Sunday, June 3, 2012
INTRODUCING THE
COMFORTER
John 14:16-27
Last Sunday
we began our pursuit of the theme: “The
Ministry of the Spirit.” Our starting
point emphasized our great need of the work of the Spirit in our lives. Yes, the Holy Spirit is available to every
believer. However, until we see our need
for His work in our lives, that truth has little meaning. The simple fact is that because we know so
little about real need, it is rather easy for us to become accustomed to life
apart from dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
We have plenty to eat, much more than just a dry place to sleep, ample
means of transportation, along with more comforts and luxuries than most
everyone on the planet. These conditions
often lead us to an attitude of supply rather than a recognition of need. The world lulls us to sleep with its lullaby…
You
see that all is well;
So
give no heed
To
the voice that would tell
You
of your great need.
But as we
come to the Word of God and wait upon the Lord, we begin to see that we are
indeed a needy people. As we look at our
own lives in light of what we find in the New Testament, we are forced to ask
questions about the presence and power of the Spirit in our lives. While we know that it is the Spirit who gives
us life, we wonder if we are availing ourselves of God’s supply of His
Spirit. When we read passages like John
7:37-39, we question the reality of those rivers of living waters in our lives. Surely when we look away from the world and
focus on the Lord and His Word, we can see our great need to be filled with the
Spirit of God.
Now let me
pause and ask you some questions. And
yes, I want you to respond. Am I by
myself? Am I the only one that is
sensing a great need for the work of the Spirit in my life? Have you been praying about the Spirit’s work
in your life, or was the enemy successful in keeping you so busy that you
forgot until we gathered again this morning?
Does anyone else recognize a great need for the work of the Spirit? Does anyone else sense a need for the
Spirit’s work in the life of this church as a whole? [Give time for response]
Please hear
me. We must recognize our need. Down through the years great men of God have
recognized this truth and have turned their hearts to seek the Lord. Miles Stanford puts it simply: “Now it so happens that God’s basic
ingredient for growth is need” (The Compete Green Letters, p. 18). Many of us are familiar with the slogan, “No
pain, no gain.” Though it doesn’t rhyme,
just is true is, “No need, no growth.”
However, there is a danger in focusing on our need. While it is necessary, there is a downside
that can devastate us. I am talking
about discouragement. I do my best to
impress upon you our great need for the work of the Spirit in our lives. As you think and pray about this issue, you
become overwhelmed. You see this sense
of need as just one more thing to beat you down. You feel like you are low enough already, without
more guilt to bear.
The title
of the message this morning is “Introducing the Comforter.” According to Jesus, the Comforter is the Holy
Spirit. If we are going to spend our
time examining the ministry of the Spirit, it is only right that we have a
proper introduction to the Spirit. So
this morning let’s allow the Word of God to introduce us to the Spirit of God.
I. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Consider
some questions: When did the Holy Spirit
come into existence? Did the Holy Spirit
work in people’s lives before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do we read about the Spirit in the Old
Testament? Let us understand from the
start that the Holy Spirit is God and He has no beginning. Yes, He was active in the lives of people before
Jesus was crucified and raised, and yes, we do indeed read about the Holy
Spirit in the Old Testament.
By the way,
I need to pause for just a moment to explain something. You will notice that I speak of the Holy
Spirit as “He,” not “it.” The King James
translation of Rom. 8:16 is unfortunate:
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God.” Other translations,
including the New Kin James, read “The Spirit Himself bears witness…” When we come later to what Jesus says about
the Spirit in John, we will find the Spirit referred to as “He.” We must understand that Holy Spirit is not
some impersonal force that God wields in this world. The Holy Spirit is God and He is
personal.
Where do we first encounter the
Spirit in the Bible? Let’s go back to
the beginning and read Gen. 1:1-2, “In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth. And
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters.” There it
is. The Spirit of God is mentioned even
before the Son of God. At the dawn of
creation, the Holy Spirit was present.
We find
references to the Holy Spirit all through the Old Testament, where He is
referred to as “the Spirit,” “the Spirit of the Lord,” “the Spirit of God,” and
“the Holy Spirit.” While the word
“spirit” is used 244 times in the Old Testament, only about 100 refer to God’s
Spirit. As we will see, though the
Spirit is present in the Old Testament, there is a significant difference in
the way He related to the saints of the old covenant and how He relates to the
saints of the new covenant. Here are a
few Old Testament references to the Spirit…
Gen 6:3
"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for
that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."
