For no Christian is to think that when he fares ill God has forgotten him or is angry with him. For this is God’s way and manner, that like a good father He is always after His children with the rod, in order that through such correction they may be admonished and kept from sin; since they would otherwise, if there were no correction, feel secure and continue in sin. Therefore a Christian is not only not to be offended at his misery, but to derive the assurance therefrom that God loves him, thinks of him and seeks what is best for him. As also the wise man says: “If a father really loves his son, he corrects him.”

Hence it is a great mistake if you judge of God’s goodness and grace by your temporal condition. It is true, indeed, money and goods, a healthy body, and the like, are gifts and blessings of God, but such a blessing as shall not endure forever. For at last everything must be left behind at any rate. Besides, to this blessing the evil attaches itself, that if one does not especially abide in the fear of God and pay strict attention to the Word, it gives rise to much sin on account of our sinful nature. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 647)

For these two examples of the rich man and Lazarus the Lord places before the whole world. The first is that of the rich man, who for a short time lived here on earth in joy and happiness, but in the other world is lost and eternally sad; and the second one, that of Lazarus, who for a certain length of time here on earth was poor and miserable, but in the other world is rich and happy. These are set before us in order that each one may learn to act according to these examples; for in respect to both we must receive a certain instruction and must conduct ourselves correctly, or eternal life is lost.

Therefore whoever here on earth is poor and miserable, like Lazarus, let him learn not to be offended at such misery, and not to seek his comfort in this temporal life, but to hope in that which is future and
eternal. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 647)

Christ refers to this when He says: “If a man love me, he will keep my words.” These words are those concerning His death and resurrection, not the word of Moses or the Ten Commandments. These ought also to be reverenced and obeyed, as God aforetime ordered it, but they contain not the consolation of the Gospel; they do not pacify the conscience, but rather increase the dread and fear of God’s displeasure; and this in proportion as we realize our weakness and transgressions. The Word of our Lord Jesus Christ, however, is the greatest and best gift. Christ says of those who possess this treasure and firmly hold to it under all circumstances, that the Father will love them.

It is a peculiarity of St. John, which is not so perceptible in the other Evangelists, to direct people first to Christ, and then through Him to the Father. And thus it must be, as Christ Himself says in our text. We must first know Jesus and love Him; we must have full confidence in His condescension and loving kindness. Where this love and confidence prevail, there there can be no doubt as to the love of the Father toward us. We will then disregard everything else that might disturb us, being assured that God is gracious to us through Christ. We will fear neither sin, the devil nor death, because God loves us, inasmuch as we love Christ. (Luther’s House Postil, Second Sermon for Pentecost, Volume 2, p. 600)

When such love is wanting, we cannot do the will of our Lord unceasingly, for He does not reward us with worldly honors and wealth, but with life everlasting. This is what Christ teaches us here. He tells us: My reward you will obtain in the life to come; therefore you must above all things have love towards me, for then you will adhere to my Word under all circumstances, even at the risk of your life. But if this love is lacking in your hearts you will not keep my Word, but will yield to danger, adversity and tribulation, which will finally plunge you into impatience and despair.

He who knows Christ in true faith and love will not be dismayed at these adversities, but will meet them boldly, convinced of the assistance of his Lord, and strong in the knowledge that He died, was buried, and arose again for us, and that therefore He cannot be opposed to our welfare. Thus love is intimately connected with faith and overcomes all danger and misfortune, without regarding the displeasure and wrath of the world. True love concerns itself about Christ and His Word, and pays no attention to the anger of the world. (Luther’s House Postil, Second Sermon for Pentecost, Volume 2, p. 599-600)

