The Lutheran Hour
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"Delivered"
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Text: 2 Timothy 4:18
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Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed. Through the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ all who are given faith in Him are delivered and receive a new life. Today we pray that the Lord will give us all such a faith as well as an appreciation of the deliverance which comes through the Savior’s Sacrifice. God grant these gifts to us all. Amen.
The British express train with the Royal Car carrying her majesty Queen Victoria, was racing through the murky night; its powerful headlight doing its best to slash its way through the foggy darkness ahead. Then, quite unexpectedly, the engineer spotted a startling and unexpected sight. Revealed in the beam of the engine’s headlights, far ahead on the tracks was the figure off a man in a black cloak. The man had put himself in the engine’s path and was waving his arms. Immediately the engineer leaned on the brake and brought the train, along with its Royal passengers, to a lurching halt. In a few bounds the engineer clambered down and hurried to investigate. He ran to where the cloaked individual should have been… should have been, but wasn’t.
Then, more on a hunch than anything else, the engineer walked further up the foggy tracks. He didn’t have to go far; indeed, he couldn’t go far. His investigation was cut short at the bridge right beyond the next curve. On that bridge the engineer could see where a section of rail had separated. He knew that if he had made the turn at the speed he had been doing, the train would have lurched into the river. The disaster had been averted by the watchman on the track. While the rail was being repaired, the engineer made another attempt at finding the mystery man. Once again, no such individual was found.
It was only when the train had arrived in London that the unknown was made known. At the base of the engine’s headlamp a great moth was found. The engineer considered a moment and then he moistened the moth’s wings and pasted it onto the glass of the train’s lamp. Back in the cab, he switched on the light, looked out, and saw the phantom flagman. Seconds before the train was to hit the curve; moments before it would have derailed, the moth had landed on the lamp and the beam had projected an image of a man waving his arms. When the story was shared with the Queen, it took but a second for her to say, “This was no accident. It was God’s way of delivering us.” Although others might say it was a happy happenstance, a fortuitous fluke, I think the Queen was right. God had delivered them.
Today, as the Church Year draws to a close, it is entirely appropriate that we, the survivors of these last twelve months, spend some time reflecting on the deliverance which comes through the will and by the wish of our gracious God. To that end I point you to a few verses from the inspired words of the Apostle Paul. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Lord’s emissary confidently wrote to his young friend, Timothy: “The Lord will rescue me.” Considering Paul’s situation, those were some pretty brave words. At the time of this writing, Paul was in prison and, with an exception or two, had been deserted by his friends who, fearing for their lives had fled. All too soon the Empire’s machinery would be doing its best to punish Christians whom Nero had accused of starting the great fire of Rome. So you see, when Paul writes, “The Lord will deliver me,” he is making a bold statement.
Now there are those who, reading these words, think to themselves, “Of course Paul speaks bravely of being delivered. Why wouldn’t he? His entire ministry had been marked by all manner of miraculous deliveries.” If that’s your thinking, you’re right. Looking back over the years Paul could and did compose a veritable laundry list of times when the Lord had intervened and delivered him.
To the Corinthian Church he wrote, “I have often been in prison; I have been ‘beaten countless times and often been near death.’ Five times I received 39 lashes at the hands of the Jews; three times I was beaten, and once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked and I’ve spent a night and a day adrift at sea.” But there’s more. The Apostle continues, “I have been ‘in danger from rivers, (in) danger from robbers, (in) danger from my own people, (in) danger from Gentiles, (in) danger in the city, (in) danger in the wilderness, (in) danger at sea, (in) danger from false brothers. I have had many a sleepless night; (I have experienced) hunger and thirst… cold and exposure.'” 2 Cor. 11:23-28 (ESV) No question about it, Paul had been through a lot and no matter the situation or circumstance he had been delivered by the hand of a caring God.
Now it is at this point that you are probably thinking, “Look, Pastor, you’ve told me about the deliverance of a Queen and the deliverance of an Apostle. That’s all fine and well, as far as it goes. But I’m not royalty, and I’m not a wandering Evangelist. Why don’t you give an example or two of how God delivers regular people like me? Or is God’s deliverance confined to the rich and famous, the news and noteworthy?” If that’s what you want, I’m glad to oblige.
