Why Do We Need A Helper

John 14:15-21. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.18 “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.20 “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

I can remember a time when I was speaking to a non-believer about Jesus and a question came up as to how I knew I was right or wrong. I was given in my mind some of the verses we will discuss as an answer. How did I remember these verses? I didn’t memorize them in any way, other than to read them and study their meaning. Have you ever wondered how you remembered a Bible verse that you would have otherwise not used, normally? Or how about the last time you tried to sneak something, and a little voice in side you says “this isn’t right”. Have you ever thought about this and wondered how did I know that.

The answer is simple.... Let’s let God’s Word answer the question for us......

Look again at verse 15 “If You Love Me, Keep My commandments” . let’s find that verse elsewhere in a little different text.

1 John 5:3. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

God loves for us to keep His commandments. At first I thought this very hard to do, Even Paul wrote when I want to do good I can’t seem to, It always seems I do what I am not supposed to do. I struggle with that daily. But as we will see in a minute Jesus had a plan to help us not forget. But to remember. And because of this plan, God’s commandments are not burdensome, or hard to keep. But because of God’s overall plan we are not condemned if we fail once in a while. If we repent and ask forgiveness in Jesus name it will be granted.

1 John 2:5. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Now that sheds a little more light on John 14:15, Now by obeying His commandments we see the love of God shine through us. This obedience also helps us to learn to love more this love comes From God. This says to me if we keep his word, God’s love is perfected in us, But to keep his word shouldn’t we know what His Word says? So we have to know it , to show it. The more we know the more we are in him, because the more we know the more we will do what it says....See verses 20 and 21

John 14:20 “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

When I was a teenager I remember being somewhat ruthless and when I went into the service I just knew I wouldn’t it wouldn’t bother me to shoot another person if that is what my country called on me to do. When I got older and then learned that God had no grandchildren and for me to get to heaven required me to Accept, Believe, and Confess (ABC), I changed my whole line of thinking.

[When I finish this story you tell me if I had anything to do with the change.]:

I was saved when I was 23 years old. I was in the home of my wife’s parents and we had been watching Billy Graham on TV. I watched for three nights before I finally felt the tug at my heart. I went to my knees right there in that living room as mom and dad prayed over me and with me. I was then changed to a different person, and from that day Jesus has been teaching me lessons, some very hard and some very easy. I didn’t know about reading God’s Word, and I didn’t most of the time. I handed my sole over to Jesus but not my entire life. Oh yes, I quit drinking, and smoking, and attended a little Baptist church in Conklin NY. But I never got involved in the church, I thought it was a waste of time. The seed had been planted but I would not allow it to be nurtured and cultivated. When trouble came I went back to what I knew. I let the bottle become my spiritual leader. I learned how to deceive even myself. I came back to Jesus after I had committed a crime and was forced to sober up, and sent to rehab. It was at that point I started reading God’s Word during all of my free time, I spent many hours on my knees asking God to forgive me and to not let me go to Jail. All in vain, because I went to jail and was the reason that a few men got saved. [But that is another sermon]