25 “All this I have spoken while still with you.
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of
everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I
leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
- John 14:25-27, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
The disciples were gathered together under one roof. Ten long days had passed since Jesus had gone into heaven. They went back to Jerusalem and waited just as Jesus told them before he ascended. They waited for the gift that Jesus had promised them, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Over a week later, maybe some of them began to wonder if that gift would ever come.
But on the first day of the week, some strange things began to happen. The sound of a violent rushing wind came down from heaven and filled the house where they were sitting. Tongues of fire separated and came to rest on each of the disciples’ heads. And the greatest miracle of all, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. These disciples, men with little or no formal education, began to preach to people from all over the Roman Empire in their native tongues.
The festival we celebrate today, the day we call Pentecost, was a glorious day for Christianity. It is sometimes called the birthday of the church because, on a single day, 3,000 were brought to faith through the work of the Holy Spirit.
But when Jesus spoke the words of our text, there was no New Testament church. It was before Jesus’ ascension, before his death and resurrection, even before his betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus spoke these words to his disciples in the upper room on Maundy Thursday.
Jesus was well aware of the difficult road that lay before him. He could also see that the disciples were not ready for him to leave. They were weak. They were confused. They needed more training in the truth. Knowing this, Jesus gave them a promise. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to comfort them and to give them strength for the challenges ahead.
How about you? Can you relate to the disciples? Are there times when you feel lost or confused? Do you ever pray for someone or something to help you cope with your problems? Do you need help?
DO YOU NEED SOME COUNSELING?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, I have some good news for you. Your prayers have been answered because Jesus meets your needs. Even though Jesus has ascended into heaven, he has not left us all alone. Just as he promised the disciples on Maundy Thursday, just as he made good on that promise on Pentecost, he sends the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, to guide us through life. When you are in need of counsel...
I. The Spirit will teach you everything you need to know.
II. The Spirit will assure you of the peace you have.
The Holy Spirit is often referred to as the third person in the Holy Trinity. Unfortunately, that position in the Godhead can lead people to think that he is third in rank or the least important. The Spirit is sometimes neglected, set off in a corner, and his work is misunderstood.
There is no question that the Father is the Almighty Creator, the Maker and Preserver of all things. There is no doubt that the Son is the Redeemer who lived and died to take away the sins of the world. But as vital as their work is, neither the Father nor the Son is superior to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son in power and glory and honor. And the Spirit’s work is just as important for our salvation.
We call that work sanctification. That means the Holy Spirit is the one who makes us holy. Without the Holy Spirit, a person cannot come to faith. As Luther says in his explanation to the third article of the Apostles’ Creed: "I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him."
Luther goes on to say: "But the Holy Ghost has called me by the gospel." The Holy Spirit does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He creates faith in us through the gospel. We were privileged to witness that miracle again today in the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Through the water and the Word, the Holy Spirit enters a sin-darkened heart and makes it his home.
But his work does not end there. Once we have been brought to faith, the Spirit also keeps us holy. He builds us up through the Word and sacraments. By these means of grace, he makes faith grow and gives us the strength to repel the attacks of Satan.
The Spirit is our Counselor. He teaches us the way to salvation. He guides us along the path to eternal life. He also reminds us who we are. Jesus told the disciples: "[The Spirit] will... remind you of everything I have said to you" (26).
The Holy Spirit was crucial for the disciples’ work. He came upon them on Pentecost and empowered them to preach boldly. But what if Jesus had not given the gift he promised? What if the Spirit would not have come? What if Pentecost never happened? Without the Holy Spirit, there would be no faith, no believers, no Christian church as we know it.
That is exactly why Pentecost is such a special and important day. The Holy Spirit came down from heaven and breathed life into the church. The Holy Spirit reminded the disciples who they were. He empowered them to share the message of salvation. He has also made sure that this message will never be lost.
To preserve the truth of the gospel for future generations, the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Holy Scripture. The authors of the Bible never wrote down their own opinion or ideas. Peter says that prophecy never had its origin in the will of man (II Peter 1:21). The writers spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Bible is not man’s word. It is God’s Word. And the message the disciples preached on Pentecost is the same message we believe and teach today.
When I was in high school, I lived in the dormitory and went home on most weekends. So it became a weekly ritual for my dad to drive me back to school on Sunday night. During that short trip, we would talk about school and sports and some other things I don’t remember anymore.
