THE GIFT OF THE DIVINE PARACLETE

JOHN 14:15-20

November 19, 1995

           

We have seen over the past few weeks how Jesus Christ prepared His disciples for that time of His death, resurrection, and ascension.  The theme of this chapter is on the issue of comfort and consolation.  How can the redeemed of the Lord take comfort in the Lord not being with them bodily?  Through a series of promises, Jesus lays the groundwork of a great consolation which would sustain these first believers through the thick of persecution, imprisonment, condemnation, attack, and even death.  The real climax of what He promises, as far as this present life, is found in our text.  For in these verses we see the gift of the divine Paraclete, that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Who is the Holy Spirit?  That sounds like a strange question to ask an evangelical congregation, yet in our day there is a gross lack of understanding on this divine Person.  Outside of our grasping the truth of the atoning, redeeming work of Christ, I can think of nothing of any greater magnitude than our understanding Who the Holy Spirit is and what He does.  Without an understanding of the Holy Spirit, we will never develop and mature as we ought in the Christian faith.  And we will never know the great consolation Christ has imparted to us to live faithfully for Him until He comes.

 

When you begin to speak of the Holy Spirit among people of the world, you likely will get some strange looks, especially if you use the Elizabethan term the Holy Ghost!  Don't think of this as unusual, for Jesus tells us in our text that "the world cannot receive" Him, "because it does not behold Him or know Him."  While the Spirit works secretly to restrain the wretchedness of the world, He is unknown by the unbelieving world.  It is only through the regenerating work of the Spirit that a person can come to know Him and the glory of His divine work.  This in itself is a distinguishing mark between unbelievers and believers.  A true believer knows the Holy Spirit because he is indwelt by this same Spirit.  An unbeliever does not know Him nor understand Him nor appreciate His work.

 

There are five key passages on the Holy Spirit in John's Gospel (14:15-17; 14:25; 15:26ff; 16:4b-11; 16:12-15--F.F. Bruce helpfully adds that in each of these we see the Spirit presented in a little different light, "successively as helper, interpreter, witness, prosecutor and revealer," The Gospel of John, p. 302).  Each of these, which we will see in the following weeks, offers a clearer understanding of the Person and work of the Spirit.  As we come to each text through our expositions, we will seek to recognize the context of the revelation on the Spirit and the specifics of what Jesus is teaching us.

 

Our present text introduces us to the Holy Spirit, though He has already been mentioned five times up to this point in John's Gospel.  In 1:32ff. we see the reference to Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit; in 3:5-8 we see the Spirit's work of regeneration or new birth explained; in 4:23 Jesus declares that 'God is a Spirit'; in 6:63 Jesus tells the crowds that claim to be disciples that it is the Spirit who gives life, as the crowds faded away; and in 7:37-39 Jesus announces the indwelling work of the Spirit as being 'rivers of living water' within the believer.  But now Jesus gives a detailed look at the promise of the Spirit.  

 

We must keep in mind that the promise of the Spirit was given through the OT prophets as part of the New Covenant:  "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances" (Ezekiel 36:27); "'And as for Me, this is My covenant with them,' says the Lord: 'My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring,' says the Lord, 'from now and forever'" (Isaiah 59:21); "For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants" (Isaiah 44:3); "And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days" (Joel 2:28-29).

 

The gift of the divine Paraclete or the Holy Spirit enables us to live faithfully to Christ while in this world.  Do you desire to live faithfully for Christ?  Then let us look together at the identity and activity of the Paraclete and see how these truths are wonderfully applied to our daily lives.

 

I.  The Identity of the Holy Spirit

 

Understanding the Holy Spirit begins with grasping His identity.  While this text does not tell us all that the Scriptures says concerning the Spirit, it does lay a marvelous foundation for understanding Who He is.

 

1.  As to His Person

 

One of the first things that we must consider is that the Holy Spirit is indeed a Person.  By this I stress the fact that He is not simply an influence, a power, a force or an impersonal instrument of God.  He is a living Person, a member of the Godhead, co-equal with the Father and Son!

 

How do we know that He is a Person?  Notice that Jesus speaks of Him in terms of Personhood.  (1)He identifies Him with a title, Helper or Paraclete, which is the transliteration of the Greek term.  Jesus states that the Holy Spirit will be with you forever, which (2) shows that He is an eternal Person who has an actual presence.  Jesus said, in v. 17, that the Holy Spirit is (3) someone that you know in personal fashion as a believer.  He then speaks of how (4) the Spirit abides with believers and dwells in believers, which shows that He has movement, purpose, and relationships.  In v. 26 Jesus tells us that (5) He will teach us all things, showing that He communicates.  All of these things are evidences of being a living person.  

