1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,840 I'll be reading from the Gospel of John beginning at verse 15 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:10,440 through verse 31. As I read, listen for the 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,560 statements made about the Holy Spirit, and listen to the 4 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:19,760 statements made about obeying Christ's commands, that the ones 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,480 who obey Him are the ones who love Him. 6 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:27,840 Listen now as I read. If you love me, you will keep my 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,520 commandments, and I will ask the Father, and He will give you 8 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:33,840 another helper to be with you forever. 9 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:38,120 Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:39,960 it neither sees Him nor knows Him. 11 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,840 You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 12 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:48,200 I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you yet a little 13 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,320 while, and the world will see me no more. 14 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,840 But you will see me because I live. 15 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,480 You also will live in that day. You will know that I am in my 16 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:58,960 Father, and you and me and I and you. 17 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,520 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, He it is who loves 18 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,400 me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will 19 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,600 love him and manifest myself to Him. 20 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,920 Judas, not Iscariot, said to him. 21 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,840 Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not 22 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,000 to the world? Jesus answered him, If anyone 23 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,840 loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him and 24 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,240 we will come to him and make our home with him. 25 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,480 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word 26 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,760 that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me these 27 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,560 things. I've spoken to you while I am 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:40,800 still with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 29 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,840 will send in my name. He will teach you all things, 30 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,440 and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 31 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,560 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. 32 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:52,840 Not as the world gives do I give to you. 33 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,000 Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 34 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,120 You heard me say to you, I'm going away, and I will come to 35 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,280 you. If you love me, you would have 36 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,480 rejoiced, because I'm going to the Father, for the Father is 37 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,240 greater than I. And now I have told you before 38 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:13,200 it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe 39 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:15,400 I will no longer talk much with you. 40 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:17,560 For the ruler of this world is coming. 41 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:22,400 He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, 42 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:26,040 so that the world may know that I love the Father. 43 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:31,000 Rise, let us go from here. This is the word of the Lord. 44 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,240 Be to God. Please be seated. 45 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:48,000 Jesus, in this farewell discourse, teaches his disciples 46 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:54,760 so much about the Holy Spirit. Up to this point in John's 47 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,400 Gospel, the Holy Spirit has really been much like he was in 48 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,320 the synoptic Gospels, primarily focusing on Jesus's earthly 49 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,880 ministry. But now the 11 sit around this 50 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,520 table, very troubled. Remember, they don't know the 51 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,080 end of the story. They're struggling to believe 52 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,680 all that's taking place. The one perfect man, the man who 53 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,880 has never sinned, the one who has walked with them for three 54 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:23,040 years, who called them to take up their cross and follow him, 55 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:28,440 the one who has done everything to show them the way, has spoken 56 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,440 of betrayal. He's spoken of denial. 57 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,120 He has spoken of departure again. 58 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,600 I am leaving soon. These men are shattered. 59 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,120 They have no idea what really is taking place. 60 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,280 We know the story because we know the end. 61 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,800 But they didn't. And now Jesus gives them these 62 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,680 words and He comes here with this profound promise of the 63 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,240 Holy Spirit. You're going to need your Bible 64 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:55,840 today, not just what's in the bulletin. 65 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,160 So grab the Blue Pew Bible if you did not bring your own. 66 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,280 But let me encourage you bring your own Bible because we're 67 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,040 going to look at a couple of other passages in the federal 68 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,280 discourse, even though we'll be preaching on those in a few 69 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:12,000 weeks. In chapter 16, verse 7, Jesus 70 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,520 says to the disciples, nevertheless, I tell you the 71 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,480 truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. 72 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:24,080 For if I do not go away, the helper, notice it's capitalized. 73 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:28,320 That means Holy Spirit, the helper will not come to you, but 74 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,600 if I go, I will send him to you, and when he comes, he will 75 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,320 convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. 76 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:42,760 Jesus tells them it's better than I go, and you know that had 77 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,680 to be so hard to believe. The only thing that could help 78 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,240 them have some solace is that it's coming from a man who has 79 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,880 never lied. He is the truth. 