The Lutheran Hour
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"Just How Near?"
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Text: Matthew 3:1
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! A crucified and risen Lord is with us. The One who has met our deadlines watches over us. Because of Him, we need not fear, even when the kingdom of heaven comes near.
For 28 years I was a parish pastor. For 28 years I taught what is known, in most Lutheran circles, as Confirmation. If your church doesn’t have a confirmation program, or if you don’t have a church at all, let me explain the concept. Confirmation is a more-or-less intensive study of what a person says is going to be the theological creed of his or her life. I say more-or-less intensive because almost every pastor determines the depth of the class he teaches. Some ministers are laid-back pussycats, believing you can win more flies and students with honey than you can with vinegar. They handle their kids with, well, with kid gloves. Nothing is done to impede a child’s love for Jesus, the church or the preacher. Other pastors are card-carrying members of the Vince Lombardi school of instruction. Their attitude is: winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else. Which philosophy is better? I can’t tell you.I can tell you about my confirmation classes. I loved them. While many preachers look upon the teaching of Confirmation as being somewhat akin to having your wisdom teeth extracted, but doing so a weekly basis; I liked teaching the young people. That doesn’t mean that they all liked or loved me. One year after the instruction was over, all my students showed up at my house wearing T-shirts that read: “I Survived Klaus’ Confirmation.”
Every year, at the beginning of the instruction, working under the belief that these were young adults, I gave the class their memory work assignments. One relatively short passage every week. For most it wasn’t hard, if they did their work regularly. Regularly is the operative word here. The students had to stick with it. They were warned somewhere down the road they would have a test; sometime, I might give them a quiz. But for most, that nebulous “sometime” just didn’t sink in. Which is why, in the fifth week of class, I gave them a quiz on the first five verses of their memory work.
Now, before you get all mad at me, you should know that I never counted that quiz, but they didn’t know that. I gave them the quiz to show them that they really needed to buckle down and study. At any rate, in that fifth week, when the students came in to class, they heard, “Clear your desk. Today’s the deadline. It’s time for a quiz on your memory verses.” If you watched carefully, you might have seen one or two students show a slight, very small smile on their faces. They calmly cleared their desks, took out a pencil and coolly awaited the quiz. Those were the ones who knew their stuff. There weren’t many of them. The rest of the class whined and whimpered. Some begged for more time. The most interesting reaction came from the ones who got mad – spittin’ mad. Not mad at themselves for being unprepared; they were mad at me for not having announced the surprise quiz. Want me to repeat that again? They got mad at me for not having announced the surprise quiz. When I tried to explain to them that a surprise quiz, which has been announced, isn’t much of a surprise, they missed my point. They also missed the deadline.
A lot of people miss deadlines. Three months ago I watched a driver try to beat out a deadline, a yellow light. He was about half-a-block away from the intersection when the light turned yellow. He accelerated. By the time he blasted through the intersection, the light was a very pretty cherry red. Well, actually, he only blasted partway through the intersection. Because he had missed the deadline, he ended up taking out the left rear panel of a van which was, quite innocently going through on green. When I talked about what I had seen with the police officer, he told me the man who had tried to beat the light was really angry–not at himself, but at the light for not being yellow long enough.
In the fall of this year, most of the country was horrified by the seemingly endless host of hurricanes which paraded through the Caribbean and up the southeast coast of our country. We were distraught and distressed at the tornadoes which destroyed lives, homes, and places of businesses. We were also thankful that we have national, state, and municipal governments which are committed to giving their citizens a long warning before these disasters strike. Because of their dedication, the time people have to prepare and seek safety from those devastating winds has increased, and the loss of life has dramatically decreased.
Strangely, at least to me, the evening news almost always featured home video footage shot by someone who had decided to ignore the order to evacuate his home before the hurricane hit. Every night I watched film submitted by someone who had taped the tornado. You can see the strong winds, the drenching rain, the rotating cloud; you can hear the siren’s warning wailing in the background. The warning is working, but these people are with their cameras, standing on their front porch or in front of their living room’s giant plate glass window. The sirens are sounding out a deadline, but the people didn’t pay attention. They ignored the deadline or thought they were immune. Sometimes they made it. Sometimes the television announcer ended up saying, with somber tones: “This video footage was recovered from the camera of an individual who hasn’t yet been recovered.”
