Greetings to you! We continue on our lockdown journey 4.0 close to seventy days since its inception. We are still asked to be at home and avoid going out as much as possible. Similarly, when Jesus ascended to the Father on the fortieth day after his resurrection, he asked the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they would receive the Holy Spirit. Ten days later on the day of Pentecost, the 50th day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit was poured upon all the believers while they were all gathered in one place (Luke 24:53; Acts 2:46). Luke records for us that it was the day of Pentecost. The feast of Pentecost was significant for two things; 1) It was an agricultural festival; 2) It was the called the feast of harvest because it was after the grain harvest, or feast of weeks or Pentecost because it took place fifty days after the Passover festival in remembrance of the Exodus and was also the time when the grain harvesting began. This morning I would like us to look at three specific points namely: 1) The Promise of the Holy Spirit; 2) The Coming of the Holy Spirit and 3) The Work of the Holy Spirit. The Promise of the Holy Spirit: The prophet Joel who lived probably about seven hundred years before the coming of Christ prophesied, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days”. In the Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit was given to people for a period of time and only to certain people for leadership. The Spirit was not a resident Spirit. The Holy Spirit was with Moses and also with the seventy elders (Numbers 11:24-27). This was also true of the Judges on whom the Spirit of the Lord was given (Judges 11:29; Judges 15:12-14). Kings were also given the Spirit, like Saul and David (1 Samuel 10:6-10; Psalm 51:11). In the Old Testament God made numerous covenants within the people of Israel which they kept breaking. So, he promised them a new covenant through the prophet Jeremiah. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” In the new covenant the law will be internal, forgiveness will be complete and knowledge of God will be universal. All this would be possible only through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, God says through the prophet Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws”. So, we notice that God had promised in the past that there would be a time when the Holy Spirit would be given freely to all believers and the Spirit would remain with the believers. Jesus himself reminded the disciples that he would send them the Holy Spirit as soon as he goes back to the Father. Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you”. So, we see there is clear promise about the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Coming of the Holy Spirit: Just as Jesus had promised the disciples that he would send them the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost. The disciples were all gathered in one place. We are not sure whether it was the upper room or some other house or the temple where they had gathered together (Luke 24:53; Acts 2:46). Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven, filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. This incident is the fulfilment of the promise of the Holy Spirit. From that day onwards till today the Holy Spirit is given to every believer to stay with them forever. The people there were wondering what had happened to them as they spoke in different tongues. Some even thought that they were drunk. Peter stood up and explained to them that it was only 9 o’clock in the morning and that no one was drunk. He goes on to confirm that this is the coming of the Holy Spirit promised by the prophet Joel. Thirdly we will be looking at the work of the Holy Spirit. Two weeks ago, we saw that the Holy Spirit was the comforter, intercessor, advocate and the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us about all that Jesus had taught them. Jesus also says that when the Holy Spirit comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin, righteousness and judgement: about sin, because people do not believe in me’. Unbelief is the greatest sin against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us enough evidence to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. And if we rejects that evidence we will be judged. Secondly, the Holy Spirit will judge us about the righteousness, because Jesus was going to the Father. In other words, Jesus was telling them that the way to the Father was through the righteousness of Jesus. We cannot claim entry into heaven by our good deeds or by our merits. It is the righteousness of Jesus which has been transposed to us and therefore we will be judged if we think we can enter God’s kingdom by our own righteousness. Finally, the Holy Spirit will judge us because the prince of the world already stands condemned. Again, judgement will fall on all those who follow Satan, the prince of this world. As we celebrate this important festival of Pentecost there is both an encouragement and a warning for us. We are encouraged that the Holy Spirit is our advocate, intercessor and