80 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:55,880 He doesn't just tell the truth. But how could it be better for 81 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,920 you to leave? Imagine what it feels like when 82 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:03,000 someone you love is departing. There's pain, there's anguish, 83 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,200 but Christ knows what is about to happen. 84 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,200 And he said it's better for you to leave. 85 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,600 I have walked next to you. I have walked with you 86 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,280 physically. I have been side by side with 87 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:20,160 you. But when I leave, when I ascend, 88 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:25,160 when I return to the Father, the Spirit will come and live in 89 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,560 you. And it's my Spirit, it's the 90 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:34,360 Helper. The Holy Spirit for many of us 91 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:41,480 remains a mystery. Even the Scriptures quite clear 92 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:46,000 about the role of the Spirit. Sinclair Ferguson says the 93 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,120 Spirit himself remains to many Christians an anonymous, 94 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,480 faceless aspect of the divine being. 95 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,800 John Calvin says the Holy Spirit is the bond by which we come to 96 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:03,000 enjoy Christ and all his benefits, by which Christ 97 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,280 effectually unites us to himself. 98 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,200 You see the language what I preached on last week of our 99 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:14,400 union with Jesus. This idea of union with Christ 100 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:20,360 is not an idea to just be intellectually understood, but a 101 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:26,680 new reality to be lived. Christ, through his Spirit is 102 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:35,200 living in US. Jesus Christ, Ferguson says, and 103 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,120 I'm going to repeat what I read last week. 104 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:43,360 Having the Spirit is the equivalent, indeed the very mode 105 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:48,520 of having the Incarnate, obedient, crucified, resurrected 106 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:53,640 and exalted Christ and dwelling us so that we are united to him 107 00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:59,320 as he is united to the Father. On Wednesday night, I had the 108 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,720 privilege of sitting around a table with about 15 what we 109 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:04,720 would call young adults in our church. 110 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:07,400 It was Q&A time. And one of the first questions 111 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:12,000 was what do you think is missing most in the discipleship, 112 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:14,880 particularly in the West and in a city like Dallas? 113 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:21,200 And I immediately said this, this Christianity is so often 114 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,680 just a set of beliefs or a worldview, and it is a 115 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,560 worldview, but it is a worldview that's not just centered on 116 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,760 checking boxes. It's a worldview that says 117 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,680 because of what Christ said, what he said here in John 14, 118 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:40,120 His Spirit lives in US. It's not just a code of conduct. 119 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:45,200 Jesus is not just one who came to bring rules and statements of 120 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:46,920 truth. He is the truth. 121 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,320 He is the way. He is the life. 122 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:54,120 So here's what I want to do this morning using this text. 123 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:58,600 I want to unpack who is the person of the Holy Spirit? 124 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,280 What did Jesus say? What is the presence of the Holy 125 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,680 Spirit and why does that matter? What is the role of the Holy 126 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:07,440 Spirit? Or if you want to keep it all 127 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,400 peace, what is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? 128 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:15,120 And lastly, look at the peace that Christ promises us. 129 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:17,400 So first the person of the Holy Spirit. 130 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:24,200 Go to John 14 verse 16, Jesus says, and I will ask the Father, 131 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:29,200 and he will give you another helper to be with you forever, 132 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,679 even the Spirit of truth. So for some of you, you're very 133 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,559 familiar with this. Maybe what would be most helpful 134 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:40,080 is to think about how would you explain the Holy Spirit to 135 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,240 someone? Listen carefully. 136 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,680 This is how you explain the Holy Spirit. 137 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:50,320 Who is he? He's a person, the person of the 138 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,720 Holy Spirit. What is he called? 139 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:58,520 Jesus's own mouth says, I will give you another helper. 140 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,400 This is a very difficult word to translate in the Greek. 141 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,600 That's why so many different translations use different 142 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:09,880 words, words like comforter, even in the choir's piece that 143 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:14,600 was so beautiful this morning, words like counselor, words like 144 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,600 advocate. The reason it's hard is because 145 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,880 we don't have an English word that really incorporates all of 146 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,000 that. There is a legal dynamic to 147 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:24,920 this. And so if we're not careful, we 148 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,440 tend to think just one aspect of the Holy Spirit, like comforter. 149 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,560 He's just there to bring comfort and peace so much more. 150 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:37,120 This statement, though another helper reveals the connection to 151 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,360 Jesus Christ. The helper is the one who is 152 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:45,120 going to assist us in believing everything we need to believe. 153 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:47,760 We'll see that in a moment. But he then gives him another 154 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:53,280 title in verse 17. Even the spirit of truth. 155 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,400 This same statement is used in 14. 