The Holy Spirit as Our Greatest Helper - John 14 - The Heart of Jesus

Hey church. I'm so excited to be with you today my name is Pastor Bobby and today were going to be talking about the greatest gift that Jesus gives us to help us in our daily walk with him. The greatest gift that Jesus gives us. Let me welcome you. If you're out one of our campuses were so happy that you are here today Domino had to start off by actually drawing a picture for you. All you can you can all see that it's already part partially on the board here and I don't draw very well. I will promise you this my handwriting is infinitely better than Pastor Andrews.

You guys know if you seen him right on the whiteboard appear.

He has the gift of writing in tongues where only God can actually read his handwriting, so hopefully you guys can read my handwriting here so this picture on accident drawing the stricture all week for myself because it has really helped me to understand the concept that were to be getting into today.

So over the last number of weeks. You guys know we been in a sermon series talking about the heart of Jesus towards us, not just what Jesus has done for us, but how Jesus actually feels about us. So we think of Jesus. He actually has a smile on his face as he's looking at us, not a scowl he's not mad he's not angry and we think about his heart. Some the things we been going over the last couple of weeks.

It's gentle and lowly meaning he's humble. He wants us to come to him.

He's merciful, he's gracious.

We saw two weeks ago. He's our advocate. Hebrews 7 that he stands between us and God. We saw last week that Jesus is a friend of sinners, so I'm in a call.

All of this were to call this reality. That's reality, no matter how we feel about it. That's the reality of how Jesus feels about us. That's his heart. That's his heart towards us but but here's the reality that we experience many times only draw us over here told, and I can't draw very well okay this is us and we have discounted this look on her face.

We don't quite have the smile that Jesus has on his face because many times when we think about Jesus's heart for us. What ends up happening.

A lot of times you know you think about lies you think about fear our own sin. Satan, the accuser, the world, what ends up happening is these things right here they end up building a wall between us and God in the way we feel about the way Jesus feels about us. So will call this over here.

Our experience so we know here's our heart we know these are the things that Jesus feels about us, but we don't always feel that that's how Jesus feels about us. We don't always feel forgiven. We don't always feel loved.

We don't always feel that Jesus is our advocate and today working to see in John 14 that the Holy Spirit and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is such an amazing truth. The gift of the Holy Spirit. What he does. He races this right here and allows us to spiritually feel and experience the heart of Jesus for us to the big idea today and this weekend is that the Holy Spirit helps us to feel and enjoy the heart of Christ Dean Norlin in his book gentle and lowly. He says it like this. The spirit makes the heart of Christ real to us, not just heard but seeing not just seen but felt not just felt but enjoyed the spirit turns the recipe into taste. The spirit turns the postcard into actual experience. So maybe we can think about like this. The spirit turns reality into experience, but is there not always the same. We know what's true. We know what is reality. But we don't always feel that way about how Jesus feels about us to have a Bible go ahead and turn to John chapter 14 and in John 14. These chapters right around this. John 1415, it's Jesus. He's about to go away.

He's about to go to the cross.

He's been with his disciples. Up until this point, Jesus is about to go away and so he's trying to prepare his disciples for this reality. Because you got it you got to realize up until this point. For the last couple of years, the disciples they have had Jesus in the flesh and blood. You know like we have to live by faith. But at that point they were living by sight right. I mean, just think about the disciples and Jesus, it's like, hey, you know, if you get caught in the storm just like wake Jesus up right to calm the storm.

You know it's like that if you're a party and Jesus is there and you run out of something you know just tell Jesus and he'll make more food, you know, think where Jesus at the weekender we had Jesus making the food near the food runs out at Jesus make more for that. That's what Jesus did medias go to a funeral, even in the funeral.

