A Secret No Longer Sermon Ix: The Hour Is Late And All Is Well Series

THE HOUR IS LATE AND ALL IS WELL

In Colonial times, there was the ever-present danger of enemy attack. Each village had a “Town Crier” whose duty it was to keep “watch” by night. Every hour on the hour, absent any threat to the town’s security, the Town Crier would walk through the village calling out, “It’s ten o’clock and all is well!” Thus, the villagers felt safe and secure with nothing to worry about.

As the hour of His death drew near, Jesus sought to quell His disciples fears, prepare them for the aftermath of His departure by encouraging them to look on the bright side of His leaving --- John 14:25-31 . . .

You might say that, in so many words, Jesus was revealing to His followers His Last Will and Testament of gifts He was going to bequeath to them!

Jesus bequeathed to His disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort them, yes, but also to help them remember who He was, what He taught them, and help them understand the meaning of His teachings so that they would be empowered to live for Him and live forever with Him.

When we find ourselves facing the crises of life, especially as we come to the sunset hours of life on this earth, what a blessing it is to be reminded by the Holy Spirit who Jesus was, what He did, and what He said.

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so . . . Jesus loved me and gave Himself on Calvary’s tree for me . . . Jesus died that I might live . . . Jesus said, “Because I live, ye shall live” . . . Jesus said it, that settles it, I believe it!

Folks, no word of the Lord has ever meant more to me than the admonition found in the Psalms: “Be still and know that I am God”.

In the quiet of early morning, in the hush of eventide, in the solitude of late night awakenings – at such times when our minds are free from the noise of daily routines and the sounds of turmoil that invade our space from the outside world – it is then that we are most likely to become aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence and pay closest attention to the whispering voice of our Savior who bids us “Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus bequeathed to His disciples the gift of peace. They would have peace with God and therefore peace in the midst of their toils and struggles. Thus they need not be troubled, even when the storms of life are raging.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come, ‘tis grace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me Home.”

The peace which Jesus offers weathers the storms of life - like the majestic eagle which sees the storm coming, but the eagle does not try to evade it. He stretches his wings wider, so that the wind that might have destroyed him, now lifts him higher than he was before.

Pray that God will give you His peace to weather the storms of your life. It is the peace which no experience in life can take away from us. It is the peace which no sorrow, no danger, no suffering can make less than it was when God gave it to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. He is our peace.

The Holy Spirit of God is our reminder of His peace that became ours when we committed our lives to Christ as Lord and Savior.

Jesus bequeathed to His disciples the gift of going to the Father. And Jesus said that if His disciples really loved Him, they would be glad that it was so. It’s as if they had been saying to him, “Tell us it isn’t so” when they ought to be saying, “Lord, that’s wonderful news. You will be released from the limitations of this world and restored to your glory!”

If we really grasp the truth of the Christian faith, we are glad when those whom we love go to be with God. That is not to say that we do not feel the sting of sorrow and the sharp pain of loss, but it is to say that, if a loved one’s time has come and the Lord calls him or her home, we are glad for the eternal truth taught in God’s Word:

“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and so shall we ever be with the Lord”.

Of those who have gone before us remember, they have entered, not into death, but into blessedness. Jesus went to the Cross in the certainty, not of defeat, but of conquest. We who belong to Jesus, of a certainty, have become recipients of His gift of going to the Father.