In Step with the Spirit – Sermon on Galatians 5:25-6:10 for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Galatians 5:25–6:10

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

¹ Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. ² Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ³ For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ⁵ For each will have to bear his own load.

⁶ Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. ⁷ Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹ And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. ¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Imagine that you are offered a choice between two pieces of property. You don’t get to build a house or start a business on this property; it’s just a piece of land for you to enjoy. The first plot is total mess. It’s filled with trash that’s gotten piled up along the rusty chain-link fence and around the scraggily, overgrown bushes. There are several rusty machines strewn haphazardly across the lot. Thistles, thorns, and nettles are all over the place. You can see huge anthills. There are wasp nests in the diseased and rotting trees which look like they’re about to fall down at any moment.

The second plot could be on the cover of a magazine. It has a new, perfectly stained wooden fence all around it. There are mature cedar and maple trees that give the property the perfect balance of sun and shade. The grass is green, thick, and meticulously maintained. It has a large garden with rich soil producing all kinds of vegetables. Colorful flowers are blossoming in all the right places. This second property is a little slice of Eden.

Now, which of the two lots would you choose to own? Which would you prefer to have at your disposal on a beautiful afternoon to sit and read a book while sipping your favorite beverage?

Maybe you wouldn’t want either. If you start to think about everything that is required to fix up the first or to maintain the second, both would require a lot of work. Maybe you’d just prefer to be neutral. In reality, there is no neutral. You cannot serve two masters (Mt. 6:24), but you will serve one.

Here, in Gal. 6:8, Paul says there are only two options for the kind of life you will have, Christian. “The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” In other words, something is always being sown. It doesn’t matter if your life is currently dilapidated or flourishing – something is being sown and is contributing either to decay and disorder or to beauty and order. A harvest will come. Whatever is sown now will determine either the allure or the repulsiveness of what you harvest later.

So, what are you sowing now? Is it weeds or flowers? Thistles or produce? Chaos or beauty? Trash or nourishment? Disgust or delight? Whatever you sow, you will reap.

The good news is you are not alone in this sowing. You have help. Jesus says that He has come that you may have life and have it abundantly (Jn. 10:10). And Christ has given you the Holy Spirit, the Helper, who works the fruit of the Spirit within you. Jesus didn’t come to put you in neutral. Again, neutral isn’t possible. You aren’t given the Holy Spirit just so you grow. You are given the Holy Spirit so you can bear a bumper crop of the fruit of the Spirit – the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

So, keep in step with the Spirit. Paul uses a military term there that refers to a line of soldiers marching in a row and following their commander. Paul lists several things that keep you in step with the Spirit: Restore those caught in transgression with gentleness. Keep watch on yourself. Bear the burdens of others. Share your blessings with the one who teaches God’s Word. Do not growing weary of doing good but persist. As you are given opportunity, strive to do good to everyone – especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:1-10).

Yup, that is a lot of work. Keeping in step with the Spirit isn’t a cake-walk. But remember, you are always sowing something. Are you sowing to the flesh, which means you reap corruption? Or are you sowing to the Spirit, which will result in a harvest of limitless blessings now and eternal life in the age to come (Mk. 10:29-30)?

Now, I want to focus on one aspect of keeping in step with the Spirit because there are a couple phrases in this text that have always been a little confusing to me. In Gal. 6:2, Paul says, “Bear one another’s burdens,” but then just after in Gal. 6:5, he says, “Each will have to bear his own load.” It sounds like a contradiction.

When Paul says, “bear one another’s burdens,” he isn’t just saying that you need to just tolerate others. He’s calling you to do something that is inconvenient for you and requires a lot of effort. Bearing burdens was the task of a slave. You, believer, are to be a servant of others. Depending on the situation, that might mean bearing the financial burden of someone by giving them money or bringing them a meal while they are healing from a procedure. It might mean helping them do some work on their house. Bearing someone’s burden might simply mean listening to them as they talk about their worries and anxieties. Each situation will be different, but God has and will continue to give you the wisdom you need so you know how to go about bearing the burdens of others. So then, what do we do with Gal. 6:5, “Each will have to bear his own load”?

Paul uses two different words for ‘burden’ and ‘load.’ You can assist someone with their burden, but ultimately, they are responsible for their own load. Imagine you’re in a group hiking up a mountain. Everyone has their own pack filled with gear and supplies. But certain spots on that hike pose greater difficulty for some than others. A steep slope is easier for tall people like me, but the portions of the hike with low hanging branches are easier for short people like some of you. I’ll let you imagine other scenarios.

When others are injured or exhausted by their burden and come to places that are difficult for them, God calls you to help them get through that portion of the hike. And when you are struggling in other times and at other places, your brothers and sisters are there to assist you. Christians need each other. Yes, every Christian is ultimately responsible for his or her own load, but every Christian is also called to assist one another when the burden of that load is heavy.

Dear saints, you do this for others because you remember what Jesus has, continues, and will do for you forever. Jesus’ way with you could have been harsh. Because of your sin, because of the things you have done and left undone, Jesus could have given up on you. But He hasn’t and won’t. Jesus never wearied of doing good to and for you. He never asked, “Do I really have to heal another leper; expel another demon; forgive and save another from damnation?” He never did that. He never grew weary of you and your burdens. Not once. Not even possible. Instead, He has borne your burdens and carried your sorrows (Is. 53:4).

Christ’s way with you is always to give you His love, His peace. He always extends His patience, kindness, and gentleness. He loves to crown you with honor and glory you didn’t deserve. He loves to give you mercy and forgiveness you didn’t earn. He continually grants you peace that surpasses understanding.

So, keep in step with the Spirit because that keeps you in step with Jesus. He calls to you, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”(Mt. 11:29-30).

Christ doesn’t ever promise that you will have an easy life, but He does promise to be with you through all the difficulties of this life and to bring you through (Jn. 16:33). He is with you, and He has blessed you with others to help and assist you.

Dear saints, as we sow to the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit who will see us safely through. Yes, the march is hard, and the path is difficult. But keep in step with the Spirit because the harvest is coming. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

From, Through, & To – Sermon on Romans 11:33-36 for Holy Trinity Sunday

May26

Romans 11:33–36

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches
and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments
and how inscrutable his ways!
³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
³⁵ “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Who has seen the ocean? Probably everyone has seen the ocean. If you haven’t, I can show you a picture or video after the service and, technically, you will have seen the ocean. But a picture or video doesn’t do the ocean justice. It isn’t the same as seeing it in person with your own eyes. So, how many of you have been to the ocean and have seen it, smelled it, and felt it?

Now, which ocean(s) – the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic? Maybe you have seen each of them, but how much of them have you seen? Did you see a bit of it from a beach? Have you been on a boat where no land is in sight? “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Even then, you only saw just shy of three miles of ocean before the curve of the earth pulled the rest of it away from your sight. And your field of vision only allowed you to see so much without turning your head or spinning around in circles, which, if you are prone to seasickness, is not something I would recommend. And even if you’ve been so far out to sea that no land was in sight, you can only say that you’ve skimmed the surface of the ocean – literally.

Have you seen what’s in the ocean and on its floor? Have you been able to snorkel or scuba dive to see what’s down there? How deep have you gone? Twenty, fifty, one-hundred feet? I have one friend who has dived to somewhere near that depth. As far as I know, I don’t know anyone who has been 1,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. The average depth of the ocean is about 2.3 miles deep. Some people have gone that deep. But think about the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep, which is nearly 7 miles below sea level. Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only three have ever been down there.

