The True Love of a Lifetime
Series: A Journey with Jesus (through the Gospel of John)
Brad Bailey – February 13, 2011
Intro:
Years ago I picked up a line from a book I read with my kids when they were young. In the book the father hare puts his child to bed telling them that he will love him ‘always and forever.’ So at times I when they were young I tell I will love them “always and forever.” Now inside I know it reflects an ideal I can’t fully fulfill… yet I know it speaks to what our souls cry out for… a love that is always with us…. and never leaves us…. always and forever.
Today I want us to hear that this cry for such a presence in our lives is what we were made for… and what Jesus brings into fulfillment.
We all know something of the difference we feel when someone who loves us is present with us… and when we feel that such a presence is gone and may never be known… and that we are left alone in this world.
That is where we pick up in our Journey with Jesus through the Gospel John.
It is his final hours before he will be arrested…. and led to his execution.
He is not above needing others to join him in prayer … and later this night he will invite his band of disciples to join as he goes to the nearby garden (of Gethsemane). But now he focuses on what they are facing… and feeling.
Imagine what the disciples were feeling… everything was unraveling… turning tragic.
As they gather for a night alone in Jerusalem before they head out into public again… the word is out that the religious leaders have temple guards looking all over for them. They were really ready to grab Jesus and all his followers. So the disciples had reason to be afraid.
Judas had shown himself to be a traitor and had just left the room on his way to betray Christ.
More than that, Peter had just been told that within the next 24 hours he was
going to publicly deny Christ, (John 13:38)
Then came the worst blow. Jesus told them, “I am going to go away to prepare a
place for you. You can’t come to Me until I come for you. I am not going to tell you
when I will come for you, but trust Me.” 14:1-3
Thomas reacted right away. “Jesus, you have got to be kidding. We put all of our eggs in
your basket, and now you tell us you have to leave us. Jesus, we had enough problems
trying to make it with you here. How in the world do you expect us to make it if you
leave us? (v.5) What a legitimate question to ask.
What they don’t understand is that Jesus knows better than anyone what they will face. He has imparted his life and mission to them… and now they will face what he has faced.
He also knows that he is about to be taken away …and they will not see him…. and that they will assume it’s all over.
He wants them to be prepared.
And with all we face around us and within us. Jesus has us in mind this morning….
This morning we hear Jesus begin to lay some foundations for us.
> It’s now time to explain the power that that allowed him to fulfill his calling in this world. Here he speaks to all of us.
As we heard last week, first tells them that he is going to prepare a place… that their ultimate home is already being prepared in the eternal realm. That is the reality that empowered him to bear what this temporal world was bringing to bear upon him. (“For the joy set before him he endured the cross...” – Heb 12:2)
But that’s not all…
Into this these lives that feel anxious and alone… and into our lives that face the same… Jesus introduced His disciples to the ministry of the 3rd Person of the Trinity:
John 14:15-31 (NIV)
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. 25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave.
Jesus has a lot to say in these words. I know they will speak to each of us more as we reflect upon them. But the central statement of what Jesus declares to those first lives… and to us… is this:
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever” - John 14:16
What Jesus is saying is that I am going to send you someone who will do for you all the things I have been doing for you.
The English word used here describes the one being sent as a ‘counselor.’ As many of you may know, there are several words that have been used to translate this word and describe the role of the Holy Spirit. Some translations use the English word ‘Comforter’… others ‘Helper’… and others ‘Advocate.’ We simply have no single word in our language that can express the unique and profound meaning of Greek word. That word is “Paraclete.” Para in the Greek means “alongside,” and the root of kletos is “to call.” So this “Helper” whom Jesus will send will be alongside the disciples as Jesus has been.
What is important is that Jesus says this is ‘another’ Counselor, the “another” is, allos, which has a very clear meaning… it means ‘another’ of the same kind. [NOTE1]
> This presence will come alongside them in the same way that Jesus had.
