May 8, 2010

Take to Heart Jesus' Parting Words!

6th Sunday of Easter, 5/9/10
John 14:23-29


Take to Heart Jesus’ Parting Words!
I. Obey his word.
II. Receive the Holy Spirit.
III. Live in his peace.


The last thing someone says to you is often the most important thing. For instance, a married couple can enjoy 6 decades of life together and during that time they shared countless words with one another, but it’s the last thing one of them said to the other before they died that the living spouse remembers.

Two friends enjoy an entire day together talking about all sorts of situations and laughing about many of them, but the day ends in a disagreement over something petty and that’s the one thing they remember.

Or how about this one? “Before I walked out the door on my way to work this morning she told me not to forget to do something before I came home. Now I’m on my way home at the end of the day and for the life of me I can’t remember it.” Trust me. That last thing she said to him was important.

Our sermon text for this morning is from John 14. It’s part of a longer discourse that Jesus had with his disciples on the night before his death. While Jesus would still have 40 more days to spend with his disciples after his resurrection, it’s apparent that he used this occasion just before his death to share some last words with them. And just as we would expect, these last things that he tells them are very important. He wants them to hang on every word. He wants them to receive his comfort and his confidence for the future they will face without his visible presence.

And he wants the same for you and me this morning. So listen to your Savior. Take to heart Jesus’ parting words! Let’s see what he has to say and may the Holy Spirit bring us his comfort and confidence as we take his words to heart this morning.

Part I.

Many of you have attended workshops or seminars or conferences that last an entire day and perhaps even stretch over two or three days. During that time you receive an awful lot of information and advice. What’s your response to all of those words? Well, we usually take to heart some of it and leave the rest. As we’re listening to the information we decide immediately what we can make use of and what we’ll disregard. After all, some of the information doesn’t fit our situation. Some of the advice we can’t agree with. So we take what we want and leave the rest.

People tend to do the same with Jesus. And because he’s the all-knowing Son of God, Jesus knew that would be the case. He had seen it happening already during his ministry over the past three years. The people loved to watch him perform miracles and they came by the thousands to hear him preach, but when he told them he was the only way to eternal life, when he refused to entertain their wishes for him, they turned on him. People today tend to do the same. They pick and choose what they want to hear, they follow what he says as long as it doesn’t cramp their lifestyle, they embrace him but only up until the point that they don’t have to make any sacrifices.

Jesus knew that would be the case. So he told his disciples to take these words to heart. “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Jesus asserted the authority of his words. He reminds his disciples that they were the words of his heavenly Father. That doesn’t mean that his own words weren’t important. What it does mean is that the words of Jesus and the words of the Father are the same because they are both God. Since these are the words of God, we need to pay attention and take them to heart.

What also makes these words so important is that they are the way our God has a relationship with us. We don’t have a relationship with the holy God because we’re related by blood or we’re neighbors or we’re business associates or we have the same interests. The only way we have a relationship with Jesus is through the truth of his word. That word calls us to faith in him and keeps us in the faith. I can’t know who Jesus is apart from his word. I can’t have a relationship with him apart from his word. Thus Jesus tells his followers of all time, “Obey my word.”

Take to heart Jesus’ parting words. Obey his word.

Your financial planner tells you take the information home and decide what you want to do with it and then let him know. Your new car comes with a maintenance schedule that’s very specific. You have to decide how much of it you’ll follow.

The words of Jesus are neither a financial plan nor a suggested maintenance schedule. They are the words of God himself and he says, “Obey my word.” The sad truth is, we don’t. Not a single one of us. Not a single day of our lives. The history of our lives is littered with impatience, judgmental attitudes, laziness, selfishness, pride and arrogance. To obey Jesus’ words means to confess it. And then, to obey his words means by God’s grace to believe in our forgiveness through the sacrifice of God himself on Calvary’s cross. Jesus wants us to believe that he is our Savior and that every one of his words is true. Jesus works that faith in us by sending us his Holy Spirit through his word. What a blessing! What he commands he also accomplishes in us! Take his parting words to heart and obey them!

Part II.

When a person has been visiting a loved one and it’s time to leave, they might present their host with a gift. Usually it’s something small but it makes the statement that the person has enjoyed their stay and especially their time with that loved one.

In a far higher way Jesus promised that when he left his disciples to ascend into heaven he would leave them with the greatest of gifts. He said, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” What Jesus promised his disciples we’ll celebrate in two weeks. It’s the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on them in a special way, giving them what they needed in order to do their work as Jesus’ apostles. That Holy Spirit gave them many gifts for ministry.

But notice the one Jesus’ mentions in our text. “[He] will remind you of everything I have said to you.” I have trouble remembering things that were said a week later, let alone years later. Many have wondered how the apostles years later could remember what Jesus said or what he meant. Here you have the answer. The Holy Spirit enabled them to remember the exact words of Jesus. He was a tremendous blessing to them in their lives of faith.

