Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
[Intro]
Christ Himself says: “I have said these things to you, that in me
you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I
have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
So, why, then, do we fear the world as if it were triumphing
over us?
Have you found yourself worrying about the future? Do you ever
feel like the world is winning the culture war?
You may be depressed seeing the morals of Christianity shoved to
the side in favor of hate, violence and sexual immorality. We see this all the
time if you turn on your television set. The moral-oriented television shows of
the past have been replaced with sex and violence.
Our news programs have been replaced with non-stop political
bickering and constant opinion and conspiracy theories.
The world keeps telling Christians how to live out the faith. The
world desires that Christians keep their faith to themselves, rather than allow
Christians to tell others about Christ.
The world opposes Christianity and desires to suffocate the good
news of Christ.
We may feel like our religious freedom is at stake, which it
might be. But should that deter us?
That surely didn’t deter Jesus as He accomplished His earthly
ministry. Jesus was always at odds with the world.
“He
was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not
know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).
Jesus came to bring peace to this troubled world, even if the
world didn’t want it.
So, what are Christians to do in this world that seems to thrive
on hatred, violence and sexual immorality?
What are Christians to do when we feel we are out of place, out
of step, out of time? What are we to do?
[The
Answer]
In this morning’s gospel lesson, Jesus gives us the answer. He teaches
us to rejoice and to pray.
As the world comes at us with attacks, Christians, one and all,
rejoice, with exultation springing. We proclaim the wonders God has done, how
His right arm the victory won!
First, we rejoice knowing that by grace through faith in Jesus,
we are saved. We are reconciled with God the Father. We are secured through
Christ’s death and resurrection! As Luther writes in our hymn: “For I am yours,
and you are Mine, And where I am you may remain; The foe shall not divide us.”
(LSB 556, stanza 7)
You see, the foe is the world and the world is led by its
prince, Satan. So, no matter what the foe throws at us, as long as we remain in
Jesus, we are protected from the evil one.
Second, Jesus speaks of prayer. He teaches His disciples to pray
once more in order to endure the future. We pray to endure the future.
Now, the world is against prayer. The world doesn’t want anyone
speaking to God. This is why over and over again, the world says: prayer doesn’t
work.
The world would rather see humanity respond with unconstrained
emotions, rather than speaking to God and reading His Word for answers.
In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus speaks to His disciples on
Maundy Thursday and teaches us that we are not alone in worldly tribulation,
for He has given everyone in Jesus direct access through prayer.
Jesus teaches us that through Him, we have access not just to
Jesus, but to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Even though Jesus has not died and rose as of yet, He has
declared victory over the world. He declares victory, because He knows the
outcome. He knows the future. He knows, because He is the very Son of God.
Through Christ’s death upon the cross and His resurrection from
the grave, we are now free to pray to the Triune God – the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit – whatever is on our mind. Jesus alone has reconciled us to God
the Father by grace through faith in Him.
But are there any exceptions to what we can pray for? Well, we
are to pray for all things that are good and right, as we prayed our Collect of
the Day this morning. The only things we can’t pray for are things that are the
opposite, which are evil things and wrong things.
To put it simply, God will not accept a prayer about harming
your neighbor or anything else that conflicts with God’s Word, but we are free
to pray for anything that is good and right, even stupid things, small things,
as well as large and impossible things. And when we pray, we are to pray
knowing that God’s will is done, not our will.
So, we pray when we have doubts, questions, desires and
especially when we face tribulation.
[Tribulation]
Again, today’s gospel text takes place on Maundy Thursday, the
very night when Jesus was betrayed. Tomorrow would be Good Friday, the day of
His death.
For the disciples, they were soon going to face tribulation.
They were soon going to face doubt and fear.
Jesus knew what His disciples would do when He would be
arrested, tried, crucified and die. He knew that they would scatter.
Jesus said, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has
come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me
alone” (John 16:32).
And so they did. They scattered and hid from the Jewish
authorities in fear that they would soon face the fate of Jesus.
They thought the three years with Jesus all came to a close. For
it appears that they didn’t expect to see Jesus again, even though Jesus just
said a riddle about His death and resurrection, “A little while, and you will see
me no longer; and again a little while you will see me” (John 16:16).
We, too, scatter much like Christ’s disciples. They said they
believed Jesus came from God the Father, but when the pressure came, they ran
from their confession of faith. They deserted Jesus.
We say the same confession in the Creed. But, how many of us run
from our confession of faith when we’re questioned if we abide in Christ’s
teachings?
The world is always assailing us. Sometimes we give in, but when
we turn back to God through repentance, we are forgiven. Christ’s disciples
were forgiven for their unbelief. Likewise, we receive the same forgiveness.
Jesus has promised tribulation as we live in the world. As
Christians, we are outsiders to the world. We love as Jesus taught us to love,
yet we are persecuted. When we do good by promoting life, we are punished as
evil doers. We are attacked precisely because we have one Lord Jesus Christ. We
are attacked because we are not one with the world.
But, each time our Christian faith is attacked by the world, we
should remember that the victory has been won. Jesus has overcome the world.
Jesus has conquered the powers of sin, death and Satan upon His people. Sin,
death and Satan no longer have any power of us.
[Peace]
Jesus gives us assurance that we will come out of the
tribulation and receive peace.
Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me
you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I
have overcome the world” (John 16:33)
For His disciples, they were in much tribulation following
Christ’s death, but their tribulation turned to joy when Christ appeared to
them in the locked room three days later and said, “Peace be with you” (John
20:19).
At that moment, they were at peace. Christ is risen! He is
risen, indeed! Alleluia!
No longer did the threats of the world bother them. They knew
that Jesus was victorious over the world! Jesus gave them peace!
Today, we will have much trouble. The world is against us – just
like it was for Jesus and His disciples. But, we know the ending! We know that
Jesus has overcome the world. We know that by God’s grace, all who believe and
trust in Jesus inherit eternal life.
In the meantime, we pray amid tribulation knowing that God is
listening. We know that whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, He will give
it to us. We know that through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, Jesus
has given us direct access to the Father. We know that we share in Christ’s victory
over the world!
Each Sunday, Jesus reminds us that we are at peace as we receive
strength for our weak faith in the Divine Service. We remember our baptism as
we begin each Divine Service with the Invocation. We receive forgiveness of
sins and strength for our faith with the Means of Grace, as we hear His Word
and receive His Sacrament.
[Jesus
Has Triumphed]
So, why, then, do we fear the world as if it were triumphing
over us?
We should feel encouraged. We should be at peace. But, as
Christians, we live in two spheres. In the world, Christians will face
tribulation. We will face trouble, turmoil and persecution, precisely because
of our faith in Jesus.
In contrast, we also have peace. We have peace in Jesus. Jesus
assures us that whatever the tribulation, peace will prevail by grace through
faith in Him.
Jesus has overcome the world. The battle has been waged and won
by Jesus. He won this battle for you and for me. Despite the world continuing
its wretched attacks, those in Christ share the victory He has won. As long as
we remain in Christ, we cannot be harmed by the world’s evil.
We have overcome the world through the blood of Jesus, shed for
you and for me. We have overcome the world through the bodily resurrection of
Jesus, which gives us sure confidence in our peace. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
T SOLI DEO GLORIA T
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