Teach us, O Lord, to twist our tanks into tractors and tilling blades. Give us strength to take our swords & beat them into plowshares. Leave us defenseless & open to love. Give us peace that we might be peacemakers. Amen.

John 14:8-17
⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

¹² “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Jesus could have come with every legion of angels in heaven and made a clean, fresh break from humanity & He would have been justified in doing it, too. He could have come in a show of force, burning us all away with His glory, and we wouldn’t have had a square inch of ground to stand on in argument against Him.

We like to build up our arguments, to justify our behavior. We like to think that we are automatically doing what is best, and we don’t often reconsider what we have done to the extent that we might actually change our behavior. That is sin at work in us, and precisely the reason why God would be justified in closing the books on humanity.

But look at the attitude of Christ. Examine His words here in John 14 this morning:

The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

Jesus only says what the Father says He should speak. We should guard our own words so carefully.

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Jesus does only what the Father has directed Him to do, His works are evidence of the Father…just as if they were performed by the Father. We should move with such consideration & faith.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus came as the Father directed, and He would ascend as the Father directed, suffering His passion beforehand…as the Father directed. His coming and going was laid out by the Father. We should look to His example, then, in our engagement in this life & world.

¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

When we speak as the Father would have us speak, move as He would have us move, using this time on earth as He directs, then it is no surprise that this statement is made. If we are moving and acting in the footsteps of Jesus, we can be assured that the Father will continue to provide for us to walk along that narrow road. He is faithful beyond understanding & we should trust in Him.

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

And here it is. The confirmation of it all. Read that short sentence again. It is not enough to call our self a Christian. It is not enough to know the words and sing the songs. It is not enough to go to the right programs and o give to the right charities. If we love Jesus, the proof comes from keeping His commandments.

Love births obedience.

So when God tells us to speak, then we speak according to His Word.
When God tells us to move, then we move as His hand directs.
When God directs our days on this earth, then we walk in obedience to Him, full obedience to Him, and so we can be unencumbered in this life, walking by faith & not by sight.
When we are obedient as our Master Jesus was obedient, then our hearts will be aligned with God’s heart, and the desires of our heart will match and mesh with His.

Jesus was given direction by God, and He obeyed. He acted in love for the Father.
Love births obedience.

We need to take every defense that we have set up for walking into our own will & desires and break them down. We need Jesus to do that work of tearing down the wall of hostility at work in us, and making us new. But we must first allow Him to work, and in faith, move out of the way so He can lead us. This is moving & living in the rhythms of grace.

Teach us, O Lord, to twist our tanks into tractors and tilling blades. Give us strength to take our swords & beat them into plowshares. Leave us defenseless & open to love. Give us peace that we might be peacemakers. Amen.