Romans 8:1-13 Holy Spirit Series

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

 

We all struggle with our sins. The voices in our heads keep telling us that we are failures at this Christianity thing. You resolve to do better and then fall into the same pit of bad decisions. Do you feel that no matter how hard you try, you are just not good enough to be called “Christian”? At the end of each day, do you feel like you have a new list of sins to confess to God? Are you living under a weight of judgment?

            Martin Luther knew how you felt. He lived 500 years ago in Germany and felt a great sense of condemnation under God before discovering the writings of Paul in Romans. He wrote:

Although I lived a blameless life as a monk, I felt that I was a sinner with an uneasy conscience before God. I also could not believe that I had pleased him with my works. Far from loving that righteous God who punished sinners, I actually loathed him. I was a good monk and kept my order so strictly that if ever a monk could get to heaven by monastic discipline, I was that monk. All my companions in the monastery would confirm this . . .. And yet my conscience would not give me certainty, but I always doubted and said, “You didn’t do that right. You weren’t contrite enough. You left that out of your confession.” 

                  Luther spent an average of 6 hours a day confessing his sins to a priest. One of his confessors finally told him, “If you expect Christ to forgive you, come in with something to forgive – patricide, blasphemy, adultery—instead of all these peccadilloes.” 

            Do you feel guilt like Luther did? In one sense that’s good. You recognize that you need the cross of Jesus. But in another sense, your knowledge of Christ is incomplete. Or shall we say that your knowledge of what Christ has done for you is lacking the result of the cross. 

            Our struggle with sin is real. We need to deal with sin. But the truth of Romans 8 will set you free. God gives us freedom through Christ to live a new life. And God gives his Holy Spirit to live that new life. It has been said that Romans 8:1 is the greatest verse in the Bible; let’s see if that’s true.

 

Freedom in the Spirit (8:1-4)

 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (1). When someone like Paul was writing in Greek, the construction of a sentence was organized so that the most important word was first. What’s the first word in this sentence? “No.” And not just “no,” the word Paul used is a very strong “no.” You might say it like this: “There is no condemnation – none whatsoever – for the believer in Christ Jesus.” That doesn’t mean we don’t have cause for God to condemn us. But he won’t because of our faith in Christ.

            Let’s back up a bit. In Romans 7, Paul described the human experience of sin. God gave the law through Moses to Israel after the exodus so that they would know how God wanted them to live. But the law was unable to keep the Israelites on the path (Murray & me: My brother and I visited the historic site where Custer was overwhelmed by Sitting Bull's Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Signs told visitors to stay on the path, but my brother wanted to explore. I told him to obey the signs. He balked at that. I said that I was not going to pay the $500 fine when the rangers caught him. He relented. The reason for the law was twofold: a) to prevent killing the fragile ecosystem of the grasslands, and b) to avoid being bitten by rattlers). Instead of maintaining a God-pleasing life, the law provoked them to sin. The “flesh” of Israel was overcome by sin and rebellion, and they could not respond to the law (7:18). 

            Paul did something interesting in Romans 7. He speaks in the first person “I,” but he’s speaking about Israel. He says, “I do not do what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate,” (7:15). It’s a very graphic picture of a man wrestling with sin and finding that he can’t win. He finally cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” And then answers, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:24-25).

            Why? Because through Jesus Christ, God has solved the problem of sin. What we could not do, God did through Jesus. Paul explains what God did in five expressions:

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit,” (3-4). 

            The law of sin and death (2) is this: that all who sin must die. There is nothing you can do to escape this punishment. It is unpopular to say, be we deserved this death. But God found a way to rescue us by sending his Son Jesus. Jesus was given over to death as a sacrifice to end our struggle with sin. He was condemned in our place and there is therefore “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” 

            Now we can walk according to the Spirit…

 

Set Your Mind on the Spirit (8:5-8 on slide)

 

There is no condemnation, but there is a conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. If you look at these verses, you see three words repeated: flesh, Spirit, and mind. What does Paul mean be these words? 

            The “flesh” is not the soft, muscular tissue which coats our bony skeleton, nor does it refer to our bodily instincts and appetites. When Paul uses “flesh” he refers to the whole of our humanness corrupted as it is by our fallen nature. 

            The Spirit is the Holy Spirit. We have a choice to make. Even though God has done an amazing thing in taking away our condemnation, we are responsible to choose how we will live in light of that grace. 

            To set our minds on something is to make that something the absorbing objects of our thoughts, interests, affections, and purpose. To have your mind set on something is what you seek or desire in life – your focus. 

            When you are learning to drive, the driving instructor tells you to look ahead or keep your eyes on the road. We have a tendency to drive towards what you look at. It’s like the excuse for an accident one fellow gave, “I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.” Keep your focus on the road.

