Holy Ghost Stories (3): The Spirit of Truth -- October 11, 2009

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

"Come now; let us leave.

(John 14:15-31)

As we celebrate Thanksgiving today, I'd like to tell you about a day this past summer when I seemed to do things right as a parent. We have teenagers now, and there are many, many days when I'm sure both Calvin and Amy think that I am just the biggest geek in human history. But one day this past summer, with Amy, I got it right.

I had scheduled to go to Canada's Wonderland with both Calvin and Amy. But when the appointed day came, we had Vacation Bible School that morning, and poor Calvin was just too tired to go. So that left just Amy and me, and Cal very graciously said it was okay if we went without him.

On the way to the park, I determined within my self to go on every ride my 13 year-old daughter wanted to go on. Whatever it was, we would go on that ride together. We went on nine different rides that day-nine. We rode the Behemoth ... twice. One of Amy's favorite rides is this space ship that glides back and forth like a huge cradle. Then the angles get even more extreme. Then it goes completely upside down... and stops... upside down... for like three seconds. I don't mind telling you, I hate the space ship ride at Canada's Wonderland. But Amy wanted to go, and I wanted to be by Amy's side.

We waited till about 9:25 at night to go on the Behemoth one final time. And Amy had this crazy brilliant idea-"Dad," she said, "let's get the seat right at the very front." Riding Canada's largest roller-coaster in the dark of night at the very front was one of the funnest, most memorable things I have ever done in my life.

By the end of the day, exhausted, we were walking out of the park together, and Amy turns to me and says, "Dad, that was the best day of my life." Right at that moment, I knew I would never, ever forget this. It was one of the best days of my life, too. It wasn't just the rides, you see. It wasn't just the fact that we blew it wide open and went crazy. It was the fact that we were together.

I think it's in those golden moments when, as parents, we always want to be with our kids. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Goin' to class with 'em. Hangin' out with them and their friends. I'm sure Calvin and Amy are just thrilled at such a prospect. Of course we can't. We can't be with them always. But I believe the Bible teaches that that is the cry of our Heavenly Father's heart. And through the ministry and reality of the Holy Spirit, that dream becomes reality.

Our passage takes place at a juncture when Jesus was communicating to His friends the fact that He would not be with them much longer. He was about to leave them-for a time. He was about to go to the Cross for the salvation and redemption of the world. They were having great difficulty over the fact that He had to go. Can you imagine what that would have been like? To actually know the Savior of the world, God Incarnate Himself, face to face-to be up close and personal with Him? And then be told He was going away? Great difficulty indeed.

But in our passage this morning Jesus is explaining that He wasn't going to leave us alone-that He would send another Counsellor, the Holy Spirit. And in our passage we learn three very simple yet very profound things the Holy Spirit does for us and in us: He leads us in a love-obedience relationship with God. He is our Comforter and Advocate as we walk in this love-obedience relationship. And finally, most mysteriously and wonderfully, He invites us to join the Trinitarian party-and I'll try to explain that when we come to it.

But it's a little surprising that in His talk on the Holy Spirit-really an introduction to the Holy Spirit, it's a little surprising that Jesus begins His talk on the subject of obedience. More specifically, Jesus begins with talking about a love-obedience relationship with God.

Now, it may be surprising to talk about the Spirit in this way since we normally think about the Spirit of God in terms of feelings and experiences. But we need to remember He is the Holy Spirit-the Spirit of God's character, not His power or mysteriousness, but His character was first and foremost in the first believer's minds.

And it's obviously on Jesus' mind even as He prepares His disciples for His departure because He begins with these words in vs.15, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." Believe it or not, on our NFL warrior weekend with the guys, of all things, we got into a conversation about Gary Smalley's The Five Love Languages. Are you familiar with these? They can apply to your kids or to your spouse. The five love languages are touch, words of affirmation, deeds of service, the giving of gifts and spending quality time. Now, here's an interesting question for you: What's our love language in our relationship to Jesus, in our relationship with God?

Well, I think Jesus would add a sixth, and that would be our obedience to His Word. Vs.15 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." Vs.21, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him." Vs.23, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him." Then the case is put in vs.24 negatively, "He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."

Really, does it get any clearer than that? And let's be clear here, we're not talking about earning God's love in Jesus. That's just grace, pure and simple. The Cross is all you and I will ever need to be made right with God. John 1 talks about Jesus being full of grace and truth. God's Word in Ephesians 2 says very clearly that we are saved by grace, not by works. But at the same time, love calls to love. The lover keeps the commands of the loved one.

How do we show/demonstrate/manifest our love to Jesus? Get involved in the church? Give lots of money? Raise your hands up in worship? I believe those are all good things that God takes great pleasure in us doing. But most crucially, most centrally, most importantly we demonstrate our love to Jesus by aligning our lives-our thought lives, our financial lives, our practice of sexual ethics, how we interact in the home and marketplace-we align our lives to His teaching and to His Word. That's how we say "Oh, how I love Jesus", by living it, not just singing about it.

But it can be soooo difficult to walk the talk! So difficult to put into practice! When the famous Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson was just a boy, he already knew that he was goooood. So to keep his feet on the ground, his father bought him a record of the great Art Tatum-probably the greatest piano jazz virtuoso the world has ever known. Young Oscar was inspired by the Tatum's great playing-perhaps even too inspired! See, Tatum was soooo good, young Peterson thought he could never attain such great heights, so he gave up playing the piano at all and had crying fits at night! (J. Young, Know Your Faith..., pg.149)

Well, the teaching and example of Jesus can be a lot like that. We may be tempted to think it's so good that it's unattainable. So we may be tempted to say things like, "Well, that was then and this is now", "the world's a lot more sophisticated now", "we could never expect anybody to even try for such high standards now".

