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The Value of a Promise

Sermon by Rev. Doug Pratt — January 6, 2008
 

Introduction
Over the past week or more millions of Americans have taken the time to write down in their diaries and journals, or at least to make mental notes inside their cranial computers, of their Resolutions and the personal changes they want to make in this new year 2008. Resolutions are a form of promise that we make to ourselves — and they are, of course, often broken or neglected. Failing to keep them may have some negative consequences. But the promises we make to other people are even more critical, and breaking them has far more serious consequences than simply skipping our new year resolution to lose ten pounds or read a book.

This morning in our scripture text we’re going to read what may be the most incredible, mind-staggering promise ever made. It is a promise made by Jesus — actually His final words spoken on this earth. The promise is made to His disciples — and by direct association it is also a promise extended to every Christian who would follow them through the centuries, down to us today. What we are about to hear is a promise made by the Savior of the world directly to me and to you. Let’s listen for it.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)

A World Where Words are Cheap
The day after his team lost their 10th game of the 13 games played so far in the 16-week grind of the NFL, the owner, players, media and the whole city of Atlanta were stunned to learn that first-year coach Bobby Petrino was jilting them to take a plush job at the University of Arkansas. Owner Arthur Blank, already discouraged by the lies told him earlier this year by his quarterback Michael Vick — now doing hard time behind bars for running a dog-fighting ring — looked ashen and broken-hearted at a press conference. His first sentence: “I think the best way to describe the way that we feel is betrayed and let down.” Petrino had been hired less than a year earlier, with promises of a lucrative salary and the freedom to run the team his way. The coach, a motivational speaker, had continually badgered his players with messages of “never give up” and “play hard to the end of the game” and “be a man.” He had benched and cut players whom he thought weren’t dedicated enough, or loyal to him and his ways.

And now the macho coach was gone with the snap of his fingers. He didn’t even have the courage to tell his owners and players in person — just left them a typed note saying, in the immortal words of Porky Pig, “That’s all, folks!” What about commitment, about never giving up, about being a man? It was very disillusioning. His players were devastated, and bitter. And yet, to many observers and commentators, it seemed perfectly reflective of our times.

We live in a world where words are cheap, promises are often broken, handshakes and signatures on contracts mean little, deals “made” can be wriggled out of, and trust is at a low level. When prominent people in every walk of life are caught in lies without seeming to have any remorse or conscience (e.g., “I did not have relations with Miss Lewinsky”… “I never used steroids” … “We never broke any laws at Enron”), no wonder we become cynical. Whose word can we trust today? Marriages fail at an alarming rate, the vows taken at the altar conveniently forgotten. A huge private equity fund agrees to buy a company for a set price, and then files suit to break the agreement when the stock price drops below their agreed-upon purchase price. Politicians attack their opponents in TV ads with lies and allegations and every form of mud-slinging, while sincerely looking into the cameras at debates and promising, “I’ll never lie to the American people.”

Jesus’ Final Words: A Promise to Us
In this climate of lavish promises made and frequently broken, we may find ourselves shaking our heads when we hear the final words of our text: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This, I believe, is the greatest promise Jesus made to His Church. And it is appropriate that these were His final words to us. Last words have a ring of finality and importance to them. The farewell speech of George Washington as he walked away from the presidency has been studied by historians for two centuries because of its importance. Final words matter. And the final words of our Lord to His people are to trust in His continual, unbroken presence — a presence that will last even beyond the moments of our deaths and on into eternity.

Think of what these words must have meant to those who first heard them. What His closest friends most dreaded was that He would be leaving them. They would miss Him tremendously — His words, His touch, His smile, the twinkle in His eyes, His comfort and encouragement. But now He was promising to remain with them — obviously not in a physical sense, but in an invisible or inward or spiritual sense.

I believe this is what every Christian, deep inside, needs most to hear and understand: that we are never alone, that our Lord is with us always, He will never leave us or forsake us, and we can be absolutely certain and confident of this. This inner longing to have the one we love with us always is a normal emotion. God made us in such a way that we long for that security and love. Even secular books and songs and films, the ones that are well-written and that reflect life as it truly is, show echoes of this inborn need.

One example was the film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg over 20 years ago as one of his first blockbusters. The touching relationship between little Elliott and the ugly-but-adorable extra-terrestrial who had been abandoned on our planet was a wonderful picture of unconditional love shared between them. But as E.T. prepared to return home, he made a promise to Elliott. “I will be here,” he said, pointing to Elliott’s forehead. His promise was that they would stay close to one another in their minds and emotions, even though separated physically. When I first saw that scene decades ago, and every time since, I immediately think of the words of Jesus in our text. As He was about to leave, I can imagine Him pointing His finger to Peter’s forehead and saying, “I will be here.”

Can we trust this promise?
In this climate of lies and false guarantees and broken promises, it is not inappropriate to ask this question. How can we be sure Jesus will really be with us? To answer that, we need to understand a basic principle of promises and their fulfillment. What matters most is not the content of a promise, but the character and reliability and capacity of the Promise-maker. That is the critical factor. A lavish or wonderful promise made by a person of no integrity is worthless. We base our confidence in a promise (or lack of it) on the one making the promise.

And what can we say about the One who has promised, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age”? I am absolutely convinced that He was and is God Himself — the One who never lies and never can lie, because His very nature is truth. And I am absolutely convinced that the One making this promise is also the One who holds all power in the Universe. In fact, He acknowledges that in verse 18: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Why, then, can we be absolutely confident and assured that Jesus is with us always? Because He always tells the truth, and because He can do anything He decides to do.

What does the promise mean to me?
Since it is obvious that Jesus’ promise does not mean a visible, tangible, skin-and-bones presence, what then does it include? To understand this, we have to search all of scripture. We learn, sprinkled liberally throughout the Bible, that God’s presence within us includes:

• His grace and forgiveness and mercy, whenever we sin and disobey Him and acknowledge our guilt
• The inner strength to choose to do what is right in each circumstance
• The inner guidance to direct us in the right path
• The comfort and peace to deal with even the most painful times, when we lose a loved one or face a frightening illness or feel betrayed by another person — Jesus is right there at our side, our best friend and comforter
• His assurance and confidence that the struggles of this life have an eternal value and purpose, because in Heaven all things will be made right and all faithfulness rewarded

I had a conversation a couple weeks ago with a person who told me that he didn’t believe in God anymore because God had let him down. His story was that he had been rear-ended by a reckless driver, resulting in a spinal injury that took months of painful rehab to heal, and the driver who had inflicted this on him had “gotten off easy” (his words) with only a fine and short license suspension. Since obviously there was no proper justice, he decided that there must not be a God.

I answered him that he was expecting the wrong thing. The Bible makes it clear that justice will always be imperfect in this world. But in focusing on his bitterness and desire to see the driver who hurt him punished, he was missing the blessings that God was providing to him. I asked him if he was grateful for the medical care he’d received, if his family and friends had been supportive and helpful to him, if he had been provided for financially. All of those were true. But he couldn’t see any other lessons he’d learned or ways he’d grown through his ordeal. Perhaps, I said, it would have been a more positive experience if his attitude had been different and if he’d let God into his life rather than shutting Him out. And this is the crucial decision you and I have to make.

Surely I will be with you always...
Jesus has promised to be with us, to give us grace and guidance, strength and comfort. But He will not force Himself on us. We need to turn to Him, every day. And His promise is that whenever we need Him and open ourselves to Him, He will be there.

In just a minute we will be sharing in the precious symbol of our Lord’s presence with us: the Sacrament of Holy Communion. We remember through the Bread and the Cup that He is with us always. Think about these things, as you are served and as we partake together.