Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

It was back at Christmas time that you heard about God who came in human flesh to dwell among us. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, not only could identify with us in our sins and our temptations and our frailties, but He took those very weaknesses from us and put them on Himself. As we walked through the seasons of Lent and Easter, we observed yet again that He died and rose from the dead in order to bring you back into the warm embrace of God your heavenly Father. Since December, Jesus, only Jesus was the focus of every reading from His inspired and inerrant Word this church year, and only by God’s help, Jesus the One and Only Savior is and remains the focus of every sermon.

But scattered here and there in those numerous familiar accounts about Jesus, there was the Holy Spirit. He was always working somewhere in the background. Jesus Himself was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Holy Trinity descended in bodily form like a dove when Jesus was baptized at the Jordan River. The Spirit even accompanied Christ while the devil was tempting Him in the wilderness. In many other accounts, the Holy Spirit is there, but always behind-the-scenes.

Now, the tables are turned, so it seems. The Holy Spirit is coming with His most impressive appearance yet, and amazing things are happening to those disciples gathered in that one place. There is a mighty rushing wind, tongues of fire resting on them, and they were speaking God’s Word in all kinds of languages. Now it’s the Spirit’s turn to be front-and-center. After all, the day of Pentecost is the birthday of the New Testament Christian church! You have heard about Jesus and you know He has taken away your sins. Now it’s time to give the Holy Spirit some time in the spotlight. It might even help if some of those amazing things the Spirit does could happen right here, right now. How ’bout it?

Not so fast, preacher. You’re not getting this one past us! There is no change of roles for the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. Even on Pentecost Sunday, Jesus, only Jesus is still the focus. You don’t dictate to God how He does His job. The Holy Spirit, then just as now, only brings to your attention the Son of God who became flesh and is made known to you as Christ the Crucified. He, even the Holy Spirit Himself, does not speak on His own authority. Those disciples did not remind their hearers of the miracles they could do: the healing, the speaking in other languages, and so on. Nothing is recorded in any of their sermons in the Book of Acts or their Epistles that those outward, fantastic, marvelous works of the Holy Spirit are now the main thing. And the Bible certainly says NOTHING about requiring these “signs of the Spirit” before anyone is considered a Christian, whether you call them “born again” or otherwise. In fact, the Apostle Paul says that even if he could do all that fancy talking and speak in other languages, it wouldn’t matter at all if he did not proclaim the love and forgiveness of God for sinners. When all is said and done, the Holy Spirit is still in the background. He is still going to point you to Jesus, only Jesus.

And Jesus Himself tells you what the Holy Spirit does: He will convict. He will convict the world of three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment, and this only when the words of God, as preserved and written down without error in the Bible, when these words are proclaimed in the mouth of God’s called servants for the whole world to hear.

First, of sin. The Holy Spirit reminds the world of sin not because you can do anything about it. In fact, He speaks the Law of God to you to make you realize you have broken it and that for your punishment you are to be separated from heaven forever. The Holy Spirit must accuse you to death from God’s Law, accuse you of your sin against His Holy Word, but it doesn’t end there.

Secondly, He convicts of righteousness. The Holy Spirit announces the verdict—but, contrary to what your mind would expect—the verdict upon you is innocent. This is not because God changed His mind or decided to overlook your death sentence. No! It’s because your death sentence has been served in your place. Righteousness is defined as absolute perfection in God’s sight—it’s something you did not have and only Jesus had. But He credits that righteousness, that perfection, to your eternal account and the dividends, namely forgiveness and life together with God, are yours as His gift.

Finally, there’s judgment. The devil, the ruler of this world, stands judged. If you refuse God’s gift of free forgiveness and hope instead that you’ve done enough good deeds to save yourself, then the judgment is hell. But for you who believe in Christ and hold fast to Him, the judgment is Heaven, resurrection of the body, life everlasting. And the Holy Spirit speaks of these three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment, when He proclaims to you Jesus, only Jesus.

This Jesus He brings right to you and places Him into your ears. The Holy Spirit takes the Body and Blood of Christ that was shed long ago and far away and feeds Him to you in your own mouth. And this Holy Spirit that convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, the Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son, He brings your prayers before the Father. Because you are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and because Jesus has ascended to the Father’s right hand, God hears your prayer in any situation, in any trouble, doubt, or blessing that you may experience.

By the Power of the Holy Spirit, you hear Jesus spoken, out of the perfect Word of God, and into your ears today, and you hold fast to Christ your bridegroom. For He has cleansed you and made you His beautiful bride, without spot or wrinkle. He made His vow to you that He will not forsake you—and to seal that vow, He gave the gift of the Holy Spirit. And His greatest promise to lead you to eternal life forever in union with God will come to fulfillment thanks to, you guessed it, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit, give us Jesus, and bring us at last to the Father.

In the Name of the Father and of the ✝ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Readings:
Ezek. 37:1–14 Valley of the dry bones
Ps. 139:1–16 I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Acts 2:1–21 We hear them speaking in our own languages the wonderful works of God
John 15:26–27; 16:4b–15 when the Helper comes…He will testify of Me.