John 14:15-31

Invocation

Holy Father, it is good to sing praises to you our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other people; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD! Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end, and Amen.

Confession of Sin

1 John 2:3–5 ESV

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

The world is full of people who claim to “know” Jesus, and yet the truth of that statement is not evident in their lives. Sadly, some of us are guilty of the same, when with our mouths we have professed to “know” Jesus yet we fail to follow through by putting to practice all that Jesus taught. John is the apostle of love. Jesus in the writings of John is not a new law-giver, doling out new minutia to be followed to the ‘t.’ Rather, he is a lover. He loved His own to the end, losing not one. He loved them to death and back again. And called His disciples to do the same. In our sermon text today, he equates “love” for Him with keeping His commands. The surest way to be a liar is to say that you “love” and “know” Jesus and not do what he tells you. Sadly, the truth is when we look inside, each one of us is going to see a mixture of both loving Jesus by keeping His commands, while simultaneously saying we love Jesus, yet going our own way.

But that is why we have this time in our service. It is an opportunity to reorient our lives. The word confession means to say the same thing. We allow the mirror of God’s word to interpret our hearts, and then we say truthfully what we see. If you come this morning, and your week was shot through with instances of you professing to “know” Jesus and yet failing to live like that is true, then say so, and get specific. If however, you come and see that this past week you have kept His word, and the love of God is being perfected in your life, then being overly scrupulous will not honor Jesus more. Thank God, that through His Spirit he enabled you to conform your life to Christ, and ask Him to continue to give you that assurance and to uphold you in the week ahead. Come, let us confess our sins together silently. Let’s pray.

New Testament Lesson

Acts 2:1–21 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Pastoral Prayer

O Father, with thanks and praise, we lift our hearts to you, as we come in the name of your Son, Jesus; He is our Lord and king and we wait for Him, like a servant who waits on His master; and we would be found faithful. While He is with you, and we are left here in earth, we give you thanks that you have not left us alone, but have given us your Holy Spirit as a helper, to encourage and build us up in our most holy faith; and to renovate our hearts to be a fit dwelling place for you God. For you knew that while in this world waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ we would face troubles. Troubles within and troubles without. So by your Spirit, and in the name of your Son we cast our troubles on you asking not only that you relieve us, but that you will strengthen us to endure with patience each trial as it come. For those who are sick, or suffer from persistent pain, grant relief and uphold them in their suffering. Especially our brother Steve and sister Jenny in their severe back pain. We also pray for Janis who had pneumonia and the flu, enable her to recover. Others face the trial just of growing old and our bodies wearing out; allow them to run with endurance the race set before them. For others the trials are financial, and they need you to multiple their seed for sowing, and to bring for them an abundant harvest. Provide for the needs of your people, enough so that we may also share with those who have greater needs then we. For others the trials are relational, broken friendships, harsh words, family strife, constant tension, and persistent loneliness have caused some fall into doubt or depression. Holy Spirit, comfort the downcast and lonely, be a friend to the friendless, and home to those with none. Others face the trial of fire, we ask that you would be with those who have loss life and home in the fires in California. Be with the saints who are suffering because of those fires. Provide and protect them, Especially John and Anne Domin’s daughter and her family who were forced to evacuate. Encourage them in this time of difficulty. Use these kinds of disasters to wake people up and teach them that it is vain to trust in idols and they cannot protect.

Not only in times of trial, but in times of plenty also we need strength not to be distracted by the things of this world. Good things which gives, gifts and all, can and have become idols that we have worshipped instead of you. Grant Father, that your Spirit would convict us of sin. Our hearts are idol factories, constantly churning out fresh depravity. We need not only the burning conviction of the Holy Spirit, but the reminder that we belong to Christ, and in Him we have become the righteousness of God. Conform our lives so that we begin to resemble more and more what we already are in Christ. Help us not to put any worthless thing before our eyes. But instead to have our thoughts in heaven where Christ is seated at your right hand. And until he comes again teach us, by Your Spirit, to wait with joy the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Cause us to persevere until the end.

While we wait Lord, makes us bold witnesses for Christ. Compel us to go into the highways and byways with the good news of Jesus Christ. Equip your people to defend the faith against everything that exalts itself against us. Cast down your enemies and route them. We know that one tool the enemy uses to keep us from fighting the good fight, is sow discord among the brothers so that we instead fight with one another. What better way to distract us from our mission than to have us fighting over antisemitism, or over the interpretation of events in history. Help us maintain that unity in the Spirit in the bond of peace, because there is one body and one Spirit—just as we have been called to one hope—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. So then, as we come this morning to be equipped for the work of ministry, cause us to built up so we may attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, may we grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. And we pray this, just as our Lord taught us to pray. Our Father...

Tithes

Malachi 3:10–12 ESV

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

We routinely fall into the temptation of thinking our finances are a zero sum game. But that’s not how God’s economy works. You treat your money like its a scarce resource, and are slow to give God what belongs to him thinking that way you will make sure you can pay for all the things you need first. But God says, bring the full tithe in and then watch what I will do. This is a call to order your life, and especially your finances to God and His word. Giving the last mite, is not foolish when God is the one who actually takes care of you. So confess your faith and dependence on God by bringing Him His tithes and offerings. Let’s pray.

O Lord accept now our tithes, may they fill your house as a testimony of our faith in you. Grant your blessing, that as we give cheerfully, you would continue to supply us with more that we may have no more need. Through Jesus Christ, we offer these tithes and offerings to you, may they be pleasing to you Lord. Amen.

I Will Send You a Helper

Intro

Our children are old enough now that when we go away, we can leave them by themselves. But that doesn't mean we don't have to do significant preparation before we go, walking them through what needs to be done, giving them lists, and showing them where we've stock-piled everything they'll need. But perhaps most important is we give them the number of our closest friends, who are themselves prepped and ready if anything should happen to step in and help. We'll say to whomever we place in charge, if you need anything, call so and so and they will help you.

As we have slowly been unpacking the farewell discourse, that is kind of what Jesus does for His disciples. He gives them instructions for when he is gone. There are certain things that they will need to get done. He also encourages them, but with better than giving them the number of a friend, he promises them he is going to send them a helper. But it's not just His twelve disciples who are left waiting for His return, it's us, too. So, what is the call and promise Jesus gives you as you wait for Him to return?

There are two dominate refrains throughout the last part of chapter 14. Both are found in v. 15 and 16, respectively. With the rest of our text this morning explaining these two refrains. The first involves a call to respond to Jesus in a certain way and the second is a promise to send them someone to help them achieve that. First, we will consider Jesus' call before we consider the promise he gives you. I will then conclude by drawing these together in application.

The Call

Whenever we encounter the word "love" we immediately have to do a lot of qualifying and redefining, since our current secular culture has muddled this all up. While secular man may not think he has a hard time defining love as he does with other seemingly insurmountable difficulties like what is a woman, their confidence betrays them showing that love is often reduced to an inner psychological state, or an expression of my identity, usually sexual. Whereas the ancients categorized different types of love (cf. C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves) secular man often collapse these and blur their lines, veering off in illicit ways.

But in John's gospel, love is an action, or at least it makes itself seen/known by its action. Up to this point in the gospel, this has primarily centered on God's love for "the world" seen best in the sending of the Son to be its savior. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (Jn. 3:16). But the "people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil" (Jn. 3:19). We've repeatedly seen Jesus affirm His father's love for him, is shown in the Him doing the works His Father gave Him to do (5:20) including laying down His life for His sheep (10:17). Jesus demonstrates His love by His willingness to "lose His life" for the sake of His people. So through teaching and His example Jesus shows His disciples what love is, and then before He leaves them, He calls them to do the same.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (Jn 14:15). “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” (Jn 14:21). “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word...Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (Jn 14:23–24). But Jesus does “as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.” (Jn 14:31).

Love equals obedience. His disciples show their love for Jesus by keeping His commands, just as He has kept the Father's command. And did you notice, if you don't keep Jesus' word, you are not keeping the Father's word for He sent Him. So just as you cannot say you love God without loving His Son, so you cannot love the Son without doing what he has said. And this will become increasingly important after Jesus goes away. For how can they continue to love Jesus? By keeping His word. And considering what Jesus had previously promised them in vv. 12-14, that they would do the same works he had done, and even greater works than those, they now discover that those "works" are the showcase of their love for Christ.

The natural question at this juncture is, what commandments has Jesus given that they must keep? We'll tease this out further after we consider Jesus' promise to give them the Holy Spirit. Since, one reason the Son will send Him is to teach His disciples all that he had spoken to them. That is all he has commanded them. But before doing that, let's consider the two commands Jesus gives in the immediate context of Ch. 14. These are not to be troubled (at His leaving them) and that they trust (believe) in Him (14:1).

