Cantate (Easter 4) – April 28, 2024Psalm 98; Isaiah 12:1-6; James 1:16-21St. John 16:5-15
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This morning’s portion of the farewell
discourse of our Lord reveals a significant stumbling block to the faith of the
Apostles. We tend to look at the life of the Apostles and envy them since they had
the privilege of walking with Jesus during the time of His local presence, that
is, when He was present with them in such a way that you could distinguish His
knee from His elbow.
But today we see that while the
Apostles did experience Christ’s local presence, they also had to experience
life in the Church after Christ ascends to the Father. They knew both types of
Christ’s presence and they had to endure the transition from one to the other.
They had grown accustomed to Christ’s local presence and it is now time for
Jesus to prepare them for the time when He would no longer be present in that
way.
Thus, Jesus says, “It is to your
advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to
you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will
guide you into all truth.”[1]
Enduring the transition from Christ’s local presence to His Ascension, as we
know the Apostles did, was not on the basis of their reason, knowledge,
understanding, or strength. It was by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of truth. Based on these Words of Jesus, what is this work of the Holy
Spirit and how does He accomplish it?
From the Small Catechism, we know that
the work of the Holy Spirit is to “call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the
whole Christian Church on earth and keep it with Jesus Christ in the one true
faith.”[2]
The statement of Jesus that the Holy Spirit will “convict the world of sin, and
of righteousness, and of judgment,” is another way to say the same thing.
The first thing to know is this word
“convict” might be a bit confusing. It sounds like a strictly negative thing.
When a person is convicted in court, it usually means that he is guilty. When a
person is found innocent, we say he is “acquitted.” That is not how Jesus is
using the word “convict.” He is using it in the same way we might speak of
someone’s conviction, that is to say, they are absolutely convinced of
something. The Holy Spirit will convince – persuade beyond any doubt – the
world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.
The Holy Spirit convinces the world
regarding sin because the world does not believe in Jesus. The first work of
the Holy Spirit in any heart is to convince you that you are a sinner in need
of a Savior. If you are not a sinner, you have no need of Jesus. If you have no
need for Jesus, then you do not believe in Him and have no part in Him.
This is, in fact, the primary use of
God’s Law – to show you your sin. The Holy Spirit brings the Word of God’s Law
into your ears so that you would be terrified of your sins and flee to the
Risen Savior. To ignore this work of God is to refuse to be convinced by the
Holy Spirit. But refusal to be convinced by the Holy Spirit will only last so
long. There are no atheists in hell. Refusing to see your sin for what it is
will only last until you depart this life or Christ reveals Himself on the last
day. Then, all will be made plain, and you can no longer hide from your own
sinfulness.
The second work of the Holy Spirit
described in the text is to convict—or convince—the world of righteousness.
This is a reference to what I said about the Apostles that is also true of all
people. “I cannot, by my own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ, my
Lord, or come to Him; but [it is] the Holy Ghost [who] has called me by the
Gospel.”[3]
You can provide all the logical, historical, and archaeological proofs of the
resurrection and yet no one is converted by them. Conversion is strictly the
working of the Holy Spirit. And not only conversion, but retaining the faith,
that is, staying a Christian, is only the work of the Holy Spirit. Only by the
grace of God, delivered by the Holy Spirit, does anyone remain a Christian unto
salvation.
The Holy Spirit works through means to
bring you the faith and to keep you in it. Faith comes by hearing the Word of
God. The Holy Spirit brings you pastors to preach and teach the Word of God. He
gives you mothers to read the Word of God to you. He gives you fathers to teach
you the catechism that you would understand what the Word of God says. He works
in the Word of God combined with water that your sins would be buried with
Christ and then you would rise as a new creation.
The sustaining of your faith is chiefly
worked out by continuing to hear the Word of God and by receiving that Word of
God combined with bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Sacrament is
for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of body and soul to life
everlasting. It is the food to sustain you on your way. It will sustain your
faith.
These means of grace are the ways in
which the Holy Spirit convicts the world of righteousness.
The third work of the Holy Spirit our
Lord describes today is to convict the world of judgment because the ruler of
this world is judged. On the one hand, this means that the Holy Spirit convinces
the hearts of man that sin is wicked, and that this world is passing away.