Many people have gone up into space, orbited the planet hundreds of times, and have seen the majority of the oceans’ surface. But they haven’t been through all the oceans at all the depths to see what lies underneath the surface. So, I ask again, have you seen the ocean? Ultimately, no one can claim to have seen the oceans in their entirety. The best anyone can accurately say is, “I’ve seen a tiny fraction of the ocean.” The oceans are too big, too wide, too deep for anyone to see very much of it. But still, we wouldn’t call someone a liar if they said that they have seen the ocean. To see part of it is to truthfully say that you’ve seen it.

All of that is to set this up: These verses come at the tail end of Paul’s main theological treatise in Romans. In the first eight chapters, Romans is a thorough skimming of the surface of theology. It has dealt with the fact that no one is righteous in the way that God demands. Because of that everyone deserves death and condemnation. But God, in His mercy, has delivered the very righteousness He demands to those who have faith in Christ. By believing that God has come in the flesh of Jesus; believing that Christ suffered, bled, and died; and believing that He rose again for you, you are righteous – as righteous as Jesus is righteous.

Then, Paul dives deeper into the depths of the theological ocean. He writes about how God delivers that faith through His gracious choosing of you. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul talks about the doctrines of election and predestination. Believer, you are saved exclusively because of what God has done. Jesus has done the work to deliver, rescue, and save you from your sin. The Holy Spirit has called you through God’s Word, given you faith to believe, and will sustain your faith as He works through the Scriptures (Ro. 10:17). Your salvation is entirely based on God’s mercy (Ro. 8:29-33) and the fact that He chose you to be in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-5). The culmination of Paul’s short dive into the doctrine of predestination comes in the verse just before this text where his conclusion is, “God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all” (Ro. 11:32).

Now, the doctrine of predestination is a huge topic, and I’m not going to go into it today. I have preached on it the past. And if you ever have questions about it, please feel free to talk with me. (I enjoy having any theological conversations.) The only reason I mention predestination here is to set up the context of the praise that we heard in this reading. God’s mercy in delivering salvation to us unworthy sinners leads to this doxology, this song of praise that is our reading: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!”

Whenever we study theology, no matter what branch of theology is being studied, we come to a point where we realize the simple truth that God is bigger than us. God has revealed much to us in His Word, but He hasn’t revealed everything. His riches, wisdom, and knowledge go to a depth that we cannot reach. His ways are inscrutable and inconceivable. It isn’t just that they are hard to understand they are far, far beyond our comprehension. Just like how you’ve only seen a small sliver of the ocean, but you haven’t seen the whole thing. The more I study theology and the Bible, the more I realize there is to learn. It’s a regular occurrence for me to be reading a passage and suddenly realize, “I’ve never noticed that before.” Christian, there’s always more to be learned and meditated on when it comes to theology and the Bible. More and more and more and more. And it is always a joy and delight to discover more.

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday which ends the festival half of the Church year which began in Advent. The Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost seasons focus on God’s work for us by coming, declaring, suffering, dying, rising, ascending, and sending the Holy Spirit. Now, on Trinity Sunday, we recognize that the work of our salvation is exclusively brought about by the plan and efforts of the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, Trinity Sunday is a fitting time to pause, step back, and simply praise God for all He has done, accomplished, and delivered to us. Even though we’ve spent the past six months considering what God has done to save us, we’ve just barely scratched the surface. Even when we do it again and again, there is still more.

We can’t know God’s mind. We can’t advise Him. We can’t give or offer anything to Him. That’s why Paul closes in v. 36 with this doxology, “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

Consider each of those in order. “From Him,” God the Father is the source and Creator of all things. “Through Him,” God the Son has set all things in order and gives them to us. “And to Him,” the God the Holy Spirit directs all things so they find their end and meaning in this one God.

Rejoice because this One unfathomable, inscrutable, inconceivable God took it upon Himself to create, redeem, and sanctify you. So, “to Him be glory forever.” In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The Lasting Legacy of Pentecost – Sermon on Acts 2:1-21, 36 for the Day of Pentecost

May19

Acts 2:1–21, 36

¹ When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹ both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” ¹² And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

With all the amazing things that happened on the Day of Pentecost, it’s easy to miss the most amazing thing God did when He poured out the Holy Spirit on all flesh (Act. 2:17; Joe. 2:28-29). Our attention is so quickly and easily grabbed by the wowie-zowie things, that we get distracted from the lasting gift that God bestows with this giving of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is about the sounds, not the sights. It’s about the audible rather than the visible. The work of the Holy Spirit is not so much in what is seen as in what is heard.

Yes, there are tongues of fire that rest on those believers, but as best as we can tell, those tongues of fire were only seen by the 120 Christian believers who had gathered together in one place (Act. 1:15). Notice, there is the sound of a mighty, rushing wind (Act. 2:2), but curtains aren’t flapping, dust isn’t flying, hats aren’t blowing down the street. It’s only the sound, and that sound fills the house where they are gathered. These 120 believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and are given the ability to speak in languages that represented every nation that existed, but they hadn’t ever learned those languages (Act. 2:5, 8-11).

It is that sound of wind that draws the bewildered multitude to the apostles (Act. 2:6). The people from all those nations weren’t drawn like moths that saw a flame; no, they were drawn by the sound. And those people heard something even more amazing. They heard those believers declaring the mighty works of God in their native languages. For some, that message led to further curiosity, “What does this mean?” But for some, it led to mocking, “They are drunk and filled with wine” (Act. 2:13).

Now, consider that accusation as I slightly modernize it. Imagine you are there in that crowd. All the people from Italy are standing around someone who’s speaking Italian, and they’re listening intently because they can understand. All the Brazilians gather around the guy speaking Portuguese. All the people from France, and 22.8% of the Canadians who speak French, are listening to someone speaking French. You hear the guy who’s speaking American,^[1] and you can understand everything because it is being spoken fluently. You hear the Gospel. You are told that God came in the flesh of Jesus. You hear that He suffered, bled, died on the cross, rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven. And you hear that Christ did all of this to forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life.

After hearing that message in American, you go over to the people who speak Portuguese (because, of course, people who speak French are rude) and you ask in one of the ‘commercial, business’ languages – either Greek, Latin, or Aramaic – what they heard. And it’s the same Gospel message. The only difference was that they heard it in Portuguese – fluent, articulate Portuguese. So, it’s clear that these Galilean hillbillies are speaking languages they didn’t know. Your conclusion would probably not be, “Oh, they must be drunk.” Getting drunk doesn’t endow a person with fluency in another language. In short, it probably wasn’t the act of speaking in other languages that elicited that accusation; instead, it was probably the content of what was being said. “You’re saying that God came to earth as a human. But He did it to die, and by that death I’m forgiven? You must be drunk.”

But the sounds of Pentecost still aren’t done. Peter stands up, and here is where we see the most amazing thing about Pentecost. Peter doesn’t stand up to perform a visible sign. He doesn’t heal the sick, cast out demons, or raise the dead. Peter stands up to speak and preach a Holy Spirit-inspired sermon to the entire crowd. That should be astounding to us.

We know Peter and what kind of man he was just fifty-three days before Pentecost. A young servant girl had simply asked Peter if he knew who Jesus was, and that led to Peter denying Jesus three times (Mk. 14:66-72). But now Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaches to a crowd of over 3,000 people. And it is a bold sermon. He doesn’t hold back. He does point to Jesus with the sermon, but not with loud Gospel overtones.

I’ll just summarize his sermon. “Men of Israel, Jesus was here just a short time ago. He did all sorts of miracles, and you know about them. You know He was sent by God, yet you put Him to death. Now, we have seen Him raised from the grave. This Jesus has now ascended into heaven. He has all authority in heaven and on earth, and He will use that authority for the sake of His Church until He has put all His enemies under His feet. That’s a big problem for you because you put Him to death and are His enemy. You’re in trouble. Amen.”