Exo 31:2-5
"See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3. And I
have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in
knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4.
To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5. And in cutting of stones, to set
them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship."
Judg 6:34
"But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a
trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him."
Judg 13:24-25
"And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the
child grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25.
And the spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan
between Zorah and Eshtaol."
1 Sam 16:13-14
"Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of
his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.
So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 14.
But the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from
the LORD troubled him."
2 Chr 20:14-15
"Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the
son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the
Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; 15. And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto
you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle
is not yours, but God's."
2 Chr 24:20
"And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the
priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why
transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye
have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you."
Psa 51:10-12
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within
me. 11. Cast me not away from thy
presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and
uphold me with thy free spirit."
Isa 42:1
"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul
delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the
Gentiles."
Isa 61:1-2
"The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed
me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound; 2. To
proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;"
Ezek 36:26-27
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you an heart of flesh. 27. And I
will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye
shall keep my judgments, and do them."
Joel 2:28-29
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my
spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29. And also upon the servants and upon the
handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit."
These
passages give us a flavor of the Spirit’s work among God’s people in Old
Testament times. On the one hand, we see
the Spirit of God moving upon Samson, a man whose character was questionable at
best. But then we see the Lord God
saying that He has put His Spirit upon His servant, and the identity of that servant
is ultimately none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. We see also that the presence of the Spirit
in those times was transitory. Just
because a person had the Spirit upon him, that did not mean the Spirit would
always be on him. We read that the
Spirit which had been placed upon Saul was later withdrawn from him. We also read David’s plea that God would not
take His Holy Spirit from him. Notice
also that the Spirit was often poured out on people for a specific task. That was certainly true of Bezaleel, who was
commissioned to do much work in the tabernacle. It was the Spirit of God who equipped him
with the understanding, wisdom, and knowledge to do such beautiful work. In the same way, the Spirit came upon various
judges, so that they might deliver the people from their enemies.
We are
going to be majoring on the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament,
primarily because that is the age in which we live. We live on this side of the cross. Nevertheless, even in the Old Testament we
see great promises of how God would send His Spirit at Pentecost and
beyond. We read such prophecies in both
Ezekiel and Joel.
II. The Holy Spirit Introduced By Jesus
Now let us
come to the New Testament, where there are ___ references to the Spirit of God. Our introduction to the Holy Spirit does not
come through Pentecost, but rather through the lips of Jesus. The work of the Holy Spirit is scattered
throughout the New Testament, but it is in His words to His apostles on the
last night that Jesus gives us an explanation of who the Spirit is. In your mind mark John 14-16 as the place
where you find Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit. This is a great place to start in our quest to
understand and experience the ministry of the Spirit. We will be coming back to these chapters
again and again. This certainly isn’t
the first time Jesus has mentioned the Spirit, but it is here that He takes
time to give some careful explanation of the Spirit’s ministry. This morning I want us to look at Jesus’
words in John 14. Let’s read John
14:13-27 (NKJV)...
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that
the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I
will do it. 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and
He will give you another Helper
[KJV – Comforter],
that He may abide with you forever-- 17 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. 18 I will not leave you
orphans; I will come to you. 19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me
no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know
that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 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." 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 and said to 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 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the
word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. 25 "These things I have
spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper [KJV – Comforter], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things
that I 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 heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid.
Notice that
in this passage Jesus gives three names for the Spirit – Helper (Comforter in
KJV), the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit.
Let’s take a moment to consider these three designations. All three refer to the same Spirit, but each
tells us something about the Spirit. We
are going to wait until last to consider Him as the Helper, or Comforter.
The Spirit
is the Spirit of truth. The first thing
we notice is that the Spirit is closely connected to Jesus. What did Jesus say about Himself earlier in
this same chapter? John 14:6, “I am the way,
the truth, and the life…” Jesus not only
spoke the truth, but He is the truth.
Not only is He the truth, but He promised that the Spirit of truth would
come to His followers. So let us
understand that the Spirit stands for truth.
