23 May 2010
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 14:16-26
16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
17. the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
21. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22. Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23. Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25. "All this I have spoken while still with you.
26. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
-- a couple of weeks ago, when I was in Colorado, I had the opportunity to go to the top of Pikes Peaks -- I don't know whether any of you have had the chance to do that, but if you are ever out that way, I would encourage you to do so
-- Pikes Peak is over 14,000 feet high and overlooks Colorado Springs -- from the top of Pikes Peak you can see all of the front range of Colorado and you can see the Continental Divide -- it was the view from the top of Pikes Peak that inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write her patriotic song, "America the Beautiful"
-- there's two ways to get to the top -- you can drive up a two-lane, partially paved roadway with hairpin turns and 1,000-foot drop offs -- or you can take the train -- I didn't want to chance driving up that road, so I took the train
-- the trip up in the train was fascinating -- we started in the bottom of the valley at about 7,000 feet in a town called Manitou Springs -- it was heavily forested with ponderosa and logdepole pine -- -- but as we headed up the mountain, the vegetation changed -- the pines gave way to hemlocks and firs as we climbed in elevation -- and it became easier to see great distances from the train
-- finally, as we neared the top, the trees almost completely thinned out and you could feel the wind blowing up the mountain, rocking the train car that I sat in -- wind was blowing about 35 miles per hour -- and I asked the engineer about it -- he said that it always blew that hard
-- he pointed out the snow drifts that the wind had piled up right next to the tracks -- he said that they have to go up there daily with a specialized train to cut a path through the wind-blown snow -- he showed me how the wind really shaped the environment up at the heights of the mountain
-- right before we left the tree line, I noticed how all of the trees had this unique shape -- in ecology, we learned this is called a "krummholz" -- it is a German term for crooked, bent, and twisted wood -- and that was the perfect term to describe the trees up there at the edge of the treeline
-- that constantly blowing wind that was coming up Pikes Peak had affected the growth pattern of these trees -- it had caused them to change shape -- to grow with the wind -- rather than standing up straight with a full canopy on each side like all the other trees in the forest, these trees looked abnormal -- their trunks were bent and their canopy was shifted towards the downwind side -- they didn't like the other hemlocks that were up there -- they were permanently affected by the blowing of the wind -- the wind shaped them -- the wind formed them -- the wind gave them life on top of that mountain
-- today is the Day of Pentecost -- the day when we remember the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church of Christ following His ascension -- as I'm sure you all remember and as we read in Acts 2, after Jesus left the disciples and ascended up to heaven, the disciples were all gathered together in one place praying and studying God's word
-- all of a sudden the room where they were at was filled with the sound of a rushing wind and what seemed like tongues of fire came in and fell on each of them -- immediately, they were indwelt with the Holy Spirit and they began to express the power of God through prophecy and the speaking of tongues
-- they rushed out into the street -- Peter preached his first public sermon and over three thousand people were convicted of their sins and turned to Jesus for salvation
-- what made the difference in the lives of these disciples? -- what changed them from just being followers of Jesus to becoming people that the Romans said were turning the world upside down? -- what led them to abandon all for the sake of Christ? -- to endure persecution and hardships -- to experience joys and fruitfulness in their ministries -- to walk hard paths and experience everything from the valley of discouragement to the mountaintop of success?
