The Lutheran Hour
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"Our Foolishness, His Faithfulness"
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Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
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For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! For the believer, those words are God’s salvation-creating, eternity-changing proclamation of the good news. For those without faith in the Christ, they are foolish in the extreme; which is why today we pray the Lord may send His Holy Spirit upon the world’s lost to transform their hearts and minds. In the Savior’s Name we pray. Amen.
Today I’d like to talk to you about human foolishness, flaws, and follies; about some of the stupid and silly things that you and I do; about the times when we turn off our brains and allow ourselves to be sucker-punched by sin, Satan, and even, sometimes, our own evil inclinations. Now I would love to tell you that what I’m going to say is going to give you a smile, put a spring in your step, and make you feel really good about yourself. Yes, I would love to say that, but I can’t. Anytime a message gets real close to home and forces us to take a good look at ourselves we can all get a bit squirmy and uncomfortable.
Well, as I said, we’re talking about human foolishness. I’m talking about the kind of foolishness the advertisers of this world count on to sell their products. Let me give you an example or two. A few years ago there was a series of commercials on TV which addressed the heartbreak which occurs when a man has ‘ring around the collar.’
When I saw those commercials, I could understand the man’s pain. That’s the way I would have stayed had it not been for the fact that, one day, my five-year-old son happened to overhear that commercial. Without looking up from his Star Wars toys, he said: “Why doesn’t she tell him to go and wash his neck better?” In a single sentence, my son had resolved the tragic and terrible situation. As for me, I felt foolish for not having thought of that first.
It wasn’t the last time I was taken to school by my children. There was the time we were watching a cartoon classic. In that movie there was a song which said, “When you wish upon a star makes no difference who you are anything your heart desires will come to you.” It was a beautiful idea, an inspirational thought to which I foolishly nodded in agreement. The mood was shattered when my daughter said, “Suppose his heart’s desire is a billion dollars, will he get it?” What was I going to say? I had to cave and say, “No, darling daughter, you could probably wish upon a galaxy of stars and you won’t get a billion bucks.” My answer soon had the other children naming other things which might defy a wish made on a star. In short, they wanted to know, “Could wishing on a star make you grow tall enough to play in the NBA?” “No, it won’t do that,” I confessed. They asked, “How about making a person like Brussels Sprouts?” “How about getting a pony?” “How about catching a big fish?” “How about making it so the doctor never has to give you a shot when you’re sick?” “How about making you want to go to school?” Sadly I admitted: “No, wishing on a star will never get you any of those things, either.” Once more I had shut off my brain and accepted the foolishness I was being fed.
Well, I did eventually learn; at least some of the time. When I heard the cat food commercial bragging they had the ‘beef flavor that cats naturally crave,” in my mind’s eye I could see 11-pound Fluffy creeping through a farmer’s field, intent on bringing down a 900-pound steer. The foolishness of the idea made me laugh out loud.
Foolishness, the world is filled with foolishness which people accept. I see movie stars speaking against guns and violence even as they collect a small fortune for appearing in a film which is, from the opening scene, filled with guns and violence. That’s foolishness.
Now I know in this politically correct, non-judgmental world it is frowned upon when someone starts pointing to sin. Oh, I hadn’t thought about it until just now… there’s another foolishness. Have you noticed that the church, even when it uses God’s inspired Word as the guide, is not supposed to tell people that something they’re doing is wrong and unacceptable to the Lord; while the world feels perfectly comfortable telling Christians to keep quiet because what they’re saying is wrong and unacceptable to them? In other words, it’s wrong for the church to judge the world, but it’s perfectly allowable for the world to judge the church. Foolishness!
