Sermon - Easter 7 - John 17:12–19

 

John 17:12–19

“Sanctified in the Truth”

Today is a sort of an in-between Sunday as we finalize the Easter Season.  We have observed, this past Thursday, Christ’s Ascension, 40 days after Easter.  And next Sunday, Pentecost, will be 50 days from Easter.  So it’s a transitional time.  Christ has ascended, reigns as our heavenly king, and soon we will celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit on the church, and the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

So what does the lectionary do with this sort of odd Sunday?  It focuses us on Christ’s great “High Priestly Prayer”.  Really all of John 17 records this prayer for us that Jesus would have prayed on Maundy Thursday.  It’s 26 verses in all, but today’s 8 verses are the heart of this prayer.

Now, of course, Jesus was genuinely praying to his Father with these words, but he was also praying them so the disciples, and now we, the church, could hear them and learn from them.  And so this prayer teaches us about Christ’s will and his work for us.  In a way, he answers his own prayer by his messianic activity.  And he also sets us an example of prayer, so that we too may come to the Father asking for the good gifts we need in Jesus’ name.

Now, what does Jesus ask for when he prays?

Well, he prays for his disciples – the 12 – and also after this, for all of us who would follow in the faith they would preach.  He prays that they would have joy, that they would be guarded from the evil one and the hateful world.  And then he prays that they would be “sanctified in the truth”.  He repeats that request, too, so it must be an important petition.  Let’s focus on it especially today:  What does it mean to be sanctified in the truth?

Sanctification is one of those theological terms that we don’t hear much outside of the walls of the church.  To sanctify means, simply, to “make holy”.  The Holy Spirit’s chief work is sanctification.  He makes us holy.  And so it makes sense to hear this prayer of Jesus the Sunday before we move on to remember his pouring out of the Spirit on Pentecost.

We also speak of sanctification in two senses.  In the wider sense, it means the Spirit’s work of calling people to faith in Jesus.  In other words, conversion.  We are all sanctified, that is, made holy, by the Spirit, in the water of Baptism, and by the faith that he creates in our hearts. 

The other, the narrower sense of sanctification, has to do with the Spirit’s ongoing work in the believer’s life.  As he continues to call us to repentance and faith, we are ever sanctified by God’s grace.  The Christian grows in love for God and his neighbor.  He grows ever more hateful of his own sin, and ever more thankful of God’s grace in Christ.  No, we never master sin, we will have the Old Adam clinging to us until death.  But we do, in a very weak sense, cooperate with the Spirit, to bring forth the good works that are the fruits of faith in our life. 

This week with our 7^th and 8^th grade MLCA students I watched a video of a famous TV preacher.  We’ve been looking at various Christian denominations and how they developed, and what they believe.  And I wanted them to see an example of this well-known celebrity pastor preaching to a stadium full of people – so that they can learn to critically evaluate good and bad preaching.

Well, this was some bad preaching.  I’m not really even sure I would call it Christian preaching, for Christ was missing and sin was not mentioned.  Instead, it amounted to a continual string of “do this, don’t do that.  Don’t be bitter, be happy.  Don’t give in to your flesh, but take control of your life…” And on and on he went.  As if we could sanctify ourselves, make ourselves holy all on our own by force of will.

The Lutheran knows better.  We confess in the meaning of the 3^rd Article of the Creed:  “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the truth faith.” 

Sanctification, in both the narrow and the wide sense, is the work of God the Holy Spirit, who brings us to faith in Christ, and keeps us in the true faith.  We are powerless apart from him and his work.  We are blind and dead in our sins.  We can’t sanctify ourselves.  We need our God, Father, Son and Spirit, to sanctify us.

So how does this happen?  Jesus says it simply.  “Sanctify them in the truth.”  And where do we find the truth, but his word?  “Your word is truth” he also prays. 

The Christian simply must hear and know and live and breathe the word of God.  Apart from Christ himself, who is the Living Word, the Word of God is our highest treasure, our great heritage.  It is the chief and only means by which we are and must be saved.  For even the sacraments themselves depend on the power of the word.  Baptism is not just water, but it is water combined with God’s word and promise.  The Lord’s Supper is not just bread and wine, but it is, by Christ’s command and at his word, also a gift of his precious body and blood.  Everything, for the Christian, depends on the word.