-- there can only be one answer -- on that day in Jerusalem -- the first day of Pentecost following the ascension of Jesus -- something happened -- Someone happened -- they were filled with the Spirit and forever shaped by Holy Wind into something abnormal -- people who didn't look or act or believe like those around them but who marched to a different beat and followed a different drummer
-- we shouldn't be surprised at this -- because this is just what Jesus promised His disciples here in this passage -- before the cross -- before the arrest in Gethsemane -- before the beatings and the persecution and Jesus' death and resurrection, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send Someone to be with them forever -- Someone who would dwell with them and in them and who would shape them through His power and presence into the people that God wanted them to be
II. Scripture Lesson (John 14:16-26)
-- let's take a moment and look back at this passage again as we celebrate this Day of Pentecost together
-- turn back to John 14:16
16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
17a. the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
-- this passage takes place in the context of the upper room on the night that Jesus was betrayed -- Jesus has already shared the Last Supper with His disciples and washed their feet -- Judas has left to go to the temple to betray Him -- and Jesus is sharing a few final thoughts with His disciples before they leave the upper room
-- Jesus knows exactly what is fixing to happen -- He knows this will be the last time that He will be with His disciples before the resurrection -- He knows that after His arrest and death that they will be scattered and frightened and feel like they have been left all alone -- so He comforts them in the passage and tells them that He will not leave them alone -- that He will send to them the Holy Spirit to live with them and in them
-- the word that Jesus used here is the Greek word, "parakletos" -- our Bibles translate this as counselor, comforter, advocate, or even as paraclete
-- Jesus use of this word here gives us an insight into the purpose and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives -- in His day, someone called a paraclete would do one of three things, all of which the Holy Spirit do for us
-- first, a paraclete was a legal advocate for someone -- they were the counsel for defense -- in other words, a paraclete is the person who stood by another person's side and defended them in a court of law
-- when Satan accuses us and tries to condemn us before God -- it is the Holy Spirit who stands up and defends us
-- when the devil whispers words of guilt and discouragement and doubt into our minds, it is the Holy Spirit who speaks to our hearts and tells us the truth -- it is the Spirit who reminds us that we are forgiven -- that the price has been paid and that we are redeemed through the blood of Christ -- it is the Spirit who tells us we are loved with an everlasting love -- it is the Spirit who tells us the truth when the world whispers lies
-- the Holy Spirit advocates on our behalf -- He defends us from the attacks of this world and the evil one
-- second, a paraclete could be an intercessor -- someone who intercedes or who speaks on the behalf of someone else -- we normally think of that word, "intercessor," in a prayer context, but it stands for anyone who speaks out for another person -- of course, in this case, we know that the Spirit speaks to the Father on our behalf
-- in Romans 8:26-27, Paul wrote that the Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God's will -- he says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness -- that when we don't even have the words -- when we don't even know what to pray -- the Spirit prays for us with groans that words cannot even express
-- finally, a paraclete could be a general term for a helper -- for someone who stood in and assisted another person -- usually not in the role of a servant -- but in the role of a peer who was willing to give of their time and energy to help another person in their life
-- we are told in the Bible that God has gifted all of with at least one spiritual gift -- if you read these passages in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, or 1 Peter 4 -- you will quickly see that these are not talents that God gives us, but rather, these are the actual manifestations of the Spirit within us
-- in other words, we're not the ones doing anything -- it is the Spirit within us who helps us to manifest the power of God in our lives -- the best way to think of spiritual gifts in a person is to think of a glove -- a glove is powerless on its own -- it can't do anything -- until you put a hand in it -- we are the glove and the Holy Spirit is the hand -- and it is only through Him working through us that we ever accomplish anything for God
-- now, if you were to take all of these definitions and roll them together, you would begin to see the overall picture of ministry that the Holy Spirit takes in our life -- He is Counselor and Comforter and Advocate -- He is the One who shapes the church and gives life and power to it
-- look back at the second part of Verse 17
17b. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
-- so, who is this Spirit of truth -- this counselor -- this comforter -- this advocate -- that Jesus speaks of here in this passage?
