The Lutheran Hour
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"No Excuses"
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Text: Matthew 3:1-2
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! 2,000 years ago the Triune God entrusted the Baptizer John with the delivery of a simple message: Repent. Today the Holy Spirit renews that command. Gladly, and in the name of the crucified and risen Lord, this message offers God’s call: repent, believe, be baptized, be saved. God grant the Savior’s blood-bought forgiveness be given to us all. Amen.
What is the rarest animal on earth? With a lot of beasties seemingly headed for extinction there seems to be quite a few contenders for the rather doubtful honor. High on the list would have to be Lonesome George. LG is the last living Giant Galapagos tortoise. Indeed, even as we speak, there are those who are trying to find a suitable girl Giant Galapagos tortoise to make the acquaintanceship of Lonesome George. So far, there have been no takers found.
The rarest of living creatures. There are only two or three Northern White Rhino left… which are not to be confused with their cousins the Southern White Rhino. There’s a bunch of those still running around. The Yangtze River Dolphin of China which had the silly notion that it could, with impunity, eat the same fish people wanted for their supper, has pretty nearly wiped out. Folks who make it a habit of watching the Amur Leopard say there are only about 30 of them, a problem compounded by the fact that most of those Amur Leopards are guy Amur Leopards… a noticeable drawback when it comes to restocking the pride.
What is the rarest creature on earth? Give or take a few critters, that’s the list which science provides. Personally, I think science has missed the boat. Although not a lot of investigation has gone into the species, personal observation has told me that the most rare of God’s creatures is the human being who can repent of something and not take back that repentance with an excuse or an explanation. In making that statement about the world’s rarest creature, I draw a certain degree of security in knowing I am not alone in my opinion. Indeed, there are a host of experts on the matter; experts who would back my position.
For example, I know many officers of the law who would agree. When off-duty police get together, they relish sharing the unique excuses they have been given. One of the more interesting excuses might be that of the young man who told an officer, “I’m too drunk to be driving. That’s why I’m driving home as fast I can so I can get off the highway.” Then there’s the lady who confessed, “Yes, I know I was speeding, but I was trying to get to the gas station before I ran out of gas.” You see, not a single one could say, “I was speeding.” Period.
Employers and physicians and dentists and teachers and parents and the folks who are responsible for putting together a jury will back me when I say: the most rare of creatures on God’s good earth is the person who can offer a confession without tacking on an explanation. Oh, there’s one other Person Who would also agree with me… and that Person is the ultimate Hearer of excuses: the Triune God.
Since the fall into sin, God has been listening as individuals tried to justify their sins, explain their transgressions, make excuses for their disobedience. You need read no further than the first few chapters of Genesis to see this is so. When the Lord caught the first sinners, Adam and Eve, in their transgression, they didn’t say, “Oops! You got us there Lord. Yes, we sinned.” That would have been too easy. Adam, the first person God spoke to about disobedience said, “Maybe I did, but I only did so on the advice from my wife… who, by the way is the woman that You gave me Lord.” You see, in Adam’s eyes, he might have been kind of guilty… but the real culprits were Eve and the Lord, Himself. When God approached Eve, she had an excuse too. She said, “It’s true, Lord. I did sin… but I only did so after receiving some expert advice from… from… that talking snake.”
You see how it goes. Adam and Eve had children. Cain and Abel were the first. As you know, boys will be boys and it didn’t take too long before Cain, in a fit of blind jealousy and rage, killed his brother and disposed of the corpse. When God came to visit with the two brothers, one was uncharacteristically absent. Although the omniscient Lord was fully aware of what had happened, He still asked, “Hey, Cain, have you seen your brother around here anywhere?” Cain pretended to be shocked by the question. Drawing himself up in a pose of righteous indignation and acting as if he had been insulted, Cain replied, “Brother? Brother? Oh, you mean my little brother Abel? You don’t really think I’m his babysitter, do You? Lord, being big brother doesn’t make me my brother’s keeper, does it?”
That’s the way history began and it’s the way it continues through Scripture. Indeed, if you could interview all the characters in Scripture, you might be amazed to see that hero and heathen, saint and serious sinner, Jew and Gentile, man and woman, pretty much acted the same. With a few notable exceptions like the publican who prayed, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner” and the thief who was crucified by the side of Jesus, almost everyone offers up excuses, explanations, rationalizations, justifications for their wrong actions, malicious thoughts, blasphemous words.
Yes, they were all guilty of sin, but almost all felt they had a reason, a perfectly good reason for their dark misdeeds. These, our human brothers and sisters, felt their actions could easily be understood if God would take the time to hear their reasons. With that kind of thinking as motivation, the multitudes who should have repented of their sin preferred to explain the extenuating circumstances, the reasons, the supposedly good reasons which had compelled them to break the commandments of God.
Which is probably why, when it came time for God to send His Son to offer His life as the ransom price to free us from our sins, He also sent a forerunner, a messenger, a man to prepare the way. John, also known as the Baptizer, spoke from the wilderness. He addressed many people who came from a solid cross section of the populace. Still no matter to whom John spoke, his words of warning could be boiled down to the single command: “Repent.” That’s what John said, and he didn’t give anybody a chance to voice an excuse. According to the Gospel of Luke, this is his message,
“To the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, (John said) ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath (which is) to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree … that does not bear good fruit is (being) cut down and thrown into the fire.'”
