Another Helper
Cornwall/Montreal
March 26, 2005
You think you are in Cornwall, Ontario/Montreal, Quebec right now. You think that you are living and moving and having your being here in this area of eastern Canada. You might go along day-after-day thinking this way.
However, the apostle Paul, in Ephesians 1, declares an almost unbelievable idea that applies to you. He says that you are now functioning in the heavenly realm.
Let’s read together, in Ephesians 2: 1- 3- God made you alive. You weren’t. We must remember that, apart from life with God, we are not fully alive- we only think we’re alive- people only think they’re alive. However, we were made to need God in our lives and are incomplete until He is there- actually, until Jesus is there.
v.4, 5- incredible love of our God.
v.6- we sit with Jesus in the heavenly places, for a purpose- v.7- and we’re going to be ‘on display’ going into the coming ages, and will be an object lesson of what God is able to do. We’ll be presentation pieces- in fact, we are that, already, and are witness to the incredible work that God can do.
The question, though, is ‘how?’ How is this possible, and what do we access in the heavenly realm? How do we operate in and from the heavenly realm now, rather than simply from the earthly?
Jesus, prior to his crucifixion, and in instructing his disciples, as he faced the darkest night of his life, tells us how this works.
John 14.15- Jesus’ commandments- the overarching principle of love applied toward God and humanity.
v.16- idea of another helper to be with them/us forever. Jesus was the original helper, but he was about to leave and he was assuring them that they were not going to be alone. He is assuring us that we won’t be alone in our walking with God and our going forward, in life, with God.
v.17- this Helper will be the spirit of truth. In this regard, Pilate asked a fascinating question- “What is truth?” Pilate missed something, as you and I can be guilty of missing something. Jesus answered this question just a few verses earlier- v.6- he declared “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Pilate had truth standing right before him and didn’t recognize Him. Truth is a person- truth is Jesus Christ. Truth is NOT an idea or a set of ideas; truth is not a doctrine or a collection of ‘correct doctrines’. This is essential truth. Truth, as the way and life, refer to a person and demand a relationship.
A lot of people- a lot of Christians- a lot of us, likely- believe that truth has to do with the book- the Bible. In a broad way, it does, because scripture does not contradict the person of Jesus. However, Jesus addressed that thought directly in John 5.39- people thought that truth was all about knowledge and accumulating facts, and the like. However, he pointed out that this was not the case- scripture points to Jesus- a person with whom we must have a relationship..
Some- even of us, perhaps- believe that Christians are people of the Book, referring to the Bible. This is NOT true. The only faith where it is really true to say that adherents are ‘people of the book’ are the Moslems. We are NOT people of the book. Christians are people of the Person! We are people of a relationship, and our relationship is with the person, Truth, known as Jesus Christ. Many, in many churches, have made a huge mistake, over the centuries, including recently. Many have missed this when they leave a church over doctrine; people who do that are looking at the wrong thing.
There’s a vital lesson of this Holy Week- which encompasses the period of time between Palm Sunday- last Sunday- and Easter Sunday- tomorrow. On Palm Sunday, people shouted ‘hosanna’ to Jesus and they acclaimed him, but by the end of the week, some of these same people were shouting, ‘crucify’. Why? They were looking at the wrong thing. They focused on the wrong thing, so they were disappointed in Jesus. BUT we’re to be led to Him, and this happens through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the Helper, is called ‘the Spirit of truth”. The Holy Spirit has to be, and always will be, consistent with Jesus, who is ‘the truth’..
v.26- the Helper will teach you all things and bring to remembrance all things that Jesus had said, and will lead to understanding the meaning of the things that Jesus was saying and that he did while on the earth.
Later, Jesus declared:
John 15.26- the Spirit of Truth (the Helper) would testify of Jesus. The role of the Spirit- the third member of the trinity, is to point to Jesus, the ultimate representative of the Father.
John 16.7- tells us that it is to our advantage that Jesus went away. The disciples didn’t see this, then, but came to see this over time, of course, and embraced this truth. By the time John wrote his gospel, he understood, of course, the benefits that came because Jesus, the one who loved him, left him.
v.8- 11- impact of the Spirit would be great and we can see this, as we look back at history, as the church has impacted the world. Do we realize that the freedoms we take for granted are rooted in Jesus Christ? Do we realize how Jesus impacted the Roman Empire, for instance, and led, eventually, to the ending of slavery, where there were many more slaves, than citizens, of the Empire? Do we realize how Jesus (truth) led to advancing the role of women and children, even in the times of the Roman Empire, and from there, to our day, today? WE must not be blind to the reality of the impact of Truth on the world since He returned to heaven.
v.12- this is interesting. What things?
v.13- ‘all truth’- interesting idea that we’ve seen over the course of church history, actually. The Holy Spirit, through Whom we sit in the heavenly realm, and through Whose living in us we get to live for Jesus, will guide us into closer and clearer representing of Jesus, ‘the truth’. Jesus had many things to say that he didn’t have time for and that the disciples weren’t ready for, but, going forward, they came to understand and their relationship with ‘truth’ developed.
v.14- the Holy Spirit would glorify Jesus- taking from Jesus and giving to Jesus’ disciples.
v.15- we see a wonderful relationship- the Father gives to Jesus and Jesus gives to the Spirit- very clear indication of the way that God is- and one passage, clearly, from which the historical Christian church has derived the understanding of God as ‘trinity’- 3 in 1.
