This sermon was preached at St Peter’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Public Schools Club, Adelaide, 9am
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
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.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Today we are celebrating a very special and unusual Sunday in the church year, because on Thursday night we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus, 40 days after Jesus rose from the dead, and next week we celebrate the wonderful occasion of Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit.
Today, we are thinking particularly about that time in between, when Jesus had departed from the visible company of the disciples, and had told them to wait for the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out on them.
Let’s have a look at a passage first of all from the Gospel of Luke, which talks about the ascension of Jesus. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, we read that he said: Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Then we read: Then [Jesus] led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
So, we see that Jesus says: I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. When Jesus says: I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, and that they will be clothed with power from on high, he is talking about the Holy Spirit, and the Day of Pentecost, when he sends the Holy Spirit.
At the beginning of the Book of Acts, we read that the apostles also during this time before Pentecost elected Matthias as a replacement apostle, because Judas had killed himself.
So, this is the strange character of this time, when Jesus has simply instructed his disciples to stay in the city, to be patient, and to wait for that time when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. And also, the Holy Spirit does not come upon them in such a way that they do something and it happens, but it comes upon them completely and totally because Jesus organises it, he sends the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes in God’s time, not in their time, and not because of their doing.
However, there’s something also that strange about this whole thing, because on Easter Sunday evening, when the disciples were gathered together, and Jesus came and stood among them, we read that he breathed on them, and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld. So, we might ask the question: if Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit out on his apostles here at this time, why do they need to wait for the Holy Spirit to come down on them at Pentecost?
Well, this shows us the strange and mysterious way that the Holy Spirit works. Even the very fact that the apostles and the disciples had followed Jesus, and listened to his words, means that the Holy Spirit had worked in them. But also, it’s not as if the Holy Spirit is simply received once, but in many ways, and for all kinds of different purposes. The Day of Pentecost was the day in which the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples in a wonderful and miraculous way, and was the real beginning of the mission and ministry of the apostles, and the first gatherings together of the Christian church after the resurrection of Jesus.
So, also, when we were baptised, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit, as a number of passages in the New Testament describe. And also, during our lives, at many times, we pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, for all kinds of reasons and for all kinds of purposes. So, for example, when people confess their faith and are confirmed, we often pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit upon them. It’s not as if they never had the Holy Spirit before, but we keep praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit. When a pastor is ordained, for example, we pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon him, and when a missionary is sent out, or something like that, we will also pray for the Holy Spirit. It’s not as if they never had the Holy Spirit before, but we pray for the Holy Spirit to help them and lead them and guide them.
Actually, even as we pray for each church service on a coming Sunday, we should also pray that the Holy Spirit would fill the pastor’s mouth so that he preaches and teaches the Word of God. And also, we pray that the Holy Spirit would gather the church around Jesus Christ, around his word and Sacraments. And we also pray that the Holy Spirit would bring to our church each person that he wants to gather, and that when they come, that each person would be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that they become living temples of the Holy Spirit, and of the Word of God. The whole church everywhere is gathered and called together by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of mission in the church. The Holy Spirit is the one who converts people to the truth, and brings them to Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicts people of their sin, and of the fact that have not lived according to the commandments of God. The Holy Spirit brings people to repentance. But then also, the Holy Spirit shows to people their Saviour Jesus Christ, who died and paid for their sin with his own suffering and death and blood. The Holy Spirit works a living faith in people so that they trust in Jesus. So, you can see, that although we already have the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit has already been at work in all kinds of wonderful ways in our lives, we don’t stop asking for the Holy Spirit, but we keep praying for the Holy Spirit.
So, in our Gospel reading today, we read where Jesus speaking about the Holy Spirit, and particularly about the way in which he is coming. Jesus says: 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. And you will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Now, first of all, let’s remember the situation when Jesus was speaking these words. He was speaking to his disciples on Maundy Thursday night, the night when he was betrayed, and the day before he died, in the upper room, after he had celebrated his Last Supper, and had washed their feet. Let’s think, first of all, about how these words apply to those people who were there, and then second how they apply to us.
