John 14:8-17, 25-27
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
----------------
Today is both the Memorial Day weekend and Pentecost. As for Memorial Day, we remember those who died for our physical freedom. As for Pentecost, we remember Jesus Christ, who died for our spiritual freedom. Jesus not only liberated us from the enslavement of sin through his death and resurrection, but also empowered us to “do greater works” than he did. That’s this morning’s focus.
Jesus said in verse 12, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” Sometimes we feel hesitant and undeserving when we read this passage. It seems okay to read that those who believe in him will do the works that Jesus did, but how could anyone dare to imagine that we will be doing greater works than he did?
Jesus said that it was because he was going to the Father. That means he wouldn’t be doing anymore works, but we will be empowered to do the greater works that are yet to be done. He was talking about quantity not quality. In fact there are clouds of witnesses around us today that have proven that the believers have done greater works in the past two thousand years.
Jesus never wrote a book but no library in the world could hold the volumes of books that have been written about him and for him because his followers continue to publish thousands of books each year to inspire more people and save more lives. Thousands of scholars also continue to spend the time of their life to explore Jesus and to expand his message into volumes of books.
Jesus never went to a Medial Collage, but he has healed multitudes in his life time, without charges for his services. His followers continue to build huge hospitals and small clinics around the world in his name to continue his healing ministry. Just travel around the world, you will see even in some smallest corner of the earth, hospitals with Christian signs. Surely the believers have done greater works, in his name.
He never was a chef but he fed over 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fishes, and still had twelve basketful of leftover. His followers continue his feeding ministry by setting up food centers to feed millions of poor and homeless each year.
He has never built a home. In fact he said “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matt. 8:20) Yet thousands of small and large houses have been built in his name to worship him and many of them represent the pinnacle of art and architecture. Thousands of doors also have been opened to home the homeless. His followers have done greater things.
Jesus never had any children of his own, but he loved children and disallowed his disciples to drive the children away when he was preaching. He asked the disciples to let the children come to him. Led by his Holy Spirit, his followers have built thousands of orphanages around the world to continue his ministry.
He has never been to a university, but he loved to teach, and was known to be the greatest teacher in the world. Led by his Holy Spirit, thousands of schools and universities have been built in his name to educate people and many of them represent the best of the best in the world. Surely, his followers have done greater things.
Jesus never had any possessions in his human form, but every year millions of dollars has been given by the believers to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, to shelter the displaced, to parent the orphans, and to heal the wounded. Surely, his followers have done greater things.
Now it’s our turn to do greater things. It is not for arrogance, and it is not for inflating our ego. It is a challenge by Jesus Christ to the believers. He didn’t intend his believers to be pew potatoes. He didn’t just ask us to do what he has done, but he wants us to do greater works. Some of you might say, “Hew! Following Christ’s steps is hard enough, and yet he wants us to do more!” You don’t have to be stressed out by this command because Jesus never asks us to do anything that he does not give us the necessary tools and recourses. So don’t let your heart be troubled.
This command is exactly the same as the command for us to bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit that Jesus elaborated later in Chapter 15. So to do greater works than Jesus did is to bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The question is what resources did Jesus provide us to fulfill his desire for us to do greater works?
The followers of Jesus Christ can do greater things when we start with the following actions:
1 – Receive the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
In fact, Pentecost is all about doing greater things. Pentecost is all about accomplishing the impossible. On the Pentecost Day, the disciples overcame the fear that kept them hiding in the upper room. They came out and spoke the truth because they received the “Spirit of truth.” They broke the barrier of languages. They tear down the walls that separated us. All because of the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said in v.17, “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”
Jesus distinguished his disciples with others in the world by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is not your baptism that distinguishes you from the world, because baptism is just a sign and symbol of your submission to Jesus Christ. You receive a certificate for your baptism and that does not really make you different from the world. But it is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in you that makes you different.
It is like a wedding and a marriage certificate. You can have a wedding and a marriage certificate, but live thousands of miles apart from one another, physically or emotionally. You can be legally married but physically not husband and wife. You can be legally husband and wife but emotionally not in love. Jesus doesn’t recognize anyone as his disciples unless his Holy Spirit is in that person.
