Lord, Show Yourself to Me!

John 14:23-29
“Lord, Show Yourself to Me” “Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.  Amen.” (Jude 2) 

Let me begin by wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers of the congregation.  We certainly want to extend our appreciation, thanks, and love to them today.  After, many of us wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for them.  When you think about it though, it’s really a shame that we have to designate a specific day during the year to make sure our mothers know how much we care about them and appreciate them, just in case we’ve forgotten to do so in the previous 364 days.  Maybe the relationship we have with them is so close we just feel like it doesn’t always need to be said.  There is just a special bond that every child has with his or her mother.  Perhaps it comes from the early weeks or months of infancy, when the newborn has total reliance on the mother for everything.    If there is any doubt about the strength of this bond between mother and child, just look at the phenomenon of infant social development known as separation anxiety.  Separation anxiety is an infant’s fear of being left by his or her mother.  It usually emerges at about 8 or 9 months, peaks at 14 months, and then gradually subsides.  Separation anxiety is thought to develop because as babies mature mentally, they begin to recognize their mothers as unique individuals, different from everyone else they encounter. However, infants lack the mental capacity to understand that the mother still exists even when she is out of sight. To the infant, once the mother cannot be seen, she is gone forever.  This is why a game like peek-a-boo is such a mind-blowing experience for an infant.     Whether or not infants are distressed by separation also depends on the baby’s past experiences and the manner in which the mother departs:  leaving abruptly, for example, is likely to produce a tremendous cry of abandonment.  They don’t experience this with anyone else.  The child and its caregiver simply have an unbreakable bond.
 
Although separation anxiety is generally just an experience for children who are around one year old, a variation of it may occur in adults as well.  The rule is simple: the stronger the bond, the stronger the anxiety that when separation takes place.  Well, including that of a child to its mother, I can’t imagine that a stronger human bond has ever existed on earth than the bond between the God-man, Jesus Christ, and his disciples, who gave up everything to follow him.  Knowing the fear that they would have in his leaving, Christ spends considerable time preparing them for his departure, both in death and in his ascension.  In fact there are about 5 chapters recorded in the Gospel of John (approximately 1/4 of the Gospel) dedicated just to Jesus’ farewell address to his disciples.  
 

The disciples’ anxiety over Jesus’ departure was based on the fear that Jesus would no longer be with them.  But in our lesson today Jesus tells them and us that that will never be the case.  So we bring this simple request to our Lord today and find his answer.  We say: 
 

“Lord, Show Yourself to Me!”
I. He is seen in our obedience to his commands
II.     He is seen in the peace we have as Christians
III.    He is seen in the fulfillment of his promises
 
Our lesson today is really all one quote from Christ.  It is an answer to the question asked him by one of his disciples in verse 22, the preceding verse.  The question was, “Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the whole world?”  The disciples, like the rest of the Jews, still had somewhat of a worldly expectation of a Messiah who would be an earthly king for the Jews.  Like the Jews then, they wanted Jesus to make his presence known to the entire world.  Christ basically says, “Don’t worry; those who love me and want to see me will see me.”
 

Most of us at some point in time have questioned God’s involvement and presence in our lives, if not his entire existence.  When things aren’t turning out as we would have them, we’re tempted to feel like we can’t see God.  When our car breaks down and it throws a wrench into our whole budget and schedule, where is God?  When we only get a couple of weeks of vacation for the whole year from a job we’re not always that crazy about to begin with and right when we’re about to leave, someone in the family gets sick, where is God?  When you learn that the girl that you’ve fallen for at school is interested in the arrogant guy with the nice car and trendy haircut rather than you, where is God?  Maybe none of these sound familiar to you, but everyone has their own pet peeve and when it comes up, having already been taught about God’s presence in your life, aren’t you at least a little tempted to say, “Lord, where are you?  Show Yourself to Me!”
 