Jesus says: 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. And you will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Notice, first of all, what is said about the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls him the Helper. This word in Greek is parakletos, from which we get the word “Paraclete” which sometimes turns up in our hymns, as referring to the Holy Spirit. It can also mean: Comforter, or Advocate. So the Holy Spirit comes along side of us, and helps us, strengthens us, also pleads for us, defends us.
Jesus also calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth. This is very important for us to think about, especially in a time when “truth” is constantly being put to one side. Even in the news and in the media, with all kinds of issues, there are sometimes some things at which we scratch our heads and think: that’s not true. There’s spin on things. There’s often two sides of a story who are trying to push some propaganda, and it’s sometimes very difficult to ascertain what the facts are about this issue or that issue.
Remember that when Jesus spoke to Pontius Pilate about the truth, Pilate said: What is truth? Even back then, amongst the Romans, and probably amongst all kinds of people, there were many who just thought either that truth wasn’t important, that it didn’t even exist, or that it was a such an impossible task trying to find the truth, that it was just too hard even to think about it. Today, we have so much information thrown at us. It’s not all true.
When Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth, he’s not saying that the Holy Spirit is true for some people and not true for others. No, there is a truth, there are facts. People should search and seek for the truth, and if they do so, they should also know that there really is truth to be found, in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, and in the precious and holy Word of God, that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, has inspired and breathed into being.
So the Holy Spirit is the Helper, the Comforter, the Advocate, and also the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit doesn’t help us apart from truth, doesn’t comfort us apart from truth, or advocate for us in a way that is not true. There is nothing fake or misleading or untrue or ingenuine about the Holy Spirit.
Jesus then also says that He himself will send the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit will proceed from the Father. You can see the wonderful way in which the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all work together.
And then Jesus says something about the Holy Spirit and Himself. He says that the Holy Spirit will bear witness about me. And then he says about the apostles: You also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Do you see here that the Spirit of truth…bears witness about Jesus. No wonder Jesus says: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. All these things go together, and connect back to each other, and are intertwined.
Now, the apostles will bear witness. Jesus is talking about the future, on the Day of Pentecost and afterwards, when the apostles are going to begin their ministry and testify about Jesus in Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit will bear witness, and also the apostles bear witness. Now, these two things that Jesus says really shows to us the character of this time between the event where Jesus ascends to heaven, and before the Holy Spirit comes down at Pentecost.
The apostles can’t witness about Jesus, the can’t testify to the truth about anything, they can’t speak and preach this wonderful good news about the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, by themselves. Jesus already says to them: Apart from me you can do nothing. They can only do this work together with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit empowering them to do it. And so in this time before Pentecost, not a lot happens with the apostles. Of course, not much happens, because they can’t do anything without the Holy Spirit empowering and guiding and strengthening their mission. They can’t speak without the Holy Spirit giving them the words, they can’t go anywhere without the Holy Spirit sending them, they can’t do anything without the Holy Spirit working it through them.
And so, there is a time of waiting for the apostles. A time where they are shown by God their great weakness, their great uselessness, their great helplessness, and their complete and total insufficiency, and emptiness, without the Holy Spirit having come upon them.
And this is very important for us to know too. So, for example, we have started a little church here in Adelaide. And nothing can happen with it without the Holy Spirit. The building of the church, the growth of the church, the strength of the church all happens by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now, many Christians think about these things all over the place, because many churches in Australia and in western countries are shrinking and dwindling away. Of course, every church that has ever been gathered together by the Holy Spirit will dwindle and fade away. That’s just the way it is. We’re all going to die, and when we die, the Holy Spirit gathers us into a more glorious church. But of course, we ask the question in the meantime: we want the Gospel to go out, and to go out into our communities and we want people to come to church. How do we reach out to people?
There are many ideas about these things that are simply not from God, which simply corrupt and destroy the church. For example, I have seen articles written about mission, which basically say: Statistics show that the churches that are growing numerically are ones that plant other churches. So, if we want to grow, we should plant churches.
