This is the manuscript of the fourth sermon in the Recognizing and "Responding to the Indwelling Spirit" series of sermons to start the year of 2022.
Without a proper response to the Holy Spirit, our lives will be unproductive and our service will be feeble. We closed out 2021 with the series “Come Let Us Adore Him” and in the last message of 2021 we said the real spirit of Christmas starts when we accept the best gift of all, the gift who was born in a manger, the Son of God. When we accept Jesus Christ, we accept the gift of salvation, the gift of forgiveness. But that is not all. We also receive the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes to live in us and guide our steps.
When we face the future seriously, we often feel anxious. Particularly, if the future looks fearful and uncertain, and if we are plagued with a feeling of helplessness and insignificance, like we or our opinions don't matter. That is especially true today with the uncertainty and the twists and turns associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic, inflation, and everything else that is going on today.
If you think of how anxious we are, just think of how horrified Jesus’ disciples were at the thought of facing the future without the comfort of his continuing companionship.
An audio recording of the sermon is at the end of the manuscript.
You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/QW-W0JzPQ14
Without a proper response to the Holy Spirit, our lives will be unproductive and our service will be feeble. We closed out 2021 with the series “Come Let Us Adore Him” and in the last message of 2021 we said the real spirit of Christmas starts when we accept the best gift of all, the gift who was born in a manger, the Son of God. When we accept Jesus Christ, we accept the gift of salvation, the gift of forgiveness. But that is not all. We also receive the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes to live in us and guide our steps.
When we face the future seriously, we often feel anxious. Particularly, if the future looks fearful and uncertain, and if we are plagued with a feeling of helplessness and insignificance, like we or our opinions don't matter. That is especially true today with the uncertainty and the twists and turns associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic, inflation, and everything else that is going on today.
If you think of how anxious we are, just think of how horrified Jesus’ disciples were at the thought of facing the future without the comfort of his continuing companionship.
An audio recording of the sermon is at the end of the manuscript.
You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/QW-W0JzPQ14
Scripture Reading:
John 16:7-15 KJV Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Text: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever” (John 14:16).
Introduction
When we face the future seriously, we often feel anxious. Particularly, if the future looks fearful and uncertain, and if we are plagued with a feeling of helplessness and insignificance, like we or our opinions don't matter. That is especially true today with the uncertainty and the twists and turns associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic, inflation, and everything else that is going on today.
If you think of how anxious we are, just think of how horrified Jesus’ disciples were at the thought of facing the future without the comfort of his continuing companionship.
As it said in our scripture this morning and our text, He wanted to diminish their fears and to challenge them to faithfulness with the promise of another Comforter who would be with them after He was gone. The Greek word translated Comforter is paráklētos which is the same word translated "advocate'', or helper it is also used in describing the Holy Spirit.
Toward the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus concentrated His efforts and time on His apostles. He wanted to strengthen these men for the task that was before them. He gave them some exceedingly great and precious promises, including this one in
John 14:1, KJV Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
11-14 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
As it says in our text,, He promised that he would give them “another Comforter,” He promised that He would not leave them comfortless.
John 14:18 KJV I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
These were promises they may have been able to understand at the time.
In order for us to better understand the significance of these promises, let's look at what following Jesus meant to those apostles, and to us today.
I. They mean:
A. A call to trust in Jesus Christ.
John 14:1, KJV Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
B. They mean a call to a profound learning experience.
John 14:11 KJV Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
Matthew 11:29-30 NIV Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
C. They mean a call to leave lesser things for greater things.
John 14:12 KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Luke 18:28-30 NIV Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
D. They mean a call that involves the excitement of true fulfillment.
John 14:14 KJV If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Ephesians 1:11-14 NIV In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
E. They mean a call to partnership and friendship with Jesus Christ.
John 14:13 KJV And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 15:15 NIV I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
F. They mean a call to serious self-discipline.
John 14:1 KJV Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
G. They mean a call to high rewards.
John 14:14 KJV If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Philippians 3:12-14 NIV Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
II. Jesus invited his apostles to draw close to him.
A. To Philip he said, Follow Me
John 1:43 NIV The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
B. To James, John, Peter, and Andrew, Jesus said, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”
Matthew 4:18-22 NIV As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
We become fishers of men too when we execute the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
D. Jesus chose all of the disciples to be with him.
John 15:16 NIV You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Mark 3:13-19 NIV Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
As these men followed Jesus, they experienced a transforming friendship. They prayed together and worshiped together. They watched Jesus and listened to him.
