The Lutheran Hour
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"Watching and Watching and …"
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Text: Text: Luke 12:37
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! When a Christian hears those words, He knows Jesus has won the final victory over sin, death and devil. Because of those resurrection words, all who believe know Jesus’ return, whether it be long or short in its coming, is something worth waiting for.
We are an impatient people aren’t we? It’s been about 25 years since I heard the story of an argument which took place between two motorcycle enthusiasts. One of the men was a proud owner of a big, deep-throated, fat-tired, wonderfully decked out American-made cycle. The other cyclist was an equally proud owner of a brightly colored, high-pitched, very fast, foreign made vehicle. Each of the owners enthusiastically touted the merits of his ride. Finally, to bring the conversation to a close, the second cyclist, confident of the speed and acceleration of his rocket, challenged the first to a race. His words were, “Enough talk. Let’s have a showdown. I’ll take you on. You set the rules. You name the course, long or short. It doesn’t make any difference to me.” The eavesdroppers, and there were many of them, were intrigued. They acted as if they were observers at an Old West, high noon shootout on Main Street.
The challenge was accepted. The owner of the American-made cycle said, “You’ve got it. Here’s the challenge: the race will be a short one; just down to the end of the block.” He was interrupted by the challenger, “You’ve got to be kidding! My bike’s lighter and faster. I thought you were going to make this contest interesting.” “I’m not done yet,” came the reply. “Here’s the rest of the rules: the race is to the end of the block, and the winner is the rider that can do the distance in the slowest time without his foot touching the ground. You can go first.” The challenger got on his bike and started out. An excellent rider, he did mange to go slow; still, the narrow tires of his cycle and the high center of gravity meant if he was going to keep his balance, he had to keep moving at a fairly good clip.
When he was done, the rider of the American bike got mounted and began his run at the course. With a rumble, he started to roll. His fat-tired, low-slung bike allowed him to move at a walking pace. Walking is the right word for it, because quite a few members of the crowd stayed right with him. He paid no attention to their hooting and hollering, their laughter and encouragement. He just kept his eyes fixed on the corner and his mind fixed on winning the challenge in this race of slowness. His bike was capable of high speeds, but that day he ran and won the race for slowness.
A race for slowness. Unusual, isn’t it? After all, we are an impatient people, and slowness is not a commodity we hold in high regard. Right now the Olympics are being held in Athens. How many contests are giving a gold medal, silver, or bronze to an athlete because of his tenacity, or because he or she finished at the end of the pack? It doesn’t happen. No, the medals are awarded to those competitors who run the fastest, jump the highest, swim the quickest. The clock, calibrated to the microsecond, is the ever-present overseer of an athlete’s merit.
We’re an impatient people. Last month an old friend showed up at the office. Knowing he had driven a considerable distance, I asked, “How was your trip?” He replied, “There were a lot of cops on the road.” Without any explanation, I knew what he meant. So do you. He hadn’t been able to drive at the speed he wanted. He couldn’t set his cruise control to that number which is higher than the posted limit, but not so high as to get him a ticket.
Not so long ago I heard about, and the teller of the story says it’s true, a bunch of drivers who were on an interstate in Pennsylvania. They were proceeding at a pretty good pace until they saw a state highway patrol car coming down the ramp. One after another, the cars’ brake lights flashed on. Nobody passed anybody. Everybody behaved. Everybody kept glancing in their rearview mirror waiting for that moment when the officer would pull to the side of, or off of the road. After a few miles of watching the comedy, the state policeman activated his bullhorn and called out to the drivers ahead of him, “I’m not a Pennsylvania State policeman, I’m from Connecticut! You can speed up now!”
We are an impatient people. When you go to a department store, you scan the registers to see which line is shortest; you check out the stuff in the other customer’s carts to see who will take longer to ring out. At the bank’s drive-up teller window you go where the line is shortest. At the fast food place you get upset if the persons in the cars ahead of you put in a big order. College students get freaky as they wait to sign up for needed classes or to buy books. When we vote, we don’t want to be slowed down by too lengthy ballots. And of course, if you don’t believe anything else I’ve said, ask your child’s teacher what the day is like when Christmas vacation, which in some places is called “winter break,” rolls around. Ask them whether they can get anything done during the last week of school.
We are an impatient people. Which is why it is so very hard for us to listen to Jesus when He tells us to watch for His return. Watching for any length of time is always a difficult thing. That’s why it’s not surprising that so many people, maybe even you, have completely put off the idea of watching for Jesus’ return. It’s hard to do. It’s not part of our nature. We want what we want, and we want it right now. Knowing that we’re suckers for immediate results, and that none of us can wait for any length of time, one TV weight loss program after another promises that although the results aren’t typical, you can lose a gazillion pounds in a nanosecond if you pop their pill. Knowing that we’re an impatient people, almost every company promises that you won’t have to wait for their product to be delivered to your door if you spend an extra $10 or $20 for overnight shipping.
