Summary: God’s plan to reconcile fallen humanity to himself had been building up to the gift of the Holy Spirit. Are we ready to receive this gift and use it wisely?
Scripture focus: John 14:1-20; Acts 1:1-8
Date: Sunday, 13 June 2010 (St John’s Sutherland, 7pm)
Why Did Jesus Give the Holy Spirit?
I hope that at least some of you, who heard last week’s sermon, left the service a little challenged and with at least some questions that you wanted answered. That was the point of the sermon: To introduce the topic of the series and to lay before you some of the difficulties of the topic, without necessarily answering them because then there would be no point in listening to the next four sermons, would there?
Last week I presented to you the very important argument that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, just as much as God the Father and God the Son, and certainly worthy of our respect and worship. The gender of the Holy Spirit is not so much important, except insofar as we remain open to learning more about God, as we investigate and reflect upon all of the subtleties of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is the much-neglected third person of the Trinity and our faith is the poorer for it.
I presented the case that the Holy Spirit was both present at and instrumental in Creation, and has continued to hold an important place throughout human history: sustaining, revealing, restraining, calling and equipping. Even so, the Holy Spirit was not as accessible to individuals during the times recorded in the Old Testament —possibly not at all during the Inter-testamental times— as we have come to expect post-Pentecost. This highlights the point that we should be overwhelmingly grateful, being the blessed recipients of the fulfilment of a great promise, about which the saints of old only dreamed.
Alright. So, where to today?
We know that God promised the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32)1 and Jesus reaffirmed that promise (Jn 16:7). The Spirit came at Pentecost (Ac 2:1-4) with a ‘crash, bang, boom’ —promise fulfilled! We know, from last week, that we need that Spirit in order to both perceive and to participate in the Kingdom of God —in other words, the presence of the Spirit is the gift of Life!
But why now? Why is the Spirit given post-Pentecost in greater measure than she was pre-Pentecost? The Holy Spirit is great and all —I’m sure that you will agree with me that we all want the Holy Spirit in our life and in our church— but why give such a gift, as the presence of the Holy Spirit, to people so undeserving as us?
That is precisely what we are going to reflect on tonight.
The Gift Prophesied
We have had two passages of Scripture read for us tonight. The first, was John 14:1-20. There, is recorded words of comfort from Jesus to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (Jn 14:1). Jesus knew the suffering that he was about to endure and he knew the turmoil that was going to cause in his disciples. In anticipation of that, Jesus promised to them the gift of the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16).
Jesus reaffirmed that promised gift after his resurrection: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Ac 1:4–5). We will investigate why he made this promise in just a few moments; but, for now, let us reflect upon what was missing before, such that the Spirit had to be given at Pentecost.
To answer this, let us remember that human history is, even now, heading towards a glorious future:
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth”, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God”. (Revelation 21:1–3; cf. Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13)
Interestingly, this description is quite reminiscent of where it all started:
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day [...] (Genesis 2:4, 9; 3:8a)
The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground —trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
If, in creating us, God intended to enjoy a close, personal relationship with us —a relationship quite similar to walking hand-in-hand with us through a beautiful garden— we should not be surprised that he would intervene in human history to make sure that it stayed that way and/or returned to that state. Unfortunately, we turned away from God, and fell because of our sin.
Try to appreciate exactly what happened: Adam, Eve and God co-habited in the Garden, without any shame or distrust between them. In fact, the first humans were at such peace with God that there was no need for rules to govern their behaviour, except for one: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die” (Gen 2:16b–17).
As an aside: Notice that it does not say, “you must not eat of the tree, for I will surely kill you!” Very clearly, God revealed to the first humans that there would be consequences if they were to eat of that tree, not that he would punish them if they did not comply. Therefore —at least, it seems clear to me— the presence of the tree itself was the knowledge of good and evil! And those consequences, about which God warned them, would eventually be so serious as to be like unto death, figuratively and literally.2
The glory of that garden paradise, and that intimacy between Creator and his creation, was destroyed by us. Yet, God, “does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities”.3 In fact, even as he described for the first humans the consequences of their action, he also put into motion the very means of our salvation, the method and means by which we could return to that paradise-state (Gen 3:15).
