John 14:15-21
“We Are Never Home Alone”
By: Reverend Kenneth Emerson Sauer, Pastor of Parkview United Methodist Church, Newport News, VA
Many of us have probably seen the movie: Home Alone.
In it, a large family goes on a Christmas vacation, accidently leaving their ten year-old-son at home.
When they get to their destination they realize what they have done, but they are not able to quickly
book a return flight home.
In the meantime, robbers try breaking into the family house but the young kid is able to foil their schemes.
In our Gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus says: “I will not leave you like orphans; I will come to you.
Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.”
Jesus wanted the disciples to know that when He ascended into heaven they would not be left home
alone.
Jesus tells His disciples that He will pray to the Father and the Father will send another Counselor--to be
with them forever.
This Counselor is the Holy Spirit.
The word used to describe the Holy Spirit is translated as comforter, counselor, advocate or friend.
In this passage, Jesus is in the Upper Room spending the last hours He will ever have with His disciples here
on earth.
He is covering the major subjects they need to grasp before His death.
He is revealing and filling them with the glorious truths that will help them through the upcoming trials
they are going to face.
And the greatest truth is that believers are to receive the very presence of God Himself in the Person of
the Holy Spirit.
And isn’t this refreshing?
Especially in a day and age when so many of us are left as orphans?
So many children are thrown away or given away....
....so many people grow older and lose their spouses and their children forget about them....
but Jesus is not going to do this.
No matter what our age, we are all still children at heart.
Let’s face it...life does not last very long.
When I was a child I used to think that adults had all the answers.
I used to think that adults somehow had it all together.
Now that I am an adult....I know for a fact that this is not true.
Some of us may think that we are completely independent or that we can make it on our own--without any
help....but this isn’t so.
We all need someone to watch over us, to shepherd and guide us.
And God has sent such a presence to those of us who trust in Jesus--the Holy Spirit!
When Jesus told the disciples that He was going away, they must have felt like they were being left alone,
but Jesus assures them...Jesus assures us...
That we will not be left alone.
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
A few years ago, there was a popular song by an artist I can not remember the name of called, God is
Watching Us.
And this is true, this is Oh, so true!!!
No matter what obstacles life puts in our way.....
No matter what obstacles we put in our own way....
No matter how bad or good we feel.....
No matter who we are....
No matter where we are.....
Our Counselor, our Advocate, our friend, our God is right there by our side!
He weeps with us....
He weeps for us....
And if we let Him....
if we let Him......
He guides us in our decisions......
He lifts us up from the abyss....
He lightens our load....
He enlightens our minds....
He changes our natures.....
He creates new people.....
He helps us to grow....
He enables us to love....
He makes life worth living.....
Now, we can ignore Him.
That’s for sure.
And that sure is a shame.
“The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.”
Boy can our vision get cloudy!
Uggh!!!
I remember waking up to the presence of the living God in my life....and I’ll tell you....
Before this occured, I did not know what living was about!
I had been so miserable, so angry, so defensive, so competitive, so stressed out!!!
But when I began to see, feel, sense, and understand that God was with me....
That Christ loved me and had died for me....even me....
I went to a friend and told him, “You know, life is actually worth living after-all!”
You, see....it’s kind of like we don’t know what we’re missing until we find it!
“I was blind but now I see!!!”
Praise God I see!!!
I didn’t know how miserable my life was until I found the God of Love.
But friends, when I came upon that treasure hidden in a field....
That Pearl of great price....
I went and sold all I had in order to buy that field.....
In order to own that pearl......that treasure.....
Because there is nothing.....
Absolutely nothing....
that compares to knowing the Living and Loving God in a very personal way.
Yeah, the world can’t accept Him.
But brothers and sisters, think of what you were before you were called.....
We were all steeped in sin from birth....
From the dust we came.....
And without the Holy Spirit of God.....to dust we shall return.....
and then.....to something even worse than dust.....much worse.....to hell itself.
“But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
Yes, my freinds, for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.....God actually lives in us.....
And our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.....
We are never ever alone.....
The next time you start feeling lonely...just remember that!
God is our Father and He has never, will never, and would never go on a vacation....book some flight to
some far away place....and leave us home alone!!!
Jessu says,
“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
Has that day come for you?
Like I said, earlier, God the Holy Spirit is our Advocate, Couselor, Comforter and friend.
He is our Advocate in that He is here with us to speak on our behalf....
To defend us from our enemies in the world....
To defend us from our enemies within us.
And we all have those!!!
Demons are real my friends....and only One Power can drive them out!!!
I don’t have to tell you what Power that is that is!!!
The Holy Spirit is also our Counselor.
He enables us to make the right decisions and choices.
In 1 Corinthians Paul writes: “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit
within him?
In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God....But we have the mind of
Christ.”
We have the mind of Christ living within us.
Therefore we are able to know right from wrong.
If we allow Him, the Holy Spirit will lead us down the straight and narrow path which leads to right
decisions, right actions, and the most wonderous of experiences..... abundant, joy filled life, productive life,
loving relationships and good friends.....
No, we are never home alone.
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, who is there when we are hurting.....
Who is able to give us peace.... that peace which passes all understanding....no matter how difficult the
situation is we face.
This Comforter informs us that God is our friend.
That God hears our prayers....
That God feels our pain.....
That God is there to help us through the bad times as well as the good.
A woman, who was a widow, from my home church was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Before she was about to undergo Chemo-therapy the doctor asked her if she was scared.
“No,” she replied. “Jesus is with me.”
Do we have that kind of Comfort?
Do we have that kind of Friend?
We do if we have Jesus living in us!
Jesus has not left us as orphans!
He has given us the Holy Spirit to be with us forever!
He is our Advocate, Counselor, Comforter, and Friend.
Praise God!
Praise God!
