The Lutheran Hour
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"Eyewitnesses of His Majesty"
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Text: 2 Peter 1:16
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. The resurrection of the Savior from the dead stands in opposition to all known laws of life. Even so, the living, breathing Redeemer is God’s sign that Jesus has done all which was necessary to save us from our sins and bestow eternal life upon believers. Today we rejoice that this truth which seems so unbelievable is God’s wonderful reality that saves. God grant faith in the risen Lord of Life to us all. Amen.
On April 11, 2009 a rather plain, slightly frumpy looking lady stepped on to the stage of the TV program called Britain’s Got Talent. The program’s audience, used to seeing acts far more flashy and flamboyant, looked incredibly, universally bored. The camera showed the judges bracing themselves for the tragedy they were sure was going to follow. If this had been vaudeville, somebody backstage would have gone running for the hook which was used to pull incompetent amateurs off the stage.
The judges asked the woman, “What are you going to sing?” She said she had selected a number from a musical: “I Dreamed A Dream.” She wasn’t two lines into the song before the director of the program realized something extraordinary was happening. The camera backstage showed the MCs of the program standing there dumbfounded, their jaws hanging open. People were sitting on the edge of their seats, they were smiling, laughing, exchanging glances which said, “Can you believe this is coming out of her?” Then the camera showed the judges. Their faces were in a constant state of change: disbelief was pushed aside by shock; shock was displaced by amazement; and amazement was set aside by admiration. Less than two minutes later, even as the last note of the woman’s song echoed through the great hall, the audience, the MCs, the judges were all on their feet. They were clapping, whistling, yelling. And the lady? The lady whose name is Susan Boyle, took a nervous bow and then started to walk off stage… without waiting to be judged. It wouldn’t be a stretch of the truth to say, ‘That night no judgment was necessary. Judgment had already been made as the crowd howled and the judges gushed and the lady blushed.
Within hours the video of Susan Boyle’s song was placed on the Internet. If you could have listened in, all around the world you would have heard the same thing. One person said to another: “Come here. You’ve got to watch this. You won’t believe what you’re hearing.” I say that happened all around the world because, within nine days, that video had been seen several hundred million times. And after those hundreds of millions of people finished watching Susan’s performance, they said, “You’re right. I don’t believe it.”
They didn’t believe, at least in part, because all of us are inhabitants of a world which is filled with disbelief. Our statements of unbelief concerning the beautiful music which came out of a lady who superficially didn’t appear to be beautiful may have just been an expression, but reality says our lives are filled with facts which we question, truths which we doubt; data which we deny. Indeed, I can’t think of a single topic where humanity can come together in universal agreement.
The best we can say is this: everybody is entitled to their own opinion and there can be harmony only in our willingness to agree to disagree. And you know, most of the time that’s OK, because it’s the best we can do. You can get a good answer to the question: “Is gold a good investment?”, if you have a crystal ball or a genii in a lamp. But if you don’t have those things, the question will remain debatable and a matter of personal opinion. On these matters and many others people can believe what they want to believe and their belief usually doesn’t cause much damage.
Usually. You see, there are questions where what you believe makes a tremendous difference. Without exaggeration or fear of contradiction, I’m willing to say what you believe or don’t believe “can make an eternal difference.” At the very top of the important question list is your response to Jesus Christ. More specifically, is Jesus Christ your Savior from sin, Satan, and death? Now don’t get all anxious and angry and impatient with me for asking the question. And don’t think I’m going to go off on a tirade and yell and shout. That’s not going to happen. The truth is, I understand why He may not be your Redeemer. Doesn’t mean I agree with you, but I understand. After all there’s a lot of reasons why a person might not believe Jesus came into this world to save you.
For example, you might be one of those folks who has taken a look at some of the sins and shenanigans of people within the Christian church and figured, since we’re such jerks, there can’t be much to Jesus. It’s possible you are an open-minded individual who believes that all faiths are good for people who need to be disciplined by a belief in some kind of caring Divine entity. For you, one belief system is as good as any other belief system since they’re all trying to get people to do good and avoid doing bad. There are more than a few of you who have come to the conclusion that science has disproved almost every truth that the Bible claims for itself. To your way of thinking the story of Jesus Christ ought to be classified alongside other mythological heroes like Hercules or the uber-warrior, Achilles.
