A Helper
The Baptist Church in Warren
First Baptist in America
May 27, 2007 Pentecost 10:30 am
PRELUDE
WELCOME
GREETING FROM FBCIA Stephen T. Martorella
CALL TO WORSHIP
“Both young men and maidens, old men and children: let them praise the name of the Lord:
for his name alone is excellent;
his glory is above the earth and heaven”
*HYMN OF PRAISE #187 “Breathe on Me, Breath of God ”
*INVOCATION (the Lord’s Prayer) as we worship may your Presence be made known to us. Fill us afresh with your Spirit that we may be strong in a world full of complexities and constant change. May we today boldly bear witness to the claims of your Kingdom, and may we look forward to the day when your knowledge covers the earth as waters cover the sea.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
*GLORIA PATRI (Sung together) #575
Psalm for Today Psalm 104:24-34
24O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
26There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
28when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35… Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
CHOIR
SCRIPTURE READING Acts 2:1-18 Barbara Staples
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
OFFERING TO GOD “Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matt. 19:21 NIV).
*DOXOLOGY (Sung together) #572
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION Paul Becker
God of our fathers, we cherish the blessings your Church brings to us. We are indeed grateful for the privilege of sharing, through these gifts, the proclamation of your Word to the uttermost parts of the world, until that day when all earth praises you.
*HYMN OF PRAYER # 198
“Spirit of GOD, Descend Upon My Heart”
PASTORAL PRAYER “[Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'” Luke 11:1 Praise God for... police, firefighters, and other community service people.Ask God for... restoration of peace in communities facing rising crime.Thank God for... Healing for...
O God, the fresh winds of your spirit are like a cool, refreshing breeze that flows over our hungry souls. But we have to admit, Loving God, that sometimes we are left wondering when we experience the mystery of your presence with us. You tell us that unless we are born again, we cannot see the Kingdom of God. Help us to understand that we are constantly given opportunities to begin again. Teach us again how to see, but this time through your eyes. Teach us again to walk, this time in your shoes. Teach us again to feel, this time through your senses. Teach us again to love, this time with your heart.
Help us to be born from above and inspire us with the confidence that you will be with us in our life journey. Help us to let go of those things that hold us down. Comfort those among us who struggle with illness, who anxiously await the outcome of medical testing, who are overcome with loss, who are held prisoner by addictions, who are despondent over their present life situation. And on this Memorial Day weekend, we especially remember those who have gone before us, who have fought the good fight, who have finished the race
and now celebrate life eternal. We ask for your special guidance for the leaders of our country, and we pray for peace throughout the world. You, Loving God, come to offer hope, to change the circumstances of our lives and to offer to us the promise of eternal life.—Susan Gregg Schroeder
*HYMN OF PRAISE # 189
“The Comforter Has Come”
Scripture Text John 14: 8-17, 25-27
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
MESSAGE Rev. Irish
“A Helper”
On this Pentecost Sunday the focus is on the concept of the gift of the Holy Spirit. This concept sometimes makes some of us uneasy, and we have difficulty preaching on this topic because of images of “speaking in tongues” and other so-called manifestations of the Spirit. In staying away from this topic, we miss a vital and important aspect of the work of the Church. That is what this Scripture is about, as Jesus talks with his disciples prior to his departure and declares that his Spirit will continue on with them—and us—to continue his work.
What is this work of Christ? It’s the work of reconciliation. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.”
What we proclaim is reconciliation: reconciliation with God, for without reconciliation with God there is no other reconciliation possible; reconciliation with our own true self, created in God’s image; and reconciliation with our brothers and sisters.4
We also hear in the Gospel, “If you love me, keep my commandments; and I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper.” In other words, there is only one test of love, and that test is obedience. But obedience is not easy, just as loving is not always easy. But Jesus is saying, “I will not leave you alone in your struggle.” This is where he says I will send you a comforter, but Barclay points out that the better translation is “Helper.”5
Obedience is not easy; we are not left alone. Often we hear and know of people talking about not being able to cope or about having difficulty coping with one thing or another. This is what Jesus is giving us when he speaks of this gift of the Spirit—you will be able to cope with the difficulties and challenges of life.
