John 14:15-21  

…  ¹⁸ "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  ¹⁹ " A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also…

It’s graduation season again.  Schools are finishing up their terms and classes of all ages have their graduation ceremonies.  Even here at Christ the King we had a graduation of sorts.  This past Thursday the four year olds from Starting Point next door borrowed our fellowship hall for their preschool graduation. 

Graduations tend to produce mixed emotions, don’t they?  On one hand it’s exciting to finally be finished with school—whether it’s grade school, high school, or college.  But graduation can be frightening.  So many graduation speeches, especially in secular schools, put the burden of your life squarely on your shoulders.  You’re the one who’s now responsible for the choices you make.  You’re the one who’s got to go out there on your own and make a success out of yourself.  You’re the one who has to think not only about yourself, but about all the future generations who come after you.  “It’s all up to you.  Now get out there and don’t mess things up!”  It’s downright overwhelming! 

But is it all really up to you?  Is your life—everything you are, everything you know, everything you do—are you all alone to figure it out? 

Last week in the Gospel reading Jesus spoke of Himself as the way, the truth, and the life.  We concentrated on the fact that Jesus is the only way—the only way to approach God, the only way to go to heaven.  Today, instead of focusing on Jesus as the way, His words lead us to focus on Him as the life.  Because Jesus lives, we live too.  (I) We live lives of faith in Him and (II) we live lives of love in Him.

1. We live lives of faith in Him. 

Not trying to knock graduation speeches here.  There are good graduation speeches and bad graduation speeches, just like everything else.  In fact, you can almost look at Jesus’ words here as a sort of “graduation speech” to His disciples.  His time of teaching them in person was coming to an end.  So Jesus was sharing some final lessons with them.  He taught them about true greatness—that it is found in humility and self-sacrifice—by washing their feet.  He taught them about the real meaning of love—the love which He carried out fully and completely at the cross. 

There on Mt. Calvary Jesus submitted everything to the will of His heavenly Father.  He dedicated Himself to His Father’s every command, decree, and utterance.  He gave up every glory of heaven—all that we might have a home in His Father’s house; all that we might have favor and forgiveness in the eyes of God.  Everything He did, everything He accomplished:  it was for us—for our comfort, for our peace, for our mercy.  

Yet Jesus understood that, as He left them to suffer and die and rise again, the disciples would be confused about what was happening.  They would feel like they were all alone with no one to turn to.  Jesus wanted to let the disciples know that He wasn’t going to abandon them and make orphans out of them.  So He promised to send another “Helper” aside from Himself:  the Holy Spirit.    

And there’s no better word to describe the Holy Spirit’s work than the word Jesus Himself uses.  The word translated as “Helper” here in the New King James is found translated in other versions as Comforter or Counselor.  In Greek it’s the word “Paraclete.”  It refers to an advocate or counselor, someone who stands next to you with advice and encouragement.  Think of a good tutor or teacher you’ve had, one who doesn’t just present the material, but who actually cares about you as a student.  Who points out your mistakes and faults not to make you mad or discourage you, but to show where you need to learn.  Who encourages you when you’re finally on the right track.  Who enables you to succeed in the class.    

That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit does.  He dwells with you in all circumstances in order to teach you, to comfort you, to guide you, and to encourage you in your life.  As the “Spirit of truth,” the Holy Spirit does this through the Word of God—God’s truth.  First, He shows you your need for a Savior.  He calls sin what it is:  sin; a shattering of God’s commands.  The Holy Spirit confronts us with our sin in the pages of Holy Scripture; He reminds us that we have broken God’s decrees again and again. 

But again, the Spirit does this only because He cares for us.  He wants us to despair of ourselves and turn to Christ.  After taking us to the Law, the Holy Spirit shows us what our Savior has done in the Gospel.  He puts His arm around us and points us to the fact that with Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death, every sin has been washed away and forgiven.  He points us to Christ’s empty tomb in the assurance that He was put to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification—that we now have peace with God, having been reconciled to Him by the blood of Jesus.  He lifts our eyes heavenward in the very words that Jesus spoke in our lesson for today, “Because I live, you also will live.”  We have eternal life to look forward to because of our risen Savior. 

And it is through the Spirit’s Gospel proclamation that our new life of faith in Christ has already begun.  Never ever think that you came to know Jesus Christ on your own; or that it was you who decided one day that you were going to become a follower of Jesus.  It’s purely by the work of the Spirit—“No one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit”—the Spirit who has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified and kept you in the true faith; the Holy Spirit who still lives in you now through the means of grace; the same Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send to each and every one of us. 

Because Jesus lives, we will never be orphaned—never left without hope or comfort or guidance—but will be counseled, comforted, and kept forever!   Because Jesus lives—and sends the promised Holy Spirit to us—we live too.  We live lives of faith in Him.      

2. We live lives of love in Him.

And just as we’re not alone when it comes to our faith, neither are we alone when it comes to the life we live each and every day.  In addition to living lives of faith in Jesus because He lives, we also live lives of love in Him.  

Graduations are times for fantastic quotes that are pithy and inspire.  Well, here’s one from Martin Luther:  “We are saved by faith alone; but the faith that saves is never alone.”  The fact of the matter is that where there is faith, there is also love.  And Jesus defines the true, selfless nature of that love, doesn’t He?  “If you love me, keep My commandments…  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is He who loves Me” (v. 15, 21). 

If you love Me, keep My commandments.  It can be a little unsettling for us to hear Jesus say those words, isn’t it?  Especially when you think of everything Jesus has commanded:  “Love one another as I have loved you.”  “Abide in my Word.”  “Remain in Me.”  “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…”  “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).  It’s like that graduation speech all over again.  “Is it all really up to me?!” 

Only it isn’t all up to you or me or anyone.  We can’t even believe in Jesus by ourselves, let alone obey what He commands!  Remember why it is we love Jesus in the first place:  “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:10).  His love precedes our love.  His love always comes first.  It’s His love that the Holy Spirit uses to motivate our love. 

And not only does His love come before our love, it also comes during and after.  Jesus says, “I will come to you” (v. 15); “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (v. 20); “And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (v. 21).  When the Holy Spirit produces faith in our hearts, not only do we trust in Christ and dwell in Him—but Christ, along with the Spirit, now dwells in us.  He lives inside of us.  So that when we obey His commands, it’s not us doing the work, but Jesus working through us.  He lives—and as He lives in us, we live lives of love in Him. 

As you live your life of faith in Christ, remember that you’re never alone.  Your Risen Savior has sent you His Holy Spirit to you to be in you forever, beginning on the day of your baptism.  Jesus Himself now lives in your heart.  And the love of the entire Trinity goes with you wherever you go.  And because Jesus lives, you live.  Now and forever.  Amen.