Category: Sermons/Easter

Posted on

Sermon: The Great Reversal; John 16:12-22

Sermon Audio

Sermon: People of God, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! We continue to look at St. John’s gospel. We have looked through several resurrection events and accounts. This morning we will take a step back and look into the Thursday before the Resurrection.

Notice first in verse 12 that Jesus begins by stating that He still has many things to tell them, but that they are not able to bear it now. That is to say, there are many truths that need to be developed and the disciples were not yet ready for them. They are not able to bear these truths until they experience them first. Though the disciples are not yet able to bear these things, Jesus is able to bear these things by dying on the cross, even to death. Jesus is not simply referring to a great body of truth that He needs to clarify or impart to His disciples; Jesus is speaking of His body, which must bear the pain of Calvary for the sake of His people. Truth is not merely intellectual propositions, it is tangible and physical. Jesus is the way and the truth, and the life, because He endured the Way, He became Truth, and He has become life for us. One commentator has written that:

“The entire, full truth is a heavy burden for him who is not yet ripe and strong enough for it.”[1]

The disciples are not yet ready to know the purpose and full implications of Jesus’ ministry and their own labors. But they will know soon enough.

In verse 13, we see why St. John has been called the gospel of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of truth will come and He will guide the disciples into all truth. But notice that He is not bringing some new message, rather He is speaking what the Father and the Son says. The Spirit is the One who confirms and validates the work of the Son. The text also says that He will guide you into all truth. It is a sad matter that some have interpreted such verses to say that we no longer need the institutional church or we no longer need undershepherds to guide us.[2] John has already declared that God ordains under-shepherds to guide His people from false doctrine. Teachers are called by God to instruct His people, as Paul says. In the Church, God manifests and reveals the mysteries of the gospel to His people. In the Church we find a pattern, so we may live throughout the week. The liturgy of the church is the liturgy of life. John is not calling us to intellectual anarchy, He is calling us to see that all truth is in Jesus Christ, but furthermore, all truth is embodied in the New World that Christ brings in His resurrection. The Spirit, in verse 13, will declare to you the things that are to come. What are the things to come? If we take this as a reference to the manifestations of the resurrection, then it is simple to see that John is referring to the kingdom of God. The things that are to come will fundamentally re-shape the present world. The disciples will see this re-shaping when they see the Resurrected Lord. And they will see the Spirit poured upon them at Pentecost.

In verses 14 & 15, the Bible says that the Spirit will declare what is Christ’s and declare it to the disciples when they are prepared. Calvin writes:

“Nothing, therefore, is bestowed on us by the Spirit apart from Christ, but he takes it from Christ, that he may communicate it to us.”[3]

Once again we see a declaration of deity.  What the Father possesses belong to the Son. The riches of the Father are equally the Son’s. This is certainly true, but the other side to this is that John is speaking of the Spirit as the great gift to humanity. The Spirit is the gift of the Father to the Son and that becomes the proclamation of the New World. The declaration to the disciples is not just that Jesus will be raised from the dead, though this is central in this narrative, but it is also that the Spirit is being given to the disciples from the Father.  In summary, John is telling the readers that the Father is sending the Spirit to reveal and declare the glory of the Son. The Father, Son, and Spirit are working together to accomplish for the world what the world could never accomplish for itself. Continue reading “Sermon: The Great Reversal; John 16:12-22”

Posted on

Sermon/Easter: The Shepherd/King; John 10:22-30

Sermon Audio

Manuscript

Sermon: People of God, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! While we profess this great truth in this Resurrection Season, others call it foolishness. The Gospel of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ is a divisive declaration. Calvin once wrote that while the teachings of Christ gained many disciples, He also gained many adversaries.[1] It was true in the first century and it is true today. “(Jesus) was always asserting the truth and defending it, even when doing so placed his life in danger. Here he spoke the truth, unwelcome as it was, and the Jews picked up stones to stone him because his denial of their cherished but absolutely false religious opinions.”[2]

John 10 is a familiar passage. It echoes our Psalm 23 reading. In our passage, truth is that the Great Shepherd promises only to protect those in His own care, under His protective Hands. Continue reading “Sermon/Easter: The Shepherd/King; John 10:22-30”

Posted on

John 20:1-14 Two Fires, Two Communities, One Lord

Sermon Audio

Sermon: People of God, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! C.S. Lewis once wrote: that “Symbols are the natural speech of the soul, a language older and more universal than words.”[1] The gospel of St. John is profoundly rooted in symbolic language. Approaching John with an American and Western mindset will minimize the fullness of the resurrection story. We need to embrace a biblical orientation; a way of looking at the Bible that would do justice to the text and its intended purpose. We need to look at the Bible Through New Eyes[2] as our resident theologian would say.