156 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:02,480 I'm sorry, 1613 and 1526 as well. 157 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:06,200 And this is important because Jesus has just said, I am the 158 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:10,320 way and I am the truth and I am the life. 159 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:13,600 The Spirit here is called the Spirit of truth. 160 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:18,160 Now let's talk about the presence of the Holy Spirit. 161 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:22,800 Look with me at verse 17. Jesus says even the Spirit of 162 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:25,640 truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees 163 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:29,800 Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with 164 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,640 you and will be in you. Here's what I want you to see. 165 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:41,160 If you have trusted Christ, you know Christ, you're one with 166 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:43,960 Christ. His Spirit lives in you and has 167 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:45,960 from the moment in which you professed faith. 168 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:48,400 He's not going to be in you someday. 169 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:51,320 He's in you now that's remarkable. 170 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,360 Praise God for the grace that he opened your eyes to see because 171 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,840 Jesus has clearly said here the world does not see. 172 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:05,120 He says you know him, He dwells in you, He lives in you. 173 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:10,920 Leon Morris says this. What is present here is a 174 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:17,000 continuous reality. What is present here is a 175 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:22,880 continuous reality. The Holy Spirit is in you and 176 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:26,720 does not leave you. It's a continuous reality, but 177 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:32,120 it's also a future certainty. You heard Jesus say He will be 178 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:37,720 with you forever. This continuous reality, this 179 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:42,560 future certainty, is what should be the thrust of everything we 180 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:47,040 celebrate in Christ. But we tend to think wrongly 181 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:51,520 about the Holy Spirit. Some of you have grown up only 182 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,720 in an age where most things are cordless. 183 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,800 But for many of us in this sanctuary, we remember things 184 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,400 that had cords, like a phone and a phone in a cord. 185 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,400 And if you were lucky, your parents would buy one that would 186 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:10,840 go from the kitchen all the way to your bedroom. 187 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:15,960 That cord could stretch so far one day. 188 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,360 The cordless phone was invented Over Memorial Day weekend when I 189 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:21,960 was teaching on the Florida trip. 190 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:25,640 Our home, just our garage, was broken into. 191 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,920 They broke into our car first. They hit the button to open the 192 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,520 garage door, the garage door opened, and they stole all sorts 193 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:38,680 of things, mostly cordless power tools and a couple of bikes that 194 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:41,880 I really loved. So I'm in the process now of 195 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:44,600 replacing them. And as I'm looking for certain 196 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,760 things that are cordless, what am I paying most attention to? 197 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:52,680 Power matters some, but what matters most is how long will 198 00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:56,560 the battery last? How many extra batteries do I 199 00:12:56,560 --> 00:12:59,480 need? Friends, most of you treat the 200 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:04,080 Holy Spirit that way, like he is a battery that you get charged 201 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,440 by and then you go for a while until the juice runs out. 202 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:14,080 No, the Holy Spirit is a continuous reality. 203 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:18,120 The Holy Spirit is a future certainty. 204 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:22,400 He is in you. You are not an electric car that 205 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,280 plugs in and then unplugs and hope you make it to the next 206 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:29,600 station. The Holy Spirit is in you, won't 207 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:34,520 leave you, and will give you everything you need. 208 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:38,960 That's His presence. His presence is continuous. 209 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:43,680 His presence is a future certainty, and His presence is 210 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:46,360 forever. So what does He do? 211 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,560 What is His purpose? Why does He matter? 212 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:54,280 Jesus could not be more clear. Look with me, the Spirit of 213 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,320 truth. Look with me now at verse 26 and 214 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:01,040 John 14. Jesus says, But the Helper, the 215 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:05,040 Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will 216 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:09,800 teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I 217 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,600 have said to you. So let's focus for a minute on 218 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,640 the word illumination. Often you will hear in our 219 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,680 prayers, whether it's at the prayer of adoration or the 220 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,560 prayer before the sermon, we'll pray for the Holy Spirit to 221 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,800 illuminate. If the Holy Spirit doesn't 222 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:34,120 illuminate the word in our lives, we can't see it. 223 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,520 If the Holy Spirit doesn't illuminate your mind, your 224 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:42,480 heart, you can't feel and think rightly. 225 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,240 So Jesus is promising the illuminator. 226 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,480 He is promising the one true Teacher, the Spirit of truth, 227 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:56,680 who is going to teach us again. Jesus said the Helper, the Holy 228 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,800 Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. 229 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:03,320 He will teach you all things. Now think about these men for a 230 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:06,000 minute. For three years they've listened 231 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,720 to Jesus teach. They have hung on every word, 232 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:15,080 been confused by many of his words, have such an intimate 233 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,080 relationship with Jesus that they're not afraid to ask 234 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,880 questions. Even Judas did not Iscariot in 235 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:24,000 verse 22. Lord, how is it that you will 236 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,240 manifest yourself to us and not to the world? 