The Lutheran Hour
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"Does He Know You?"
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Text: Luke 13:23-25
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Now, for all who believe there is salvation. Sadly, for those who refuse to believe only damnation awaits. By God’s grace may you see the Savior has come and wishes to save you. God grant we all believe in the crucified and risen Redeemer. Amen.
People around Mount St. Helens are not in agreement why Harry Truman, and this is NOT President Harry Truman, why Harry didn’t leave his lodge before the volcano blew. State and Federal authorities had warned him. Neighbors had encouraged him; the Press Corps, who had made him into a front-page story, wanted him to move to a place of safety. But Harry Truman never left his home. Now, more than 30 years after the monumental explosion sent a powdered chunk of mountain heavenward, there is still debate on what kept Harry at the Lodge. Some think Harry stayed because he was a stubborn, contrary old man. There are those who think he enjoyed his celebrity status. There are those groups who argue that Harry was protecting his property or having seen movies of Hawaii’s slow moving lava felt he could walk his way to safety.
No matter what position a person might have, there are a couple of facts which can’t be argued. First, on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens exploded dramatically. It was not snail-speed lava, but heated gasses, gasses traveling at 300 miles per hour, which raced down the mountain’s slope. The second fact is this: Harry didn’t get out. Harry died. Now, if you asked me why Harry didn’t leave, I’d rather just say, “I think Harry died because he didn’t think he would.” I think Harry probably figured the experts were wrong and the volcano wasn’t going to blow… or that if it did explode, he could still get away, or someone would show up to rescue him. I don’t think Harry believed any of those warnings applied to him. And why would I think that? Simple: that’s the way we humans work.
And if you’re responding, “I don’t do that!” I can only say: “Did you ever have a speeding ticket? As the officer was writing out the citation, what were your thoughts? Was it something like: ‘Why doesn’t he catch the real speeders, like the guy who blew buy me ten minutes ago?'” See, you think the other guy’s whizzing by gave you freedom to break the law. You were confident the rule was more for him than it was for you. Suppose you’ve never had a ticket. Have you EVER exceeded the speed limit? Ever? Why did you do that? Was it because you were keeping up with traffic; was it because you were late for an important engagement? What was the reason? Well, it really doesn’t make any difference, does it? You were speeding because the rule didn’t apply to you.
People do what they do because they think rules aren’t made for them. Rules are for the other guy. People drink and drive because they’re good drivers and they can hold their booze and they didn’t have that much anyway. The rules don’t apply to them. When the doctor tells you to finish the medicine he has prescribed, do you do it… or do you keep the extra pills stashed away? The rules don’t apply to you. Smokers smoke not because they haven’t heard smoking can cause cancer. They know that stuff, they believe that stuff. They just think they’re the exception and the rules don’t apply to them.
The rule doesn’t apply to me. That’s what people think. Our neighborhood has a leash law, but that doesn’t mean all my neighbors think that law is for their pooch. The airlines have a rule which says everyone is supposed to turn off their cell phones and other electronic devices. I turn mine off, but some people don’t. They keep using them and they plan to keep using them. Even after the flight attendant stops by and says, “Please, turn off your phone”, some folks don’t because the rule doesn’t apply to them.
Well, have you seen yourself in my list of rules or don’t any of them apply to you? If so, I’m sorry I didn’t zero in on your particular feeling of complete immunity, the place you operate with total impunity. Even so I have absolutely no doubt that you are guilty of the, “rule doesn’t apply to me” syndrome. I think you’re guilty because everybody is guilty. Every place I open the Bible I come across some person saying, “God, Your rule doesn’t apply to me.” Take a look. God gave Adam and Eve one rule when He set them up in the Garden of Eden. He said, “Look guys, see this tree? Don’t eat it!” That’s pretty simple. But then the devil showed up and he did a little wheelin’ and he did a little dealin’ and before he was done, Eve had come to believe God’s rule didn’t apply to her, or Adam, either, for that matter. They ate the forbidden fruit and they brought sin and death into the world. That act changed your life, along with your eternal future.
