For a significant time, they often try to soften the blow, soften the goodbye. Parent going away for a week’s holiday, tells the kids left behind, Grandma’s coming, and she’s going to take them to the cinema. Or a close friend moving to another city with work.

(0:19 – 0:32)

They might give you a photo of you together. It’s a small reminder, a token that says, we’re not going to forget each other. And why don’t you come and visit? My flat has a spare room.

(0:33 – 0:41)

Or a dad going on a work trip. He gives his son his watch. Keep this safe, I’ll be back.

(0:42 – 1:02)

It doesn’t stop the wee boys’ ache, but that small gift reminds him, don’t worry, I’ll be back. It’s a way of softening the blow, of staying present even while absent. And that’s what’s happening here in John chapter 14.

(1:03 – 1:15)

Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure. He’s already told them, where I’m going, you cannot follow now. He’s going to the cross to die.

(1:16 – 1:32)

Then back to his Father, and all this to prepare a place for them. But for these disciples, the thought of losing him was crushing. Their teacher, their leader, their friend, the one who calms storms, leaving.

(1:34 – 1:48)

But he said, don’t let your hearts be troubled. What we’re going to see this morning is that yes, Jesus is going. But he leaves something far better than a keepsake.

(1:49 – 2:05)

He leaves his presence and help. While Jesus goes to prepare a place for them, another comes to help them prepare for that place. So let’s think about Jesus who promises help.

(2:07 – 2:18)

Probably the worst fear for a child whose parents are going away is that they will never come back. That’s how the disciples felt. Their hearts were anxious and afraid.

(2:19 – 2:35)

But into that fear, Jesus speaks a promise that changes everything. So he says, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. He says, I’ll not leave you as orphans.

(2:36 – 2:48)

I will come to you. This advocate, as we read, thank you, Elspeth, in verse 26 is the Holy Spirit. And we’ve been meeting him before throughout John’s gospel.

(2:50 – 3:05)

And over these coming chapters in particular, Jesus will speak more of who he is and what he does. The Spirit is not some force or energy. He is a person, divine and distinct, just like the father and the son.

(3:06 – 3:27)

He’s the living presence of God who gives life. From creation’s first breath to every new believer’s heart, the Spirit brings life where there was none. And as David was mentioning earlier, in our Sunday evening, we started this series called The Whole Spirit.

(3:27 – 3:42)

And we’re exploring even more of the story of the Holy Spirit through scripture. But let’s find out what Jesus is saying in this particular passage. Well, he’s the Spirit who comes alongside.

(3:43 – 3:53)

See that in verse 16, he’s, Jesus calls him the advocate. And the word used is paraclete. That’s a Greek word from para.

(3:53 – 4:09)

We know that word in parachute and others. And it means to come alongside. So, along with the word kaleo, it means to call, literally as he is one who is called alongside to help.

(4:11 – 4:23)

But there’s another, there’s a different word, an additional word that Jesus uses, another. There’s two types of words for another. One means another of the same kind.

(4:24 – 4:36)

And a different one that says another of a different kind. But the word Jesus uses here is another of the same kind. Jesus is saying he’s another like me.

(4:37 – 4:58)

Just as I’ve been with you, so the Spirit will come to you and be like me. And one particular way that he will be alike is in advocacy. What we’re to understand here, you see, is that Jesus, as he goes to the cross, will become the Lamb of God that John the Baptist promised.

(4:58 – 5:13)

He would take away the sins of the world by his death on behalf of sinners. The first advocate would be Jesus himself. All sinful people stand before God’s perfect justice.

(5:14 – 5:33)

And Jesus stands alongside those who believe in him and trust in him. He pleads their case. He argues for justice because his death, impending death, and for us today as we look back, his death on the cross will mean all debt to sin has been paid in full.

(5:35 – 5:46)

And Jesus’ defence as the first advocate will be unshakeable. He will say to the Father then, I have paid for these sins in full. He’s the first advocate.

(5:47 – 6:08)

But when Jesus tells his disciples, when I’m gone, the Father is going to send another advocate, one just like Jesus, then he’s saying he too will do a work of advocacy. He too will stand alongside the believer to help. And the second advocate is going to do a number of things to help these disciples.

(6:09 – 6:24)

He’s the Spirit who stays. See that also in verse 16, that the Spirit’s presence is permanent. In the past, the Spirit came at certain times and for certain people to carry out certain tasks.

