Sermon
delivered on February 11th, 2018
Sunday Morning Service
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: John 16:7 - 15
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth;
It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8: And when
he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment: 9: Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10: Of righteousness,
because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11: Of judgment, because the
prince of this world is judged. 12: I have yet many things to say unto you, but
ye cannot bear them now. 13: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he
will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to
come. 14: He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it
unto you. 15: All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that
he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Introduction
Our Lord Jesus was about to leave His disciples. We read
in,
John 13:33 Little children, yet a little
while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I
go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
When He announced to them that He is going away, the
disciples were filled with sorrow and fear. Our Lord is keenly aware of this,
so He gave them words of comfort.
Jesus spoke these words to them,
John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye
believe in God, believe also in me. 2: In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you. 3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
To comfort them He told them that He was going to a place
where there were many mansions. He told them further that He was going to
prepare that place for them and that when He had thus prepared it, He was coming
back for them; but He told them further that even during His absence, while He
was preparing heaven for them, He would not leave them comfortless, but that He
would pray the Father and the Father would send to them another Comforter to
take His place in His physical absence.
It was not the Lord Jesus' intention to leave His disciples
orphans in the world.
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless:
I will come to you.
What a promise! One of the comforting words the Saviour
gave to His sorrowing and fearful disciples was the promise of another
Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17: Even
the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not,
neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in
you.
To comfort His disciples our Lord promised them the "Paraclete". Furthermore, He also told them that it is to
their benefit that He goes away for this promise of "Paraclete"
will not come unless He goes away.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth;
It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Instead of losing out they will actually gain. It was to
their advantage that He goes away. Because Jesus Christ going away meant the
coming of another Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
As we learned last time the word "Comforter"
in Greek is "Parakletos". Parakletos is composed of two words, namely,
para and kletos. "Para" means to be beside and "kletos"
comes for the root word "kaleo" which means to call. Combining
the two words "parakletos" means the one who is called to be
beside. The Holy Spirit is our "Parkletos" or "Paraclete".
He is the One who is called alongside of the children of God as their
Comforter, Helper and Advocate.
I - Our Comforter
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17: Even
the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not,
neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in
you. 18: I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
We live in a world filled with sorrow and pain and we
certainly need comfort. Many times God's people are suffering people.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11:
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12: Rejoice, and be exceeding
glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets
which were before you.
As the Lord assures His disciples that He will not leave
them comfortless so He also assures us. This promise is not exclusively for the
apostles only; this promise of another Comforter is for all believers; for all
born again Christians, for all who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Are you sorrowing today? Let me tell you, there is a
Comforter whose special ministry is to come and comfort.
II - Our Helper
The Holy Spirit, our Paraclete is not only our Comforter,
He is also our Helper. What can we do without the Holy Spirit? We are
weak, helpless and powerless without the Holy Spirit. We are like orphans with
no one to guide, no one to teach, no one to protect, and no one to help. But
thank God we have the Holy Spirit to walk alongside us as our Helper.
We have many and great needs. And left to ourselves we
would be overpowered and fall apart. We need strength, courage, wisdom,
comfort, and guidance. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us helps us in our
infirmities. The Holy Spirit's desire and purpose is not to hinder us but to
help and assist us in our weaknesses.
How does the Holy Spirit help us?
1. He enables us to pray aright
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. 27: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of
God.
One weakness of humans, compared to God, is in our limited
knowledge and inability to pray aright. The Holy Spirits comes to help us pray
rightly and effectively.
The Holy Spirit teaches us what to pray for and enables us
to pray aright. Many times we are unable to express our prayers and desires in
words. And in those times the Holy Spirit comes and takes our prayer and
intercedes for us.
The Holy Spirt also helps us by creating within us earnest
longings after God. True prayer is prayer in the Spirit. True prayer actually
is conceived by God. You and I don't need to be a Bible scholar or Bible
teacher to pray but we need the Holy Spirit to pray.
2. He teaches us all things
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you.
The whole world lies in darkness. The unbelieving world is
groping in darkness. They are spiritually blind that they do not know the truth
and do not receive the truth. But thank God for the Holy Spirit. As our "Paraclete", the Holy Spirit teaches us all things, that is,
all the things that He has revealed in the Scripture. He teaches us the meaning
of the Bible; He teaches us the meaning of Scripture.
