Flora First Christian Church - Flora, IN

May 4, 2008

John 14: 16-27

The Knight and his Sword

There’s an old tale about a knight in the Middle Ages whose famed sword was feared far and wide. When he wielded this fearsome weapon in battle, the enemy would scatter. He was called before the king to be honored. The king asked to see his sword. After examining it, the king concluded, “It’s obviously a good weapon, but I see nothing especially wonderful about it that would make anyone afraid of it.” The knight flexed his arm and placed it before the king and said; “Sire, you need to examine my arm as well, and then you’ll understand the mystery.”
We are tools in the presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Yet the Holy Spirit is that Person or Individual of God that often has Christians scratching their heads saying: “I don’t understand.”

We have been given life by one God, who is revealed in three separate ways. God the Father who is above us — the creator of all of the universe; God the Son, Jesus Christ, is God among us, and the Redeemer who brings us into a saving and everlasting relationship with God; and God the Holy Spirit is God in us who we can’t see, but protects, empowers us, and lives in us.

Holy Spirit-So Mystical

Part of our problem is that the Holy Spirit seems so mystical. We can picture God the Father, because we’ve all seen fathers. We can picture God the Son because he became human and we can read about what he did and what he was like in the Bible. But when we try to picture the Holy Spirit our minds go blank. So as Christians we turn to symbols like a dove. The Bible tells us the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus in the form of a dove when he was baptized. Wind and fire became the sign of God’s power as these were the expressions of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, approximately 50 days after Jesus Christ met with his disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem for that special meal called the Feast of the Passover.

In The Upper Room

That evening in the Upper Room, Jesus talked to his disciples again about the future and what would happen to him. Imagine you were one of the twelve disciples. You just heard Jesus - your best friend - tell you that he was leaving soon and you didn’t understand the part where he was really leaving. You’re perplexed to say the least. But how in the world could Jesus say that he would leave when he promised to always be with you? That leaving part didn’t make sense to the disciples.

Promise To Send A Counselor

As the dinner moved into the night, Jesus began to talk more about what would happen after he left them. He promised to send another Person, whom he calls the “Counselor.” He did this to comfort his disciples. He knew they would be confused as they witnessed his crucifixion and death. Jesus wanted to let his disciples know that he would never leave them on their own. And so he made a promise. He would send the “Counselor.”
The Greek word translated “counselor” doesn’t have an exact equivalent in the English language. The Greek word is paraclete, and it means one who walks alongside of you, encouraging, instructing and offering assistance. It’s a picture of someone who cares.
For instance, a paramedic is called when there is a need for medical
assistance. . The medic comes up alongside a person to offer medical assistance. A paraclete is someone who comes alongside another person to offer help. God’s paraclete is the Holy Spirit. (Packer, “Keep In Step with the Spirit,” p. 61)

A Straight Forward Promise

In the Upper Room Jesus gave the disciples a straight ahead promise, not to confuse them, but to comfort them when he said, “I have told you this while I am still with you. 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 that I have said to you.”

Two Promises

That evening, as a part of that Last Supper, Christ gave two promises of what the Holy Spirit would be for God’s people:
1) Jesus Promised to send the Holy Spirit to be alongside us to care for us.
Every one of us has a need to know that someone cares and that we’re not just hanging out in this world by ourselves.

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was the first black player to break into major league baseball in 1949. In those early years, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he committed an error. He stood at second base, embarrassed and humiliated as the fans began to boo and jeer him. From the shortstop position, Pee Wee Reese came trotting over and stood next to him. Reese then put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career. Reese was Robinson’s paraclete counselor, who came alongside him to care for him, to give him support from which comes strength.
That was the promise that Christ gave his disciples, a promise he keeps, a promise to care for us not just for a little while, but forever.

Jesus’ Determination

Listen to the determination in Christ’s words: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.” The Holy Spirit cares when we separate ourselves from God and others. It is the Holy Spirit that comes with the conviction that we have done wrong before God. This separation is called SIN. It is an infraction of God’s commands and against God personally.
And the Holy Spirit reminds us when we have broken God’s decrees. It’s that small voice we hear telling us to “back-off, back-off—don’t go there, don’t listen to those other voices you hear.

