Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

May 14, 2023 · 12:01 am

Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Hope That Is Within

One of the names of Jesus is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” What does that mean? Yes, God came to earth. He was God incarnate. God took on flesh and became one of us. Is he still one of us? Is he still with us?

Before his departure, before the cross, Jesus told his disciples:

”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”   (John 14:15-17)

Not only God with us but God in us. That changes everything. That transforms our lives. He has something in it that the world does not have, but that the world needs. The Apostle Peter wrote:

Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect. Maintain a good conscience so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.   (1 Peter 3:15-16)

We live in a complex and challenging world, yet we have hope for something greater. And we have a taste of that something more significant. Does the world see that new life in it?

This new life was purchased for us on the cross. Reading from John’a Gospel:

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit because Jesus was not yet glorified.   (John 7:37-39)

Before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we need to have our souls cleansed by the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross. Only when Jesus defeated hell and the grave could we receive this gift. Reading from Ephesians:

Therefore it is said,

“When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive;[b]
    he gave gifts to his people.”   (Ephesians 4:8)

By his sacrifice, Jesus made good on his promise:

”I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”   (John 14:18-21)

Today, do we have a hope within us that all the world needs to see? Are we able to give an account of the hope that we have within us? As disciples of Christ, the Holy Spirit is our legacy. If we do not know this gift, then we may simply ask for it. Jesus said:

“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for[a] a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit[b] to those who ask him!”   (Luke 11:9-13)

To hold dear to this gift we must love Jesus more than this world. When the Apostle Peter was questioned by those in religious authority he said:

“We must obey God rather than any human authority.The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”   (Acts 5:29-32)

We are living in a time of great spiritual warfare. The Apostle Paul reminds us that this was true in his day:

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm. Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   (Ephesians 6:13-17)

Jesus wants us to use the Spirit he has given us. He wants us to prevail. He wants us to occupy until he comes again. By the Holy Spirit, we can stand against the evil of this day. We can speak God’s word with authority. Church, let us go to battle in his name. The Apostle John reminds us:

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. Little children, you are from God and have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.   (1 John 4d:2-4)

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May 7, 2023 · 12:00 am

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Living Stones

Upon what or whom is our faith based? This is perhaps the most important determinant in our lives. Nothing governs our behavior more than this. The Apostle Peter wrote:

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:

“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very head of the corner”,

and

“A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.   (1 Peter 2:4-8)

The religious leaders of Judaism had rejected the very foundation of their faith. Even when they saw this stone and how people were healed and delivered by faith in this stone, they rejected the stone. They rejected the Lord of life and embraced a lie that they were in charge of life.

How badly did they stumble? They rejected the one who stood on the stone, towering high above them:

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.   (Acts 7:55-60)

Stephen, the first martyr of the faith was full of the Holy Spirit. The rulers were very jealous of him. He was still able to forgive them. The psalmist captured his heart:

Into your hands I commend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me,
O Lord, O God of truth.

My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.

Make your face to shine upon your servant,
and in your loving-kindness save me.”   (Psalm 31:5, 15-16)

Into your hands I commend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me,
O Lord, O God of truth.

My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.

Make your face to shine upon your servant,
and in your loving-kindness save me.”   (Psalm 31:5, 15-16)

Stephen was able to stand up for the faith under false accusations and threats of his life. He stood upon the rock that was higher than himself. This was not a dead rock, but a living stone. This stone had been raised from the dead. It proved to be indestructible. What are we standing on today? Are we ready for any persecution that may come our way?

The Apostle Philip had seen this very living stone of God but did not recognize him. Jesus had to explain that this stone was none other than God of all.

