The Gift Of The Spirit

Amen.

Please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to John chapter 14.

John 14 · chapter mention

John chapter 14. We did the first half last week and we'll close it out this week.

John 14 · chapter mention

Our passage will be John 14 verses 15 through 31.

John 14:15–31

I do ask that you have a Bible open. This will help you to follow along.

If you don't have your own Bible, if you didn't bring a Bible with you,

we have Bibles in the seat backs there in front of you.

If you don't have a Bible at all that you can call your own, you can take that one home with you.

It's our gift to you.

So we want you to have a copy of God's Word.

We don't think that there's any better way for you to grow in your knowledge and love for the Lord

than to have a Bible open and to hear from His Word.

So John chapter 14 verses 15 through 31.

John 14:15–31

When you've found that, I ask that you please stand in honor of the Word of God as I read.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper to be with you forever.

Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.

You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you as orphans.

I will come to you.

Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me.

Because I live, you also will live.

In that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

And he who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Judas, not Iscariot, said to him,

Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?

Jesus answered him,

If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.

And my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.

And the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,

he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you.

My peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

You heard me say to you,

I am going away and I will come to you.

If you loved me, you would have rejoiced,

because I am going to the Father,

for the Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you,

before it takes place,

so that when it does take place,

you may believe.

I will no longer talk much with you,

for the ruler of this world is coming.

He has no claim on me,

but I do as the Father has commanded me,

so that the world may know that I love the Father.

Father, arise, let us go from here.

This is God's holy word.

You would be seated, and let's pray once more.

Lord, we thank you for this word that we've just heard,

and we believe the promise that you've given us,

that it does not ever return to you empty,

but as often as it goes out,

it always accomplishes the purposes for which you send it.

So we pray now, Lord,

that your word would come with power,

and conviction in the Spirit.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, we are focusing on four gifts this Christmas season.

Last week, we saw the peculiar gift of Jesus' departure.

As we anticipate his coming this Christmas season,

during the Advent season,

we talk a lot about the coming of Christ.

Well, last week, we saw that we should be just as excited

about his departure.

His leaving is no disadvantage to us.

Why?

Because his leaving secures our coming to be with him.

His leaving, it strengthens our believing in him.

His leaving supercharges our working in him.

That was last week, gift number one.

Here, this morning, in John 14, 15 through 31,

Jesus tells us that with his departure comes another incredible gift.

It's the gift of the Holy Spirit.

When I was growing up, one of my family members,

and I have to be careful because you never know who is listening online to these sermons,

every year without fail,

one of my family members would gift myself and my siblings coins for Christmas.

Now, some of you may collect coins.

You may give coins out as a gift, and so I want to be clear.

Coins are great.

They can be an excellent gift.

But for me as a kid,

I had no earthly idea what in the world I was supposed to do with a bunch of coins.

And I knew that my parents had told me very clearly I was not to open the coins.

I was not to play with the coins.

I was not to touch the coins.

And so in my mind, what good are the coins anyways?

It was a wonderful, generous, valuable gift that I simply did not understand.

Well, in a similar way, believer,

all of us have been given a wonderful, generous, valuable gift in the Holy Spirit.

But I'm afraid that if we're honest,

many of us would say,

well, we don't know exactly what to do with this gift of the Holy Spirit.

Well, here in John chapter 14,

John 14 · chapter mention

Jesus, he teaches us four aspects of this gift.

This will be our outline this morning if you're taking notes.

Four aspects of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Hopefully this will help us understand this gift that we've been given.

First, we see that the Holy Spirit is a powerful gift.

The Holy Spirit is a powerful gift.

You know, I think it's necessary here just to remind us briefly of what we saw last week

in the first half of this chapter.

If you were here last week,

and if you were paying attention to everything that we said,

all of these benefits of Jesus' departure,

I hope that you were on the edge of your seat

waiting for me to say,

all of this is only possible through the Holy Spirit.

