He Shall Guide You into All Truth

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable to thee, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, and Lord, give us here today, eyes to see and ears to hear so we can learn your word together as a family. We offer you all the praise, honor, and Glory for it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good morning, my fellow encouragers!

I know some of you have had a hard week. A hard year so far, even. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe life’s been heavy. Out here in Bellville, people know what it means to weather storms.

Sometimes they come on the land. Many have had to replace shingles. Even our little church had to do so recently. But sometimes, storms – well, they come in the heart.

Some storms roll in with thunderclouds. Others are quiet and slow, like drought. But whether it comes with a bang or a whisper, a storm is a storm. And in the middle of it, we often ask: “Lord, where are You?”

I want to remind you this morning: You are not forgotten. You are not walking this road alone, and you are not without hope. This is the message of our scripture lessons today.

Job: “I Know My Redeemer Liveth”

Let’s start with Job – our OT lesson.

You remember Job, don’t you? Not the kind of man who pretended everything was fine. He’d lost everything—family, health, peace of mind. He had more questions than answers. His friends tried to help, but their words fell flat.

And yet, in the middle of all that loss, Job says something that still shakes the soul: “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth… and though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”

Now, you don’t say that unless you really believe it. That’s not weak hope. That’s not wishful thinking. That’s strong, sturdy, storm-tested faith.

Job doesn’t deny the pain. He stares straight into it. And he says, “Even here, my Redeemer lives.”

Some of us may feel like we’re in a Job season right now. But hear me—Job didn’t just survive. He believed. And that belief anchored him.

Are you facing affliction? Confusion? Grief? Then listen to Job. Your Redeemer lives. And He will stand. And so will you.

Psalm 116: “He Heard My Cry”

Let’s move to the psalmist, most likely King David, and hear what he has to say. Psalm 116 says: “I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice.”

There’s comfort in knowing that God listens. He doesn’t just hear the polished prayers at the dinner table. He hears the groans. The sighs. The words you whisper when no one else is around.

Have you ever cried out to God in the middle of the night? In a hospital room? While driving down a back road, not sure where life is going?

He hears you. The same God who set in the sky the big and bright stars of Texas bends low to listen to His children, even right here in little ‘ol Bellville.

David says, “I was brought low, and He helped me.” Not, “I was perfect.” Not, “I had it all together.” Just low. And that was enough for God to reach down.

We’re not saved because we’re strong. We’re saved because God is good…God is love and gives us His Grace through Faith.

St. James: “Receive the Word with Meekness”

Next, St. James steps in and in our Epistle tells us something we need to hear: “Every good and every perfect gift is from above.”

That includes the roof over your head. The breath in your lungs. The loved ones in your life. And most of all—the Word planted in your heart.

St. James goes on: “Receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.”

Most of y’all know what it means to graft something. My grandpa used to take pecan branches and graft them to hickory nut trees. He took a living branch and bound it to a healthy tree. And if it took, something new grew.

That’s what God does with His Word and your heart.

But it takes meekness. That’s not a word we use every day, is it? It means being open. Teachable. Willing to listen. Willing to let God do the work.

Sometimes we want to argue with the Word. Or explain it away. But St. James says—receive it. Let it take root. Let it grow.

Because when the Word grows in us, it changes us. It doesn’t just sit there. It produces fruit—peace, patience, wisdom, and love.

St. John: “The Comforter Will Come”

Now we turn to the Gospel of St. John.

Jesus is talking to His disciples the night before His arrest. He knows what’s coming, but they don’t. They’re confused, scared, and unsure.

And Jesus says something surprising:

“It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.”

Now, that word—Comforter—it means Helper, Advocate, Guide. The Holy Ghost.

And Jesus says, “It’s better for you that I leave so He can come.”

Why? Because the Spirit isn’t bound to one time or place. He doesn’t just walk beside us—He dwells within us.

Consider this: Jesus, who knew no sin, became our sin on the cross. He didn’t just carry our sin on His back; He became them…ugly, twisted, forsaken, and for the first time ever, disconnected from God the Father.

It is here that Jesus said His final words, “It is finished.” His body was dead. He was physically separated from His Spirit, now distorted and corrupted with the sins of the whole world, past, present, and future.

Then the Holy Ghost did something miraculous. He led Jesus into the depths of hell to deposit all those sins there and leave them there forever.

Three days later, He resurrected Jesus from the dead, transforming His dead body into a new Spirit being.

The same Spirit who did all that, who inspired the Scriptures, who empowered the apostles, who moved through the early church, will come unto us, all of us.

It’s a promise from Jesus. He’s in your kitchen. He’s in your truck. He’s with you when you can’t sleep and when you feel like giving up. He not only dwells with us, He dwells within us.

The Spirit doesn’t just make you feel better. He tells you the truth. He guides you when you’re unsure. He reminds you who you belong to. And He always, always points you to Jesus.

Fix Our Hearts Where True Joy Is Found

The Collect today says something we all need:

“O Almighty God… Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise… that our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found.”

That’s the prayer of the Church. It’s our prayer.

Because this world is full of shifting sands. What’s popular today is forgotten tomorrow. What feels good for a moment can leave us empty later.

But true joy? Real, lasting, unshakable joy? That’s only found in Jesus, through the Holy Ghost.

So, we pray, Lord, fix our hearts there.

Fix our hearts when we’re tempted to chase comfort instead of holiness. Fix our hearts when we forget Your promises. Fix our hearts when the world spins fast and we feel lost.

Final Encouragement

So, my dear encouragers—

When you’re tending the fields… When you’re rocking a grandchild to sleep… When you’re staring at the ceiling, wondering what’s next…

Remember this: You are not alone. Your Redeemer lives. The Spirit is near.

And your joy—your true joy—can never be taken away.

Let’s walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Let’s listen for His voice. Let’s receive His Word with meekness. And let’s keep trusting the One who’s never failed His people—not in Bellville, not anywhere.