It’s a sermon that would have been highly criticized in seminary because it doesn’t really contain any Gospel. How does a guy like Peter preach like that, especially because he preaching that accusation against himself? Peter knows his own guilt. The only explanation is that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and emboldened in a remarkable way. The sermon itself is a miracle. But then, the response to that sermon is even more miraculous.

Over 3,000 people ask, “What can we do?” Before this, the crowds had heard some amazing things and wondered what it all meant, but now? Now, they are cut to the heart (Act. 2:37), and they recognize their guilt. This is amazing because most of them probably were not present in the crowd on Good Friday crying out, “Crucify, crucify Him.” The foremost expert on the history and practices of this time, a guy named Alfred Edersheim, says that there may have been some overlap but the majority of the people there for the Day of Pentecost weren’t there for the Passover. So, Peter is addressing a crowd of hardened sinners who could have offered all sorts of excuses arguing for their innocence of Jesus’ death. But over 3,000 of them don’t. They confess and repent with a simple, “What shall we do?” (Act. 2:37).

And Peter adds a postscript to his sermon and tells them, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Act. 2:38). That very day, 3,000 souls were saved.

They were given faith. They were also given and filled with the Holy Spirit. But that filling of 3,000 people with the Holy Spirit is so understated. Luke doesn’t tell us about another mightier wind that rushed even louder. No. They confess, repent, get Baptized, and are filled with the Holy Spirit. They are saved. How were they saved? Through the Holy Spirit’s work of pointing sinners to Jesus in simple preaching and through the Holy Spirit’s working through water and the Word. And through those means, the Holy Spirit creates faith.

Dear saints, that same miraculous work of the Holy Spirit through preaching continues today. In fact, that is what is happening even now. It is through God’s Word proclaimed by the mouth is this sinner that the Holy Spirit is creating, strengthening, and sustaining your faith. Right now, through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is filling this place and pointing you to Jesus (Jn. 15:26).

Don’t think for one minute that the Holy Spirit isn’t working just because you don’t see whatever you think might be evidence of the Holy Spirit. The lasting legacy of Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit points sinners to Christ. Jesus Himself said that’s the Holy Spirit’s work (Jn. 15:26). Right here, right now, the Holy Spirit is calling, gathering, enlightening, sanctifying, and preserving you in the one true faith. He is here abundantly forgiving you of your sin. And the Holy Spirit invites you now to Jesus’ table where He will work through other means, through bread and wine which are Jesus’ Body and Blood. Come, receive, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

^[1] Yes, I know ‘American’ isn’t an official language.

Spirit-Guided – Sermon on John 16:5-15 for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Apr28

John 16:5–15

⁵ “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Our expectations rarely match reality. Often times, it’s not even close. When I was 15 years old, I was eagerly anticipating being in a sailboat race across Lake Superior in July. Thanks to Gordon Lightfoot, I knew that “gales of November” don’t come that early. My expectations for that race were largely shaped by movies of majestic boats efficiently gliding across rolling waves driven by strong winds. But I also worried that there would be 10-15 ft. swells that would toss our 25 ft. boat around like a leaf making me seasick and struggling to stay on the boat. The reality ended up being two and a half days of cold, drizzling rain, and barely a whisper of wind, and the only thing that made me sick was the inescapable fumes of fiberglass varnish which sent me and the other crewmembers to the side of the boat more than once.

We plan and prepare for things to be a certain way, but then the moment or event comes and is completely different than what we imagined. Sometimes, the reality is better; sometimes, it’s worse; and sometimes, it it’s just different. As a kid, you probably expected that being an adult would come with the independence and freedom to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. Then, reality came. Now, you realize being an adult can mean the autonomy to do what you want, but most often it means carrying out the responsibilities God has given you. Even if adulthood isn’t the total freedom and independence you thought it might be, it’s still very fulfilling.

In this Gospel reading, we don’t know exactly what the disciples expected as Jesus talks about His departure and going away to the Father. We just know their reaction – they are sorrowful (Jn. 16:6, 20, 22). They don’t know what to expect. That’s why Jesus comforts them and us by teaching about the Holy Spirit.

The first thing we need to get straight is that, when Jesus says that He has to go to Him who sent Him and that it is to their advantage that He goes away, He doesn’t mean that He is going to be completely absent. Jesus had already promised His abiding presence. He guarantees, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them,” (Mt. 18:20), and before He ascends into heaven He says, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). Yes, Jesus has gone to the Father who sent Him, but He is also truly, physically present with us – especially in Holy Communion. When Jesus says that He is departing, He is saying that He must go to the cross, pay for our sins, and ascend into to heaven where He continually presents His work on your behalf to God the Father (Heb. 9:24; Ro. 8:34).

That’s the reason Jesus is departing. It isn’t that He’s leaving and is gone. No. His departure is the fact that He goes to work your salvation, and to continually present His work to God the Father. Christian, your life is hidden with Christ where He is seated (Col. 3:1-4). That’s why the Holy Spirit comes. The Holy Spirit is constantly present with you to be your Helper, Advocate, and Comforter constantly pointing you to all the things Christ has done for you. The Holy Spirit comes to point you to all the benefits that Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension give you. The Holy Spirit comforts you with the gifts of Jesus.

That is why we need Jesus’ teaching here about what the Holy Spirit does. So many Christians have wrong expectations about the Holy Spirit. Throw out all of those expectations and listen to what Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit’s work. The Holy Spirit works to convict us concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. And don’t get put off by that word ‘convict.’ Most of the time we use the word ‘convict’ today, it means to find guilty. And when Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit convicting concerning sin and judgment, we tend expect this will be a bad thing. But being convicted isn’t always a bad thing.

We will talk about a person having deep convictions, meaning they are sure and certain about what they believe. They are convinced of the truth of something. That’s how we should understand this as Christians. Jesus goes on to summarize the Holy Spirit’s work as guiding us into all the truth. The Holy Spirit is guiding us to be convinced of certain things concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. When Jesus tells us why the Holy Spirit convicts or convinces of each of these things, each of the why’s isn’t what we naturally expect. Let’s take each of these in order.

First, when Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, we would expect Him to say the Holy Spirit does that because you people are so bad and evil. But that’s not what Jesus says. The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin because they do not believe in Jesus. I’m guessing Paul had these very words of Jesus in mind when he wrote in Ro. 14:23 that says, “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” In other words, you can do the best, most merciful work, but apart from faith in Jesus, it is of no benefit; in fact, Scripture says the mercy of the wicked is cruel (Pr. 12:10). Confessing your sins is an article of faith. It is the Holy Spirit who has taught us to confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean in thought, word, and deed. And the Holy Spirit guides us to continue our confession by saying that we flee for refuge to God’s mercy freely given through Christ.

Second, when Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning righteousness, we would expect Him to say, “Because they don’t have any righteousness and need to do better.” But that’s not what Jesus says. The Holy Spirit convicts concerning righteousness because Jesus goes to the Father. When you consider this in the context of the rest of Scripture, this is stunning. The Man Jesus has opened the path to heaven so you can follow Him and be brought there too by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine being in a line waiting to stand before God’s judgment. How would you feel as you wait in that line? Probably pretty nervous – especially because that judgment will determine where you will spend eternity. But now imagine that you’re standing in that line and Jesus is standing right next to you waiting for His turn to be judged. Do you think He would be nervous? No, Jesus isn’t going to be worried at all! He’s confident and knows He is perfect and hasn’t committed any sins. Well Christian, you need to know, you need to be convinced, that through faith you occupy Jesus’ place in that line. His righteousness is yours. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin, so that in Him you would become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). To believe that takes the working of the Holy Spirit.