I didn't say it last week.

I had some self-control.

I held it for us for this week.

But we need to realize that all of the benefits of Christ leaving

come to us by way of the Holy Spirit.

Our security,

our assurance that we will go to the place prepared for us in the Father's house,

that is a work of the Holy Spirit.

Our faith,

the gift of faith,

our believing,

that is a work of God through the Holy Spirit.

And our working,

it is the Holy Spirit that empowers the work of the church.

As we live in between the two comings of Christ,

we live and we walk and we work in the power of the Holy Spirit.

You remember last week from chapter 14, verse 12,

Jesus makes this incredible promise to us,

the astounding truth that we,

the people of God,

now do greater works than Christ

because of His departure.

Greater in scope,

greater in clarity,

greater in power to save.

Do you remember that from last week?

How is that even possible?

It's only possible through the gift

of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers the work of the church.

You know,

if you're still on track with our reading plan for the month of December,

I won't ask you to raise your hands.

We gave out a reading plan to take us through the month of December.

If you're on track today,

you will read Acts chapter 1 through 8.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

And in that,

you'll read Acts 1, verse 8,

Acts 1:8

which says this promise from Jesus.

You will receive what?

Power.

When the Holy Spirit comes upon you,

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,

and in Judea,

and in Samaria,

to the ends of the earth.

Church, we should realize that that is our mission.

We're promised God's power

for God's work,

for God's glory.

You know, last Sunday evening,

we had what I think was probably

the most encouraging members meeting

I've ever been a part of.

If you were there,

it was just a sweet time.

Everybody got to share.

Just recapping the year,

what the Lord has done

in and through us

in the year 2023.

Just about everybody in the room

went around and shared something

of what God has done.

It was so deeply encouraging,

but one part left me a little frustrated.

I asked you,

Church,

what is our mission?

We've had a whole year

to get this down.

What is our mission?

And we fumbled,

and we bumbled our way through it.

We got there in the end,

but I wanted to make sure

we are crystal clear

what our mission is,

Church.

Our mission

is to magnify

the glory of God

in the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

That's our mission.

to magnify

the glory of God

in the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

That's our mission

because we are convinced

that that is God's mission.

And the way that we plan

to go about

that grand mission

is with God's power

through God's appointed means.

And so we're not reinventing

the wheel here.

We want to enjoy God

as we gather

and worship Him,

as we worship Him,

as we scatter,

as we worship His families.

We want to enjoy Him.

We want to equip

the saints,

one another,

through discipleship,

through encouragement,

as we build one another

up in love.

And we want to evangelize

the lost

as we take the gospel

from this gathering place

and scatter it out

throughout this community.

And Lord,

what we want to see,

Church,

what we want to see

the Lord do

as we go about this mission,

we want to see lives

transformed by the gospel.

We want to see sin

put to death

in one another's life.

We want to see faith

strengthened in one another.

We want to see God's glory

magnified in us

and in our community.

But Church,

let me be clear.

None of this is possible

apart from the power

of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit

is God's power

for God's work,

for God's glory.

God's glory.

Everyone

should want this gift.

Amen?

But as we see,

second,

in our passage

this morning,

starting in verse 15,

as we see,

the Holy Spirit

is a particular gift.

The Holy Spirit

is a particular gift.

Meaning,

not everyone

receives the gift

of the Holy Spirit.

not everyone

in the world

has this gift.

It's very possible

that you're here

this morning

listening to this sermon,

listening to this text,

and you do not

have this gift.

So the question

we have to ask is,

well,

how do we know?

How do we know

who it is

that has the Spirit

and who it is

who doesn't?

Well,

look there with me

to verse 15.

Jesus,

He helps us out.

He says,

if you love me,

you will keep

my commandments

and I will ask

the Father

and He will give you

another helper

to be with you forever,

even the Spirit

of truth.

Listen to this.

Whom the world

cannot receive

because it neither

sees Him

nor knows Him.

