The Lutheran Hour
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"Nowhere Else To Go"
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Text: John 6:66-69
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Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed! By His death, Jesus has shown the Father’s commitment to save us; in the Savior’s resurrection, all who believe are given eternal life. Now, by the Holy Spirit’s power may every sinful soul be given faith in God’s grace which alone can rescue them. God grant such faith to us all. Amen.
It was a cold, wintery night in Chicago. Six inches of wet snow had fallen and, on Saturday morning, everyone was out shoveling their walks and driveways. One of the men in the neighborhood, a man in his late fifties, had just finished the job when he abruptly sat down. A teenager across the street saw him sit, called out and asked, “Are you OK?” He said he wasn’t; he felt peculiar. The teen told his parents, who walked across the street to investigate. Quickly they called an ambulance. By the time the emergency vehicle arrived the man had toppled over. Nothing dramatic. No moans, no groans, he just simply slumped to the side.
The ambulance made it through the snowy streets in record time. The man was rushed past the crowds who were waiting and into the emergency ward. There he told the MD that it felt as if a locomotive had been parked on his chest. It took only minutes for the man to be told he had suffered a heart attack — a major heart attack. Although he was in intense pain, the man still asked his nurse to get his wallet. He directed her to take out a dingy piece of paper and call the phone number written there. He wanted his daughter to know about his situation. He whispered an explanation: “I am alone. My daughter is the only family I have.”
As soon as she could, the nurse did as the man had requested. In contrast to the father’s calmness, the daughter went hysterical. She shouted into the phone: “Don’t let dad die! Don’t let dad die! He can’t die now. Not this way. Let him know I’m on my way.” Then, lowering her voice a little, she explained: “Dad and I had a stupid argument more than a year ago. He tried to make contact, he’s written, stopped over, but I was too stubborn, too headstrong, too wrong to see him or visit with him. Please, don’t let him die. I’ve got to get my purse, but I’m coming now. I’ll be there in less than half-an-hour.” As she rang off, the daughter whispered this realization to herself: The last thing I said to him was, “I hate you.”‘
The father never heard his daughter was coming. He went into cardiac arrest. True to her word, and in less than half an hour, the daughter burst through the doors of the emergency room. That half hour was about 20 minutes too late. One of the doctors intercepted the shaken woman and shared how they had done all they could. The nurse saw the woman’s shoulders slump; saw the sad, sorrowful look in her eyes; the realization that she would never be able to apologize for the words, “I hate you!” When the doctor was done explaining, the nurse came over and said: “I’m sorry.” The daughter cried, “I never hated him. Not really. It was so silly, so sad.” Then she asked, “Can I see him for a few moments?” The nurse pulled aside the curtain and they went in together.
A sad story? Yes, it’s a terribly sad tale. Tragically, it is a story God understands all too well. He understands, because, since humankind’s fall into sin, the Lord has been living that story. You can let Scripture fall open to just about any location, begin reading and the text will probably tell you how God’s people picked a fight with their loving Lord; how they turned their backs on Him; how they shouted at Him: “I hate you.” Keep reading and you will also hear how these people ignored and resisted the Lord’s overtures to win them back and save them.
Yes, Scripture is filled with such stories, but few are as sad and as poignant as that which is told in the sixth chapter of John. The opening of that chapter begins with Jesus and His disciples enjoying the adoration, the admiration, and adulation of great crowds of people. It isn’t hard to understand why Jesus had generated such a following. When He had put down the pompous Pharisees, many of the people, who had felt like unappreciated underdogs, thought Jesus was speaking for them. But Jesus was more, much more, than that. Jesus had been going around performing miracles: big miracles, little miracles, razzle-dazzle miracles. The people thought to themselves, “Let’s go listen to Jesus, you just never know what He’s going to do next.”