Now I know you wouldn’t be surprised if I told you Jesus has always had His doubters and detractors. There have always been souls who have said He is not the Savior. But you might be just a little bit shocked if I said over the centuries some Christians also have their questions. It’s true. In the very first centuries of the church there were Christians who had inquiring minds that wanted to know: is Jesus’ fantastic story a factual story; is the Triune God’s unbelievable story of salvation to be believed? Even while Jesus’ disciples were alive there were those who had their issues. That is also understandable. Living in a time of persecution, not knowing whether their day would end peacefully in their beds or before the Roman torturers, early believers wanted to be sure of their faith.
Was Jesus everything they had heard, had He really died and risen; was He really coming back to bestow heaven upon those who believed and allow hell to maintain its claim on the souls of those who did not? And if you think these were life or death questions for those early questions, you would be right. That’s exactly what they were… questions which meant life or maybe death.
So, you see, you’re not alone in your doubts. You’re not alone in wanting to know: are there any honest answers to your reservations and uncertainties? Is there anything which can be said to move you from the quicksand of doubt to the solid ground of knowledge? I am pleased to say, “Yes, there is.” What’s more, what I’m going to share with you aren’t my thoughts. I mean, really, I don’t have the credentials to help you out. I’m nobody. Anything I might say would just be another opinion, no more to be accepted or rejected than the personal perspective of anyone else.
Instead, for your consideration I place before you the Apostle Peter, one of the first of Jesus’ disciples and a man who was always part of the inner circle of the Savior’s friends. Listen to Peter as his writing comes down to us from 19 centuries ago. Originally his words were designed to bring assurance to Christians who were hearing heresies, believers who were facing persecution. Today his writing is addressed to anyone who has sincere questions about the work and Person of the Christ. The apostle begins this way: “we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If you’ve always thought doubts about Scripture and God’s plan to sacrifice His Son so sinners might be saved are the product of our pseudo-sophisticated age, you would be wrong. From the very beginning, Peter
acknowledges there are those who have said the story of Jesus’ life, death, suffering,
and resurrection had to be make believe, a fabrication springing from the minds of some
delusional disciples.Very honestly Peter answers anyone who wonders: “Were the disciples duped?” He
says, “Not at all. I and my brother disciples haven’t been victimized; we weren’t
hoodwinked. We didn’t have the wool pulled over our eyes by some Charlatan who said
He was God’s promised Redeemer. We haven’t been conned by some Fellow Who managed to manipulate the powers of church and state to get Himself nailed to a cross, fake His death, and wow us with an imaginary resurrection.”Of course, you and I know that if a person like Peter had been deceived, we wouldn’t expect him to admit it, would we? On the contrary, we’re pretty sure that such a person would try to cover up his past mistakes and make himself look good. So, does Peter try to make himself look good in the Gospel narratives? Do the writers dust him off and shine him up?
The answer, my friends, is obvious: when it comes to describing Peter, the Bible is completely candid. Scripture isn’t Peter’s own high-powered public relations firm which has decided to make him look good no matter how gullible he was in real life. On the contrary, every flaw and failing of the man is shared in crystal-clear detail. On the Sea of Galilee Peter walks on the water and then he sinks. Peter makes a wonderful and Spirit¬inspired confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and then, a few verses later he tries to talk Jesus out of going to Jerusalem where the Savior was to complete His mission of giving His life to win our salvation. At the Last Supper Peter declines to have Jesus wash His feet and then He asks to be washed from stem to stern. Peter promises to be perpetually faithful and then, hours later, he runs away. Peter bravely goes to the place where Jesus is being tried and then he denies ever having known the Savior. Peter hears the report of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and he disbelieves what he has been told.
