Help Has Arrived! | John 14:15-31

good morning Church good to be with you guys my name is Gavin one of the pastor's here and I'd invite you to open your Bibles to the Gospel of John that's page 901 on my Bible I don't know what it is on yours we're in in chapter 14 and we're gonna hit the end of the chapter 15 to the end I'm gonna preach a sermon titled help has arrived I'm a person who needs a lot of help and so that is particularly good news to me this morning and I hope it is to use you turn in your Bibles I'll start by saying this it was almost exactly a year ago that Chris and I were in Beaver Creek Colorado for a pastors conference that we had to go to and Chris drove out with his wife I met him there so I flew and I got to the car rental counter and the gal asked me would you like to upgrade your economy car to a Jeep Wrangler for $10 a day and I said that's a dumb question I'm in Colorado of course I want to upgrade my economy car to a Jeep Wrangler for $10 a day she said would you like to upgrade to the full coverage insurance for an additional $10 a day I said what does that mean she said that means you were not liable for anything that happens in Iran or to this vehicle or by this vehicle there's no deductible you could roll it down a hill it could catch fire you would owe nothing you walk away I said that's a dumb question I'm in Colorado and a Jeep Wrangler of course I want no deductible comprehensive insurance for an additional $10 a day so there I am in Colorado with my Jeep Wrangler rental and I Drive to the hotel conference where we're staying and usually I try to be a good student of these at these things Chris and I have to go to you know at least a couple of year and I'm there to learn and I'd sit in the front I take notes and I'd pay attention but not at this session I will confess don't tell him I was on my phone the whole time on Google looking for the best off-road trails near Beaver Creek Colorado and as soon as we got the first break you better believe Chris and I headed for the Jeep Wrangler and we headed to the trail so I'm thinking what could go wrong horrible question to ask we've got a full tank of gas we've got a GPS map of the best off-road trails we have a Jeep Wrangler with no deductible insurance I mean this is this is worth the to the airline ticket alone and so off we go and we've got a number of hours before the next session so beautiful scenery some of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen with you know just glass like ponds and lakes and over hills and through valleys and the Aspen's returning this you know time of year and we got caught up into it and the in the off-road trail was mostly a loop except we did come to a fork in the road where we realize we need to make a decision left or right well no problem we grabbed our phones so look at the map see where we were only to realize there was no cell reception there is no data service well okay we'll just follow our best intuition which was horrible because our intuition said go left so we went left and we started up this steep incline and we got off the trail that was designed for like stock jeep wranglers and onto the trail that was for like souped-up jeep wranglers with eight inch lifts and mutter tires and locking differentials and winches you know and four wheelers and the like so we're in a stock Jeep Wrangler rental rock crawling in the wilderness of the mountains and we got into a really technical part where we wanted to turn around we knew we couldn't get through this but we looked back and it was to the trail was too narrow to turn around it's like there's a cliff down and a cliff up so you're not turning around it's too steep and dangerous to just go in Reverse so we have one option it's go up so we spent literally hours climbing this hill and Chris had to get out and navigate you know put your right tire on that Boulder and then it was slow going this kind of rock crawling we get to the very top and and continue to follow this road we check our cell phones again now the batteries are dying and the cell phones there is still no cell reception there is no data service the sun's is starting to go down over the mountains we've missed the next pastors conference and we are below a quarter tank of gas in this Jeep in this moment we're no longer having fun it's kind of like how long will it take for them to find our bodies in this Jeep that that becomes the predominant question in the forefront of our minds so we decide we need a strategy okay Chris I remember the map we've mostly from the south to the north I remember there's a highway on the north side of this range if we just keep going north eventually we will hit highway and so we go north north north so we think finally come to what looks like heaven on earth a paved road pull on to it only to find out that was actually the highway on the south side of the range we had been going south the whole time we thought we were going north and as soon as our phones got cell reception sure enough here comes the panic text messages where are you guys that we found out they had assembled a prayer circle at the pastors conference which included Kristin's wife who is now panicked by the grace of God my wife was not there and she was unaware of what was happening probably better for all of us but what Chris and I learned in that moment is that it's one thing to be lost in the wilderness on the side of a mountain in a rental jeep that's embarrassing that's fun that is what it is it's a whole nother thing to be lost on the side of a mountain in a jeep with no help no cell service no GPS map no sirree nothing nothing can help you and in that moment we were panicked because of the helplessness there was no one to help us in that moment we were utterly and completely alone and I say that a long build-up to say I think that kind of panic is what the disciples are feeling in John chapter 14 remember for these 12 dudes their whole life has been a bet about following Jesus for the past three years they've quit their job they've gone where he's gone they've listened to what he said they have been with Jesus he has become their Lord he's become their leader he has become their closest friend their rabbi and several times now Jesus has