June 3, 2001 John 15:26-27
“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
It was about two years ago that Priceline sent me two airplane tickets to Hawaii - with someone else’s name on them. I had ordered some tickets through Priceline a few years prior to that, so I thought, “Priceline must have accidentally sent me this man’s tickets.” When I realized the mistake, I then tried to phone this man so that he could pick up his tickets from me. He wasn’t home. But after further investigation, I realized that it was MY credit card number that was used to purchase the tickets. Now we had a problem. Come to find out, this man had subscribed to pornographic web sights, ordered things on line - and ordered over 1,000 dollars worth of airline tickets after stealing my credit card number from the gas station he worked at.
The time came for our day in court. I couldn’t wait for justice to be done. But once I was face to face with the man and his wife who had wronged me - it was more difficult than I thought it would be. The attorney asked me privately - while I was within twenty feet of the man - what I wanted done with the man. I told him to prosecute - but it was kind of difficult. It got me to thinking how difficult it would be - if this were a high profile case. If I were called to testify against someone who was powerful - someone whom I knew had done something wrong.
This morning talks about testifying - about Jesus. The disciples were called on to tell people about Jesus. This would not easy, for they were facing a hostile crowd as well. Just after today’s text, Jesus warned them - They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. It would be difficult for them to testify to the truth. But that’s what Jesus called them to do. And that’s what Jesus calls on us to do as well.
Testify to the Truth
I. With the Spirit of Truth
When you think about testifying in court - what comes to mind today are the high powered attorneys. Most of us are very familiar with Johnny Cochrane for instance. During the presidential elections we would see attorneys on TV every day. The purpose of these men and women is to speak on behalf of their clients. To either try to draw the truth out or defend the truth eloquently and according to the law.
That picture of the “defense lawyer or prosecuting attorney” is really what this text is drawing for us. Jesus wanted his disciples to testify to the truth. But he didn’t leave them on their own. He said that the “Counselor” would come. That word is literally referring to someone who speaks on behalf of another person - like a defense attorney. (1 John 2:1) Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as an attorney for the disciples.
Let’s draw the picture then - you’ve got the devil - the father of lies - on the one side. And you’ve got the disciples on the other side - with the Holy Spirit as their spokesman. And who is the jury? The world - who is a slave to - the devil.
In the time of the disciples - you could see the court go in session immediately. After Jesus rose from the dead - the devil immediately called his lying witnesses to the stand - the soldiers. He paid them to testify that Jesus’ body had been stolen. But the disciples had SEEN Jesus rise from the dead. Yet their lives were in danger. As witnesses of the truth - the devil had made it difficult for them to testify. The religious world was against them. The government was against them. Their own neighbors were against them. It was impossible for these untrained speakers to testify to the truth without losing the case.
And so, Jesus promised them in today’s text - that He would send the Professional - the Holy Spirit to help them win the case. This happened on what we now know as Pentecost. While the disciples were in a house - not preaching - scared for their lives most likely. That was when the Holy Spirit descended on them. Through a tongue of fire - the Holy Spirit rested on each of them. Then the Holy Spirit changed their tongues - so they could speak in different languages. He gave them the courage to go out the Feast of Weeks. Many people from all over the world were in Jerusalem at this time - from Media, Egypt, all over the place. They came to give the Lord the first fruits of their grain harvest. It was at this opportune time that the Holy Spirit preached the good news of Christ to all the foreign Jews who had come to Jerusalem. He testified to the truth and in so doing converted 3,000 in one day!
What would have happened to the church if the Holy Spirit had not helped them on this day? It would have died! For God’s Word says, no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3) That’s why, time and again - you can see the believers praying for the Holy Spirit in the Bible. David prayed in Psalm 51, “do not take your Holy Spirit from me.” Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. He continued on in chapter 3, I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. In Acts it says that Peter and John prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Every time that Luther entered the pulpit he prayed, “send thy Holy Spirit that He may work with me, yea, that He may work in me to will and to do through Thy divine strength according to thy good pleasure.” The apostles and disciples throughout the ages understood very well that if the Holy Spirit was not present to defend the faith and proclaim the truth - their work would be completely fruitless. That’s why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit - the disciples needed help!
