The Lutheran Hour
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"This is What You Should Do"
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Text: Romans 3:28
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Because our living Lord has paid the price of our admission into heaven, this day, I can share with complete confidence, that the gift of God is eternal life for all who acknowledge Jesus as Savior.
Today, the Lutheran Hour message begins with a question. It’s a very simple question, really. All you have to do is listen to a list that I’m going to read. Then, after you’ve heard the list, tell me what special thing the members of the list have in common. Ready? Here we go: Directors Elia Kazan, Leni Riefenstahl, John Schlesinger. Actresses Hope Lange, Penny Singleton, Katherine Hepburn, Nell Carter. Actors Earl Hindman, Art Carney, Fred Berry, Jack Elam, Donald O’Connor, Charles Bronson, Gregory Hines, Buddy Ebsen, Buddy Hackett, Hume Cronyn, Gregory Peck, Robert Stack, Michael Jeter, Richard Crenna. What? Did I hear someone say, “These are all people who were in show business?” Well that’s true, but it’s not the answer I’m looking for.
What do the people on the list have in common? I’ll continue reading: Doctors Robert Atkins, and Carlo Urbani. Athletes Gertrude Ederle, Willie Shoemaker, Althea Gibson. Dictator Idi Amin, Strom Thurmond. What do these people have in common? Singers Robert Palmer, Sheb Wooley, Gisele MacKenzie, Barry White, Johnny Paycheck, Maurice Gibb. Do you think you’ve got it figured out? Some of you do. Let me finish my reading of the list. Reporter David Brinkley. Cartoonists Bill Mauldin, Al Hirschfeld. Musician Herbie Mann. Writers George Plimpton, Leon Uris and last, but certainly not least, nice man Fred Rogers.
So what do all of these names have in common? If you came to the conclusion, “They are all dead,” you’d be on the right track. If you said, “These are all people who died in 2003”; you would be getting warmer. The real answer I’m looking for is: “These are all people who died in 2003 and have appeared before their Lord who judged them. I would also accept, “These are people who have been judged and are, right now, either in heaven or in hell.”
I know that some of you who are listening don’t believe in God. I understand. You’re not singling out the three-in-one, Christian God for disbelief. Not at all. You’re not that narrow-minded. You’re sort of an equal opportunity unbeliever. You don’t believe in any god. And since you are, if you are nothing else, consistent in your disbelief, you also can’t find it within yourself to accept the idea of a Divine Judgment. You believe that when the people on my list died, that was it. Phhhiittt. They were gone. You believe that when your heart stops pumping, your brain synapses stop synapsing, phhhiittt, you’ll be gone.
Sure, you may spout forth some sort of sentimental nonsense like: “As long as we are remembered by our families, friends, and co-workers, we aren’t really ever gone; we’ll continue to live on in the hearts and minds of those who loved us.” You might say about some of the folks on my list: “As long as their movies are shown, as long as their songs are sung, their books are read, they can never, ever truly be forgotten.” With all due respect, are you making this stuff up as you go along? Do you really believe that if you wish for something long enough and hard enough, and say it often enough, it will come true?
It doesn’t work that way. Wishing and saying and hoping and dreaming doesn’t turn a lie into the truth. Truth remains true; and the truth is, if there is no God or final judgment, there’s absolutely no reason for a good man like Mr. Rogers to remain good. There’s no reason for a Christian minister like Mr. Rogers to spend years telling me, and anyone who would listen, about how it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood; and we all ought to be neighbors. No, if there is no God or judgment, there is nothing to stop Mr. Rogers from getting a gang and going through the neighborhood pillaging and plundering and pilfering. Idi Amin did it. Countless others have done it. If there’s no God or final accounting, the here-and-now is all there is and we might as well grab whatever we can, as long as we can, from whomever we can. Who’s going to say we can’t?
You can believe what you want, but there is a God, and there will be a final judgment. I know. The same way you can know. Let me ask, would it make a difference to you and what you believe, if one of the people on my list came back from the dead and told you there’s a God and a final judgment? Would it change how you feel about these things?
Of course it would make a difference. It would make all the difference. You would have to concede that what I’m saying is true, wouldn’t you? Any open-minded, rational individual would. Well, Someone has come back from the dead. Someone, Jesus of Nazareth, has really, actually, physically come back from the dead. More famous, more powerful, better remembered than anybody on the list I gave you at the beginning of this message. Jesus Christ has come back from the dead.
What’s that? What do you mean we can’t count Him? Are you doubting that Jesus lived? Even Jesus’ critics believed He lived. Maybe you’re doubting He died? Is that it? Are you doubting that Jesus, who was nailed to a cross; who had His heart pierced by a Roman spear, survived that ordeal? Nobody that the Romans wanted dead, ever got down from the cross accidentally alive. No, Jesus lived and Jesus died, and Jesus, God’s Son, our Savior, came back from the grave. You can’t doubt that either. Not really. As proof that He had risen from His borrowed tomb, Jesus ate with His disciples. He talked with them; He walked with them; He prayed with them; He explained Scripture to them; He let them touch the wounds in His hands, His side, His feet.
