O Holy Spirit Open My Mouth To Sing of Jesus Victory FOR US

May 03, 2026
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

Cantate, The Fifth Sunday of Easter 3-May-2026 Sermon Text: John 16:5-15 Sermon Theme: “O Holy Spirit Open My Mouth To Sing of Jesus’ Victory For Us!” I. Sing of the Holy Spirit. (Vs.5-7) II. Sing of the New Testament Scripture. (vs.8-15) III. Sing of The Christian Church! (Vs.12-15).by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

Episode Notes

Cantate, The Fifth Sunday of Easter                           3-May-2026
Sermon Text: John 16:5-15
Sermon Theme: “O Holy Spirit Open My Mouth To Sing of Jesus’ Victory For Us!” I. Sing of the Holy Spirit. (Vs.5-7) II. Sing of the New Testament Scripture. (vs.8-15) III. Sing of The Christian Church! (Vs.12-15).by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Psa 98:1-2 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. (2) The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
     As the darkness begins to loose its grip on the coming light, the birds begin singing. It may still appear dark and cold to us, but the birds know that soon the light will dawn, the day will appear, the sun will shine on a new day. They lift up their voices to sing praise to their Creator and God.
We would do well to learn from them.
     When the darkness of death threatened to swallow up the freed Hebrew slaves with the mightiest army in the world behind them and the Red Sea’s billowing waves in front of them. They cried in terror. They wanted to surrender and return to slavery. Exo 14:13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today.” The Lord God made a dry path through the waters to deliver His children. Their enemies pursued them into the sea only to be swallowed up and drowned. Their great military might meant nothing compared to the Lord’s Word and water deliverance. What did the children of Israel do? History records: Exo 15:1-2 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! (2) The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him.
     The Christian Church is a singing church. As our brothers and sisters were led out to be martyred by the Romans in the first century, they sang songs of victory. It baffled the Roman soldiers, why were these Christians singing like they had won the battle as they were being nailed to crosses, fed to lions, burned alive? They fixed their eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith! Nothing could separate them from the Father’s love in His only begotten Son. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit they did not love their lives to the death, but rejoiced to sing of the blood of the Lamb which worked the forgiveness of sins, rescued them from death and the devil, and gave them eternal salvation.
       The Lutheran reformation restored congregational hymn singing to the Christian Church in the west. Professional cantors sang the songs in Rome’s congregations. Luther put hymns back into the pews for the laity to sing. Lutheran hymns do not aim to create the right atmosphere or mood for worship, but serve as a vehicle for the Spirit filled Word of God. Hymns are not entertainment but proclamation. Lutheran hymns are shaped by the theology of the cross. Lutheran hymns don’t just paraphrase a biblical text; they interpret it in reference to Christ. Lutheran hymns only bound to the culture of the Church catholic - they are timeless.
     Learn to pray with the David, the crushed and forgiven sinner, Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. “O Holy Spirit Open My Mouth To Sing of Jesus’ Victory For Us!” I. Sing of the Holy Spirit. (Vs.5-7) II. Sing of the New Testament Scripture. (vs.13-15) III. Sing of The Christian Church! (Vs.12-15). IV. Sing Forth The Way, The Truth, and The Life to the World! (Vs.8-11)I. The Last Passover meal had ended, by the next sun set it would be completed on Calvary. The Lamb of God, Jesus, was taking away the sin of the world by sacrificing His sinless flesh and blood for us sinners. As the Passover meal ended they sang. “The concluding section of the great Hallel, Psalm 118, was sung after the close of the paschal meal, a solemn thanksgiving to God for all His gifts of goodness and mercy.”
Psalm 118's final stanzas conclude: Psa 118:26-29 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. (27) God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. (28) You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. (29) Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.    Jesus came in the Name of the Lord to do God the Father’s Will. He would be the sacrifice bound by nails to the altar of the cross. He was going away. (Vs.5-7) Jesus had to fulfill His rescue mission. There was no other way to save sinful lost mankind. He must make atonement for us.
    Sing of the Holy Spirit. He is the Helper. The Paraclete. Eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. Upon the cross as Jesus breathes His last breath finishing the work of our redemption. He breathes out the Holy Spirit as He commends Himself into His Father’s hands. Risen from the dead. Jesus proclaims “Peace” to His fearful disciples. Peace found in His living scars of our salvation. He breathes upon them His Holy Spirit - sending them to preach the Gospel and forgive sins.
     God the Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life. Into Adam’s lifeless clay He was breathed and we became living beings. Body and soul creatures created in God’s image - without sin, filled with His life and righteousness.
     Jesus’ sends the Holy Spirit to be closer to you now than He was with the disciples during His three year ministry. Ascending to be enthroned at the right hand of God the Father filling and ruling all of creation. Jesus sends forth the Holy Spirit to make our bodies His Temple - the Holy Spirit is our Helper, our Comforter, our Paraclete - with us always.
