Rooted in the Spirit, Part One
April 9, 2019
Best Friends. I’ve had a few best friends over the years. When I was in elementary school my best friend lived across the street, Billy Phillips. We traded baseball cards and bottle caps together. When we were in about the sixth grade we starting listening to 45’s together: the Dave Clark Five, The Beatles, the Monkees and the Association. But by the time we hit middle school we drifted apart. My best friend in High School, Mark Clarke. We became friends on the golf course. We played tons of golf together, traveled to junior golf tournaments together. Became big fans of the Eagles together, and discovered our first all-you-can eat buffet together. Then there was my best friend in College, Alan Taylor. We were on the soccer team together, had a ton of laughs together and even played a few pranks together. He stood up for me as my best man at my wedding, but I fainted as a groomsman in his. And when I saw him at the reception he was thrilled, came up and slapped me on the back and said, “You made my wedding!” That’s the great thing about best friends. You go through all kinds of experiences together, but no matter what happens, you’re just going to be there for each other.
That’s what I love about what Jesus did for us to help us live out our new life in Christ. He gave us a best friend – someone who’s not only always there for us, but someone who’ll be there to help us live out our new union with Christ. You see for the past three weeks we’ve been learning about our union with Jesus. How God joined Christ’s life with yours when you first believed. And we’ve learned some phenomenal truths about this union. First we learned that our union with Christ changes our story. We are now part of God’s story of redemption in history that He is still writing. Our union with Christ changes our identity. Now that we are in Christ, God has adopted us as His very own. Our union with Christ changes our destiny. Now that we are in Christ, God is working in us to make us like Christ.
Then we learned all the new stuff we received in our union with Christ. Like the fact that we now have a new relationship “with God.” Life’s no longer about doing stuff for God, but being “with” God. And the reality that we’ve been set free from always having to prove ourselves to God. Now we are free to live and love like Him. And then there’s our new family in Christ. We are no longer alone, but we belong together with every other member in God’s family.
Last week we learned that it’s impossible to live this new life in our own strength. So we learned that we died to our old way of living and entered into a new way of living: by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. And so today, we finally get to discover what God gives us to live this new life. And in doing so, we’re going to see that what God actually does is give us a new best friend to help us forever. So if you’ve brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to open it to John 14:15-26, where we’re going to see how the gift of the Holy Spirit helps you live out your new union with Christ. This morning we are going to look at three of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us. The first way He helps you is As Your Encouraging Advocate: “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – 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. John 14:15-17
When Jesus says he is sending “another advocate,” the wording he uses is significant. Because this term “another” carries the meaning of “another person” just like Jesus. What that means is this other personhas the same characteristics of Jesus. He thinks (Acts15:28), He speaks (Acts 1:16), He leads (Romans 8:14), and He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). He is a person, the third person of the Godhead. Jesus calls him, the Spirit of Truth. But He is also described as the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9), or the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7). So by giving us the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us someone who is just like Him, to be with us to encourage, strengthen and help us live this new life in Christ.
That’s what Jesus gave us when He gave us the Holy Spirit. He is the Paraklete, a term describing the Holy Spirit as one who is “called alongside” like an advocate in the court of law, who comes to speak in our defense and provide counsel. Jesus gives you His Spirit to strengthen you with words of counsel or encouragement – words that are the truth already given us in God’s Word. He is the One who speaks through the Word of God to strengthen you and help you stand in a world that is not always for you.
You see we live in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to those who follow Jesus. But we are not alone. As John wrote: My dear children, Iwrite this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 1 John 2:1 The world will try to condemn you. But Jesus will constantly defend you. The world will try to tear you down and defame you, but Jesus is with you by His Spirit to strengthen you and encourage you stand in a world that does not know Him. He has your back. Live in this truth.
But don’t just do this for yourself. Do this for others. I really believe this is one of the reasons God united us together in Jesus, and why He sent His Spirit to live in us: so that the Spirit in us would move us to “come alongside one another” to strengthen one another and encourage one another.
This is one area where God is working on me right now. I know I am not a natural encourager. I know because I’ve been around a few encouragers in my life and they have an amazing ability to lift you up, say just the right thing and build your faith. I wish I had this gifting, so I know this is an area the Spirit can help me in. Because I also know all of us need encouragement. That’s why God’s Word commands us to: Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13
It is clear to me that this is one way God would have us live out our union in Christ. There’s nothing better than to hear someone tell you how much they appreciate you, or speak an appropriate word to build you up or tell you how they see Jesus in you. That’s one of the reasons we are doing Dinners For Eight. That’s why we celebrate baptisms together. In fact, later today, we have the opportunity to encourage these men who’ve recently come to faith in Jesus. But we all need encouragement, help and strength everyday. That’s why Jesus gave us His Spirit. So He could encourage us through our life together. But that’s not the only reason. The Holy Spirit helps us live out our union in Christ in other ways. Here’s a second way:
As Your Intimate Companion Look at what Jesus says next. He’s about to give his disciples some encouragement. After all, they’ve been anxious about his leaving them. They’d left everyone and everything behind to be with Jesus. They didn’t want him to go. So what does Jesus say? “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:18-21
Jesus says quite a bit here. First, he encourages them by telling them, He will not leave them as orphans. He promises to not abandon them. And then gives them a promise: Because I live, you also will live. He’s giving them hope. But then he says, On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
Now some say “On that day”refers to the day of his resurrection. But I believe Jesus is speaking of the day of Pentecost – the day when Jesus will send the Spirit. For on that day, they are going to come to a realization of this union of the Spirit Jesus has been talking about. On that day Jesus will come and indwell them by His Spirit. This realization is incomprehensible to the world, because the world cannot see spiritual realities. But once the Spirit comes, the disciples will not only realize that Jesus is in the Father, but that they themselves will be in Jesus and Jesus is in them. He is talking about the baptism of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Paul wrote about this to the Corinthians explaining their spiritual unity this way: For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13 So “on that day” when Jesus sends the Spirit, they’ll experience an intimacy of a relationship with Jesus that is far beyond any they presently know. He’ll actually take up residence in them by His Spirit.
