Sermon - Exaudi 2020 - John 15:26-16:4

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Forrest Gump’s momma always said that life is like a box of chocolates, because you never know what you’re gonna get. She’d be right if chocolates weren’t just filled with sugary sweets, but some were filled with rocks or dog poop or poison. Because in the course of life, while eating the proverbial box of chocolates, you’re not merely faced with a myriad of sweet experiences, but you often also take a bite out of something rather bitter and painful. It’s apparent to most anyone that this life is filled with many a fiery trial, for this reason Christ has sent us the Holy Spirit as our comforter.

Before we dive-in to speaking about the Holy Spirit’s comfort, it behooves us to say a little something about who this Holy Spirit is. Christ said: “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

When Christ says that the Spirit proceeds from the Father (and we also understand this to mean that the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son since they are one), we must conclude that the Holy Spirit is true God. The Holy Spirit is not just a part of God, nor is the Holy Spirit some created being like the angels, but the Holy Spirit is in the one indivisible essence with the Father and the Son. Of course the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and Son in regards to person,which is how Christ can say that He sends the Holy Spirit, but He is still of one essence. Thus, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

This glorious mystery of the Trinity and the fact that the Holy Spirit is true God, of one essence with, yet distinct from, the Father and the Son is vital for us to know. The reason the Holy Spirit’s identity is so important is that it means His power and ability to sustain us through the fiery trials of this life are certain and guaranteed. Be confident, therefore, that when Christ says He sends you the Comforter, the Holy Spirit truly does have the sway over you to give you lasting comfort!

The comfort and help that the Holy Spirit gives is no ordinary worldly comfort. It’s not like the comfort you experience from petting a dog or kitty, or from eating your favorite meal or from cuddling up in a warm blanket; the Holy Spirit’s comfort and help is much more than that! Properly speaking, the word Christ uses here for helper or comforter is paraclete. A paraclete was in New Testament times the word used for an attorney or lawyer, the one who stands up for you in a court of law and defends you! The Holy Spirit is your lawyer who advocates for you!

According to all the evidence, all of our transgressions against God’s holy law, we’re guilty. Like it says in Ezekiel, we’ve profaned the Lord’s holy name among the nations by behaving as we have. We deserve every manner of misfortune in this life and in the one to come. We deserve God’s wrath and judgement against us. But the Holy Spirit advocates on our behalf. 

When Satan, the accuser, stands up and reveals all of the incriminating evidence against us, proving our guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt, there also stands the Holy Spirit interceding for us. The Holy Spirit bears witness, not in order to prove our guilt, but He bears witness about Jesus. He lays the evidence on the table that Christ bears our transgressions and bleeds on our behalf. Our Paraclete shows the judge that Christ has already made restitution for us, it’s done; Jesus has died on our behalf. Our Helper and Comforter pleads for our forgiveness for the sake of Christ. So Satan’s accusations are silenced.

Often our own hearts accuse us, we examine our lives and we know our guilt. Far too frequently we face cross and trial in this life, something bad happens, and we despair. We say that we deserve it, we’ve done plenty of wickedness to earn our fair share of suffering. We look around us and cannot find a soul to help us in our time of need, not even ourselves!

There again stands our paraclete, defending us against ourselves and the world. He holds before our eyes God’s grace and promise of forgiveness. He repeats to us over and again the hope we have of eternal life beyond this realm of sadness. “God’s grace is for you,” He says, “it’s all yours on account of Christ. Don’t give up, don’t despair, hope in Christ who loves you.”

You know that the Holy Spirit’s words are true because He is the Spirit of Truth! Christ prayed for you, saying, “Sanctity them with Your truth, Your Word is Truth.” The words of the apostles and prophets recorded for us in Holy Scripture are the only true and certain words of the Holy Spirit. These words of the Bible: they are written for your comfort. 

If the words of the Holy Spirit are true, then so is His comfort true comfort. With the words of Scripture He bears witness to Christ’s forgiving sacrifice on the cross. Just as He dwells in your heart so does He implant those words of everliving comfort within your heart. Like a scribe writing a book, so does the Holy Spirit inscribe Christ’s forgiveness and peace upon your heart and mind. 

These true words of comfort about Christ are the only source of comfort in this life when it truly matters. None of those “creature comforts” in this life do help in time of actual need. A bowl of soup warms the belly, but it doesn’t hold a candle to a plate and chalice filled with the body and blood of Christ. A hot shower and fuzzy pants make you feel good, but they don’t clean you and clothe you as does the washing of Baptism. Sitting down to watch the game or Netflix is entertaining, but such amusements don’t have the staying power of being served by God in the Divine Service. Petting a puppy or kitty is sure to put a smile on your face, but only the Lamb of God does take away the sin of the whole world, including yours.

By way of illustration of this comfort we have from the Holy Spirit, a brother LCMS pastor, Larry Beane, and his wife Grace, lost their only son, a teenager, a week ago. Without any red flags or signs, as a result of the accumulated stress over the past couple months of this being the new normal, the boy spontaneously took his own life. In a time like that, there isn’t much true comfort to be found from blankets or baths, kitties or puppies, food or television. The only true comfort is Christ. 

Listen to what pastor Beane wrote regarding this:

“we are hurting and mourning, but Christ and His mercy are enabling us to understand very clearly that this is a temporary separation, for we Christians confess a literal, physical resurrection of the body and the creation of a renewed heaven and earth. We don't believe this because it makes us feel good. We believe this by an informed faith that is rooted in history and in our own experiences of the hand of God working in our lives. We are absolutely convinced of this.

I can't tell you how many times in the past couple days that we have said and heard, "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!" These are not just words. This is what we are absolutely convinced is true. It makes all the difference. This is why we can say with St. Paul: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies" (2 Cor 4:8-10).”

My friends, his words are the words of a Christian man who, by the working of the Holy Spirit, has faith in Christ’s promise of the resurrection in spite of seeing only death. His comfort isn’t found in any of the pleasures of this life, His only comfort is in Jesus, God’s forgiveness and mercy, and the hope of eternal life. He says,

“I have never been more grateful for the Word of God, the Holy Sacrament, the rich tradition of our hymns, and the "paschal greeting" that Christians around the world greet one another with in every known language: "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!"”

The comfort that pastor Beane has been given by the Holy Spirit isn’t particular to him alone, but that same comfort is given to you by the Holy Spirit whom Christ sent for your sake. Jesus knows that we will be greatly burdened in this life, surrounded by fiery trials, so He sent us the Holy Spirit to keep us from falling away. 

Your Lord shall gather you from the valley of sorrow, and bring you to your own land. He shall sprinkle the clean water of baptism upon you, so that you will be clean from every uncleanness. He says, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

It’s true, we Christians do have every good reason to greet one another with the comforting Easter greeting: Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!