Jesus Explains the Work of the Holy Spirit

Readings: Joel 2:28, 29; Psalm 51; Acts 2:1-21; John 16:5-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let us pray

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

I want to start by these wonderful words of our Lord Jesus in our Gospel text from verse 7 to 11 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

Jesus spoke these words in the upper room on a Maundy Thursday. He spoke these words when He was just about to be crucified. These words he said to His disciples. His disciples didn’t understand the meaning of these words. Jesus’ time to leave the disciples had come and yet the disciples were not willing to let Him go back to His Father. And that is why non of them asked Him. “Where are you going”. Jesus’ physical mission on earth was coming to an end; He was going to die on the cross, He was going to be buried, and after three days He was going to rise from the dead, and after forty days He was going to ascend into heaven. Jesus did all these stuff for His disciples and for us all. Jesus did all these for the forgiveness of all our sins and for the sins of the world. Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and ascension was for His disciples and for our benefit.

Jesus says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Without Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the helper, that is, the Holy Spirit could have not come. And therefore, the main content of today’s Gospel text is the mission of the Holy Spirit, and that is why Jesus Explains the Work of the Holy Spirit for us.

There are a lot of teachings about the Holy Spirit and His work. Some people teach that the Holy Spirit is like a magic power that makes people to speak in tongues or to speak in the language that people don’t understand. Others think that the Holy Spirit makes people to have dreadlocks, and  He makes them not to have shower, and to walk very long distances. Others also think that the Holy Spirit is not God. All these are what we call the African Spiritism and the Pentecostalism of this sinful world. Remember that Jesus is not of this world though He came to save the world. We are also not of this world though we live in this world. Even us we would love that Jesus could have not gone to His Father. He could be living with us in this world today. We would love to see His physical miracles everyday. We would love to behold His physical presence everyday. But it was important for Jesus to go back to His Father so that He may bring us another Helper. Remember, physically, Jesus would be in one place at a time. And through His Holy Spirit He is everywhere at the same time. The Holy Spirit is with us forever and wherever we are while we are still in this sinful world.

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the third Person in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God. The Athanasian creed says that, “We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance. For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another. But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son  and of the Holy Spirit is one; the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.” The Holy Spirit does not speak on behalf of man or the world or the devil, No!, the Holy Spirit testifies about the Father and the Son. The work of the Holy Spirit is conviction. And this is what Jesus explains for the disciples and for us today.

Jesus says, “And when he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: This means that the Holy Spirit convicts only the world, and who is the world; those who do not believe in Christ. And the Holy Spirit only convicts the world about three things; sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. This doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit is going to be the law for us to show us our sins. No! This means that the Holy Spirit will call us to faith by the Gospel to partake of the Spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus. This is because we don’t believe in Jesus. We really need the Holy Spirit to begin and sustain our faith in Christ because by nature we are spiritually blind, dead, and enemies of God. By our reasons or strengths we cannot believe in Jesus Christ or call Him our Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit, through Christ’s Word, when it is preached, heard, and pondered, Christ becomes effective, active and alive in us, He converts our hearts to true repentance and preserve us in the true faith. Jesus wills that all the world believe in Him. And that is the main work of the Holy Spirit; to bring us to that saving faith.

Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer. This means that the Holy Spirit will only tell us about the righteousness of Christ for our salvation. We are not saved by our own doing or our own righteousness. It is only Christ’s righteousness that atones our sins. All true righteousness for the world of sinners is connected with Jesus; it is connected with his return to the Father from His redemptive mission; it is connected with the completion of His earthly work and the withdrawal of His visible presence from His disciples. This is, His death, resurrection, and ascension for our salvation. The Holy Spirit gives Christ’s righteousness to all those who believe in Christ Jesus in true faith.

Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. This means that, the Holy Spirit will bring to our attention that, our accuser the devil has been defeated by Christ’s death and resurrection. The devil has no dominion over us because we are Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit justifies all those who in true repentance receives Christ in true faith. The Holy Spirit receives them into grace and gives them eternal life.

Brothers, the Holy Spirit further protects us in our great weakness against the devil, the world, and the flesh. The Holy Spirit leads and rules all believers into Christ way. The Holy Spirit raise us again when we stumble. The Holy Spirit comforts us under the cross and in temptation. The Holy Spirit preserves us for life eternal. The Holy Spirit strengthens, increases, and supports us to do good works that Christ begun in us. The Holy Spirit helps us to only cling to Christ’s Word, pray diligently, abide in Christ’s goodness, and He faithfully helps us to use the gifts we receive from Him. The Holy Spirit does all these through Christ’s Word and Sacrament.

Finally, the Holy Spirit will eternally save and glorifies all of us in eternal life because we are the elected, we are the called, and we are the justified. Truly, Jesus Explains the Work of the Holy Spirit

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.