Sermon -- 6th Sunday of Easter

ACTS 17:22-31

WE WORSHIP THE ONLY GOD WORTH KNOWING.

In the name + of Jesus.

M:      Alleluia! Christ is risen!
C:      He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

     When the apostle Paul walked through the streets of Athens, he saw many shrines to many gods.  The Greeks and Romans acknowledged all kinds of gods, each responsible for some part of creation or life.  It was an admission that they were not in control of their lives.  They could not control the weather which, in turn, meant that they had no control over their harvests.  There must be a god who is in charge of those.  They were not in control of what stirs up people to love or war.  Mars and Venus were worshiped for that.  Sailors and travelers knew they had no control over the sea.  A trip to Neptune’s shrine might result in good sailing.  You can at least give the Greeks and Romans credit for recognizing that they did not have control, and that someone influenced times and events.

     As the apostle Paul observed the various temples and shrines for all these gods, he noticed another altar.  He said, “As I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god’” (Acts 17:23).  It was as if the people in Athens did not want to offend any god that they happened to have missed.  Well, the truth is they had missed one—the triune God.  Rather than mock the Athenians for their pagan worship, St. Paul seized the opportunity to teach them about the God they did not know. 

     What Paul encountered in Athens is not much different than what we run into today.  People are still very religious, but they claim to be spiritual.  Many are claiming to be “Nones,” that is, not affiliated with any religion.  When filling out a survey, they check, “None” for religion.  But such people have not abandoned interest in God.  That should not surprise us.  St. Paul noted, “(God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth … that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” (Acts 17:26-27).  So, it is no surprise that people are religious.  What many lack, however, is any real source of truth.  For people who are spiritual, God is whatever they think he is or should be.  But just as I cannot tell you what you are like, we do not get to tell God what he is like or should be like.  God must reveal himself to us if we are to know him rightly.

     Dear Christians, you do know the triune God who insists, “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5).  “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.  I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:10-11).  There can only be one God.  Only one can be almighty.  You can’t have two almighties; one would have to be more powerful than the other.  Only one can reign supreme.  You can’t have two supremes; one would have to be greater than the other.  Our Lord does not allow himself to be worshiped as chief of many gods.  He demands, “You shall have no other gods” (Exodus 20:3); for, there are no other gods.  As it turns out, he is also the only one who saves.  We worship the only God worth knowing. 

     The people of Athens demonstrated a natural knowledge of God.  That was apparent when St. Paul walked through Athens.  In each of the shrines he passed, he saw altars.  What is an altar for?  It is for offerings.  An animal is slaughtered and consumed by fire.  This was done to purchase the favor or to appease the wrath of a god.  In either case, it showed the worshiper was seeking to make things right between themselves and God.  Their consciences testified that something needed to be done to make things right.  So, they made sacrifices at these altars.  But how could they know which offerings were pleasing?  And how could they know if their offerings were enough?  Just as they made assumptions about who God is, so also they had to make assumptions about whether or not some god was pleased with them.

     We worship the only God worth knowing.  The Lord has not only revealed his nature to us, he has also revealed what reconciles us to him.  Unlike false gods who demand sacrifices to be appeased, Jesus came to be the sacrifice which appeases God’s wrath.  Jesus took upon himself our sin—the defilement in our hearts that leads us to jealousy, bitterness, obscenity, perversion, and the self-centered assumption that God is just like me.  This sin affects the way I think others.  My judgments are often ignorant, biased, and unkind.  How can this not affect the way I treat them?  It is worthy of God’s wrath.  But Jesus has taken all sin and guilt from us.  He was slaughtered on the cross and there was consumed by God’s fiery wrath.  Since Jesus has taken away the curse of sin, we are not condemned.  Since Jesus has taken into himself the full load of God’s wrath, God has only blessing left for us.  We worship the God who saves, and this is the only God worth knowing.

     How blessed you are to know the true God!  How blessed you are to live your life in peace!  For, the day is coming when we will all have to stand before God to answer for our lives.  St. Paul told the people of Athens, “(God) commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).  We worship the only God worth knowing who has revealed his word to you so that you don’t have to guess where you stand with him. 

