Sermon -- Pentecost (June 8, 2025)

JOHN 14:23-27

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     When the day of Pentecost came, all the disciples were together in one place.  They were waiting for the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise—the coming of the Holy Spirit.  When the Holy Spirit came, they did not see him.  Of course not.  He’s a spirit.  But the Holy Spirit made himself known by signs.  There was the sound of a violent wind which blew through the place where the disciples were.  There were tongues of fire which rested upon the heads of the disciples.  And the disciples were able to speak fluently in languages that they had never learned and probably had never heard before. 

     The reading of these events is exciting stuff.  We are always eager to hear about the miracles in the Bible.  We might envy the people who witnessed them.  We might especially envy the prophets and apostles who did them.  But the miraculous signs on the day of Pentecost do nothing for you now.  Their speaking in foreign languages doesn’t benefit you.  The flames of fire do not help you.  But the Holy Spirit did grant a blessing which benefits you and the whole Christian Church to the end of time.  Jesus told his apostles, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you” (John 14:26).

     This promise is significant because of the confidence it gives.  St. Paul wrote that the Church has “been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).  Everything about our faith, our salvation, and our hope rests on Jesus Christ.  He is the rock on which the Church is built.  But Jesus never wrote a word of Scripture.  He designated the apostles to preach and to record all that he had taught.

     Critics of the Bible insist that it is a flawed book.  Since it was written by sinful men, we are told that it contains errors and contradictions.  Now, if the Bible is filled with errors and contradictions, then we have to determine what in the Bible is true.  This puts man in judgment over God’s word; we tell God what is true and what is not.  That’s bad enough.  But many more problems arise.  What about your faith?  If the Bible is in error, what can you believe with conviction?  Do each of us get to decide for ourselves what is true?  And if we all have different truths, is anything true?  In the end, you can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say.  You will expound your opinions and slap God’s name on it.  This is blasphemy because it misuses God’s name, and it is idolatry because it makes you your own god.

     Now, if Christians would have any concern about the words of Scripture, it is because we know about Jesus’ disciples.  Three times in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus rebuked them for having “little faith” (Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31).  Several times, the apostles asked Jesus, “ Can you explain the parable to us?”  At least twice Jesus asked them, “Do you not understand” (Matthew 15:16; Mark 8:21)?  And now we are supposed to entrust our eternal fate upon the writings of these men?

     The answer is a definitive, “YES!”  Jesus tells us why: “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you” (John 14:26).  The Holy Spirit enlightened them to understand the Scriptures.  The Holy Spirit reminded them of all the words of Jesus and brought to mind all that Jesus had done.  The Holy Spirit also guided them to include in the Bible the very things God wants us to know.  Certainly, they could have added more.  St. John, at the end of his Gospel, wrote, “Jesus also did many other things.  If every one of them were written down, I suppose the world itself would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25).  But the Holy Spirit guided them to write what is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, … and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:15-16).  The Holy Spirit taught them all things.

     Therefore, the Gospels are not merely words about God.  They are the very words of God.  To be more specific, the entire Old and New Testaments are the very words of God.  Every word of Scripture is God-breathed, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  That means every word is true.  There are some who restrict this to only the words of Jesus.  If you have a red-letter edition of the Bible, the red letters highlight the words of Jesus.  [NOTE: If you use a red-letter edition of the Bible, you should be aware that translators debate where the words are Jesus’ words end and where the words of the apostles begin—especially in the Gospel of John.]  Some Christians focus on those red words as if they are superior to everything else in the Bible.  This is why some people issue challenges like: “Do you know what Jesus said about abortion?  Nothing!”—as if the rest of the Bible is not the word of the Lord.  Once again, man puts himself in judgment over God and God’s word.

     Let’s be sure we take the words of Jesus seriously.  He said, “The word that you are hearing is not mine, but it is from the Father who sent me.  I have told you these things while staying with you.  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you” (John 14:24-26).  The Holy Spirit takes the words which Jesus received from the Father, and he delivers them to you.  The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.  Those things are taught by the apostles whom the Holy Spirit guided as he reminded them of all that Jesus said and did.  This is not only for the Gospels, but it also includes the words of the epistles.  Those also are apostolic writings.  The Gospels record the words and works of Jesus.  In the epistles, the Holy Spirit teaches the Church what is correct doctrine and what is godly living.  He also provides the motivation and strength to live it.