(6:25 – 6:56)

But a time is coming soon, Jesus is saying, at a place and a time called Pentecost where the presence of the Holy Spirit would be given permanently and never withdrawn. And from that day until the day Jesus returns, the Holy Spirit would be at work in the life of every believer and in the church of Jesus Christ. So the work of the Spirit in the lives of these disciples would also be available for all believers, you and me today.

(6:58 – 7:08)

In effect, Jesus is saying, I’m not walking away. The Spirit is here. And he continues with his people.

(7:09 – 7:26)

But Jesus also says he’s the Spirit of truth. Look at that in verse 17. The help these disciples would need is being taught the truth because soon there would be so much opposition it would be hard for them.

(7:28 – 7:40)

And among that opposition would be deception and lies. And Jesus is gonna unpack that even more when he says the Spirit will teach you all things and remind you all things. So we’ll come back to that.

(7:41 – 7:56)

But also Jesus says the Spirit, the world cannot see him. The world cannot accept him, he says, because it neither sees him nor knows him. That’s why Jesus’ followers will face resistance.

(7:56 – 8:09)

But remember, when Jesus came, many didn’t recognise him. That’s what John writes about in the early chapters of John’s gospel. And they won’t recognise the Spirit’s work either.

(8:10 – 8:30)

Because you see, spiritual work or spiritual truth can’t be grasped by mere human intellect. By reason alone, the world doesn’t see and doesn’t want to because it prefers its own way. Yet the Spirit opens blind eyes.

(8:32 – 8:47)

We can explain the gospel and clear obstacles and remove distractions, but we can’t change hearts. Only the Spirit can shape desires and change wills to embrace Jesus. New life is his work, not ours.

(8:49 – 8:58)

And so we’re called to depend on God’s Spirit. But also he’s the Spirit who lives within. Look at that also in verse 17.

(8:59 – 9:20)

Jesus explains to these disciples, but you will know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. As I said, the disciples would receive the Spirit at Pentecost. And for every believer since, it happens the moment we trust Jesus.

(9:21 – 9:36)

And the Spirit isn’t distant, he’s a living presence. Not to be left alone. We’re never left to figure out lives for ourselves.

(9:37 – 9:56)

We’re never to be without help because the Spirit lives with us and is in us. That’s how Jesus speaks and guides and comforts and makes himself known through the Spirit’s work in our hearts, as he is with us and in us. That’s how we face anxiety and fears and sadness and such like.

(9:56 – 10:07)

How we endure trouble and opposition. Jesus, by his Spirit, is with us and in us. And so said Jesus in verse 18, you are not orphans.

(10:09 – 10:22)

Jesus is speaking, remember, to fearful, uncertain people. Like children, really, who need protection and care. I’m sure we all know what an orphan is.

(10:23 – 10:39)

A child who’s lost one or more parents. Perhaps an untimely death. Or their parents are simply unable to look after them and so give them up to care and be raised by others.

(10:40 – 10:49)

But that’s not your situation, says Jesus. You will not be left without provision or protection. You will be cared for.

(10:50 – 11:07)

You will be helped to grow and flourish because that’s Jesus’ purpose for his followers. Maturity, fullness of life, now and hope to come. How does this happen? I will not leave you as orphans.

(11:07 – 11:26)

I will come to you. Jesus is promising his Spirit, another like him, to help us to face even hard and difficult times, whatever they may be. Sure, as Christian believers, we can feel under-resourced for life.

(11:27 – 11:39)

And sure, we can be tempted to think that Jesus hasn’t given us what we need. But that’s not the reality. The Spirit does not merely visit.

(11:40 – 11:56)

He lives with and in the believers and he is resident and personal and intimate. And we’ll see this just a little bit later, but he says he makes his home with them. And because of him, we can have the life that Jesus calls us to.

(11:57 – 12:12)

We can follow Jesus in the ups and downs of life. We can endure life in a troubling world. So let’s think about what that obedient life looks like when the Spirit is at work, helping and preparing.

(12:15 – 12:32)

Well, Jesus says in verse 19, before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. The world will soon believe Jesus is gone, crucified, buried, forgotten. But his followers will know differently.

(12:34 – 12:50)

Because I live, Jesus says, you will also live. You see, after his death, Jesus won’t remain in the tomb. He will rise to life and because he lives, his life will now flow into those who trust him and it’s not a distant faith.

(12:50 – 13:07)

It’s a real living union with the risen Jesus, the Father and the Spirit. Through the Spirit, we share his life. When Jesus came, when Jesus said he came to give us life, he meant more than physical life.