Who is the Holy Spirit by the way? Simply put, in the Old Testament time, God is for us. In Jesus time, God is with us. Now, God is in us. “God for us” is Jehovah Jira; God the Father was a provider of our every need. “God with us” is “Emmanual;” that’s Jesus’ nick name as he came be with us. Now “God in us” is the name of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus described the Holy Spirit as the Advocate. That word in Greek is Parakletos, which has a more complex meaning than the Advocate. It literally means, “called alongside to assist.” The Holy Spirit does not work instead of us, but in us and through us. This word also means counselor, encourager, or comforter. I like to call it “empowerer” because it empowers me to do the things I never imagine I could do. Who am I by the way? I am but a hillbilly from the mountains of the Southeast Asia. Who am I to stand here every week, in Bergen County—one of the most affluent regions in the United States filled with highly educated people, and speak the word of God in front of you—a diverse group of people ... in English? It is all because of the “Empowerer.”
In v.17, Jesus said, “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.” Paul once said that this entire Holy Spirit thing sounds foolish in the ears of a non-believer, or an unspiritual person.
“You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” You don’t know the Holy Spirit by knowing the Holy Spirit. You know the Holy Spirit by knowing Jesus Christ. Philip asked Jesus, “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” But Jesus said “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” In the same way, Jesus would have told us that “Whoever knows Jesus knows the Holy Spirit.” In other words, to receive the Holy Spirit means receiving Jesus Christ as the Lord and savior of your life.
2 – Believe in the Power of the Holy Spirit
When Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus said that they should have already seen the Father because they have seen what Jesus have done for all these years. The Father’s works have been done through him and the Father’s words have been spoken through him.
Jesus said, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.”
I can understand that for some people it is a stretch to believe the supernatural things. In this case, it seems incredulous for Philip to believe that God is in Jesus and Jesus is in God. It is beyond human logic. But Jesus said that if you can’t believe me based on my word, believe me based of my works.
The same concept can be applied to believing the power of the Holy Spirit. No, we can’t see the Holy Spirit; No, it’s hard to believe that God can be in us; No, it is incredulous to trust the supernatural. But Jesus would be asking us today that we can believe the power of the Holy Spirit by the works themselves.
If we pay attention, we can see a great deal of miracles that happened in front of our eyes. Many people believe because they have seen the works of the Holy Spirit. Some people believe when they see the works of art and science that are obviously divine. Some people believe because they see the healing of the incurable illness. My mother-in-law became a believer after experiencing the miracle of returning from a near death situation a few years ago, and our entire church saw it. Some people believe because of the great and miraculous works that have been done through the followers.
When John was in prison, he must have felt discouraged. How could a forerunner of the Messiah be imprisoned and about to be beheaded? Why doesn’t the Messiah save him and free him? He began to doubt whether Jesus was who he thought he was, so he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if Jesus was the one the Isrealites were waiting for. Jesus seems to know what John was feeling. He didn’t give him his words because John had heard his words. More words wouldn’t help. So Jesus sent him the evidences, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
What Jesus was saying is that there are enough evidences around us. If we can’t believe in the concepts and contentions, we still have all these evidences that we can’t deny unless we ignore them.
So look at the works of the Holy Spirit, pay attention to the evidences and look at the finger prints of the Holy Spirit, and believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.
3 – Trust in the Peacefulness of the Holy Spirit
One of the reactions to the power of the Holy Spirit is fear. We fear that we might do something great, or greater than what Jesus have done. We want to settle for the mediocre. We want to stay in our comfort zone and refused to be stirred up by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said we are the light of the world, but we want to hide the light under the baskets to keep other people feel comfortable. We are afraid that our lights might disturb others.
Nelson Mandela once said….(By the way, I just dug it out from my notes last night and reading it again made my spine chill)…He said this:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness, that frightens us... We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? ... You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you... We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us, it’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Friends, don’t play small. Don’t be afraid of achieving the impossible with your life. Don’t confuse humility with shrinking from greatness. In fact, it takes a humble heart to accomplish the incredible, because it requires dreaming great dreams beyond your ability that requires you to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit with humility. Do you get it? If I dream to accomplish something that I can accomplish with my ability, I don’t need humility. But, when I try to accomplish something beyond my ability, I need to ask for help--the help of the Holy Spirit, and that requires humility.
So do not fear. Jesus continued to say, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Because the Holy Spirit is also known as the Comforter.
The good news of Pentecost is that we have an Advocate, we have a Counselor, we have an Encourager, we have a comforter, and most importantly, we have an Empowerer. Today, Jesus Christ is no longer with you but he is in you. He is expecting you to do what he had done and do greater works than he had done. Today, you are empowered to bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The truth is that by bearing fruit, you will also liberate others to bear fruit. May God bless you all, Amen!
