The Lutheran Hour
-
"Shame on You"
- Download MP3 No bonus material MP3
-
Text: Mark 8:38
-
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Sinners listen; those who are ashamed, give heed. The risen Savior has come to redeem you from your past, and with His resurrection, grants all who believe a new, and eternal life of forgiveness with Him.
Here’s a story which is not true – but it could be. The story begins in a small town, a very small town, which had two churches and one brewery. What made the brewery most intolerable was that the owner of the business was a card-carrying atheist. Not surprisingly, in spite of their differences, those churches came together to do all they could to shut down the brewery. In spite of their efforts, every attempt was met by defeat. Frustrated, the leaders of the two churches called for a marathon Sunday afternoon prayer meeting. For three hours the members of those two churches asked the Lord to step in and shut down that brewery for once and for all.
During the course of the prayer meeting, the sky darkened. By the end of the meeting, flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder were heard coming from the west. The church members scurried for home. From the security of their houses they watched what everybody would later agree was the most horrible thunderstorm the town had ever seen. At the height of the storm, the siren which called together the town’s volunteer fire department went off. The firefighters rushed to the small, one-truck station, and then, swathed in boots, hats, and protective gear, they raced to the blaze: the brewery. Some of the men who had, just a short time before, been praying for the Lord to shut down the brewery, found it strange that they were now trying to save it. They did try. They gave it their best. But the fire was too far-gone for their equipment to have an effect. When the storm was gone, so was the brewery.
The next day, Sunday, members of both congregations heard their pastor preach about the power of prayer. The next day, the atheist owner of the brewery was told by the insurance adjusters that he was on his own. “An act of God” – that was what they called the fire – was not covered in his policy. The next day, the atheist brewery owner filed a lawsuit against the pastors and parishes, which he felt, had conspired with God to destroy his livelihood. The churches hired lawyers who said, “The churches cannot be guilty because they had nothing to do with the burning of the brewery.” This is where things get interesting. The judge opened the case this way. He said, “I have been on the bench for a good many years, and have seen and heard many unbelievable things. Even so, I am forced to confess that I have never heard of a case like this one. If I understand it correctly the situation is this: Before me sits an unbeliever, a man who says he is an atheist, yet his attorney, and his lawsuit say that he believes in God; he believes in God’s power, and the effectiveness of prayer. On the other side of the courtroom, in opposition to him, are two Christian pastors and two Christian churches who are doing all they can to distance themselves from God, His power, and the value of their prayers. Indeed, it almost seems that the Christians, not the unbeliever, are ashamed of what they say they believe.”
The judge was right in being confused. Why should he be different than the rest of us? Ours is a world and this is a time where confusion is commonplace. We’re confused by people who are not ashamed of their sins, but are ashamed of being identified with that which is sacred. We are shocked by those who are not ashamed of their crimes, but are hesitant to be connected with anything dignified or decent. How else can we explain a letter which was received by the IRS which read: “Gentlemen: Enclosed you will find a check for $150. I cheated on my income tax return last year and have not been able to sleep ever since. If I still have trouble sleeping I will send you the rest.” He’s a great example that people are ashamed for the wrong things.
Drug dealers are not ashamed by the profits they reap from the corruption and the addiction of little children. The wads of cash that they flash justifies their sin. Pornographers, hiding behind freedom of speech, are not ashamed of the smut and sexual sewage they spew forth across the Internet. Abortionists who end one unborn baby’s life after another are not ashamed as they proudly proclaim that they are pro-choice. Where is the shame? A politician convicted on receiving bribes admits that he may have made some improper choices, but he shows no shame. A gang member gives a gold-toothed smile to the cameras when he is arrested for having killed an innocent child in a drive-by shooting. When he is asked if he is ashamed for what he has done, he makes it clear that he is not at fault: “That kid is dead because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Watch the news and you will see a wealth of wrongdoers making excuses for their sinful excesses; you will hear all kinds of justifications, explanations, clarifications, and rationalizations for every evil that man has conceived. What you will not hear; what you will not see is shame.
Where is the shame for our having turned aside from those who are hurting? Where is the shame for husbands and wives who, having once made a lifelong commitment to each other, now feel it’s their right and obligation to reexamine, reevaluate, and renegotiate their marital contracts? Where is the shame in our homes where fathers and mothers show more courtesy to the total stranger than they do to those children who should be closest to them and who depend on them the most? Where is the shame when adults encourage children to meet superhuman expectations, but who in their own lives, show that the lowest, easiest, and most slippery path is usually the most taken one? Where is the shame for a society which prides itself in open-mindedness to everybody and everything other than the Savior? Where is the shame for our sins and shortcomings, our transgressions and our indiscretions?
