Mexican soap operas crack me up. Nine times out of ten they are about a young, poor maid who falls in love with her employer’s handsome son. After many trials and tribulations, this young, poor maid finally finds the life of her dreams with the man of her dreams. For some reason, we can’t get enough of the Cinderella story. Whether in the movies, on TV, or in sports we root for the underdog, that person who faces all odds, who goes from rags to riches. Well, today we are going to look at a true Cinderella story. It’s our story, how God took us from our humble roots, gave us the best clothes and made us heirs of his vast fortune.
I. From rags to riches (26,27)
Our story really begins over six thousand years ago in a beautiful garden, where our ancestors Adam and Eve listened to that tempting serpent and ate of the forbidden fruit. In an instant they lost everything: perfection, peace, their place in God’s kingdom. And we are their offspring. Born in sin. Born dirty and worthless slaves. As proud Americans, we don’t like to hear that. As we celebrated on the Fourth of July, we are free. Free to live our lives as we would. Free to set our own future. Slaves to no one.
Well, when you find yourself in a web of lies, and at one time or another we all do, you’ll see that slavery. Unable, unwilling to tell the truth, we tell one lie after another, each one covering up the last. We are slaves to our lies.
You are on the road. You promised your wife that you would be more patient and not get angry at how other people drive. Yet you can’t help but get upset at those idiots who just don’t know how to drive. We are slaves to our anger.
Your father passes away, yet you have a hard time going to the funeral because you are afraid to face that casket that will one day be your resting place. We are slaves to fear. The truth is that we are all born slaves to sin, the devil and the fear of death.
But from those humble and lowly beginnings God does something incredible In his love he looked at us in our miserable state of slavery and decided to pay the price of our freedom. He redeemed us. He paid the price of our freedom, not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He suffered the whippings, the beatings and the punishment that our lies, anger and doubts deserve.
And because of that, God now receives us as his own dear children. He adopts us miserable slaves. In our baptism he clothed us with new clothes, with the perfection of Jesus. All those dirty stains of sin and doubt are now covered with the bleached white linen of Jesus’ perfection. When God looks at us, he doesn’t see our sins, our filth, our weaknesses, but rather he sees the perfection the Jesus won for us on the cross. He receives us as sons and daughters of the king.
Did you notice something a little different about our rags to riches story? We didn’t do anything. We didn’t pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. We didn’t face all odds and work hard to earn it. We did nothing. God saved us. God chose us. God called us to faith. Yeah, that’s right, even faith is something that God has given us. So let’s not be so arrogant as to say that we’ve had something to do with the fact that we are children of God.
You know, when I go and visit prospects for the church, one of the first things that I ask them is if they think that they are going to heaven, and if so, why? The most common answers that I have heard are: “Because I am a good person and led a good life.” Or “Because I have chosen God and decided to believe in him.” The reason that we will go to heaven is because, as Paul writes, “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law (that is, to pay the price that sets us free from the punishment of sin) so that we might receive full rights as sons.” In his amazing love, God has changed us from paupers into princes. Not with a wave of his magic wand, but by paying the incredible price for our freedom with his death on the cross. And through our baptisms and through the preaching of the Gospel the Holy Spirit gives us the faith to trust that.
II. We all are heirs of his kingdom.
That annoying kid that sits behind you in class. That guy at work that has such bad breath that you don’t even want to go near him for fear that he might open his mouth. Your neighbor who has no tact and just drives you crazy. We all know somebody like that. Some of us are people like that. But it doesn’t matter what the world thinks about us. It doesn’t matter if we are annoying, ugly, fat, skinny, black, white, Hispanic or even if we smell really bad, in God’s eyes all of us are his perfect and loved children, part of his big happy family.
Paul tells us in verse 28 of our text: There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, through faith we all are received with the same love, and are united in Christ Jesus. And Paul explains what that unity consists of in his letter to the Ephesians: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. This is not to say that we’re all the same. There is a difference between men and women and their roles and responsibilities in God’s kingdom. There is a difference between cultures and people in general. God has given us all different talents and responsibilities. Because of our sinful nature, we all have different sins and weaknesses. But we are unified through faith into one big family.
So let’s act like it. As we grow as a congregation, with God’s help, we are going to have a wide range of people and personalities. Some of those who come to church might smell. Some may be really annoying. Some may be from different cultures. Some may talk too much. But through faith they have become children of God. So let’s make a real effort to look at each other through God’s eyes. See your brothers and sisters in the faith not according to their weaknesses and flaws, but rather as holy and loved children of God... just like God looks at us.
And let’s build up that unity that we have. Talk to one another. Encourage one another. Welcome visitors and encourage them even if they seem strange. Because God wants all people to come into his family. Hey, if he accepted us, let me tell you, he’ll take anybody.
And you know, we have a unique situation here at Divine Savior in that we have two services, one in English and one in Spanish. Having two different languages and cultures can sometimes create an atmosphere of two separate churches and cause division, but let’s not let it. Take advantage of the opportunities between services and at future church functions to build up that unity that we have as brothers and sisters, children of the king. If you have the chance make the most of the opportunities that we have like the event this afternoon, “Christmas in July” where we can join with brothers and sisters from other congregations to encourage and build one another up.
You know we should probably skim ahead and take a quick look at the end of our story, because it has a happy ending. We, as children of the king, will receive our inheritance when we die. The Bible tells us that we will rule as sons and daughters of the king forever in heaven. What an amazing ending considering our humble beginnings.
So, brothers and sisters, I’d encourage you to carry yourselves as is proper for sons and daughters of the king, with humble confidence. You are free from death and the punishment of sin. So, keep on fighting against the temptations of the devil who wants to return you to slavery. Let’s live that unity that we share as brothers and sisters. Let’s encourage one another and build one another up in God’s Word until the day comes when our story reaches its end in heaven, where we will live happily ever after. The end. Amen.