Well, I’ve wandered off the topic. You know, as long as I just mentioned the Bible, maybe this would be the time to tell you God’s Holy Word has a great many stories about human foolishness. Amazingly, most of these stories do not center upon the Jebusites or the Amorites or the Hittites or any of the other “ites” who followed their own heathen and hateful religions. No, these stories of foolishness zero in on the Lord’s hand-picked people. You’ll find the first such story in the Garden of Eden. There, in the perfection the Lord had created, were Adam and Eve. They had it made in the shade. If they planted a seed, it grew and it produced bountifully. Forget weeds, drought, flood, or insects. This was God’s Garden and it was as good as man would ever get. And what does the Bible say the first couple did with all that perfectness? It tells us they foolishly got sucked into the lies of a smooth-talking serpent. In short order these foolish children found themselves kicked out of the Garden and dealing with death. Foolishness.
That, my friends was just the beginning of humankind’s foolish, self-centered ego trip. Cain killed his brother Abel. That was foolishness. It was foolishness when the world rejected God and, with the exception of Noah and seven others, was destroyed. Abraham and Sarah foolishly thought God could never give them an heir so they took matters into their own hands. The Patriarch, Jacob, stole from his brother and ten of his sons sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery. Moses foolishly disobeyed God and never entered the Promised Land. King David committed adultery and murder, and Solomon, the wisest of men, foolishly ended up marrying a lot of wives, which gave him a lot of mothers-in-law, and those wives led him into following many false gods. Foolishness. Look at every Scriptural character and you will be hard-pressed to see any of these respected and revered leaders of God’s people who didn’t slip, stumble, and foolishly reject God’s will, His path, His directives. Yes, all of them regretted their foolish wanderings and walked their own path.
Amazingly, it doesn’t get much better in the four Gospels which tell the story of Jesus’ life. The narrative begins with a priest being punished because he refused to accept God’s promises and it ends with one disciple betraying Jesus, another denying Him, and the rest sleeping and then deserting Him during the one time He needed them. Foolishly, Israel’s priests plot Jesus’ death and His government abandons justice so the Savior might fulfill the prophecy and die for us upon a cruel cross. In spite of all this foolishness, God proves Himself faithful and allows His Son to carry our sins so all who believe on Him might be saved. All-in-all it would be a sad, sorry, sinful story if it were not for Jesus finishing the work entrusted to Him and, three days after His death, coming forth from the tomb and showing to all that He was the Victor, the Redeemer, the successful Substitute, the Savior of our souls.
Jesus’ work should have changed everything for everybody. Sadly, the numbers of those who have foolishly rejected His redemption are legion… and they are lost. You know, when you push on the door which is clearly marked “PULL,” you feel foolish. When you invest the family fortune and buy the Brooklyn Bridge, you feel foolish. When you reject the Lord, the Savior, and the blood-bought salvation He has won for you, that is a completely different matter with completely different consequences. Rejecting the cross is not just silly and stupid, it is damning. It is the drowning passenger on the Titanic refusing a life vest; it is the diabetic refusing insulin; it is a bankrupt debtor declining to have a stranger pay his overwhelming obligations. No, it is worse than any of those things because the struggles and suffering of the drowning man, the diabetic, and the debtor will soon be over; but the punishment for those who cling to their unbelief will be everlasting.
In spite of the looming threat of hell, the world still says the Savior’s cross is foolishness. Nothing could be further from the truth. The rough-hewn Roman cross of the Redeemer is not foolish. It is a tangible, real demonstration of the Lord’s love for His wandering children. That cross is God’s grace which has been set up in the middle of the broad, well-traveled road leading to hell; it is God’s mercy which says to every traveler on that road, “You don’t have to go.”
My dear friends, look to Jesus’ cross. It is the Redeemer’s rescue for you and every sinner whom the Holy Spirit will bring to repentance. Look to the cross as well as Jesus’ empty tomb where the Lord shows His willingness to salvage even the world’s worst and most wicked of souls. Look to Jesus’ Jerusalem cross and see Divine compassion which can erase every sin and forgive every transgression. Look to the cross and you will see how the Triune God called for His only Son to carry our sins and die in our place.
Centuries ago, the forces of Islam laid siege to the capital of Spain. For some time, that city was safeguarded and shielded by that nation’s ruler, King Alphonso. Tragically, and in circumstances I am not able to discover, the King’s son was captured. Knowing the wonderful relationship which existed between father and son, the invaders put up a gallows in view of the king and all the others who were watching from the walls of the castle.
