April 21, 2003
May 11
___John 14
Holy Spirit is
always present
___By John Thielepape
___Lou Gehrig delivered one of the most famous farewell speeches in history on July 4, 1939, on Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig had enjoyed a tremendous baseball career and earned the nickname of "Iron Man" because he tenaciously insisted upon playing every day. Despite having become crippled by a rare and incurable disease, Gehrig told the packed stadium on his day: "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."
___On the night of Jesus' arrest, he spent several hours saying farewell to his closest followers. While the other gospels record the institution of the Lord's Supper, John gives an extensive account of Jesus' teaching that evening.
___The entire body of teaching is referred to as the "Farewell Discourse" because it relates the last of Jesus' teaching for the 12 apostles before his arrest and crucifixion. These chapters prove significant because they sum up for the apostles the essence of what it means to follow Christ, in addition to the power he will leave for them after he has gone.
___The evidence of love
___The focal text for this lesson begins with a link to his demonstration of love for the disciples in Chapter 13. Jesus demonstrated the extent of his love for the disciples by washing their feet. The disciples can demonstrate the extent of their love for Christ by keeping his commandments. While the command itself is simple, keeping the command can prove elusive for those who have difficulty in putting Jesus on the throne of every part of their lives.
___Peter demonstrated the difficulty with his insistence that Jesus would never wash his feet. He was willing to follow Jesus, but he was not always willing to let Jesus have his way. We follow Peter's example when we attempt to rewrite Jesus' commands, pretend some are not as important as others or simply ignore them when they are inconvenient.
___As a seminary student many years ago, I participated in a game at a single adult fellowship. One of my team members wanted to take a shortcut in the game that amounted to lying about doing what we had been assigned. Another team member objected, saying we should not cheat. The first member claimed, "It's only a game." The second member responded: "That's the point. If we're going to cheat on a game, what will we do when we get to something important?"
___As I reflect upon the words of Jesus in John 14, I have to believe that when we either agree or refuse to do what he has commanded, we give an indication of how much we love him. Jesus says that if we love him, we will let him have his way.
___Another divine helper
______Jesus links his followers' obedience to their ability to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. In verse 16, Jesus states he will pray to the Father, and the Father will send "another helper."
___This should not be taken to mean that Jesus would only pray for his followers if they are obedient or that the Holy Spirit only comes as the result of obedience. Jesus is always interceding for us before the Father. Likewise, the Holy Spirit constantly is present and available to us. The key, however, to making the power of the Holy Spirit effective in and through our lives lies in our choice to live obediently to Christ.
___The word translated as "helper" (NASB), "advocate" (NRSV), "comforter" (KJV) and "counselor" (NIV) literally speaks of one who is called alongside. The term referred to a legal representative who would stand alongside someone in court and advocate that person's cause. The term "divine helper" seems to give a fair rendering of the idea of one called alongside a believer to advocate for a divine cause that Jesus will unveil. Jesus speaks of him as "another helper." "Another" refers to one of the same kind as before, indicating that the same kind of divine help Jesus provided will be available from the One sent by the Father.
___The Holy Spirit will be sent from the Father at the request of Christ as a result of having placed faith in Christ. The world cannot receive the Spirit or know the Spirit because it does not know Christ. However, those who know Christ by faith will know the Spirit. The Spirit, Jesus says, will abide in them.
___Jesus develops this concept of abiding throughout his teaching in chapters 14 and 15. In 14:23, Jesus and the Father will abide in those who love him and keep his word. Early in chapter 15, the fruitful disciple relies upon the abiding relationship with Christ, and we abide in his love if we keep his commandments. Throughout the New Testament, the phrases "in Christ" and "in the Spirit" characterize this indwelling relationship that indicates disciples choosing to locate themselves within the influence of Christ.
___This circular relationship begins with the presence of Christ in the world, offering himself as Savior and Lord. We receive him as Savior and confirm his lordship through obedience to his commands. Our obedience submits us to the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us because of our faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit then empowers us to continue putting off sin, putting on righteousness and becoming the effective presence of Christ in our world.
___The most effective way I have discovered to picture the concept of abiding can be seen with a dry sponge and pan of water. Placing the sponge into the water will soak water into the sponge. The sponge abides in the water, and water abides in the sponge. You can wring the sponge out, but some water still abides in the sponge. In a more significant way, Jesus states we should abide in him, and his words should abide in us.
______The continuing presence
___Another key element of Jesus' teaching on the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Spirit's continuing presence. Having told the disciples he must leave them, Jesus assures them they will be better off when the Spirit arrives. While he dwelled with them, the Spirit will dwell within them. He would not leave them as orphans, without the resources to carry out the kingdom lives he called them to live. He then listed the ways in which the Holy Spirit would carry out his work.
___First, the Spirit will work in the lives of believers by teaching us regarding the truth about Christ and his work. As "the Spirit of truth," the Spirit will enlighten us about our Lord who is the Truth, drawing us closer to him. He will bring to mind the teachings of Jesus, and reveal to us the deeper meaning of Jesus' words, as we grow more capable of grasping their truth. The Spirit does not come to glorify himself but to illuminate the complete work of Christ in our lives as a result of the Father's will.
___For centuries, Christians have turned to habits of grace that create space in our lives for the Holy Spirit to deepen our faith in Christ. These habits often are referred to as spiritual disciplines, because they discipline us to live by the prompting of the Spirit to become the presence of Christ. These habits include prayer, meditation, study, worship, service, solitude, silence and confession. Gradually, the practice of these habits creates the opportunity for the Spirit to develop the righteousness of Christ in our lives, placing us more and more within the influence of Christ.
___Unfortunately, many modern believers look for shortcuts through the spiritual life. The abiding relationship Jesus calls for comes as the result of consistently placing ourselves before him, yielding in obedience to his word and seeking to be influenced by his grace.
___Second, the Holy Spirit works in the world to bring about conviction, exposing the wrongs of the world with the intent of correcting those wrongs in order to make the work of Christ effective in those who will respond. He will convict the world concerning sin, exposing unbelief in Christ. He will convict the world concerning righteousness, exposing the false notion that any human can achieve righteousness apart from the grace of God in Christ. He will convict the world concerning judgment, exposing the false claims of Satan that have been ultimately judged upon the cross.
___Not orphans
___Jesus promised the disciples he would not leave them as "orphans," or without the divine resources necessary to carry out the work he would leave for them. The Holy Spirit provides protection, encouragement, wisdom and power for living the Christian life and fulfilling the service to which God calls us.
___Many people view the Holy Spirit as a substance that can be tossed around or manipulated through our own actions. Jesus seems clear that the Holy Spirit is on mission from the Father, to glorify the Son, to inhabit the believer for the purpose of extending the influence of the kingdom in the believer's life as well as extending the power of the kingdom to those who are lost.
___
Questions for discussion
What are some ways you have felt the Holy Spirit at work in your life? How do you identify that the Holy Spirit is moving?
Do you practice spiritual disciplines regularly? Which ones? How do these disciplines enrich your faith?
Can you identify distinct periods of spiritual growth in your life?
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