However, while being a hero would be nice – and it’s always nice to have heroes around – heroes don’t really save anyone. Sure they fight for us – live for us – even die for us and that might earn us something great, precious, and invaluable. But a hero can only save us for this life, and not for the life to come. There are no heroes to save us eternally.

Now please, don’t misunderstand. Those who share the Good News of Christ and bring life to the lost could be called heroes. But any good hero who does such a thing will quickly admit – it wasn’t him or it wasn’t her who did this good thing – It was God, the action of the Holy Spirit, working through him or her. You see, that’s what I’m trying to communicate this morning. The reason: that’s what Paul is communicating to us in the text. The hero can’t do it, can’t make it happen – that’s God’s work through that person into our hearts.

Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart ‘who will ascend into heaven?’” that is, to bring Christ down “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? ‘The word is near you’ it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming. That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This shares with us that the nature of our righteousness is through faith that God creates in us. It does not require heroic feats such as bringing Christ down from heaven or up from the grave. This, the Good Lord has done one His own. We simply testify of such things. We are not the proprietors of His coming to us. This is not the heroic feat. The heroic feat of saving us comes from God and Him only.

Today we observe an interesting day in life of the church. It’s particularly memorable to the Lutherans because on this day in the year 1530 a confession of faith was read before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in a town called Augsburg. It became known as the Augsburg Confession. The words that were read that day before bishops, electors (kind of like governors) and princes was a statement of belief that came from those who would be known as the Reformers – or to the Roman Church – protestants – from the word “protest”. The words that were read that day were written in a friendly tone in the hopes that those who apposed the Reformation might be won for the truth of the Gospel, if only they would hear it clearly stated. It was a monumental day – and probably a most frightening day as well. You see, other people have done similar things and had not lived to tell about it.

A man by the name of Dr. Christian Beyer who was not a pastor or a theologian – but rather a layman read the Augsburg Confession before the Emperor, bishops, electors and princes – and he lived to tell about. But whether or not he lived or died didn’t make him a hero. Sharing the Word of God was simply what he was compelled to do. God was doing His work through a mere man. If that makes Dr. Beyer a hero, then so be it – but it was still God’s work.

And that’s Paul’s direction here in Romans 10. It’s not our work that brings Jesus down from heaven and exposes Him to all people. It’s not our work and heroism that brings Jesus out of death and back to life. That’s God. And to short change God is to promote ourselves above God – and that’s dangerous.

But I like to do that. One morning while talking to Pastor Krueger years back I was telling him about a visit I made to a family in the area that happened to be Lutheran but weren’t members of our Church. After speaking with them, they decided to change their membership and join our church. After explaining this to Pastor Krueger he said, “Good, Pastor Arnold, job well done.” To that I joked by saying, “Thanks, oh, and I do give the Holy Spirit partial credit.” I was kidding, of course. And we had a little “chuckle” over it because we both knew that it was “all” God – I was just simply the messenger, the mouth piece that God used. But that doesn’t stop me from sometimes thinking that it’s all about me.

Personally, I fall in a rut when I think – it’s all up to me. Whether this church lives or dies – it’s all about me. It’s about me if something bad happens or someone gets discouraged or angry. It’s about me if something goes wrong. And – It’s about me when things are going right – when people join the church – when the budget is being met. It’s about me when the pews are filled people are flocking to the church. It’s me they are coming for – it’s me that they love so much. Please excuse the expression – but that’s bologna.

It’s not about me – and it never will be. I’m not the hero – God is the hero. I don’t go up to heaven and bring Him down. He does that – that’s His doing. I don’t go down into death and raise Him from the dead. He did that. And He gives us the faith to hold on to what He has done for us. That’s Him. I’m His humble messenger. It’s not me.

And it’s not you either. Whether that is with the list of things I just gave inside this church community and family or whether that is in your own lives and with your family – the real hero is still the Lord. You can do and be the same – taking credit when it’s not yours to take. Promoting yourself as having all the answers and being a savior (so to speak) in this or that situation. It’s easy for you too. Boasting over yourselves and making you to be number one, the best, the person that it couldn’t have been without – can be a dangerous kind of self promotion that puts God in the back seat of your lives. And when He comes in second, and you come in first – watch out. Then all of us sudden you stop depending on God and God help you if you do that. God help me if I do that.

Many times we as a parish-family have had the opportunity to watch the baptism of a small child. Sometimes we might even see an adult being baptized. This water, combined with God’s Word and promise, “gifts” us with His precious salvation. We receive the forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting through this marvelous gift. As Christians who live in our baptisms each and every day, we can confess this faith with Paul. That is why Paul’s direction to us is, “if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

What we can do this with our children at baptism and we can do this for ourselves with this precious gift. We can be in and near and around the Word of God and His community of believers. Be near and around and receive His precious gifts of His Word and His Body and Blood for our forgiveness. All of this facilitates within us the faith that grows. This is how we know – we know by what He has given to us and what He shows us today. We know by Jesus coming to us and dying for us. We didn’t do anything great that made Him come. Actually He came because of what we did wrong – because of our sin. And thank God it is His work because our work would never be good enough. Our work would never be perfect like what He did for us on the cross.

A hero might die for us. A hero might protect us. A hero might even be a great friend to us. In my estimation – a hero also confesses. A hero confesses Christ to others who don’t know Him and are living without Him. A true hero points to the one and only hero who did it all – who came, who died, who lived again so we can confess that Jesus is Lord of all and that He died for you. That’s our hope and that’s our righteousness. Amen

The peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen.