John 14-17
In this message we will study the work of
the Holy Spirit in our daily life and salvation and
how in this work Christ and the Holy Spirit are
perfectly united. Thus, in reality, we have very
special help available to aid us in living the daily
Christian life, as well as working through us to
be a witness to the world. In this message we
will continue to study the role of the Holy Spirit
as He works in perfect harmony and identity
with Christ in connection with our salvation and
then, through us, to our neighbors and friends.
I. THE HOLY SPIRIT, HELPER AND SUCCESSOR
OF CHRIST
Let’s begin by noticing the three chapters of
John 14, 15, and 16. [Read the verses you want
to emphasize.] These three chapters are a vivid
and detail attempt of Jesus to make clear to the
twelve disciples, as well as to us, just what He
was so concerned about in the upper room after
instituting the Lord’s Supper.
In John 14:16 the Saviour uses the term
“another Helper” when referring to the Holy
Spirit. For Jesus to have emphasized the word
“another,” surely indicates a very complete harmony
and unity between Himself and the Holy
Spirit; no one else could so perfectly represent
the Saviour. And hence the daily study of the life
and character of Jesus will increase our desire
for more of the presence of the Holy Spirit in
our own life. For it is through Him that our life
is filled with more and more of the likeness and
attributes of Jesus.
In the next chapter (John 17) Jesus makes
a promise regarding the Holy Spirit which indicates
that there is to be a change in function, a
new capacity. He told the disciples that this special
gift would no longer just dwell with them; instead
the Holy Spirit would actually dwell within
each of them. This promise is for you and me
and begins at Bible baptism as we shall see later.
And so it was necessary for Jesus to
leave this earth in order that His power might
be displayed through each of His followers. The
depth of Jesus’ love for each of us takes on new
meaning as we realize that the Saviour is closer
to us now than when He walked here on earth,
all because of the person of the Holy Spirit. Notice
this in the following inspired statement:
“Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not
be in every place personally. Therefore it was for
their interest that He should go to the Father, and
send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of
his location or his personal contact with Christ.
By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible
to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them
than if He had not ascended on high” (The Desire
of Ages, p. 669. Italics supplied).
Due to the fact that Christ is closer to us
now than even when He walked on earth, we
can understand that thus we need an increasing
measure of this gift if we desire to walk closer to
the Saviour each day.
II. THE HOLY SPIRIT ANOINTED JESUS TO
FULFILL HIS MISSION
Early in His ministry on earth Jesus
preached one day at the worship service in Nazareth
where He had grown up as a boy. On this
occasion He very clearly told what His mission
here was to be. The story is recorded in Luke
4:16-20. Verse 18 says, “‘The Spirit of the Lord
is upon Me. . . He has anointed Me to…’” He
quotes an inspired passage from Isaiah 61 listing
six things that the Holy Spirit had indicated
was to be His work. They are:
1. To preach the gospel to those who are “poor” in whatever way.
2. To heal those who grieve, are depressed or discouraged.
3. To preach the assurance of His deliverance to captives of Satan.
4. The recovery of sight to those who are blind.
5. To set the oppressed or downtrodden free.
6. To preach or announce the time when
God would accomplish this.
In the passage just described, Jesus clearly
states what Power it is that enables Him to accomplish
these tasks—it is the Holy Spirit.
III. DIVINE AGENCY TO REPRESENT
CHRIST
The Holy Spirit is Christ’s chosen Agency
to reveal Jesus and to be His representative in
every need we have. Therefore, to suggest complete
dependency on the Holy Spirit is to suggest
complete dependency on the Saviour Himself.
Note the following inspired thoughts:
“When Christ ascended to the Father, He did
not leave His followers without help. The Holy
Spirit, as His representative, and the heavenly
angels, as ministering spirits, are sent forth to
aid those who against great odds are fighting the good fight of faith. Ever remember that Jesus is
your helper” (Messages to Young People, p. 17.
Italics supplied).
These quotations make it very clear that
the role of the Holy Spirit is to bring Jesus to
our aid. The last sentence of this last quotation
shows the intimate relationship between Jesus
and the Holy Spirit for our good; both are called
our “helper.” Consequently, as we submit to be
molded and controlled by His special gift, the
Holy Spirit, we are experiencing the work of Jesus
in our lives.
There is one additional quotation that I
would like to share with you which indicate how
very essential is our need of the Holy Spirit. They
reveal that whether it is for salvation itself or for
living a consistent Christian life, the aid of the
Holy Spirit is clearly indispensable.
“He may have wisdom to overcome an opponent;
but wise unto salvation, he cannot possibly
be without the agency of the Holy Spirit”
(Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 240).
According to The Desire of Ages, p. 175,
we cannot even repent without the aid of the
Holy Spirit. So, the reason why we are invited
to depend so completely on the Holy Spirit is
because He is the Agency whereby Jesus is able
to aid all of us at the same time. The two of them
are perfectly in accord; along with our heavenly
Father they work not only in the forgiveness of
sin but in the restoration of His image/character
in each one of us.
CONCLUSION
“Let none leave the love of Christ out of
their labors, but let each ask himself the question,
Is my life a consistent life? Am I guided by
the Holy Spirit?” (Counsels to Parents, Teachers
and Students, p. 362). Perhaps now we are beginning
to grasp the importance of being “Spiritfilled”
for to be “Spirit-filled” is to be filled with
the presence of Jesus. Would you be willing to
pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit worldwide?
Let’s pray.
David Wolkwitz is a retired ordained minister who
served as pastor, chaplain, evangelist, administrator,
and departmental director. As a speaker,
he challenged his audiences to pray daily at
6:15 a.m. for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This
sermon is used by permission from the General
Conference Sabbath School and Personal Ministries
Department.
