The Language is
Clear
Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν,
ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλὰ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. These are words taken right out of the
Bible. In fact, I just repeated a verse
that is one of the most popular passages in all of Scripture! And so you know it well. Most of you even have it memorized - just in a
different language. These are words from
the book of John, chapter three, verse sixteen: “For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.” These are
very familiar words, aren’t they? But
they are familiar to most of us in the English language, not in the Greek. Only a small minority of people in this
country understand the original words of Scripture. And so is this English translation of the John
3:16 in the Greek language still the inspired, errorless, powerful Word of
God? Yes, yes it is. Because the Holy Spirit does not just speak
one language; he speaks your
language.
You are
not required to learn Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic to understand the words of God. The Holy Spirit comes to you. But he does not come to you in unknown
dialects or cryptic signs and messages.
The Holy Spirit comes to you in the clear and understandable words of the
language that you already know so well.
And the reason that is so, the reason that you have an English Bible to
read, an English hymnal to sing from, an English sermon to listen to, and an
English worship service to enjoy, can be attributed in large part to the
festival of Pentecost that we are celebrating today. No, the English language did not yet exist in
30-something AD, but listen again to what the Holy Spirit did on that special
day in Jerusalem so that he could speak your language now: “When the day of Pentecost came, they [the disciples] were all together
in one place. Suddenly a sound like the
blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where
they were sitting. They saw what seemed
to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues [languages] as the Spirit enabled them.”
What a
scene! Because of the Holy Spirit’s
incredibly powerful work that day, those in Jerusalem who didn’t know Greek or
Hebrew or Aramaic were able to hear the Word of God anyway. And they heard it because the Holy Spirit was
speaking in their own language. And it
was clear; it was penetrating; it was powerful.
And that clear, penetrating, powerful Word soon spread like wild-fire to
the far reaches of the globe, passing from generation from generation, working
its way into different cultures with different languages, eventually making its
way here to this country, and then to you in your heart. The Holy Spirit set the stage at Pentecost so
that he could speak your language today.
And the world has never been the same since.
The Topic
Matters
But the
Holy Spirit doesn’t just speak a language that you can audibly understand; he
speaks a “language” that actually matters to you. Whenever my family and I get together with my
youngest brother and his family in Denver, my wife and sister-in-law can sit and
talk all day long about a variety of different things. And if I’m there in the room, I can certainly
understand the words that are coming out of their mouths. They aren’t speaking in ways that are
unfamiliar to me or with a vocabulary that is above my head. But many times, the topics simply don’t
interest me; the subject matter doesn’t involve me in any way. And so I don’t pay much attention to the
conversation when those matters are discussed because I don’t really have
anything to add. But if my brother then
walks into the room and says something to me like, “Do you want to turn on the
football game?” or “Come outside and check out my new grill.” or “Take a look
at this teen Bible class I’m writing for the youth group.” Then I might say to my brother, “Ah, now
you’re speaking my language!” And I
might say that not because he is suddenly using English words whereas my wife
and sister-in-law were not. No, I might
say “Now you’re speaking my language!” because the topic he is talking about
interests me: it’s what I know, it’s what I care about, it’s something that
affects me, it’s something matters to me.
The Holy
Spirit speaks your language - not just with the right words, but with the right
message. Notice that when the Holy
Spirit gave this unique ability to the disciples on that first Pentecost day,
he didn’t fill their hearts with the zeal to talk about anything they wanted to,
but about the gospel! The disciples
weren’t preaching passionately about their families or about the government or
about Jerusalem’s favorite sports team!
The one and only topic of discussion that day was the gospel about Jesus
Christ! There was no other reason why
the Holy Spirit gave those disciples such a wonderful gift. He wanted them to preach the gospel, teach the gospel, spread the gospel. Because that’s what the people there needed
to hear, that’s the only language they would need. It was the only language that really
mattered.
And it’s
the only language that really matters to you.
What Jesus did on this earth, what was done to Jesus on this earth, how
it was done, where it was done, and especially why the Lord allowed those
things to be done. The gospel is
everything that Jesus did for you. And
the gospel is your language! It’s what
you know, it’s what you care about, it’s what affects you, it’s what
matters. And the Holy Spirit doesn’t
talk about anything else. He is
completely focused on talking to you about the gospel. He is not interested in any other topic. He does not know any other language. But in order for him to speak that language
he must be given the chance to speak.