 

Is He a human being?  No, that is the role of God the Son to be human.  The Spirit has no reason to be a human for the Son has adequately filled that role!  But He is God of very God.  It is vital that we understand that He is not a lesser God nor an agency of God, but that He is equal to the Father and Son in every way.  The 1689 London Baptist Confession puts it in clear terms:

Three divine Persons constitute the Godhead--the Father, the Son (or the Word), and the Holy Spirit.  They are one in substance, in power, and in eternity.  Each is fully God, and yet the Godhead is one and indivisible.  The Father owes His being to none.  He is Father to the Son who is eternally begotten of Him.  The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.  These Persons, one infinite and eternal God not to be divided in nature or in being, are distinguished in Scripture by their personal relations within the Godhead, and by the variety of works which they undertake.  Their tri-unity (that is, the doctrine of the Trinity) is the essential basis of all our fellowship with God, and of the comfort we derive from our dependence upon Him. (pp. 19-20)


Since the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, then as a Christian you must realize that you are in relationship to Him just as much as you are in relationship to the Father and the Son.  As God the Spirit, He deserves your adoration, devotion, worship, and praise.  As a living Person, you can know Him and grow in your relationship to Him in the whole process of sanctification.

 

2.  As to His Character

 

Who could substitute for Jesus Christ?  What a question!  The disciples had seen Jesus in the wonder of His working and ways.  They knew Him intimately.  They worshiped Him as the living God.  They drew comfort and strength in His presence with them.  They heard His words and found direction to obey.  Now Christ would be leaving them!  What would they do?

 

It is significant to see the language of v. 16.  You will first notice that Jesus states a premise which always holds true in v. 15:  "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  This was the evidence of true disciples.  He stated this as a conditional sentence, which meant that He neither affirmed nor disavowed their love for Him.  The truth of the matter is that true love for Christ affects every part of our being so that we obey Him.  It is those who truly love Him who will receive the gift of the Paraclete.

 

Now, in v. 16, see how Jesus tells us that the Paraclete will come to the believer in response to our Mediator, Jesus Christ, asking the Father on our behalf.  This is why He told the disciples on another occasion in John's Gospel that it was expedient for Him to go back to the Father so that He could send the Spirit.  

 

What kind of Person is the Spirit or Paraclete?  Jesus says, "He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever."  The word "another" is significant to understanding what Jesus meant in this promise.  The Greek language has two words for another, allos and heteros.  The first, allos, means that something is numerically distinct from its antecedent but of the same character.  The second, heteros, means that two things or people are qualitatively distinct or different in character (e.g., here we get our English word heterosexual referring to a relationship between two people of the opposite sex).

 

As an example of the later word, when Luke described the two thieves on the cross in relationship to Jesus, he used the word, heteros for 'two other' to show that they were qualitatively distinct from Jesus Christ.  But our text uses the other word, allos, which means that the Holy Spirit is different in Person or number, but the same in character.  We might translate it like, 'He will give you another-of-the-same-kind Helper, that He may be with you forever'.

 

So, what does this mean about the Holy Spirit?  All of those things we might say about the character or divine nature of Jesus Christ are equally true of the Holy Spirit.  He is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, righteous, holy, loving, just, faithful, true, kind, jealous, righteously angry, long-suffering, etc.  

 

Why do I stress this?  Because there is the unfortunate idea in our day that the Holy Spirit is someone less than God or a servant awaiting our command or a tonic to make us feel better.  He is God!  He must be reverenced and worshiped as the living God!  He must be obeyed and responded to as God!  And as a believer, this God dwells in you.  Can you ever be the same knowing that God Himself has taken up residence in your very life that He might fulfill His covenant promises to you?

 

3.  As to His Titles

 

One of my close friends, Ray Pritchard, a pastor in Chicago, has written a little book entitled, Names of the Holy Spirit.  In it he combs the Old and New Testaments for the titles or designations of the Holy Spirit.  He identifies a total of 87 different names of the Holy Spirit, each of which offers an insight into this divine Person.

 

While we cannot take a look at all 87 titles this morning, we can certainly take a look at the two mentioned in our text.  Jesus calls the Spirit the Helper or Paraclete and the Spirit of Truth.

 

It is interesting that Jesus uses the term Paraclete to describe the Holy Spirit.  For that is the same title which John gives to Jesus later on in his first epistle, "My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [Paraclete] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (I John 2:1-2).  Now we see why Jesus used that word, "another Helper" to describe the Holy Spirit.  He is another of the same kind; He is as Jesus is to us.  

