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Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter, 2013
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn #458 Our Father – Luther 4:50
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #462 I Love Thy Kingom 4:21
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #462 I Love Thy Kingom 4:21
This World’s Prince Is Judged
The Communion Hymn #305 Soul Adorn Thyself 4:23
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24
Fourth Sunday After Easter
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst through Thy Son promise us Thy Holy Spirit, that He should convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: We beseech Thee, enlighten our hearts, that we may confess our sins, through faith in Christ obtain everlasting righteousness, and in all our trials and temptations retain this consolation, that Christ is Lord over the devil and death, and all things, and that He will graciously deliver us out of all our afflictions, and make us forever partakers of eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
KJV James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
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This World’s Prince Is Judged
KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
The context of this sermon is after the Last Supper. The disciples know that a crisis is looming. Thomas said that journeying toward Jerusalem would be equal to dying together.
Lenski:
Already in 14:28 Jesus had told the disciples that he was going to his Father. When he now calls the Father “him that did send me,” the sense is the same save that now the mission of Jesus is specifically mentioned: Jesus returning to his Sender, having completed his mission and the visible stay on earth which it required. He goes to his Sender in order to make report to him of his successful task. When saying that he is returning to his Sender, Jesus makes a basic statement, one that governs all that follows in this chapter.
The addition: “and none of you inquires of me, Where art thou going?” while it is joined with “and,” is adversative, “and yet.” Strange to say—and Jesus says it with a touch of gentle reproof and of pain in his own heart—not one of the eleven makes a request of him as to where he is going.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 1078.
There is an interesting transition in this powerful passage, as Lenski teaches. The disciples should be asking about where Jesus is going because what follows will comfort and guide them. In sorrow, they do not ask. That is our normal reaction when we face bad news – we do not want to hear more. We would rather deny it or put it off a little longer.
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
It would difficult for any group to think about the world-wide spread of the Gospel at this stage of sorrow. And yet, that is one theme in this message. Jesus earthly ministry meant that the Gospel was limited to His travels in one tiny outpost of the Roman Empire. Soon the Spirit would move the disciples to take the Gospel around the civilized world, by creating centers of the Faith that would copy the New Testament and spread it even farther, with local pastors taking over for the apostles.
In the last century Christians have neglected the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in many different ways. For that reason Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement have stepped in to replace the vacuum.
One Form of Neglect
The Scriptures have been treated as an ordinary, man-made book. That is the majority opinion among mainline, Left-wing denominations. The extent of fiddling with the manuscripts and the translations has meant the same for the so-called conservative denominations as well.
Why would someone seriously study a book written by men, a book with a constantly changing message?
Another Form of Neglect
Congregations and denominations have assumed that the Word of God has no power at all unless man can find some way to make it attractive and appealing to human reason and emotion. The drive to sell the Gospel by making it a secular coaching tool is another way of saying that the Word of God must satisfy the carnal appetites of man – What’s in it for me?
What This Theme Means
The direct connection between the Word and the Spirit means that we never question the power of the Holy Spirit when someone is faithful to the Bible, which is the only book written, published, and protected by God Himself. No other book has that claim; therefore, the Bible judges all books.
This truth satisfies the questions of:
- Do I have the Holy Spirit? Yes – faith in Christ shows that someone has the Spirit, because faith is a creation of the Spirit through the Word.
- Do I know the truth even when everyone denies it and teaches against it? Yes, because the true Word of God never changes, even though man changes.
- Am I forgiven? Yes – if someone has faith in Christ alone for salvation, that individual is justified by the Spirit/Word and saved for eternal life.
God’s plan is to expand the Gospel message throughout the world, so the departing of Christ will mean the sending of the Spirit. And this includes, as we know, the actual resurrection of Christ.
He was raised for our justification - His actual rising from the dead, before the Tomb was opened, shows us the reality of our own eternal life. When we grieve for someone who has died before us, we always keep in mind the risen Savior. How can this be, that we are promised eternal life? We remember the resurrection of Christ and that strengthens our faith.