You know Him

for He dwells with you

and will be in you.

See,

Jesus here,

He makes a distinction

between

His people

who all of them

will have the Spirit

and the rest of the world

who none of them

will have the Spirit.

Very clear distinction here.

Jesus says that

all of His people

know Him,

see Him,

love Him,

obey Him.

Do you see that there

in the text?

All of God's people

know Him,

see Him,

love Him,

and obey Him.

Those are all

spiritual functions.

That's what sets

God's people apart

from the rest of the world.

The rest of the world

does not know God.

The world in general

does not see God.

The world certainly

does not love God.

The world certainly

does not obey God.

So Jesus says

the world cannot receive Him

because it neither

sees Him

nor knows Him.

This is a distinction

that Jesus makes

between those

who are spiritual

and those

who are natural.

Paul tells us

in 1 Corinthians 2,

1 Corinthians 2:14

verse 14,

he says,

the natural person

does not accept

the things

of the Spirit of God

for they are

folly to Him.

He is not able

to understand them

because they are

spiritually discerned.

It's a bit

paradoxical,

isn't it?

He says

the natural person

cannot accept

the things of the Spirit,

only the spiritual person

can accept

the things of the Spirit.

But how is somebody

made a spiritual person?

It's by the work

of the Spirit.

Apart from the work

of the Holy Spirit,

no one can accept

the things of the Spirit.

But when the Father

sends the Spirit

in power to save,

you know what happens?

The Spirit changes you

from being a natural person

who is naturally blind,

naturally ignorant

to the glory of Christ,

naturally rebellious,

naturally hard-hearted

towards God,

changes you

from a natural person

into something

categorically different.

A new creation.

A spiritual person

who now sees

and knows the Lord.

The Spirit belongs

to those who see

and know the Lord Jesus Christ.

But it goes deeper

than that,

doesn't it?

The Spirit belongs

to those who love

and obey

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said

in verse 23,

If anyone loves me,

he will keep my word,

and my Father

will love him,

and we will come to him

and make our home

with him.

Whoever does not love me

does not keep my words.

Now we have to be careful

here, don't we?

Because at first glance,

this looks a little bit

like God's love for us

is a response

to our love for him.

Right?

Is that how it reads to you?

He says,

If anyone loves me,

he will keep my word,

and my Father

will love him.

But we know better,

I hope by now,

that we know better.

This isn't an order

of operations.

These are

inseparable truths.

If you love the Lord,

that genuine love

will necessarily

be worked out

in a life of obedience.

Not perfection,

of course not.

Not perfect obedience,

but genuine love

will result,

will bear the fruit

of obedience.

And we can be sure

that any who love the Lord

and serve him

and obey him

truly are loved by God

because if we're going

to talk about

order of operations here,

we love

because he first

loved us.

We were dead

in our trespasses

and sins,

Ephesians 2 tells us.

But God

made us alive

together with Christ.

God demonstrates

his love for us

in this,

that while we were

still sinners,

God,

Christ died for us,

Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

And Jesus is telling us

that one of the

defining marks

of those who have

the Spirit

of the Lord

in them

is love.

The natural person,

he does not

love the Lord.

He's rebellious,

hard-hearted

towards the things

of God.

One of the primary

works of the Holy Spirit

is to take a heart

that is cold

towards God

and replace it

with a new heart

that now

loves God.

God.

That's the difference

between those

who have this gift

and those

who do not.

Friend,

if you want to know

what category

you're in,

if you want to know

whether or not

you have the Spirit

or whether you

belong to the world,

ask yourself,

honestly,

do I love

the Lord?

Do you

love

God?

Do you

love

the Lord

Jesus Christ?

Do you

love

His Word?

Do you

desire

communion

and fellowship

with Him?

Do you

love the things

that He loves?

Is your life

marked by the things

that He is marked by?

Are you

obeying

His Word?

If so,

praise God,

that's a miracle

of God's Spirit

in you.

