+ John 14:1-14 +

Lord, have mercy.

Cantate (Midweek) -- Wednesday, May 25, 2011 (CLC - WI)
The Holy Gospel + St. John 14:1-14



Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and His Son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Are you at peace? Peace? What is that? Peace according to the world is a lack of trouble, despair, anxiety, anger, and the like. Peace to some is happiness. I could go on analyzing the state of the sinner. However, Jesus begins the Holy Gospel this holy night with the words, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." (John 14:1)

The reason you are not at peace is because you are a sinner. You live in a state of disobedience day in and day out. Unlike when you were a child, you do not get disciplined for your sins. The church has fallen away from handing down discipline to the impenitent.

Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled." He knows your pain and suffering. He knows you sin. What Jesus says to you who are burdened and heavy laden is to come to Him and He will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28) Jesus says, Come to Me and confess your sins and I will forgive you. When you hear the words from your pastor, "I forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit, your hear and receive the gift of absolution from Jesus Himself.

Jesus is your comfort and more importantly, His work of salvation when He suffered and died on the cross to atone for your sins brings great comfort to the sinner. Even one step further, the cross, where Jesus was forsaken by all, even His Father, dying with your shame upon His shoulders and suffering for your guilt and your sins, is the peace that flows from the cross to you. The peace that Jesus gives you surpasses all understanding.

Over the past couple of weeks, Mr. Harold Camping created quite a stir prophesying that the world would end on Saturday, May 21, 2011. As you know, his prophecy was false. The world is still here. Now, Mr. Camping has adjusted his calculations and is now prophesying that the world will end on October 21, 2011. This is Mr. Camping's third attempt at prophesying the end of the world.

The false prophets of this world really know how to stir everyone up. Their work is the work of Satan. Satan works very hard at tempting the world and you to pull you away from the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matt. 16:16)

St. James writes, "Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) Turn your ears from listening to the false prophets of this world. Turn your ears away from the evil that the devil stirs up for you. Resist the devil and "be about the work of God; that is, believing in the One whom He sent." (John 6:29)

To believe in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, is to know God and to know Jesus. You know Him because He revealed Himself to you in Holy Baptism. When you were washed and regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit, you died with Christ in His death and rose with Him in His resurrection. Jesus gave you life when He baptized you. And now, your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:3)

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me, Jesus says. (John 14:1) To know God and to believe in God is to know and to believe in Jesus, His only-begotten Son, who descended from His throne of glory to take on human flesh in His incarnation. God's Son then stood in the waters of the Jordan to become sin for you.

His suffering continued for you as He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He suffered for you every time He was accused of being a false teacher. He was accused for you every time He said He was the Son of God. He suffered for you during His trials before Pilate and Herod. He suffered for you during the flogging by the Roman soldiers.

He was driven out of the Holy City of Jerusalem with the cross on His back like a common criminal for you. Finally reaching that small hill outside the city, the soldiers affixed Jesus to the altar for sacrifice. There Jesus hung, as a banner for the world to see, the Lamb of God, dying on the tree. The fire rained down from heaven in the wrath of His Father against your sins and your disobedience and your failures. Jesus hung on the cross suffering all your shame and taking all your guilt upon His shoulders. He did all for you, in your place, because He loves you.

King David writes in Psalm 23, "Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4) The comfort and peace you know in your life is because of Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, who made atonement for your sins to restore you back to the Father who is in heaven.

You know the way. Jesus taught you well. He Himself says, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Your life is rich and blessed because of the risen Lord Jesus. He sits on His throne of glory at the right hand of His Father declaring to the Father that you are blessed for His Name's sake. You are no longer guilty of your sins because Jesus paid the price for them all. Jesus has clothed you in His righteousness forever. Your sins, all your sins are forgiven this holy day.

In the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

+ SDG +