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Sermon

#1044. The promise of the Spirit (29/4/24)

Community Church Putney Sermons

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  1. On Sunday we had Dale Barlow, from the New Ground leadership team speaking on The Holy Spirit. This week’s devotionals are loosely based upon his message. Today we reflect upon how we are promised and so are to seek the presence of the Spirit.

  2. “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 realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:16-20)

    John 14:16–20

  3. ‘”But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”’ (John 16:7)

    John 16:7

  4. Lesson: Jesus has promised to continue to work in us and through us by the Holy Spirit. So let’s believe His promise and ask to be filled with the Spirit’s presence.

  5. To listen to this devotional, go to:

  6. https://youtu.be/w0A0lccnKlI

  7. During The Last Supper, as He faced betrayal and death, Jesus taught many things that He wanted to ensure the disciples knew about. In John’s account, he records Jesus’ extensive on the promise of the Holy Spirit. Why does Jesus spend so much on time on the promise of the Spirit? He does this because He wants His followers to be assured that His death does not mean their desertion! He wants them to know that He will continue to be with them by the Spirit.

  8. Jesus refers to the Spirit as ‘another advocate’ or ‘helper’ (ESV). This speaks of many things:

  9. Firstly, ‘Another….’ Points to the Spirit being a person distinct from Jesus. However, because of the unity with the Trinity, wherever the Spirit is, The Father and The Son are also fully present.

  10. Secondly, ‘Another’ -‘Allos’- means ‘of the same kind’. Jesus wants His disciples to know that the Spirit will continue ‘His kind’ of ministry - the Spirit’s will continue Jesus’ ministry to us, and then through us.

  11. Thirdly, the term ‘Advocate’ (Paraklētos) means one who comes alongside to help in active assistance. As Jesus helped His disciples, He would continue to help them, and comes alongside to help us also. When children are small, a parent will come alongside, hold their hand and help them across the road. At some point, we trust and allow children to do this for themselves. This is never true of our relationship with God! We never mature so as to need Him less. The Spirit wants to come alongside to lead us through life and through this very day.

  12. Response

  13. Jesus has promised to continue to work in us and through us by the Holy Spirit. So let’s believe His promise and ask to be filled with the Spirit’s presence. As Jesus taught and empowered His disciples, so The Spirit wants to continue to fill us, teach us and empower us. We enter into the good of this promise by believing it and praying for it. Do you believe Jesus’ promise of ‘another advocate’? Do you believe His promise that, “I will not leave you as orphans”? Will you believe His promise and so come to Him in prayer, as we read in John 7:

  14. ‘“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit…’ (John 7:37-39)

    John 7:37–39