Lent - Day Thirty-Five - The Promised Holy Spirit

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

26 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. 
John 14:26

As the last days of Jesus’ earthly ministry approach, imagine for a moment what this journey is about to be like for Jesus’ disciples. They have spent the last three years of their lives following Jesus. They have seen miracle after miracle with their own eyes. They have sat at his feet to take in all of his teachings. They have broken bread with him, eating meal after meal together. They walked where he walked, and followed wherever his voice led them. Now that is all going to drastically change.

He is leaving, but he promises that he will not leave them as orphans. He promises that the Father will be with them, and that he will be in them. He promises to give them another helper, another advocate… the Holy Spirit.

We did not walk the Jerusalem roads with Jesus, but his promise is for us as well. While we may often feel quite alone, Jesus promises that he has not left us as orphans. He dwells in us. We, too, have been given the helper, the Holy Spirit. This Spirit is at work in us to create and sustain faith. The Holy Spirit continues to work in us while we wait for our Lord’s return. This Holy Spirit is sent to teach us all things and recall for us all that our Lord has taught. The Spirit teaches us our Lord’s commands, cultivates a love for those commands, and produces a desire to keep them. The Holy Spirit nurtures us to love our Lord and treasure his word. We have an advocate who stands before the Father on our behalf. We have a helper who works faith and the fruit of faith in us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: 

Holy Spirit, 

                 I am thankful for Your presence in my life. Draw me ever closer to my Lord and Savior. Direct me according to His will. Comfort me in all temptation and defend me from all error. Amen.

Reading Further - John 14:15-31

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 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.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 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.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 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. 24 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.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 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. 27 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. 28 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. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

Leaky *

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 said to you.
John 14:26 NASB

I heard it pointed out today that the Holy Spirit is our helper, not our "doer."  It caught my attention. I had to research that thought, which took me to the following article by Erwin Lutzer, who wrote it for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It wasn't where I was going with it, but it's a great article and someone else may need to read this.

Let's read what Mr. Lutzer has to say:* 

Jesus’ invitation at the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him'” (John 7:37-39).

Jesus likened the gift of the Holy Spirit to a well of living water, which He said would spring up within us and lead to eternal life. Like water to parched ground, the Holy Spirit offers refreshment and help to our weary souls. Jesus offers this water in abundance to all who are thirsty and willing to come to Him and drink.

Jesus promised not merely a stream, but streams. All who drink would have their own artesian well within them. He calls with a loud voice to all who are weary of empty religion, to all who are weary of worldly pursuits. 

This gift of the Spirit is given to the thirsty: “If anyone is thirsty.” Those who are spiritually thirsty know the difference between being satisfied with God and being satisfied with the empty watering holes of the world. Tragically, some think they are not thirsty because they eke out a bit of satisfaction from the stagnant streams of sensuality and personal ambition. They do not know that they were born with a raging thirst that only Jesus can satisfy.

The woman who encountered Christ at the well had been married five times and was now living with a sixth man who was not her husband. She could neither depend on a husband nor her friends for comfort and hope. But Christ offered her living water that would spring up to eternal life (John 4:14). She would have inner resources that would bring cleansing to her troubled conscience and help her cope with the pain of her failed marital relationships.

Jesus introduced the ministry of the Holy Spirit to His disciples before His death. They had come to depend on Jesus for everything, and when He announced that He was leaving them, they felt abandoned. Jesus would not be with them to answer their questions, to teach them or to offer solutions to the challenges of their daily lives. They had come to love Him deeply and His absence would be keenly felt.

Jesus gave them this reassurance: “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever … I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you” (John 14:18). The disciples would not be orphaned; in fact, thanks to the gift of the Spirit, Jesus in effect promised, “I’ll be closer to you than I’ve ever been before.” That promise was fulfilled by the gift of the Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity.

What is your need today? Is it for companionship? The Holy Spirit is with you. Is it for comfort? The Holy Spirit stands ready to help. Do you need an advocate? He is ready to plead your case. And, if your sorrow is so deep that you do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will intercede with groaning that is too deep for words (Romans 8:26).
Many Christians entertain false ideas about the Holy Spirit. For example, there are those who think that the Spirit indwells only some Christians but not others. Be assured that all Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 6:19). The indwelling Spirit seals us until the day of redemption and is a guarantee that we are God’s children, assuring us that we will be taken safely to Heaven (Ephesians 1:14, 5:30). However, we will not experience the Spirit’s life and power if we grieve Him with sin that we are neither willing to confess nor forsake.

Although all believers are indwelt by the Spirit, not all believers are filled with the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit means that we are experiencing the Holy Spirit’s gentle guidance and control in our lives. To be filled with the Spirit means that the Spirit is reproducing His fruit within us. We should never think that the filling of the Spirit is just for those Christians who are the spiritually elite. I like to tell people that the Spirit is not just given to those who “have it all together” but to the rest of us so that we might be able to “get it all together.” The filling of the Spirit is for the most discouraged, failing Christian, but in order for us to enjoy the Spirit’s ministry, we must meet some basic conditions.

We are warned to keep our temple clean through confession of sin and submission to God (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and He wants the key to the hidden closets of our hearts. We must not grieve the Spirit by allowing conditions to develop in our hearts that force the Holy Spirit to coexist with unconfessed sin. No one can exaggerate the suffering the Holy Spirit experiences when living in a temple that is unclean. He is grieved because He loves us and knows the damage sin does in our lives. When He is grieved, He does not feel at home in our hearts; His ministry to us is quenched.

To experience the Spirit’s fullness we also need faith. A preacher of another era, F.B. Meyer, told how desperately he sought the filling of the Holy Spirit. He knew he was indwelt by the Spirit, but he could not seem to receive the Spirit’s help for ministry. He said he left a meeting and was walking wearily through the night praying, seeking what he lacked. He said, “Lord, if there is anyone who needs the filling of the Spirit it is I. But I am too tired, too nervously run down to agonize; too weary to tarry, and yet I need the Spirit’s refreshment so desperately.”

Then he said it was as if he heard a voice saying, “As you took forgiveness from the hand of the dying Christ, so you may take the refreshment of the Spirit from the hands of the ascended Christ.” Then in simple faith, he said, “I then took for the first time and have been taking ever since.” We receive the benefits of the cross by faith; we also receive the benefits of the ascension by faith, namely, the fullness of the Spirit.

Don’t think that the Holy Spirit needs to be coaxed to control us. He desires to control us, for that is why He indwells us! He longs to reproduce the life of God within us; He wants to create a holy dwelling place within our souls. There is no reluctance on His part, but there is reluctance on our part because of our unwillingness to part with our sin.
Years ago when archaeologists entered the pyramids, they discovered grain that was 4,000 years old. Yet, incredibly, when they planted it, it grew! The life was present during those centuries, but it did not have the proper conditions to sprout. In warm sunshine and moist soil, the hard shell softened and the life began to grow. When the water of the Spirit and the sunshine of God’s Word combine in our lives, the result is that the life of the Spirit begins to become active within us.

Today the Holy Spirit invites us, saying in effect, “I will develop a sensitive relationship with you; I will help you to walk; I will help you to cope; I will help you through your trial; I will refresh your spirit.” This invitation is for all who have come to know Christ personally. Are you willing? The Spirit is!

No one who has ever walked through a desert says, “One good drink of water is enough for the week!” No, when you are trekking through the desert you need water daily, hourly. When D.L. Moody was asked why he had to be filled with the Spirit so often he said simply, “Because I leak.”

How often do we have to drink of the Spirit? As often as we thirst; as often as we have a need; as often as we leak. Let us come to Christ, not with a cup but with a bucket—believing that He will give us the refreshment He promised.

*Article by Erwin Lutzer

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to comfort and to guide us and to help us remember what Jesus said. We cannot do life without Your help. Fill us, Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* A Big Help

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16 NLT

Anyone who has ever worked in any capacity at a church – especially as a volunteer or over volunteer ministries - knows how difficult it can be to get people to commit to an area; and if you get one or two with true enthusiasm, it’s just this side of a miracle.

One Sunday, we were a few short for our Greeter Ministry. At the time, I was responsible for recruiting volunteers, so I was praying for some big help that morning.

The first one to offer to help turned out to be the best helper I’ve ever had in the Greeter ministry. A three-year-old little boy named Christian. Christian is a live-wire – high energy, strong-willed, and totally committed to whatever he has chosen to do at the moment – no matter what it is. (I’m not sure that’s always a thrill to his mother, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders and her heart is after God, so I have no doubt that Christian will BE a strong Christian as an adult.)

You might wonder what a then 3-year-old could do in the Greeter Ministry besides get in the way… well, you know that verse …a child shall lead them…? I wish you could have seen this little boy in action!

He determined that his job would be to open the door for people so they could enter. Doesn’t sound like too big of a deal, does it? Except Christian didn’t stand more than 30” tall. He’s a little bitty boy but he has a BIG “Yes-I-Can” attitude. He’d push for all he was worth to get that door open and once he got it open, he wanted to just hold it open. Yes, it would have been easier, except that this is Texas and it was July and we can’t stand with the door open…

So, I finally convinced him that we had to wait and watch for people to come up and then open the door when they got close enough. So he put his nose to the glass door and cupped his hands around his eyes like binoculars so he could make sure he saw them. And he was READY! Christian was so little then that sometimes the door pushed back on him and I would have to step up to help him keep it open. And the wonderful thing was, he didn't see that as him not being able to do it, he saw it as teamwork – getting the job done together!

Now, some may have only seen a little guy – “technically” too little to help – but that didn’t stop him. Some may have only seen fingerprints and nose prints on the glass, but I saw a mighty man of God in the making. 

Oh, that we could all be like Christian when it comes to working for the Lord! Yes, I can do it, Lord! No, it’s not too hard. If You asked me to do it, it doesn't matter how big it is or how big I’m not!  Be a doorkeeper? You bet, God! I can do that! I’ll actively watch for them and usher them into Your house. I am well able and if I need help, I know You will help me or send someone to be a helper.

Where can you be a big help?

Prayer:

Father,
        Thank You for loving us enough to teach us and to remind us that anything and everything that is done for You or in Your Name is worth doing well and with enthusiasm. Let us not forget. Open our eyes to see more opportunities to serve You and our fellow believers. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen