“When It Does Happen You Will Believe”
Memory is a tricky thing. There are some things, however, that we should never forget. One of these is the sacrifices that others have made on our behalf.
It was a spring morning in 1866, just after the Civil War that had devastated the South. A group of Southerners did something quite extraordinary. They marched down the streets of what was left of their town to a cemetery. There they decorated the graves of the soldiers. All the soldiers. Union as well as Confederate.
The mothers and daughters and widows had buried their dead. Now they buried their hatred. The time for healing had come. It was the first Memorial Day.
Have you ever wondered why Memorial Day is marked in May? Its date doesn’t recall some historic battle. Or the start of some war. Or the signing of an armistice. Why, then, May? For a very practical reason. Because it is a time when flowers bloom. Flowers with which to decorate graves.
On the secular calendar, this weekend we celebrate Memorial Day; but on the Christian calendar, today is the last Sunday in this Season of Easter. Truth be told, for us, as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ every day is Memorial Day. Every day we remember that God gave us His Son who died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins and to put us back in a right relationship with the Father. Following His resurrection Jesus walked the earth and revealed Himself to many during a period of forty days [the significance of the number 40 in the Bible].
Noah and the flood = rained for 40 days and forty nights
Moses on Mount Sinai = fasted for 40 days and 40 nights
Israelites in the wilderness = wandered for 40 years
Jesus in the dessert = fasted for 40 days
Saul reigned as king for 40 years
David and Solomon reigned as kings for 40 years.
The number 40 is often used to express a complete period of time, marking a transition or significant event.
This coming Thursday marks what we as Christians refer to as Ascension Day and since it falls later in the week next Sunday is officially “Ascension Sunday.” The following Sunday will be Pentecost Sunday [ten days after the Ascension] and the coming of the promised Holy Spirit. We don’t celebrate Ascension Day, but we should, and I’ll talk more about that next Sunday.
John 14:23-29
Ever since the original Pentecost, the gospel of the kingdom has been proclaimed to the whole world, and yet, not everyone is receptive to it. Jesus saves the deepest revelations of Himself for those who want to truly know Him, love Him, and obey Him.
The setting for our text this morning is the Upper Room just after celebrating the Passover Meal and Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. I don’t know about you, but all of my Bibles have scriptures underlined and I have written myself notes along the borders and at the top of the pages. In my original study Bible, which is almost in tatters, after hearing a sermon or maybe from some notes in one of my classes at Emory—above this text for today I wrote: “Jesus is putting His disciples at ease with His leaving.”
John 14 is all about comfort: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in me also” (v. 1). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this text for a funeral. What is it most that people are looking for at a funeral? Hope!
Jesus promised His disciples that there were many rooms in His Father’s house, and He was going to prepare one for each of them. That He would come back to take them where He was. Jesus is a man of His word and the promise that He is coming back for me is something I not only believe but am counting on.
John 14 is all about direction: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (v.6). There are some highly educated people, even some seminary professors, who dispute this statement—that Jesus is the only way to the Father [false teachers]. There are some self-proclaimed prophets out there who want to dispute this statement. Brothers and Sisters, write it down—memorize it—underline it—and remember that He, Jesus is the way and the truth and the life! When Peter and John were arrested and placed on trial in front of the Sanhedrin for healing the crippled beggar who sat at the Temple Gate called Beautiful; Peter boldly proclaimed: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
John 14 is all about a challenge: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (v.12). This has always been a daunting text for me—do greater things than Jesus—I’m not so sure that I possess that kind of ability. But notice two requirements for this to happen: (1) faith in Jesus and (2) because He is going to the Father. Jesus was talking to a group that, despite three years with Him, still lacked faith.
John 14 is all about promise: We can ask for anything in His name and He will do it, and He promises to ask the Father for another Counselor—the Holy Spirit—who will be with us forever and teach us everything we need to know.
But this comfort—direction—challenge—and promise all hinge on one thing: Jesus returning to the Father. None of this could happen—the Holy Spirit could never come—unless Jesus returned to the Father which creates the need for Jesus putting His disciples at ease as He dealt with their lack of faith.
Our part in all of this is obedience through love. We start by loving Jesus (which should be easy to do)—and then we obey what we know must be done. And because of this we will be loved by the Father and He and Jesus will make their home with us—they will reside in us!
While the concept of heaven as the final dwelling place of the Christian is inherent here, the contextual reference is to the present life of the Christian in fellowship with God.
Father Richard Rohr, in his book The Universal Christ, writes: “Christians are meant to be the visible compassion of God on earth more than ‘those who are going to heaven.’ They are the leaven who agree to share the fate of God for the life of the world now and thus keep the whole batch of dough from falling back on itself.”
My spiritual coach told us at a conference several years ago now that the first part of the Gospel is this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” [John 3:16]. And the second half of the Gospel is this: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” [1 John 3:16]. The first half reminds us of the love that God has for us, and the second half tells us what to do with His love!
Jesus knew that, regardless of how well the disciples understood these great truths there would be dark days ahead for them. He was thinking especially of the interim between the time He was speaking and the day when the coming of the Spirit would become an actuality.
He trusted their love and obedience—supported by His peace which He promised them on the eve of His death. A comforting peace that would sustain them and keep them unafraid—a peace that only He can give and a peace that the world doesn’t understand.
The Holy Spirit’s work brings deep and lasting peace to our hearts and minds. Unlike worldly peace, which is usually defined as the absence of conflict, Jesus’ peace gives us confident assurance in any circumstance. With His peace, we have no need to fear the present or the future. Sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and despair are at war within us, but the peace of God restrains these hostile forces and offers comfort in place of conflict. Jesus says He will give us that peace if we are willing to accept it from Him. When you feel the stress of life, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with Jesus’ peace. The Apostle Paul said it best: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” [Philippians 4:6-7].
Most of you are probably familiar with the Gospel song written many years ago by Bill and Gloria Gaither. The refrain goes, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives.” The story behind the song is inspiring.
In the late 1960’s, while expecting their third child, the Gaither’s were going through a traumatic time. Their firstborn child, Suzanne, was four, and her sister Amy was three months old. The timing for another baby wasn’t ideal. On top of that, Bill was recovering from a bout with mononucleosis.
The breakup of the marriage of Bill’s sister, Mary Ann, had left his family devastated. What’s more, a close friend had accused Bill and Gloria of using their ministry just to make a few bucks. All this plunged Bill into deep depression.
Gloria remembers this also as a time of fear and sadness in society. This was the time of the “God is dead” movement. Drug abuse and racial tension were increasing. The thought of bringing another child into such a world was taking its toll.
But after a simple prayer by one of Bill’s close friends the strength of the Holy Spirit seemed to come to their aid. Christ’s resurrection—in all its power—was reaffirmed in their hearts. They were assured that the future—left in God’s hands—would be just fine.
In July 1970 a healthy baby, Benjamin, was born. Inspired by the miracle of their son’s birth, “Because He Lives” poured out of the Gaither’s hearts. The song clearly affirms the hope believers have in Christ. We can face tomorrow, with all its uncertainty, as we realize that God holds the future and makes life worth living.
On that night when the disciples were needing encouragement and a sense of hope Jesus assured them that if they would love and obey Him—He and the Father would love them in return and make their home with them. Because Jesus lives—and because He and the Father live within us—we too can live!
Eastman First Methodist Church 