Welcome to the Good Shepherd Sermon for Sunday,
January 11th, 2026.
This week's sermon is given by Pastor John Milky
and his title is God's MVP.
This is the day the Lord has made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The National Football League is ready to announce their MVP
for this football season.
I think the votes are already in before the playoffs began,
and it'll be announced on the
Thursday before the Super Bowl.
And you would guess that the winner's probably going
to be a quarterback because well they've won
the last 12 years in a row.
And I wonder if it might be Matthew Stafford,
my favorite football player of the past.
He's no longer my football player
because he no longer plays for my Detroit Lions.
But he might win
because he is got lots of touchdowns, lots of passing yards.
It'd be his first chance to win the MVPI think.
But there's also a chance that another quarterback might win
from the New England Patriots.
No, not Tom Brady. Uh, a guy named, uh, Drake May,
I don't know him, but apparently he's doing really well
as a fairly new quarterback in the National Football League.
He might win because of what he's done on the field.
As you look at those uh, athletes in the football field,
you might ask yourself what makes them so special.
I think it's the sports writers that pick the
winner of the MVP.
They look at the stats, they look at
what they've accomplished on the field.
And this reading from Isaiah is like an announcement,
like it's gonna be made on the
Thursday before the Super Bowl.
We find here that God reveals his MVP
and I hope that we're gonna learn why he chose
the person he chose and
how he went about making that choice.
So one of the things
that the sports trainers do is they look at the stats.
How many yards did he throw?
How many touchdowns did he throw?
How well did he do if he ran the ball?
And he's a running back 'cause running backs won the MVP
award in the past as well.
Well, when we look at these words from God, we understand
that he also wants to look at statistics.
You look at other portions of God's word, he,
he labels these as what he looks for us in each one of us.
He says in Galatians to the fruit of the spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
When you look at those stats
and compare them to how you've done with those stats, those
attributes, you might say,
I guess I should have thrown a few more touchdowns.
I should run for a few more yards.
Should have caught the ball for more receptions.
'cause you know that we have often failed those things
that God has asked us to do.
We have not exercised patience.
We have not shown ourselves to be loving and kind.
We have not exercised self-control.
And well, the fact that we have not been able
to show gentleness is, is pretty clear when I look at myself
and my actions and words in the past in my life.
Sportswriter also look at the negative statistics.
If someone has a bad day, throws a number of interceptions
that might take 'em outta the running for the MVP.
If they fumbled the ball
and lost the chance to go on to the playoffs for Super Bowl,
they may just lose that chance.
And what does the God say?
He says when he looks at the negative statistics
around us, he sees these things.
He sees in our hearts, sexual immorality, impurity
and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft.
Then there's the highlight of errors that he finds out
that Peter tells us in God's word.
Also, hatred.
Discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions factions and envy.
If you look at those negative statistics in our own lives,
we're almost as bad as that football player
who picks up the fumble but runs in the wrong end zone
and scores to the pointing team.
Not as bad for them, but how bad it is
for us when we make those mistakes
over and over and over again.
So God sent into plays, God sent in the playbook.
Here's what we are to execute. Keep your thoughts pure.
Think the best of somebody no matter
how they've wronged you in the past and forgive them.
And when you do those things, what's your success rate?
How well have you competed on the field?
I've only played flag football in college.
That's why I have good knees. I guess.
Didn't play the rough sport of actual playing football.
But I'll tell you the truth. I stink. I stink.
I stunk when it comes to these words of our God.
I fumbled so much. I ought to be benched.
I don't deserve to be on God's team.
You see, that's what happens when a player doesn't perform
well in the football field.
He gets benched. The owner might
say, I don't want him on my team.
I'm not gonna pay him any more money. He's gone.
So it is with God too when he says,
look at those statistics, look at your errors.
It's all 'cause of our DNA for sure.
It's also because we simply, this will be our God.
We have a falling out with our owner,
our master chief of the universe.
Now God says, you can't be my MVP.
You could be the least valuable player you could be.
You could receive the choker award. That's what you deserve.
But that's what we are by nature, sinful, unclean.
Now truth be told, you may have your favorite team
with a favorite player and he is not maybe doing the best
statistics wise, but you wanna keep him on your
team 'cause you like the way he acts.
He made up performance as well as the quarterback
or the running back wide receiver coaches sometimes do that.
They see the mistakes in practice,
but they still leave him on the field for their actual game.
Coaches do those things, but not God.
God's not that kind. He's not that kind of a coach.