            Focus on the things of the Spirit. The Spirit’s focus is Jesus. Our focus is living like Jesus lived. The enemy is the flesh. The mind set on the flesh is a life dominated by sinful human nature where the focus is “self.” It takes what it wants. It gives in to passion and pride and ambition. It is Christless. The mind set on the Spirit is dominated by Christ Jesus. The air this person breathes is Jesus. His or her mind has Christ in the center, and they have their feet aimed at his likeness. 

 

Life in the Spirit (8:9-11)

 

Paul ceases to speak in the third person and now directs his words at his readers very personally. He wrote, “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you…” (9a).

            John Stott commented on this truth saying, “…the Christian life is essentially life in the Spirit, that is to say, a life which is animated, sustained, directed, and enriched by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit true Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, indeed impossible.” 

            You cannot follow Jesus if you don’t have the Holy Spirit. “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him,” (9b). Put positively, you have the Holy Spirit if you believe in Jesus. But Paul’s purpose is to say that God has put his Spirit in people who believe in Jesus and that Spirit is life.

            That may surprise you, especially if you or someone you love is a believer and they are facing illness or even death. If it is true that the life-giving Spirit dwells in us, why are our bodies still subject to decay and death. This condition is due to our sin. Our bodies are experiencing the effects of an old era, the old life dominated by sin. These bodies are contaminated by the sinful nature and sin leads to death.

            However, these bodies may die, but God will raise them up and transform them. Paul alludes to this when he wrote, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you,” (11). Paul would tell the Ephesians that the same power that worked to raise Jesus from the dead is (here the present tense) at work in you (1:19-20). Though your body is dying, yet the Spirit works life in you preparing you for the kingdom to come. 

 

So then…Live by the Spirit (8:12-13) 

 

Okay then, what does it matter? If you have the Spirit in you and God gave you the Spirit and you are not condemned…so what? Do we need to do anything? 

            Paul’s argument has been balanced in the essence of what God does for us and what we do in response. The first section (1-4) talked about God doing for us what we could not do in fulfilling the law; then Paul urged us to “set our minds on the Spirit” or to focus on pleasing God. (5-8); Paul turned again to the life that God gives to us through his Spirit (9-11); and now, Paul puts the responsibility back on us…

            “So then…we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live,” (12-13).

            For me, the key word is “debtors.” I read a Puritan prayer this week that said it so well: the more grace I enjoy, the more I owe to God. We have been so miraculously saved from the sinful nature, from a life headed for hell, from the tyranny of the law we could not obey, by our God who lavishly, extraordinarily, heaped on us love and grace in the giving of his Son, Jesus Christ, how could we not live a life of gratitude to our Heavenly Father? We are indeed debtors! 

            Our responsibility looks like this: 1) We need to put into effect the new life God gives us; 2) We need to allow the Holy Spirit to power that life – we cannot stop sinning on our own strength; and 3) Paul never suggests that we will immediately stop sinning, but that we engage in a process of killing sin in ourselves, becoming less like the world and more like Christ. 

            Do you see that? God has done all of this for us. Our response is to work at putting sin to death with the help of the Holy Spirit. Putting sin to death looks like this:

Recognizing evil as evil. This will lead to such a decisive and radical repudiation of it that it is essentially killing it. I think the dramatic imagery is fitting for what we need to do.

We are responsible for putting evil/sin to death. Jesus said to “take up your cross” and walk to the place of execution with him. It is deliberate and intentional in putting our selfishness to death. As Martin Lloyd-Jones said, “We have to pull it out, look at it, denounce it, hate it for what it is; then you have really dealt with it.” 

Fulfill our obligation. We have an obligation to the indwelling Holy Spirit who gives us life to live a life that corresponds to that life. Putting to death the deeds of the body leads to life.

 

Is the Christian life hard? No, it’s not hard. It’s impossible! It’s impossible to live the Christian life on your own. The Holy Spirit makes all the difference. He is your Paraclete, the One who comes alongside to help you live for Christ. 

            But life begins with this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Why is it so hard for us to feel like we’re free from condemnation? 

The New York Times featured a story about a 51-year-old ex-convict named Robert Salzman. After a horrific childhood, Salzman spent most of his adult life in prison. When he was released from prison in 2001, Salzman found it difficult to enjoy freedom outside prison walls, struggling to pay rent or doing stints in homeless shelters.

Finally, in June of 2010 Salzman had a grace-like experience. While he was riding a New York City subway car, he was “found” by Rashaad Ernesto Green, a writer and director who was searching for someone to play a tough-looking former convict for an upcoming film. After an audition, Green surprised nearly everyone when he gave Salzman a key role for the film.

On one occasion, while filming with Green on location in a Long Island penitentiary, an exhausted Salzman fell asleep on a cot in the prison cell. When he woke up, he became confused and thought he was still a prisoner. Salzman started weeping in despair … until it slowly dawned on him that he was now a free man. Salzman was overwhelmed by the joy of knowing that at any moment he could walk out of that cramped cell and through the prison doors. On the other side of the prison walls, he could enjoy his new life of freedom.