And he’s been a tremendous blessing to us too. Without the Holy Spirit you wouldn’t be here this morning worshipping Jesus as your Savior. Without the Holy Spirit you’d still be in the darkness of unbelief and heading for an eternal death in hell. But as promised, Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit and either through the Sacrament of Baptism or through instruction in his word, the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Jesus. Of all the gifts Jesus has given us, indeed the Holy Spirit is the greatest.

But the Holy Spirit isn’t a one-time gift from your Savior. It’s something he wants to give you every day of your life here on earth. The Holy Spirit is the gift that keeps giving—but only as we continue to hear his word and receive the Lord’s Supper. Think about that. The greatest of gifts God can give us comes to us through his word and his Supper, but we tend to take those means of grace for granted. We allow the trinkets of this life to separate us from the priceless gem of our salvation. So take to heart Jesus’ parting words. Receive the Holy Spirit and through him the forgiveness Jesus won for you and the eternal life he guarantees you.

Once again, these words were some of Jesus’ parting words to his disciples. When a loved one is leaving, hearts are often heavy. We may even wonder if we’ll ever see the person again.

The disciples had the same thoughts, the same fears. And thus Jesus assured them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” What’s this peace that Jesus leaves with his followers? It’s the peace of knowing that all is well between us and the holy God. It’s the peace the angels sang about on the night of his birth and it’s the peace the angels would announce on the morning of his resurrection. Jesus came to this earth to remove the barrier of sin that destroys our relationship with God. He won that peace by living a perfect life and by dying an innocent death for us. His resurrection from the dead stamps the Father’s approval on that peace.

Therefore that peace is ours no matter what our outward circumstances. It’s real and lasting. It’s not like the peace our world strives for, which is here today but gone tomorrow. The peace of God rests on us no matter how troublesome or painful your personal life may be.

In fact, it’s a peace we do nothing to gain. While you may have to work hard to arrive at peace in your relationship with another person, you and I don’t have to do a single thing to enjoy the peace which Jesus won for us. That peace is entirely God’s gift to troubled sinners.

In a few minutes you’ll hear the encouragement to depart from the Lord’s Supper in peace knowing that your sins are forgiven. At the end of today’s worship you’ll hear the words of our loving and gracious God blessing you with his peace. As people whose lives are often in turmoil, as individuals who suffer from insecurities and struggle daily to measure up, as children of God who battle each day with a world bent on evil, we desperately need the peace of God. So take to heart Jesus’ parting words. Live in his peace, knowing that in the most important relationship in your life—your relationship with your God—all is well. Amen.

May 3, 2010

Jesus Commands Us to Love!

5th Sunday of Easter, 5/2/10
John 13:31-35


Jesus Commands Us to Love!
I. He moves us to love.
II. He shows us how to love.


Commands. Even though we’re familiar with them, we try to avoid situations in which we have to issue them or receive them.

For instance, commands are an integral part of active military service. Military commanders are known for shouting, “Charge” and and “Attack!” and “Hold your fire!” and maybe even an occasional, “Retreat!” But unless you’re seeing active duty in a combat situation, you don’t have any use for those commands.

If you’re a pet owner, especially if you own a dog, commands are part your early relationship with that dog. As a puppy you teach it commands such as, “Sit!” and “Lie down!” and “Fetch!” and “Quiet!” But now that you have your dog trained, you barely have to say a word to it. It knows instinctively what you want it to do. It’s a miserable pet owner that has to scream commands at a dog for the duration of its life.

We use commands with our children, but usually only at a young age. You might ask them nicely once or twice to do what you want them to do, but after that you have a “come to Jesus” meeting with them. You firmly take them by the arm, make them look right into your eyes and tell them, “Stop it right now!” and then inform them of what the consequences will be for their noncompliance. But the older they get, the less you issue such commands.

In the work place commands are used only as a last resort. The supervisor wants those under them to do the work they’re supposed to do without comment from them, maybe just a word of encouragement. But if that doesn’t work, ever-stronger directives will be given. As a last resort, the supervisor might have to warn, “Do this or lose your job!”

We’re familiar with commands. We know they’re necessary in some situations. But we try to avoid using them.

And yet Jesus seems to have no reluctance in giving us a command in the verses of our text this morning. Did you notice it? If you missed it, let me remind you what it was. “A new command I give you: Love one another.” He commands us to love one another. If you think about it a little, you might be confused at best and perturbed at worst that he speaks to you that way. You might be confused why Jesus should have to command you to love. Don’t you do that anyway? You might be perturbed that he should think that he has to command something which you feel should come naturally. And yet it’s right here in black and white. Jesus commands us to love. Let’s study this command together this morning and, in doing so, clear up any confusion and misgivings we might have.

Part I.

I’d like to see if you agree with my assessment of the following situations. A teenage girl confides in a friend that she has a crush on a young man in her English class. But the very next day, her friend walks up to the young man and betrays her confidence. It was a glorious moment for that girl with the crush.

