Reflection: Help We Can Use (May 19, 2013)

Pentecost Day
Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:23-31

Ronald Reagan once quipped, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" While government isn't the only entity that provides help that isn't much help, it seems that our government is especially good at being more hindrance than help. If you've ever been on the receiving end of “help” that wasn't any help, you know what Reagan meant. Rules, regulations, bureaucracy, restrictions, conflicting guidelines, etc. are not the help that we need when we turn to the government for assistance. But, unfortunately, that is often the “help” that we get.

When Jesus was preparing His disciples to continue His work after He had returned to the Father, He promised that He would send them help. He knew that they would need a lot of help. They were going to face tremendous opposition from the Jewish leaders, endure hostility when proclaiming the Gospel, and be persecuted by the Roman government for promoting a subversive religion. They would be betrayed by some of the people who embraced their message and attacked by people who rejected it. They would face all kinds of physical and emotional hardships as well as the spiritual attacks of Satan. They would definitely need help. So rather than send them a set of rules, or threats of punishments for being unfaithful, or a system of accountability run by superiors, Jesus sent them real help. He sent them the Helper.

We face some of the same challenges that His first disciples faced — and a few of our own. Our world is still fallen and broken. It’s filled with sin and the effects of sin. We can’t avoid or escape it — and we aren't suppose to. Instead, we are called to confront the sin, evil, and brokenness of our world with the Gospel. When we do we set ourselves against people who love this world, those who are living to make a name for themselves, unbelievers who are hostile to God and His Word, and the one who prowls about as a roaring lion seeking to devour us. Jesus has warned us that we will face opposition, hardship, persecution, and even death as we do the work that He has given us to do. His warning is helpful, but it isn’t the help that we need. We need more than His warning and even more than His encouragement. For help we can use, Jesus continues to send us real help; He continues to send us the Helper.

Audio file of the sermon "Help We Can Use."