Where is the shame? Well, folks it’s simply not there. It’s easy to understand why. If we admit we are ashamed, we are also compelled to confess that we have sins and shortcomings. If we have sins and shortcomings, then we need to find an escape. And finding an escape on our own is difficult. No, that’s not right; it’s impossible. That’s right, it’s impossible. It’s impossible for humanity, on its own, to find an escape from sin and shame. That’s what Saint Paul said when he wrote to the church in Rome: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me… For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”
Saint Paul was saying that no matter how hard he tried, no matter how conscientious he was, he simply couldn’t shake sin along with its resulting shame and condemnation. Saint Paul was not alone. While I was working on this message I came across this quote. See what you think. The quote says this: “We have fallen on evil times and the world has grown very wicked. Governments are corrupt and even children are no longer respectful to their parents.” Well, what do you think? Does it describe our world? St. Paul’s world? Would it surprise you to find out that this is not a quote from a modern day politician who is running for election; nor does it come from a preacher on a Christian radio broadcast like The Lutheran Hour. No, that quote is translated from a clay tablet which is kept in a Turkish museum; a clay tablet more than 4,000 years old.
My friends, you should know that all the wrongdoing you see around you is not unique to our time. Every age, every generation has been plagued with a desire to deny its sin, its shortcomings, its shame and its need for a Savior. From the moment Adam and Eve first chomped down on the forbidden fruit, right up until this very moment, people have done their very best to deny their sinfulness and shame. They have done anything, and I picked my words very carefully there, anything to avoid admitting that they desperately need a Savior. Because people are willing to do anything, they have invented gods and systems of belief which encourage them through suffering and struggle to work their way out of their sin and shame. Of course, in this religion of human invention they will never know if they have ever successfully done all that was necessary to appease their man-made god, but they will try. To avoid admitting their sin, shame, and need for a Savior, others have tried to pretend these things are a figment of the imagination, an archaic memory of an ancient age. There is the atheist who promotes his personal preference into the hopeful, albeit mistaken, affirmation: “I know there is no God.” There is the humanist who prefers to deny the existence of sin and contends that his conduct should only be judged by the circumstances in which he finds himself. There is the agnostic whose incomplete universe is defined only by that which can be measured and metered by limited scientific logic. All of these men and women will do anything, everything, to avoid admitting to their sin, their shame, and their need for a Savior. All of these will do anything, everything, to encourage you to avoid those ideas as well.
Of course, most people don’t need much encouraging. Most people like the idea of being told they’re OK just the way they are. Most people don’t want a Savior. And, if they can get away with it, who can blame them? If they can get away it. If. As Shakespeare said, “There’s the rub.” Can you get away with it? I know I can’t; for that matter, you can’t either. Now here is precisely where I would expect you to challenge me with the questions, “Who says I can’t? Who says I’m a sinner? Who says I should be ashamed? Who says I need a Savior? Pastor, isn’t all of that just your opinion? Don’t you have to say stuff like that because you’re a preacher?”
Let me deal with that last question, first. I don’t have to say that stuff because I’m a preacher. I’m a preacher because Jesus Christ has made it possible for me to say that stuff. As far as the other questions; please, please don’t take my word for it when I say you’re a sinner and should be ashamed and need a Savior. You would be foolish to believe somebody as ignorant and as uninformed as I am. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. But there is another person, far more qualified than I, who can verify your sinfulness, your shamefulness, and need for a Savior. That person is you. Yes, you.
Just a moment or two ago I told you that I was a sinner, that I am ashamed, that I need a Savior. That’s true. Let me tell you how I know. When my son, Kurt, was about three years old, I told him to stay away from my stereo. He was three, and he didn’t. I was listening to one of my favorite records and he got too close, he bumped the machine and his bump sent the needle skidding, scratching across the vinyl. The record was ruined.
