The Day of Pentecost – May 31, 2009

John 14:25 – 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.

Do you like to receive gifts? If so, then today is a big day for you because the Festival of Pentecost speaks to us about gifts. Now, Pentecost is the Greek name for the important Jewish observance known as the Feast of Harvest. This was a day of national thanksgiving. So, in obedience to God’s command, the Jews celebrated Pentecost in Jerusalem annually for hundreds of years. But the Pentecost festival that came in the year of Jesus’ death would be one that the Jewish pilgrims would never forget. Around 9 in the morning, when many of the pilgrims were at the Temple, a loud noise like that of a mighty, rushing wind filled the house where the disciples had gathered. That which looked like tongues of fire appeared over their heads, and they began speaking in foreign languages, languages they had never learned. With this ability, they began to tell the crowd about the crucified and risen Savior. In this way, Jesus fulfilled the promise spoken of in the verses of our text this morning.

Today, we New Testament Christians also celebrate Pentecost. And it remains an important festival for us because of the wonderful gifts which our Savior continues to give us through the Holy Spirit. So, on this Pentecost, let us give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit. He helps us against ourselves. He deepens our knowledge of Christ. He gives us the peace of Jesus.

There is a song played on the radio these days by an artist known as Pink (perhaps some of you kids know who I’m talking about) that is titled, “My Own Worst Enemy.” In the song she states, “I am my own worst enemy”…”don’t let me get me”…and “I’m a hazard to myself.” Now, I highly doubt that it was ever her intention, but with this song she did a wonderful job of describing us all – and I think you know what I mean. You see, we are a hazard to ourselves, and what I mean by that is brought out in a more familiar song, where the poet expresses, “Lord ‘tis not that I did choose you; that I know, could never be, For this heart would still refuse you Had your grace not chosen me.” We are our own worst enemies, and what I mean by that is brought out in something you learned in confirmation class, “I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him.”

When we stop to consider ourselves before we were brought to faith, it is a pitiful picture - one that sickens and saddens us. The Bible clearly says we were dead in our sins; spiritually blind; enemies of God. On our own, we could do nothing to come to God. Our hearts wanted only to refuse him. We wanted to do nothing but please ourselves. We were our own worst enemy. We were a hazard to ourselves, because the only thing we could do was walk the wide road to that very real place called hell.

But that isn’t who we are anymore, is it? The Holy Spirit has worked in our hearts through the message of the wonderful works of God for man’s salvation. These wonderful works began when sin entered into the world. Sin made us lost and condemned creatures, but God our heavenly Father had mercy upon us. He promised to send his only-begotten Son to save us. So, in the fullness of time the Savior was born. He humbled himself by being placed under the Law of God. For us he kept the Commandments perfectly. For us he gave his blood as a ransom to set us free from the curse of sin, death, and the power of the devil. God redeemed us and gained for us eternal salvation by his wonderful works. This salvation becomes our own by faith in Christ. But we cannot believe by our own reason or strength. Therefore God promised that through the message of these wonderful works, he would send the Holy Spirit to give us faith. And the Holy Spirit has broken down the walls of our unbelief and made us spiritually alive.

But even now, if we take an honest inventory of our lives, we will have to admit that what we see isn’t the most rosy of pictures. We still are a hazard to ourselves, because we still have a sinful nature. That sinful nature leads us to be lazy. Lazy with our use of God’s Word. And so, inexcusably, there are times that public worship and the Lord’s Supper have simply gone by the wayside – for weeks, months, even years. But this only invites disaster as over time faith weakens. Faith is then replaced with a simple mental knowledge of God, but no real trust – and before an individual realizes it, they may very well find themselves back to where they were before being brought to faith. That sinful nature leads us to act as if we have a license to sin, and so excuses for the way we act fly in abundance – it was only a little sin; oh, I’m just getting it out while I’m still young; we have Christian freedom don’t we; at least I’m not like those other people. But at what point does this lead to a life of unrepentance, and unrepentance to eternal death? Still, that sinful nature leads us to sinful pride, thinking that our good works are somehow helping us in our relationship to God. That is a thought each of us must struggle against because it is the way we think by nature. To show you how sneaky this is, think of this example. Why do you worship? Is it always because you come hungry to be fed by God’s gracious food of life, or are there times you are here to keep God on your good side thinking it is something you do for him? Why don’t you just run off and act like the world? Is it always because your love for Jesus leads to say I couldn’t do such a wicked thing, or are there times you think that if you do that, you won’t be blessed with what you think you deserve? Yes, pride is the opposite of faith. Indeed, we are a hazard to ourselves and our own enemy. That is why it is vital for us to hear again and again and again that everything has been accomplished for us, and that even faith is itself a gift of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need to constantly deepen our understanding of Christ.

