The Lutheran Hour
-
"What Do You Think Will Happen?"
- Download MP3 No bonus material MP3
-
Text: Isaiah 44:8a
-
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Foretold by prophets, announced by angels, the crucified and risen Christ offers a new life, a secure future, a heavenly hope to all who believe.
Well, what do you think is going to happen? I mean what does the future hold for you? Would you like to know? Would you like to be in control of all your tomorrows? Over the years I’ve asked those questions of believers and unbelievers alike. The most frequent, and almost instantaneous reply is: “I don’t want to know how and when I’m going to die.” Most folks feel that there are certain things that are better left unknown and unexplored. They don’t want to spend their entire life in a three-two-one countdown to death. I can understand that. But, when I ask them, “Would you like to know the winning numbers of the lottery next week?” that causes some serious reflection. Those who are deeply in debt start to reconsider their position. When I ask young folks, “Would you like to know whom you are going to love; whom you are going to marry? Would you like to know about your children and what is going to happen to them?” they wobble.
What do you think is going to happen? Would you like to know? Oliver Wendell Holmes, the father of the Supreme Court Justice, was, in his own right, a brilliant writer, poet, and physician. Working in the early days of anesthesia, he was intrigued by the use of ether. In order to understand how his patients felt, he once had a dose of the anesthetic given to himself. In the “la-la land” between consciousness and oblivion, a profound thought came to him. The thought was of such magnitude that Holmes felt if he could write it down it would provide answers to the great questions of life, and would direct the future of every living soul. Sadly, when he awoke, he found that the great thought had vanished from his memory.
Holmes had the ether administered one more time. For the repeat performance, he had a stenographer sitting by his side, pen at the ready, prepared to take down the words which would provide answers for today and tomorrow. The mask, holding a cloth saturated with ether was placed over Holmes’ nose and mouth. Just before he slipped into his anesthetized sleep, the thought reappeared. Using all of his will, Holmes managed to mumble the meaningful message. The stenographer faithfully recorded the words. A few hours later, Holmes had recovered enough of his senses to ask that the sentence be read back to him. The stenographer opened his book and read what Holmes thought would be earthshaking, future-changing words. The stenographer read: “The entire universe is permeated with a strong sense of turpentine.” Holmes, as brilliant as he was, never, at least through ether, found the eternal key to happiness for today and hope for tomorrow. He never found out what the future held, or how to deal with it.
Would you like to know the future? Don’t worry. You don’t need to play around with ether. There are plenty of people who are willing to tell you what your tomorrows are going to bring. All you need do is look through the newspaper. Forget about the horoscopes which are, appropriately, placed on the comics page. Turn to the financial section of your newspaper. They will inform you when you should buy and when you should sell; when you ought to be bold, and when you need to turn tail and pile up your gold in a corner of your fall-out shelter. Somewhere in the paper you will find the predictions of the weathermen, bold souls who are willing to go way out on the limb and say that we have a 50% chance of rain, snow, sleet, or sun. In the Lifestyle section you will see the oracles who declare what will be an acceptable fashion this year, and what clothing styles will have you banished to polyester purgatory.
Do you want to know what will happen? Look on the television. In the religious world there are preachers who will tell anyone who will listen that they can read the signs of the last times and are able to predict, to the split-second when, where, and how Jesus will return. Scripture is quite clear: nobody is going to know when the Savior will return. Nobody. As far as all the rest of the prophets and psychics, seers and soothsayers are concerned; they may be sincere and serious about what they say, but I just haven’t seen that they have that much in the way of success. When it comes to telling about the future, the old expression is true: “An inch of a miss is as good as a mile of a miss.” A prophet who is right part of the time, is no prophet at all.