He demands something. He expects the best.
He expects to be perfect.
He demands perfection 100% of the time.
So we hear these words from our text.
We find where God's MVP truly lies.
One who's 100% perfect all the time.
Here's my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one whom I delight.
I am placing my spirit on him.
Can't help but draw that picture to the gospel ring
for today, correct for our loving God in the form
of a dove lighted on Jesus, the Holy Spirit.
The voice thundered from on high
and Jesus heard him say, this is my son whom I love.
I'm well pleased with him. Those words taken at Jesus'
baptism reminds us that God delighted in his son.
He delights in his perfect he MVP.
In football, you can probably name an athlete,
a former MVP
who you still think can still do the job on the
field, though he's getting older.
But what happens because he has a new
contract, he gets a little lazy.
He takes the playoff, he takes the game off.
Maybe he doesn't think he's needs to spend all this energy
to prove himself anymore.
And so he as a fan might say, well,
he doesn't really belong in the field anymore.
He should be punished. And the sportswriter might take him
off that list for being an MVP because he is sluggish.
Or maybe he is using some illegal product
that makes him unworthy to be on the field.
Jesus never took a day off. Jesus never took a playoff.
He continued to focus on what he needed to do.
Our text says he will not falter or be discouraged.
He never let his thoughts wander.
He never straight away from the will of his father
be the savior of the world.
He always assumed the best in people.
He never gossiped about anybody. No.
He lived that MVP life perfectly 100% of the time.
Pretty obvious that only one person could live up to being
that MVP for God.
Our father used a baseball analogy.
He threw a perfect pitch every day, never once failed.
Our loving God is our savior God who says what now listen.
Are you willing to follow this MVP he?
God's MVP will announce a just verdict for the nations.
Ooh, that could kind of hurt.
If Jesus is going to be the kind of MVP that servant
that his father expects of him,
then there's no doubt he's going to reveal some things.
How closely tied I am to those unholy three, the world,
the devil, and my sinful flash.
He's gonna call us out on that.
He's gonna condemn us for being despicable in his sight,
unworthy to be in his holy presence.
Well, I know you may have some evil thoughts,
so at least those won't get out in the
world by our words and actions.
So those are still sinful. God knows what they are.
You may be the other one besides him.
He's gonna bring justice on earth.
Are we willing to follow that MVP
with his demand to be perfect?
What is your reaction If this is God's choice at MVP?
What is your choice?
What are you gonna do when he comes to you?
God says here a couple pictures to describe this scene.
A bent read. He'll not break a dimly burning weak wick.
He'll not snuff out. He will faithfully bring
forth a just verdict.
He'll not burn out and he'll not be broken
until he establishes justice on the earth.
The coastlines will wait for his law.
A bent wick, a burning rut.
Uh, wick tends to have strength only when it's complete.
But if you do some damage to one side of
that, what's gonna happen?
It's not gonna be functionable, it's gonna break down.
It has no value. It might just be
thrown in the fire and be burned.
Now you know something about Wix.
Those who still don't use electricity will take the flask
and put it inside a, a little lamp with some,
um, oil inside.
And what happens? It burns for a while, eventually goes out
and they have to replace it with more.
But it doesn't last forever, does it?
So we find ourself being described as
the least valuable player.
We ought to be stuffed out from God's holy presence.
'cause our lives are only here for a moment.
And we deserve God's justice.
So as you think about that, only left to do is
to acknowledge who we are, the least valuable player,
ones who suffer and deserve suffering, eternal hell,
fire 'cause of who we are by nature.
Sinful, unclean,
but remember the word
but from a previous sermon.
But there's also the second half.
Things changed in the second half. Sorry guys. It's true.
In the second half, what happens? Open your eyes.
Don't miss what happens in the second half
'cause God says this, but his MVP, he will not cry out.
He'll not raise his voice.
He'll not make his voice heard in the street.
Jesus was not like a superstar who says, I'm flying in here
with my limousine or my airplane.
I make a big scene as the MVP.
Jesus does not say, guys, I deserve the MVP.
Look how great I am. He does not say I'm going
to live over in this part of the of the neighborhood.
I don't wanna be so, so close to those imperfect people.
No, your MVP comes as a little child born, a little stable,
born in a little town of Bethlehem.
He came in order
to stop you from being fearful or in despair.
What were the words of the angel
when they announced to the shepherds?
What's going on? Fear not right.
First words don't fear
because Jesus has done all the things as an MVP
that he's supposed to do as a servant of God.
