1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Sermon

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

What’s Church For? Unity

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name.16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (NIV)

It was only a few generations ago that it would have come across as a surprise to find out that someone didn’t go to church.  Going to church was just something pretty much everyone did.  Today however, things have turned around almost 180°.  A person may be just as shocked or surprised to hear that someone else still does go to church.  It just isn’t the social norm in our culture today that it was in the past.

I think the question posed in our sermon series kicking off this morning would provide opportunity for some interesting answers if one were to interview people at random.  In fact, it might just catch a good number of people off guard.  Why?  Because it seems to be a question people are asking less and less in our world today: what’s church for?  Or, sadly, if they do answer, they do so negatively.  They might be inclined to say the church is for hypocrites (to which we would quickly agree, and assure them there is always room for more).  They might say the church is for collecting money to serve itself.  They might say the church provides the opportunity for homophobic people to cowardly hide away.  They might even say the church itself can’t agree on what it is for, citing past religious wars and the countless different denominations, affiliations, and congregations, all of which claim to be right. 

A read through our verses from 1 Corinthians this morning may appear to support that last view.  “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ’” (v. 10-12).  Paul had it on good information that factions were forming in the congregation at Corinth.  Some associated with Paul, the church planter; others followed the silver-tongued Apollos.  There was also the group enamored with Peter the Great, and then of course you had some whose claim to fame was that they didn’t have a claim to fame, because they were the true believers who were committed to Christ and not some human representative.

Listen closely to a group of Christians today from different churches and you might be inclined to hear similar claims to fame.  “My pastor used to be a professional football player.”  “My pastor speaks all over the country.”  “My pastor is a best-selling author.”  “My pastor knows Hebrew and Greek.”  My pastor… my pastor… my pastor…”  Corinth 2000 years ago or California in 2014 – division is still going strong in the church, isn’t it?  Is that what the church is for, to divide and split and separate in order to provide enough churches with tailor-made messages that cater to every individual want and need? 

Did you know there were at least two times in history in which there was no division in the church – the Church of Eden and the Church of the Ark.  For a time Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect harmony in the church, as its only two members.  Later on in history, just after the Flood, the church consisted of just Noah’s family, a church without division, at least for a time.  So if it’s possible that church can exist without division, as it has at least twice in history, then why doesn’t it today?  What is the problem?  Well what was the common denominator in the case of Adam & Even and Noah and his family?  It wasn’t very long before others were added to their churches.  You see, the more people you add to church, the greater the likelihood of division.  So the church isn’t at fault; rather, it’s the people who make up the church.  It’s you and it’s me.  We’re why there is division in the church.

But why is that?  See, you and I have something inside us that causes us to take a very me-centered view of the world.  Now in some cases it may be easier for us to admit that than in others, but the bottom line is that me-centered view tends to color much of what we do.  Do you disagree?  Let’s consider a few examples.  How about the kind gesture you make when on the highway or in line somewhere and you let someone go in front of you.  A very kind gesture, and one that would not appear to be me-centered at all, right?  Until the person we let in fails to acknowledge with a wave or a smile the nice thing we just did for them.  Isn’t that kind of me-centered if I get all riled up simply because someone didn’t express gratitude for my kind gesture?  Or consider a little thing like that last piece of dessert left in the pan.  Always one to put others first, we thoughtfully ask if anyone else would like it.  Now is that because we are truly hoping to make someone else’s day, or because we’re hoping a refrain of “no, thank yous” from everyone else will make our day when we get to sink our teeth into that last bite?  Why do marriages fail?  Is it because one spouse is so distraught that the other isn’t getting everything he or she deserves in the marriage, or is it because things aren’t working out for me the way I expected them to?  It’s embarrassingly easy for us to point to example after example that, if we’re willing to pull out a shovel and do a little digging, actually reveals our me-centered rationale behind so much of what we do.

And the church experiences division because the minute we become a part of it, our me-centered selves are quick to stake out our spot in the pew and start reflecting on how my church can best serve me.  One of the easiest ways to do that is to find others who may share the same self-serving opinions I do.  See, it’s easier that way, because then we can convince ourselves that it’s not just me serving self – we all want this.  So we pick our representative and rally together and voila, now we’ve got our little faction that can speak with a louder voice and finally get things done.  See how it happens?  Even the Corinthians, who were being divided according to their allegiances to various leaders, were ultimately only seeing those factions as a means to a self-serving end.

