The Lutheran Hour
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"A Word That Changes Everything"
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Text: Luke 9:59-60
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Today the Lord extends His invitation to all. He says, “My Son has lived, suffered, died, and risen so you might be saved.” May we, without hesitation or thought of refusal, be given a solid faith in God’s Son who alone can grant us forgiveness and heaven. God grant such a living faith to us all. Amen.
Peter should have been a millionaire many times over. Peter should have been a world traveler, a trend setter, a style maker. Peter should have received the adulation of millions of devoted admirers. Peter’s name should have been known to just about every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth. But Peter has and is none of those things. Why not? Well, that is a story.
For our purposes, Peter’s narrative begins on August 12, 1960. That was the day he was invited to join a band. He accepted and off they went. Peter played with that band for over two years. During those years Peter shared in the group’s many struggles and their successes which were not as numerous. Finally, at the end of two years it looked as if the band might achieve some degree of success. They were playing regularly and had some studio recordings. Things looked good until the day, that was August 16, 1962, the group’s manager, without any warning, came to Peter Best and told him he was sacked, fired, out on his ear.
No reason was given other than the rest of the group; that would be Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison wanted him gone. A few days later, a new drummer, a fellow by the name of Ringo Starr joined the Beatles and the rest is history. After his dismissal from the Beatles, Peter Best never made it big in music. Instead he spent 20 years drawing a regular paycheck as a relatively obscure British civil servant. Yes, Peter Best should have had a place among the rich and famous, but he doesn’t. That’s because the word but got in the way. That little, bitty, teeny, tiny word changed everything for Peter Best… and it changed things for the worst.
Now I wouldn’t have shared Peter’s story if I wasn’t fairly sure that most of you listening to this broadcast of The Lutheran Hour haven’t had the same sort of thing happen to you. You men, do you remember when you were dating and you fancied a young lady? You thought she had taken a shine to you, too. Everything seemed sweetness and light until the day she said, “I think we should talk.” What she said sounded something like this: “Ken (or whatever your name happens to be) you know we’ve had many wonderful times together. I respect you, I care for you, and we are as close as two people can possibly be. You know I will always love you BUT (there’s that word again), BUT I love you like I love my very own brother. I think that’s best, don’t you?” Well, I didn’t think it was best and you probably didn’t either, but what’s a guy going to do? You see, that rotten, little word but had changed everything… and changed it for the worst.
When I started writing this message, I knew how that word but could definitely mess things up for guys; but when I asked a number of ladies whether they suffered the same sort of problem, they exchanged knowing looks and appointed a spokesman. She said something like, “Yes, we understand how nasty the word but can be. For us that word usually shows up after we’ve been married a while, after we’ve had children, and maybe after we’ve put on a few pounds. That’s when husbands come up to their faithful wives and say, “Darling, you have no idea how special you are to me. For years we’ve walked hand in hand and we’ve produced some beautiful children together. You have been incredible, always knowing what to do, what to say, and how to make everyone happy. I give thanks to the Lord for you and have always given thanks that we would grow old together. (Now here it comes… are you ready?) I give thanks that we could grow old together, BUT lately I’ve felt as if we’ve grown apart. We don’t have the same interests and dreams anymore. In fact, I have found someone who does understand me and we’ve fallen in love. For that reason I think it’s best that we go our separate ways. Of course we will always be friends and I will always have a special spot in my heart for you. Still, the marriage is over. I’m sure you agree a divorce would be best.” Well, most ladies, quite rightly I might add, think that speech is unfair, unjust, and absolutely not for the best. Still, what’s a girl going to do? Once again, the miserable, speed bump, the word but had changed everything… and changed it for the worst.
Is it possible I’ve missed you? Then try these on for size. When you were young, do you remember the birthday party to which everyone in your class was invited but you? Or how about the coach who said, “Nobody has tried harder for this team than you, but I’m going to have to put someone else in at your position as starter.” Or when the boss said, “As you know we’ve got a promotion to give out; the job was between you and Fred. I wanted you for the job, but I got outvoted. Fred, not you, is going to be moving up?” Or if you’re in some sort of assisted living and you get the call, “Hello, Mom. Happy birthday! You know, it’s been a while and we were going to come see you, but little Johnny has a special basketball tournament so we can’t make it. I’m sure you understand.”