Now, I don’t want you to think that I’m going to say, “Listen to me, because I’ve got the inside scoop.” I’m not a prophet. It’s not one of my gifts. If it were, I wouldn’t have bought a lemon for my first car. If I could see the future, I would have taken out the extra year of protection on the television set which died the day after the warrantee expired. If I could look into tomorrow, I certainly would have avoided eating a fresh salad in Rome which sort of ruined my site-seeing for the next 24 hours. I’m not a prophet, nor are any of the other people I know. Now, don’t get me wrong. Some of them are so smart, so insightful that they almost seem prophetic. Almost. They can make some very educated guesses about what tomorrow is going to bring. They are seldom wrong … which is just another way of saying that they are wrong.
The truth is we are all, at best, good-guessers as to what tomorrow will bring, at seeing what the future has set out on its shelves. When it comes to the future we’re like the sorcerer who fell out of favor with his master and was sentenced to death. As he was led out to be burned, the sorcerer shouted to the king, “I prophesy that, if you will let me live for one year, I can make you famous. I will teach your horse to talk, and the whole world will hear of you. If I fail to do this in a year’s time, you can kill me and I will not complain.” The king accepted the offer and gave the sorcerer a year during which he might fulfill the prophecy of teaching his horse to talk. Shortly after the bargain had been struck, a friend of the sorcerer paid him a visit. He said, “You have made a false prophecy. You know, and I know that you cannot make a horse speak. You will surely die.” To which the sorcerer replied, “Who can say? I have a year, and during a year many things may happen. The king may die; or I may die. Or I may teach the horse to talk.”
That kind of a prophet isn’t much comfort, and he isn’t much help. If that’s the best a pretend prophet can do, and it is the best a pretend prophet can do, then those who wish to know of tomorrow are in bad shape. They will be in bad shape unless they know someone who knows tomorrow. Not guesses, not hopes, not wishes, but one who knows. Of course, such a person would have to be exceptional. They would actually have to be knowledgeable enough to understand why things happen. They would have to be master of time and eternity so they could see the tomorrows that stretch out before humanity. Even more than this, this person would have to be willing to share that knowledge with others. And, that, my friends, is a pretty big job description. There is only one person I know who can do those things, and that person is the Triune God. You will note that I just didn’t say “God,” there.
When it comes to the future, not just any god will do. The Triune God, Christianity’s God is very special. He is special because He is God of time and prophecy. Let me explain. Mohammed was born, Buddha was born, Confucius was born, Jesus was born. Is there any difference in these births? There is. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God’s prophets foretold His coming. No, they didn’t just say, “A baby is going to be born.” That would have proven nothing, babies are born all the time. They said this baby would be special. This baby would be God’s perfect Son. Then, hundreds of years before it happened, they told how humanity could recognize this baby who was born to take our place; who would live to fulfill the law for us; who would die carrying, and casting away our sins. They said this baby would be born of a virgin. That’s something special. They said this baby would be born in the town of Bethlehem. They said that this baby would be worshipped by men who had come from afar. They said that a king would try to murder this baby. Those are prophecies. And they came to pass. They were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. He completed every one of those promises of God. Prophets foretold it; Jesus fulfilled it. He was God’s Son sent to save us.
How is Christianity special? Look at the prophecies. Mohammed died. Buddha died, as did Confucius, and Jesus. But Jesus is unique. Jesus also rose from the dead. We shouldn’t be surprised. Against all logic, against all odds, Jesus died and three days later, He rose from the dead. Centuries before any of this happened God’s prophets had foretold that these things would happen. They said that Jesus would be rejected by His people – that happened. They said that Jesus would be beaten – He was. They said that Jesus would be crucified, between criminals, and that people would divide up His clothing. It happened, just as had been foretold. God’s prophets said that all this would happen so that we who believe on Jesus as our Savior, our Substitute, God’s Sacrifice, might be forgiven of our sins and saved.
