“What Jesus Thinks of the Church” (John 17:13-19)

How Do You Make Sense of This?

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” That is one of the most frequently heard comments in these days. Covid-19 has gone from something that seemed far away to something that is directly affecting basically every aspect of our lives. In situations like this, it’s very easy to lose faith and to live in fear of the unknowns. We know that the church is not a building; the church is a people. But when we can’t get together for such a time as this, who are we? What is the church? How do we make sense of all this? Though there’s no easy answer, today’s passage gives us hope and encouragement. In John 17 Jesus prays, just hours before he was arrested. Basically Jesus prays for three things. He prays for himself, that he would be glorified (vv. 1-5); for his disciples, that they would be sanctified (vv. 6-19); and for the church (future disciples), that it would be unified (vv. 20-26). Today we will mainly explore Jesus’ second petition – our sanctification, becoming like Christ himself.

By The Word

God wants us to be holy. God said to Israel, “Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev 19:2). How does God make us holy? The answer is through His Word. In John 17:17 Jesus prays, “Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth.” God’s word makes us holy. God wants us to find our identity, our life purpose, meaning, and mission in His Word. God wants us to anchor our soul in His Word in times of trouble. Coronavirus has become a pandemic. As of March 28, it’s affecting 199 countries – more than 650,000 cases and 30,000 deaths. Some say, “It just happens. And this too shall pass.” Some say, “This is God’s judgment on sinful cities and arrogant nations.” We hear different stories, analyses and opinions. Who do we listen to? How do we make sense of this deadly disaster? We Christians can make sense of it in God’s Word.

A.W. Tozer said, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow…”[1] Here “another standard” or “the same fork” to which hundreds of pianos all tuned is the word of God. God wants us to interpret the signs of the times in His Word (cf. Matt 16:3). The Bible says that God’s will is always good, always acceptable, always perfect (cf. Romans 12:2). Therefore, God has purposes for everything, even the coronavirus. Even in this deadly disaster God has good, wise, perfect purposes. Nothing just happens. Although it would be impossible to grasp God’s thoughts and purposes, what we find in the Bible the signs like this – famine, pestilence, disaster – God’s merciful wake-up call for us to turn and be drawn to God. John Piper rightly said in this way:[2]

All natural disasters — whether floods, famines, locusts, tsunamis, or diseases — are a thunderclap of divine mercy in the midst of judgment, calling all people everywhere to repent and realign their lives, by grace, with the infinite worth of the glory of God.

I would like to emphasize it’s God’s calling for all of us – you and me. “All of us” are in this together. “All of us” are called to repent and draw near to God. Daniel was reading the prophet Jeremiah, where God revealed that 70 years were determined for Israel’s captivity. He did the math and realized that the time was drawing near. But rather than saying, “Cool!” and sitting back to watch it happen, he did seek God with all his heart by prayer and fasting. Nehemiah heard the news that the city of Jerusalem was in great trouble and shame. When he heard these words, he sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before God, saying, “Lord, we have sinned against you. Both I and my family have sinned…” (Neh 1:6) In his mercy, in his good, acceptable, perfect purposes, God allows this deadly disaster, that we might turn and draw near to God. That we might treasure him above health and life (Psalm 63:3). That we might anchor our soul in His Word. God wants us to be holy. God makes us holy through His Word.

Through Trials

God also make us holy through many trials in this world. Jesus prayed, “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one” (v. 15). Here we learn that Christ thinks it better for us to remain in the world and be kept from the evil one than to be taken out of the world and removed from the presence of evil altogether. Through many trials and troubles God makes us more holy, more spiritual, more pure, more resilient in every way – in thought and word and deed, in life and character.

God works in strange ways. In Acts 11 Luke tells us how first believers came to be called “Christians” for the first time. At that time the early church was thriving in every way. They did everything together, enjoyed fellowship, grew spiritually and in numbers. But then, a strange thing happened – great persecution. All of sudden they were scattered all over. They couldn’t “stay together” anymore. But that’s not the end of the story. What happened next? The spread of the gospel, particularly to the gentiles. Some of the disciples went to the city called Antioch and preached the good news. The result? “The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord” (v. 22). And those believers in Antioch were first called “Christians.” Before persecution, the early church was a homogenous, isolated group, ignoring the rest of the world. But through trials and sufferings, they became mature and grew into inclusive, diverse Christians.

