The Lutheran Hour
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"In Christ, Deliverance Is Sure"
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Text: Colossians 1:13-20
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For God the Father has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins………For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. Alleluia. And in Him there is deliverance for you, for sure. Amen.
On August 5, 2010, in the century-old San José Mine in Chile, a massive explosion left 33 miners stranded nearly half a mile below the earth’s surface. It buried all tunnels and escape routes under 770,000 tons of rock and dirt. The explosion cut off all connections to the daylight world above. No electricity, no intercom, no water, and a quickly diminishing supply of oxygen.
Do you remember the story? The terror, the fear, the hope for deliverance; through TV and video it captivated the world.
33 miners trapped in a dark, subterranean prison. They fled to the “The Refuge Room,” but it only had provisions for two days for 25 men. But their plight quickly extended beyond 2 days into weeks of days; forcing them to severe rationing of food and water, driving them even to drink the dirty, oily water used for keeping the engines of their machinery cool. Their diet; eating a rationed meal of 1 cookie every two days with as little water as they could drink and survive. Deliverance was needed! And fast!
Above ground rescuers drilled for short distances only to be stopped by huge amounts of rocks and debris that filled the mine. Many nations sent help including the United States, which sent a special 26,000-pound drill. On October 12, sixty-nine days after the mine exploded, the drill had finally formed a hole that was large enough to pull the miners through all the way to the top. Twenty-four hours after the first man was raised back to the surface, the last man was delivered to safety. These men had experienced what they said was a living hell. They were caught in a darkness, with no escape; their only hope was rescue from above.
Someone was needed who would know how to drill through the tons of dirt and rock that buried them and create a way to bring them back; to bring them back into the light.
That’s the emotion of our text when Paul says to this Christian congregation in Colossae: “For God the Father has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
You see, this congregation was faced with the problem of false teachers. These teachers were teaching that faith in Jesus; it wasn’t enough for rescue, deliverance, and life. These false teachers were exchanging God’s gift of rescue by grace in Jesus, for an avalanche of worthless piety, burying these people with the darkness of some kind of pietistic religiosity; promoting fasting, new legalistic rules and regulations, the worship of angels, and the necessity of having visions, all to fill in the gaps that were supposedly left by salvation in Christ alone.
Paul reminds us that there is a darkness to our lives because of our sin. There is an entombing power to guilt and lawlessness and we all suffer from it. Like those miners, without rescue from above, our sin leaves us spiritually emaciated, living off polluted water and spoiling food and a sure but hopeless end.
Throughout the Bible, God paints a realistic, yet hopeless, picture for sinful people on their own terms; if you and I are trying to save ourselves. That’s what we need to hear today too. And let me say this, if someone is telling you there is hope and rescue and restoration for your life, but that you don’t need Jesus, they’re just wrong, they are leading you away from the only One Who can bring you and me peace, and joy, and reconciliation with God, forgiveness for your sin and guilt, and an eternal life with Him forever!
So, this letter to the Colossians is bold in its assessment of our problem, but it’s even bolder still about the offer of gracious deliverance that is here for those who put their trust in Christ.
To those who are eager to be rescued from the darkness, Jesus offers this, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Paul is reminding these believers and anyone listening today….that when it comes to the real issues of life, all of us need an expert Savior from above to get the job done.
Just like those miners when the word went out across the media that 33 men in Chile were trapped in the darkness of a mine 2,000 feet below the earth, there was a cry for help. They sought the best equipment, the most qualified men to come and help try to save these men. Why, because only the best rescuers had any chance of getting this done.
Is there any difference for us? Our sin has separated us from the God Who created us. Our sin has unleashed pride, bigotry, callousness, brutality, and heartlessness in our world that is beyond mere philosophical, political, or economic solutions. Someone has to drill through the impossible barriers, someone has to bring living water to our parched hearts and minds.
Do you know what else Paul says about this Jesus, this Messiah, in Colossians, chapter 1? He says:
* He is the image of the invisible God – He’s the true God Who came in the flesh for you.
* He is the firstborn of all creation – If you want to know your future, look at His future and believe.
* He is the One through Whom the world was created. As Paul says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible, invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.
* He is the glue that holds everything together.
* He is the only One who can reconcile sinners to a holy God; and He did it through His life, death, and resurrection.Tell me there is someone else like this Jesus. Paul, with joy, is saying, “Look, God the Father has sent the only One Who can rescue us.” The One He sent is the only One Who has the ability, credentials, authority, and the power to do for us what no one else can do.
I still can’t believe what happened to those miners, can you? Can you imagine what it must have cost to save them from certain death? Think of the expense for all the equipment, the specialist, the foremen, the workers; it must have run into the millions and millions of dollars to bring those miners back into the light.
