1.
Please pray with
me. May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of our hearts, be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our
Redeemer. The message from God’s Word
this day we celebrate Pentecost Sunday is taken from John 14:23-31. Here we see Jesus give a parting blessing to His disciples before
He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and crucified on the cross for the
forgiveness of our sins. Our Lord speaks
of the love of the Father, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the peace of the
Savior, who will be with us always. The
message is entitled, “Jesus
Gives a Parting Blessing,”
dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
There’s a
German “house blessing,” gracing many kitchen walls in times past, that
provides an excellent commentary for our text: “Where there is faith, there is love; Where there is love, there is
peace; Where there is peace, there is blessing; Where there is blessing, there
is God; Where there is God, there is no need.” In our text Jesus is preparing his disciples
for his departure—his death and then his ascension into heaven. Jesus’
departure could seem a sad occasion, but, in fact, Jesus’ ascension is a great
blessing, for it opened the way for the Holy Spirit and the gift of peace.
3.
The house blessing we just heard provides an outline for
further consideration of those blessings.
Where there is
faith, there is love. Faith and love go
together (vv 23–24). In John 14:23-24
Jesus says, “23 “If anyone loves me,
he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and
make our home with him. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And
the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” Faith is trust in the greatest
expression of love ever. Not the erotic
love of Hollywood or the subjective love of feelings. Where there is faith in what Jesus was about
to accomplish by his death, the love of God is present and reflected in a
believer’s life.
4.
Where
there is love, there is peace. Love and
peace go together (v 27). Jesus says in
John 14:27, “27Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not
your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Not the
flimsy peace of this world promoted by marches and destroyed by evil forces. Where
the love of God revealed in the cross is present, there is a sense of
well-being and inner rest of spirit that comes with the forgiveness of our sins. This is the peace Jesus leaves with his
disciples (v 27).
5.
Jesus
offers a peace that wipes out fear, here is an illustration on that point. A deadly earthquake
killed thousands of people in Central America. In the midst of the confusion a
father rushed to the school where his son had gone that morning and discovered
that it was flat as a pancake. Standing there looking at what was left of the
school, the father remembered a promise he had made to his son, “No matter what, I’ll always be there for you.”
Tears filled his eyes; it looked like a hopeless situation. Then he remembered
that his son’s classroom was in the back-right corner of the building, which
meant there might have been some protection. He went there and started digging
through the rubble. Other grieving parents came, but they all said, “It’s too late. They are dead.” Even a
police officer and a firefighter told him that he should go home. It was
useless, they said. But the father continued digging for his son stone by
stone. He dug for 8 hours, then 12, then 24, and then 36 hours. Finally in the
38th hour as he removed a boulder, he heard his son’s voice. He screamed his
son’s name, “ARMAND!” A small voice
answered, “It’s me, Dad.” Then the
boy added, “I told the other kids not to
worry. I told them that if you were alive, you would save me, and if you saved
me, they’d be saved too. You kept your promise. You said, ‘No matter what, I’ll
always be there for you.’” Jesus reassured his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do
not be afraid. You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you’” (Jn 14:27–28).
6.
Where
there is peace, there is blessing. Peace
and blessing go together (vv 25–26).
Jesus says in John 14:25-26, “25These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.
26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he
will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to
you.” Peace in this world can result in great
worldly blessings. But true peace as a
result of God’s love in Christ results in the greatest blessings, no matter the
circumstances.
7.
Where
there is blessing, there is God. Blessing
and God go together (v 28). In John
14:28 our Lord says, “28You heard me say to
you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have
rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” God grants his blessings to the evil as well
as the just. But only those who believe
and love God know the greatest blessings he provides.
8.
Where
there is God, there is no need. God and
need do not go together. When God is
present, there may still be wants and desires.
But God has taken care of our greatest needs in Christ Jesus, our Savior.
9.
When
Jesus says that He is giving to us peace that the world can’t give, we can
truly understand that we have no need, because through Jesus, God is for us,
who can be against us (Romans 8). The
disciples were familiar with shalom, “shalom, peace,” used as a greeting
and farewell benediction (like our “good-bye”). Its OT meaning included
completeness, soundness, prosperity, health—all by God’s grace and favor (cf.
Num 6:26). When Jesus imparts peace, he raises this gift of God to an even
higher level.
10.
The
peace that Jesus gives is the removal of what separates human beings from God.
Jesus was victorious over the world and its ruler, Satan: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
(16:33). Satan has no power over him (14:30), for the hour of his triumph and
glory on the cross is approaching. By the cross he brought us peace, and he
therefore is our peace (Eph 2:13–18).
11.
Jesus’
statement “I am going to the Father” therefore is a word of victory, not
defeat, for the disciples and for us. In this we rejoice! By faith in Jesus we
too overcome the world (1 Jn 5:4). The eternal peace Jesus won for us can now become
ours in this age. Though absent, Jesus
is still present to give us peace. The
departure of Jesus doesn’t mean the departure of peace, but actually its
increase. Jesus spoke words of comforting peace while he was with his
disciples, but (de, v 26) after his ascension he will send the Holy
Spirit, the Paraclete.
12.
The
Holy Spirit’s work is that of a “friend at court,” a “friend who helps.” The Paraclete is present in the name of
Jesus, continuing Christ’s work of conquering the world, where no true peace
exists (v 26). He teaches us “all
things” and reminds us of Jesus’ words of comforting peace (v 26). Jesus’ words create and sustain faith (v 29).
13. Jesus speaks the words of this text
to his first disciples so that, as he explains in John 14:29-31,
they’ll be ready when he leaves
them at the time of his ascension into heaven. John 14:29-31 says, “29And now I have told you before it takes place,
so that when it does take place you may believe. 30I will no longer talk much
with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31but I
do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the
Father. Rise, let us go from here.” His
words have been preserved for disciples of all times, so that they may always
be ready for whatever life holds (v 27). Jesus’ departure has opened the way
for the coming of the Holy Spirit into each of our lives, and where this is the
case, there is faith. And where there is faith, love. And where there is love,
peace. And where there is peace, blessing. And where there is blessing, God.
And where there is God, there is no need.
Amen.
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