It is the word of truth that sanctifies us.  And not just any truth, but particularly the truth of the Gospel.  That Christ was crucified for sinners, of whom I am the foremost.  That he who believes and is baptized will be saved.  That all who believe in his name he gives the power to become the children of God.  That he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Of course, we also need the truth of the law, to show us our sins and need for our savior.  But the law only is only part of the story, it’s just half-the-truth.  The Gospel finishes out the plan of God for our salvation, our redemption, our sanctification.  We are made holy – not by keeping the law, because we can’t and we don’t.  We are made holy, only by the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior.  And the good news of this word is the way he delivers that sanctification to us, through the working of his Spirit.

What a treasure we have in God’s word!  We hear it read and preached here.  Our whole liturgy every Sunday is almost entirely the words of Scripture.  We sing back to God in songs and hymns and spiritual songs the truth of his word. And we, like Jesus, pray.  We pray in accord with his word, asking our dear Father as dear children, through the name of our brother, our savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, dear Christian, that you may be continually sanctified in the truth, and that Jesus’ prayer may be answered.  Come to his house regularly.  Read and study his word as you have opportunity.  Teach your children and pray with them.  Live and breathe the word of God in all that you do.

You have been, and you are – sanctified in the truth – made holy, set apart as God’s people.  Different from the world.  Faithful.  Sins forgiven.  People with a future, guarded and kept by God for that day when he calls you home and your sanctification is complete, and Jesus’ prayer for you is finally and fully answered.  In his holy name, Amen.

Sermon - Ascension Day - Luke 24:44-53

Luke 24:44-53

Up, Up, and Not Away

Today we observe the Ascension of Our Lord.  40 days after his resurrection, and after many appearances to his people, our Lord Jesus Christ ascends into heaven and claims his rightful throne on high.  Liturgically speaking, this day falls, of course, 40 days after Easter Sunday, always on a Thursday.

Even though we mention it every time we confess one of the Creeds, it seems the Ascension has been neglected or ignored by many churches these days.  Some observe it on the nearest Sunday, and others seem to ignore it entirely.  But here, tonight, let us consider the meaning and significance of Christ’s ascension.  For like everything that Jesus says and does, he ascends into heaven for you.

For starters, let us address the paradox of the Ascension.  Jesus disappears from the sight of his disciples, and with few exceptions, he will not be seen again until he comes again in glory.  And yet on the other hand, Jesus had recently promised his disciples, “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

But before some snide critic cries, “Bible contradiction!” we are quick to note that Jesus has only removed his visible presence from us, while he remains with us in other ways according to his promise.  He is with us, by his Spirit, whenever two or three are gathered in his name.  He is with us, in his word, especially when it is preached to us – for he himself is the living word of God made flesh.  And perhaps most poignantly, he is with us in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Sacrament.  Gone, but not gone.  Ascended but still very much present in his church, among his people.  Up, up, and not away… but ever with us, according to his promise.

Nor should we imagine that Jesus is now confined to some penthouse in the clouds, as if the glorified Christ is bound by physical location.  He who created time and space, who holds the universe in the palm of his hand, is not subject to his creation but master of it.  God has placed all things under his feet. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to him.  And so for Jesus, heaven is not a place, a location, as if you could find it on a map or even in a certain direction.  Rather, it is a spiritual status of being over and above all things.  That he rose up into the clouds is really incidental to all of that.

Lutheran pastor Bo Giertz puts it this way:

“The scorner asks whether we really believe that God dwells above us.  That we do not believe.  We know that God dwells beyond both time and space.  Heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him.  But God has given us the heavens as a symbol of his majesty and power.  He has taught us to lift up our eyes to the heavens in prayer.  Jesus himself speaks of our Father “who is in heaven” and notes that Pilate has his power “from above.”  Such figures of speech are necessary and just as valid as when we say that the sun “rises.”  Therefore, our Lord was lifted up in the presence of the disciples when he was taken from them and entered through the heavens which separate our world from God’s kingdom.

