Sunday, 20 May 2018: Pentecost Sunday

John 15.26 26 ‘When the Advocate 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.

16.4b I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, “Where are you going?” 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgement, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 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 the 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 glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.’

Until this week, I didn’t know that “You’ll never walk alone” is a show tune from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical. It is sung by Nettie Fowler to encourage and comfort her cousin, Julie Jordan, whose husband, Billy Bigelow had committed suicide after a failed robbery.

O course, the version by “Gerry and the Pacemakers” is very well known, especially to football fans, notably those from Liverpool F.C.

Jesus had told his disciples he was leaving them in chapter 14 and repeats this in 16.5ff. They were upset and confused. He tells them they will never walk alone. Jesus promised them something better than being with Him. The Advocate, or Holy Spirit. The Greek word is parakletos.

It means “one who is summoned to the side of another” to help him in a court of justice by defending him, “one who is summoned to plead a cause.” The Greek word has several shades of meaning: (1) a legal advocate; (2) an intercessor, (3) a helper generally. This use of the word is derived from the fact that the Jews, being largely ignorant of the Roman law and the Roman language, had to employ Roman advocates in their trials before Roman courts.

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “he”. A divine person. What will the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, give to followers of Jesus?

14.6 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever – 17 the Spirit of truth.

The Holy Spirit will help us. He will do this forever. He is another Advocate. Like Jesus but better, in that He can be with us all the time. Jesus could only be in one place at one time. Even when He was with His disciples He couldn’t stop them doing and saying the wrong things. The Holy Spirit is with every believer, all of the time, and He helps believers by giving them fruit to make them more like Jesus, so they behave better. You’ll never walk alone.

The Holy Spirit. will bring God’s truth. This links in with 16.8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement:

The world, those who are against God, are sinful because they did not trust Jesus and killed Him. They thought they were doing what was right or expedient, but it was a sin. One that God overcame. They thought they were doing the right thing but Jesus always did the right thing and this led to Him being resurrected, proving them to be wrong. They passed judgement on Jesus but He bore the judgement of God for the sin of the world so that those who are united to Him, by His Spirit, can know that the punishment for their sins has been taken from them. Evil and death were defeated by the cross of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15.55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is only through the work of God the Holy Spirit that people can truly comprehend what God did for them in Christ. It seems foolish to those who are unenlightened. 1 Corinthians 1.18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

At the end of Chapter 15 Jesus tells his followers that they will be helped by the Holy Spirit who will testify to them about Jesus. They, in turn, must testify about Him to others. 26 ‘When the Advocate 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.

 Earlier, 14.26, Jesus said “But the Advocate, 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. “

In “Thy Kingdom Come” we have been praying for God’s Holy Spirit to work in people’s hearts and minds to bring them to faith. Whilst God brings people to faith supernaturally, like Saul of Tarsus, he still needed help from Ananias & then the disciples (Acts 9).

God needs us to testify about how our relationship with Jesus has changed us. To share that we have value as children of God. Confidence in His rule over our life and death, and that Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us. That we are growing in our faith, love, joy and peace. We can talk with Him and have fellowship with other believers who share the same Holy Spirit living within them. We have His love in our hearts and can share that with others.

God doesn’t make everyone an evangelist, giving the gift of leading many people to Christ. But everyone who is a Christian has their own story to tell, and God wants us to share that. It is part of the duty that we have to love Him with everything and to love others as ourselves that we share what should be the most important thing in our lives.

God will not expect us to do this in our own strength. Indeed, we cannot do this in our own strength. We see this in the Acts 2 reading.

The despondent disciples were transformed by the resurrection and then by the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They had been cowering in a locked room after Jesus’ death but Peter was now sharing the good news with thousands of people in his first recorded sermon. The Holy Spirit gave over three thousand people the gift of faith that day, Acts 2.41. This rose to five thousand shortly afterwards, 4.4.

The disciples would go in the power of the Holy Spirit to boldly proclaim to people that Jesus had died and had risen, even though this resulted in their persecution and death.

You’ll never walk alone. God the Holy Spirit will walk with you. He will help you, give you the power you need to live and witness for Jesus. He will give you the words you need to share Jesus with others. He will lead you into truth. The truth that Jesus is alive. That He demands our faith in Him. That He is righteous. That He has taken the judgement for our sin on the cross and offers forgiveness and eternal life.