comforter who pleads on our behalf and intercedes for us and comforts us and guides us. On the other hand, he will also judge us with reference to sin, righteousness and judgement. We are called to believe in Christ as our Lord and Saviour. We are called to depend on his righteousness and to lead holy lives with the power of the Holy Spirit. May God truly help us on this Pentecost day to walk according to the Spirit. Shalom Paul Swarup Video - Sermon (Hindi) Video - Sermon (English) Download English Version Download Hindi Version Dear friends, We continue in our homes with lockdown 4.0 with the nation’s leaders trying to kick start the economy. The question is of lives and livelihood. On one side we see lives being lost because of this pandemic, while on the other we see livelihoods being lost as migrant workers desperately want to go home as they have run out of all their resources and have begun to starve. Thousands of migrant workers are seen on the road with little children trying to trek 1500 to 2000 km by walk and many have lost their lives in the process. It is a tragic scene to see when children as young as 5 or 6 years old who are taking this journey. Sometimes, we see women who are pregnant and in their last months or even toddlers being carried on their hips. What do we do under such circumstances? We seem to be helpless as we see this migration happening all around us. No one seems to be taking up their cause seriously. God’s heart must be grieving seeing the plight and misery of the migrants. It is in this kind of a context that the Holy Spirit of God helps us. Our theme for this morning’s meditation is ‘The Promise of the Holy Spirit’ and we will be working through John 14:15-21. Jesus promises that he will ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit upon his people. The Father will send the Holy Spirit in Christ’s name and the Holy Spirit will be given by the Father at the Son’s request. This morning we will look at a few aspects of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word used is “Paraclete” - the word meaning ‘Legal Assistant’ or ‘Advocate’. So, the first thing we see about the Holy Spirit is that he is an ‘Advocate’. Advocates plead the cause of their client before the judges. Similarly, Holy Spirit pleads our cause before God. Secondly, the Holy Spirit is also a helper or a comforter. He always helps us in our time of need, whether its an emergency or otherwise, he is always there. In times like this when we don’t know what to do, he is the helper. He is the one who comforts us in our sorrow. He is the one who gives peace in our difficult situation. So, as we face this pandemic, we can take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit will help us and comfort us and also plead humanity’s cause before God. Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is also our intercessor and our mediator. Paul writing to the Romans says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26).” So, when we feel weak and vulnerable the Holy Spirit sustains us. He is the one who is interceding for us. When we see the plight of migrant laborers, we can ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for them. Fourthly, the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth. The Spirit of truth will lead the disciples into all truth by reminding them about all that Jesus had said and done. Above all, it leads us into the truth of God. Only through Jesus can we understand who God is. The character of God is the same as the character of Jesus. And so, the Holy Spirit removes the veils of our hearts and eyes to see Jesus as God in human flesh. Jesus also reminds the disciples that the ‘World’ in contrast to the believer will neither see him nor know him. Knowledge and experience of the Holy Spirit will not be available for those who do not know Jesus. They will reject the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth, truth is important for the followers of Christ. We live in a world of deceit, lies and falsehood. It is in this context that God calls us to be the followers of truth. The Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus and was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit continues to be available to every believer, when we receive Christ. Finally, we see that Jesus reminds his disciples that true love for him is marked by obedience to his commands. We know all the commands but God expects us to be obedient to them. Obedience is a mark of true love. May God sustain us during this period of lockdown through the empowering presence of Holy Spirit who resides with us forever. May we be comforted in knowing that the Holy Spirit pleads our cause before God and comforts us. May we always walk in the ways of truth through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Shalom Paul Swarup Video - Sermon (Hindi) Video - Sermon (English) Download English Version Download Hindi Version Greetings to all of you! Today is Mother’s Day and we give thanks to God for all our mothers who have shown us something about the love of God. May God continue to bless all the mothers and use them for his glory.
