Have you ever had to testify in court? I came this close to testifying as a character witness once. I was supposed to tell the court how the accused had changed since his run in with the Law. I was happy to testify but I was a little nervous about it too. I knew that every word I would speak while on the stand would be recorded. I also knew that I would be cross-examined so that the court could determine the reliability of my testimony.
If we were to put God on trial to determine whether or not he really exists, whom do you think God would call to testify in his defence? In our sermon text this morning, the Apostle Paul tells us that God would call nature and the Bible as his key witnesses. Let’s listen to their testimonies to see what we can learn about God and his relationship to us.
The purpose of the Apostle Paul’s ministry was to convince the world that there is only one true God and that this God cares for everyone. It was for this reason Paul was in the town of Lystra on his first missionary journey around 50 A.D. There he told the people about Jesus of Nazareth who had died to pay for their sins and rose to life to prepare a place for them in heaven. As he spoke, Paul determined that one man in particular, a man who had been crippled from birth, had saving faith. Paul said to that man in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” (Acts 14:10) At once the man jumped up and began to walk.
Paul, of course, had not done this miracle by his own power; God was working through him. The people who witnessed the miracle, however, thought that their gods had come down to them in human form. A local legend said that Zeus and Hermes (Greek gods) had once come to visit the village but were welcomed only by an elderly couple. In their anger the gods destroyed the rest of village. Perhaps not wanting this to happen to them the crowds proclaimed Paul to be the god Hermes (since he had done the talking and Hermes was the messenger god), and Paul’s companion, Barnabas, they thought to be Zeus. When news about the miracle reached the priest at Zeus’ temple outside of town, he brought bulls to sacrifice to the two men. As soon as Paul and Barnabas figured out what was going on, they rushed into the crowd, tore their robes, and told the priest to stop. They were not gods; they were human like everyone else there! Paul went on to explain that they had come to tell them about the true God so that they would turn from their worthless worship of the Greek gods (Acts 14:16).
In this day and age when many people say that all religions lead to God, the Apostle Paul stands out as a dissenting voice. If all religions lead to God, then Paul would not have objected to the worship of Zeus and Hermes. He would have commended the people of Lystra for their piety and would not have called their religion worthless. No, it’s not good enough just to believe that there is a god; only faith in the one true God saves. Think of it this way. If I want to talk to my brother in Wisconsin, it would be foolish of me to think that I could use one of Maya’s toy phones to make a connection. While her toy phones look real, they are not real. It would not matter if I believed whole-heartedly that when I dialled my brother’s number on one those toy phones that I would get to talk to him. My faith wouldn’t suddenly turn those toy phones into real phones. In the same way it didn’t matter that the people of Lystra sincerely believed in Zeus and Hermes. Since these gods did not exist, their faith in them was misplaced and therefore worthless. Where have you put your faith? If it isn’t in the one true God, the God of the Bible, then your faith is misplaced.
But now what if we’re not even sure God exists? Before we can put our faith in God we need to know if he’s real or not don’t we? While the people of Lystra did not know the true God, they did at least know that there was a god. How did they know this? They knew it from the testimony of nature. Paul talked about that when he said, “[God] has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:17). By looking at nature, that is the way in which the world is put together, one can’t help but believe that someone wise and powerful created it all. Indeed, Psalm 14:1 remarks that it’s only the fool who says in his heart there is no God.
Not only can we know that there is a god just by looking at nature; we can learn a few things about this God. From nature we learn that God is kind for he gives us rain to grow crops, to have food to eat, to be filled with joy. The unfortunate thing is that in spite of this truth that God is the one who provides for us, we often think that the things we have accumulated are a result of our hard work. Yet did you know that in spite of all the work a farmer does to plant, cultivate, and bring in his crops only 5% of that yield can be attributed to the farmer’s labor? The rest of the harvest depends on sun and rain conditions - things that are clearly outside of the farmer’s control.
In spite of our sinful forgetfulness, God remains patient with us. He doesn’t just send rain to those who first acknowledge his presence and worship him. If that were the case, there would have been a perpetual drought in and around Lystra, and only the gardens and lawns of Christians in St. Albert would be well watered. No, God does not give blessings just to those who believe in him. In his patient love he blesses all people. He does this so that we all would acknowledge him and turn from our sinful unbelieving ways.
While nature testifies to the existence of God, its testimony alone is not enough to tell us what we need to know about our Creator and Savior. We can only learn what we need to know about the true God from the Bible. This was why Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra. They wanted to tell the people about sin and their Savior. They wanted them to understand that whenever we think, say, or do anything that does not serve others, we sin. Sin pokes holes in us so that we cannot hold on to the goodness (perfection) that God wants us to have. What would you do with a cup that is riddled with holes? Obviously is not useful for drinking so you throw it out. In the same way in our sinful condition we are not useful to God. We should be tossed aside. Yet God did not want to do that. That’s why he sent his Son, Jesus to save us from our sins. Jesus saved us by wrapping himself around us, sealing up all those holes caused by sin. We now are the kind of vessels God wants us to be.
Having been “repaired” by Jesus, God fills us again with is goodness. He doesn’t stop when we’re filled to the brim; he causes his goodness to overflow so that we can pass his love and blessings on to others. Paul understood that. That’s why his life’s mission was to tell others about Jesus. God also wants us to share this message of salvation with others. Let’s remember though that our purpose in sharing this testimony is not to draw attention to ourselves but to Jesus. Look at how Paul and Barnabas reacted when the people wanted to offer them sacrifices. While it may have been tempting to receive that kind of adulation, they quickly pointed the people to the true God. That’s important for us to keep in mind at St. Peter as we put our five-year vision into practice. We’ll always want to ask ourselves, “Why are we doing this?” Are we making all these plans so that our congregation will be the leading WELS congregation in Alberta? If so, can we say that we are doing this to the Lord’s glory?
What we can also learn from our text about sharing God’s Word with others is that it doesn’t always convert people to the truth. While there were a few converts in Lystra (Timothy being one of them), by in large the crowd did not believe Paul. In fact they hated him for his message for they stoned him and left him for dead. In the same way we may come up with great programs to share the Word with our community, but we shouldn’t think that this will guarantee new converts and members in our congregation. While that may be disappointing it should not be disheartening. Jesus said it would be this way. Still he encourages us to be faithful to his Word and faithful to our gifts in getting that Word out.
We’ve heard two witnesses today proclaiming the God of the Bible to be the one true God. What are we going to do with that testimony? If we were part of a jury in a court of law, we would have to hand down a verdict. What verdict will we make regarding God’s testimony? Will we believe these witnesses and so enjoy God’s blessings as did the cripple man in our text? Or will we be like the crowd and continue to worship God in whatever way we think is right and convenient even though such worship is worthless? While God is patient, his patience will not last forever. Take to heart the testimony of nature and the Word that you may be saved. If you already believe this testimony, pass it on to others that they too may enjoy the salvation Christ has won for them. Amen.