Now, here’s what I wanted you to hear. I flew out of my chair and started to shout at my son. Then I took one of his coloring books and tore it in half. I shouted, “Maybe that will teach you to respect other people’s property.” I’m not proud of what I did that day. I mean, after all, he was just a little kid and I was the grown up parent. He had made a small mistake while I did what I did on purpose. Was it a big thing? Probably not when it’s compared to some of the terrible things you read about in the news. But it was a big thing to me. It showed me just how small and sinful I am. That moment in time showed me that as hard as I might try, there’s something inside of me, something I’m ashamed of, something that I don’t ever want to see again.
Now I tell you that sad little story not to point out how bad a person I am. I already know that. I shared that story so you will know my words are not just words. I’m not just a preacher placing some platitudes in front of you. I’m an ashamed sinner. And, if you look at yourself honestly, you will find an event, or a series of events, inside of you that makes you feel the same way. You won’t have to look hard. You, my friend, are a sinner. A sinner who should be ashamed. Sure, you may appear to be virtuous to everyone around you. But you know better, don’t you? We are all sinners who need to be ashamed. We are all sinners who need a Savior.
You see, by God’s grace, and not by anything within me, I have been given a Savior. The day I tore up my son’s book I needed that Savior more than I ever had before. I needed a Savior to forgive me. I needed a Savior to help me get down on my knees in front of a crying three year old and ask for forgiveness. I needed a Savior to help my son forgive me. I needed a Savior to help me change, to help me keep the promise which said I would never do anything like that again. All of these things the Savior has done. Yes, I still have a temper; and yes, I am far, far from perfect. But, because of the Savior, I am not who or what I was. Which is why the Savior is allowing me to speak to you, about Him, today.
There are a lot of things in my life about which I am ashamed, but I will not ever be ashamed of my Savior. He has done so much for me. Although I have shared a dark day from my past history, I want you to know that I am forgiven. God has wiped that sin away, and no longer does it condemn me. He wants to do the same for your sins, your dark heart, those things that make you hang your head in shame. Today the Holy Spirit wants you to join with me, to join with another sinner, Saint Paul, and say, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
What’s that I hear some of you say? You don’t know the Savior? Let me tell you about Him. He is the person that the world, and each of us so desperately needs. Because of the sinful, shameful creatures that we are, God showed an unprecedented and incomprehensible love for His fallen children and decided to save us. To do so it was necessary for our punishment to be paid, something we could not do. To that end, He sent His Son into the world to seek and save the lost; to lay down His life as a ransom for you, me, and all of humanity. Jesus was born, and throughout His entire life He kept the laws that we had broken. Then, even though He knew the pain would be unbearable, Jesus picked up our sins and carried them. My sin that I’ve talked to you about today, Jesus carried that one. The sin of your life that you’ve been thinking about, He carried it. Big sins, little sins, all of humanity’s sins, Jesus carried. It was an agony that I cannot begin to understand. Then, unjustly Jesus was nailed to a cross. That’s right. Nails through His hands and feet. Nails to hold Him in place until He died. But those nails didn’t hold Him there. His love did. He died the death that you and I deserved. He gave all of Himself so that we might be forgiven and saved. Then, on the third day after He died, to show that His mission had been successful, and His sacrifice accepted, Jesus rose from the dead. Again and again, a living Jesus showed Himself to His disciples. He wanted there to be no doubt that He lived, and because He lives, all who believe on Him will live forever; forgiven and free. Because Jesus has loved me, and bought me at a great price, I will never, can never, be ashamed of Him. Can you?
I remember years ago, having a family in my church who had a son who had a malady – a malady which put him into violent, unpredictable seizures. One Sunday, as the boy sat on his father’s lap, one of those seizures began. The father, with the boy, left the service as the last hymn was being sung and I was walking to the back of the church to greet everyone. There I had the privilege to see that father holding his boy. He whispered and he rocked, but most of all, he just loved and held his child. In the same way, even though we have sinned and shamed, Jesus wants to take care of us and bring us close to Him; to hold us. To be held by the Savior Jesus, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you are a sinner and you would like to have His arms around you, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for March 12, 2006
TOPIC: Cheerful GivingANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: And Mark, what is on the table before us today?
ANNOUNCER: We have this from a listener’s e-mail. They write, “Can’t I go to church services without giving money? I have difficulty with this and it keeps me away from church.”
KLAUS: Ahhh. They don’t have the price of admission. I’ve heard about churches like that. Have these folks give me a call and I’ll give be glad to give them the addresses of some pretty good Lutheran churches where they can get in for free.
ANNOUNCER: I don’t think that’s what they mean, either. They’re talking about this feeling they have to put something into the collection plate when it comes around.