Let me take you back in time to the year 1956. The place is Kenya and a native rebellion, the Mau Maus, have begun an incredibly violent overthrow of European rule. A band of the movement came to and encircled the village of Lauri. When they were done, 300 people, the entire populace of that community, had been murdered.
Three miles away from Lauri there was a boarding school, Rift Valley Academy. There the children of missionaries were schooled while their parents worked in the countryside. Having destroyed Lauri, the Mau Maus moved toward the Academy. Having been told of the Lauri massacre, the children were understandably frightened. Their fears intensified as they saw torches coming toward and encircling the school. Accompanied by cursings and threats the circle of the Mau Maus began to move closer. Then, when the Mau Maus attack seemed inevitable, one of the teachers looked out the window to see the enemy running away.
Eventually the British forces defeated the rebels and the leaders were put on trial. At his trial, one of the leaders was asked, “Did you kill all the inhabitants of Lauri?” He admitted he had. Next he was asked, “Was it your intent to do the same at the Academy?” “Yes.” “Why didn’t you attack the school?” What follows is interesting. The leader, unacquainted with Scripture and the Savior replied, “We were on our way to attack and destroy all the people at the school. As we came close, all of a sudden between us and the school there were many huge men, dressed in white with flaming swords. We became afraid and ran to hide!”
Did God send His angels to save the lives of the children? I can come to no other conclusion. If you wish, check the record. None of what I’ve shared has been invented. Of course that story may still not satisfy you. You may say, “Yes this story is interesting and excellent, but Christians are being persecuted all around the world. God doesn’t always step in with a miracle, does He?” To that I can only say: “No, He doesn’t always perform a miracle. On the other hand, examples of His deliverance may be far more frequent than most of us imagine.”
Think: Jesus once fed thousands of people with five loaves and two small fish. Those whose bellies had been filled in this miraculous manner were grateful. But I wonder, had they ever thanked God for feeding them in the traditional way? Had they ever shown gratitude for hail storms which hadn’t leveled their wheat fields or appreciation for the fish which didn’t get away? When Jesus fed the crowd through a miracle, they wanted to make Him King. In a miraculous way they wished to make Him King, but all too often, they never bothered to thank the Lord for the many times that He had faithfully fed them.
I say that because you and I are like them. We, too, might wish God would miraculously feed us the way Jesus did those thousands. Still, as I think back, I am forced to admit I have never been hungry. Yes, there have been times when my stomach growled during the middle of a sermon, my microphone picked it up, my congregation laughed, and I was embarrassed. But I have never been hungry. Not hungry which lasted for days; not hunger which might make me faint. Why, because God has sent the sun and the rain and the temperatures in a mixture which were right for the growth of crops. He has placed me in a land where starvation should never happen. God has looked after me; He has rescued me from dangers I never knew existed.
He does the same for others. My friends, all of us know people who are ill; maybe you, yourself are in a life-and-death struggle with some debilitating disease. No doubt a Personal visit from the Savior, a touch from His healing hand would be a blessed thing. Still, have you appreciated the miracles of modern medicine which God has already entrusted to us; the wisdom of the physicians; the days of health which you once enjoyed? Do you respond to a flat tire with a curse or a thanks to the Lord for many miles driven without a flat? Have you given thanks the Lord has delivered you from burglars who passed by your house without entering? Have you given thanks for the food you have eaten which is not tainted? Have you given thanks that terrorist bombs and the indiscriminate gunfire of the madman has not hit you? Paul was right. God has delivered you.
At the beginning of this message I shared the story of Queen Victoria who was saved by a moth. Well, let me tell you another story, one about a young girl who lived during the time of Victoria. This young lady had to take a long journey on the train and she had to travel alone. She had learned enough geography to know her trip would cross any number of rivers. Crossing those rivers was a matter of concern to the girl as she had no idea on how such a passage could safely be made. As they drew near the first river, she saw the bridge which took them over the river as if it had not been there. Soon there was another river and another bridge. It didn’t take long before the girl leaned back and with a relieved sigh, said, “I don’t have to worry, somebody has built bridges for me all the way!” She had it figured out. Somebody had delivered her.
