Deo Gloria
May 28+31, 2020
Sermon for Pentecost
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: John 16:5-11
Theme: Jesus Sends the Holy Spirit!
- To comfort his disciples
- To convince the world
Wouldn’t it be easier to be a Christian if Jesus was still here today? Wouldn’t it be easier to believe in Jesus and to follow him if Jesus was still here today? And wouldn’t it be easier to talk to others about our Savior if Jesus was still here today?
I think our initial reaction to that question would be, “Yes, of course it would. It would make all the difference in the world. If Jesus was still here, it would be so much easier to believe in him, so much easier to follow him in my daily life. And outreach—outreach would be a piece of cake. Talking to my friends and neighbors about Jesus would be a thousand times easier if Jesus was still here.”
And then we run across the statement Jesus makes in v. 7: “I tell you the truth: it is for your good that I am going away.” Now wait a minute. It’s for our good? I guess I don’t understand. I mean, I know Jesus doesn’t lie, but how is it good? How is it good for me and how is it good for you that Jesus has left and is no longer with us? We find the answer in the very same verse: because Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. He sends the Holy Spirit to comfort his disciples. He sends the Holy Spirit to convince the world.
The words of our text were spoken by our Savior on the evening of Maundy Thursday. That night, in the privacy of the Upper Room Jesus had broken the news to his twelve disciples: He would soon be leaving. Naturally, the disciples were saddened by such news and their hearts were troubled. Jesus was their leader. Jesus was their Lord. During the past three years they had developed more than just a close relationship with him. They had learned to rely on him and trust in him like no one else. And now he was going to be leaving? What would happen once Jesus was gone? How would they carry on? Whom would they look to for leadership and guidance? In these verses Jesus comforts his disciples by telling them that even through he would be leaving, he would not be leaving them alone. Instead he would send them the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost is the celebration of the fulfillment of Jesus’ words. Ten days after he ascended into heaven Jesus kept his promise and sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples. But who is the Holy Spirit anyway? And what exactly does he do?
Well, contrary to what some might like to say, the Holy Spirit is not a thing or an it. He is not “the Force” or another name for God’s power. He is a real person, just like the Father and the Son. And just like the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is truly God. He is not a ghost or a phantom. He is not a glorified angel. He is God. And as God, he is capable of doing some pretty incredible things.
For one thing, the Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of the world. Remember those words from Genesis ch. 1, where it mentions that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the deep”(v. 2)?
The Holy Spirit was also involved in Jesus’ incarnation. It was through a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit that the Son of God was conceived in Mary’s womb.
Likewise it was the Holy Spirit who enabled the disciples to speak in tongues on the day of Pentecost, making it possible for them to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the different peoples gathered in Jerusalem.
Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Counselor.” If you’re familiar with the King James Version, you may remember that they translated the same word as “Comforter.” The picture behind the word is that of someone who comes to your side for assistance. Let’s say you just had knee surgery and were laid up for a while. So a friend of yours decided to come and stay with you for a month or two to help you until you were back on your feet again. That’s the idea behind the word “counselor,” someone who comes to your side to give you help and assistance.
The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to his disciples, helped them in a number of ways. For one thing, he helped them remember what Jesus had told them. After Jesus was gone, the disciples would not be left wondering, “Now what was it Jesus said about how to get to heaven? Do you take the high road or the low road? What was it again?” No, the Holy Spirit helped the disciples remember exactly what Jesus said so they could proclaim the good news about Jesus with accuracy.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit helped the disciples understand what Jesus had told them. On any number of occasions the things that Jesus said went woosh, right over the disciples’ heads. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, the disciples finally understood. They understood the truths that Jesus had been teaching them. And they, in turn, could present those truths to others with clarity.
A third way the Holy Spirit helped the disciples is by giving them the confidence to proclaim the gospel message. Before Pentecost the disciples were afraid and timid. They were reluctant to talk to others about Jesus. They were afraid of how people might respond, afraid of what might happen to them if they did speak up. But not after Pentecost, not after Jesus sent them the Holy Spirit. As we heard in our Scripture reading earlier, Peter and the other apostles stood up in front of a large crowd of people, some of the very same people who had called for Jesus’ crucifixion, and boldly proclaimed repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ name. What a helper! What a counselor the Holy Spirit proved to be for Jesus’ disciples!
The Spirit serves in the same capacity today. Obviously, our Lord and Savior is no longer with us; but he hasn’t left us alone either. He sends the Holy Spirit to his modern day disciples as well. For many of us that happened at the time of our baptism. It was then, through the power of God’s Word, that the Holy Spirit created faith in our hearts, faith to trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Without the Spirit and his work you and I would not be Christians today.
It was also at that time that the Holy Spirit came and took up residence in our hearts. Our bodies became a temple of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that amazing? Through his Spirit the eternal God of heaven has not only claimed us as his own, but he lives with us. He lives in us. This is his home.
And just as he helped the first disciples, so the Spirit helps us as well. For one thing, he helps us understand what Jesus tells us in his Word. Indeed without his help it would all be a bunch of nonsense, a bunch of confusing, meaningless doctrines. But the Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and minds. He enlightens us so we understand the truths that Jesus is teaching us in his Word and believe those truths.
