Can You Handle the Truth?

John 15:26,27
The Day of Pentecost – 15 May 2016
Rev. John Derme

Would you like me to tell you the truth this morning, or would you like me to tell lies? I am guessing that you didn't get up on a Sunday morning and come to God's house to hear lies. I imagine that your idea of the pastor's job isn't to lie to you. You expect that I will tell you the truth. You don't like it when anybody lies to you, do you? You always want to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth, right?

Well, what about when the truth sounds like bad news? And what if the truth is a criticism of who you are or what you've done? Or what if the truth will make your life more difficult? Do you really want to know the whole truth at those times? Sometimes we are more comfortable telling and hearing lies. Can you handle the truth?

Of course, Jesus always told the truth. But his disciples couldn't always handle it. At the end of John chapter 14, Jesus told his disciples that he would be going somewhere that they could not come. That sounded like bad news to them. Then he told Peter that he would disown Jesus. That was a criticism. In John 15, Jesus was telling his disciples the truth about the persecution they would experience in their future. That would make their lives more difficult.

It was in the midst of all this uncomfortable truth that Jesus made a very important promise to his disciples. These are the words of Jesus from our Gospel: "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning." What a comforting promise! After Jesus would go away from them, and even after they would forsake him, and though their enemies would persecute them, he would send the Holy Spirit to help them!

Jesus wasn't the only one who told the disciples the truth. When Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, he called him "the Spirit of truth." The Holy Spirit always tells the truth, too. He would testify to the truth for the disciples, whether they wanted to hear it or not. And he would help the disciples testify to the truth, as well, whether they wanted to speak it or not.

Even though all of you came here this morning to hear the truth, you can, at least, understand why the disciples would be uncomfortable with the truth about themselves. There's a part of you that is uncomfortable with that same truth about you. Neither you nor I would ever admit the truth about ourselves that we are by nature sinful. We don't like to take responsibility for our sinful actions. We make excuses for everything we know we shouldn't do. The sinful nature is more comfortable with the lie that we're not so bad, that we're good people who don't really need a Savior. That is why many churches that call themselves Christian have stopped speaking about sin and teaching God's law.

And even though you came to hear the truth this morning, you can also, at least, understand why the disciples would be uncomfortable testifying to the truth to other people. There's a part of you that is uncomfortable doing that, too. We know that people will not like it if we tell them that they need a Savior. They may not treat us very well when we say that Jesus is their only Savior. The sinful nature is more comfortable with the lie that other people don't need us to tell them the truth of God's Word. That is why many churches that call themselves Christian have stopped proclaiming God's gospel.

Even though many people are telling the lie, and even though we are tempted to fall for it, too, the Holy Spirit cannot lie. He always teaches the truth. He has important truth for you and me to hear this morning and every time we gather around his Word. We are sinners. We have sinned in our thoughts, words, and actions. We've done evil things that we shouldn't do, and we haven't done the good things that we should. We deserve God's punishment now and forever in hell. If we didn't have a sinful nature, we wouldn't need the Holy Spirit. But Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to us, because without his work, we would never be able to confess our sins as we did together at the beginning of the service. Only by his power do we believe and admit the truth. 

Some would say that this truth sounds so negative, and that is why we don't like to admit it. But it is so important for us to see our sin, so that the Holy Spirit can teach us more truth. Though we are sinners, Jesus is our Savior! Because he is true God, he had no sinful nature. Therefore he lived a sinless life for us. Then he suffered and died under the punishment that we deserved for our sins. He rose again from the dead to prove that our sins have been cancelled. Then he ascended into heaven so that he could send the Holy Spirit to us to teach us this truth that brings us forgiveness and life forever! We would never believe this good news without the Holy Spirit's work. Only by his power do we believe and rejoice in this truth.

The Holy Spirit teaches us to believe the truth, and he also teaches us to tell the truth. Since his good news is the way that not only you and I, but also all people are saved, he gives us the courage to proclaim his Word even though it will make our lives more difficult. When we tell the truth to others, though, we do not need to argue them into believing it. We can't convince them that it is true. All we do is testify to the truth. And just as the Holy Spirit has taught us the truth, he will be at work through his Word that we speak, and he will teach others the truth that Jesus is their Savior from sin.

That's exactly what he did for the apostles on Pentecost. The apostles couldn't handle the truth that Jesus spoke to them on the night before he died. But he promised that the Spirit of truth would come to help them. Ten days after he ascended into heaven, on the day of Pentecost, Jesus fulfilled his promise.  The Holy Spirit opened their hearts to understand and believe what Jesus had taught them. The Holy Spirit made them bold to proclaim God's law and gospel to all who were in Jerusalem that day.

The Holy Spirit has done that and continues to do that for you. He has brought you to believe his truth in your Baptism. He has taught you to proclaim that truth through his Word. And through the Word that you hear and the Communion that you receive today, your faith and your boldness will grow stronger.

You don’t want me to lie to you today. You want to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You want to hear that you are a sinner. You want to hear that Jesus has saved you from your sin. You want to proclaim this message to many others. That is what the Holy Spirit teaches you today, and he cannot lie. Can you handle the truth? By the power of the Spirit of truth, yes you can!