(13:08 – 13:24)

It’s more than bread. And he said to the people asking for food, it’s the kind of life that comes from God himself. Every person here and since in the past has been born physically alive but spiritually dead.

(13:25 – 13:49)

But we can truly become alive through belief and faith in Jesus. That’s why John wrote back in chapter one, to all who received him, to receive Jesus, he gave the right to become children of God and that’s why Jesus told Nicodemus, you must be born again. The Spirit is the giver of new life and he awakens dead hearts.

(13:50 – 14:12)

He makes Jesus real to us, come alive to us and begins God’s new creation within us. Without the Spirit, there is no true life but with him, we become part of his family. So Jesus says, on that day, you will know that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you.

(14:13 – 14:35)

That day that Jesus is referring to is this period of time of Jesus’ resurrection and then ascension into heaven and the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost. And in that season, in that time, the very life of God is shared with his people. And Jesus is saying, you’re gonna be part of my family.

(14:36 – 14:58)

My life and my Father’s life are gonna flow into you and the Spirit is the bond that makes this real. Joining the disciples with Jesus, bringing his presence so, so close that Jesus says, I am in you. And when the world cannot see Jesus, his people will.

(15:00 – 15:13)

Yet notice how Jesus will be shown to them. Cast down your eyes to verse 21. Jesus says, the one who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love them and show myself to them.

(15:14 – 15:37)

It’s through love. God’s love looks like this, writes John, back in chapter three. He gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him won’t die without hope but will have life full and eternal and we’re caught up in that love when we trust the Son who gave his life for us.

(15:38 – 15:55)

And Jesus calls his disciples to love him. It’s more than knowing about him. Many people would admire Jesus as a teacher or prophet but Jesus says, if you love me, something far deeper.

(15:56 – 16:20)

And Jesus has been showing them over these years as together that being his disciple is not about religion and rules but relationship. As God is bringing them into his family, as spiritual eyes are opened, Jesus isn’t a mere teacher or miracle worker or good man. He’s their Lord.

(16:24 – 16:50)

Admiration turns to adoration, to love. And Jesus has been showing them how to display this love by being servants, humble, not lording over people, not seeking selfish ambitions. Remember, Jesus had been showing the disciples exactly what this love looks like.

(16:50 – 16:58)

In chapter 13, the previous chapter, he washed the disciples’ feet. He says, I’ve set you an example. Go and do the same.

(17:00 – 17:21)

And so Jesus is saying, if you love me, you will obey my commands. It might sound as if Jesus is giving us a checklist, do this and I’ll know you love me, but that’s not his tone. He’s describing this relationship where love leads to obedience.

(17:23 – 17:38)

Jesus’ command begins with a call to repent and believe. Yes, to turn from sin and trust him completely. Loving Jesus starts with trusting him, resting in what he’s done.

(17:39 – 17:48)

But out of that, from that, obedience grows. It’s not forced. It’s not legalistic.

(17:52 – 18:09)

Jesus adds, by this, everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another. Love is to mark his followers as they love one another. It’s, the world is meant to see Jesus through the loving obedience of his people.

(18:11 – 18:42)

Did you notice Judas’ question? He says, Lord, why show yourself to us and not the world? Jesus doesn’t answer this question directly. Certainly he doesn’t answer the why, but he does answer the how. Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching, says Jesus, because Jesus will be seen through those who love and live out his teaching.

(18:43 – 19:04)

It’s not about dramatic miracles. The greater things Jesus promised the disciples would do, earlier in the verses we looked at last week, it’s lives transformed by loving action, forgiving, serving, caring. When believers live like that, the spirit is moving, and Jesus is shown to the world.

(19:06 – 19:27)

So Judas’ question gets turned around, really. Jesus is saying, the world will see me through you, and that’s true today. Whereas people love and obey with humility and grace, the world glimpses Jesus in a world full of rage and hate and confusion.

(19:28 – 19:50)

Does not that love for one another speak powerfully into that? But the opposite’s also true. Anyone who doesn’t love me, says Jesus, will not obey my teaching. Without love, obedience fades, and Jesus remains unseen.

(19:52 – 20:07)

You know, Jesus isn’t looking for love shown in emotion and tears, but love shown in obedience. If you love me, keep my commands. That’s how real devotion shows up.

(20:09 – 20:27)

And that’s where the challenge would land for the disciples, and for us too. What happens to a life or a church that doesn’t walk in spirit-filled obedience? Well, we begin to live like we’re spiritually fatherless. We’re spiritual orphans.