 

The word paraclete was commonly used in the Greek world to describe someone who was 'an advocate, or a helper, or someone who consoled another'.  It literally means, 'one called alongside to help'.  It is a magnificent picture for us when we think of the context of how Jesus was departing bodily from this world so that the disciples would no longer have Him in their sight.  But Jesus says, 'You need not be afraid and troubled, because the Holy Spirit has been called alongside to help you.  He will be with you and even abide in you.  He will be to you all that I was to you on earth'.  

 

My friend, Ray Pritchard, says this word, "'Counselor' implies two things: someone is in trouble, and someone else is coming to the rescue" (p. 103).  Perhaps that is a good way of understanding the work of the Spirit.  We are the ones who find ourselves in trouble:  we are troubled by sin, by Satan, by the strains of life, by persecution, by demands bigger than us, by condemnation, by doubts, by fears.  The One Person who is always ready to 'come alongside and help' is the Holy Spirit.  

 

Jesus also calls Him, "the Spirit of Truth."  We have already seen how Jesus identified Himself as "the Truth" in 14:6.  Now He shows the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth.  In numerous places we find the Holy Spirit relating to truth.  He is the giver of truth as the One who divinely inspires the Scripture, moving upon holy men of old to write precisely the Word of God (II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:20-21).  He is the teacher of truth who alone can reveal the mysteries of God that have been hidden by man's spiritual blindness (I Cor. 2:6-14; John 14:26).  He personally teaches the redeemed through His anointing (I John 2:26-27).  He seals the truth of the gospel to our hearts so that through Him alone we can have full assurance of our salvation (Eph. 1:13-14).  He reveals to us the truth about ourselves as He convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11).  He shows us the difference between that which is of truth and that which is of error or evil or deception (I John 4:1-6).  He bears witness to our spirits of the truth of our being children of God (Romans 8:16).  He bears witness to the truth that Christ alone is adequate to save sinners (I John 5:6-12).  All of these are in reference to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth!  

 

4.  As to His Ministry

 

To whom does the Spirit minister?  Jesus points out very clearly in v. 17 that the Spirit ministers to the redeemed of the Lord.  Thomas Brooks wrote, "The Spirit never sets his seal upon any, but upon those that Christ hath first printed his image upon" (Works, vol. II, p. 523).

 

The "world" refers to the whole realm of lost humanity that is opposed to God, opposed to the gospel of Christ, estranged from any relationship to God in Christ.  The world cannot receive the Spirit.  Jesus gives the reason why this is true, "...because it does not behold Him or know Him."  The idea of the Spirit, as mentioned earlier, is strange to the ears of unbelieving men.  They cannot see the glory and wonder of the Spirit's divine person, nor can they understand the importance of His work in this world.  They reject Him because they do not know Him.

 

But Jesus gives those sweet words to us, "...but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you."  Perhaps those disciples were wondering at that statement, 'How do we know the Spirit?'  As they had known God the Son, now they knew God the Spirit.  The Godhead does not separate when it comes to our redemption!  Each Person of the Godhead has a role or function in our salvation.  The Father decrees it, the Son mediates it, the Spirit applies it.  To know One is to know all Persons in the Godhead!

 

The Holy Spirit has been given to you, my Christian friend.  Our Lord has not left you without strength or power or His presence in this world.  You may fret and worry about all the pressures of this life, but take courage, God is with you!  The Spirit has come so that you might go on with God in His fullness!  The Spirit is the Minister of the Godhead to the saints.

 

II.  The Activity of the Holy Spirit

 

Obviously, when looking at the identity of the Holy Spirit we of necessity have dealt to some degree with His activity.  What is He doing in our midst?

 

1.  Present with the believer

 

The first striking promise Jesus makes concerning the Holy Spirit in our text is "that He may be with you forever."  As if that was not enough, He continues, "because He abides with you" and "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  The point Jesus was driving home to His heart-troubled disciples (cf. 14:1) is that the Holy Spirit is ever present with the believer.  While Jesus in His human nature could only be in one place at a time, the Holy Spirit in His divine nature knows no such obstacles.  Christ comes to us in all of His fullness in the Holy Spirit!  Do you remember that time Jesus sent the disciples on ahead of Him in a little boat upon the Sea of Galilee after feeding the multitudes?  Jesus retreated to the mountain to pray alone.  The disciples were upon the agitated sea without Christ in the boat.  They were afraid and stressed out by their straining at the oars.  Then Jesus came to them on the water.  They saw Him.  They cried out in terror at the sight of Him walking on the water.  Then they received from Him, as Jesus calmed the wind and brought the little boat to shore.  The point I am making is that Jesus was not in the boat with them the entire time due to the limitation of humanity which He embraced in the Incarnation.  The disciples found help in Christ during their trouble.  But how about disciples in other locations?  Jesus was in one place at a time simply due to His human nature.