As those who trust in Christ, regardless of our past, we can leave our slavery to sin and condemnation as we joyfully step into our freedom in Christ. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

 

                                                                        AMEN

Ephesians 5:18-21 The Filling of the Spirit

BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

 

I have often shared with you my constant prayer for this church: That we would be filled with the Spirit. From the day I arrived in Rosenort, I have persistently prayed that the Spirit would fill each of us individually and all of us corporately. This is a good and biblical thing to pray. 

            But what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?

            Jesus promised his disciples that he would send another Paraclete to be with them, someone to take his place and be with them. Jesus further explained the work that the Spirit would do in their lives. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in dramatic fashion. From that point on, when someone put their faith in Jesus, they were baptized with water and with the Holy Spirit. 

            Someone has said there is one baptism and many fillings. When you believe in Jesus, you have the Spirit. And yet Paul commands the church in Ephesians to “be filled with the Spirit.” If we have the Spirit, why ask for his filling?

            Suppose someone asked you, “Are you filled with the Spirit?” What would you say? Do I even know what that means? 

            It is a tragic reality that many believers and many churches are skeptical about and even afraid of the presence of the Holy Spirit. We talked last week about the bizarre experiences of some movements associated with the Spirit. And yet without the presence of the Holy Spirit, we cannot know the renewing power of God that moves us to go beyond the status quo of “doing church.” 

            Dr. J. Vernon McGee, when in his 80s, told a gathering at Dallas Theological Seminary, that if he were to start his ministry all over again, he would give much more attention to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. He would preach the Spirit more frequently. Charles Spurgeon said, “The grand thing the church wants in this time is God’s Holy Spirit.” We need him desperately. 

            In this study, we are going to unpack the command to “be filled with the Spirit” in Ephesians 5:18-21. And we will invite the Spirit to teach us what it means to be filled with him.

 

The Contrast Between Wine and Spirit (5:18)

 

It is not a surprise that abstainers will focus on the alcohol prohibition in this text. The NLT has an interesting way of translating this verse, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

            If we run over this verse too quickly, the takeaway is that alcohol ruins lives. Don’t drink! And let’s add, don’t smoke, don’t dance, don’t chew, or hang with those who do! In this way the verse becomes a prohibition of vices. I believe there is something more going on here, though. 

            Slow down. What is Paul saying? The word “drunk” can mean soaked, saturated with, or dominated by. Being drunk is to be controlled by the alcohol. This is what is contrasted with being filled with the Spirit. To be filled is to be controlled by the Spirit. The focus is “control.” 

            What controls you? In the movies and on TV, there is inevitably some drama, some tension. And either during the tension or at the resolution of it, someone says, “I need a drink.” Whenever you need something so badly to ease your tension, it controls you. It controls your mood and your demeanor. It doesn’t have to be alcohol. It could be shopping. I have to be careful with Amazon. Endorphins are released when we have something to anticipate. Our mood changes when we shop. 

            We are motivated in our actions, influenced in our thoughts, moved by our passions, to conduct our lives in a certain way. In short, we are controlled people. A man filled with anger is controlled by anger and acts accordingly. A woman filled with greed is always after more. People filled with love will be influenced by love. Something controls us in some shape or form. 

            I love this saying: “Being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean I have more of the Spirit, it means the Spirit has more of me.” Being filled with the Spirit is like getting drunk…It doesn’t happen all at once. It happens as you continually choose to let him fill you stage by stage. The similarities break down in that being filled with the Spirit doesn’t mean being so inebriated that we can’t walk or talk. The parallel is that like drinking a glass of spirits, we succumb stage by stage to the effects. In submitting to the Spirit, we open ourselves up to him step by step. That’s the similarity.

 

What it Means to be Filled by the Spirit (5:18b) 

 

Let’s look at the command itself. “…be filled with the Spirit.”

            This is what is called in Greek an imperative. That means it is a command. Paul is commanding the church at Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit. And as you know, a command is meant to be obeyed. 

            Secondly, this command is in the present tense but with the notion of an ongoing or continual action. Paul’s command is then, “Keep on being filled.” 

            A continual action is what happens when you tell your children to go and shovel the snow. They go outside and return in a few minutes. You look outside and see that they shoveled about two feet worth of snow. And you say, “Why didn’t you shovel the snow?” They say, “We did.” You reply, “Go and shovel ALL the snow until the sidewalk and driveway are cleared of snow.” That’s the tense of this verse. Keep on doing something. It’s ongoing. It’s not a one-off event.

            However, the command is also in the passive voice. The task you gave your children to shovel is in the active voice – something they were “to do.” A passive voice calls for receptivity. It is not a command to do something but to be. Paul is not saying, “Fill yourself with the Holy Spirit” but “be filled with the Spirit.” It is something that is done TO you. You open yourself up to what he is going to do in you.