(20:29 – 20:58)

We say we believe and trust Jesus, but we rely on ourselves and our own strength and abilities, and we don’t trust God at all. And we lose interest in Jesus’ priorities and drift into serving ourselves. So the test is not how we feel on any given day, it’s commitment, it’s faithfulness, it’s endurance, it’s choosing obedience because we belong to him.

(20:59 – 21:08)

And through that, Jesus is made visible to the world. It’s through love, but it’s also from the inside out. Look at verse 23.

(21:09 – 21:30)

One more thing about this life of obedience. He says, my Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them. They’re not going to be left as orphans. They’re not being placed, as it were, in foster care or placed in a children’s home, and the difference is significant.

(21:31 – 21:53)

The Father and the Son and the Spirit choose to make their home with them, not in temples, not in palaces, but to live in ordinary lives. And as children of God, we’re at home with God. It’s not a place to stay.

(21:54 – 22:19)

It’s a place of belonging. And the Spirit is the divine homemaker. What Jesus prepares for his people in heaven, going to the cross and in heaven, the Spirit begins shaping in them now, and this unseen work in the life of the believers, the world can’t see it, but it’s real nevertheless.

(22:20 – 22:44)

His life fills his people, and the Spirit works within, and it’s displayed in and through the lives of those who believe, and it’s a quiet, transforming work, and it starts from the inside out as God makes his home in us. And what does that look like in practise? Well, it’s shaped by two things. We see that in verse 25 and 26.

(22:46 – 23:14)

Remember earlier, Jesus called the Spirit the Spirit of truth? Well, firstly, Jesus said, the Spirit will teach you all things, and the disciples needed teaching. There was so much they didn’t yet know or understand, and they’re going to become witnesses to Jesus across the world and set up churches and disciple and pastor and face all sorts of opposition and dangers and lies and deceptions. They had to keep on learning.

(23:18 – 23:38)

This morning, someone texted me a word of encouragement, but they also said, I’m looking forward to learn. You see, that attitude of learning should be the same for us, too. If we follow Jesus, we must be teachable.

(23:39 – 23:47)

We are to learn. We don’t know it all. We open ourselves up humbly, ready to learn God’s ways and purposes for our lives.

(23:47 – 24:00)

The Spirit is our teacher, correcting, rebuking, reshaping. It’s not simply about facts and doctrine, important as that is, but it’s about reformation. We’re being reshaped.

(24:00 – 24:12)

It’s about growing that wisdom and maturity. God changes our thinking and shapes our desires in the good and the hard times. We are always to be learners.

(24:14 – 24:25)

But also, secondly, the disciple needed reminding. We know how much we are prone to forget, and the disciples were the same. Jesus said, He will remind you of everything I have said to you.

(24:27 – 24:50)

You see, people would listen but reject the message the disciples were taking. They would reject Jesus, the one that they had lived with and seen, and they would not understand why. And as they faced the hardships and the ups and downs of life, they would need to be reminded of all that Jesus had promised them so that they would endure and persevere.

(24:52 – 24:55)

And so do we, too. We forget. Our thoughts wander.

(24:56 – 25:02)

Fears rise. Disappointments and stresses weigh us down. In church life ministry, too, we can feel let down.

(25:03 – 25:14)

We can be overwhelmed. We need His Spirit to remind us of His truth and His promises to us. By His Spirit, God whispers to us that He is with us.

(25:14 – 25:34)

His love is for us, that He will never forsake us or fulfil us. He leads us to Jesus, never away from Jesus. So as followers of Jesus, we open His Bible looking to hear from Him, to be encouraged, to be disciplined, to be built up, and that’s the Spirit’s work.

(25:35 – 25:55)

When we’re reminded of Jesus’ words in the moment of need, that’s the Spirit’s work. When conviction of sin comes with grace and hope, that’s the Spirit at work. We were talking in our community group this week, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

(25:55 – 26:05)

We often think about that’s for people who don’t know Jesus, and yes it is, but it’s also for us who do believe. We need to be reminded that Jesus is the way. He is the truth.

(26:06 – 26:10)

He is the life. It’s not just a message for people who don’t know Him. It’s for us too.

(26:12 – 26:23)

When we’re deceived, we need to know He is true. When we’re lost, we need to know He is the way. And it’s all underpinned by Jesus.

(26:25 – 26:50)

This one final aspect of Jesus’ comfort to His disciples, as part of their preparation, He wants them to experience real peace and security. So in verse 27 to 31, remember how this chapter started? Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Jesus promised a place, and He’s promised His presence, but now He promises peace.