Words Must be
Spoken
God the
Holy Spirit works in a wonderfully simple way.
He does not thunder the Word of God from the heavens so that the ground
shakes and the souls of people vibrate with his power. Nor does he mystically whisper into the ear
of each and every person telling them exactly what they are to do. Instead the Holy Spirit speaks the words of
God through the words of human beings.
During the time of the Old Testament - the 4000 or so years before Jesus
came to this earth - the Holy Spirit spoke to prophets and they in turn relayed
the message to the people. In early New
Testament times - when and soon after Jesus came to this earth - the Holy
Spirit enabled the apostles to record exactly what he wanted to say for all to
hear. Now the Holy Spirit speaks to
people through those Holy Spirit-inspired human words that were written down
millennia before. And these words are
powerful and effective, but they don’t jump off the pages themselves, physically
grab someone, and pull him close. These
words need to be shared, words that need to be preached, words that need to be
taught, words that need to be offered, words that need to be spoken. If the words of God as found in the Bible are
not shared by human beings in some way, then the Holy Spirit cannot speak.
Imagine
if the disciples on the day of Pentecost refused to speak. After they had received such a supernatural
gift to instantly speak the gospel in other languages, what if one of those
disciples (or two or three or all twelve) didn’t share the words he had on his
tongue? How would the people who spoke
those different languages ever know about their Lord? How would the Holy Spirit ever reach their
hearts if those he enabled to speak to them did not? What a waste that would be. What a waste of the message that saves. What a waste of a soul that needs saving.
You are
now in the position of those 12 disciples.
You may not have been given the instant ability to speak another
language, but you have been given the Word of God on your tongue in a language
that those around you understand. And you
have dozens if not hundreds of people in your life that do not know their
Savior. And the Holy Spirit wants to
speak to them through you. And so what happens
when you do not speak? What happens when
you do not share? What happens when you
do not offer, encourage, or invite those around you to hear what their Lord has
done for them? When that happens, the
Holy Spirit cannot speak their language because he cannot speak at all. And what a waste. What a waste of a message that saves. What a waste of a soul that needs saving.
Speaking “The
Great Things of God”
I am
ashamed of all those times that the Holy Spirit was undoubtedly chomping at the
bit to speak to a soul, but I neglected to give him the chance. And there have been many times like that,
trust me. But I am also overjoyed about
all of those times when the Holy Spirit did have a chance to speak the language
of a struggling sinner, using the same language that he has always used with
me. In fact, it’s the same “language”
that the disciples used on Pentecost.
This is what that crowd was saying: “We
hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” The “wonders of God!” That’s what the Holy Spirit spoke about
through the disciples. That’s what he speaks
to us. And that’s what he wants to speak
about through us to others. The “wonders
of God” are all of the great things he has done for us: from before the
creation of this world all the way through the eternity of Paradise. The grace he showed in promising a
Savior. The patience he displayed in
putting up with disobedience. The love
he demonstrated by carrying out his Word.
The power, the mercy, and the compassion he put into effect by Jesus’
death for sins. The glory, the majesty, and
the magnificence he proved through Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and
reign. The full forgiveness. The sure salvation. The inheritance of a life that will never
end. These are the wonders of God. This is the kind of language the Holy Spirit speaks
to you. And this is the kind of language
that the Holy Spirit so fervently wants to speak to others - no matter what
language it may be in.
Let the
Holy Spirit speak. The words that you
have heard, the gospel that you have been brought to believe in, the Holy
Spirit’s language that you have been blessed to know, this is exactly what
every single person in this world also has to hear. If they do not, they will not live. They will not live without the Holy Spirit’s
language affecting their hearts. But the
Holy Spirit has chosen to do that through
you. Through you the Holy Spirit
reaches out to those who are lost without him.
Through you the Holy Spirit bends the ears of those who are
hurting. Through you the Holy Spirit mends
the hearts of those whose hearts are broken.
Through your language the Holy Spirit’s language reverberates with a
tone that not only rings in the ears but resounds in the soul. Let the Holy Spirit speak. Pentecost may have happened many, many years
ago, but the need for the Holy Spirit’s voice is greater now than it ever has
been before. Do not let us voice remain
silent. Do not let the beautifully
poetic language of his gospel go unheard.
Because he speaks your language.
He speaks their language. It’s
the language of salvation for those who need to be saved.
Amen.
“May the God of
hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may
overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Rom. 15:13
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