TEXT: John 14:15 --Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit: "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."
Point 1 ~ Love: Notice Jesus begins by admonishing his disciples to "obey what he commands"....and then he will ask the Father to send the Spirit which will be with them forever. Obviously, the disciples are continually ignoring Jesus commands to "love one another as I have loved you. " In John 15:9, Jesus says, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's command and remain in his love." So, what jumps out at me initially from this scripture is that the Disciples must learn how to love (as Jesus loved) in order to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus keeps emphasizing for them to obey what He commands. But, the Disciples have not done well when it comes to "remaining in love." Jesus knows their hearts and sees them constantly caught up in "me first" thinking. Jesus is trying to help them mature by challenging them to love others--particularly the "least"--those forgotten and cast-aside, but they can't seem to move beyond themselves and their agendas. In fact, the Disciples are constantly annoyed that Jesus continues to heal, listen to, acknowledge, and embrace the marginal. (the man with the withered hand, the poor widow, the sinful woman, the Samaritan woman, the little children). In Mark 9 :33 the Disciples are arguing on the road about which one of them will be the greatest; of course, Jesus says the one who wants to sit next to me must be servant to all. (v35).
The Disciples want the Holy Spirit, but they are not ready to move beyond self. Jesus is challenging the Disciples in preparation for the Holy Spirit to learn to love and serve. John 14:1 begins with Jesus comforting his Disciples re-assuring them that in his father's house are many rooms and he has prepared a place for them. So, first point--the mind-set of love and service, not fear and selfishness, prepares for and brings the Holy Spirit.
Point 2 ~ The Truth: Jesus promises a Counselor (teacher) that will be with them forever and lead them into truth --very similar to John 14:25, where the Holy Spirit teaches "all things and will remind you of everything I said." So, in Jesus absence, the Disciples have a permanent teacher that will remind them not only the things Jesus taught them, but all things--the Spirit of Truth the world cannot see, know, or accept. (John 14: 17). The Disciples know the Spirit because it lives in them and with them. Similarly, Paul states in 1 Cor: 3:16 that we are "God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" and in In 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 What is revealed by the Spirit " No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, What God has prepared for those who love Him. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. Thus, this spiritual wisdom, is not wisdom of the world or the wise, but wisdom of the Spirit--which, as Jesus said, the world does not accept. Paul goes on to say that the wo/man without the Spirit does not accept that which comes from the Spirit and relegates the teaching of the Spirit to "foolishness" ( 1 Corinthians 2:14) because the things of the Spirit must be spiritually discerned. Also, the Spirit works in collaboration with us. John 16:13-- When the Spirit comes he will guide you into all truth. The Spirit will not speak on His own; he will speak only what he hears and he will show you what is to come. The Holy Spirit shows us the truth that is spiritually discerned and not what we expect to or want to see. The spirit shares a secret, eternal wisdom that must be searched for, and discerned in order to be found. It often doesn't land on us like the house landed on the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz. We must learn to be still, quiet, humble, remain in love and then discern what the Spirit is telling us. We must let go of our will, accept that God's will is found through much toil and strife. The Holy Spirit knows the truth and will guide us, when we are ready.
Point 3 ~ Power: John 14:19 Jesus says, "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"-- also, Acts 1:7 he said to them "it is not for you to know times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; Jesus is encouraging the Disciples that the Holy Spirit will empower, guide and stay with them. From the text, it is clear that the Disciples are distressed that Jesus is leaving them, but Jesus is reassuring them that the power he has will be shared with them-- John 16:15 Jesus states, " that is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." It is God's intention to empower us by making the "mind of Christ" known to us via the Holy Spirit and to unify us. Romans 8:14 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God. For you died not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. So, we are heirs to the power of God through the Holy Spirit. And when we are weakened, we learn that "in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And, he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27.
Access to the Holy Spirit means we must be disciplined and responsible enough to know how to use God's power to serve God's people. We have to realize that we are worthy to receive His love and power, because we are His children and that we are destined to share in the "mind of Christ" and receive the Holy Spirit because our God is a giving and sharing God--one who shares with us out of abundance, not scarcity. We must prepare ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit, by remaining in love, obedience, humility, and a mind-set of servitude.
God bless and keep you
Pastor Scott Wagers
