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Year C Trinity John 16:12-15

3/6/07

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

John 16:12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

Today is Trinity Sunday. A day when preachers tiptoe around heresy! A day when we struggle to describe the indescribable. To understand the nature of one God, who has revealed that He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It is because God is so vast and different that he became a man. In becoming a man God gave a stunning revelation of what God is like. If we want to ask the question, "What is God like?", we can answer it with one word, "Jesus". We can relate to Him because he became a human being.

It is because God is so vast and different to us that we needed Jesus to bridge the gap between us and God the Father. This chasm is sin, our failure to live life His way.

Only Jesus could pay the price for our sin, which is separation fro God. Something he endured on the cross when his relationship with God was temporarily shattered as he took upon himself the punishment for the sins of the world.

The gospel reading is taken from the conversation Jesus had with his disciples after he had told them he was going to be betrayed and die. This was more than they could bear, verse 12. Later, after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension the Holy Spirit would be sent to help them.

Jesus mentions three things the Holy Spirit will do:

guide the apostles into all truth, v.13;

tell them of the future, v.13;

and help them glorify Jesus, and, therefore, God, v.14f.

It is because God is beyond our comprehension that he sent his Spirit to enlighten us. To open our mind to what we are truly like and what God is really like. To give us the trust in Jesus that we need. To give us the power, fruit and gifts we need to follow him, be like him, and minister for him.

The epistle tells us that the Holy Spirit also pours God's love into our hearts, v.5.

Turn to someone you don't know very well and each of you tell the other one about yourself. Decide who is going to speak first and I will then give each of you a minute to do this...

I don't know what you discovered about the other person. I wonder how much related to things you do rather than who you are?

One of the questions that people ask when they first meet is, "What do you do?". The danger of this is that people are reduced to a stereotype.

It can be difficult to describe what people are like because we are so complex. How much more difficult it is to describe God in abstract terms. The best way of getting to know someone is by relating to them. Speaking to them, listening to them, looking at what they do and say, spending time with them. We should do these things with God. If we want to find out what God is like it is no use reading books about the Trinity. We need to relate to him.

How do we do this?

Romans 5:1f tells us that we gain access to a right relationship with God the Father by trusting in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. This trust is itself a gift from God brought about by His Holy Spirit. However, when one person of the godhead, Father, Son, or Holy Spirit does something it is always with the co-operation, agreement, and support of the others.

God is love. The best way of knowing that love is to experience it. To trust in him. We don't need a PhD in theology to know Him. We shouldn't settle for a limited picture of God that makes us comfortable and doesn't stretch our heart and mind.

We live in a busy world where relationships can be pushed to one side. I urge you to devote yourselves to knowing the one true God, the source of love who can well up in your heart. Who will bring joy and a certain hope of resurrection life for all who know him.

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PRAY

In 1989 an earthquake almost flattened Armenia. This deadly tremor killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son's school. When he arrived there he discovered the building as flat as a pancake.
Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he made to his son, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but he could not take his mind off his promise.
Remembering that his son's classroom was in the back right corner of the building, the father rushed there and started digging through the rubble. As he was digging other grieving parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son! "My daughter!" They tried to pull him off of what was left of the school saying: "It's too late!" "They're dead!" "You can't help!" "Go home!" Even a police officer and a fire-fighter told him he should go home.
To everyone who tried to stop him he said, "Are you going to help me now?"
They did not answer him and he continued digging for his son stone by stone.
He needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead?" This man dug for eight hours and then twelve and then twenty-four and then thirty-six. Finally in the thirty-eighth hour, as he pulled back a boulder, he heard his son's voice. He screamed his son's name, "ARMAND!" and a voice answered him,
"Dad?" It's me Dad!" Then the boy added these priceless words, "I told the other kids not to worry. I told 'em that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised that, Dad. 'No matter what,' you said, 'I'll always be there for you!' And here you are Dad. You kept your promise!"
( Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, "Chicken Soup for the Soul." )

If you believe a promise I would like to suggest that this depends on the trustworthiness of the promisor and their power to carry it out.

Today's gospel is part of the final conversation that Jesus had with his disciples just before he was betrayed. The next day he was crucified. He had been telling them of his forthcoming departure and the disciples were sad, verse 6.

Jesus said that it was a good job he was going and promised 'the Counsellor', verse 7, or "Helper." It is a legal term, but with a broader meaning than "counsel for the defence". It referred to any person who came alongside and helped someone in trouble with the law.

The Spirit will always stand by Christ's people. Jesus was saying that after he goes back to heaven, the ascension, he will send the Holy Spirit. This will be better because Jesus could only be with one disciple or group of disciples at a time. But God the Holy Spirit lives in every Christian, helping Christians to live for God and be like Jesus.

Jesus mentions some of the things that the Holy Spirit does :

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come..

Spirit of truth. In essence and in action the Spirit is characterized by truth. He brings people to the truth of God. All three persons of the Trinity are linked with truth. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life ( 14:6 ).

what he hears, We are not told whether he hears from the Father or the Son, but it obviously does not matter, for the verse stresses the close relationship among the three. On this Trinity Sunday we should be aware of how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one, acting together and complimenting one another.

yet to come. Probably means the good news of Jesus including his life, death, resurrection ascension and second coming. The crucifixion and resurrection had yet to happen when Jesus spoke on that first Maundy Thursday.

14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

The Spirit draws no attention to himself but promotes the glory of Christ and, by implication, God the Father. When Jesus said 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine he is conveying the unity of the godhead. The Holy Spirit will reveal God's truth and will open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind. To see that the cross was not a humiliating defeat but a victory over sin and death. To see that Jesus is more than a good man or outstanding teacher but 100% God and 100% man.

Every Christian has God the Holy Spirit living inside them. To guide us, speak to us, to glorify Jesus. Elsewhere the Bible says that he gives us power to live for God, gifts to build up the church, and grow nine fruit in our lives making us more like Jesus.

The promise of Jesus about the gift of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled at Pentecost. We can trust in Jesus to fulfil all of his promises. He has one more promise to carry out, to return to earth and take those who are his to be with Him, the Holy Spirit and God the Father in heaven. We can rely on Him to do this too.

We can know Jesus in our hearts by his Spirit and have access to God the Father through His life, death and resurrection.

PRAY