Good day dear friends.
Our text for today comes from John 15&16: 26 "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. 16:4 But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, "Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (NRSV)
This coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. It started, on that day, as a day of great rejoicing and festival for the Jews; it was the day associated with Moses receiving the Law. Jews that could afford to, came from all over the known world to celebrate this day. Tomorrow's text is from Acts and we will examine that text tomorrow. This text sets the stage for that important and significant arrival. For that reason it is believed that the one-time single volume of Luke-Acts was separated and this gospel inserted; for John told the reason of this coming "Advocate." The passage is Jesus speaking to the still mourning group of disciples. In chapter 14 He told them of His coming death and they were not listening to much; they could only remember their having heard that Jesus was coming soon to His end. Here, Jesus sets the stage for what happened in Acts: There is an Advocate coming with power and might. The role of this person of the Triune God is to help you be my witnesses as well as teach about righteousness and judgment, for He will speak the truth about sin.
Sin, in case you forgot, is alive and well. It shouldn't be, but it is. One of John Wesley's three main points of faith was the doctrine of original sin. He taught that we are all born with original sin and only the grace of God can remove it. Grace, by the way, is the second point, and sanctification is the third. But original sin is disobedience. It is our inner desire to please ourselves and not obey God. The Scriptures teach that through Adam and Eve we have that original sin. You may have seen it come to life in your children or grandchildren (not to mention our own lives some time back), as they learn and explore their new life and new earth, they have a tendency to gravitate to that which is labled, "no!" So do we. We gravitate to that which separates us from God. Which is why God gave Moses the Law. And which is why Jesus said, "I've come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it," covering pretty much of what bothers God even today. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit helps those in tune with God in that way know that God cares for us and wants us to move away from sin, original or otherwise. Grace is what leads us to a better place, a relationship with God.
The Holy Spirit already came and is with us even today. As Jesus said, The role of the Holy Spirit is to advocate on God's behalf through us as we seek to be God's witnesses (read Acts 1). The Holy Spirit is also the One who intercedes for us when we pray, able to even interpret to God our sighes when we can pray no longer. What a wonderful gift we should be taking advantage of.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for the presence of Your Holy Spirit; may we learn that the Holy Spirit can be our help during times of trouble and our interpreter and intercessor during our times of prayer, even when we don't know what to say and can only sigh. What a precious gift You have shared with us! In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