This thought has been around ever since Christ ascended into heaven.  Imagine those in the early Christian church who were tossed to the lions over their public confession of faith.  Undoubtedly they’d heard the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den.  They knew that God was capable of saving them from such torture.  So as they were being devoured in the Coliseum, don’t you think the thought probably went through their heads, “Lord, Show Yourself to Me!”
 

God promises that he will always be with us.  Right before his ascension, in Matthew 28:20 Jesus says, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  So why don’t we always see him when we look for him and demand that he show himself?  Perhaps it’s because we’re looking in the wrong places.  Instead of demanding to see God where we want him, maybe we should look for him in the place that he promised we will find him.
 

A good place to start is in today’s lesson from John 14:23-29.  Here Christ points to several different ways in which we can see God in our lives.  
 

We turn back to the beginning of our lesson, where Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”  Christ says here that if you want proof that faith exists, look at the obedience of those who follow his commands.  They would be incapable of willingly keeping the laws of the Lord, of loving the Triune God, if the Holy Spirit hadn’t first made his home in their heart.  Their actions are statements of faith.  The healthy fruit that Christians bear are indicators of the health of the living Christian tree that they are.  When you see the kindness and love of a fellow Christian, you see the kindness and love of Jesus himself.  
 

Several days ago I was given the privilege of taking a woman through a law/gospel presentation.  Judging from several statements she made, I’m fairly certain that it was the first time that she had heard the saving gospel message.  She looked quite affected by it, but she admitted at the end of it all, that she just wasn’t sure if she could buy all of it.  It dawned on me at that moment, that if this message that she was having so much trouble buying really wasn’t true, if she was right, that would make me, someone who has chosen to dedicate his life’s work to the spread of this message, the biggest fool on the face of the earth.  It would mean that all the training and dedication was just a massive waste of time.  It would also mean that you all are equally foolish – you’ve given up sleep on Sundays throughout your life, you’ve bowed your heads in prayer to this non-existent being, you’ve taken comfort in the words of a mere man, and you’ve given your money to spread a fable.  
 

Perhaps I’m a little biased, but I don’t think we are fools.  In fact, I’ve never been so certain of anything more than what I’ve been convicted of by God’s Holy Word.  The fact that you or I are even capable of doing good is evidence of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts.  It is evidence of Christ’s presence in our lives.  Our Lord is seen in our obedience to his commands.
 

Now you may say, “Sure, but there are plenty of other religions out there where people are obedient to their god’s supposed demands.”  Yes, but look at the motivation of those keeping the commands.   Sometimes they keep their so-called god’s commands out of fear.  Sometimes they are selfishly obedient, trying to earn rewards.  You will not find another religion out there where the followers obey commands simply out of reciprocated love.  “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)  That love only comes from the true God – from the Holy Spirit living in us.  
 

But if we look solely to our obedience to God’s laws to see Christ’s presence in our lives, we’re in trouble.  Every one of us knows that despite our good intentions, we’re not always that good at keeping God’s commands.  If we look at our works for comfort, we will despair, knowing our sinfulness, knowing the occasional lack of Christ in our decisions.  
 

Fortunately, our lesson speaks of another place that Christ’s presence is evident in our lives.  In verses 26 and 27 of our lesson, Christ goes on to say, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  Do you remember from Christ’s baptism how God the Father spoke from heaven, but the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, the universal symbol of peace?  This is something the Holy Spirit offers to us Christians – peace.  
 

If anyone ever asks you what benefits you receive in this world from being a Christian, feel free to tell them that you have a peace that an unbeliever will never know.  Christians deal with things differently.  They cope with things better.  Take this from a man who as a child was notoriously anxiety-ridden.  It’s an ongoing process, but I’m finally starting to learn to keep things in Christian perspective.  Christians know that when a tornado rolls through town and leaves nothing but tears in its path, they’re going to make it, because they “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)  An unbeliever does not know that peace.  Christians know that if they get laid off from work, it’s going to be okay, because Christ has assured them if they “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all their needs will be taken care of as well (paraphrase).” (Matthew 6:33)  An unbeliever does not know that peace.  Christians know that if they contract some life-shortening illness, it’s just fast-forwarding to the time that they’ve been looking forward to—the time when they will meet their merciful Savior in paradise.  An unbeliever does not know that peace.
 

