September 28, 2008John 8:26-38
Have you ever wondered why Jesus’ ministry was so brief? I think it should have lasted another 10 or 20 years. So many suffering people were still left in their misery.
(I’ve been a pastor for almost 25 years and I still inflict misery on countless souls – just kidding). Remember how a prostitute at Simon’s banquet found forgiveness and a new life in Christ. But how many others were still plying their profession and still trapped in that old life? For every ten withered muscles that came to full health with Jesus’ touch there must have been hundreds remaining terribly disabled. Why did his ministry last only a few years? The Bible doesn’t give us an answer to this question; so we leave it to the mystery of God’s purposes. But we do know that Jesus always prayed for guidance and direction. He was always free from what we’ve been calling the tyranny of the urgent. Remember at the outset of his ministry Jesus declared his purpose. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work” (that’s John 4:34). Jesus worked long hours, often under pressure, but his life was never feverish. He never seemed in a hurry. But he got an awful lot done. He showed a wonderful balance, a sense of timing. On one occasion when his brothers urged him to go to Jerusalem, Jesus said, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right” (John 7:6). Yet on the last night of his life, with many urgent human needs unmet and many useful tasks undone, Jesus had inner peace. In his great prayer in John 17 he says to the Father, “I have completed the work you gave me to do.” How could Jesus make this astonishing claim? His three-year ministry seemed all too short. Well, in this last of four sermons on the topic, we will consider not only Jesus’ example but also his promise of freedom from both the power of sin and the tyranny of the urgent. Before we look at this Bible passage from John 8, I want you think of or write down about six activities that currently take up most of your time. Try to sort them out into two categories: ones that seem clearly to be God’s will; and those that seem more desires of your own or others. Hmm… let’s see. For me, I spend four or five hours a day alone in the pastor’s study replying to emails, reading, writing, organizing, answering phone calls and questions from members and staff. I guess most of this is God’s will. This along with all the pastoral activities (writing this sermon, calling on members and friends of the church, meeting with staff, etc). I don’t spend much time eating right or exercising. I guess that the Lord would want me to do that better. I probably watch TV about 15-20 hours a week (golf, football, baseball, CSI, Law & Order, parts or all of a movie or two). This is definitely my own thing. I spend about 10-12 hours a week driving (home to church, to meetings, doing errands, to and from activities). You get the picture. What does your list look like? How are you spending your life? I. Jesus and Success (vs. 26-31) In John 8, Jesus was addressing a crowd which included the religious leaders as well as the common people. And we can imagine ourselves in that group as he reveals who he is and what he’s come to do. “I am the light of the world,” he’d told them. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The Pharisees challenge him on that. So he now says, “I have much to say in judgment of you. You will know that I am he. The one who sent me is with me; for I always do what pleases him.” Someone defined success this way; Jesus could have said it himself: “Find out what God wants you to do and then do it.” In marriage and family, in church and community, at work or in leisure, the Lord has good designs and great blessings for your life and mine. As you pray and read God’s word, as you come to worship or share in a small group, God will give you plenty of guidance and help. Remember Nike’s great ad: “Just Do It.” If it’s to express love to your spouse or children in a new or renewed way, just do it. If it’s to spend some time and energy with ministry in the church or service to the community, just do it. If it’s to redirect your approach at work or in your leisure activities, just do it. And if the Lord’s guidance is in the negative, then of course, just don’t do it. To those who believed him (and that’s us as well), Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” The Word of God, the teachings of Jesus are meant to influence our priorities and our daily activities to make our lives fruitful for the sake of Christ and the kingdom of God. What you and I do with our lives matters to God. Jesus’ relationship with the Father offers a pattern for our lives as well. Jesus is the one-of-a-kind Son of the Father. His identity and relationship as the second person of the triune God are unique to him and to him alone. Yet God invites us to become his children by faith in Jesus. John 1:12 says it clearly: “Yet to all who received him (Jesus, the Word of God), to those who believed in his name (Jesus, Savior), he gave the right to become children of God.” The beginning of the secret of success then is becoming a child of God by a personal faith and trust in Jesus, knowing that God is “trustworthy,” and seeking to do what pleases the Lord. II. Freedom in the Truth (vs. 32-36) Then comes one of the great statements of the New Testament: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We live in a country that prides itself on freedom. And I am thankful for the political, civic, and personal freedoms we enjoy. But this is not the kind of freedom Jesus is offering. Whether in 1st century or 21st century Jerusalem or Baghdad, Beijing or Tokyo, Washington D.C. or Salt Lake City, the human condition is the same. “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. And a slave has no permanent place in the family.” Without the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ, that leaves all of us in bondage. Now, no one likes to hear this. The people listening to Jesus certainly objected. “We are Abraham’s descendents and have never been slaves of anyone.” Oh, really! How about Egypt? Remember Pharaoh, bricks and mortar, beatings and bruises? How about Assyria and Babylon and great Captivity? How about right now? Rome? We might say we’re American citizens or long-time Presbyterians. But I’m a member of the church! We, like the crowd can be blind to the fact that we are not really free. Pride in heritage blinded them to understanding Jesus’ teaching about true freedom. “I know,” says Jesus. “But do you have room for my word? If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Sin has a way of enslaving us, controlling us, even dominating us. Jesus came to forgive and free us from this slavery that would keep us from becoming the person God created us to be. “I am the truth,” Jesus said in John 14. Later in this chapter, John 8, he says, “Before Abraham was born, I AM.” When Jesus said that the truth will set you free, he was speaking of himself. Conclusion The earthly ministry of Jesus was just the right amount of time. In three seemingly short years, he preached and taught about the nature of the kingdom of God. With love and compassion he healed people. Demonstrating his divine influence and power he performed miracles of unparalleled wonder. With mighty words and mighty deeds he revealed his identity as Messiah-Savior. Finally and fully, he completed the work of the Father in his death and resurrection thus securing forgiveness and eternal life for all who would come to trust in him. What’s the secret to success? Well, it’s not much of a secret at all. The answer has been around a very long time. Find out what God wants you to do and do it. And that begins with faith and trust in Jesus. Jesus was asked, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” He answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (that’s’ John 6:29). Accept the Lord Jesus Christ, listen to his word, pray and worship and then you’ll know the truth and the truth will set you free. Let us pray together. |
