The Holy Spirit Works Daily for You.

Pentecost, 5/27/12 John 14:25-27 The Holy Spirit Works Daily for You. I. Bringing you his divine help II. Assuring you of saving peace Have you heard of personal assistants? They’re people whom you hire to carry out personal tasks for you. As far as I know, none of you has such an arrangement with someone, but wouldn’t it be great to have the money to be able to do that? Imagine having someone to run your errands, buy your groceries, pick up your dry cleaning, drive the kids to soccer practice or a music lesson, buy a graduation card and present, drop off that contract, or to be there when the carpet cleaners arrive. It would certainly make life simpler for you. Having someone there to work just for you every day would indeed be a wonderful thing. Enter the Holy Spirit! In the Holy Spirit that’s just what you have, not to complete menial, earthly tasks, but to accomplish what is eternal for you. Today the Church is celebrating the Day of Pentecost, that day on which the Holy Spirit was poured out in a special way on the disciples who were gathered together in Jerusalem. This outpouring enabled them to carry out the work the Lord Jesus had given them prior to ascending into heaven—going into all the world to preach his saving good news. The Day of Pentecost was the powerful beginning to the church on earth. But it was just the beginning. The work of the church hasn’t ended. We’re still doing that work of sharing the good news of Jesus with the world. And the Holy Spirit is still doing his work every day for you. Jesus promised that very thing in these words of our text, words that he spoke on the night before his death. In them he promised to send us his Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit works daily for you. Let’s see in what way as we study our Lord’s words this morning. Part I. Have you ever needed legal counsel? If so, did it lead to a court case? Those can be extremely unsettling situations. You think you know what the law says, but once you get into it, you realize how little you know. That’s why you have an attorney, someone who has studied the law and knows precisely what it says. He is there not only to advise you on what the law says about your particular case but also to represent and defend you. In a very real sense he is your counselor. That’s exactly the word that Jesus uses in our translation for the Holy Spirit. He says, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.” In what sense is the Holy Spirit our counselor? First, he reminds us of all that Jesus has done for us. It’s likely that in some way, every day, you are reminded of your sinfulness. Sometimes that reminder is unavoidable. We’re filled with guilt over a specific sin. We weep over the mess we’ve made of things. We can’t help but wonder what our God thinks of us now. That’s when the Holy Spirit reminds us of everything Jesus has done for us. The reason he came to this earth was to suffer and die as the payment for the sins of the world. His resurrection assures us that he has completed his work for us. And then the Holy Spirit counsels us with the greatest truth of Christianity. We are justified. We are declared not guilty, innocent in the courtroom of our God. We’re holy in God’s sight by faith in Jesus Christ. We’re justified. It’s just as if we had never sinned. That’s exactly the counsel or spiritual advice we need. Living in that truth—that we are fully forgiven by God—fills us with confidence and joy, a confidence and joy that the Lord wants us to share with others. Again, Jesus was about to send his disciples out into the world to proclaim that forgiveness to one and all. He wanted them to know that they weren’t going alone. The Holy Spirit would go with them and would give them the words to say. In another place Jesus told his disciples not to worry what to say when they had an opportunity to tell others about him because the Holy Spirit would give them the words to speak. He speaks that same promise to you and me. The Holy Spirit began working for you on the day of your baptism but he didn’t stop working for you on that day. He continues to help you on a daily basis, reminding you of your forgiveness and empowering you for witnessing about Jesus to others. He works daily for you, bringing you divine help. In a crowded world, we can still feel all alone, especially with our feelings of guilt and inadequacy. We convince ourselves that we’re the only ones who feel this way, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. In one way we’re correct. Our sins are our own fault. But we’re also wrong. We’re wrong that we’re alone. The Holy Spirit lives in us and reminds us of all that our Savior has done for us. Our sins are gone. We’re forgiven, justified. And now he empowers us to meet life’s most challenging situations. He uses us to share his saving message with others. As we do so, he reminds us that he will give us the words to speak and will use what we say to glorify our Savior. The Holy Spirit is working. He works daily for you. Part II. We’ve all been through traumatic events. What was the last one for you? A close call with your own death? The sudden death of a loved one? Shock and disbelief over the news of a terrible disease? Even if the trauma was something less than one of those, it still isn’t easy. The event may trouble you for days, months, even years. Earlier I mentioned when our Lord spoke these words of our text. Do you recall when it was? On the night before his death. When Jesus spoke these words he knew that his arrest was just an hour or two away, that 12 hours later he would be nailed to a cross, that by this time tomorrow his body would be laid in a tomb and his soul would be with his Father in heaven. No doubt that troubled him. But he was most concerned about how it would trouble his disciples. He knew that these 11 men were about to face the worst day of their lives. The One whom they had followed daily for the past 3 years, the One they hoped was the promised Messiah, the One who had displayed his power as true God again and again right in front of their eyes with countless miracles—this was the One they would watch in horror as he is handed over to his enemies and then crucified. Imagine the trauma! So Jesus addressed it. Listen to his words. “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.” Jesus comforted them with his peace. But just what did he mean? First, he wanted them to be absolutely certain that they had the peace of the forgiveness of sins. Imagine how their consciences must have stabbed them. They had deserted him in his greatest hour of need even though he had warned them and they had vowed they would even die with him. Imagine how worthless Peter must have felt. Jesus had singled him out and told him the temptations Satan had in store for him. And it happened! He denied even knowing Jesus, not once, but three times! All of them had proven themselves to be rather hopeless followers of Jesus. But he wanted them to be certain of their forgiveness. That was the point of his death on Calvary’s cross. He was going there for them, to pay for their sins, for the world’s sins. That forgiveness brought them peace with God. He also wanted them to have the peace of knowing he was in complete control. His sufferings and death wouldn’t have happened unless he was willing to undergo them. He could have ended it instantly, but he didn’t. He knew this was the plan for salvation and he would let nothing stop him from completing it. In fact, all would turn out well. He told them that he would suffer and die but that he would rise again. He wanted them to have that peace as they faced this next traumatic event and every one after that. In the end, all things turn out well for all God’s people. We’re certain of it because of Jesus’ resurrection. Just as he raised himself so also he will raise us on the Last Day no matter what trauma we face. That daily peace comes to us through the working of the Holy Spirit. As he works through his word and his sacrament, he brings us the peace of our forgiveness and our eternal life with our God. The Holy Spirit works daily for you, assuring you of saving peace. So, what’s waging war against your peace of mind? A sudden health issue or a looming surgery? An uncertain employment situation or some hostility between you and another employee? An unresolved problem between you and a close family member? Mounting bills and a finite income? Just not making it at school or not sure where your education is headed? To every one of those situations Jesus states, “My peace I give you.” While your world may be in turmoil at times, all is well with your God and it’s all because of your Savior’s sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. That daily comfort comes to you through the working of the Holy Spirit. May he continue to work daily for you! Amen.