Your friend, I Jesus would resurrect him from the dead. That was their experience with Jesus open to this point and now he's like a doorway to be gone through me. Do this on your own guys and in addition to that I'm in a task you with the same mission of spreading the kingdom of God that Jesus is been doing. You can imagine how that they would feel at this point. I mean, they struggled with faith. Many times when Jesus was right there next to them and now he's like to be going away and dirt have to start living the experience that we all lived with Jesus neck right next to us will have Jesus in flesh and blood and so what is he do. Jesus tells them about this gift of the spirit. The third person of the Trinity that he is gonna send to them to be there helper was jumping to John 14 will start in verse 16 and just taking a big idea for today that the Holy Spirit helps us feel and enjoy the heart of Christ. As I read these 10 or so verses I want you to really just kinda keep that in mind what the Holy Spirit helps us to do as our friend as our helper as our advocate just to keep that lens on as we go through this text to verse 16 Jesus says, I will ask the father and he'll give you another helper. So Jesus has been a helper up until this point but now there to get another helper to be with you forever, 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 he will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you let a little while and the world will see me no more but you will see me because I live, you also will live in that day you will know that I am in my father and you in me and I in you, 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. So through the spirit. Jesus will manifest himself to us and then a burst 22 Judas, not Iscariot said to him, Lord, how is it that you manifest yourself to us and not to the world is he talking about to the Holy Spirit. Jesus answered him. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him and he will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words and the word that you hear is not mine but the fathers who sent me these things. I've spoken you, I'm still with you, but the helper, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and he will bring to your remembrance all that I've said to you and peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid of losing Jesus he's going away but the really get the heart of Jesus as the Holy Spirit manifests the presence of Jesus to them and this in fact is actually better here that better than having the flesh and blood. Jesus said to chapters later Jesus are talking about this again of him leaving in John 16 verse seven he says nevertheless I tell you the truth, itchy to your advantage that I go away, but the sink in it to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. So it's to our advantage that we get the helper, the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. So who is this helper verse 16 describes him as helper in your Bible may say something different. The Greek word there as Paraclete dose and I bring that up because every single translation because it's it's sort of a unique word that's not we can we can easily just put into English. And so if you look at your translation they may say something different.

Almost every translation has a different title. Therefore, the Holy Spirit helper friend advocate counselor comforter. This why bring up the Greek words of the para means alongside like a paramedic right paramedic brings medical help alongside someone like they come to that person to bring the medical help. Do you have the para and then the second word, the cleats owes it means called to the Holy Spirit is called alongside of us so called alongside of us. I think hear from John 14 to spiritually help us. That's the role of the Holy Spirit to spiritually help us some of your Bibles. And this is one way to interpret it may have the word advocate like a legal advocate for somebody and this was very helpful for me to hear Pastor Tim Keller talk about this because he said in terms of the Holy Spirit being advocate.

It's not that he's an advocate, the way we think that Jesus is an advocate so like between us and God. You know Jesus is our advocate to God. But the Holy Spirit is an advocate yes, but he's an advocate to us and for us to think about that for a minute. So as an advocate goes in front of a judge and argues for someone. Sometimes we need somebody to argue for us against us. So, Tim Keller described it as maybe somebody who deals with addiction and they have like a sober companion. They have somebody alongside of them dealt with this lot of you guys know my story, losing my little brother this year. 10 years of addiction.

He died at 31 years old and I walked alongside of him for so much of that and I was the sort of sober companion, meaning you know when he was struggling when he was believing lies when he was believing things about himself that were not true.

I would try to come in and argue with him and say that's not true that you the way you're viewing this is not right in the Holy Spirit actually does that for us because we need somebody to come in and to speak into our lives when we believe lies about our reality before God and our reality before Jesus and in this passage I think we see two different ways that the Holy Spirit helps us to feel the heart of Jesus. The first one is this the Holy Spirit reveals to us spiritual truth about Jesus to look at John 1417.

What is he called his called this throughout the New Testament. He's called the spirit of truth.

So he's revealing to us the truth of who Jesus is and now when we think of revealing or or manifesting to us. It's not like we just Jesus told us this for the spirit Holy Spirit told us that it is deeper than that. He's helping us to actually spiritually believe these things.

John 1426 but the helper, the Holy Spirit. What's he going to whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, he will bring to your remembrance all that I've said to you.

First Corinthians 212 explains this very clearly. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, what is he do that we might understand the things freely given to us by God. What's the greatest thing that God has given us. Jesus.

Jesus is the greatest thing that God has given to us and what is the Holy Spirit do helps us to understand the things freely given to us by God helps us to understand and feel the heart of Jesus for us. You know that changes the reality of who Jesus is.

But sometimes we need a clearer picture of that reality, because many times we don't see clearly. We don't feel clearly so all the things we've been talking about over the last number of weeks right. Jesus is grace the rest that he provides us his mercy. The fact that he saves us to the uttermost. We can't lose our salvation. He's a friend of sinners.

All the truth that we been learning the Holy Spirit turns the reality of who Jesus is into an experience of who Jesus is. You see why we need an advocate. Why do we need someone to remind us of how Jesus feels about us. This is why, because our emotions or feelings our own sin are passed, the world, the news whatever can end up getting in the way of understanding and feeling the way Jesus feels about us and think about Satan in many ways this title that's given to Satan is the accuser is almost the exact opposite of what the helper is it the helper is trying to help us believe what Jesus thinks about us. The accuser is trying to distort what we believe about God and Jesus and ourselves like this. Okay for those you have kids, so some of you may know this.

