered, that none of those for whom Jesus has died, would be lost.

ANNOUNCER: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.