Secondly, the Spirit helps us remember. When we think we’re all alone, left to face the challenges and difficulties of life by ourselves, the Spirit reminds us of our Savior’s promise: “Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age”(Mt 28:20). When we’re struggling financially, wondering where we’re going to find the money to pay this month’s rent or pay the repair bill for our car, the Spirit reassures us with the words of Psalm 23: “The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing”(23:1). When we’re lying in the hospital, a bit concerned or perhaps even afraid of what might happen in surgery the following day, the Spirit comforts us by reminding us of the beautiful words recorded in the book of Isaiah: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”(41:10).
And he’s the one who helps us proclaim God’s Word to others. The Spirit is the one who puts that desire in our hearts to talk to that friend of ours, that neighbor across the street or that co-worker at the office about our Savior Jesus. Likewise, the Spirit is the one who gives us the confidence to speak up when we have the opportunity. In addition, the Spirit helps us remember what the Bible says about Jesus so we don’t get it all mixed up. In fact, sometimes he even puts the very words in our mouths. What a counselor we have! What a helper we have in the Holy Spirit whom our Savior Jesus sends to us!
But what if people don’t listen? What if people don’t believe us when we tell them about Jesus Christ, our Savior? How can we convince them that what we’re saying is true? How can we convince them that Jesus is real and that they need to believe in him if they ever want to live in heaven? You and I don’t have to. You heard me right. You and I don’t have to. You and I don’t have to convince people that the Bible is true or that Jesus is real. You and I don’t have to try to convince people to believe in Jesus. That’s the Spirit’s job.
Jesus describes this work of the Holy Spirit in verses 8-11:
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
You may have noticed that the NIV uses the word convict. I prefer the word convince myself. The meaning is quite similar. The original word means “to demonstrate by proof or evidence, to prove” or “to bring to light, to expose.” Naturally, if you demonstrate or prove to someone that they’re wrong or that they did something wrong, you convict them. That’s where that meaning comes from. At the same time, demonstrating something by proof or evidence is the way you “convince” someone, the way you convince them of the truth. The point here is that the Holy Spirit does the convincing. He is the one who leads people to see and understand and believe the truth. As Jesus says in these verses, the Holy Spirit leads people to believe the truth about sin, the truth about righteousness and the truth about judgment.
Many people now days don’t believe there is such a thing as sin. We live in an age of relativism, where there is no absolute standard of right and wrong. Instead, everyone is supposed to determine their own standard of morality. What’s wrong for you may not be wrong for someone else. It depends on the situation. It depends on their childhood environment. It depends of their genetic predisposition. And how dare we say that something is wrong, like homosexuality, for instance, or an unmarried couple living together! How dare we say such behavior is wrong or sinful! That’s being unloving. That’s being judgmental. Well, you know what? The world is wrong. There is such a thing as right and wrong. There is such a thing as sin. And like it or not, we all are sinful. But how do we convince them of that? How do we convince people that they are sinful and need a Savior to rescue them from sin? We don’t. The Holy Spirit does. What we are to do is tell people what the Bible says, like what it says in the book of Romans, that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(3:23); and then let the Holy Spirit take it from there. Through the power of God’s Word the Spirit will lead people to see the truth. He will lead them to see their sins and also their need for a Savior. The Spirit convinces the world of sin.
He does the same in regard to righteousness. Again many people today have a rather distorted view of righteousness. Some don’t think that righteousness is really necessary to live with God in heaven. After all, God is love. He would never send anybody to hell. Others think that righteousness is graded on a curve. As long as you’re not really bad, as long as you’re at least in the better 50% of humanity, you’ll make it to heaven. Again the world is wrong. But how are we going to convince people of that? How are we going to convince people that God does demand righteousness, real righteousness, and that they won’t get into heaven without it? We don’t have to. The Holy Spirit does. What we are to do is tell people what the Bible says, that God is holy, that God hates sin, that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags, and let the Holy Spirit take care of the rest. Through the power of God’s Word the Spirit will lead them to see the truth, that without righteousness they won’t get into heaven. And then he’ll lead them to look to their Savior Jesus for that righteousness.
And the same is true concerning judgment. Many people now days scoff at the idea of Judgment Day, that someday they might actually have to answer to God for the things they have done. Many people believe this world of ours is never, ever going to end. Once again, the world is wrong. But how do we convince them of that? How do we prove to people that the world is really going to come to an end someday and then they will have to stand before God and be judged? Again, we don’t. The Holy Spirit does. We simply need to tell people what the Bible says and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. Through God’s powerful Word the Holy Spirit will convince people. He will lead them to see and believe the truth about Judgment Day and that they need to be ready before that day comes.
And isn’t that a relief? Isn’t that a tremendous comfort for you and me as we strive to share God’s Word with others, as we strive to witness to our friends and neighbors about our Savior Jesus? It’s not up to us. It doesn’t depend on us to make the gospel work or to convince people to believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit will do the convincing as we, like the disciples, proclaim the good news about Jesus to the world.
Would it be better if Jesus was still here? I suppose in some ways it might, but not if it meant our Savior had to withdraw the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is such a comfort for us. He’s such a tremendous helper, especially when it comes to carrying out the work our Savior has given us to do, that of spreading his Word and making disciples of all nations. Today, on the day of Pentecost, we make a special point to praise and thank our Lord for sending the Holy Spirit, the one who comforts his disciples and the one who convinces the world. Amen.