 

This little band of disciples was together most of the time.  But the day was shortly coming when they would be scattered by the persecution arising after the crucifixion, as well as due to the missionary efforts of the first believers.  Each of them, wherever they traveled, needed Jesus with them personally.  So He promises, "I will not leave you as orphans," a term which meant without a father or even a disciple without a master.  "I will come to you."  And indeed, in the Holy Spirit, Jesus is ever with the believer.  That is why Luke in Acts 16:6-7, within the span of one sentence, can use both the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus in interchangeable fashion.  It is correct to say, "The Holy Spirit is present with me."  But because of the unity in the Godhead, it is also correct to say, "Jesus is present with me," though in technical fashion we know He is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.  But for the Spirit to be with us is to have Jesus with us.  That is comforting!  That is what He meant at the end of the Great Commission, "And lo, I am with you, even to the end of the age."

 

Do you find yourself praying for the Lord to be with you?  My brethren, you need not pray such a prayer, because it has already been answered according to the promise of our Lord.  He is present with you.  Are you walking through rough times?  The Holy Spirit is present to direct you.  Is your heart aching over some trouble?   The Holy Spirit is present to console and comfort you.  Are you weak by the blows of temptation on your life?  The Holy Spirit is present to strengthen you and to give you power to resist.

 

2.  Resident in the believer

 

Jesus takes this even further in His consoling address to the disciples.  He promises that the Holy Spirit "will be in you" and "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."  Not only is the Spirit present with us, He is resident within us!  This should be both a comfort and a restraint.

 

It is obvious that we find comfort in knowing that the Spirit is within.  We face no situation without His indwelling.  No demand confronting us finds us alone.  The Spirit lives within to bear witness to our salvation, to give us the anointing that we might know God's truth, to fill us that we might worship, witness, and serve in power.

 

But the idea of the Spirit within also gives us a restraint.  Do you recall how the church at Corinth had gotten into all sorts of sins?  They had gone to court against one another, tolerated immorality in their midst, carried on all kinds of disunity, acted selfishly toward one another, abused their spiritual gifts, etc.  At one point the Apostle Paul was driving home the need to live a pure, holy, and undefiled life.  They were dwelling in the midst of the most pagan perversities in the Roman empire.  Unfortunately, that pagan behavior was rubbing off on the Corinthians, so Paul rebukes them and calls on them to remember a great truth that could restrain their behavior:  "Flee immorality.  Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (I Corinthians 6:18-20).  Because God the Spirit lived within them, they were to restrain their behavior  from following after the paganism of Corinth.

 

Do you realize that the Spirit dwells within you?  Can you do some of the things you may be excusing presently knowing that God Himself, in all His holiness, righteousness, and purity, lives within you?  Dare you offend Him or grieve Him who lives within you by willful sin in your life?

 

3.  Advocate for the believer

 

He is the Paraclete, the Helper, the One who rescues us in times of need.  We have already seen that title of the Spirit and some of what He does on our behalf.  But let us think for a moment about this.  You and I are needy people.  We do not always have our act together.  We sometimes face condemnation.  We face questions we cannot answer.  We have decisions which we do not know how to handle.  We have relationships that pull at every fiber of our being, even to the point of creating a strain.  We see the demands of God's Word and fret over our poor obedience.  We see our own ministries and wonder how we can go on accomplishing what God demands.  How can we handle these kinds of things?

 

The Holy Spirit comes to you, to stand alongside you, to breathe into you new strength, to give you wisdom and discernment, to give you fresh power, to encourage your heart and mind, to give you fresh love and kindness, to flood you with joy and peace, to arm you against the blows of the adversary.  My brethren, you can try to live the Christian life in your own strength, but you will surely fail!  It is only when you know the Spirit's presence and power that you can go on with God.  

 

Some of you are dragging your feet spiritually.  Take heart, the Advocate has come!  Some of you wonder if you can make it through the trials of your life.  Be encouraged, rest in the strong help of the Spirit!  Why should you fret?  Why should you despair?  Our Lord has not left you without strength, without comfort, without God in this world!  

 

Is it difficult to live the Christian life?  Certainly it is.  Do we face demands that are much bigger than us?  All of us do.  And if we faced life simply in our own strength, we will surely fail.  But we don't!  God the Spirit has been sent from the Father and the Son to abide with us and to dwell within us.  He has come as our Advocate.  He has come as the Spirit of Truth.  Go on with God, my friend, for God the Holy Spirit has come to you.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:

Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.