Sermon - Exaudi 2024 - John 15:26 - 16:24

Christian Martyrs in Colosseum, Konstantin Flavitsky, 1862

Remembering the promises to keep us from falling away

1. The difficulty of faithfulness over time

2. The Spirit who helps us by reminding us of the promises

3. Training for hardship

4. Rejoicing in persecution

It’s easy to be a mother for just a few seconds. It’s easy enough to change a few diapers or cook a couple meals for one day. It’s easy enough to be a babysitter and only be responsible for a child for a couple of hours while the kids sleep or watch tv. But the glory of motherhood is that moms take care of their children all day, every day, for years. They don’t quit when the kids are sick and so are they; they don’t quit feeding their kids when they’re tired of cooking; they don’t quit teaching their kids even when the kids seem to never get the message; they don’t quit loving their children even when the kids throw a massive temper tantrum in the most public places. Mother’s don’t quit when it’s hard, and that is why we honor them on this day.

This lesson about motherhood can be a helpful example as we consider Jesus’ words to us today: “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away… I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” Jesus makes promises to us about preserving us when it’s difficult to be a Christian, so that we wouldn’t fall away from the faith. It’s easy to be a Christian for a few seconds. It’s easy to be a Christian when everyone around us agrees, when we’re comfortable, when no one challenges us, when the congregations are growing, and when very little is expected of us. It’s much harder to be a christian and to remain faithful when it’s hard and over the course of many years.

In this respect being a faithful Christian is like being a good mother in that you have to be able to endure hardship for many years. It’s one thing to be able to make the good confession once, it’s another thing to have to make that  good confession for decades. For instance, we’re currently in confirmation season. This past week at the district pastor’s conference we learned the history of confirmation and that it’s not particularly Lutheran and that there are a lot of issues to address. Most of that goes beyond the scope of this sermon, so we can talk about that later, but one thing worth recognizing is that confirmands quite regularly make vows which they do not keep for even one week. They promise to be faithful to death, and yet they won’t even show up for church more than a handful of times in the next few years. It was easy enough for them to go to church for a couple years and attend confirmation class, it was easy enough even to stand up and take confirmation vows once. But faithfulness every week and every day was much harder, and so they immediately fell away.

Or another example: I’ve spoken about evangelism the past couple of sermons. It’s easy enough to tell an unbeliever about Jesus one time, but it’s much harder over the course of years, when it seems like your words are falling on deaf ears. Or, as Jesus tells us today, when you bear witness to Jesus, some people respond with great anger against you. “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.”

Don’t think that people will only respond with physical violence, because often they will respond verbally. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Here in the US the most common form of persecution against Christians is verbal and non-physical; it’s the social and cultural persecution I’ve mentioned before. You may not get burned at a stake or thrown into a gulag, you may not even lose your job or lose promotions. It may be that your grandkids don’t come to your house, or you don’t get invited to coffee or dinner with your friends. Sometimes your fiery trial is actual fire, and other times it’s something else, nevertheless this is a fiery trial that has come upon you to test you. Regardless of the severity, don’t let these fiery trials make you fall away from the faith.

To keep us from falling away, the Holy Spirit helps us by reminding us of God’s promises. “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” Like we confess in the Creed, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and He has been sent in order to be our helper. He helps us by reminding us of God’s promises, by reminding us of God’s holy Word.

Our theme verse for the year, as seen on The Daily Prayers sheet, reminds us why we’re not ashamed of Jesus even when others hate us. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God to save us. The word of God is the objective truth in this world, and anything which contradicts the Word of God is a lie. What’s more, this truth of God’s Word has the power to save eternally. Why would you ever be ashamed of that? Even if everyone and the whole world stands against you, because you hold onto God’s Word, you should not be ashamed because you stand with God and the whole heavenly host of saints and angels. You would stand there against the whole world not by your strength, but by the power of the Spirit who upholds you in the power of His Word.

You’re already facing many of these fiery trials. But how can you face them with greater boldness and strength in the days to come? By training. Jesus told the apostles ahead of time what would happen so that they weren’t surprised when it did happen. This advance warning gave them time to prepare themselves. Jesus gives us advance warning so that we can prepare ourselves.

Covid revealed that American Christians were not prepared to face persecution, because as soon as there was even a slight threat of death and the government told us not to go to church, many immediately stopped going. Thank God that was like a warning shot fired out of a water, which woke us up and has given us a chance to become more prepared. So there are two things I’m going to mention which help us prepare for greater fiery trials.

First, Jesus speaks to us, and when trials happen we are supposed to remember what Jesus said, that means we have to first listen to Jesus and have something to remember. Set to memory some bible verses, hymns, and prayers. Yes, it’s work, no it may not be easy. But, I wouldn’t expect a fiery trial to be easy either, so the training is going to be hard as well.

Second, do hard things and push yourself out of your comfort zone. This is one aspect of why Christians have always practiced fasting and other bodily preparations. You could also try taking a cold shower, or doing some exercises. Maybe reading is your challenge, so every day pick up the bible and just read one verse, once that’s easy enough, read two, a whole paragraph, a chapter, a whole book. Maybe talking to people scares you, such that you can’t share the gospel with them, so every day make it a goal to smile and say hi to a stranger, whether it’s in church or the grocery store. These things may be kind of hard and unpleasant, but do them every day in order to train you to be prepared for other hard things.

When you’ve trained for hard things, not only are you prepared to be able to handle them, but you’ll be able to even rejoice in your sufferings! “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” In your sufferings, in those hard things, the glory of Jesus’ suffering is also revealed in you. His suffering was for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting for those who believe in Him. From the cross His blood has been sprinkled upon you to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. In Holy Baptism His blood was poured upon you, you were cleansed, and the Holy Spirit was poured into your stony heart to make it a heart of flesh. Your sufferings do not atone for you, but your sufferings reflect Jesus’ sorrows since you have been created anew in Him, and His suffering does atone for you.

Since the Holy Spirit is at work in you to keep you faithful throughout your sufferings, then God is glorified when you are faithful to Him amidst persecution. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” It’s not only the martyrs who shed their blood for the faith who are heroes of the faith and shall receive a crown, but all who bear witness to Jesus in their lives and remember the promises of Jesus, even those are heroes of the faith. So do not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap a bountiful reward if we do not lose heart.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!