The Ascension is one of the great milestones in the history of the world.  Its meaning is first and foremost that Christ is raised above all and has received the name which is above every name, God’s own name:  Lord.  He has been “received into glory” and is “seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”  The time of his humiliation is now past.  He possesses once more all the glory and majesty of God.

And now he has begun his reign as king in the kingdom of grace.  God “exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior.”  Now “he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”  He who previously walked in our world like one of us and could speak only to a limited number of people at one time is now everywhere and works throughout the world.  He is the Lord of the church who has sent his Spirit and is with us always, even to the end of the world.

From "Preaching from the Whole Bible", Augsburg, 1967.  Thanks to Pastor Mark Taylor, Faith, Plano.

Pastor Giertz then rightly goes on to say how the next great milestone in the history of the world is the Second Coming of Christ.  We Christians, you see, measure time and history much more by the working of our Lord and God than of the rise and fall of governments and the wars of nations. 

And the truth is, Christ’s Ascension and his second coming are related.  The angels said as much, “This Jesus will return in the same way you have seen him go”  That is to say, visibly, coming in the clouds with angels attending, just as he ascended and was obscured by the clouds with angels attending.  And yet, it will be different, too.  For not only the small apostolic band will see him, but this time, all eyes will see him.

For the disciples, his Ascension was a cause for great joy.  Perhaps they couldn’t fully comprehend it or explain it yet (and really, still, who can?)  But that Jesus ascended caused them to rejoice, as it does for us.  When he returns in glory, there will also be great rejoicing for all who believe in him, and great weeping and sorrow for all who reject him.

But until that time – his Ascension still matters.  It still brings us blessing.  For Christ reigns.  And his exercise of all authority in heaven and on earth is, like everything Jesus does, for your good.

He reigns as the king, in this kingdom of grace called his church.  He guides and governs us by his holy law and blessed gospel.  He bestows the gifts of his Spirit, and consoles us with his means of grace, the Sacraments.  He intercedes for us with the Father, and prepares a place for us in the mansions of heaven.  He opens the seals of God’s plan of salvation for mankind, working through all things for the good of those who love him. 

Christ has ascended, bodily, into heaven. And this is good news for you, dear Christian.  By his death he has destroyed death.  By his rising again he has brought life and immortality to light. And by his Ascension he continues to receive and exercise his divine glory and power, for the good of his people the church.  And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.  And his kingdom will have no end.

Christ has not left you as orphans.  He is with you by his Spirit.  He is with you by his word.  He is with you in the midst of your gathering with other believers in his name, even if only 2 or 3.  And he is with you in the real presence of his body and blood in his supper.  Truly, he is with you always, even to the end of the age.

Sermon - Easter 6 - 1 John 5:1-8 (Youth Confirmation)

 

Water, Blood, Spirit

The Child of God, that is to say the Christian, must believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ.  The Child of God must also believe and confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  These two basic truths form a sort of backbone for our faith.

And yet, throughout history, and even today, there are those who have denied either or both of these truths.

Now, to say that Jesus is the Christ is actually saying quite a lot.  Implicit in this is the confession that we need a Christ, a Savior.  And implicit in that is the notion that we are, in fact, sinful, as the Bible teaches.  Those, especially today, who deny the Christ also tend to deny their own sin and need.  Oh sure, they’ll admit that no one is perfect.  Oh, sure, they’ll confess sin in a very harmless sort of way.  But they don’t stand before God and plead guilty of temporal and eternal punishment.  They don’t confess original sin, the entire corruption of our human nature.  Or maybe think they need only a little help from the Savior, a leg up, a sort of initial push before salvation becomes do-it-yourself, you finish the job.  But that’s not a Savior.  That’s not a Christ.  That’s not the one who lives and suffers and dies for you.

Confessing Jesus is the Christ means that he does it all, and he does it all for us who need it so badly.  Forgiveness, life and salvation come only through him, and are worked only by him.

But he’s also the Son of God.  This, too, needs some un-packing.  The Son of God implies God is not just Father or Son, and quick study of Scripture shows us also God the Spirit.  A triune deity with three persons and one united substance.  We will confess this in detail in a few weeks on Trinity Sunday with the Athanasian Creed.

