The Lutheran Hour
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"Maybe Just One?"
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Text: Exodus 20:1-3
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Those words of resurrection victory say that we have a Savior who is unique in His love and sacrifice. Those words tell us there is no other God worthy of our worship. When God says, “You shall have no other gods before Me ” because of the Savior’s sacrifice, we are glad to say, “Amen.”
In the course of the minister’s sermon he said, “It is impossible for us to avoid sin. It is impossible for anyone to avoid breaking God’s commandments. In truth, I violate everyone of God’s commandments every day.” Seeing that he had his people’s attention, and being on a roll, the preacher continued, “In fact, I believe that it is not an exaggeration to say that I break all of God’s commandments every hour.” A few minutes later, having run down, the minister concluded his sermon and called upon one of his members to speak the final prayer. The member said this: “Dear Lord have mercy on us. You have said, “Thou shalt have no other gods; thou shalt not make graven images; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal, covet, or gossip. Dear Lord, our pastor has confessed to us that he breaks every one of Your laws every day and that it is not an exaggeration to say he breaks them every hour. Lord, we humbly ask that You would have mercy on us, and send us a better preacher. Amen.”
Which is my way of saying that today we’re going to talk about law – God’s law. Specifically, we’re talking about God’s first, and greatest commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me. ” Laws. All of us are acquainted with laws. There are laws that our mothers taught us. You know the ones like: If you go swimming right after you eat you will get a cramp and drown; laws like: don’t make funny faces at someone, your face will freeze that way. Laws. We smile at laws which are silly. I’ve been told that young girls, by law, are never allowed to walk a tightrope in Wheeler, Mississippi, unless it’s in a church. Laws. Some make sense. Others don’t. Recently I became acquainted with a law in New York which says it’s illegal for anyone to sneeze in public. Silly? Would it help if I told you that law was adopted in 1918, when the entire world was fighting a flu epidemic – a plague which ended up taking more lives than did World War I?
Laws. On Mount Sinai, God wrote down, on two tablets of stone, His first law, along with nine others. He wrote down laws which had, up to that point in time, been written in the hearts of humanity. He said, “I don’t want you to have any other gods before Me, along side of Me, under Me, above Me, or anywhere else.” In that first law, God was saying that He, and He alone, is worthy of our love, admiration, adoration, and veneration. Implied in that law is this: If you do have other gods before Him, along side of Him, under Him, above Him, or anywhere else, you are committing idolatry and if you don’t repent, you will be condemned to eternity in hell. When God gives a law, He takes that law very seriously – very seriously indeed.
Now there are a number of ways that people react to God’s laws. You can react like the Pharisees did during the days of Jesus. Great Bible scholars, the Pharisees had read in the Old Testament about how the Lord had sent a flood to wash away those who disregarded Him. They had read about the Pharaoh from Egypt who considered himself to be a god and ended up burying Egypt’s first-born sons, and watching his chariots being swept away at the Red Sea. In the book of Judges, the Pharisees had read how blessed God’s people were when they kept Him first in their lives and how they were punished, persecuted, and put down by the Philistines when they disobeyed the Divinity. Because of their reading, the Pharisees knew God was serious when He said, “Keep me first.” That’s why they came up with all kinds of rules to make sure that they, and everybody else, would do just that. That kind of legal overkill drove Jesus crazy. By the time the Savior came to earth, the Pharisees had taken God’s ten laws and inflated them into more than 600 rules for living. Six hundred rules is an almost impossible burden for people to remember, keep track of, and follow. That’s why, when a lawyer came to Jesus asking, “Which commandment is greatest? ” Jesus got back to the basics and rephrased what His Father had said on Sinai: “The first and most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. ” In short, “Keep God first.”
Of course, most people today are not like the Pharisees. Most people aren’t preoccupied with making up all kinds of extra rules and regulations to guarantee they don’t disobey the Lord. On the contrary, most people and even some Christians, find themselves negotiating with God, trying to find the lowest denominator for their obedience. A pastor friend of mine told me about a conversation he had with someone who was thinking about joining his church. Everything went fine until he started talking about God’s commandments and the penalty for sin. Hearing about hell, the lady blurted out: “Pastor, that’s impossible! My god would never do anything like that to anybody.”
