Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Pe 1:2). Amen.
We talk about Christmas gifts. Shouldn’t we expect the same with Epiphany? Think of those wise men and their treasures of gold, incense, and myrrh when they worshipped the baby Jesus (Mt 2:11).
Before you get all excited about more shopping for those around you (That is not thrilling in my mind.) and more swiping of the credit card (That is even less motivating in my opinion.), you don’t have to wrap anything. It is what you receive—not from others, but from God.
This past Friday was Epiphany. It is the season of the church year between Christmas and Lent. We don’t want to miss the meaning. “Epiphany” has the idea of “showing” or “revealing” like opening a present. During this stretch we see that Jesus is the Savior of all, the One who was born for all and the One who died for all. It all comes down to grace. God’s grace is good for all with the love of all and through the Lord of all. We read from …
Acts 10:34-38
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus whose love is for all and who is Lord over all,
Gift-giving is difficult. At least it is for me. [Slide 5]
If it is clothes, what style? What size? There are different likes and dislikes depending on the individual’s taste. Formal or informal?
If it is cars (Or do those only show up in driveways in December as the TV commercials would have us believe?), what color? What kind? There are different makes and models due to the one’s needs. New or used?
We may struggle with those things when it comes to presents. God doesn’t. And it is the same for each of us. It doesn’t change from person to person or from place to place. It is grace.
God’s Grace is Good for All
1. With the love of all (34,35)
2. Through the Lord of all (36-38)
1. With the love of all (34,35)
Let’s be honest. It can come down to a sense of obligation. You splurge on me; I spend on you. There is not always the right motivation when we give gifts. We feel that we have to. God has to give us his grace. But he does it with the proper reason. Love. God’s grace is good for all with the love of all.
Peter came to that conclusion. But not right away. It took some convincing. But then it was clear. It started with a vision one afternoon when Peter was on the roof to pray (Acts 10:9ff.). The Lord came to in a vision. He spotted a large sheet coming down from heaven. It had all different kind of animals on it. Some of them were unclean creatures, forbidden by Jewish law (Le 11). And then there was a voice: “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). And not just once, but three times. At first, Peter questioned. But the Lord commanded: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). Jesus was educating Peter not just about animals, but about people. There is no unclean individual. All are clean—Jew and Gentile.
That was to prepare Peter for that knock on the door while he was staying at Simon the Tanner’s house. Some messengers were coming from Cornelius. They were to invite this apostle to speak to him and his household. That might not strike us as strange. But Cornelius was a centurion—a man in charge of 100 men in the Roman military. That made him a Gentile. Jews didn’t step foot in a Gentile house. But with the Lord’s blessing and direction, Peter journeyed to Caesarea, to address Cornelius and company (Acts 10:27).
Upon arriving, Peter opened his mouth: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation” (Acts 10:34,35). Peter got what he didn’t before. It was now really apparent to him that there was no difference at all between Jew and Gentile. God doesn’t play favorites, that is, treating someone better than another.
And he gives two qualities of those who are welcome with God:
“who fear him” (Acts 10:35). Cornelius was such a “God-fearing man” (Acts 10:2,22). This is not a terror of God, but a trust in God—like a child to a parent as they see the providing and protecting. There is respect and reverence for God because of his grace and goodness. This fear is from one who knows that his sin is forgiven, who appreciates God’s grace, the grace that is for all.
“who … do what is right” (Acts 10:35). Faith produces fruit, practicing what is correct. A person’s life will show that gratitude one has for God’s grace—in the way he or she thinks, talks, and acts, not wanting to offend God, but adore him. That type of life is pleasing to God.
There is the accusation at times from the student, “My teacher likes her better than me” or from the employee, “My boss treats him better than me.” Whether it is real or perceived, it is not appropriate. We are not to be that way, taking into consideration another’s face or form, or taking into account his country or her culture. All are the same in God’s eyes. He sent Jesus to save all people from their sins (Mt 1:21; Lk 2:10). That includes you and me. And that excludes no one.