And the crowds (who heard John) asked him, “What then shall we do?” And John answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” (The text says)Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And John said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Excuses, explanations, rationalizations, justifications. With single-minded dedication John crushed humankind’s feeble defenses with the Divinely directed command: Repent! You see, John understood something that often escapes our notice. John realized that we are, by nature, sinfully blind, we are dead, and our actions show us to be enemies of God. Did that line disturb you? Did you feel the least little bit put upon? Do you feel a tad defensive? Did you say, “Well, I have some shortcomings, but I don’t think I’m really that bad,” If you didn’t say it out loud, did you think it? Well, I think that way, too, Compared to other folks, the really serious sinners, we may not be that bad, Compared to the really nasty products which humanity has produced we might look almost angelic,
But we’re not angelic, are we? A moment of reflection and introspection will quickly assure us that we are a far, far cry from being one of God’s heavenly messengers, Look, let’s be honest. Is there anybody in the Lutheran Hour audience today who would be willing to come on the air and confess to the world every terrible thing they have ever done… offer the complete listing of the horrible things they have thought… share with the world all the insulting and blasphemous things they have said? I wouldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. Understand, to share this message with you, I first had to ask these questions of myself. What I found was shocking, scandalous, and sadly, so very sinful. There are many people in this world who know some of what I have done wrong … but nobody knows all my sins and shortcomings. No one other than God. But there’s more. For everything I have done wrong, there are a dozen, a hundred dozen evil things which I thought, but which never, ever were translated into action.
This information I share with you not so that you might point an accusing finger at me … I share it so you may realize I, like the Baptizer, like you, are all lost sinners. That’s right. We are lost sinners and we can’t do a thing to change our condition.
Now I know there are TV and radio evangelists who say ‘we are not poor, we are not
miserable, and we are not sinners.’ They can say what they want, but the Lord is pretty
straightforward when He says: “There is not a just man on the earth who does good and
never sins.” Did you get that? If not, God says it in a different way: He says, “The soul that sins will die.” Still not clear as to what you should believe? God is crystal clear when
He says: “The wages of sin is death.” Now I know this is an age of political correctness
and it’s not politically correct for me to say we’re sinners. It’s not politically correct to say we are lost and condemned. It’s not politically correct to say that if we are going to be
saved, it will not be by our own power, but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone. That’s what God says. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. So Jesus can accomplish the purpose for which He came is why the Lord tells us, “Repent.”Don’t explain, repent. Don’t excuse yourself, repent. Don’t justify yourself, repent. Repent means you show regret for all you have done wrong. Repent means you rethink your life of sin and where it will take you if Jesus doesn’t change things. Repent means the Holy Spirit will reverse the sinner you are, and through the Savior’s sacrifice, lransform you, your life, and your eternal destiny. A few minutes ago you and I admitted that the world would be shocked and we would be shamed if our evil selves became visible to everyone. Now I must share that Jesus, God’s Son, our Savior DID see all those things. He knew you for the person you are and not the person you pretend to be. He saw you, your sin and He did something incredible. In spite of all He had seen, He came into this world to take our place and pay the redemption price for our souls.
Rather than letting us simmer in our sins, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was born into this world. For the next 33 years, His life was dedicated to saving us. You and I fall into temptation, but Jesus resisted every enticement to sin. This He did for us. You and I regularly break God’s commandments. We lust, we covet, we lie, we disobey, we disrespect those in authority. We certainly don’t give God the praise which is His due. We sinners don’t do those things, but Jesus did. So we might be saved, Jesus did those things for us. He knew that you and I are going to die someday. He also knew that sad certainty was not what our Creator wanted for us. So we might be spared the terror of eternal death Jesus allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross where He died our death. With His blood He washed away our sins. With His blood and with His resurrection He assures those who believe on Him as Savior that they are no longer condemned. They are forgiven; they are free; they are welcomed back into the Father’s family of faith.
2,000 years ago, the Baptizer called people to repentance and redemption. Some listened to his call. After John had been martyred, Jesus began to preach throughout the villages of Galilee. And what did Jesus say? We don’t know everything He told His countrymen, but, we do know His message began with the word repent. After Jesus’ crucifixion and third-day resurrection and immediately before He ascended into heaven, the living Lord instructed His disciples to go out on His behalf. Throughout the world they were to deliver God’s message of forgiveness and a forever in heaven. The disciples did as the Lord had asked. And how did that message they carried begin? It always started with the call to: “Repent.” Indeed, the very first Christian sermon ever preached was delivered on Pentecost, the day the church was born. Some sinful souls asked the disciples, “What must we do to be saved?” and Peter, speaking for the Savior, answered: “Repent, believe, be baptized, be saved.”