We’re an impatient people. Indeed, the human race has always been impatient. Scan the Scriptures to see if it isn’t true. Abraham grew impatient waiting for God to provide him with a child. The Children of Israel grew impatient with their years spent in slavery. Read the book of Psalms or Revelation. Numerous times you will hear the plaintive pleadings of impatient hearts, “How long, O Lord, how long?” Certainly God’s chosen people had a time waiting for the promised Savior. First promised to fallen Adam and Eve, generations found their years spent in waiting for His arrival. Decades became centuries. Centuries became millennia. Prophets would show up, pronounce their promises and then pass away. People grew impatient with God and searched out other deities, false divinities, who they thought could satisfy them. They got tired of watching and watching and watching. Watching seemed to have no purpose or point.
They were an impatient people, and as a result, when Jesus did show up, He found that most people had given up on watching altogether. Herod, the King had stopped watching. It took a visit from some eastern Wise Men to remind him of the promised Savior. The Pharisees had stopped watching. They, having grown quite content with following their own rules and regulations, felt no need of a Redeemer. The Sadducees had stopped waiting for a Savior. Educated men, they came to believe that the here and now was more important. They thought, “Things have stayed pretty much the same from the beginning.” Knowing the generations had come and gone, nations had risen and fallen, without any appearance of the Savior, they were quite willing to run the risk that Jesus wasn’t going to reveal Himself during their tour of duty. They weren’t ready to spend their lives waiting and waiting.
It was a bad bet. You see, when the time had fully come, God did send His Son, born of a virgin, born under law, to buy back those who were condemned by the laws they had broken. When the time had fully come, God did send His Son so that all who believe might be adopted into God’s family as children. Jesus came, and most people weren’t waiting for His arrival. That’s why the night He was born, only a few shepherds, having been informed of the great event by some angels, showed up in the stable where the Savior was born. The people of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth weren’t waiting, and they drove Him away. The average Joe and Jane of Jesus’ day weren’t watching; they weren’t ready for a Savior. Sure, they would eat the food He provided, and they would bring their sick to Him for a cure, but that was as far as most were willing to go. They weren’t watching, and because they weren’t watching, many of them rejected the Redeemer and were damned when they died. Yes, because they didn’t watch, because they didn’t believe, when it came time for them to breathe their last and leave this world, they were lost. Because they didn’t watch, because they didn’t believe, they remained as members of the devil’s household, and were never adopted into God’s family of faith.
Of course, I can almost hear you say, “That was then and this is now.” You’re right if you’re saying that. You’re right because there’s not a thing that I, nor anyone else, can do for those folk back then, who pushed away and put away the Savior. They’re lost forever. No, I can’t help them; but God can help you. Let’s talk about you, shall we. Are you part of the human race that has become so caught up in the rat race, that you’ve forgotten about your spiritual race? That’s dangerous, folks. If you forget about the day your income tax is due, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay taxes. If you forget to renew your driver’s license by the date of expiration, that doesn’t mean it remains valid. Your forgetfulness has nothing to do with reality. Similarly, Jesus is coming. You can put Him on the shelf; you can put Him to the side, but Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming to take to heaven those who believe; to consign to hell those who do not. It’s just that simple. Jesus is coming. Believe it.
You can believe it because Jesus has kept every promise, no matter how strange, how impossible His words sounded. When He said to a mourning father that his dead daughter was sleeping, Jesus proved the truth of His words by bringing that girl back from the dead. When He said that His disciples should feed thousands with a few loaves and fishes, He made the miracle happen. Most importantly, when Jesus said He would fulfill the law for us, carry our sins for us, die for us, and then on the third day rise from the dead as proof of His word and work, He did so. Jesus is coming back. Are you, this Lord’s Day, watching for His return? Are you ready, no matter His return be soon or centuries from now? Are you ready?
Once again, I can almost hear thousands of you thinking, “I’ll take my chances. I just don’t think it’s going to happen soon.” Neither I nor anyone else can tell you when Jesus is going to return on Judgment Day. On the other hand, I can confidently say with a million-plus listeners of “The Lutheran Hour,” that by this time next week, Jesus will have come back for some of you. By this time next week, for some of you, the brain synapses will have stopped firing, the hearts will have stopped beating, the lungs will have ceased breathing. By this time next week, for some of you, there will be a Death Certificate with your name on it, fully filled out.
Please understand, I tell you this not to frighten you. I’m saying these things because in Jesus, the Day of Judgment need not be a frightening proposition. If you, by the Spirit’s power with a repentant heart, are brought to Him and say, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner”; if you, by God’s grace are ready to be reclaimed, redeemed and recycled, the return of Jesus will be like the return of an old Friend, for that is what He is. If you are touched by the Holy Spirit’s calling, then let us at “The Lutheran Hour” help you. Call us at the number which will be given before the end of this broadcast. We can help you find the Savior Who is coming. We can help you watch, whether the wait be long or short.
It is a great sadness that many of you may agree with what I’m saying, yet you still hesitate. If you are faltering, let me share some words with you which are not mine. They are excerpted from the writings of the Apostle Peter over nineteen hundred years ago. Nineteen hundred years ago, compelled by the Holy Spirit, Peter wrote this to you: “Dear friends, … you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” Jesus promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ … do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in its heat. But in keeping with Jesus’ promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then dear friends, since you are looking forward to Jesus’ return, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever!” (excerpts from 2 Peter 3) Peter wrote that for you nineteen hundred years ago.