He promises to bring you life and salvation.
Sometimes it is easy for us to
think about the player who can live up the rest
of the team and carry them to victory.
Who's probably considered the weakest on the football field,
probably the kicker or the punter.
Did you know that out
of all the times the NFL has chosen an MVP,
there's only been one kicker Who's won?
The MVP actually won.
Mark Moseley won in 1982. You know why?
There were nine games, they had a player strike.
That's probably why he won it.
But remember, I know you guys like the New
England Patriots so much.
Do you remember Adam Nita Terry?
He was able to kick field goals to win two Super Bowls.
Did he get to become the MVP of those Super Bowls? No.
Tom Brady won it. Anyway, you see, sometimes
no matter how much value you bring to the team, you think
you don't become the MVP.
So it is with our God, we are considered the weakest
in all humanity 'cause of our inability
to follow our god's will.
So God took a team of sinners like you and me,
and he put us on his back like he placed
our sins on his shoulders.
And he said, I'm gonna accomplish what needed to be done.
I'm gonna save the world. I'm gonna rescue the world
and put them on my shoulders to die for them.
'cause that's what I came to do as your Savior and king
and Lord, as he does those things, he does
what superstars are supposed to do.
He leads the team to victory.
We hear on our text, this is what the true God says,
the Lord who creates the heavens
and stretches the Mount who spreads out the earth
and everything that it produces, who gives breath
to the people on it and life to those who walk on it?
I am the Lord. I have called you in righteousness.
I will hold onto your hand and I will guard you.
I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people,
to be a light for the nations, to open the eyes
of the blind, to bring the prisoners out from the dungeon
and to bring those who sit in darkness and of prison.
Jesus would not have been much of a MVP if he had simply
come to this earth, under this earth as a baby,
lived a decent life and then gone back to heaven.
That would not accomplish the saving purpose
of saving lost mankind.
So we find that he came to forgive, he came to redeem.
He came to eliminate our sins, and he does that as our MVP.
He says in our text, to put his arm around you.
Let's have a good cry on my shoulder.
And as you do that, trusting me to bring you solace comfort
and strength through my gospel promises.
Isaiah the prophet said what?
In another portion of his letter, his book, he was crushed
for our inqu.
That's your MVP. He stuffed out our sins on the cross.
He paid the payment in full.
He brings justice so that all people can be blessed
and received the salvation of their souls.
He punished sin. We might redeem the world.
I don't know where you were spiritually
inside when you came into this church to worship today.
Maybe you're still bothered by that pet sin
that keeps on plaguing you.
Maybe you said, Lord, I'm gonna stop that pet sin.
I'm gonna stop doing it. Please
gimme the strength to stop it.
And then you keep on doing it anyway.
And you say, Lord, how can you forgive me?
Over and over and over again.
Jesus takes his position on the field, gently wraps you
around his shoulders and says, I die for that sin too.
I went to the cross to forgive you for that sin as well.
So the Lord God says it is finished.
I did not come to take care of just a few of your sins.
I came to wipe them all clean. The slate is gone.
You are as pure as snow white as snow pure
in the righteousness of Jesus that he earned for you
by his life, his death and his resurrection.
That's the guarantee is God's MVP.
So he says, I not come to reject you. I came to restore you.
I not come to break you, but to build you up.
I not come to stuff you out but to start a fire.
That's your MVP,
God's MVP Pastor.
Are you sure? You sure that my pet sin can be forgiven
by Christ Jesus alone?
Think of that parable of the lost son, prodigal son.
He loved money, his inheritance.
He loved self, he loved envy.
But he was led to know the truth.
And he came to his father begging.
His father said, you are my son.
You're back in the family again.
God changes hearts through his word.
He changes our convictions
to know that it's nothing about us.
I'm the least valuable player,
but Christ is the most valuable player of my life.
We once were lost and now found.
I don't know who your favorite MVP in football might have
been in the past, who might be in the future.
They'll hold onto that title for a while.
It'll be in the record books
for as long as it's world exists.
But they can't play forever on the field.
They're gonna wear out, break down and retire and go away.
Not Jesus. He's your
MVP by God's grace.
He allows you to be his MVP with him
'cause he sees us as equal in his sight, equal and glory
and power in the last day when he brings
us to himself in heaven.
So no matter what happens in the football season to come,
your MVPs may change, but God never does.
Amen. Now with peace of God,
which passes all human understanding, keep
and guard your hearts through faith in Christ Jesus.
Amen.