said it's about time for me to go to the Father I'm about to leave the earth his work on earth was about to be completed and he is warning them and giving them a heads up I'm about to go and in two different times in chapter 14 Jesus tells them let not your hearts be troubled why did Jesus tell them that because their hearts were troubled they were panicked what are we going to do now in and so all of chapter 14 is Jesus telling you and me his followers why our heart should not be troubled and he gives three reasons last week Cameron gave us the first two he says number one I'm going to prepare a place for you ie heaven you will have a room he says number two I will come back to get you I'm coming back for you and the third one we're gonna take a look at this week the third reason why our heart should not be troubled he says is because he is going to send a helper he is not going to leave us alone abandoned on the side of a road and Colorado he is going to come to us be present with us and give help for us and so what I want to do this morning is take a look at these last 17 verses in John chapter 14 that we've been studying and I want to look at what Jesus teaches us about this helper the helper that he has sent for us and John 14 doesn't teach us everything we know about the Holy Spirit but I think Jesus teaches us three primary things about the Holy Spirit that I want to share with the remainder of our time this morning that is first he he shares with us the way to the helper how do we get us help number two he shares it with us some of the roles of the Holy Spirit how does he help us and number three he's going to share with us the home of the helper where does he live so the first thing I'd have you write down is this number one I want to point out what Jesus teaches us in regards to the way to the helper how do we get the help of the Holy Spirit and what we're gonna see in this passage is that when we love Jesus when he becomes our Savior and Lord we get the helper we get the Holy Spirit he's not like a luxury add-on feature does anyone else here have it like a base-model vehicle when you get a base-model vehicle you'll notice on the dash and on the door there's certain areas where there's just like a plastic cover where you can tell there's supposed to be a switch or a knob or something that had you gotten the more fancy trim you would have gotten right some would teach that the Holy Spirit is like that there's junior varsity there's varsity the Holy Spirit comes to some but what Jesus is going to teach us is that the Holy Spirit comes standard issue on all models okay when you love Jesus you get the Holy Spirit when you love him he gives you his helper let me show you from the text he shows he tells us almost the exact same thing three different times starts in verse 15 and 16 watch what he says he says if you love me you will keep my Commandments and I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper to be with you forever verse 21 whoever has my Commandments and keeps them he it is who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him that's the Holy Spirit verse 23 if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and he will and we will come to him and we will make our home in him that's through the Holy Spirit now church this is extremely important pay attention to the order in which Jesus communicates these things he says the same basically the same thing three times if you love me you will obey my commands and I will send you my Holy Spirit to help you help you what he's saying is love produces obedience not the other way around love produces obedience how many of you have been taught that obedience produces love if you just obey God God will love you if you keep God's commandments he'll send a spirit to be with you if you honor the Lord he will honor you like some sort of cosmic karmic debt repayment if you treat him nice he's gonna be nice to you obey Him and then he will love you well not only is this idea not biblical gospel Christianity it's graceless and merciless religion this is religion that seeks to control people by fear and manipulation and what does it do it actually pushes people away from God altogether obedience cannot produce love but love always produces obedience think about a parent who only ever motivates their child through force and fear that parent motivating through force and fear might get some measure of obedience and response right that child is scared enough they will conform their behavior so as to not be punished so they will get a level of obedient response from that child but they're not going to get love from that child why obedience doesn't produce love they will submit to the will of the oppressive parent until they can get out of Dodge and usually when they leave the house what like wild rebellion but the child who knows that they're loved by the parent who experiences the love of the parent will love the parent and though not perfectly to some significant measure will obey the parent was loving correction but in the context of love love produces obedience obedience does not produce love by the way I think this is really interesting that Jesus Saves this teaching until Judas Iscariot is gone remember Judas is the one who hands over Jesus to the authorities betrays him for some pieces of silver Judas was just in the room moments before this about thirty verses before in the upper room right after the Last Supper same event same time Judas leaves the room to betray Jesus and I think what's interesting about that is that I think this happens in this order because Judas is the case study Judas didn't actually love Jesus on the outside Judas was actually very impressive honestly if you and I could go back in time and observe Judas is life before this moment we would say well he's a real model of the faith he follows Jesus he feeds the poor he teaches the Bible he gave up his career to be a follower and a student of Jesus he's a real model of the faith but as judas iscariot a model of the faith no he's not why because he had outward obedience but he had no internal love and what happens he betrays Jesus why because obedience doesn't produce love love produces a joyful obedience that's the gospel how does Jesus