But that's precisely where the Holy Spirit comes in. I find it both powerful and instructive that in the very next breath after talking about obedience in vs.15, in vs.16 Jesus says, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth." And look at of the attributes and characteristics we learn from Jesus about the Holy Spirit in these verses. Vs.16, He is the Spirit of Truth-God's truth. Vs.16 again, He will be with us forever-how encouraging is that! Vs.17, the world cannot accept Him-the Holy Spirit of God will never really win any popularity contests, opinion polls or political rallies-because the world cannot accept Him, nor sees nor knows Him. Vs.17 goes on to say that the believer in Jesus knows Him because He lives within the believer-how exciting is that!

But the one thing I'd like to park on for a moment is the Holy Spirit's designation that Jesus gives Him in both vs.16 and then vs.26. He is as Jesus calls Him in vs.16, "another Counselor". Tricky word, this word translated "Counselor"-it can mean so many things. The King James Version translates this word "comforter"-but the King James is really borrowing from Wycliff's traditional translation. The NIV calls Him a Counsellor-somewhat helpful. The original word actually does originally apply to counsel or a lawyer you'd see in a court setting. But that usage, though the original usage, was often rare. More often than not, it came to mean something like a Friend, an influential Friend, who would be your Advocate, someone who would stand in your corner and plead your cause. It's Someone who appears on our behalf, a Helper. Originally, it came to mean somebody who would come along side of us.

And I think this is really helpful when we consider the context of what Jesus is talking about here: We're talking about showing our love for Him through our obedience to Him. And as we sometimes struggle with that, perhaps some even struggle constantly with that, there is One who comes along side us to help, to advocate for us, One who is in our corner encouraging us and even empowering us to follow Jesus right. And that One is none other than God Himself, that Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit who lives in us who have trusted Jesus. He's a Spirit of truth, holiness and power who will come to our aid when we struggle or stumble, when following the world's way may seem a lot more attractive than following Jesus' way. Isn't that marvelous?

The Karre language of equatorial Africa was difficult for some translators who were trying to translate the New Testament into their native tongue. Translators came across this word Paraclete in the Greek, the word used to describe the Holy Spirit, the Counselor in vs.16 and 26. How could they describe the Holy Spirit in the Karre language?

It was becoming a real problem, until one day the translators saw a group of porters going off into the bush carrying bundles on their heads. They noticed one who didn't carry anything. So they assumed that must be the boss. But that wasn't the case. Rather, that extra person was there so that, should anyone fall over with exhaustion on the journey, that person would pick up the man's load and carry it for them. This porter was known in the Karre language as "the one who falls down beside us". Those translators used that word for the word Paraclete, because that's Who the Holy Spirit is for us-One who comes alongside to help, to plead our cause, to be on our side, to be in our corner-so that when we faint in our following after Jesus, we don't give up, we don't pack it in, but we allow Him to fall down beside us, then help us up, carry our load, and take up the journey again. (1001 Illustrations that Connect, Larson and Ten Elshof, eds., pg.114)

So the Holy Spirit is a Holy Spirit who comes alongside us to help us love and follow Jesus aright.

But then, finally, this: This Holy Spirit invites us to the party of the Trinity. Think about it: God is One. He is One God. And yet in the mystery of His Being, He is Three Persons-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And as Christians, we believe that for all eternity, somehow in the mystery of Who God is, God has enjoyed an unimaginable fellowship of infinite love, infinite closeness, infinite relationship. And here's one of the most amazing aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit: He invites us into that limitless love and fellowship of the Trinity.

Think about the most exclusive clubs on earth: Invariably their exclusively special because there is limited membership, and once "in", there is close, close relationship. But my friends, there is no relationship or association as exclusive, and yet as intimate as the Trinity. With that in mind, listen to the language of Trinity Jesus uses here in John 14. Vs.16, "And I (that is, Jesus the Son) will ask the Father (that's God, the Father), and he will give you another Counselor (that is, God the Holy Spirit) to be with you forever..." And then vs.17 goes on to say, "But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." Then vs.23 says, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching." But then Jesus says, "My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." Translation: Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the life of God, that exclusive, yet infinitely loving fellowship of the Trinity comes to live in us. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that marvelous? It is true, you and I can find human shoulders to cry on, we can seek out human arms to hold us through the dark night, but no one will ever love us from the inside like our Triune God can love us. No one. Period.

Truth be told? That blessed summer day at Canada's Wonderland was one of the best days of my life. Should Amy choose to marry, I will tell of that day on her wedding day. Such communion with a child is sweet, and if we're honest, rare. I get that. But it came about because I purposed to come alongside my daughter that day-even if we had to ride that stupid space ship. But you know what? Not even that blessed, golden day can come near the fellowship and love we are invited to share with the Triune God. In short, through the Spirit of God we are invited to the best, most exclusive, most intimate celebration anyone could ever imagine. Such is the ministry of the Spirit of truth: He is the Holy Spirit Who comes alongside us as we obey our Savior. Roman Catholic J.A. Di Noia put it well when he wrote, "... If we are destined to enjoy this ultimate communion we must change. We must become fit for it. Interpersonal communion with God is only 'natural' to uncreated persons; for created persons, who are also sinners, such communion is possible only through justification and grace. Through the redeeming grace of Christ and, specifically, through the transformation that this grace makes possible, we are rendered 'fit' participants in the communion of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Our transformation will be a conformation: the more we become like Christ, the more surely we discover our true selves, the unique persons created by the triune God to share in the divine life and to enjoy the personal life of the Trinity." (The Trinity: An Essential for Faith in Our Time, A. Stirling, ed., pg.284, 285)

For further study and discussion, see: Life Group questions.