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James 1:21 wrote:
receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
This half-verse is a classic passage on the efficacy of the Word. Receive is used as a synonym for believe, and it expresses the Biblical concept of faith/trust very well. Faith or trust is not a decision and not a merit or virtue. Faith means receiving what God offers as the truth (with abundant Promises and prophetic evidence).
Engrafted is a fine agricultural word. When we splice two plants together they have the nature of both. Most roses are a hybrid graft on a wild rose root. That give the rose the staying power of the wild rose and the beauty of the hybrid. Most roses have that lump which betrays the graft.
The Gospel Word is grafted onto us, received in faith. This Word is the Holy Spirit’s power behind faith and justification, forgiveness and salvation.
The arrogant, proud, and self-righteous do not have faith. They reject faith and have no meekness. By not receiving with meekness they deny to themselves the grace that comes from the Gospel Promises.
The Holy Spirit’s work in three Words
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Some time ago, these verses really tied me up in a knot. They were so simple and yet I had to struggle to see the complete message. Luther said in one of his sermons about this lesson – it is a fine lesson but it takes fine readers to understand it.
As he realized, most of the world reading this passage rejected its meaning. How can something so simple on the surface be so complex and powerful? That of course is the strength of John’s Gospel – a profound message expressed in child-like simplicity, with many repetitions.
9 Of sin, because they believe not on Me;
What is sin? Most people will define sin as actions. And they have a hierarchy of sins. The worst is criticizing the synod, according to various synods, because that is a sin against the Holy Spirit (no forgiveness!) I am not kidding. One parson said, “I cannot disagree with the circuit pastor, because the Holy Spirit put him in that office.” The same is said about other political functionaries, who have no trouble arguing against the Word. Because. They. Know. Greek.
The world knows what sin is. All the messages of this age are about sin. Do you fail to recycle? Sin. Do you oppose every kind of marriage? Sin. Do you own a gun? Sin. Do you believe in traditional values? Sin.
Christians have quite a few definitions too, all based on actions and attitudes. Did you play the pipe organ of a non-WELS church? Sin.
But all this is thrown aside in a few words from Jesus. And John gave us these sermons as essential supplements to Matthew-Mark-Luke. Essential – not extra credit read. So essential that we should especially take the Johannine words to our hearts as the elder Apostle’s final testimony, for the salvation of all who believe.
Sin is not believing on Jesus. I am going to use the old wording because too many people think faith is just thinking Jesus is a good Teacher and perhaps even the Savior. They have some knowledge of Jesus but also hedge their bets with their trust in their own righteousness.
In those few words Jesus rejected the world’s definition of sin and the false teacher’s version of sin. If your church is not growing, you are sinful!
But those words also toss us into the abyss when we realize their complete meaning. When we harbor doubts and anxieties about past sins, we fail to believe on Jesus, who has taken all sins upon Himself.
Continuing regret, remorse, sorrow, and anxiety is making a side-bet. I will show my true contrition by clinging to the thought of not being completely forgiven until I am perfect and free of sin. But that fulfills the meaning of this verse. That is THE sin – not believing in God’s complete, full, free forgiveness through faith in Christ.
Were you not a perfect child or a perfect parent? Sin is not imperfection, a weakness we all have. Sin is not believing in our complete forgiveness. We cannot lay a side-bet on our future perfection, which really paves the road to repetition. All the gurus have proven this by making their law the savior and driving people right back to the same thing (food, addiction, etc). And when people come back for another dose of the law, the guru says, “See, you need me.”
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10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father and ye see me no more
I had a lot of trouble with this. What is the connection? The constant debate over justification and many great Scriptural insights from others have helped me see the connection.
Righteousness is God’s forgiveness or justification by faith. This is the great comfort to be offered by the Paraclete (Advocate). The Gospel will be declared across the world and spread as the first social network came into being. Jesus designed it, saying,
Take advantage of hospitality. When you are invited into a home, speak about the Gospel. If they receive you and listen to the Word, they receive Me, since I am conveyed by the Word of God. If they reject you, they do not reject you but Me, the One who sent you. Knock the dust off your shoes and move on.
The Spirit will convict the world of forgiveness because the teaching of the Resurrection will plant faith in the hearts of people across the world.