As I mentioned last week, the Spirit of God was present in the beginning and has remained present, largely, throughout human history. At first, that Spirit came upon individuals especially, so as to enable the revelation of God and to equip specific individuals for unique service. But humankind did not listen to the Spirit, as we should have. We have continued, in our fallen state, to turn away from God. We were warned, quite early, that,
Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with human beings forever, for they are mortal” [...] The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:3, 5)
Notice that it is here indicated that it is with, at least in some instances, God’s Spirit that we must contend regarding our sin. I imagine that this contending reached a tragic climax, which we will not understand completely, and this triggered the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions and the exile of the chosen people to foreign lands. So, what was missing was a sense of positive regard and respect for God, such that too many people turned away from God too often to be ignored.
It was during that state of crisis that the Spirit would have departed from the earth —remember, here, the story of Esther— yet it was also then that God promised to make a gift of his Spirit and to instigate a new relationship with his people. That was yet another indication of his love and grace and intention to restore his creation unto him. That promise of his Spirit was made particularly through the prophet Joel —thus giving us the opening words of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost (Joel 2:28-32)— and through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34):
“The days are coming”, declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant [...] I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:31–34)
What is another way of saying, “I will put my law in their minds”?
[Jesus said,] I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever [...] 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. (John 14:16, 26)
Why did God promise us the Holy Spirit? Firstly, so that we would know our Creator-God and what he expects of us. Where once only few were given the Holy Spirit, after Pentecost all believers would receive her and be restored to God as per his original intentions and the fulfilment of his plan of salvation.
The Holy Spirit Returned
It might be hard for us to ‘get our head around’ the idea that there was a time when the Holy Spirit was not present on the earth, if indeed that was the case. But certainly we can appreciate that the state of human sinfulness had become so critical that God acted to correct the situation and always did so in our best interests. He made a promise and then granted us a precious gift: “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Ac 1:5).
I mentioned to you last week that Hillel, a wise and learned and spiritual man, did not have the Holy Spirit, although everyone thought that, if anyone, he would have deserved that gift. Note that Hillel was a contemporary of Jesus, having lived circa 60 bc–20 ad.4 It was not until the time of the birth of John the Baptist that the Holy Spirit would return (Lk 1:11-17); yet, even with John, the gift of the Spirit was only present after the manner of Old Testament times, being temporary and for a special purpose.
Similarly, the disciples of Jesus were seemingly given the Holy Spirit, during their ministry with him, to cast out demons and so forth (Mt 10:1ff); yet, then too only apparently for a short time and for a special purpose. Nevertheless, it was not until Jesus’ baptism, that the Holy Spirit returned as promised and in the manner described by those promises (Lk 3:21-22; 4:1).
Power for Salvation and Holiness and Witnessing
I hope that you do now better appreciate the gift that is the Holy Spirit and why the Spirit needed to be given to us. As I mentioned earlier, God’s plan of salvation was meant to bloom into fruition through the giving of the Spirit. Yet this is still not the whole reason for why the Spirit was given.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The gift of the Holy Spirit is for the mission of the Church. Indeed, mission and the Holy Spirit go hand-in-hand. As one commentary described it:
[From the opening words of the book of Acts, the rest] expounds this theme. The Spirit is the one who regenerates and sanctifies us so that we experience the risen Christ to whom we witness (Ac 1:4–5; cf. Jn 3:5–8). He fills individuals with special anointings to face special challenges in witness (Ac 4:8, 31; 6:10; 7:55; 13:9). He gives boldness in witness (Ac 4:9–13, 31; 13:9–11) and encourages his people in a way that helps them to grow in numbers (Ac 9:31). Just as the Spirit enabled the first Christians to speak in other tongues (Ac 2:4), he is the one who gives the words to speak in witness, in keeping with the promise of Christ (Mk 13:11). He directs people to special witnessing situations (Ac 10:19) and forbids them to go to some places they want to go (Ac 16:6–7). He calls people to their special mission (Ac 13:2) and sends them on their way (Ac 13:4). Finally, he directs the Church to important doctrines relating to the mission of the Church (Ac 15:28). The Christian mission and ministry, then, can only be done in the power of the Spirit.5
The proper process is this: our salvation is instigated by the moving of the Spirit upon our lives; we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead (Rom 10:9); then, immediately proceed to share that great truth with all and sundry. How could we do otherwise, when our own lives have been touched and transformed so powerfully by the love and grace of God? Yet, we would do well to remember that the sharing of the Gospel should only be done with and as directed by the Holy Spirit. The whole of the book of Acts is a testimony of this fact, and one which we will explore in more detail over the next three weeks.
