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Preacher: Pastor David Ball
Scripture: John 14:21-29
In John 14:21-29, Jesus, comforting His anxious disciples in the upper room before His crucifixion, promises the Holy Spirit as a helper who comes in His name to guide them in truth, teach and remind them of His words, and empower them to live boldly for Him, transforming their hearts and assuring them they are never alone in a chaotic world.
Transcript
can you remember a time where you were uh where you were feeling lost confused uh in need of guidance uh I’m sure you can Uh there’s lots of those moments uh in our lives But can anybody actually remember trying to get around town without
GPS it’s hard to remember isn’t it but but I do remember that uh coming out of college and I moved to DC and it was still before all that GPS didn’t really exist on any kind of you know regularly accessible uh level and moving to DC and I you know I didn’t that’s the most complex place to try to get around and figure out and uh when I arrived the uh the the people that I was working with there they they handed me a big map uh and said good luck you know and I I can’t tell you how many times I got lost I I didn’t know where I were going And there are some places in uh DC that can be a bit frightful if you’re uh if you’re in the wrong place at the at at the wrong time Uh but you know the human heart has a longing for a trustworthy guide to have a helper when things get complex in our lives Not just obviously a a road map uh but in our lives when things get hard when things get confusing when we get lost when we find ourselves uh afraid in the midst of what can feel like and often is a a chaotic world that’s going on around us In John 14 Jesus promised uh his disciples a helper who would guide them in all tr into truth and remind them of his presence Jesus promised the Holy Spirit Now we’re still a few weeks away from uh the day of Pentecost where we’ll fully celebrate the anointing and the of the Holy Spirit upon uh all believers in the church uh for empowering them for the work of uh of the gospel in this world But Jesus introduced to us the work of the Holy Spirit here in John 14 And so I want to read verse 26 because out of this it’s a lot that’s going on in in this gospel but I want to concentrate on verse 26 in particular Jesus said “But the helper the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring you bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Now the it’s important to understand the context and the setting into which Jesus uh was giving them this message this incredible message that we’re going to talk about today Uh Jesus is in the upper room This is when Jesus gathered his disciples uh to be with him uh for the last supper uh the night before his crucifixion And it’s captured through John 13 through John 17 But it’s important to notice that as Jesus is speaking these words to them what was going on in in their own hearts and in their own minds those disciples that he was giving this message to they’re anxious They’re confused They’re fearful because Jesus has just told them about his own death and his own crucifixion that he’s going to be leaving them Uh and they don’t fully understand it but there it’s getting more real uh it’s getting more that there’s some there’s something coming This is building towards something and there’s fear and anxiety and worry for them And so Jesus comforts them in the midst of of this what seems like chaos and things falling apart in their lives He comforts them with the promise of the Holy Spirit with the promise of the helper who will continue his work in their lives And like the disciples we face all kinds of fears don’t we we we we encounter seasons of doubts of uncertainties and we need a helper who can guide us to the truth and can anchor us to Jesus That’s what we all need The gospel isn’t just about getting to heaven Uh you know that’s a wonderful part of the gospel but it’s not just about getting to heaven It’s about a relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms every part of our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit in us And so we want to look at this today in just a little bit more detail is what Jesus was talking about And there’s three uh main points that Jesus makes about the Holy Spirit And there’s more and we’ll talk about more as we get into uh the day of Pentecost and certainly the season of Pentecost uh but the first point is this It’s the identity of the helper Uh Jesus declares the identity of the helper Uh in this way the Holy Spirit comes in Jesus’s name The Holy Spirit comes in Jesus’s name You know the term helper Uh it it means it can also be translated as advocate as counselor as comforter And it means all of those things The Holy Spirit the third person of the Trinity God God himself It means all of those things One who comes alongside of us to help us And the spirit is sent as Jesus said in my name meaning that he represents Jesus and he continues Jesus’s mission in this world That’s the the work of the holy the mission of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit doesn’t draw attention to himself but he glorifies Jesus We see it in John 16:14 Jesus said “He will glorify me For he will take what is mine and he will declare it to you.” And so the work of the Holy Spirit is always pointing us to Jesus He’s like a spotlight of you know if you’re in a if you’re in a