The Lutheran Hour
-
"Pitiful People"
- Download MP3 Reflections
-
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:19-20
-
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. Today the living Lord Jesus Christ comes and rips away the blanket of death which once enshrouded this sinful world. To all who doubt; to those who deny; to those whose hearts are ruled by cynicism, their minds by skepticism, the Holy Spirit speaks and says, “…in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. Follow Him, believe and be saved.” Amen.
Christ is risen. Do you know that I have begun more than 200 sermons on The Lutheran Hour with those words? Christ is risen! It is the Savior’s resurrection which brings light into this world’s darkness and allows the hope of heaven to defeat the despondency and depression of death.
Depression. You don’t like being depressed, do you? Of course you don’t; neither do I. But I did get depressed when I recently read a quote from Bertrand Russell’s 1903 essay, A Free Man’s Worship. Let me share a few excerpts, and, when I’m done, you tell me how you feel. Russell wrote, “The life of Man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, toward a goal that few can hope to reach, and where none may tarry long. One by one, as they march, our comrades vanish from our sight, seized by the silent orders of omnipotent Death… let us remember that they are fellow-sufferers in the same darkness, actors in the same tragedy as ourselves… Brief and powerless is Man’s life; on him and all his race the slow, sure doom falls pitiless and dark. Blind to good and evil, reckless of destruction, omnipotent matter rolls on its relentless way; for Man, condemned today to lose his dearest, tomorrow himself to pass through the gate of darkness, it remains only to cherish, ere yet the blow falls, the lofty thoughts that ennoble his little day…” That’s the quote. How did Mr. Russell make you feel? Are you ready to chase rainbows, pick daisies, and run barefoot in a meadow? You may not agree, but that man depresses me. I know, he wasn’t trying to; he was trying to encourage the people who would read his essay to make the most of today; to support others; to not get bent out shape about petty problems and insignificant items of life. That’s what he was trying to do; what he succeeded in doing was make me depressed.
Even so, it’s quite possible you are among the millions of people listening to my voice this morning who have come to the conclusion that Mr. Russell was absolutely right in believing that a person lives his life trying to make the best of a bad situation. He tries and then he dies. That’s it. That’s the end. Years ago I had the funeral of a young man. The lad’s father was a Christian, the mother wasn’t. A few days after the funeral, I paid a follow-up visit on the family. It wasn’t a bad visit, at least until the moment when the mother said, “You know, I wish I could believe what you said at our son’s funeral, but I can’t. I believe that you live, and you die, and that’s it. I’m going to cry for my son and for all of us who are going to miss him, but I’m not going to try and pretend we’re going to get together someday in one long, never-ending reunion. It’s just not going to happen.”
Although that lady didn’t have Mr. Russell’s ability to turn a phrase, she was most certainly in agreement with him. She, along with much of this world, hold fast to the creed which says, “Here today, gone tomorrow.” Those who adhere to such a philosophy think that Christianity is a crutch, a spiritual support, a mental prop which holds up those who aren’t strong enough; smart enough, able enough to face life’s troubles and tragedies, struggles and scuffles on their own. They believe that the Christian religion is utter gibberish, total nonsense; a mighty mass of inconsistencies; a hodgepodge of the ridiculous, ludicrous, and preposterous. I understand why, looking at the way Christianity is so often practiced, they would feel that way.
Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:27). Is that what Christians teach their children when they’re going out for sports – to be the slave of somebody? When young adults graduate from college and start looking for a job, do Christian parents say, “Blessed are you who are poor”? Do they say to their friend when she finds out her husband has Alzheimer’s, “Blessed are you who weep”? Do they tell their child who is the only one in the room not invited to a classmate’s birthday party, “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you”? (Luke 6:20-22). If I were a gambling man, which I’m not, I think I’d be pretty safe betting last week’s pay check that most Christians said something quite different at those moments. And if I won that wager, I think I could double my money in saying, I’ll bet they don’t generally love their enemies, or do good to those who hate them, or bless those who curse them, or pray for those who mistreat them (see Luke 6:27-28).
No, I’m not surprised that Mr. Russell, the lady who lost her son, and many of you have decided that Christianity doesn’t make sense. Looking at the contemporary church with its discord, disagreement, and dissension about doctrines, its, strife, spats, and squabbles concerning the Savior and the salvation He has won; it’s not surprising you think Christianity is bunk and baloney; it’s not amazing that you agree with Mr. Russell who said, “The life of Man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain.”
