Pentecost 18 “Oh, Now I See!”
What does it take to solve a math problem? I remember when I was first taking algebra and the teacher would write equations on the board. I would sit there and wonder what in the world it was about and how to follow the steps he was giving me. One in particular, plus or minus b-squared, times the square root of so and so, got me. I’d ask classmates how they did it. I’d do the steps taught and it worked but I really didn’t get it regardless of how many times I worked it. It took about three days but suddenly it came to me. It was one of those momentary insights when you say, “Oh, now I see!” I even looked forward to going back to class and showing I could do the problem with the formula and even explain it to others who like me were struggling with it.
When you really think about it that situation can be multiplied a thousand times over in many areas of life. You get a situation that is puzzling, you ponder it, a light turns on, you understand and then proceed to act out what you believe is the best way to deal with it. Of course not every issue is solved satisfactorily. In fact there are many times you just step out in faith hoping that what you offer is the right thing at that moment. That also is a way of learning called trial-and-error.
What does all this have to do with Pentecost? The problem for every human being is what goes on in the invisible dimension of life. Everyday I wake up and go through the process of choice and decision-making. I want to get life right. I’m especially concerned if people depend on me, look to me for answers and expect me to undertake the tasks for which I have a responsibility. Even beyond that I have a need to sense I am right in my own mind and heart and that I am confident, secure and willing to stand up and be counted. The fact that we are not settled in mind and heart is the evidence of sin, the self-centered spiritual unease that keeps us so disquieted. When you see the confidence in Jesus it is the Spirit of confidence in Him. That is what made people say, “He speaks as one who has authority.”
Jesus is the only person who never had to say, “Oh, now I see.” He saw already through the Spirit. He is always ready to let us have that insight through His Spirit if we are willing to receive it. Jesus was the only person who never had to say, “On second thought…” He and the Father always were acting on first thoughts. Jesus is the only person who never had to kick Himself. He never had regrets or remorse. Everything He thought and did was perfect and according to His Word through the Spirit.
This is how Jesus takes command over the unseen in every situation He encounters.. It is into the unseen of the heart and mind that the Father sends the Holy Spirit to bring the person of Jesus to offset the work of the devil and his spirits wherever we are. He brings those moments of personal insight, those moments when we need personal counseling in the unseen struggles of the insecure heart and the pondering of a confused and searching mind. He brings the “Oh, now I see” moments. He brings the mind of Jesus, the heart of Jesus and His process of making everything spiritually centered. It is through the Holy Spirit that Jesus arrives in the midst of what goes on inside of us (John 15:20-21).
Pentecost revealed the reality of the One Spirit of God, the personal Counselor Jesus promised, the Third Person of the Trinity, the prophecy of Joel 2:28, “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” The Holy Spirit is the One who paves the way through the jungle of the lost heart and makes room for Jesus. The real issue of spirituality is the realization that all existence, both seen and unseen, has a spiritual source, the Lord God. God existed before the universe therefore everything has a spiritual base---the mind and heart of God. That is where we start thinking and the key to thinking like that is Scripture because it reveals the mind, the plan and the heart of God. What the Holy Spirit does is make the Scripture come to life. When you allow yourself to read Scripture you are allowing your self to experience the “Oh, now I see” moments in every word. That is what it is designed for (John 17:17).
The Holy Spirit is all about insight, seeing within, perceiving truth in the mind and the quality of God in the heart (Jn.16:13). It is the Holy Spirit who brings life, light and healing into the dead bones of broken relationships resulting from trying to live without God (Jn.10:10). The Holy Spirit is all about restoring and reshaping the heart and mind (Acts 15:8). The Holy Spirit is all about bringing the sense of right that is in Jesus into each of us (Romans 8:10). The Holy Spirit is all about motivating us to think and act like Jesus (Jer.31:33, 1Cor.2:10-16).
We need to pray that everyday we get up will be filled with “Oh, now I see!” moments. And when those moments come, share them with whoever is around. Those are the moments that make for a great witness to the truth that Jesus is Savior and Lord…….stay tuned.
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