     Jesus Christ is, indeed, risen from the dead.  Jesus showed his risen body to many people over a period of forty days before he ascended into heaven.  This was no illusion.  Jesus spoke with his disciples and ate with them.  Spirits don’t eat, but people do.  Jesus invited people to touch him and to inspect the wounds inflicted upon him by crucifixion.  Jesus rebuked the disciples who were slow to believe that he was risen.  How could they doubt when he was standing there and speaking to them? 

     Jesus’ resurrection assures you that your sins have, indeed, been taken away.  The sacrifice he made for you is perfect.  Jesus’ resurrection assures you that the grave is powerless.  Jesus has authority to raise your body up to live forever.  Jesus holds the key to death and hell.  We often get the idea that Satan is in charge in hell.  This is not true.  Satan doesn’t hold the key.  He is an inmate.  Jesus is the judge.  Jesus issues the sentence and enforces it.  Jesus lives and reigns.  There is no greater power.  There is no higher throne.  Jesus’ resurrection proves that he will judge all people on the Last Day.

     Many people find the idea of Jesus judgment to be offensive.  More people, even within Christendom, have rejected the idea of eternal death in hell.  But do you know who spoke more about hell than anyone else in the Bible?  Jesus!  He issues warnings because he does not want people to go there.  No other God—as if there are any others—will deliver you from hell and the grave.  Other gods themselves are dead.  But Jesus lives.  We worship the only God worth knowing.

     Now maybe you think that hell is too harsh a judgment for anyone to receive.  We don’t deny that it is horrible, but we must confess it is true because God has revealed it to us.  Besides, people do recognize that there must be a judgment to face when we depart this world for justice to be carried out.  Consider this: If someone murdered or raped your sister or daughter, you would demand justice.  What would that be?  Lock someone up for 60 years?  How does that balance out with her violent death or with having to suffer psychological trauma for the rest of her life?  Some will argue, “Well, that man has to sit in jail and be tormented with regret for the rest of his life.”  Perhaps.  But that man may boast about it for the rest of his life.  Putting him in jail prevents him from doing it again, and that is good.  But is it justice?  If we want to push this to its limit, Adolf Hitler was responsible for unspeakable atrocities.  If there is no judgment by God, then Hitler got away with everything.  Sure, he killed himself at the end of the war, but lots of people died in that war.  Is it the same?  You could argue that Hitler died for a bad cause and the soldiers died for a good cause.  But if there is no judgment before God, what is the difference?  All alike are dead.

     The Lord God has given us life and breath and everything.  He holds us accountable for how we use his gifts.  If you have abused God’s gifts, repent and strive for what is good and decent.  But even more, cling to Jesus.  Flee to his altar—not to make a sacrifice to appease God, but to receive the body and blood which have appeased God and forgive sins.  Flee to Jesus for relief of fear and refuge in the judgment.  Only Jesus declares you not guilty of sin because he has taken it away from you.  Only Jesus declares you heirs of eternal life because he has conquered death for you.  Only Jesus declares you children of the Most High God because he has reconciled you to the Father.  Only Jesus opens heaven to you so that you can dwell with him forever.  Jesus’ resurrection is the proof that he has the authority to grant these things.  He is only one who saves in this way.  He is the judge, and his word is final.  Therefore, we worship the only God worth knowing.

     When the apostle Paul walked through the streets of Athens, he saw many people clinging to gods that were not real and could not save.  So, he preached to them.  You and I will encounter more and more people who claim to be spiritual, who grew up never going to church, or who have been badly misinformed about what the Bible teaches.  Some do not worship God at all.  Others, because of their assumptions, worship a god which, for all intents and purposes, is an unknown god.  How do you engage them?  Start by asking questions.  What do they believe?  Why do they believe it?  How did they come to that conclusion?  Like St. Paul, you have the word of God which reveals salvation.  You have compassion for the lost.  Start with people where they are, and then proclaim what the true God has revealed.  Through you, God will reveal his mercy, his peace, and his salvation.  Our Triune God is the only God worth knowing.  For, he is the only God who saves, and he is the only God there is.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.