Third and finally, the Holy Spirit convicts concerning judgment. We would expect this is needed because judgment is coming. Again, that’s not what Jesus says. The Holy Spirit convinces you that the ruler of this world, Satan, is judged. Think of that! Satan, which means accuser, is the one who is judged. The one who tries to accuse you before God has absolutely zero credibility in God’s courtroom. The devil isn’t losing; he has lost. Satan is utterly defeated and conquered. Yes, this takes faith. But the Holy Spirit will continue to point you past what you may see in this world back to these words of Jesus which clearly state that the devil is judged.

Sable, that brings me to you. Sable, today you are Baptized. God has placed His name upon you, claimed you as His own, and has given you Jesus’ righteousness. And from this day forward, the Holy Spirit will continue to guide you into these truths and convictions, convincing you of your sin so you will believe in Jesus. Convincing you of the righteousness you have been given. And convincing you of the judgment of the devil.

Sable, and all of you here, it’s hard to know what to expect for your future. But know this: the Holy Spirit will continually guide you into all the truth, convicting and convincing you that Jesus’ work for your salvation is perfect, complete, and finished. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Unlocked – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

Apr7

John 20:19–31

¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Normally, I try to have one main theme or point in my sermons. Today, I’m throwing that out the window, and you’re going to get three mini-sermons. Yes, each of them is mini.

Sermon #1 – Jesus unlocks the New Creation. When God the Father created the world, He formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature (Gen. 2:7). Now in our Gospel text here, the resurrected Son of God stands among His disciples the very evening He rose, and He breathes on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld” (Jn. 20:22-23).

The way the Holy Spirit inspired this to be written, we are supposed to see those two things – Jesus’ breathing on the disciples and also what He says about the Holy Spirit and forgiveness – as one action. In other words, Jesus’ statement is how Jesus breathes on the disciples. With the breathing of those words, Jesus is unlocking the new creation to you, believer. You who are in Christ through faith, you are a new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).

Sermon #2 – Locked doors don’t matter to Jesus. This text drops us into the room with the disciples Easter evening, so 1,991 years and seven days ago. It had been a chaotic day. Angels were appearing and talking to people. The resurrected Jesus has been popping up all over the place. Even with all of that going on throughout the day, the disciples and the women are gathered together in a house with the doors locked because they were afraid.

Luke in his Gospel also tells us about that evening (Lk. 24:36-49), and the way Luke records it, it seems like there is a disagreement between them all. It seems like some of them believe Jesus is raised, but some of them think something else is going on because Luke says that even when they see Jesus they think He is a ghost (Lk. 24:26-27).

The way John words things here in v. 19, it makes it seem like Jesus invisibly goes through the locked door, but once He’s through He is suddenly visible. But listen to how Luke records it (Lk. 24:36): “As they were talking about these things, Jesus Himself stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you!’” The way that is worded makes it seem like Jesus was right there the whole time, and He suddenly appears – He makes Himself visible – while they are all confused and trying to make sense of everything that had been going on that day.

Then, Jesus asks for some food, and He eats a piece of broiled fish because, of course, ghosts wouldn’t be able to eat food. Then Jesus shows them His hands, feet, and side (just like He does here). The disciples touch Jesus. Not only do they see Him, they also feel Him hug Him. Who knows? Maybe they even gave Him high fives and fist bumps.

Now, here’s the point of mini sermon #2: Just because you can’t see Jesus with your eyes, that does not mean that He isn’t here. Jesus promised, at least a few months before His crucifixion, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mt. 18:20). Dear saints, Jesus is really, truly, actually here with us this morning. If He wanted to, He could appear and ask for something to eat. Anyone carrying a can of sardines? But even better, He is here and will give you His Body to eat and His Blood to drink. Jesus is here. So, believe.

Sermon #3 – Jesus has some unlocking for you to do. When Jesus gives the Holy Spirit, He gives Christians the authority to forgive and to bind sin (Jn. 20:22-23). Remember when the lame man was lowered through the roof to be before Jesus (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26); what did Jesus say to him? “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees grumbled because they rightly said that only God can forgive sins. Then, Jesus proves He is God and has authority to forgive sins by healing the man. Well, the one who has the authority to forgive sins extends that authority to His Church the same day He rose from the dead.

I’ve used this analogy about absolution before, but it’s helpful and worth hearing it again. Imagine you are found guilty of a crime and locked in prison. As you sit in your cell, a judge looks over your case and rules that you are innocent. He sends an order to the guard of your prison to set you free. The guard comes to your cell with the keys, unlocks the door, walks you out of the prison, and releases you back into society. Now who set you free – the judge or the guard? Honestly, the answer is both. The judge uses his authority to free you, and the guard uses his hands and feet to free you. Both things work together – the judge’s authority and the guard’s releasing because of that authority.

When we gather together as God’s people here in God’s house, it is right for us to confess our sins together. And it is right for the man you have called to be your pastor – which is me – to proclaim God’s absolution and forgiveness for those sins. In the church, the pastors are the guys with the keys (Mt. 16:18-19). And please know that I wouldn’t have the guts to declare that forgiveness if Scripture didn’t clearly say that is what I, as the pastor, am to do. That is why the absolution is “by Christ’s command and authority.”

And this authority isn’t only given to pastors to announce over congregations. Jesus gives all believers this authority. You can announce this forgiveness. If someone comes to you and tells you about their sin and guilt and shame, point them to Jesus. Tell them that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And tell them, “I forgive you of your sins because of what Jesus has done. And I do that because that’s what Jesus Himself would do.”

Dear saints, Jesus is way better at forgiving than you are at sinning. The absolution is a great gift that Jesus has given to the Church. That is the message Jesus has sent us into the world to announce (Jn. 20:21). That is the peace that Jesus gives when He says, “Peace to you.” It is the peace that declares those sins are gone. As far as the east is from the west, so far has Jesus removed our transgressions from us (Ps. 103:12).

Dear Ava, that brings me to you. Ava, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself by placing His name upon you (Mt. 28:19) and clothed you with Himself (Gal. 3:27). In your Baptism, Jesus joined you to His death so that you have a Jesus-kind of death – in other words, a death that doesn’t last long and ends in resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11). Ava, you have been born of God; stay in the faith which overcomes the world (1 Jn. 5:4).

Our service today opened with 1 Pet. 2:2, “Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word.” May all of us continually be fed and nourished by that Word that unlocks our sin and opens the way to eternal life. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Charismatic Vocation – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

Aug13

1 Corinthians 12:1–11

¹ Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Paul began this letter to the Christians in Corinth by saying that God had given them all knowledge, speech, and every spiritual gift they needed. Paul said that Jesus would sustain them guiltless until He returns (1 Cor. 1:4-8). With this glowing opening, you would expect the Corinthian congregation to be getting along splendidly. But you would be wrong.

There were divided groups that claimed loyalties to different former pastors causing dissension in the congregation. The members were suing each other in civil, secular courts. They were neglecting the poor. A man was having an illicit relationship with his father’s wife and bragging about it. Some members were getting drunk at Communion. On top of all that, there were even disputes about who was more holy based on the spiritual gifts they had received. So, the context of these verses is Christians fighting with each other over spiritual gifts and who was better because of them. That’s what the text is addressing. Now, I’m not preaching on this text because there is fighting here at Christ the King over who is more spiritual or less spiritual.