There should be an “amen” at the end of that, but I have one final story that I would like to share. Several years ago, the London Transit Authority had a problem. Customers were complaining that their bus wasn’t stopping to pick them up. The passengers were in the right place; they were there at the right time, but the bus blew on by. The LTA released a statement to explain the situation. They said it was impossible for the drivers to stay on schedule if they always had to stop and pick up passengers. My friends, it’s just the opposite for your God. So that you can be picked up, God sent His Son. So you can be picked up, He has delayed His coming. But the delay will not go on forever. He is coming. Will you be ready and waiting? With all my heart, I pray you are. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for August 22, 2004
Topic: Does God Forgive the Really Big Sins?ANNOUNCER: Does God forgive the really big sins? We’ll discuss that question next with Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor Klaus, will God forgive us for something very wrong that we have done in our past?
KLAUS: Are we talking about something wrong, very wrong, or very, very wrong?
ANNOUNCER: What’s the difference?
KLAUS: Most people would say a “wrong sin” is saying a bad word in front of a little child. A “very wrong sin” would be cheating on your spouse. A “very, very wrong sin” might be something a serial killer does.
ANNOUNCER: Does this make any difference to our discussion?
KLAUS: Not a bit.
ANNOUNCER: Then why bring it up?
KLAUS: Because that’s the way people think. We put sins in the balance scale and say this one is bad, but not as bad as that one that so-and-so committed. Or we might say it is a worse sin than anybody has ever done in the whole history of the world. Of course, we always have crazy people like Adolf Hitler. When we compare ourselves with him, most of us feel pretty good about our sins.
ANNOUNCER: But how does God look at sin?
KLAUS: First of all, sin is not just a matter of what we do, it’s also what we are by nature. God says if you commit one sin, it’s very, very bad. If you commit one sin, it’s enough to ruin your record for eternity. One sin is enough to send you to hell.
ANNOUNCER: Someone might then conclude, “If I’ve already committed one sin and I’m going to hell, I might as well keep on going. The punishment can’t get any worse.”
KLAUS: I think that’s exactly what a lot of people conclude, which is partly why we have the problems we do in this world. People think, “we messed up, we can’t change things, so we might as well forge ahead in our sinning.”
ANNOUNCER: And that really seems hopeless.
KLAUS: It is completely hopeless, if God hadn’t taken pity on us and provided a way out. Because we were hopeless in our sins, God sent His Son into this world. Jesus lived the perfect life that is beyond our ability. Jesus was forsaken by God and died the death that by rights, should have been our punishment. Then He rose again to show us that God accepted the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Now, because of Jesus, we receive the gifts of repentance, faith, and forgiveness.
ANNOUNCER: Are we forgiven because we repent?
KLAUS: We’re forgiven because we’re God’s children. Heaven help me if I have to repent of every sin I’ve committed. Big sins, very big sins, very, very big sins – I sometimes forget those sins. If I forget my sins I can’t repent of them. If I don’t repent of them, they’re not forgiven. If they’re not forgiven, I’m condemned. God doesn’t work that way. We’re forgiven, not because of what we do, but because of what Jesus has done.
ANNOUNCER: But don’t we still need a repentant heart?
KLAUS: Naturally. You can’t be a disciple of Jesus. We can’t love Him and be loved by Him, and continue on with our old sinful life. Part of having faith is being given a repentant heart.
ANNOUNCER: So if we’ve done something wrong …
KLAUS: something very, very wrong.
ANNOUNCER: If we’ve done something very, very wrong, God can forgive us?
KLAUS: No, He has forgiven us. It’s important that we remember that. My children are not loved and forgiven by me because of anything they do to earn by love and forgiveness.
ANNOUNCER: I think you might want to add something else to this discussion.
KLAUS: I do. I’ve had a little fun with words here, but I want to talk to this person most sincerely. You’ve called us and asked us a personal question. It’s quite possible that you’ve given us a glimpse into your personal life that you haven’t shared even with those who are closest to you. Indeed, you may spend a great deal of time trying to keep this from them. In this you have to do what you have to do. But I want to give you an assurance from your Savior: your sin is forgiven. Now there’s only one great danger they have to face.
ANNOUNCER: And what would that be?
KLAUS: The danger of letting the devil override God.
ANNOUNCER: But he can’t do that, can he?
KLAUS: No, he can’t, but he can try to trick us into believing that he can. One of the worst things the devil can do is accuse us after God has forgiven us. Our questioner should not give the devil that much power. Christ has defeated the devil. Your sin is gone. Period. End of reading. Over. Completely. Totally. If you need to hear that with your own ears, please go to your pastor. I can assure you that pastors do not think poorly of a confessing sinner who seeks absolution. No, pastors like the angels in heaven, rejoice over a sinner who repents, and they would love to hear your confession, and then say to you, as from the Lord Himself: “Receive the forgiveness Christ won for you by His passion, death, and resurrection.”
ANNOUNCER: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.