Surprised by the lady’s reaction, the pastor went on to other topics as he tried to think of a reply. Before the end of their session, he came up with this: “You know, a while ago you said your god wouldn’t condemn you for disobeying his law. I think you’re right. Your God wouldn’t necessarily condemn you because he likes you just the way you are. Your god accepts you and thinks you’re a really good person. Your god wouldn’t call you a sinner, or condemn you to hell. He certainly wouldn’t suggest you need a Savior. The only problem,” my friend continued, “is that your god isn’t real. He’s a wish, a dream, a figment of your imagination. He certainly isn’t the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible says, ‘Keep Me first.'” “And what was the lady’s reply?” I asked my friend. He said, “I don’t know. That was the last time I saw her.”
You see, that lady didn’t want to keep God first. She thought she was the master and God was the beggar who should be glad to glean the crumbs which fell from her table. She thought of God as a cuddly-wuddly teddy bear who might make her feel warm and secure when she needed Him, but who would, the rest of the time, sit patiently on her bed, or wherever she put Him. She thought of God as being a spiritual Santa who waited anxiously for her to pass on the list of things she wanted, but who could be ignored the rest of the time. She thought of God as a nice grandpa who gave gentle suggestions but would never give orders; who looked at her and burst His buttons at how good, and gentle and generous she was.
Although she might never have said it out loud, this lady was among the hundreds of millions who wonder: Who does God think He is that He can tell me what I’m supposed to do? Who does God think He is that I have to keep Him first all of the time? Who does God think He is that He can push me around? Who does God think He is that I’m not allowed to have anything before Him, alongside of Him, over, under, or next to Him? Who does God think He is? I’m going to tell you. God thinks He’s God. And here’s something else: you’re not. Now, if God’s wrong, nobody’s got anything to worry about. We can all write Him off, go about our lives, and do whatever we want. On the other hand, if He is God then I think we might do well to listen to Him and taken Him seriously. If He is God, it would be sensible for us to make sure nothing, and nobody, ever gets between us and Him. If He is God, then we’d better do all we can to love Him with all of our hearts, and all of our souls, and all of our minds. But, like I say, that’s applies only if He is God.
Which of course, will lead you to ask, “Is He? Is God, God? How can I know? How can I be sure? That is the million-dollar question. Sadly time does not allow me to explain in detail. Did I hear a moan there? Yeah, I know there’s no point in me continuing without offering some kind of reply to the question, “How can we know God is God?” I know God is God because the Bible tells me so. And why do I believe the Christian Bible? Why do I believe God’s Book is better than all of the other supposed holy books that have been written? I believe the Bible because it has shown itself to be true. One prophecy after another, hundreds of predictions made centuries before the event, were really, totally, and historically fulfilled.
Even more importantly, I believe God is God because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I believe that if the Bible were not true, the story of Jesus would long ago have been forgotten. If the prophecies about the Savior were not factual, then on Resurrection Sunday the Jewish priests, the Roman procurator, would have proudly produced His body and brought an end to the proclamation of the resurrection. If the Bible were not true, I could, this day, be able to go to Jerusalem and see the Savior’s bones which had been placed in a borrowed grave. I believe God is God for the same reason that Saint Paul believed. Two thousand years ago he said: “I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen-that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, I believe God is God.
Now, I know my explanation is short and may not answer all of your questions. That’s OK. But, please check it out. Check it out because I know God is serious when He says “Keep Me first.” Check it out so you can give an informed answer when I ask: “How are you doing at keeping God first? Do you realize that He should be the most important person in your life? Has something or someone nudged Him to the side or to the back of your heart?” You need to be able to give an answer to the question: “Who is first in your life?”
In 1874, Jules Verne published a novel called The Mysterious Island. For those of you who haven’t read the book, it’s sort of a cross between Robinson Crusoe and Gilligan’s Island. In the book, Verne tells of five Union soldiers who manage to escape a Civil War prison camp in a hot-air balloon. According to the story line, a great storm catches the balloon and carries it over the sea and across countless miles. The men are horrified when they realize their torn balloon is going to be forced into the midst of the ocean. If they’re to survive they must lighten the load. The choice is easy: the bags of ballast are emptied. That buys some time, but not much. Very soon the balloon finds itself in danger again. More choices. The men throw over all unnecessary provisions. Guns, extra clothing, almost everything goes. It’s a losing battle. Each choice buys them time, but only for a while. Eventually the men agree to jettison their food, then their gold, and finally, with the men clinging to the netting of the balloon, even the gondola in which they had been riding. The men live. It would have been a very short novel if they hadn’t. But what I want you to understand here is that these men figured out what was important and what was not. Things which had once seemed to be indispensable necessities were reduced to being nothing more than excess baggage. Although he didn’t know it, Verne was putting into fiction the Scripture verse which says: “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” In other words, “Let’s keep God first.”
