“Sending from the Rich and Giving to the Poor”

Scripture text: John 16:12-24

Memorial Day. It’s a day when we remember those who have given us so much, but are no longer able to receive our grateful words of thanks. And the truth is that for all of us, those memorable events of giving, as well as the lost opportunities to be thankful, seem to become more vivid as the years go by.

I remember one summer day when I decided to climb the tree that stood next to our house. It was a tall maple, and I was going to climb it to the very top to see how far I could see. It was an impressive view, and while I was there at the “top of the world”, my Mom came around the house calling my name. She didn’t see me, and I didn’t respond, and I figured that I had played a pretty good trick on her. Unfortunately, within a few minutes, it began to sprinkle, and then gently rain, and within 5 minutes, it was a downpour, with a mix of thunder and lightning for good measure! That was what Mom had come out to tell me!
I climbed down as quickly as I could on the wet limbs, but by the time I got into the kitchen, I was drenched. Mom turned around and sternly said “Where have you been?” I replied dejectedly “You dont even care!” Today, I wish I could take those words back. Of course she missed me, and she did what she could to warn me of the coming storm! And I did everything that I could to avoid her warning.

The Pennsylvania Dutch are credited with the saying “We are too soon old and too late smart!” How true. But God gives us chance after chance to be grateful for all that He has given and to offer Him our thanksgivings. And the richness of God continues to flow to the poverty of humanity.

Read John 16:12-16

From the moment of creation, God has been with us. With Adam & Eve, with Abraham and his offspring, with the children of Israel in their 40 year journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, with King David, with the prophets, and how many times do we see the people giving thanks? A few, but very few.
God sends His Son Jesus into the world to bring a message of hope for all and to win salvation for us, and how many actually offered Him thanks as He walked those dusty roads of Israel and Samaria? Very few, and even some who received the incredible gift of healing never offered a single word of thanks to Him.
And now, Jesus reveals that He will be leaving His friends, but that another will be taking His place. The “Spirit of Truth” will come and will bring us all that God has to offer. And this Godly Spirit will continue to give until Christ returns to claim His Church. And how many times have we given the Spirit our thanks?

“.. the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

The Spirit of Wisdom is among us, bringing the riches of God to all who will receive it in faith.

Read John 16:17-18

Isn’t this so typical of not only the disciples, but of all humanity? Jesus is promising that the Spirit will be bringing God’s Truth and Wisdom to us, and what are the disciples thinking about? What does He mean by I’ll be leaving in a little while, and then a while after that you will see me again? Not what is this Spirit, not who is the Spirit, not why is this Spirit actually coming? Not what will the Spirit specifically be bringing to us? Not how are we supposed to use this Truth and Wisdom? Not will there be power and authority? Not what does it all mean for our world?

They are so focused on Christ’s coming and going, that they actually miss the main point of the entire dialogue! And the point is that God is offering us the richness of His grace, and all we have to do is turn to Him and receive!

Read John 16:19-22

But for once, Jesus actually answers their questions directly, and lets them know that during the time He is gone, it will be a time of great mourning and weeping, but when He returns, the joy will be overwhelming and it will never leave them! So now we have two messages – first, that the Spirit of truth will be taking from Christ, and giving to us, all of God’s goodness, but second, that even in the midst of that goodness, we will experience loss and mourning and grief.
And today, we, too, tend to be more focused on the things of earth, and less focused on the glory of God! Jesus uses the analogy of a woman giving birth, which not only explains His words of leaving and coming back again, but also makes the point that we usually miss the best part.
Last night, I asked Diane what she was thinking during the delivery of our two boys. She offered words like “discomfort”, “pressure”, “concern” (Chris was 8 weeks premature), but not a thought of “great anticipation”.
Then she asked me what I was thinking. With Chris, I was relieved that I didn’t have to be in the delivery room (he was a c-section)! With Nathan, it all happened so fast, I didn’t have time to think much of anything! For both of us, the joy came when the baby was visible and not during the pain and struggle and mess of the delivery itself.

Why don’t we have more joy in the anticipation? Of course, the nine months of pregnancy has its moments of joy, like those times when you feel the kicks and bumps and rolling around, but for the most part, it is an uncomfortable struggle at best. And while we wait for Christ’s return, we also tend to focus on the struggles of this life, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit, who is with us every step of our way, seem to take a back seat. The phrase “I hope he hurries up!” is heard for both child birth and Christ’s return!

But even as Jesus fully acknowledges the pains and struggles that we will experience in life during this “time of the Spirit”, He doesn’t let the disciples, or us, off the hook regarding the coming of the Spirit.

Read John 16:23-24

“I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” When Christ returns, we will no longer need to ask Him questions. Why? Because we will either have the answers, or else they will no longer matter! When our boys were born, we no longer wondered when they would arrive, or what they would look like, or how we would feel about them. We could see them, we could hold them, we could love them, and now it was face to face.
When Christ returns, we will no long have to wonder about God either, for we shall see Him face to face, we shall see Him as He truly is, we shall know Him completely.
But until that time, we can't wait stoically or sit quietly in some corner. We have a Spirit with us who has all that we will ever need right at His fingertips. Whatever we ask in the name of Jesus Christ will be given!
Do you need healing? ASK for it in the name of Jesus!
Do you need courage to take that next step in faith? ASK for it in the name of Jesus!
Do you need patience during a time of trial? ASK for it in the name of Jesus!
Do you need divine intervention to resolve a trying situation? ASK for it in the name of Jesus!
Of course, it isn’t always on our schedule or exactly what we thought we needed, but rest assured, the blessing will come!

By the power of the Holy Spirit, whatever we ask for in Christ’s name will be given. The rich blessings of God are there for the praying poor! We have the Spirit of Truth with us. We have the Spirit of Wisdom with us.
We have the Spirit of Peace with us. We have the Spirit of Comfort with us. We have the Spirit of Healing with us.

Reach out in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we will never go wanting. The wealth of God has already been offered – we don’t have to wait until we stand face to face. Don’t wait until Jesus returns to know His glory and power, or to give Him thanks for all He has given – trust in the Spirit today, for our trust and faith and confidence in the promises of Christ will be all the thanks that He will ever need from us, and we will be a continuous and living memorial to His truth and His goodness and His promise.