Without the Holy Spirit, man can conclude that there is something wrong with
this world and it needs correction. By the illumination of the Holy Spirit, man
can see that what is wrong with this world is his sin and that this sin has
been judged by God. By this illumination, man can see that all who belong to
this world, who cling to the kingdom of the ruler of this world, have already
been judged in the death of Jesus and will receive the inheritance of their
father, the devil.
But this conviction regarding judgment
has a second side. On the other hand, it is the Holy Spirit who enlightens the
hearts of Christians to see that they too have already been judged. Those who
are in Christ have nothing more to fear from the judgement of God. The verdict
was passed and the sentence carried out on Calvary. All that is left is to
receive the inheritance promised to you in Holy Baptism. This judgment is the
acquittal of the righteous, who have received and continue to receive the Holy
Spirit and all His blessings.
And although such a judgment is done
and over, yours by faith, it does not remove the very real possibility of
refusing the judgment. It sounds insane but it is entirely within the power of
the Christian to turn to God the Father and say, “I do not need your
declaration of innocence because I am innocent according to my own conscience.”
While it would be helpful if such a verbal declaration was necessary for one to
lose his faith, it is not. Declaring you know better than the Word of God, as
in transgenderism, is such a declaration. Rejecting the Words and means of the
Holy Spirit, as in women’s ordination, Unitarianism, and Anabaptistry, is such
a declaration. Living contrary to the Word of God, as in fornication, is such a
declaration.
Our Lord’s description of how the Holy
Spirit will accomplish these things is quite interesting. “When He, the Spirit
of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on
His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you
things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare
it to you.”[4]
The simplest understanding of the
majority of these words is something I’ve already said—the Holy Spirit works
through means. He works through the means of the Word and Sacraments. What’s
more is that we learn that the Holy Spirit does not add anything to the Word of
God that Jesus Christ has already brought within Himself (for He is the
Word of God). The Holy Spirit does not testify to Himself nor reveal new
messages for man. He speaks only that which He has heard from the Son and the
Father. He proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is the herald of the great
King of Kings, not authorized to add-to or subtract-from the Word of the King.
But we know that the Word of the Spirit
is truth because He is the Spirit of Truth. This describes the inspiration of
Holy Scripture. It describes that God has ordained that human men would be the
means through which He worked to put His Word into writing that it may be
proclaimed to man throughout time. We can be certain of the truth of the Holy
Scriptures because it was communicated by God Himself, the Third Person of the
Holy Trinity, and He is the Spirit of Truth.
But why utilize human authors? When a
human means? First, it is entirely consistent with every way that God works in
man. He works through the means of this world. Even the concept of
communicating in language such that man can understand it is a means of this
world. Second, it is in keeping with the Incarnation. Christ took on the flesh
of man to redeem the flesh of man. Therefore, it is fitting that He would
“enflesh” His Word in the words of man. And, just as Jesus Christ is True God
and True Man, so too are the Words of Scripture the pure Word of God and
written by Inspired human hands.
Third, the Holy Spirit works through
present means to deliver this faith to you. This is the Office of the Holy
Ministry. God did not leave the Church alone after the Ascension nor the death
of the Apostles. He established the Office of the Holy Ministry that men might
stand in the stead and by the command of Christ to bring you His Word and
Sacraments – the means of grace. He has placed men into the Office for the sake
of loving and caring for the present needs of the Church – to preach and teach
the faith but also to forgive and retain sins. These are activities of the Holy
Spirit as He guides the whole Christian Church into all truth.
How is it then, that we know when we
are hearing the Holy Spirit and when we are hearing the doctrine of demons or the
teaching of men? The Spirit of Truth will glorify Jesus. If the Scriptures are glorifying
Jesus, they are the Word of God. If the pastor is glorifying Jesus, he is
speaking on the authority of the Holy Spirit and standing in the stead of
Christ. If, however, he is telling tales, building himself a following, or submitting
to the human authority of the pope, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He is a
hireling. He is not speaking by the Holy Spirit because the Spirit of Truth
glorifies Jesus.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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