The risen Savior was seen and heard by hundreds of people, who established the Gospel everywhere, found themselves persecuted, and traveled on to establish it in new places, often in world ports where the Gospel would travel even faster. In essence, Jesus friended 500 people in addition to the Twelve, and He certainly had believers among those He healed. Since all of them witnessed to the resurrection, the Christian faith spread across the Roman Empire in one generation.
Luther is one who was convicted of righteousness. As he said in one sermon, the entire world would be forgiven IF every single person believed on Jesus Christ. But they do not. So we can preach about the possibility, due to God’s Promises, but not about the reality, because many do NOT believe, and many fall away from faith in Christ.
Righteousness comes to us through faith, and Jesus is consistent in all His teaching about that truth.
Therefore the wisdom of the world and all the teachers is thrown aside in a few words. That is why there will always be great hatred about faith in Christ, constant disruption and anger, especially among the self-righteous religious leaders, whether they are the Pharisees of the past or the synodical drones of the present.
John 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
This message can be treated under the topic of faith but it is especially good here at the end of the triad.
Christ is teaching – Satan may rule this world and define all that is good, holy, honored, and worshiped, but he is judged, condemned, and nearing his final destruction. Do not adhere to those things he honors and upholds. He is condemned for eternity.
And yet – I see this in the church – members and pastors in larger churches think they are really something based on material measures – money, local prestige, synodical honors, and so forth. And they brag about everything except being faithful to the Word of God.
Only in America could a church brag about being 150 years old. In Europe some are 1,000 years old. Some are so big that one can hardly see the altar from the balcony. So much marble and gold that tourists gasp.
All wordly wisdom is Satan’s. All the best scientists trust in evolution, not Creation. Don’t you want to be among the best, the wisest, the most up to date?
25. But now, since the prince of this world and the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the devil, are directly opposed to one another, and the Holy Spirit is not willing that anyone should parade his own deeds and praise himself on account of them, the holy cross must soon follow. The world will not consent to be reprimanded for its blindness. Therefore one must willingly submit and suffer persecution. If we have the right kind of faith in our hearts, we must also open our mouths and confess righteousness and make known sin. Likewise we must condemn and punish the doings of this world and make it known that everything it undertakes, is damned. For this we must be considered heretics, and must pass through the fire. They say: This is against the holy councils and the canon of the holy father, the pope. Then you are to answer: How can I help it? Here it stands — the text does not say the Holy Spirit is to convict them and say their doctrine is error, blindness and the government of the devil. This, of course, they will not endure, but would have us call them gracious noblemen. Therefore, one must here risk his neck.
26. These are the three parts we have in this Gospel lesson: Sin is unbelief; righteousness is faith; the judgment is the holy cross. Therefore give heed and learn to consider everything that is without the Spirit as nothing and as condemned, and afterwards be prepared for the holy cross that thou must suffer on account of it. Now follows in the Gospel further: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth.”
26. These are the three parts we have in this Gospel lesson: Sin is unbelief; righteousness is faith; the judgment is the holy cross. Therefore give heed and learn to consider everything that is without the Spirit as nothing and as condemned, and afterwards be prepared for the holy cross that thou must suffer on account of it. Now follows in the Gospel further: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth.”
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So many people say, “I would speak the truth and not hedge it, but my family would be angry. My church friends would stop speaking to me. My ecclesiastical bosses would shun me.”
“I must have said something wrong or said it in the wrong way, because everyone wants my scalp.”
That is a measure of the truth. In one setting the truth will make convicts cry and repent. In another setting it will make the self-righteous furious and full of vindictiveness.
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
This is another great section, because we can see the wisdom and compassion of Christ. He is not going to tell them too much because their capacity is not great enough to grasp all of it.
How did they record such harmonious Gospels, four in all? The Holy Spirit came to them as promised and stirred up their memories so that their words were divinely in accord. The Gospels and Letters became the foundation of the Church, an unchanging standard or norm for the Christian faith.
Jesus received from the Father and taught it to the apostles. The apostles received from Jesus and the Holy Spirit and taught it to the early church in preaching and teaching, to us in the written Word of God.
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