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The Helper

Scripture: John 14:15-31 and John 16:6-15

Series

We have been in a sermon series for the summer based on Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples. His three-year earthly ministry was coming to a close, and He knew that his death, burial, and resurrection were imminent. He wanted to prepare His disciples for what was coming next and for how they should continue His ministry.

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John 13-16

is the basics of being His follower – like a 101 Intro Class at school. So if these were the last most important things Jesus wanted to share with his disciples, I think they are worth spending our time reading, studying, and learning from them. Don’t you?

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In today’s message from the

John 14

, Jesus encourages his disciples, who are stressed and worried about his departure, that Help is on the way.

Intro

Do you ever feel like you could get more accomplished, like you would be less tired and stressed if you had just a little more help? Do you sometimes feel like you’re the only one doing things and no one else seems to notice that you’re just barely keeping your head above water? At work, at home, at school, even here at church we often feel overwhelmed and we just want some help.

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In today’s message, Jesus knew that His disciples would feel that way when he left – Overwhelmed and wondering if they can do it alone. Jesus answer and encouragement for his original disciples and for us His followers today is that we do not need to go it alone. We should not feel overwhelmed and unable to do what He’s called us to do. We have a Helper, with a capital “H.”

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God and an equal part of the godhead or Trinity. The word “trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible, but it is helpful for us to understand and talk about one God in three distinct persons. One of the early church fathers, Augustine said “the Trinity is the one, only, and true God, and that one rightly says, believes, and understands that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of one and the same substance or essence.”

Blessings (or Attributes) of the Holy Spirit

First, the Spirit will teach and help you remember God’s Word.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit is a huge part of salvation. In 16:8 the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.
Third, The Holy Spirit leads us.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit gives every believer spiritual gifts for the purpose of serving others for the common good of the church.
Fifth, when we are so distraught, confused, and unable to pray clearly, the Holy Spirit is with us.
Sixth, the Holy Spirit develops in believers, evidence that there has been a change, spiritual new life. Jesus said, the world will know you are my disciples by your love for each other.
Finally, the Holy Spirit is involved in our resurrection. The Holy Spirit will give our mortal bodies eternal life or immortality. Not because of anything we have done, not by our education, or money, or family background, or even church attendance and good deeds – it’s only by the Holy Spirit in us that we will see heaven and be with Jesus for eternity.

‌This is not a complete list, but I wanted to give you a picture of how important the Holy Spirit is in our every day lives as believers and disciples of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not someone new the disciples had to meet and get to know. They knew the Spirit because they knew Jesus, just as Jesus said you know the Father because you know me.

Our Response

So what is our response to all of this? Do we choose to have the Holy Spirit or not? 

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

‌1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV
All believers have the Holy Spirit in them, because it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and the Holy Spirit who brought our dead hearts back to life. After the initial arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, new believers were automatically filled with the Holy Spirit. There is one unusual situation in 
Acts 19
 where Paul met disciples who had not heard of the Holy Spirit. We can talk about that more in Growth Group. 
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So, if you are a forgiven, saved disciple of Jesus Christ, you have the Spirit of God living in you. He is there to convict, to lead, to guide, to teach, to encourage – all the things I just talked about, but how much you listen and follow is up to you.
Ephesians 5
 says we should walk and live by the Spirit not be led by our physical desires. Paul says in verse 25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” being led by the Spirit has to do with our personal spiritual lives and our relationship with God, but it also has an impact on the church body. Remember the emphasis in 1 Corinthians on how our spiritual gifts are meant to build up and encourage others in the church? A church of believers who are filled by and led by the Spirit will be alive, worshiping, growing, serving, and sharing the Gospel with others.
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In Bible-preaching, Bible-believing churches like ours, there is sometimes a fear of talking too much about the Holy Spirit because we don’t want to sound pentecostal or emotional. From what we heard today, I hope you saw that the Holy Spirit is simply God’s Spirit living in and through us. We should welcome and celebrate God with us and I hope when someone says you must be filled with the Spirit – you say “Praise God, I am!”

Take Aways

Do you have the Spirit of God in your life? Scripture is clear that ALL who confess their sins and trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as Savior, will have the Holy Spirit living in and with them. When God said I will never leave you or forsake you, when Jesus said, I will be with you always even to the end of the age, the Holy Spirit is who they were talking about. Now that the original apostles are gone, there is no second baptism or proof of the spirit through sign gifts – God promises His Spirit to all who believe in the Son, Jesus Christ. If you have questions about your salvation come talk to me.

Have you given over your heart, your mind, your desires, your life focus to God? His Spirit will fill you, lead and guide you, and help you grow and serve when you allow Him to work in your life.

Are you reading God’s Word regularly? The Holy Spirit, using the Word of God will transform and conform us into he image of the Son, Jesus Christ when we keep coming back again and again to the Word. Make a start, no matter how small. And if you miss a day, or a week, don’t quit – keep going back to the Word.

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