That little girl had learned an invaluable lesson. All of us ought to echo her and say, “I don’t have to worry; the Lord has built bridges for me that will take me over every dangerous place.” We can say that; we can believe that, because it is true. God has built bridges, He has always built bridges so humanity might be delivered and ultimately reach our final destination.
Look to the Garden of Eden. Mankind’s rebellion had created a gulf between heaven and hell; between the Creator and His created. Adam and Eve could not bridge that gulf, but the Lord did when He promised His Son to offer Himself as the Sacrifice which would buy our freedom. When the world had become evil, God spoke to Noah and his boys. He had them build an ark which bridged the world which once was and the new world which offered humanity a second chance. When the Children of Israel were caught between the chariots of Pharaoh and the Red Sea, God opened that body of water and created a bridge of dry ground over which His people were delivered.
God builds bridges. Before we were ever born He knew our pains, our problems, our sins, our shortcomings, our demons, our diseases, our disobedience. He saw those things and in love He built bridges whereby people of faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit, could safely cross. Again and again He extends the invitation to be delivered. If you have not done so before, listen to Him now as He invites: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you.” And again, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” To these Jesus adds the invitation: “Come unto me all who labor and I will give you rest.” It is a promise and an invitation for deliverance that He keeps.
And this is where I imagine many Lutheran Hour listeners, especially those who have become embittered by matters religious, cannot contain themselves. They simply have to say, “You talk about deliverance, but when my grandfather was sick, I prayed he would live, yet he still died. Where was God’s deliverance?” Others have a similar question and challenge. “Pastor, you preach about God’s rescue, I’ve seen too much sadness and sorrow to believe that. People die. They die all the time. How can you possibly say God will rescue them?”
These are good questions, fair questions. They are questions which call for an answer. Let me begin this way. Over the years I have talked to you about my family. One person I haven’t mentioned is the most recent member, my son-in-law. A few years ago, because of complications from diabetes and because he was given the wrong medication in the hospital, he needed a kidney-pancreas transplant. The doctors talked to him about how wonderful it would be, how free he would feel when he didn’t have to monitor his blood sugar. Both he and his wife looked forward to the surgery which would deliver him. There was only one problem. For them to enjoy this new life someone had to die and some family in deep mourning had to be willing to share the organs of their loved one with a total stranger.
The wait took a while, but eventually the gift was given and the surgery took place. It was successful and my son-in-law and daughter have been enjoying a new life… a life which, without another person’s death, would have been impossible. Because of another person’s death and sacrifice these two have been delivered from what was and been given a new life.
My friends, their story is your story. At the source of all your unhappiness and discontent are found three enemies: sin, the devil, and death. Because of We were helpless to change our circumstance but God wasn’t. In His grace and mercy He decided to deliver us; to help us beat our pains, get through our problems and, when we died, bring us to heaven, not send us to hell. Sound good? Absolutely.
There was only one problem. For us to receive this new life, Someone had to die. And not just anyone, God’s holy Son had to live for us and He had to die for us. So that we might be saved, Jesus entered this world as a human Child. He lived His life as a Man, but unlike every other man, His life was lived without any sin. Finally, after He had resisted the devil’s temptations, unfairly, unjustly Jesus was put to death. Carrying our sins, He died. Because of His death we have been given a new life. We have been forgiven of our sins; we have been moved from darkness to light; from hell to heaven. We have been delivered.
St. Paul knew that. When he wrote, “The Lord will deliver me,” he didn’t think he was going to walk out of jail a free man. A little further on in his letter he shares, “the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul knew he was going to die, but he also knew for a Christian, whether it be himself, or your grandfather, or you; you can be delivered by Jesus Christ, you can be delivered to an eternity without pain or problem, sorrow or sadness, loneliness or lostness, tears or trials. And to be forever with Jesus is the best deliverance of all.
