Help Is Here!
March 5, 2023
Help! You need help. You need all the help you can get, and so do I. We all need help. One of my favorite Beatle songs may say it better than I can. Listen to the angst that came from the pen of Lennon/McCartney:
Help
I need somebody
(Help) not just anybody
(Help) you know I need someone
(Help)
When I was younger, so much younger than today
(I never need) I never needed anybody’s help in any way
(Now) but now these days are gone (these days are gone)
I’m not so self-assured (And now I find) now I find I’ve changed my mind
And opened up the doors.
Help me if you can, I’m feeling down
And I do appreciate you being ’round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won’t you please, please help me?
Now when John Lennon sang this song, he had no idea these lyrics would hit a cord most people identify with. Sometimes we need somebody, not just anybody to help us get our feet back on the ground. And the good news is that Jesus knows exactly who that somebody is that we need to help us. That’s why as we return to the gospel of John today, once again, Jesus introduces us to the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us to help us live the life He’s calling us to live.
After all, the last few weeks we’ve learned from Jesus that we can’t live this life without His help. As Jesus said, Apart from me you can do nothing. So, Jesus promises to help us. He promises that when you trust in Him, He will come to you and take up residence in you by the Holy Spirit. His Spirit will comfort you, guide you, and teach you. His Spirit will fill you with His life, His peace and His joy.
But sometimes we just don’t get what Jesus has done for us. Sometimes we are so self-centered, so self-reliant, that we need Jesus to remind us again, that we can’t do this on our own – that we need somebody, not just anybody – to help us live the life He’s called us to live. And that somebody, is the Holy Spirit, who Jesus sent to do for us what we cannot do ourselves.
So if you want to know just how the Holy Spirit helps us live the life Jesus is calling us to live – then let me encourage you to open your Bibles to John 16:4b-15, where Jesus reveals four ways the Helper helps us. And the first way He helps us is this:
The Helper Helps Us Accomplish His Mission Jesus says, “I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to Him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.” John 16:4b-6 What Jesus has been teaching his disciples on the eve of His crucifixion were truths they weren’t ready to hear earlier. He’s waited to tell them all “these things” until now. So, the question we must answer is: what are these things?
First, He had not fully revealed His departure. Throughout the Gospel he had spoken of his death, but the disciples never grasped what he was saying. It wasn’t until Judas left to betray him that Jesus began to help them understand why He was leaving them.
Second, He had not fully revealed their mission. But now he’s been teaching them how they are to continue His mission after He’s gone. They are learning what it will take to follow Him as His disciples after the cross. You see, the ramifications of the cross – Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection will change everything. The cross will become the focal point of their mission. They will be sent to the nations as messengers of the cross, as messengers of the good news about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
Thirdly, He had not fully revealed the world’s reaction to their message. Jesus has just warned them about how the world will hate them for following Him. Up till now he had not told them all these things because He was with them. But now their role was going to change. Jesus was no longer going to be with them physically. So Jesus is preparing them to live in His absence. He is preparing them to live for something bigger than themselves. He was preparing them to accomplish His mission – of bringing the good news of Jesus to the nations.
And so, he says, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” John 16:7. In other words, Jesus now tells His disciples that it is to their benefit that He is leaving. Now, He can send the Advocate. Now, He can send the Helper to come live in each one of them: the Holy Spirit who will now help them to accomplish His mission.
We often have a shortsighted understanding of the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. The Holy Spirit wasn’t sent simply to comfort you and assure you of your salvation, so that you sit back and rest in His peace and love until the day Jesus returns. No, Jesus sent the Spirit to live in us to empower us to take up His mission where He left off.
The Holy Spirit is the missionary Spirit of the Church. Jesus sent Him, not just to these disciples, but to us, so we would be His witnesses in the world. He empowers us with the Spirit to take up His mission where He left off. He will say this again just before He ascends to Heaven: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 The Holy Spirit Helps us accomplish His mission. And if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit now indwells you and empowers you to do just that. The Holy Spirit makes everyone of us a missionary for the cause of Christ.
This is the first truth we need to embrace as Jesus’ followers. That’s why He’s given us His Spirit. He gave us the Spirit to help us fulfill the mission He began. Now, Jesus tells us how the Helper helps us do this:
The Helper Helps Us Convict the World of Sin “When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” John 16:8-11The first work of the Holy Spirit is the work of convincing a person that they are wrong about Jesus. In fact, this word “convict” can be translated a number of ways: “convict,” “reprove,” or “rebuke.” It implies a rebuke that brings conviction. In legal contexts the word means to cross examine for the purpose of convincing or refuting an opponent. Here it is used of awakening or proving guilt. The Holy Spirit will break down human arguments, validate God’s truth, and bring unbelievers to a place where they’re convinced they’re sinners. And what makes them sinners is their unbelief in Jesus.
