The Rev. William Klock: “Life in the Spirit” (Acts 2:1-11; John 14:15-31)

From the Rev. William Klock of Living Word REC in British Columbia, here is a most appropriate sermon for Whitsunday or Pentecost, titled Life in the Spirit.  Fr. Bill, in this message, describes the work of the Holy Spirit – at least one of His major works – very well:

John the Baptist pointed to all this as he heralded Jesus.  He called the people to repentance in preparation for Jesus.  He offered the people a symbolic washing with water, but the whole time John was telling the people that Jesus had something better to offer.  He said:

I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11)

The people needed more than repentance.  That was only the first step.  They needed the baptism that Jesus offers: a baptism not of repentance only, but a baptism of forgiveness and a baptism with the Holy Spirit.  In that we see the two-fold significance of Baptism.  Throughout the Old Testament baptism was used to purify things (and people) that were unclean or to set them aside for holy use.  It’s no wonder that in establishing Baptism as the entrance to the New Covenant, Jesus would use this symbol of washing.  He died in our place and as we receive his offer of new life in faith through Baptism, he washes away our sin.  But as we see today, there’s more to the Gospel than forgiveness; there’s restoration, there’s making whole, there’s new life.  That happens as the Holy Spirit is poured into us.  Baptism washes, but it also fills.  When the men gathered on Pentecost heard Peter’s sermon they cried out, “What shall we do?”  And Peter told them:

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 2:38)

We see this dramatically played out in Ephesus.  When Paul first arrived there he noticed something was missing.  That something was the Holy Spirit.  The people there had part of the message, but not the whole message.  They had heard John’s message of repentance and had received his baptism, but they’d never heard of the Holy Spirit.  They were still living in expectation of the Messiah.  They had repentance, but they were missing the Gospel.  And so Paul preached Jesus Christ to them, they believed, in faith they were baptised into Jesus, and as a result they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  Believe and be baptised for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And St. Paul tells us that it’s that Spirit that turns our hearts.  The Corinthians were looking to physical signs as evidence of the Holy Spirit.  Paul warned them not to do that.  Before he talks about the gifts that the Spirit gives for ministry, he reminds them: “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Jesus is the Lord of creation.  In our rebellion we rejected his lordship.  The first work of the Holy Spirit in us is to change our rebellious hearts.  The first and greatest sign of the Spirit’s work in a life is when that man or woman sets aside human pride and acknowledges the lordship of Jesus.

Fr. Bill goes on to talk about the need for us to see the gift of the Spirit in our own lives and the lives of others – quite a helpful message, and if you wish, you can hear it here.