Jonah Albrecht

Epiphany Sunday

January 5th, 2025

Acts 13:44-49

Epiphany’s Light Extends to the Ends of the Earth

The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'” 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

INJ Who has become the light of salvation that shines into the heart of mankind, DFR:

When I was looking for different examples of “great” Epiphanies that the world has seen, I came across a question-and-answer forum on Quora. The question alone might make you brace for what is coming next. The question: What was the biggest Epiphany in philosophical history? The most upvoted answer? “Darwin’s discovery that humans are animals too rather than made in the image of some kind of god. This is the equivalent of humanity growing up and no longer thinking like a child but an adult at last.”

Hard to find an answer that is a more spit-in-the-face of Christianity than that. But then again, we really shouldn’t be surprised, should we? Not when we have passages like 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Or, in even stronger words, Paul writes in the first chapter of Romans:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools.

This is the darkness that permeates our world. It has since the dawn of sin. But it is not just relegated to those outside the faith community. Take, for example, the Jews in our text this morning. They were expecting God to fulfill His promise of salvation. They had the title of God’s people and all the promises of the Gospel. And yet, there was one thing that kept some of them dwelling in darkness: A rejection of the Holy Spirit, and more specifically, a rejection of Jesus as their Savior from sin.

Today as we celebrate the festival of Epiphany, we will contemplate how this darkness is dispelled. How Epiphany’s Light, the Light of the Savior, Extends to the Ends of the Earth.

Paul and Silas are in the city of Antioch in Pisidia as part of Paul’s first missionary journey. When he preaches in the Synagogue, he reminds his fellow Jews how God directed history to bring to pass His plan for salvation. A plan that was seen in Jerusalem with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Gospel made waves among the Jews and Gentiles who were present. And the next week, even more people arrive to hear more about this salvation by God’s grace. But something changes. When the Jews see the great crowds that had come to hear Paul, they began to speak against him and against the Gospel!

Why the sudden change? Well, it was nothing new. The Jews did the same thing to Jesus when He preached the unmitigated Gospel to them. They claimed He had a demon and was of the house of Beelzebub. It really stemmed from a self-righteous attitude.

See, the Jews who did not receive Jesus were blinded by the Law. They heard someone bringing a message from God and could not stand the thought that salvation would come by any other means than what God had originally given them. Paul explained this when he said in verse 27, For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

Whether it was the Jews who crucified Jesus, or these who spoke against Paul, they both thrust aside the truth of the Gospel. 46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Paul, Silas, Jesus, and all the other Apostles all presented the Gospel, the revelation of the Old Testament Law to the Jews. They showed them the key to understanding God’s plan, but they ignored it all and judged themselves as unworthy of eternal life. They rejected the Promise, they rejected Jesus.

Now, we dare not suppose that because we are part of God’s family, we are in no danger of thrusting aside the Word of God. We are cautioned against such in the words of the 3rd Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. For New Testament Christians, this doesn’t mean the honoring of a specific day to worship, but rather honoring the Word of God and keeping it close. In this commandment, God invites us to rest in His grace and receive from Him the forgiveness of our sins.

How easy is it to despise the preaching of God’s Word; to avoid the chastisement God would use to call us closer to Him; or to set aside time to rest our bodies, but not for our souls? Each of these things God calls us to do or to receive for the sake of our eternal salvation. Through them we learn about His grace and forgiveness. However, that same sinful nature that casts all people under the darkness of unbelief is what pulls us away from the light of God’s Word.

The more we listen to that sinful nature, the easier it is to stay away from God and His Word. The easier it is to stay away from church, fellowship with other believers, and even personal study of His Word. If your reaction is, “Not me!” or “I’m strong enough.” Hear this warning from Paul in 1 Corinthians 10, “Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.”

The more we try to stand alone, away from the solid foundation of the Word of God, the more certain our fall back into darkness will be. Thanks be to God, then, who provides for us the Light to follow amid the darkened world of sin.

47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'” 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

This Light that we follow is the same light of salvation that Paul brought to the Gentiles in Antioch, or the Apostles to whomever the LORD sent them. Jesus, the Son of God, is that Light. The Gentiles rejoiced greatly at the news that to them had been given the truth of the Gospel. They rejoiced because it was a news that radically changed their life. It opened their eyes to see past the darkness of their sin, and find a solution to their despair. In their lives before receiving the Gospel, they were trapped under the dark nothingness of paganism. There was no hope, only angry gods that they had to continually please through superficial acts.

But now, now they had something worthwhile. There were no sacrifices, no piles of money to offer, no doing good in order to gain some favor back: There is simply God’s unending, unlimited Love. Instead of judgment for their wrongdoings, they had peace. Instead of terror of God, they had a Father.

You too have something worthwhile. Your heavenly Father does not demand anything of you in exchange for eternal life. That He has given you out of His free grace and mercy because of Jesus’ death on the cross for your sins. Rather than leaving you in the darkness of your sin, God sent His Gospel to you to carry you into His light. Whether it was through a parent, pastor, teacher, friend, or whomever, it was God who brought you salvation and peace.

Paul reminds us that, “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Though our reason cannot comprehend it, our faith rejoices. From before the foundation of the world, your God destined you to be His very own, to call you to faith through His Holy Spirit, and to bring you to Eternal Life in Jesus. This is God’s proclamation over you and is your security that He will keep you steadfast in the Light of His Salvation, away from perils of sin, death and the devil. The Light of Epiphany has Extended over you.

49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.

The Light of Epiphany has not stopped extending its message. Every single day the message of Christ crucified for the sins of all people is being proclaimed to those who still dwell in darkness.

The Gospel is in Pakistan and Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, India and the Philippines. Liberia, Nigeria and Togo, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. And these are just a few of the many doors the Lord has opened to our own fellowship. But there are others who also carry the Gospel into these regions and others, bursting down the darkness of unbelief and shining the Light of salvation into countless hearts.

As the Gospel spread in the days of the Apostles, it continues to spread through messengers like you. You carry the Light of Epiphany wherever you go. The doors that the LORD opens for you and obvious and hidden alike. That means that we are to always be ready to share with those around us the Light that dwells within. Help them to open their eyes to the Word of God that the Holy Spirit might water the seed that is planted in their heart. For, it is God who makes it grow.

The Light of God’s Salvation will extend to the ends of the earth until God has gathered all His people into His fold. Take courage, He has invited you to partake in the blessed mission. Amen.