Pentecost Sunday May
31, 2009
John 15:26-27;16:4b-15 What is the Work of the
Holy Spirit, Really?
Dear fellow
redeemed,
Does your
church stress the work of the Holy Spirit?
* Have
you ever been asked that question? The Lutheran
Church has often been criticized for de-emphasizing the work of the Holy
Spirit.
Presumably we don’t have an appreciation for the Holy Spirit and the gifts
he grants Christians in this day and age.
* The thinking
of many goes something like this: The Gospels emphasize Christ. He did his thing on the cross and payed for
our sins, earning our salvation. But
then Jesus promised to send his Helper or Comforter.
* And
that should be our emphasis today. We need to talk less about theology and the
teachings of Christ. And we need to talk
more about the Holy Spirit’s work, such as being filled with the Holy
Spirit, speaking in tongues, performing healings, and other gifts of the
Spirit.
* Without
the Holy Spirit, we are merely nominal Christians.
We’re apathetic about our faith, we’re definitely lacking in emotion, and
we’re going to have a hard time convincing anyone that we’re a true believer.
So what do you
think? Shall we have less talk about
Jesus and his work and more talk about the Holy Spirit?
* Well,
you might find this interesting, but the day of Pentecost hasn’t so much to do
with getting to know the Holy Spirit as much as it does getting to know Jesus.
That’s our purpose this day. But
for an answer to the question “What is the Work of the Holy Spirit, Really?”
let’s turn to the words of Christ and let Jesus answer the question.
* Here’s
what he says: “When the Helper comes, who I will send to you from the
Father, the Spirit of truth . . . he will bear witness about me.”
* Did
you catch that? The Holy Spirit’s job is
to draw attention not to himself but to Christ.
** We
may think of Da Vinci’s famous Lord’s Supper painting which appears on the wall
of a dining hall in an Italian convent.
* People
can talk all they want about the story of the painting.
It’s not a fresco. Da Vinci instead
used experimental pigments and painted the image directly on the dry plaster
wall.
* As a result the painting had problems
even before Da Vinci was finished.
The paint started flaking
from the wall and he had to repair it.
* People
can also point out how over the years the painting has been vandalized, bombed
and restored more than once.
* However, when
all is said and done Da Vinci’s intent was not to have all the talk about
himself and his painting. He wanted to
bear witness to Christ who sits at the middle of the table with his twelve
disciples on both sides.
When it comes
to the Holy Spirit and his role in the Church we can say the same thing. His purpose is not to draw attention to
himself but Christ.
* Point us to
the Gospel message about our Savior: that’s the Holy Spirit’s sole objective.
* We
pick upon this also from today’s second reading. When the people were amazed and asked, “What
does this mean?” Peter finally gets to the point in the last verse of the
reading when he says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
* What
did it mean when the Holy Spirit came upon them all enabling them to hear
people from all parts of the continent speak in their own tongue?
* It
was very simple. Those who believe in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, are
those who are saved.
So what does
this all have to do with me?
* Well,
as it may be said regarding the Holy Spirit, so it may be said regarding
you. When it comes to the Holy Spirit’s
work in you, there’s a lot less to say about you and a whole lot more to
say about Jesus.
* To
be sure, many people, would prefer to talk about themselves.
1 There’s the Highschool or Junior High
student who thinks he knows every-thing.
Sure he’s got straight A-s. Sure
he’s the star player on the varsity team.
But do I have to hear all about it all the time?
2 Or maybe it’s your sister or aunt. All she can talk about are her kids and
grandkids, and how they’re admiration of everyone who crosses their path.
3 Or there’s that person at work who can’t
stop talking about his amazing ventures.
He’s traveled here and there, done this and that, and we’ll never be
able to compete.
* As
far as this person is concerned in any given case, he or she is the absolute
center of the universe. Everything
revolves around him or her.
The talk is always about me and what’s going on in my life.
* If
it wasn’t somewhat sad, we might find it a bit fascinating.
Doesn’t he or she know what makes a good conversationalist?
It’s one who’s able to bring other people and their lives into the
discussion.
On the other
hand, how different is our talk when we speak as Christians?
* The
Holy Spirit has been at work in you and me through the Gospel and the
sacraments. But does our conversation
really show it?
* It’s easier to
talk about myself than talk about Christ and what he’s done.
1 So we talk about our sacrifices over the
last few months. We’re not complaining.
