There is a tendency among mankind to honor the dead while persecuting the living. For centuries, even millennia, people have scorned, mocked, abused and killed those who are faithful to God’s Word. Many a prophet of the Old Testament was killed by his own countrymen for being a messenger of God’s truth. History tells us that all of Jesus’ disciples (except John) died a violent, martyr’s death. For centuries the early church was persecuted by governments and peoples who didn’t want to except the “foolishness of the cross.”
So now, let me ask you a question. Would you be able to face whippings, prison, hanging or being beheaded? When posed with the question: Jesus or your life – would you choose Jesus? Could we ever give such unwavering testimony as those great men and women of the faith who centuries ago gave their lives instead of denying their Savior?
Honestly, by ourselves, probably not. But we see in our text for this morning that we’re not alone. That Jesus sends us his Holy Spirit and that with his help we can stand firm and witness to our Lord in whatever the situation. So on this Pentecost Sunday, on this the Birthday of the Christian Church, we pray: Come, Holy Spirit, Come! Testify to us about Jesus and testify to the world through us.
I. Testify to us about Jesus
Now our text for this morning doesn’t take place on the Day of Pentecost, but rather 53 days earlier. It is Maundy Thursday, the day before Jesus would die on the cross for the sins of the world. Night has fallen. Jesus has spent the last few hours in the Upper Room with his disciples celebrating the Passover. The meal is now over. Jesus has already washed his disciple’s feet, predicted Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial and instituted the Lord’s Supper. Our text for this morning lies in the middle of a long sermon that Jesus gave to encourage his disciples. In the words that directly precede our text, Jesus warns his disciples that the world would hate them, just as it hated him. In a matter of hours the disciples would see that hate. They would see the mob that went to arrest Jesus. They would run in fear, hearing only in echoes the cry, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” They would find themselves hiding behind locked doors for fear of those who murdered Jesus.
In that context, the words of our text are meant to comfort and strengthen the disciples. On the day of Pentecost, when these words of Jesus were fulfilled, the disciples were able to face without fear that hating world, that world which would call them drunks, persecute them, throw them into prison and eventually kill almost all of them for their faith. So this morning let’s take a closer look at these words of comfort that are found in our text.
Jesus tells his disciples in verse 26: 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. Jesus was going to send them a Counselor. The Greek word for “counselor” is “paraclete”. No, not a parakeet... A Paraclete (with an “l”). A “paraclete” is literally a person who stands at your side to defend, guide and help you, much like a good defense lawyer. Throughout this sermon to his disciples, Jesus promised them that this paraclete would teach them, would guide them in truth, and as we see here, would testify to the truth about Jesus.
You see, this Paraclete is the Spirit of truth. He would testify to the truth about what Jesus had done to save them. He would help them remember and apply what Jesus had taught them. He would give them the confidence and courage that Jesus is the risen Son of God, their Savior.
And on Pentecost, Jesus kept his word, sending them his Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, they no longer hid behind locked doors. They were given confidence and courage. And so they didn’t back down when some men called them drunks, when thrown in jail, when threatened and persecuted.
And you know what? The Holy Spirit is our “paraclete” as well. Working through Word and Sacraments, the Holy Spirit testifies to us. He testifies to us first about who we are. You see, we wouldn’t see any need for Jesus, any need for a Savior, if we thought that we could stand firm on our own, that we could go to heaven by what we do. So through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit shows us the mirror of truth. We look in that mirror and say, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all.” And God says in his Word, “Not you.”
Because when we look into that mirror of God’s Law we see that we waiver and doubt. When we look into that mirror of God’s Law we see that he wants us to tell others about him and his love, but that we don’t because we are afraid of what people might think. We aren’t faced with persecution, whippings, hangings or imprisonment, and yet we’re afraid to talk to others about God’s love. With how many of your friends and family do you talk about God on a regular basis? How many people at your work or school even know that you are a Christian? The truth is that we don’t do very well on our own, do we?
