The Fifth Sunday of Easter, April 28, 2024
The Fifth Sunday of Easter, April 28, 2024
You’re wrong! Nobody likes to hear those words. Yet, here’s Jesus saying “Good-bye” to his disciples and telling them that the coming Holy Spirit intends to do just that. The Helper’s first task is to tell you and the whole world that you are wrong: wrong about sin… wrong about righteousness… wrong about judgment.
You and the world are wrong about sin… wrong because you do not believe in Jesus. You and the world define sin as bad behavior or evil inclinations. The Holy Spirit comes to teach you that sin concerns faith (Ro. 14:23b). This is the faith that possess you and, in possessing you, takes you away from sin so that you no longer live in it (Ro. 6:2). Bad behavior is no longer an issue; the good heart of the one possessed by faith no longer sins.
You and the world are wrong about righteousness… wrong because Jesus has gone to the Father and you see him no longer. You and the world grasp after a righteousness of your own person. You do not now or ever have a righteousness of your own person. Your and the world’s righteousness comes only from Jesus Christ. His righteousness is given to you and received by you only in faith, for faith. Faith receives it from the pulpit, the font, and the altar.
You and the world are wrong about judgment… wrong because the ruler of this world has already been judged. Satan, the ruler of this world, uses his lies upon you… lies that turn you to the fruit of the forbidden tree… lies that tempt you to use that illicitly gained knowledge of good and evil as the criteria for your judgment. And so, as Satan has already been judged, your illicitly gained judgment is faulted as well. Jesus Christ is your Lord over sin… your Lord in providing righteousness… your Lord in judgment.
Table Talk: Discuss the implications of being told, “You’re wrong.”
Pray: Heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ, use your Holy Spirit to give me what is yours . Amen
You’re wrong! Nobody likes to hear those words. Yet, here’s Jesus saying “Good-bye” to his disciples and telling them that the coming Holy Spirit intends to do just that. The Helper’s first task is to tell you and the whole world that you are wrong: wrong about sin… wrong about righteousness… wrong about judgment.
You and the world are wrong about sin… wrong because you do not believe in Jesus. You and the world define sin as bad behavior or evil inclinations. The Holy Spirit comes to teach you that sin concerns faith (Ro. 14:23b). This is the faith that possess you and, in possessing you, takes you away from sin so that you no longer live in it (Ro. 6:2). Bad behavior is no longer an issue; the good heart of the one possessed by faith no longer sins.
You and the world are wrong about righteousness… wrong because Jesus has gone to the Father and you see him no longer. You and the world grasp after a righteousness of your own person. You do not now or ever have a righteousness of your own person. Your and the world’s righteousness comes only from Jesus Christ. His righteousness is given to you and received by you only in faith, for faith. Faith receives it from the pulpit, the font, and the altar.
You and the world are wrong about judgment… wrong because the ruler of this world has already been judged. Satan, the ruler of this world, uses his lies upon you… lies that turn you to the fruit of the forbidden tree… lies that tempt you to use that illicitly gained knowledge of good and evil as the criteria for your judgment. And so, as Satan has already been judged, your illicitly gained judgment is faulted as well. Jesus Christ is your Lord over sin… your Lord in providing righteousness… your Lord in judgment.
Table Talk: Discuss the implications of being told, “You’re wrong.”
Pray: Heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ, use your Holy Spirit to give me what is yours . Amen
John 16:5-15
But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, Where are you going? 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 I still have many things aaasay 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 authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.