The Lutheran Hour
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"Refusing Rescue"
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Text: 1 Corinthians 2:13-15
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Most, if not all, of our listeners have concluded their lives have not gone as planned. Most, if not all, recognize the rising waters which threaten them. It is to you the resurrection angel speaks. His life-changing statement, “Jesus lives”, provides the security we need to keep us safe from life’s rising waters. May the Lord Who has saved our souls from sin, keep us safe this day and all of our days. God grant this to us all. Amen.
It took four years, 128 million dollars, and the lives of four-score men to build the great 420-foot-tall, 1,900-foot-wide Kariba Dam between Zambia and Zimbabwe. From the beginning the dam was controversial. The construction called for 57,000 Tonga people from both countries to be removed from the farms and communities which they had called home for hundreds of years.
Of course, while the Tonga people might not have agreed with the reasoning behind the dam’s construction, they understood what was happening. They understood the need for electricity; they understood the benefits a dam could bring; they understood that if they were to survive, they would have to find a new home in a new place. Yes, the people understood, but the animals of Zimbabwe had no such understanding. The Kariba Dam was destined to take away their homes, too. Which is why, even before the work on the dam was completed, before the flood gates were closed, a team of animal rescuers came together. In honor of the Biblical survivor of Genesis, they dubbed themselves Project Noah. The single goal of Project Noah was to rescue the antelope and leopard, the elephant and tortoise, the bushbabe, the buffalo, the rhinoceros, all the animals from the devastating, deadly rising waters of the lake which would be formed by the Kariba Dam.
It was not so very hard to find those animals. As the water gradually rose, many temporary islands were formed, islands which kept growing smaller until, eventually, the last square foot of land vanished from view. On these disappearing pieces of property the wild animals of the jungle took refuge. Assembling a small armada of motorboats, the rescuers equipped their vessels with ropes, nets, snares, and cages. Anything which would enable them to save the animals.
Sadly, the same limitations which had first stopped the animals from understanding what was bringing about the demise of their domain, now prevented them from comprehending the caring and considerate intentions of the human invaders. Almost without exception the animals resisted the intervention which had been designed and destined to save them. The kind volunteers of Project Noah felt helpless as they were rebuffed and rejected by these animals whose ignorance wouldn’t let them understand the good intentions of the humans. True, there were successes; indeed, there were many of them; but they were often successes which were won at the price of the humans being bitten, scratched, and scarred by the beasts they had come to save.
Which, in a round-about way, takes us to the text which serves as the topic and theme for today’s message. 20 centuries ago, long before the Kariba Dam was ever considered or constructed, millennia before the members of Project Noah came to save the animals, the Apostle Paul, a follower of the Divine Rescuer, Jesus, wrote to a group of Christians living in the Greek community of Corinth. Inspired by the Spirit, he tried to explain why some people simply refuse to be brought to the forgiveness and hope which comes to those who trust in the Savior. This is what he said, “And we impart this (truth about salvation in Jesus Christ) through words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” (This next part is especially the section I want you to hear. Paul said) “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
For me, it was impossible not to be amazed and astonished by the similarities which exist between the fleeing animals of the Kariba Dam project and the world’s unbelieving population. Today there are hundreds of millions of our brothers and sisters who prefer to rely upon their own inadequate senses and insufficient strength rather than trust Him Who alone has the ability to save.
Is it possible that you are one of these independent souls who feel no need for a Savior? If so, let me ask, ‘What is your response and reaction to the waters of life which seem to be rising all around you? What is to be your plan when your island of security, your plot of safety, the place upon which you thought you could stand seems to be getting smaller and smaller even as your situation and circumstance seem more desperate and distressing? Are you a senior whose memory is slipping, whose body won’t do what you want it to do? Your island is growing smaller. Are you a mid-management, 45-year-old businessman who has realized promotions are passing you by and your company, along with all the others, is hiring younger men who are willing to work enthusiastically for far less money than you? If so, you see your island growing smaller.