Barclay paraphrases this saying of Jesus in this way: “I am setting you a hard task, and I am sending you out on an engagement very difficult. But I am going to send you someone, the Helper, who will guide you in what to do and who will make you able to do it. The Holy Spirit will bring you truth and you are able to cope with the battle for the truth.”6
The Spirit of Truth given to the Church is the living presence, wisdom, power, and love that Christ brought to the world. When we have received the “gift” of the Spirit, our minds are opened. / Sometimes we wonder why some minds seemed closed and unwilling to see and hear truth. Could it be that we have not been open in prayer to receive the promises that Christ made to us and to receive the Spirit? How often have we prayed to be filled with the Spirit and included in that prayer the need to know the truth? As we read through the New Testament we begin to see, little by little, how the followers were beginning to see and apply the truths of Christ. That is the Spirit at work.
The gift of the Spirit helps us to “open our eyes,” as the old hymn goes: “Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me, open my mouth. . . .” This is a prayer for the Spirit to be with us during our daily living, to be able to apply the lessons and spirit of Christ to our daily lives, to help us overcome sin and grow as Christians.
So when we are anointed by the Spirit, our minds are enlightened, and we are given strength for service.
Obedience and service are not easy. Loving is not always easy; reconciliation is often difficult. It helps that we are not alone as we go through challenges of daily Christian living, knowing that the Spirit of the Living Christ is with us.
We must not just think that the gift of the Spirit is just for special occasions or special times of worship. The Spirit that Christ is speaking about is with us at all times to offer guidance, strength, hope.
In the field of mental health they often talk about a healthy person as one who is able to be intimate, that is, one who can open up to another person and get close. Or they might say the person has awareness—is aware of his or her own strengths and weaknesses and impact on others, whether negative or positive. Or they might say a healthy person is one who has spontaneity, meaning the person is not stuck in a rut but is open to seeing things differently and responding differently.
I believe this is close to what Jesus is calling us to when he says the Holy Spirit will be with you. He is saying that we are willing to be intimate with his Spirit and open ourselves to him, that we seek to become more aware of our strengths and needs so that we can respond better to the leading of God’s Spirit, and, finally, that we are called to be more spontaneous in our living, meaning we are not stuck in only one way of experiencing life, or God, or ourselves and others.
Jesus is saying his Spirit is with us. It is part of his promise to us. But we must be aware of our strengths and needs; we must desire to be closer in our walk, and we must be willing to step “outside the box” in spontaneity to follow his Spirit.—Louis Twyman
4Sermon by Steve Shoemaker, 1998.
5Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: Gospel of John, vol. 2, 2001, p. 96.
6Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: Gospel of John, vol. 2, 2001, p. 96.
*HYMN OF RESPONSE #350 “Open My Eyes, That I May See”
*SENDING FORTH
*POSTLUDE
(John 14:7–11)
We do not have to wait until we enter heaven to get to know the Father. We can know Him today and receive from Him the spiritual resources we need to keep going whether we face good or bad.
What does it mean to “know the Father”? The word know is used 141 times in John’s Gospel, but it does not always carry the same meaning. There are four different “levels” of knowing according to John. The lowest level is simply - knowing a fact. The next level is to understand the truth behind that fact. However, you can know the fact and know the truth behind it and still not apply the information. The third level introduces relationship; “to know” means “to believe in a person and become related to him or her.” This is the way “know” is used in John 17:3. In fact, in Scripture, “to know” is used of the most intimate relationship between man and wife (Gen. 4:1).
The fourth use of “know” means “to have a deeper relationship with a person, a deeper communion.” It was this level Paul was referring to when he wrote, “That I may know Him” (Phil. 3:10). When Jesus said that knowing Him and seeing Him was the same as knowing and seeing the Father, He was claiming to be God. From now on, the disciples would understand more and more about the Father, even though Jesus was leaving them.
Philip had come a long way since that day Jesus found him and called him (John 1:43–45). The Greek construction of Jesus’ question in John 14:10 indicates that He expected a yes answer from Philip: he did believe that Jesus was in the Father and the Father in Him. That being the case, Philip should have realized that the words of Jesus, as well as His works, came from the Father and revealed the Father. The emphasis throughout John’s Gospel is that you cannot separate Christ’s words and works, for both come from the Father and reveal the Father.
The “believe” in John 14:10 is singular, for Jesus was addressing Philip; but in John 14:11, it is plural and He addresses all of the disciples. The tense of both is “go on believing.” Let your faith grow!