Read through the New Testament and you will see Peter is shown honestly and Jesus’ story is told just as honestly. That’s why the Apostle wrote, we were being honest when we came to you and told you about the Savior … “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” Peter was saying, “Look, I was just like you. I had my doubts and disbeliefs … but those doubts and disbeliefs were put to rest by what I saw. I didn’t believe somebody could walk on water, but I saw Jesus do iLl didn’t believe anybody could heal a leper, but I saw Jesus do that too. I didn’t think anybody could put back someone’s ear after it had been cut off by a sword, but Jesus did exactly that.”
“We were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” Again and again Jesus did things which only God’s Son could do. Again and again the Savior gave evidence that He was on a Divine mission to rescue humanity from eternal damnation. Repeatedly Jesus told Peter and the rest that He would have to give up His life so we might be forgiven and saved. And Jesus also shared on the third day He would rise again. And Scripture shares that Peter and the others didn’t understand what Jesus had said and they most certainly didn’t believe Him.
That’s why, when resurrection morning came around, the disciples weren’t at the cemetery to welcome the living Lord as He came out of the tomb. That’s why they didn’t believe the ladies who came back to report that Jesus was alive. They didn’t believe. Like so many people today, maybe like you, they didn’t believe. But Jesus didn’t let them stay unbelievers. Again and again Jesus appeared to them. He talked with them; He ate with them; He walked with them; He let them touch Him. Finally the eyewitness evidence of Jesus’ resurrection victory was so great, so complete, so thorough the doubting disciples found they had no other choice but to believe Jesus Christ was and remains the sinless Son of God Who has defeated sin, death, and Satan to save the souls of sinful humankind.
The Holy Spirit of God placed faith into the hearts of these eyewitnesses. Then those
who had seen the story of salvation played out went and told those who had not seen.
They shared the wonders of what God had done with the rich and the poor, the slave
and the free, the Jew and the Gentile, the friend and the enemy. Again and again they
shared: repent of your sins, believe on the Christ and be saved. Scripture records they
turned the world upside down. More importantly, God used them so all who believe will
not perish but be given eternal life … just as He’s sharing that story with you now.It’s true. The Lord wishes to dispel your doubts and call you to faith in His Son. He wants
you to be as sure of Jesus’ salvation sacrifice as were Peter and the rest. And how sure
were they? Tradition says they died for the cause of Christ, were martyred preaching about the Savior Who had died to save them. They were clubbed to death, dragged behind chariots, crucified, beheaded, hung, and had the skin peeled from their bodies. And Peter, what happened to Peter? Peter, eyewitness to the Savior’s work, Peter kept sharing the story of Jesus Who alone can save. Crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same way as had his Savior, Peter died preaching about what he had heard and seen. Separated by years and miles, it needs to be noted that not one of these disciples broke ranks; not one confessed to a hoax; not one shared any inward doubt; not one said, “We were just having some fun.” Almost all of them could have been set free of their persecutors and executioners. All they had to do was say, “It was a lie.” They didn’t. Their deathbed confession said, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Repent, believe, be saved.”In 1934, a picture showed up in the Daily Mail. Submitted by a doctor named Robert Kenneth Wilson the picture showed the Loch Ness Monster. The photo was picked up by the wire services and soon Nessie was being featured in all the world’s great newspapers. If you had been listening, you might have heard millions of people saying to others, “Come here. You’ve got to see this. You’re not going to believe what you see.” After all those folks got done examining the photograph, they said, “You’re right, it is hard to believe.” For fifty years that picture was the greatest proof for the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. It stayed that way until, in 1994 at the age of 93 and near death, Christian Spurling made a deathbed confession. He admitted the doctor’s photo taken 60 years before had been a hoax masterminded by his stepfather.
No disciple ever made such a deathbed confession. Instead, they all remained faithful to the truth: Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world … and He is your Savior, too. If you wish to know more about this Savior, we are prepared to help. Please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers)
March 6, 2011
Topic: Signs and StuffAnnouncer: And now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor, as you know, we often find ourselves in different situations, confronted with choices–and we’re not always sure what to do.