The reason I’m preaching on this text today is to encourage you to use the gifts the Holy Spirit gives you in your everyday lives. There is a tendency for all of us – please note that I’m including myself here – to be timid when it comes to living out our faith. I think a lot of that timidness has to do with ignorance about spiritual gifts. Paul begins by saying that he does not want us to be ‘ignorant’ about spiritual gifts. I know our translation says ‘uninformed,’ but the word there isn’t so much about a lack of information, rather it is about a lack of understanding, so ‘ignorant’ is probably better. So today, we want to grow in our understanding of spiritual gifts: what they are, how they are received, and how God uses them.

First, what are the spiritual gifts? The New Testament uses six different words or phrases to talk about spiritual gifts. I’m not going to go through all of them, but the Greek term χάρισμα is the most common and Paul uses that word twice in this text (v. 4 & 9). Yes, it is where we get our word ‘charisma.’ Χάρισμα means ‘gift of grace’ or ‘gracious gift.’

Scripture has two different lists of these gifts of grace, one is here in 1 Cor. 12:7-11, 27-30, and the other list is Ro. 12:6-8. The interesting thing is that the two lists aren’t the same. And there are many other verses throughout the New Testament that talk about other χάρισμα even though they aren’t included in a list. Many theologians suggest, and I tend to agree, that the lists are different and other χάρισμα are mentioned elsewhere because these lists aren’t intended to be comprehensive. In other words, there are more spiritual gifts than the ones listed.

There are some things that Scripture calls χάρισμα that we wouldn’t expect to be called ‘spiritual gifts.’ Here’s some of the surprises: service (διακονία where we get our word ‘deacon’); teaching; encouragement; generous giving; leadership; being merciful; a word of wisdom, guidance, or knowledge; faith (not what we would call ‘saving faith’ but an abundant trust and confidence in God’s provision); discernment of spirits; being an apostle; helpful acts; even chastity within marriage and outside of marriage – all of these are spiritual gifts, they are all χάρισμα. A lot of them aren’t so spectacular, but Scripture still calls them χάρισμα.

Second, how are the spiritual gifts received? According to our text (v. 4-7), these gifts are given through the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t ever work alone. Instead, the entire Trinity is involved. These various gifts are given by the Spirit; the varieties of places to serve are given by the same Lord (i.e. Jesus Christ, the Son). And the varieties of activities are empowered by the same God (think God the Father). We don’t determine what gift or gifts we receive, it’s up to our Triune God. And God will provide whatever gift we need to fulfill our Christian duty to our neighbor.

One of the ways we are ignorant when it comes to spiritual gifts is that we tend to confuse spiritual gifts with natural talents. I think one of the reasons we confuse the two is that there have been spiritual gift tests and inventories for decades that focus more on where we think we have talents and interests. Natural talents are certainly gifts of God, but spiritual gifts are what God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gives you as you carry out the various callings God gives you in life.

Another problem that makes us ignorant of spiritual gifts is that we confuse the order of things. We think the talents we have should determine the callings we pursue. But repeatedly in Scripture and in your own life, it ends up being the opposite. You are called to do something, and the Holy Spirit equips you with the spiritual gifts you need to do it. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.” It’s a little trite, and that phrase can be wrongly interpreted to mean that we don’t need to train or prepare ourselves – i.e. the phrase can be used as an excuse to be lazy. But with a proper understanding, it’s not a bad saying.

You Christian parents, even if you planned on when you would begin having children, you probably quickly realized that there were a lot of things you didn’t know and skills you didn’t have to be a good parent. But the Holy Spirit has given and will give you what you need when you need it. Most often, God doesn’t equip us with gifts in advance. Instead, He gives us exactly what we need exactly when we need it to minister to others as we serve in our vocations. Wherever God calls you, He will give you whatever you need to minister to that person in that situation (Mt. 10:19-20).

Finally, how does God use the spiritual gifts He gives us? Paul will go on after our text to use the analogy of our bodies (1 Cor. 12:12-26). Your body has many different parts that all need each other. Eyes need ears and toes and noses and hearts and livers and kidneys. No part of the body can say that is doesn’t need the others. In the same way, each Christian is part of the body of Christ and is dependent upon the other members. Just as all the parts of your physical body work together to do one common thing – keep you alive – all the parts of the Body of Christ work together to do one common thing – proclaim the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

I know I’ve used the term ‘vocation’ quite a bit in the past, but it is good to revisit it and be clear about what a vocation is in a theological and spiritual sense. When we talk about ‘vocation’ in the Scriptural sense, it means your office or your relationship to the person or people God has placed in your life at any given moment. Every moment of every day God puts you into a relationship with another person where you have different responsibilities. Those are your vocations.

As a silly example, if you find yourself in a moving car, you have one of two possible vocations. Either your vocation is to be a driver, which means your tasks are to drive safely, follow the traffic laws, don’t cause danger to others, and get to your destination safely, or, if you aren’t the driver, your vocation is to be a passenger and your responsibilities are to not make the driver’s vocation more difficult than it needs to be.

Here is the good news, God gives you all the gifts you need to fulfill your vocation every moment of every day. So, rather than filling out inventories and reading books to try to discover your spiritual gift, or your χάρισμα, simply ask yourself, “Who is my neighbor right now, and what is my vocation to that neighbor? How does God want me to serve this person/people?” and Scripture promises that everything will fall into place.

We should expect the Holy Spirit to give us what is needed in each situation we encounter. We should expect and pray that the Holy Spirit will give us what is needed based on whom and what God presents to us. Be attentive.

If you are talking with someone who is going through a lot of problems, the Holy Spirit is calling you to the vocation of being a supportive brother or sister in Christ. Then, pray for the spiritual gifts, the χάρισμα of encouragement, wisdom, knowledge, and compassion depending on the situation. If you are struggling in your marriage, pray for the χάρισμα of chastity, faith, and service. If you are playing with your kids, pray for the χάρισμα of joy and generous giving of your time and energy. If you are at work and have a difficult task, pray for the χάρισμα of service, leadership, or helpful acts. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

Constantly let your vocation shape your prayers for the spiritual gifts you need in that moment, and watch God act. God loves to hear those prayers. He has promised to answer them. And God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will gift, equip, and empower you as He freely gives you the gifts you need to love and serve your neighbor. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In This Way, God Loved the World – Sermon on John 3:1-17 for Holy Trinity Sunday

Jun4

John 3:1–17

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Sometimes, broad, general statements are more comforting than pointed, specific statements. I heard a church historian tell the story about Martin Luther being asked if he wished that John 3:16 read, “For God so loved Martin Luther, that He gave His only Son…” And Luther said, “No! I’d be searching my entire life for another guy named ‘Martin Luther.’”

Does God love you? How do you know? “For God so loved the world,” and you are part of the world, “that He gave His only-begotten Son that you who believe in Him will never perish but have everlasting life.” Yes. God loves you. He loves you. Yesterday, God loved you. Three months ago, God loved you. Five years ago, God loved you. While you were a sinner, God loved you (Ro. 5:8). Before you were born, God loved you. Two thousand years ago as Jesus carried His cross out of the gates of Jerusalem, God loved you. Before the foundation of the world, God loved you. Christian, according to Revelation 13:8, God wrote your name in the Book of Life even before He said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3).

John 3:16 is probably the most familiar verse of Scripture in our day and is the “ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s” of the faith. Today, we’re going to graduate “Christianity 101” and consider John 3:16 as “Christianity 201.” We’re going to dissect two words of the verse – the words ‘for’ and ‘so’ – because those words help us understand the context and meaning of the verse.

