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*The Gospel of John XXVII: *
*The Parakletos*
*John 14:15-27*
*/August 9, 2009/*
*Main Point(s) of sermon:*
· Obedience does not produce love, but love does produce obedience.
This avoids cheap grace and legalism.
· The Spirit empowers us to obey, aids us in a hostile world, reminds us of Jesus words and teaches us, and brings us peace.
· The Spirit didn’t indwell God’s people until Pentecost.
· Heaven is “now and not yet” for believers.
· Peace is not the absence of conflict, but a wellbeing that is not based on temporal realities but eternal ones.
*Objectives of sermon:*
· Encourage us to cherish and seek the Holy Spirit and his work in our lives, as found in this passage.
* *
*Prep: *
· 2 Peter 3:1-10; Jer.
31:33-34; John 14
· Beginning of Driscoll’s sermon
· Grudem (Spirit); Role of the Spirit is Bible study
· Peace notes, Leftovers, skim Newbigin
*Scripture reading: John 14:15-17*
Intro
· Marilyn and I spent the first 4 ½ months of our *engagement* apart, so we understand waiting.
A *theme* in the Bible is “*How* *long*, O Lord?” It sometimes seems like it takes God forever to act; the *disciples* would have been *shocked* to know we’re still *waiting* after 2,000 years.
· God has his *reasons* for delay (see 2 Peter 3:9).
· The apostles would say we still *need* to *follow* his order and he left us *well* *equipped* to do so.
Imagine you are going to take a *weekend* *away* without the kids and they are now old enough to *not* have a *babysitter*.
Before you leave, you would *prepare* them.
That is what *Jesus* is doing.
· One of the things you tell them is “If you need anything, go over to the *neighbor’s*” – likewise *Jesus* left us with *help*.
In this passage, we’ll look at Jesus’ *final* *instructions* and the *help* he left us, the Holy *Spirit*, and we will see *four* *specific* ways he says the Spirit helps us as we wait.
*prayer*
You did not leave us as *orphans*, and we are not in a *holding* *pattern*.
Help us make the *best* *use* of the ti*m*e we have.
The obedience of love
Jesus starts with a statement that is both *scary* and *encouraging*:
NIV *John 14:15* If you love me, you will obey what I command.
We know it’s a really *important* point because it’s *repeated*:
Vrs.
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 too will love him and show myself to him.
Vrs.
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.
(In the *negative*) Vrs.
24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
In these statements, Jesus confronts *two* of the biggest *errors* Christians struggle with: Emphasizing love *without* *obedience*, or obedience *without* *love*.
· It is the fight against both *legalism* and *cheap* *grace*.
To the person who grew up *earning* *love* and struggles with fear of *never* *doing* *enough*, it’s very *good* *news* (but *hard* to “*own*”):
God *first* *loved* us, so we love him.
The more we love God, the more *obedience* *flows* from us, first out of *gratitude*, then out of a *delight* in the obedience as we find his “*yoke* is *easy*.”
· Obedience does not *produce* *love* and a love-less obedience is a truly *ugly* *thing*.
It creates *self*-*righteousness* and *ritual*.
Ä But just as important as the fact that obedience does not produce love is that *love* *produces* *obedience*.
Lordship is the only salvation
To the extent Christianity is a “get *out* of *jail*” card, these verses are *troublesome*.
Bonhoeffer called it *cheap* *grace*.
· I was excited to hear that the *class* *rebel* “received Christ,” until he said that the best part was he *didn’t* have to *change*.
· There was a defiant idea that “You can’t tell me what to do.”
In 21b and 23b it says “*if* you love me...the father *will* love you.” it is *not* saying we have to *earn* God’s love.
Rather, the *mark* of *salvation* is *attempted* *obedience*.
· *Unless* we call him *Lord*, we cannot call him *Savior*.
The Biblical idea of *believing* is not merely “*mental* *assent*,” it is radically *reorientation* your life to *live* *out* the beliefs.
The power to obey
Here is the thing – Jesus knew he was asking for the *impossible*.
Even when motivated by love, we are still *incapable* of *obeying* God’s commands.
We need *divine* *intervention*, literally.
NIV *John 14:16-17 *16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 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.
To obey Jesus’ commands required far more than *behavior* *modification*, it requires *heart* *change*.
We can only keep God’s commands *motivated* by God’s *love* and *empowered* by the *Spirit*.
How do I know?
Because even in the *OT*, the commands were to be *motivated* by *love*, but Israel *could* *not* *keep* them.
What was to make the *difference*?
Was it because Jesus commands were *easier?*
No, by confronting *motives*, Jesus was making them *harder*.
NIV *Ezekiel 36:26-28* I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
A change of heart
Vrs 17: “He dwells with you and will be in you” mark the *fulfillment* of that *prophecy*.
Up until this point, “*beside*” was the *closest* the Spirit got, it was not until *Pentecost* that the Spirit came *into* *all* *believers*.
*Prior* to this, the *motive* of *love* wasn’t *sufficient*, so God augmented it with material “*blessings* and *curses*.”
But this motivation is *obviously* *inferior* to an *internal* desire.
· In the *intertestamental* period, God *prepared* for this *shift* by the *persecution* of the righteous by the Greeks.
With the gift of the Holy Spirit for all believers, the motivation for obeying God went from *rewards* and *punishment* to the *love* *of* God and love *for* God.
· *Health* and *wealth* theology misses the *shift* in motivation.
The *reward* for obedience is no longer what we get (though *holiness* typically brings *blessings*), but *God* *himself*.
· No longer are Jesus’ commands “*have* to” but “*get* to” any more than a *date* with my wife or *playing* with my kids is “have to.”
The beautiful *irony* is that as we obey motivated by love and empowered by the Spirit, we learn that his *commands* are indeed “*light* and *easy*,” and that they are for our *joy* and *benefit*.
· When we *serve* we find *joy*, when we *forgive* we find *freedom*.
\ So the *first* *role* of the Spirit is to empower us to obey, the *second* in found in the *title* of the Spirit.
Paraklete
The word behind “*Counselor*” is /parakletos/.
There is *no* *English* translation for this.
It is translated *advocate*, *helper*, or *comforter*.
Neither is there a simple definition.
In *Jewish* *literature*, In *God’s* *court* there were accusers (Satan means “Adversary”) and advocates (/parakletos/).
In this sense, the Spirit is our *advocate* and *helper* in a very *hostile* *world*.
· *How* does he help us?
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