So how does this conviction take place? The Holy Spirit will speak through Jesus’ disciples as we tell people the good news about Jesus. We tell them the good news, but it’s the Holy Spirit who does the convincing. We don’t have to convince them that Jesus is the Savior. The Holy Spirit will do that. But we must be faithful in sharing the good news.
Why? A person will never be open to receiving Jesus as their Savior unless they realize they need saving. If they don’t need a savior, they won’t turn to Jesus to save them. So, the first work of the Holy Spirit is to convince them that they need a Savior – to convince them they need Jesus. That’s where we come in. When we share the message of Jesus, they hear the truth about Jesus. And when they hear, the Holy Spirit begins to break down their arguments, validate the truth about Jesus, and help change their mind about Jesus, so He can bring them to faith in Jesus.
This is God’s ordained partnership: We share the message and the Holy Spirit does the work. Listen to how Paul says it to the Romans: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15
We share the message the Holy Spirit does the work. Let me give you an illustration of this. Becky and I went to see the movie “Jesus Revolution” this week. It’s an amazing true story of how the Holy Spirit worked to bring tens of thousands of young people to faith in Jesus in the late sixties and early seventies. It’s a great movie. When we got home from the movie, I picked up my copy of the Jesus Revolution. In the book, Greg Laurie tells of the first time he shared the good news about Jesus and how the Spirit did all the work: One Saturday afternoon, Greg went to Newport Beach. As his feet hit the sand, he found himself almost praying that no one would be out on the beach that day. Not good. When he opened his eyes, the beach was full. The first person he saw was a middle-aged woman about his mother’s age. She was sitting alone on a towel.
Greg approached her. “Excuse me,” he said, “may I talk with you about God?” “Uh, sure” the woman said, “I’m just sitting here.”
Greg sank to his knees on the sand next to her towel. He didn’t know what to say, so he just pulled his copy of The Four Spiritual Laws out of his pocket. He started reading it word by word: “Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so there are spiritual laws that govern your relationship with God.” She nodded. Maybe she was humoring him.
“God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life,” he continued. Down deep, Greg was thinking that there was absolutely no way that his robotic reading of this tract could touch this woman’s heart. But Greg kept reading. At the end, the booklet posed a question, something like: “Is there any good reason you should not accept Jesus Christ right now?” Reading along, Greg realized that this was a question. So, he repeated it and paused for a second. “No,” said the woman. “No, what?” Greg asked.
“No, there’s no reason I shouldn’t accept Jesus Christ right now.” Greg’s mind slowly worked through the double negative. “What? I mean great! Let’s pray!” He flipped through the pages of the booklet, madly looking for a prayer he could read. He found it. The lady prayed with him. There was a moment of silence. Greg didn’t want to look up. But then the woman said, “Something just happened to me. God did something inside of me!”
What God did was work through the Holy Spirit to birth new life in her. The Holy Spirit convinced her of her need for Jesus. Not Greg. So she prayed to receive Jesus. And at that moment Jesus cleansed her of all her sin, took up residence in her heart and gave her eternal life! Yes, something happened. The Holy Spirit birthed new spiritual life in her through the faithful telling of the message of Christ.
And that’s why Jesus gives you the Holy Spirit – so He can work through your faithful telling of the good news to convince people of their unbelief of Jesus, but of the righteousness of Jesus.
And when He does that, when the Holy Spirit convinces them that they have no righteousness of their own – that they cannot earn God’s favor by their own merit or by their religious works – The Holy Spirit convinces them that no one is righteous, not one person, except for Jesus. And once He convinces them of their unrighteousness, it soon becomes clear that there is a consequence for their unrighteousness, and that’s called judgment. And left to themselves, they are awakened to the reality that will face the certain judgment of God for their sin.
So, here’s where the good news comes into play. For when Jesus died on that cross, the prince of this world was judged. That means when Jesus died, He didn’t just judge Satan, but he removed the judgement your sin deserves. So that now when you believe in Jesus, God no longer counts your sin against you. Instead, you receive a gift, you receive the righteousness of Christ and are made right with God once and for all and forever.