This is what we read

this morning

from Ezekiel 36.

I will give you

a new heart

and a new spirit

I will put

within you

and I will remove

the heart of stone

from your flesh

and give you

a heart of flesh

and I will put

my spirit

within you

and I will cause

you to walk

in my statutes

and be careful

to obey

my rules.

If anyone loves

me,

Jesus said,

he will keep

my word.

Church,

you ask the

holiest person

that you know.

Get them in your mind.

God,

ask the holiest

person that you know.

Why do you

read your Bible

so regularly,

so faithfully?

Why do you pray?

Why do you live

the way that you do?

An honest,

good answer

shouldn't be

just compliance.

He said so,

although that's

a valid answer.

The answer ought to be

because I love Him.

Because I love Him.

Because I've seen

His love for me

on the cross.

Because I've seen

His power

in the resurrection.

Because the Spirit

has given me eyes

to see and a heart

to love Him.

That's why I live

the way I do.

The Spirit is a

powerful gift.

He is a

particular gift.

And third,

we see the Holy Spirit.

Church,

He is a personal

gift.

A personal

gift.

gift.

Look at the promise

Jesus makes

to His people.

He promises here

in verses 15 and 16.

He says,

If you love me,

you will keep

my commandments

and I will ask

the Father

and He will give you

another helper

to be with you forever.

Even the Spirit

of truth.

That's an incredible

promise.

But He goes

a step further

than that.

He says,

this Spirit

will not only

be with you

walking alongside you,

He won't only

be with you,

He will be

within you.

He says,

I will not leave

you as orphans.

I will come to you

in that day,

verse 20.

In that day,

you will know

that I am in my Father

and you in me

and I in you.

Now Judas,

John is careful

to say,

not Iscariot.

Judas,

he asked a good question

here in verse 22.

Do you see that?

He said,

Lord,

how is it

that you will

manifest yourself

to us,

your disciples,

and not to the rest

of the world?

Do you still hear

that distinction

that's being made?

How is it

that we will see you,

know you,

love you,

obey you,

and the rest of the world

will not?

He says in verse 23,

if anyone loves me,

verse 23,

he will keep my word

and my Father

will love him

and we will come

to him

and make our home

with him.

This is a promise

of the indwelling

of the Holy Spirit

of God,

not just with you,

alongside you,

church,

but within you.

I hope you realize

that this is the greater

fulfillment of everything

we celebrate

at Christmas time.

We celebrate

at Christmas time

the birth

of Emmanuel,

which means,

what?

God with us.

Galatians tells us

when the fullness

of time had come,

God sent forth

his Son,

born of a woman,

born under the law

to redeem those

who are under the law

so that we might

receive adoption

as sons.

And because you

are sons,

God has sent

the Spirit

of his Son

into your hearts,

crying,

Abba,

Father.

So you are no longer

a slave,

but a son,

and if a son,

then an heir

through God.

What we celebrate

at Christmas

is that God

sent Jesus down

to be born

as a man

so that we

might rise

and be born

of God.

And if we are

born of God,

we can be certain

that we are sons

and heirs

through God.

What a hope

that is.

The Spirit

himself bears

witness with our

spirit that we are

sons of God,

children of God.

And if children,

then heirs,

heirs of God

and fellow heirs

with Christ,

provided we suffer

with him,

that we may also

be glorified

with him.

You see,

the whole story

of the Bible,

from beginning

to end,

from Genesis

to Revelation,

the entire story

of the Bible,

66 individual books,

is one overarching

story of God

making a way

to be with

his people.

You know,

the book of Genesis

as it begins,

this is what was lost

in the Garden of Eden.

God made Adam

and Eve

a perfect creation,

God with his people,

perfect relationship,

perfect community,

perfect intimacy

with God,

their creator,

and sin entered

into the creation

and caused division.

That's what it continues

to do today.

Our sin is what

separates us

from God.