change us through love how does he motivate us through love how does he get our obedience through love and affection by His grace what Jesus is teaching us here is very important if you love Jesus the fruit of that is going to be obedience and what happens you get the Holy Spirit your helper so to sum it all up how do we get the holy spirit we love Jesus somebody make this very practical if you're asking well do I have the helper well do you love Jesus have you turned from your sins have you admitted I am NOT perfect as God requires I have sinned I do sin I will sin I need Grayson have you turned and trusted Jesus Jesus you were the one who didn't sin on my behalf you were the one who died for sin on my behalf and I turn and I trust you because Jesus become your Savior and your Lord and your treasure if not would you turn and trust him today would you become a child of God and if you have trusted Jesus and if you love Jesus you need to know you have the Holy Spirit he said if you love me you will obey my Commandments and I will come and make my home with you you have the helper the question then becomes do you depend on him do you listen to his conviction do you rely on his power that's the question not do I have the Holy Spirit but does the Holy Spirit have all of me if you love Jesus you have the helper but are you responding to his help if I can confess I'm trying to figure this out myself and I'm not batting a thousand there are weeks when I live my life like I am abandon alone on the side of a mountain in Colorado with no one to call and Siri is not responding I don't meet with Jesus I don't pray I don't listen I don't depend I don't ask for help in in those weeks and in those moments what happens I get anxious I get angry I struggle to obey God and to love people but here's what God has been teaching me to know that I have helper means I can respond to his help so I've been meeting with Jesus in the morning and inviting the Holy Spirit Holy Spirit would you help me today he's already with me but becoming consciously aware inviting him in Holy Spirit would you help me today then throughout the day living with a conscious awareness please spirit I know you're with me to remind me that you're with me before I preach this sermon I'm nervous spear to God help me before I go into this meeting I know there's a lot on the line give me give me your minds when I come home from a busy day of work and I'm tired and all I have left for my family is leftovers I pray a Holy Spirit empower me to give my best with my wife in the eyes and ask questions and care and wrestle with my kids Holy Spirit would you help me and he has been helping me by the grace of God so first off how do we get the helper listen it's not some second event it doesn't come later it's not for varsity Christians if you love the Lord Jesus you have the helper the job for us is learning then how to respond to him how to follow his leading how to be aware of his presence first thing Jesus teaches us don't let your heart be troubled you have a helper second thing he's gonna say is here's what this helper does I want to show you some of the roles of the helper the roles of the Holy Spirit that he gives us in our life now real quick the Holy Spirit has a big job description okay very impressive and our core value series just a couple weeks ago I listed like ten of the roles of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian but I want to say rooted in our text since we're in John chapter 14 and Jesus gives us three primary roles or functions of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian let me show them to you one at a time you can ride them down the first role the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are God's children look at verse 18 he says I will not leave you as orphans I will come to you real quick that word orphan literally means fatherless and when he says I will come to you that's the Holy Spirit so we're saying the Holy Spirit's gonna come to you and you won't be fatherless you won't be alone you will have a heavenly father one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is adopting you into God's family and confirming that you were his child this is all over the New Testament let me show you two more verses Galatians 4 and 6 it says and because you are sons God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying Abba that means daddy father so that you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir through God look at Romans 8:16 the spirit that's our helper the Holy Spirit the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God one of the first rules of the Holy Spirit is to adopt us into God's family and confirm that we are his children I've got three little kiddos at home one of the first things they do when they fall down and get hurt when they break something when they need help they cry out for dad because they know mom is cold and dad is warm so they just no just kidding honey just kidding love you but they get I'm their favorite but we're working through it they cry out for mom or dad and as a father there's nothing I wouldn't do to help him there's nothing I wouldn't respond to but reality is I'm not always there I won't always be there but listen to me you have a Heavenly Father who's never too busy who's never disinterested who's never checking his iPhone and not paying attention to you is never on a business trip who was always present who was always powerful who's always paying attention who was an ever-present help in times of trouble you have a father have a buddy in Lincoln who's a pastor and I was hanging out with them just a few weeks ago and we had prayed before this meeting and he prayed daddy father and then he continued to pray and I said that's a weird way to start a prayer daddy father and so I asked him you you said daddy father and he shared with me yeah for the for the longest time and I know his story he had a hard time relating to God it's his father his earthly father not a good dude on drugs took advantage of the family bailed came around when he needed something classic story so for this guy he said I love Jesus I love God I pray to him I love him it's just hard for me to call him dad it just didn't have a high view of the