He will reveal truth. He will
oppose all lies and falsehood. In the
fifth chapter of Acts, we find a husband and wife who lied to the Spirit and
immediately died as a result. Note that
Jesus said the world cannot receive the Spirit of truth because it does not
know Him. That is because the world is
under the dominion of Satan, who is the father of lies.
Jesus also
identifies the promised Spirit as the Holy Spirit. This is likely the most common designation
that we use for the Spirit, but understand that it has meaning. May we never forget that the Spirit is
holy! That is, He has been set apart to
do heavenly work and He sets people apart to join Him in that work. To put it bluntly, the Holy Spirit works to
make people holy. What shame it brings
on the name of Christ when those who claim to follow Him give no evidence of a
connection with the Holy Spirit because they don’t live holy lives.
In this
passage Jesus not only gives us three names for the Spirit, but He also tells
us some things that the Spirit will do.
First, Jesus said that the Spirit will abide with us forever. This is the very first thing Jesus said about
Him. Praise God! That was great news for the apostles. Jesus has been telling them and will continue
to tell them that He is going to leave them, but the Spirit will come and abide
with them forever. Though Jesus would
leave them, the Spirit will never leave them.
Nor will He leave us who belong to the Lord Jesus.
But it gets
even better. Notice what Jesus says in verse
17, “But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” I have tended to make a sharp distinction
between “with you” and “in you,” contending that in Jesus’ presence the Spirit
was with them but after Pentecost He would be in them. However, in light of what we read in verse
23, I have come to see that such a distinction is not valid, for there we are
told that the Father and the Son will come and make their home with us. Nevertheless, it is true that the Spirit
would come to dwell within them. Later
on, we will explore more of the beauty of that truth.
Because of
the ministry of the Spirit, Jesus promises that He will not leave them as
orphans. We actually get our word
“orphan” from the Greek word that is used here.
A father who is about to die and depart from his children, in a sense
leaves them as orphans, for he has no choice.
But Jesus says in verse 18, “I will not leave you
orphans; I will come to you.” This is
not some fairytale; this is reality.
This is the glory of the Spirit.
When we have the Spirit, we have Jesus.
When He said, “I will come to you,” He meant exactly what He said. He would come to them in the presence of the
Spirit.
Then in
verse 19 we see that the Spirit brings life.
Let’s read 19 again, “A little while longer and the world will see Me no
more, but you will see Me. Because I
live, you will live also.” Don’t miss
the connection. Jesus is the one who
will give them life, but He will do it through the Spirit. That is the meaning of “But you will see
Me.” They will see Him through the
Spirit. This will not be physical sight,
but it will be a real “seeing.” After
the Spirit has come, their sense of Jesus will be fully alive.
Later on we
will talk about the promise in verse 26, where Jesus says that the Spirit will
teach them all things and bring to remembrance all the things He had said to
them. But now let’s go back to what
Jesus said about the Helper, or Comforter.
III. The Holy Spirit As Our Comforter
Now let’s come back to what
Jesus said about the Holy Spirit as the Helper or Comforter. (Although we read the passage out of the New
King James, I may have a tendency to use the term “Comforter” instead of
“Helper”). Notice first of all that
while we most often use the term Holy Spirit, that isn’t the way Jesus
introduces the Spirit to us here in John 14.
While He has spoken of “the Spirit” (using that very term) several times
throughout His ministry, now that His departure is very close and He is giving
His last instructions, He says, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you
another Comforter…” (14:16).
Let’s be
clear that this has direct application for us.
We will look at this in more detail later, but for now let me just
assure us that the Father sends the Comforter to everyone who repents and
trusts Jesus Christ. There are no
exceptions. So this is a promise which
we can claim. The Comforter would come
to those apostles over almost two months later on the day of Pentecost. Ever since Pentecost, the Comforter comes to
a person in association with His conversion.
If you are a child of God, the Comforter has come to you and dwells
within you.
I began
this morning by talking about the real possibility of discouragement, when we
consider our great need. For when we
think about our need, it is only natural for us to be reminded of our
failures. I don’t know about you, but a
record of my failures would fill books.
I’m not talking about failures in business ventures, etc.; I’m talking
about failures in loving and serving the Lord who loved me and gave His life
for me. When those things flood my mind,
what is to prevent me from being overwhelmed with discouragement? I have the Comforter within.