1. They saw in Jesus Christ what it meant to make a complete surrender to the absolute claims of God over one’s life.
John 5:19-23 NIV Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
2. They saw what it meant to completely forsake sin.
Hebrews 4:15 NIV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
3. They saw the perfection of love in all attitudes, all ambitions, and all relationships.
John 15:10-13 NIV If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
4. They saw a supreme example of one who was willing to deny himself for the sake of others.
Luke 22:25-27 NIV Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles Lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
5. They witnessed one who was not attached to material things.
Luke 9:57-62 NIV As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 6:19-21 NIV “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
6. They saw and experienced one who lived totally for eternity.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Eleven of these apostles became so committed to Jesus Christ that they could not even consider their future existence without his companionship. For him to depart was totally unacceptable and unthinkable to them.
It was in that context that Jesus continued to tell them that he had to go back to the Father.
John 16:7 KJV Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
He sought to comfort them with a promise of “another Comforter" who would be their Counselor and Helper.
John 14:16 KJV And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
A. Notice the word "another" that Jesus used in making this promise.
In the original language of the New Testament, two different words can be translated by our English word "another". The context determines which of these Greek words is used. Allos is used when “another of like kind or the same kind” is referred to, while heteros is used when “another of a different kind” is referred to.
When Jesus spoke of the Comforter who would come, he used alios. Jesus was saying, “I am going to ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor, another comforter, another helper of exactly the same kind as I am.”
The word translated “Comforter” literally means “one called to walk by the side of.” This had been Jesus’ relationship with his disciples for three years. He had been their Comforter.
B. He said that this Comforter, the Father would send, would be with them forever.
John 14:16 KJV And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Jesus’ bodily presence with his disciples had been very brief, just three years, and now it was necessary that he depart. This was devastating to them. But, He promised that another Comforter would always be with them.
C. That Comforter will not only be with them but will be in them He said.
John 14:15-17 KJV If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
When Jesus walked the earth He was limited by time and space. The Holy Spirit on the other hand does not have those limitations. He is within each one of his disciples, all of us, at the same time.
Conclusion
As we face 2022, with all its uncertainty we must accept by faith the presence of this Comforter who came on the day of Pentecost to dwell in the church.
Acts 2:1-4 NIV When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
He came on the day of your salvation, your conversion experience to dwell in your heart.
Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
We should recognize,with joy the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and find the strength we need for living effectively this year.
Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
With eagerness we should listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice as he speaks to our innermost being as we study the Scriptures, as we pray, and as we see a needy world.
Like I said last week, let's bow down in worship before the presence of the Holy Spirit of God who has come to dwell within each of us individually and all of us collectively.
Hebrews 3:7-8 NIV So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,
Let us rejoice in the creative and benevolent purpose of this indwelling presence of God. He has come to enable us to be all that God wants us to be.
Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
He is present to reproduce within us the character of Jesus Christ which is reflected in the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
With love for our Lord and his people, let each of us decide to cooperate with this divine Comforter and Counselor as we walk through the days of this new year.
Let's pray Lord,
Thank you that the teachings in Scripture are still relevant to our lives today. Your Word is “alive and active.” We ask that the Holy Spirit please open our eyes so we may see anything that is hindering our relationship with you.
Reveal things, people, or attitudes of our hearts that no longer nurture or nourish our walk with you. Please forgive us for the idols we place above you. Forgive us for not honoring you with our whole heart.
Forgive our half-hearted devotion and misplaced affections. Continue to guide us and teach us the truth of your Word. May we not harden our heart when we hear your voice, but rather circumcise those things of our heart that you’re asking us to remove.
May we become more righteous in your eyes. Thank you for your power and strength of the Holy Spirit to begin opening the eyes of our hearts so our devotion can be solely on you. We love you, and praise you and your majesty.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
If you have come to this day early in the year 2022 without knowing Jesus Christ as Savior, this would be a wonderful time to respond as the Holy Spirit leads you. Invite Jesus Christ to come and live in your heart as Savior, Lord, Teacher, and Friend.
Romans 10:9-10, 13 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’
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