Running To Win

Guest (Male): Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. In Jerusalem, you can visit the Garden Tomb. There, you'll see a stone rolled away and inside, no one. On the door of the tomb, it's written, "He is not here. He has risen." Taken from Luke 24, verse 6. The emptiness of that space, carved from solid rock, tells us that one day, Christians' tombs will be empty as well. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Erwin Lutzer is completing a series of portraits of Christ. He's calling, "Come and See Jesus." Pastor, you begin today with a striking quote.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: You know, Dave, what this quotation reminds us of is that it is the empty tomb of Jesus that gives this world hope. Imagine this, if we could see into the future. Knowing what is in the future for all believers, we'd be able to rejoice today, no matter what. We here at Running to Win take delight in the fact that this ministry goes around the world through internet, radio, podcasts, social media, and the like. But we can't do this without your help. And I want to share this excitement with you that any gift that you give during this month will be doubled.

Imagine making an investment that will meet you in eternity, because this ministry stresses the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all the benefits that have come from it is because of people just like you. Would you connect with us? Here's what you can do, go to RTWoffer.com. That's RTWoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now, because this is so critical, I'll be giving you that contact info once again after this message. For now, let us go to that empty tomb.

Alice Meynell wrote, "No planet knows that this earth of ours bears as its chief treasure one forsaken grave." That is the chief treasure on planet Earth, one forsaken grave. So the angel said, "Come, see the empty tomb." And then the angel said in verse 7, "Then go quickly." First of all, "come and see" and then "go" and "tell His disciples that He has arisen." Tell His disciples that death is defeated. Tell His disciples that the sting has been taken out, just like a bee that can only sting you once and after it has stung you, it has no longer a stinger. It can only threaten.

In the very same way, the sting of death has been taken out and later on we discover in the New Testament that because He lives, we shall live also and we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. You want to know what kind of a resurrection body you're going to have? I want you to know that I've already preached once this morning at a sunrise service in a church here in the city and in the message, I pointed out a friend of mine and I asked everybody to look at him and because it was a small church, you could see him. I said, "Just look at the body He brought with him today."

That's the body that's going to be changed. It's the body that's going to be like Jesus. The Bible says it is sown in corruption. And we're all in the process of corrupting. But it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in weakness. You go to a funeral and that body is not only weak, it's dead. It's sown in weakness but it is raised in strength. It is sown a natural body, it's raised a spiritual body. But there will be continuity and similarity because we will know one another in heaven. You and I will be remade, but the continuity will enable us to know each other.

Remember, you are the same person after you die as you were before with some substantial changes, but you are the same person. And so, what the angel said is, "Go, tell His disciples." It's not the end. Jesus has arisen. And then I love these words of the angel in verse 7. He says, "He has arisen from the dead and behold He is going before you into Galilee."

Someone has said that Jesus is the go-ahead God. He goes before us and He does that all the time. There's no place where God ever asks us to go but that He has already been there. Someday we're all going to go to our tomb. But when we think of that tomb, we need not fear it because someone else has already been in the tomb and the one in whom we believe has triumphed over the tomb and because of that, we participate in His triumph.

In the Old Testament days, you remember when God led Israel through the desert. The scripture says that there was a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. God says, "There's nowhere that you are going but that I haven't gone before you." There is no dark room that God is asking you to go into but that it is a room into which He Himself has gone. Your fears of tomorrow, your anxiety for the future, God has been there and God is there. Jesus is our forerunner.

In fact, it says in the book of Hebrews that He rose from the dead and then He ascended on high and He went into the presence of God, into the very Holy of Holies, there awaiting us. And the imagery of a forerunner is this. That when a vessel was coming into a harbor in ancient times, the forerunner would hop off the ship, swim to shore with a rope that was on the ship. He would tie that rope onto a very strong rock, a big rock, and then by means of a winch, that vessel was brought into shore.

And in the very same way, the winds may try to blow us off course. Your vessel and mine, the sails might be tattered. It may well be that the boards begin to creak and the weakness begins to set in. And all of our diseases and our handicaps eventually get the better of us and even if that doesn't happen, we shall die. But every single day Jesus brings us one notch closer to the shore. He brings us where He is already in heaven. And He says, "I've crossed that river, I've gone behind that curtain, and here I am inviting you and leading you to be with Me." He is the go-ahead God.

In fact, it's the whole matter of death that separated the early church from the pagans. You know that when plagues came to the early church and all throughout the land and thousands of people died and there were cartloads of bodies that were pulled off, a man by the name of Cyprian, a leader in the church, in effect said, "These plagues are good." I read one historian who said that Christianity would never have expanded as it did where it not for those plagues. Why? It gave the Christians an opportunity to prove that they die differently than the pagans.

