The Holy Spirit: Our Comforter

The Holy Spirit: Our

Comforter

Study Text: John 14: 15 - 17

Introduction:

- Jesus knew we needed the Holy Ghost, but He had to go away before the Spirit could come to us. John 16:7

- Jesus knew how important the coming of the Comforter would be to people, and you must understand that as well. You must seek Him, accept Him and yield to Him. Jesus ascended back to Heaven, He was the disciples’ comforter; but after He left, the Holy Spirit came as the Comforter who will never leave us.

- You must be very mindful of the Comforter and yield yourself to Him at all times so He can lead you into the whole truth and comfort you in all your afflictions. He will bring all things the Lord has said to your remembrance when you need them.

- The Comforter was sent because we need Him. This is an hour of many uncertainties; but even so, God’s children are to be the happiest people on Earth. Heaven came down to us so we could call Heaven any time we need more love, faith, strength or anything of God. The Holy Ghost is our promised Comforter, so we must recognize Him, receive Him and let Him take over. Acts 2:38,39

- The Comforter has come, so you must give Him place in your life and let Him be all He wants to be. He is on a divine mission to get a Bride ready for Jesus. If you want to be a part of that Bride, you must give the Holy Ghost freedom and let Him have His way. That is the only way you will be ready for Jesus return.

-. We shall be discussing the topic under three subheadings:

1. The Portrait of the Comforter

2. The Purpose of the Comforter

3. The Power of the Comforter

1. The Portrait of the Comforter

- Before Christ departed, He introduced to us the Comforter who was to continue His work, whom the Father would send in His name.

-. The heart in which the Comforter dwells will have all the traits of the Christ life.

-. From the Scriptures, we can get the true picture of the Comforter:

1. The Comforter is not an impersonal force or influence but a living person. John 14:26

-. An impersonal force or influence cannot accomplish the functions mentioned here of teaching and bringing things to remembrance. Only a person can do them.

-. The Holy Spirit is mentioned together with 2 other persons - the Father and the Son, Jesus who was speaking these words. And that means that the Holy Spirit must be a person as well.

-. The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person in the Holy Trinity, after God the Father and God the Son. From the rest of the Bible we know that there is only one God in 3 persons, and that all 3 persons in the godhead have always been working to accomplish the will of God.

-. All 3 persons - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - are equal in nature and substance, and to be equally honoured and worshipped as God.

2. He was described as another Comforter

-. This is implying that there is already an existing Comforter, and this points to Jesus.

-. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be the same kind of Comforter as Him. This means that The Holy Spirit would be acting on behalf of Jesus to take over His work on earth - He is the same kind of Comforter as Jesus because He would be everything that Jesus was to the disciples.

-. He tells them that another Comforter who is like Him will come to abide with them forever. But this Comforter will dwell in them. This means that they will always have the Comforter with them everywhere they went. They would have all the comfort and help they needed through the Holy Spirit abiding in their hearts all the time.

- This is true now of every born-again Christian. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us forever. He never leaves us at any time.

3. The Comforter will always glorify Jesus.

-. It is not His work to glorify Himself, but to glorify Christ. John 16:14

- In fact the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ so much that He is called the 'Spirit of Christ' in Romans 8:9.

4. The Comforter can not be seen nor received by the World.

- There are two contrasting groups of people with regards to the Holy Spirit.

- The first is the unbelieving world. It cannot see Him, know Him or receive Him. John 14: 17-19

- The things of the Spirit are totally unintelligible to the world. That is why the Bible makes no sense to many people when they read it. To them, it is only a collection of sayings and stories.