(Slide 1)When you go on a trip what are the three things that you don’t leave home without? (Allow for feedback.)
(Slide 1a) What are three things we physically cannot live without? (No not chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate!) Water, air, and food.
(Slide 1b) What are three things we spiritually cannot live without? (Allow for feedback.)
Let me suggest that we think about this month of faith, hope, and love as three things we cannot live without.
I believe that Jesus directly and indirectly spoke of all three things in John 14 that is a record of Jesus’ very important talk to the disciples just before his arrest and death. Here is John 14:
“Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. 3When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4And you know where I am going and how to get there.”
5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We haven’t any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!”
8Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.”
9 Jesus replied, “Philip, don’t you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see him? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of what you have seen me do.
12 “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 In just a little while the world will not see me again, but you will. For I will live again, and you will, too. 20When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.”
22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”
23Jesus replied, “All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them. 24Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me. 25I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative—and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, because now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29I have told you these things before they happen so that you will believe when they do happen.
30 “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, 31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.
(Slide 2) In the opening verses of this chapter, Jesus first speaks of faith. Faith is an antidote to fear and I deeply believe that we are slaves to fear these days. I believe, as a nation and as people, we have allowed fear to knock us down and trample all over us. That is not what God wants.
I can see Jesus stopping for a moment to look at the disciples sitting there taking in what has just transpired in chapter 13. Jesus has washed their feet. I think that they were very, very stunned (read Peter’s response in that light!) when Jesus did that and I think that they were thinking, ‘what is going on here?’
Moreover, as He paused, he could see confusion and even fear, on their faces. So what does He say? ‘Don’t be troubled!’ Don’t be afraid! You trust in God, now trust in me!’ (Something that God has been saying to me quite a bit lately.)
Fear comes when our equilibrium is knocked out of whack. When I think such experiences one word comes to mind – roller coasters!
It took me a long to time (I was 21) to finally ride a coaster. I was afraid of them. (Not now!)
I remember being coxed on one at Six Flags in St Louis nearly 30 years ago and once I had the first ride under my belt, you couldn’t get me off! I wanted to do it again!
But several years later, I remember riding the King Cobra at Kings’ Island, one of the first standup ones. I rode with my sister-in-law, and as I went up the first hill, I thought, ‘What am I doing on this thing?’
It was scary! I was standing up, there was a loop coming (not to mention the first drop) and there was no sheet metal around me!
Well, my fear, understandably, went away after the first drop and the loop. It became my favorite coaster for many years until they took it down.
Some fear is justified. We need some fear to keep us safe. But, fear can also paralyze us and keep us from following God. Jesus knew this about the disciples and He knew that He needed to remind them not to be afraid.
A close cousin of fear is doubt and as we read John 14, we encounter Thomas and Philip who cannot comprehend what Jesus is saying. I believe that doubt is lingering nearby in the confusion of their minds.
Jesus response to them is 11Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of what you have seen me do.
‘Just believe that I am… or at least believe because of what you have seen me do.’ We cannot live without belief, without faith. We are wired to believe in something, at times a minimum in ourselves, if we are going to live and even survive.
We will spend time looking at the importance of faith next week. In the meantime, let me suggest that faith is something that we cannot live without because faith in something or someone gives us a ‘meaning’ around which we build a life. The important question is then, ‘What is the source of our faith?’
(Slide 3) Closely allied to faith is hope because faith gives us hope and hope strengthens our faith. Have you ever felt hopeless? I have. It is a terrible, terrible state to live in.
Many are the moments (which you and I have had) that are bland, dull, and lifeless. We look up ahead and see nothing but a landscape that is likewise bland, dull, and lifeless. We pray but we feel that they drop to the ground as soon as they leave our minds and tongues.
What does Hebrews 11:1 say? What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.
This is the time of year when former High School seniors are now college freshman and the two are not the same. College is a different animal than high school and you realize that perhaps as soon as your first class when the professor hands out the class syllabus.
You read it and see all of the reading assignments, test dates, and due dates for papers. Shock and numbness hit, and you think, ‘How am I ever going to all of this done?’
That happened to me. But then I realized, what was in front of me was 3 and one half months worth of work not one week.
Hope becomes a part of a college student’s life (and that of their parents as well) because hope grows as the reading is done, the tests are completed (and hopefully, passed), and the papers are done and turned in on time.
Hope is not a passive thing. Hope comes, as we believe that God is at work and we walk with Him accordingly to His plans and purposes. I would simply remind us of Abraham and Joseph, Joshua and David.
Cynicism is hope’s enemy. It sneers and mocks and jeers when hope’s authentic optimism begins to shine. ‘That’s not possible! That’s ridiculous! You have got to be kidding me!’ it says.
In our text Jesus speaks of hope as He speaks of the sending of the Holy Spirit because the purpose of the Spirit was to do the work that only God could do in the hearts and lives of those the disciples would encounter in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead as they proclaimed the hope found in Christ. The Holy Spirit’s power and authority is hope in action.
The changes that would occur in people’s lives as the disciples (and us) live and share our faith comes not from our efforts to change people but from the power and work of the Spirit to change them. If it were dependent on us (and we live as it sometimes is) hopelessness is the result.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Hope grows in such an environment.
But, again as with faith, we need to satisfactorily answer the question, ‘What is the basis for our hope? Hope is necessary for action and forward progress because if we let fear and cynicism have their way, we freeze and we are in danger of being left behind.
Finally, there is love and Jesus ties love to obedience of Him and His commandments.
“Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.”
If we want to ‘see’ Jesus, then we must love Him by obeying His directions not ours.
I am still learning how to love. I am realizing more and more that love is a ‘many splendored thing.’ It is multi-faceted. It is not just one thing.
It is as much an attitude as it is a feeling. It is as much a commitment as it is an experience. Yes, romance is a part of love. But so is commitment.
We cannot live without love. Love is vital to our souls.
A famous study that has been used to illustrate the power of love through appropriate touch was the study of infants in a hospital. One group was held and rocked on a regular basis. The other group was not. Guess what happened?
That’s right, one group thrived and the other group did not.
We have been created to love. God made us that way.
We cannot live without love. It is the bed rock of human experience and when we do not properly experience love, we will seek it even to the point of putting ourselves at risk.
Sex is a part of love but sex can also be experienced without love. It becomes a mechanical act void of feeling or appropriate attachment.
We need love. We need a caring that says ‘You matter!’
I think of the woman at the well that Jesus encountered one hot day. I think that based on the text of that encounter she thought she knew what love was. But Jesus showed her that she did not.
As we think about the importance of love in our lives, we need to think about again both the object of our love and the source of our love. What is the object of our love? What is the source of our love?
It is easy in this time and place to answer, ‘God.’ But ask yourself that question tomorrow at this time.
So what Jim? What does all of this mean? Why should it matter to me? (I’m glad you ask!)
If we want the peace of which Jesus speaks, then we need to have God plant and cultivate within us faith, hope, and love.
(Slide 5) As we prepare now for communion, let us seek to do just that today. Amen.