And Cyprian even said that we should not mourn for our brethren. He said our brethren should not be mourned. Now, I don't totally agree with that because Jesus even wept at the tomb of Lazarus, but I want you to know the point that he's making. He says, "Let's not weep for our brethren since they are not lost but sent before." "Departing, they lead the way, travelers to another country." "Let not the pagans see us mourn because we know that they exist on the other side and we shall be with them."

That's why the pagans said of the Christians, "They carry their dead as if in triumph." They know that it is not the end because they believed in a Savior who has proven that He has power over death. We sometimes sing, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone, for I know who holds tomorrow and life is worth a living just because He lives." Pilate said to the guards, "Make the tomb as secure as you can."

You know, there may be somebody here today who wants to make that tomb secure. Maybe there's someone here who'd prefer a dead Christ to a living Christ because if He is dead, you don't have to deal with Him. You can ignore Him and try to live without Him. Make it as secure as you can. Philosophically, David Hume came up with an argument to try to disprove miracles and he thought that if his argument held water, that Jesus would have to stay in the tomb. Well, his argument did not hold water.

Then I think for example of people like Darwin who thought that he would have scientific evidence that we could do away with Christ and the miracles of the Bible. And that we did not need Jesus and we could keep Him in the tomb. Freud took the stone of psychology and rolled it in front of the tomb and said that we can explain human behavior apart from God and apart from Christ. Voltaire took the stone of culture. He thought that man had progressed educationally in such a way that you no longer needed a Christ to intervene to save you. But those men have been of no greater success than those guards who rolled that stone in front of the tomb and who set that watch.

Because you can't keep God in a tomb. Amen. And there may be some of you here today who keep Jesus in the tomb, and by that I mean, at a distance, for other reasons. You may never have worried yourself about Him or thought much about Him, maybe because of anger in your heart. You've been hurt by God. You believe that God has not come through for you, and you've been hurt by some of God's children. And so, in your heart today, you are resistant to the possibility of meeting the risen Christ and you just prefer that He'd be in the tomb.

Some of you because of pride. You think that you can stand before God on your own and you don't need Jesus because you're so healthy and you're so well and you think that even when death comes, somehow you will manage. Like a man on a plane to whom I spoke who said, "When I stand before God, I'm going to stand on the basis of my own record." Wow, you'll be blown away in a moment in the presence of a holy God on the basis of your own record. Another man told me, "I'm going to do okay on my own." No, you're not going to do okay on your own.

And then maybe even religion keeps Jesus in the tomb. This past flu season was pretty bad actually and I eventually did get a flu shot. You know what getting inoculated means is that they give you a little bit of it to keep you from the real thing. That's the idea. There are some people who have enough religion to keep them from the real thing. They say to themselves, "I've heard it all, I've understood it all, I've gone through all the rituals. I know the story," they say.

And yet because of that, they're kept from confronting the risen Christ and coming to know Him personally. And I'm saying today, roll that stone of religion away and get to Jesus. Would you do that? And then maybe for others there is the stone of indifference. Just putting it off, "I don't need Him. Someday maybe." No, this is the appointed hour.

Now, I want to tell you that when Jesus died on the cross, His death was a sacrifice for sinners. And He died so that you and I might not have to die an eternal death. And the Bible makes it very clear that only those who believe in Him, only those who embrace Him, as many as received Him, to those He gives the power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in His name, only those participate in His resurrection. The Bible says that there's a resurrection to life and there's a resurrection to eternal death and the dividing line is what you personally do with Jesus.

And right now in the balcony, there are some of you who are listening who've never responded to Jesus personally. Take all the stones away and say, "Today I receive Him as my Savior." And those on the lower floor and those who may be listening by radio or the internet. This is your moment to reach out and to say, "Jesus, be mine. I receive you." In a few moments, we're going to be singing a song which if you were to sing in sincerity, would be the expression of your heart, you'd be embracing Christ as your Savior.

