“The Holy Spirit: The ‘Shy’ Member of the Trinity”
John 14:23-31
5/27/07
A few months ago in our weekly Bible study class we
did a study about the Holy Spirit and His work. And we learned
that many Christian denominations today want to put the Holy Spirit in
the spotlight, as it were, giving Him center stage in their worship and
theology. Taking their cues from the Apostle Paul’s letters
to the Corinthian congregation, they focus on the miraculous gifts that
they believe the Holy Spirit is still imparting to Christians
today. They even go so far as to say if these miraculous gifts
are not present among a congregation (especially the gift of tongues),
then the Holy Spirit is not present (or at least not active) among
them. Some of these congregations are so focused on the Holy
Spirit and His miraculous gifts that they preach Him instead of Christ,
even replacing the sign of the cross in their churches with the sign of
the dove.
Perhaps this has taken place, because many of us in
our worship today are looking for some kind of an experience, something
that confirms that what we believe is true, something other than the
Word of God alone which assures us that we have gotten in touch with
the spiritual realm, that we have the Holy Spirit and that He is
actively present among us. No one wants to be known as a
“dead” church, after all. And in today’s world
where truth is no longer measured by facts but by personal experience,
where the miraculous is going on, there the truth must be also.
And so, people who are looking to get in touch with
God expect to find Him where they see miraculous things
happening. And where the miraculous is going on, there is the
Holy Spirit, there the church is alive. No wonder, then, that so
many congregations concentrate on the Holy Spirit and His gifts,
because if there’s no evidence of His work among you, He’s
not there, and you’re in a dead church.
But as the title of this morning’s sermon
implies, the Holy Spirit does not intend to draw attention to Himself
or His gifts. He does not want to be in the spotlight nor does He
want to be proclaimed. For this reason He has been called the
“shy” member of the Trinity, because He wishes to draw
attention to someone else, and that person is Jesus Christ, His work,
and His words. And this is what Jesus here says the Holy Spirit
will do. He says that the Father will send Him in Jesus’
Name and that “He will teach you all things and bring to your
remembrance all that I have said to you.” If we could
summarize the work of the Holy Spirit in one sentence, then, we could
say that His “job” is to point us to Jesus, delivering Him
and His gifts to us. So, wherever this delivery of Jesus and His
gifts is going on, there the Holy Spirit is actively present, even if
there are no miraculous looking signs going on. Conversely,
wherever this delivery of Jesus and His gifts is not going on, there
the Holy Spirit is not actively present, even when there are miraculous
signs going on.
We have to remember that the devil can perform
miraculous looking signs, too. He did it among the magicians of
Pharaoh, when they imitated some of the signs that Moses was
doing. And Luke tells us in the book of Acts about a certain
Simon the magician, who was leading many people in Samaria astray with
his signs and wonders. And in the book of Revelation the Apostle
John tells us that the devil will give power and authority to the beast
and the false prophet to perform signs and wonders so that they too
might deceive many into believing their lies. And so, the
presence of signs and wonders alone can never be the test for the
truth. We must instead listen to the words that accompany
them. What are those who are performing these so-called miracles
preaching about Jesus? Are they preaching Him crucified and risen
from the dead for our salvation, if they are preaching Him at
all? And is what they are saying in line with what the Spirit
says in the Scriptures?
We know that the Scriptures are the Spirit’s
words. Here Jesus promises His disciples that the Spirit would
bring to their remembrance all that Jesus had said to them. The
writings of the N.T. are the result of that promise. They were
written by the Lord’s Apostles, His eye-witnesses, and their
disciples. And the Apostle Peter tells us that these writings are
not the result of their own will or interpretation, but that the men
spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. And
the Apostle Paul tells us that their writings were God-breathed.
All other so-called revelations that come to people apart from the
Bible must be tested by the Bible. And again, the Bible speaks of
Christ. The Holy Spirit did His work in delivering Jesus and His
gifts to us through the written words of Scripture. But His work
doesn’t stop there. He continues to deliver Jesus and His
gifts to you today through the proclamation of that Word through the
office of the holy ministry.
