PENTECOST. SECOND SERMON. TEXT: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. John 3, 16–21. In the 72d Psalm it was prophesied of Christ: "In his days shall the righteous flourish: and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." The Psalmist foresaw the kingdom of Christ spread over all lands and the isles of the sea. And this kingdom was to know no overthrow, but to endure through all generations as long as the moon would last. There was a time when it appeared as thought this prophecy should fail. It was the time when Jesus Christ had finished His work on earth and had returned to the Father, but had not yet sent the Comforter. Then there were, in the calculation of men, certainly very slender prospects that His kingdom would endure and would be spread abroad over the whole earth. His people had rejected Him and nothing was left Him save a dozen or so of timid men full of fear and trembling. Jesus had been shamefully put to death, and His disciples, though they still believed in Him, hastened along the streets of Jerusalem with hurried and cautious steps and when they met together, they kept the doors locked. What prospect was there that these timid men would perpetuate and spread abroad the kingdom of Christ? Surely, in the judgment of reason there was an end of Christ and no hope for His kingdom. But it does not follow that what is weak in the sight of man is rejected of God, but, rather, God chooses that which the proud despise. It was with the kingdom of Christ as the Psalm already quoted says: "There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon." This handful of corn denoted the disciples. Now you know, corn which is to grow must first be hid out of sight in the ground, but sunshine and rain will draw it forth and soon it will form large stalks with spreading leaves and many grains. After the Lord's crucifixion the disciples were, so to say, buried; they were forgotten. That mighty city, Jerusalem, was busy making money and seeking pleasure, and who thought of those poor fishermen, who had followed Jesus of Nazareth? But as a warm shower will cause a newly planted cornfield to become green, so, when the day of Pentecost was come, the heavenly shower of the Spirit of light and zeal and life falling upon the disciples caused them to step forth out of their seclusion to the amazement of Jerusalem, and now the fruit of this handful of corn began to shake like Lebanon and the shock, beginning at Jerusalem, spread to the surrounding countries, extended over the face of the earth and endures to this day; for the disciples spake with fiery tongues that their words penetrated the hearts of men like sparks of fire, and they spake in all languages, because the kingdom of Christ was to spread among all nations. Yes, the rejected, the despised Jesus of Nazareth had a handful of corn in the earth, and He sent His Spirit to make it swell and grow, and the handful of corn became a living seed which has turned the earth into an abundant harvest field. At this day there is golden corn ripening even at the uttermost sea. Thus is described the gift bestowed on the day of Pentecost: the Spirit of Christ, who has founded, enlarged and preserved the Christian church, and who will continue to enlarge and preserve Christ's kingdom until the stars drop from the firmament and the sun shall lose his glory. By what means the Spirit accomplishes this work we learn from the effect of Peter's ser mon on the day of Pentecost. The multitude wonderingly exclaimed: "We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." That is the work of the Spirit. He causes the wonderful works of God in Jesus Christ to be preached on earth and through the preaching of Christ He calls men, gathers a church and sanctifies and preserves it in the true faith. Therefore this Gospel is a very proper Pentecost text, although the Holy Ghost is not mentioned in it. In beautiful language does it speak of the love of God which the Holy Ghost is sent to shed abroad in the hearts of men. Agreeably to the text let us consider: THE LOVE OF GOD MANIFESTED IN THe Sending of Jesus CHRIST; noticing I. II. The greatness of that love; and I. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." Here we hear, whence our redemption springs: from the heart of God. Before the foundation of the world, in His eternal counsel, the Triune God resolved to redeem our fallen race. What persuaded God to form this glorious resolution? Was it our great worth and merit? Why, before the foundations of the world were laid, when there were no mountains and no hills, when the firmament was not spanned, when time was not and no seraph chanted Allelujah before Jehovah's throne, then it was that God resolved to redeem us. Were we worthy thereof? Had we merited His favor? O, we were not in existence. And when God had created man, when He had given Him a wonderfully formed body and had breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; when He had made him lord over the earth and all that therein is, and man repaid His goodness with disobedience and deserted to the enemy, what hindered God from instantly hurling man down to the bottomless pit and erasing his remembrance from the heavens? What moved Him to have compassion on us? Was He in need of us? Would He, banishing man, per haps not have had enough creatures to honor and praise Him and to do His commands? Is He not the Almighty One who can do whatsoever He pleases? Was it not He that said: "Let there be light; and there was light"? of whom David sings: "He spake and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast"? Ps. 33, 9. Has He not ten thousand times ten thousand holy angels who cry unto Him: "Holy, holy, holy," and who do His commands? Is He not the Sovereign One who stands in need of nothing, who is indebted to none, who alone grants and preserves life and being to all? And what is man? Dust and ashes, a fading flower, a fleeting shadow! "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" Ps. 8, 4. Surely, not because He stood in need of us, or because He could otherwise not have filled heaven with holy creatures, did God resolve to restore our fallen race. What moved God to redeem us? Was it, perhaps, because God Himself had been the cause of man's falling into sin? He is "not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness," Ps. 5, 4, neither can evil dwell with Him. Had He not solemnly warned man against eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? And did not man nevertheless do it against the will and command of God? God is good. He had no part in the fall of man. In our text the Lord tells us what persuaded God to redeem man: "GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD." O, a sweet, a glorious word! God is not a spiteful tyrant; He has no pleasure in afflicting and destroying; from eternity love dwells in His heart. What does God love? Does He love His Son who is the brightness of His glory? Does He love the angels who exalt Him and do His commands? Truly God does love these. But more: "God so loved the world." We love our relatives and friends who love us and show kindness unto us: God loves His enemies who hate and insult Him. Men render Him evil for good, yet He loves them. He is holy, they are unholy and sinners; He loves them still. But mark well: God does not love sin which is in man, He hates sin, He loves man who is still His creature, though deprived of his original glory by the wiles of Satan. This love of God is something incomprehensible to us. God creates man, but he despises his Creator and making unto himself an idol of wood or stone kneels to worship it; yet God loves this miserable traitor. Comprehend it who can. "God first loved us," says St. John; He who is so great loved us who are so altogether nothing and so perverse. How does God love the world? What is the measure of His love? is it great or small? Does God so love the world as to support it in His hand like a ball that it may not sink and perish? so, as to adorn it with flowery shrubs and manifold plants? so, as to moisten it with rain, to warm it with sunshine and to make it to give seed to the sower and bread to the eater? God does all this. He preserves, refreshes, gladdens all His crea-* tures, also those that are evil; but His love goes much farther, it is far greater: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." So God loved the world that He gave His Son for it, not one of many, but the only one He had. And how did He give Him? Did He make Him a great Lord in this world, to enjoy its treasures and pleasures? Not even so much of this earth did the Father give Him that He had where to lay His head. So God gave His Son that He was born in a stable and bedded in a manger, that He hungered and thirsted and wandered about in poverty and misery, that slaves spat Him in the face and He died the death of an outlaw in the company of outlaws. And is this love? "God," says St. Paul, ❝commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5, 8. That is the measure of God's love. Where was ever such a thing heard of that a father of his own free will relinquished his only son to a painful death in order to save his enemies from death? The world was God's enemy; all the imagination of man's heart tended only to insult God and to dishonor His name; yet God gave His Son for these His enemies, although He knew that they would take Him and would hang Him on the shameful tree. When Moses considered what God had done for Israel he exclaimed: "Yea, He loved the people." Deut. 33, 3. If we consider what God did for the world notwithstanding its wickedness, we must much rather exclaim: Yea, He loved the world. |