We cannot dwell

with a holy God

if we are still

guilty in our sin.

That sin issue

must be dealt with.

And so all through

the pages of the Old Testament,

God is putting

systems in place.

He's reaching down

to us

to be with his people.

He's putting systems

of sacrifice

in place

to atone for sin.

He's putting

the tabernacle

in place

so he can dwell

amongst his people.

He puts the temple

in place

so he has a more

permanent dwelling

to be with his people.

But none of it

is lasting.

The sin issue

still remains.

So in the fullness

of time

I'd come.

Jesus Christ

came.

This is what we celebrate

at Christmas

that Christ

came to put

an end

to our sin

once and for all.

So that all

who know him

by faith,

all who love him,

all who see him,

all who obey him

receive the Holy Spirit

and are made new

or adopted

into the family

of God.

As children,

our sin is atoned for.

It is finished

on the cross.

1 Peter 3.18

says,

Christ also suffered

once for sins,

the righteous

for the unrighteous,

that he might bring

us to God.

So now,

church,

if you have received

the finished work

of Christ

through faith

in what he has done,

we have the certain

hope ahead of us.

At the end of the book

in Revelation,

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21,

which says,

I heard a loud

voice from the throne

saying,

Behold,

the dwelling place

of God

is with man.

He will dwell

with them

and they will be

his people

and God himself

will be with them

as their God.

That's the great hope

that every page

of this book

is leaning towards

that God

would be

with us.

No sin,

no suffering,

no guilt,

no pain,

no loss,

no death,

no grief.

He will wipe away

every tear

from our eyes

at his return.

But church,

the good news

that we celebrate today,

we don't have to wait

till then

to be with the Lord.

Through his spirit,

he has come

to be

within us.

What should that truth

do for us,

church?

If we truly understood

the glorious gift

that Jesus tells us

that his spirit

now lives

within us,

he says,

at least one effect

of that truth,

at least one effect

of that gift,

and this is my prayer

for us this Christmas,

is that we would have

peace.

Fourth,

the Holy Spirit

is a peaceful gift.

Look there,

beginning in verse 25,

he says,

these things

I have spoken to you

while I am still with you,

but the helper,

the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father

will send in my name,

he will teach you

all things

and bring to your remembrance

all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you.

My peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives

do I give to you.

Let not your hearts

be troubled,

neither let them be afraid.

You heard me say to you,

I am going away

and I will come to you.

If you loved me,

you would have rejoiced

because I am going

to the Father,

for the Father

is greater than I.

And now I have told you

before it takes place,

so that when it does

take place,

you may believe.

I will no longer

talk much with you

for the ruler

of this world is coming.

He has no claim on me,

but I do as my Father

has commanded me,

so that the world

may know

that I love the Father.

Rise,

let us go from here.

Church,

the Holy Spirit

is a gift

of peace

to any

who receive Him.

And don't you long

for peace?

Everybody

longs

for peace.

peace.

What Jesus tells us here,

what kind of peace

this is that He gives

to His people,

it's peace that is

rooted in the truth.

See what He says,

the Helper,

the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father

will send in My name,

what will He do?

He will teach you

all things,

and He will bring

to our remembrance

all that I have said

to you.

Do you ever wonder

how this bumbling

group of disciples

who can't seem

to get their head

on straight

all through the Gospels,

all of a sudden

in the book of Acts

and throughout the rest

of the New Testament,

they are filled

with boldness

to proclaim

the Word of Christ.

Do you ever wonder

how Peter can go

from denying the Lord

three times,

I don't know him,

I don't know that man,

I don't know him,

you got somebody else,

to now being a pillar

and a foundational member

of the early church.

Well, they witnessed

the resurrected Jesus

and they received

the promised Holy Spirit.

The Spirit,

He taught them

and He reminded them

of the words of Jesus.

It was the Spirit

through the Word of God

that comforted them

and sustained them

and empowered them

to endure all sorts

of horrible afflictions

and persecutions.

