You Are Not an Orphan
Graduation • Sermon • Submitted
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Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
If you were an orphan, I would expect you to act like, well, an orphan—someone who must grow up without parental love, has no fatherly guidance, and, of necessity, lives a self-centered life.
An orphan, without someone to love him, without a father to provide for him and guide him, might have cause for a troubled heart. But
You Are Not an Orphan.
You Are Not an Orphan.
I.
Do not act like it. Do not let your heart be troubled. Yes, school life will be different, because four of the five of you have been here ever since you began school. Going to a new school in the fall can be a bit daunting. Making plans to meet new people and make new friends can be, well you know, may be frightening. “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). An orphan may have cause for a troubled heart. You are not an orphan.
A street orphan, for the sake of survival, relies on himself, believes in himself, trusts in himself. You are not an orphan. Oh, of course some of you have had successes here from Christ Lutheran School. You may want to credit yourself with your good job or your academic career. And no doubt, you have done well all your years of education. At this quality institution, you have sat at the feet of top-notch teachers. You are well trained, prepared, ready to go. Nevertheless, Jesus does not say, “Believe in yourself.” He says, “Believe in God; believe also in me” (Jn 14:1). Believing in yourself belongs to an orphan’s life. You are not an orphan.
An orphan, alone in the world, loves himself and loves what pleases him. You are not an orphan. You are not alone in the world. You have a Father who loves you. The Spirit of truth dwells with you. Those who have a Father and are not alone ought to please their Father and love one another.
Love one another as you are loved. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God.
Love one another as you are loved. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God.
II.
“I will not leave you as orphans,” Jesus says. “I will come to you” (v 18). You have not been left as an orphan. Jesus has secured a place for you in the family as his brother. Greater love has no one than this, that Jesus laid down his life for you. He shed his blood to take away the sin of the world, including your sin. He made peace with God for you. He rose from the dead for you. He went to prepare a place for you. He gives his Spirit to you.
The Spirit has given you new birth into an eternal family. You can never be an orphan. Whoever believes in Jesus cannot be orphaned but belongs to an eternal family. The Spirit keeps you believing in Jesus. The Spirit of truth is with you forever. He dwells with you and is in you.
The Father in heaven is your Father. He keeps you as his child. He provides for you. He gives his Word to you. He keeps his promises to you. He keeps you steadfast in his Word. He loves you. He makes his home with you.
III.
Every home has acceptable ways of doing things—rules, customs, traditions, commandments. To keep the words and commandments of Jesus is to live as a member of the divine, heavenly household. You belong to that household. Jesus is in his Father. You are in him. He is in you. His Father is your Father. He is your brother. Keep the words and commandments of Jesus even when they convict you, for they also release you. They are spirit and life. They keep you in the Spirit and in the life. They also sanctify you.
By keeping the words and commandments of Jesus, you keep Jesus. He is the Word made flesh. Even when you feel unloved, there is no greater love than his. When you are parched, he quenches your thirst. When you are hungry, he is your bread of life. When you lose your bearings, he is your way. When you die, he is your resurrection and your life.
By keeping the words and commandments of Jesus, you keep Jesus. By keeping Jesus, you have what he has. He says, “Because I live, you also will live” (v 19). “I am going to my God and your God, to my Father and your Father” (cf Jn 20:17). Jesus is sanctified, and you are sanctified. He has eternal life, and you have crossed over from death to life with him. You love because he first loved you.
You are not alone in the world. You are not an orphan. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.