Four hundred years before Christ was born, the Greek philosopher Plato wrote, “To find out the Father and Maker of all this universe is a hard task, and when we have found Him, to speak of Him to all men is impossible.” But Plato was wrong! We can know the Father and Maker of the universe, for Jesus Christ revealed Him to us. Why should our hearts be troubled when the Creator and Governor of the universe is our own Father?
The very Lord of heaven and earth is our Father (Luke 10:21). There is no need for us to have troubled hearts, for He is in control. ///
We do not obey the Lord simply because we want our prayers answered, somewhat like the attitude of a child just before Christmas. We obey Him because we love Him; and the more we obey Him, the more we experience His love. To “keep” His commandments means to value them, treasure them, guard them, and do them. “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).
Jesus had a great deal to say about the Holy Spirit in His Upper Room message, for apart from the help of the Spirit of God, we cannot live the Christian life as God would have us live it. We must know who the Holy Spirit is, what He does, and how He does it.
The Holy Spirit is given two special names by our Lord: “another Comforter” and “the Spirit of truth.” The Greek word translated “Comforter” is parakletos and it is used only by John (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; 1 John 2:1). It means “called alongside to assist.” The Holy Spirit does not work instead of us, or in spite of us, but in us and through us.
Our English word comfort comes from two Latin words meaning “with strength.” We usually think of “comfort” as soothing someone, consoling him or her; and to some extent this is true. But true comfort strengthens us to face life bravely and keep on going. It does not rob us of responsibility or make it easy for us to give up. Some translations call the Holy Spirit “the Encourager,” and this is a good choice of words. Parakletos is translated “Advocate” in 1 John 2:1. An “advocate” is one who represents you at court and stands at your side to plead your case.
As “the Spirit of Truth,” the Holy Spirit is related to Jesus, the Truth, and the Word of God, which of itself is the truth (John 14:6; 17:17). Since He is the “Spirit of Truth,” the Holy Spirit cannot lie or be associated with lies. He never leads us to do anything contrary to the Word of God, for again God’s Word is truth.
The Holy Spirit abides in the believer. He is a gift from the Father in answer to the prayer of the Son. During His earthly ministry, Jesus had guided, guarded, and taught His disciples; but now He was going to leave them. The Spirit of God would come to them and dwell in them, taking the place of their Master. Jesus called the Spirit “another Comforter,” and the Greek word translated “another” means “another of the same kind.” The Spirit of God is not different from the Son of God, for both are God. The Spirit of God had dwelt with the disciples in the person of Jesus Christ. Now He would dwell in them.
When the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, He was given to God’s people to remain with them forever. Even though we may grieve the Spirit, He will not leave us.
The word translated “comfortless” in John 14:18 means “orphans.” We are not alone, abandoned, helpless, and hopeless! Wherever we go, the Spirit is with us, so why should we feel like orphans? There is no need to have a troubled heart when you have the very Spirit of God dwelling within you!
We Enjoy the Father’s Love (John 14:19–24)
“The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5). Orphans feel unwanted and unloved, but our Father shares His love with us. Jesus explained a threefold manifestation of God’s love.
If we treasure His Word and obey it, then the Father and the Son will share Their love with us and make Their home in us.
When the sinner trusts Christ, he is born again and the Spirit immediately enters his body and bears witness that he is a child of God. The Spirit is resident and will not depart. But as the believer yields to the Father, loves the Word, prays, and obeys, there is a deeper relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Salvation means we are going to heaven, but submission means that heaven comes to us!
This truth is illustrated in the experiences of Abraham and Lot, recorded in Genesis 18 and 19. When Jesus and the two angels visited Abraham’s tent, they felt right at home. They even enjoyed a meal, and Jesus had a private talk with Abraham. But our Lord did not go to Sodom to visit Lot, because He did not feel at home there. Instead, He sent the two angels.
Our experience with God ought to go deeper and deeper, and it will as we yield to the Spirit of Truth and permit Him to teach us and guide us. If we love God and obey Him, He will manifest His love to us in a deeper way each day.
People in the world walk by sight and depend on the externals, but Christians walk by faith and depend on the eternals. The Spirit of God teaches us the Word and guides us (not drags us!) into the truth. He also reminds us of what He has taught us so that we can depend on God’s Word in the difficult times of life. The Spirit uses the Word to give us His peace (John 14:27), His love (John 15:9–10), and His joy (John 15:11). If that does not calm a troubled heart, nothing will!
We have the Spirit within us, the Savior above us, and the Word before us! What tremendous resources for peace![1]
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[1]Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Jn 14:7