Sixth Sunday of Easter
John 14:15-21
Showing your Faith?
15* ¶ "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16* And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever,
17* even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.
18* ¶ "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.
19* Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also.
20* In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21* He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." RSV
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. Amen
Our gospel lesson this morning has two themes running through it. One of the themes is keeping the commandments which Jesus gave us. The other theme is John’s take on the coming of the Holy Spirit.
This morning we are going to look at the first theme, keeping the commandment of God and we will talk about the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.
Verses 15 and 21 are the theme verses for keeping the commandments.
They are 15* ¶ "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 21* He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
First of all, we need to understand what commandments Jesus is talking about. Jesus gave us two commandment in the New Testament, we are to love the Lord our God with all our soul and might and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. From these two commandment Jesus says all the rest will flow.
For example, we are not to kill and that flows from the second commandment which Jesus gave we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. So it follow that if I love my neighbor then I will not kill him/her. You can see how the 10 commandment flow from these 2 commandment which Jesus gave us.
Now the question can be asked, am I fulfilling these two commandments in my life? Do I love God with my whole being and do I love my neighbor as myself?
Do you have the conviction of self to obey Jesus?
Are you like the little boy on the following:
Jesus calls for the kind of conviction that is seen in the following story:
" In England a farmer saw a group of hunters riding around his farm, He did not want them in a certain field because they would damage the crop, so he sent his son to close the gate so they couldn’t enter.
The hunters on their horses wanted in the field in the worse way. They tried bribing the boy, threatened him, but he would not open the gate.
One of the men on horseback said to the boy, "Do you know who I am? "I am the Duke of Wellington and I am not accustomed to be treated in this way "
The boy took off his hat as a sign of respect for the Duke and said, "I am sure the Duke of Wellington would not wish me to disobey orders.I must keep this gate shut,"
The Duke astonished at the conviction of this boy, tipped his hat and said, "I honor you because you can be neither bribed nor threaten nor intimidated by authority into doing wrong. With an army of such soldiers, I could conquer not only the French, but the world. "
The boy could not be bribed or intimidated to open that gate. He had conviction of his soul to obey the words of his father and those word were put into action, keeping that gate closed.
Do you have the kind of conviction in your faith life or are you like the gambler in the following:
"I’m a gambler. Oh, not the kind that frequents places behind doors in some secluded spot. Nor, do I play the ponies, or bet on sporting football games
You see, I gamble with my soul as the stake. I’m betting that I can live a life of indifference, a life of neglect of those thing that are of the Lord and still receive His blessings.
I’m gambling with the souls of my children as the stake. Although I neither live righteously nor influence them toward unrighteousness, I’m betting their souls on the hope that they will have wisdom to guide their own lives unto the Lord.
I’m betting that I can remain indifferent to Christ’s teachings, that I can fail to give as prospered, and that will still bless me eternally; I’m betting I can still have a nonchalant attitude toward the lost, and still please God. Yes, I’m a gambler--the most reckless type: I’m a lukewarm Christian!!!"
Are you living the life of indifference to Jesus and his commandments? Or do you have the conviction of obedience as the boy did in our fist story? Which one are you?
You might be wondering what it means to love God with your whole soul? Does it mean I have to become a missionary in a strange land, or live among the poor, or give up everything I have for Christ?
No we are not saying that. What we are saying that in my every day life do I put Christ first, and my neighbor second. Do people know that you are a Christian my your actions, words and deeds?
Dr. Louis Evans, a minister of a Presbyterian.church, tells the story of a Hindu man who asked his American hostess what she thought of Jesus Christ. " We don’ t talk about that at the dinner table, she politely answered.
The next day he asked a business man the same question. Embarrassed the business man said, "Let us go out on, the balcony to talk about this."
The Hindu later gave this sad statement: "This is the first nation I’ve been in where people are ashamed of their God."
Are you ashamed of your God? Are you uncomfortable talking about your God to others? Can you witness to another abut the love of God in your life?
Or are you like the person in the following:
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear.
I cannot be bought, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me-my banner will be clear! (1)
Are you like the person in the latter that is a committed Christian or are you ashamed to speak about you God? Which one are you?
A closing story shows us what a committed Christian life is all about:
"A farmer raised sheep, but next to him was one who raised wheat, children and large dogs. The dogs were always scaring the sheep and sometimes even eating the baby lambs.
The sheep farmer did not know what to do. He could shoot the dogs, or poison them, be nasty to his neighbor, or even take him to court.
He prayed about it. As soon as some new lambs were born, he gave one of the lambs to each of his neighbors children as a pet. They were thrilled.
Their father could not longer allow the dogs to run free or they would kill the lambs, so the dogs were tied up. The two farmers became friends. Kindness and love made them winners."
15* ¶ "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 21* He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale April 21, 2008
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.
(1) This is a statement, or a compiling of statements, by "Uncle Buddy" Robinson. from ChristianEncouragementStoriesRUs@yahoogroups.com