God works in strange ways. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, we the church can’t get together. What good resulted from all this? There are many! First of all, God has graciously and forcefully given us “time-out” as we practice self-isolating and social-distancing. It’s a God-given time for us to stop, think, reflect, pray, realign. We’ve never seen anything like this. It’s God’s time-out. Another good thing is that since we can’t get together in person, we try to find ways to stay connected with each other and stay present to our community. So far, quite a few people have contacted and asked me, “How may I help you?” I see people care for each other and for the vulnerable – seniors and self-isolating neighbors. Another good thing is that we are forced to ask “why” questions to the things we take for granted: Why do I work? Why do I go to school? Why do I go to church? Why am I doing or not doing all this? And we get to the bottom of our life. What’s the purpose of life? What’s the purpose of the church? Not only on the individual level, but also on the community and larger church level, we are forced to ask the same questions. For instance, the UMC General Conference is postponed until next year. I believe it’s God’s gracious wake-up call and invitation to ask ourselves what’s the mission and purpose of the UMC.

Close to Thee  

From Jesus’ prayer in John 17 we learn what Jesus thinks of the church. He prays for us (his disciples, the church), that we would be made holy. He makes us holy and draws us close to him mainly through His Word and trials in the world.

As I close, I would like to share the words of Corrie ten Boom, who endured so much and has encouraged so many:[3]

I asked the Lord, that I might grow

In faith, and love, and every grace;

Might more of his salvation know,

And seek more earnestly his face.

I hoped that in some favoured hour

At once He’d answer my request,

And by his love’s constraining power

Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, he made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart;

And let the angry powers of hell

Assault my soul in every part.

…

“Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried,

“Will you pursue your worm to death?”

“It’s in this way,” the Lord replied,

“I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ

From self and pride to set you free;

And break your schemes of earthly joy,

That you may seek your all in me.”

God works in strange ways. But his aim is always love. Through his word and trials, including the coronavirus crisis, God makes us holy. God draws us close to him, that we may treasure him more than our life, health, security. So friends, today let us listen to a thunderclap message of God, saying “Repent.” Let us turn and realign our life with God now. Amen.

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[1] R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe (Preaching the Word) (p. 400). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[2] John Piper, “How Do We Make Sense of the Coronavirus?” Desiring God, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-do-we-make-sense-of-the-coronavirus

[3] R. Kent Hughes, 356.

“Joy Returns!” (John 16:16-24)

Stretch, Smile, and Say It!

The recurring theme of today’s passage is joy. I believe, more than any other time, today’s message is relevant and needs to be heard, for we need joy. I think some children in our church would be joining today’s online service. So let me begin the message with this question: Have you heard a three-fold technique – 3S’s – in getting up? The first S stands for stretch. We stretch. That gets the body going. Then, smile. That puts the soul in the right attitude, so that we don’t start the day grumbling. And then say, “God loves me” because that sets the spirit right. You are reminding yourself of your identity in that way. And body, soul, and spirit, you are starting the day right. Stretch, smile, and say, “God loves me.”[1] Our heavenly Father loves us! That is the foundation of our joy. That is the main theme of today’s scripture.

Joy and Sorrow

Some of us may say, “I’ve got nothing to be joyful today.” I want to remind you that joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness generally has to do with external things or events. If the weather gets warm, if we get healthier, if the stock market gets better, we are then happy. So it’s external, conditional. But joy is deeply rooted in our personal relationship with God who loves us and is with us always. It’s internal, unshakable. Henri Nouwen right said in this way:[2]  

Joy is not the same as happiness. We can be unhappy about many things, but joy can still be there because it comes from the knowledge of God’s love for us. We are inclined to think that when we are sad we cannot be glad, but in the life of a God-centered person, sorrow and joy can exist together.

In today’s passage Jesus’ disciples were filled with sorrow, because the time had come for their teacher to return to the Father. For them, there was no room for joy in such a time as this. For them, where there is Jesus’ presence, there is joy. And now, since Jesus was leaving, their joy was also fading away. It’s understandable that they were grieving over the loss of their loved one. But what they didn’t know is that Jesus’ presence is not something that comes and goes. In verse 21 Jesus compares what is about to happen to him and to his disciples with a woman in childbirth. For nine months, the baby has been so close, so secure, so comfortable to the mother. The baby gave the mother such a joy. But then, her hour has come. The baby has to be cast out in a painful birth. “In a little while” there is pain and sorrow and loss. But the baby is not going anywhere. The baby is not lost, but now the baby is present in a way that can interact with the mother in a wonderfully intimate way.