Paul asked a few pointed questions of the Corinthians in an effort to open their eyes both to how ridiculous such division was, and also how damaging it would be.  He asked, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (v.13).  What place did division have in the church?  Christ couldn’t be cut up and parceled out so that each faction could have its own little piece that suits it best.  Neither was it appropriate to have any unhealthy infatuation with individual leaders within the congregation.  Finally, why did – why does – such division have the potential to tear a church apart?  Because it discourages me-centered sinners from gathering properly as Christ-centered Christians.

Paul tried to restore the proper focus to the congregation when he wrote, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought” (v.10).  Paul does it the right way.  He did not appeal to his own successful track record.  He didn’t toot his own horn.  Nor did he badmouth the other leaders mentioned.  He did not tear them down in an effort to leave him appearing as the only noble one left.  He didn’t do those things, because he was too busy trying to refocus a divided congregation on the only thing that can put an end to division: Jesus Christ.  It was in the name of Jesus that Paul appealed, and frankly, so far in Paul’s letter, that would have been hard to miss, since in the first nine verses of his letter, the name of Jesus appears in some form nine times!  Was Paul trying to subtly – or not so subtly! – make a point to the Corinthians?  It matters little what causes the division; the solution is always and only Jesus Christ.

What’s church for? Unity.  But that unity can be found only in one source.  The church that forgets, ignores, or deliberately rejects Jesus Christ as the source of its unity is the church that is doomed.  Even if it appears to achieve any semblance of success and unity from a worldly point-of-view, the church without Jesus Christ as the linchpin that holds it all together is destined for failure.  If division doesn’t tear it apart visibly here on earth, destruction will tear it apart in the life to come, for nothing will last apart from Jesus Christ.  Nothing.  Not even the church.

That, Paul reminded the Corinthians, was why he had been sent.  In fact, it’s why the church has been gathered together in the first place.  Christ had sent Paul “to preach the gospel – not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (v.17).  It wasn’t about the pedigree of Paul, the eloquence of Apollos, or the superiority of Cephas; it was about the cross of Christ.  That’s the message Paul was sent to preach, and to make the message about anything less was and is to drain the cross of its power, making it no more effective than a dead battery.

What a shame!  What a travesty to discard the one thing that truly unites in the only way that matters!  Without the cross, all men are united in sin, but that is not a unity that we would wish on anyone, for the results are deadly!  But through the cross all by faith are united in forgiveness.  That forgiveness dries up division by doing the impossible – making me-centered sinners like us into Savior-centered saints.  Do you know what the result is when that happens?  Do you know what is left when the division is done away with because sin has been forgiven?  Do you know what remains? 

Unity.  That’s what the church is for.  That’s what Jesus Christ has done for his church, and the church that is united in the gospel of Jesus and has a passion to proclaim what Jesus Christ has done for his church is a healthy church, a vibrant church, a properly purpose-driven church.  

Dear friends, let’s take Paul’s words to heart.  It isn’t who you’re in with from a worldly standpoint that unites us.  It isn’t service times that unite us.  It isn’t having a preschool or not having a preschool that unites us.  It isn’t style of worship that unites us.  It’s Jesus who unites us.  He’s what the church is for, and the church that gets that, is the church that will enjoy blessed unity.  Amen.

                                                            

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

John 1:29-41 Sermon

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Look!  The Lamb of God

John 1:29-41

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (NIV)

You hear the Baptizer call out, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (v.35) and you instantly make the connection.  You know he’s speaking about Jesus, and you know what he is saying about Jesus through that exclamation.  You know it because the account from this morning’s Gospel leaves no doubt.  This morning we’re going to do more than just passively presume the connection between lamb and Lord; we’re going to strive for a deeper and fuller appreciation of the significance of John’s declaration on back-to-back days, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

To really grasp the depth of what John was saying about Jesus, imagine what the Jewish ear would have heard when John referred to Jesus as a lamb.  The lamb was an animal that played a central role in the sacrificial life of God’s people throughout their history.  To think of a lamb was to think of sacrifice.  God had established this picture already as he delivered his people from Egypt, calling them to observe what would be an annual recurrence in their religious life: the Passover (cf. Ex. 12).  They were to prepare a special meal according to detailed specifications, and the lamb would serve not only as the main course, but a vivid reminder of the sacrifice by which the Israelites’ firstborn sons were spared when the lamb’s blood was painted on the doorposts of their homes on the first Passover.  For most of us, this picture of the Passover lamb is most likely the one that comes to mind when we think of Jesus as the Lamb of God.

