Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Gospel Lesson just read, from Matthew 28. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- One of the sticking points that the leaders of Judaism had with Jesus was the matter of the Triune Nature of God. Although the passages we read in the Old Testament Lesson, the account of creation, and many other Old Testament passages, speak of the God the Father, speak of the the Divine Messenger of God, the Word, and the Divine Son of God, and also of the Holy Spirit of God, these leaders of Judaism could not fathom the Triune Nature of God.
- Focusing on the “Oneness” of God, they rejected the reality of the Three Divine Persons of the Deity, the Only True and Living God, as described in Holy Scripture. Their error, in logic, was that for them the issue was “either/or”: either there is only One God, or there are three Gods. The reality, of course, is that we are dealing with a matter that is “both/and.” God is One, but there are three Persons in the One Divine Essence. This is, as we all know, a mystery, a conundrum to human logic, but a reality that is clearly set forth in Holy Scripture, God’s Word, the Bible.
- The same problem infected many people within the early church – and also continues to afflict the hearts, minds, and theology of many within the cults and sects today. They can’t fathom the Triune nature of God – and so they reject God as He is, as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word. Rejecting the Triune God and the authority of His Word, they also fail to grasp “THE LOVE OF GOD,” His incredible love, His gracious forgiveness and mercy, for all people.
- The Church – true and genuine Christians – get it. We get the reality even though we cannot fully fathom the mystery. But the choice of submitting to God’s Word rather than following human logic has been made – with the result that we are also able to grasp the incredible love that God has for us, His gracious mercy and forgiveness, His free gift of life and salvation. And we can understand why such love is extended to all of humanity, knowing God as He truly is. This is the heart of our consideration this morning. It is certain that:
I. God Is Triune – Three Divine Persons In One Divine Essence – A Mystery To Us, Just As His Love For Us Is A Mystery
A. His Love For Us Is Apparent In Creation
OT Lesson: [After all else had been beautifully created, we read] “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ . . . And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”
B. In View Of Man’s Fall Into Sin, God’s Redemption Obviously Reveals The Astounding Greatness Of His Love For Us
John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten [as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Statement: Creation is the work of God the Father – Who spoke creation into existence. The Holy Spirit was there providing wisdom. Likewise, the Word of God – Who is God, and Who became flesh in Jesus Christ – was there facilitating Creation – “for without Him was not anything made that was made.” [John 1] It was all for us – for mankind. We did nothing to earn it, to make it, to facilitate it. It was simply given to us when we were created. All this was simply out of God’s love for us.
Application: But we are aware of human sin. Every day we hear of it in the news. It is what makes the news – creating all of the conflict, all of the heartache, all of the drama and trauma, and all of the sorrows in the world. Every day we see it with our own two eyes – in those of our family, in those we work with, in those we do business with, in those we casually observe. Every day it exists in our hearts and our minds, distorting our thinking, our emotions, our values, our desires – and all too often it breaks forth in our words and deeds.
How could God abide this – and all of the hideously grotesque sin that humanity from to time inflicts upon others, throughout human history and the atrocities which occur to this very day? How does God abide this day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute – to this very moment? There is but one answer – His faithful and abiding love for us. But such a love is a profound mystery to us! We call for justice over relatively minor offenses committed against us, and for very few sins inflicted upon us. God’s sense of justice is far keener than ours, and yet His love for us has determined that “mercy triumphs over justice.” [James 2:13]
Transition: This is as great a mystery as the Triune Nature of God – that He has determined this, His redemption, in spite of human sin. Even among Jesus’ closest disciples “some doubted.” They doubted the Deity of Jesus, they doubted His resurrection, and they doubted God’s redemption in His Son. But in spite of this Jesus persisted, and initiated the life of the church. And:
II. God’s Great Love For Us Is Also Apparent In The Life And Work Of The Church
A. God’s Loving Will For All Men Is Seen In His Commission To Us To Make Disciples Of All Nations – Through Baptizing And Teaching
1. Baptism brings new life, the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:38,39 “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.’”
Titus 3:5,6 “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
2. The Word of God, our teaching in the Church, brings faith, the forgiveness of sin, and rebirth to a new life
1 Peter 1:22 “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding Word of God.”
1 Peter 1:18,19 “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
B. God’s Great Love Is Apparent In The Abiding Presence Of The Almighty And Loving Lord Jesus Christ, The Savior Of The World
Text: “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. . . . Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Statement: This is what God wills for mankind – that we be saved through baptism and the teaching of God’s Word, by which He bestows upon us rebirth to a living faith and hope, the forgiveness of all of our sins, and the gift of His Holy Spirit! He wills for us to be disciples of Jesus, and to make disciples of Jesus – because He loves the world and wills all men to be saved. He wills for all people to enjoy His powerful and loving presence within the fellowship of His church, among His people, our fellow disciples.
Application: This also is a mystery to us. We tend to think of the church as a social institution with a “religious” purpose. We think of it as a place that offers us some good things, some good advice, and a place where we have opportunity to do some good for others. Actually, the church is very the presence of Christ and the very authority of Christ on earth – Christ the Divine Son of God. Actually, the church is the focal point of God’s will and work on earth – on behalf of people that He dearly loves, those whom He created the world for, those whom He redeemed, and those He wills to be with Him forever in the new heavens and new earth!
Conclusion: Some of Jesus’ own disciples doubted. Obviously, the world of unbelievers around us is utterly doubtful, in fact, completely incredulous. It is also true that even within the church today some have been captured by cynicism, that even now “some doubt.”
Why should this be so for us, we who have seen the Word of God, and who know Who God is and who know His great love for us? We are reminded each time we recite the creed, the statement of what we believe! God has created us in great love for us. His has given us the blessings of this world out of His great love for us. In spite of our sin, He has loved us and redeemed us! He has set up the church for His loving purposes and will – that all be brought discipleship in His salvation, through baptism and the teaching of His Word.
And He is present with us always – that One Who has all authority in heaven and earth! He loves us, and He blesses our work together within the church! In this way, we also have been incorporated into the life of God and into the loving will of God, and into the work of God on earth, within the church. Thanks and praise be to God forever, to God, the Only True and Living God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.