It was Maundy Thursday evening when Jesus first spoke the words of our text to his disciples. For three years they had been learning from Christ, but Jesus knew that much of what he had told his disciples had gone over their heads. Now, they were about to see him betrayed, die, rise, ascend into heaven, and withdraw his visible presence from him. How do you suppose these men felt? Do you think they felt ready? Hardly! For this reason, Jesus promises that he would send a new Teacher, the Holy Spirit, who would deepen their knowledge of Him and their understanding of his work as the only Savior from sin. He would recall and explain many of the words of Christ which had seemed so difficult at the time Christ had first spoken them.

The Holy Spirit wants to do that for us too. He wants us to grow out of spiritual infancy into Christian maturity. He does not want us to be satisfied with simply knowing the ABC’s of the Christian religion. He does not want our confirmation to be the peak of our Christian knowledge. The Holy Spirit wants to deepen our understanding of Christ and of his plan for our eternal happiness. And he carries that work out through the Word. The same Word that Peter and his fellow Apostles preached on Pentecost and which produced those 3,000 converts.

Through that Word the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. Its message and its truth are changeless in a changing world. In the Bible the Holy Spirit shows us our sin, which made the Savior’s death necessary. In the Bible the Holy Spirit shows us how Jesus, by his suffering and death, obtained the forgiveness of sins for us and for all people. Through the Word of God the Holy Spirit invites and moves us to believe in Jesus as our Savior. And through the Word he keeps our faith alive. If we want our knowledge of Christ and our love for Christ and our trust in Christ to grow, then let us remember that we cannot produce this growth. The Holy Spirit can and will as he is given opportunity to work in us through the Word of God.

For that reason, let us today commit and recommit ourselves to that Word. Make the decision now to use of the worship and Bible Class opportunities our congregation provides. Yes, even Bible Class during these summer months. Formulate a plan to make sure that your children will be in Sunday School on September 13 and the following Sunday’s. Create a schedule, even during the busy summer months, that keeps open a time slot in each day for family and personal devotion. Think of the way those disciples felt when Jesus spoke these words. Were they ready? Can we honestly think we are ready to fight against ourselves, against this world, and against Satan apart from the Holy Spirit? Hardly! Therefore, make use of God’s Word so that he might deepen our understanding of Christ.

By opening God’s Book to us, the Holy Spirit helps us grow in our understanding of God’s wonderful plan for us, a plan that is overflowing with peace. Peace, of course, is something that everyone wants. People want peace between fighting relatives, between warring nations, and between nationalities, but most of all, everyone wants peace of mind. That ability to sit back in every situation in life, good or bad, young or old, and not be worried, bothered, or disturbed; the ability to face death without fear and know what lies on the other side. But this peace of mind is not something acquired by one’s own efforts. It too is the work of the Holy Spirit.

You see, it goes back again to a proper understanding of ourselves. The Holy Spirit comes to us in God’s Word and convinces us that it is 100% true that we don’t deserve eternal life from God. He convicts us of our sin and shows us that it robs us of peace because it is an offense in the sight of our holy God and a stench in his righteous nostrils. He teaches us to confess, “Lord, I am by nature sinful and unclean, and I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed.” Then, to these consciences aching with an awareness of sin and guilt, he tells us that through Christ God the Father has reconciled us to himself. And when he assures us of this, peace comes to our hearts and minds, the peace that comes from the forgiveness of sins. Peace that comes from knowing that God is no longer angry at us. Peace that comes from knowing that we are children of God and heirs of heaven.

The Holy Spirit can give this peace because the sacrifice of Christ’s holy, precious blood upon the altar of the cross appeased the wrath of God over sin. Jesus secured it for all sinners on Calvary’s cross. He went the way of the cross so that it would be possible to have peace with God. The Holy Spirit offers this heavenly peace by the Gospel in the Word and Sacrament. As often as we make use of these means of grace, the Holy Spirit works and strengthens in our hearts the assurance of forgiveness. And where there is forgiveness, there is peace. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Now, regardless of outward circumstances we can have peace. We may be sick or troubled, but because of the forgiveness Christ won, we have peace. We may be in serious danger, in the midst bloodshed and war, but because Christ won for us our salvation, we have peace. We know that if we die, we will simply go to be with the Lord. We may have trouble paying the bills, be out of work, or not like our job, but because of the sacrifice of our Savior, we have peace because we know we possess the greatest gift ever given – the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.

Indeed, this is an important day. And as you exit church today, and every day that you live – give thanks. Give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit. For, after all, you are who you are because of his work within you to bring you to faith in the work of Jesus your Savior. Amen.