So, once again, I’m asking, “How are you doing at keeping God first?” I don’t mean almost first, or close to first, or most of the time first. I mean first, 100 percent of the time. Probably not too good, I’d guess. Not so long ago when a national magazine took a poll of the things we couldn’t live without, 63 percent of the people said they needed their automobile; 54 percent said light bulbs were important; 42 percent wanted to keep their telephone; 22 percent couldn’t give up their TVs; 19 percent had to hold on to their aspirin, 13 percent valued microwave ovens; 7.8 percent their blow dryers, and 7.6 percent said that they absolutely needed their personal computer. You will note that God does not appear on that list. He doesn’t even rank above blow dryers. “Of course,” you respond, “God isn’t a thing.” In that you’d be right. God isn’t a thing. God is-well, God is God. He’s unique. He should be at the top of every list put together by everybody. But He’s not.
The world, the devil, our own sinful natures do all they can to push God to the background and something else to the front. What something else? Goodness, I don’t know. The answer to that question depends on who you are; how old you are; in what situation you find yourself. Every time God says, “I want to be first,” you can be absolutely sure that something is going to pop up to move God, ever so gently, ever so slowly, ever so unnoticeably to the side.
Years ago I asked a man who raised sheep, “Tell me, just how do sheep get lost?” He replied, “No sheep ever sets out to get lost, he just kind of nibbles himself lost.” That, better than anything else I’ve heard, describes humanity. We start out lost and we keep nibbling ourselves “loster?” Because of our sinful natures, because of temptations, we end up moving further and further away from God, from forgiveness, from the Savior, and from heaven. God tells us to keep Him first, but we can’t. God tells us to love Him and we don’t. He tells us to worship Him and we won’t. No wonder God is ready to condemn us. We deserve it. I mean, look back on your life. You can sometimes, not always, but sometimes plainly see where the path has taken you away from God and His great grace. For you, something else, maybe something tiny or insignificant, pushed God out of the number one spot in your life, your heart, your thoughts. God was no longer first; and no matter how hard you tried, if you tried, you weren’t able to move Him back. God demanded to be first, and He wasn’t. Not for you.
Which is why all of us need a Savior. You see, without a Savior, God is scary. When Adam and Eve sinned, they went and hid themselves. They hid themselves because they knew God was not going to be happy with their disobedience. God found them, punished them, and then did something most unpredictable. God promised them a Savior. Just because humanity had stopped loving Him, God saw no reason to stop loving them. You who are parents understand. Your children can do something which is maddening, embarrassing, hurtful, even nasty, but you still love them, don’t you? Well, God’s the same. He still loved us. But not in a passive, “I’ll take all the disobedience you can dish out” sort of way. No, God actively loved us, and sent His Son to save us.
He did something that you wouldn’t do, that I wouldn’t do. He allowed His innocent Son to be punished for the crimes someone else had committed. Have you ever wondered why people get up early on a Sunday morning to go to worship, or questioned why they trudge through a blizzard or wade through the flooded streets after a rain storm, or are willing to sit in church when its 100 degrees outside? The reason is this: These people have seen Jesus. They know how innocent Jesus took their sins upon Himself and suffered the punishment they deserved. To take our place – that was the reason Jesus was born. To save us is the reason He lived His entire life. To redeem us is why He died on a cross. Jesus was punished so we didn’t have to be. Jesus lived so a bridge might be built over the gulf which separates lost souls from their heavenly home. Jesus was condemned so we, the guilty, might be declared innocent.
It wasn’t fair to Him, but it is salvation for us who believe. God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son. Now, whoever believes on Him will not perish, but instead will be given everlasting life. Some time ago I heard of a husband who lorded it over his wife. Things got so bad he even gave her a list of things she should and shouldn’t do. He gave her laws which were to be followed to the letter. Frequently he added to the list – things like how his eggs should be cooked; the cloth she should use when she dusted the furniture. Eventually the husband died. No, the wife didn’t kill him. He died of natural causes. Eventually she fell in love and married again. She got married to a man who loved her and made her life a joy. One day she came across the “law list” from her first husband. As she looked over the rules it occurred to her that she was doing all this, and more, for her present husband who loved her so much. No longer was it a duty to do so; it was a delight.
God says, “Love me with all your heart, soul, and mind.” If trying to do that is a burden, a pain, a struggle, a cross to carry, I encourage you to look to Jesus. See His love; see how much He cares for you. Realize that being with Him is far better than being with anyone else. Love Him because He has first loved you, because He continues to love you. Love Him because you can’t help yourself. Love Him. And if you’d like to know how, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for March 19, 2006
TOPIC: Questions about HellANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark. Well, what’s in front of us today?
