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

Good Morning! My name is Andrew Daw and I am Efford’s Indigenous Theologian.

Our reading for today covers issues relating to five areas of significant controversy, both now and in the past.

The first controversy is, ‘Who is a Christian?’ This particular issue is not as controversial as it used to be, but it is still in the mix.

The second controversy is ‘Who is the Advocate?’

The third controversy is, ‘The Holy Spirit?’

The fourth controversy is, ‘The Trinity?’

The fifth controversy is ‘The Resurrection’.

You may be able to think of some other significant points of controversy that relate to this passage. Fortunately, I didn’t. Five is quite enough.

There is a great deal of cross-over between our passage for today and the previous verses (John 14:15-21). Our passage for today is Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question, ‘Why are you going to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” What we will discover as we read Jesus answer is that He has his reasons.

Who is a Christian?

You would think that this question would be a very simple one to answer. But as it turns out, it can be controversial, because different people have different ideas about it.

It is helpful to distinguish between a practicing Christian and a nominal Christian.

A practicing Christian is actively committed to the Christian Faith and the practice of Christianity in their everyday life. Their Christian journey normally begins when they say a special prayer to God to forgive their sins because of what Jesus has done on the Cross, and they commit themselves to living a Christian Life.

Nominal Christians may not even identify as a Christian. But they were brought up in a country with a Christian heritage in a culture, with morals and laws that owe their existence to Christianity.

According to Jesus it comes down to faith and practice. If you are a real Christian then it will show in your life-style.

The Advocate?

One of the things that Muslims sometimes claim is that our passage for this morning is a prophecy about Mohammed.

But it is quite clear from the passage that the Comforter or Advocate is the Holy Spirit. I don’t think that we need to occupy any more time on this issue.

The Holy Spirit?

Some Christians have problems with the concept of the Holy Spirit. He is also an issue for the group known as Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is due in part to the association of the Holy Spirit with the Trinity, which they do not believe in, but we do.

What do we know about the Holy Spirit from the Bible?

The Holy Spirit was active during creation.

The Holy Spirit inspired and transformed the prophets and kings.

The Holy Spirit was present at the Baptism of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit descended upon the Church at Pentecost/Shavuot.

The Holy Spirit comes to teach us about Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.

The Trinity?

Often on a Sunday we stand together to declare our faith in the One and Only True God, who has revealed himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Many have tried to explain the Trinity and many have failed. You will be glad to know that I am not going to try and explain the mystery of the Godhead.

There are many ways that men have acknowledged that God is above and beyond our understanding. I consider the Trinity to be concept to illustrate a mystery.

The good news is you do not have to understand him to know him and serve him.

But it is important to remember that belief in the Trinity is a kind of Monotheism. In other words the Trinity is a Christian description of the One True God.

It is important not to get tied in knots when you are explaining the mystery of the Godhead. I may not fully understand God, but I trust and believe in Him.

The Resurrection?

Some theologians have said that the Resurrection of Jesus was not literal or physical, but spiritual and mythological.

Nowadays, many that come right out with it and say that the Resurrection is a fiction created by the Church.

But the Bible tells us plainly that the Resurrection of Jesus was both literal and physical. Indeed, if the Apostles had not been entirely convinced of this, then there would probably have been no Church and no Christians.

One of the best evidences for the truth of a literal and physical Resurrection is the existence of the Church. That means you and I! It is also well attested in other ancient literature.

What is the Point of the Passage?

In the passage that we read this morning Jesus was not trying to stir up controversy or even provide a sound doctrinal basis for believers.

The doctrinal issues that we have covered are important, but they are incidental to the living relationship that existed between Jesus and his disciples.

Jesus was trying to reassure his disciples because he was going to die, then rise, and then ascend into heaven and leave them.

How were they going to cope without their Lord?

Jesus explains how!

John 14:23–24 NIV

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Jesus tells His disciples that they have a living relationship with God that is not going to change. If you chose Jesus and the Way of Life that he has given to us, then he will share your life with you. This passage is the promise of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit would come in power (Acts 2:1-13).

We tend to focus our attention upon the positive, but there is also a negative. Those that love God obey him, and the Spirit inhabits them (cf. 1 John 2:5). But those who do not love God, will not obey him and will not be participants in the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

The Father and the Son are present within the life of the believer by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Early Church Fathers portrayed this as the indwelling of the Trinity [WBC 36]. This is the union of the Trinity with all believers.

Our love for God shows most vividly in the things that we do for God and for others. Where a mans treasure is there his heart will also be (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34).

The words of the Gospel come from God himself. The Unique Triune God has come to live within the Christian Community, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. But one day we will go to live with Him.

This sounds to me like a very amicable arrangement.

John 14:25–26 NIV

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Jesus promises to his followers the gift of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of Jesus (Jesus - Acts 16:7; Philippians 1:19; and the Spirit of Christ - Romans 8:9, 1 Peter 1:11). The Father sent the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name to us to remind us of what Jesus said (cf. John 15:26).

Jesus is our Advocate with the Father in Heaven (1 John 2:1) and the Holy Spirit is our Advocate within. Jesus needed to go so that the Holy Spirit could come (John 16:7).