And, because you agree with Mr. Russell, because you believe that this life is all there is, you live accordingly. Some of you noble souls are trying to do what is right and best; you are attempting to live your lives honorably and honestly, examples for your children and all those around you. You are selfless souls who are willing to make a sacrifice for others. But, you know as well as I, that there are others, many others, millions of others who are not as good or gallant as you. If they see something they want, they take it; if someone gets in their way, they go over or through that individual; if they can fulfill their desire, even though it means destroying the dream of another, why not; this world is all there is; there is no accounting; there are no scales which need to be balanced at a final judgment.
Such an attitude, such a philosophy, has allowed a man to enter a Pennsylvania schoolhouse to take his pleasure at the expense, and lives, of little girls. On a global scale it is has herded millions into gas chambers; it has enslaved little children in the Sudan; it has macheted Tutsi neighbors in Rwanda; created the killing fields of Cambodia, starved millions in the Ukraine; and slaughtered tens of millions more in China. We all agree that it is sad that such things happen, but, if this life is all there is, what is to stop these things from happening? It was not a Christian pastor pounding on his pulpit, but one of your own who said, “The life of Man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain.” If he was right, and many of you think he was, what is to prevent a person from relieving his pain and weariness at the expense of others?
I know of nothing – nothing which can counteract that contemporary creed. Nothing other than those three, very simple words, “Christ is risen.” If those words are real then everything is changed. If the Christian creed is correct when it says, “He rose again from the dead,” everything is changed. If Christ is risen, then Christianity alone is true and every other religion is false. Follow me on this. If Christ is risen, then you can believe Him when He said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). If Christ is risen, you can trust Him when He says, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). And, if Christ is risen, you can forget what one religious leader says about the unreality of the world; and what another says about him being the great prophet; and what another says about having found some special golden books of revelation.
If Christ is risen, you can forget all the nonsense about humans being basically good and recognize you are a sinner. If I could speak personally with each of you, I know that I would find those who were molested, and others who molested. I would find some who had been hurt, and others who did the hurting. I would find those who have been mistreated and maligned as well as those who had done those misdeeds. We may pretend otherwise, but honesty forces us to admit all of us are first-class, A-1, government certified sinners. We are sinners who are so bad that God sent His Son into this world to remove those sins, carry those sins, and save us from those sins. And, if Christ is risen, we can know that Christ has successfully fulfilled the laws which we have broken; and resisted Satan who had seduced us; He has died the dreadful death we deserved. If Christ is risen.
If Christ is risen, His final shout on Calvary’s cross was not just the final words of a philosopher. If Christ is risen, what happened that dark Friday was not just the murder of a moralist, or the termination of a great teacher; the finish of a healer, a humanitarian, a helper of others. It was the successful sacrifice of the Savior to win your salvation. If Christ is risen, His crucifixion was the complete payment for our sins, the ending of an old covenant, and the beginning of another. If Christ is risen, you can forget the fine folk who say God is dead; and you can believe with all your heart, that for now, and for all eternity, the Savior lives. If Christ is risen, you can ignore the trends, the crazes, the fads and fashions and you can believe in the Savior who has taken away the sins of the world. All this is true – if Christ is risen.
And, that, my friends is the ultimate question. Is Christ risen? If Christ is still dead; if He revived in the cool, dark tomb; if His resurrection was a figment of the disciple’s imagination; if His body was stolen; if anything other than His resurrection happened that first day of death’s defeat, we are sunk. It’s that simple. I know it; you know it; Saint Paul knew it when he wrote to the church in Corinth. You see, there were people In Corinth who were wondering about the reality of the resurrection. In response to a gospel which was no gospel at all, Paul admitted if Christ didn’t rise, his preaching was useless. If Christ wasn’t risen, there was no good news to proclaim; there was no salvation story to tell; and Jesus had been delusional in thinking He was God. Paul went on: If Christ isn’t risen, Christians have nothing to believe in; their faith is valueless, and they are stuck in their sin. If Christ is not risen, every preacher and pastor is a fake and a fraud; every message which is based on Scripture is sham and charade. If Christ isn’t risen, Christians are some pretty pitiful people.
