1.
Grace,
mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Amen. We continue our sermon series on the “Basics
of the Christian Faith,” by looking at:
“The Trinity We Profess--the
Spirit Who Sustains,” dear brothers
and sisters in Christ.
2.
A
pastor in Ann Arbor, Michigan, tells of a woman who lived near his church. This woman was well known for her negativity. In fact, she was not only a hostile person,
she “seethed with hate,” he said. She’d
been a church member at one time but had dropped out 20 years before. Something had happened, but no one now could
remember what that had changed for 20 years.
And so for those 20 years she was filled with hate. And yet, the Pastor said that the woman came
one week to visit the church again. She
came back the next week and the week after that. She attended services and meetings for about
a month. Then one day the woman walked
up to the pastor in the church. To his surprise,
he saw a totally different person. The
woman said to him with a smile, “Hey, you
know, the Christianity stuff really works!”
3.
That’s
all there is to the story. It’s a true
story and it really happened. But, it’s
no more dramatic than that. And yet,
it’s very dramatic. Christianity really
works! God’s means of grace, His Word
and the Sacraments really work. The
warming fellowship with other Christians and the encouragement in our Lord’s love
that happens in that fellowship really work.
God the Holy Spirit does within us those things that we can’t do. Christianity really works.
4.
But,
is the Holy Spirit a kind of “cosmic force” or “universal wisdom” that fills
all people? The Holy Spirit isn’t some
kind of force field that floats through the universe. But, he’s also not some kind of mysterious
“life principle” that unites everything that exists in some kind of cosmic
entity. Neither is He some kind of
philosophical idea or “inner wisdom” that lives in all people. Instead of all of this, the Bible tells us that
the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He’s our Sanctifier, the one who brings us to
faith and sustains us in that faith. The
Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is God.
It assigns to Him personal names--the “Spirit of Grace,” the “Spirit of
Christ,” and the “Holy Spirit.” The
Bible also assigns to Him the characteristics and attributes that only God has
such as: holiness, omnipotence,
omniscience, and eternal existence. The
Bible attributes to Him work that only God can do and gives to Him divine honor
and glory.
5.
Some
people think that God forces people to come to faith or that He gives us a
choice of resisting Him or turning to Him.
The Holy Spirit deserves that glory for all He is and all does. We especially praise Him for His work in
bringing us into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. A story is told about Robert Ingersoll, a
famous atheist of decades ago. It’s said
that he went about the country lecturing to large groups, seeking to disprove
God’s existence. On one occasion,
Ingersoll attempted to explain away the resurrection of Lazarus. He claimed that this miracle was really just
a trick that Jesus used to boost his waning fortunes. In Ingersoll’s version of the story, Lazarus
was a good friend of Jesus who pretended to die. He then let himself be dressed in grave
clothes by his friends and buried. The
plan, according to Ingersoll, called for Jesus to pass by the grave some days
later and give a cue by calling Lazarus’ name.
Lazarus would then come out from the tomb and everyone would think Jesus
had performed a miracle and believe that He really was God. To make his point, Ingersoll asked the
audience, “Now can anyone tell me why
Jesus said, Lazarus come forth?” A
Christian in the back of the room replied, “Because
if He hadn’t said Lazarus, the whole graveyard at Bethany would have come out
to meet Him.”
6.
This
story illustrates well the nature of our conversion. Lazarus, truly dead, couldn’t even move his
finger until Jesus spoke His divine words.
And so we who were spiritually dead couldn’t come to Jesus by
ourselves. We couldn’t turn to Him. We couldn’t decide it was in our best
interests to have faith in Him. We
couldn’t create faith inside our own hearts.
We couldn’t turn to God in repentance and faith. No, we were spiritually dead. Remember Jesus’ words? You did
not choose Me, but I chose you?” The
Holy Spirit chose us. He called us out
of death into life. His Word gave us
spiritual life and eternal life, just as surely as Jesus’ Word gave Lazarus new
physical life. God’s Word has power to
create new life. And this new life is
totally His work and not our own.
7.
But,
do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our conversion? In the same breath with which we declare how
totally dependent we are upon our Lord for our salvation, we shout with joyful
praise to God because He’s done for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. Picture conversion a little like this: imagine yourself walking up to a large
building on which is written the large letters THE HOLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Over the entrance is a sign that reads, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you
will be saved.” You think, “Well, that makes sense. I read the Bible. I pray.
