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This week Cheryl and watched our youngest daughter’s children, Iris and Simon, so that she and her husband could get away for a few days. They went to Key West. I know we had a good time, and I hope they did, too. Our middle daughter brought her two kids to join us part of the time, so Grandma and Papa got to spoil all of them a bit.

Because they were in Key West, I remembered the first trip Cheryl and I took to the Florida Keys about twelve years ago. Cheryl was still teaching school at the time, but they had a four day weekend during February and we took advantage of it. During that trip a winter story named “Nemo” hit much of the country, but we were enjoying a tropical climate.

While we were there, we went to Bahia Honda State Park to enjoy the beach. After paying the entry fee, we drove in, parked our rental car, and went to change in the bath house. As we walked back to our vehicle, a man called out to me and asked me if I was from Texas. That startled me a bit, but I said that I was. He said, “I think I have your wallet.” At that point I felt my pants pocket and realized that it was indeed missing. When I paid the attendant at the gate, I must have laid it in my lap, and then it fell out when I got out of the vehicle. Not only had this stranger found my wallet, but he and his wife went on a mission to find me. He was walking through the parking lot searching for me while his wife was going up and down the beach trying to find someone who looked like the photo on my driver’s license.

I thanked them profusely. In our brief encounter, I found out they were from Southern Illinois, near where I lived while attending Seminary. From the time I spent there, I know there are a lot of good, God-fearing, honest folks in that part of the country, and these folks fit that category nicely. Unfortunately, I was so mortified by my boneheaded stunt that I didn’t even get their names! However, I offered several prayers of thanks to God for them.

What could have been a terrible incident was averted thanks to these fine people going out of their way to be kind and decent and find me. We would have gone to the beach for several hours, blissfully unaware that anything was wrong, enjoying the sun and sand and water and trade winds. Only later when we were at a restaurant or hotel would we have realized how bad our situation was.

I was reflecting on this while sitting in the airport waiting for our flight home. As thousands of people walked past me, all busily going somewhere, I wondered how many of them were blissfully unaware that they are lost?

The fifteenth chapter of Luke is about folks like that, folks that are lost and need to be found, folks that may not even know they are lost. They may never know how bad the situation is until the end of their lives and they are called to give an account before their Lord. At that point, it will be too late, like it would have been for me showing up at the airport to go home with no ID and no means to pay for anything!

Thankfully, we have one who is relentless in his pursuit of the lost. Our Lord came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). He lived and died to pay for sin. But He doesn’t stop there.  He is like the shepherd that realizes one sheep is missing, and leaves those who are already safe to get that lost one (Luke 15:4).

Jesus is still seeking out people who don’t even know they are lost. He does that through those who follow Him. If you are one who has been found, you should be seeking those who are still lost. We want to ensure that they be given the opportunity to join us in eternal life with Jesus. That will be cause for even more rejoicing and celebration. (Luke 15:7,24).

Acts 1:12-26 ¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. ¹³ When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. ¹⁵ In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) ¹⁶ and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus- ¹⁷ he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.” ¹⁸ (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. ¹⁹ Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰ “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the book of Psalms, “‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “‘May another take his place of leadership.’ ²¹ Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” ²³ So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. ²⁴ Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” ²⁶ Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Have you ever wondered what happened to Joseph called Barsabbas, aka Justus? I have. Since he is not mentioned again in Scripture, we don’t know how he reacted to not being chosen to fill the spot left vacant by Judas. I like to think he remained a follower of Jesus and served Him in other ways. But he may have gotten upset and decided not to be a disciple at all. We don’t know.

Over the course of my ministry, I was “interviewed” by more congregations that I can remember. Only a few of them actually issued me a call. Those times I was not chosen by congregations I was in the same position as Justus. Those times when the congregation did issue me a call, I had to decide between the call I already had and the new position.

Several times I was up for election to various offices in the church at large. A few times I was elected and felt both humbled and privileged that I was able to serve Jesus through those positions – especially as Pastoral Counselor for the LWML in the Texas District and then nationally. But there were plenty of times I was not elected after being nominated. Again, I was the “Justus,” the also ran.

I remember one convention I attended where two brothers were nominated for an office. When the results were announced, the one who was not elected immediately got up and left. He did not return for the rest of the convention.