When there is hopeless bondage, when there is no escape from the prisons of our sin, our guilt, our rebellion, there is always a cost for real, lasting redemption.
That’s why, when Paul describes what Jesus has done for the world on the cross, he calls it “redemption.” That’s rescue that has a price, one that you and I can’t pay, but one that someone must pay for us to be delivered.
The price for our rescue was greater than any amount of money, gold, or silver that could be collected. The price for our release was the death of God’s own Son in our place, and life as a gift from Him on His terms alone. I love how Martin Luther says in his explanation to the second article of the Apostles Creed, he said it this way. “(Jesus) has redeemed (that means paid the price for) me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil himself; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.
If you are feeling the weight of the spiritual debts that are in your life today, if you are overcome by your sinful actions and sinful inactions in such a way that you can’t see any kind of hope for you in your future; well, please listen my friend. Jesus Christ has drilled a salvation path to where you are today. His Word can reach into your life and bring light where there is only darkness and hope where all hope has given way!
I know that those miners had real doubts that they would ever see the light of day again. I think that many were resigned to the fact that help just could NOT reach them in time. So, you can imagine the overwhelming feeling each miner must have felt as they were pulled out of that dark hole into the natural light? Can you imagine the feeling of despair transformed into thankfulness and joy?
What emotions they must have had to realize that there was nothing they could do for their rescue; yet there were truly qualified, committed, compassionate people who would not stop; they wouldn’t stop digging until they were rescued!
That’s the Spirit of Jesus Christ Who hung on the cross and said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” That’s the Spirit of Jesus Who said, “It is finished,” ransom paid, sin atoned for, life possible again. That’s the Spirit of Jesus Who says to you today, “Because I live, you will live also!”
In this powerful letter, the Apostle Paul is saying, “Now, let me remind you again Who this God is Who has given you your freedom. It is Jesus Christ. He is no ordinary Man; He is the image of God. He’s the One you can trust. But God the Father sent His Son so that you could know His very heart for you. As Jesus Himself says, “He who has seen me, has seen the Father!” “As the Father has loved me,” so He says, “so I have loved you.” We need deliverance from above. Yes, and Paul says it’s right here. It’s right now in Jesus Christ for you.
I was reminded of a story. A little boy looked up to the sky and he asked his mother, “Mommy, is God up there?” When she assured him that He was, the youngster replied, “Wouldn’t it be nice if He would put His head out and let us see Him once in a while?” What the boy didn’t understand was that God has let us see Him -in the Person of His Son. What Paul is saying is, “Look to Christ when you need deliverance that lasts. Look to Christ alone when you need freedom that endures. Look to Christ alone when you need forgiveness, life, and real salvation.”
So, let me encourage you today with a Word that encourages me so much too. No matter what you are facing, look to the rescue that came for you from above; the redemption in Jesus; because in Him deliverance is sure!
Our world may be falling apart. There are daily reports of violence that seem unbearable. Nature itself seems at the breaking point with earthquakes, floods, fires, and other disasters that make us feel so small and so insignificant. Even with our technology, diseases are still prevalent as ever and expanding. But deliverance in Christ is sure!
So many of you may be struggling even closer to home with your families, your neighbors, your friends. Many don’t believe that love, laughter, and commitment can even happen today. Many merely say that today’s brokenness is the new norm. Don’t you believe it, because deliverance in Him for you is sure!
Or maybe this sounds too good to be true. You might be feeling the weight of never-ending temptations or struggle today. You may be disillusioned with a world that seems to reward giving in rather than overcoming. You may feel overwhelmed and think that no one is listening or no one is coming to help; don’t be discouraged, because deliverance in Christ for you is sure!
How can I say that deliverance in Him is sure? Because there is no Savior like Jesus in this world; and He came to save people like you and me, that’s why. Deliverance in Him is sure.
Paul describes Jesus in a way that gives us complete confidence that Jesus can do exactly what He promises to do. Paul describes Jesus so that we know Jesus is worthy of our trust and faith. Paul tells us amazing truths about Jesus so that we can trust that what God says and does will happen for us all because of what Jesus has done.In the Old Testament King David described this kind of rescue and redemption in Psalm 51. In the prison of his guilt over adultery and murder, he gave a glimpse not only of what God can do with sinners like you and me; he gave us a glimpse of what it feels like too. He says this: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow…. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Rescued, redeemed, cleansed, refreshed. Do you remember those miners? I am sure that soon after these men were able to see their loved ones, the first things they wanted to do was to take a long, hot shower to wash away all that sweat, dirt, and pollution of their incarceration. Can you imagine how good that felt?
