{"id":7152,"date":"2026-05-07T19:20:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/?p=7152"},"modified":"2026-05-07T19:37:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:37:36","slug":"the-holy-spirits-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/the-holy-spirits-work\/","title":{"rendered":"The Holy Spirit\u2019s Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cantate (Easter 5)| John 16:5-15| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| May 3, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: The Holy Spirit\u2019s Work: Cantate Sunday 2026\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/5sua8Gr8P0tFmD5u2mNkci?si=43fdbb1404e94030&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus teaches His disciples and us about the important work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God. He shares in the one divine essence with the Father and the Son. Jesus calls Him the Paraclete, which is translated in the English Standard Version Bible as Helper, but could also be accurately translated as Advocate, Counselor, and Comforter. All of these are descriptive titles, which relay the work the Holy Spirit does for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being God, the Holy Spirit is more powerful than all the angels in heaven and hell. And so, He is certainly more powerful than all governments and their militaries on earth. The military might of the United States of America is nothing compared to the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can, does, and will accomplish much more and better things than all military might in the world. While military action is rife with strategic blunders and unintended consequences, the Holy Spirit never makes mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And remarkably, the weapon of the Holy Spirit does not destroy buildings or kill soldiers or civilians. Rather the weapon of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God, as St. Paul writes in Ephesians 6, \u201cTake up\u2026 the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.\u201d (vs. 17). The Word of God is the tool the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish His important and mighty work. Everything Jesus says of Him in our Gospel lesson involves speech. Advocate, Comforter, and Counselor, all titles for the Holy Spirit, offer aid with words. He says that the Holy Spirit will convict or convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The act of convicting or convincing is done with words. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Him and \u201c<em>declare it<\/em> to you.\u201d A declaration is nothing else than the expression of words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, the greatest power of God is exercised here on earth, not with bombs and missiles, not with earthquakes and tsunamis, but with words spoken and read. And so, they are wrong who think that the Holy Spirit comes to us apart from God\u2019s Word. They are wrong who think that the power of governments is greater power than that exercised in the Church. There is no greater and more effective power on earth than the Word of God by which the Holy Spirit works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And there is no better work either. Jesus tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, will guide them in all truth. Jesus prays to His Father in John 17:17, \u201cSanctify them in the truth. Your <em>Word<\/em> is truth.\u201d But what is the Word of God? Traditionally, the Roman Catholic Church has taught that when Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide the disciples in all truth that He meant that the Holy Spirit would guide the Catholic Church, so that the Pope, who holds the office of the Apostle Peter, would be guided by the Holy Spirit in all truth. So, instead of teaching that Scripture alone is true and infallible, they taught that the Roman Papacy could not err.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, this creates many problems. Not all popes have agreed on every teaching. The Roman Church has evolved in its teaching over the centuries and often contradicts Scripture. Besides, several other Christian groups have claimed a similar guidance by the Holy Spirit outside of Holy Scripture, including the Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostals, and other charismatic groups. Yet, these groups are not in agreement with each other. How could you know which group is being guided by the Spirit of Truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Spirit of Truth guides the Church through Holy Scripture. St. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:20 that the household of God is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, referring to the New and Old Testaments of Scripture, Christ Jesus being the cornerstone, because Christ is the subject of all of Scripture (John 5:39). And St. Peter himself, whom Rome claims to be the first pope, tells us in 2 Peter 1, \u201cAnd we have something more sure, the prophetic Word, to which you will do well to pay attention\u2026 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone\u2019s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.\u201d (vss. 19a, 20-21)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, the Spirit of Truth guides the Church in all truth through the writings of Holy Scripture, which were written down by the Apostles and Prophets, whom the Holy Spirit guided in their writing. This is why we believe that the Bible is without error and is the source of all Christian teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, the Holy Spirit did not only work in the writing of Scripture. He works in the preaching and teaching of the Gospel and in the administration of the Sacraments according to Scripture. The Bible was not written simply to be read silently, but so that preachers may preach and teach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing them and making disciples, and teaching them everything that Christ commanded them. So, when you hear your pastor preach the Gospel, the Holy Spirit is working through his words to create and strengthen your faith, to forgive your sins, and to give you eternal life. The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper receive their power from God\u2019s Word joined to them, and so, in Baptism the Holy Spirit works to create faith and forgive sins. In the Lord\u2019s Supper, the Holy Spirit comforts those who receive it in faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus told His disciples that if He did not go away, then the Holy Spirit would not come to them, but if He went, then He would send Him to them. Jesus would not send the Holy Spirit to them unless He went away, because if He did not go to the cross and die for the sins of the world, the Holy Spirit would have nothing to bring them. The Holy Spirit\u2019s work of convicting, or convincing the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment are all dependent on Christ\u2019s Work of redemption. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, because they do not believe in Him. Scripture makes clear that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Our own consciences bear witness to this. There are many types of sins: idolatry, murder, sexual immorality, theft, slander, cheating. Yet, Christ Jesus has taken all these sins upon Himself. Jesus is true God, but He took on our human flesh and lived under the Law in our place. Jesus was perfectly obedient. Yet, He suffered and died for our sins, and thus He redeemed us from our sin. He promises that whoever believes in Him will never perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Yet, Jesus adds, \u201cwhoever does not believe is condemned all ready,\u201d (John 3:18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, unbelief is not only the root sin, but it becomes the only sin, because through faith in Christ Jesus, all your sins are taken away. This does not mean that Christians can go on sinning without repenting. To have faith in the forgiveness of sins, you must first repent of your sins. St. Paul writes in Romans 8, \u201cThere is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.\u201d Yet, he writes in Galatians 5, \u201cAnd those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.\u201d And so, it is the Holy Spirit\u2019s job to convince everyone in the world that they are sinners who need to repent and believe in Christ Jesus for salvation. God will not condemn them for their sin who believe in Christ Jesus, yet, the Holy Spirit also leads them to avoid sin and to repent of their sin daily. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Holy Spirit will convict the world of righteousness, because Christ goes to the Father. Righteousness is a right relationship with God. Yet, to have a right relationship with God, you must be righteous, that is, you must do what is right. But Scripture declares, \u201cNone is righteous, no not one.\u201d (Romans 3:10) How can the same Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin also convict the world of righteousness? Because Christ Jesus fulfilled all righteousness in human flesh, by His perfect obedience whereby He obeyed God\u2019s Law in our stead, and by His suffering in our place to pay the debt of our sin. Scripture says that all are declared righteous by Christ\u2019s blood (Romans 3:25). The Holy Spirit can convict the world of righteousness, because Christ Jesus fulfilled all righteousness for everyone by dying for the sins of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Holy Spirit will convict the world of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. The ruler of this world is Satan. After death comes judgment, and every person will have to stand before God to be judged. Scripture says that Satan accuses us of our sins before God. But because Christ Jesus suffered and died for our sins, Satan is cast down and His accusations against us are silenced. Those who cling to Christ in faith will not be condemned. They will not come into judgment but will pass from death into life (John 5:24). Yet, those in the world who cling to Satan\u2019s lies, who refuse to repent of their sins or believe in Christ, will be judged and condemned along with Satan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this convicting and convincing of sin, righteousness, and judgment is dependent on Christ Jesus suffering and dying for our sins as the perfect sacrificial Lamb and rising from the dead for us. If Jesus does not die for our sins, then faith cannot save us from our sins, then there is no righteousness for the Holy Spirit to give us, then Satan can go on accusing us on judgment day. The Holy Spirit\u2019s entire ministry is dependent on the Gospel message that Christ has redeemed us from sin, won for us righteousness, and condemned Satan. This is why the Gospel must be the preeminent message of all preaching. You come to Church primarily for the Holy Spirit to declare to you the things of Christ, not simply to learn how to be a better person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Him and declare it to you. This statement destroys the teaching of works righteousness and salvation by works. Jesus does not say that the Holy Spirit will guide us to become righteous by our own works. He says that He will take what belongs to Jesus and declare it to us. He will speak it to us. How then will we benefit from the Holy Spirit\u2019s declaration? We will believe what the Holy Spirit declares. \u201cTo the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due, but to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith will be counted as righteousness.\u201d (Romans 4:4-5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faith alone receives what the Holy Spirit declares. Faith rescues you from the conviction of sin. Faith receives the conviction of righteousness. Faith escapes the judgment of condemnation. Because faith believes and so receives what the Holy Spirit declares to us. Because Christ rightly owns all things, even the very Kingdom of God, because He has won for us forgiveness, redemption, righteousness, and peace with God, the Holy Spirit can take all this that belongs to Christ and declare it to us. We receive it as a gift through faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no greater and more beneficial work done on earth than that done by the Holy Spirit who applies Christ\u2019s labor to us. This is why we listen to God\u2019s Word, learn it, and cherish it. This is why we yearn to receive the Lord\u2019s Supper each week and why we bring our children to be baptized. We long for the work of the Holy Spirit to be done among us, so that we may receive the benefits of Jesus\u2019 work done for us. Through this work, we receive eternal life in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To God the Holy Spirit let us pray<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the true faith needed on our way<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That He may defend us when life is ending<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And from exile home we are wending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord, have mercy! Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cantate (Easter 5)| John 16:5-15| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| May 3, 2026 In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus teaches His disciples and us about the important work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God. He shares in the one divine essence with the Father and the Son. Jesus calls&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/the-holy-spirits-work\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,8,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-easter-5","category-latest-sermons","category-sermons-by-historical-lectionary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7152"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7154,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7152\/revisions\/7154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christforus.org\/NewSite\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}