237 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,160 Jesus is leaving, but His teaching isn't. 238 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:35,920 The Holy Spirit will continue to illuminate the Word of God and 239 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:41,240 continues to do it to this day. The same Spirit, the same 240 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:45,800 Spirit, the same one Jesus promised is living in us now. 241 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:50,080 He's illuminating the Word of God for you right now. 242 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:56,600 Then He says He will bring to you remembrance of all that I 243 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,920 have said to you, all that Jesus has said. 244 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,560 The Holy Spirit is going to be the one to bring remembrance. 245 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:10,080 We see this in 1426, then in 1613. 246 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:12,760 So turn over and this will be preached on in a couple of 247 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,760 weeks. Jesus says when the spirit of 248 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,320 truth comes again, 1613, just one page over. 249 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,400 When the spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all 250 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:27,240 truth, the Holy Spirit with the word of God. 251 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,520 We have everything we need to follow the Lord. 252 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:36,640 Why is He giving this to us? Well, this can't be missed. 253 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:43,400 How many times in this section of Scripture did Jesus speak 254 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:48,880 about love for Him as it relates to obedience to His commands? 255 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,600 I asked you to listen for that. Did you see it? 256 00:16:54,000 --> 00:17:00,440 1415 Look there with me. If you love me, you will keep my 257 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,880 commandments. Then he goes on to teach about 258 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:08,960 the Holy Spirit. 1421 Whoever has my commandments and keeps 259 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:14,280 them, He is who loves me. Now look at verse 24. 260 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:18,240 It's in the negative. Whoever does not love me does 261 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:23,440 not keep my words. It's in 1431 when Jesus speaks 262 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,040 of his own obedience to the Father and says I do as the 263 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,960 Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love 264 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,400 the Father. They won't know I love the 265 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:35,720 Father just because I say I love him. 266 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:39,720 They will know I love him because I've obeyed everything 267 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:46,320 that He commands. We sang my Jesus, I love thee. 268 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:52,960 Do you love him? One of my favorite times of the 269 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:54,920 year. So when I get to visit with a 270 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:57,720 man that's not that here that often. 271 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:04,680 And the first question he asked me every time is do you still 272 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:10,880 love Jesus? How do I know if I love Him, if 273 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:18,440 I obey his commands, If I want to obey everything Christ has 274 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,800 commanded? That's the sign of love. 275 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:28,680 And I fall short, and I fail. And I hate that I fall short, 276 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:33,000 and I hate that I fail. And there the Lord meets me, and 277 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:37,800 his mercy is greater than my sin, and that love from Him 278 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:42,080 motivates me to want to obey Him even more. 279 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:44,720 That's what Jesus is talking about. 280 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,520 He is not talking about a perfection that we could never 281 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:50,360 earn. He's not talking about earning 282 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:52,520 God's love by being perfectly obedient. 283 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:59,160 But he is saying that those who love me obey my commands. 284 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:02,960 You're going to hear more of that as we move into John 15, 285 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,920 when he says it is to my Father's glory that you bear 286 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:11,280 much fruit, so proving to be my disciples. 287 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:16,560 So when the Holy Spirit teaches us, when the Holy Spirit reminds 288 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,680 us, when the Holy Spirit guides us, when the Holy Spirit 289 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:26,520 convicts us, it's all towards that union with Christ. 290 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,640 We're from our union with Jesus. As the Holy Spirit is in us, we 291 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:38,720 want to obey his commands. But there's more. 16 Let's go to 292 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:42,520 1526. Jesus continuing to teach about 293 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,280 the Holy Spirit, says at the end of chapter 15. 294 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:50,000 But when the Helper comes, the advocate, the counselor, the 295 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,880 comforter, when the helper comes, the Holy Spirit, whom I 296 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,560 will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who 297 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:02,360 proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 298 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:08,960 And then in 1614, He will glorify me, for he will take 299 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,640 what is his and mine and declare it to you. 300 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:20,720 The Holy Spirit has the role not only of illuminating our hearts 301 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:25,120 and minds in the Word of God, but illuminating the Word of 302 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,240 God. In the beginning was the Word, 303 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:29,360 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 304 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,240 That's Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not just 305 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,920 illuminating ideas about Jesus. He's not illuminating just 306 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:39,320 knowledge about Jesus. The Holy Spirit is illuminating 307 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,760 the One who is the way, the truth, and the life, the all 308 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:47,720 glorious. If you hold a flashlight and 309 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:52,320 it's bright and awesome, the goal isn't to admire the 310 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,360 flashlight, but to see what it's shining on. 311 00:20:56,240 --> 00:21:00,000 Ji Packer speaks of this when he says the Holy Spirit's primary 312 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,800 work is to shine light on Jesus and glorify the Father. 