Like the early church we need to be in prayer, seeking the Holy Spirit’s blessing on us and giving us the power that we need to live for Jesus and share our faith with others.

We need to be praying for others, that God the Holy Spirit will work in those around us who don’t yet know Jesus to give them the gift of eternal life. We need to be praying for our own witness. For the opportunity and words to share our faith with other.

We should persevere in our faith, knowing that, because of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, living within us, we will never, ever walk alone.

Whit Sunday/Pentecost 24/5/2015 8 am St Martin's Acts 2.1-21


John 15.26 Jesus said  ‘When the Advocate 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.

 16.1  ‘All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, “Where are you going?” 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.   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 the 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 glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.’

Jesus was going to be betrayed shortly, crucified the next day, rise from death, ascend to heaven forty after this and ten days after that send the Holy Spirit on his followers.

Jesus said that it was good that He was going so that the Holy Spirit could come, verse 7. This was a revolutionary change in how God would relate to people.

In the Old Testament God revealed himself to individuals rarely, also through the prophets, occasionally through miracles, and through His law. This was not enough to transform people and give them the ability to know and love God and follow His ways. A law was needed that was written on people's hearts, as the prophet Jeremiah (31) looked forward to.

After Jesus had come, showed us what God is like, and reconciled us to God through the cross, God sent the Holy Spirit.

 Jesus could only be in one place at one time. Since he first Pentecost God lives within His people. Changing people from within. Giving them the power to see their own shortcomings and turn to God. Jesus talked about this from verse 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgement, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

The early church experienced the power of the Holy Spirit when they heard the mighty wind and saw tongues of fire. They were then empowered to fearlessly go and tell others about Jesus. 3,000 men came to faith on the first Pentecost Sunday when Peter preached to them.

v. 7 When the Advocate 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.

The Advocate, also translated Comforter, is one called alongside someone to help. The context is a legal one, so one might think of a type of solicitor. He will be sent by God the Son, from God the Father. He is not earned or deserved but a gift sent, just like the gift of faith, which comes about through the work of the Spirit.

Christians can be secure knowing that God the Holy Spirit lives within them and will always be there. He is the Spirit of truth. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all characterised by their truthfulness. Therefore, as Christians we need never fear close examination of our faith because it is based on eternal truths. This contrasts with the devil who is a liar.

he will testify about me.: God the Holy Spirit opens people's eyes to the truth, revealing Jesus as the way, the truth and the life, the only way to God (14:6).

John uses the word witness or testify 47 times ( Matthew 1: Mark 3: Luke 2). His gospel was written to witness to Jesus and elicit belief ( 20;31) 'But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ and by believing you may have life in his name.'

The Spirit is sent to glorify the Son and , thereby the Father. But, to be more effective he needs followers of Jesus to share their own experience of their personal relationship with him. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Disciples need the Holy Spirit to give them the power to witness. The Holy Spirit needs people to share their testimony. This does not mean that every Christian is expected or gifted to be an evangelist, about 10% are thought to have that gift. But every Christian is called and empowered to share their story, even if it is very simply.

We need to do this as individuals and as a church. One of the three aims of Living Gods Love is to make new disciples.

God gives believers other gifts to exercise within the church, to build up the church and enable it make a positive contribution to the world. Another aim of Living God's Love is to transform communities. This can range from Knebworth to Nepal.

As well as gifting believers for service the Holy Spirit also helps believers to grow fruit. Love, joy, pace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. This links with Living God's Love goal to go deeper into God.

So, the Holy Spirit lives within believers. He brings people to faith. Gives power to tell others about Jesus. Gives gifts to people in the church to serve. Gives fruit to make believers more like Jesus. But how can these teachings become real in our lives?

We need to ask God to keep giving us His Spirit. In Ephesians 5.18 Paul encourages us to be filled with the Spirit. Again and again and again. Like a car re-fuelling.

We can do this with a simple prayer each morning. Something like,

Lord Jesus, thank you for going so that the Holy Spirit could come. Please fill me with the Spirit so I can live this day for you, share your love with others and glorify your name. Amen