David is consciously aware of this that's why, often
you will read David praying for illumination.
Psalm 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may
behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Psalm 119:27 Make me to understand the way of
thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding, and I
shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Psalm 119:73 Thy hands have made me and
fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
Psalm 119:125 I am thy servant; give me
understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
Psalm 119:144 The righteousness of thy
testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.
Psalm 119:169 Let my cry come near before
thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word.
Oh, what can we understand without the Holy Spirit.
3. He guides us into all truth
John 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto
you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to
come. 14: He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it
unto you. 15: All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I,
that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, which is more
than teaching us all truth. The Holy Spirit not only helps us understand the
truth but He also guides us into all truth. The Holy Spirit guides us in every
area of life; from the words to speak, to the spouse to marry, to the
investments to make.
Commentator Elicott puts it this way,
"The Spirit of Truth will take them by the hand, and, step
by step, as they have strength to follow, will guide them into the territory,
and unfold to them the treasures it contains. The promise has a special meaning
for the disciples to whom it was spoken; but it holds good for every disciple
who seeks to know the truth. We may pray,--without doubt that the prayer is in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and without doubt that it will be answered
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire.
Enable with perpetual light
The dulness of our blinded sight."
A great many Christians never get into the truth because
they do not spend time reading the Book of Truth. They sit on the outside of
it, but do not enter in.
4. He empowers us to be witnesses
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.
The Holy Spirit will give us strength, courage and wisdom
to witness and to preach the Gospel. In witnessing we will encounter opposition
and persecution, but in the midst of these the Holy Spirit empowers us as we
completely rely upon Him.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19: Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.
III - Our Advocate
The Holy Spirit as our "Paraclete"
is our Comforter and Helper but also our Advocate.
What is an advocate? An
advocate is someone who comes to your side in your time of need, someone who
pleads your case. It is someone who comes and defends another.
But doesn't the Bible say that Jesus Christ is our
Advocate? That is correct. Please turn to...
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things
write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous:
The word "Advocate" in this verse is "Parakleton". Surely our Lord is our great Advocate. He is
our great Interceder. So how is the Holy Spirt our Advocate also? Our Lord
calls the Holy Spirit "Another Comforter".
In heaven Jesus Christ is our "Paraclete."
He is presenting His blood, that is His plead. He is presenting our prayers
through the merit of His blood, to gain an answer.
But on here on earth, and in our hearts the Holy Spirit is
our "Paraclete" interceding for us, coming alongside us to plead
our case.
Jesus Christ is the Advocate above; and, in His absence,
here below the Holy Ghost is the other Advocate in us. Christ's advocacy is
inseparable from the Holy Spirit's comfort and working in us, as the spirit of
intercessory prayer. Bless God, every Christian has the Comforter, the Helper
and the Advocate.
Closing Thoughts
Brothers and sisters in Christ we are not alone. As
followers of Christ we are not facing life all alone -- as an orphan would. It
is not our Lord's plan to leave us comfortless, as orphans. He has given us the
Holy Spirit to be our "Paraclete" to abide with us
forever. The Holy Spirit is with us continually -- living with us. When we need
help He is never far away, but always right with us, waiting for us to call on
Him for His help.
He is our Comforter in times of sorrow; He is our Helper
in our weakness; and He is our Advocate in times of trouble. When you are
distressed God is there. When you are depressed God is there. He is an
ever-present help in time of trouble. He will never leave you nor forsake
you. His love is always pointed in your direction.
I am glad that He sent the Holy Spirit because I am never
alone even when I am alone. That gives me great deal of comfort to know that .
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my
commandments. 16: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.
O spread the tidings 'round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let ev'ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
Refrain
The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from Heav'n, the Father's promise giv'n;
O spread the tidings 'round, wherever man is found
The Comforter has come!
The long, long night is past, the morning breaks at last,
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o'er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To ev'ry captive soul a full deliverance brings;
And through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wond'ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come!
We need the ministry of the Holy Ghost in our life. Let us
not quench nor grieve the Holy Spirit. Let us be found on our knees before Him
crying for the fullest operation of the work of the Holy Ghost as our
Comforter, our Helper and our Advocate.
AMEN!