These are mutually reinforcing commands. Such that if you have faith in Jesus, it will be that much easier not to be troubled in His absence, and as your confidence in the trustworthiness of Jesus grows, your fear in His absence diminishes. Meaning you cannot love Christ if you are constantly troubled to the point you have lost faith in Him. Love for Christ means confidence in His word, it means a growing trust in His promises, so that you can endure the trials of this life while you wait for Jesus to return.

I will say much more about what it looks like to love Christ by obeying/keeping His word in a moment. But first let us consider that what makes this possible are the promises Jesus makes. These are threefold: the promise of another helper, of His coming, and of His peace.

The Promise

The Promise of another helper

The first is a promise of another helper who will be with them forever. Remember the context of this is His farewell and the encouragement not to let their hearts be troubled but to grow in their faith in Him. In vv. 16-17 & 26 Jesus unpacks this promise.

The word translated helper in the ESV is Paraklete and literally means “one called alongside.” Now this was not a technical term as it developed later in Latin, which is often translated advocate with a legal context in mind. That is partially true here in Jesus’ description of the Holy Spirit, but it goes well beyond just a legal advocate. English translations are divided on how to translate this. Some say helper, others, comforter, counselor, or advocate. I think the term helper is sufficiently broad enough to capture the depth of Jesus’ description of the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Notice the Holy Spirit, is given at the request of Jesus, is sent by the Father, and comes in the name of the Son, that is on His behalf. We have grown accustomed in John’s gospel to hearing that Jesus is the sent one from the Father. Here we see that the Holy Spirit is also sent from the Father, but as an emissary for Jesus. This Trinitarian statement serves to highlight the truth Jesus has been pressing His disciples to see, that He and the Father are one. That to see the Father is to see the Son, for he was sent to reveal the Father to His people, by speaking the words the Father gave him to speak. In that way, Jesus is His disciples’ helper, encouraging, comforting, and at times confronting and convicting them. And in His absence, when he returns to His father, remember, to prepare a place for them with Him (forever) he will not leave them alone, but will send them a similar helper to encourage, comfort, and at times confront and convict.

He is the Spirit of Truth who takes he who is the way, the truth, and the life and applies that truth to His disciples. The world, which in John’s gospel is all those who are set against God, being thoroughly materialistic cannot receive this helper since it does not see or know Him. Which is consequently is also why the World cannot see or know Jesus, because they did not receive Him. The logic is sound: those who receive Jesus, see and know that he is the Christ the Son of God, which means they have seen and know the Father, and while they wait for Jesus to come again, the Father will send them the Holy Spirit to be another helper.

Part of His role as the Spirit of truth is to lead the disciples into the truth by teaching them and reminding them of all that Christ said and did. Here, in the immediate context, this refers to the Apostolic ministry, and the Spirit’s inspiration leading to the writings of the New Testament. We have encountered this already multiple times when John interjects into the story and interprets Jesus’ words or actions. Such as in ch. 2.

“So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” (Jn 2:18–22).

But that does not exhaust the application of the Spirit’s role as Teacher and Remembrancer. For, his ongoing presence in the life of all those who love Jesus is to continue to lead and guide us into the truth. Reformed theologians distinguish between inspiration and illumination. The Spirit inspired the apostle, who were eye-witnesses of Jesus and His ministry, to commit His teaching to writing. The Spirit’s work of inspiration in that sense has ceased with the closing of the apostolic age. But he continues through his indwelling to illuminate the hearts and minds of His people to see and know Jesus. He teaches us all that Jesus said and reminds us of all he has done. The Holy Spirit is Christ-centered and makes us Christ-centered.

Jesus will explain much more in the chapters ahead about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. But primarily here, he wants them to know that he will not leave them alone. He promises to send them another helper, and that’s not all he promises, for he also tells them he will come to them again.

The Promise of His Coming

In vv. 18-22 Jesus continues to reassure anxious disciples that although he is leaving them, it will only be for a little while, and then he will come again. And when he comes, he gives them life, because he lives, since by then they will finally know the unity of the Father and the Son. Now, when is this, when will Jesus come?

