The Comforter will Come!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, the entrance of Your Word gives light!

We ask that You will shine the light of Your Word into our hearts,

so that it may be reflected in our lives and illuminate the world around us.

Amen

Introduction

Every time we say the Creed together we state that we believe in One God. A God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. A God who is beyond our comprehension. Today we are going to concentrate our attention on the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

In this sermon we are going to consider the promise that Jesus gave to his disciples regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit.

We are going to think through how this promise might work in practice, and some of the implications of his presence and influence upon our lives.

Moses and Jesus

In the book of Numbers 11:24-25 we read the story of how some of the power of the Spirit that was resting upon Moses was shared with seventy elders so that they could support Moses in his ministry to the people.

In John’s Gospel we find that something similar is happening between Jesus and his disciples, where Jesus promises that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to his disciples so that they could share in the ministry of Jesus, when he was gone.

Why did the Holy Spirit Come?

John 15:26–27 NIV

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

The Holy Spirit came because Jesus sent him to help us to understand him, so that we can explain Jesus to others. The Holy Spirit comes to bare witness, and those who have received the Holy Spirit will also bear witness by their words and their life-style. The Holy Spirit came to make us more like Jesus.

But this promise had special relevance to the 12 apostles because they were eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus, and would be eyewitnesses to his death and resurrection. The message of the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus was destined to be the message that would change the world.

The Gospel Truth would transform the pagan Roman empire that crucified Jesus and killed his disciples into a Christian empire that would spread the teachings of Jesus throughout the known world.

Hard times were coming for the apostles, and for the community of faith that they would found. But as eyewitnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit they would bear witness throughout Israel and Judea, to Jews and Samaritans, then to the Diaspora of scattered Jews and Israelis, and then to Proselytes and Gentiles (John 16:1-4a).

The Holy Spirit came to make the apostles and us into effective witnesses. There is no such thing as a Spirit filled secret Christian. If you are a follower of Jesus then others should be able to tell.

The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to help us to be good witnesses for Jesus Christ, our Lord.

How do we Recognise the Work of the Holy Spirit?

John 16:4–11 NIV

I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

The Comforter

I am sure that most of us have faced difficult situations or unwelcome circumstances, where someone says ‘It’s probably for the best!’. But you were not entirely convinced. This seems like one of those situations.

At the time that Jesus spoke these words, they must have seemed unthinkable to the disciples. The Messiah was not supposed to die, and God’s people were not supposed to be divided, the followers of the Messiah were supposed to triumph over the foreign enemy.

Their expectations had been turned upside-down. But God had a plan and despite their reticence, the apostles were destined to bring God’s plan to fruition. The triumph would not be a military one, but a spiritual triumph that would ultimately transform the world.

The Greek text of the New Testament describes the Holy Spirit as the παράκλητος which is traditionally translated as comforter but some translations give advocate, others give words like counsellor or pathfinder. I think that the text could support all of these ideas. That of comforter and that of advocate, that of counsellor, and that of pathfinder.

The Holy Spirit would comfort the people of God over the loss of Jesus by revealing more about Jesus to them. He would be their counsellor and pathfinder, showing them the things that were going to take place, just like Jesus tells us in our passage.

The New Testament tells that Jesus is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1), and that the Holy Spirit is God the Father’s advocate with us, explaining divine truths to believers, and revealing Christ to a world that is prone to misunderstand him.

The word group from which παράκλητος comes is regularly used in the Septuagint (LXX) to translate the Hebrew words relating to נחם comfort. Giving the Hebrew noun מנחם for Comforter.

Sin

The Holy Spirit convicts people of the sin of unbelief. We live in a sceptical society where faith is often treated with disrespect. But the Christian may be an instrument of God, revealing Christ to others through the witness of their lifestyle. Acts of kindness and a commitment to the wellbeing of others can be a very powerful sermon. Just being there for people at their time of need can make all the difference in the world.

What we do and how we behave at times of difficulty, and at times when people are in need, can reveal Christ working in us to heal the community.