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”   (John 14:8-14)

Dead stones do not crush living stones. Stephen did the mighty works of God. God calls each one of us, who are just ordinary people, to do extraordinary things. Are we willing? like Stephen, to step into our positions in Christ, to complete his body on the earth today, until he comes again? The Apostle Paul wrote:

We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.   (Ephesians 4:14-16)

As living stones, let us be built into a spiritual house, where Jesus is the cornerstone. Then we will be unshakeable, as was Stephen, in our stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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April 16, 2023 · 12:00 am

Second Sunday of Easter

Witnesses to the Resurrection

The first witnesses to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ were women. The disciples of Jesus were skeptical of their testimony. Jesus shared his resurrection first with those whose hearts were open to what Je

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”   (John 20:19-31)

The disciples had locked themselves in out of fear. How many of us today are bound by fear? Faith overcomes fear. Notice that. Jesus did not condemn his disciples. God’s perfect love casts out fear.

Thomas was willing to follow Jesus to Jerusalem when others were fearful. He said: “Let us go to Jerusalem with Jesus so that we may die with him.

Thomas missed out on the resurrection of Jesus before his disciples. He was given an up close and personal view by Jesus:

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”   (John 20:19-31)

Thomas could see Jesus in a resurrected body. Jesus was not a spirit. He had flesh that was marked by his wounds from the cross. We can be hard on Thomas, but no one had ever been resurrected from the dead.

A Psalm of David prophesied that a Holy One would die but his body would not see corruption or decay:

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.   (Psalm 16:8-10)

When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he quoted this psalm:

“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,

‘He was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did his flesh experience corruption.’

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.”   (Acts 2:22-32)

Jesus did not decay. His body did not remain in the tomb. He is risen so that we, too, may be raised up. Do we feel his resurrect today? Do we experience his Holy Spirit working in us?

We did not have the opportunity to touch his wounds as did Thomas.  But Jesus has touched our wounds. He has redeemed us and made us his own. Peter wrote:

Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.   (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Though we were not there, we are witnesses of The Resurrection. Other people to hear about salvation.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”   (Romans 10:13-15)

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April 6, 2023 · 12:00 am

Maundy Thursday

The Lord’s Supper

On the night before he suffered, our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. It is referred to as the Lord’s Supper, the Last Supper, the Holy Communion, the Eucharist, and the Mass, depending upon which branch of the Church is observing it. The forerunner of this service is found in the Book of Exodus.

Through Moses, God gave the children specific instructions concerning their last supper in Egypt, before he led them out of their bondage there. They were to prepare a lamb for the meal in this manner:

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.   (Exodus 12:5-17)

What was the purpose of the blood? It was God’s protection from the destruction that was coming:

It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.   (Exodus 12:11-14)

Jesus is the prophetic fulfillment of the Jewish Passover. Jesus’ last supper with His disciples was not the Seder or Passover Meal, however. Rather, it was a preparation for the Passover. The Passover meal could not be served until the slaughtering of the lambs outside the city, which would occur the next day, the same day Jesus would be slaughtered on the cross.

Jesus was doing something new with His disciples. He was proclaiming His death before it actually happened. He said that His body was to be broken and that His blood was to be shed. He was saying that he was the last Passover lamb sacrificed for the sins of the people. He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world once and for all.

The Apostle Paul writes about this special meal in today’s Epistle reading:

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.  (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Jesus was asking His disciples to anticipate in his crucifixion, participate in His suffering, and keep His sacrifice always in their memory. They would not just be remembering with their minds what had happened, but they would actually be partaking in the event themselves in a spiritual way. John’s Gospel speaks of both the power and the necessity of the Communion service.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”   (John 6:53-58)

Today, we are invited by our Lord to anticipate his power entering into our lives more and more as we participate in his Holy Communion. We are asked to do more than just remember an historical event. We are asked to come to his Holy table with great expectation. In order to fully experience the resurrection we must be willing to enter into Jesus’ passion and death. This is our opportunity once more to die to our sins so that we might be empowered by his Spirit, to begin a resurrected life on this earth and in the age to come, a life eternal.

After Communion Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment. Jesus said that by this commandment His disciples would demonstrate the resurrected life:

“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”   (John 13:31-35).

As we empty ourselves and take on more of Him, we become a living witness of His resurrection. Let us declare as did the Apostle Paul:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.    (Galatians 2:19-20)

Can we imagine what Jesus had to face on our behalf? His gift was beyond price. It rings down through the ages. What are we prepared to give him today?

 

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