That is the message I share today. Admit that you cannot by your own reason or strength set your life right with God. Then, with a broken and contrite heart that acknowledges your helplessness to remove your sin be brought to faith in the crucified and risen Savior Who alone can forgive and move you from hell to heaven, from damnation to salvation. When you stand by the side of that tax collector and, without excuse or explanation join him in saying: “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner”, then and only then will the message of the Savior accomplish the purpose for which He gave His life and rose from the dead.
Excuses. People are full of them. In August of 1994, Frederick Treesh terrorized the Great Lakes. He was arrested after a shootout with the police. For two weeks Treesh had robbed banks, held up stores, and carjacked innocent people. Did he confess his sins? He didn’t. At his trial, he made this excuse: “Other than the two we killed, the two we wounded, the woman we pistol-whipped and the light bulbs we stuck in people’s mouths, we really didn’t hurt anybody.” Excuses. Even the worst of us make excuses. Excuses. People are full of them.
What do you do? I know what to do. Let the Holy Spirit bring you to the Savior. There you can beg and receive His pardon; there you can lose your sins and be given eternal life. And since God’s grace is free, there really is no excuse you shouldn’t come. If we can help with directions to your Lord, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers)
December 5,2010
Topic: Christmas Appeal: Bibles for ChildrenAnnouncer: Well, this week we are taking a break from our usual Questions and Answers to tell you about a very special project. 2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the King James version of the Bible and many Christian organizations are planning various events to help celebrate the publication of this book that most would agree is a milestone in the development of Western Civilization.
I’m Mark Eischer here with Pastor Ken Klaus and Dr. Douglas Rut!, who’s our International Director here at Lutheran Hour Ministries. They’re going to tell us how we can help commemorate this historic anniversary of the King James Bible. Pastor, I’d like to know what is Lutheran Hour Ministries doing as part of this “Year of the Bible” celebration?
Klaus: Mark, you and I have the privilege of proclaiming the Gospel -the Savior -to those who are seeking through this program each week. We are blessed to know Christ. Imagine those who are lost. They need the security of salvation you and I cherish so dearly.
Christians living in North America often take for granted the security that the Bible provides. They can get a Bible just about anywhere. But that’s not the case in countries where Christians are persecuted, or Islamic teachings are pushing very hard, or economic hardships prevail.
This Christmas season Lutheran Hour Ministries is raising money to send children’s Bibles to kids around the world who live in these hard-to-reach places, whose families cannot afford to purchase a Bible. Working through our ministry centers in more than 30 countries, we are going to provide the hope found in Jesus Christ to children who, quite frankly, are living amidst hopelessness.
Announcer: And, Dr. Rutt, our ministry centers often receive many stories of people who are seeking God’s Word. Could you share one of those stories with us?
Rutt: Mark, I have been especially touched by the story of a boy from Paraguay, Alan Velazquez.
Each day Alan leaves home early in the morning to sell candy on the street to help his parents buy food. Then he spends most afternoons volunteering his time at our Lutheran Hour Ministries office. Alan has always enjoyed learning about Jesus during his visits to our office, but he didn’t have a Bible of his own. In appreciation for all of Alan’s help, one of the staff members gave him a Bible and he couldn’t have been more excite.d with this gift!
Well, one day Alan looked very sad when he walked in to the ministry center. When he was asked what happened, he replied with tears in his eyes that he had reluctantly given his Bible to his mother so that she could sell it to put food on the table. Well, we’re going to make sure that Alan gets another Bible, one that he is going to keep this time. And, he’s going to continue to receive spiritual nourishment at our ministry center. But, we want to provide him and other kids like him from around the world who live in economically depressed situations with a very special gift this Christmas season, a Bible of their own. These children are hungry for God’s Word!
Announcer: And Pastor Klaus, how can we and our listeners help children like Alan who are seeking to know more about their Savior?
Klaus: First, we ask you pray for these children and their families that are seeking God’s peace and comfort. Then, join with us in this unique opportunity to share the message of Christ-the true reason for Christmas-with children in circumstances like Alan’s. Every dollar you donate will help us put Bibles into the hands of children around the world who can’t afford one of their own. A gift of $15 allows us to provide two of these children with a Bible of their own. Announcer: Thank you, Pastor Klaus and thank you also Dr. Rutt for sharing that story with us today. Now, you can help us spread the joy of Christ during this Christmas season by being part of this special project. To make a donation, call this toll-free number: 1-855-JOHN-316. That’s 1-855-JOHN-316. For more information or to make a gift online, go to www.lhm.org/Bibles. That’s www.lhm.org/Bibles. And we will be accepting donations for this project through the end of the calendar year.
Now, from all of us here at Lutheran Hour Ministries, thank you for your prayers and your gifts. Dr. Rutt, we want to thank you for sharing that story with us today. And, we want you to know that response reflects the value that you place on the Gospel message and the importance of getting it out to people throughout the world.
Thanks again for listening. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending” arr. Robert A. Hobby. From Hymns for All Saints: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany (© 2005 Concordia Publishing House)
“Fuga sopra il Magnificat” by J.S. Bach. From Organ Music for the Church Year (© 1995 Japan Lutheran Hour)
“The King Shall Come” arr. Charles Ore. From From My Perspective, vol. 2 by Charles Ore (© 1995 Organ Works Corporation) Concordia Publishing House/SESAC