The Comforter

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-8-2024

John 14:15-19; 15:26-16:7

 

Introduction:

 

John 14:15-19 If ye love me, keep my commandments. (16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (18) I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (19) Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

 

John 15:26-27 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (27) And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

 

John 16:1-7 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. (2) They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (3) And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. (4) But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. (5) But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? (6) But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. (7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

 

A. As we continue to look at the prophecy of Christ’s work on earth ending, it has caused great consternation to His disciples.

 

1. The Lord has said that He is going away and they cannot go with Him but promises that they can come to where He is later.

 

John 13:36 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

 

2. The Lord has foretold that His disciples will be hated for His name’s sake as they hated Him first.

 

John 15:18-20 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (20) Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

 

3. The Lord has foretold that His disciples will be persecuted and put out of the synagogues and ultimately will die for the cause of Christ.

 

John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

 

4. Sorrow has “filled” their hearts. “Filled:” A sorrow that consumed them at this time.

 

John 16:6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

 

B. The Lord is now telling His disciples that it is “expedient” that He go away.

 

1. “Expedient” – a means of attaining an end. Something good and profitable. In their best interest! Oft times, troubles, and trials in the child of God’s life are expedient. They are necessary in the short term to bring about something good in the long run.

 

1 Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: (7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

 

2. They did not understand now but, when the fulness of the Person of the Holy Ghost will come, they will realize the expedience of Christ’s going away.

 

C. Why expedient?

 

1. Because the price for sin had to be paid, the resurrection of the dead had to be accomplished, and the two ascensions had to occur. The first ascension to place the blood of Christ upon the Mercy Seat in heaven and the second ascension so as to produce our High Priest, Advocate, and Mediator.

 

2. Because God dwelling with man was not sufficient as God dwelling in each man individually. Christ in the flesh was limited because He became flesh and flesh cannot be everywhere at one. The Holy Spirit of God could indwell each individual man.

 

3. Because of the empowering of each believer to bring about boldness in witness.

 

D. I do not want to preach a series on Pneumatology, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, but do want to do justice to what is said in these verses. In verse 7, we find that the Lord will send the “Comforter” to them. “Comforter” – παράκλητος paraklētos par-ak'-lay-tos – Summoned or called to one’s side, especially called to one’s aid. An intercessor, succorer, assistant.

 

1. The Promise of the Comforter.

 

John 14:16-19 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (18) I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (19) Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

 

a. Verse 16. The Promise of His Coming. “I will pray the Father, and He shall give”

 

b. Verse 16. The Promise of His Comforting. “Another Comforter” To take the place that Christ had before His death, burial, and resurrection.

 

c. Verse 16. The Promise of His Continuing. “abide with you for ever” He will never leave nor forsake the child of God. “I have Somebody with me, to bear my heavy load!”

 

d. Verse 17. The Promise of His Counsel. “The Spirit of truth”

 

e. Verse 17. The Predicament of His Presence. “whom the world cannot receive”

 

f. John 15:26. The Purpose of His Work. “He shall testify of me” A lot of religionists speak much of the work of the Holy Ghost, but the work is not His entire purpose. The Holy Spirit, in His Person, and the Holy Ghost, in His Word, ALWAYS POINT THE BELIEVER TO CHRIST AND NOT TO HIMSELF!

 

2. The Person of the Comforter. He is God! At this point, I want to look at a theological statement that shows the Equality of God the Holy Spirit..

 

“God is one God, manifesting Himself in three Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. These Three are all co-equal in all power and attributes.”

 

a. He is One with God. “God is one God, manifesting Himself in three Persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.”

 

b. God is one God! “One God” shows the absolute truth of the unity of the Godhead or Trinity. The word “Trinity,” like the word “Rapture,” is not found in your Bible but the truth of the Trinity is all through your Bible.

 

1) The word “Godhead” is used three times in the Bible with the number three speaking of perfect unity. “Godhead” speaks of divinity and comes from a root word meaning “perpetual.” The word “perpetual” means unending or continuing forever.

 

Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

 

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

 

Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

 

2) In the Old Testament, we find the unity of God established. the First Mention of God is found in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God” with the word “God” being plural. This Hebrew name for the Trinity was used in the plural form: 'ĕlôhı̂ym el-o-heem'

 

3) In Genesis 1:26 and 11:7, we fine the phrase “let us” used when speaking of the Godhead or Trinity.

 

4) In the New Testament, we find the three-fold work of the Godhead separated and explained.

 

1a) God the Father sent His Son to die for the sin of the world;

 

2a) God the Son gave His life for the payment of the sins of the whole world;

 

3a) God the Father sent the Comforter (Holy Spirit) to indwell and teach the believer.

 

c. In the New Testament, we find the separation of offices.

 

1) As the United states has three branches of government, the Godhead has three Persons with distinct works.

 

2) The Holy Spirit has every attribute (Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence) of God the Father and God the Son making Him also Almighty God.

 

3) “These Three are all co-equal in all power and attributes.”

 

3. The Purpose of the Comforter.

 

a. He was to be their Comforter! I thank God every day for the amazing grace that He has extended to us in salvation and given to us in our earthly sorrows. My beloved sister, Sharon, who has cancer has been one of the greatest examples of God’s grace that I have ever seen. We love and may miss her for a little while here but will spend eternity with her there. We then comfort others with the comfort that we have comforted of God.

 

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (4) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (5) For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

 

b. He was to be their Teacher. “Spirit of Truth.”

 

1) The world cannot discern the Truth of the Word of God.

 

John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

 

1 Corinthians 2:12-14 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

 

2) The Believer can know the Truth of the Word of God.

 

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.