That word
is translated in a variety of ways – Comforter, Helper, Counselor,
Advocate. The Amplifed reads: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give
you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strenghener,
Standby), that He may remain with you forever.”
This word is used five times in the New Testament. Besides here in 14:16, we find it again in 14:26,”But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.” 15:26,
“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.” 16:7, “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 into you; but if I depart, I will send him
unto you.” Repeatedly Jesus refers to
the Holy Spirit as the Comforter.
If you were
counting, you probably noticed that I only listed four references. Where is the fifth? It is in I John, and it does not refer to the
Holy Spirit. Let’s read it in I
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.” “Advocate” is the translation of the exact
same word we find Jesus using to refer to the Holy Spirit. But who is the Advocate in this verse? It is Jesus.
So how can it be that the same term is used to refer to both Jesus and
the Holy Spirit?
Come back
to John
14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and He will send you another
Comforter” – not just a Comforter, but another Comforter. In the Greek language there are two words for
“another,” but they differ in meaning.
One means “another of the same kind,” while the other means “one of a
different kind.” Here it is the
first. Jesus said that the Father would
send another Comforter of the same kind?
The same kind as what? As Jesus
Himself. Jesus is the Comforter, the
Advocate, the Counselor and Helper, but He is getting ready to leave them. But the Father will send them another one
like Jesus, and that other one is none other than the Holy Spirit.
Now as to
the meaning of that word, all of the translations we have read are fine. Each one adds another facet of the Spirit’s
ministry, but I also find the literal meaning of the word very helpful. It literally means “one called alongside” (paraklhtoV).
Jesus was leaving, but in His place another like Him has been called
alongside them and us. Isn’t that a
glorious truth!
Conclusion: Let’s Take Courage
We’ve looked at these great
truths from the Word, which tell us about the one called alongside us. Now let’s focus on what great news that is
for each of us who is in Christ. I also
want to speak to this church as a body.
Paul said, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you?” (I Cor. 3:16 NKJV). I believe this is talking about more
than the individual. The “you” is
plural. “Don’t you know that you guys
are the temple of God, and that the Spirit dwells in you guys?” The Amplified reads like this: “Do you not know discern and understand that
you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple [His sanctuary], and that
God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you,
collectively as a church and also individually]?” We as a body are the temple of God and His
Spirit dwells among us.
Brothers
and sisters, let’s be honest.
Discouragement is a great temptation for us. Furthermore, it is very possible for us to be
discouraged and not recognize it. I
would say that as a church, we are discouraged, whether we admit it or
not. That discouragement may be more
prevalent in some than in others, but as a body, we are facing the paralysis
that discouragement brings.
Our
discouragement doesn’t come as a result of pride but rides upon humility. We recognize our weakness and our
failures. Even when the Lord uses us, we
are painfully aware that there is much more He wants to do in us and through
us. When we are honest, we have to face
the fact that we get settled into our routine and have very little sense of
expectation from the Lord. As one writer
puts it, “Christian expectation in the average church follows the program, not
the promises. Prevailing spiritual
conditions, however low, are accepted as inevitable. What will be is what has been. The weary slaves of the dull routine find it
impossible to hope for anything better” (A. W. Tozer, in essay entitled “Faith
Without Expectation Is Dead,” from The Best of A. W. Tozer, Book Two, p.
259). It isn’t that we want to be
discouraged, but we find ourselves there.
Brothers
and sisters, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Helper, our Strengthener and
Counselor. He is the One called
alongside us. He lives within us and
among us. It is through Him that the
promises of God are applied to our lives in a practical way…
Ps 46
Listen to Rom.
8:26-27 (NKJV), “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For
we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself
makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,
because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of
God.” Immediately after this reference
to the work of the Spirit we find these most encouraging words… (Rom. 8:28-39)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he
might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to
these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any
thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we
are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Oh
the discouragement of Jeremiah and those around him, which is expressed in
Lamentations. But in the middle of these
mournings we find the words of Lam. 3:21-26 (NKJV)…
This I
recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the
Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new
every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The
Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" 25 The Lord is
good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good
that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.
