Unworthy, or Worthless?

SERMON JULY 26

Unworthy, But Not Worthless.

This is an edited copy of my online sermon posted to YouTube. You can find it at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5FKRuKREu4&t

Unworthy, or worthless – how does God think of us? And just as important, how do WE think God views us? Those are very significant questions, because our answers unerringly inform our relationship with Him.

I use those words as defined in any modern dictionary. Worthless means to be of no use, of no importance, of no value, whereas unworthy means to not be deserving of something good.

Now, it is abundantly clear throughout the Biblical text that we are all – every one of us on this planet – we are all unworthy to receive from our Holy God what He gives to us by His wonderful grace. We are unworthy, we do not deserve an iota of His grace and love and forgiveness.

BUT (and this is KEY) – we are not WORTHLESS. We are not valueless to God. We are in no way unimportant to our Creator. Jesus didn’t die for the worthless, the valueless, the unimportant. That wouldn’t make sense on any level for God to send His Son to die for worthless beings.

Nonetheless, the devil would like it very much if we all think of ourselves as worthless to God. And Satan often uses our past failures and sins to convince us that God is done with us. Why? Because we could not convince others of God’s love and offer of grace toward them if we ourselves think God has passed us by.

Do you see the devil’s strategy?

So, today I want to remind us all of the fundamental truth of the gospel message: Whatever is our struggle, whatever is our “thorn in the flesh” that keeps us from being all that God has called us to be – I want to remind us of this foundational truth: God is a God of Continuing Chances to Make it Right.

Let’s look a moment at what Paul says of his thorn. “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 

Paul then continues: Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Paul didn’t think of himself worthless for God. Unworthy, yes. But never worthless. Here is what he tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)

It seems Paul struggled many years with his thorn in the flesh. But what was his thorn?

Many commentators I’ve read think Paul’s thorn was related eye trouble. They surmise this based on Paul’s meeting with Christ on the road to Damascus when that bright light of Christ blinded his eyes. Later, when Ananias prayed for him, Scripture tells us: “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized.” (Acts 9:18)

And then there is the text in his letter to the Galatians in which Paul writes: “For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your  eyes and given them to me.” (Galatians 4:15)

But I don’t think poor eyes sight was Paul’s thorn. I think it was something far more debilitating. I think it was the memories of his earlier murderous persecutions of God’s people. For example, the entire chapter of Acts 22 narrates his defense before the mob at the temple as Paul was dragged up the stairs by the Roman guards to protect him from being torn apart. Here is what Paul told the angry throng:

“I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.” (Acts 22:4-5)

Then later, while standing in chains before King Agrippa, Paul tells him: “Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities. (Acts 26:10-11)

In several of his epistles as well, Paul confessed his utter brutality toward the Jewish followers of Jesus. How could he ever get away from his conscience riddled with guilt? It was those memories that I think were Paul’s thorn in his flesh.

And what is YOUR thorn? Is it your history of failures? Your shameful sins? How you believe you’ve disappointed God and yourself again and again?

I know about thorns. My most painful one dates back only a year and a half. Some of you know what happened to me when Nancy had her stroke, and I don’t feel I need to rehearse my many failures during those weeks and months. I only bring it up again now to let you know I also have my painful thorns – thorns that I cannot escape. And I suspect many of you have thorns from which you cannot escape.

Be careful! Those thorns WILL WEAR YOU DOWN if you don’t let the Holy Spirit deal definitively with them.

Let me tell you how God helped me through my own thorn rooted in Nancy’s stroke. He asked me two questions. First: “What do you know about Me?” And second: “Why do you know it?”

What I knew about God was He is merciful, is greatly in love with me, and is exceedingly compassionate toward me. And second, I knew that to be true because the Bible tells me so.

And so, here are the same questions for you that He asked me: What do you know about God, and why do you know it?

I hope you also know that God is totally and abundantly merciful and compassionate toward you, despite your failures and sins. And you know that is true because the Bible says it is true.

Please pay attention to this. Please: Always let the word of God be your  your rock, your stability – your assurance. As for your failures, the Holy Spirit tells you through St. Paul’s letter to the Christians at Philippi, “Forget what lies behind and press forward toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13)

And don’t forget THIS promise. God gives it to us through Jude: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

Speaking of painful pasts and raw memories of our pasts, do you remember what Peter did to the Lord, and what the Lord did for Peter in response? The great apostle denied His Lord three times in rapid succession. I have referred to this passage in John’s gospel many times, and I do it again for everyone who feels as if they have gone past the point of no return with the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort. We find this gentle exchange in the last chapter of John’s gospel:

“So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

The different Greek words for ‘love’ used by Peter and Christ demonstrate what ought to be for us a comforting reality. I don’t have time to detour there now, but I urge you to do a word study of those two words on your own. And then let the Holy Spirit illuminate for you what that exchange between Peter and Jesus can mean for you.

And here is the main thing that we need to keep as the main thing. The Lord’s willingness to reconcile Peter to Himself holds the key for all of us who repeatedly stumble along our journey and wonder if we can get up again – or even if we should get up again. We who hear the devil’s whispering lie: You are worthless for the Kingdom.

What would the Church look like today if Peter, overwhelmed by his shame, slipped into the shadows of history? How much less would we understand God’s grace without Peter’s two epistles? How many are in heaven today because Peter discovered, as all of us – believer and non-believer – must discover: God is the God of Continuing Chances to get it right?

Scripture promises: “As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful. As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on the faithful. For he knows how we are formed, remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:11-14).

Satan wants us to believe there’s no pardon for repeat offenders. He wants us to accept the lie that God now considers us worthless. And if the Serpent can convince us of that lie, we lose a crucial battle. We get sidelined, lost in the shadows, and unable to help set free other prisoners from spiritual bondage.

God repeatedly assures us, there is abundant pressed-down-and-running-over pardon in Christ. Each time we come to the Father in repentance, we find another chance to stand with our Savior. When all the theologies, philosophies, and ideologies are stripped away, God’s forgiveness and mercy are why we can get up and start again. His matchless and enduring love for us, despite our failures and sins, is the reason we should get up and start again.

An 18th century hymn written by William Cowper reminds us: "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”

We are most certainly unworthy of God’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. We are unworthy of His second, third, fourth, 100th chances to get it right.

Unworthy, yes. But worthless? Ten thousand times, “No!”