THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

 

Chapter 12

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The Portrait of the Holy Spirit (Part III)

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Text

John 14:15-21 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”​​

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​​​​Memory Verse

John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.”

 

Introduction

Jesus knows exactly what we need for encouragement, comfort, and power. The gift He gives is his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, whom He calls our Advocate.

When we do not know what to say or how to stand, the Spirit speaks for us before the Father. Thank God for this indescribable gift.

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Objective
To understand how the Holy Spirit is identified through His status in the Godhead and His functions.

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Presentation

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1. The Spirit is Another Comforter
If Jesus had not sent someone to teach, guide, and stand with His children as they face a hostile world, who would do it? That someone is the Holy Spirit - another Comforter.

 

The Greek wording for “Comforter” is ‘parakletos’. It literally means someone called alongside to help, especially in legal matters. In ancient courts, a person could bring one or two influential friends to stand with them and defend them. Those friends were called ‘parakletoi’ in Greek, ‘advocati’ in Latin.

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That is the role that Jesus played for His disciples while He was with them. That is why they were sad when He said He was leaving. The Holy Spirit now does invisibly what Jesus did visibly - He is another Comforter with us.

 

Note that the Greek word for ‘another’ is ‘allos’, meaning “another of the same kind”. It is not ‘heteros’, which would mean “another of a different kind”. Jesus is saying “I have been your ‘parakletos’ while with you. When I go, the Father will send you the same kind of Helper, but in the Spirit.” John tells us in the same chapter who that “another Helper” is:

 

John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

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Another Comforter is Jesus coming back, but not in the flesh, in the Spirit. Jesus in the flesh was God’s presence, localized, visible, limited to one body. Jesus in the Spirit is God’s presence unlimited, invisible, able to dwell in all believers at once. The Spirit is the presence of Christ.

 

Jesus was the Comforter with the disciples in the flesh. When He went to the Father, He sent Himself in the Spirit to dwell in them. The same presence, now indwelling instead of external.

 

2. How is Christ in Us?
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27) happens through the Holy Spirit. He puts the life, nature, virtues, and heart of Christ in the believer.

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John 17:26 “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

 

3. What Does The Spirit Offer?
Nothing outside of Christ and His teaching. The Spirit’s job is to form us into the likeness of Christ. He is also our ‘earnest’, our guarantee of redemption.

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4. Heaven and Earth Working Together
In heaven, Jesus is our ‘parakletos’, defending us against the accuser (Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1).

 

Heb. 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

 

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

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On earth, the Holy Spirit is our ‘parakletos’, silencing the enemies of the church and comforting us (John 14:18).

 

John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

 

Christ comes to individual believers by His Spirit now.

 

Heb. 9:28 So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

 

He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks, seeking a relationship with each and every one of us:

 

Rev. 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

 

Jesus in the flesh was an example to follow. Jesus in the Spirit is a life to be lived. While in the flesh He was not omnipresent. Now in the Spirit He is with every believer everywhere.

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Someone put it this way: through the Spirit, Christ has become the Soul of our souls, the Spirit of our spirits, the Truth of our minds, the Love of our hearts, and the Desire of our wills.

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Jesus, like David, prepared the material - the teachings - for God’s spiritual temple. The Holy Spirit, like Solomon, builds the temple - the Church - with that material. Christ was sent to do something for us. The Holy Spirit was sent to do something in us.

 

Conclusion
The comfort Christ gave while on earth continues through the Holy Spirit. He is another Comforter who carries on the ministry of Christ’s teaching. Our part is to submit to Him as our divine Light.
 

​​Evaluation Questions & Answers

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1. What is the Latin word for Comforter?

   • The Latin word is ‘advocatus’.

   • The Greek ‘parakletos’ is translated “Advocate” or “Comforter” in John 14:16.

2. Looking at our legal system today, how can you illustrate the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

   • Like a defence attorney who stands with you in court, the Holy Spirit stands with us. He speaks for us, defends us, guides us on what to say, and comforts us when we are accused or afraid. He is our Advocate before God and in the battles which we face daily.

3. How is it possible for Christ to be in heaven and on earth simultaneously on our behalf?

   • Christ is in heaven as our Advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1). On earth, He is present in us through the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, 20). So He represents us in heaven and lives in us on earth at the same time.

4. Why is the Holy Spirit called “another Comforter”?

   • Because He does for us now what Jesus did for His disciples while He was with them - teaching, guiding, comforting, and defending. He is “Christ in us”, with the same mission and heart as Jesus.

5. Has God put comfort in you for your neighbours by His Spirit? How are you sure?

   • Yes, if you have the Spirit, you have the Comforter in you. You know it by the fruit: you find yourself able to encourage, strengthen, and comfort others, even when you are weak (2 Cor. 1:3-4). The Spirit in you overflows to others.

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Prayer

Father, thank You for Your word. Renew our partnership with You in redeeming Your creation. Give us fresh commitment to obey You and to walk with Your Spirit, so that we grow in the knowledge of spiritual things. Amen.

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