Sermon: Proving the World Wrong
And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. - John 16:8
What does the world have wrong when it comes to sin, righteousness and judgment?
Jesus described it this way:
About sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
I’ll admit that I have trouble seeing the connection.
What does it mean that the world is wrong about sin because it doesn’t believe in Jesus?
According to S. Mark Heim in his book, Saved from Sacrifice: A Theology of the Cross, the world is wrong about sin because the world accused Christ of sin.
By not believing what Jesus told the people, the authorities who called him a blasphemer and an insurgent were wrong.
He was only telling the truth, and that is what the Holy Spirit will prove.
It is wrong about righteousness because it failed to see how God raised Jesus from the dead to confirm his righteousness.
Those who stood around acting righteous while condemning Jesus will be proven false, unrighteous.
And it is wrong about judgment because the verdict against Jesus was reversed when he was raised from the dead after his execution.
The ruler of this world, the enemy, the evil one, the devil, is condemned. He no longer has power.
Sin is used as an excuse for persecution by those who claim to be righteous.
Righteousness is a badge worn by those who seek to generate fear in others.
And Judgment promotes and instigates the use of violence against violence.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Remember those words?
When Jesus leaves to go the Father, who will stand up for those who are wrongly accused, those who are persecuted, those who are judged by those who deem themselves righteous?
First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
It is hard not to be judgmental.
We see someone behaving badly and we cast a disapproving eye at them. We become the men standing in a circle around the adulterous woman, each of us holding a stone.
The Spirit stands on the side of those who are persecuted, not on the side of the self-proclaimed righteous, looking down their noses at the sinner.
Do you want to cause the Spirit to move from beside you to beside the one opposing you?
When we seek to find the faults in others, we invite the Spirit to stand with them, not us.
The accused, the victim, the one persecuted for his or her sins, that is the one for whom the advocate is sent.
This is not about being holy through the power of the Spirit.
It is about being in the presence of the Holy because we are cast down, rejected, hurt by those who look for the faults in us and hold them over us.
Sin is both a failure on our part to stay true to ourselves and to stay true to God.
It is a weapon that can be used against us.
When we sin - that is when we need the Spirit most.
That is when we need an advocate.
I used to think that meant we needed a lawyer, someone to stand up for us when we are called to judgment by Christ.
As a child I believed God was a punishing father figure who stood at the door of my room with a strap waiting for me to do something wrong.
If that was true, why would He become one of us and show us that death has no dominion over Him, that He is and always was and always will be, from the Word made flesh, until beyond the end time?
If God wants to catch us behaving badly, why would He want us to stop persecuting ourselves?
Jesus is telling us today that he is sending the Spirit to be our advocate. And why do we need an advocate? Because others will persecute us for our faith.
What right do they have to take action against us on behalf of God?
What right do we have to take action against others on behalf of God?
Whoever throws the stones is throwing them against the advocate, against God!
It is God in the person of the Spirit who stands with the victims of violence and hatred.
So, what is Jesus telling his followers?
Get out there and do these things I have taught you, and when you do, you will need an advocate, because they will hate you for it.
Today we wear red as a symbol of the flames that appeared over the disciples heads when the Holy Spirit descended upon them.
The flame is a symbol of the fire that lives within us as baptized Christians, the spirit living in us.
That spirit is our shield, our strength, our witness and the invisible chain linking us to each other as the Body, the branches and fruits of the vine.
Our charge is not to sit idly by and wait for persecution to find us. Nor is it to go about our business each day wagging our heads at injustice and hatred all around us.
We are charged with doing much more than being a witness to this world.
We need to be co-creators with God, making this world better for all.
The Spirit will prove the world wrong.
The Spirit will show the world the truth.
The reign of the evil one, who rules the world, will be over.
You would never know, to look around you, that the evil one’s reign has ended.
There are many who take up the sword of evil in the name of righteousness and put it in the hands of children.
Violence against violence. Do these children know what they are doing?
If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.
The Spirit stands with the little ones.
Sin, righteousness and judgment are all around us, and yet the very act of pointing out the sins of others threatens to tear us away from God.
Jesus understood this. He called the self-righteous hypocrites and he pleaded with his disciples to understand.
If you know me, you know the Father who sent me.
Do we really know Him?
We say what would Jesus do, but do we really understand how and why he did the things he did?
We make a point of talking about the miracles, how he cured the sick, but only he could see how sick we all are.
The truly righteous don’t need a doctor, but who are the truly righteous?
Being righteous is like being humble. If you point it out to people you fail the test.
But Jesus is giving us a secret weapon in the battle against our own sin, our own self-righteousness, our own tendency to be judgmental. He is giving us the Spirit to be with us and show us the truth.
When we are baptized, we prepare a place within us for the Spirit to dwell. We accept the Spirit and promise to be faithful to the mission.
We promise to avoid sin.
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
I will, with God’s help.
We promise to tell the world the truth about Christ.
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
I will, with God’s help.
We promise to give of ourselves to others.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God’s help.
We promise to work for mutual respect and love.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will, with God’s help.
God’s Help is available all the time.
All we need to do is connect with the Spirit.
How do we do that?
Paul tells us.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
It is through prayer that we connect with God’s Spirit and through that Spirit we gain understanding of the truth that no evil is too great to condemn us, for the Spirit stands with us and we shall overcome.
More to come...
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