The whole coming of Christ was part of something bigger than they could have seen… and bigger than we often grasp.
Jesus is letting all know that the interaction between heaven and earth is NOT over.
Jesus came to restore the relationship… to defeat the powers of spiritual and human rebellion.
In Jesus,
The light of God has overcome darkness
The mercy of God has overcome judgment
The power of God’s love has overcome evil
> Now the Spirit of God will flow in all who receive that work of Christ.
He is declaring what is a complete turn around of what they perceived was at hand. They thought he was being defeated and would then leave them. He is revealing that in fact he is going to defeat the real powers at hand…. and will be with them in a new and more dynamic way.
This is his heart for them… he says, “I will not leave you as orphans…”
Jesus has taken care of these disciples. He has taught them and nurtured them. And they are wondering how they are going to make it without him. Jesus knows they could not make it on their own. But he is not going to abandon them like a bunch of orphans. He is going to send to them another presence who will be with them.
What was true of the disciples is also true of you and me.
Acts 2:38-39 (NLT)
“...receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
Before this night is over, Jesus is going to tell them more about the coming of the Spirit… of his power… of the many ways he will work with them. But the most important thing he says to us this morning is that …
1. The Holy Spirit is the ongoing presence of God in person
Jesus is not introducing us to some impersonal force… but to the ongoing presence of God in person. We are gong to miss the sense of relationship with the Holy Spirit if we think of the Spirit simply as a source of power that we can experience. Jesus introduces him as the ongoing presence of God in person.
This Person would be with them as Jesus had been with them for comfort,
strength, and guidance, but this Person would also be IN them.
> Jesus wanted the disciples to know He was going to send them a Somebody, not a something.
Let’s quickly consider his presence…
This is so vital to hear… and to grasp. Let’s just note four aspects about the nature of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a PERSONAL presence
We can so easily miss a relationship that is at hand because we live in an age that is so focused on power in general… and has fashioned so many ideas about impersonal spiritual power.
Many of us may have a sense that God’s power is somehow at hand in the Holy Spirit… and we are suppose to learn to use it. This certainly bears some truth but it totally misses what Jesus is telling us. It is not simply the power of God… but the very presence of God. … in the personal nature of one who bears the very nature of person.
Jesus isn’t telling us about some force… but about a personal presence that transcends physical form and limitations. In a sense it makes sense that we relate to God more personally as Father or Son… the connection to a father is so personal … and Christ as the Son has been known in bodily form…we sense the eyes we can look into… and the suffering he bore for us. So it’s natural that we might not sense the same type of personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. But in truth we too are spiritual creatures. We are bodily beings but we are not defined by being bodily but by being persons.
“We are not just the byproduct of cosmic chemistry. We are not just something, we are someone." [Note 2]
There is no ‘it.’ Rather the Holy Spirit can only be referred to with a PERSONAL pronoun because they are part of the Divine PERSONHOOD of God.
The attributes speak of the personal nature we are in relationship to…
[NOTE: In presenting his message I only stated the attributes below…‘he thinks… he speaks…’ and not the verses. Scriptural references were in the outline]
• He thinks – Acts 15:28
(“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements” - Acts 15:28)
• He speaks – John 16:13
(“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:13)
("Brothers, it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. - Acts 1:16 (NLT) .)
(“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” 1 Cor. 2:13 (NIV) )
• He leads – Romans 8:14
(“… those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14 (NIV))
• He grieves – Ephesians 4:30
The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal power or force… not something you have… but someone… most notably God!
The Holy Spirit is a CONSISTENT presence… bearing the full nature of God
In the coming of Christ, the very presence of the eternal God who created the universe had come and was manifest in the nature of a human life. That is amazing. That lies as the central point of human relationship with God. But it wasn’t the end. Now God would send His presence in a way that would carry on unlimited by one bodily presence.