We’re going to spend most of our time on the word ‘for,’ so bear with me. Because the verse starts with the word ‘for,’ we have to consider the context. That word ‘for’ ties John 3:16 to what comes before it, which is Jesus recalling how Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Num. 21:4-9), which was our Old Testament reading three weeks ago.

There, God’s people had been sentenced to forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Num. 14:28-35). During that time of exodus, the people become impatient and said the only reason Moses lead them out of slavery in Egypt was so they would die in the wilderness (Num. 21:5). They complained about the food God was miraculously and faithfully raining down upon them each day. So, God sends fiery serpents to bite the people, and many of them die. Finally, they ask Moses to pray that God would take away the serpents. God answers their prayer, but not by taking the serpents away. Instead, God gives them the cure for the venom. God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent, set it on a pole, and tell the people to look at if they are bitten and they would be cured of the venom and live.

This God-given cure seems odd, but consider it for a minute. The dead, bronze serpent lifted up on the pole is the God-given sign that God is destroying their enemy and killing it. By looking at the serpent, they believe that God is defeating their enemy and that He is in control. That faith is what saves them. Now here in John 3, Jesus says that just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so must He be lifted up. In other words, the people were saved in the wilderness by looking at an image of their defeated enemy.

Now, this is a little more challenging to grasp, but it’ll be worth it. When Jesus is on the cross, He quotes Psalm 22:1, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34). Psalm 22 is one of the most vivid descriptions of the crucifixion – almost more vivid than what the Gospels record for us. The Psalm says, “all who see me mock me… they wag their heads” (Ps. 22:7) which we see happening in Mt. 27:39 and Mk. 15:29. The Psalm says, “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots,” (Ps. 22:18; Jn. 19:24). The Psalm says, “They have pierced my hands and feet,” (Ps. 22:16). I could go on, but you should just read Ps. 22 with the crucifixion in mind today.

The verse from Ps. 22 we need to focus on today is Ps. 22:6 which says, “I am a worm and not a man.” When Jesus quotes Psalm 22 from the cross, He is stating He is a worm and not a man. Now, stick with me here. Satan’s lies in the Garden deceived the woman; she ate (Gen. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:4), and Adam also ate. Our first parents sinned, and their sin brought the poison of death and corruption to all mankind. So, on the one hand, Jesus crucifixion places the sins of the world on Jesus, the new Adam, and punishes those sins there.

But, ultimately, the source and origin of that sin is the devil. The serpent’s deceiving poison brought sin and death into the world. That is why God promises to crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). This is why John 3:16 is tied to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. When we look to Jesus’ crucifixion, God wants us to see that Christ is defeating sin at it’s source which is the serpent. Most cultures and languages, including our own, make a connection between worms, serpents/snakes, and dragons. Here in John 3, Jesus says that He is the serpent who is hung on the cross for the salvation of the world. In other words, Jesus utterly defeats sin at its source.

When you look upon Jesus who is crucified for you, you believe that Jesus has taken the punishment for all sin and all evil. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin so that in Jesus you might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

That brings us to the other word, ’so.’ The word there in Greek isn’t a magnifier or amplifier. It does not mean, “God loved the world so much.” The Greek word there means, “in this way.” God loved the world in this way, that He gave His only-begotten Son to utterly defeat sin and the origin of sin on the cross. Now, you who believe in Him will not ever perish, but have everlasting life. This is the way God loved the world.

God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16), but that can only be true because of the Trinity. For there to be love, there must be something to love. If God were one, He could not have love as part of His essence. Love would not be essential to His existence. A god who is only one could think highly of himself, but that isn’t love. Only with the Trinity it is possible for God to be love. There is an eternal love of the Father for the Son and Spirit, a love of the Son for the Spirit and Father, and a love of the Spirit for the Father and Son. This perfect relationship of love has eternally existed in the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In God Himself, there has always been an object of love. No other religion can say that love is essential to who God is because no other religion confesses the Trinity. Ever since the creation, that perfect, eternal love that has always existed between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit now flows from God to us, His creatures. And we know that because God gave His Son to save and forgive us on the cross.

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is God. The Son has done for us what we could not do for God. Jesus has come and was perfectly obedient to all of God’s commands. Because He is God, Jesus can render His perfect obedience back to God on our behalf. And the Holy Spirit creates faith in that work of Jesus.

Dear saints, all of this is to say that because God is Triune, He can perfectly love and save you by grace. Because God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are not simply His slaves or pets. No. You are the object of His love. God the Father has created you out of pure love. God the Son has redeemed you out of pure love. And God the Holy Spirit has sanctified you out of pure love. You are saved and redeemed to be God’s children.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, has come into the world not to condemn you, but in order that you might be saved through Him. Blessed be the holy Trinity. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

A Home – Sermon on John 14:23-31 for the Day of Pentecost

May28

John 14:23–31

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

²⁷ “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. ³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, ³¹ but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Different holidays are celebrated in different ways. We just celebrated Mothers’ Day a few weeks ago. Flowers, chocolates, and gifts were given. Phone calls were made. And, probably, a few household chores like washing the dishes, vacuuming, and cooking were delegated to the non-mothers out there. All those are good ways to celebrate moms which is the purpose of Mothers’ Day. I doubt many people set off fireworks while singing “Joy to the World” for Mothers’ Day. Who knows? Maybe there are a few pyromaniac moms whose favorite song is “Joy to the World.” But, in my experience, moms typically police fireworks and the last thing on their minds between explosions are the words to the third verse of “Joy to the World.”

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it is good to remember those who have given their lives for our country by attending Memorial Day services, placing flowers on graves, and giving thanks for the sacrifice many have made so we can enjoy the freedoms God has given us in this country (Jn. 15:13). Even the barbecues and gatherings with friends are a fitting way to spend Memorial Day. Enjoy all those things as you give thanks to God for those who gave their lives for our country. But Memorial Day is tomorrow. Today is the Day of Pentecost. What is a fitting way to celebrate and remember Pentecost?

Honestly, it’s precisely what you are doing now. Here you are – God’s people in God’s house – gathered to hear the Gospel and the mighty works of God in your native tongue. You are following precisely in the footsteps of the apostles and first Christians by doing exactly what they were doing when God poured out the Holy Spirit on the whole world.

In our reading from Acts (Act. 2:1-21, 36), we find the first Christians all gathered together in one place on a Sunday. Just like you have gathered together with your brothers and sisters in Christ on a Sunday. As those first 120 Christians (Act. 1:15) were gathered, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Right now, the Holy Spirit is coming upon you as you hear God’s Word, are reminded of all the things Jesus has said (Jn. 14:26), and are pointed to Jesus, your Savior (Jn. 15:26). Those first Christians, who received the Holy Spirit, went out and proclaimed the Gospel in the languages of the people who were in Jerusalem. Today, you will be sent out of this place to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus who has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9).

You’ve heard me say that every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection even though the dazzling angel isn’t sitting on the stone, and every Sunday is a celebration of Christmas even though Jesus is no longer laid in the manger while the angels sing to shepherds. Every Sunday is a celebration of Easter and Christmas, but we should probably add: every Sunday is a celebration of Pentecost. Even though we don’t have the sound of a mighty, rushing wind and the tongues of fire, all the essentials of Pentecost are present here each and every Sunday. In other words, the Holy Spirit is here pointing us to Jesus and equipping us for a life of faith because our service is filled with God’s Word.

