John 14:8-17, 25-27

Embracing the Helper: The Holy Spirit in Our Lives

Bible Passage: John 14:8–27

Summary: In John 14:8–27, Jesus reassures His disciples of His divine nature and the coming presence of the Holy Spirit, who will guide, teach, and comfort them after His departure.

Application: This passage reminds Christians that they are not alone; the Holy Spirit is actively working in their lives to offer guidance, comfort, and strength in times of difficulty and uncertainty. It encourages them to seek and recognize the Spirit's presence, especially in moments of doubt.

Teaching: The sermon teaches the importance of understanding the role of the Holy Spirit as a Helper, emphasizing that He is not only a comforter but also a teacher who aids believers in their journey of faith, enabling them to grow and live out the commands of Christ.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage reveals Christ's promise of the Holy Spirit as a continued presence of God among His people. It connects Christ’s work in the world with the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing that the Spirit enables believers to experience and embody the fullness of Christ’s teaching and love.

Big Idea: The Holy Spirit empowers believers, providing guidance and comfort, helping them to live out their faith boldly in an uncertain world.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider diving deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in the early church as depicted in Acts, contrasting it with John 14:26. Explore how different translations present the text, particularly the word ‘Helper’ (or ‘Comforter’). Utilizing Logos can help you gather various commentaries and scholarly articles discussing the theological implications of the Spirit's indwelling presence in believers' lives.

1. Perceiving the Divine Presence

John 14:8-14

Perhaps Jesus' conversation with Philip reminds us that our relationship with God is deeply personal, grounded in recognizing Jesus' divine nature. Even in the face of uncertainty, when Philip struggles to understand, Jesus emphasizes faith in His works instead of seeking signs. This strengthens believers’ assurance that the Holy Spirit is a divine helper, guiding us through faith, not sight.

2. Promise of the True Spirit

John 14:15-17

You could focus on how Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth, who dwells within believers. This aspect highlights faith and obedience as pivotal steps toward embracing the Spirit’s guidance. Maybe we find comfort in knowing the Spirit reveals truth when navigating life's uncertainties, offering profound companionship and assurance.

3. Presence with a Purpose

John 14:18-21

Maybe the reassurance that Jesus will not leave us as orphans can anchor our faith in times of solitude. Here, the Holy Spirit’s role as a helper becomes tangible, inviting believers to embrace confidence in God’s eternal plan and love. It might strengthen our understanding of Jesus’ promise of enduring presence through the Spirit, comforting us in our walks.

4. Practicing Obedient Love

John 14:22-24

You could examine how Jesus underscores love expressed through obedience as integral to experiencing the Spirit’s assistance. Judas’ question reflects our internal dialogue about witnessing God’s presence in the world. Maybe understanding this interaction invites deeper trust in the Spirit’s work in our hearts, guiding us toward spiritual maturity.

5. Peace through the Spirit

John 14:25-27

Perhaps Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit as the teacher ensures we continue to learn and grow in faith. This could encourage us to seek out the Spirit’s teachings actively, as Jesus reassures us of peace beyond worldly understanding. Maybe believers find in this point solace and guidance to confront life’s trials with serenity and courage, carried by the Spirit’s peace.

5775 Call the Comforter by the term you think best—Advocate, Helper, Paraclete, the word conveys the indefinable blessedness of his sympathy; an inward invisible kingdom that causes the saint to sing through every night of sorrow. This Holy Comforter represents the ineffable motherhood of God.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

That the Spirit-Paraclete is introduced as “another Paraclete” implies that Jesus himself is also a Paraclete.

George R. Beasley-Murray

Most Christians are not joyful persons because they are not holy persons, and they are not holy persons because they are not filled with the Holy Spirit, and they are not filled with the Holy Spirit because they are not separated persons. The Spirit cannot fill whom He cannot separate, and whom He cannot fill, He cannot make holy, and whom He cannot make holy, He cannot make happy!1

A. W. Tozer

If you could pray the best prayer in the world without the Holy Spirit, God would have nothing to do with it.

Charles Spurgeon

If this thought of the Holy Spirit as the ever-present Paraclete once gets into your heart and abides there, it will banish all fear forever.

R. A. Torrey

657I dread beyond all things the Spirit’s withdrawal. Death has not half the terror of that thought. I would sooner die a thousand times than lose the helpful presence of the Holy Ghost.—16.559

Charles Spurgeon

… many Christians spend a lot of time and energy in making excuses, because they have never broken through into a real offensive for God by the unlimited power of the Holy Spirit!13

A. W. Tozer

Wherever the Holy Spirit is present, He makes men of gold out of men of clay.

John Chrysostom

Jesus is a paraclete, but the Spirit is “another paraclete”

Thomas Schreiner

There will never be any mighty work come from us unless there is first a mighty work in us—no man truly labors for souls unless the Holy Spirit has first worked mightily in him. Christ The Creator, Volume 56, Sermon #3180 - Colossians 1:16

Charles Spurgeon

5785 It is extraordinary how things fall off from a man like autumn leaves once he comes to the place where there is no rule but that of the personal domination of the Holy Spirit.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)