     How does Jesus reveal Himself to Christians? Joh 14:23-27 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (24) He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. (25) "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. (26) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (27) Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
      God the Holy Spirit isn’t a feeling we get from listening to the latest pop tune. He is the third person of the Trinity. He daily and richly calls you by the Word - the Gospel. He daily and richly enlightens you with His gifts - forgiveness, life, and salvation. He daily and richly gathers you in to a local Christian congregation. He daily and richly keeps you in the one true faith in Christ Jesus within His Church.
II. Faith is never the work of man. It isn’t produced by our imagination. It is breathed forth by Jesus through His Word to give us the Holy Spirit. Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
     Beware of anyone selling a spirituality that steals the New Testament Scriptures from you. The devil still whispers, “Has God indeed said...” He twists love into serving your own desires and perversions. He calls rebellion against what is written on your own chromosomes freedom. In short Satan, the world’s , and our flesh’s self-chosen spirituality calls “evil - good” and labels “good - as hate speech.”
     Sing forth the New Testament Scriptures. They are 100% the Truth! That is why the world, our flesh, and the devil does all to silence our singing of them. Slyly the unholy three have robbed many Christians of Christ centered - cross focused hymns for songs that make them feel good.
     Sing forth the Truth! (Vs.8-10) The Holy Spirit overcomes the false spirits of our age. He trumps the fallen angel the devil and all his demon horde. How? He convicts the world of sin! Sin is rejecting Jesus as the only sacrifice for sin! Jesus died for all. He finished sin once for all upon the cross. The world redefines sin as character flaw. It sees sin as something violating its values - not God’s Ten Commandments. It is certain that it can handle sin itself. Don’t believe the lie.
     Sin has its end in Jesus’ flesh and blood alone. The Holy Spirit in the New Testament Scriptures is clear. “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sins.” Apart from faith in Jesus you remain in your sin and earn its wages - death and hell.
     The New Testament Scriptures teach us how sinners are reconciled to the Holy God. (Vs.10) Righteousness isn’t something we do, but it is done for us in Jesus. He suffers, dies, rises, and ascends to the Father for us. He is our Brother, our Lord, our Advocate. Jesus alone has reconciled us to our God and Father. Now He pours out His righteousness upon us in baptism, speaks it to us in absolution, preaches it to us from the pulpit, feeds us His righteousness at His Table.
      The world not taking sin seriously, thinks that it can choose its own path to righteousness. So it refuses to come into the House of the Lord and receive His perfect gifts from above. It refuses to draw water from the well of salvation found in Jesus’ pierced side.
     The New Testament Scriptures assure us that Jesus lives - the victory’s won! (Vs.11) Satan is judged. He met his defeat on Calvary. Still he thrashes around knowing his time is short until the final judgment day. Satan lies, the world chimes in, and our flesh quivers in fear. The devil rallies anti-Christian propaganda and anti-Christian power to squelch the New Testament’s song of victory. He loses. That is the song of Revelation. Rev 12:10-12 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. (11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (12) Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time."
     Sing forth the song of Triumph - the New Testament Scriptures. They are the Truth! (Vs.12-15) God the Holy Spirit breathed forth the New Testament through the pens of the evangelists and apostles. He spoke to them only what Jesus had spoken during His ministry. He grounded them in Jesus’ Word and Doctrine. All the Scriptures are God-breathed. From Genesis to Revelation. Rejoice to take up the Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God! Sing the Truth of Sin forgiven, of righteousness gifted, of the devil defeated!
III. Sing of the mighty fortress of the Christian Church! (Vs.12-15) We are still captive to the devil’s lie whispered to our first parents in Eden. We would rather eat of the tree to know evil and determine good for ourselves rather than to feast on the Tree of Life and its Life sustaining Fruit. The devil, the world, and especially our fallen flesh tear us from the harmony of our local congregations. The song of the Church is never a solo - it is always sung in harmony. In harmony with the prophets, apostles, evangelists, the Church on earth, and the Church in heaven.
        God the Holy Spirit within the local congregation - the Holy Christian Church - takes what Jesus has earned for you by His death and resurrection - He declares it your own! You are forgiven for Jesus’ cross is the Tree of Life. God the Holy Spirit doesn’t lead you away from the written Word of God - He leads you into it within the Church to see that all the Scriptures testify of Jesus - FOR YOU! In the Church you hear and receive God the Father’s eternal love through His Son by the Holy Spirit in His Word.
        Many have tried to tear down and destroy the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church - but long after their political, economic, and national systems lay in the garbage dump of history - Christ’s Church remains - the gates of hell will never prevail against her!
        Sing the hymns of Zion. Receive with meekness the implanted Word of the Gospel - it alone saves your soul! Declaring you forgiven, righteous, saved in Jesus alone! Psa 98:1-2 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Amen.




© 2026 Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Tell City, Indiana Podcast. All rights reserved.