GETTING THE HELP WE NEED
John 14:15-31
S: Jesus and the Holy Spirit
C: God with us
Pr: GOD IS AN UNFAILING CONSTANT.
Type: Inductive
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Live in the assurance that God does not fail
• Rest in Him, for He resides in us.
Version: ESV
RMBC 20 March 05 AM
INTRODUCTION:
1. Have you ever needed help?
ILL Help: C & H breakfast in bed
In the popular comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, we find Calvin in the first frame making breakfast for his mom. He says with a big smile on his face, “Hi Mom! Since you are sick, I’m brining you breakfast in bed!”
In the second frame he continues, “I prepared eggs, toast and orange juice all by myself!”
When we come to the third frame, Calvin is carrying a frying pan in one hand and a tool in the other, saying, “The eggs kind of burned and stuck to the pan, but you can probably chip them out with this chisel.”
In the final frame, mom is sitting up in the bed, asking, “Um. . .where is the toast and orange juice?
To which Calvin responds, “Dad said not to tell you about that till you’re better.”
Sometimes when we try to help, we need help to be of help…
ILL Help: George and the Dragon
There is another story about a man needing help…
A poor vagabond, traveling a country road in England, tired and hungry, came to a roadside Inn with a sign reading: "George and the Dragon." He knocked gently on the door. The Innkeeper’s wife stuck her head out a window. "Could ye spare some victuals?" he asked politely.
The woman glanced at his shabby clothes and obviously poor condition. "No!" she said rather sternly.
"Could I just have a pint of ale?"
"No!" she said again.
"Could I at least sleep in your stable?"
"No!" by this time she was fairly shouting.
The vagabond said, "Might I please...?"
"What now?" the woman interrupted impatiently.
"D’ye suppose," he asked, "I might have a word with George?"
Now please don’t take offense to that if you are married to someone named George today…
On a more serious note…
Sometimes, we feel like our lives are disintegrating.
It seems like the floor is giving out, and we are tumbling out of control.
There is not enough month at the end of the money.
Our marriage is a struggle instead of a joy.
We have lost one to death that is very precious to us.
The priorities of our children are askew as the things of the Lord are set aside for other pursuits.
An illness never seems to go away.
Each one of these things can make us feel like it is all out of control.
For…
2. When our world is crumbling, help seems out of reach.
This is how the disciples felt.
You may remember from our study last week that they had hearts that were far from tranquil.
They had argued about who was the greatest.
Jesus embarrassed them by washing their feet.
Judas’ sudden departure left them puzzled.
Peter was silenced because Jesus told him that he was going to deny Him three times.
And Jesus said He was leaving.
They were losing Jesus.
Their Messiah, their hope, their friend…was leaving them.
Jesus knows their anxiety.
He knows that they are worried.
So He tells them…
“Trust in God; trust also in me.”
You see…
3. We are to find relief in trusting Jesus.
The message He gave them is still true for us as well.
Let’s consider now the rest of John 14, picking up where we left off last week…
OUR STUDY:
Jesus is saying…
(15) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (16) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, (17) even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
(18) I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (19) Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (20) In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (21) Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (22) Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” (23) Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (24) Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
(25) These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. (26) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (27) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (28) You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. (29) And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. (30) I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, (31) but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
There are ethical implications to being a follower of Jesus.
There is right and wrong.
There is behavior that is righteous, appropriate and holy.
There is behavior that is evil and inappropriate.
Here we find out that…
1. When we love Jesus, we obey Him.
We don’t obey Jesus to get on His good side and so receive His love.
We don’t obey God so to prove our love for Him.
We obey His commands because it is natural.
When we love the Lord, it is natural and it is continuing that we would do as He says.
And when obedience is not there, we can be assured that our love for Him is not there.
In case that sounds hard to accomplish, that is to both love and obey, Jesus was not leaving without sending help.
As He tells His disciples…
2. Jesus is sending an Advocate.
Another is coming.
And He is both separate from and the same as Jesus.
He is, in the Greek, the Paraclete.
It is a word that is translated Comforter, Strengthener, Helper, and “Another Friend.”
But the translation I prefer is “Advocate.”
For it speaks of a legal friend, who knows what to do and will shoulder the responsibility.
ILL Personal
I remember one time I was testifying in a lawyer’s office for a suit that was taking place against the church I was serving in, and my lawyer was provided by the insurance company.
It was, by the way, one of those frivolous lawsuits, that was settled out of court, for a meager amount.
But as questions were put to me about the event in question, my lawyer would speak out “Objection!” and look at me and say, “Don’t answer that!”
He was my advocate.
In the same way, Jesus did not leave us alone.
He told the disciples, He was sending them an Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, so that they would know a continuing reality.
They would not be living in some fantasy world.
They would know how to live, because they would know Him who was true.
As the commercial states…
3. The Holy Spirit is “the company you keep.”
When Jesus left, the Father was going to send this Helper, so we would not be left alone.
