For June 7

 

Sermon: When God Speaks, Don’t Doubt

Intro: Last week, we talked about when God speaks, things happen. God, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, speaks as One, and yet in all three Persons, as our Triune God. We saw the results of God speaking through Scripture that testify about God’s Creation and mighty works. God speaking through Jesus in the Gospel accounts of His earthly ministry, and God speaking as the Holy Spirit, the still, small Voice within us as well as by His mighty acts. This being Communion Sunday, God especially speaks through the physical remembrances of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, by which He opens the way to salvation for all people. Then, recognizing that God speaks to us in so many ways, we must then ask ourselves: how are we to respond to God.

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I. Promises of Prophecy

A. Our opening hymn, Standing on the Promises, provides an appropriate start. God’s Promises are His Word that cannot fail, even though, in the words of the song, the storms of doubt assail, through the living word of God we shall prevail by believing them, and holding fast to God’s Promises. God’s Love, in Hebrew, is hesed. It’s not just how God feels about us, but rather as His faithfulness to keep His Promises, His covenants with us. Good things happen, we prevail, when we hold fast to His unfailing Promises, believing God will honor them His way,

B. We can find assurance of that in our Call to Worship. In the words of Isaiah, when God speaks, His words do not return to Him until they have accomplished His purposes, and all He desires. They’re like rain from heaven that waters the earth and returns as vapor, completing the cycle it was sent to accomplish. None of God’s promises ever return without accomplishing His purposes, His desires for them. So, standing on His unfailing promises, expecting to see things happen, we are responding to God speaking. But when we doubt God is speaking, looking for answers on our own terms, we’re not standing on His Promises, and may not recognize God working.

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II. Numbers 14:1-4; 26-32

A. Our OT lesson from the Book of Numbers is the completion of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. It’s a lesson about when things don’t happen because of not responding to God’s promises. Centuries earlier, God had promised Abraham the land that would be home for the nation of his countless descendants. Now, in fulfilling that promise, He’d freed them from Egyptian slavery to lead them to the Promised Land. God deliberately takes them on an extended journey of 40 years instead of a more direct route taking only several months. But God needed to renew their faith in Him after their 400 years in slavery to the pagan Egyptians under the Pharaoh. Almost like a honeymoon, God wants to show His bride His love for them, and getting them to trust Him. Their extended route immediately takes them to a crisis, with the Red Sea ahead, and the Egyptians bearing down behind them to take them back to slavery in Egypt. God has Moses miraculously part the waters with a touch of his staff, so the several million Israelites can walk through on dry land, but has the waters close over their pursuing enemy to destroy them. It was an opening statement about God’s faithfulness. He leads them by a bright cloud by day, and protects them from behind by a fiery cloud by night. When they run out of water, the people doubt God, but God has Moses strike a large rock with his staff and water pours from the rock. Enough water for the several million Israelites to drink, cook, clean, and bathe. When they run low on food, God provides an unknown substance, manna, for them to collect and eat daily. He sends quail through the camp for meat. Despite continuing miracles over 40 years, the people continue to grumble against God, doubting His love for them and His power.

B. Their ultimate doubt came as they finally arrive at the Jordan river, their entry to the Promised Land. Moses sends 12 spies, one from each tribe, to scout the land. They return with proof that it was indeed a land of milk and honey, but the very large inhabitants made them feel like grasshoppers, and were too difficult for them to defeat. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, wanted to move forward, trusting God to lead them to conquer the land He had promised them. But the fearful people are unwilling to go forward, and even wanting to return to Egypt. Despite all God had proven by His faithfulness, the people still doubted, trusting their own feelings. God responded by decreeing that that doubting generation would never enter the land, continuing to live in the desert and dying off before the next generation would be given an opportunity to enter. God had spoken, but doubt had prevented His willingness to make good things happen. God would select Joshua to lead the later conquest of the promised land, but Israel’s doubts even prevented their total victory in the land. When God speaks, things always happen according to His Word, but those who doubt, are refusing to enter His ‘promised land’ and will remain in the desert of disbelief.

C. God’s promises throughout Scripture were often short range for the immediate times, freedom from exile, battle victories, rain for crops. But the most powerful promise ever was for the birth of a Messiah, His special Son, who would be the Savior of the world, the complete fulfillment of all Scripture. Speaking through prophets, especially Isaiah, God made many promises about the Messiah’s birth, His rejection by the people, and even as a Suffering Servant. Other prophecies would speak of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as well as His death and resurrection. Prophecies were promises. Promises that did not return empty. There were about 100 such prophetic promises of Jesus, and every one was fulfilled exactly.  