            Jesus gave us a cool image of what it means to have the Holy Spirit dwell in you. He shouted this to a crowd at the temple on the Feast of Tents, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart,” (John 7:37-38). John explained that “living water” referred to the Spirit given to everyone who believes. “Living water” is like a rushing stream as opposed to a stagnant pond. Imagine then having your vessel, bucket, jar, or whatever, filled by a rushing flow of water. 

            Your life is not meant to be a stagnant pond, but a life of inflow and outflow, refreshed and refreshing others.

 

What Being Filled Looks Like (5:19-21)

 

The command to “be filled” carries both an individual and a corporate tone. You could read Paul saying, “Let each and every one of you be filled with the Spirit.” 

            Individuals can experience the Spirit’s filling them with power. God wants to fill each of us with more of Jesus through the Spirit. But there is a sense in which the command is for the church. While I may be personally edified (enriched with a word, a revelation, a moment of praise), the intention of this filling is for the whole church. The Spirit imparts life-giving power to transform the church from a social gathering to a dynamic change-agent for the world. Through the Spirit, we become influencers. 

            When we as a church are filled with the Spirit, we are yielding to God’s purposes for his glory. Our yieldedness is evidence will be evidenced by these signs:

“…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves…” [the sign of genuine community]

“…and making music to the Lord in your hearts…” [the sign of God-honoring worship]

“And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [the sign of gratitude in every circumstance]

“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” [the sign of loving one another through mutual submission]

            The picture developing is of a church at worship. The singing of songs, making music, getting along. This is harmony. This is the church controlled by the Spirit. That’s a good picture, but it’s incomplete. If you have your Bibles, look at what comes next. Paul starts talking about Spirit-guided relationships: Husbands and Wives – how they are to love each other (22-33); Children and Parents – honoring and discipling (6:1-5); Workplace relationships (6:5-9). 

            The Spirit wants to transform all your relationships. He wants to fill you with a new way of relating to your spouse, to your family, to your employer and employees. No aspect of life is left out of his transforming influence. And what is the outcome of this Spirit work? Christlikeness!

            This chapter began with these words, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life of love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God,” (5:1-2). This the goal! Jesus Christ in all you are and all you do by the power of the Spirit!

 

What Being Filled Does to You (2 Cor. 3:17-18)

 

Who are we to limit the Spirit? Who are we to say to God, give me this but not that? The Lord wants to fill you with so much of himself that you overflow with Jesus. 

            CS Lewis gives us an image of the transforming effects of being filled with the Spirit in his book Mere Christianity. He wrote:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but he is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself.

            We have moved Sharon’s mother from independent living arrangements to full care. In the process, we had to clean up her now vacant apartment. It is an amazing and heart wrenching process as we had to throw out bags of garbage, sort out items for self-help, and designate items for family members. To see how one’s prized possessions become so quickly devalued and given away is painful. But in the end, it is good.

            As Lewis describes, our life is being filled with the Spirit. There are things that need to be thrown out, even things we call “good,” to make room for what is even better. Jesus moves in and works to make our lives a place where he can live and direct our lives. 

              We fight the Lord because we want to do things our own way. We resist the change because it is uncomfortable. That’s why it is not an instant change. That’s why we are commanded to keep on being filled. For some of us it means losing our freedom. But it really isn’t. “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom…And the Lord - who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image,” (2 Cor. 3:17-18). 

 

To be filled with the Spirit means that we are allowing him to occupy and be Lord over every area of our lives. All of us who believe in Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit. The question is: Are you ready and willing to be filled with his fullness right now? Are you ready for what’s next?

            We have two glasses of water and two packets of Alka-Seltzer. Notice how you can have the Holy Spirit but resist his filling. Only by opening yourself up to the Spirit can he begin to fill you. 

            Many people ask, “How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?” The filling begins with submission. We need to yield to the Holy Spirit. 

            Some Christians are so full of themselves they have no room for the Holy Spirit. Some Christians have simply closed their hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit. We need emptiness and openness. I need to allow Jesus to throw out the garbage of my life and open myself up to the changes and challenges he wants to work in me. 

            For this to happen in me and in you there needs to be a sense of need. Are you willing to say, “Lord, I’m empty and I need to be filled with your Spirit”? Are you willing to say, “Lord, I’m open to you. Let your Spirit fill me now”? 

            In Acts 4:31, the followers of Jesus were desperately praying to the Lord for his hand of deliverance. The place where they were praying was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. This was such a powerful experience that they spoke about Jesus with unreal boldness. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

            Are you willing to say, “Lord, whatever you want to give me, I’m ready,”? 

 

                                                            AMEN

 

Father God, I need your life-giving Spirit to fill me. I don’t ask this like Simon Magus who just wanted to have an experience. I ask Lord, because I want my life to bring glory to Jesus Christ, your Son. I am empty and I need your filling. I know that you have promised your Spirit to your people, and I know you will answer this prayer according to your good plans. So, I pray in faith believing that what you have for me is so, so good. Fill my cup Lord, let it overflow.

