The Spirit Sanctifies
Acts 2:1-21
June 5, 2022 anno Domini
If you want to see the difference the Holy Spirit makes compare Babel to Pentecost Day. At Babel (BAY-buhl) there is a dead stump. At Pentecost there is a budding tree. From Babel men are going away confused, angry, divided, and dying. From Jerusalem men are going away enlightened, loving, united, and living. From Babel men are forced to suffer for their pride. From Pentecost men go gladly with forgiveness and humbly to bring Jesus to others. From Babel the dead will give birth to the dead. From Pentecost life in Jesus will begat more life.
Pentecost was a festival of the Old Testament before it was a Holy Day in the New Testament. Pentecost was observed fifty days after Passover. Passover was the day the little lambs were sacrificed, their blood was put on the doorposts, their flesh was eaten, to remember that night in Egypt when death passed over all the homes marked by the blood of the lamb. The next day Pharaoh declared his own emancipation proclamation and let God’s people go. Fifty days later the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai and there the mountain was covered in smoke and fire and Moses received the 10 commandments. Pentecost marked the day God told His Israel how to live – in faith toward Him and in love toward neighbor.
In the New Testament these two Old Testament festivals are completed and fulfilled. All those little one year old male lambs are fulfilled when God provides His Lamb, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus blood marks the cross as He is sacrificed for your sins. He dies so death can pass over you. His resurrection declares you free of the Devil’s hold and death’s grasp. The Lamb was slain for your sins and that means you’re free from your sins, free to live forever.
Fifty days after Jesus died and rose the Apostles were gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost. There was a little fire and a little noise like at Sinai. The crowd came together like they did around the base of God’s Holy Mountain and then God gave the congregation His Word.
First the promised Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in their ordination. Then through Peter’s preaching of God’s Word the Spirit came upon the crowd and did what the Spirit does. He convicts. Do you believe you are a sinner? The Spirit convicts you to say yes. Are you sorry for your sins? The Spirit says yes. Do you have any hope on your own? The Spirit teaches you are hopeless. What then is your hope? What then shall we do? To that question the Spirit brings Jesus and all His gifts to you. Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized everyone one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The big church Word for the Holy Spirit’s work is sanctification. That big word simply means “to make holy.” That’s not hard to remember or understand. The Holy Spirit makes you holy.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies you in two ways. First, by the Gospel. Second by strengthening you to do good works. (Thanks to Wolfmueller for that concise summary.)
The Holy Spirit makes us holy by the Gospel. The Holy Spirit brings the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection across time and space. Two thousand years ago on a cross outside Jerusalem your sins were forgiven by the blood of Jesus. Today on June 5, in the year of our Lord 2022, the Holy Spirit sticks that forgiveness in your ears and presses it into your hand and pours it down your throat.
The Spirit not only gives you the gifts of Jesus, but also the faith to receive those gifts. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Cor 12:3b
When you believe that Jesus died for your sins you have Jesus and everything He did. You are righteous in God’s eyes. You are a holy one – a saint. When this first work of sanctification is worked in your life – it is finished – as finished as Jesus’ death for sinners. There is nothing to be added or for you to do. It is complete. You have nothing to fear when you face death and God’s judgment. You have Jesus and Jesus has you.
Our sinful nature fights against this first sanctification. We don’t want to give Jesus all the credit. Everyone will say, “Sure, I’m a sinner” but when pressed on how bad your sin is, you’ll probably say, “I’m not as bad as that school shooter, or that drunk driver, or that mom who abused her little boy to death.” I’m better than others. Sorry. Nope. Not according to the Holy Spirit. There is none righteous, no not one.
If we cannot take credit from Jesus, we try to take it from the Spirit by claiming credit for our faith. I have decided to follow Jesus. I gave my heart to Jesus. Oh, have you? Where in Scripture does it say you create faith or that your heart is a decent gift for Jesus. Faith is a work of the Spirit and gift of the Spirit – that’s why infants can believe. Faith is created by the good news of Jesus. Peter preached God’s Word and faith was created in the crowd desiring baptism, desiring Jesus.
We have another big word for this – Divine Monergism. Mono – means one. Ergo – means work. Your holiness before God is the work of One – the One God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father sent His Son. The Son alone accomplished all righteousness and then the Holy Spirit delivered all the benefits of Jesus work through the Word to your faith (which is also His work). He works. You don’t. You receive.
The second sanctification is the Spirit’s work in you and with you to do a good work now and then. This is the Spirit’s work to prepare you for life in heaven. When you were baptized into Christ your life started over. The Spirit created a new heart and a new spirit within you. As God’s re-creation slowly spreads from your heart and spirit to your eyes, your mouth, your hands, and your feet. This second sanctification is not monergism, but synergism – you work together with God. Your new man cooperates with God.
This second sanctification is not complete. It is not finished, because your old sinful self still dwells in you and fights against the Spirit. Sometimes your lips pray without ceasing and at other times they lie and complain. Sometimes your hands are gracious to your neighbor and sometimes you grab all you can for yourself. Sometimes your feet carry you to the Lord’s house five weeks in a row and then those same feet carry you to the lake or the ball diamond or out too late on a Saturday night.
Once again, our sinful self competes with the Spirit’s work of sanctification. In this second sanctification, where we can and do work alongside the Spirit our sinful self says, “Relax, take it easy, sin isn’t a big deal, you’re forgiven.” Your pastor has said, “works do not save” so don’t worry about works. You don’t need to do good works.
In the first sanctification, the work of salvation, we try to take Jesus’ place by claiming to be good. In the second sanctification we are lazy and neglect the work we can and should do – fight sin, do good works, strengthen our lips and hands and thoughts to be pure and holy and good, like our heart and spirit are new and good in Christ.
Today, the Spirit came upon the Apostles and upon the Church. Without the Spirit the church would be a dead stump and your life would be a dead end. But, by the Spirit the death and life of Jesus and all its benefits are delivered into your ears, hands, and mouths so that you can grow into the holy one you are. In the name of Jesus. Amen.