Sermons

FILTER BY:

← back to list

Feb 19, 2023

John - The Counselor (click for resources)

Passage: John 14:15-26

Speaker: Brian Land

Series: John: Come and See

Category: Grace Brevard

Keywords: holy spirit, comfort, counselor, helper

Jesus concludes the Last Supper by bringing hope to the fear and angst in his friends. Jesus told them that he was going away, and they naturally reacted by feeling abandoned and unloved. Into this Jesus assures them that, though he is going away, the Father is going to fully adopt from orphan-hood and, by sending the Holy Spirit to indwell the believers, wrap them up into mutual abiding, which is eternal, intimate and secure, resulting in us living out of our new love.

Theme: Jesus concludes the Last Supper by bringing hope to the fear and angst in his friends. Jesus told them that he was going away, and they naturally reacted by feeling abandoned and unloved. Into this Jesus assures them that, though he is going away, the Father is going to fully adopt from orphan-hood and, by sending the Holy Spirit to indwell the believers, wrap them up into mutual abiding, which is eternal, intimate and secure, resulting in us living out of our new love.

 

CENTRAL PASSAGE: 

John 14

 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 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.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

 

SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 

When have you needed somebody to advocate for you (or some other variation of representing or helping you)?

Or have you yourself done this for somebody?

As you read the passage:

Make note of repeated words
What is the foundational theme of this passage?
Is there one or two words that are of ultimate significance?

This word “Paraclete” literally refers to a person to comes alongside to speak to and on behalf of somebody.

It is translated in several different ways...which one do you like?

Helper
Counselor
Comforter
Advocate
Encourager

Talk about these three ways Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as:
“Another” - who is the other one?
“Forever” - as opposed to the temporary indwelling in the past
“Truth” - Connect this to Jesus being the “way, truth and life”

J.I. Packer refers to the Holy Spirit as the one that puts a floodlight on Jesus.
What does that mean?

Think about how the Holy Spirit intercedes in two directions:
1) FOR us, TO the Father (Judge) -- what does he say on our behalf?
2) TO us, FOR the Father -- What does he tell us? How does he do this?

If my salvation and dignity as God’s child are totally complete,
why am I so defensive?
When/Why do you find yourself being defensive?

Given all of this, why are there several references linking loving God and obeying/following?

Why/How are we to respond to God’s love through our behavior?

How do I sometimes use obedience to justify myself before God?
How should my justification (that Jesus gave me) lead me to obey?