The word “love” is also used in this connection, because Christ foresaw with what great difficulties he would have to contend who would receive His Word and persevere in it. Manifold tribulations, which tend to arouse impatience and dissatisfaction, will present themselves. Besides these, the temptation is near at hand to think: I am myself to blame for what I endure; why did I preach and confess the Word publicly? If I had kept my peace and had exercised within myself only the faith in God’s Word and His gifts, no one would have molested me, and others, more competent than I, might have more successfully undertaken the task of a public confession and of teaching. Now I am in a great strait, for I am not only unsuccessful in my attempt, but am also in danger of losing my life for it. Such disquieting thoughts and temptations to despair cannot be overcome and banished from our hearts, nor can we immovably adhere to the Word, unless we have within us that love, of which Christ speaks in our text. Then every preacher, yea, every Christian, can exclaim: Let happen what will, I will nevertheless hold fast to the Word and will never deny my Lord and Saviour; for I enlisted in His cause for His glory, and not to please men, therefore I will endure all to the very end. (Luther’s House Postil, Second Sermon for Pentecost, Volume 2, p. 599)

This Gospel (John 14:23-31) is a part of the exhortation which Christ addressed to His disciples on the evening before His sufferings, and contains words of especial importance. Christ would teach us in these words how vain is the endeavor to obtain a knowledge of God and to come to Him without loving: the Saviour. Where this is wanting, our thoughts of God and our devotion are without assurance and we cannot apprehend Him. But if we love Christ we can come to the Father and He will love us.  How is it that Christ here speaks of love and does not say, as He is wont to say: “Believe in me?” Is love more efficacious than faith that He says: “If a man loves me?” We answer: The sense is the same; man cannot truly love Christ unless he believes in Him and is comforted in Him. The word “love” is in this case plainer and more forcible, because it indicates so nicely, how our hearts should turn from everything else in heaven and on earth, and should cling alone to this Man, Jesus Christ. For we know how love, according to its
very nature, concentrates all its energies upon the object of its devotion, and remains attached to it, regardless of aught else in the wide world. It is the Lord’s will that we should thus cherish and love Him with our whole heart. This we cannot do except through faith. Hence this declaration concerning love does not in the least detract anything from faith, but rather instructs us as to the true character and efficacy of faith. (Luther’s House Postil, Second Sermon for Pentecost, Volume 2, p. 598-599)

What is the consolation which the Holy Spirit brings? “He shall testify of me.” says the Lord; that is: The devil will surely terrify and the world will persecute and kill the Christians, but the Holy Spirit will be present with His testimony to arouse faith and to encourage the wavering heart, making it firm in Christ. The Comforter will indeed not bring us thousands of dollars in our distress, as perhaps the world would do, but He will cheer us with the Gospel and the word of promise, so that we can exclaim: Let them take all, family and home, our goods and our honor, yea, even our life, yet we will not despond, for we have a Helper above, Christ Jesus our Lord, who for us became man, and died and arose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven in our behalf, as we daily confess in our Creed. Why then should we fear? The Son of God, our Lord, who went into death for us, cannot be our enemy, but will defend and aid us under all circumstances. If He thus loves us, then surely have we no cause whatever to fear or to mistrust Him. This consolation we find in the words of Christ: “He shall testify of me,” for outside of this testimony of the Holy Spirit concerning Christ there is no sure and abiding consolation. The words “of me” ought therefore to be written in large letters and well remembered. They teach us that the Holy Spirit, when He comes to console, preaches no other doctrine, not the law, nor anything else but Christ, since it is impossible to comfort the troubled hearts except by preaching Christ’s death and resurrection. It is certain that the urging of the law, of good works and an unblemished life, brings no consolation; it only makes men
diffident and full of fear; for without Christ God appears terrible, full of wrath and ready to punish. The preaching of Christ alone conveys true consolation, which beyond all doubt makes glad the hearts and cheers them in all sorrow. (Luther’s House Postil, Sunday after Ascension, Volume 2, p. 581-582)

