Sermon Easter 6
Sunday, May 13, 2012
“His choice”
John 15:9-17
The school playground is the last place you want to be if
you’re the smallest, the weakest, or the least agile. Captains don’t think too
much about a kid’s feelings when picking teams. They want the fastest, the
strongest, and the most skilled. They want the players who are most likely to
give them victory. The weak only get to play because you have to fill all the
positions. As far as the athletic kids are concerned, it’s an unfortunate necessity.
Thanks be to God that the Lord’s Church doesn’t operate
like a playground. Jesus doesn’t pick us because we’re wiser, stronger, richer,
or smarter than others. Jesus chooses us because he loves us. That love has its
origin in Jesus himself being loved. And its intention is that we whom he loves
will love others. In short,
LOVED, IN LOVE, JESUS HAS CHOSEN US TO ABIDE IN HIS LOVE.
Before we go on, I want you to say that with me, okay?
Say with me: “Loved (pause), in love (pause), Jesus has chosen us to abide in
his love.” Say it again. (Repeat.) Three parts to that, and we’ll talk about
each of them this morning. They’re precisely the same three things Jesus says
in the first verse of our text: (Use fingers to indicate one, two, three while
reading:) “As the Father has [one] loved me, so have I [two] loved you. [three]
Abide in my love.” Okay? “(one) Loved (pause), (two) in love (pause), Jesus has
(three) chosen us to abide in his love.”
Loved: From eternity, Jesus has been loved by the Father
(“As the Father has loved me,” v 9a). This is really the foundation for all
things. Love is the result of the Trinity. Before there were any created beings
to love, the Father was always loving the Son. This is how John, in last week’s
Epistle, could say, “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). It was the result of this love
that God, created His precious ones to love.
This relationship, the Father loving the Son, continued
throughout Jesus’ mission to earth. At both Jesus’ Baptism and transfiguration
(Mt 3:17; 17:5), the Father called Jesus his beloved Son. So often we see Jesus
speaking to his Father as the beloved Child (Jn 11:41–42; 12:28; 17:1). The
Father even loved the Son when he had to abandon him on the cross (Mt 27:46).
Yes we are here because of the love of God toward us. From eternity you as
God’s creation were loved.
In love: Jesus has chosen us in love (“As the Father has
loved me, so I have loved you,” v 9). This is very important. We did not choose
Jesus (v 16a). As conceived and born sinners, we do not have the will or the
ability to choose Jesus. Our natural inclination is to flee from Jesus and all
that he desires to accomplish with us. Our desire is to abide in our own word
and will and not Jesus.
But still Jesus loves us in the same way the Father loves
him, unconditionally. Just as the Father has loved Jesus, so has he eternally
loved us. He makes that love visible when he “lays down his life for his
friends” (v 13). In laying down his life on the cross, Jesus has won our
salvation. There he took our sin into himself, forgave it, and emptied it of
its power.
Jesus’ love led him to choose us to be his friends (vv
14–16b). Captains on the playground may pick their friends, but usually only if
they can hit or throw or catch. They don’t pick teammates who aren’t already
their friends unless they bring speed or skills to the table.
Jesus chose us who were by nature his enemies and
declared us to be his friends—and at the cost of his own life. That was a
choosing in love!
Jesus has chosen us to abide in his love: Jesus has
chosen us to abide in his love by loving others (“As the Father has loved me,
so have I loved you. Abide in my love,” v 9). Jesus says that abiding in his
love means keeping his commandments, and the result will be that we love one
an-other (vv 10, 12, 17).
The old Adam in us thinks that Jesus commandments are met
to be kept that Jesus is giving us something to do in telling us to love. But
this is impossible for the old Adam within us, in keeping Jesus words abiding
in his words means something we all can do die, die to self and Christ will
raise you. The words that you are to
keep to enliven you are his words that Jesus is the true vine and you are
connected to that vine. Jesus has bought
you with a price and you are his.
In this way of the cross, in this way of baptism into
Jesus in means of self justification are utterly destroyed. So if the command
is to love, then all it does is accuse us.
Because unlike the
Father’s love for Jesus and Jesus’ love for us, our love for others falls
short. We’re naturally more like the typical playground captain—looking at
people for what they can do for us. The women’s rights movement is now saying
that a women has the right to abort a baby after it is born if they feel it
will ruin their lives. Our President who
has now evolved beyond humanity says that a man and a man and women and a woman
can be married, even though a synonym for marriage, matrimony denotes
motherhood. In same sex unions true
motherhood and fatherhood are destroyed.
Still we do not have to go outside the church for
examples of how we as parents show a lack of love for our children. We say we
love them but how do we treat them. Do we help them when they ask for help to
solve problems? Do we endeavor to feed them nutritious foods? Do we care that they learn the right things
about our Lord? When we discipline do we discipline them in anger? So, are we truly being self sacrificing in
our love for them. Lord have mercy on us.
But in Christ’s love, we receive the things the loving Father
knows to be good for us. Jesus, by his death and resurrection, has made us part
of his Father’s household. We will live in the Father’s love forever. Abide and
keep dear those words.
 |
| LOVED, IN LOVE, JESUS HAS CHOSEN US TO ABIDE IN HIS LOVE. |
That is because when we receive such love—forgiveness of
sins, eternal life—love for our neighbor flows freely. True love for neighbor
always has its origin in Good Friday. And having been chosen in love by the
beloved Son of the Father, we do abide in his love by loving our neighbor
though our vocations by dong our duty.
Say it all with me again: “Loved (pause), in love
(pause), Jesus has chosen us to abide in his love.” Before the foundations of
the world, the Son of God was loved by the Father. And so loved, also before
the foundations of the world, the Son loved us—so much that he chose us to be
his own and to abide in his Father’s love. That meant giving his life for us.
That’s love! And so loved, we love our spouses, our children, our friends, our
enemies, the folks we’ve never met. We abide in Jesus’ love![1]
[1]
Edited sermon of Rev. Charles R. Lehmann, pastor, St. John’s Lutheran Church,
Accident, Maryland by Rev. Jeff Springer
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