Which is why, John 6 begins with Jesus and His disciples at the Sea of Galilee looking up at the thousands of folks who had followed them. The text tells us there were 5,000 men — but that figure could easily be doubled if you add the women and children who were also in attendance. It was quite the day. Jesus spoke to the people and the people listened. Jesus called for the disciples to feed the crowd and when they said they couldn’t, Jesus did. Using the lunch of a lad, a lunch of bread and fish, Jesus fed the people. Understand, the Savior just didn’t give them a sample, a taste, enough to tide them over until they could get a real meal. Jesus fed them and He did it right. He fed them as good as anybody has been fed at any potluck of any Lutheran Church. Then, when everyone couldn’t eat another bite, they collected the leftovers – basketsful of leftovers.
Some of the crowd, the most spiritual among them, said something like: “This is the Prophet who was predicted to come into the world.” Most of the overstuffed crowd began to think, “If we can get Jesus to agree, if we can make Jesus agree, if we can harness this power we’ve experienced, which we’ve enjoyed, none of us will ever, ever have to work or worry again. The men won’t have to work to put food on the table; the women won’t have to spend their days gathering wood, bringing water from the well, standing over a hot fire and cooking. But wait, there’s more: if Jesus agrees, we don’t have to worry about getting sick or becoming crippled, or getting beaten up by Roman soldiers. We don’t even have to worry about dying. Jesus can take care of all our problems.” They concluded Jesus was just the kind of Provider of physical delight and earthly plenty that they and the rest of the world had been praying for. Eagerly, they prepared to make Him their Monarch.
Now before you judge the crowd too harshly, may I say they were only doing what most people do. Every people in every generation place into power those leaders who promise to give them what they want. Candidates find it easy to be elected to office by promising to provide their people with a chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage. Churches grow when their pastors promise their people can get God to give them everything they want if they only follow a formula of faith. But unlike those candidates, those bogus churchmen who are often unable to keep their promises, Jesus showed, even before He was ever nominated, that He had the power to answer the needs of His followers.
That’s why the disciples must have been surprised when Jesus declined the acclimation of the crowd. They must have been shocked when He decided to escape His adoring admirers. They were certainly taken aback the next day when Jesus told the multitudes who followed Him that they had Him wrong. Speaking honestly Jesus shared He wasn’t a free lunch Ticket; He told them He wasn’t destined to be an earthly Monarch providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On the contrary, He told them if they really wanted to be His people, they should eat His body and drink His blood.
And that blew those people away. Before the Sacrament of Communion had been instituted, it sounded as if Jesus was encouraging them to become cannibals. Indeed, not so many years later, cannibalism would be a criticism directed against Christians by those who didn’t understand the faith which Jesus’ resurrection created. Yes, the crowds were confused and they were upset. Watching, listening, the disciples could see their reactions, as can you. As they listened, the crowd would have squirmed uncomfortably; they would have asked, “Did He really say what I think He said?” You can see the bewildered glances and how the bolder folk got up and started to saunter away. The exodus probably began with a person here and a small group over there; but soon they were walking away by the tens and the hundreds. The people didn’t like what they had heard and they turned their backs on the Savior. Like the lady in our opening story who shut out her father, the crowds shut out Jesus. They shut out His mission, His ministry, His purpose, His desire to save them.
To save them; to save us is why Jesus was born into this world. Long ago, in the Garden of Eden, people had chosen to follow Satan’s suggestions to sin and stepped off the Lord’s designated path of heavenly harmony. Death and damnation became our destiny; fear and frustration was our fate. In response to our helplessness, in reaction to our hopelessness, the heavenly Father promised to send a Savior. But sin had taken hold on the hearts of humankind and we were sure we could do just fine without God’s lifeline of salvation. In short, we turned our backs on God and wouldn’t listen. It was a process endlessly repeated.
Continuously God reached out and constantly His people rejected His overtures. Then, when the Father did keep His promises and sent His Son, even then, people didn’t change. Amazing! Right there in front of them stood Jesus, God’s own Son, the world’s Redeemer. He had come to offer Himself as the Ransom which would free souls from sin; to live His life in fulfillment of the law’s demands; to die on a cross so death might be defeated and salvation won for all who believed. His many miracles had given proof of His credentials; His sermons had faithfully echoed the invitation and grace the Father had been extending since the fall. Jesus’ words provided hope and forgiveness to any and all who would listen, but tragically most preferred not to hear. That day they turned their backs on the Savior; ignored the salvation He was offering, and chose to look for a god who would do what they said, a deity who would obey their demands.