play or you go to the play and and there’s that one great solo on stage and so that your eye doesn’t get caught by everything else the spotlight shines directly on that main character who’s singing that solo or giving that uh whatever that speech might be in that moment so that you see nothing else And that’s the work of the Holy Spirit It’s shining as a spotlight on Jesus always in our lives pointing us always ever more uh and more to him The spirit’s role is to make Jesus real to us He doesn’t replace Jesus but he re he reveals Jesus more deeply in our own heart and lives you know and in a world that is full of competing voices all around us all kinds of claims at truth all kinds of claims at uh self-help uh all kinds of ideologies all kinds of distractions The spirit always is pointing ever only more and more towards Jesus our true savior You know imagine it as a if you ever been to an art gallery maybe it’s been a long time Uh but uh unless you’re much more cultured and I know many of you are but if you ever uh for me it’s been a while Um but I can remember going uh in school you know you go into the art gallery and uh and always having a guide right uh you always had a guide who could kind of walk you through uh and they take you to each painting and the guide you know points out the colors and the diversities and the contrast and the the methods I I’m not cultured enough to tell you all the things that they point out Uh but they’re always pointing you to the painting aren’t they they’re not pointing you to themselves or hopefully not if they’re if they’re a good art you know you know gallery person uh they’re always pointing you more to the depth and the impact of the painting uh in this world That’s the work of the spirit The beauty of of the Holy Spirit is always pointing us to the beauty and the impact that Jesus brings uh into our lives Are you looking to the spirit to reveal Jesus to you are you looking to the spirit to reveal Jesus to or are you seeking guidance from lesser
sources maybe from the culture from the world around us from news whatever it might be Or maybe it’s just self-reliance Pray for the spirit to make Jesus presence real in your life because that’s his work That’s what he’s doing That’s what he wants to do in you The second point is this The work of the helper The work of the helper Teaching and reminding us of Jesus’s words Uh Jesus said “The spirit will teach you all things and will bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” That word for teach it’s specifically meant the teaching of scripture And so what Jesus is specifically speaking to here he’s not just going to teach you all things like how to tie your shoe Um you know that that’s not the role of the Holy Spirit He’s the Holy Spirit is going to teach you all things as they pertain to scripture itself that you might understand them just as we saw it happen in the disciples lives The Holy Spirit opened their mind that they might understand in a deeper and new way It opened their minds to uh to also inspired them to write the scriptures and guiding them in all truth Uh for us the Holy Spirit eliminates the scriptures to us The Holy Spirit convicts us of our own sins as revealed in uh in other verses and reminds us of Jesus’s teaching and his promises
always The spirit doesn’t just give us information The spirit transforms our hearts by making jesus’s words alive and personal I I remember experiencing this really strongly in my life There was uh after college I was when I was in DC in the same I guess instance I was part of a fellows program and there was a uh there were six guys six girls uh recent college grads that all were going up to this program and all of us were young and ambitious and you know we had grand plans for how we were going to impact the world for Christ and we all wanted to be important and the best and all those things Uh and so each of us you know so as we got into this this group we lived in close community with one another but we you know were involved in this program and we were uh there was one particular guy in this program that uh really annoyed me He made me so mad I really did not like him Uh what made it worse is that he was uh he was really talented and he was really good-looking and uh and and he could sing and he could act and he was smart and all those things and he was really obnoxious Um and I couldn’t stand him And every time you know there was uh some moment where one of us could like step in and kind of show what we could do and uh he always kind of stepped in front of you to take the spotlight Uh and I was so mad And I remember just thinking how am I do I need to go home uh how am I going to live through this with this awful person uh and and I remember sitting down just being so distraught about this so angry and praying and just praying praying to the Lord And when I suddenly got this this notion of you know take care to to take out the speck in your brother’s eye when there’s the log in your own The Holy Spirit was at work in me And what it convicted me of in that moment was you know what i hate this guy because I want to be just like him I’m mad because he’s getting all the attention that I want to get He’s got all the talents that I want And that’s why I’m so angry about it And the Lord used it That’s the impact of the Holy Spirit in us It’s not just teaching us truth It’s revealing the truth of the gospel in us that I’m a great sinner who’s