In der Liebe Christi,
Rev. Kurt Hering, Pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church
Layton, UT
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus, our
Lord.
"You can't see the forest for the trees." This is an old saying to describe
what happens when you are so close to something and caught up in it that you
can't see the big picture of what is actually happening. We something of
this phenomenon in our text this morning. Only perhaps a little more
accurately we should say, "they couldn't see the tree for the forest fire."
TEXT: Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look,
are not all these who speak Galileans? "And how is it that we hear, each in
our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites,
those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene,
visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs__ we hear
them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." So they were
all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?"
Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
The believers got caught up in the miracle wondering what it could mean and
the scoffers found a way to turn this blessed event against those who were
empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word.
In the cult classic movie, "Enter the Dragon," the legendary martial arts
specialist Bruce Lee plays a Kung Fu master who is recruited to be a spy for
the government. Along the way he puts on an exhibition in which he squares
off with a teenage boy. He ends up teaching the young man how to really
marshal all his strength and concentration into what he does. After a couple
of failed efforts to execute a kick properly, Bruce Lee illustrates what he
is trying to get at by pointing his finger and saying "look at the moon."
The young man is taken by the pointing finger. No look at the moon. Don't
look at my finger or you will never see the moon and get the real thing that
matters. You are settling for less than what is there for you.
And so it is in our text and so often within the church throughout the ages.
What is Pentecost really about? The Holy Spirit revealing Jesus to the world
"[through] the Holy Christian Church, [which is] the communion of saints,
[for] the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting." [Third Article of the Apostles' Creed]
John 1:33_34 "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water
said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him,
this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' "And I have seen and
testified that this is the Son of God." (NKJ)
John 7:39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in
Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was
not yet glorified. (NKJ)
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things
that I said to you. (NKJ)
John 20:21_23 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has
sent Me, I also send you." And 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."
(NKJ)
[Here emphasize sanctification by which the Gospel goes on in the Divine
Service and the vocations of the redeemed, which are their "spiritual acts
of worship" (Romans 12:1). The H.S. is not a show of His own, but announces
and reveals the star attraction, Jesus Christ.]
The Third Article
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of
saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength
believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has
called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept
me in the true faith.
In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole
Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true
faith.
In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the
sins of all believers.
On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to
me and all believers in Christ.
This is most certainly true.
The Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 has largely been reduced to one
Word among us, "Go!" This neglects the teaching and baptizing, as well as
forgets the objective, authoritative nature of the Commission that precedes
it in Matthew 28:18, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'" (NKJ)
This authority is exactly what Jesus conveys through the Holy Spirit:
Acts 1:8 - "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (NKJ)
John 20:22_23 "And 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.'" (NKJ)
So we confess by singing in the Introit:
"Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, And kindle in them the
fire of your love. Alleluia.
When you send forth your Spirit, they are created."]
God sends forth the Holy Spirit to work through the Word using people. But
let us not miss the tree because of the blazing forest fire. Let us not be
satisfied with looking at a pointing finger when the body to which it points
is standing right among us.
The Holy Spirit, the finger of our Lord so to speak, works through the
Gospel in Baptism, The Word of forgiveness for the resurrection of the body
and the life everlasting proclaimed in the absolution and the sermon, Holy
Communion, the consolation of the brethren and their vocations to the
world -- pointing to Jesus who is here among us in these things. These are
the means by which Jesus himself comes to us. The Holy Spirit causes us to
look at these things with the eyes of faith and see who is there in them -
Jesus; and what He is doing with them -- forgiving all your sins and opening
the kingdom of heaven to you now and forever - in the name of the Father and
of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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