In Jesus name, Amen. 

John 16:5-11 The Work of the Holy Spirit

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life today? 

            Try opening a conversation with that question at Jake Horton’s (local coffee shop). My guess is there would be a lot of stammering and head-scratching to try and answer that one. Ask someone this question and watch them squirm. 

            I am not encouraging you to be mean; I am merely illustrating that to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives requires thought. Our struggle to respond causes us to review the extraordinary moments, the “God-thing” that happened to you, and we grow frustrated when we can’t think of one from last week. 

            What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life today? I “googled” some common misconceptions about the Holy Spirit. There are some who think that the Holy Spirit helps us feel good about ourselves. Many assume that the warm fuzzy feelings are evidence of his presence. Others fear that the Spirit is someone who makes you do weird and uncomfortable things. A common understanding is that when the right songs are sung in worship and the preacher is spot-on with his message that the Holy Spirit was “really” present in a worship service. 

            I believe the Holy Spirit is present in the chaotic worship service where nothing goes as planned as well as in the so-called perfect service. But that’s beside the point. 

            Or is it? If we are asking why the Holy Spirit was given to us, we must explore what he was sent to do. To make this personal, I will use “me” and “my” but encourage you to say this to yourself. The Holy Spirit was not given to ME by Jesus for MY own benefit. I propose to you that the Holy Spirit who indwells ME has less to do with ME and more to do with OTHERS from the context of John 16:5-11. 

            To be clear, the Holy Spirit does this work in ME too, but when I share the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit does the work of convincing our hearers of the good news.

“It’s better for you if I’m not here” (16:5-7) 

 

Let’s go back to John 16. This is the night before Jesus is crucified and Jesus has told the disciples he is leaving them. Nothing Jesus is saying makes sense to them right then. They are bewildered and hurt. Jesus, their beloved teacher, seems to be abandoning them. 

            Jesus responds to this hurt with even more perplexing words, “…it is to your advantage that I go away…” or “It’s better for you if I’m not here.” That makes less sense. How could this be true? What is better than having Jesus right here beside me? If I asked you, I’m sure you would agree that having the physical Jesus in this building right now would be the best thing ever. Who gets to take him for lunch in Morris? All of us would want Jesus here.

            But Jesus says, “It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate (Paraclete; Helper) won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you,” (7). Pastor J.D. Greear wrote a book subtitled The Spirit Inside You is Better than Jesus Beside You. That sentiment captures the intention of Jesus’ words. It’s still hard to fathom if we don’t understand the Spirit’s purpose.

            Two things are intended by this “advantage.” One is that it is better for the disciples not to be dependent on the visible, bodily presence of Jesus. The other is more important: the Spirit will not come unless Jesus goes away. Jesus was limited spatially in a human way to one locale – he couldn’t be everywhere. The Holy Spirit could and does manifest himself everywhere. Even more importantly, the Spirit could not dwell in believers until Jesus died on the cross and rose again. I struggle to explain this, but in God’s providence, the Spirit could temporarily fill men and women in the OT, while after the resurrection the Spirit would dwell permanently in those who believe in Jesus. 

I believe the key is the cross of Christ – putting your faith in Jesus, the crucified Lord, opens your life to the Spirit.

How Does the Spirit Help Me? (16:8-11)

 

That’s the question! I remember asking as a young person, “What’s the advantage having the Holy Spirit in my life?” What help does he give? Jesus said that his going away was to the disciples’ advantage. So, what’s the advantage? 

            Jesus gives an almost perfect summary of the Spirit’s work in response. He said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” (8). The word John uses as “convict” can also be translated “convince.” Neither word is adequate. If you like “Law and Order” TV shows, courtroom drama, you can imagine a lawyer cross-examining a witness until he pokes holes in the person’s testimony and the witness admits that his perception of the crime is full of errors. Cross-examination can do two things: convict a person in their conscience of a wrong done or convince the person of the weakness of their case. Both “convict” and “convince” could be applied to this picture.

            What does the Spirit do? His primary ministry is to bring men and women to a place of personal conviction about who Jesus is and the cross he died upon. When we share that Jesus is the King of glory who died for us, the Spirit works on people to convince them of the truth.

            The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of revelation. He reveals the truth (reality) of the cross in three ways. Let’s explore this with three questions:

How do we know what sin looks like? I think that we all have an innate sense of what is right and wrong. We can make a list of sins just by watching the evening news. What is the greatest sin? Is it murder? Is it theft? Is it adultery? Is it homosexuality? 

            Jesus identifies the ultimate sin this way, “The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me,” (9). Would you have put this sin at the top of your list? Pornography is a multibillion-dollar industry and affects men and women alike. Many believe that men are more affected, but one study found that 76% of females between the ages of 18 and 30 watch pornographic material. Surely this tops the sin lists. However, underlying this sin is the sin of unbelief. Not believing in Jesus is the chief of all sins. 