When the Psalmist says: “Thou hast ascended on high,” he expresses but the same truth which Christ Himself declares before Pilate, as we have seen above, namely: “My kingdom is not of this world.” We ought therefore as Christians to raise our hearts and thoughts on high, and seek first of all with diligence and great anxiety this spiritual kingdom; yea, although the field of our labor is on earth, where we have our vocation, our family, our cares for the support of our temporal existence and the government of the State, and the like, yet we ought ever to fulfill first this duty, to seek the kingdom of heaven. Do we do it? The greater portion of mankind is so absorbed, with soul and body, in the transactions of this life, that but little attention, or none at all, is given to the fact that Christ ascended on high. The Holy Ghost therefore earnestly desires to dispel this groveling spirit, and to teach us the truth that Christ did not remain on earth, but that He ascended on high, and that consequently we, even while we dwell in the body here below, should ascend to Him in our thoughts and mind, nor permit the cares of this world to burden our hearts.

Thus ought the Christians to distribute their powers. The body and the old Adam, as we have stated, may indeed be busied with the temporal work of every day life, but the heart should be engaged in seeking after the treasures of heaven, as St. Paul exhorts, Col. 3: “Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Luther’s House Postil, Ascension Day, Volume 2, p. 571)

All that is necessary for such prayer is for the heart to exclaim: Father in heaven, I know Thou lovest me because I love Thy dear Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, wherefore I come with my requests to Thee in confidence and assurance, not indeed because I am good or righteous, but because I know that for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, Thou wilt accept of me and give me all that I need. In His name I now appear before Thee and pray, fully convinced that Thou wilt not consider my unworthiness, but wilt graciously hear my prayer. It would be a serious mistake for the Christian to refrain from prayer until he could deem himself worthy and fit for it. The devil frequently troubled me with thoughts such as these: I am not now ready to pray; I ought first to attend to this or that and afterwards perform my prayer undisturbed. If we indulge such thoughts which hinder and prevent prayer, we will always find something new in the way, and in the end will be entirely prayerless. The devil with his cunning tricks constantly endeavors to keep us away from prayer. We must therefore be prepared to meet his opposition in this regard; and when troubles come we should know that now is the proper time for prayer. If we are not worthy to pray, God will make us so. He loves us for Christ’s sake, and not on account of our own worthiness or righteousness, for we have none. This we fully believe. Christ, in the words of our text, would urge us on to prayer, that we might not be like those prayerless, wicked people who, as they declare, eat and drink with much relish, though they have not prayed for a week. If we are Christians, or desire to be such, we must shun such brutish conduct. Let us, at least, pray in the morning when we arise from sleep, at the table, and again in the evening when we go to bed, saying: “Our Father who art in heaven,” etc. (Luther’s House Postil, Fifth Sunday after Easter, Volume 2, p. 558-559).

The Lord would teach us in the words of our Gospel, as He did His disciples then, never to forget prayer in the hour of distress. To encourage them to this He adds the comforting declaration: “And I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” It is true, Christ sitteth at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us, as the apostle Paul says. Therefore we know that His intercession for us, both on the occasion of the last supper and afterwards upon the cross, has been effective and will continue to be so until the end of time. But you need not my intercession in your behalf, says Christ, for you yourselves have access to the Father with your prayers, and ought not to doubt that they are heard, for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved me. Yet from this it does not follow that the intercession of Christ is not of importance and full of comfort unto us, but simply this is meant, that we should have assurance respecting our own prayers because we love Christ. It is God’s will, and we ought ever to know and remember it, that they who love Christ and trust in Him are beloved of the Father and will be heard by Him. It is therefore evident that the godless Papists lie when they direct us to trust in the intercession of the saints.

This exhortation and invitation to prayer by the Lord Himself is consolatory beyond measure. Our Lord and Savior Christ made it possible for us, by His death and, departure from this world to the Father, to have free access unto God, whether we be in church or at home, in the cellar or in the kitchen, in the field or in the workshop; yea, if we are Christians and love Christ, we can under all circumstances of life come with our prayer unto our heavenly Father and pour out our hearts before Him. (Luther’s House Postil, Fifth Sunday after Easter, Volume 2, p. 558).