He promises not to leave them as orphans. When we hear Jesus say I will come again, we often think of the second coming. But in this case, Jesus is referring to His resurrection. Clueless as to the events that will shortly transpire, Jesus will leave them and go where they cannot follow, for he will be crucified and buried and, for three days, continue under the power of death. But then he will rise from the dead and show himself exclusively to His disciples. Jesus rose from the dead as the first fruits of the age to come. Because he lives, His disciples can live. It’s only after his resurrection that all He had taught them began to make sense. Then would they understand that Jesus had died for them. They would understand that by faith they are united to him in death, and even more so in life. They will understand that Jesus’ mission was to come and reconcile them to God. And as he prays in ch. 17, “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” (Jn 17:11).

But the immediate context does not allow us to just skip over what Jesus said in vv. 16-17 concerning the coming of the Spirit. Especially in light of v. 23. It is the resurrection (and ascension) which makes possible the sending of another helper. So although he left them again after His resurrection, he did not leave them as orphans but remains vitally present with them through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ.

Nor can we neglect Jesus’ promise at the beginning of ch. 14 that he would come again to bring us where he is. People often take this to mean he will return in the end to take us to heaven. But actually he will come again and bring heaven to earth. For those who love Jesus and keep His word, the Father also loves and they will come and make their home with him. A restored creation is God dwelling with man again. It is the Spirit who is “making” us fit to be a home for God. Through the renovating work of sanctification, the Holy Spirit is preparing a bride for the Son, and a temple for God to dwell in.

Given the disciples’ need for encouragement lest their hearts be troubled by Jesus’ absence, he promises them he will return. He will return when he is raised from the dead, and even when he returns to the Father, he will send come again through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whose ongoing mission it is to prepare us for Jesus to come finally in glory and restore all things. That is not the promise of someone uncertain of future events, of someone worried about how it will all unfold. It is the promise of the Triune God, whose sovereign plan of redemption is the only hope for ongoing peace. Which is the final promise Jesus gives His disciples in our text this morning.

The Promise of His Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (Jn 14:27).

Peace is the absence of hostility, or enmity. Enmity is the result of sin, which brought man into a state of enmity with God. Sin makes you God’s enemy, and consequently it also often makes you enemies with others, which is why we lack peace. To be at peace is to be reconciled to God and to one another. That state of shalom is the most blessed estate that we all look forward to in the resurrection when Christ returns and wipes away every sorrow bringing with Him eternal peace–no more enmity with God or man. But Jesus offers peace now, as a promise for His anxious disciples on the eve of His departure.

Now, there are three things I want to draw out from this peace. First, this peace is the peace of Christ, grounded in His person and work. Second, it differs from worldly peace. Third, to read between the lines of this promise we see that peace is a person–the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says “my peace I give to you.” Which we can take in two ways. The peace that he has as God and that He secures for them in His death and resurrection. Jesus is obviously no ordinary man, he is [God’s] Word made flesh. Fully God, fully man, two distinct natures in one person. As such, he has an intimate union with God, a union that makes enmity impossible, and therefore is characterized by peace. Scripture is clear Jesus is like us in everyway yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). Jesus has never known anything but peace since He has always been in perfect fellowship with His Father.

But here’s the staggering thing: the peace that is His that He offers to us, is the peace he secures by becoming sin, by taking on the enmity of God that you deserve. He who never knew enmity with God came and willingly took God’s enmity against you on Himself, so that he could absorb it all, and remove it forever, granting you hard-won peace through the power of His resurrection. The peace he gives is peace he gives up so that he can take on Himself every bit of hostility and enmity you will every experience.

Notice that Jesus qualifies this as not as the world gives do I give to you. You see, sinful man has come to hate God, and in that hatred has radically redefined the lack of peace enmity with Him brings. To the worldling, we lack peace for economic reasons, or because of race or class struggle. We lack peace because the patriarchy is oppressive, or we lack education. Literally anything that the world touts as the answer to the problems of war, famine, poverty, and death is their solution to a lack of peace. And many of these are great solutions. It’s a good thing to be at peace with nature by living according to God’s creational norms. It’s good to live at peace with all men. And to the level we can accomplish those things, it is good and gives a measure of peace, even if we can only go so far without God’s grace enabling more. Still, it would all be to heal the wound lightly if we remained at enmity with God. For whatever temporal goods we acquired would perish along with us in the end.