The Islamic leader ordered the prince to be brought forward and stand on the gallows. Over his head they placed a sign which challenged, “Alphonso, either the city or your son!” It was the kind of decision no king, no father, should ever have to make. Alphonso’s advisers searched his face to get some indication of the pain and the battle which must have been going on in the monarch’s heart. They agonized, “Would he turn over the city and allow its citizens to be taken off into slavery? Would he permit his son to die?” The wait of the king’s counselors was a short one as Alphonso decided what he would do. The message was sent back to the Muslim leader: “Let my son die, so that my people may live.”
A lover of history would have to look far to find another ruler with that sense of duty and values. That being said, Alphonso’s love of his people comes off a distant second when it is compared to the love God holds out to the sinners of this world. In a comparison of the two you will readily acknowledge that, while Alphonso’s son had to be captured, God’s Son voluntarily entered this world to seek and save the lost. We must also concede that if Alphonso could have rescued his son, he would have done so without hesitation. How much different is our heavenly Father Who not only allowed His Son to die, His plan of salvation demanded it. Do I need to mention Alphonso was willing to allow his son to die for his own people; but Jesus died for us, as Romans says, ‘God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ The last comparison I would make is this: when Alphonso’s people saw and heard what he had done, they rallied behind him. That is a right reaction when another person has offered up his life to save yours. In contrast, many in the world, having heard what Jesus has done for them, look at that blood-stained cross and call it ‘foolishness.’
Yes, there are those who say that, and there are those who say worse. There are religious leaders and denominations who rewrite Scripture to make it match human logic and expectations. Some may say Jesus never died on that cross 21 centuries ago, but only appeared to have expired. There are others who hold that Jesus died, but never physically rose from the dead. They choose to believe He rose as a memory in the hearts of His followers. And, of course, there are those who would elevate Jesus’ humanity, even as they deny and demean His Divinity. To them Jesus is a mere Philosopher, a Teacher, a Moralist, an Ethicist, an ancient Philanthropist. To such people the cross is foolishness; but to those who see with eyes of faith, along with the open and empty tomb, the cross is the power of God which offers salvation.
Now up to this point in time I have spoken about the differences between how the world perceives the cross and how believers see it. If you would, let me get personal and ask you, as an individual, “Where do you put your faith: in the cross of Christ or in the wisdom of the world?” If you are numbered in that second group, I’d like to go even further.
When you look back at your life, are you haunted by wrong and shameful things you have done or said or thought? Have you committed acts which you struggle to keep hidden from everyone else; acts which twist your stomach into knots, which brings a blush to your cheeks and robs you of sleep? Now let me ask, “What has the world done to bring you lasting and permanent peace?” If you are like most, you will have to admit the world has no medication, no program, no philosophical plan which can remove those sins and soothe your conscience. Let me continue. When you think of your own mortality and the moment you will breathe your last, do you ever wonder what will happen next? Are you absolutely convinced that death is the end of everything or do you, every so often, get a fleeting feeling that there is something more and you aren’t prepared for what’s going to happen? Have you ever longed to have something, someone in whom you can place your trust… someone who is absolutely reliable and will always be there for you?
If so, I encourage you, abandon any attitude which has labeled the cross as being foolish. The crucified and risen Christ came to erase those sins which trouble your days and upset your nights. He has come to give you a peace which the world cannot give. Look to the cross and empty grave of Jesus and know that, right now, a living Lord extends His nail-pierced hands to you in welcome. Jesus says, “Come to me and I will listen, I will carry your concerns; I will hear your prayers; I will comfort your soul and my love for you will never end.” And if that, my friend, is foolishness, then I say, bring it on, I want more of it.
And finally, if you’re ready to join me at the foot of the cross and at the empty tomb, I and the rest of us at The Lutheran Hour, are ready to help. That’s why I say, ‘Please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.’
Action in Ministry for January 29, 2017
Guest: Gabriela SilveiraANNOUNCER: You’re listening to The Lutheran Hour. Pastor Gregory Seltz joins us now along with a special guest.