Take all the stones away. Why? Because He lives. Because He lives, that's why. Kingdoms come and kingdoms go, but Christ lives. Centuries come and centuries go and Christ lives. Skeptics live and skeptics die, but Christ lives. Stars shine and then stars cease their shining, but Christ lives. Lifted up was He to die. "It is finished" was His cry. Now in heaven exalted high. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: And you know, my friend, Jesus Christ is not only the Savior of the West, He is the Savior of the world for all who believe. Listen to this testimony. This person says, "I am a regular listener to your program and I cannot stop listening because I see your teaching is turning my life around." "I am so blessed." This is a listener from West Africa. Now, when I read a testimony like this, it is because of people like you that we can share the Gospel in so many different languages in 50 countries of the world. Would you help us? And here's the exciting news, any gift that you give during this month will be doubled. Imagine that. 50 becomes 100, 100 becomes 200, 500 becomes 1,000. Would you help us? Would you join us in prayer and also with your contributions so that this ministry can expand? And as an expression of our appreciation for your gift, we're making a very special book available. It's entitled, "Christ Among Other Gods." Now, what this book will do is to help you to understand why Jesus Christ alone has the qualifications to be a Savior. Other religions have teachers, none has a Savior. Sure hope that you have a pen or pencil handy because this is the contact info. Here's what you can do. You can go to RTWoffer.com. That's RTWoffer.com or you can pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. And remember, any gift that you give will be doubled. Once again, right now, go to your computer, type in RTWoffer.com. That is RTWoffer.com and thank you in advance for helping us.

Guest (Male): It's time now for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. The damage done by divorce is heart-rending, but when it happens in full view of a local church, the pain is intensified. Nancy has written from Pennsylvania with this story. My husband was saved at age 20 and was a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, and a youth leader for over 30 years. Now he's left me for the church organist. He says that after he divorces me and marries her, he'll ask me and my adult children to forgive him. He says we have to forgive him and invite him back to our birthday gatherings and holiday celebrations with his new wife. As devastated as I am, I believe I can still think clearly enough to believe this is not a good plan. Does God really expect me to accept a clearly unrepentant adulterer as though nothing is wrong? For his mistress, this is her fifth affair with a married man. She also claims the grace and mercy of the Lord. 16 years ago her husband cheated on her, so she feels completely justified. She divorced that husband, and despite my efforts to fight it, my husband will soon be rid of me by divorce. What should I do?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Nancy, first of all, let me thank you so much for asking this question and even as I have read it, I've been praying that God will give me wisdom to answer it. The answer is this, however, that your husband is taking forgiveness for granted. He is confusing, first of all, forgiveness with consequences. Does he really think that he can leave you, that he can commit this great sin, leave you, become involved with this other woman and marry her, and then think to himself, "I've done nothing that a little bit of forgiveness can't cure?"

There are built-in consequences. One day a pastor friend phoned me and he left his wife for another woman and he said, "Well, even David got his Bathsheba." And I said, "Yes, David got his Bathsheba but look at what he also got, the devastation of his own family," etc. It is very important for your children and other people who are watching this scenario to recognize the fact that a man cannot walk away from his wife, marry someone else, and then consider it to be just a small bump in the road. What does that say to your family, your children, the wider family of the church? What the church really ought to do is to discipline him. Is to have him recognize that he is committing a sin and he has to be put outside the congregation in a legal sense.

So what he is doing is, he's confusing forgiveness with consequences. The consequences will still be there. He's also confusing forgiveness with genuine repentance. Obviously, neither he nor the woman he is marrying have any idea of what true repentance is. Because they're repenting, so to speak, and asking for forgiveness before they commit a sin. That is presumption. It only intensifies really their sin. So, specifically to give an answer to your question, no, I don't think that he should be invited back for your celebrations with your children and the like as if nothing has happened because after all, he has asked your forgiveness.

I think that after he is married, what you need to do is to write him a long letter. And you need to point out that you cannot pretend that what he has done is such a small thing that it can just be shoved under the rug. Yes, it is true that God is available to forgive him if he genuinely repents. But restoring him to the family is another matter. I think that there should then be repentance in the presence of the church and in the presence of your family. With real brokenness. So that he acknowledges among all of those who are watching that he has sinned.

Now, he's probably not going to be willing to do that because he's going to say, "Well, you know, I'm in love with this other lady." Fact is, I believe the time will come when God will turn her heart to someone else. They will begin to have problems and probably not until then will he finally face his sin and see the extent of the iniquity that he has done. So, until that time happens. I think that you must respectfully avoid him. If he does show up to these celebrations, let him know that he is viewed as one who is under discipline.

Because I see no genuine repentance, no acknowledgement of his sin, and all that I see is a terrible example for everyone else who is watching what is happening. I pray that you will receive some counseling that will enable you to make wise decisions in the midst of this very, very difficult situation. But sin can never be minimized. Forgiveness is wonderful, but that does not take a big sin and make it negligible. Thank you and I pray that God shall indeed give you the wisdom about which I spoke.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Dr. Lutzer, on behalf of all our listeners in similar situations as Nancy's. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at RTWoffer.com and click on "Ask Pastor Lutzer" or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to Win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago. Next time, we begin a new series on Running to Win, a series showing us the big picture of where we fit, and this means understanding that God is the Creator and we are the managers. Don't miss "Managing God's Gifts." Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAlister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.