God’s prophets said that as a sign that Christ’s substitution for us had been accepted, as proof that Jesus had conquered death itself, He would rise from the dead. And that also happened. It happened exactly, exactly as had been foretold. Jesus fulfilled these promises of God, even as He fulfilled hundreds more just as specific, just as impossible and unbelievable. No other religion can make such a claim. Now, if you don’t understand the importance of what I’ve said, listen to one of Jesus’ followers, a man who was well versed in the Old Testament prophecies. Listen to an amplification of the words of the Apostle Paul. He explained Jesus’ life, and the importance of prophecy to all who would know the truth. This is what he said: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that according to the Scriptures Jesus died for our sins, that according to the Scripture, He was buried, that according to the Scripture He was raised on the third day, and that according to the Scripture He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time…” (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-6) .
Do you want to know what tomorrow holds? Then let the Holy Spirit turn you to the Lord who is Maker and Master of time. I don’t know what tomorrow holds… but I know that God holds tomorrow. Through the intervention of our Savior, the Triune God alone is the one safe haven for all of us who worry about the future; who have guessed that whatever time there is before us will include, with a measure of gladness and good times, moments of fear and frustration, sadness and sorrow, danger and yes, eventually, death. When those days come, and you don’t have to be a prophet to know they are coming, then hear the Lord, who said, “Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?”
God knew these troubles, these pains, these hurts, these worries would come upon you. He knew. But more than that, He cares. You may not believe it. You may, find yourself shaking your fist at heaven because of the disasters that this world manages to produce; you may find yourself filled with anger against God; you may even believe that God is cruel. It is not so. It cannot be so. A God who sent His Son into this world to live, suffer, die, and rise so that you might be saved, cannot be cruel. God cares. He cares about your eternal destiny and He cares about your immediate tomorrows. He cares and He will help, unless you draw away. Last week I read about a fireman in England who went up a ladder – three stories he went up a ladder to rescue a lady who was trapped in a fire. He broke her bedroom window and through the thick smoke saw her cowering in the corner. He begged, he pleaded, he extended his hand to her. She would not come. She panicked and withdrew to a place where he could not reach her. The floor gave away, and the lady died. In an interview, through his tears, all the fireman could say was, “She wouldn’t let me save her.”
The Lord Jesus wants to save you. He comes to you, trapped in your unknowns and by your uncertainties. Born according to prophecy, murdered according to God’s promise, a living Lord Jesus comes to you and extends His nail-pierced hands which alone can carry you to safety. He will carry you out of your present fears, away from tomorrow’s terrors and rescue you from certain death. This He will do, unless you run away. How sad that would be – to run from His love. Read of His life, see how He cares; look at His compassion on the cross. Do not run from your Deliverer. Do not hide from your Savior and Friend.
My friends, do you want to know what will happen? Do you want to know what your tomorrows will hold? By God’s direction, the prophet Isaiah tells you, God says this, “I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (see Isaiah 46:3-4). That is what tomorrow holds for those who have Jesus as the Savior. Their days begin, are lived, and end with a God who sustains and carries them. Because of Jesus they need not be afraid of the future.
Not so long ago, in a general conversation, a man told me about his dog. This was a dog who had a history. Early in his life the dog had been beaten and bruised, left unfed for days at a time. Even though he knew the dog’s background, the man adopted the mutt anyway. Instantaneously that dog’s life was transformed. His new master had a kindly voice rather than sharp shouts. The dog was fed richly and regularly. He was walked in the morning and in the evening. He was patted, petted, and scratched. That dog was loved.
“Nevertheless,” the man told me, “it still took years before that dog completely understood the changes that had happened.” There were things in his new life the dog didn’t understand. He didn’t understand why his new master gave him baths. He didn’t understand why his master took him to the vet to be prodded, poked and pinched. Eventually the dog figured things out… as best a dog can. He knew that when his master showed up, it was a good thing. When the dog had an accident, he found he didn’t have to cower and cringe. He found that he could go to his new master and be forgiven. And when his master allowed something to happen to him that hurt, he still trusted the master knew what was best. Because he trusted his master, the dog was content to place his future into the master’s hands.
