Tenth Sunday after Trinity (2023)
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1 Cor 12:1-11
1 Cor 12:1-11
My Brothers and sisters in Christ, what a blessed day as we celebrate the gift of Holy Baptism and the promise that was made on the day of Pentecost is fulfilled, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise is for you, and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself. But how does one know that they have the Holy Spirit and what does it mean that He is given to us as a gift in Holy Baptism? Let us see what our text says in 1 Corinthians 12
The Holy Spirit
The Spirit is the promised helper and encourager.
Jesus himself tells us that he must ascend unto heaven, but he promises his disciples that he will not leave us alone, but will send the paraclete the helper, the encourager that will be with the Disciples to strengthen their faith as he ascends to the right hand of the throne of God. So..
The Spirit was sent to convict the world.
Now we hear convict, we don’t think of comfort, often of a Court trial, that someone has been convicted, but in the Scriptures it means bring to light, demonstrate, and prove definitively, rather think of the word Conviction.
First he convicts us of sin.
That is the first work of the Holy Spirit to reveal our sins, this is painful, and many people find this first work unpleasant, and they reject the Holy Spirit, this is the only unforgivable sin, for this is a necessary step for your salvation. The Spirit reveals that no matter who you are or how great you think you are, you must repent and become other than you are, for by your sins, you aren’t good enough. That’s a hard pill to swallow, and it humbles us and lays us all low, but the Spirit doesn’t leave us there.
Then, He convicts us of righteousness.
He points us to Jesus, who gave his life for you, and has ascended into heaven for your sake to intercede on your behalf with the Father. That is why Jesus was perfect and holy, and righteous, it was for you. Everything that you were supposed to be, every good work you were supposed to do, all of the sins that you were to pay for, Jesus did for you so that your sins might be forgiven.
Finally the judgment of satan.
For since Christ has ascended to heaven, what power does Satan have, he has been thrown down, and Christ has assumed the throne and is now ruler over all, and so we are also a people of great joy.
What does this mean?
It means that God knows what you try to hide.
We wear masks, and we try to put on a strong face before the world, and try to hide our guilt, our shame, our imperfections, and all things we don’t want to admit that we have lived as we ought. Pride keeps many from being saved.
The Law of God condemns us, and we say amen.
For what are we going to do? Lie to God who sees us for who we are? No, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean, and have sinned in thought word, and deed.
The Spirit then points us to Jesus who is the Savior of sinners.
This is the good news that we know as the Gospel, for God didn’t love us for who we could be, or when we got our lives right, but He saw us truly, in our sin, and in our shame, and Jesus said, I will save you, I will go to the Cross in your place, that you might have eternal life because I love you. Jesus is the one who
Who sent to you the Spirit in baptism, that you might be God’s child.
It wasn’t just that Jesus took your sins upon himself, that would have been more than enough, but He also wanted you to be part of His family, and for God to be your Father, and that would make him your brother in spite of our sins.
When that terrifying ancient dragon roars, we know that Jesus has won.
What can sin, death, or the power of the devil do to us? For Jesus went out onto the field of battle against that ancient foe, even going down into the grave and has come back victorious.
Is that all the Spirit does?
The Spirit unites us in the Christian church.
All of us here are sinners who are in need of Christ, we are those that Christ has called His own. That means all of us here are flawed and broken, but Jesus loves us in spite of that.
The Holy Spirit also gives a variety of gifts.
Look at that list! It isn’t even a full list, this was just what Paul was emphasizing to the Church in Corinth, because of what they were dealing with.
There were Christians in Corinth who were praising one gift as better than another.
They were getting into fights over it and were claiming that those who could speak in particular tongues, which they referred as the language of angels, which was Hebrew, were better Christians.
The Gifts are given for the common good.
Because they all come from the same Spirit, how can you boast about the gift that the Spirit gave you instead of just giving thanks for didn’t deserve it, and it was giving that help your neighbor.
We Belong to God’s Family
Jesus said, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
This is why Baptism is so important when we are born of water and the spirit. For on the day that we are baptized, we are born from above, that is to say of heaven.
Being born of the spirit, we receive the spirit of sonship.
That is important in the ancient world, for if you were considered a son, that means you had an inheritance that you would receive. The inheritance that we have received is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Being part of God’s family means we approach God in confidence.
Now in life, we have imperfect parents, but God loves His children, and we can approach Him in all confidence because on the day of our Baptism, He adopted you, and claimed you as His own child. That is why Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father”
What are my gifts??
There are a variety and not all come at once.
People look at the Day of Pentecost and think that is normal, but that’s not, that was a special day. For the Disciples had already received the Spirit while they traveled with Christ, but they hadn’t spoken in different languages at that time.
They grow at different rates in people.
But notice that these gifts are given not just for you, but for the common good, that is for your neighbors, and in particular in the church. The utterance of wisdom is the ability to teach, and we see that in our Sunday School teachers. A gift that is given to impart the faith to the young.
The gifts all develop in the same way, by the Word.
For the Word is God-spirited, that’s where the Holy Spirit works upon us, and strengthens us. That is why it is important for sponsors to encourage regular attendance at Church that people may continue to be immersed in the Word.
Now some might wonder well, what if I haven’t seen any yet? How do I know that the Holy Spirit is at work in me?
Here is a simple test, are you a sinner?
Who has sinned in thought, word, and deed and fallen short of the glory of God? Then the Spirit is at work revealing your heart.
Did Jesus die for you?
When He went to Calvary, do your sins rest upon his sacred head. If so, that’s the Spirit pointing you to Christ.
If so, rejoice!
For these thing have been revealed not by your own wisdom, power, or insight, but by the Spirit, you have been brought through the waters from the land of sin and death to God’s Kingdom.
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what a great a glorious gift God has given us in Baptism, for we were born into the Kingdom of God and no longer have to fear the powers of sin, death, or the devil for Christ our good shepherd has joined us to His death and Life. So even if the world comes to an end, and comes with rage and fury, when nothing else revives your soul, your baptism stands and makes you whole. For we are God’s Children, and we await the day that we shall enter paradise and enter into God’s house as the children of God for all eternity. In Jesus name. Amen.