But God’s divine visual aids didn’t stop there.  With the Passover, God had set in motion a yearly religious custom intended to highlight the important truth he was establishing: deliverance comes at a price.  Something must be given, something must be sacrificed, in order for deliverance to result.  But what was only a once-a-year illustration through the celebration of the Passover was also daily portrayed at the altar by the priests, and not just once a day, but twice.  While there were numerous types of sacrifices that could be offered for a host of reasons, one constant that God established was what was known as the daily sacrifice (cf. Ex. 29).  Once in the morning, at the start of the day, the first of these two daily sacrifices would occur.  Then, at the close of the day, the second daily sacrifice would take place.  So each and every day, twice a day, at the start and close, a sacrifice was made.  God was cementing in the hearts of his people the truth that deliverance comes at a price.  A sacrifice must be offered as payment.  And which animal do you suppose was to be offered in the daily sacrifice?  None other than a lamb.

And God’s divine visual aids didn’t stop there.  As we shift from the rituals of the priests to the writings of the prophets, one cannot ignore how with eerie accuracy, with picturesque paintings of words, the prophet Isaiah revealed the details of the sacrifice that would be necessary for deliverance.  In the fifty-third chapter of his book, Isaiah foretold with divinely inspired clarity of the sacrifice and suffering that the Savior would endure to offer up payment for sin in order to redeem sinners.  Long before his birth, Isaiah described the One who “took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4,5).  And to tie his prophetic picture together with the sacrificial picture God intended to illustrate through the Passover lamb and the daily sacrifice, Isaiah’s description includes verse 7: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” 

Now return again to the Jordan, to the events recorded in our Gospel this morning.  Take the pictures and the prophecy we have just considered and you can’t help but hear what Jewish ears heard when the Baptizer called out, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (v.35).  What John was stating with those words about Jesus was unmistakably clear: the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, the Head-crusher, the promised Sacrifice, the Redeemer, the Deliverer who would pay the full price for man’s sin and set him free, had arrived, and his name was Jesus.  And dear friends, the whole point of the season of Epiphany is not just that Jewish ears would recognize their Savior, but that all people – that you also – would recognize him as your Messiah, your Anointed One, your Head-crusher, your promised Sacrifice, your Redeemer, and your Deliverer.  He did not come merely to pay for the sins of the Jewish people, but he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

If he took away the sins of the world, then surely you and I are included.  And if all the world’s sins have been taken away, then surely all of ours have been taken away.  That includes the sin that has troubled you ever since your childhood.  It includes the arrogant sins of defiance from your teenage years.  It includes the sins in your relationships, in your workplace, and against your family.  It includes the sin you committed not even 24 hours ago.  It includes all of the sins you’ve committed from the moment you woke up this morning.  The Lamb of God did not leave any unfinished business; he paid for every single sin – yes, even every single one of your sins.  Because of his death, you live and you will live forever.

A passerby once noticed the carving of a lamb on stone high up on a church tower in Europe.  Thinking it an uncharacteristic place for such a carving, he asked around to see if anyone could explain the unique feature.  He was told that when the church was being built, one of the workers lost his footing and slipped off the scaffolding right at the spot where he had seen the lamb carved on a stone.  When the other workers arrived where he had fallen, they unexpectedly saw the man standing there cleaning himself off.  Having fallen into the middle of a flock of sheep, he pointed to a nearby lamb and explained that he was alive, but the lamb was crushed by his fall.  To commemorate his miraculous escape, the workers carved the lamb on the stone.

For you and me that image of the lamb means much more.  The Lamb of God was crushed for our sin.  He was sacrificed in our place.  He absorbed the death-blow of our sin and cushioned our fall, rescuing us from the deadliest fall possible: the fall into hell for eternity.

John the Baptist not only pointed others to the Lamb; he himself also believed in him as his Savior.  What evidence do we have of this?  John keeps no secrets from us, but says, “I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One” (v. 34).  There may be a lot of reasons for passing along a message, but essentially our motivation boils down to one of two things: either you pass along a message that you are passionate about speaking against, or you pass along a message that you are passionate about promoting.  John was doing the latter.  He was testifying that he believed Jesus was the Chosen One promised of God.  What the Holy Spirit had revealed to him, he relayed to others.

Isn’t that what God desires of all people?  If the Lamb of God came to take away the sin of the world, certainly he desires that all would both hear that news and believe it.  John did believe it.  John then testified about it to others.