When the disgruntled and disillusioned had left, the shoreline was almost empty. Thousands had gone and only Jesus with His twelve disciples remained. The sadness in His voice is apparent as He turned to these hand-picked friends and asked, “Do you want to go away as well?” That day Peter answered for all when he witnessed: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Peter was absolutely correct. How I pray this entire world would be brought to faith and say, ‘Jesus and Jesus alone has the words of eternal life.’
Indeed, I pray everyone who hears my voice, and those beyond the range of this broadcast, might believe Jesus is the crucified and risen Redeemer of their souls. I pray that even as I know some of you chose not to believe. Somehow, somewhere along the way you have become involved in an argument with God. Somehow, somewhere He has disappointed you. I don’t know what happened… I can only guess. Have you looked at the sadness and sorrow of this world and blamed God for not straightening out the mess? Have you been disappointed by the treatment of some Christians and rejected Jesus because of their actions? Did someone die that you prayed would live? Did someone get something you wanted? What, what, what is the reason, the argument which has caused you to turn your back on God? What, what can I say to you which might change your mind, which might cause you to pause and reconsider He is right and you are wrong; that His ways are wise and yours might not be; that He loves you, will always love you, no matter the terrible sins you have done? What can I say to motivate you to be turned back by the Holy Spirit so you may see the depth and the intensity of His caring?
Might I not say these two things? First, look to the cross. If you have ever felt God is out to get you, look to the cross. There the innocent Son of God was stretched out to die so you might live. Willingly, obediently, Jesus gave His life so that you might be forgiven and saved. I don’t care if you have concluded God doesn’t care about you; if you have come to believe God is cruel and capricious, unfair and unjust. Look to the cross and you will be, you must be, convinced your opinions are wrong and the result of Satan’s sly suggestions. Look to the cross and see the sacrifice which was made so you might have eternal life.
The second thing I would say is something which may sound silly because of its simplicity; ridiculous because it flies in the face of the world’s so-called wisdom. What I want to tell you is this: God is God… and you are not. Obvious? Possibly not. God, not you, is the only One Who is in control. You may want to be, but you aren’t. God is God and you are not. God is the One Who makes up the rules and you don’t. God is God and you are not. Although you may think the Lord is at your mercy, the reality is: God is the One Who will someday be your Judge. God is the One Who will decide whether your eternal destiny is heaven or hell. God is God and you are not. Although you may think your wisdom is profound, His is superior. Although you may believe you are wise, He has you beat. Although you may be convinced you could run things better than He, you can’t. He is God and you are not. If you are to be saved, it will be only when you hear Him, be brought to Him, and be given the forgiveness Jesus has won for you; the eternal life His resurrection gives. God is God and you are not. Like the daughter who raced to the side of her father, you ought come to the Lord and, confess: “Lord, you and I had a stupid argument. I know You’ve tried to make contact, but I was too stubborn, too headstrong, too wrong to see You or talk to You.” With all your heart you should do this because… God is God and you are not.
Which really brings me to the end of this Lutheran Hour message. It would be the end except for one thing: the rest of the story. You see, I never finished today’s opening tale. If you remember, I left off with the nurse pulling aside the curtain to see the woman’s father. I told you they went in, but I didn’t tell you what happened after that. The daughter went to the side of her father’s bed, buried her face in the sheets and cried both her confessions and her goodbyes. The nurse, not wishing to intrude, looked away. When she did, she saw a scrap of paper on a stainless-steel cart. She picked it up and read, “My dearest daughter, I forgive you. I know that you want to love me and I want you to know just how much I love you. Daddy.” It was a note the father had hurriedly written while the nurse had been calling the daughter.