Klaus: Oh, yeah. I have a tough time deciding between McDonalds and Burger King.
Announcer: So, naturally, a Christian wants to do that which is pleasing to God and of benefit to others.
Klaus: Naturally. And so, what is our question?
Announcer: The question is, how do we know what God wants us to do in any given situation? I mean, beyond the basics, like, we know, for example, God doesn’t want us to murder, or to steal, or commit adultery.
Klaus: And just how do we know these things?
Announcer: Well, He tells us that in the Ten Commandments. But what about all that stuff that’s not specifically mentioned there? For example, how do I know if God wants me to, let’s say, buy a new car or sell a particular stock?
Klaus: Oh, actually, there isn’t any way to know what God wants you to do in those situations. He doesn’t tell us one way or the other. The Lord leaves a lot to our own discretion. He’s working under the belief that His people will try to do that which brings glory to Him and benefits our neighbors.
Announcer: So you’re saying God doesn’t have an opinion as to whether you should buy a blue car or a yellow car?
Klaus: I think that’s a true statement. Nor does He care whether you have potatoes or
rice for supper. Both come to us as gifts of His grace and He can be glorified with either.
I think the best thing any person can do is look at the choices available, try to do that which is best… and if you can’t figure that out… then, according to your conscience do
that which is less wrong .. Does that make sense?Announcer: Right The choosing the lesser of two evils, But there’s more to this, Our listener says he has a good friend who is always quoting Proverbs 3:6 which says, “In all your ways acknowledge (God), and he shall direct your paths,” (KJV) And since God is not telling him specifically what to do in the words of the Bible, our friend then tries to get his answers in a different way,
Klaus: Ah, so, he’s looking for God to give him some kind of sign,
Announcer: Right, and naturally he sees signs then just about everywhere, It might be in the news headlines, or in an unusual occurrence, or maybe even in a random comment somebody makes to him, And then he takes that and he lays that down as a challenge”,
Klaus: As a challenge?
Announcer: A challenge to God, For example, “Lord, if you really want me to do such¬and-such, then please arrange it so that this or that will happen; I’ll know and take that as Your answer.II
Klaus: Yeah, I’ve known some people who do that?
Announcer: Any advice for them?
Klaus: Well, a couple of thoughts, First, how do you know that it is God Who is giving you the sign? The Bible tells us that in the last times the devil is going to be doing some pretty impressive things in order to deceive people, That’s one idea, Here’s another: is there anywhere in the Bible where it says that’s the way we are supposed to operate?
Announcer: Well, some people might say there is, What about that story in the book of Judges where Gideon put a fleece out on the ground and he looked for a sign based on whether it got wet from the dew or stayed dry over night?
Klaus: OK, In that case, the answer involves something miraculous, You know, when God wanted His people to do something, He seems to be more than able to get them to clearly understand the message, Most of the time, He’s none too subtle”, leading the people of Israel with a pillar of cloud or fire,
Announcer: Right. You can’t miss that Anything else?
Klaus: Yeah, can you think of any place where the Bible says God is going to always speak through such things”, that He is going to answer those who are searching for signs in this way? He may have done so with Gideon, but are we to take that as being
normative for us?Announcer: I can’t think of such a passage,
Klaus: Yeah, nor can I. Which takes us back to: “What shall a person do?” The answer is simple: Trust Jesus when He says, “I am with you always” which may mean whichever direction you may decide, Second, follow St. Paul who says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content I know how to be brought low, I know how to abound, In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need, I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” (Philippians
4: 1b ff,)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
“Jesus on the Mountain Peak” by Brian Wren & Theodore A. Beck, Text © 1977 Hope
Publishing Company, Music © 1998 Theodore A, Beck“O Wondrous Type! 0 Vision Fair” arr, Peter Prochnow, Used by permission,
“Finale from Partita on Hyfrydol” by Charles Callahan, From Love Divine, All Loves
Excelling by Charles Callahan (© 1993 Concordia Publishing House)