All of us have heard that word but and all of us have felt let down when it was thrown at us. Those three little letters had taken our dreams and shattered them, they had taken our hopes and destroyed them, they had taken potentials and possibilities and shut them down. One moment we were headed up and the next moment we were nose-diving into darkness, doubt, and discouragement. It’s not fair, just, or for the best, still what are we going to do? One more time that three letter word but had changed things… and changed them for the worst.
Would it surprise you if I said that God feels much the same way you do about the word but? You know most of the time God is way above us. His thoughts aren’t our thoughts; His plans aren’t our plans; His ways are not ours. Because the Triune God is the one and all-knowing, all-powerful Deity, He stands as far above us as the heaven is above the earth. Even so, He can feel terribly let down when He asks His beloved children to do one thing, but they prefer to do another.
If you doubt me, I encourage you to take a look at the 9th chapter of Luke beginning with the 57th verse. Earlier in that section of Scripture we are told that Jesus knew His time was coming and He had decided it was the right moment to get headed toward Jerusalem. He traveled through Samaria where at least one village declined to give Him a cordial welcome. Because Jesus was going to the holy city of the Jews and not the Samaritan’s sacred spot on Mount Gerizim, they chose to give Him the cold shoulder as a substitute for hospitality.
Of course not everyone was indifferent to Jesus as He traveled. Their journey was interrupted by one fellow who came up to the Lord and said, “I will follow You wherever You go.” That’s what he said, but his words appear to be all bluff and bluster. When Jesus honestly told the unnamed fellow that the path of discipleship was neither easy nor comfortable and it might be lacking more than a few creature comforts, well, there is no indication the man followed through on his boast to follow Jesus. He was ready to follow, but not if it would cost him some inconveniences.
Then there was the fellow to whom Jesus spoke and said, “Follow Me.” Some time before He had said the same thing to His twelve disciples and they had, without hesitation, left everything. This fellow could have followed that example. He could have, but he didn’t. No, rather than following Jesus, this fellow gave the Savior what sounds like a perfectly valid and legitimate excuse. He said, “No problem, Jesus, but if you don’t mind, I’d like permission to bury my father.” Many people, when they read that passage, are surprised to find Jesus doesn’t appear very sympathetic to the man’s request. For many years I felt that way too. Indeed, I felt that way until my high school religion professor pointed out something I had missed.
He told us that funeral customs in modern day North America are significantly different from the funerals which were conducted at the time of Christ. When somebody dies today, it usually takes three or four days before the individual is buried. During those days family and friends are notified, the body is prepared, and funeral arrangements are made. In the Middle East there is no such waiting period. Back then, and even today, the proximity of the extended family and the length of time before a dead body starts to decay dictates a same day funeral.
When you know that bit of information, you also know that the man who offered his father’s funeral as an excuse to not follow Jesus, wasn’t asking for a brief exemption. Indeed, his excuse ought to read, and I encourage you to listen for our disappointing three-letter word… he says something like: “Lord, I don’t know if You’re aware, my father isn’t doing all that good. He’s old, he’s sick, and his end can’t be too far down the road. I’m not sure exactly when he’s going to die, but I think I’m going to put off following You until after dad’s gone.”
Jesus found the man’s excuse unacceptable. Indeed, as I read Scripture, Jesus almost always finds excuses to not follow Him unacceptable. When a rich young ruler asked how to be saved, Jesus told the man to give away his wealth and follow Him. Rather than doing as Jesus asked, the rich fellow walked away. Jesus was sad for the man’s leaving, but He didn’t run after the fellow and beg him to reconsider. Then there was the day when the great crowds following Jesus left because they found His teachings too controversial. While Jesus was sorry for their departure, Jesus didn’t change His teachings, nor did He chase after them pleading with them to reconsider.
Of course there was that time during Holy Week. Jesus had been warmly welcomed into town by great multitudes who sang His praise. Of course Jesus, knowing He would soon be arrested, unfairly tried, and railroaded to His death on a Roman cross, knew the praise would not last. That’s why, just a few days before He died, from a spot overlooking that great, white city, Jesus lamented, “Oh, Jerusalem, like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, I wanted to bring you to Me. I wanted that, but you wouldn’t let Me.” Jesus knew that these people who walked away from Him were doing something foolish, something which was hardly for the best. He had wanted to save them, was doing all He could to move their everlasting souls from hell to heaven, but they wanted nothing to do with Him. What could the Savior do? They had been created with a free will and He wasn’t going to rope and hogtie them so He could drag their unwilling souls into heaven. He wanted to give eternal life to them but their refusal changed everything and it most certainly didn’t change it for the best.