My kids run. I love to run it something we just like love to do okay and my two older sons have they begun to compete in running and so my son Everett. He's eight years old.

He has an incredible runner. I mean, I mean just objectively like he's an incredible runner and I asked his permission to share the story with you, but what I've been working with him with because it's what he struggles with many times. He's an incredible runner, but he will just say I'm not a good runner like I'm just not a good runner like I'm not not a good runner and so what I have begun to do is I have a little ammunition now as his advocate as his friend as the person speaking into him unlike anybody went to the Junior Olympics last fall in Paris, Kentucky, and you race against 300 kids and you know where you came out your an all-American that's reality, buddy. I pulled the metal out form a my hangman you are telling yourself a lie you actually are a really great runner. Here's the metal.

This is a platitudes. This is reality. You literally are an all-American mother son has the opposite problem. He thinks he's gonna qualify for the Olympics like tomorrow, but when you get more miles and those legs forgo talking about beat the world record all that.

But when you think about me coming to him objectively and saying been you are a great runner. This is what the Holy Spirit is doing for us. You know, we say I'm not forgiven in Holy Spirit I will not lie, you are forgiven you know, not a son. Side note that's a lie. You deftly a son, Jesus, then there's no way he could forgive me again is like. Note Hebrews 7. He's your advocate and that's what he's doing. Speaking to us as our advocate, you're forgiven, your love, your accepted.

You are Jesus's friend, raise your hand if you need that in your life.

I need that I need that. The second thing that we see that the Holy Spirit does here is that the Holy Spirit reveals to us spiritual truth about ourselves. You'll see here. John 14 verse 18 to 22 Jesus says I will not leave you as orphans come due get a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me because I live, you also will live in that day you will know that I am in my father and you and me and I in you so tiny deep at first, when we read this this service meeting here from verse 18 is that hey I'm not gonna leave you meaning like you not to be alone to the Holy Spirit can come to your not to be an orphan.

In that sense, like you're not can be alone, but the much deeper meaning here is that the Holy Spirit does this amazing work in our hearts, where the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and we don't just feel what Jesus feels we began to feel something ourselves back towards God that the Holy Spirit is doing and I can't tell you guys how amazing this is. I mean we we begin to see this in verse 20. I think this is the most amazing truth. Maybe in the entire Bible in that day you will know that I am in my father so the relationship within the members of the Trinity to the way that Jesus is in the father working to know that were an experience that and we and you and me and I and you I me.

Let this sink in a little bit okay in the Old Testament you could not get in the presence of God without dying. Now, through the Holy Spirit.

Our relationship with God the father is similar to Jesus's relationship to God the father. If it wasn't written. This would be blasphemy to even be able to state this, that Jesus is describing the way that he's in a relationship with God.

That's how we are going to be in a relationship with him and with God and so one way to think about is when the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts we know that God is our father in the same way that Jesus knows that God is his father. Jesus experientially knows that God is his father.

Mark 1436 what is Jesus call him Abba, daddy what to say in Romans eight verse 15 and 16 for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to walk back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, father the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, the Spirit of God gets in our hearts and our hearts then begin to declare that God is our father. This is not just something we read in a textbook. This is something we experience at the heart level and so you may be here today. I just want to take aside for just a second and you're here because you want to be spiritual like you desire spiritual things. Many people in our society desire spiritual things, but the reality is this thing were able to cry out to God that you are but you are father that only happens when there is a total spiritual rebirth that the Holy Spirit does when he takes away our heart of stone gives us a heart of flesh opens our eyes to God, we could try to pursue spiritual things in a relationship with God literally for a million years, and without the Holy Spirit, through believing in Jesus coming into our lives and giving us a new birth. We will never experience this spiritual relationship that we see here. This is what Jesus talks about in John three. Some of you may know the story when Jesus talking to Nicodemus with the tell Jesus answered and truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the came of God.

Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old can enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born. Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. So I would just encourage you to just ask yourself today. Have you been born of the spirit. Have you been transformed from the inside out, because that's what we're seeing here in this text. It's not outside in religion. It's where our hearts actually begin to call out Abba father notes religion verse the gospel it's inside out.

Change. So at this point I think we all realize, hey Mike man I'm I need this like I need this in my life right. We know true things about Jesus, but we don't always feel the truth about Jesus doing, you know, sometimes reading the Bible for honest it does filigree the recipe doesn't feel like tasting. Her favorite food. You know, sometimes reading the Bible is like man is kind looking a postcard of the Grand Canyon versus like being in the Grand Canyon and experiencing that reality. Sometimes Jesus feels distant.