Years ago, a country doctor, heading to a distant town came to a fork in the road. He asked a farmer who was working a nearby field, “Does it make any difference which way I go?” The farmer shot back: “Does it make any difference? Not to me it don’t.” Well, my friends, today there is a fork in the road and it makes a difference which path you take. Take a close look. One road sign says, “Christ is risen.” That road is marked with sadness for sin and joy in the forgiveness which is given through Christ’s sacrifice. It is a rough, narrow road, but it is a road which will lead to heaven. And the other path? That path is smoother, wider, but it is a long march through the night which leads to omnipotent death. Which course will you take? Will you flip a coin? God forbid the fate of our everlasting souls would be determined so foolishly. Will you not, in the moments that remain to me, let me help you clearly see the way the Lord would have you go?
Let me begin by saying nobody, not even Christ’s worst enemies, doubt He lived. They do however doubt that He died on the cross placed on Calvary’s crown. Did Jesus die? I can tell you this: people didn’t walk away from the crucifixion. The Romans crucified tens, hundreds of thousands of individuals. There is nowhere found, anywhere, in the ancient records any account of any person who escaped that horrible punishment. Every soldier in a Roman death squad knew that his life was forfeit if he allowed such a thing to happen. That’s why it was customary for them to run their spears into the hearts of those who were executed. (Quintillian Declamationes maiores 6,9.) When they did that to Jesus, John, the disciple who was there that day, saw blood and water come out (see John 19:34). And what’s the big deal about blood and water? Heavier red blood cells separate from the watery plasma of the blood only after a person’s heart has stopped beating, stopped mixing them together. Writing 2,000 years ago, John wouldn’t have known that, but modern forensics does.
Did Jesus die? No reasonable person can doubt it. But knowing you may still have your doubts, let me ask you a few questions. If Jesus didn’t die… and He just revived in the grave as some would say today; how did He, who had lost a great deal of blood; who had been without food and water for three days, manage to move a great stone away from the front of His grave? (see Matthew 27:60). How did He fight off the guards at the tomb – there may have been as many a dozen of them; how did He manage to show Himself to the women, to Mary, to Peter, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and then gain entry to a locked room? How did He do all of that with newly made holes in His feet and hands? How did He manage to make it through the day? How did He…? How did He convince them; what proof could He give that would so convince them that they would be willing to die horrible deaths rather than deny He had risen?
There is only one answer to those questions. Jesus could have done those things only if He were the Son of God; only if He had risen from the dead! But I am still not done. Let me ask, “Why did those who called for Jesus’ death not make an extensive search for His body?” Finding Jesus’ body would have put an end to Christianity. I can think of no reason other than the fact, they knew, Jesus’ enemies knew His body couldn’t be found. It couldn’t be found because He was alive. He was alive enough to eat, and walk, and breathe, and to be seen here, and to be seen days later, there. He was alive in Judea, and He was alive in Galilee. He was alive on the day of resurrection; He was alive more than a month later; and He is alive today. He is so alive that He is, with His nail-pierced hands reaching out to you today. Christ is risen, and because He is risen, your life needn’t end in a long walk through the darkness into the hands of omnipotent death. Christ is risen, and because He is, all who are led by the Holy Spirit to walk the path of belief, will also live.
Unless my calendar is wrong, on Monday the United States will remember the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president who was martyred freeing America’s slaves. On Good Friday 1865, the day Lincoln was murdered, the Secretary of State, William Seward, also was attacked and stabbed by a would-be assassin. Three days later, on Easter Sunday, Seward, who had not been informed of Lincoln’s death, was fighting for his life. It was a beautiful spring day and Seward asked to have his bed moved closer to the window. As he gazed upon the trees in bud, he saw the flag flying at half-mast on the War Department building. Slowly the significance of the flag began to dawn and Seward cried, “The President is dead.” His nurse tried to deny it, but Seward knew his friend was gone. He began to cry uncontrollably, shaking and weeping until the bandages that held his wounds were soaked with tears and blood.
