John 15:26-27 Theme: Come Holy Spirit, give us love
Text: Ezek. 37:1-14; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27
Today is Pentecost Sunday, or in other words, the birthday of the Church. Pentecost simply means “fiftieth” and refers to the celebration that is held fifty days after first fruits. The first fruits referred to the harvest and also refers to the day the Israelites left Egypt after their deliverance from Egypt after the Passover. It also refers to the resurrection of Christ after our deliverance from sin through His crucifixion. In the Old Testament Pentecost marked the day the Law was given on Mount Sinai and in the New Testament the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church. Both the Law and the Holy Spirit were given at Pentecost but with completely different results. The giving of the Law led to the death of 3000 Israelites whereas the giving of the Holy Spirit led to the salvation of 3,000 unbelievers. Whereas the Law brought judgement, the Holy Spirit brought love and life. The Holy Spirit continues to bring love and life to unbelievers and the harvest that began on the day of Pentecost, continues today, and will continue until the end of the Church age. Come Holy Spirit give us love to fulfil Christ’s mission.
The Holy Spirit is the agent of Pentecost and the revelation of the love of God. God so loved us that He would not leave us as orphans but sent the Holy Spirit to be always present with us. He is a person and not a force or a thing as some believe. The Scriptures confirm this by the personal ways in which He responds and the personal things He does. The Bible also makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is God and we rightfully speak of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Since God is love the Holy Spirit is also love This is seen in the attributes that are given to Him and which are without exception, the attributes of God. He is eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. The Holy Spirit is love and out of love gives us spiritual life so that we can relate to God. God is Spirit and the only way to relate to Him is in spirit and in truth. The proof we belong to God is seen in our love, for God is love. We all need the Holy Spirit and whatever He did on the day of Pentecost He is still willing and able to do today.
To understand Pentecost we need to see it in the light of Babel. At Babel the people wanted to build a great city with a high tower reaching to the heavens, trusting in their own abilities and making a name to please themselves. God prevented them from achieving their goal; He confused their tongues and scattered them. At Pentecost, the disciples preached the good news of Jesus and all those present heard it in their own languages. Two completely opposite events, at Babel, the introduction of different languages or tongues brought an end to the ambitions of men. At Pentecost, the introduction of one language or tongue marked the beginning of the preaching of the good news of Jesus to the nations of the world. Today many people are trusting and pleasing themselves instead of trusting and pleasing God. We cannot save ourselves or secure our eternal destiny. Only our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ can save us and give us eternal life.
The purpose of the presence of the Holy Spirit is to confirm God’s love and His acceptance of Christ’s perfect sacrifice. The presence of the Holy Spirit is proof that Christ had arrived in glory at the Father’s right hand after successfully fulfilling His mission of saving the world from sin, death and the Devil. The presence of the Holy Spirit is also to reveal and glorify Christ and fill us with His love. He is the One who enables the believer to understand the revelations of His perfect sacrifice. He reveals that His sacrifice has made the blessings of God available to all believers. The Holy Spirit not only reveals and glorifies Christ but empowers the believer to love and to serve Him. We constantly need His power if we are to serve God effectively.
The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to give life. He gives life to the spiritually dead. In Ezekiel, the prophet prophesies of a time when Israel will be brought back to life. Whenever Israel departed from God they were led captive by their enemies. When they came back to God they were restored and returned to their land. It happened when they were led captive into Babylon. God later delivered them from Babylonian captivity and restored their nation. In modern times the Jews were almost destroyed by Hitler during the third Reich. Six million Jews suffered and died in Nazi concentration camps and it was doubtful whether they would ever become a people again. Today Israel is again a nation, restored to its land, speaking Hebrew and has one of the best armies in the world. According to the Scriptures a time is coming when Israel will again face war and death but again will be saved before the Millennial reign of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Christ has paid the penalty for our sin and made it possible for us to receive His life. Why do we want to wait? Let us accept Christ as Saviour so that the Holy Spirit can empower us to live the life of Christ.
The presence of the Holy Spirit empowers us with the grace and truth of Christ “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” John 1:17. By grace we have been saved (Eph. 2:5) Grace empowers us to live the truth. Without the grace of God we could not love as God has commanded us to love and we could not manifest the truth of God’s Word in our lives. The love of God is to love even those who are persecuting you. Jesus died for us when we were yet sinners because of His love for us. Jesus loved us to the end and prayed for us even when He hang on the cross in excruciating pain. It is by grace that we have victory in our lives. It is by grace that we are able to “tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” Luke 10:19. The grace of God is sufficient for us.
When a loved one leaves us on a journey, we always urge him to write and inform us of his safe arrival. It is only when a letter arrives in the loved ones own handwriting, postmarked with the name of the place, that we are sure he has arrived. On the day of Pentecost the disciples received a personal letter from Christ postmarked heaven, the Holy Spirit, confirming that He “had arrived at the seat of all power and authority.” The evidence is so compelling that it requires far more not to believe in Christ than to believe in Him. Christ sent the Holy Spirit to lead the believer into the abundant life of Christ . Are we enjoying His abundant blessings in our lives? All you need to do is to accept God’s offer of salvation for grace and truth come from Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the greatest single help that God has provided for believers who sincerely desire to enter into all the fullness of victorious and fruitful Christian living. We all need the Holy Spirit. Indeed Jesus places an obligation on all believers to seek Him when He says “If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” On this day of Pentecost let us ask the Lord to fill us with the power of His Holy Spirit so that our lives will glorify the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