Satan may claim in order to confuse, “Maybe not.” We contend in order to confess, “Definitely so.” It is as Isaiah explained about the Servant of the Lord, Jesus: “a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (Is 42:6,7). It is not dependent on one’s gender or genes. God’s grace is good for all. That is what grace is—undeserved kindness, a gift that is not earned (Eph 2:8,9). Instead of the darkness that leads to death, there is light that directs to life.
We have great value in God’s eyes. We can find that grace at the font. As water and Word are together, God adopts us into his family. We are children of God, clothed with Christ (Gal 3:26,27). We are all one in Christ Jesus (Ga 3:28). What the Father said of his Son, he speaks to us, “This is my dear son or daughter whom I love. With him, with her, I am well pleased” (cf. Mt 3:17). Remember your baptism. Rejoice in it. God’s grace is good for all with his love for all—young and old, near and far.
2. Through the Lord of all (36-38)
It is safe to say that there are certain limits when it comes to gifts whether that is to family or friends. It can be that we run out of money or we even run out of time. It is not that way with God’s grace to all. It is great because of the greater One behind it. Grace comes to us from God through Jesus. God’s grace is good for all through the Lord of all.
Peter wasn’t presenting new material to those gathered in Cornelius’ house. They were familiar with the word of God which he delivered to his chosen people, “telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:36). That is what the gospel is—good news. And it brings peace. Peter was there on that first Easter evening. Jesus crucified on Friday rose on Sunday. He was not dead, but alive. Suddenly Jesus appeared in in the locked room. He stood there the middle of the disciples. His first words were: “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19). Jesus gives that peace which he promised, unlike anything the world knows (Jn 14:27). To us too. Our guilt separated us from a holy God. Our Savior connected us to him. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus who is our peace (Ro 5:1; Eph 2:17). His perfect life is ours.
That is because of who he is: “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). No one or nothing is above him because he is over everyone and everything—the One who is Lord of both the dead and the living (Ro 14:9). The empty cross displays his power over the devil. The open grave demonstrates his power over death. He is Jesus Christ the Lord. No one is higher or greater than him (Re 17:14; 19:16).
That is why we can be confident that his payment for our sin is enough. God’s grace is good for all through the Lord of all. And that will never end. As the psalmists had us sing: “Your throne … will last for ever and ever” (Ps 45:6).
That was evident all throughout Jesus’ ministry. Peter highlights the start of that. “You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached” (Acts 10:37). Matthew recorded that event for us. There is Jesus in the Jordan River with water running down his head. He was baptized by John the Baptizer, not for his own sins, for he had none. But there he identifies with the ones he came to save—with us. It is as if to state: “Their sins I will gladly take as their Substitute. What is theirs is mine. I willingly accept them all.” And then that booming voice of the Father bellowing his approval. Isaiah prophesied it so many years earlier as if the Lord was pointing directly at him: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight” (Is 42:1). The Father was glad that his Son was setting out to head to Calvary. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power” (Acts 10:38). There was a special outpouring of the Spirit and the strength to carry out his mission to rescue us (Is 61:1; Lk 4:17-21). And that is what he did.
With that commissioning Jesus continued on, equipped and empowered. “He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil” (Acts 10:38). That really is a summary of his service. What Jesus did was not in some remote corner, but in plain sight. He restored to health those who were sick and revived to life those who had died. Such was his ability and capability as the Lord. Not even the devil who is a cruel tyrant could overwhelm or overcome him. And why? “Because God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Jesus demolished the devil’s work, undoing the damage he had done (1 Jn 3:8). God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Co 15:57). God’s grace is good for all though the Lord of all.
So the question is not: What do you give for Epiphany? It is: What do you get at Epiphany? The answer: Grace. God makes that known to us during this time from Jesus’ birth to Jesus’ death. God’s grace is good for all with the love of all and through the Lord of all. No one is left out because Jesus is right on. Happy Epiphany. Amen.
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Pe 3:18).
January 8, 2017
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