Jesus is making something very clear… even if it is hard for us to grasp… and that is that this presence bears the very nature of he and the Father’s presence.
Notice how Jesus introduced him in relationship to the Father and himself, the son…
v. 18 – “I will come to you..’
v. 23 – ‘the Father and I will make our home with you.”
I can only imagine this was a bit hard for these who were first hearing these words to grasp… because as Jews they had always known the reality of the one true and living God. To grasp the reality of the Messiah as Son… and now hear of ‘another’… likely stretched their understanding of God. But in truth God had expressed something of this plural triune nature throughout time.
Genesis – let US make man in OUR image’
Throughout the centuries of prophets referring not only to His son but declaring “I will send my Spirit.’
So now just as Jesus had become manifest as the Son… be is telling them that the time is at hand for the manifestation of the Spirit.
And what is vital to understand is that they all bring the presence of God…
It is what Jesus has been saying over and over…
o If you have seen me you have seen the Father.
o My words are not my own they are those of the Father who sent me.
And now… in like fashion he makes it clear…. “When the Holy Spirit comes, we are ALL with you.”
That is why the Holy Spirit is spoken of as the “Spirit of God’ or the ‘Spirit of Christ.”
What we often find confusing here is the reference to the Spirit being present but then Jesus referring to how then HE would be present. Then he says he and the Father will live in them.
But this is what he has been saying all along…. You cannot separate one from the other.
They HAVE seen the Father because the same nature is being expressed through the inter-relationship. They are bound in relationship and united in nature. [NOTE 3]
Perhaps the best analogy is that of H20. The same compound of H2O may come to you as water, ice, and steam… each with different properties but a manifestation of the one entity.
The full nature of God is present with you… with different properties that each person of the triune God brings to bear in a unique way.
The Holy Spirit is a RESTORING presence
The most obvious aspect of the Holy Spirit is that He is Holy.
Richard Tow…
Of all the ways the Scriptures describe this third person of the Trinity, the fact that He is holy is the most prominent. In Romans 1:4 He is referred to as the “Spirit of holiness.” He comes into your life and my life to separate us from the spirit of the world—to set us apart unto God, to purify us, to change us into the image of Christ.
I can’t presume to fully understand the mystery of God as one God in three persons – Father, Son, and Spirit.
Yet I realize that as I consider the longings of my soul… my inner being… that only in such a triune God do I find the fullness of the relationship I long for:
o The Father – establishes who I am
o The Son – identifies with who I am… and restores my relationship… through his death
o The Spirit – empowers and enables that restored identity and nature with an ongoing presence within me presence
The Holy Spirit is a CONSTANT presence
“…will be with you FOREVER.’
“We will make our HOME with you”…. Not a visit but residence!
> Another will be coming who will be with them… who will be with US… FOREVER.
That is what Jesus wants each of us to hear this morning…if we receive Christ as our Savior and Lord …we’re not alone…. and never will be.
This is how Jesus lived. This is how he wants us to live.
Now one of those there, another disciple by the name of Judas asks a question…a good question.. which Jesus uses to explain HOW the Spirit can be received.
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
Jesus says essentially that he is not simply choosing them… but rather the Spirit is a natural continuation of relationship. If ANYONE truly has responded to God’s love in Christ with love for him… then the presence of God, through the Spirit, will can makes it home in them. [Note 4]
2. The Holy Spirit is received by all who receive God in Christ with obedient devotion (love).
The Spirit is a gift. We can’t earn our relationship. But the relationship to this Divine presence naturally flows where it is received. If we receive God through the work of His Son… then we naturally receive the presence and work of the Spirit.
That receptivity is described as love… that is obedient… responsive. We so often use the word love in a sentimental way… so I have would refer to what Jesus describes as obedient devotion. This love is an affection of the heart… not simply feelings… but our whole inner disposition.
It is an inner responsiveness to Him as the deepest and defining affection of our heart.
