Holy Spirit (the comforter)
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Ever Present Help in Times of Need
Ever Present Help in Times of Need
Fasting:
Eating vicariously through competitive eating channels
Chewing sugar-free gum
Watched a guy eat a burger called the heart attack
8 patties with all the fixing in like 4 min
As he was scooping the remnants of the burger up to beat the record current record by like 3 min
The rich man in hell
‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
Just let me have a crumb of the Masters table
Scripture text for This morning:
John 14:16 KJV
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Comforter or in the Greek: Parakletos: OLD ENGLISH PARACLETE
an intercessor, consoler:—advocate, comforter.
Older English versions of this is translated as Paraclete
The Word Comforter is interchangeable with Helper
meaning “one who is called to our side.”
Everything that is meant to make our lives easier and more comfortable:
Technology
Ease of travel
I’m not saying everything is bad
the game of Oregon trail shows us the hardships of travel
when your whole family dies trying to cross a river
or you all die from dysentary
Volume of information
What used to be a tragedy is now a statistic
Family got electrocuted during the snow storm
How can you possibly digest that?
We used to be hunter gatherers
We’re now amazon and door dash orderers
Everything that was supposed to make your life easier?
Has it done that
Even having the Bible on your phone
Sure that’s awesome
Tell me your not distracted every second your on that app
Even modern medicine
Which helps manage the symptoms
Not stop the cause
God forbid we stop eating horrible foods and walk around the block a couple of times
IN a culture where life is supposed to be getting easier and progressing:
We’re seeing trends in America and in Europe of
De-churching if you will
In Europe alone:
a half a million people in Germany left the catholic Church
there was a 2.9 percent decline in the evangelical church as well
France, a 2021 poll showed over half the population are either atheist or consider Christianity to be irrelevant. The percentage saying they are Catholic fell from 81 per cent in 1986 to 47 per cent in 2020, while those saying they had no religion grew from 16 per cent to 40 per cent
Italy’s church attendance in 2020 dropped in half after Covid
In America:
About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available,
With about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research.
It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic.
Protestant pastors reported that typical church attendance is only 85% of pre-pandemic levels
While research by the Survey Center on American Life and the University of Chicago found that in spring 2022 67% of Americans reported attending church at least once a year,
Compared with 75% before the pandemic.
I wonder if there is a correlation here
Substance abuse on the rise:
13.5% of Americans 12 and over used drugs in the last month, a 3.8% increase year-over-year (YoY).
138.522 million Americans 12 and over drink alcohol.
28.320 million or 20.4% of them have an alcohol use disorder.
A new analysis shows that U.S. residents under 40 were relatively unscathed by COVID-19 in the pandemic but fell victim to another killer: accidental drug overdose deaths.
Drug overdose is the #1 killer of millennial’s and people under the age of 40
My age
47% of young people use an illegal drug by the time they graduate from high school;
Other users within the last 30 days include:
5% of 8th graders. 20% of 10th graders. 24% of 12th grader
Here’s an idea lets legalize all drugs in Portland
How demonic
Followed by suicide
Veteran suicide is one of the greatest crises of our time. Since Sept. 11, 2001, just over 30,000 veterans have died by suicide — four times more than the number of U.S. military personnel who died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Studies on loneliness:
In our recent national survey of American adults, 36% of respondents reported serious loneliness—feeling lonely “frequently” or “almost all the time or all the time” in the four weeks prior to the survey.
This included 61% of young people aged 18-25 and 51% of mothers with young children.
43% of young adults reported increases in loneliness since the outbreak of the pandemic. About half of lonely young adults in our survey reported that no one in the past few weeks had “taken more than just a few minutes” to ask how they are doing in a way that made them feel like the person “genuinely cared.”
Young adults suffer high rates of both loneliness and anxiety and depression. According to a recent CDC survey, 63% of this age group are suffering significant symptoms of anxiety or depression
The U.S. Surgeon General issued a report this year on loneliness and isolation, comparing its health effects to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Something is going on here!
We give millennial’s a bad wrap but we taught them they could be whatever they wanted and to believe in themselves but never taught them how to deal with themselves.
The younger generation just doesn’t feel like they’re being accepted in a church environment or some of their choices aren’t being accepted
They want what’s comfortable not the one who comforts
Jesus was the Rock of offense
As a society we taught them whatever they think or feel is right
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
Instead of calling the Holy Spirit we turn to counterfeit Comfort:
We turn to drugs
Alcohol
Relationships
Eating
Shopping
Spending money
Making money (some people are only happy when they have money)
Go into hiding
Dopamine spikes from likes on your instagram
Feeling extreme pain or grief
Exercise (what are you running from)
We run from ourselves
How do we know if its counterfeit?
It’s never satisfied
Alcohol
Eating
Money
You will never be satisfied
It’s never satiated
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
In my addiction I was not comfortable with myself
I had to bear in my discomfort and submit it to God
I had to deal with discomfort
And rely on God to get me through it
I had to turn to the Holy Spirit to fill me up
When did God become not enough for Us?
When did the comfort of the Holy Spirit ever lack anything
When did His grace become insufficient?
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Jesus’ Agony before the cross:
38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
He could’ve fixed it
50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”
But it would’ve mean he wasn’t in obedience to God
The thing about the Holy Spirit being the comforter:
He’s not coming to make you feel better
Many people want the feelings of the HOLY SPIRIT INSTEAD OF THE FRUIT
He’s come to walk with you in the Storm
Just like Jesus said he could’ve have just snapped is fingers on His own merit and took care of the Problem
He could’ve gave into temptation when he was fasting and got what he came for without the torment and anguish on the cross but he would’ve been in disobedience
The Holy Spirit equips us to get through the storm
Buffalo in the storm - there’s freedom on the other side of the storm
Band:
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
Just as much as your going to have hardship like, Jesus our comfort abounds through Him and the Holy Spirit
Have you been trying to fix your own life?
Just because its the only way you know how does mean its the right way
I want to offer you a different remedy today
Can you seek comfort
Seek strength in the Holy Spirit
God wants to be the only thing that you lean on
Where do you turn when life gets hard?
The Holy Spirit has been dealing with me this
Do you turn to Him
When you have arguments?
When you feel like your on the verge of an emotional explosion
When the past tries coming back
Or you get anxious
Dipping
Turn to the Holy Spirit
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Build up your emotional capacity
When you turn to the wrong things to escape your problems
You don’t mature emotionally
Communion:
Maybe the only thing that in a weird way is the memories that you keep haunting yourself with
Maybe the thing that brings you comfort from being abused is abusing yourself verbally or mentally
I want to give you the opportunity to forgive this morning
Not only that I want to give you the opportunity to rely on the price that Jesus paid
His blood is enough
His sacrifice was enough
His grace is sufficient for us
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Is your life right with God this morning?
You want an upgrade?
We have prayer partners coming up front