"Appreciate the Apostolic Benediction"

Sermonettes on 2 Corinthians 13:14

Saint Mark's, Watertown

Pastor Karl Walther

June 18, 2000

My friends, today is Trinity Sunday. As you know, every year at about this time we take one Sunday specially to celebrate the Triune nature of the only true God. He is a single God-- as the Lord taught us and the Israelites in Deuteronomy six, four: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. On the other hand, that single God is also three; we say three "persons". Jesus taught this to his followers and us in Matthew twenty-eight, nineteen: Baptize them in the name (not names-- so: one name, one God)-- Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons.

Now, I mentioned before that we take this one Sunday every year specially to celebrate the Triune nature of the only true God. Nevertheless, this cardinal truth is present in our every worship service. Invariably we begin our worship the same way we began our Christian life in baptism: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Invariably we close our worship, remembering the Triune nature of the true God. Often we use the Aaronic benediction-- so called because the high priest Aaron was the first to pronounce it upon God's people three thousand five hundred years ago: The Lord (the Father) bless you and keep you, the Lord (the Son) make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord (the Spirit) look upon you with favor and give you peace.

Other times, though, we conclude our worship service with the Apostolic benediction-- so called because the Lord inspired it in his Word at the time of the apostles. It's Second Corinthians, chapter thirteen, verse fourteen: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. On the basis of these words from the Lord, I'd like to encourage you today to: APPRECIATE THE APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION-- to appreciate, first of all: THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST; to appreciate, secondly: THE LOVE OF GOD; and to appreciate in conclusion: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, which is with us all.

Sermonette One: Appreciate the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Today we're taking a look at what's called the Apostolic benediction. It's sort of interesting -- and touching! -- that we can easily associate the three parts of the Apostolic benediction with three main apostles. For example, the Apostolic benediction -- Second Corinthians chapter thirteen, verse fourteen -- assures us: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ... is with you all. And I suppose nobody knew that grace better than the man through whom God inspired those words: the Apostle Paul.

You remember the account of the Apostle Paul.... He wasn't born with that title, of course. He was, at first, Saul. And he was, not much later, the chief persecutor of Christ's people. Saul grew up as a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, educated by Gamaliel-- one of the most famous Pharisees. As such, Saul believed heaven was his because he was a cut above other people; he and other Pharisees were a quite a bit better than others. And so, when Jesus comes along, and his followers, proclaiming that people (even -- God forbid! -- non-Jews) have peace with God through faith in Christ, Saul considered it his service to God to rid the earth of Christians. It led Saul to oppose God: he hated Christ, he arrested Christians, and he had them killed. And the Lord was furious with Saul!

But the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ dawned upon Paul. "Grace", of course, is God's favorable attitude toward a person-- even though he hasn't deserved it. And that's what Jesus exercised toward Paul. On the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared to Paul. He brought him to confess his sins-- even to despair for his heavenly life, if he were to rely on his own righteousness. And then Jesus sent a man named Ananias (his name means, "the Lord is gracious") to announce God's grace to Paul through Jesus Christ-- and to get his sins washed away in Holy Baptism.

Nor was Christ's grace to Paul without effect. During the next thirty years, Paul traveled thousands of miles, to countless countries, speaking to multitudes of people regarding Jesus. Knowing God's grace, Paul exercised that grace toward others.

Isn't that our story, too? Don't we also know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? To begin with, haven't we also pursued our patterns of sinfulness as stubbornly as did Paul? Maybe it's that we've been greedy-- and our entire lives have been oriented toward getting that one last material possession. Maybe it's that we've been bitter-- and regularly, day after day, we gripe in our hearts and on our lips about the evil someone has done toward us. Maybe it's that we've burned with lust-- and maybe we've even exercised that lust regularly with sex outside of marriage.

And yet, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has dawned upon you. You deserve punishment for stubbornly opposing the Lord, but Jesus' heart still overflowed with grace toward you. It led Jesus to leave his heavenly throne to occupy a virgin's womb and later a cattle feeding trough for you. It led Jesus to set aside the use of his heavenly wisdom in order to toddle and grow and learn and obey for you. It led Jesus to set aside the full use his heavenly power, so that day by day he might lead a perfect life in your place. And by his grace, heaven is indeed yours!

Now, if that's the grace Christ exercised toward us, can't we do the same for others? Can't we forgive their sins, and forget them-- even though those sins keep coming back every day? Can't we forgive and forget-- even though we live with the effects of our enemies' sins against us every day? After all, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is really with us! Amen.

Sermonette Two: Appreciate the Love of God

Today's Word from God to us is the Apostolic benediction. And as I mentioned to you earlier, the name is especially appropriate: because it's rather easy to associate the three parts of this verse with the experience of each of three main apostles. And so, the second part of the Apostolic benediction assures us: The love of God ... is with you all. And I suppose nobody knew that love from God any better than did the Apostle John.

You remember some things about John, of course. First of all, you remember that he was a sinner. Do you remember some specific sins on John's part? Well, Jesus named him and his brother James "the sons of thunder". Maybe that was because one time, when a Samaritan village failed to welcome Jesus, impatiently they wanted immediately to call down fire from heaven to burn up the town! Another time John, again with his brother James, asked to have a special place of heavenly honor ahead of the other apostles. Both times John found himself rebuked by Jesus, rebuked by God himself, for his failure to exercise love toward others.