KLAUS: Ah, so that’s what they mean. Well, here’s a simple answer. You don’t have to give money to church.
ANNOUNCER: You don’t?
KLAUS: That’s it. You don’t have to do it. God doesn’t want people to give because they have to. He wants them to give because they want to. You know the Scripture passage…
ANNOUNCER: You mean that one about – The Lord loves a cheerful giver?
KLAUS: That’s the one. If my wife has to break my arm for me to say Honey, I love you, it doesn’t count. If God has to twist your arm to have you part with some of what you believe to be your hard-earned cash, well, it’s just no good.
ANNOUNCER: But don’t some churches put a lot of pressure on people to give?
KLAUS: Yeah, they do. I’ve done the same. They have bills to pay. I remember the story about a church meeting where the pastor was telling everybody they had to give more to meet the budget. That’s when one of the leaders got up and said, “But Reverend, didn’t you tell us this morning that God’s grace, like water, is free?” And the pastor said, “Well, the water’s free, but somebody has to pay for the plumbing if they want to get it here.”
ANNOUNCER: Well, that’s a good story, but, getting back to what our said, a lot of churches do put pressure on their members to give.
KLAUS: Yeah, I like that. “Pressure on their members to give.” A lot of churches do that, and that’s all right, as long as the motivation is right. You see, when you become a member of a church, you’re making a commitment. You’re saying, “I’m part of this. I’m part of the goals of this church. I’m part of the outreach for lost souls. I’m part of trying to help my brothers and sisters when they have a need. I’m a part of what this church believes and teaches, and I’m not just going to say the words, I’m going to put my money where my mouth is.” It’s legitimate for somebody to ask members of a church to give, if they have the right motivation.
ANNOUNCER: And what do you mean by the “right motivation”?
KLAUS: You know, years ago many churches used to publish what everybody in the church gave. The idea was, if you saw how much the next guy gave, it would serve as a good example for everyone else.
ANNOUNCER: And I have to admit that never really worked with me.
KLAUS: Well, we found that when our congregation did away with that practice, giving actually went up. If you’ve got to be motivated to give by what somebody else is doing, or because you’re embarrassed what people will think about you, that’s bad motivation. It’s bad motivation if a pastor has to beat a buck out of you.
Here’s something my congregations used to print every week in the worship folder. We said something like, “If you are a guest at our worship today, we welcome, but do not expect, you to support the congregation financially. We first would have you honor the commitments you have made at your church. If you have no church home, we would like to introduce you to our Savior.” I was proud of my churches for doing that.
Sadly, there are too many bad motivations: such as trying to control a church by what you give; bad motivation such as trying to call attention to yourself.
ANNOUNCER: But are there good motivations for giving?
KLAUS: Oh, yeah, there are. Giving out of thanks to the Lord Jesus for what He has done for you.
ANNOUNCER: Namely, that He’s forgiven your sins and He’s risen to give you life.
KLAUS: Yeah. Giving is also a way of reflecting Jesus’ love to others who need Him and who need our help.
ANNOUNCER: How would you sum this up for us today?
KLAUS: First, go to church. Don’t stay away. God is doing a lot more giving at that service then He is taking. At church they’re giving out God’s hope and dispensing Christ’s blood-bought forgiveness. So many good things. Second, I would say our writer should get a thick hide. If you don’t know why you should give, then don’t. Don’t let anybody give you a dirty look. Don’t you give a penny until you know what Jesus has done for you, and thanksgiving fills your heart. Third, when you finally find out just how much Jesus has done for you, then give like the dickens!
ANNOUNCER: I’ll have to think about that one!
KLAUS: What I mean is, giving is a way to glorify and thank God; it’s a way to make sure that what you have received will be there for others in the future, and will continue to be shared with others right now.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Lamb of God” arranged by F. Melius Christiansen. From Great Hymns of Faith, vol. 2 by the St. Olaf Choir (© 2004 St. Olaf Records, Northfield MN) Augsburg-Fortress/SESAC
“Create in Me a Clean Heart” by Healey Willan, arranged by Henry Gerike. From Hope by the Concordia Seminary Chorus (© 2003 Concordia Seminary Chorus) Concordia/SESAC
“Delay Not, Delay Not” by Edward Meyer. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“God Loved the World So That He Gave ” arranged by John Behnke. From For All Seasons, vol. 1 by John Behnke (© 1996 John A. Behnke)