2nd Sunday after Epiphany – January 15, 2017
In God’s Courtroom You Are Forgiven Through Jesus
Acts 13:38-49 “So, gentlemen, brothers, let it be known to you that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, also forgiveness from everything from which you could not be justified through the law of Moses. 39In this Jesus, everyone who believes is justified. 40So watch out that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:
41Look, you scoffers, be amazed and perish! For I am going to do something in your days, something you would never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you.”
42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving, the people kept begging them to speak again on this same subject on the next Sabbath. 43When the meeting of the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God. 45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with envy and began to contradict what Paul was saying by slandering him.
46Then Paul and Barnabas responded fearlessly, “It was necessary that God's word be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, look: We are now turning to the Gentiles! 47For this is what the Lord has instructed us:
I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.”
48When the Gentiles heard this, they were rejoicing and praising the word of the Lord. All who had been appointed for eternal life believed.
49And the word of the Lord was being carried through the whole region.
Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? I think we could safely say that experience would answer that question with a yes. The one who loves pizza or chocolate can eat too much and get sick. If you spend every waking minute with your best friend you mayget annoyed. Even the businessman or athlete who puts all of his time into their business or sport often times findthemselves burned out.
Yet with that said, there is one thing that we can never get too much of – and that is God’s Word. We can never hear or read too often this magnificent truth: In God’s courtroom you are forgiven through Jesus.
Imagine that you are Gentile, a non-Jew, living in Pisidion Antioch. Although a Gentile, you have begun to know the Lord, the true God. So each week you make your way over to the local Jewish synagogue to hear more.
While there you hear that God created all things; that the Jewish nation was his chosen people; and that it was to this Jewish nation that God had given the Law of Moses. From this you learn that God has high moral standards – and not just high, but the highest of moral standards - perfection. The Jewish leadersspend a great deal of time reading from the Law of Moses and then tell you, “If you want to be found righteous before God you need to become a Jew; you need to abide by the laws established for the Jews; you need to do your best to keep God’s commandments and these extra ones we give you; and then wait for the Messiah God will send.”
After listening to them you always seem to walk away dejected. You know you haven’t come close to living up to the standards of the Law. You cannot escape the heavy burden of guilt you carry. So, in order to escape such unhappy thoughts you start comparing yourself to others. First you look at the Jewish leaders, but their lives seem too righteous. So instead, you start comparing yourself to others in the city. Some don’t ever come to the synagogue; others worship a false god; and still others don’t even try. “Maybe,” you think to yourself, “maybe I’m not so bad after all.”
But then the Sabbathrolls around again. You sit listening to the Law of God. You are reminded of the requirements; the demands; the expectation of holiness; that this is the standard you are to compare yourself to. And then you think of the past week, the past month, the past decade, the past 25 years and see all the ways you’ve screwed it up.
But now it’s a new Sabbath and some men by the names of Paul and Barnabas have been invited to speak. They say something you’ve never heard before. They say that one of King David’s descendants, a man by the name of Jesus, is the Messiah and he has come to be the Savior. Then they go on to prove it: John the Baptist pointed to him as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. This Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses and everything the prophets said about him. The leaders in Jerusalem had rejected him and asked Pilate to crucify him. But all that too had been prophesied. And then God raised this Jesus from the dead; many people saw him alive and testify to it.
But that wasn’t all! This man Paul then spoke the greatest news of all: “So, gentlemen, brothers, let it be known to you that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.” Could he mean me, even though I wasn’t born a Jew? Could it possibly be me, one who has screwed up so many times?
It’s not a difficult scenario to imagine, is it? The message the Jewish leaders were feeding the people is still one that is wrongly held to by many a pastor, church body, and people today. As a result, it attacks us on every side and even finds an all too willing ally in our own sinful nature. Before you know it, we start doing the same things. We look into the mirror of God’s perfect Law and see that we can’t measure up, so we start comparing ourselves to others. We invent our own standards. We turn a blind eye to our own sins and convince ourselves that as long as it appears that our lives look better than the lives of others, we are on safe ground.
If that doesn’t work, then Satan comes speakingsoftly into our ears. Why get worked up trying to keep some impossible standard? You know you are going to fail so why even try. It’s too hard; it doesn’t pay; just do what you want to do and stop beating yourself up. Do what’s good for you!
But then the word of God is shared with you again. You listen to God’s voice, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). You hear his own words, “The Lord does not leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:7). You remember God’s declaration,“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The light-bulb goes on - the only standard that matters is God’s standard. Then we think of the past week, the past month, the past decade, the past 25 years and see all the ways we’ve screwed it up and one more flaming arrow comes sailing through the air from Satan’s bow - one aimed right at your heart – with the message attached: “You’re doomed.”