The story is told of Fran Tarkenton - a small little quarterback - who was asked by the coach to make a block on a lineman. He went in, laid a great block - and the running back went in for the touchdown. Watching the game films with the team the next day, Tarkenton expected a big pat on the back for what he’d done. It never came. After the meeting, Tarkenton approached coach Bud Grant and asked, “You saw my block, didn’t you, Coach? How come you didn’t say anything about it?” Grant replied, “Sure, I saw the block. It was great. But you’re always working hard out there, Fran. I figured I didn’t have to tell you.” “Well,” Tarkenton replied, “if you ever want me to block again, you do!”
Think of this same scenario in our spiritual life. The devil is prowling around trying to devour us on the playing field of life. And the Holy Spirit is out there defending our faith. He’s proclaiming the truth. He’s keeping us in the faith. He doesn’t want a pat on the back. But how often is it that we take him for granted and say nothing to him at all? Think of where we would be if he stopped defending us. In the flash of a second be able to convince us that we were on the highway to hell. We would never even dream of telling our children about Christ - we wouldn’t even want to. Every day we may lecture our kids about manners - to say “please” and “thank you.” Yet every day we eat at the Holy Spirit’s table - never once asking for his meals - never once thanking Him for his service. We go about our spiritual duties - taking our children to church - teaching them God’s Word - trying to testify to the truth - but not PRAYING that the Holy Spirit would bless our work. That is not only rude - it is arrogance. Would you want to continue to work for someone that never said please or thank you? With someone that never acknowledged you? With someone that never asked for your help? We need the Holy Spirit’s expertise. We need his power. We need Him to testify to the truth.
II. With a tongue of experienced eyes
If you’ve ever watched Court TV or been to court yourself, you realize that the expert attorneys and prosecutors don’t just stand up and do all of the talking. They will use anything that they can to get their point across - to testify to the truth. One case that really strikes me is the O.J. Simpson trial. “If the glove doesn’t fit, acquit.” A glove was used to acquit someone who seemed to be guilty of murder. Nowadays, DNA is also a very powerful testimony to the truth. It is the duty of the attorney to use ANYTHING possible to get the truth across.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit uses some amazing things to testify to the truth. He uses the sun, moon, and stars to testify to the wisdom and power of God. He used an instrument of death - the cross - to testify to his love. He uses mere words to testify to us that he is a God of justice but also a God of compassion. He uses governments to keep order. He uses illnesses to wake people up. He uses plants to teach of the resurrection. He uses lost coins to teach of his compassion for the lost.
But one of the most amazing things that the Holy Spirit uses - is located in our mouths. He uses our tongues. The same tongues that have lied - the same tongues that have denied Christ - the same tongues that have uttered profanities and even done worse - the same tongues that have been used by the devil - the Holy Spirit uses to proclaim the truth. Isn’t this just a great testimony to God’s grace? There once was a man who had a crush on his dental hygienist. So, before he went in for a check-up - he ate a whole box of Oreo cookies - so it would take longer for her to clean his mouth. That’s in a spiritual sense what it was like for the Holy Spirit to enter our mouths. They were full of disgusting sin in every nook and cranny. Yet, instead of cutting our tongues out - He washed them clean - purifying them with the blood of Christ. Through the Gospel of Christ - He cleansed our hearts and our souls. He made us pure and clean - livable. What grace!
When the disciples had been too afraid to testify to the truth - too slow - too selfish - the Holy Spirit - through the tongues of fire - changed their tongues and made them able to testify to the truth. Instead of testifying on His own - the Holy Spirit used THEIR TONGUES. He enabled them to speak in different languages so they could communicate with the Jews who had spread throughout the world. He gave them the courage to speak the truth. And the Lord promises us the same. The Holy Spirit can change our tongues. He can clean up our language. He can enable us to control our anger. He can give us the courage and ability to testify to the truth of God’s Word.