But there’s others, many others. God said, “Stay separate from the idolaters”, but Lot thought he, his wife, and his daughters could handle the unbelievers. After all, they were mature, they were experienced, they were closely related to Abraham, one of God’s special people. “No”, they reasoned, “this kind of spiritual segregation doesn’t apply to us.” By the time it was over, Lot’s wife was a chunk of salt and his daughters were, well, you can read that story for yourself. The high priest Eli didn’t think God’s rules about raising kids applied to him. He ended up with two boys who stole from God, seduced the worshippers, and ended up being slaughtered on the battlefield. As far as Eli is concerned, he received a rather unique punishment for his parental indulgences: he fell off a chair and broke his neck.
King David didn’t think God’s “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, applied to him. By the time the dust settled on his sin, he was guilty of murder along with infidelity. Now those are just some of God’s people who thought His rules didn’t apply to them. The evil escapades of Scripture’s unbelievers are far, far worse. Whereas the Lord’s people said God’s laws didn’t apply to them; the unbelievers took God’s laws and perverted them. God gave sex to be an act within marriage, but unbelievers came up with mandatory temple prostitution. God said He alone is in charge, but the rulers of the world bumped God to the side and said, “People, don’t listen to God, listen to me. God doesn’t care for you the way I do. I’m the one who loves you and supplies what you need.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
People do what they do because they think the laws don’t apply to them. Now you should know there are a lot of places, millions of places, where setting aside the rules just doesn’t make that big a difference. If you want to brush your teeth sidewise rather than up and down, it’s not the end of life as we know it. If you want lunch, not breakfast, to be your main meal of the day, that’s fine. If you want to feed a fever and starve your cold, it’s OK by me. It doesn’t make much difference if you think that rule doesn’t apply to you. Do you wait an hour after you’ve eaten before you go swimming? As far as I know, that adage isn’t written in stone. Follow it; don’t follow it. It’s up to you.
But… there are times when following the rules can be a matter of life or death. A few months ago, I was fishing with a friend in Arkansas. He’s a pilot, a sail-boat builder, and a connoisseur of fine wines. It was as a pilot I wanted his expertise. I asked, “Do you trust your senses or do you trust your instruments when you’re flying?” His reply was interesting. He said, “Normally you use your eyes… but there are times when your eyes can lie. At those moments you rely on instruments.” “Even when everything you know, everything you feel, everything you believe says differently?” I asked. “It’s especially then you trust your instruments”, he replied. Think about it. If there’s any chance your senses are wrong, why would you listen to them? Trusting your life to them would be a very big mistake. The rule is: you trust your instruments because you know they are right.” “And what if they’re not right?” I wondered to myself. He anticipated my unspoken question. “You have to trust something. Given the choice, your instruments are more reliable than you are. More planes go down with pilots trusting themselves than go down with the man at the yoke trusting his instruments. Trust your instruments. That’s the rule.”
My question before you today is, “Who are you trusting when it comes to eternal life? Do you trust yourself, or do you rely on Someone, and by “Someone”, I mean the Lord. Most certainly He Who knows all is more reliable than you are. Now, I’m not trying to put you on the spot here… well, I guess I am. You see, for years you’ve heard pastors and priests and friends and family members talk about Jesus and the sacrifice He made with His life upon the cross. You’ve been told how He forgives sins and provides salvation to all who believe on Him as Savior. A lot of people listen to those things, but then they live as if none of that concerns them. They live as if they are going to break the rules and live forever… ’cause if you live forever, you really don’t have to worry about eternal life.