What did I do on those occasions I was not elected? Did I pout and throw a tantrum and say, “That’s it. I’m never putting myself out there again. I’m done serving Jesus!” Not hardly. At times there was disappointment, but “me and Jesus” talked about it. He let me know He had other plans for me. And I served Him in other ways.

I think that is the attitude followers of Jesus will take when they realize it is not about them. It is about Jesus. I know I am nothing but an unworthy servant. Yet God loved me enough to let Jesus take my punishment that I deserved because of my sin. He gives me forgiveness and life everlasting. I need to remember that. Always. And serve Him. Wherever and whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I’m still trying to do that.

Over the years I received many phone calls that went something like this: “Pastor, I’m having trouble finding a passage in the Bible. I know it is in there, but I just can’t find it. Can you tell me where in the Bible it says, ‘God helps those who help themselves’?”

Do any of you know the answer? People are usually shocked when I tell them it is not in there. A nationwide poll by Barna Research Institute found that 82% of Americans believed that phrase is a direct quote from the Bible. (George Barna, 1996) It is not. It has been attributed to many sources, one of which is Aesop’s Fables. The story goes something like this:

“A man is driving a wagon with a heavy load along a very muddy road. He came to a part of the road where the wheels sank half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper the wheels sank. So the man threw down his whip, and knelt down and prayed to Hercules: ‘O Hercules, help me in this my hour of distress.” But Hercules appeared to him, and said: ‘Man, don’t just sit there praying. Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel. The gods help them that help themselves.'”

Now, there is an element of truth in that. You can’t just sit around and expect God to miraculously do everything for you. That is kind of what the Apostle Paul once wrote to a group of people with a lay-back-and-let-God-do-it-all attitude.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.

In other words, “Put your shoulder to the wheel. God isn’t pleased with laziness.” In that sense, Paul is saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” But that’s different from what most of us mean by that phrase. What most people mean when they say “God helps those who help themselves” is that God expects us to be self-reliant: do your best, be your own person, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, only call upon God when you absolutely need him.

Is that how you live your life? Lots of people do. More importantly, is that what you believe God really wants you to do? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you need to know something. God says again and again in the Bible that He’s not interested in helping those who are self-reliant. God wants to help those who rely on Him instead of themselves.

Isaiah 40:29-31   He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. 

The ones who wait on the Lord, the ones who trust in His power, the ones who hope in Him – they are the ones who receive God’s help. A very important lesson that God wants all of you to learn is to rely on His power instead of our own. That’s a hard lesson to learn. I struggle with it everyday. It’s so easy to convince myself that “It’s all up to me – family, church, personal life. Everything depends on my ability to get it done.” When I fall into that trap, when I get into that mode, do you know what God does? He says, “Go ahead. Try it on your own. See how far you get.”

Let me make something clear: As far as your forgiveness is concerned, you have nothing to offer, nothing to contribute. You cannot help God; you do not assist Him in even the smallest way. Jesus took care of all that for you. God is the one who accomplished your forgiveness and salvation all by Himself. After you come to faith, as you strive to live the new life, you do have a responsibility to live a certain way. Yet even that is not your own doing. It is dependent on God’s power. God doesn’t help those who help themselves. He helps those who are helpless. He helps those who come to Him for mercy. He helps those who depend on Him. He helps those who cannot do it on their own, which is all of us.

Cheryl and I were listening to the news together recently and heard yet another story about a male who identified as a female so that he could compete in sports against women. You have heard all the insanity in our country. People want to identify as something that they are not, and half the nation seems to want to bend over backwards to accommodate their new self perception.

I told Cheryl that I was going to identify as a T-Rex. I could then go out and kill people and eat them and no one could condemn me for it, because I identified as something that naturally ate people. If that sounds ridiculous, it is because it is.

Simply declaring yourself to be something that you physically are not does not make it a reality. You and I don’t have that power. But God has the power to give us a new identity and He does it.

Romans 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

God told 99-year-old Abraham that he would have a son. Sounded at the very least unlikely if not impossible. But God can “call things that are not as though they were.” Abraham was not a father, yet God made it a reality by His power.

God can still “call things that are not as though they were.” That includes all those who put their trust in Jesus. Even though you are not righteous, God calls you that for Jesus’ sake. He covers you with His perfection. Your faith in Jesus lays hold of the righteousness He earned for you. That is the only way you can be forgiven for your sins.