This narrative in the end of John contains two central ideas. The first is that Jesus’ resurrection brings in a new world. Continue reading “John 20:1-14 Two Fires, Two Communities, One Lord”

Posted on

John 15:1-8; Fifth Sunday of Resurrection: The True Vine: Abiding in Christ

Providence Church (CREC)

Fourth Sunday of Resurrection

May 10th, 2009, 16th sermon

Sermon: The True Vine: Abiding in Christ

Text: John 15:1-8, SERMON AUDIO HERE

Pastor Uriesou T. Brito

Text: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Prayer: Our great Deliverer, You have brought a vine out of Egypt and scattered the nations, so you could plant it and see it bear much fruit. We pray that you would do the same with your people. Plant us that we may we bear much fruit. For this is our prayer, O Lord. Amen.

Sermon: People of God, the gospel of St. John is the perpetual embodiment of signs and symbols. Everywhere we look we see pictures and imageries of our lovely Lord Jesus. In John 1, He is the Word, in John 6, He is the bread of life and now in John 15, He is the Vine. Do we not get a beautiful portrait of the worship of God’s people? The Word preached and the bread eaten! We see Word, Bread and now in chapter 15, the Wine.

The upper room discourse runs from chapters 13-17. There is a supper in this discourse. It is very appropriate then for Jesus to use this symbol for Himself. He says in verse 1 that He is the true, genuine vine. This is Jesus’ seventh and final “I am” statement. Unlike the “I am the true shepherd” statement, which addresses the under-shepherds of the church of Christ primarily, this final “I am” statement is addressed to the church. It is filled with real warnings as we will see.

This imagery of the vine is found many times in the Older Covenant. God refers to Israel as a vine. As the pages of redemptive history reveal to us, Israel was a vine that was not bearing fruit. The idea of a fruitless vine refers to Israel’s lack of fruit; Israel’s failure to produce fruit for the nations. In light of Israel’s failure, a new vine, a greater Israel arrives. The Lord Jesus Christ is the true Israel who is the true vine. Continue reading “John 15:1-8; Fifth Sunday of Resurrection: The True Vine: Abiding in Christ”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted on

The Good Shepherd; Sermon on John 10:11-18-Fourth Sunday of Resurrection

Editor’s Note: In this sermon I have taken the interpretation that this pericope has the under-shepherds in mind, rather than individual sheep. The under-shepherds are the ones who go through the door and receive the affirmation from the Great Shepherd. This sermon is about 25 minutes.

Sermon: The Good Shepherd

Text: John 10:11-18, SERMON AUDIO HERE

Pastor Uriesou T. Brito

Text: 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Prayer: Lord, you are a God of compassion and of all comfort (II Cor. 1:3). May Your Word and the truth of your tender care for your flock comfort Your people. For this our prayer, O Lord. AMEN!

Sermon: People of God, St. John chapter 10 is a familiar passage to many of us. The imagery of a shepherd caring for his sheep is one we have both heard and seen many times. You may have seen pictures of Jesus holding a little lamb. A quick search on google will show you hundreds, if not thousands of churches in the US named: Good Shepherd. The title is a very appropriate one. Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophetic word in Psalm 23. Jesus is the good shepherd and so we shall not want; Jesus is also the fulfillment of Psalm 80. Jesus is the shepherd of Israel and the shepherd of the re-made Israel of God; He is the shepherd of Jew and Gentile in covenant with Him.

This text presents to us our lovely Lord who is our great Shepherd. However tender the text presents itself, there is still some threatening imagery for us to consider this morning. This is not just about the Shepherd and the Sheep living in harmony, this is also about the hired hand and the wolves that are desperately looking for a succulent meal.

John 10 is relatively in the middle of the gospel. One of the negative aspects of chapter divisions is that we tend to think that chapter 10 is starting a whole new thought, but in reality chapter 10 is closely aligned with the previous chapter. Jesus brings sight to the blind man; He brings light into darkness in chapter 9. The narrative continues in chapter 10 with chapter 9 as a background. In other words, Jesus is the great shepherd who comes as light to bring salvation to His people. The great shepherd will do whatever it takes to protect His sheep. Remember in the garden that Adam shepherded the animals and gave them names. Jesus as the second Adam becomes the One who calls the sheep by name. Jesus is also the greater Moses. Moses was a shepherd for 40 years in the wilderness defending his sheep from the enemies. Jesus defends His sheep from the enemies’ attack. In fact, shepherding is a first step to becoming a king. The first two kings of Israel are shepherds before they become king. We see Saul and David as shepherds before they assume the greatest of all roles as kings shepherding a nation. The role of the shepherd is to lead His sheep into victory; into green pastures. Continue reading “The Good Shepherd; Sermon on John 10:11-18-Fourth Sunday of Resurrection”

Posted on

Sermon on the Second Sunday in Easter; John 20:19-31

Providence Church (CREC)

Resurrection Sunday

April 19th, 2009.