That’s the rest of that story, but is it the rest of yours? The Savior has died so you might live. Be brought to the Lord today and hear Him as He says, “My dearest son, My dearest daughter. I forgive you. I want you to know just how much I love you.” Yes, that is what the Lord says today. Please hear His invitation, believe in His love. Don’t turn your back on Him and say, “I hate you.” No, repent, believe, be saved. To that end, if we may assist, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for August 16, 2009
Topic: Does God forgive intentional sins?Mark: Does God forgive intentional sins? Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Today we have a question from a listener who heard a minister on another program say intentional sins can cost us heaven and we cannot be forgiven if we commit intentional sins.
Ken: In other words, when you know something is wrong and breaks one or more of God’s commandments but you go ahead and do it anyway….
Mark: Right.
Ken: That may be one of the hardest questions we’ve ever discussed.
Mark: Now, why would that be?
Ken: Well, because it forces us to dig deeper than we normally do. By way of introduction, I need to say this: all sins are alike insofar as the person who commits any of those sins will, on his own be damned on account of them. The next thing people need to know is, these sins are also alike in the fact that Jesus Christ came into this world to live, die and rise so the world could be redeemed and forgiven of those sins. The next thing we need to hear is taken directly from Scripture: “the blood of Jesus Christ, (God’s) Son, cleanses us from all sin.” That’s in 1 John 1:7.
Mark: OK. I think I understand. We are all sinners. Any sin is enough to condemn us eternally. But Jesus died to take upon Himself the punishment for all sins and His blood does exactly that. This blood-bought forgiveness then is ours through faith instilled in us by the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace.
Ken: That’s right.
Mark: So that other preacher was spouting a lot of “bunk.”
Ken: Well, we need to consider this passage from the Bible. It’s from Hebrews 10, beginning at verse 26. It says, “if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (what does remain is) but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” The passage concludes, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Mark: OK. So, if a person keeps on deliberately sinning, he’s then turning his back on Jesus. He’s angering the Holy Spirit, and that puts the individual in a very precarious position. Right?
Ken: It’s close enough for our purposes here.
Mark: Our listener went on to say this, “In the course of my life I have done many things which I knew were sins. I still did them. Will I be saved?”
Ken: Yeah, that’s an important piece of the question, isn’t it?
Mark: What can we say?
Ken: Well, let’s point to the apostle Peter. You remember how Jesus warned Peter that the devil wanted to run him through the mill?
Mark: Right.
Ken: You remember how Jesus warned Peter about being too proud and denying Him?
Mark: And Jesus gave a warning that before the rooster would crow twice that morning, Peter would have denied Him three times.
Ken: Good. Now, with those warnings… do you think that Peter knew he was doing something wrong when he denied knowing Jesus in the high priest’s courtyard?
Mark: I would think he would have had to. Certainly by the second time — and after the third, the Bible says he went out and wept bitterly over what he had done. So, yes, Peter knew he was doing wrong.
Ken: OK. Now, a final question — do you think we’re going to see Peter in heaven, or did that deliberate sin condemn him?
Mark: I would say Peter will be there.
Ken: Why do you say that?
Mark: After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to Peter and forgave him. And then He even commissioned him to be His witness to the entire world. And, is that what that Hebrews passage talking about?
Ken: Mark, when we are brought to faith in Jesus we are new creatures. We do our best to avoid sin and, out of thanks to Jesus, we should never be involved in a deliberate sin. That is going back to what we once were and away from Jesus. Jesus’ blood covers all sins — but we can deliberately make the pursuit of our sin a greater priority than following Jesus. We call that idolatry — and that it is dangerous in the extreme. Understood?
Mark: I understand. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“How Firm a Foundation” arr. Henry Gerike. From Jubilee by the Concordia Seminary Chorus (© 2000 Int’l LLL)
“Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices” by John Behnke. From For All Seasons, vol. 2 (© 2001 John A. Behnke) Augsburg-Fortress
“The Savior Calls, Let Every Ear” by Chris Loemker. Concordia Publishing House