Focus: Welcome the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as houseguests, for God seeks to make his home with us and in us.
Function: To raise the people’s awareness that the Triune God is with us today as we seek to love him and obey his Word.
Knock; knock! Who’s there? Houseguests!
Behind our house, adjacent to our backyard, is a pond. During the winter season, the pond is frozen solid. Lewis, our 87 year old neighbor, and I make good use of that ice on the pond. Every year, early in the month of March we walk together to a number of wooden boxes on some poles. We dismantle the top of each of these boxes, and we clean the inside of these boxes, taking out an occasional rotten egg, along with dirty sawdust. And then we put some clean sawdust inside the boxes, and close the top. You guessed it: these boxes are for the wood ducks.
Every spring, our backyard turns into a zoo, with Canada geese, and all kinds of ducks flying in and looking for a place to make their home. They are our houseguests. And we welcome them as sure signs of spring--signs of new life to come. In fact, last week we noticed that some wood ducks were “knocking on their wooden box,” checking out the place. And yes, it appears that they are making the wooden box near our property their home for the season. Knock; knock! Who’s there? Your house guests—the wood ducks!
Listen to the Lord Jesus, speaking to his disciples: “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Congregation, this is astonishingly good news: Guests are coming—they seek to live with us. Have you heard them knocking on your door? Are you prepared for their arrival? Are you aware of their presence in your life?
Knock; knock! Who’s there? The Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Triune God is knocking on our doors. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—one God--reveals himself as houseguests who long to live with us. Congregation, welcome him, for God seeks to make his dwelling with us and in us.
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Listen again to the text: “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” The key phrase in this text is “make our home with him.” The word that Jesus uses can also be translated as “dwelling place, or room.” In fact, the Lord Jesus used that word earlier in the text (vs. 2) when he said to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms.” Jesus is talking about “rooming” with us, about us living with him, and he living with us.
That the Triune God wants to make his home with us is a mind-boggling thought. Yet, it is not a crazy thought. It’s very biblical. Already on the first few pages of the Bible we read that God walked in the garden, where Adam and Eve dwelt on earth. God has always longed to be in the presence of his creatures. And God showed up and revealed himself to our first parents.
It was only when sin entered the world that God withdrew his Spirit from us. It was then that the power of sin and death made their presence felt. And ever since that time, Adam’s offspring has longed for that mystical union with the living God, where we would experience the loving embrace of the Triune God.
That God longs to make his home with us is clear when you trace the Bible from beginning to end. For example, when God entered into a covenant relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and their offspring, God gave them the sign of circumcision—a sign that pointed to God’s claim on them to be their God, and a sign that called them to live as God’s very own people—in fellowship, in love, and in obedience.
Likewise, when God brought his people Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land, God revealed his presence to them by way of a cloud leading them by day and night. And God signified his presence among his people by way of building a tabernacle. And later on, God instructed Solomon to build the temple in Jerusalem as a sign that God lives in the midst of his people.
Then in the
fullness of time, God sent his eternal Son, Jesus, to nestle in the womb of a
virgin, to take on our flesh or humanity, so that he could redeem us and his
creation by giving his life as a substitute, an atonement for our sins. Jesus,
the Son of God tabernacled, dwelt in our midst, or as John says in his gospel, “The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Knock; knock! Who’s there? The living God—in the flesh. His name is Jesus! And it is this Jesus who tells us today: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” It is this Jesus who says, “…I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” It is this Jesus who knocks on our doors today, reminding us of the divine houseguests who are eager to dwell in us: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—One God.
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his physical absence. In a few days, Jesus will confront his death on a cross; he will die and be buried; on the third day he will rise again. Then, for a short time, he will reveal himself to his disciples and to other witnesses; then Jesus will rise or ascend to his heavenly Father, who will crown him as King of kings and Lord of lords. Soon, the disciples will see Jesus-in-the-flesh no more. Physically, Jesus will be absent from them. But, says Jesus, “I will not leave you as orphans.”
It’s in this context of his death, resurrection and physical departure or ascension into heaven that Jesus introduces the fellowship circle of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are the houseguests—the divine Godhead, who seeks to dwell in us and with us. Houseguests are coming! Cool! Awesome! Perplexing!
How must we understand this divine indwelling or presence in our lives? In language that is deep and mystical, mysterious and mind-boggling, Jesus speaks of the Trinitarian nature or essence of God.
There is God—the Father; using a metaphor, we could say that in essence God has two hands. The one hand is God the Son, who in the fullness of time took on our flesh. His name is Jesus. The other hand is God the Holy Spirit. One God—
in essence one;
in persons three,
in eternal unity and
fellowship with one
another: Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit—
in perfect unity,
in perfect distinction,
in perfect submission,
and in perfect harmony—
inviting us to enter their fellowship circle: God wants to make his home with us and in us. That’s the way God chooses to live with us today. And that’s why he is knocking on our doors today!
To be sure, it will not always be this way. There will come a day when the Lord Jesus will make all things new; when he will destroy the powers of sin and death altogether; there will come a day when the Lord Jesus will conquer and burn up the elements—all the powers and authorities that oppose him, and he will purify and restore his entire creation. On that day, heaven and earth shall be completely united and be one. On that day, God will unite with his people and make his dwelling with us.
On that day, all God’s people will see the prophetic vision of John come true: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” But until that time, God shows up as houseguests knocking on our doors. Will we welcome the Triune God?
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Earlier, I told you how Lewis and I welcome our wood ducks each spring. While there is still ice on our pond, we walk to the wooden boxes; we clean out the inside, and we place fresh sawdust in the boxes. That’s how we welcome the wood ducks as our houseguests each spring.
Jesus says: “If anyone loves me and keeps my word or teaching, my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Folks, we welcome the Triune God in our lives by loving the Lord Jesus Christ and by obeying his Word. In other words, as we seek to live the “Jesus” way,” the Triune God will knock on our door and make his home in us.
The Jesus’ way is the way of love: love in our homes, in our relationships, in our work place, in our communities, in our marriages, in our business, and in the church. Self-sacrificial, Christ-like love is the way by which we open ourselves to the divine embrace of God, whereby God enters us and whereby we enter his fellowship circle of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Jesus’ way is the way of obedience to God’s Word. It is the way that says, “No!” to sin and Satan. The Jesus’ way is the “counter” way—the way that goes against the rebellious powers called the “world;” The Jesus’ way goes against the selfish ways of our culture, and against the idols in our society. The Jesus’ way is the way that says “No!” to pornography, “No!” to common-law living, “No!” to abortion, “No!” to injustice, “No!” to greed, and “No!” to all kinds of other vices that go against God’s Word.
The Jesus’ way is the way of any baptized person. In baptism, Isaiah Hubers is called to live the Jesus’ way, to welcome the Triune God in his life. Anyone of us who is baptized in the name of the Triune God is called to live a life that is woven into the fellowship circle of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is knocking on our doors; he wants to live in fellowship with us today; and we have the privilege and opportunity to open the doors of our hearts and welcome him in.
And then, when the Triune God enters in, the dance of the fellowship draws us into communion with the Father. We pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of Jesus, the Son of God. In the midst of adversity and grief, in the heat of moral conflict and inner pain, we may experience a peace that passes all understanding. Why? Because Jesus has said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Welcome that peace! Open your hearts to the houseguests from heaven: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.