I will never forget the last thing he said to me before he dropped me off. "Remember who you are." He didn’t add anything else. And he didn’t have to, because I knew exactly what he meant. When you are tempted to sin, remember who you are. Remember that you are a Christian, a redeemed child of God.
This was sound advice for a young Christian in high school. It is still a good reminder for us because it is all too easy to forget. It is easy to inadvertently forget who we are until tragedy strikes and we run to God for help. It is tempting to conveniently forget who we are when we are caught up in a repeated pattern of sin and don’t want to change.
And it makes no difference if a person has a photographic memory. We all forget about God. We fail to appreciate what God has done for us. We fail to do what God’s law requires of us. And a simple "I forgot" will be not be acceptable when we stand before the judgment throne of God.
The disciples had been with Jesus about three years. They were well aware of their shortcomings. They remembered their many failures. They knew what they deserved. Jesus did not want to kick them when they were down. Instead, he offered them words of hope. He promised to send his Holy Spirit to reaffirm his promises of love and forgiveness. The Counselor assures repentant sinners of the peace we have.
Jesus told his disciples: "My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives" (27). The peace of God and the peace of the world are worlds apart. "Shalom," the Hebrew word for "peace," is the common Jewish word of greeting or farewell. But this kind of "peace" is nothing more than a pious wish like we might say: "Have a good day."
The peace of the world has no solid foundation. For proof, just look at the current political situation in the Middle East. Two years ago, I traveled all over Israel and never once felt that I was in any physical danger. Israel and its neighboring nations were at peace. But only a few months later, the region is anything but peaceful. You can open your newspaper on any given day and read about the latest skirmishes and bombings, and the inevitable deaths that follow.
That is why Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you." The peace that comes from Jesus is not political. It is not based on human emotions. Ceasefires can be broken. Feelings change. But our peace in Christ remains the same.
Jesus established peace between God and man by his death on the cross. Through Christ’s suffering and death and resurrection, we have been reconciled to God. We no longer look at God and see an angry judge. We see a loving Father with his arms open wide. And we do not look off into the distant future and hope for a peace that may or may not come. We enjoy the benefits of eternal peace with God right now.
How can we be so sure? When Jesus spoke to his disciples on Maundy Thursday, they did not know what the future would bring. But Jesus did. He spoke with complete certainty: "All this I have spoken while still with you" (25). Jesus’ death was still a day away, but he acted as if his work was already finished. Already then, he knew that peace was ours.
The Bible gives us many examples of when the disciples acted confused and afraid. But if we took those accounts one by one, we would soon see that they really had nothing to fear. Even when Jesus was arrested and the disciples were scattered, even when he was nailed to the cross like a common criminal, even Jesus’ death was not really a sad occasion. It was a reason to rejoice. The Holy Spirit opened the eyes of the disciples to understand this on Pentecost. They were filled with the Spirit and spoke boldly about the risen and ascended Lord.
Next week NBC will begin airing a new reality-based program called "Fear Factor." Based on what I gathered from the promotional spots on TV, the participants will be asked to put themselves in dangerous situations on camera to win fabulous prizes. As part of the competition, they will have to confront and overcome their greatest fears.
When Jesus tells us, "Do not be afraid," there is no guarantee that we will never be fearful again. Everyone, every Christian, has a list of personal fears: fear of heights, fear of closed in spaces, fear of flying, fear of failure, fear of the dark, fear about an uncertain future, fear of death.
But Jesus’ words on Maundy Thursday, backed up by his actions on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, assure us that we have nothing to fear. Fear is no longer a factor for us because Jesus has met our greatest need. Fear is no longer a factor for us because Jesus has defeated our most powerful enemies. Therefore, we have nothing to fear. Therefore, we have everything to gain. Therefore, we have wonderful news to share.
The world is full of teachers and counselors, people who have been trained to help people with every problem imaginable. The local Yellow Pages lists career counselors, family counselors, marriage and divorce counselors. There is counseling available for eating disorders and addictions to drugs or alcohol. You can get stress, anxiety, and depression counseling. All of these different services have their place, and these counselors help many people with their problems.
But do not forget that you have another Counselor. He offers you his services for free and his counsel never fails. When you are in trouble, when you need help, the Holy Spirit is always there for you. The Holy Spirit is your Counselor. He teaches you everything you need to know and assures you of the peace you have. Amen.