ANNOUNCER: I’d like you to respond to an item that was in the news. According to a recent survey, more people believe in heaven than believe in hell.
KLAUS: That’s understandable.
ANNOUNCER: Why do you say that?
KLAUS: Well, if I’m a Christian, I’d prefer to think about the joys of my final destination. In other words, heaven. If I’m not a Christian, I’d rather not think about hell at all. And if I’m borderline, making up my own form of pseudo-Christianity, I’d try to convince myself that there is no hell, and if there is, I’m a pretty good guy and I’m not on the devil’s guest list.
ANNOUNCER: What do we know about hell?
KLAUS: According to the Bible, hell is everlasting destruction; it’s damnation. It’s described a number of different ways: a fire that never goes out, complete darkness, a place where there is going to be perpetual tears, a prison from which escape is impossible.
ANNOUNCER: So which one is it? Is it fire, darkness, or jail?
KLAUS: I don’t know, Mark. It may well be all of those things. I do know hell is complete exclusion from fellowship with God. I know that hell’s punishment will never stop and it’s not going to be interrupted. Hell’s a place of repentance without forgiveness, regret without resolution, and sorrow without any comfort.
ANNOUNCER: Some would say that hell is something the medieval church made up in order to keep people in line.
KLAUS: Ah, no, not so. The knowledge of hell, that fear, if you prefer is something that is in people’s hearts. You can go just about any time, any culture, any civilization, and almost without exception, you’ll see they understand there is, after death, some kind of punishment for that which is wrong.
That’s only, however, part of the answer. Scriptures clearly talks about hell as a real place. Using human terminology, it describes a place where any reasonable, rational person would do anything and everything not to go.
What the Bible also does is tell us that Jesus has provided the escape from hell that we couldn’t win or earn for ourselves.ANNOUNCER: But why scare people with hell? Why not keep things positive and talk about sins forgiven and the glories of heaven?
KLAUS: Sort of like hell is like that Scared Straight program? You know where they take juvenile delinquents to a maximum security prison and let them see what their future will be like if they don’t mend their ways? We talk about hell because the Bible talks about hell. Jesus talks about hell. Just because the thought of hell makes things distasteful, that doesn’t mean we should skip it. For example, kidnapping, molestation, murder of children is one of the nastiest things I can think of. Because it’s nasty, would you recommend parents not warn their children about the dangers of talking with a stranger?
ANNOUNCER: Of course not.
KLAUS: I agree. That’s another one of the reasons we talk about hell. The Bible tells us to warn the world about what is waiting after this life is over. It wants us to tell them there is heaven for those who know Jesus as Savior and hell for those who don’t.
ANNOUNCER: So talking about hell gives us the opportunity to then preach the Gospel.
KLAUS: Absolutely. When a person is led to recognize their sin, when they realize the threat of hell is real, we can tell them, “You don’t have to go there. Jesus will take you right past the doors of hell, and right into the pearly gates of heaven.”
ANNOUNCER: But if there were no hell, where would that leave the Gospel?
KLAUS: I think that’s irrelevant. And also hypothetical.
ANNOUNCER: Why irrelevant and hypothetical?
KLAUS: Irrelevant because there is a hell. Hypothetical for the same reason.
ANNOUNCER: So you’re just not going to answer the question.
KLAUS: I just did. Look, what the person probably wants me to say is this: If there is no hell, then there is no punishment; if there’s no punishment, there is no sin; if there’s no sin, there’s no need for a Savior; if there’s no Savior, there’s no need for salvation; if there’s no need for salvation, there’s no need for us to be doing this. But it’s all ridiculous.
ANNOUNCER: Why?
KLAUS: OK. Is there sin in this world? Yes, you know it; I know it; everybody knows it. Will people pay for that sin? I already answered that one. Unless we’ve killed off our conscience, we know we are going to pay. If we’re going to be punished, there has to be a hell, although we may call it by a different name. If I’m going to be punished, I need a way out. Either my way out will be by doing things myself, or having someone do it for me. I know I’m a sinner; I can’t save myself, somebody has to do it for me, and that person is Jesus.
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
“Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days arr. by Kenneth Kosche. Used by permission
“Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow” arr. by Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“Christ, Our Savior, Who Takes God’s Wrath Away” by J.S. Bach. From Organist Frederick Hohman & Johann Sebastian Bach by Frederick Hohman (© 1988 Pro Organo)
“These Are the Holy Ten Commandments” by J.S. Bach. From Organist Frederick Hohman & Johann Sebastian Bach by Frederick Hohman (© 1988 Pro Organo)