Now you may rightly wonder what are these rules I’m talking about. It’s a good question. Let me see if I can give you some examples. God says, “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Are you a sinner? No, I don’t mean a big sinner… I mean just any kind of sinner? If you are a sinner, it would seem the rule applies to you. It does unless you’ve found a loophole. Here’s another. The Bible says, “Jesus is the only name which gives salvation.” (Acts 4:12) By that, the Bible means with faith in Jesus as your Savior, you are forgiven of your sins… but without that faith you are lost. What do you think: Does that rule apply to you, or have you managed to find some exception with your name on it? Bear with me for a minute as we talk about God’s rules. Scripture says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:31) There’s more, for it also says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you for the forgiveness of sins… for the promise of salvation belongs to you, your children and all whom God calls.” (Acts 2: 38) Does that rule speak about you, or are you the one, unmentioned exception to the rule?
Now you and I both know I could go on quoting these passages and asking these questions. If I do, you are going to feel uncomfortable and I’m going to be beating a dead horse. The truth is this: in His Holy Word, God has told us that we, on our own, are lost. With Jesus as our Savior, we are forgiven of our sins, we are saved and heaven, not hell, is our final destination. Boil the Bible down to its absolute, very, very basics, and that’s what you will find. With Jesus as Savior there is salvation; without Jesus there is only damnation. That’s the rule. Sadly many live their lives as if God’s rules don’t apply. They live as if they were playing a board game and had just been given a “get-out-of-hell-free” card.
Now I know I shouldn’t be glib about such a serious subject. Too much, your eternal life, hangs upon you knowing you have to play by God’s rules. So, let me ask, “What are your reasons for ignoring those rules?” Probably some of you will say, “It’s just not important to me.” Others will reply, “Religion turns me off.” I can understand that. Sometimes it turns me off. Still, that doesn’t negate God’s rules regarding salvation. Is it possible you just haven’t given the matter much serious thought? Maybe you’re a person who knows they’re going to die, but lives as if you weren’t? You wouldn’t be that foolish, would you? So, why would you ignore God’s rules for salvation? Is it indifference? That would be just as bad. What are your reasons? I don’t have time to cover them all. Let’s just say, “You have your reasons.” There are a lot of them, reasons not to believe…
Centuries ago, when our Savior was among us, somebody who had been listening to Him came to the same conclusion…. There are a lot of reasons for people not to believe… to ignore God’s rules for salvation. Thinking about the endless march of souls heading towards hell, the person asked, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” Jesus didn’t answer the question directly. He simply said, and I think His words speak to all unbelievers; Jesus said, “Many will seek to enter heaven and not be able to.”
You see, Jesus knew the time would come when people would look at their excuses and realize those excuses weren’t getting them into heaven. Now if an individual figures that out before their moment of judgment, great! Grand! Wonderful! The moment the Holy Spirit places faith into his heart, the blood of Jesus Christ will forgive him of every sin he has ever committed. At that moment he will no longer be a spiritual orphan facing eternity alone; he will be adopted into the family of faith and he will have a home in heaven. But Jesus isn’t just for eternity. He’s also for the here and now. A believer’s present life will also be changed as well. No longer will he be alone, for he will have a living Savior by his side. No longer will he be overburdened by life’s woes for Jesus has encouraged him to cast his burdens on Him. (1 Peter 5:7) There. That’s a short summary of God’s rules. He wants you to be saved and has done all that is necessary for you to be saved. Jesus has fulfilled the laws for you; carried your sins for you, even conquered death for you. All you need do is believe… believe before it’s too late.
Yes, the time will come when it will be too late. If you wait until you die, it will be too late. That’s the rules. And even if you think that rule doesn’t apply to you, it does. That’s what Jesus said when He was asked, “Is the number of heaven-bound people going to be small.” He said: ‘a lot of people are going to try to get into heaven and won’t be able to.” When you die, the door to heaven is locked and you can stand there, trying to get in as long as you want. You will say, “Lord, Lord open up heaven for us.” But the Father is going to say, “Sorry, I don’t know you or where you came from. The door is shut and it’s going to stay shut.”LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for August 22, 2010
Topic: No Roman CrucifixionAnnouncer: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. And we continue a discussion from last week, prompted by a comment from a listener in Georgia.