Jesus, who had given His life upon Calvary’s cross came back. You ought to listen to Him when He says that there is a true God and a judgment day coming. You shouldn’t shut your ears, or your heart, when He says, “… be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). You should pay attention when Someone who has come back from the dead, Someone who knows, says, “a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear my voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28-29).
Yes, you can be sure, absolutely sure, that there is a God and He is, after your last breath, going to judge you. Every major religion of the world says that when the folks on my list stopped living, they stood before god and judgment. Every major religion of the world holds that you have to answer to god for your life, for the things that you have done which are good and gentle, as well as the things you did which were dark and damnable. If that is so, and it is so, how do you think the people on my list did when they appeared before their lord?
If you were to ask most of the world’s religions about what happened when these people appeared before their god, they would say something like: “Our god put the good stuff the person did on one side of the judgment scale, and the bad stuff the person did on the other side. Then our god stood back to see the results. If the bad outweighed the good, the individual was lost, or must come back to earth and do better in a new reincarnation.” If you ask them what the people on the list, or any individual can do to make sure that they’ve done enough “good stuff,” they shrug their shoulders and confess, “We don’t know.” How do you feel about that answer? I feel that a religion which leaves you hanging, unsure and insecure, isn’t much of a religion. It certainly isn’t giving the comfort and consolation a person wants as their life winds down.
Now if you ask an average Joe or Jane which direction they thought the people on my list went at their final judgment, they would probably give a guess. Since none of us are able to look into the hearts and souls of someone else, the best we can do is make an educated speculation. Using human standards, most Joes and Janes would feel pretty confident in guessing gentle Mr. Rogers had a better chance of surviving the final judgment and getting into heaven than did Idi Amin, who was responsible for the murders of somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 of his fellow Ugandans. Although we’re not sure, we think getting into heaven is dependent upon us being good. “Just how good?” I ask. Well, they’re not sure, but they think you’d better be pretty good.
That’s not much help either. That opinion is just as scary and unsure as the answer we got from most of the world’s religions. Are you good enough? Am I? One of the great preachers of the 19th century was a Scottish Presbyterian minister by the name of Alexander Whyte. Alexander Whyte was one of those wonderful people who had a living, loving relationship with his Savior. That, coupled with the fact that Reverend Whyte had done some serious soul-searching, made him beloved by his congregation which he served for almost 40 years. So great was their admiration that one day a member of his church came and gushed, “Dr. Whyte, I just love being in your presence. You are so saintly.” Alexander Whyte looked the lady in the eye and replied, “Madam, if you could look into my soul, what you would see would make you spit in my face.”
By human standards, Alexander Whyte may have been a pretty good fellow. But Alexander Whyte knew, in his final judgment before God, being a “pretty good guy” was not going to be enough to get him into heaven. Truly, by God’s standards, none of us is good enough to get into heaven. The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes (7:20) sadly says, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”
Try as you might, you’re not good enough to earn heaven. Let me tell you what I mean by using a story. It begins with a man who died and found himself standing before the gates of paradise. St. Peter told him that he could come in if he accumulated a thousand points. “No problem,” the man said to himself. He began, “I was an active Christian.” “A hundred points” said Peter. “I sang in the choir.” “Twenty-five points.” “I was a substitute teacher once in Sunday School.” “Ten points.” With only135 out of the necessary 1,000 needed, the man became concerned. “I had an cousin who was a pastor and a great uncle who was a missionary.” “Five points each,” came back St. Peter’s reply. “I went to a congregational voter’s meeting.” Well, that counted for something: “A hundred points.” Unable to think of anything else, and with a grand total of 245 points to his credit, the man mumbled, “I’m not gonna make it. Nobody could. Only by the grace of God alone can I ever get into heaven.” Listening carefully to the man’s mumbling, Peter replied, “That’s 750 points. Come on in.”
Now I don’t want you to think you can even begin to get into heaven by your own power. Scripture is clear (Rom. 6:23). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No, if we’re going to get into heaven, it will only be because we have been given faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Let me say that a different way. If you want to get into heaven, this is what you should do: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you will be saved. If you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will get into heaven. No doubt, no question, no second-guessing, no balance scales. With faith in Jesus as Savior, you are going to heaven. And that is the difference between Christianity and every other religion of the world. Every other religion of the world says “do, do, do”; Christianity says, “Done.” To all of you who work under the delusion that all religions are alike, you need to know there is a difference. Every religion says “do, do, do”; Christianity alone says, “Done.”
It is such a simple word for me to say: done. But so I could share that word of redemption with you, your Savior paid a terrible price. The Heavenly Father knew that someday, I don’t know when, your name will be added to the list of the dead. He knew that someday you would appear before Him as your Divine Judge. He knew that you would, left to your own devices, be unable to pass inspection. He knew that your sins would demand that He condemn you. But God loves you. He wanted to save you. That is why He sent His Son into this world. So you someday might stand before Him as your heavenly Judge, and be declared “innocent,” Jesus stood before an earthly judge and was found guilty. So that Satan’s true accusations against you might be found groundless, Jesus accepted the false accusations made against Him. So that your sins might be removed, Jesus took those sins and carried them to His cross. So that you might be given the gift of eternal life, Jesus gave up His life upon the cross.