            Paul gives us a window into this truth. He writes that “…God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ,” (2 Cor 5:21). The ESV says it more directly in that God “made him to be sin.” That’s profound. God made Jesus to be sin. He embodied all the sin of the world, including porn or whatever disgusts you most, on the cross.

            What is Jesus saying about sin? All the sins we can list come down to one origin: unbelief. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. If you willingly and knowingly sin, you will feel guilty about it. Good. You are agreeing with the Spirit that it is sin. Acknowledge it, confess it, move away from it. 

            How do we know what sin is? Look at the cross. 

How do we know what is good? Jesus said, “Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more,” (10). 

            Scholars debate what this verse means. It could mean that the Spirit will convict people of their need for righteousness. Or it could mean that righteousness is available through Jesus and the Spirit convinces us of that. But I believe it means something more. 

            When Jesus walked the roads of Palestine, most people thought he was a rebel, an outcast, a troublemaker. The Pharisees and Sadducees said he was a criminal, a blasphemer. Some said he cast out demons using the power of demons and therefore must be possessed by demons. Common people loved him; the authorities said he was a bad man. So, they put him on trial (if you can call it that), found him guilty, and executed in the worst possible way. They crucified him.

            A bad man was killed. They felt justified for about 36 hours. They woke up Saturday morning and they were right. They ate lunch on Saturday and they were right. They went to bed Saturday night, and they were right. They woke up Sunday morning and found out they were wrong. 

            What is good? How do you define goodness? Or when someone is good? Jesus, by his obedience to the Father, submitted to death for the sins of the world. His perfect obedience demonstrates that he was perfectly good. And God said “Yes!” by raising him from the dead. 

            I’m pounding this drum hard  Look at the cross. There’s the measure of goodness. Look at Acts 2:22-24 when Peter preached to the crowds in Jerusalem at Pentecost. 

People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.  But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 

Peter presented evidence of Jesus’ goodness. Then he said, “You killed him!” Twice he tells them they killed Jesus! (22, 36). The Holy Spirit opened their eyes in that moment and discovered they had killed a good man. The Holy Spirit shows us that goodness is found only in Jesus Christ.

How do we know that Satan is finished? This is the third and corresponding work of the Spirit. He convinces sinners that living a sinful life and following the spirit of this age ends in disaster. 

            Jesus said, “Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged,” (11). Note the past tense – “already been judged.” When did that happen? (Beats the drum) At the cross! On the cross evil stands condemned and defeated. Satan was utterly defeated by the death of Jesus.

            Paul described Satan and his work to the Corinthians. He wrote, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God,” (2 Cor 4:4). 

            Why is Satan allowed to run amok and blind people to the Good News of Jesus? Some would say that because he knows he’s finished that he is like a terrorist trying to take down as many people to hell with him as possible. Others would say that a loving God allows people to choose between the life of self-indulgence and a life of selflessness. Perhaps there is truth in both. But it is the Holy Spirit who opens blind eyes and convinces us that Satan is finished and will be judged. To follow him is to follow a loser. As Jesus said, you can gain the whole world yet lose your life.

            The Holy Spirit reveals to us that judgment has come. The cross is the place where evil has been judged and salvation has been accomplished for those who believe. 

            Paul described this victory to the Colossians when he said this in Colossians 2:13-15. (Read). 

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed[a] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. 

What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life today? 

            We may look at the miracles and the signs and the wonders of the NT. We may even envy the charismatic movement with their emphasis on healings and visions and other manifestations. We may conclude that the Spirit is not doing anything in our lives. I beg to disagree.

            Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that what he did on the cross has led to God forgiving you your sins? Do you look forward to eternal life with Jesus Christ? 

            If you answered “yes” to these questions, that is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. He has convinced you of the power and effectiveness of the cross to do for you what you were unable to do by any effort or goodness of your own. He has convinced you that a good and perfect man took your place on the cross and died for you. 

            Do you believe in Jesus? That’s the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Never mind speaking in tongues, never mind the signs and wonders. Your faith is a miracle. 

            Imagine this. You enter the eternal presence of God and the forever kingdom. To Noah, you ask what it was like to be in the ark with all those animals. To Joseph, you ask what it was like to interpret dreams. To Moses, what was it like to see the Red Sea part. To David, what was it like to take down Goliath. To Daniel…the lion’s den. You get the idea. And then they ask you: WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN YOU? What was it like to have the eyes of your heart opened so that you could see the glory of Jesus in the cross of Christ? 

            What is the work of the Holy Spirit? His work is to empower you and me to speak of Jesus. We speak. He convinces. You don’t need to persuade anyone. We share Jesus. The Holy Spirit convinces or convicts. 