On the day of His resurrection, you’ll
remember that Jesus appeared to His eleven disciples who were all
hiding together behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. When He
appeared to them, however, Jesus said, “Peace be with
you.” Then He said, “As the Father has sent me, even
so I am sending you.” Then He breathed on them and said,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of
anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it
is withheld.” This is the disciples’ ordination in
the Gospel of John. Here Jesus confers the office of the holy
ministry upon them, giving them both the Holy Spirit and the authority
to forgive and retain sins. They would do this forgiving and
retaining with their words as they proclaimed Jesus. And this
ministry didn’t end at their deaths. It continues today as
the Holy Spirit works through the words of your pastors as they deliver
the forgiveness and salvation that Jesus won for you on His cross
through the proclamation of Him crucified for your sins. So,
where you’re hearing your sins forgiven for Christ’s sake,
there you can be sure that the Holy Spirit is present and active along
with that Word, regardless of whether you see anything miraculous
happening or not. The fact is, something miraculous is happening
though you don’t see it: you’re sins are being
forgiven and you are given the Lord’s peace.
Sins forgiven and the Lord’s peace may not be
seen, felt, or even experienced, but you know you have them by the Word
of God. You may feel like you’re not a Christian one
morning. You may feel like the Holy Spirit’s not
around. You may feel guilty on account of your sins. But
feelings can be deceptive and they are not the test for truth.
Listen to the Word of God. Listen to the absolution that I speak
to you as one called and ordained to speak for God and in His
Name. Then, you can be sure that this forgiveness is “just
as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ your dear Lord dealt
with you Himself.”
You may also remember your Baptism. There,
too, the Holy Spirit is working to deliver Jesus and His gifts to
you. In the book of Acts we see that the Holy Spirit is always
connected to Baptism. The reception of Baptism and the Holy
Spirit always go together, even when in some cases there was a short
period of time between them. Jesus connects them both when He
tells Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born
of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
God.” Through Baptism the Holy Spirit works new birth in
you. Paul writes that God saved us “by the washing of
rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior...” And so, as Peter
writes, “Baptism now saves you.” If you want proof,
then, that you have the Holy Spirit and that He’s active in you,
don’t let people lead you into doubt because you don’t
speak in tongues or that nothing miraculous seems to be happening among
you; look to your Baptism and remember that no one can say “Jesus
is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. The fact that you
believe in Jesus Christ and confess Him is evidence that the Holy
Spirit has been given to you and that He is working in you.
He’s been with you since you believed and were baptized, and He
is still with you today, working through your Baptism, His Word, and
the Lord’s Supper to deliver Jesus and His gifts to you on a
daily basis.
The result of the Holy Spirit’s work in you is
that He does His Name to you and makes you holy. As He puts you
in Jesus and Jesus in you you are made holy before God. This is a
holiness that you can’t improve upon. It’s not a
holiness that you achieve by your own means or efforts, but it’s
a gift to you. It’s Christ’s holiness delivered to
you by the Holy Spirit, and it’s perfectly complete. But
the Holy Spirit also works to conform you more and more into the image
of Christ in your behavior towards your neighbor. That holiness
can always be improved upon, and the more the Spirit delivers Jesus and
His Word to you, the more your thoughts, words, and deeds will reflect
the holiness that you have been given in Jesus. You will begin to
show forth the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
These may not appear to be as spectacular and glorious as miraculous
signs, but they are all signs nonetheless that the Holy Spirit is
actively present having His way with you.
And so, the Holy Spirit is the “shy”
member of the Holy Trinity, because He does not want people to proclaim
Him, but Jesus Christ. The Father sent the Son, so that we might
know the Father and come to Him through Christ crucified for our
sins. The Father and the Son both send the Holy Spirit, so that
what Jesus did for us might not be forgotten but proclaimed, in order
that we might come to faith in Him and receive all the gifts He worked
for us through His life, death, and resurrection. Wherever Jesus
Christ and the salvation which He worked for us on the cross is being
proclaimed, you can be sure the Holy Spirit is present and active,
bringing people to faith in the Savior and keeing them in that
faith. On this Pentecost Sunday, then, we celebrate and give
thanks to God for the work of His Spirit. Apart from His work we
could not by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our
Lord nor come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called us by the
Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified, and kept us in the
true faith, just as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the
whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the
one true faith, daily and richly forgiving us all our sins. Then,
on the Last Day He will raise us and all the dead, and give to us and
all believers in Christ eternal life. This most certainly
true. Amen.