If you came to church this morning wishing that you had better control of your tongue - pray for it! If you wish you had more courage - pray for it! Without the Holy Spirit - you’ll never be able to. But you can’t be naive either. We can’t just sit here and pray for it - and assume the Holy Spirit will just miraculously appear in a tongue of fire on our head. Jesus promised the disciples this. He didn’t promise US this. Throughout the history of the Christian Church - the Holy Spirit has never operated in a vacuum. On Pentecost - he worked through flames of fire. Before Moses, he spoke through a burning bush. He always uses MEANS. And today He says faith comes from HEARING the MESSAGE. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God. You can pray for the Holy Spirit all you want - but if you don’t get in the Word - it isn’t going to happen.
Jesus wanted the disciples to know that they weren’t just going to sit back and watch the Holy Spirit do all the work. He told them, And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. He made it very clear that the Holy Spirit would USE THEM to testify to the truth. Why would he use them? Because of their EXPERIENCE - that they had been with Jesus from the beginning. They had SEEN Jesus heal people. They had seen him RAISE Lazarus from the dead. They had seen JESUS raised from the dead. They could use these things they had EXPERIENCED in their lives to testify to the truth - that Jesus is the Christ.
I once knew a lady who had gone through some terrible things in her life. She lost her son in a terrible accident. As a result, she turned very inclusive from the experience. For years and years she cried and cried and seemed to lose any ability to live life actively. She could only focus on what the Lord had taken from her. Although she still professed her faith, she never seemed to move forward. Could it be that the Holy Spirit had greater things planned for her?
When you look at how the Holy Spirit used the disciples - and their experiences - to testify to the truth - it would appear so. When we have common experiences with other people, they are easier to talk with - and more willing to listen. Paul grew up as a Jew - and his convictions led him to actually persecute Christians. But instead of letting his guilt stifle his actions, he learned from it and used it in his witness. The Holy Spirit wants to do the same with us - to use what has come into our eyes and ears and effect our tongues.
All of us have experienced His love in different ways. If you’ve experienced the Lord’s patience through a difficult marriage, maybe you could express this to someone else who is going through similar problems. If you’ve seen how the Lord used your health problems to draw you closer to him, the Holy Spirit could use that experience to testify to other people. Whether it’s alcohol problems, divorce, the death of a loved one, whatever - the Holy Spirit wants you to USE your experience - good or bad - to reach out to those who don’t know Christ. When you come from similar backgrounds - the Holy Spirit can use your way of speaking to reach through to someone who doesn’t know Christ.
There once was an angry mob was about to stone a young woman caught in adultery. In an angry rush they brought the accused before Jesus - and asked him to be the Judge. “Should we stone her or not?”, they asked her. The woman stood before a crowd of accusers - about to die. How would Jesus show the severity of her sin and their sin, and yet portray his love to her? He stooped down, started drawing on the ground, and told them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” With that - they all walked away. Then Jesus told her, “go and leave your life of sin.” Without compromising her sin and yet conveying his forgiveness - the defense attorney saved the woman from the crowd’s wrath - and enabled her to live a new life through her free pardon.
That’s what Pentecost is all about. The crowd came before Peter and the disciples guilty of the terrible crime of crucifying Christ. They were on their way to hell. But through the power of the Holy Spirit - he conveyed to them that they were forgiven through the blood of Christ. The defense had spoken and the people were acquitted.
That’s what your life is all about. There are thousands of people in the world who are convicted and guilty by their own consciences every day. They are on their way to hell and need some defense from the devil. They need someone to acquit them before Judgment Day. You have the words to acquit them through the blood of Christ. You have the experience to know what God’s love is all about. You have the Holy Spirit to give you the words to convey this truth to them. Testify to the truth through the power of the Spirit today. Amen.
