12/26/2025
Are we worthy? Are we worthy of the Christ Child’s birth that we celebrated yesterday? Are we worthy of the sacrifice that God made by giving His only begotten Son to die for our sins? Are we worthy of an audience with the creator of the universe? Are we worthy of His forgiveness? There are so many questions like this that most of us would answer with a resounding “NO!”, but is that really true? Do we even know what it means to be worthy?
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
Psalm 139:14 ESV
Worthy is one of those words that we place an inappropriate meaning upon. We are inclined to view being worthy as being perfect, already complete in some way, but that is not what it means at all. The definition of worthy is “having or showing qualities or abilities that merit recognition or consideration.” This doesn’t mean that we are necessarily perfect, no, it only implies that there is some quality about us that brings with it a reason to hope that we will or could be. To give an example, we may be worthy of a spot on a football team, but as of yet we haven’t earned it. We might be big, strong, fast, and can kick or throw a football and these things about us merit our consideration, and show the coach we show promise, but we are not good enough for that honor yet.
We are worthy of forgiveness in the eyes of God, but that doesn’t mean that we have achieved it yet nor that we are perfect. Let’s look at how Jesus handled the adulteress on the Mount of Olives. This woman was anything but perfect; she had been caught in the act of adultery, and brought before Jesus... so was she worthy of forgiveness? Listen as Jesus speaks to her after sending away her accusers...
“Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
John 8:10-11 ESV
This woman was far from perfect and had been caught red handed in the act of sinning, but Jesus saw something in her that gave her worth and made her worthy of His forgiveness. He saw hope, and had an insight into her which made her worthy in His eyes of this judgement, and of His forgiveness. Although she wasn’t currently deserving she was nonetheless worthy.
My friends, if we have to be perfect, if we must already be free of sin to be worthy... then none of us has a chance. None of us will ever be forgiven. Yet, God has looked at us and deemed us to be worthy. He sent His Son to live amongst us, to show us He cared, to defeat the Sin in us, to suffer, die, and be resurrected to provide for our forgiveness. The Creator of the Universe has judged us to be worthy creatures. God didn’t send Jesus because we were perfect, He sent Him because we showed promise... He sent Him because He found us to be worthy of His grace and of saving.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1 ESV
By believing in Jesus, we have moved from a state of worthiness into one of purity and perfection in the eyes of God. We can at last “go and sin no more” not because of our own perfection, but because we were deemed worthy and filled with the perfection of Christ. We can sin no more because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and because of His perfection that now covers our sins. All of this has been done because God had hope for us, and although He found us undeserving, as we were, He also saw us to be worthy of His Son, and of His grace.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV
Let’s never again say that we are unworthy. We might say that we are undeserving because we are imperfect, but if God Himself has demonstrated that He finds us worthy... then who are we to say “no I am not! I am unworthy?”
So today we might feel far away from God. Today, right now, we might find ourselves accused and condemned by those around us, but even now we are worthy in the eyes of God. Can we trust in His judgement? Can we accept Him, His Son, and the grace He has for us? Can we lay down our shame and accept the forgiveness He has suffered to offer us? Can we grasp the fact that He finds us worthy to love, and to save, despite the fact that we are undeserving? Well, we should... let’s listen to the words of Jesus:
“"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:16-17 ESV
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for finding us, in our undeserving nature, and state, to be worthy of your Son’s sacrifice, and through His blood, your forgiveness. Thank you for seeing in us a glimmer of hope and promise that makes us worthy in your eyes of love and grace. Help us Father to personally believe that we are worthy, even though we know how undeserving we are of you. This morning, we might find ourselves condemned by other men, but by accepting your Son Jesus Christ as our savior, and you as our God, we can accept the fact that you find us worth saving, and that we can walk from this place forgiven by you; prepared to sin no more. Thank you Abba for finding us worthy, and know that we see you not only as being worthy, but as perfect and deserving of our love, worship, and faith. We praise your name Holy Father and lift you up before all men, women, and creation... especially those who feel that you find them to be unworthy. Help us Lord to show them that they are indeed worthy in your sight. Help us to teach them that they might be undeserving, but that you are reaching out to them because you see hope in them and find them worthy of your forgiveness and grace. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is merciful, kind and loving. Holy are you who sees promise in each of us and finds us worthy of all that your Son Jesus endured to redeem us. Perfect are you who sees your Son Jesus abiding in our hearts and finds us, who were once only worthy, to be deserving of perfection in Him. Hear us now Lord as we pray for your mercy and grace. Hear us as we pray fervently, and in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, for your forgiveness. Consider us in the moment of our judgement Lord and see beyond our simple worthiness to where you will find us deserving in Christ of spending eternity in your presence. In this moment and for all eternity we will give you the honor and glory for who we have become; for who you have made us to be in Christ.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Rich Forbes