And don’t let it be lost on you what the result was when he testified about the Lamb to others.  “When the two disciples heard him [John] say this, they followed Jesus.  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).” (v. 37, 40, 41).  What led to others following Jesus?  What led to others inviting still others to follow Jesus?  John testified.  He simply shared what he believed and directed others to Jesus, and God blessed his testimony.

You know how compound interest works, right?  If I invest $100 at 10% interest, I end up with $110.  Even if I do nothing else with that money, it’s no longer $100 that is earning interest, but $110, which will continue to grow based on the interest that 10% continues to bring in.  Christ’s church is really no different.  The interest earned on testifying about the Lamb of God is others coming to faith as the Holy Spirit determines, and then turning around and testifying about the Lamb as the Holy Spirit guides them. The difference between compound interest and the work of the church, however, is the power of the Holy Spirit behind it.

Dear fellow follower of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God will bless your testimony about him to others as well.  So strong was God’s desire that everyone both recognize and believe in the Lamb, that he framed the picture in so many different ways throughout history that he couldn’t possibly be missed when he arrived.  And that grace grabbed your attention.  Grace shouted out, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” from the font at your baptism.  Grace shouts out, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” from the Lord’s Supper.  Grace saw to it that you didn’t miss him.  May that same grace also see to it that others don’t miss him, because of our testimony about the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Amen.

                                                             

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)

Acts 10:34-38 Sermon

The First Sunday after the Epiphany

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

God Doesn’t Play Favorites

Acts 10:34-38

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (NIV)

You know that about the only time that we don’t mind if others play favorites is when we are numbered on the list along with the other favorites.  Otherwise, we aren’t usually too fond of people playing favorites.  When we’re not listed among the favorites, then we are often listed among those who cry, “Foul!” or “Unfair!”  Maybe it’s justified, maybe it’s not, but either way, if we can’t be listed among the favorites, then generally speaking, we’re not real fond of others playing favorites.

For that reason, we may find it refreshing this morning to discover that God doesn’t play favorites.  He used a man named Cornelius to help us see this.  Cornelius was a centurion in Caesarea whom Luke describes this way: “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (Acts 10:2).  Cornelius was the kind of believer that didn’t need words to convince others of his belief, for his actions told the story clearly enough for others to see.  Now an angel of the Lord came to Cornelius in a vision and directed him to send for Simon Peter in Joppa.  Committed to the Lord as he was, Cornelius did just that.

Meanwhile, God was preparing Peter in a special way for the company that was on its way to see him.  Peter had been praying up on his roof, and as the noon hour rolled around, his stomach started grumbling.  It was then, while lunch was being made, that Peter “fell into a trance” (Acts 10:10).  He then saw what appeared to be something like a sheet being let down from an opened heaven by its four corners.  Suspended inside that sheet were bunches of unclean animals, the kind a Jewish person would never expect to see on the menu of his favorite kosher restaurant.  As puzzling as that sight must have been, the real shocker came in the spoken words that accompanied the sight: “Get up, Peter.  Kill and eat” (Acts 10:13).  Peter was understandably taken aback.  His strict dietary regulations did not include what was considered to be unclean food.  A brief exchange followed.  “‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied, ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’  The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean;” (v.14, 15).  This happened three times, so as to reinforce what would have been a mind-blowing vision and accompanying command.  It was so blatantly contrary to everything Peter had known about clean and unclean food, that seeing it three times was necessary to help it sink in.  Then, while Peter was pondering what he had seen, his company had arrived.  The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter what their purpose was, and after a good night’s sleep, they all headed to the home of Cornelius the next morning.

When they arrived, Cornelius was ecstatic.  His laudable behavior is worth noting.  Here was this child of God, eagerly waiting to hear the Word of God, from a man of God, and was he by himself?  No. Luke tells us, “Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends” (v.24).  Cornelius was anticipating hearing a message from Peter, and his zeal compelled him to seize the opportunity so that others might hear the Word as well.  Imagine the “problems” the Lord’s church would have today if all of God’s people followed suit.  Issues of budget shortfalls and member decline and churches cutting back and closing doors would be replaced with issues of building projects, having to add services, expanding ministries, what to do with the surplus at the end of the year and so on.  Indeed, that example of Cornelius is worth following.