I go to church. I fellowship with
other Christians. I will decide to
become a Christian,” and you go through the door. But, once inside the building, you look up
over the doorway and above the entrance is a sign that says, “The only way you got in here was by the
grace of God.” And now the
Christians sees spiritually with the eyes of faith that it wasn’t a matter of
deciding to believe, but of God at work that made entrance into the Christian
church possible. Our conversion to
Christ happens entirely because the Holy Spirit has worked new life in us. He alone creates and sustains within us
saving faith in Jesus. We don’t cooperate. God in His grace alone causes our conversion.
8.
Some
people think that the day of Pentecost was the birthday of the church. The Holy Spirit has done His saving work down
through history. You know the verse: “No one
can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit,” from 1 Cor. 12:3. Throughout the entire Old Testament the Holy
Spirit drew people into the family of God.
He created within them faith in the Savior who was to come as He gave them
many divine promises about the Savior and His work. In that sense, the Christian church predates
Pentecost by centuries. But, we also
need to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit’s work today is different from His
work in the Old Testament church. In the
Old Testament the Holy Spirit “filled” mainly prophets, priests, and kings. He equipped them for their work as God’s
servants. But, today the Holy Spirit
fills all of God’s people for the same purpose.
To equip us for our work as God’s servants. In fact, the New Testament clearly calls
Christ’s people priests, kings and even prophets. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood” and Rev. 1:6 says, “Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests
to serve our God.”
9.
On
Pentecost Peter pointed to the prophecy of Joel in which God promised His Old
Testament people that one day their sons and daughters would prophesy, “Even on my servants, both men and women, I
will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophecy” (Acts
2:18). God had promised this 800 years
before the birth of Jesus. In this sense
something dramatic happened to the church on the day of Pentecost. It was so dramatic that the apostles
themselves referred to it as “the beginning” in Acts 11. What began at Pentecost continues today. Think of it!
You and I have a power that at one time was reserved for only prophets,
priests, and kings. The Holy Spirit is
alive and at work in us to empower us for works and words of witness.
10.
Is
our love for God the motive for all we do in our Christian life? The Spirit gives us a zeal for seeing God’s
kingdom advance. The Spirit works
courage in our hearts, especially during times of persecution. The Spirit builds within us a desire for
worship and with compassion for the people around us. The Holy Spirit stirs within our hearts a
hunger and thirst for God’s Word and the Sacraments. The Spirit creates within us love for God and
for other people. Love isn’t simply a
“motive” or our motive. Instead its
evidence that God is at work within us.
Love isn’t something we bring into being on our own. The Holy Spirit creates it within us. He does that as He works through His Word and
Sacraments to develop the image of Christ within us.
11.
We
talked about conversion. In one sense,
it happens only once. But, it’s also a
lifelong process of transformation we call sanctification. We are even now “becoming Christians” growing
more and more like Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. People really miss the boat when they think
that the objective of the Christian is to learn and keep the 10
Commandments. Christians aren’t just a
people who “follow a set of rules.” The
Holy Spirit is working in us to transform us so that we share Christ’s
attitudes and see people with the eyes of Jesus. When that happens our lives become lives of
response. Like trees whose roots have
grown deep into soil, we bear the fruit of the Spirit. Not because we try hard, but because we know
who we are in Jesus. Just as sin used to
come naturally in our lives, so now it comes natural to bear the fruit of the
Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and all the rest (Gal.
5:22-23).
12.
Jesus
called the Holy Spirit the “Helper.”
Where do you need help right now?
With a particular temptation?
With a challenge in your family or job?
With your finances or future?
Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter.” Where do you need comfort? As you tell about Jesus to a loved one? As you face surgery? As you remember that sin and the way you’ve
committed it again and again? As you
listen to that coworker mock your faith in Jesus? As the love you tried to show is
misunderstood?
13.
The
Holy Spirit is here for you. He lives in
you. The Holy Spirit is transforming you
to be more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit
wants to comfort and help you no matter how insignificant you think your needs
are. No matter how impossible you think
your situation looks. He’s reaching out
to you in love. Let Him take your
hand. Amen.
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