in need of God’s grace and mercy And you know what it did the power of the Holy Spirit working in me in that change pointing Jesus pointing me to the scriptures or the Holy Spirit pointing me to that scripture It changed my heart towards him It actually gave me an ability to love him and to see gosh that is a hard thing to try to be all the time Uh and it gave me a a broken and a contrite heart for him after my first my heart being broken and drawing me to a place of repentance where I could truly be humble And hey we became great friends We’re still friends friends today The spirit doesn’t just give us information He transforms our hearts by making Jesus’s words alive and personal not just some abstract out there How does it really impact me and my heart and the world around me and how I love other people the spirit helps us to understand the gospel not as some abstract doctrine but as a living reality that changes how we think how we feel how we act and ultimately and most importantly how we treat other people The Holy Spirit reminds us of Jesus’s words in moments of doubt and fear and temptation and in my case hatred
Like a friend who reminds you of the truth that you’ve forgotten during a time of crisis The spirit brings Jesus’s promises to your mind and into your heart when you need them most Are we spending time in God’s word are we allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us through them when you’re anxious when we’re tempted the call here is to pause and to ask the Holy Spirit to remind us of Jesus’s truth to remind us of his promises that they may impact how we think and how we feel and how we treat other people The third main point of the Holy Spirit Jesus reveals him here uh in verse 26 is the comfort of the helper that he empowers us to live for Jesus Again in in the context of John 14 and this gospel reading Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure He’s preparing them for what’s to come And the spirit’s presence ensures they’re not left as orphans That’s why I read that earlier passage earlier I totally meant to Um the spirit empowers believers to live out Jesus’s command He gives us the power to do it He gives us the power to love one another as Jesus commanded us He gives us the power the ability to live out uh what what Paul describes in Galatians 5 22 to 23 and the bearing the fruit of the spirit And by the way this summer we’re going to be looking at each of these fruit of the spirit as uh as the work of the spirit empowers us to love one another The spirit doesn’t just comfort us passively He equips us to live boldly for Jesus in this broken world and through our often broken lives He gives us the power to forgive to serve and to share the gospel even when it’s costly
Where in your life do you need the spirit’s empowerment to forgive or to share your faith or to maybe persevere and something that you’re facing now what Jesus is telling us is that we can trust that the spirit is at work in us even when you feel weak because he points you to Jesus sufficiently that Jesus is all you need The Holy Spirit’s work is grounded in Jesus’s finished work on the cross Jesus’s death his resurrection secured the gift of the spirit for us And the spirit applies the gospel then to our hearts showing us that we are accepted not because of our performance but because of Christ’s perfect work for us The spirit reveals that Jesus is our true helper our savior and our king That’s what he’s about That’s the work that he’s about always In a world that offers so many false helpers success approval control all those things that that we long for only the Holy Spirit can lead us to the one who truly satisfies He alone can lead us to Jesus The Spirit assures us that we’re never alone because Jesus promised that he would never leave us or forsake us or as we read that we would not be left as orphans Friends the Holy Spirit is the helper who comes in Jesus’ name pointing us to him He teaches us truth and reminds us of Jesus words making the gospel real to us He empowers us to live for Jesus with courage and with love And so what is Jesus in this calling us to he’s calling he’s inviting the spirit to work in our hearts and to reveal Jesus more clearly to us Not abstractly but specifically in the things that we’re going through in the struggles that we’re facing in our disappointment in our
fears He’s calling us to commit to reading God’s word daily and asking the spirit to teach us to be our teacher showing us how it all points to Jesus The this verse is Jesus is teaching us that in areas of struggle we’re to pray for the spirit’s strength to live out the gospel You know as we think of of the Holy Spirit imagine a child lost in a storm when a when a kind guide comes and and takes their hand and leads them safely back home That’s what the spirit’s work is doing in our lives He takes us by the hand and he leads us always back to Jesus our true home Friends let us
pray Heavenly Father thank you for sending the Holy Spirit as our helper
Holy Spirit we ask you to reveal Jesus more deeply every day every moment in our lives Guide us in all truth Empower us to live for him Remind us
always that the promise of our savior is true that I will not leave you as orphans that I will come to you Thank you that you have come that you are here Holy Spirit will you minister to our hearts empower us to live out the gospel in our lives In Jesus we pray this in your mighty name Amen
