Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Epistle, which was read earlier.
Few things in this life are worthy of being called a treasure. Gold and silver are quick to come to mind. Maybe a person will count a car or beachfront property as a treasure. We all have treasures of some sort in our lives. Some treasures mean more to us than others. What one person values as a treasure may not be the same that another person values. Regardless, it doesn’t make it any less of a treasure to the person who values it.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a treasure as well, but a treasure with a value beyond measure. The proclamation of Jesus and His forgiveness and life is a treasure that’s kept and guarded, but for a reason: to be given out, to be handed over and shared, for it is a life-giving proclamation.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a treasure given to us by the Holy Spirit through others. It is given to us in the Word: in preaching, in absolution, in the Scriptures read during the Divine Service and Bible studies, in that same Word in our homes, in brother-to-brother sharing and so on.
This is the treasure that St. Paul writes to young Timothy in our Epistle reading. Jesus Christ had called Saul to spread the Gospel instead of trying to snuff it out wherever it was preached and taught. Now Paul, a disciple of Jesus who was unworthy in his own estimation, was writing and visiting churches and telling them of this wonderful treasure which they have in Jesus Christ. Paul tells Timothy, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner…. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed.”
Why would Timothy have been ashamed of Jesus Christ and His Gospel? Paul is not saying that Timothy has been ashamed up to this point. He’s saying, “Don’t start being ashamed now because of what you see happening to me.” We remember the words of Paul to the Romans: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””
This treasure that you and I have of the Gospel is not something to be ashamed of. The reason why the Gospel is a treasure is because it is something that we hold near and dear to us. It means something special. It’s not like every other average thing that we have in our lives, for it gives to us eternal life. This treasure of the Gospel is a deposit that must be guarded. It was a gift of God deposited to each and every one of us when we were brought to the waters of Holy Baptism, where we became a treasure of God because we became His forgiven children. In turn, He gave to us the wonderful treasures of forgiveness, life, and salvation. We guard these treasures because of the heavenly and eternal value they have. They’re not like the treasures of this world “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” Rather, these are the treasures that God has given and because He has given them to us, we know that these are the greatest gifts that we could ever receive.
This Gospel that you and I have received is the greatest of all gifts, a gift that is to be treasured beyond all things. But not only do we treasure this gift, it is a gift that is intended to be shared with others. Our Lord shared the gift of the Gospel with the disciples, with all whom He preached and ministered to, and even Saul, the great persecutor of the Church. The disciples, the followers of Jesus and Paul shared this Gospel message to others, including those who were once outside of faith. The Gospel has been shared with people just like ourselves, people who are not worthy of the love that God has for us, yet we have still been shown that love, a love that sends Jesus to the cross to make atonement for our sins.
For the Christian, there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Paul was not ashamed of it because it brought life and salvation. However, for some, they are ashamed of the Gospel. They are ashamed of what people might think of them or how they might be treated if word were to get out that they are a Christian.
The “testimony about our Lord” is nothing short than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whenever Timothy preached it, he’d have the assurance that the Holy Spirit was working through that Word to give faith to all who were hearing. That proclamation was enough even to make snooty Greeks leave their philosophy behind and believe in a God who became flesh. They might believe. They might not. But that Gospel was the means of salvation to all who would believe, and it was also the grace that would defeat whatever doubts haunted Timothy.
So what about you? What are your thoughts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Is it something that you cling to, are willing to die for rather than give up? Or are you ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ashamed of what the Gospel means – that Jesus Christ would leave the Father’s glory, take on human flesh and blood in order to die so that your sins would be forgiven?
There is no reason to be ashamed about the testimony of our Lord, ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is definitely easier said than done. Shame is a powerful emotion—no one wants to feel ashamed. In a sinful world, the threat of shame can be a blessing that prevents us from doing what our sinful flesh desires—because if people found out, we’d be ashamed.
The Gospel is none other than the story of Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection for sinners. It is the story of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. It’s the story of how Jesus has forgiven us of all of our sins and how He has clothed us with His holiness and righteousness, so that when God looks at us, He doesn’t see our sinful nature, but rather sees us as holy – perfect and without sin. Who could be ashamed of that? Why would anyone be ashamed of that?
This is the treasure that Paul was given by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. This is the treasure that Timothy was raised with by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. This is the treasure that you and I have been given through Holy Baptism. This wonderful treasure, a gift of the Holy Spirit, is ours. But this treasure is not meant solely to be a treasure for us and us alone. It is a treasure that is to be given to others; a treasure that says Christ has died for all people, including them. May we always cherish the treasure that we have received and may we always willingly give that treasure away. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.
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