So yes, Jesus will not leave them as orphans. And the same thing happens with us when we believe. For when you receive Jesus by faith, Jesus takes up residence in you by His Spirit. And on that day, the Spirit in you awakens you to the reality that you are now connected with the Father through Jesus. You are now connected with other believers through Jesus, and Jesus is alive in you. And there are no words for that realization. All you know is that Jesus is in you. The world can’t see it, but we know it, and this knowledge gives us an intimate bond with Jesus that no one can break.
But there’s more. For Jesus now adds this promise: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:21 Jesus is not satisfied with just having you realize His presence. He wants more for you. He wants you to have a growing and intimate relationship with Him. And here he shows how that works: A loving relationship with Jesus is cultivated when you obey His commands. And every time you obey His commands, He makes more of himself known to you. We’re not talking about gaining more head knowledge about Jesus. We’re talking about what Jesus wants in your relationship with Him. He wants to make himself known to you. He wants you to know His heart, His thoughts, His ways. But He wants to know if you really do love Him, not just want stuff from Him. And the way we get to show our love for Jesus is by obeying His commands.
Let me ask you: Do you feel like your relationship with God is distant? Maybe it’s just book knowledge, not experiential knowledge. What Jesus is revealing here is how good relationships work. They are reciprocal. We all know the difference between good friends and acquaintances. With an acquaintance we might be kind, we might be friendly, but we don’t open up to them about our struggles or dreams. But with a trusted friend, we share our inmost thoughts and our biggest concerns; we trust them with insider information. That’s what Jesus wants to do with you. He gives you the Holy Spirit so you can know Him better. But if you don’t show your love to Jesus, how do you expect Jesus to show Himself to you? So here’s our part of this new relationship: love Jesus by obeying His commands. Trust Him by doing what He wants you to do, and just see if your relationship with Jesus changes. I guarantee it will. He will make Himself know to you in ways you never imagined. How do know that? Because Jesus says, The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. And the way He will do that is the third role of the Holy Spirit that Jesus lays out for us in this passage. The Holy Spirit now helps you live out your union with Jesus As Your Indwelling Teacher:
Look now at verse 22. Obviously, the disciples weren’t very clear on what Jesus was telling them. So we read, Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot)said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” John 14:22 Judas, at this point in the conversation is thinking like the world thinks. He thinks Jesus is only going to show himself physically to them. But Jesus has been speaking of a spiritual disclosure. He is sending them “another advocate” another companion to encourage and strengthen them but He is not seen with physical eyes. That’s why Jesus said, The world cannotaccept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:17
So now Jesus takes another crack at explaining the role of the Holy Spirit by saying “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone 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.” John 14:23-24 This time Jesus uses the concept of “home” to explain the kind of relationship He intends for us to experience through the indwelling Spirit. He promises that the Father and the Son will come to those who love Jesus, and they will make their home with us. Jesus is restating what He said previously. The Father and the Son are going to take up residence in the heart of those who believes in Him. And those who believe in Him will show they love him, by obeying him.
Now, this was not a new concept for these Jewish men. For this is was what God had promised His people in the Old Testament, when He said: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you andmove you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:26-27
Now we can see how obeying God’s commands fits into what Jesus is saying about the indwelling Spirit. Anyone who obeys Jesus’ teaching reveals that God is living in them. Obedience to Jesus’ commands then, is the evidence of the new life of the Holy Spirit in us.
So at this point Jesus is done trying to explain this new reality. And so he says, “All this I have spoken whilestill with you. But the Advocate, 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.” 14:25-26 Jesus has told them all he’s going to tell them for now because when He sends the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will make all of this clear to them. Up till now, Jesus has been their teacher. But after He leaves, He will send the Holy Spirit to be their teacher. What will he teach us? “When the advocate comes, whom I shall send fromthe Father —the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.”John 15:26 What will he teach us? He will teach us about Jesus?
And then in John 16, “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. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” John 16:13-14 What will he teach us? He will teach us truth. He will teach us what Jesus wants us to know about Him and this new life He gives us.
That’s why Jesus sends the Holy Spirit: So that the Spirit can reveal Jesus to us. Now anyone who’s been united with Jesus can know what Jesus is like. You can know His heart, you can know His will, you can know His love, and you can know His peace. That’s why Jesus concludes this teaching with these words: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
You see, Jesus knew we would need help to live the Christian life. That’s why He gave us “another advocate” in the Holy Spirit.
And now with His Spirit in you, you have someone to stand up for you. “The Holy Spirit is your encouraging advocate.”
With His Spirit in you,you have someone to be with you. “The Holy Spirit is your intimate companion.”
With His Spirit in you,you have someone to make Jesus known to you. “The Holy Spirit is your indwelling teacher.”
And if that’s not the definition of a best friend, then I don’t know what is! You now have a friend that sticks closer than a brother, for Jesus has given you His Spirit, so you can know His peace.
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