Dear saints, the Holy Spirit is given and poured out upon you in the normal, familiar things of our service. Sure, it’s great when we have those ‘mountaintop’ experiences where we feel very close to God. We thank and praise Him for those moments, but not every day is meant to be lived in a spiritual high. Your Spirit-filled lives are spent in the normal, mundane trenches of work and home. You come here to be fed by God’s Word and strengthened in your faith in Jesus. In that, the Holy Spirit equips you for another week of faithfully carrying out your God-given callings and vocations which is where serve your neighbor.

To prove that the Holy Spirit is at work in all these things, just consider what Jesus tells us in this Gospel reading (Jn. 14:23-31). Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and bring to remembrance all that He has said (Jn. 14:26). Now, Jesus first said this to the apostles who were later inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Bible. That verse, John 14:26, is how we can know without any doubt whatsoever that when we read and hear the words of Jesus recorded for us in the Scriptures, we are reading and hearing the very words of God (see also Jn. 16:13-14). As the Holy Spirit declares to you everything that Jesus has said, He makes you holy so that you are a comfortable dwelling place for God. You, dear saints, are God’s home.

In the first verse of our Gospel reading here (Jn. 14:23) Jesus says, “if anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” You know that you are commanded to love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mt. 22:37-38). Your problem is that this love is often difficult perceive. Is your love for God some emotion or feeling inside of you? Does it feel like you love God right now? How do you know if you love Him enough? What instrument should you use to measure your love for God? Well, Jesus tells you exactly how to measure your love for Him. Christ says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep (or “guard”) My Word.”

You might not feel tremendous love for God, you might feel as though God is far away and distant, but you will still come to church to hear His Word. You will spend time meditating on His Word and contemplating what He has said. When you hear God’s Word faithfully preached, when you read and study your Bible, you are keeping and guarding Jesus’ Word. It doesn’t mean you do it perfectly. Our hearts are still full of sin. But you are here today, so you are keeping Jesus’ Word. The very fact you are present here, according to Jesus, is evidence that you love Jesus because you are keeping His Word.

Jesus says that when you keep His Word, the Father loves you. Then – this is so remarkable – the Father and Jesus will come and make their home with you. That is a good translation. We will often make a distinction between a ‘house’ and a ‘home.’ Greek does as well. A house is a building where people live. There are many houses in Grand Cities community, but only one is your home where you feel perfectly comfortable.

Dear saints, God makes His home in you. You aren’t just a house for God. You are His home.

When I was in Bible College, our choir would go on tour, and we would sometimes stay at other people’s houses. One night in California, I stayed in the house of a couple who were both eye doctors, and it was probably the nicest house I’ve ever stayed in. Everything was clean, fancy, and expensive. When I arrived there, the hosts said, “Make yourself at home.” I didn’t feel at home. I felt out of place because I was a poor college student. Another time, I stayed at a house of a rancher. When I arrived there, that couple also said, “Make yourself at home.” Part of me still wonders if my hosts said that to excuse the mess that their house was. Dirty furniture; a wet, musty towel in the corner of the bedroom; grimy dishes in the kitchen. Even though my dorm room was at least as messy as that house, I didn’t feel at home there either. There are all sorts of reasons we don’t feel ‘at home’ in other people’s houses. That is why it is so remarkable that Jesus says the almighty, all-powerful, holy God makes His home in you.

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit ignites in you a love for Him as you keep and guard Christ’s Word. And it is through that very same Word that the Holy Spirit makes you holy – He sanctifies you. Through faith, you are so holy and sanctified that the God who is holy, holy, holy (Is. 6:3) takes up residence within you, and He feels right at home.

It doesn’t matter if you think your life and heart are too messy for the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is perfectly comfortable dwelling in you because He has washed you, cleansed you, forgiven you, and filled you with the righteousness of Jesus, your Savior. Happy Pentecost. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Remember – Sermon on John 15:26-16:4 for the Seventh Sunday of Easter and Confirmation Sunday

May21

John 15:26–16:4

²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

¹ “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. ² They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³ And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴ But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus has a sharp warning for us today. It is possible for us to fall away from the faith. Jesus doesn’t want us fall away. He says, “I am saying all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” The Greek grammar makes it clear that these words aren’t just for the disciples. Jesus continues to say this for our benefit so we don’t fall away. Jesus goes on to explain why we and the disciples might fall away – Christians will be persecuted. Jesus says, “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service (λατρεία lit. ‘a liturgy’) to God.”

In those times of persecution, you have the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls here the ‘Spirit of Truth’ and the Helper. The Holy Spirit helps you not fall away by pointing you to Jesus. That’s His job (Jn. 15:26). In other words, dear saints, the comfort God desires to give you in times of persecution is the Holy Spirit fixing your eyes on Christ who was born, suffered, bled, died, rose again, and is ascended into heaven for your salvation.

Now, in v. 4 which is our focus today, Jesus says why He is telling the disciples these things. “I am saying (again He’s telling the disciples this the night He was betrayed, but the grammar there means that He’s still telling us) these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” In other words, Jesus says these things to us so that, when the persecution comes, we can remember His promises.

Remembering isn’t only a mental exercise. When we hear the word ‘remember,’ we typically think of an internal, silent act. But remembering leads to action.

Throughout Scripture, when God remembers, He acts. After the Flood, God says that when He sees the rainbow, He will remember His promise to never flood the earth again (Gen. 9:15-16), and because He remembers, He pours out mercy (Zec. 13:1) instead of judgment. When God remembered Rachel’s barrenness, He gave her children (Gen. 30:22). When God heard the prayers of His people as they were in slavery, He remembered His covenant with them (Ex. 2:24; 6:5) by sending Moses to free them. I could go on, but you get the idea.

This idea of remembering as action isn’t just about God either. The Hebrew word for ‘remember’ (זכר) also means ‘to proclaim.’ So, in the 3^rd Commandment, God says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Remembering the Sabbath meant that God’s people proclaimed His Word through singing and confessing. That remembering meant that they set apart a day for gathering as His holy people, hearing His holy Word, and focusing on holy things. Remembering God’s mercy also meant telling the future generations about it (Dt. 32:7).

So, Lulla, that brings me to you. Let’s do some remembering. Lulla, today you are Baptized. Today, Jesus has joined you to Himself by placing His name upon you (Mt. 28:19) and clothed you with Himself (Gal. 3:27). Lulla, in your Baptism, God has made you His daughter. And you will remember that by continuing in the faith and salvation you have been given today (1 Pet. 3:21) as you study, learn, and grow in God’s Word.

And Eli, that is what you have been doing throughout Confirmation. Through the studying, memory work, and learning, you have grown to a deeper understanding of what God did for you at this same Font back on April 17^th, 2011. The work God began in your Baptism has continued to this day. Many of your brothers and sisters in Christ who are here today have remembered your Baptism by praying for you and encouraging you toward this day. And in just a few minutes, Eli, you will come back to this Altar where Jesus has more remembering for you to do. Jesus will give you His true Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins. You will eat and drink in remembrance of your Savior (Lk. 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24-25) as He continues to deliver to you the forgiveness of your sins.

Lulla, Eli, and all you saints, Scripture teaches that the Christian life is a race. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The Christian life is a race that requires endurance. Remember that because no one knows exactly how far along you are in the race, but it doesn’t matter how far you have come. Keep up the pace. Keep pressing on. Keep learning. Keep growing in your faith. Keep remembering. You aren’t at the finish line – not yet.

You run with endurance by looking to and remembering Jesus as you proclaim, confess, read, learn, and study His Word. Through that, the Holy Spirit is at work in you, and He who began that good work will be faithful to complete it at the day of Jesus Christ (Php. 1:6).