The problem with this talk is this. Where’s the zeal for souls? This attitude simply says, we want people to plant their bottoms on our seats, so that we can survive? By having their money. So whatever it takes to get people in, and have their money on the plate, that’s what we’ll do. No, no, no. That is the devil’s way of building a church.
People coming to church is the fruit of them having met Jesus. Our first task in our mission is not to bring people through the door, but to have them meet Jesus Christ. People need to see the great depths and magnitude of their sin, and their hopeless condition, and therefore they need to run into the arms of their Saviour. These arms of the living Lord Jesus are only accessible to anyone because they have pointed to them and shown them by the Holy Spirit.
But, for us, it’s not an easy job and not an easy task, simply to talk to people about the Christian faith, and about salvation by faith in Jesus alone, especially in our country and in our times when there’s so much talk against Christianity.
So, we need to ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us for the task. We need the Holy Spirit to send us to his school, to that we learn his way of being the church, and unlearn all the false ways. We will know so many people throughout our lives that are completely hardened to the Gospel, and to straight talk about the needs of their souls. Many people won’t listen. And so, we need the Holy Spirit’s help, and we need the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, and point us in the right direction. We need the Holy Spirit to send us to meet someone, and for the Holy Spirit to open our lips in our conversation, and for the Holy Spirit to direct our conversation, and move the person’s heart.
And so, what do we do? We ask for the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus has promised, and then we wait. We wait just like the disciples waited between Ascension and Pentecost. We need to wait and learn just how helpless and weak we are when we try and do anything in our way, on our terms. Our pride must be brought down and crushed. Our ideas must be scattered to dust. Our desire of always wanting to liked must be washed down the sink. And sometimes it takes some time for that to happen. But we leave the matter in the hands of the Holy Spirit, we leave it for him to make us useful in his time, and we leave it to him to use us as he wants to use us in building the mission of his church and the church of Jesus Christ.
And so, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. And so, a Christian, is someone who has been moved by the Holy Spirit, and awaked by the Holy Spirit, so that they believe the witness of these apostles, who testified with their own eyes, that Jesus Christ, truly and in fact and in deed, suffered, died, and rose from the dead. And that when we trust in him, our sins are forgiven and we are promised the gift of eternal life.
Even in the church today, these things are applied personally to us through the gift of Holy Baptism, where we are gathered and made part of Christ’s church. We are also given the Lord’s Supper, the holy and precious body and blood of Christ, where we are strengthen and blessed for the battles and the journey ahead.
In the meantime, then Jesus something to the apostles: I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 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. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
This is exactly what we were talking about. We know that it is difficult to testify about Jesus, and to talk about our faith. We can only do so with the power of the Holy Spirit, and we must wait for the Holy Spirit to empower us in his time to make us useful in whatever corner of the world we find ourselves.
But where there is the Holy Spirit, and where there is renewal in the church, where there is faithfulness to the word, where there is the growth and strengthening of true Christianity, then there is a conflict. The conflict will come from those people who know neither Jesus, nor the Father, Jesus says. There are many people in this world, who were in the Jewish synagogues, who are even part of the outward fellowship of the church, who sometimes have no interest in the Holy Spirit and his Word. They only believe what they think they already know. Anything new from the Word of God they reject, because they don’t believe that this Word is from the Holy Spirit. They only believe in a spirit that agrees with their own spirit, not in the Holy Spirit that transforms them by the renewing of their minds.
And so, we see here Jesus wonderfully preparing them for the Day of Pentecost coming in the future, and also for the many conflicts and troubles that they will have in their life and in the future. In a similar way, we ask our heavenly Father and Jesus to send us the Holy Spirit, to keep us always in the Word of God, and close to Jesus, and to make us temples of the Holy Spirit. And also, we ask the Holy Spirit to make us useful in Jesus’ kingdom in whatever way he wants to lead us and direct us. In the meantime, we wait for the Holy Spirit to act. We wait for him to tear us down where it is needed, and to build us up in his time. Psalm 115 says: Not to us, not to us, O Lord, but to you name be the glory! That’s the way things are in the kingdom of God. Let’s follow after Lord Jesus, ask him constantly to send us the Holy Spirit, and to fill us. Amen.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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