John 14:25-27 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.
The Counselor Will Teach You All Things
I. Reminding you of Christ’s words
II. Giving you heavenly peace
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-- to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen (Revelation 1:5b-6).
E-BOMB OF SIN: Ever heard of the E-bomb (from EMP - Electro-magnetic pusle)? Any electronic devices that are not shielded from this specific type of attack are lost. Communications equipment, radios, computers would be wiped out. It would effectively disconnect people. It is especially effective when it cuts off an enemy from communications with their leader. Military advantage: Isolation Compare that to sin! Man was created morally good, desiring the will of God. But then sin came along. The disconnect from God was so powerful that man hid from him. Man is so messed up inside that even though he has the basic understanding of right and wrong, and he recognizes the benefits of doing the right thing, yet he still does what is wrong.
PENTECOST RECONNECTION / JESUS’ PROMISE: How completely opposite is the effect of Pentecost! Like a bomb dropped in the middle of Jerusalem, the arrival of the Holy Spirit as Counselor reconnected the people with their Father in heaven, through their Savior Jesus Christ. Our Gospel today anticipates the day of Pentecost. Jesus gives the promise of Pentecost on Maundy Thursday. Christ has warned his disciples that he will be leaving soon. He has predicted his betrayal. He’s warned that Peter will deny him. Soon they will be disconnected from him – first by their enemies, then by death, and just when they think that he is back, he will ascend into heaven. The promise of Pentecost is a promise of comfort, one of those links that will remain between the disciples and their Lord, even though he will not be with them bodily anymore.
E-BOMBS WIPE OUT INFORMATION: E-Bombs not only take out communications, but they fry computers (hard drives, floppy disks, cassettes and VCR tapes and custom-recorded CDs.). Victims of the E-bomb will lose the information that they have stored electronically. Imagine all of your emails GONE. If you keep your finances and tax information on your computer… What a loss! As Jesus was about to leave his disciples – and they were going to graduate from Christ’s seminary, he didn’t want them to worry about forgetting any of his lessons: “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.”
DYNAMIC ACTIVITIES NOT PROMISED: What makes Pentecost stick out are the dynamic activities of the Holy Spirit: sound of wind, tongues of flame, the speaking in tongues, the miraculous growth of the church through one sermon; but do you see any of those signs in the promise of Christ to his disciples? What were the important tasks of the Holy Spirit, for which the Father was sending him? “But the Counselor… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” TEACHING & REMINDING you of EVERYTHING. That’s the important work of the Spirit! It happens to be the same work that he is still doing today. It’s what he is doing right now! Sure it would be impressive if every sermon began with the sound of rushing wind and a flame floating over my head to assure you that the Holy Spirit is present and speaking to you. But that isn’t what Christ promised.
HOLY SPIRIT FOR HIROSHIMA: Christ promised a Teacher and a Reminder. If we want to enjoy the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we must then be students and listeners. If we aren’t, can we claim to have a living faith? As a pastor, I hear it all of the time. I have faith. I don’t need to go to church. I pray. Such people should visit the valley of bones from Ezekiel. It looked like Hiroshima… dead, dry bones. What brought them life? The Holy Spirit. How did God send the Holy Spirit? He told his prophet, “Prophesy!” Without the help of the Holy Spirit, without God’s Word, we are nothing but dry bones. What good is a Counselor, if we aren’t seeking his advice, listening to what he has to say?
SINFULLY PREFER MAGIC: I’m afraid that we often want the Holy Spirit to be a magician… “Wave your wand, Holy Spirit, and create faith in me… teach me… keep me faithful… but do it magically, so I don’t have to waste time with Bible Class (it’s out of my way, I don’t have the time)… do it magically, so that I don’t have to read my meditations… intercede for me, so I don’t have to waste time in prayer. Kindle the fire in my heart… and guide my life, but do it without deep inner struggles, where I have to seek your counsel and wrestle with your Word to find the right, God-fearing decision.”
ALL / EVERYTHING: “Teach me through churches where there is false teaching, because that WELS congregation is way too far away to drive to… Just magically make the false teaching harmless.” That’s not what Christ promised: “The Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Those churches that don’t feel you have to agree on all points of Scripture must jump past the “all things” and “everything” of this promise of Christ. If the Holy Spirit is teaching us everything, then differences in teachings MUST be based on false, human teachings.
JESUS PROMISES PEACE: How important it is to remain connected with this Holy Spirit! Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, so that the disciples won’t be afraid that after the Ascension they will be on their own. Though Jesus was bodily leaving them, he was leaving a precious gift behind: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
CHILD’S PEACE: Have you ever gone to a park with a little child or to the beach. Do you notice their excitement as they run off to play. No worries! No fears or concerns! If we could have that? Yet, even when we take vacation, we have a hard time letting go of the stress of work. When we lie down to rest, how often are we so troubled that even our rest is disturbed by nightmares that reflect our inner turmoil. Christ gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can enjoy peace NOW. So that he can take our burdens: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28). The world with all of its self-help books, its alcohol and drugs, its excuses and denials of sin… do not provide lasting peace. They don’t give the peace that Christ gives to us. How precious it is to know, that this indeed is Christ’s desire for us: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” That’s not a saying from a fortune cookie! It’s Christ’s will for you. He establishes that peace in our hearts by giving us the Holy Spirit, our Teacher and Reminder!
MARRIAGE COUNSELOR’S SIGN: What good is it, if we don’t make use of this Counselor? Imagine a family counselor who sets up an office on main street. He puts a big sign in front of his place of practice. And everyone in town is so glad that they finally have a counselor in town, because there are so many broken homes in that community. The counselor sits out on a bench every day so that people can see that he is available. Most everybody passes by and tells him, “We are so glad that you are here. This town really needs you.” Eventually he leaves that town, but he doesn’t take down the sign, because it seems that is all that the people wanted… a sign that he was there. Is that the way that we treat the Holy Spirit? We would love a sign that he was there. We appreciate the promises that Jesus gives… but we don’t actually make use of that Counselor! Maybe that’s the problem… making use of the Counselor – praying – reading – studying God’s Word means that we have to actually admit that we are poor and weak without him… that we really do need him… and often!
E-BOMB, HEALTH & CARS: There’s not much protection for the average guy against the attack of an E-bomb. They will stop pace makers. They will wipe out most of the equipment at a hospital. A person won’t even be able to contact 911 for help. The electric ignition of ambulances will be fried rendering them immobile. Sin and temptation are just as insidious, wiping out spiritual life and destroying our spiritual connection with God, reducing our hope, peace, and faith to despair and doubt. Our Lord will not have it! He gives us the Holy Spirit through the simple means of grace: the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. Nothing can immobilize the Holy Spirit or render the Holy Spirit ineffective. So let’s not avoid him, but rejoice in the promise of Christ that he will not leave us as orphans, but gives us the Spirit, so that we are constantly reminded of the cross, the grave, and the resurrection. Amen.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7). Amen.