Maybe you are a couple in your late 50s who have projected your retirement savings are nowhere close to what you are going to need to survive. You, too, have seen your island grow smaller. Has the love of someone you trusted, that you counted on, grown cold? Your island is smaller, isn’t it? Perhaps you are a young married who realizes that house you bought, that home into which you put everything two years ago, has been steadily losing its value. Your island is smaller now.
These are just a few examples of how our islands get smaller. And these illustrations do not deal with all the other terrible pains, the special sins, the deep hurts which narrow our options and rob us of hope. All of which leads me to ask, “What will you do, what will be your plan, how will you deal with the rising waters around you?” Sad to say, many people follow the example of the animals who were trapped by the waters of the Kariba Dam. When transgressions and troubles seem unending; when life seems unpredictable; when death reaches out to touch them or those they love, many people try to climb to higher ground. They work harder, they worry more, they strive and struggle. Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes that may work for a while. Still, the truth is: no matter how high they climb, the waters will climb higher and the rising waters of disaster will sweep over their own personal place of protection.
What will you do when confronted by the rising waters? There are those people who try to swim for it. They launch themselves out, using their strength to struggle against overwhelming forces and devastating distances before them. Eventually they too will succumb as their own abilities prove inadequate to the task of salvation. Of course, there are those who, seeing what is happening and frustrated by their hopelessness and helplessness, simply give up in broken-hearted despair.
My dear friends, those are the choices which fall to human beings. Those are the only choices available to us. Climb or tread water or give up. Some of those choices may gain you a little time, but eventually, you will fail and you will die. Now if this message had to end here, it would be one of the most sad and sorrowful, most discouraging and depressing monologues I have ever heard. It would certainly be the most doom-and-gloom-filled message I have ever preached. But the message does not stop with humanity’s helplessness before sin and Satan. There is another option, and that option is found in Jesus Christ. You do know His story, don’t you?
If not, let me share. Humankind was drowning. God knew that we, with our limited capabilities, were neither good enough or smart enough to save ourselves. His Divine heart yearned for humanity which, in spite of its best efforts, was doomed to fail. To save us, the Triune God conceived a plan, a Divine rescue mission. This rescue mission would not entail the enlisting of numerous volunteers. No, to put God’s plan into motion there had to be just one Rescuer, the right Rescuer: His Son, Jesus Christ. As far as equipment was concerned, God’s plan didn’t demand the Rescuer to be equipped with a boat, a net, a cage, or a rope. The only equipment He would need would be a heart willing to do the Father’s will, and a desire to live every moment of His life resisting temptation, making right choices, and doing all which we sinful souls were unable to do.
If you remember back to my opening story, I told you how the Kariba animals wanted nothing to do with their rescuers. Well, that pretty much describes the welcome Jesus received when He came to earth. Those He was trying to save hated Him; they rejected Him; they struggled against Him. No, they didn’t try to rip Him with fang and tooth and claw. These were people, sophisticated, self-assured, self-satisfied souls. They reacted to their Savior with disrespect, disregard, and disdain. Maybe you recall how, in the opening story, I spoke of how the members of Project Noah were bitten, attacked, scratched, scraped, and scarred? That happened to Jesus, too. Only the human hatred directed against Jesus was worse, far worse than any reaction the animals had to their rescuers.
It’s true. The politicians, the religious leaders, the pillars of the communities joined forces against the Christ. They used every means and method at their disposal to challenge Him, to discredit His reputation, to disparage His words, and to denigrate the work of redemption He was accomplishing. Truly Jesus’ work was a dirty job, a filthy, demeaning, discouraging job and it was a job which ended up, had to end up with the innocent Son of God being arrested, beaten, lied about, whipped, condemned, and crucified.