My friends, if this is a deliverance that you long for, we are ready to help introduce you to the Savior. Call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for November 25, 2012
Topic: A Listener’s Challenge – Why Pay for Sins Twice?ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to a listener’s challenge. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: So, you received this letter from someone who said he used to be a Christian, but was no longer, in part, because of certain questions for which no one could give a satisfactory answer.
KLAUS: And we’re trying to provide satisfactory answers for him and all others who have the same questions.
ANNOUNCER: …which takes us to our challenge for today. Here’s how he puts it: “If Jesus died and spent 3 days in hell to pay for the world’s sins, why should anyone else have to go to hell now and pay for them all over again? Aren’t the sins being paid for twice? Was Jesus’ death not sufficient?
KLAUS: That’s sort of a question bundle. I counted at least three different questions under that one topic.
ANNOUNCER: Do you suppose you can untangle it for us?
KLAUS: To the satisfaction of our doubter, I don’t know, but we’ll try–and we entrust the results to the Holy Spirit. First, we need to say the questions start out in the wrong place, with some wrong assumptions. Right off the bat: “If Jesus died and spent 3 days in hell to pay for the world’s sins,” okay, that’s wrong. That’s not what was happening there. Jesus didn’t pay for our sins by spending three days in hell.
ANNOUNCER: Maybe we should back up a little bit.
KLAUS: Jesus lived a perfect life for us. In doing so, He fulfilled God’s requirements, God’s law. Something we can’t do. Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations. That was also something we could not do. When Jesus died on the cross, He suffered God’s wrath and the punishment for sin we deserve. Now this is the important part: when Jesus breathed His last, when He gave up the ghost, the work of salvation was done right then and there; the debt was paid in full. You can find the theology behind those words in Romans 5. Jesus Himself said His work was done when He called out, “It is finished.” And it was.
ANNOUNCER: And by that you mean the work of our redemption.
KLAUS: I do.
ANNOUNCER: So, then, why did Jesus descend into hell prior to His resurrection?
KLAUS: Satan is a liar and Scriptures call him the father of lies. Jesus showed to all the unbelieving souls in prison that He was, in fact, the Victor, the Conqueror of sin and death.
ANNOUNCER: So that the devil couldn’t put the wrong “spin” on what had just taken place.
KLAUS: That’s right. Jesus’ descent into hell is actually the first rising step of His state of exaltation, His “victory lap,” if you will. The Apostles’ Creed describes it this way: “He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.”
ANNOUNCER: Right, now you said there were other wrong assumptions in our listener’s challenge.
KLAUS: Oh, indeed there are. Our listener wrote, “Why does anyone have to go to hell and pay for their sins again? Are the sins being paid for twice?” That statement has two problems.
ANNOUNCER: And the first problem, I think, is the tragedy of anyone winding up in hell nowadays. Because of what Jesus did, nobody needs to go there.
KLAUS: Excellent. God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Jesus offered Himself as the Ransom for every man, woman, and child who’s ever lived. Because God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and raised Him from the dead, everybody who believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
ANNOUNCER: The second mistake, I think, is the idea that sins are being paid for twice.
KLAUS: Right again. Or that hell is the place to pay for sins. It’s not. You know, if we could somehow someway pay for our sins, Jesus’ entire life and ministry would be all for nothing.
ANNOUNCER: But, this idea of paying for your sins is what drives all other religions.
KLAUS: Yeah, and that’s why they’re left never knowing have they done enough?
KLAUS: Well, how do we know Jesus’ sacrifice was enough? How do you answer that?
KLAUS: Don’t have to. The writer of Hebrews beat me to it. He said, “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all.” Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all times a single sacrifice for sin, He sat down at the right hand of God.
ANNOUNCER: That’s pretty clear. Did the early Church ever deal with these kinds of questions?
KLAUS: Almost every question the church hears today, especially the ones that people think they’ve just thought up. Well, those questions were answered right at the very beginning years of the church.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Lord of My Life, Whose Tender Care” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“Salvation Unto Us Has Come” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending” by Robert A. Hobby. From Hymns for All Saints: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany (© 2005 Concordia Publishing House)