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Brought to Light – Sermon on John 16:5-15 for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

May7

John 16:5–15

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, Jesus teaches us about the Holy Spirit, and in this text, our Lord calls the Holy Spirit the ‘Helper’ and the ‘Spirit of Truth.’ Considering these titles and what Jesus teaches about what the Holy Spirit does, we should take a moment to pause and consider our conceptions of the Holy Spirit and see if they match up with what Scripture actually teaches.

The other day, I had to look up some information on a church’s website (it wasn’t a Lutheran church). Once I found the information I needed, I did what I normally do and looked at that the beliefs and teachings of that church. (It’s a pastor thing.) Under the congregation’s doctrine section, they talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit. They said that Christians should be “Spirit-controlled,” and the passage they cited was Eph. 5:18-19 which says to not be drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit. There is a problem with using that passage in that way. Drunk people are not in control of themselves. They say things they wouldn’t normally say and do things they wouldn’t normally do. And by using that verse to talk about being filled by the Holy Spirit, they seem to be saying that Christians should be as unpredictable as drunks when they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the wild, unpredictable member of the Trinity who makes people act as though they are drunk.^[1] The Holy Spirit is not a divine frat boy. Just think of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). A lot of things that charismatics point to as evidence that the Holy Spirit is active and present (things like: ’holy laughter,’ being ‘slain in the spirit,’ and most of the speaking in tongues that happen today) don’t actually match up with the fruits of the Spirit – especially peace, patience, gentleness, and self-control.

Jesus gives us a very different picture of the Holy Spirit and His work. The clearest teaching about the Holy Spirit in all of Scripture is Jesus’ teaching in John 14-16. Just a few verses before our text today, Jesus says that the work of the Holy Spirit is to point people to Jesus. He says, “The Helper, the Spirit of Truth, will bear witness about Me” (Jn. 15:26). In other words, the surest way to tell if the Holy Spirit is at work is to consider if Jesus, the Son of God, is being pointed to as the Savior and Redeemer because He died and rose again for you and for all sinners. There. The Holy Spirit was at work just now!

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Helper” here in our translation, but it doesn’t just mean that the Holy Spirit is your personal assistant. The word there is paraclete and means “advocate, comforter, or mediator.” It’s a legal term. You can almost think of a defense lawyer, someone who stands by you in court arguing and pleading your case. And the Holy Spirit is not some sleezy defense lawyer who tries to find loopholes in the Law. He is the Spirit of Truth and operates in the truth – more on that in a bit.

But first, we have to get one more thing straight in order to understand what the Holy Spirit does. Jesus teaches that the Holy Spirit will “convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment” (Jn. 16:8). Convicting sounds bad – especially when that convicting is in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment. We do the math and figure at least that ⅔^rd of that is bad – sin and judgment especially. And if the Spirit is convicting concerning righteousness, we know that we are not righteous. “No one is righteous, no, not one” (Ro. 3:10; Ps. 14:1-3, 53:1-3). When we hear the word ‘convict, we think of a court trial with evidence, testimony, lawyers, a judge, and jury. After the evidence and testimony is considered and the jury renders a guilty verdict, that person is now ‘convicted’ and labeled a ‘convict.’

Even though that is the normal way we use the word ‘convict’ today, that isn’t what Jesus means here at all. When Jesus uses the word ‘convict,’ He’s using it in the sense of “expose, convince, or bring to light.” And each of the things Jesus says that Holy Spirit brings to light end up being comforting and merciful works.

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit convicts the world (think everyone, not just unbelievers) concerning sin. The world is wrong about sin. Today, sins are celebrated. Rebellion and anarchy, violations of the 4^thCommandment, is called “self-expression” and “living my truth.” The murder of babies in the mother’s womb, violating the 5^th Commandment, is labeled “choice, freedom, and healthcare.” Adultery and fornication, violations of the 6^th Commandment, are called “love.” We expect Jesus to say that the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin because we are so evil, wicked, horrible, and depraved. But that’s not what Jesus says.

Instead, the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin “because they do not believe in Me.” Again, the Holy Spirit is the Helper, the Paraclete, who exposes our sin so that we would flee from sin and run to Jesus for the mercy and forgiveness He has won and purchased for us by His death and resurrection. God desires that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth of the Gospel (1 Tim. 2:4). That’s why the Holy Spirit convicts concerning sin.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world (again everybody) concerning righteousness because Jesus is going to the Father. For those who do not have faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit brings to light what true righteousness is. Jesus has accomplished and fulfilled all righteousness (Mt. 3:15) and has gone into heaven to the Father. And for you, Christian, the Holy Spirit brings to light that you have the righteousness of Jesus through faith. The Holy Spirit operates on you so that you believe that God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin in your place, so that in Jesus you are filled with the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). God sees your faith and credits it to you as righteousness (Ro. 3:21-22; Gen. 15:6). Through faith in Jesus, you Christian, have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness that Adam and Eve had before the Fall. You have the very righteousness of Jesus Himself because He freely gives it to you through faith.

Finally, the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning judgment because (and listen carefully) the ruler of this world (i.e. the devil himself) is judged. After the Fall, when God confronted Adam and Eve, the first judgment was directed to the devil (Gen. 3:14-15). God promised that He would send Jesus to crush his head. Jesus has done just that. Now, when bad things happen to you, you might think that you are in the crosshairs of God’s judgment. But the Holy Spirit comes and convinces you that you are not the target of God’s judgment. Satan is, and he always has been. The only reason any human is judged and condemned by God is by refusing to believe in the finished work of Jesus and the forgiveness He freely gives.

The Holy Spirit comes to you to bring to light the fact that you are not God’s enemy. God has demonstrated His love for you in that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you (Ro. 5:8). And even when you were God’s enemy, here’s how He treated you – He reconciled you to Himself by the death of Jesus (Ro. 5:10). The Holy Spirit points you to Jesus’ words where He says that hell was not designed for you but for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). The Holy Spirit brings to light that there is no condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus (Ro. 8:1).

The Holy Spirit, your Paraclete, does all this through the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit does this bit by bit. Here, Jesus told the apostles that He had more to say, but they could not bear those teachings then. After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit guided the apostles into all truth and that entire truth has been recorded for you in the Bible.

Just like the disciples, we can’t hear everything Jesus has to teach us, so the Holy Spirit continually guides us and brings all the truth to light through the Bible. This is why the Scriptures always have more to teach us. It doesn’t matter how familiar we are with a passage of Scripture, there is always more to glean, more to be brought to light. So, keep reading, keep searching, and keep learning the Scriptures your entire life. The Holy Spirit will come and declare to you all the glories of your Savior, Jesus Christ.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

^[1] On the day of Pentecost, the first Christians were mocked by being accused of being filled with new wine (Act. 2:13). Peter begins his Pentecost sermon by addressing that false accusation.

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Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

In Step with the Spirit – Sermon on Galatians 5:25-6:10 for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

From, Through, & To – Sermon on Romans 11:33-36 for Holy Trinity Sunday

The Lasting Legacy of Pentecost – Sermon on Acts 2:1-21, 36 for the Day of Pentecost

Spirit-Guided – Sermon on John 16:5-15 for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Unlocked – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for the Second Sunday of Easter

Charismatic Vocation – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity

In This Way, God Loved the World – Sermon on John 3:1-17 for Holy Trinity Sunday

A Home – Sermon on John 14:23-31 for the Day of Pentecost

Remember – Sermon on John 15:26-16:4 for the Seventh Sunday of Easter and Confirmation Sunday

Brought to Light – Sermon on John 16:5-15 for the Fifth Sunday of Easter