(On a table up front: a high stack of papers, record books and journals; the scales of justice; the outline of a person with numerous gold stars and one crumbled silver one.)

As I consider the events that have been transpiring in the last few weeks I was struck by how many people are trying to earn their way into heaven. As I pondered it further I realized that many people are using the same methods to try and curry the favor of God so that He will be predisposed to answer their prayers. Allow me to illustrate this for you.

Let us begin here with this stack of papers, record books, and journals. These represent the records of all the good deeds, the good works, we’ve done- “the times I’ve denied myself, kept myself from sin, done the right thing; the times I’ve spent studying the Bible, attending church when others didn’t”… “Are you looking, God?” In case you aren’t I’ve kept a record. I’ve stacked it up here for You.

Now that’s becoming an impressive stack, it seems to reach up toward heaven… “What do you think?” I’ll tell you what I think. It is a modern day Tower of Babel. Do you remember the Tower of Babel in the Old Testament? The people of the world after the flood moved out onto the plain of Shinar and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens.

How often, if we are honest about it, are we a people who are amassing, knowingly or even unknowingly, a tower of good works? How often are some of us relying on our good works, our good deeds or our good intentions to save us, or relying on them to some how merit God’s favor? When we do this we are constructing modern day Towers of Babel.

Of these towers St. Paul writes to the Galatians, You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?… Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law? Did you receive the gift of the forgiveness of your sins, God’s good and gracious favor by your efforts? St. Paul goes on… After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? (Gal 3.1-3) by building some kind of a modern day Tower of Babel? Of these towers of good works St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith- and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God- not of works so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2.8,9)

Next to our tower of good works we find this balance scale, the scales of justice. Here we find people who seek to merit God’s forgiveness and curry His favor by seeking to do more good than bad. On this side they recognize, “Yes, I’ve sinned, but God, look at all I’ve done - these should somehow tip the scales in my favor.” …”My good surely out weighs my bad.”… “The way I see it God, you owe me one.”

To this way of thinking the Psalmist writes, What is man that You are mindful of him? (Ps 8.4) And Jesus says, What can man give in exchange for His soul? (Matt 16.26) Of this type of thinking- that I can in some way earn God’s forgiveness or favor - St Paul writes, If in fact Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about. You remember Abraham - he left His home, pulled up stakes in his old age and went to a strange land. If in fact Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about –but not before God. The scriptures declare, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. He did not earn or merit God weighting the scales in his favor; God tipped the scales because Abraham believed the One would come who would save him from his sins. It is by God given faith that the scales are tipped in His favor and ours, as well.

Next to the scales of justice I have this outline of a man, you can see that he is covered mostly in gold stars. These gold stars represent the “gold stars of perfection.” By his actions this man is seeking to earn God’s favor - proving himself worthy of God’s rewards. “You (pointing to God) began this good work in me, and now it is up to me to show how worthy I am of your future rewards and grace.”

I want you to notice this one star here; really it isn’t much of a star at all. It certainly isn’t gold. Of all this, it is recorded in the book of James, For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2.10) One less than perfect performance and it is all for not! Less than perfect isn’t perfect. St Paul writes of this trying to be perfect, know that man is not justified by observing the law, but faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law (seeking to earn all kinds of gold stars) no one will be justified. (Gal 2.16)

None of these will merit God’s favor or attention. None of these will earn us forgiveness or salvation. None of these no matter how pious I may seem or act or be will grant me eternal life. And when the people heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Hear this and by the working of the Spirit ponder this, treasure this, trust in this, believe in this: It was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect, He was chosen before the creation of the world. (1 Peter 1.18,19)

It is Jesus’ work on and at the cross that the Father deemed holy and acceptable. By the shedding of His blood on our behalf the guilt of our sins was washed away. It was the buckets of His blood and suffering that God used to tip the scales in our favor. God was doing the work of reconciling the world to Himself by and through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

We don’t merit God’s favor by standing on the rubbish that is our good works or deeds. Jesus’ death in our place on the cross was the one good deed that merited us God’s favor; the one good work that earned us heaven, and the cross is only a tower tall enough to reach from here to God. For what separated us from God was not the distance from heaven to earth but the distance from sin and forgiveness. That forgiveness is found at the cross and echoed in the words of the psalmist, with You there is forgiveness. (Ps 130.3)

Where we have been less than perfect, Christ has been perfect - for He was the lamb of God without sin, stain, or blemish. He shares His perfection with us. For it is written, All of you who were baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. That clothing is the robe of His perfect righteousness - that needs no further adornment.

When the people heard this they were cut to the heart and cried out, “What shall we do?” and Peter said, Repent. By the working of the Holy Spirit confess your sins of trying to earn God’s forgiveness, heaven or merit His attention and turn from them. Allow God’s words of forgiveness and absolution to transform your hearts, renew your minds, and change the deeds of your hands.

Peter said to them, and says to us, Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Do this as they did: by devotion to and study of God’s word and prayer. Allow it to dwell richly within you. And meet together. Do not give up the fellowship of believers and do not give up the fellowship of breaking bread together. If not baptized, then be baptized – you and your household. Care for one another not to earn God’s favor- that you already have- but care for others as you were first cared for by God. And live in reverent awe of: all God has freely done for us, all He has saved us from, and all He has prepared for us.

All around are people who are looking to stacks of good works, scales of self-acclaimed merit, and homemade gold stars to save them. We would too, if not for the working of the Spirit. They like us need to hear of Jesus who is for us our righteousness before God. Amen.