2008-05-15 18:19Z

Too Late?

Presenter: Larry Kirkpatrick

Location: Mentone, California, United States

Delivery: 2007-09-30 05:16Z

Publication: GreatControversy.org 2007-09-30 05:16Z

Type: Sermon

URL: http://www.greatcontroversy.org/gco/ser/kir-toolate.php

While He yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole (Luke 8:49, 50).

Here is the story. Jesus has been on the way to the home where the little girl was ill, but the crowd was large and progress was slow. Along the way He was helping various ones. But finally the young girls dies, and word is sent to Jesus. “You needn’t bother to come. It is too late. She is dead.”

Jesus resurrected her. But first, Hebrews 9:27 says that “it is appointed unto men once to die, and then the judgment.” Did Jesus’ actions violate this Scripture? If it is appointed unto men once to die, then how can we have Jesus, or Paul, or Elijah, going about and raising the dead? It seems that that would mess up the tally.

The text in Hebrews says not only that it is appointed unto men once to die, but it also states (vs. 29) that Jesus died once as an offering for the sins of many. Jesus’ death not only rids the world ultimately of the consequences from sin, but it first addresses the moral category. The first death, the physical death, is not necessarily directly related to personal moral choices as is the second death. Jesus never resurrected anyone from the second death. He did not, for example, after dying on the cross, go and resurrect the second, unrepentant thief. That thief died a hard-hearted, unrepentant rebel. In fact, among all the cases in the Bible of resurrection, never is one seen to be resurrected who died unrepentant. (We are not here discussing all resurrections, and particularly not the two great mass resurrections after the Second Coming, one of the righteous before the thousand years and one of the wicked after the thousand years.) In some cases where death was due to circumstance, Jesus saw fit to resurrect people.

This raises a question: When are we beyond the reach of Jesus’ miracles? There are two kinds of situations. The one kind of situation involves circumstance in a sinful world. But the other involves our informed, intentional choices in the moral realm. Our God is very careful; He will not overrule these for us. He respects—completely—the free will He has given us. If He took away or overrode our free will, we would not be made like we are, the image of God in us would not be like God’s image. We would not be free moral agents. So He is always a moral gentlemen and refuses to take away this special thing that He has given us.

If we have not chosen determined rebellion, then we are not beyond the reach of Jesus’ miracles. The greatest miracle, we will agree is not parting the waters of the red sea, or causing the earth to cease rotating for 24 hours, or even making planets, solar systems, and galaxies. The greatest miracle is when the Carpenter Jesus changes our hearts and brings new life. All without violating our free will.

Jesus asked His followers not to be afraid. When a miracle was needed for the little girl, Jesus asked that the parents believe. Fear and belief do not go together well. We need to learn to trust. Many times we want Jesus to help us morally, but we are so confused because we are afraid. Needing change, we are afraid of change. Needing Jesus, we are afraid of Jesus. Needing life, we are afraid of life. Jesus never said “according to your fear be it unto you,” but He did say “according to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29). James warns that if you are doubting, fearful, you will receive nothing (James 1:6-8). We become stronger spiritually when we allow our God to cast out our fear and when we learn to trust in Jesus.

Jesus said, “Believe only, and she shall be made whole.” Notice here the necessity of belief, and also the completeness of what Jesus would do for her. He would make her whole. There is much more to say here on the exercise of faith and on how God makes us whole. But let us focus on the original question. Too late? When is it too late?

If we are still able to exercise faith, it is not too late. Jesus longs to make us whole. If we still have any place in us where the desire for right remains, then it is not too late. Jesus is so ready to take us, so ready to work in us, so ready to change us! All He needs is some cooperation. If we are willing to believe, He is willing to help us believe. If we are interested in righteousness, He will ready to help us discover His righteousness.

The present case—Jesus raises someone from the dead—shows us something of just how far the love of God will go to reach us. Is it too late for you? I don’t think so. Who is the Savior that you serve? The Father who sent His Son to give you the gift of eternal life. Learning to believe is both a very simple point of faith, and a very advanced one. When we look at the story of the daughter who was raised, we are encouraged. When we look to the face of Jesus, when we ponder His nail-pierced hands, how His body was pierced for us, how His heart was broken for us, we begin to realize that God’s love for us tells us that His hand reaches out still, that it is not too late to come to Him, and to choose life. GCO

© 2007 by GreatControversy.org. GCO grants permission to individuals, wholeheartedly encouraging them to copy and reproduce documents and files appearing on this site, in an unaltered state, and for non-commercial use, unless otherwise noted. All other rights reserved. Other groups or entities wishing to reproduce these materials are encouraged to contact us with reproduction requests.

Pastor Larry Kirkpatrick is an ordained minister of the gospel. Since 1994 he has served in the American Southwest as pastor to churches in Nevada, Utah, and California. He received his Batchelor of Arts in Religion from Southern Adventist University in 1994 and a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in 1999 with specialization in Adventist Studies. While in Michigan he was employed by the General Conference at the White Estate Berrien Springs branch office. Pr. Kirkpatrick has been involved in youth ministry including the General Youth Conference and other initiatives. He is author of the 2003 book Real Grace for Real People and 2005’s Cleanse and Close: Last Generation Theology in 14 Points. He pioneered internet ministry, launching GreatControversy.org in 1997. He presently serves as Pastor of the Mentone Church of Seventh-day Adventists, located near Loma Linda, California. Larry and wife Pamela live in Highland, California along with their children. They are actively involved in foster parenting.