Need I go on? Should I talk about the long lines of taxpayers at the post office as the clock counts down to midnight on April 15? Did these people not know there was a deadline? Did they think the government had switched the day? Did they think our authorities, at the last minute, were going to go on radio and television and say, “We have a public service announcement: it is not necessary to pay your taxes this year. The government is flush, and we don’t need your dollars”? I guess the idea that we can beat the odds, that the deadline doesn’t apply to us, is just part of human nature.
At the same time God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He also put up a deadline. He drew a deadline around the fruit of the forbidden tree and said, “Don’t eat this stuff. It’ll kill you.” Well, Adam and Eve thought they could beat the deadline. They ate the fruit and found out, you don’t mess around with God when He puts up a deadline. When Noah was building the ark, he kept on preaching, shouting warnings, sharing God’s deadlines. But the entire world, with the exception of his sons and their wives, thought God’s deadline didn’t apply to them. When the flood hit, they found out, you don’t mess with God’s deadlines. The entire Old Testament record is filled with the story of God’s prophets setting up God’s deadlines and watching, in frustration, as God’s people ignored them. Every time, without exception, those people were punished. Without exception, they found out God is very serious about His warnings; He doesn’t joke around with His deadlines.
With this mass of history staring you in the face, let me ask, “How do you feel when God’s prophet, John the Baptizer, his camel’s-hair clothing dripping with water from the river Jordan, his breath smelling of honey and locusts, comes up, looks you right in the eye, and shares God’s deadline: ‘Repent, the kingdom of heaven is near.'” Now, let me interrupt, and before you give your answer, let me fill you in on what John is, on God’s behalf, really saying. John is saying: “You are a sinner. You, because of your sin, are condemned. You, left to your own devices, are unable to escape that condemnation. If you are going to escape, it will be by God’s power. If you are going to escape, it will be because you say, ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner.’ If you are going to escape, it’s because you, while there is still time, are led by the Holy Spirit to believe on God’s Son, who has come to be your Substitute. Jesus Christ has come to take your sins unto Himself; He has come to suffer your punishment; He has come to die the death you deserve. He has come to rise and meet all your deadlines.” That’s a kind of a synopsis of what John is saying as he shares the Lord’s deadline.
OK. Let’s paint the scene one more time. John has come up to you, I mean right up to you, almost invading your personal space, and he looks you directly in the eyes and he says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” What is your reaction? There are, I think, a number of possible responses. The first response is to burst into laughter. How many cartoons haven’t we seen showing a guy who is walking around with a sign which says, “Repent. It’s the end of the world!” Those of you who live in a big city might occasionally encounter a street person who, wild-eyed, screams at all who pass by, “Repent, sinners, it’s the last days. Jesus is coming again.” It’s very hard to take such people seriously, isn’t it? Let me tell you privately, you don’t want to dismiss John. He’s the real thing. He really is God’s prophet. He really is talking about God’s deadline. The kingdom of heaven really is near.
Here’s another reaction. You might say, “John, I agree with you. You’ve got a good point there. I should repent. I know I’ve done some things wrong, haven’t we all? John, I give you my word on it. In a few years, when I’m too old to do anything else, and I’ve done everything I want to get done; I am, very definitely, going to repent. John, I’m giving you my word on this, I’ll repent for sure, before the kingdom of heaven comes.” That is what a fair number of people say. Their answer accomplishes a number of things. They don’t get into any kind of confrontation with John; they let God know that they’ve got some good intentions; and what is really important for them, they don’t have to do a single thing.
If you don’t like either of these responses to the deadline God has shared through His prophet, you can try this: “John, you say I’m supposed to repent because the kingdom of heaven is near. I’m not agreeing or disagreeing. But it would be a great help to me personally, if you could tell me just how near the kingdom of God is? John, if you tell me that, I’ll make my plans accordingly. If the kingdom of God is going to be here tomorrow, I’ll have to get going on my repenting; but if the kingdom of God isn’t going to be near until summer of 2028, I do have some time, don’t I?”