Sometimes we going to spiritually drive places in our life. You know, all Christians go through that and this is why God has sent us a helper in our advocate, the Holy Spirit, to this point, as were kind moving to application today. I think for many of us were like 8.like sign me up right. But what button do I push the Holy Spirit is in a work in my life and that way like I want to be filled with the spirit.

I will be led by the spirit like I want to have the spirit work in my life. So how do we actually get the Holy Spirit to work in our lives is a pretty deep question.

We know the Holy Spirit does. That's clearly what we see here that's why Jesus gave him to us. That's why the father sent him to us.

But how do we actually make that happen. Okay, I will use that analogy here to close out the sermon for today. I think I like this okay I promise you I'm not a heretic. You get in trouble when you talk about analogies for the Holy Spirit and for the father and the son but Sears of the Bible uses some of this language so give me a little space here okay so you guys know if you better mercy know that pastor Andrew likes to complain about the electric fire. He has notes.

Maybe not manly enough. Whatever it like you just go and turn it on you first and maybe complain about that. So our house.

We have like a legit wood-burning stove that's like the centerpiece of the house so we live in a log cabin.

Anyway, it's ever been to our house as I can write in the center of the living room because going through a picture here that's that's the woodstove when that's with no fire I got one here with fire. That's it burning right there any one time we had community group during the winter and I accidentally got so hot that we had to literally open up all the windows during community group wood-burning stove know exactly how it works but it's really pretty simple. Like you, but what in and as long as it think it's air it burns really hot and want to burn hotter you put more wooden and if you don't want to burn the hot you shut the front door.

You don't let any Erin the water on, you know, and you begin to quench it is very simple like you to make a hotter or you can quench the flame. Now let's use that for a little bit of a framework for how were you think of the end of this sermon today so I might go ahead don't draw very well, go ahead and draw all a woodstove right here in the middle between us and Jesus, there's the legs of the woodstove.

There's the door there's a little thing on the top and then there's a number draw a little fire here was I so this is our woodstove. It's very simple. Even if you don't like fire is very simple. You want make a hotter you go and throw more wooden there you want to make the heat go down.

You just go ahead and quench it.

You shut the door. Whatever very simple. The Bible uses some analogies to talk about the Holy Spirit. Actually, in the same way and in a very simple way.

Some give you I'm a give you three verses are to become a framework for the way the word in the sermon today to the first one is first Thessalonians 519. It tells us do not quench. It actually uses that word do not quench the Spirit so quench means reduce extinguish's mother so that's telling us we have an ability like like the woodstove hereto to quench the spirit of the spirit living in us. We have an ability to quench that flame in our hearts.

Ephesians 518 says the opposite. It says be filled with the spirit so sort of the opposite of quench. Do you know intensify increase amplify so we can either quench the spirit in our lives and that way were not going to feel the truths about God were not to feel the truths about Jesus or we can fuel the work of the Spirit in our heart. Very simple. Just like a woodstove may want to hotter put more wood want to go down shut the shut the door. Don't put any more wood eventually the flame will die down.

The third verse that's very helpful you say okay we do that like and how we we put one in their you know how we like the flame of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Ephesians 617.

This is the weapon of the spirit, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God so the thing that the spirit uses as ammunition is the word of God.

It's very straightforward fuel for the spirit is the word of God. So if you want Jesus through the Spirit to be manifesting himself to you and you understanding truth spiritually.

You gotta be in the word of God and you gotta be obeying the word of God.

We actually see it from this text.

John 1421.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them so think that is like fueling the spirit whoever has my commandments and keeps them no fuel, the spirit, he it is who loves me and he loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and I will manifest myself to him soliciting it like this obedience to the word of God fuels the spirits work in our life. While disobedience to the word of God quench is the spirits work in our life guys this is so mysterious and yet it is so simple and so straightforward cannot tell you how it happens, absolutely not. I don't have a clue how this happens. I mean this is a otherworldly spiritual thing.

How the Holy Spirit can help me feel truths from 2000 years ago and burn them alive in my heart guys went how that happens. No is a very simple yes it's actually very simple based on what the Bible says so I give you real quick example of how just like mysterious and simple doses go to the bank this week Wells Fargo overall Brasfield and it was before work and I had to do a wire transfer I could get the thing to work and I was just kinda pouty and frustrated and just sit in my car waiting for the bank to open and you I was thinking to myself, unlike man such a hypocrite preaching the sermon this week.