            Spirit of the Living God, refresh us and remind us of your power to convince. Speak through us to tell people that Jesus is the Son of God.

                        

                                                AMEN

            

John 14:15-22 The Promise of the Holy Spirit

THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

In the Christmas season we have celebrated “Immanuel” or “God with us” in the birth of Jesus. That’s what Christmas is all about – rejoicing that God came into our world to live with us in the man, Jesus Christ. 

            But in the present tense, Jesus is no longer “with us” that we could go and find him and talk with him face-to-face. We cannot sit and eat with him. We cannot see his facial expressions and ask him his thoughts on matters that concern us. There are certain people in our lives that walk into a room give us a sense of relief. Jesus can’t do that for us. He’s not here; he’s not “with us.” We wish he was. 

            The disciples had followed Jesus for about three years. They had enjoyed his presence, eating with him, learning from him, knowing him, and loving him. Having Jesus in their lives was life changing. Jesus unpacked the mysteries of their world for them. He taught them about God. He showed them God. Jesus was the most important person in their lives. 

            Then one day, Jesus told them he had to go away and leave them. The disciples would not have the pleasure of his presence any longer. Fred Craddock captured the scene in a memorable image: He said the disciples were like children playing on the floor who happen to look up and see their parents putting on their coats and hats. They ask three questions:

Where are you going? 

Can we go?

Then who is going to stay with us? 

            Jesus had repeatedly told them that he was going to die at the hands of the Jews. They didn’t get it. They did get that he was leaving. And to this last question, Jesus promises them that another paraclete is going to come and be with them to assure them of his abiding presence. This is the promise of the Holy Spirit. Where Jesus was with them, the Spirit was going to be in them. 

He is given to those who love Jesus (John 14:15)

 

In John 14-17, Jesus gives a farewell speech to his disciples. It is here that we find this promise that Jesus will not leave the disciples without help once he’s gone. Jesus, in this sense, answers the question, “Who is going to stay with us?” They are then introduced to the person of the Holy Spirit and what he is going to do in them. 

            First, Jesus makes this remark: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” (15). I am amazed at how many preachers skip to the promise without considering this caveat. There is a direct link between this statement and the receiving of the Holy Spirit and it should not be ignored.

            Who is the Holy Spirit given to? Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will be given to those who love him. But Jesus qualifies what it means to love him by connecting that love with obeying his commandments. Loving Jesus means obeying Jesus. It’s not uncommon logic. If a patriot says he loves his country, he won’t go and break every law. If you love your spouse, you are not going to flirt with another. 

            Loving Jesus is expressed in a firm belief that what he taught is true and worth following in life. It is not so difficult a concept. John expanded on this idea in his first letter (see 1 John 5:1-3). Jesus taught that the whole law is summed up in the Great Commandment and its companion: Love the Lord your God and love one another. 

            Whose feet do we wash and whose feet do we ignore? What are the boundaries of love? Do we keep these commandments? Is our love growing, expanding, transforming the way we think and influencing our world? If yes, then Jesus is a present reality for us, and we are experiencing the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives. 

            Keeping the commandments is our access to Jesus’ promise that we will not be left without help. Keeping the commandments does not make Jesus present to us. It makes us present to the already ongoing reality of Jesus’ presence. The commandments do not earn us Jesus’ love, they reveal our love for him, a love that finds its source from his presence in us. 

 

He is “Another Paraclete” (John 14:16)

 

 I know, I know, the word “paraclete” is rather foreign to our ears. Here’s what Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you,” (16). Depending on your translation, you may see the word “Helper,” “Comforter,” or “Friend.” These terms are inadequate to fully explain what the Holy Spirit does for us. That’s why I’m using the word “paraclete.” 

            What’s a paraclete? It’s a Greek term that is untranslatable and can only be described. It’s like “schmaunt faut.” It literally means, ‘one called alongside to help.’ In the ancient Greek world, a paraclete could help in different ways. This person…

·      May be called in to give witness in a law court in someone’s favor.

·      May be an advocate verifying your character when someone maligns your name.

·      May be an expert called in to give advice in a difficult situation.

·      May be called in when a company of soldiers lose morale and need someone to give them courage in heart and mind. 

Did you notice that Jesus says, “another advocate”? Jesus was telling the disciples that the Spirit’s presence would replace Jesus’ encouraging and strengthening presence with them while on earth. The Holy Spirit had accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry and now the Spirit will accompany the disciples in the same way. He has been “with them” in Christ, but now he will be “in them” as the Spirit of Christ. 

      We can’t miss this important piece: Everything that can be said about the Paraclete (the Holy Spirit) has been said in other parts of the Gospel narratives about Jesus. Both are sent by the Father; Jesus is the truth – the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth; Jesus is the Holy One of God – the Spirit is the Holy Spirit; Jesus bears witness – the Spirit is a witness.