Do I need to explain the comparison? You, me, and all of humanity, by God’s grace, can have a new master. By Jesus’ sacrifice we have been purchased from our abusive masters of sin, death, and devil. By God’s love, believers are brought into a new home, God’s home, a home where love abounds. Yes, there may be times when things happen and we may not understand why. But we know the Master will not hurt us. When we sin, we know we need not be afraid, the Master forgives the repentant heart. And, because God loves us, we are able to place our future into God’s hands. Why? Because His love blesses us in the good times and carries us through the bad. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for July 17, 2005
ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark. What’s on the table today?
ANNOUNCER: Today I hope a very simple question. One of our listeners wants to know, “Is it wrong to question God?”
KLAUS: Easy question, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: And the answer is…?
KLAUS: The answer is: Yes–and No.
ANNOUNCER: So, yes, it’s wrong to question God and no, it’s not wrong to question God?
KLAUS: That’s my answer, and I’m sticking to it. And I’ll bet you want me to explain.
ANNOUNCER: Not unless you don’t mind leaving a million people in utter confusion.
KLAUS: Mark, I’m basing my answer on what I read in the Bible.
ANNOUNCER: But how is it you came up with two completely different answers then?
KLAUS: I end up that way because I think you can “question God” in two different ways.
ANNOUNCER: Please tell us what you mean.
KLAUS: My answer is determined by the heart, the intention of the questioner. It’s not the question; it’s what’s behind the question, the motivation. If the listener was asking God some questions about what is happening in his life, that’s not a problem. If you read through the Psalms, you will find many times where the writer isn’t sure and he turns to God asking, “How long, O Lord, will you allow this or that to happen?”
If you’re asking God to give you some direction as to what you should do, that’s not a problem, either. The Lord wants us to seek His help and guidance.
If you’re asking God to give you a greater faith so that you can let His will be done, that also is not a problem. As I read through Scripture, I see countless examples of those kinds of questions.ANNOUNCER: Would you cite a couple of those examples for us?
KLAUS: Well, I’ve already talked about the book of Psalms, but there are many others. Abraham asked a number of questions when he was negotiating on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Lord, for the sake of this many, or that many righteous people, won’t you spare the city?” Moses asked questions, “Lord, why are you choosing me to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” You can hardly read a page of the Gospels without the disciples asking Jesus a question. Even after the resurrection, as Jesus was getting ready to ascend into heaven, the disciples asked, “Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)
I can’t recall a time when Jesus got upset with anyone for asking those kinds of questions. So, the answer is, “No, it’s not wrong to question God.”
ANNOUNCER: But you also said, yes it is wrong to question God.
KLAUS: I did, and once again, it has to do with the heart, the intention of the questioner. If you are challenging God, that’s not OK. If you’re trying to trick God, that’s not OK. If you’re trying to substitute your will for His, that is not acceptable. If your question reveals a lack of faith, that’s a problem.
ANNOUNCER: Could you give us some examples of that?
KLAUS: I can. Look at the story of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. He is a priest in the temple when the angel appears to him and gives him the good news that at long last, he’s going to be a father. To that good news, Zechariah responds with a question that arises out of an unbelieving heart. He asks, “And whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” To which the angel says the equivalent of, “You want to know how you can know? I’ll tell you how you can know: you’re going to be struck dumb until the baby is born.” And he was.
Then there is the case of the men who asked questions in order to trick Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel, it says, “So the spies questioned Him: ‘Teacher, we know that You speak and teach what is right, and that You do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ The spies were unable to trap Him in what He had said there in public. And astonished by His answer, they became silent.”
So, what do you think? Is it all right to question God?
ANNOUNCER: I guess it’s OK if you’re looking for His wisdom and guidance. But it’s not OK if you’re relying upon your own.
KLAUS: By George, I think he’s got it.
ANNOUNCER: This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.