Jesus was doing His job of saving us when, in Gethsemane, His Father refused His Son’s plea to let the cup of suffering pass from Him. Jesus was doing His job of redeeming us when the great wrought nails were hammered into His hands and feet. Jesus was doing the job of rescuing us even while ungrateful people laughed and taunted and teased Him. There, on the cross, Jesus completed the work which has won salvation for all who believe. There, on the crossbeams of Calvary Jesus’ life’s blood was poured out and He willingly gave up the ghost so you and I, and all who believe, might be granted life eternal. There on Calvary’s crest, Jesus died, so all who believe would be forgiven, so all might be rescued, so the rising waters of life would never be able to overwhelm us. Understand, it makes no difference how high those waters rise around you, how fast and furious they flow about you, if you acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin, devil, and death, you cannot be overwhelmed, you will never be swept away. Never. Hear that again: when it comes to your particular situation, your own special flood. In Jesus you can never be overwhelmed and you can never be swept away.
Last Spring we had some sparrows build a nest in the joists of our deck. It was interesting to watch them make repeated trips … to see the vast array of materials they wove into the complex construction of their home. We made note of the eggs which were laid and when they hatched. And if we had been impressed by the couple’s dedication in building a nest, that was apprentice work compared to the job of feeding four, small, continuously open mouths. All this we watched with growing enthusiasm, always waiting for the day when the little ones would take wing. Apparently there was someone else even more eager•for flight than we were. One late afternoon I came home and found one of the birds on our patio. It was well-feathered, but unable to fly. Maybe he had been bold, maybe he had been bumped, I don’t know. I do know he had left the nest too early. Looking at the fledgling and knowing the danger of staying in the open, my wife’s heart went out and she said something like, “Oh, save the baby birdie.”
Right. Well, the baby birdie couldn’t fly, but it could hop. For about five minutes I looked
like the hunchback of Notre Dame, stooped over, trying to gently grab hold of ‘baby
birdie.’ Well, I eventually managed to scoop baby birdie into my hands. Have you ever
done that; held a baby bird in your hands? Do you remember the feeling? What do you
recall? Me, what I remember more than anything else is the beating of that little heart. It
shook that small body as it raced. I wondered how it could keep up that speed and I hurt
for the small bird because it didn’t understand I didn’t mean it any harm … indeed, I was
trying to save its life.So many people I know are that way. They are surrounded by dangers, difficulties, problems, pains, depressions, angers, jealousies, prejudices, sins. All these things threaten to destroy them and there’s not a whole lot they can do to stop them. But God knows and recognizes everyone of these crosses of life, and because He cares, through His Son, through the power of the Spirit, He reaches down and picks us up. He holds us safely in His protective hands. But we, like that tiny bird, simply don’t understand. We don’t understand God means no harm, He’s not going to hurt us. On the contrary, He does what He does to help us. Which is why, today I encourage you, not to be more afraid of God’s hands in your life than you are of the dangers from which He is delivering you. Do not fight Him; do not struggle against Him.
Indeed, let Him give you a peace which goes beyond anything this world can give. Learn to say with your Savior: ‘not as I will, but as You will.” Join with the Christ in praying: “Thy will be done.” And believe, no matter life’s reverses; no matter the situation in which you find yourself, believe you will always be safe and secure in the hands of the Lord Who loves you. Today I invite you to trust the Lord. Do not stop the Holy Spirit from giving you that spiritual discernment which believes in God when He says “all things work together for good to those who love Him.” Have confidence in Him when He says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you.” Trust Him when He says, “I am with you always.”
Back when I was preaching in the parish, it was customary to greet people in the back of the church after the service was over. It was interesting to note how the children reacted when I held my hand out for a “high five.” Some of the kids hid behind mom and dad, others snuggled in close and pretended they didn’t see me. And some … some ofthose kids ran up, gave a hug, shook my hand, and wouldn’t let go. That’s the way the Savior wants you to regard Him; that’s how He wants you to react to Him. That is His invitation. To that end, if we can help, please call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers)
February 6,2011
Topic: Living Together AlternativeAnnouncer: And now, a retired pastor answers questions from a retired pastor! I’m Mark Eischer, here with Speaker Emeritus Pastor Ken Klaus.
Klaus: Hi, Mark. Shall we dive right into one of those questions?
Announcer: Let’s do that. This comes to us from a retired pastor who is in his 80s.
Klaus: And how can we help this retired pulpiteer?