      When Jesus tells the saddened disciples he is going away, he says, “Don’t worry. I am sending you another like me to come alongside you and help you. He will be all to you that I am now. He will even be in you.” 

 

He Opens our eyes to Reality (John 14:17a)

 

There are apparently 87 titles for the Holy Spirit in the Bible. We have looked at Paraclete and we will look at one more. Jesus gives us this title: Spirit of Truth. 

            Jesus said, “He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth,” (17a). I was surprised to discover that “truth” is another way of saying “reality.” How do we know what is true? How do we know what is real? What Jesus infers to us is that the Spirit reveals the truth about our world and the meaning of life as we are able to know it. 

            There are many illusions in life, things that we think are true, but which aren’t true at all, principles upon which we act expecting certain results and then disappoint. People are blinded by the philosophies of this age; they are obsessed with rights believing that if we all accept their way of living and thinking they will be happier. They clamber for freedom to express themselves and live how they want but insist that you not oppose their choice. They want to be free, but we are not free to follow Christ because that infringes on their freedom.

            In the midst of this confusing spirit of the age, Jesus has given his people the Spirit of Truth. He has come to help us understand life as it really is, to unmask the illusions, and to strip off falsehoods. He has come to remind us of God’s reality. 

            Jesus expanded on this role of the Spirit saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard…” (John 16:13-14). And I truly believe that while the Bible is the primary source of God’s truth, that the God who created the world through the agency of his Son, Jesus Christ, continues to reveal truth through science and technological discoveries (to name a few). In other words, God has given us a world to explore as a medium for knowing him better. The truth is out there, they say, and it can be known through the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.

 

He lives in you because you know Him (John 14:17b-c)

 

Jesus does not soft pedal about who has the Spirit and who doesn’t. He said that those who understand him and love him will take on his commands to love God and love each other. It makes sense then, doesn’t it, that those who have the Spirit are those who buck the trend of “me first” that the world teaches and love others at the cost of not being loved in return. That’s the “Jesus way.” 

So, Jesus said, “The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him because he lives with you now and later will be in you,” (17b-c). There are two remarkable features of this saying.

            First, the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit (in fact, doesn’t want him). The world, according to the NT, is the spirit of the world, those we call secularists or humanists – people who live life without a thought to what God wants or decrees as good. They look at life from a human point of view believing that humankind can solve its own problems, that the human spirit will triumph over anything. Education has been secularized by this view so that knowledge is the god that will save the earth.

            Second, Jesus says that you know the Holy Spirit. We know him because we know Jesus. The Spirit is not a stranger to us. You have known him all along in your Christian walk. You may not have recognized him, but you are familiar with him. This meant more to the disciples at that moment when Jesus said it. They were the ones with breaking hearts as Jesus said his farewells. But he said not to worry – you know me, you’ll know the Holy Spirit because of me. Jesus was with them; the Spirit will live in them. And because this is true for us as well, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Think of that, God dwells…in…you!

            You remember at the beginning of John 14, Jesus said he was going to the Father to prepare a place for the disciples. At the same time, the Holy Spirit (Paraclete) comes into your life to prepare a place for the Father and the Son. It is no mistake that both homes are revealed in the same chapter. Jesus, as Paraclete, makes a home in the presence of the Father for his people. The Holy Spirit, as Paraclete, makes a home for the Father and the Son in the believer. You as an individual, as well as all of us as the church, have become a dwelling place where God lives by his Spirit. The world can’t grasp this reality, but we do, and we see the effects of his presence in how we are being transformed into the image of Christ.

 

I have read a few comments on a site called “Quora” – a site where people can ask any question, and anyone can answer – and some have asked if Jesus was a myth created by the church. I find these threads disturbing. Part of my angst is wondering how to answer someone who says that Jesus was a concoction of the disciples’ imagination. 

What scholarly proofs do you bring to this debate? What historical evidences can you provide to refute the skeptics’ doubts? How do you prove Jesus? 

As I was considering this and praying over it, the Spirit no less spoke to my heart and said, “Changed lives.” Begin with the disciples who cowered in the shadows when Christ was killed and then faced death in the face when filled the Spirit to testify about Jesus. Then go to Paul, the persecutor of Christians who became a missionary for Jesus. And then follow the trail down through history of the thousands of people who were changed from degenerate and wicked men and women into selfless followers of Jesus. Think of those who cared not for reputation or popularity but flung them aside to dangerously live for Jesus. Think of your own life – what you once were and what the Spirit has done to change you from an infant of grace to a maturing lover of God and God’s people. 

The proof of the reality of Jesus Christ, historically, theologically, spiritually, and empirically rests in the evidence of changed lives. Through the Holy Spirit, you have come to believe in Christ and through the Holy Spirit who now lives in you, you are being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). As Paul said, this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 

Immanuel, “God with us,” is now “God in us.” Jesus did not leave us alone but has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the “Jesus way.” 

 

                                                            AMEN