Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Gospel Lesson just read, from John 16. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- The Holy Spirit is the unseen and in the background Person of the Holy Trinity. Obviously, He is One with the Father and with the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is fully, completely, and intimately involved in everything that God does – and this is recorded throughout Holy Scripture, as we see in our three Lessons for this morning.
- He was present at creation and He has always been the One Who brings people to faith, renewing our spirits and creating new hearts within us, as the psalmist prayed and as we see in all three of the Scripture readings today.
- But in that our redemption is a “reconciliation” with the Father, accomplished by the self-sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross, the Holy Spirit always directs our attention to the Son – by Whom we are to come to know the Father, and God’s great love for us.
- So, the Holy Spirit focuses attention not on Himself, but rather on Jesus – that we may come to know and believe the love that God has for us. Nonetheless, the work of the Holy Spirit is essential for our faith, our new life, and our salvation. He is behind the scenes working in our hearts and minds, revealing the Father’s love to us, and raising the church to faith and life. Thus, all good in the world is also provided for us graciously as God’s gift, by means of the Holy Spirit of God.
- So in our text Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, as “the Helper.” And indeed He is our Helper, a huge and stupendous blessing to us! For:
I. It Is The Holy Spirit Who Raises Us From Spiritual Death In Unbelief And Gives Us New Life – By Bringing Us To Faith And Knowledge Of God
OT Lesson [Ezek. 37] – The Spirit of the Lord was directing Ezekiel in his vision, and the Holy Spirit is the “breath” that brings the dry bones back to life. So God promises:
“You shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O My people. And I will put My Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”
Statement: Obviously, this is wholly by means of God’s gracious love for us – dead bones cannot bring themselves back to life. Obviously, our being “renewed” to life by the Holy Spirit of God, “reborn” and “regenerated” is a miracle, contrary to laws of nature.
Application: For this we should be eternally grateful to God – and brought to deepest humility and gratitude to God. How else could there be any hope for mankind? But as we look out upon the world – and see that it is filled with “dead” people, as spiritually dead and corrupt as “dry bones,” we must remember the power of God and the will of God, that all might come to repentance and newness of life through knowledge of the truth. The Holy Spirit sees and thinks differently than we do – thanks and praise be to God!
Transition: And we see the fruit of His will and His work in the Epistle Lesson – the account of Pentecost. We see the Holy Spirit in action, and read of His blessed work in “the last days” – the days in which we are living! For:
II. The Holy Spirit Calls Us To Faith And Salvation And Empowers Our Lives Of Service
Epistle [Acts 2] “In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophecy. . . . And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the Name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Statement: What is described is the very life and history of the holy Christian Church down to this very day! We are here today because of this promise, and because of God’s faithfulness to His promises. We too have received the Holy Spirit of God, poured out upon us. All that we see and know of God’s love has come to us through the “prophecy,” the speaking and teaching of God’s Holy Word, the Scriptures. And to this day “all who call on the Name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Application: This too is our hope and salvation – worked upon us and within us by the Holy Spirit of God! And it is obvious what He seeks to work in us – that we also bear witness to God’s love, and teach others to “call on the Name of the LORD.” In so doing, we are performing the same work of Ezekiel – by our speaking God’s Word His breath continues to come upon the dead bones and into hearts and minds bringing them back to life by means of knowing and believing God’s love for us in Christ Jesus!
Transition: Unfortunately, this is not always a pleasant and easy task, but rather one that is at many levels “confrontational,” as Jesus makes clear in our text. But we have the assurance of Jesus that “OUR HELPER, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH” will be with us. And:
III. The Spirit Guides And Directs Our Witness To The World, The Dry Bones
A. The Witness Is One Of Conviction
Text: “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.”
Statement: Each of these aspects of the Holy Spirit’s convicting witness could support an entire sermon. So, to summarize quickly, God has addressed the issues of sin and evil decisively in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has provided forgiveness of sin, and a righteousness that is accounted to all, in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is received by faith – condemnation reverts only to those who reject this gift in unbelief and continued rebellion against God. But the devil is finished! He is judged and has no future; his empire is being invaded and seized by the kingdom of God!
Application: This is conflict – between God and the devil, between good and evil, between faith and unbelief. There is no escaping these distinctions or blurring them – the Holy Spirit is the witness, the One Who convicts. But we who believe are also involved; just our faith makes us participants in the conflict and confrontation. And though we are involved in painful and dangerous conflict, we dare never lose sight of the goal, the will of God in sending His Son and giving us His Spirit – that the dry bones might come to life! We dare not become the impediments, the problem – either by animosity toward the world or by compromise with the world.
Transition: And thankfully we have the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance, for Jesus assures us that:
B. The Helper, The Spirit Of Truth, Will Be Guiding Us Into All Truth
Text: “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”
1. He will do so by the Word of God
Text: “He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak.”
2. He will make clear to us the things that are to come
Text: “He will declare to you the things that are to come.”
3. Always, He will be glorifying Jesus And The Father
Text: “He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.”
Statement: So there is no confusion in regard to the Holy Spirit of Truth, our Helper – He will always be leading us to the Father through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will help us by bearing witness to us about Jesus. He will help us to bear witness to Jesus. He will glorify the Father and the Son. He will lead us into all truth, and comfort us in regard to the things that are coming. He will constantly direct us to the Word of God, the Scriptures, which He inspired. Always the message and our service is clear – that everyone who calls on the Name of the LORD shall be saved.
Application: Yes, there will also be the pain of confrontation and conflict; the message of the Spirit “convicts” the world. But the goal is life, miraculous life, resurrected life from dry dead bones. And we will be supplied with the power to do our duty – for God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh; Jesus will send the Spirit to us, Who proceeds from the Father, and He will empower and enable us.
Conclusion: And let us remember – as powerful, important, and essential as the Holy Spirit is, He will always remain in the background as He directs our hearts and minds into the love of God in Christ Jesus our Savior, to the glory of the Father. In this He shares the glory of God – that of love, mercy, and kindness to mankind, submitting Himself for the greater good and benefit of mankind, our salvation.
Such is the magnificent glory of God our Savior, God Who is love! Thanks and praise be to God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – now and forever! Amen!
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.