6th Sunday of Easter
May 21-22, 2006
Text: Acts 10:34-48, 1 John 5:1-8, John 15:9-17
Vicar Michael Monterastelli
GOD’S COMMANDS ARE FULFILLED IN HIS SON,
GOD ALSO GIVES HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
Dear fellow believers in Jesus, the Christ,
GOD’S COMMANDS ARE FULFILLED IN HIS SON,
GOD ALSO GIVES HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Both John’s Gospel and his first Epistle for today seem to be riddled with the word “commandment”. Our Gospel text for today repeats two words several times — the words: love and command. “If you keep my commandments… This is my commandment… If you do what I command you… These things I command you…” “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” Abide in my love... Abide in my love... Abide in His love.
These commands of God include what we call The Ten Commandments. It also includes other divine words that Moses recorded: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Commandments can be given by earthly authority figures. Or they can come from God the Father Almighty. With Him as their source or origin, there is the force of heaven behind them. His words are not just puffs of air which accomplish nothing. His Word and His commands always accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11).
Ordinary commands seem burdensome. Because of sin, any command, especially a command from God may weigh us down. Ordinary commands from authority figures like mom, dad and teachers, employers and police officers obligate us to do things we may not do on our own. They take away our freedom to do what we want in every situation.
At times what we want is more toys and more candy. What we want is more time at recess, to get out of class early, and to be first in line. As we grow in age and responsibility, what we want is longer breaks, shorter work days, and more money. What we want is to drive as fast as our cars will carry us. What you want is what makes you feel happy. And what I want is what makes me feel happy. But what makes us feel happy may not be what makes God or anyone else truly happy. Oh sure, we do nice things for people but our sinful hearts motivate us to look for a return on our investment.
Ordinary commands from authority figures also take away my right to boast in my own authority. After someone tells me to do something, it’s kind of hard to boast and say: “Look what I did! Aren’t you glad I did that for you!?!” After someone tells you to do something, you don’t get all the credit for getting it done. We have to share the credit with whoever told us what to do. And sharing credit is not always so easy.
If ordinary commands can do all this to sinful men and women, God’s commands carry even more weight and have more force. He not only requires us to do things we would not do on our own, He requires us to have pure thoughts, hearts, and motivations behind all that we do. To these commands Jesus adds one more: “that you love one another as I have loved you.” And then, He doesn’t just get some of the credit for the good that we do, He gets all of it. Apart from Him you can do no-thing. “Hey! That’s not fair!” So cries that selfish old Adam and Eve in each of us. “You deserve some credit too.” So the world tells us. And so we’d like to believe. But,
GOD’S COMMANDS ARE FULFILLED IN HIS SON.
GOD ALSO GIVES HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
You could choose to believe a fictitious claim that the history of a popular work of fiction, such as The Da Vinci Code, is somehow historically accurate. Or you could believe the truth: that a work of fiction, and its loose claim of historic truthfulness, is a work of a worldly imagination intended to sell more books.
But Jesus requires us to love each other just as He has loved us, freely! He truly and historically demonstrated His love for you when He freely obeyed His own commandment and laid down His life for His friends… and for His enemies (Romans 5:7-8) … without charging you a dime. That means that just as He suffered torture leading to death, so also do we anticipate suffering as we love one another. You see that’s what sin causes as it struggles against God. And that’s what we must endure as we walk in this world along the valley of the shadow of death.
But John reminds us that: “everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” To the man who has faith in God’s Son, His commands are not burdensome. How can this be you might ask?
Because Jesus, the Son of God, has endured the full weight of the burden we have collected. He has carried our burden to the cross for us, where He was crushed by all of our sin. What God commands of us, Jesus obeyed and then endured the punishment our disobedience deserves. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, but God raised Him on the third day (Acts 10:39-40). Thanks be to God for every single one of His commands and for His Son who obeys every single command for us. Each command God gives is another reason to thank Jesus for what He does. For some 90 years here at Luther Memorial Chapel:
GOD’S COMMANDS HAVE CONTINUED TO BE FULFILLED IN HIS SON. AND GOD KEEPS ON GIVING HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT
JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
As we recognize new members today, we see the abiding fruit that God grows through His Word and Sacraments. So, how do you know you believe all this? Well let’s listen to what Jesus tells us. “For all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Through God’s Word, you know what Jesus knows. You know what God the Father Almighty has done for you. He has spoken His Word into your ear. His Spirit works where His Word is proclaimed and faithfully taught. His Spirit has come to you and His Name is sealed to you in your Baptism. The holy body and precious blood of Jesus are put into your body each week for the forgiveness of your sins. How do you know you believe? Those are the ways. Faith is God’s gift to you. It all comes from Him. As Jesus said, “you did not choose me, but I chose you… (John 15:16).”