This day, it has been my privilege to speak about the Savior to those of you who once were, or still are enslaved to sin. It has been my honor to tell you about the Christ who died to free the souls of this world. Looking to the cross of Calvary you might readily and rightly be moved to tears at the greatness of the love, which was shown there; by the Lord’s blood which was shed there. But I encourage you to journey to the empty tomb and believe, and know: your Savior isn’t dead. The Christ has risen. And even now as I speak, the Holy Spirit stands at your crossroad. He wishes to lead you; will lead you to faith in the Savior. It makes a difference to Him which way you go. It makes a difference to us as well. If you need some help with directions to the living Christ, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for February 11, 2007
TOPIC: Religions MysticismANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. From a recent e-mail, a listener writes, “In some Christian circles there is a move towards spiritual formation through the reading of works by religious mystics… Could you give me some Biblical insight or understanding regarding … mysticism?”
KLAUS: Well, let’s define mysticism. According to The Lutheran Cyclopedia, that term has been applied to a wide range of phenomena, such as a state of dreaminess or strange experiences. The goal of mysticism is to achieve an intuitive and emotional contact or personal communion with God or some other spiritual value.
ANNOUNCER: Our listener also asked: In the tradition in which she was raised, there was the teaching that God may put what is sometimes called a burden on one’s heart to pray or intercede for someone else. What is the truth of that?
KLAUS: Let me try to boil down her questions. If I’m right, she’s asking: Can people receive a new and ongoing personal revelation; and, two, can God encourage us to pray for a specific someone?
ANNOUNCER: Right. That sums it up.
KLAUS: OK. First, does God offer ongoing revelations about Himself and Christian doctrine through some sort of mystical experience? That’s an important question. There are numerous cults which claim to have received some kind of “special revelation” from God. Not to mention certain media evangelists who claim to receive special revelations about people who are watching the TV; you know, like how much they should give, and so forth.
ANNOUNCER: I’ve noticed that although their special revelation tells them somebody is ready and willing to give, they never mention that person by name.
KLAUS: If the revelation is really accurate, they ought to just be able to pick up the phone and call the person. I mean, if the Lord can reveal the amount a person is supposed to give, He ought to be able to reveal a name and phone number. But I do think we’re getting off the topic.
ANNOUNCER: Agreed.
KLAUS: Let me try to answer. In our church, the Lutheran Church, we do not believe that God is today providing new doctrinal revelations that replace or supercede what He has already revealed to us in the Bible. In fact, Martin Luther went so far as to say, “We ought and must constantly maintain that God does not wish to deal with us otherwise than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments.
ANNOUNCER: Now, some people would call that narrow-minded. And they would say, “Well, what gives you the right to say that?”
KLAUS: God gives us that obligation, Mark. Jesus Himself said, “If you continue in My Word, then you shall know the truth.” That’s in John 8:31. Listen to what Jesus said before He ascended into heaven: (Matthew 28:19-20) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
ANNOUNCER: What is so important about that?
KLAUS: Jesus said teach them “to observe all things that I have commanded.” He doesn’t say, “all things that I’m going to command.” Jesus did His work, and upon Him the church has been built. Jesus said He is present with His Church through His Word and Sacraments, and not through some sort of special, extra-biblical revelation or experience! Right from the beginning, false prophets tried to change, or add to, Jesus’ words. Saint Paul spoke to that when he wrote to the Christians in Galatia. He said, (Galatians 1:6-8) “I am astonished that you are so quickly … turning to a different gospel-not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
ANNOUNCER: Well, that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for discussion. What about the other question, about whether the Lord encourages believers to pray for specific individuals?
KLAUS: Right, I was getting to that. There is no doubt in my mind, and Scripture will bear this out, that the Holy Spirit can direct our hearts and our prayers toward specific people and needs. But when and if this happens, it is a private, and not a public thing. Nobody can say, “God has laid on my heart that all of us should pray right now for Billy Bob who has this need which has been revealed to me.”
ANNOUNCER: So you’re saying God wants us to pray for others, and maybe even specific individuals, but we can’t command others to do that.
KLAUS: Yes, I’m saying, such a prayer would be private not public; it leaves the ultimate result of the prayer in God’s hands; and it certainly doesn’t dictate to anyone that this is what they are supposed to do.
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
“If Christ Had Not Been Raised from Death” by Christopher Idle and Phillip Magness. (text © 1987 Jubilate Hymns Ltd. Administered by Hope Publishing) Music © 2003 Phillip Magness
“Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices (Trio)” by David Cherwien. From Hymn Interpretations, vol. 2 by David Cherwien (©1997 Summa Productions)
“Flight” by Charles Ore. From Organ Dedicatory Concert by Charles Ore (© 1999 Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church, St. Louis)