SELTZ: Yes, and joining us today is Gabriela, we’ll call you Gabby, is that okay?
SILVEIRA: Yeah, it’s better for me.
SELTZ: Oh, it’s better for you. Right. She’s from our Ministry Center in Uruguay.
SILVEIRA: Well, thank you very much. It’s a big pleasure for me to be here.
SELTZ: Give us a little background on your country, the culture, and the attitudes in the region.
SILVEIRA: Uruguay is a small country, the smallest in South America, and we are bordered by two giants-Brazil and Argentina. The population is around 3 million people. There is less than 1 million in Montevideo; that is the capital city. This country is very well known for the agricultural activities, the livestock production, the beautiful beaches. The weather is very nice.
SELTZ: Tell us a little bit about the culture then too and some of the challenges; those kinds of things.
SILVEIRA: Something that is like very highlighting of our country is the high literacy level.
ANNOUNCER: Okay.
SILVEIRA: Because, for example, the education is free at all levels. Something that is very important to say about that is that it is an atheistic country; one of the most atheistic in the Latin America continent.
SELTZ: Is that right?
SILVEIRA: Yes. Around 48% of the people they don’t believe in anything.
SELTZ: Right.
SILVEIRA: They don’t care about faith, spiritual issues…
SELTZ: Nothing.
SILVEIRA: Nothing related to that.
SELTZ: Well, the good news is that God created them and God actually…they are spiritual beings whether they believe that or not. So, there may be more opportunities…
SILVEIRA: Yeah, yeah.
SELTZ: But it’s difficult because you’re always going to have to work harder.
SILVEIRA: They are very superstitious.
SELTZ: Oh.
SILVEIRA: Yeah.
SELTZ: And yet they’re secular.
SILVEIRA: Uh huh.
SELTZ: How about that?
SILVEIRA: Yeah. Irony.
ANNOUNCER: Yeah.
SELTZ: We have a lot of that happening in America too because a lot of people seem to be running away from their faith in America, but they run to something.
SILVEIRA: Yeah.
SELTZ: I guess the good news is that they need to know that God is running after them still.
SILVEIRA: And the Lord can fill that empty space.
SELTZ: That’s right.
ANNOUNCER: Anything we can pray for that would help to support your work?
SILVEIRA: There is a new generation coming and they are very curious and open-minded. So we are like taking advantage of that and we are getting related to young people and to produce things for them and appealing to them too. Talking about the Gospel and it’s the same always and will be.
SELTZ: One of the hard parts in our country too is there are people who think our technology, our money, our healthcare, all of that…that that will somehow save us. It doesn’t. It’s a nice thing to have. We’re very glad that we have some of those blessings from God; of course we need to give Him thanks for that; but there is still something bigger in our lives that can only be filled by God. There is one thing that really can only be filled by Him and those young people might be experiencing that. They’re feeling like if this is the answer, there has got to be more. Right? So maybe this is a great opportunity…
SILVEIRA: They are looking for an answer. They need it. That’s why we are like doing our big effort on social media because we think that all the young people are there. We need to focus on this type of tool and use it wisely.
SELTZ: See what God can do with you.
SILVEIRA: Yeah.
SELTZ: Wonderful to have you here with us. Thank you for letting us know, Gabby, how we can be prayerfully a part of this with you and thanks also for sharing some insight with us. I learned a lot today too.
ANNOUNCER: I did too.
SELTZ: As we follow you, I know we’ve got information on our website where we can follow you. I’m going to be very interested to see what you’re doing because you’re right in the city. I like that.
SILVEIRA: Yeah.
SELTZ: And keep up that good work. But you also teach all of us what it’s like to be persevering for the Gospel so we will actually learn from you as well, okay?
SILVEIRA: Okay.
SELTZ: Thanks for being here.
SILVEIRA: Thank you very much for inviting me.
SELTZ: The pleasure is ours. That’s our Action In Ministry segment today; to bless, to empower, and to strengthen your life in Christ for others.