Announcer: Well, let me give you some background. He writes, “For many years he had the opportunity of serving the Lord in the local parish. And during that time, he was blessed and hopes that he was also a blessing to his people. He began his service in the ministry during World War II, and has had to deal with many changes in society that have taken place … not all of those changes have been for the good.”
Klaus: Yeah, he probably saw more change during his lifetime than almost any other generation since the time of Christ… our present generation being excepted of that.
Announcer: He writes, “Most of those changes I dealt with in as loving and as pastoral a way as I possibly COUld. But now, in my retirement, I’m faced with a situation I’m not quite sure how to handle. It’s a bit too close to home for me and the people involved are so dear I don’t trust my judgment. Recently, one of my granddaughters came to me and said she and her finance were thinking of living together first before they got married. When I asked them why, they said they wanted to wait until they’d had enough money saved up so they could have the wedding of their dreams. They said it would only be for two or three years and they hoped I didn’t mind.”
Klaus: Oh, I’m not a gambling man, but I’d be willing to wager that he did mind.
Announcer: Good call on that. In fact that’s exactly what he writes. He says, “I did mind … On the one hand, I don’t want to lose my granddaughter, on the other hand, what she’s thinking of doing is not acceptable either to me as a pastor … or to the Lord. Do you have any suggestions?”Klaus: I do, but I’ve also got a couple of questions. For example, “Why did she come to grandpa and ask his blessing?” She had to know she was putting him, and her church, into a difficult position. She was forcing him to choose between his love for her and his love for the Lord.
Announcer: “. putting him in a very difficult spot.
Klaus: Aww, absolutely. You know, Mark, I’ve seen some of these bride programs on TV. Also worked with a whole gaggle of brides over the years. One thing I’ve noticed, it seems to be a trend, more and more, couples seem to act as if the wedding is theirs and theirs alone. It isn’t, at least not a Christian wedding. A Christian wedding is one which is, not unlike baptisms or funerals, part of the life of the church. The church membership, including the public witness the couple is making, ought to be considered when making wedding plans. If this couple had done that, they might never have asked grandpa the question they did.
Announcer: And they wouldn’t be considering living together if the opinion of the church mattered to them. It sets a wrong example for other young people who are growing up. What suggestions might you have for our friend, the retired preacher?
Klaus: You know, first, I would encourage grandpa to give them a lovingly thorough explanation of the Scriptural point of view … that living together before marriage really isn’t according to God’s directive. Here we’re talking about confession, absolution. God’s Word forbids sex outside of marriage-and that it is also a sin for which Christ died. So far so good?
Announcer: So far so good.
Klaus: OK. I’d ask them, “What’s more important, throwing a big party or listening to the Lord and making a proper Christian witness for others? Assuming their answer was the right one, I’d then say to them: “OK. Tell you what we’re going to do. Let’s get you married now.” I’d take them down to the courthouse, get the license, do the service, right then and there.
Announcer: But what about the reception and the big party?
Klaus: Ah, that’s the rub. You know, Mark, in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, we have in our Orders of Service, a ceremony which asks the Lord’s blessing upon a civil service wedding. With only the most minor of alterations, this couple can, when they’re ready for the party, do that service with all the trappings; invite their friends, do a more
public affirmation of their small, intimate wedding vows which they made to obey the
Lord and bless the church. They can, quite literally have their cake and eat it too.Announcer: And, did you find this approach worked for you when you were in the parish?
Klaus: Yeah, more than once. Far more than it failed.
Announcer: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. 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
“Precious Lord, Take My Hand” by Thomas A. Dorsey, arr. Henry Gerike. © 1938
Unichappell Music, Inc. assigned to Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corporation. Alfred
Publishing Company, Inc.“Dunlap’s Creek” arr. John Leavitt. From The Beautiful Treasure by John Leavitt (© 2007 John Leavitt) John Leavitt Music/ASCAP
“All Depends On Our Possessing” arr. Paul Manz. From Hymn Improvisations by Paul
Manz (© 1992 Paul Manz)