The Foundations of Relationships: Truth and Trust

In addition to a relationship with God, people also need relationships with other people. In the second chapter of Genesis, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” We are social creatures. We are truly people who need people. We find a good deal of joy in friendship and fellowship. We need to be part of the group. We need to be loved and accepted by others.

Spend some time watching adolescents and teenagers. See how hard they try to fit in with their peers. They wear the right clothes. They listen to the right music. They watch the right movies and play the right video games. They work at being loved and accepted. After you’ve spent some time watching, go off and think about how much you are like them.

Fellowship with God and with other people requires honest speech and pure actions. The two “T” foundations of all strong and lasting relationships are Trust and Truth. Good relationships are things lived in the “light.” Strong marriages, for example, are built on mutual sharing of dreams, goals, hurts, pains, feelings, and especially on confession and forgiveness.

Fellowship with God also demands the “T” foundations of Trust and Truth. God demands honest words, honest actions, and honest motivations. God wants us to put our trust in him and live in his truth.

Love Means Saying You’re Sorry

Some of us are old enough to remember the best-selling novel, Love Story. In that story, a young man falls in love with a wealthy girl who eventually dies of cancer. At one point in the story, the girl unintentionally slights the young man. When she apologizes, he replies, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

That line became a popular cliche. It ended up on posters, bumper stickers, tee-shirts, and sweatshirts. Love means never having to say you’re sorry. Sounds very romantic but it’s as wrong as something can get.

Jesus Sends Us into the World with a Mission

Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (Jn 20:21). Before issuing their marching orders, Jesus once again assures them that they have the peace of God in their lives.

Then he comes to the mission. Jesus tells those disciples that just as the Father dispatched him into the world to bring the good news of forgiveness and salvation, Jesus is now dispatching them into the world to tell the truth about the forgiveness that he has accomplished for everyone. Jesus’ commission to his disciples to carry the Gospel message into the world comes with no less force than the commission he received from the Father.

The commission we receive, as present-day disciples, comes with no less force than the commission Jesus personally gave to those first disciples. Just as the Father sent Jesus into the world, just as Jesus sent his original disciples into the world, Jesus sends us into the world.

Peace be with you!

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19). When the disciples are hiding after Jesus’ crucifiction, when the disciples are afraid to be known as disciples, Jesus comes to them.

Jesus doesn’t come with words of condemnation. He doesn’t come with a stern scolding. Jesus comes knowing that they are weak and loving them, even in their weakness. Jesus comes bringing the peace of the Father, the peace of forgiveness. And still today, when we fail, when we shrink back in fear, Jesus comes to us. He comes to us and says, “Peace be with you.”

The Great Commission According to St. John

John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The first five verses of this reading are so rich in content they lend themselves perfectly to teaching . To do this text justice, we will take it apart piece by piece so we can mine from it every gem of great worth.

The Victory of Jesus – Part 1

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled which said, “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” So this is what the soldiers did. Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

It’s Friday. Five days ago a man made a rather unrestrained entry into Jerusalem. It created quite a stir among both the common people and the upper crust. Today, that man was accused, dragged into court, beaten bloody, and sentenced to death. Now that man is dead. His name was Jesus – Jesus of Nazareth.

The Unfinished Feast

Today is Maundy Thursday. This is the day of Holy Week when the Church remembers the institution of a most sacred sacrament – The Lord’s Supper, The Lord’s Table, Holy Communion. In the book of Acts, Luke referred to it as “the breaking of bread.”

From the very beginning of the Church, this holy supper, instituted by Jesus himself, has been one of the things believers gather around during worship. The Lord’s Supper is as much a part of our worship as the reading of God’s Word, the singing of songs, and the prayers of the church.

Palm Sunday, Passion Sunday

Traditionally, today is called Palm Sunday. The reference to palm branches reminds us of how Jesus made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. However, today can also be called Passion Sunday. This is the first day of Passion Week; the week which precedes and includes the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Jesus.

The word passion means different things to different people. Some people think of the passion between lovers. Others think of passion toward a cause. While these are types of passion, they don’t represent the primary definition of passion. Webster’s dictionary traces our word passion from the Latin passio, which means suffering or being acted upon.

When we speak of Jesus’ passion, we are speaking about Jesus suffering and death. When we speak about Jesus’ passion, we must understand that no one made Jesus do the things he did. No one made him suffer the things he suffered. The passion of Christ was a matter of obedience to the Father’s will.

We shall overcome…

Now, since God is for us, we Christians are confident that by his grace we shall overcome. What shall we overcome? We shall overcome everything that is against God’s will. We will overcome the devil. We will overcome the world. We will overcome our own sinful flesh.

Does it ever seem like the devil just won’t leave you alone? That’s because he won’t leave you alone. As long as you are on this side of the grave, the devil is never going to stop tempting you with all his might. Nothing aggravates the devil more than knowing you are a child of God. The closer you move toward God the harder the devil is going to fight to get you back.

But don’t ever believe the lie that the devil is the unbeatable. The devil has already been defeated. In his most important match-up, the devil suffered a permanent loss to our Savior. The devil went head to head with Jesus and Jesus won. Furthermore, Jesus freely gives you his victory over the devil to claim as your own. Like Jesus, you can tell the devil to go back to hell because that’s where he belongs. You can face the devil with confidence because God is for you. That’s how you overcome the devil.

God is in control (and he’s on your side)

Sometimes it’s difficult to accept the only two facts of life that truly matter: God is in control and we shall overcome. We have all suffered losses. Some of us have lost jobs, some have contracted serious illnesses, some have lost loved ones, some have suffered personal griefs that no one else knows about. And, no matter what our particular thorns in this life might be, they can all cause panic, despair, and even a feeling of being defeated.

Being a Christian doesn’t exempt you or me from the consequences of living in a sin-filled world. In fact, being a Christian makes you a more choice target for the slings and arrows of Satan, and this world. That’s why the closer your walk with God the more severe the attacks on your faith will be.