We are not orphans.
We are not left to battle the world alone.
The great truth of God’s Word in this regard is that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.
And as a result, we receive life.
We have his continual abiding presence.
We have constant access to the Lord.
We have relationship with Him that is only one conversation away.
Now the wonderful truth for us here is that because we possess the Holy Spirit – this Advocate dwells within us – we are able to keep obeying.
We can make His commandments our own.
We are able to observe them in daily life.
We can go way beyond the intellectual grasp of what is being said.
We can actually do it.
It is at this point that I want to ask Olya to come and share her testimony.
I have chosen this time, because one of the themes that runs through her story illustrates well our next point.
ILL: Olya’s testimony
I think Olya’s testimony proves something that we all think…
4. We would like the Lord to make it easier.
This is what the disciple Judas (who was not the betrayer) was saying.
“Look, Lord, just show yourself to everybody. Stand forth in all your glory. Let everyone see. Then we will get to the place we need to be.”
But Jesus was not going to do it that way.
His method is different.
For, you see, He shows Himself through us.
This means then…
5. The key continues to be obedience.
Jesus’ answer goes like this, “No, Judas, I will be seen when you keep obeying.”
Jesus shows Himself when we…
…submit to one another;
…train our children in the way they should go;
…husbands love our wives;
…are hospitable;
…show mercy;
…love one another as He has loved us.
But you may be thinking, how does one remember all the things we are to do.
Well, the Holy Spirit helps us.
He is the perfect data retrieval system.
He is our guide and teacher that unfolds the meaning of Jesus’ words.
What a wonderful gift this Advocate is to us.
He is a fountain of strength.
He is the reviver of our souls.
He is the encourager of our hearts.
He is the launderer of our conscience.
And because this is so…
6. We can have inner peace.
What the Spirit of Truth brings to our lives is so much better than what the world has to give.
The world, occasionally, will see circumstantial peace, but it never sees a peace that belongs to the soul.
It is a peace that comes from a right relationship with God.
It is a tranquility that exists because God exists.
This was the kind of peace that Jesus had as He was facing the cross.
This being so, He predicted that the…
7. The devil’s “success” is a real failure.
He would look like a success at the cross, but he was going to be a dismal failure.
We need to remember this is true in our own lives as well.
At times, it looks like it is coming apart.
It looks like the devil is going to get a hold.
But be assured of this…
He does not win.
APPLICATION:
ILL Holy Spirit: The Spiritual Odd Couple
Often times we stand in awe of the fact that our Savior Jesus Christ was born into this sinful world and took on human flesh - born in a cattle stall! What a filthy place for God to be born! In the same way, then, shouldn’t we stand in awe at what the Holy Spirit does?
Do you remember the old show called the Odd Couple - with Felix and Oscar? One was a complete and ungracious slob while the other was a perfectionist and good cook. That’s how you might compare our relationship to God. Here we were, living as slobs in the filth of this world. But then the Holy Spirit moves into our homes, cleans us up, cooks our meals, and takes care of us.
The blood of Christ does not flow into our veins only if we say “please” or “thank you.” The Holy Spirit is an unfailing constant in our lives, no matter what the events are. He continues to give us our daily bread and our forgiveness free of charge - because of His mercy. Every day, without fail, the Holy Spirit continues to live with us and give us spiritual life - feeding us meals and cleaning up our houses - even though it gets pretty stinky and smelly in here - because that’s what He does!
So, you see…
1. When our world is collapsing, GOD IS AN UNFAILING CONSTANT.
The disciples felt it was all collapsing around them, but they did not to be troubled.
Jesus was going to make sure they were cared for.
Everything that they needed – really needed – was going to be taken care of.
In the same way…no matter how difficult we may feel things are, we get the help we need!
For…
2. The Holy Spirit resides in us, so that we can rest in Him during all our struggles, whether physical, emotional or spiritual.
This is why at this very moment you can experience the peace He offers.
Your life does not need to be characterized by tension, stress, anxiety and depression.
Since He is in us, we can know calm while in the storm, for all that God does, He does well.
We rest in Him, eternally safe in His love.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Rest in the Lord…even when your circumstances seem overwhelming, for there is nothing we face that He cannot handle.
Rest in the Lord…for He has not left us alone; He has sent us the Helper, the Comforter, the Advocate – the wonderful Holy Spirit, who guides and teaches us.
Rest in the Lord…because even when it seems evil is having its day, it will always be temporary; the victory has been won at the cross, and at the tomb…so rejoice!
Now…
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
RESOURCES:
John: That You May Believe, R. Kent Hughes
NIC: John, Leon Morris
SermonCentral:
I Wanna Know What Love Is, A. Todd Coget
I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Greg Buchner
The Promise of the Spirit, Chris Appleby
That Other Helper, Ray Stedman
God’s Home in Us, Scott Grant
What’s Your Motivation for Obedience? D. Greg Ebie
