5-24-26 “The Holy Spirit Jesus Promised”

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“The Holy Spirit Jesus Promised”

I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site: A priest is walking through the jungle when he comes upon a hungry lion. Just as the lion is about to attack, the priest crosses himself and says, “Lord, if You can hear me, please instill the Holy Spirit in this beast’s heart.” The lion stops as a bright light begins to glow around him. He looks to the sky, folds his paws in prayer, and says, “Thank you, Lord, for this meal I am about to eat.”

Let me ask you: is that God answering him in this funny story? Sometimes God’s answers are very clear to our prayers, such as when we pray for our loved ones who are sick. When someone is healed, we rejoice and give thanks. In those cases, it is very clear whether God has answered or not. But in other cases, we are often confused about whether God has answered our prayers, even though God may answer in a different way.

I have a friend whom I met in high school, which was a boarding school in the city. Actually, my grandfather and father did not allow me to go to high school because I was a girl. So I asked my middle school principal to help me. With his help, I was able to attend the boarding school on a full scholarship.

At that time, most students visited their parents’ homes on weekends, but I was not particularly eager to go home. So, I stayed at school. She was the one who invited me to her home most weekends. She was a sincere Christian. After we had meals, we usually played games at her church, but I never attended the worship services. After graduating from high school, I went to Seoul to attend university, and she did not go to college. We did not see each other for a long time.

After I became a Christian many years later, I remembered her and looked for her. She was still living in her hometown and had married a faithful Christian husband. I invited her to attend the installation service of our new church in Korea in 1996.

She came with her husband. Her husband told me, “I wanted to see who you are, because ever since I married my wife, she has never stopped praying for you—and she even asked me to pray for you. Even though I’ve never met you, I prayed for you too.” And she said, “Since I met you in high school, I prayed for you to become a Christian. I never expected you would become a pastor. God has answered my prayer. God is good all the time.”

She prayed for me for fifteen years. Finally, she saw that God had answered her prayer.

But what if I had never looked for her? What if she had never heard that I became a pastor? What if I had never known she had been praying for me all those years? She might never have known how God answered her prayer.

Prayer is a powerful tool that continues to build relationships even when we are physically separated. I believe you pray for your children and grandchildren even though they live far away from you, right? Through your prayers, I am sure you feel connected to them—and to God.

Today is the universal church’s birthday; we call it “Pentecost Sunday.” Pentecost means “the fiftieth day after Jesus was resurrected.” Some may say Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit came upon the people—and that is true. According to Acts 2:1–2, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.”

We may imagine it like a tornado or whirlwind. But unlike a tornado, this was not destruction—it was the presence of God. It came as fire resting on each person, and they began to speak in different languages they had never learned. That was the first Pentecost.

I announced for a few weeks that we would wear red clothing on Pentecost Sunday. You see red banners and altar cloths today. You may wonder why we use red. It symbolizes the Holy Spirit, who comes like fire upon us.

Today I want to talk about the Holy Spirit Jesus promised and the importance of prayer. Do you remember last Sunday when I spoke about the Ascension of Jesus? After Jesus was lifted up to heaven, His disciples returned to Jerusalem. They gathered in the Upper Room, where they had shared the Last Supper, and they prayed continually.

Right before His ascension, Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). They were afraid. Jewish leaders and Roman authorities were still a threat. So, the disciples gathered together in one place and locked the doors. Then suddenly a sound like a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire resting 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. Others were astonished and even thought they were drunk.

Why did Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit? Because He knew that after He was gone, the disciples would be overwhelmed by fear, grief, and confusion. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever” (John 14:15–16). “Advocate” is another name for the Holy Spirit. Some Bible versions use the word “Comforter,” while others say “Counselor.” Jesus knew they needed a Counselor, Comforter, and Advocate to guide them—not only in that moment, but forever. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost, and it continues with us today. Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). As Jesus promised, He sent us the Holy Spirit, and He is with us through the Holy Spirit. Do you feel the Holy Spirit with you?

You may ask, “How do I know if I have received the Holy Spirit?” We can recognize the Holy Spirit through its fruit. Galatians 5:22–23 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Let us consider this: those who are often angry may be resisting the Holy Spirit, because anger leads us into sin. Those who are often drunk or addicted may be resisting the Holy Spirit. Those who lie are resisting the Spirit of truth. We are called not to live in those ways. If you want to receive the Holy Spirit, you must open your heart—removing addictions, drunkenness, worries, blame, and negative thoughts—so that you may be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Last week I started my garden. I wanted to plant seeds and seedlings I had been raising indoors. But my garden was full of weeds. I could not plant anything. So, I worked hard to pull out all the weeds. Then I finally planted radish, sesame, carrot, green bean, and cilantro seeds.

Likewise, if we do not clear our hearts, we cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. How do we empty our hearts? First, repent of our sins and pray continually. Jesus and John the Baptist proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.” Yes, we make our hearts clean by repenting of our sins and praying. The disciples received the Holy Spirit while they were praying together.

Second, keep Jesus’ commandments. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments,” and He promised the Holy Spirit. What are His commandments? Love God with all your heart and mind, and love your neighbors as yourself.

Third, confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior. First Corinthians 12:3 says, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” If you believe Jesus is your Lord and confess Him with your mouth in faith, you are walking in the Spirit.

Let us exalt Jesus as our Lord and Savior, which is our privilege as Christians. Let the Holy Spirit lead us to love God and love our neighbors. Let the Holy Spirit revive our church and continue its ministry. Thanks be to God. Amen.