Having read my Bible this week except prepare for the sermon and all the crazy stuff going on the world. You know, like, man, there's the shooting in Texas, there's the racial shooting in New York and things going on the church. I just sort of had just sort of a visit to the, bad attitude about it all in a and I was like man hypocrite. I should go ahead, at least read the Bible as am sitting here the bank had opened it so I go to the Bible app and I just look at the verse for the day. Here was the verse of the day it's a truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Something happened in me in that moment when I read that. That said, then you're being way too much of an adult here you think you hold the world in your hands and you're worried about all these things as if you have control over them. Like God doesn't. Maybe you need to go to Jesus as a child you know happen. My heart just went as a meal. He just felt peace in my heart because that's how the word of God fuels the work of the Spirit in our heart, so the closing question today is this, are you fueling or quenching the work of the spirit in your life really is that simple and I I realize it's not that linear, you know, like man today. I just fully fueled the spirit in my life. It's it's it's not that simple. You know it's back and forth and back and forth but it's a very good question that we are able to ask ourselves minimize fueling work of the spirit, my life or my quenching it let me close with two scriptures that I think are really going to help us to see what it looks like to quench it and see what it looks like to fuel it so Galatians 516 to 21. These verses are really all about quenching the spirit it says but I say to you walk by the Spirit, so fuel the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh for the desires of the flesh, so he's gonna say things that quench the Spirit's work in your life. They are against the spirit the desires of the Spirit against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalry dimensions, divisions, MB, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these let you take out through the row quicker sexual immorality will understand that male pornography addiction maybe step out on your marriage may be lusting in your heart was begun on fits of anger.

No, you may have uncontrolled anger with your spouse with your kids right worker was somebody else envy you may be jealous of other people's position in life, you're envious over their life. You're not happy for anybody.

What happens we say to ourselves and feel Jesus's presence feel his presence and therefore live and in some of the send it over to you like a bucket of water here and were literally jumping on the fire as we say I don't feel Jesus's presence like we literally are quenching the Spirit at the same time saying man out. I don't I feel Jesus anymore you don't feel forgiving that I don't feel like he's my advocate and were literally just dumping water on the fire. We as human beings we are just crazy sometimes you know and so I just want to encourage you like. If you are wrapped up in some sort of sin you don't want to day-to-day basis like this, yet you're not feel the presence of God. Your quenching the Holy Spirit in your life. So today I would encourage you men talk to somebody it's not hopeless. I promise you if you have the spirit of God in your life.

Romans 813 says that by the spirit you are able to put to death the deeds of the body not saying it's easy but you have to make a hard choice that you can follow the spirit in your dock and fall your flesh and through doing that you will gain some spiritual momentum in your life and Jesus will become more and more clear to you talk to somebody today. Talk to somebody in your community group. All of us are dealing with the same stuff and somebody would love to walk alongside you and say let me help you with that thing that you're dealing with. The second example is one of fueling the spirit of Colossians 3, verse one to this what it looks like to fuel the spirit of God in our life. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above all things that are on earth was a say in verse 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. If you told me today hey I don't feel Jesus.

I would say why are you being filled with when the last time you threw some logs in the fire and a lot of times we may realize like two weeks ago that only we lose our salvation. That'll mean the spirit of God leaves us, but we certainly will quench the Spirit's work in our life or we can fuel that you know I would just ask all of us to ask the question, what are we being filled with the news talk radio, books, podcasts, things to worry about. When's the last time we put some wood on the fire and so for all of us. One application needs to absolutely be very simple. Go read the Bible tomorrow and read the Bible with a heart that says I love you God.

I want to obey you. God please help me do that if you just do that every day I promise you things are in a change in your life, go to church being a group sit under the word.

And guys, I realize we don't always feel like doing those things doing but based on everything we see today in John chapter 14, when we don't feel like it when should we be doing those things. If fueling right this clearance work in our life is going to help us to feel Jesus then when we don't feel like it is exactly when we need to be doing these things.

So let us just leave today and say thank you Jesus that you provided for me help her.

I know where I can do this on my own and let us try to fuel the Holy Spirit's work in our life when we pray, God, I just want to thank you so much, Lord, that you did not leave us as orphans. You gave us an advocate you gave us a friend. You gave us a comforter, we'll have to fear we don't have to be scared God through the spirit we can put to death the deeds of the body.

I thank you for that. I pray for everybody that is here today. God help us. Help us Lord to fuel the work of the Spirit in our life so that we see you more clearly Jesus and as we see you more clearly working to love you more clearly.

God help us do it. Help us do a guide you know we can't do it on our own, thank you so much for the Holy Spirit. We pray this in Jesus name, amen