Living in the Presence of God

Jesus said, “In a little while you will not see me” (v. 16). All of us have those moments – “in a little while.” There are the times when God feels distant, when we can’t just feel God’s presence. Perhaps some of us are going through the darkest valley right now, filled with anxiety and uncertainty and sorrow. The truth is, at some point all of us are going to go through those valleys. In today’s scripture the disciples were going through those valleys. Jesus said to them, and Jesus says to us today, “So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (v. 22).

Yes, sorrow and grief are real when we see our loved one suffer and pass away. Anxiety and worry are real when we hear bad news from doctors about our health. Fear and uncertainty are real when the death and economic damage sweep across the country. Today Jesus says to you and me, “So you have pain now. But trust me. Wait for me. Surely I will come to you. And your heart will be filled with greater joy.” Last Friday we had a rainy, cloudy day. We didn’t see the sun that day. But we know there is a sun, even though the skies are coved with clouds. God’s presence is like the sun. No matter how thick the clouds of sorrow are, God’s presence is always there. And where there is God’s presence, there is joy. “In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore!” (Ps 16:11)

Joy Restored

The Lord is near. Joy is near. But that doesn’t mean that joy simply happens to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. What does it mean by that? Choosing joy means to trust deeply that God is truly with us, loves us, and cares for us each day. Choosing joy means to keep speaking about the sun while walking under a cloudy sky. When we keep choosing joy every day, we can let go of our anxious thoughts about tomorrow and pay attention to glimpses of the sun shining through the clouds and rejoice even in the midst of sorrow or pain.

Recently, I was caught off guard by sorrow. Two beloved church families have left the church in a row mainly because of the stance of the UMC. It just happened out of the blue. I was surprised by sorrow. When I heard that news, I felt like my heart was being ripped out. I became paralyzed by this sadness. I didn’t know what to do. So I prayed. I poured out my heart, my sorrow, my complaints, to God. I wept. But then, God reminded me of the story of five loaves and two fish. In that story the disciples were discouraged by their inability to fill the great needs. But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.” So they found a boy who has five loaves and two fish. And Jesus fed the five thousand. Then, I heard the inner voice saying to me, “It doesn’t matter how many loaves you have. Suppose you need 100 loaves. But if you have five, I will provide you with 95. If you have only one, I will provide you with 99. Trust me. This is my church. I will build my church.” That lifted my burden off and gave me tremendous freedom. And I was able to rejoice in sorrow.

Fixing Your Eyes on Jesus

Choosing joy means fixing our eyes on Jesus, the true source of our joy. The Bible says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” On our behalf Jesus carried human suffering and pain. On our behalf Jesus endured abandonment from God on the cross, saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” On our behalf Jesus endured such hostility by sinners against himself, that he might bring many children to glory. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we are forgiven, accepted, beloved. All we need to do is to trust Jesus and fix our eyes on him.

How can we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, that we may have joy? The answer is by prayer. In today’s passage, Jesus tells his disciples about how their joy may be complete by prayer. Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” (vv. 23b-24). The purpose of prayer is not to get answers from God. The purpose of prayer is to get in tune with God. Nowadays, I practice midday prayer. While giving away school lunch in the church parking lot, I do my prayer walk, praying for each church family member. As I was praying, I realized how much I was out of tune with God. As we pray, we begin to be closer drawn to God. As we pray, we begin to see our will be lost in God’s will. As we pray, we begin to see the signs of God’s love around us and be joyful.

As I close, I commend us to pray – set a time, set a place, and actually pray daily. Without prayer, we will be surprised by human suffering and pain around us. But when we pray, we will be surprised by joy, because we see the spiritual reality that God loves us and has the last word. When we pray, we will come to believe the words of encouragement from Jesus, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (v. 33b) So friends, let us pray. And our joy will be complete. Amen.

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[1] R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe (Preaching the Word) (p. 388). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[2] Henri J. M. Nouwen, Here and Now: Living in the Spirit (p. 28). The Crossroad Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

“Growing Pains” (John 15:1-11)

Union with Christ 

Hudson Taylor was a missionary to China, who led hundreds of missionaries into China’s interior for the first time in the mid-19th century. In 1869, when he was 37 years old, he was given a deeper, and more constant, more satisfying experience of abiding in Christ based on John 15:1-11. His son Fredrick Howard Taylor wrote in 1932:

Here was a man almost sixty years of age, bearing tremendous burdens, yet absolutely calm and untroubled. Oh, the pile of letters! any one of which might contain news of death, of lack of funds, of riots or serious trouble. Yet all were opened, read and answered with the same tranquility — Christ his reason for peace, his power for calm. Dwelling in Christ, he drew upon His very being and resources. . . . And this he did by an attitude of faith as simple as it was continuous. Yet he was delightfully free and natural. I can find no words to describe it save the Scriptural expression “in God.” He was in God all the time and God in him. It was that true “abiding” of John fifteen.[1]

