August 9, 2009 Galatians 2:15-20Konrad Adenauer, former chancellor of Germany said, “The good Lord set definite limits on man’s wisdom, but set no limits on his stupidity – and that’s just not fair.”
What to learn and how to live are lifelong pursuits. They can leave us fulfilled or wanting, joyful or sorrowful. Yet “the good Lord” does provide us with wisdom, knowledge and truth for living. He also allows us the privilege of ignoring or even rejecting his truth. Jesus promised his disciples, “I will send to you from the Father the Advocate, the Spirit of truth… He will guide you into all truth… It is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” The Holy Spirit is the much neglected third person of the triune God. One with the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is God himself present with us. He brings inspiration for faith, comfort in times of trouble, conviction for God’s will and ways. The Holy Spirit equips us with gifts for living the Christian life and fruit for Christian character. Still, God the Father and God the Son get most of our attention, it seems. For instance, the season of Advent with Christmas is four weeks long. We celebrate it well. The season of Lent is six weeks with Easter. We give it great attention. The season of Pentecost is 27 weeks long in the church year. Pentecost Sunday (The Day of the Holy Spirit) gets a slight blip on our celebration schedule (ever send a Pentecost card to someone?). We should be well schooled in the person and work of the Holy Spirit. But for some reason we’re not. There’s a story told of a woman who had served the Queen of England faithfully for many years. At retirement she was given a scroll inscribed with theses words: “Entitled to All the Wealth of the Royal Family,” meaning she would live comfortably without need for the rest of her life. She framed the beautiful scroll and hung it on a wall in her simple flat. Unfortunately, she could not read and no one explained to her the meaning of the Queen’s honor. She lived in relative poverty for a few years until a friend discovered the scroll on the wall, explained to her the more-than-adequate-provision to which she was entitled. She then lived happily for years to come. This is the way many, if not, most believers live. We are afforded great spiritual resources, strength and provision, but we live poorly. God has provided everything we need to follow Jesus and live in the spiritual blessings he purchased for us at the cross. Through an every-day relationship with the Holy Spirit, God can strengthen our faith, guide our lives, and change us into the people Jesus redeemed us to become. I. To Be Continued The disciples were becoming increasingly aware that Jesus would soon be leaving them. His physical presence would no longer be with them. As Jesus began to tell them about this, it says that their hearts were overwhelmed with sorrow. So Jesus attempted to comfort them with such sayings like, “Do not let your hearts be troubled… and I go to prepare a place for you… and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever” (in John 14). Jesus assures us that his ministry, message, presence, and power will continue. It is only through the gift of the Holy Spirit that you or I have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ or even an awareness of God’s presence in our lives. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that draws people to faith, sustains us and grows us in faith, and will finally bring us to the fulfillment of that faith, the salvation of our souls. Jesus said, “When the Advocate comes, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.” There’s much to be said about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together were active in creation and redemption. Everything that the Father and Son do, the Holy Spirit does. But the Bible also emphasizes the work of the Spirit. It is the Spirit of God who will glorify Jesus Christ, teach the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, will draw people to faith in Christ, and begin to reproduce the character of Jesus in the believer’s life. II. The Work of the Holy Spirit There are many religions and philosophies in the world, past and present. Most of them have good ideas to share, helpful ways of living, and reflect the need of the human being to have meaning and purpose in life. But it is the Holy Spirit who will point you to Jesus as the unique Son of God, the only Savior willing and able to save us, and the Lord whose truth is unparalleled. The Holy Spirit will always glorify Jesus. Everything else that the Spirit does is in support of this overriding purpose: point us to Jesus Christ. The Spirit will then teach about Jesus Christ. The disciples knew that in the Old Testament period, the Holy Spirit had come upon prophets, kings and other leaders with the promise of a Redeemer to come. Now they are told that the same Spirit will come upon them so that nothing about Jesus’ work or teachings necessary for our salvation or for the growth of the church might be lost. Thus, the New Testament. This is why we read, study, explain, and teach the Bible. In the Old Testament, always look for Jesus, the promise of his coming, the work of salvation he will accomplish, and the hope to hold on to. In the New Testament, always look for Jesus, the fulfillment of his coming, the work of salvation he did accomplish, and the hope that sustains our lives today. The Holy Spirit will always teach about Christ. Another way the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus is by drawing men and women to him in saving faith. Remember Jesus saying to Nicodemus last week, “Unless one is born again, born anew, born from above, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” The Holy Spirit is the one who opens eyes so that the unregenerate (not yet born again) may see the truth. He un-fogs our minds so we can understand what we see, and draws us to Christ that we place our trust and faith in him as Savior. I dare say this is the experience of every authentic Christian. And lastly, for now (there’s always much more), the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus by reproducing the fruit of the Spirit, the very character of Christ, in our lives. We find these “virtues” in their highest form in Jesus. But we also find them growing and developing over time in our lives. Paul speaks of this fruit in Galatians 5. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Jesus promised the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, the Counselor, the Comforter, as variously translated. The word he used was parakletos. It was an ancient warrior’s term. Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs so when an enemy attacked they could draw together back to back, covering each other’s blind side. One’s battle partner was the paraclete. So, in the Christian life, the Holy Spirit accompanies us every day, covering our blind spot and offering us the fruit of faith in Jesus to battle with life with things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and the like. Conclusion So, when I think about First Presbyterian Church, do I see the Holy Spirit present and at work in our midst? Is Jesus Christ glorified in this place? I think so. Are we being instructed in the meaning of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ? I hope so. Are people being drawn to faith and trust in Jesus Christ here in this church? I know there are. I always pray and hope for more. And do we see the fruit of the Spirit in one another here? I know I could put names of members or friends here at First Pres in each description of fruit. I’m sure you can as well. Love ___________ (fill in the blank, I can); Joy __________ (put a person’s name there); Peace __________; Kindness __________; Goodness _________; Faithfulness ____________; Gentleness _____________;
Self-control ____________. The scroll read, “Entitled to All the Wealth of the Royal Family.” The Holy Spirit is God present in your life, in mime, in the church, in the world to offer all the wealth of the love of God: mercy and forgiveness, faith and trust in Christ, good fruit to experience and share, and the assurance of redemption and eternal life. Let us pray together and give thanks to God the Holy Spirit. |