In the almost 2,000 years since Jesus gave Himself as the perfect Sacrifice for those sin-destroyed souls many things have changed. Our world has seen empires come forth, flourish, and then fall. Famous people have achieved accolades from the masses and then they have been struck down and they have been forgotten. Fortunes have been made and lost. Technology has advanced, but sin has remained a constant.Much has changed, but this has not: God still wishes to gather up the lost, forgive them of their transgressions, and adopt them into His family of faith. To make that wish a reality is why the Savior was born into this world. Jesus devoted His entire life, all that He was, so that when the day came when we would stand before our Judge we might be found innocent of any wrongdoing. So that we might live our lives out from under the curse of the law, Jesus resisted temptation and kept God’s commandments. In Gethsemane He took our sins unto Himself, every one of our sins, and carried them to His cross. There on Calvary’s crest, at the culmination of a perfect life, He finished the work He had been destined to do. Three days later, with His glorious and gracious resurrection He showed to a doubting world that even death had been defeated.
Although many things have changed, you should know that the love of God which became One of us and was born in Bethlehem is still alive and well. It is still calling out, right now, it is calling out, “Be brought to me, believe, repent, be saved.” God would have all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Not a truth, but the one and only truth which can redeem us…
…which can redeem you. Right now I know some of you listening to my voice are being called by the Holy Spirit. Since the day you were born He has continued to extend an invitation to faith, and you have continued to resist. He has said, “Come” but you have said, “Maybe, but not now.” He has said, “Believe,” but you have replied, “Believe in what? I think there are many truths, how can I be sure this belief in Jesus is the right one?” He has said, “Repent,” but you have chosen to turn a deaf ear. He has said, “Let me bring you into the family of faith” but you have declined His offer.My friend, that is a dangerous thing to do. In the course of this message I have listed a number of people from the Bible who encountered Jesus and who heard His invitation. They all had a reason for saying, “No.” At the time their reasons, at least to them, seemed both logical and sensible. Allow me to share this: nowhere does the Bible give any indication they ever changed their minds; there is no suggestion that they were ever given another opportunity to acknowledge Jesus as their sin-forgiving, soul-saving Substitute. If that is the case, their eternity is being spent in a place where nobody should ever go. Still, for those people who don’t want Jesus, God will let them go to the one place where they can be free of the Savior and the salvation He so freely provided.
With all my heart I pray that this will not be your fate. All I can do; all the Holy Spirit ever does, is extend an invitation. He wants to bestow upon you something incredibly wonderful. He wishes to give you forgiveness you could never have earned; heaven you don’t deserve, and a Savior who will always love you. But it is your love for Jesus, not His love for you which is the problem. My friend, will you not love your Savior?
The answer to that question is all important to you. You see the day is going to come when you will die. On that day you will stand before your Maker and He will send you to hell because of your sin or he will invite you into heaven because Jesus, your Savior, has taken away your sin. If Jesus is not your Redeemer, you will hear the divine Judge say: “I wanted to save you; I sent my Son to save you; I invited you to salvation which cost you nothing. Yes, I wanted to save you, but….” Ahhh, there’s that word again. I wanted to save you, but… You don’t ever want to hear what comes after that.
So, what is your reaction to what I’ve said? Odds are some of you think what I’ve shared is a myth, a holdover from ancient history, a bit of grand and ancient storytelling. You may believe there are many gods or no god; many paths to heaven or no heaven. You can argue with, ignore, or deny everything I’ve said…. But what if the Bible is right; but what if Jesus is the Savior; but what if hell or heaven awaits? If that is the case, and it is, then today is the day you should believe. No ifs, ands, or buts. To that end, if we can be of assistance, I encourage you, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for June 30, 2013
Topic: Is Ignorance More Excusable Than Unbelief?ANNOUNCER: Does God excuse ignorance more than unbelief? Is there a difference? That’s today’s topic for our Speaker Emeritus, Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: Our listeners may know that you write Daily Devotions that are sent out to e-mail subscribers free of charge. You can sign up for them at lhm.org. These devotions generate a fair number of questions. What we’re sharing today is based on one of those questions.