We are now in lockdown 3.0 and we don’t know as yet how many more versions there are yet to come after the 17th of May. Many of us are still under great anxiety either about the Corona Virus or the fear of death that just in case we get the virus whether we would survive or not. Others may be frustrated that they have not been able to get out of the house or that they have not been able to go for a close friend’s funeral because of the lockdown. Many others who had planned their weddings months ago have had to cancel their bookings with almost not knowing when they can plan to hold their wedding. Our hearts are troubled and anxious in these uncertain times. We don’t know what the future holds for us. It is in this kind of a context that God’s word speaks to us to encourage us and to give us direction. Today is the fourth Sunday after Easter and the theme for our meditation is, ‘Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We will be working through the Gospel of John Chapter 14:1-14. I want us to look at this section under four headings: 1) Jesus gives comfort in a troubled world; 2) Jesus gives direction in a lost world; 3) Jesus reveals truth in a world of relativism, ignorance and deceit; and 4) Jesus gives life to a dying world. Jesus gives comfort in a troubled world. Jesus addresses his disciples saying ‘Do not let not your hearts be troubled’ – Believe in God, Believe in Me- Belief is the key criteria in knowing Jesus as the way to eternal life. Jesus was going back to the Father and he was preparing his disciples by reassuring them that they would be with him. Jesus knew that the disciples would feel lost without his physical presence in the near future and therefore assures them of what lay ahead for them. Jesus is reassuring them that his death would not be the last step but there was eternal life in the Father’s presence. Jesus proved this by defeating death and rising again on the third day. Death has been defeated. Therefore, the fear of death due to this Corona pandemic should not engulf us. God’s word reassures us. Do not Let your hearts be troubled. Secondly, Jesus is the Way. We don’t know where we are going in this journey of life. We don’t know our destination. What happens when we die? What am I doing on this earth? Jesus claims that he is the Way. He is the way to God because he has gone through the paths of suffering, the horrific death on the cross and the experience of the resurrection. Through his suffering and death, he has paved the way for us to go to the Father. The way to the place where we will be if we believe in him as our Lord and Saviour. Jesus is the way to salvation. Jesus is the way to forgiveness. Jesus is the only way to reach the Father. The Father’s conditions for entry into his kingdom is that we believe in his Son Jesus. We are called to get on to this Way by faith in Chirst and continue on it through obedience. Thirdly Jesus is the Truth. We live in a post-modern world where everything is relative. In a world of relativism there is something known as truth. Pilate asked ‘What is truth?’ when questioning Jesus. Jesus is the truth of God. We all cannot have a Jesus according to our liking. We need to look at the truth of scriptures and see what they reveal to us. Jesus reveals the truth about the Father. He is the mediator of the revelation of God. Seeing God means to have fellowship with Jesus. Because Jesus is the means of access to God who is the source of all truth and life, he himself is the source of all truth and life for people. Jesus himself is the truth – the truth of God. Only through Jesus can we understand who God is. The character of God is the same as the character of Jesus. We know that God is a loving Father, a compassionate and caring God, one who heals, one who cares for the poor and the oppressed and one who can forgive sins through what Jesus did and revealed. If we are followers of Jesus then truth should be important for us. We live in a world where truth is a casualty. Right from the Fall where Satan questions the integrity of God by saying, ‘Did God really say that you should not eat from the fruit of the garden?’ Till today we see that the lack of truth and integrity are the very fingerprints of Satan. Wherever we go we see lies and half-truths. Finally, Jesus is the Life. Jesus is the one who is the author of life – both in Creation and in New Creation. In Jesus we find life in the context of death whether it is of guilt or addiction, or birth or lineage or fear or death itself. Though we were created in the image and likeness of God, we all have the propensity to sin because of the entry of sin through the Fall. Good and bad exist in us and so does strength and weakness. Many of us think that we are nice people because we don’t rob banks, or murder or rape or commit other such heinous crimes. But when we look at our lives in contrast to the life of Jesus then we realise how much we have fallen short of God’s standards. C.S. Lewis wrote: ‘For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds. My name was Legion.’We need to die to our sinful selves and take on this new life which God is offering us in and through Jesus. So as we see Jesus as the Comforter in a troubled world, and as the Way the Truth and the Life, may we truly find his comfort in the midst of anxiety and chaos; follow the Way that he has set before us to enter his Kingdom; to know the truth of God as revealed to us through Jesus and enjoy the life abundant here and now and life eternal in the world to come. Shalom Paul Swarup Video - Sermon (Hindi) Video - Sermon (Hindi - 2) Video - Sermon (English) Download English Version Download Hindi Version |
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