Behold the true and everlasting miracle! You are not the Messiah. Mankind is not it’s own Messiah. Evolutionary biologists and mystics cannot save you or mankind. The one and only Savior of the world is Jesus, He is the Messiah. And your Faith in Him is the victory that overcomes the world.
Through the Word of God, His Spirit continually brings Christ into your heart to transform it and give you a fruitful life as a branch that lives, that abides, in His love. The love of Jesus comes from His Father. Jesus is the vine who nourishes us with the Father’s love. The Father’s love through Jesus makes us alive and fruitful. And the fruit that He grows abides. It remains. It does not spoil. It endures. It never fades. These things Jesus has spoken to you, that His joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full — even in the midst of suffering.
Through the suffering of Jesus, the fullness of joy has come into the world. It came by water and blood. When he was born as men are born, water and blood poured from His mother’s womb. When His side was pierced by the spear, water and blood poured out. In Him, the joy of the world has come by water and blood. Jesus came speaking and bleeding and watering the whole earth.
He came not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. Because of them you abide in His love.
He is the one appointed by God to be Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). And the Judge has chosen you (John 15:16). The Judge has made His ruling. Despite your faltering footsteps, you are His friends (John 15:15). The victory that overcomes the world is the Faith He has given you (1 John 5:4). Because of His love, his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). These things He speaks to you that His joy may be in you and your joy may be full (John 15:11).
IN +JESUS’ NAME. AMEN.
Text: Acts 10:34-48, 1 John 5:1-8, John 15:9-17
Vicar Michael Monterastelli
GOD’S COMMANDS ARE FULFILLED IN HIS SON,
GOD ALSO GIVES HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
Dear fellow believers in Jesus, the Christ,
GOD’S COMMANDS ARE FULFILLED IN HIS SON,
GOD ALSO GIVES HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Both John’s Gospel and his first Epistle for today seem to be riddled with the word “commandment”. Our Gospel text for today repeats two words several times — the words: love and command. “If you keep my commandments… This is my commandment… If you do what I command you… These things I command you…” “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” Abide in my love... Abide in my love... Abide in His love.
These commands of God include what we call The Ten Commandments. It also includes other divine words that Moses recorded: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Commandments can be given by earthly authority figures. Or they can come from God the Father Almighty. With Him as their source or origin, there is the force of heaven behind them. His words are not just puffs of air which accomplish nothing. His Word and His commands always accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11).
Ordinary commands seem burdensome. Because of sin, any command, especially a command from God may weigh us down. Ordinary commands from authority figures like mom, dad and teachers, employers and police officers obligate us to do things we may not do on our own. They take away our freedom to do what we want in every situation.
At times what we want is more toys and more candy. What we want is more time at recess, to get out of class early, and to be first in line. As we grow in age and responsibility, what we want is longer breaks, shorter work days, and more money. What we want is to drive as fast as our cars will carry us. What you want is what makes you feel happy. And what I want is what makes me feel happy. But what makes us feel happy may not be what makes God or anyone else truly happy. Oh sure, we do nice things for people but our sinful hearts motivate us to look for a return on our investment.
Ordinary commands from authority figures also take away my right to boast in my own authority. After someone tells me to do something, it’s kind of hard to boast and say: “Look what I did! Aren’t you glad I did that for you!?!” After someone tells you to do something, you don’t get all the credit for getting it done. We have to share the credit with whoever told us what to do. And sharing credit is not always so easy.