And once the Holy Spirit convinces you of this truth, His work is done – for you will turn your from unbelief in Jesus, and put your trust in Jesus. And at that moment you’ll not just be saved from judgment, but you’ll receive a new life with God as His beloved child. All this is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. And our role in this work is simply telling this good news about Jesus with all the world. The Helper Helps Us Convict the World of Sin so they will trust in Jesus. What an amazing partnership. Some of you have never had the privilege of partnering with God in this. But now, since Jesus has given you the Holy Spirit, He can work through you. You’ve just got to be His messenger, and He will do the work. Now, I could stop here. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t stop here. He continues working. So, let’s look at the next way He works:
The Helper Guides Us in all Truth Now, Jesus says, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:12-13 Now, this word guide is actually made up of two words, “to lead” and “way.” What Jesus is telling us is that the Holy Spirit is our guide who leads the way into all truth. Now, we already know that Jesus has claimed to be the way, the truth and the life. So, what the Holy Spirit does for us next is to help you come to fully know Jesus. All the truth the Father wants you to know is found in Jesus. Jesus spoke the words of the Father. Jesus did the works of the Father. So, the Spirit’s helps to teach us all who Jesus is, all what Jesus has done, and all how Jesus wants us to live!
So how that works, is that once you trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit leads the way in giving you spiritual guidance as you read the Word He wrote. He helps you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. He opens your eyes to see what Jesus is like and begins transforming your mind, so you begin to think like Jesus. And opens your heart to help you begin to love like Jesus. And the way He does this is through God’s Word. Too many people try to describe the Holy Spirit as a mystical force or power. But He is a person who works to help you understand and obey Jesus through His Word.
Listen to how Paul describes this working: The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
This is why we are a people of the book. This is God’s living Word, the revelation of Jesus Christ, God’s love letter to us, that is living and active and can pierce us to the core. This is the most powerful tool we have for God to work in us and through us. And now the Holy Spirit wants you to drink deeply of His Word, renew your mind with His Word, and fall in love with the Hero of God’s Word – Jesus Christ.
Do you understand the ramifications of His promise to you here? The Holy Spirit wants to open up all the truth of God’s Word to you. Not just on Sunday mornings. But in your own personal study… in Journey Groups with others who are learning to follow Jesus. He wants to fill you with His truth. For our world needs His truth, not my truth. The world needs to see the truth lived out in us. For when we are filled with the truth about Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will help you make much of Jesus. And that’s the final work we see from this passage today:
The Helper Helps Us Glorify Jesus “He will glorify me because it is from me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what He will make known to you.” John 16:14-15 I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: The Holy Spirit does not seek a name for Himself. His role is to shine the spotlight on Jesus – to make much of Jesus. To bring glory to Jesus. And when the Holy Spirit is working in you, that’s what you will do. You will no longer live to exalt yourself. You will no longer strive to make a name for yourself. You will no longer worry about your reputation, but you will want to enhance the reputation of Jesus.
That’s what I long to see happen in me; to happen in you; and what I believe Jesus is telling us here what He wants the Holy Spirit do through us. Jesus wants the Holy Spirit to come alive in us so we will glorify Jesus. For when God’s people are glorifying Jesus, the world will be drawn to Him.
That is what revival is all about. That’s what has been taking place at the Asbury Revival in Wilmore Kentucky. Students are turning away from sin and self and turning to Jesus. And as they are turning to Jesus, they are making much of Jesus. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit has His way in us, we will do the same.
Listen to these words of David Bradshaw, who was at the Asbury Awakening. He writes: “I’m still reeling from the experience last week at Asbury and Collegiate Day of Prayer. I’ve been slow to post and almost didn’t. Without question one of the primary things God was doing at Asbury was to put on display the radical humility of Jesus. Hour after hour, influential, famous Christian personalities sat in the balcony while kids sang their guts out on the platform. One of the leaders there said in private his belief that this move was “toppling celebrity Christianity.” In my opinion, the secret sauce of Asbury was the “consecration room.” Every team that was going to go on the platform was required to spend time in a back room. The teams would read over them about the humility of Jesus and pray and bless the students. There were many tears in the consecration room. Much deliverance. But the stunning thing is that this was all grassroots, no hype… May we not be hearers only. May we move slower, go lower. Let Jesus be everything.”
Let Jesus be everything! That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. That we glorify Jesus. But we can’t do this on our own. We need help. And now help is here in the person of the Holy Spirit.
May the Holy Spirit help us embrace the mission of Jesus
May the Holy Spirit help us bear witness of Jesus
May the Holy Spirit fill us with all the truth of Jesus
May the Holy Spirit help us make much of Jesus, so that we will say,
Let Jesus be everything!
Leave a Reply