(26:51 – 27:23)

Jesus says, peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. It’s not the world’s peace, fragile and temporary. The world’s peace depends on calm circumstances, on things being right or sorted, but that’s not often the case, is it? Jesus gives a peace that holds in the storm, a peace that begins with by being forgiven and being right with God, that whatever happens, those who belong to Jesus are at peace with God.

(27:23 – 27:35)

That’s the foundation we need. And this peace runs deep, Jesus said. He calls it my peace, the very calm He carried through fears and sorrows and suffering.

(27:36 – 28:01)

He knows trouble’s coming, opposition, hatred, loss, but His peace will strengthen as they face it with God, not apart from Him. And it’s the fruit the Spirit brings living within them, a peace that settles the heart when everything else is shaken. But He also wants them to experience real security.

(28:01 – 28:14)

He says, I’m going away. There’s so much about to happen that’s going to shake them, turn them upside down, it seems, evils closing in. Jesus said, the prince of this world is coming.

(28:17 – 28:28)

Judas is about to betray Him. The authorities about to condemn Him and torture Him, allow Him to be tortured and then nailed to the cross. All part of Satan’s scheme.

(28:30 – 28:42)

When Judas left to betray Jesus, John writes, it was night. Darkness seemed to win. But Jesus said, He has no hold over me.

(28:43 – 28:54)

He would not be overpowered. Jesus was giving His life willingly. Jesus knew what He was doing was fulfilling the Father’s plan.

(28:54 – 29:14)

He says, the world must learn that I love the Father and do exactly what He commands. What is about to take place at the crucifixion of Jesus will reveal the love that the Father and the Son had for us. The Son’s obedience to the Father’s saving will.

(29:15 – 29:24)

The innocent, perfect Son of God willingly laying down His life for the guilty. The willing Saviour redeeming slaves to sin. But it’s not the end.

(29:24 – 29:34)

He says, I am coming back. That’s the Gospel. Jesus is going, but He’s coming back.

(29:34 – 29:47)

The power of death is unravelling. And that’s real security. For those who know and trust that physical death is not the end.

(29:49 – 30:25)

C.S. Lewis, he writes a story, a series of stories of Aslan in ‘The lion, the witch and the wardrobe’ and it captures this truth so beautifully. When Aslan rises from the dead and he explains to the little girl, Lucy, though the witch knew deep magic, there’s a magic deeper still. When a willing victim who’s committed no treachery is killed in a traitor’s stead, the table would crack and death itself would start working backwards.

(30:28 – 30:42)

Jesus’ death would not mean defeat. His resurrection would prove victory over sin and over death. When they saw Him alive, they would know it was all part of the Father’s plan.

(30:43 – 30:50)

And that’s the goal. That their faith in Jesus would be strengthened, not shaken. That’s real security.

(30:52 – 31:41)

So Jesus is going to prepare a place for them, but another comes, the Holy Spirit, to prepare them for that place. Do you believe Jesus went to prepare a place for you? I’m going to ask you all a personal question. Have you been born again by His Spirit so that you can be in that place? And if you have, do you know the presence of His Spirit in your life? Do you know His living in you, working in you, through you, helping you, reminding you, teaching you? And are you resting and at peace with Jesus because of His death and resurrection? A peace and a security that the world cannot bring.

(31:46 – 32:15)

Well, maybe as we think about these things, we’re going to sing a couple of songs in response, if it’s okay. The first one directs us to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And as we sing this, focus and ask God to clear the things that are perhaps in front of you and let the Spirit speak to you, help you, teach you, remind you as we sing these words, or perhaps allow others to sing them to you.

(32:17 – 32:36)

And the second song is, I’m sure a song that many in the room will know, even if we’ve not sung it together before. It enables us to be involved in a conversation together as it asks questions and answers are given. And I hope you can find your place in that too as we sing that together.

(32:37 – 33:03)

But more than that, I want the truth of Jesus and who He is and what He’s done and what He will do to be central. And Jesus is able and therefore worthy to be the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His going to His death and resurrection brings forgiveness, peace with God and secure salvation for all who believe.

(33:04 – 33:29)

This is God’s plan, God’s forever plan to gather His people to Himself and to live with Him. And the Spirit is coming to prepare His people for that. Even as we live in all brokenness and darkness and difficulties and troubles in this world, so as we sing, we declare Jesus is worthy because He is.

The post Another advocate – John 14v15–31 appeared first on Greenview Church.