And oh, how it seems like he’s right. No amount of trying to keep the law can declare us to be innocent. But wait! In talking to the Gentiles, Paul is talking to you. Through Paul, God is talking to you. “So, gentlemen, brothers, let it be known to you that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.” Now consider those words with a courtroom setting in mind.
The day is going to come, either when you die or on judgment day if you’re still living, when everyone will have to stand in God’s courtroom. As we do, God our Judge will ask us for our plea. He will not listen to any excuses. He will silence you if you try to defend your actions. He will not allow you to remain silent.
In our day and age there is much emphasis placed on the rights of the accused person to remain silent so as not to incriminate themselves. But that’s not the way it works in the court of God. There the need is for the open and direct plea of guilty which throws ourselves upon the mercy of the court and begs God the Judge for the forgiveness he has made available in Christ the Savior.
But this guilty plea will not be uttered if we do not honestly face the fact of our sin. Every attempt to minimize or deny sin; any effort to justify some sins as a means to a good end; all attempts to belittle our sins in comparing them to others; each effort to blame someone else or hope that God will overlook them is utter foolishness and threatens eternal tragedy.
We sinners have only one hope, one way of escape, one chance for acquittal in the high and heavenly and holy court of God. It is to have Christ Jesus as our Advocate and our Attorney. With Jesus as our Advocate, he steps in and introduces the evidence of his labors on our behalf. He points to his holy life; his perfect fulfillment of the Law carried out for us sinners. Next, he refers to his holy dying, his full and final payment of every penalty charged against us sinners.
It is on account of this evidence introduced into our case that God, the holy and heavenly Judge, for the sake of His Son, our Substitute and Savior, acquits the believing sinner and pronounces us free from all sin and guilt. How can you be sure? That is the very verdict God the Father handed down when he raised his Son from the dead. So when we, by faith, lay claim to our share of Christ’s merits in the court of heaven, God declares us not guilty. “In this Jesus, everyone who believes is justified.”
Tell me, can you ever hear this message too much? Can you think about it too often? Can you come listen to it in worship too regularly? Never! Notice, that’s the way these believing Jews and Gentiles felt too. “As Paul and Barnabas were leaving, the people kept begging them to speak again on this same subject on the next Sabbath. 43When the meeting of the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.”
Oh that such an attitude would characterize us! That we would be sad to see our service end and have to wait another week before we could gather at Jesus’ feet and hear the one thing needful. Oh that we would go home and adjust our schedules to make sure that we would be here again next week! That we would go home and come to the conclusion that we can wait a whole week before we listento Jesus again and so make use of Bible Classes and personal devotion!
And if you think this is just wishful thinking, think again. Note that right after Paul spokethe good news of forgiveness and justification in Jesus, he also saw the need for a stern warning. “Look, you scoffers, be amazed and perish! For I am going to do something in your days, something you would never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you.”
These words were spoken by the Prophet Habakkuk to the nation of Israel. Paul uses themhere to warn the Jews that, if they did not believe and receive the Gospel, they would perish like unbelieving Israel of days past. Sadly, as we see in our lesson, many Jews in Paul’s day did not believe because they clung to their self-righteous attitude. Today, it’s a warning to us to not despise God’s Word. Not to take it for granted. If we neglect God’s Word and cling to our self-indulgent attitude we will perish.
Such an attitude stands in God’s courtroom and pleads like this: “Hey, God, I know that everything’s good between us. I’ve learned about Jesus. I guess that means I believe. You say you love me so you have to save me. So I’ll get back to you when the times right.”
But that’s not faith. It might say some of the right words, but it’s not faith. Rather, it’s the kind of attitude that occupies itself with other things and says I’ll get around to Jesus later, if there’s time. It’s the kind of attitude that runs after the promises of the world, assuming Jesus will be a sort of safety net who will always be there when we need him, if that ever comes around. It’s the type of attitude that says I can always ask for forgiveness so why be concerned about sin right now.
But how different that is from true faith; a faith that hungers to feast on God’s truth! From a faith that says I can never have too much of this good news. From a faith that wants nothing to do with sin. From a faith that knows – shamefully, regrettably, disappointedly – that our only plea in heaven’s court is guilty. From a faith that clings to and rests our whole case of salvation on Jesus’ holy living and dying on our behalf. That is the faith we pray God the Holy Spirit work in our hearts; and that faith comes only from hearing the message that in God’s courtroom you are forgiven through Jesus. That is a message to live and die by. Amen.