A man’s parents are sitting a courtroom awaiting the outcome of the trial for their son. When the jury returns, the verdict is announced. Their son has been found guilty. It’s a glorious moment for those parents.

A young mother watches her daughter playing in the front yard with a ball. The ball rolls out into the street and before the mother can stop her, the girl chases after it and gets hit by a car. It was a glorious moment.

By now you might think I’m crazy. My idea of what’s glorious is absurd, even cruel and sadistic. Those are the farthest things from glorious. And you’re right. But listen to these words, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” It was the night before his death and Jesus was in the upper room celebrating the Passover with his disciples. Jesus had just indicated who his betrayer was and Judas left the room. That’s when Jesus announced, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” He gets sold for 30 pieces of silver by one of his inner circle of friends and that’s glorious?

And that betrayal led to his trial. The testimony was full of lies. The judges had predetermined what their verdict would be. Sinful, loathsome men condemned the holy Son of God, and Jesus’ comment is, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” How could that be?

Hours later he was nailed to a cross along with two other criminals. His own people hated him so much that they wanted to watch him die a slow, agonizing death. It was the worst injustice ever committed. And Jesus’ comment on it all is that it’s a glorious moment for him?

How could he say that? Because he knew his death wasn’t the end. Jesus knew he would rise from the dead. The Old Testament foretold it. Jesus himself announced he would do it. Indeed his suffering and death would lead to glory.

Ultimately, he would ascend to his Father in heaven. He would assume his position of eternal power and glory, ruling over all things for the good of his believers. Not even Satan himself would be able to bring down the kingdom that he had established with his life and death and resurrection. Indeed, this was a glorious moment.

But that glory wasn’t just about him. It was about us. His perfect life, his betrayal, his sufferings, his death, his resurrection and his ascension into heaven was to win great blessings for us and assure us of those blessings. He did that so that we should be his own, and live with him in his kingdom and serve him forever in righteousness and purity. He did all that for us and now he commands us, “Love one another.”

Jesus commands us to love. But he does so only in light of what he has done for us. He moves us to love.

What possible reason does one spouse have for forgiving the other after they have committed the same sinful disregard for the umpteenth time? Why does it seem like we’re always the ones who have to do the serving while others stand by idle or don’t even acknowledge what we’ve done for them? Give me one good reason why I should feel compassion towards someone else in a tough situation or deal patiently with them even though I’ve dealt with them before? Well, can you imagine how Jesus could feel toward us? Can you imagine how Jesus could have felt towards Judas and Peter and the rest of the disciples on this night? And yet he loved them. He forgave them. He forgives us because he loves us. His love moves us to love others.

Part II.

Telling someone you love them is a wonderful thing. If it’s the first time you speak those words to someone, it’s a monumental moment. But just speaking them isn’t enough. Those words must be accompanied by action. If there is no love in action, they’re just hollow words.

The gospels don’t record the verbal expressions of Jesus’ love for others. We don’t read that Jesus told his disciples, “I love you.” We don’t hear that, when he healed the sick, he told them, “I love you.” I suppose he might have told them that, but we don’t hear that he did. That’s because we don’t have to. His actions said it for him. We never hear that Jesus disrespected or neglected anyone. We never hear that Jesus was unconcerned. Instead, we read that he was filled with compassion and he showed it by meeting the needs of the people he met. Chiefly he met their needs by feeding their souls with his word.

Immediately after the last verse of our text we read, “Then he showed them the full extent of his love.” He hitched up his outer robe, grabbed a towel and a basin of water and washed the feet of his disciples, a task that was usually relegated to a servant in the house. But Jesus, without hesitation, washes his disciples’ feet. Why? To show his love for them, to let every motion of his hands with the water and the towel tell each of his disciples, “I love you.”

And then he set down that water and that towel and made his way to Calvary’s cross. There has never been a greater act of love. The almighty Creator of all things sacrifices himself for his rebellious creatures. The holy Son of God sacrifices himself for the sinful sons and daughters of men. The King of kings and Lord of lords stretches out his hands and dies for his mortal, sinful subjects. There’s only one reason anyone would ever do such a thing: Love—the purest, greatest, most blessed love ever. God’s love for sinners. And he just doesn’t tell us he loves us. He shows us he loves us.

Jesus commands us to love. He not only moves us to love, he also shows us how to love.

The most common definition of love is that it’s an emotion of deep affection. But if that’s all, then it’s not much good. That’s because true love is also accompanied by action. That’s the love you see in your Savior, Jesus Christ. His deep affection for us moved him to die for us. That love moves us to show that love toward others. But that’s not easy to do in our selfish and me-centered world. We grow weary of listening to people who think the world revolves around them and yet we tend to slip into the same selfish mindset as we focus only on our needs and what we think we deserve. Instead, focus on your Savior’s love for you which won your forgiveness and freed you to truly love others as Jesus loves them. And now we’ve come full circle. What Jesus commands of us—to love one another—he empowers us to do and shows us how to do it.

Be the best lover you can be and, in doing so, obey your Savior’s command to love. Amen.