Righteousness

The Holy Spirit shows people what it means to live a righteous life. When the Holy Spirit is at work in a life, he changes the things that we say, but more importantly, he changes the things that we will and will not do. Now that Jesus is ascended, we are here to live a life that reflects the influence of Jesus upon us by his Holy Spirit.

Judgement

The next part of my sermon is bit more difficult and controversial, especially when dealing with people who may consider religion and morality to be relative concepts. They may even be hostile to both ideas.

Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is here to convince people that the devil and sin will ultimately be judged by God. Nowadays people don’t like to hear about sin or accountability before God. Even some Christians shrink from these concepts. But as Christians we need to be clear that sin and accountability are real, but that Jesus is the answer.

The Comforter would bring hope to a world where evil doers often seem to have the upper hand.

The Comforter comes to believers to show us that God is on our side, and wishes to have the closest communion with his people.

John 16:12–15 NIV

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 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. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Guide

Nowadays when we want information we are spoilt for choice, but this was not the case in the ancient world. Today we have the internet, eLibraries, public libraries, and a variety of book stores that offer a wide choice of information. We may also have access to several experts, and sometimes to research level scholars that can explain things.

In the ancient world this was not the case. Judaism had a long distinguished history of public education, and the Synagogue was effectively a school and a library for the community. But in modern terms access to information was relatively limited, so memories had to become highly trained.

There has always been a need for real spiritual insight and reliable guidance. In John chapter 16 Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come to guide his followers into truth. The Christian community aspires to be an active community, a growing community, a caring community, and a community inspired by the Spirit of truth.

The Holy Spirit

So lets explore a little further some of the ideas about the Holy Spirit that may be behind this passage.

The Holy Spirit was the divine comforter sent to console the disciples over the loss of Jesus. When the Spirit came at Pentecost then the apostolic band was empowered to witness to the multitude of pilgrims that had come to Jerusalem to celebrate this great feast that was commanded by God through Moses.

The Holy Spirit is God’s advocate with us, revealing Jesus to us and in us to other people. The Holy Spirit would be present to make Jesus real to people who had not met him, or experienced his power, or witnessed his death and resurrection.

The Holy Spirit is the counsellor, guiding us as we walk with God. The Holy Spirit would guide the disciples, showing them the kind of community that they were destined to be.

The Holy Spirit is the pathfinder showing us the way, and helping us to show others the way. He is our Exodus Guide present to lead us into our inheritance. The Holy Spirit was the Spirit of prophecy, showing the disciples things to come, and revealing the true nature of the world around them.

He does not glorify himself, or operate for his own benefit, but he glorifies Jesus and comes to us to strengthen and encourage us.

Because of the presence of the Spirit of God, the Early Church could work in harmony with God, and invite generations to come to do the same.

Are you filled with the Spirit of God? Then, you will glorify Jesus, and your life will be marked by sincerity and honesty. These are the signs of the Spirit that Jesus gives in this passage. The hallmark of a community that is led by the Spirit is that of honesty and integrity, and we might also add bravery because the truth is not always welcome.

How will this Affect Me?

Jesus did not pretend to his followers that things are better than they are. He was honest. He told his disciples that the Spirit of Truth is coming, but so is trouble.

Not everybody wants to hear the truth, and today many are deeply offended by honest morality or honest assessments of political and territorial disputes, putting in its place a distorted form of political correctness.

We are called to help the world to see the difference between sin and righteousness, and to declare God’s anger with sin and his mercy to sinners who repent.

This passage reassured the disciples that God would guide them and instruct them as they fulfilled their calling to declare the Gospel of the love of God to those who rejected God and opposed them.

Jesus did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and faith. And we are called to do the same, as witnesses to his life, death, and resurrection.

I pray that the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, may have his way among us, and help us to become effective witnesses for Christ.

May the Spirit of Truth dwell among you in power, and inspire you to understand and share Gospel Truth with the community by your words and by your lifestyle.

AMEN