Since Jesus left, which is the result of His resurrection, and where His resurrection was necessary for His leaving, we are in the age of the Spirit. The OT occurred in what we can call the ‘age of the Father’, and Jesus was on earth for a short time and inaugurated a new age- the ‘age of Jesus’ or ‘the age of the Spirit’- we could look at it either way, although He was clear that the Spirit would be the active agent once He returned to heaven.
In this age, then, the Holy Spirit is busy guiding us nearer to Jesus and is enabling us to live from the heavenly realm. How do we live, as Jesus said we could once He left, after his resurrection and, later, ascension? We live because of the activity of the Holy Spirit. In this age, the Holy Spirit is guiding us nearer to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is our guide, helper, and comforter- He is the one guiding us- the greater church, not just ‘us’ this little part of the church.
The Holy Spirit won’t contradict the written word, which speaks of Jesus, but, as Jesus came to bring fullness to the former written word, so the Holy Spirit continues to do. The Spirit enables the church to go forward and to confront contemporary issues. We have many examples:
1. Acts 1.15-26- the choosing of a replacement disciple for Judas. Even before the Spirit was poured out, at Pentecost, He was beginning to work, and Peter understood this.
2. Acts 10- Peter’s vision about food and people, wherein the Spirit led Peter to understand what Jesus had declared in Mk.7.19 that all foods were clean.
3. Ga.2.7-10- the gospel was to go to the gentiles.
4. Acts 20, and others- the Christian church was able to establish a new day for worship, in celebration of the Easter Sunday resurrection of Jesus. This involved a matter of the Holy Spirit leading to separate a people from Judaism. At first, Christians were seen as a sect of the Jesus, but not to the Jews, of course, and, eventually, I believe in the mid 100s, the Jews pushed the Christians out of the synagogues, where they went to be with their friends.
Background information: Historians indicate that the earliest Christians not only met together on Sunday, but also came together regularly with their Jewish community in the synagogues on the Sabbath. This was their traditional heritage and where most of their neighbors, friends and family would congregate — a great place to witness. However it seems about A.D. 135, there was great upheaval in the synagogues. The influential Rabbi, Akiba, proclaimed the leader of the Jewish rebellion in Palestine, Bar Cochba, as the Messiah,¹ and the Jewish Christians were quick to refute this. Such hostility arose against the believers that a curse against "sectarians" (which referred to the Christians) was introduced into the synagogue services. Thus, anyone who would not pronounce the curse with other worshipers would be ejected. This effectively ostracized the Christians from participation in the synagogues on Saturday, but they continued with their meetings on Sunday.
5. The leading of the Holy Spirit leads us, today, to study the important subject of women in ministry. I do hope you are reading the studies, as they are printed in the NL or the WCG Today, because they are wonderful studies- I urge you to read and study carefully, because our church’s doctrinal team is doing a very impressive job- in depth and insights. What did Jesus exemplify in his treatment of women? Jesus, actually in the tradition of the entire experience of God’s people, elevated women to a higher level than was common in surrounding society. Even the OT faith gave women a place they did not have in other society. Even the OT faith had women who were leaders, at times, and very competent and more than able leaders. The idea of women leading is not new to Jesus, or to now. What does Jesus want now? That is what we’re seeking to understand- it’s all about Jesus.
6. The Holy Spirit leads the church and churches to understand how to reach a particular people/region/group with the gospel. We have to look to the Holy Spirit to lead us to know. We look to the Holy Spirit to lead us, now, in this area, to understand how to be more like Jesus in order to be more effective here.
In the OT, people were kept at a distance- only the High Priest was able to go into God’s presence and then, only annually. In the NT, all people, who are in Christ, and who are living the resurrection life, through the activity of the Holy Spirit in them, are brought right into the Holy of holies.
The Holy Spirit leads and beckons us and it’s scarey, sometimes. We’ve thought something or done something else and had to change. But Jesus calls us to a life of change and growth; Christians can’t stay the same- we can’t stop. Christianity is the most exciting journey there is, because of this- getting close and closer to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
So, what does the empty tomb mean? This is what is before us today. That open tomb, with Jesus free from all human constraints, including death, means freedom for you and me. We are free to live as seated in the heavenly areas with Jesus. Because Jesus defeated death, we get to live ‘in Him’. We have the ‘other helper’ he promised us, and the church continues to go forward, as led individually and collectively toward Jesus’ desired end- the ‘not being willing that any should perish’.
Listen to that Helper- your Comforter- the One leading you closer to truth- Jesus Christ. Allow for your relationship with Truth- Jesus Christ- to deepen and become closer. Focus on relationship, not stuff and knowing and bodies of written words- but on your relationship with ‘truth’- Jesus Christ. Pray for the Helper to lead you, and our church, where Jesus wants us to be, knowing that Jesus will only be where the Father is. In this way, you, and we, will be fully united with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and will be precisely where you, and we, are supposed to be.