Below is drawn from Richard Tow
There is nothing, absolutely nothing that will keep me obedient to God except love.
The fear of hell, the fear of consequences, may get my attention. In that great song, Amazing Grace, John Newton wrote, “‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.” Thank God for the day grace taught my heart to fear. But the rest of the verse says, “And grace my fears relieved.” Fear can awaken my conscience and get my attention. But for sustained obedience something more must happen.
We must give ourselves to another. When you really love someone it is your desire to please that person. Love will cause you to simply want to delight the heart of God. Love will cause you to long to please the one who loved you and gave himself for you. When your heart is filled with love toward God, you don’t think in terms of simply knowing the religious rules to decide what to do. No one has to look over your shoulder and make sure you do the right thing. I may struggle some in my efforts to do it. But I want to do it.
God holds such a love for you… as a parent for their child… willing to give Himself sacrificially. To give ourselves to him in return is to enter the true love of a lifetime.
And Jesus knows that the Spirit is vital for them to live.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
3. The Holy Spirit is essential to being rooted in God amidst this world.
This relationship to the Spirit will root them in his love… in his truth… and in his peace.
This is a love that roots us into the only realm that never changes… and the only relationship that is completely secure.
This is the true love of a lifetime.
On this day before Valentines Day… there is nothing more important to hear.
Romantic love… family love… are wonderful… but there are longings that will always be greater than any person on earth can fulfill.
We feel it when we realize that those around us can never fully know us… and if they did… they would never fully be able to accept us… and ultimately, they will all leave us in one way or another.
We are left to wonder if we are really connected to anyone?
Is there really any love of a lifetime?
The answer is YES.
When children are very young and first ponder the idea of marrying someone. Many little girls say they want to marry their dads…. And many little boys their mothers. In part they want to enter the love that the family is bound in.
Jesus is inviting us into that love… the love that lies behind all love… the love of Father, Son and Spirit.
In the culture in which Christ lived, the first step towards establishing a commitment of marriage was for the groom to provide the Father of the bride with the needed price. That is what Jesus was now offering in his own life upon the cross.
Finally the groom would pour a cup of wine to acknowledge the agreement. Jesus had just poured the cup of wine… the agreement that now bound Christ with His bride.
Then the groom would go to prepare a place. This is just what Jesus had told them he was going to do.
Until he returns, and consummates the marriage, the Spirit will bind them together.
No other can claim us. We can live in this world knowing that we are already given to another… already bound in a love that will last forever.
Resources: Richard Tow, Glenn Newton
Notes
1. This Greek term means “another of the same kind” in contrast to the Greek term “heteros” which means “another of a different kind.” (Richard Tow)
2. Talking about the way Christians view the world, Roman Catholic theologian George Weigel said: "We are not congealed stardust, an accidental byproduct of cosmic chemistry. We are not just something, we are someone." (Citation: Jon Meacham, "From Jesus to Christ," Newsweek (3-28-05), p. 48)
3. The Holy Spirit is referred to as an equal part of the God.
• Omnipresent – Psalm 139:7-8
Psalm 139:7 (NLT)
I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
• Omniscient – 1 Cor. 2:10-11
1 Cor. 2:10-11 (NLT)
But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. 11No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.
• Included in identity of God – Matthew 28:19
Matthew 28:19 (NIV)
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,
• Equal in relating to God – Acts 5:3-4
Acts 5:3-4 (NIV)
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
The Bible uses personal pronouns for the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Spirit as “He”.
The Spirit refers to himself in the first person and also speaks His thoughts intelligibly to
others, something only a person can do...... “ While they were worshiping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to
which I have called them."
We also see this in:
Romans 8:1-39 (NIV)
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
4. Spirit received by our obedience of heart
Peter later acknowledged this link between the gift of the Holy Spirit and obedience in Acts 5:32 when he says, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." We do not earn the Holy Spirit. He is a gift. But there is a connection between our obedient response to God and the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Richard Tow)