 

III. John 14:1-4

A. Our Gospel lesson is not as dramatic as the Exodus story. Ordinarily, students would ask a rabbi to become his disciple. As prospective disciples, they would have studied the rabbi, known his teachings, and be willing to remain loyal to him. But Jesus went to each of the Twelve, and invited them to follow Him. Jesus later told them, You did not choose me, but I chose You. That’s significant, because neither can we claim to have chosen Jesus, but rather know that He chooses us. He knows our need for Him, and actively seeks us, long before we know Him.  

 B. The Gospels have differing accounts of how the disciples were chosen, but none seem to have known much about Jesus before He called them. They were a very diverse group. Matthew, a tax collector, was initially hated by the others especially by Simon, a member of the Zealots, trained assassins of Romans and Roman collaborators, like tax collectors. At least 5 were fishermen from northern Galilee, with their distinctively thick accents, known for their rough, physical vocation. Judas was a businessman from Kerioth, south of Jerusalem, more suited for intellectual, rather than physical demands. Peter appears to be the only married one. So with their varied backgrounds, they would all have differing points of view. And yet, after three years, Jesus had molded them into a loyal group, with the exception of Judas, the betrayer. But none of them seemed to fully grasp Jesus’ teachings, certainly not bold, temperamental, headstrong Peter, who Jesus recognized as the leader.

C. These disciples had seen Jesus do miraculous healings, calm storms, rebuke religious leaders, and have a personal relationship with the Father. They even heard the Voice of the Father saying He was pleased with His Son, Jesus. Peter, James, and John had seen Jesus in His divine form, talking with Moses/Elijah, who had lived centuries before. They had come to expect the unexpected from Him, that when Jesus spoke, things happened. They should have been the last to doubt Him.

D. And yet, in our Gospel Lesson, it was the Last Supper, and their beloved Master was telling them He was about to leave them to go to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house, but would return for them. Jesus had been telling them He would be killed, that it was necessary, but He would be resurrected in three days. But in their doubts of their future without Him, they failed to grasp what Jesus was saying.

E. Thomas, ever the doubter, asks Jesus where exactly was He going, so they could follow Him. Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father, evidently not understanding Jesus saying that He and the Father were one. That He didn’t speak from His own authority but through the Father living in Him. Jesus even promises that whatever they would ask in His name, He would grant.

F. He even promises them the coming of the Holy Spirit as their teacher and advocate. But still their doubts, their lack of faith about their future without Him, prevented their ability to understand the power of what Jesus was telling them, that was already starting to happen.

G. He gives them bread telling them it would represent His body, about to be broken for them. He gives them wine, telling them it represented His blood that would be shed so their sins could be forgiven. That they were to eat and drink these to remember Him when He was gone. What would be remembered, even today, some 2000 years later

H. They should have foreseen that when Jesus spoke, things happened just as He said they would. He had told His disciples, his followers, and even the religious leaders that He would be resurrected in three days. He had even previewed that by resurrecting Lazarus from the dead, telling Mary and Martha that He was the Resurrection and the Life. And yet, despite all they’d seen, their doubts prevented their understanding of what Jesus had spoken. They would go into hiding in their failure to believe what Jesus had spoken. Mary Magdalene would plead with the gardener to tell her where they had taken His body. Until He spoke to her, she couldn’t accept He would be resurrected, just as Jesus said He said He would. When she told the disciples He was resurrected, they thought she was just hysterical, but ran to see for themselves, still dealing with their doubts, even after seeing the empty tomb.

I. But their doubts vanished when Jesus appeared to them behind locked doors. When doubting Thomas touched Jesus’ nail scarred hands and pierced side. The two followers going to their Emmaus home, were trying to understand what had happened that day when Jesus, as a perceived stranger, explained Scripture to them as their hearts burned with them. They would soon understand what God had spoken through Scripture, as Jesus explained Scripture concerning Himself to them, and by all the Holy Spirit had revealed to their burning hearts. It was further proof that when God spoke, things happened, just as Scriptures promised it would. Just as Jesus confirmed it had. Just as the Holy Spirit, poured out on all, speaks within us to assure us of God’s Word to remove our doubts.

J. In Communion, we eat even a small piece of bread from the broken loaf, helping us remember the words of Jesus when He told His disciples the broken loaf represented His body, that would be broken for us. And we, as His disciples, are part of His body, His Church. Because it happened, just as Jesus said it would. When we drink the juice, representing His blood shed for us as the sacrifice of the Perfect Lamb, we remember His promise of salvation. Without blood, our physical bodies have no life. Without His blood, by which our sins were forgiven, we have no spiritual life with Him. But we have His promise of eternal life with Him, because He said it is so.

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Conclusion: They are the Wonderful Words of life that God spoke. Wonderful Words of Life that are still happening in our lives today, just as God said they would. Words of Life that will happen when God speaks to bring about Jesus’ return. When His Word shall not have returned empty, bringing all believers to be with Him in eternity. But those who doubt may miss that glorious day, when God speaks those beautiful words to His own: “Well done, good and faithful servants. Come and share in Your Master’s joy.” Amen