Their lives were not

peaceful, church,

but they were at peace.

We share the same Spirit

with them.

We share the same Word

with them.

Do we share the same peace

with them?

The Bible that we hold

in our hands,

that we read

as we gather together,

the Bible that we're preaching

from this morning

is a product of this promise

fulfilled.

The Spirit inspired

the pages of this book

so that He might call

to mind

all the things,

all the words of God

as we hide His Word

in our heart.

One of the primary ways

that the Spirit

helps us

is by illuminating

the Word of God

in our hearts

so that

when we leave here,

when we go out

in the midst

of the chaos

of this world,

we are of all people

at peace

through His Spirit

in us.

True peace

is found

as the Spirit of God

teaches us

the Word of God

so that we believe it

and live it.

Friend,

if you want to see

the Spirit move

in your life,

open up the Word of God

and read.

Open up the Word of God

and pray,

Lord,

give me the grace

to see Your glory

in these pages.

Lord,

give me the grace

to obey

where I once rebelled.

Lord,

give me the grace

to love You

where I once hated You.

If you're seeking peace,

church,

do it with an open Bible.

And whatever you do,

do not seek it

in the world.

Jesus says,

Peace I leave with you,

my peace I give to you,

not as the world gives

do I give to you.

Well,

you think about

what the world gives you.

Where can you go

to find peace in the world?

The world is nothing

but anxiety

and stress

and anger

and division

and frustration

and turmoil.

Jesus says,

not as the world gives

do I give to you.

Receive my peace.

You remember

the announcement

of the angels

that Jesus is coming.

Glory to God

in the highest

and on earth

peace

among those

with whom

He is pleased.

Friend,

are you at peace

this Christmas season?

Is your heart

and your soul

at rest?

Honest answers.

Are you resting

in the Lord

or is your heart

and your life

marked

by the chaos

and frustration

of the world?

disciples here

were likely

experiencing

a mix of emotions.

Jesus is telling them

the enemy is coming.

The enemy is at hand.

He's coming.

I'm leaving.

I'm going to the Father.

They thought

they were losing Jesus.

And yet here

He is promising them

this is good.

This is good.

This is in the Father's hand.

Be at peace.

This is okay.

I will not leave you

as orphans.

You will have peace.

I'm certain

that as much

as they wanted

to believe

what Jesus

was offering

them here

they probably

were frustrated,

anxious,

fearful.

How could this be good?

How can we have peace?

I'd be willing

to bet

that some of you

find yourself

in a similar situation

this Christmas.

I know that

for many of us

the holidays,

Christmas season

is a time

of great joy

and happiness

and excitement

and delight.

It's an exciting time.

We celebrate

the coming of Christ

but I know

that for many of us

the holiday season,

Christmas,

is a time

when many of us

are struggling

with tremendous grief.

Tremendous loss.

As we grieve

the loss of loved ones,

I look around here

I see others

that are missing

who I know

are grieving

the loss

of those that they loved.

The holidays

can be a terribly

painful time

for many.

So my encouragement

to you church

as we close

this morning

lean in

to the peace

that we're given

through the promised

Holy Spirit.

You will not find it

in this world

but you will find it

in the Spirit of God

through the Word

of Christ.

Church,

as we consider

the miracle of Christ

coming this Christmas season,

the miracle of God

becoming man

coming to dwell

among us,

don't miss the beauty

of an even greater gift

that God became man

to dwell within us

through faith in Christ.

Let's pray.

Lord, what a gift.

What a gift.

Lord, we pray,

Father,

that we would,

if we have not

to this point,

God,

receive the Holy Spirit

that if there's any here

who don't know you,

Father,

send your Spirit

forth in power

now to save.

And Father,

we ask that

as we walk

through this Christmas season

and anticipate

the coming of Christ,

fill our hearts

with peace

through believing

in the Holy Spirit.

We love you,

Lord.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.