But we would probably do well to avoid following his next example.  As Peter walked into his home, Cornelius dropped to the ground before him in reverence.  Peter rightly discouraged such behavior: “‘Stand up,’ he said ‘I am only a man myself’” (v.26).  He then went on to explain to those gathered at the home of Cornelius how things had fallen into place for him to be there.  He pointed out that although it had been completely out of line for Jews to associate with Gentiles – in the same home, no less – but that God had revealed to him in his vision that no longer was it appropriate to speak of things as clean or unclean.  So, when the representatives of Cornelius had come to his house, God had made it clear that there was nothing wrong with his obliging their request to accompany him.  So there Peter was.  Peter then asked specifically why his presence was requested, at which point Cornelius stood up and explained what God had revealed to him, and it was all suddenly clear why God had charted their courses to intertwine.  So there they were, Gentiles, gathered together to hear the message of the Jewish church leader, Peter.

Then, as the final stanza of the Hymn of the Day concluded, and the members plunked down in their padded pews to get comfortable, the sermon started.  That was when Peter revealed that it had all been made clear to him: “Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism” (v.34).  A Jew in the home of a Gentile would have been shocking enough, but now for this Jewish preacher – a representative of the people who claimed to have the monopoly on monotheism, worshiping the one true God – for this man also to speak this message of equality in terms of God’s view of salvation for all people, that was absolutely turn-your-world-upside-down-type news!  A Jew was preaching to Gentiles and telling them that God didn’t play favorites, as had previously been thought.  We can scarcely imagine the level of excitement that this message must have stirred up in Cornelius and his guests.  Formerly on the outside looking in, now they too were included among those acceptable to God.  Even though there was no Jewish blood in their lineage, they still mattered to God, who “accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (v.24).

Wait a minute.  Is the second part of that statement so exhilarating after all, or is it actually quite… terrifying?  “Accepts… the one who fears him and does what is right?”  Already the Jewish people had such strict and stringent requirements governing nearly every facet of life.  Who could possibly keep them all?  So what good was it for Gentiles to be able to be accepted by God,  if he still only finds those acceptable who fear him and do what is right?  Who rightly fears God as he alone should be feared?  Who is able to do what is right?  Cornelius wasn’t.  You aren’t.  I’m not.  No one – Jew or Gentile – is, so what hope was Peter really offering?

That wasn’t the end of his sermon, and to put into the proper context what Peter was preaching, we must continue to hear the rest of his sermon.  He continued, “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (v.36).  And there was the peace Cornelius and his houseguests no doubt longed to hear – peace through Jesus Christ.  That peace – peace that comes through Jesus Christ – makes all the difference.  Without that peace, it matters little whether or not God plays favorites, for even if he chose not to play favorites, but declared that it was possible for all people to be acceptable to him on the basis of whether or not they do right, still no one would stand a chance!  But since God has announced that message of peace through Jesus, that message, coupled with his refusal to play favorites, means something.  It meant something for Cornelius and his guests.  It means something for all people.

Which is to say that it means something for you.  If God had chosen to play favorites, let’s be honest: his list of favorites would include a whole host of people more deserving than you and me.  But peace through Jesus means he treasures each of us as equals because of his Son.  Do you see why Jesus is so important; why he alone is the difference maker for every man, woman, and child?  The person who is willing to take his chances without Jesus is banking on making it on God’s favorite list by his own merits, and he will not make the cut.  Only Christ has made that list, and only those who rely on Christ are added to it.

That’s why Peter made such a big deal out of Jesus when he was preaching to Cornelius and his guests.  Starting with Jesus’ baptism, Peter emphasized that God designated his Son Jesus as his favorite, the Son with whom he was pleased, the Son who was anointed – chosen – play the role of favorite.  Peter said, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (v.38).  Jesus was set apart and designated at his baptism to be the one to fulfill all goodness and perfection…

…and to be the one who by his cursed death on a cross paid for the sins of those who failed to achieve such goodness and perfection.  Now if we consider Jesus to play the role of God’s favorite, what does that say about you and me that he gave up his favorite, his only Son, in order for us to make the cut?  How much we must mean to him, you and I!  How much he must treasure us, that he gave up the only One who deserved to be on any favorite list, just so that you and I could be added to that list by grace! 

It is true – God doesn’t play favorites, for he wants everyone to make his list, to make the cut; he wants everyone to be saved.  He made that clear to Peter, to Cornelius, and to you and me.  “You know the message,” Peter said; “You know what happened,” he continued; God accomplished everything that was necessary through his Son, so that we might have peace through Jesus.  He made sure that some how, in some way, through the mighty message of that gospel, you came to hear it and believe it.  Call it what you want – favorites or not – or we can agree to just let it be called grace. Amen.

                                                             

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)