Done. Jesus has done it all. He has done what you could not. This is the divine love of God that has been given to you so freely. The Psalmist, appreciating God’s forgiveness wrote, “God does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:10-14). What should you do to be saved? Believe in Jesus as your Savior. Believe He has done it all.
Years ago there was a teacher, a Christian professor at an English university. Normally enthusiastic in his worship, one Sunday he found himself standing before his church, reluctant to go in. The events of the previous week had driven a wedge of separation between him and the Lord. As he stood debating about what he should do, he saw a young lady start up the steps of the church. He saw her stop, turn around and run crying, away from the church doors. Quickly he went to her side and said, “Come on in, young lady. Jesus has opened the doors for sinners like us.” That’s what we at “The Lutheran Hour” are saying to you this day. “Believe on Jesus. Come on in. Jesus has opened the doors of heaven for sinners like us.” If you need to know more about this wonderful Savior Who has opened the doors to paradise, please call the number we will give before the end of this broadcast. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for October 24, 2004
Topic: The Great SinANNOUNCER: And now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Here’s an email question, “Recently our pastor talked about the sin against the Holy Spirit, and he said it was unforgivable. Since then, I’ve worried that I may be guilty of this sin and will not go to heaven. What exactly is the sin against the Holy Spirit?”
KLAUS: The sin against the Holy Spirit is based on passages such as Matt. 12:31-32. Jesus says, “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
ANNOUNCER: So Jesus is saying, when you sin against the Holy Spirit, you will not be forgiven, but aren’t all sins ultimately against the Holy Spirit?
KLAUS: In one sense, yes, because the Holy Spirit is also God. But mainly the answer is no, because what is meant by the sin against the Holy Spirit is something very specific and very unique. Maybe the best example of how a person can commit a sin against the Holy Spirit is found in the Old Testament, recorded in the story of Moses and his dealings with Pharaoh.
ANNOUNCER: This is when God was, through Moses, telling Pharaoh that he needed to let God’s people go and free them from slavery?
KLAUS: Yes, that’s the one. The language there is very interesting. God sent a plague of frogs. In response to that miracle, the Bible says, “Pharaoh hardened his heart.” Later, God sent a plague of flies. Once again, Pharaoh hardened his heart and didn’t do what God wanted. Still further on, God sent a plague of painful boils upon the animals and the people of Egypt. But Pharaoh didn’t let God’s people go. He turned his back on God and this time, the Bible says something different. It says, “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron” (Ex. 9:12).
ANNOUNCER: So in the beginning, Pharaoh hardened his heart; and at the end, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
KLAUS: Right. That’s the result of the sin against the Holy Spirit. A person commits the sin against the Holy Spirit when they consciously, persistently, stubbornly refuse to trust in God and confess their sin. The sin is when people slam the door shut on God again, and again, and again …
ANNOUNCER: and God says, “That’s it.”
KLAUS: Eventually God says, “If that’s the way you want it to be, and you’ve shown no matter what I want, that is how you want it to be, that’s fine by Me” and then God nails the door shut from His side.
ANNOUNCER: And God turns away.
KLAUS: God turns away and that person will never again be able to repent. Their heart, as it is said in Exodus, “has been hardened against God – by God.”
ANNOUNCER: How many times do you have to turn your back on God before He turns His back on you?
KLAUS: I can’t answer that question. If I could, I wouldn’t. Too many people would take my words and say, “Ok, I turned my back on God this time, I’ve got 12, 14, a hundred more to go.” The point is, nobody should turn their back on God, not ever. Jesus was sent as God’s supreme act of love to save us. Those who trusted His blood has washed away their sins, will want to do what pleases Him; not because they’ve got to, but because they want to.
ANNOUNCER: How can our listener be sure that she hasn’t committed the unforgivable sin?
KLAUS: It’s impossible for a believing, confessing, Christian to commit the sin against the Holy Sprit. It doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t happen when you’re not looking. It isn’t something you stumble into. It is something that you deliberately persist in doing, not once, maybe not twice, but a number of times. A Christian who worries about having committed this sin, clearly hasn’t done so. His conscience is still alive. The Holy Spirit is still working on him, calling him to repentance and faith through the Gospel. A person who’s guilty of the sin against the Holy Spirit doesn’t feel the need for repentance. A person who commits the sin against the Holy Spirit isn’t at all concerned about their lack of trust in God.
ANNOUNCER: How would this apply to the people who are listening to us right now?
KLAUS: What I’d like our listeners to remember from this message is, “God wants all people to be saved from eternal death and hell. He wants all people to acknowledge and trust in Jesus as their Rescuer. But they need to know their time is limited. If the Holy Spirit is calling them, today is the day to listen and not slam the door on His invitation.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.