. . . especially these words: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. . . . He who does not love Me does not keep My words."
Today's sermon deals with how to create love and stimulate works in the people of God. In the words of our text, how can we get people to keep the word of Christ?
The most obvious approach is to go right at the works. In other words, preach Law after Law in order to show them what they ought to do and fill them with shame if they are not doing it.
That sounds like it would work. In fact, a kind of obedience will be created by hammering people with Commandments. Unfortunately, it will not be true love or true works that is created by that method. It will only be a Pharisaical works-righteousness.
The underlying weakness of that method is that it does not require faith in Christ at all. You can tell anybody that they're not doing the right thing and make them feel guilty. They may produce a great parade of obedience. Yet it is not true obedience, because without faith there is no love for Christ in them. So it is only the external obedience of the sinful flesh.
For true obedience, you must be converted to a new creature, one that loves Christ. So true love is awakened in people only when they learn who Christ is.
The true obedience is created in you through the Holy Spirit, and through Him alone. It is by the preaching of the Gospel that He creates love and a new heart, as King David says in the Psalm.
Not only does the Gospel alone create the new heart, but it is also the only way to strengthen you in good works. The Law is necessary to show you what works are good. But the power and willingness and even the Spirit Himself who produces good fruit in you - these come through the Gospel.
So the question I first posed in this sermon is the wrong one. It is silly to ask, "How do we get people to do good works?" Only God creates good works. We merely bring people to the waters of life. Refreshed by these, they will do good works. You just try to restrain them.
The Spirit will see to it that works are done. If you do not notice the works, whether in yourself or others, that's not the Spirit's fault. He does not create works for your notice. He does them in His time and according to His will, not yours. Besides, it's probably for the best if you do not notice them, since the Pharisaical flesh makes such mischief out of works.
So receive the Gospel. Trust that the Spirit will stimulate works. Do not worry about the rest.
There are some people who are sunk in affliction and misery, who have tasted struggle and despair and distress. That sounds really bad, doesn't it? We do not want to be those people. We want to be well-adjusted people with healthy self-esteem. But the Spirit only gives the peace of Christ to distressed and despairing people, those pressed down and afflicted by their sins. To the sorrowful, discouraged hearts, He works the Gospel.
But those who think they are doing pretty good in their lives - the hard heads and proud hearts who think they have mastered love and are pleasing in their works before God - to these He does not give His comfort.
The Spirit says, "Here is forgiveness of sins!" The proud heart replies, "Well, that is for the big sinners, not me."
But for those who know in their hearts that they are the big sinners, here is His comfort that creates peace: that the Father sent His Son into your filth, misery, and sin. He not only lived in the cesspool of sin that we call the earth, but He also immersed Himself down under the darkness of all our sins, upon Calvary. He poured out His merciful love so freely and fully that you are compelled to boast of all His treasures as if they were your own - and they are! For He has sunk and drowned all your sins and filth in the great ocean of His love.
Because of Christ and the Cross, the loving Father is a gracious God who never becomes angry toward you nor deals angry blows, but is instead always kind and affectionate toward you.
As Saint John says, God has made you His dwelling-place. You are the Temple in which the Triune God lives, a Temple dedicated and purified by the Blood of the sacrificial Lamb. That Blood never wears off. So you have peace, because God will dwell in and with you forever.
From a heart that has peace, good works flow. Because you are the Temple of God, His power that dwells in you also pushes you towards good works, as well as defends you against the temptations of satan. For He who is in you is greater than the prince of this world.
Your heart may suffer great persecution, fear, want, and opposition. You may weep and sorrow in your heart. You may even suffer and be put to death. But in the midst of all that, you have peace because you know where your life truly is. You are safe with God, since He is with you always.
When you are sad and fearful, the Word of Christ comforts you. He says to you, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful." The sinful flesh may quake and flinch from the terrors of this valley of the shadow of death. Yet the eyes of faith remain upon the beloved Lord who gave His life to purchase you.
You cannot comprehend this kind of peace, which is at the same time both fearful and fearless. As a saint, you are without fear. As a sinner, you still have fear in your flesh.
Do not think, when you are fearful, that you have somehow lost your faith. It is not as if you must completely lack any kind of fear throughout all your life, or else Christ will reject you. That would be a tyranny of the Law that would destroy all souls. Instead, the fearfulness in you is forgiven and put away by Christ's blood.
In this way, the Spirit comforts you. When you find yourself desiring comfort, yet forget how and where He does this, remember that He comes in the Gospel. Here He is today, in the proclamation of Christ. He also comforts you in private or public Absolution, and in the holy Meal at this Altar. In all these, the Comforter comes to you. In all these, He says to you, "Look at Christ crucified, and be at peace."
All glory be to God alone. Amen.
You may quote from my sermons freely, but please quote accurately if you attribute anything to me.
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