Even though I get frustrated at the reports of people trying to identify as something in this world that they physically are not, I also feel compassion for them. I pray for them to find peace in their lives. And I know that is possible if they will seek to find their identity in Christ. All people should strive to find their identity in Christ. He loves you and cares for you and wants only the best for you. He died for you and conquered death for you. When you put your faith in Him, it changes you for the better. It has implications for your life now and for eternity.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Today I will lead worship services in which we will go through a confession of sins. I have done this thousands of times, and there is always a familiar unease as I do so. I confess my sin along with everyone else present. Confessing my sins honestly before God makes me uncomfortable. And it should.

Over the years, I heard lots of folks, especially people who were not used to liturgical worship, object to the ritual of admitting that we are ”poor, miserable sinners” or whatever language was used to point out our sinfulbness. They didn’t like it. And I understand their reticence. It is something none of us wants to do.

As uncomfortable as it is, it is necessary. It is also therapeutic. Maybe it would help to think of it in those terms. Anyone who has had joint surgery or an injury has to go through physical therapy. I know several physical therapists, and I have been through it myself. It hurts. It is uncomfortable. You can come up with all kinds of excuses not to do it. However, if you don’t you won’t get better. With the pain and discomfort of the therapy, healing and restoration comes. It is for your own good!

So it is with confession. Through the necessary discomfort and pain of admitting our sin, and by virtue of the faith we have in Jesus as our Savior, we hear the announcement of sin forgiven and life everlasting. We are reminded that the offering of His perfect life as payment for the sin of the world was our payment for sin. We are healed and restored and empowered to live for Him.

Jesus told a story to show us the attitude we should have when we confess our sins.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”   Luke 18:9-14

Lord, keep me from arrogantly thinking I don’t need to confess my sin. Give me the attitude that readily cries out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” that I may go home justified, rejoicing in the righteousness that is mine for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Daily chapel services were part of my life as a student at Concordia Lutheran College in Austin. I still remember a line from one of Professor Richard Dinda’s sermons as we entered another Lenten season. He said, “We now find ourselves in the pits of the church year.”

I think many of us can relate to that sentiment. Lent is a sober and somber time of reflection that many people would just as soon skip and get on to Easter. But hold on for a second. We need this reminder. Lent points us to our own sin as the reason for Jesus coming to this world. Lent tells you Jesus loved you enough to pay for your filth and guilt that would keep you out of heaven. Lent is an exposition of just how vast God’s love for you is. That love was shown in Jesus’ life, suffering and death to ensure you could be forgiven.

I was in that mindset many years ago when God led me to write the following song. I hope the lyrics will help you through your Lenten journey this year.

Lenten Wonder

I’ve often wondered, Lord, at all that you’ve done
Into this world of sin you sent your Son.
And even stranger, Lord, you did this for me: You sent your Son to Calvary.

Jesus the Lamb of God, He took my pain,
The one who knew no sin for sinners has been slain.

I’ve often wondered, Lord, oh, can it be true,
That a poor wretch like me could be loved by you?
Love that could not be earned gave this gift free: You sent your Son to Calvary

The nails, the cross, the spear, wounds that He bore,
He suffered these that I might live forevermore

 I thank and praise you, Lord, that through faith I’m saved
To sin and death I am no longer enslaved
Jesus who went to die on Calvary He rose again in victory.

I thank and praise you, Lord, that by grace I’m saved
Of sin and death I am no longer afraid
Jesus who went to die on Calvary He rose again in victory.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Paul wrote these words of caution to a young preacher 2000 years ago. And these words have proved to be prophetic, prophecy that has been fulfilled over and over again in our world.  We recognize the truth of these words when we observe the world in which we live today. So many claim to be “godly” but deny the Scriptures that the disagree with, picking and choosing what they want to believe. It is a way to justify their sin in their own minds.

Martin Luther wrote these words about this second letter Paul sent to Timothy: “But he prophesies especially … concerning the perilous time at the end of the world. It is then that a false spiritual life will lead all the world astray, with an outward show, under which every sort of wickedness and wrong will have its fling. Sad to say! we now see this prophecy of St. Paul all too amply fulfilled in our clergy” (Luther’s Works 35:389).  Luther saw the fulfillment in his day as well.

Thanks be to God this is not the primary thrust of Paul’s letter. Yes, he warned Timothy about the dangers of unbelief and the denying the truth of God’s Word. He did so to encourage that young pastor to be faithful to the truth that had been shared with him, the message Paul proclaimed and that Timothy proclaimed as well.