One final point that bears highlighting, at this point, is that contemporary Christians focus too much on the “gifts of the Holy Spirit” when we really need to remember that the Holy Spirit is herself the “Gift” that was promised. It is she for which we should be thankful. She should be treated with honour and respect —in other words, divine worship— and not manipulated for the benefits she may or may not bestow upon us, when and if she feels like it and whether doing so serves her purposes. From such right worship, the “gifts” will follow in God’s good time and for his purposes alone. This too we will reflect upon a little more in due time.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by putting this all into perspective: We know the beginning and ending of the grand story in which we all participate. That story opens on the glory of God’s creation and ends with a beautiful, eternal paradise enjoyed by God and those willingly loved by him.
However, in the middle of that story there are terribly dark scenes in which the sinfulness of humankind sunk to tragic lows … the lowest of which being when we hung a truly innocent man on a cross to suffer and die completely alone. It can fairly be said that at that point, Jesus was alone and the Spirit was not with him (Mk 15:34).
Yet, in that moment of despair a light began to dawn. That light penetrated the darkness at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit —not that the Spirit wasn’t already present, to some degree, but the Spirit became available at Pentecost in a new way, according to God’s purposes. God’s plan to reconcile fallen humanity to himself had been building up to its culmination in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We know that, by his own admission, Jesus came into the world that “[we] may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10b). So, Jesus’ death and resurrection make it possible for us to receive that abundant life, which is life lived in and with the Holy Spirit.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is like a blessed and warm light that shines upon the earth and into our very hearts. That is a light to share, especially with those who, “will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed” (Jn 3:19-21). Let us “come into the light” and share that light wherever we go, even as it has been shared with us.
Let us reaffirm our desire for and request the Spirit of God to be in our life. Let us pray the following prayer entitled, “Mighty River, Mighty Fire” , written by Charles Devanesan (1994), which I introduced last week, and let’s pray it together in unison, even as the light of Christ and his Holy Spirit is being passed around:
O Spirit of God, mighty river,
flow over me, in me, through me.O Spirit of God, cleanse me,
purify the channels of my life.O Spirit of God, bear me along
with your flood of life-giving service.O Spirit of God, mighty river,
bear me down to the ocean,
the ocean of thy love.O Spirit of God, mighty fire,
glow in me, burn in me,
until your radiance fills my soul.O Spirit of God, mighty fire,
may your light illuminate my mind.O Spirit of God, mighty fire,
may your heat consume my will
until I burn for you.
May the flames of your love
ever blaze upon the altar of my heart.O Spirit of God, mighty river,
flow over me, in me, through me. (Charles Devanesan)
Endnotes
- All biblical references are taken from The Holy Bible: Today’s New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI, USA: Zondervan, 2005). ↩
- For extra study, consider and compare the following passages: Genesis 3:1,3; 5:5; 9:29; Deuteronomy 30:15,19; Jeremiah 42:16; Ezekiel 3:18; Romans 5:12; 6:23. ↩
- Psalm 103:10; see also Leviticus 26:21 and Ezra 9:13. ↩
- Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI,USA: Baker Book House, 1988), pg 987. ↩
- Ajith Fernando, The NIV Application Commentary: Acts (Grand Rapids, MI, USA: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), pg 57. ↩