We’re not bragging. But there’s a time to let people see the right kind
of example. And sometimes that means
pointing it out in a subtle way.
2 Or we talk about how our faith has hung
in there despite our recent burdens. We
might not be very rich or very healthy.
Maybe we’re not even liked by everyone.
But at least we have our faith.
3 Or we talk about how God has blessed us.
He’s given us a wonderful family, a wonderful job and a wonderful home.
* In
any one of these cases, there’s nothing expressly wrong with our
comments. And to some extent we are
bringing the Lord into it.
But what people are really thinking about in the end is how things are
going better for you or me.
* Going back to that classmate, that
sister, or fellow worker.
We may often agree: “This person means well. Maybe they’re not even aware that they’re
talking about themselves all the time.
* The
truth is they just want to be accepted.
And it’s the only way they know how to dialogue with other people.
It’s what might
be said of the way we talk as Christians.
We mean
well. We just want to be accepted.
* We want to be
someone. And we often have a hard time
in our conversation venturing too far out from what’s happening here in our own
little world.
* That’s how it
often was for the disciples. What they
thought and what they said had to do with their own personal lives, and had
little to do with Christ’s life and what he had planned out for the world.
* In
today’s reading, for example, Jesus says to them: “Now I am going to him who
sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’”
* They
didn’t want to ask. This was not
something they wanted to talk about.
I guess they sensed their world was about to change quite
drastically.
* They
would have preferred talking about Christ establishing his Kingdom.
Jesus could prove he accepted them as his devoted disciples by giving them
important positions in the life they were currently enjoying with their Lord.
* When
James and John requested sitting on Christ’s right and left in his Kingdom,
they were simply expressing what all the disciples had hoped for.
* They wanted to
know that Jesus had use for them. He
would not abandon them. So why was he
talking about returning to the Father?
We can learn
something from the disciples. The only
time we get anxious about Jesus deserting us, is when we permit our focus to
shift away from him.
* Do
you want feel accepted in this life?
Do you want to be someone in your world?
Are you afraid that you’re not the Christian that you should be?
* Just
remember What the Work of the Holy Spirit Really Is.
His work is not about spiffing up your spiritual gifts.
It’s not about making you the center of attention in your favorite
Christian circle. His work is not even
primarily about you getting filled with the Spirit, or feeling your faith or
talking about your strong faith.
* The work of
the Holy Spirit is about Jesus and you knowing and trusting in him as your
Savior from sin.
* Jesus tells
his disciples: “When the Spirit of truth comes. . .He will glorify me, for
he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
* In
the case of the disciples, the Holy Spirit declared the Gospel directly to
their hearts and minds.
* They were inspired by
the Holy Spirit so that would they speak and write exactly what Christ would
have his whole church know about the truth.
* In our case the Holy
Spirit declares his truth to our heart through his written Word and through his
messengers. He causes us to believe in our Savior and his work of saving
sinners.
* So the work of the Holy
Spirit is not about you. It’s not about
me.
It’s not even about the Holy
Spirit per se. It’s about the truth and
what the Holy Spirit teaches us about Jesus.
* Jesus has taken
our sin upon himself wiping it out permanently on the cross. Jesus
has judged the ruler of this world and silenced his accusations by rising from the
dead. And it is Jesus who takes
what is his and gives it to us: his very own righteousness and life
everlasting.
Many today, unfortunately, don’t want us to see
Jesus or to even think about him.
* They’d rather that we
think about the Holy Spirit, or that we think about what it means to be a
Christian. They want us to focus our
thoughts on anything but the atoning sacrifice of our Savior.
* I’m sure that’s why
Paul once declared to the Corinthians: “For I decided to know nothing among
you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
* Well, the Holy Spirit
permits us to make the same statement.
“I will know Christ alone and what he’s done to save a wretched sinner
such as myself.”
That’s the Holy Spirit’s
work. And it’s nothing to be ashamed
about.
* I’m reminded of your
family member with Alzheimer’s whom I see in the nursing home. After I arrive in her room there’s the
question whether I should give her
Communion.
* It’s not a real difficult decision
though. Does she know Jesus?
The truth is: Jesus may be the
only one she still knows.
* And that’s nothing to
be ashamed of and nothing for us to be afraid of.
When we know Jesus and his
work, when thanks to the Holy Spirit, we know that we are accepted by God
through the blood of our Savior, we know everything we need to know. Amen.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.