Holy Spirit Come!

Title:

Text: Jhn 14.

Theme:

Introduction: Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure

The disciples face the prospect of life without Jesus physically beside them. Into their uncertainty, Jesus promises another Helper who will remain with them and dwell in them. This promise gives the sermon its setting: troubled believers receiving the assurance of God’s continuing presence.

Opening question: How can we follow Jesus faithfully when we cannot see Him standing beside us?

1. Know Him

The Holy Spirit is a divine Person, the third member of the Trinity.

John 14:16–17 “16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 14:26 “26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

He is the third Person of the Trinity.

There is one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

“Third Person” describes His distinction within the Trinity; it does not mean He is less divine.

In John 14, the Son asks, the Father sends, and the Spirit comes.

He is personal.

He teaches and helps.

He knows and exercises His will—1 Corinthians 2:10–11; 12:11.

1 Corinthians 2:10–11 “10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

1 Corinthians 12:11 “11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

He can be grieved—Ephesians 4:30.

He is fully God.

Acts 5:3–4 connects lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God.

Acts 5:3–4 “3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.””

He deserves our trust, reverence, obedience and worship!

Application: Our relationship with the Spirit begins with recognizing who He is. We depend on Him as God and respond to Him as a Person.

2. Depend on Him

The Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to us.

John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:14

Jesus identifies the Spirit as the Teacher who will remind the disciples of His words. In the following chapters, Jesus explains that the Spirit bears witness about Him and glorifies Him. The Spirit’s ministry directs our attention to Christ. ESV.org

He convicts us—John 16:8–11.

John 16:8–11 “8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

He exposes sin, including unbelief in Jesus.

He confronts the world with Christ’s righteousness and coming judgment.

His conviction calls us to take our need for Christ seriously.

He gives spiritual understanding—1 Corinthians 2:12–14.

1 Corinthians 2:12–14 “12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

We need His help to receive and understand the things of God.

Approach Scripture prayerfully, humbly, and ready to obey.

He gives new life—John 3:5–8; Titus 3:5.

John 3:5–8 “5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.””

Titus 3:5 “5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

Conversion involves more than adopting religious habits.

The Spirit brings spiritual life through the new birth.

Interpretive note: John 14:26 first addresses the apostles who heard Jesus personally. Its promise of remembering His teaching undergirds their witness. Our application is to depend on the Spirit as we understand and obey that apostolic teaching in Scripture. ESV.org

Application: Look for the Spirit’s work in a growing understanding of Christ, conviction of sin, faith in the gospel, and obedience to Scripture.

3. Yield to Him

The Holy Spirit reproduces Jesus in and through us.

John 14:17; Galatians 5:16–25; 2 Corinthians 3:18

Clarify your phrase this way: He forms the character of Jesus in us.

He indwells us—John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19.

John 14:17 “17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 “19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,”

His presence makes our bodies His temple.

Our choices, relationships, and habits belong under God’s authority.

He seals us—Ephesians 1:13–14.

Ephesians 1:13–14 “13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

His presence marks believers as belonging to God.

He is the guarantee of our promised inheritance.

He comforts and helps us—John 14:16.

John 14:16 “16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”

His help sustains us through grief, weakness, and obedience.

We can depend on His presence even when our emotions fluctuate.

He produces Christlike character—Galatians 5:22–23.

Galatians 5:22–23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

His fruit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Spiritual maturity becomes visible in how we treat people.

He empowers our witness—Acts 1:8.

Acts 1:8 “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

His power equips believers to testify about Jesus.

Depend on Him for courage to speak and faithfulness to serve.

Application: Ask, Where is the Spirit calling me to become more like Jesus—in my home, my speech, my relationships, or my witness?

4. Respond to Him

Rejoice in His presence and submit to His work.

Rejoice because:

God has given you His abiding Helper.

You belong to Him.

You have help for understanding Scripture and obeying Christ.

You have power to bear witness.

God is at work forming Christ’s character in you.

Do not grieve Him—Ephesians 4:30.

Ephesians 4:30 “30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Ephesians 4:23–5:5 “23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

The surrounding passage makes this practical: put away destructive speech, bitterness, anger, and malice; practice kindness and forgiveness.

Application: Confess the sin you have been defending. Seek forgiveness. Make the obedience you already understand your next step.

Do not quench Him—1 Thessalonians 5:19–22.

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 “19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.”

Paul connects this command with receiving prophetic speech seriously, testing everything, holding to what is good, and rejecting evil. Teach both responsiveness and discernment: claimed spiritual guidance must be tested. Bible Gateway

Walk by the Spirit—Galatians 5:16, 25.

Galatians 5:16 “16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Galatians 5:25 “25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

Daily submission includes prayerful dependence, attention to Scripture, repentance, and obedience.

Closing appeal

Bring the congregation back to three questions:

Do I know Him? Have I trusted Christ and received new life?

Am I depending on Him? Where am I relying on my own strength and not His?

Am I yielding to Him? What clear step of obedience have I delayed?

Closing emphasis: The Helper Jesus promised is present with His people. We can rejoice in His faithful presence and should surrender ourselves to His transforming work.