Sermon: Peace be with you!

Text: John 20:19-31

Thirteenth Sermon

Pastor Uriesou T. Brito

Text: John 20:19-31

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Prayer:

O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. May we rejoice in the Resurrected Lord and be blessed and thus believe. For this is our prayer, O Lord. Amen.

Sermon:

People of God, the empty tomb was a sign of the beginning of the New World. It conveyed to us that death’s sting is no longer potent; that the grave is no longer victorious. The empty tomb proved to the world that Christ does not hide in a cave, but that He comes to the world to save the world, not to condemn it. He leaves the tomb because His work is not hidden; it is vey much on display to the entire world. Calvin once said that the world is God’s theater to display His glory. One of the greatest glories displayed by God on earth is the resurrection of His beloved Son. So the empty tomb is more than mere historical fact, it actually communicates the glory of God to this world and it calls us to go out into the world and live resurrection lives.

On that Sunday evening of the Resurrection, John tells us that the mood among the disciples was not an empty tomb mood. They were rather fearful of the Jews. After all, they had much to fear if their Master was dead. If they killed Jesus, then they may kill his disciples. There is great fear in that evening church service. But let us not forget that they are together on the Lord’s Day. It is true that they may be weak in their faith for not believing that their Lord would rise from the dead, but they have learned that on the Lord’s Day whether in fear or not in fear, they were assembled. Continue reading “Sermon on the Second Sunday in Easter; John 20:19-31”

Posted on

Easter Sermon; A New World: Mark 16:1-8

Providence Church (CREC)

Resurrection Sunday

April 12th, 2009.

Sermon: A New World

Text: Mark 16:1-8

Twelfth Sermon

Pastor Uriesou T. Brito

Sermon Text: Mark 16:1-8, NO AUDIO AVAILABLE.

16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back-it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Prayer: Our God in heaven, through Your Son death is swallowed up in victory and our labors are not in vain. For this we praise you. Amen.

Sermon: People of God, this is the great story without which no other story would make sense. Without this story every other story would end in death. Without this story we would mourn endlessly for the death of our Christian loved one; without this story there would be no joy, no hope, and we are of all people the most pitied. But Christ is raised from the dead and this is his story according to St. Mark.

We find in the very first verse one of the main reasons Christians have worshipped on Sundays. When the Sabbath was past, that is, when the Jewish Sabbath, which is Saturday, was past, on the first day of the week according to verse 2, they went to the tomb. The resurrection of our Lord is the beginning of the end of the Jewish era. Saturday is no longer to be respected as the day when the people of God gather to worship, but the first day, which is Sunday, is the day of our corporate gathering to worship our risen Lord who was victorious over death. In fact, even the Jewish rabbis recognized this. They referred to Sunday as the “day of the Christians.”[1]

Mark tells us also that the three women who came to anoint the body of our Lord on that first day were present at the crucifixion (vs. 40), at the Lord’s burial (vs. 47), and at the tomb on Sunday morning. This, of course, is a great witness to the resurrection of our Lord. They saw with their own eyes the gospel: the death, burial and the empty tomb. This was a strong affirmation in the first century of the resurrection event. Why? Because “Judaism did not accept the testimony of women in court and so the early church would scarcely have placed them at the tomb unless their presence was a fact of history!”[2] God could have called any of the disciples to be the first witnesses of the empty tomb, but he called three women. We as men take our roles as fathers and husbands very seriously. We are the heralds of the gospel in our families and in the world. But let us not minimize the importance of this event. The women were the first gospelizers. They were the ones that passed on the good news of the resurrection to the apostles and ultimately as the apostles passed on that message to the world. For the women at our congregation, the gospel also demands of you. You too are heir of the grace of God and you too are called to serve the church of God. Your labors, my dear sisters, are not in vain as you raise your children, as you study the Scriptures to show yourself approved, as you teach other women to mature in holiness and knowledge, and as you press on the claims of Christ in all areas of life. The uniqueness of this event is that God gave the least likely in that society a glimpse into the new world.

These women were zealous for their Lord. They were very devoted to their leader, but though they were devoted, “it was a devoted unbelief.”[3] They were going to the tomb to anoint our Lord, which means that they believed Jesus was going to remain dead. This is a reflection not only of the women, but all of the disciples. They all lacked belief in the promised resurrection; the resurrection Jesus had spoken of many times before. My suspicion is that if we were there twenty centuries ago, we too would desire to anoint Jesus’ dead body, rather than see His resurrected body. The good news for us is that we live in a new world; a world of resurrection. As New Covenant believers we are recipients of God’s full revelation and are daily beneficiaries of the resurrection of our Messiah. Continue reading “Easter Sermon; A New World: Mark 16:1-8”