If you had said any of those things to John, you had better have had your track shoes on and been ready to run. John, like God, doesn’t like people playing with the Lord’s deadlines. But John isn’t here. I am. So I’m going to try to deal with your questions. Before I do, let me tell you that God’s deadline is real. As far as I can tell, the mortality rate for humanity is pretty close to a hundred percent. That’s a real nice way of saying, “You are going to die.” Do you want to know how near the kingdom of God is for you? Do you want to know how long you’ve got before you have to repent? I’ll answer your question, if you answer mine. Tell me, “How long are you going to live?”
When I was in the parish I performed a funeral for a lady who was 104. I did a funeral for a baby who lived only a few seconds. Hundreds of others fit somewhere in-between. The biggest funerals I conducted, without exception, were what I call the “surprise funerals.” The funerals for the elderly were not so well attended. They had lived their lives, and although they may have been loved by those around them, everyone knew that the clock was ticking and time was running out. But not everybody lives to an old age. The very first funeral I did, even before I was a pastor, was for a man, who after Thanksgiving Day dinner, sat down in front of his TV to watch some football. He, like many of us, fell asleep. He never woke up. No warnings. No conditions. No illnesses. No previous battles. He ate a meal, fell asleep, and didn’t wake up.
How near is the kingdom of heaven for you? Will you finish this day? How about tomorrow? The next day? Now, I know that thinking about the end of your life is not an especially pleasant thing to do; I wouldn’t bring it up at all if it wasn’t so important. For some of us, God’s kingdom is so near that this will be the last invitation to salvation that they will ever hear. Some who are listening to my voice today will, by the time the next Lord’s day rolls around next week, have breathed their last, been waked and buried. How near is God’s deadline? For some of us, it’s near. For all of us it’s getting nearer.
Now you can pretend the Lord and the kingdom of heaven aren’t going to come in judgment. Good luck. You can hope you’ve got a lot of time. You hope, or you can take God’s deadline seriously. Come to Him in repentance, and let Him deal with your deadline. It was about 20 years ago, a very tired elderly lady took a bus to her downtown Minneapolis insurance company. Overwhelmed by such a large office, she stood for a long minute–and then with hesitation she approached the receptionist. “How may I help you?” The lady pulled an old insurance policy from her purse.
She lowered her voice and explained she no longer had the wherewithal to continue to make payments on the policy. She said that at her age it was hard to get around, and even harder to find any work. Anything she was able to bring in went to keep a roof over her head and put some food in the refrigerator. She just wanted to stop at the company, and explain in person that they hadn’t done anything wrong; she was perfectly content with the policy, but she just couldn’t meet the payment deadlines any longer.
Sympathetically, the receptionist directed the lady to someone who could spend some time with the lady. The man took a quick look at the policy which was for almost half-a-million dollars. He explained that dropping such a large policy was probably not the wisest thing she could do. Then he asked, “Ma’am, this is your husband’s policy. How does he feel about it?” The woman replied, “My husband? He died a little over three years ago.” The company officials kicked into gear. They investigated what she had just said; found out she was telling the truth: her husband had died. She not only didn’t owe them money, they had to refund three years of premiums plus the face value of the policy. It was enough to keep her comfortable the rest of her life.
My friends, you have a deadline coming. You can’t make the payment. You can work, you can scrimp, you can try, but you won’t be able to make the deadline. By your own power you are lost. But don’t worry. Your risen Brother, your living Brother, has made you the beneficiary of His estate. Jesus has taken care of your deadlines. His birth, His life, His love, His perfection, His substitution were part of the payments He made on your deadline. His rejection, His betrayal, His trial, His condemnation, His death were part of the payments He has made for you. Thirty-three years of payments He made. And because He never missed a payment, never sinned, never fell into temptation, all who come to Him with a repentant heart, who acknowledge the risen Christ as their Lord, are saved. Because of Jesus the deadlines have all been met. Because of Jesus, your sins are forgiven. Because of Jesus when the kingdom of heaven comes, whenever that might be, you don’t have to worry. Jesus has done that which is necessary to keep you in happiness for the rest of eternity.