father but he said that he was reading that Galatians 4 verse where says that the Spirit of God has come in to us giving us a spirit of adoption crying out Abba Father he said I've read that for maybe that one thousandth time and the Spirit of God broke my heart in the greatest way and reminded me I don't need to be bitter toward God because of my Heavenly Father I need to see that my heavenly father's the father that I've never had he has adopted me into his family and he said ever since that's all I can pray daddy father God dad dad daddy and he just loves to say it and the same is true for you you have a father no matter what your earthly father was like no matter your circumstances right now the Spirit of God has adopted you if you love Jesus into his family you have a father second role the Holy Spirit is that he reminds us of truth so when he adopts us into the family of God - he reminds us of the Bible of truth of the gospel one of the things he will do is recall to your mind truth in verse 16 Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth in verse 6 26 look at what he says he says but the helper the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you the Holy Spirit reminds his children of truth this is true of the apostles who went on to write the New Testament Holy Spirit recalled to their mind everything that Jesus had said they wrote the New Testament Gospels but so - the Holy Spirit reminds his children of truth he will bring to your mind truths of the gospel truths of Scripture there's a hymn one of my favorite it says it has this line when I won't sing it that'd be awkward when I'm tempted to despair or when Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within upward I look and see him there who made an end to all my sin I love that line because it's like I'm reminded of got the gospel truth and that's what the Holy Spirit does when you're tempted to despair the Spirit of God will remind you of gospel promises who you are whose you are who you belong to and the Holy Spirit is a teacher he's reminding you of the gospel he's reminding you of Scripture I can say over the last several years there's been some big themes that the Holy Spirit has been teaching me shaping me through one is that my identity is not found and what people think about me so I'm like a recovering Approval addict and one of the themes the Holy Spirit has taught me listen if you want to lead and love your family in this church you can't be enslaved by what people think about you it's been this Holy Spirit theme he'll bring it up in Scripture they'll bring it up in situations so bring it up in conversations he's been teaching me that if Jesus had to set boundaries and disappointed people I could do the same thing he's taught me that I can accomplish a lot more if I can let go of control and don't control everything there's been big themes that the Holy Spirit has been teaching me but in the same way he's brought to mind simple truths in a particular moment there's been times during a hospital visit when I'm praying for someone that God will bring to my mind a scripture that I haven't thought about for years that even though I had it memorized and God will give me a verse to pray over somebody I know that doesn't sound super wacky or crazy but it's like I might have read it five years ago and God will bring it to my mind moments when I'm tempted with sin or I'm being too proud or too discouraged it's like God will remind me of truth that's what he does Jesus says don't be discouraged I'm gonna send you a helper he's gonna remind you of your adoption he's gonna remind you of truth and then the third promise he says the third role the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit is gonna bring you peace the disciples were at peace when they were with Jesus and now they're thinking we're not gonna have peace anymore says no no no I'm gonna leave you with my peace the Holy Spirit verse 27 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 so listen God the Son gives us peace with God the Father he gives us the Peter peace with God God the Holy Spirit helps us experience the peace of God and notice that Jesus says it's not like the world's peace not like the world gives you do I give you I give you peace from the Holy Spirit so there's a worldly peace and that is the absence of chaos the absence of violence it's momentary reprieve from chaos so if you're a parent of young kids like me that's between their bedtime and yours that's worldly peace right amen for about eight to about ten that's two hours of worldly and I love worldly peace amen hallelujah recharge the batteries actually talk to my wife and finish the sentence watch TV whatever I want to do that's peace but Jesus says it's not like the world peace Jesus doesn't just give us the absence of violence or chaos biblical peace is the presence of a well-being and wholeness to the soul even in the chaos Philippians says the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus in other words the peace of God doesn't take us out of the flames of life the peace of God guards us it insulates us from the flames so that we can walk through the fire and not get burned do you see the difference she says don't let your heart be troubled I'm gonna send the help or he's gonna remind you that you're a child of God he's gonna remind you of truth and he is gonna insulate you from life so that you can walk through the fires and not get burnt and what are the Apostles do the disciples go on the majority of them to be martyred for their faith in Jesus and how do they go through their martyrdom was an absolute present peace he offers the same peace to you the peace of God he leaves with you so why should we not allowed our hearts be troubled Church we can because we have a helper he reminds us we're God's children he leads us in truth he gives us peace now the last point that I want to share this morning out of this text is what is the home of this helper what is the home of the Holy Spirit where does he live you might say well you've already given it away he lives in our hearts you know he lives inside of me no that's true that's the punchline but let me show you from the text okay because the way this shows up in the Bible at