Sometimes it is necessary for us to move on in order to make way for others to serve. This is often a difficult task for a variety of reasons.

Some see in this promise a clarification or reinterpretation of the παρουσία (Second Coming). Jesus has come again by his Spirit which he has given to us. Jesus will come again and every eye shall see it. The παρουσία (Second Coming) is going to be our happy reunion.

The Holy Spirit has come to the Community of believers to teach us and remind us about the things we need to know.

The Spirit has come so that the mission to spread the Gospel to the whole world can continue.

Our passage for today if full of trinitarian references. John 14:26 is just one more example of the many verses that are intended to help us understand our relationship with the Triune God.

John 14:27 NIV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I guess that all of us would like to leave a legacy that would make someone’s life better. When I go, I want to leave behind me something more than my unpaid bills and an accumulation of rubbish.

Some people leave behind them money, others works of art and literature, others leave the results of a life-time of love and service.

Jesus left to us the Spirit of peace.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Peace. When Jesus said that he did not give peace like the world gives peace, He was not giving peace as a polite Middle-Eastern salutation, he was referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Prince of Peace has given to us the gift of the Spirit of Peace.

If you were a first century Christian and travelled to Rome you might be able to see Ara Pacis (the Altar to the Roman Peace) erected by Caesar Augustus to celebrate his establishment of the era of peace [EncycBrit on Pax]. Jesus did not come to establish this kind of peace. He did not enforce peace through legions of soldiers.

The peace that Jesus gave was peace with God and man, peace between Jew and Gentile, and a deep sense of inner peace. Peace in the face of chaos. A peace that does not depend upon circumstances, but upon the presence of the Spirit of the Living God.

John 14:28 NIV

“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

Is Jesus talking to his disciples about his Resurrection and Ascension or is he talking to us about the Second Coming. I like to think that it might be a little of both. Certainly this verse fits both scenarios.

Marana Ata! The Lord has come and is coming again. This promise from Jesus to the first disciples became one of the foundation stones of Christian Teaching.

If you are puzzled by the final statement in this verse [My Father is greater than I], then you are in good company.

Benedict Aretius thought that this related to the fact that Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant (see Philippians 2; C B Brown John 13-21 2021). He became human and was sent by the Father to die for us. But according Aretius, in regard to his divinity, Jesus remained equal with the Father.

One theologian observed that in order to understand God we would need to be God. I can see his point.

After his crucifixion Jesus was going to rise from the dead, and the world would never be the same again. This single event would change the entire course of history, and this is the reason that we are all here today.

But there is another very current issue here. The issue of misrepresentation and persecution. When Jesus said that He was going away, He was talking about His unjust execution at the hands of a brutal Roman governor.

Jesus would be misrepresented as a political threat and used by Pilate to score points against Jesus’ religious opponents.

This is not a new phenomenon. It happens today. People misrepresent others and use the law and information as instruments of oppression, rather than as instruments of truth and freedom.

We need to recognise the problem and pray for those who are persecuted unjustly.

In the information age, information and disinformation have become weapons.

Let us pray that the truth may prevail!

John 14:29 NIV

I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

The purpose of the prophecy was faith, or if you prefer, simple trust in God. God wants us to be able to trust him, and I suppose by implication trust each other, as we share our common calling.

Which brings us to another major issue when evaluating the Gospels. When exactly were they written? Nowadays it is quite common to find commentators and theologians say some time after AD 70. However, the reason why they say this is because Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, which happened around AD 70.

If you don’t have a problem with prophecy then it could quite easily have been a few decades before AD 70. But if you do have a problem with prophecy and the supernatural then the Gospels must have been written after AD 70.

Our account has Jesus predicting things that were in the future. You can find other predictions in the Gospels. Jesus made these predictions because He wanted his disciples to see the fulfilment and have a firm foundation for their faith.

What Does All This Mean To Us?

These verses give clear guidance about how to recognise a true follower of Jesus.

Strangely enough, there are people that take strong “moral” stances against the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, but insist that they are practicing Christians. They run around challenging time honoured truths and moral standards as if they are on a Crusade.

If we listen to what they are saying, and look at what they are doing, then we will know that these people are not Christians and need to repent.

There are also people who may not be regarded as politically correct, but that does not mean that they are not correct. They may not be perfect, but they are trying to uphold the teaching of Jesus and His Apostles. In this case, I would feel obliged to give them my support.

It is apparent from our passage that Jesus prizes obedience and respects active living faith. It is also apparent that He wants us to remember what we have learned and to act on it. Learning is not a sin. It is the foundation of faith.

He wants us to live in peace. He wants us to receive the peace of God, to be at peace with God and with others (as much as is possible). He wants us to be peacemakers, and to share the peace of God with others. Our community should be a community of peace.

Marana Ata! Jesus is Coming again. This is the blessed hope of believers. We should in the expectation that Jesus is coming again.

The death of Jesus has purchased peace with God for all of us.

Jesus predicted His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Concern, discouragement, and even panic were all understandable reactions from His disciples. But what God wants for us is a living faith that gives us the confidence to stand when others fall, and a peace that passes all understanding.

THE PEACE OF THE LORD BE WITH YOU!

AND ALSO WITH YOU!

AMEN