     The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.  So, it is important to know where we find the Holy Spirit at work.  To this day, many people look for special signs in some form or another.  In all these cases, people rely on some experience to prove that the Holy Spirit is at work, to validate their faith, and to vindicate their actions.  To link themselves to Pentecost, some claim that speaking in tongues is proof of the Holy Spirit being at work in them.  But the tongues that people claim to speak today are not the foreign languages that the apostles spoke on the day of Pentecost.  When the apostles spoke, the pilgrims who had traveled to Jerusalem from nations scattered across the Roman Empire could hear the wonders of God in their hometown language.  This is not what happens in Pentecostal churches today.  They claim to speak in tongues of angels.  Since nobody knows that language, no one can prove or disprove the claim.  The devil uses such deception to direct people to the experience I have rather than the revelation God gives.

     The events of Pentecost are striking and exciting.  So, some look for that same excitement to prove that the Holy Spirit is at work.  They see an emotional response as evidence that the Spirit is at work.  Nowhere does the Lord tell you to look to your feelings for confidence or assurance.  Emotions do not teach you anything.  And emotions can be manipulated.  In Toy Story 3 (spoiler alert), all the main characters were about to be consumed in an incinerator.  The drama, the tension, and especially the music brought many people to tears.  People wept over these computer-generated characters which are not real.  In the same way, many churches use music and drama to stir up your emotions to elicit a response.  But emotions fade.  The commitment which gets stoked up also fades with it.  The Holy Spirit is not into emotional manipulation.  The Holy Spirit is into revelation.  He proclaims a God of holiness whose holy love moved him to rescue us from the curse and control of sin.  The Holy Spirit teaches you all things about that.

     That is not to say that the Holy Scriptures won’t produce an emotional response.  When the Holy Spirit reveals the glories of the heavenly kingdom, we can become very emotional—especially if we think of a loved one who has gone on to receive that glory.  When Jesus was feasting at the home of Simon the Pharisee, a sinful woman sat at Jesus’ feet and washed his feet with her tears.  She wept for joy and thanks over the one who had set her free from her many sins.  Jesus did not stir up her emotions to get her to do something for him.  She was stirred up with emotion because Jesus proclaimed forgiveness to her.  It is in God’s word that the Holy Spirit is at work.  That is where he teaches us all things.  That is where the Holy Spirit reveals a compassionate and faithful Savior.  That is where the Holy Spirit proclaims a holy and merciful Father.  And that is why we devote ourselves “to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).  Here, the Holy Spirit teaches you all things necessary for life and salvation.

     The Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life.  At the very beginning, the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters from which the world was created.  The Holy Spirit worked through water and the word of God to produce a new creation.  That is still how the Holy Spirit works.  Through water and God’s word—that is, through baptism—the Holy Spirit creates new life and makes a new creation of people.  The Holy Spirit sustains that life through God’s word.  He breathes into you the breath of life by that word and works a godly life in you for now and for eternity.  If the word is ignored, the Spirit cannot work.  If it is spurned long enough, the Spirit departs.  And if the Spirit departs from your body, you are dead.  That is why we gather to benefit from the Spirit’s work.  He sustains us and strengthens us in the saving faith by teaching us all things necessary for life and salvation.

     The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.  He does not reveal the reason behind everything God does or does not do.  But what he does reveal gives you peace.  The Holy Spirit bestows a peace which the world does not understand, cannot offer, and cannot destroy.  The Holy Spirit reveals that, no matter what happens, Jesus has taken away your sins and has granted you a place in the heavenly kingdom.  No matter what happens, you have a good and merciful Father in heaven who delights in you.  No matter what happens, God is working all things for your eternal good.  No matter what happens, the Holy Spirit is interceding for you with groans that words cannot express.  You do not need the sound of a violent wind, a flame of fire on your head, or an ability to speak Korean to have this peace.  But you do need the word of God, and the Holy Spirit has revealed that.  He will teach you all things for your eternal good.  So, “do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.