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Love
Teaching Text: John 14: 15-21
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 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. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Themes
Consider these themes and ask your group what else they see in the passage:
FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT | Meditations on the Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Helper | Comforter
Formation
Thoughts and notes you can use for discussion:
What is the Holy Spirit’s purpose?
The New Testament’s Greek word to describe the Holy Spirit is Parakletos - one summoned or called alongside.
“If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and 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.”
– John 14 v 15-17
This one being given is helper, advocate - PARAKLETOS.
You will know the Spirit, the Spirit will be in you..
Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
– John14 v 23-27
This Holy Spirit will point to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is eternal, is our teacher, our reminder, and peace.
The Holy Spirit is a person, the third person of the Trinity, sent from the Father., given by the Son. The Spirit is God.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
– John 15 v 26-27
So The Spirit Comforts us by Making Jesus Known
Jesus SAYS…The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, He has anointed Me ...
To proclaim the gospel to those who need it
Freedom for those who are trapped
Sight for those who cannot see
Release for those who are oppressed
And favor from God
When the Holy Spirit is lifting up Jesus in our midst:
We know and remember we are can be forgiven and united to God - What Jesus has done has accomplished that so we can come in Jesus’ name, not our own deserving or performance
We can be set free from those things that ensnare us
We can see where have not been able to - vision for our life
We can experience freedom even in a world with broken systems that attempt to crush us
We can know God doesn’t just love us, God like us
God is with us in our pain
God has put a time limit on it, and God will be present when it is gone.
The Lord is near
God comforts us with His Presence -
Many times the Holy Spirit will let us know God is near
It may not resolve every circumstance in the moment
But You are loved and God is with you is a powerful sense from the Holy Spirit
God comforts us with His Promises - we have times where we hold these promises without the benefit of feeling better right away
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
– 2 Peter 1 v 3-4
Here’s just a few …
I will never leave you or forsake
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you
Nothing will snatch you out of My hand
My peace I give you
And on and on…
All the promises of God are yes for us in Christ. The Spirit is our guide to live these promises.
God comforts us with Intervention - sometimes the Spirit will comfort us with direct change
God comforts us with Sustaining and Endurance
Here’s the thing…
Your anxiety, your depression, your illness, you loneliness, your addiction, your sin has a limited time.
God is before and God is after. You are untied to God in Christ.
So God will remove your suffering or carry you through it
and in both experiences … And the Holy Spirit is your Comforter and Helper
Do you need comfort today?
Do you need help?
This is what the Holy Spirit does.
Where in your life do you need the Holy Spirit to bring comfort?