Holy Spirit’s Main Job

The Holy Spirit’s main job is to turn us from ourselves and toward God for the certainty of forgiveness and the everlasting life that begins when Christ becomes one’s Savior.
Sadly, lots of people don’t understand this or want to. Consider Christ’s words: “The world cannot accept the Holy Spirit because it neither sees him nor knows him.” (John 14:17)
It’s when we come alongside to help one another - to put our Christian love into practice, that the Holy Spirit feels at home in us. It is the Holy Spirit that moves us to love each other even as we have been cared for by God. Christian love gives when it is inconvenient or unappealing. In short, Christian love is the willing response to the Holy Spirit.

Follow Me, I’ll Guide You

In 1980 Pastor Steven Simala Grant was 9 years old. His mother was a single woman with two boys who was a secretary in a small 3-person company in Western Canada. That year she received a very nice Christmas bonus. It was a complete trip with airfare and hotel for herself and her two sons to Disneyland in California. When Steve’s family exited the plane in Los Angeles, they were immediately scared and overwhelmed. This was their first trip outside Canada. As they made their way through customs a man was holding a sign that said, “Grants.” His mother joked with the man as they walked past him and said, “That’s my name but I’m sure you aren’t looking for a mom and two kids.” The man asked: “Wendy?” “Yes, she replied.”Yup, it’s you I’m looking for. I’m here to guide you through the airport, help you find your motel, and make sure you have everything you need.” Steve said that they were feeling lost and overwhelmed in the middle of one of the world’s largest airports, until the guide stepped forward and said, “Follow me. I’ll lead you to where you’re going.”
In the same way, the Holy Spirit is our guide to all truth and through all circumstances. However the Holy Spirit can’t come alongside us to lead us, guide us and fill us until we say—”I’ll follow. I’m tuning in.” (Steven Simala
Grant)
2. Jesus Empowered His followers with the Promise that the Holy Spirit would always be with us.
Before we knew Jesus or even thought about spiritual things, the Spirit has been calling out to us, drawing us to Christ.
The Holy Spirit comes to take up permanent residence in a believer’s heart and life. Thus the body of the believer becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit.
The early Christians at Corinth learned quickly: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”(1 Corinthians 6:19, 20)
The Holy Spirit is responsible for keeping that faith alive and allowing us to live for Christ. It would be scary to think that our obedience to Jesus was based on our merits or worthiness, but it’s not. We can’t even believe in Jesus Christ on our own, let alone obey him. Again, this is all credited to the work of our Savior-God that we can’t see, but “In Him we move, we breathe, and we have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
It is the Holy Spirit who leads us to obey God, by reminding us of his faithful promises. It is this message that empowers us to trust, listen, and obey.

It May Seem Scary

Here at Flora First Christian Church, we are at a crossroads. We are in between called permanent pastors as we began an intentional transition period and focus on our mission. We know that there are lots of people in our community who do not know Christ personally as Savior; and we want others to know Christ and grow in God’s care. Standing at a crossroads may seem scary, because stepping out on faith always means uncertainty, and faith means that we are not in control—God is! Moving out of the crossroads means doing things differently. It means things will probably change. Becoming serious about evangelism and seeking to be a part of Commission centered ministry means adding to our fellowship. That will hopefully mean more people that we don’t know. It may mean friendships with which we are content will change. What’s the up-side? More persons knowing and living in God’s saving grace. If we trust the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us, it means that we really aren’t in charge of ourselves, but we won’t be left alone. How does this change take place?

The Release of Power

Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be channeled. The energy in four gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can and it can create an explosion that can be seen in Burlington. Or 3.8 gallons can be channeled through the engine of a number of motorcycles owned by members in this church and they can travel to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, forty-five minutes south of Louisville before they need to be refilled. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect and staying power.
The HOLY SPIRIT works both ways. At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene; His presence was like “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God’s power. God also works through the church–the institution God uses to tap the Holy Spirit’s power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power that we may know the very best that God has to offer and that is Jesus Christ. Source Unknown, Christian Globe, Inc., 2001 Amen!