Well, let me tell you this today; when you are cleansed by the grace of Jesus Christ, when you stand in the light of Christ, that opportunity for real, enduring refreshment is yours no matter what pit it is that God has had to rescue you from. If you are looking for real, lasting deliverance, refreshment, life, and salvation; look only to the cross and the resurrection of Jesus for you.
When you see impossible rescue happen before your eyes, all you can say is, “That’s God. That’s God in action for me.”
When the drill bit punched through the rock 2000 feet from above, to rescue those miners, Jose Henríquez, who, after so many days underground, had been transformed into a shirtless and starving prophet, looked at that drill bit and pronounced to everyone: “Dios existe.” He said God exists.
Well, the Apostle Paul says way more than that. He says that God not only exists, but that God the Father sent His Son so that you might have real rescue and deliverance that lasts. Listen in with me each week on The Lutheran Hour, and I’ll tell you about this Jesus, this deliverance, this life and salvation that is here for you because God paid the price; He did the time; and He brought you and me a rescue in Jesus that never ends. Christians sing it this way today: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” and Paul invites you and he invites me to trust in Him for a deliverance and a rescue that endures forever!
Amen.
Action in Ministry for November 20, 2016
Guest: Seltz Family ThanksgivingANNOUNCER: You’re listening to The Lutheran Hour. This is Action In Ministry. This week many of our listeners in the United States will be gathering with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. Now we all have a lot of different holiday traditions. Today we want to visit with some special guests: the Seltz family, and take a look at what this holiday means to them.
SELTZ: Well, Mark, this is going to be fun today especially because we love Thanksgiving at our house and we’re excited to share that with all of you today. Again, I want to introduce my lovely wife, Yvette; she’s been here with me before, but also today my beautiful daughter, our beautiful daughter, Devin. She’s with us today to share as well.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you for joining us.
YVETTE: Thank you for having us.
ANNOUNCER: Now, so often when we think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind might be food and football; so what’s on the menu at your house this week?
SELTZ: Well, obviously, menu; traditional foods, although we have the tamales, which may not be traditional for the Midwest, but that’s one of my favorite traditional things that’s on the menu at our house; and a little jalapeno spice involved with that too, right, Yvette? Absolutely.
ANNOUNCER: And that comes out of your family tradition out of Texas.
YVETTE: It does. In fact, that’s the very first food that my husband ate with us whenever I introduced him to my family.
SELTZ: I stayed late too that night as well. But really, when we talk about the menu, what’s most important is… is worship really is the key for us. And for those who know me, usually Thanksgiving starts with worship and I’m leading worship, so it is a working day for me; but it’s a focusing on the things of God. So we go hear the Word of God and oftentimes I’m preaching that day and so it starts with worship for me. That’s kind of the key element throughout Thanksgiving. Then, coming back home from that, then it’s to make time for my family, to give us a chance to step back a little bit too. But, Yvette, the day starts earlier even than the worship service, right? Talk about what you do to start the day.
YVETTE: Yeah. I get up before the sun even comes up.
SELTZ: And I’m not real happy about that.
YVETTE: No, but you’re sleeping so it’s okay. I just start making the food; the preparations and the music’s going.
SELTZ: We try to make Thanksgiving a day where we make the most of the little things; well, not the little things, the basic things. That’s a better way to say it. Faith in God, thanksgiving for your family and friends, thanksgiving for salvation, that God is with us through all of this. That really is the key.
ANNOUNCER: What would you suggest for people who want to maintain that focus in their own Thanksgiving celebrations?
YVETTE: Well, this morning when we were having coffee before I went to work, we were talking about this. I said that verse that talks about “be grateful in all circumstances.” That’s sometimes a hard verse whenever you’re struggling with things. My father’s been struggling with his health this year. Even being grateful then because Christ is with you, we’re never walking through this by ourselves. So when we think about that, some of the ways that we show gratitude is by some of the blessings that we have…even when they’re small, just passing it forward. For homeless people, Greg has taken teams out. Devin’s been included in that. Also in the streets of New York and in California…giving socks out. Distributing socks and caps and gloves to the homeless. This year we’re going to be putting individual packets of toiletries and coats and taking them to the homeless shelter on Locust Street.
SELTZ: What really hurt me, Mark, is when she gave me a packet of those toiletries. I really didn’t understand that.
DEVIN: But I always liked also how we invited them to the service as well, too.
SELTZ: Yeah.
DEVIN: …handouts. So that was having them become part of our community as well, too.
YVETTE: That’s true.
SELTZ: One of our members was a part of the homeless shelter and he was one of our great evangelists in the homeless shelter. He would bring people back and forth. He’s probably one of my most faithful members…Maurice…I miss Maurice to this day.
ANNOUNCER: Devin, I understand that you make a definite connection between Thanksgiving and the Christmas season, the Advent season, tell us about that.