ANNOUNCER: And for more information and a prayer guide, call 1-855-john316. That’s 1-855-564-6316.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 29, 2017
Topic: What Did Jesus Do For Us?ANNOUNCER: What exactly did Jesus do for us? That’ll be our question today for our Speaker Emeritus, Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hello, Mark, and hello once again to our listeners.
ANNOUNCER: Pastor, those who compare religions say, “While other faiths tell their followers what they must do in order to please god, Christianity tells us what God has done to save a sinful world.”
KLAUS: Of course, that leads to, “And just what is it that God has done?”
ANNOUNCER: Back in Sunday School we were taught to say “Jesus died for our sins.”
KLAUS: A great many people use that answer. The problem is that when an unbeliever or a person from another faith, hears, “Jesus died for our sins,” they get confused. They reason: “I thought God hated sin. Now they’re telling me He sent His beloved Son into this world to die for sin. Why would He sacrifice His Son to save something He hates?”
ANNOUNCER: But there is a definite connection between our sin and Jesus’ death.
KLAUS: Absolutely. Jesus took upon Himself the punishment we deserved. Our sins were laid upon Him and He took them to the cross. There He resolved the debt we owed. In the Old Testament, God instructed His people to spill the blood of perfect animal specimens to make a temporary atonement for sin. Jesus, God’s perfect Son, ended those sacrifices. That’s why John the Baptist was right when he said, (John 1:29) “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” According to John, did Jesus die for our sins?”
ANNOUNCER: He died to take away our sins. He died for us so that we might be forgiven and live with Him in heaven forever. For that to happen Jesus took those sins upon Himself and died to save us.
KLAUS: Now we’re getting somewhere. For Jesus to be able to take our sins and carry them to the cross and die in our place, what had to happen first? What qualified Him for that job?
ANNOUNCER: He first had to live a perfect life in obedience to all of God’s laws. If He hadn’t done that, He would have been a sinner just like the rest of us.
KLAUS: Absolutely. Jesus’ hours on that cross would have been meaningless if He had committed a sin or if the devil had successfully tempted Him. But Jesus didn’t sin and the devil didn’t lead Him astray. So, when we ask, “What has God done for us,” we have to include “He sent His Son Who lived the perfect life which we couldn’t.”
ANNOUNCER: Now, if all Jesus had to do for us was die, the Lord could have allowed Herod’s soldiers to murder Him as an Infant in Bethlehem.
KLAUS: Right, God could have adjusted the prophecies to read Jesus will be born in Bethlehem and there He will be sacrificed for sinful humanity. But it didn’t happen that way. Before Jesus could die for us…
ANNOUNCER: He first had to live for us.
KLAUS: And He had to do it successfully, and by that I mean perfectly. But I don’t think we’re done yet. When we ask, “What did the Lord do for us in Jesus,” there has to be more than, “He lived and died to take away our sins.”
ANNOUNCER: I understand Jesus had to be sinless if He were to die as our Substitute, once and for all. Dying to save us from the condemnation of our sins would have been the best of causes. Wouldn’t you agree?
KLAUS: I do agree. But there has to be more. Mark, give or take a few, 151,600 people die in the world every day. With all those people dying, Jesus’ passing was unique.
ANNOUNCER: In what sense?
KLAUS: If I said, “Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the cross to take away humanity’s sins,” what would make Him exceptional? Indeed, how would you know Jesus had finished the work He had been given?
ANNOUNCER: We absolutely have to add “He rose from the dead.” Without Resurrection Sunday, Good Friday is meaningless and incomplete.
KLAUS: Yeah, and Resurrection Sunday cannot take place without Good Friday. The two go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other. Jesus’ resurrection tells us that His sacrifice was accepted. Payment was made in full. His death was our death; His resurrection is now our resurrection. So, if I asked, “What did God do for us”…
ANNOUNCER: We would have to say, “Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life for us in our place. He suffered and died for us in our place, and then He rose again for us.”
KLAUS: I agree and for once I get to say it. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Son of God, Eternal Savior” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)