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5). So what is the fruit Jesus speaks of here? In this context it’s the fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). In a word, it’s the Christ-like character. We clearly see abundant fruit in the life of Hudson Taylor. And we all have desire to bear much fruit. But, as I was meditating on today’s passage, I found the following inconvenient truth. In verse 2 Jesus said, “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Pruning

I am an absolute beginner in gardening. In the first year I grew some tomatoes. I was so excited as I saw them grow rapidly with many branches and leaves. But as you can easily assume, I didn’t get that many tomatoes that year, because I didn’t know about pruning tomato suckers. I diligently watered them, fertilized them. But it was no use. I had lots of leaves. But the main aim of the tomato plants is fruit-bearing, not for ornamental purposes. In the same way, the aim of the grapevine is fruit-bearing. To accomplish that purpose, pruning is necessary.

What is involved in pruning? Pain. Pruning always hurts! So we would rather do it ourselves, but we cannot. We would not prune or remove what really has to go. Pruning has to be done by the Vinedresser, who knows us and loves us the most. His pruning may pain us, but it will never harm us. James, the brother of Jesus, said:

Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete. (James 1:2-4, The Living Bible)

In the same way, Hebrews 12:10 says, “For they (our earthly fathers) disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he (God) disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness” (NRSV). “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

I love the story of Corrie ten Boom how she learned to be grateful and joyful even when there was too much seemingly pointless suffering. Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to a Nazi concentration camp for hiding Jews in their place. Nazi prison conditions were unbearable. In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie writes:

"Barracks 8 was in the quarantine compound. Next to us--perhaps as a deliberate warning to newcomers--were located the punishment barracks. From there, all day long and often into the night, came the sounds of hell itself. They were not the sounds of anger, or of any human emotion, but of a cruelty altogether detached: blows landing in regular rhythm, screams keeping pace. We would stand in our ten-deep ranks with our hands trembling at our sides, longing to jam them against our ears, to make the sounds stop…

"It grew harder and harder. Even within these four walls there was too much misery, too much seemingly pointless suffering. Every day something else failed to make sense, something else grew too heavy."

To make things worse, they had to fight with fleas every day. Corrie couldn’t stand it anymore. But Betsie tried to calm her down and remind her of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” And they began to count their blessings. They thanked God for the fact they were together. They thanked God they had a Bible. They even thanked God for the horrible crowds of prisoners, that more people would be able to hear God's Word. And then, Betsie thanked God for the fleas. Corrie couldn’t agree and said, “The fleas! This was too much. Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea!” But then later, it turned out that the fleas were a nuisance, but a blessing after all. They finally discovered that it was the fleas that kept supervisors out. And because of that, they were able to have Bible studies in the barracks with a great deal of freedom, never bothered by those supervisors coming in and harassing them. Corrie’s life was trimmed and pruned by the hand of God. And she became mature and strong in character, and encouraged so many others.

When troubles come in our way, oftentimes we feel like those hardships and trials are like aimless or pointless. Why this suffering now? Why this coronavirus situation now? Why this trial now? But the truth is they are the work of vinedresser. And they have a purpose, namely, more fruit. “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” We may not see the purpose of all this trial now, but further along, we will understand why. One time Corrie showed her tapestry to the children – hundreds of strings tied in knots and pulled through the cloth. It was a mess. It all looked so random. The strings didn’t seem to make sense. Then, Corrie slowly turned the tangled mess around to reveal a beautiful tapestry: a golden crown with multicolored jewels. With our limited perspective, it doesn’t make sense. But God is pruning. God is doing something in our lives for our good. Corrie beautifully portrays this truth in her poem, “Life Is But a Weaving,” in this way:

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

Abiding

Our God is able. Our God is faithful. Our God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. From our part, all we have to do is abiding. Not running away, but remaining in him. Not hardening, but softening our hearts. Not rejecting, but embracing his grace. He is not far away; the Lord is near to us always. Let us keep ourselves attached to the vine. Let us keep on trusting Jesus. Let us stay faithful, stay connected, stay in love with Jesus. And we will grow and bear much fruit – the fruit of the Spirit. “By this our heavenly Father is glorified, that we bear much fruit and so prove to be Jesus’ disciples” (John 15:8, ESV). So friends, let us abide in Christ. Amen.

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[1] Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, Kindle Edition, location 2,087.