But John did eyewitness -- and ear-witness -- the love of God toward him. On Transfiguration's Mount John heard the voice of the Father saying: "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to him." And in the Garden of Gethsemane, John witnessed the Father placing his anger over John's sins on God his Son. In Jesus' trials John witnessed the Father placing John's sins on his Son. At the foot of the cross -- and John was there! -- he saw God in love for him doing what a sinful earthly father could never bring himself to do: punish his own Son for the sins of someone else-- in fact: a world full of somebody elses.

After that John was a changed man. No more calling down fire upon villages for him! No more demanding to sit at Christ's right hand! John's love for others led him instead humbly to proclaim Christ far and wide. John even referred to the members of his congregations as his dear little children.

Now isn't that the way it is with us? Don't we also know personally the love of God? We've needed it, haven't we? No different than John, we'd have blown up a few villages by now, if we had almighty power connected to our sinful anger. Hey, we've already blown up, time and time again, at one another-- or maybe we never raise our voices, but quietly we dig our sarcastic jabs into one another. And which of us, like John, has not sought to put down our brothers and sisters in Christ in order to raise our own spiritual status?

Nevertheless -- thank God! -- you know the love of God. In God's Word you have ear-witnessed God's love for the world: love that made his Son -- his own dear flesh and blood! -- the substitutionary object of his furious anger over your transgression. You have seen your sin laid on Jesus, your pain laid on Jesus, your hell laid on Jesus, your death laid on Jesus. And with God's love, heaven is indeed yours!

Now, if that's the love God gave us, isn't it natural for that love from him to overflow through us to others? When we're angry, can't we see that others' sins, too, were laid on Jesus? If we're inclined to be proud, can't we see that every other individual, too, is just as righteous, just as holy, just as perfect, as far as God is concerned-- through Jesus Christ? That's the way the love of God not only comforts our hearts, but also directs us to love others during all of our lives! Amen.

Sermonette Three: Appreciate the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

In conclusion, the third part of the Apostolic benediction assures us: The fellowship of the Holy Spirit ... is with you all. I suggested to you before that: when you consider Christ's grace to you, Christ's grace to Paul might be a great pattern to use. And when you consider God's love to you, God's love to John might serve. Let me suggest finally that: when you consider the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the experience of the Apostle Peter might give you something to think about.

The Holy Spirit, of course, placed Peter in close proximity to Jesus. In Peter's own personal Christian journey, the Holy Spirit saw to it that Jesus himself called Peter to faith, that Jesus himself drew Peter to be a fisher of people, and that Jesus promised to build his church on the bedrock of faith expressed first by Peter. But -- do you remember? -- Peter shattered that fellowship. At one time Jesus had to say to Peter: "Get behind me, Satan!" Even more seriously, at another time Jesus had to say to Peter, "Tonight before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you know me." And Peter did. Peter said: I don't know Jesus; I want no part of Jesus; I am neither his follower nor his apostle. And at that point, it was over between Jesus and Peter.

But Peter got to know the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; that is: Peter experienced the work of the Holy Spirit, through God's Word, giving him a share in Christ and in Christ's church. At the moment of Peter's third denial, the Holy Spirit used a glance from Jesus to cause Peter to confess his sin. Three days later, on Easter afternoon, the risen Christ appeared personally to Peter, before he appeared to the other apostles-- and Scripture reminds us this took place under the power of the Holy Spirit. Fifty more days and the Holy Spirit came upon Peter at Pentecost with the fullness of his gifts. Peter experienced the fellowship of working with Christ by proclaiming his name-- and working with others, as "They continued in the apostles' teaching, and in the fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayer."

Nor was all of this without lasting effect. Peter continued consistently proclaiming Christ for the next four decades, faithful to the point of death.

It's really no different for us, is it? By God's love and Christ's grace, we know the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. But it wasn't without our denying it, like Peter did. To prove it, all I have to do is ask you, "Have we always been present in worship -- both physically and mentally! -- whenever it was offered? Or did we deny the importance of the Holy Spirit's work by considering something else more important?" "Have we always stood up and supported Scripture's every precious doctrine when it was under attack? Or like Peter, did we deny knowing the truth-- and even deny knowing Jesus?"

By God's love and in Christ's grace, though, we know the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Friends, the Holy Spirit has spoken to you in the Scriptures-- leading you to weep bitterly over your sins, as did Peter. The Holy Spirit has come upon you in Holy Baptism -- washing away your sins, and even anointing you to proclaim Christ, as did Peter. And the Holy Spirit continues to incorporate you into the fellowship of God's holy people, the Church, maybe especially by way of Lord's Supper, as he did for Peter. Furthermore, that fellowship of the Holy Spirit will reach it's full fruition for you in the hallways of heaven.

Now, if it's that kind of fellowship we enjoy from the Holy Spirit, can't we share that with others? The next time someone defends abortion or homosexuality in our presence, can't we speak up and say: "No, abortion is murder, and homosexuality is a perversion-- dreadful evils: for which, however, Christ died"? The next time someone suggests that we all (Christians and Jews and Moslems and Hindus) worship the same God, can't we speak up and say: "No, it ain't so, and I don't want to deprive anyone of heaven by agreeing to that"? And as we do so, as we confess Christ like that, be assured: the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will, indeed, be with us all! Amen.