As Christians, we are not immune from pursuing these avenues as ways to secure peace without first considering if we are at peace with God. Right along with the world, we sometimes think that to have peace we just need that new car, or that better job, or a spouse, or to finally have a child, or reach retirement. But the peace Christ gives is a peace that surpasses understanding. It’s a peace that is yours no matter your circumstance. It doesn’t have to go away just because you undergo something the world defines as a lack of peace. It means you can be at peace in the middle of war, when you lose your child, when your van’s engine blows up, when you face daily debilitating pain, when your spouse cheats in you, when your job sucks, when people hate you and speak all kinds of evil against you falsely, when your hair falls out, and your skin sags, and your strength fails, when your dog dies, and your pipes freeze, and the money runs out, and through it all you can have the same peace. How? Because none of those situations can ever take away the work of Christ. Nothing can separate you from His love. Once he has reconciled you to God in His death and resurrection, nothing can ever remove that peace. And the world can’t offer you that.

That’s because peace is a person. Ever notice that it seems like the Spirit is missing from the apostolic greeting? They say grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. But where’s the Holy Spirit. What the Nt is at pains to make clear is that grace and peace are not substances that we need God to pour into us, grace and peace are a person–the Holy Spirit. Notice Jesus in v. 18 says, “I will not leave you as orphans” and the next mention of leaving is peace I leave with you. In between is the promise that he will give them the Spirit as a helper. The Spirit is the bond that unites you to Christ, and all His benefits–including the peace he has secured through His atoning death. The Spirit makes a home in you for Jesus, who has returned to His Father. Saying, he will never leave you nor forsake you is not a fiction, but a present reality through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He is your peace, for he is from Christ, sent in His name so that your hearts will not be troubled and you will not be afraid.

All of this Jesus has told them beforehand so that when it happens, they will believe. He’s not just making wild predictions, but giving them words of encouragement so that when the difficulties come, and they’re right around the corner, their hearts will not be troubled to the point that they lose faith and walk away. Instead, they will remember, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, all Jesus had said and their faith will be strengthened.

As Jesus prepares to leave he gives a call, and promises.

Application

The Call. If you love me you will keep my commandments. It may be asked, what did Jesus command? Time does not permit me to give a full treatment, for the scriptures themselves contain all that Jesus has commanded. But as I conclude I want to leave you with two commands to consider which lie close at hand in Jesus discussion with His disciples in the farewell discourse. The first is a call to love one another just as Jesus has loved you, by laying down your life for each other and even for your enemies. Jesus set the example by washing the feet of His disciples, even Judas’. So you show your love for Christ by keeping His command to love one another sacrificially. As you encounter others in your day-to-day life, ask this: how can I love this person sacrificially? As I mention often, start close at hand–those in your own home, but don’t stop there. Move out and begin to sacrificially love those in your larger community.

The second command I want you to consider is found in our text this morning: let not your hearts be troubled (Jn. 14:27). You are obey Christ’s commands by trusting in Him, and when your trust in Him is growing, you leave no place in your heart for fear and anxiety. Growing trust, maturing faith is one which finds more and more, day by day, that Jesus is trustworthy. But how is this done? That is the second part of Jesus exhortation–the promises

The Promise. Don’t let your hearts be troubled by remembering His promises. You’re not alone, he is coming, meanwhile: be at peace. That is, he will send you a helper, one who will remind you of all that Christ had said and done. Who will take the things of Christ and apply them to your life? One thing he will often remind you of is Christ will come again. So don’t give up hope, don’t give in to fear. His going has accomplished your salvation, and you are at peace with God. If you are at peace with God, then you can have peace amid the sufferings you will undergo until Christ returns. For he has not left, but has given you His Holy Spirit as a helper until he comes. Amen.

Lord’s Supper Meditation

Here at the table, we receive the promises of Jesus. He has not left you as an orphan, but has sent His Spirit so that in the eating and drinking of these elements of bread and wine you actually commune with the risen and exalted Christ–who although he is in heaven at the right-hand of the Father, he is very much present to all those who receive these visible promises by faith. He calls those who love Him to show their love by keeping His commandments, one of which is to eat this meal together as often as we meet. Many you may have come this morning called into the presence of God with troubled hearts, weighed down by the cares of this world. But as you have considered the promises of God, these have lifted. Now you come trusting that Jesus, who said he would not leave you as an orphan, who has given you His Spirit as a helper, has come to meet with you here. If you love Him, then come and delight in His offer of peace. Come and sit with him and eat and drink your reconciliation with God. Come and give thanks that he stood in your place, and through has death made peace for you with God.

Charge

Since God has promised to send you the Holy Spirit as a Helper, you must love Jesus by keeping His commands.