-- a lot of people are confused by the Holy Spirit -- they just don't understand Him -- a lot of people just kind of ignore Him -- we talk about God the Father and we talk Jesus -- but we really don't talk a lot about the Spirit -- Francis Chan calls Him, "The Forgotten God"
-- but, Jesus explains who the Spirit is right here in these verses -- the Spirit is nothing else but the Spirit of the living God within us -- the third person of the Trinity -- God Himself dwelling with us
-- you see, when Jesus was on earth, He was fully God and fully man -- He allowed Himself to be bound in human flesh -- and, in a very real sense, this limited His power on earth -- Paul says in Philippians 2 that Jesus willingly laid aside His power and His glory, taking the form of a man and the nature of a servant, and came to earth on our behalf
-- as a man, Jesus had the same limitations as us -- He was bound in one place at one time -- He couldn't be in multiple places -- He couldn't heal everyone -- He couldn't speak to everyone who needed Him -- not because He didn't have the ability -- but because as a man He was limited in what He could do
-- Jesus knew we needed Him with us -- but, He also knew that we needed someone who could be with all us, all the time -- someone who could be everywhere, at every place -- and so, He chose to come back and indwell us as the Holy Spirit -- not bound by human flesh -- but with the ability and the power to change the world by touching many people at the same time
-- notice in verse 18 that Jesus says "I will come to you" -- the Holy Spirit is Jesus -- just not in human form -- as He implies in verse 20, all three persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- are all interconnected -- they are three in one -- and they dwell within us to empower us and shape us and form us in this life
-- verse 21
21. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22. Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23. Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25. "All this I have spoken while still with you.
26. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
-- how do you know if you have the Holy Spirit within you? -- the answer is clear -- if you obey God -- if you follow His commands -- then you have the Spirit within you
-- in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Paul tells us that God put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit -- as a seal of our inheritance
-- if you have been saved -- if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- the moment you receive Him you are indwelt with His presence -- with the Holy Spirit
-- and it is the Holy Spirit within you who enables you to obey God's commands and to truly love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength
-- that doesn't mean that Christians don't sin -- we all sin -- but it means that now, we have Someone within us who can lead us to obedience when we are tempted if we just follow His teaching and do what He tells us to do
-- Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey Him -- the only way we can do that is through the power of the Spirit within us
-- it is the Spirit who teaches us to follow Christ -- it is the Spirit who reminds us of the Word of God and what we should do when we are tempted -- and it is the Spirit within us who walks alongside us -- who forms us and shapes us through His power and presence and transforms us into new creations as we follow seek to follow Jesus
III. CLOSING
-- I heard the story about two guys from south Georgia who were traveling together on vacation -- they had decided to see each of the great natural wonders in the United States and were headed to Niagra Falls
-- as they got out of the car following the beautiful drive from Lake Erie to the falls, they were filled with awe at the size and power of the Niagra River -- it was so much larger and so much more impressive than anything we have down here
-- they were really impressed with the rapids just above the falls and the massive mist cloud that always hangs over the drop-off -- and the roaring thunder of the falls as they hit the rocks below
-- one of the men said, "Just look at that -- That has to be the greatest unused power in the world"
-- the other guy replied, "No, I think you're wrong -- the greatest unused power in the world is the Holy Spirit of the living God"
-- when Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to talk to Him, Jesus described the Holy Spirit as a wind that blows in the life of men -- and just like the trees at the top of Pikes Peak, if we allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow in our lives, He will form us and shape us and make us into the people God has called us to be -- but, we have to let Him
-- in the Christian life, we are not called to be passive responders to the presence of God -- but rather, we are called to be active participants -- the Bible tells us that we are to be holy as God is holy -- but this implies a responsibility on our part
-- Albert Einstein once wrote that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing every time but expecting different results -- if we want to see the same power that God expressed through Peter and the disciples on that first Day of Pentecost -- if we want to see this world turned upside down for God -- if we want to see our lives and the lives of those around us changed for the better -- then we have to do something different -- we have to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us
-- the Holy Spirit is a great power in our lives -- but we have to connect to Him -- we have to open ourselves up to His presence -- we have to listen when He speaks -- we have to do what He says -- or nothing will ever change
-- so, this morning, as we close in prayer -- I want to ask you to respond to God's word -- to open yourself up to the Holy Spirit who is within you -- ask Him to fill you with His presence -- ask Him to give you His wisdom and understanding -- ask Him to speak truth in your life -- and ask Him to empower you so that you might be all you can for Christ
-- let us pray
No comments:
Post a Comment