9.00 am and 10.30am, Sunday 16th May 2004
Rev Des Botting
Readings: John 14:23-29; Revelation 21:10, 22-27; 22:1-5
When my mother died recently, the family gathered the day after the funeral to read her will. It was worded like this: This is the last will of (name).
1. I REVOKE all former testamentary dispositions.
2. I APPOINT (names) Executors and Trustees of this my will.
3. I GIVE the following
Signed:
The older form of the words were: This is the last will and testament of .. The word testament is the word that describes the two parts of the Bible, because the Old and New Testaments reveal Gods will. As Gods children, we have a very wealthy Father, who owns the whole universe. If we were named heirs of a wealthy persons estate, we would be very interested to know what their will was. Romans tells us When we cry, Abba! Father! it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.[1] These verses tell us that we are heirs of God. Therefore it is important that we know what our inheritance is and appreciate the amazing provision that God has made for us in His will.
John tells us about this in his Gospel when he writes If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth. [2] The word that Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit is the word paraclete which comes from two Greek words, para meaning to the side of and kaleo meaning to summon. This means that the Holy Spirit is one whom God has summoned to come alongside us to be our helper. This is what the word Advocate means, which John uses to describe the Holy Spirit. An Advocate is one who suggests true reasoning to our minds, one who pleads the cause of another, and one called or sent to assist. This verse also tells us that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever. At no time will we be without His presence and help. John also describes the Holy Spirit as another Advocate. The Greek has two words for another in Greek: the word heteron meaning another of a different kind, and allon meaning another of a same kind. The word that is used here is for another of the same kind. That is, the Holy Spirit will be everything to us that Jesus was to the disciples.
After my mother died, my brother said to me, Were orphans now that both our parents have gone. Sometimes when parents die in old age, people tend not to acknowledge the grief of adult children. An article, The peculiar grief of the adult orphan has been written on this subject. It acknowledges that adult orphans are the forgotten grievers. While society recognises the loss that children feel when their parents die, adults are supposed to be fundamentally different, quickly dealing with the grief of losing the people that raised them from the cradle. If only it were that simple. Psychologists warn that the impact of losing your parents goes way beyond organising the funeral and sorting out the will.
Before Jesus died, He said to His disciples, I will not leave your orphaned: I am coming to you.[3] He did this by asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit to be with us.
Note the connection in what John says between the Holy Spirits coming and obedience. Jesus answered him, Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. [4] This verse contains the wonderful promise that when we are obedient, Jesus and the Father will make our home with us. That means that they will come to stay and they do this through the Holy Spirit. In Acts Peter also linked the Holy Spirits coming with obedience when he said And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. [5] With a persons will there are often conditions to receiving our inheritance. One of the conditions that the Scriptures lay down for receiving the Holy Spirit is our obedience to Gods Word.
There are three ways in which the Holy Spirit helps us.
1. The Holy Spirit HELPS us.
(a) to obey In the Old Testament God said through the prophet Ezekiel, A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.[6] In these verses God promises to make us willing to obey His commands. He will take away the hardness and stubbornness from our hearts and give us the desire to do what He wants.
(b) to pray Often we dont know how to pray in many situations, but God has promised that His Spirit would help us. The Bible said, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.[7]. The Holy Spirit knows Gods will and when He helps us to pray, we know that God will hear our prayers.
(c) to say Jesus said to His disciples, When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.[8] We are to share the good things that God has done for us. Just before He left His disciples to ascent to the Father, His last words to His disciples were But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.[9]
2. The Holy Spirit TEACHES us.
Jesus said, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.[10] Notice how Jesus describes the Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. John uses the word truth 25 times in his gospel. It is used of the Father in John 4 Even now the true worshippers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him. God is Spirit, and whose who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.[11]. It is used of the Son in John 1 The Word became flesh and lived among us; and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a fathers only Son, full of grace and truth.[12] The truth is liberating. It reveals to us reality. This is why Jesus said I am the truth. The truth will make you free.[13]
3. The Holy Spirit REMINDS us.
Jesus said But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.[14]. The Spirit will bring to our remembrance what we need to know at the appropriate time.
Jesus came to do two things. John the Baptist tells us what these were:
1 Take away sin The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared. Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world![15]
2 Baptise in the Holy Spirit He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.[16]
There are two things that we must do to enter our inheritance as Heirs of the Father:
1. Repent and be baptised Peter said, Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.[17])
2. Ask Jesus said, As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.[18]
What a wonderful provision God has made for us.
[1] Romans 8:15b-17a (All quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version unless specified
[2] John 14:15-16
[3] John 14:18
[4] John 14:23
[5] Acts 5:32
[6] Ezekiel 36:26-27
[7] Romans 8:26 (NIV)
[8] John 15:26-27
[9] Acts 1:8
[10] John 16:13
[11] John 4:23-24
[12] John 1:14
[13] John 14:6; 8:32
[14] John 14:26
[15] John 1:29
[16] John 1:33
[17] Acts 2:38