Now if you would like to know more about this Brother, this Savior who has paid the price for your eternal welfare and present happiness, you can call us at Lutheran Hour Ministries. We would like to introduce you to the crucified and risen Christ who met your deadline. Amen.LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for December 5, 2004
Topic: Is Religion Responsible for the Bad Things in this World?ANNOUNCER: The world is full of problems. Is religion to blame? We’ll talk about that next with Pastor Ken Klaus, I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor, it would seem this question comes to us from someone who’s not a big fan of religion. They ask, “Isn’t religion responsible for much of what’s bad in our world?”
KLAUS: Did they give any examples, Mark?
ANNOUNCER: Well, several. The Crusades, the Inquisition. They talked about how some Christian pastors at one time defended slavery, and they also mentioned some of the things that happen in the Middle East.
KLAUS: So let me repeat the question. “Religion – but, by and large, what they mean is Christianity, is responsible for all the bad things.” Is that about right?
ANNOUNCER: Yes, that’s about it.
KLAUS: Let’s answer the question in a number of ways. First, let’s reverse it. What kind of world would there be if there were no Christian religion? Isn’t it possible that even though the world is bad, Christianity might still be having a moderating influence upon what we see around us? I think without Christianity, the world which is bad now, because of the effects of sin, would be far worse.
ANNOUNCER: Can you give us any proof of that?
KLAUS: I can, but it’s the proof I really don’t want to go on about too much. It’s the proof that’s within me. Now, before you get too personal, I could also add it’s the same proof that’s in you, and everybody else who is serious about their faith.
ANNOUNCER: What is this proof that is within us?
KLAUS: Simply this. Even as a Christian right now, I’m still a sinner – a forgiven sinner, but a sinner. I do a lot of things that are against God and my fellow man. Some of them are so natural I don’t even know that I’m doing them. But, and here is where it gets personal, as bad as I am right now, I would be a whole lot worse without my faith in Jesus. If I weren’t living my faith in praise to the Lord, I’d feel pretty free to do anything I want. Knowing that people judge Jesus by what I do, right or wrong, I want to give the best example I can. And I have to add here, my faith also encourages me to go forward.
ANNOUNCER: That’s good for you, and I’m glad you feel that way, but what about all these other bad things that have been done by others, in the name of the Church?
KLAUS: The person who asked the question made reference to the Crusades and the Inquisition. Those are old, we can go with a lot of others. In 1209 during the war against the Aligenses, a French army took the town of Beziers near the Mediterranean coast. The town was burned, the conquered were taken captive, but the French had a problem. “How do you tell a good Christian from a heretic?” One of the French leaders, a fellow by the name of Simon (IV) de Montfort came up with a simple solution. He said, “Kill them all, for the Lord will know His own.” Tens of thousands of men, women, and children were murdered.
ANNOUNCER: But haven’t you just proved our listener’s point?
KLAUS: Not at all. The event in 1209, or the Crusades, or the Inquisition, or the burning of witches are all remembered because they are the exception, rather than the rule. When a cop goes bad, it makes the front page. Should we then conclude that all police are bad? That would be foolish. Those corrupt officers are the exception. Their existence cannot deny the fact that there are a great many men and women who are officers of the public safety, who think nothing of risking their lives so we might be protected.
ANNOUNCER: And you would say the same thing about Christianity in general?
KLAUS: Absolutely. Have I heard about bad pastors and priests? I have. So have you. But for every bad pastor or priest, there are thousands who in the name of Jesus, bring peace to mourners, share Jesus’ love with children, work hard in their community and church, reach out to the homeless. The list goes on.
ANNOUNCER: Any other reasons why you think this question’s premise is wrong?
KLAUS: A short one. Many of the great universities in this country, and many of the great hospitals of the world were founded by Christians. Many charities were started and are still run by Christians. Tell me, how many hospitals have been founded by atheists? How many charities? How many universities? Mark, this broadcast is funded completely by people’s contributions, but we really don’t ask for money over the air. We’re here because concerned Christians in Lutheran congregations think it’s important to share Jesus, and they help to make it possible. Christians have done, and will continue to do bad things, but the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ is still the only source of forgiveness and the motivation to do what is good.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.