least to me was absolutely fascinating and I never saw this until I studied it this week so I wanted to share it with you remember the context the disciples are paying it because Jesus is leaving and in verse one remember the first point he says don't let your heart be troubled because I'm gonna go and prepare a place for you I'm going to prepare a place for you now look what he says skip down to verse 23 verse 23 not verse 20 verse 23 it says jesus answered him if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come and make our home with him real quick that word home in verse 23 is the exact same Greek word is place in two so let me get out for just a second verse two he says don't let your heart be troubled because I am preparing a home for you in heaven and then in verse 27 he says don't let your heart be troubled because I'm making a home for me and you do you see it right now if you were a follower of Jesus Jesus is preparing a home for you in heaven and he's preparing a home for him in your heart what that means is whether in life or in death you are never apart from Jesus Christ he is always with you in this life he has a home in you and in death you have a home in him that's why heaven is not a future reality that we await for it's the life of the Christian in the present some of you have been told heaven is a place where you go when you die and that is half true you will go to heaven when you die if you love and trust the Lord Jesus but the other half is that heaven is a state of being when your eyes are open and you love Jesus and he comes and puts heaven in your heart when he lives inside of you first Peter chapter 1 and verse says you have not seen him but you love him and you have been filled with a glorious and inexpressible joy that's heaven when you haven't yet seen Jesus but you trust him and you have joy that is heaven on earth and it begins right now I don't know if that's amazing to you but it's amazing to me he's preparing a place for you in heaven and he's preparing a place for him in your heart one of the greatest fears of human life is that we are alone one of the greatest fears that I have is that I would ever live life alone that I would have to face death utterly and completely alone and the promise of the gospel is that you will never be alone in life Jesus is with you even if no one else is in death you are with Jesus you are never alone city light Church why should our hearts not be troubled Jesus is preparing a place for us Jesus is coming back for us and in this moment he has given you a helper the holy spirit who lives in your heart let me close with this we have an incredibly generous God God the Father sent his most precious gift God the son to live died on rise on our behalf so that we could be made right with God and God the Son sent his most valuable and precious gift his very spirit to live inside of us what that means for us is we are not a people just awaiting for heaven we are a people who are who are right now being led and loved by the Spirit of God until we see the face of God face to face on that last day and it's incredibly good news for us and it's incredibly practical means we're never alone I think John 14 is recorded for us because we are a lot like these disciples their hearts are troubled because things are changing I guess what we're gonna leave here and we're gonna face life and things are gonna change and people are gonna leave and jobs are gonna change and cities are gonna change and churches are gonna change and we will be tempted like the disciples to panic oh no trouble in our heart what will we do now but the promise is that God will not leave you on some back road and Colorado with no help or no way out God is near to you God is your help right now he is reminding you of who you are and whose you are and listen to me right now if you were tired you need to know that you have a help or the Holy Spirit who is with you if God feels far off from you you you need to know that in the Holy Spirit of God is near to you and last can I just say is a church family for us city light how bankfull I am to know that the helper is with us that he has been helping us all along the way that he has sustained us that he has spoken to us that he has led us that he has unified us that he's empowered us for ministry that he has drawn us back and back to Jesus Christ and His grace and his cross at that has been our anthem and my prayer in light of John 14 is that we would always church stay humbly dependent listening learning shapeable teachable paying attention to the work of the Holy Spirit among us amen he is our helper once you stand up to your feet with me and let's pray together as the band comes up Jesus we just want to say collectively thank you that you came you live died and rose to atone for our sin but it says that you didn't leave us orphan we're not alone you sent your Holy Spirit to be with us to give us joy to give us peace to give us adoption as sons and daughters and we pray even right now God is we seeing these last songs we are together even in this moment we know that you Holy Spirit our helper you were here and so we just invite you even now would you make us aware of your presence help us to know that you are here to be ministered to you got to pray for people that are literally fatherless that have buried their fathers or who have been abandoned by their fathers who never met their fathers that even in this moment as we sing you would just serve them you administer to them in their heart remind them they are not alone they're not an orphan they are not overlooked they are not forgotten but you were with them you were present you were a ten of your there father God for people who feel lonely would you remind them now that they are not alone for people who are battling sin and not facing victory would you empower them and encourage them to know they don't fight alone but you are empowering them Holy Spirit we invite you to come in this place make us more aware of your presence help us to live this week in light of your grace in your presence in Jesus good name amen [Music] you

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Length: 30min 56sec (1856 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 17 2017