2 Timothy 2:1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Our lives as followers of Jesus are totally dependent on the grace of God. It is grace that saves us. It is grace that empowers us to live as God’s children. It by grace alone that we will enter God’s presence and be able to stand. That is the message we continue to rejoice in today and that needs to be continually proclaimed.

By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless;
My soul, believe, and doubt it not.
Why stagger at this word of promise?
Hath Scripture ever falsehood taught?
Nay; then this word must true remain;
By grace thou, too, shalt heav’n obtain.

By grace God’s Son, our only Savior,
Came down to earth to bear our sin.
Was it because of thine own merit
That Jesus died thy soul to win?
Nay, it was grace, and grace alone,
That bro’t Him from His heave’nly throne.

By grace! This ground of faith is certain;
So long as God is true, it stands.
What saints have penned by inspiration,
What in His Word our God commands,
What our whole faith must rest upon,
Is grace alone, grace in His Son.

By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying;
In Jesus’ promise I rejoice;
For though I know my heart’s condition,
I also know my Savior’s voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown,
Since I am save by grace alone.

(The Lutheran Hymnal #373, stanzas 1,4,5 & 7)

Isaiah was a prophet who faithfully spoke God’s Word to God’s chosen people, the ones through whom He had promised to send the Messiah. The words he shared did not always make him popular. At times Isaiah called the people out for their waywardness and sin, but then he would remind them of the goodness of their loving Father in heaven and the kindness He wanted to show them.

In chapter 30, God’s people had sought some sort of alliance with Egypt for protection. They did so without consulting the Lord, indicating they did not rely on Him to be their protector. How often do we do the same in our lives, thinking we have to do everything ourselves and not involving God in the process?

Through His prophet the Lord chastises His people for trusting in the powers of this world rather than Him. Then He offers these words:

Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”

They rejected the things that would have assured them of salvation from God over and over again. We look back on them and wonder why they would do that.

Lent is a time of repentance. We are encouraged to remember the sacrifice Jesus made to give us salvation, and to “rest” in that strength and certainty rather than trusting in ourselves and our own efforts.

Lord, forgive us for the times when we seek solutions to our problems without consulting you. Draw us closer to You and Your will. Remind us of all You have already done for us by coming down to this earth to be our Savior. Give us Your strength that we turn from our sins and back to you. Don’t let us be numbered among those who reject your ways, who “would have none of it.” Enable us to trust in Your power to save and Your ongoing guidance for our lives. Amen.

 Isaiah 26:3  You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

During a recent Bible Class at our congregation, the leader asked what we thought of when we hear the term “outstretched arm.”  People suggested things like welcoming, hugging, holding hands, guiding, and giving directions by pointing. Someone mentioned the outstretched arms of Moses to part the Red Sea, arms that had to be held up by Aaron and Hur. Someone else brought up arms outstretched in battle to hold a shield and a sword. I suggested that sometimes an outstretched arm with a hand held up signals people to stop. My dear wife, sitting next to me, started singing, along with the hand motions: “Stop, in the name of love, before you break my heart…” An outstretched arm can mean many things.

In Scripture, this term is used repeatedly in the Old Testament to describe God’s activity here on earth. Most often it refers to God’s deliverance of His people from their slavery in Egypt and leading them to the Promised Land.

Exodus 6:6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

Deuteronomy 26:8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders

Jeremiah 32:21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror.

The prophet Jeremiah also uses the term to describe God’s creative activity.

Jeremiah 27:5 With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.

Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

In every instance, the outstretched arm of God is a display of His power and strength.

I think the ultimate display of God’s power and might was in the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross. He was accomplishing our greatest need by willingly, in an act of love, offering His perfect life as the only acceptable payment for the sins of the world. His mighty hands received the nails, but they were unnecessary to hold Him on that cross. He chose to go there in order to atone for my sin, for your sin, and for the sin of everyone…including those who do not believe in Him. With His mighty hand and outstretched arms He accomplished an even greater deliverance than the Exodus from Egypt. He delivers us from sin and death and the power for the devil.

When Mary sang her song of praise to God, she included these words:

Luke 1:51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

She was describing God’s power, which is capable of anything. And her Son displayed that power in the most loving way on that hill outside of Jerusalem.