The Holy Spirit, May 14th 2023.
John 14:15-27.
We are going to talk about the Holy Spirit.
So if you’d like to chat to your kids as I ask a few questions…
It is Pentecost in two weeks.
Home.
Who lives in your house? Who lives with you?
Well, Christians, the Holy Spirit, Jesus says: you know him , for he lives with you and will be in you’. The Holy Spirit lives in each believer.
What is more. Think of who He is? Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity. God the Holy Spirit lives within you.
Aint that awesome. This is about identity – who are you – as a Christian, the one who lives in you. People may walk over us. People may talk about us. People may say you just cannot do it, make it or will ever be good for anything. But God says – you are good enough for me to come and live within, because of Jesus. You are special. Zacchesua. The Tax collector, people were amazed that Jesus went to eat at his home. Be amazed the Holy Spirit has come to live in you!
Boat.
In the Alpha Youth Series, there is a beautiful description of the Spirit. A word Jesus uses in Greek here – Jesus uses uses for the Spirit is Parakletos. In ancient days, when a small boat
would be in trouble in the Mediterraen Sea, they would send a big boat to draw alongside it, to lead it to the safety of the harbor, that big ship was called the Parakletos.
Where are you in storms. Maybe this week has been really rubbish and hard or maybe you are still in a storm… maybe you are amazed you got to the end of it. The Spirit who wants to come alongside you, to lead you to safety in the harbor. You are not alone. God’s Spirit is there to help.
Names
What are your names? What does your name mean?
My name is Grant Norman Crowe. Grant – my mum chose as something different, Norman after my father. In Kenya, however I was given another name. I got to know the Nandi tribe members in the seminary in western Kenya, where I visited. They asked when I was born. Well my mum always said 5.30pm – so they gave me the name Kiprotich. Kip – for a boy – rotich – each part of the day has a different name – and 5.30pm is where the cows are brought in, and it is rotich.
Names tell you something. Three names about the Holy Spirit.
- Another counselor. Another – it means they already have one. Who is that? Jesus – to understand the work and character of the Spirit, look at Jesus. The Holy Spirit is another counselor.
- Spirit of truth = how to know what to do, what to say, what to decide – the Spirit of truth – we ask him, lean on him. In a world shaped and dominated by postmodernism, where everyone’s truth is valid, we have the Spirit to guide us into ‘the truth.’
- Acts, he is called the Spirit of Jesus or Paul – the Spirit of Christ. Spirit of Jesus within us, given to us.
- John 7 – Jesus describes the Spirit as Living Waters. He connects it to the image in Ezekiel 47, the water brings lift and especially into the most dead of all places – the Dead Sea. He can bring life into our dead places…
Job.
What job would you like to do? When you grow up?
Me, I wanted to be a pilot…
What does the Spirit do. This chapter and the next two,
John 14-16 give us 5 things and then I will share 5 more…
- To teach you – apply the truth, guide you into truth, sanctify you by the truth
- To remind you of what Jesus said.
- To witness about Jesus
- To work in non believers lives
- He speaks to us.
So teaching, reminding, witnessing, working, speaking.
But Jesus knew, when talking about the Spirit, the OT taught lots about Him. So 5 more things he does…
Creating – he is involved in creation and new creation. See Genesis 1 and John 3.
Leadership – comes to people like David and Gideon to lead, see Judges and 1 and 2 Samuel.
Work / creavitity – to Bezalele in Exodus 35 – to work and create things for the tabernacle…
Prophecy – upon Elijah, Isaiah and many others.
Freedom and Heal – Isaiah 61 – to bind up the broken heart, to set free the captives, to comfort all who mourn, to give a crown of beauty instead of ashes…
Creating, leading, working, creativity, prophecy, freeing, healing…
Conclusion
Home
Boat
Name
Job.
If you know time is limited, it is important what you share.
Jesus on the night of his betrayal, and later before his ascension, returns to this…
Jesus says he will ask the Father and he will give you.
The Spirit.
He tells his disciples, to wait for the Spirit.
When we think – of all these things, we are blessed and he is pretty awesome who we have with us, in us!