But saying Jesus is the Son of God is more than just giving him divine credit.  It means he alone has access to the Father and can bring us to the Father, and make us God’s children.  He alone can lay down his life and take it up again, paving the way for our own resurrection from the dead on the last day.  He alone will come to judge the living and the dead.  And He, as the Son of God, lives and reigns to all eternity and gives us a share in that life, and that reign.

So, yes, John is right, in teaching us that every Child of God must confess Jesus as the Christ, and as the Son of God.  But these short statements are like the tip of an iceberg of meaning, with Jesus as the center and focal point of our faith.

You 5 Confirmands.  I want to speak to you about this, too.  In a few moments we will hear you speak your confirmation vows, and as Jesus says, confess him before men. You will confess that Jesus is the Christ, and also the Son of God.  You’ve learned, especially these last three years, but really your whole lives, what is behind these statements.  You’ve studied the commandments, which show us our sin and our need for a Christ.  You’ve studied the Apostles’ Creed, which teaches us how God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, works for our Good.  We’ve looked at the Lord’s Prayer, which teaches us how to pray, and what to ask of our Father in the name of his Son.  And we’ve studied the Sacraments, which Jesus the Son of God establishes to bring his grace to his people.  Surely none of us has mastered all these things, and we continue to grow in knowledge and wisdom and the fear of the Lord until God finally calls us home.  We continue to be confirmed in this faith – even into our old age.

John goes on to tell us how we ought to know the testimony of Christ, and he says it in a rather strange way:  That the Water, the Blood, and the Spirit all testify and that these three agree.  What does he mean by all this?

Well as Lutherans when we hear “the water”, we think of Baptism.  And our baptism is a precious gift.  It’s a gift we confirm in these young people today.  A gift which is no mere symbol, but a true means of grace – a conduit for God’s love and forgiveness toward the individual sinner.  Baptism saves you.  But it also testifies.  It bears witness that you are a child of God.  It shows and indicates that the Old Adam in you is daily drowned by repentance and faith, and that a New Man arises.  It is by baptism, after all, that we are buried with Christ and raised with Christ.  And it is our baptism that seals us as God’s own child, we gladly say it, marked and redeemed by Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God.

Water… and also blood.  While we’re on this track, of course the blood reminds us of that other gift – the blessing of Christ’s body and blood, given and shed in the Lord’s Supper.  Here, again, is no mere symbol, but a true thing – Christ’s real presence – chock full of blessings.  Again, the chief blessing is the forgiveness of sins, but with it comes so much more – life, salvation, victory over sin, power to live as God’s child, and more.  It is by the testimony, and the testament of Christ in this meal, that we are strengthened in our faith.  And when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again.  We confess, along with the blood and the body of Christ, all that Jesus the Christ and the Son of God has done for us.

And the third witness here that testifies to Christ is the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit always points us to Christ.  The Holy Spirit first led us to Christ, called us by the Gospel, and still enlightens us with his gifts.  The Spirit speaks to us – not in the fuzziness of our feelings, or a voice in our head, or the murky depths of our heart.  He testifies through God’s word, through Holy Scripture, and through the Gospel of Jesus Christ rightly preached and taught.  And the Spirit leads us to love God’s commands, and makes the to be not burdensome.

The Word of God and the Sacraments – Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.  These three testify, and agree, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God for you.  These three point you to Christ, deliver Christ’s riches to you, and shape you ever further in to a child of God by repentance and faith.

And as a child of God, you have this promise – back to the first paragraph where John says, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

You have overcome the world, because Christ has overcome the world.  And what he has, is yours.  You have overcome the world that wants nothing for you but death.  But Jesus defeated death, and gives you all his good things, and especially, life.

It’s true of all Christians, but especially this day we encourage you confirmands.  The world is against you.  The world, which is fallen and dying, does not want you to be saved, to be forgiven, and to have life in Christ’s name.  The world wants you to forget your Confirmation vows and the confession of your faith you make today.  The world despises the Word, disregard’s the Sacraments, and knows nothing of God’s grace in Christ.  But you do.  You have heard the good news, and you believe.  We rejoice with you today and always.  Especially as you join us at Christ’s table, and into ever deeper faith – for we have the victory in Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.