313 00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,400 He uses the illustration of a floodlight in front of a home. 314 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,800 You don't look at the floodlight and praise the floodlight, you 315 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,200 praise the thing that it is shining on. 316 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:26,560 The Spirit of Christ lives in us, The person of the Holy 317 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:31,320 Spirit, the Helper, the Spirit of truth, the presence of the 318 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:36,840 Holy Spirit, a continuous reality, a future certainty, 319 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:41,040 forever. The role of the Holy Spirit, His 320 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:47,520 purpose, illumination, teach us, remind us, guide us, convict us, 321 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,920 reveal to us and glorify the sun. 322 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:57,560 And what does it lead to? What we desperately need now and 323 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,400 what we will know for all eternity, and that is the peace 324 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:11,160 of Christ. 1427 Jesus says peace, I leave with you. 325 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:16,960 Let's just pause for a moment. When Jesus told them, one of you 326 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:19,960 will betray me. When Jesus looked at Peter and 327 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,320 said before the rooster crows, three times you will deny that 328 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:30,400 you even know me three times. When Peter heard that I'm going 329 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:34,080 to not deny him three times before the rooster crows, he 330 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,640 couldn't have believed it, but he was silent. 331 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:44,480 After that, Jesus says I'm leaving the perfect man, the one 332 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:46,920 who had called them to lay down everything and follow him. 333 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:52,240 They're troubled. Jesus tells them not to be 334 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,200 troubled. And it's not a warm fuzzy 335 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:58,520 wishful thought. It's the reality of what's about 336 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:02,840 to come inside them as he goes to the cross and dies. 337 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:08,560 And so when he says, peace I leave with you, my peace. 338 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,120 I give to you, Not as the world gives do I give. 339 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:17,800 Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 340 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,200 Where they're going to be afraid, they're going to be very 341 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:24,120 afraid. And it's these words that the 342 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:28,960 Holy Spirit is going to bring back to them to remind them, to 343 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:34,440 illuminate them so that they can then stand before Christ and 344 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:40,560 say, I, I love you because I fill with your spirit, am 345 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:44,800 seeking to obey you. And they all would fall short 346 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,360 and everyone who came after them, but they would teach us as 347 00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:55,160 the Holy Spirit illuminates what it means to live in forgiveness, 348 00:23:55,720 --> 00:24:00,280 to live in that love, to live in that union. 349 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:03,480 So is there a practical application? 350 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:11,000 Yes, and it's a simple word and the word is with shorthand for 351 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:20,680 with is AW with a slash. I love that image with whenever 352 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:26,920 you read your Bible, are you doing it for the Lord or with 353 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:30,560 the Lord? Whenever you go to your place of 354 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,880 work, knowing that it's the light of Christ, the science, 355 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:36,800 are you doing it for Him or you doing it with Him? 356 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,320 Whenever you go on a mission trip or pray for missionaries, 357 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:45,600 are you doing that for the Lord? Are you doing that with Him? 358 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,880 When we do it for Him, we're operating out of our own flesh. 359 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:56,040 But when we understand that He is in US and we do it with Him, 360 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:04,160 everything we do changes. Many of you don't experience the 361 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:09,200 intimate joy of reading His word, the intimate joy of 362 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:13,040 wanting to obey everything He commands because you're not 363 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:19,000 reading with him. With him is the Word, a short 364 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,720 word for abide. He's in you. 365 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:23,840 So this week, here's some encouragement. 366 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:28,800 Take this section of John's Gospel. 367 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:40,080 John 13, 14151617 began to read parts of it over and over and 368 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:46,240 over again with the confidence that if you're in Christ, the 369 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:51,920 Illuminator, the Holy Spirit isn't just shining the light on 370 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:56,280 truth. He lives in you and is speaking 371 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:01,800 to you through His Word. He's guiding you, convicting 372 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:10,040 you, and that's for certain and that's for forever. 373 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:17,640 That's the essence of Christianity, union with Christ, 374 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:25,720 His Spirit in you. It really was better that He 375 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:30,840 left, that the Helper might come. 376 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:36,000 And if you're in Christ, he has, and he will never leave you. 377 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:44,080 Father in heaven, thank you for your Word, given to us through 378 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:50,040 the Word Jesus, illuminated for us even today by the power of 379 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:56,840 your Spirit transforming us. Even now, oh Lord, we struggle 380 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:02,200 with sin, but we have you to convict and guide. 381 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:06,440 Oh Lord, if we're distant from you, and the desire for those 382 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,240 things that don't please you is not strong, make it strong. 383 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:17,000 Help us to desire, to desire You, to live out of the love you 384 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,840 have for us. And thank you Christ, that you 385 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:24,520 showed the world that you love the Father, not by just saying 386 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:30,960 it, but by obeying Him all the way to the cross. 387 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,440 We pray this in Jesus name, Amen, You stand.