DEVIN: This is correct. I like to combine them together. At the end of the Thanksgiving Day when everyone’s kind of sleeping or in bed, I start to get everything out…all the Christmas trees, all the ornaments, and I start to put it up right away.
SELTZ: Her room is already decked out.
DEVIN: I think it goes back to the atmosphere, you just want to keep it continuing throughout.
SELTZ: Yvette, that’s the one thing I always love about our house is we’re ready to receive visitors. We’re ready to do these celebrations, but Yvette dresses the whole house up and really brings the colors out of the season. There’s a spirit in all of that that really lingers, I think, after the day. That’s part of our tradition.
ANNOUNCER: I want to thank you for sharing your family traditions with us. Yvette and Devin, thank you for helping us focus on the gratitude that is due to our gracious God Who is the Giver of all these gifts.
SELTZ: Why don’t we wish everybody…
SELTZ, YVETTE, DEVIN: Happy Thanksgiving.
SELTZ: That’s our Action In Ministry segment today; to bless, to empower, and to strengthen your life in Christ for others.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for November 20, 2016
Topic: What Does Isaiah 40:31 Mean Today?ANNOUNCER: And now, Pastor Gregory Seltz explores another favorite Bible verse and what it means for us. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor Seltz, today’s verse is Isaiah 40:31, “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not be faint.” We have discussed a number of these popular verses, and you have helped us understand what they really mean. This is another favorite.
SELTZ: Mark, I really like this one too. This is a wonderful verse to memorize to keep our eyes and our hopes on the promises of God.
ANNOUNCER: But I know there’s a lot more to it. What does Isaiah 40:31 really mean?
SELTZ: First of all, this is obviously from the book of Isaiah. It helps to understand what is happening in the history of ancient Israel when we read a passage from Isaiah or from any of the prophets.
ANNOUNCER: What does this particular passage mean in the history of Israel?
SELTZ: Actually, in order to understand verse 31, you have to look at the whole entire chapter of Isaiah 40. The chapter really begins a new section of Isaiah, where he addresses the time when the southern kingdom called Judah will be in Babylon as punishment, captivity for their sins.
ANNOUNCER: All right, let’s back up just a little bit and explain some of these things. First off: Judah and Babylon; what’s all that?
SELTZ: Good, let’s back up. After David’s son Solomon died, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern called Judah.
ANNOUNCER: What does Babylon have to do with that?
SELTZ: Babylon was an ancient powerful empire back then and God uses them to conquer Judah and all of these people are taken into exile. But this wasn’t merely a powerful nation conquering a weaker one; the prophet said this was punishment from God because the people of Judah were worshipping false gods and trusting in their own strength and not in God’s promises for them.
ANNOUNCER: All right. So this verse is being written to people who are in exile.
SELTZ: Yes. And here’s the point. God’s not done with them. This verse is written to give hope to these exiles. God is still with them and He is still their hope and He still has His purposes in mind for them. The verse comes at the end of chapter 40, and reflects similar ideas with also what’s in the very beginning of the chapter.
ANNOUNCER: And there we read; “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
SELTZ: Isaiah promises that these people who are being punished in exile should not lose heart, but still trust in God for their salvation. He has forgiven their sins and He’s going to bring an end to their struggles.
ANNOUNCER: All right, but I am not an Israelite from Jerusalem who is in exile in Babylon. Does this verse apply to me?
SELTZ: It still does because the Israel of the Old Testament was merely to be a channel of God’s grace for all people! God chose the most insignificant nation so that He could show it was God’s promise for all people through them. Jesus is the fulfillment of all those promises to ancient Israel. We put our faith in Christ Who saved us all. That hope in the Lord that matters today too just for you!
ANNOUNCER: Are we in exile?
SELTZ: Yes and no. We are, of course, not in exile like the people of Judah or Israel; although there are some Christians who are suffering that way. But the Church does exist in a world that is like an exile. This world is full of sin and continues to turn further away from God. It is difficult for the Church to continue to trust in God in the midst of a world and a life that always seems to be pointing away from Him.
ANNOUNCER: Yet if we hope in the Lord…
SELTZ: He will give us strength. That’s why I love this passage. As the Church, we are God’s chosen people just like those ancient Israelites. We are the very body of Christ. His Word and Sacraments teach us to trust in Him, to find our hope in Him, now and when He ultimately comes in glory!
ANNOUNCER: But until then, we are here in exile.
SELTZ: Yes, but in the meantime, we live in forgiveness and God’s peace even then. Until Jesus returns, we receive His forgiveness; until Jesus returns we have the promises of God, and until He returns we live in the light of God’s love. That’s life on eagles’ wings, with God-given strength, that’s comfort for people in exile who put their trust in God.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)