KLAUS: That’s right, although I must say it’s a question that I’ve encountered time and time again. It came up in every one of the confirmation classes I taught.
ANNOUNCER: Yes, all those very perceptive eighth-graders. And what is that question?
KLAUS: It’s this: “Suppose a person never hears about God’s law or the Good News of Jesus. Would he still go to hell?”
ANNOUNCER: I think this relates to something we discussed in a previous session-the idea that hell is the default destination of all people, apart from faith in Christ.
KLAUS: Yeah, the implication here is that if they don’t know they’re sinners according to God’s Law, then God has no right to hold them accountable.
ANNOUNCER: And if they’ve never heard of Jesus’ work on their behalf, they would have had no way of being saved. To many confirmands, that seems pretty unfair of God.
KLAUS: Yeah, and my simple answer was always: “Yes, they are lost.” That’s what I wrote in the daily devotion. And that’s where my reader joined my confirmation class. Putting his question very delicately and kindly, he said, wouldn’t it be better to say that this is something better left to God in His infinite wisdom and mercy?
ANNOUNCER: In other words, it’s really not for us to say who’s saved and who’s not. So, how did you respond?
KLAUS: I’d say, when it comes to heaven and hell, many people believe two things. First, they believe if an individual never is told he is sinning, he can’t be held accountable. The second thing people believe is nobody knows if someone is going to heaven or hell.
ANNOUNCER: All right. Let’s deal with that first part. Can you be found guilty of breaking the law if nobody ever told you about the law?
KLAUS: Let me answer that one this way: the last traffic ticket I got was a fair number of years ago, but it was for speeding. I was doing 55 in an area listed as 30.
ANNOUNCER: That must have cost you a bit.
KLAUS: Oh, it did. Now the truth is: I never saw the sign where the speed was reduced. At the time, I was looking for a teen who’d run away from home and I wasn’t looking for speed signs. I explained all that to the officer. He was very understanding, very sympathetic. Then he gave me the ticket. The judge was also very understanding and sympathetic when he told me my fine was $100.00.
ANNOUNCER: Because “ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
KLAUS: Yup, that’s what I’m saying. But I’ll also say this: no one is really all that ignorant. Remember, God has given us His law. You don’t have to pick up a Bible and read Exodus 20 to know that it’s wrong to kill, commit adultery, steal, covet, or disregard God. Those laws are written in our hearts and consciences.
ANNOUNCER: Because people, by nature have a sense of God’s law. That’s why the Bible says, “The soul that sins will die” and “the wages of sin is death.”
KLAUS: Yup, we’re sinners and we are going to be punished for being sinners. There is no way out… at least on our own power.
ANNOUNCER: Which leads us to the second part, the idea that if a person has never heard that Jesus died to atone for their sins, isn’t it unfair of God to punish them for their ignorance? At the very least, your reader seems to suggest such things be left up to God.
KLAUS: Let’s answer that one in reverse. Let me ask this: if it were true that a person who never hears about Jesus can still go to heaven, what is the best thing we can do for that individual? Think about it.
ANNOUNCER: If not knowing about the Savior means they got a free pass, then the best thing you could do would be to not tell anyone about Jesus in the first place.
KLAUS: Taken to its logical–albeit faulty–conclusion we would say, “Let’s bury all the Bibles, let’s shut down all the Sunday Schools, let’s erase Jesus’ Name.” That way you’d eliminate the possibility that they might hear about Jesus–but reject Him.
ANNOUNCER: But it’s true, God wants all people to be saved.
KLAUS: But that happens only through faith in the merit of Jesus. He is the Key which forgives our sins and opens up heaven. And it is the duty of His followers to make sure everybody knows that they have the Key who is Christ.
ANNOUNCER: Which is also why this program has been on the air for more than 80 years now. We bring Christ to the nations… but that happens by bringing Christ to one listener at a time.
KLAUS: And that’s our purpose at Lutheran Hour Ministries. It’s important everyone knows “God so loved the world He gave His only Son so that whoever believes on Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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.
“Today Your Mercy Calls Us” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“The Savior Calls, Let Every Ear” arr. Chris Loemker. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing
House)