If ordinary commands can do all this to sinful men and women, God’s commands carry even more weight and have more force. He not only requires us to do things we would not do on our own, He requires us to have pure thoughts, hearts, and motivations behind all that we do. To these commands Jesus adds one more: “that you love one another as I have loved you.” And then, He doesn’t just get some of the credit for the good that we do, He gets all of it. Apart from Him you can do no-thing. “Hey! That’s not fair!” So cries that selfish old Adam and Eve in each of us. “You deserve some credit too.” So the world tells us. And so we’d like to believe. But,
GOD’S COMMANDS ARE FULFILLED IN HIS SON.
GOD ALSO GIVES HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
You could choose to believe a fictitious claim that the history of a popular work of fiction, such as The Da Vinci Code, is somehow historically accurate. Or you could believe the truth: that a work of fiction, and its loose claim of historic truthfulness, is a work of a worldly imagination intended to sell more books.
But Jesus requires us to love each other just as He has loved us, freely! He truly and historically demonstrated His love for you when He freely obeyed His own commandment and laid down His life for His friends… and for His enemies (Romans 5:7-8) … without charging you a dime. That means that just as He suffered torture leading to death, so also do we anticipate suffering as we love one another. You see that’s what sin causes as it struggles against God. And that’s what we must endure as we walk in this world along the valley of the shadow of death.
But John reminds us that: “everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” To the man who has faith in God’s Son, His commands are not burdensome. How can this be you might ask?
Because Jesus, the Son of God, has endured the full weight of the burden we have collected. He has carried our burden to the cross for us, where He was crushed by all of our sin. What God commands of us, Jesus obeyed and then endured the punishment our disobedience deserves. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, but God raised Him on the third day (Acts 10:39-40). Thanks be to God for every single one of His commands and for His Son who obeys every single command for us. Each command God gives is another reason to thank Jesus for what He does. For some 90 years here at Luther Memorial Chapel:
GOD’S COMMANDS HAVE CONTINUED TO BE FULFILLED IN HIS SON. AND GOD KEEPS ON GIVING HIS LOVE TO HIS SON SO THAT
JESUS LOVES US AND WE THEN LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
As we recognize new members today, we see the abiding fruit that God grows through His Word and Sacraments. So, how do you know you believe all this? Well let’s listen to what Jesus tells us. “For all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Through God’s Word, you know what Jesus knows. You know what God the Father Almighty has done for you. He has spoken His Word into your ear. His Spirit works where His Word is proclaimed and faithfully taught. His Spirit has come to you and His Name is sealed to you in your Baptism. The holy body and precious blood of Jesus are put into your body each week for the forgiveness of your sins. How do you know you believe? Those are the ways. Faith is God’s gift to you. It all comes from Him. As Jesus said, “you did not choose me, but I chose you… (John 15:16).”
Behold the true and everlasting miracle! You are not the Messiah. Mankind is not it’s own Messiah. Evolutionary biologists and mystics cannot save you or mankind. The one and only Savior of the world is Jesus, He is the Messiah. And your Faith in Him is the victory that overcomes the world.
Through the Word of God, His Spirit continually brings Christ into your heart to transform it and give you a fruitful life as a branch that lives, that abides, in His love. The love of Jesus comes from His Father. Jesus is the vine who nourishes us with the Father’s love. The Father’s love through Jesus makes us alive and fruitful. And the fruit that He grows abides. It remains. It does not spoil. It endures. It never fades. These things Jesus has spoken to you, that His joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full — even in the midst of suffering.
Through the suffering of Jesus, the fullness of joy has come into the world. It came by water and blood. When he was born as men are born, water and blood poured from His mother’s womb. When His side was pierced by the spear, water and blood poured out. In Him, the joy of the world has come by water and blood. Jesus came speaking and bleeding and watering the whole earth.
He came not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. Because of them you abide in His love.
He is the one appointed by God to be Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). And the Judge has chosen you (John 15:16). The Judge has made His ruling. Despite your faltering footsteps, you are His friends (John 15:15). The victory that overcomes the world is the Faith He has given you (1 John 5:4). Because of His love, his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). These things He speaks to you that His joy may be in you and your joy may be full (John 15:11).
IN +JESUS’ NAME. AMEN.
posted by Luther Memorial Chapel at
5/22/2006