But after testifying to us about the truth of who we are, the Holy Spirit testifies to us about Jesus. Through his Word and Sacraments we receive the surety that Jesus took our place. That he lived the perfect life we cannot; that he suffered the punishment for our sins; that we have forgiveness for our weakness and fear. We see in God’s Word that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, God declares us innocent and perfect. Through Jesus, the fairest one of all, we who are not so fair get to go to heaven.
And the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us that confidence, that confidence which is also called faith. And God tells us in his Word that the Holy Spirit has special means, or instruments, that he uses to testify to us, to give us that faith. He gives us faith through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. As Paul writes, “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” Through the Bible and Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Spirit does for us what he did for those first disciples: he testifies to us about Jesus. He gives us confidence and strength. But Jesus didn’t just comfort his disciples. We see here in our text that he also gave them a command: And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
II. Testify to the world through us.
Five hundred years ago in a small German town called Wittenberg, a Catholic priest named Martin Luther sat in his cold, dark room and whipped himself with scourge. He was a man tormented by the fact that he could not be perfect as God demands in his Law. He looked into the mirror and saw only a sinner who deserved God’s punishment. But that simple priest was soon assigned the task of being a professor of theology in the nearby university. So he set out to study the Bible, something that very few people were allowed to do in those days. Only a handful of Bibles existed. It was only translated into Latin, the language of the educated elite. And as Luther studied the Bible, the Holy Spirit, that paraclete, testified to him about the truth of Jesus: that God declares us innocent and gives us heaven through faith in Jesus and not because of our own works. And that had quite an effect on the young priest. He went and told everyone he could of this great and wondrous discovery he had made in the Bible. But as he criticized the Church for teaching things that were contrary to God’s Word, he began to be persecuted and threatened.
Well, everything came to a head in 1521 in the city of Worms, Germany. Luther was called to stand trial before many of the most powerful men of his day, including the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. At the trial, all of Luther’s books were laid before him on a table. He was told to recant, to renounce what he had written, or be condemned to death. Luther asked for a day to think it over. After a night of fervent prayer, Luther stood before that council and said: “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason... my conscience is captive to the Word of God, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against the conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.” With that Luther was condemned and anyone could capture him and kill him without suffering any punishment from the government.
Could you do what Martin Luther did? No, but neither could Martin Luther – neither could Peter – neither could Paul. But the Holy Spirit working through them could. With the strength that the Holy Spirit gave the disciples on Pentecost, they stopped hiding and went out and testified to what they had heard and seen about Jesus. They were witnesses. A witness goes to a trial and tells what he or she heard and saw. The disciples didn’t have to convince anybody of anything. The Holy Spirit would do that. They were only sent to testify, to tell the good news about what Jesus had done for them.
And that is what God wants us to do today. God tells all believers: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. But we can’t do it alone. We’re a bunch of scaredy cats – worried about what people will think or that our friends will make fun of us.
But the Holy Spirit, through his Word, gives us the confidence that we need. He is our paraclete: he teaches us, guides us and gives us the words to say. So you can do it. Now, the devil’s going to tempt you to make excuses. “Nobody is going to listen.” “They will laugh at you.” “They’ll think your one of those Bible-thumping fanatics.” “You can’t do it as well as the pastor.” “Better off letting someone else do it.” My friends, every Sunday through his Word and Sacraments God pours out his Holy Spirit over us to comfort and strengthen us. He is our paraclete. He will always be there to help us stand firm. So now go and tell your friends and neighbors, even if it is uncomfortable and difficult. If you don’t know what to say, study your Bible’s more or talk to us pastors. The Holy Spirit through his Word will teach you what to say.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Birthday of the Christian Church, there were over three thousand baptisms in one day, three thousand! Now, I’m not saying that the Holy Spirit has that planned for us here at Divine Savior. But he does promise us that his Word will not come back to him empty. He promises that his church will grow. The early church would not have grown if the disciples had not stood in Jerusalem and preached about Jesus, in the middle of people making fun of them and calling them drunks. With God’s help, Divine Savior also can grow and become a large and vibrant congregation, but not if we don’t say anything. So my prayer for you this morning is that the Holy Spirit gives you strength through his Word to share with others that simple message about what God has done for us. Come, Holy Spirit, come. Amen.