Klaus: Hi, Mark. That’s right, last week we explained the seeming inaccuracy of Ecclesiastes 1:5.
Announcer: That’s the passage that talks about the sun rising and setting. And our listener felt that since we live on a planet which revolves around the sun, and not the other way around. Doesn’t that mean that the Bible is inaccurate? And what he failed to realize is that there are idioms in ancient languages as well as in our own. Today, we still speak of the sun rising and setting, even though it doesn’t actually do that. We say that as a figure of speech.
Klaus: This listener also had a comment along with his question. We didn’t have time to get to that, so that’s where we start today. Mark, what did he have to say?
Announcer: Our listener said another “error” is the endlessly repeated idea that Jesus died on a cross. Our listener claims that the word for cross is only used in Acts 5:30 and furthermore, he claims the Romans never used crosses for crucifixions during Jesus’ time.
Klaus: I have to admit those observations leave me a bit befuddled.
Announcer: Does that mean you can’t answer the question?
Klaus: No, I just don’t know where to begin. Let’s start with his assertion that the Romans never used crosses in Jesus’ time. If our listener is saying the Romans never used a well-designed, precisely-formed and proportioned Latin cross as it is often seen on our altars or worn as a necklace–if that is what he meant, well, he would be right. When the Romans were executing the lowest and worst of criminals they didn’t invest their time in making sure the wood of their crosses had perfect dovetail joints and five coats of polyurethane. Sometimes the cross was shaped like a capital letter “T”.
Announcer: A letter “T”. And I understand that’s known as the Tau cross, named after the Greek letter of the same shape.
Klaus: Bingo. There were times, like when they ran out of wood for their crosses, as happened at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., when they just nailed the victim to some wood any which way. But the truth of the matter is the Romans practiced crucifixion at the time of Jesus. In fact, just about any city of any size of consequence had upright poles installed permanently in the ground for this purpose.
Announcer: Why just the uprights?
Klaus: It was easier. They would just nail the person’s wrists to the horizontal crossbar, lift it into place and then fasten the crossbar to the upright.
Announcer: Now, that’s not the way they show it in the movies.
Klaus: There’s a lot of things that they show in the movies which aren’t always accurate.
Announcer: Such as…
Klaus: Often we see people being crucified about fifteen stories in the air. Well, that’s an exaggeration, but that’s the way it looks. More often than not, the person being crucified had his feet only inches off the ground.
Announcer: Really? Why?
Klaus: It was easier to lift someone up to such a smaller height. Suffering came, death came whether you were six inches or six feet off the ground. Besides, it’s easier to mock somebody that way.
Announcer: And, you said there was another part to your response.
Klaus: Indeed. Our listener pointed to a passage in Acts which said Jesus had been crucified. But there are other references which say He died on a cross.
Announcer: And in the time we have left, could you cite a few of those?
Klaus: Certainly. Matthew 27: 32 says that as the death march was going out of Jerusalem, a man was called upon to help Jesus carry His cross. The text says, “As they went out, they found a man from Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.”
Announcer: Any others?
Klaus: Yes. Still in the same chapter of Matthew. Those who were mocking Jesus said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Then there is Pilate. John 19:19 says, “And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.” I could go on. It’s really not necessary, I don’t think.
Announcer: How would you sum this up for us today?
Klaus: Nowadays it’s real fashionable to say Jesus fainted, or went into a coma, or somehow didn’t actually die on the cross. Had those Roman guards let Jesus get down off that cross alive, it would have meant the forfeiture of their own lives. These were professional executioners. They made sure Jesus was dead. Which is why we are sure the resurrection, three days later, is so wonderfully real, miraculous, unique, and saving.
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
“Today Your Mercy Calls Us” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by John Behnke. From For All Seasons, vol. 3 by John Behnke (© 2004 John Behnke) Concordia Publishing House/ASCAP
“Fanfare for Reeds and Other Festal Stops” by Charles Ore. From From My Perspective, vol. 1 by Charles Ore (© 1992 Organ Works Corporation)