The world tries to offer phony peace.  Satan tries to convince us that peace exists apart from Christ.  “If only I had enough money to be comfortable, then I’d be at peace.  If only we’d end this war and have peace, the world would be a perfect place.  If I can just get through this week of work, I’ll be able to rest.”  You see the problems that lie here.  You will never be convinced you have enough money to be “comfortable.”  War or no war, a perfect utopian existence is not possible in a sinful world.  And when one week of work ends, the next week of work begins.  The world offers no true peace.  But the presence of Jesus is shown in the life of a Christian who knows the peace that Christ promises in our lesson.  Jesus’ presence is seen in the peace we have as Christians.
 

However, if we look solely to the peace we have on earth to see Christ’s presence in our lives, we’re in trouble.  Every one of us knows that although we do enjoy tremendous peace in Christ throughout our lives, there are still times when Satan pushes just the right buttons and we give in to that temptation to doubt God.  Like Peter walking out on the water to meet Christ on the Sea of Galilee, sometimes the waves of life start crashing around us and we look down, see our reflection in the water, and become fully aware of our sinfulness.  Then the peace seems to disappear.  
 

Praise be to God, there is yet another place that Christ tells us in our lesson that we can turn to in our lives to find his presence – his Almighty Word.  In the last verses of today’s lesson, Christ says, “I am going away and I am coming back to you…..I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”  Look at the confidence with which Jesus speaks about his departure from this world and his return.  He doesn’t say, “if this happens, you will believe,” he says “when it happens.”  And we know from Scripture that Christ certainly did come back and will come back once again.  God never flinches once in his prophecies or his promises.  Whether you are talking about the Father promising the Savior who would crush Satan all the way back in Garden of Eden, or the prophet Isaiah’s pinpoint accuracy in describing the Savior’s entry and exit from this world, or Jesus’ own fulfilled promise of death and resurrection, God always keeps his promises.  So when he promises to us that we will find him in and know him from his Word, this is where we make sure we always turn.  Here Christ promises that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will remind us of everything Jesus has said to us.  Christ is seen in the fulfillment of his promises. 
 

When we turn to God’s Word we will vividly see him who never leaves our side.  We will see the love of him who died in our place so that we may be in his presence in our new home which is his home.  We will see him overcome sin and Satan for us.  We will see him command his angels to guard us.  We will see him prepare a room in heaven for us.  We will see him freely give us his righteousness.  This is the way he has given us, in his Word, to come face to face with our Risen Lord.  In our lives, we say to him, “Lord, Show Yourself to Me!”  And he gladly replies, “Turn to any page, and you will find me!”  “These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” (John 5:39)
 

It’s obvious from our lesson today that Christ was well aware that his disciples would experience some separation anxiety after he left.  Do you experience any anxiety in this world, knowing that you are a Christian, but that you don’t always feel Christ’s presence?  Don’t worry so much about your feelings, one of the weak spots of humans that Satan loves to manipulate.  Although you know that God is governing every last detail of your life, don’t look for him so much in the circumstances of your life.  Find Christ where he tells you that you will find him – in his inspired Word.  See him with the eyes of faith.  The Holy Spirit will nourish and strengthen you from within in your study.  He will empower you to deal with anything that the world throws at you.  The Good LORD will show himself to you in his promises to you, his forgiveness for you, and the plans he has for your eternal life, all while ruling in your heart.  Go and see your Lord.  Amen.
 

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  Amen.” (Colossians 3:15)
 

–Vicar James Hein

This entry was posted on May 14, 2007 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Sermons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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