I
love the end of Psalm 84 (84:10-12)…
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather
be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of
wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD
will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that
trusteth in thee.
What
about Psalm 34 (34:6-10)…
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of
all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them
that fear him, and delivereth them. 8 O taste and see that the LORD
is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear
him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that
seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
I
encourage you to go home and read the book of Haggai. It consists of two short chapters. Most of us know how it begins. Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord rebukes
His people for building their own houses instead of the temple of the
Lord. We make application by pointing
out our tendency to do our own thing before serving the Lord. But there is much more to the book of
Haggai. Charles Spurgeon points out that
these people were being battered by discouragement. We are really hard on them, but understand
that when they came to Jerusalem, there was plenty to be done. They did need a place to live. We can’t excuse their neglect of the temple,
but we might be a bit more understanding.
Here
is what is so encouraging about the story told by Haggai the prophet. After the prophet spoke to the people in the
name of the Lord, they obeyed and feared the Lord. As Spurgeon notes, “Nothing so confounds the
evil one as the voice of the Eternal” (“Abiding of the Spirit, the Glory of the
Church”). After the people obeyed and
began to fear the Lord, the were given this great promise: “I am with you, saith the Lord” (Hos.
1:13).
With
that strong encouragement from the Lord, the people began to build, but do you
know what happened? They again became
discouraged. Why? Because they realized that the temple they
were building was as nothing compared to the great temple that Solomon had
built. Their resources were meager and
their labor force was pathetic. In their
minds what they had to offer was not worthy of the Lord they worshipped. Do you ever feel that way? Do we
ever feel that way?
Listen to the Lord’s response through Haggai (2:3-9 NKJV)…
'Who is left
among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison
with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? 4 Yet now be
strong, Zerubbabel,' says the Lord; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak,
the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says the Lord,
'and work; for I am with you,' says the Lord of hosts. 5 'According
to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit
remains among you; do not fear!' 6 "For
thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake
heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will
shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will
fill this temple with glory,' says the Lord of hosts. 8 'The silver
is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the Lord of hosts. 9 The glory of
this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts.
'And in this place I will give peace,' says the Lord of hosts."
Discouraged
brothers and sisters, weary travelers in the this world, “Be strong. Leaders in the church, be strong. You who have accumulated some years and are
tired, be strong. You mothers who seem
to have more responsibility than you can bear, be strong. One and all, be strong. Be strong and work, for the Lord says to you,
‘I am with you. My Spirit remains among
you; don’t be afraid. The silver and the
gold is mine. I have all the resources
you need to do what I call you to do. I
will do more in you than I ever did in the past.’” The book of Haggai is a book of great
encouragement. Isn’t it interesting that
Charles Spurgeon preaches a sermon out of this little book and entitles it “The
Abiding of the Spirit, the Glory of the Church”! In the bulletin I have noted where you can
find his entire sermon and read it.
Recall
that promise from Jer. 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee
great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” You might say, “But that word was given to
Israel, not to us.” Do you think that
God’s promises to Israel were greater than His promises to us. The entire New Testament sings with the truth
of this verse. We see its specific
application over and over again, but nowhere more clearly than in the words of
our Lord from John 7:37-38 (NKJV), “On the last day, that great day of the
feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to
Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as
the Scripture has said, out of heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Is the promise still good today? Notice that Jesus doesn’t say He can give us
living water. He skips that step and
proceeds to say that rivers of that living water will flow out of us to others. Can the Lord still do it today? Yes, because the Spirit is still with
us. John explains in verse 39 that this
is the work of the Spirit, the One called alongside us. “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit,
which those believing in Him would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet
given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Praise God; Jesus has been glorified.
He died and has risen, and from His seat at the right hand of the Father
He has sent the Spirit into the life of every person who trusts His Son. Brothers and sisters, we have the privilege
of coming to Jesus and keep on drinking from Him.
If
you are discouraged, take heart, because you have the Encourager, the
Comforter, the One called alongside. Let
us rise up on the wings of faith and trust Him who is able to do more than we
can ask or think. Let’s trust the One
who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, the One who delivered
us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear
Son. We were dead, but He gave us life.
Some
of you are not yet brothers and sisters in the Lord. Be encouraged this morning. Why do you think you are here? Why do you think you have read from the
Bible? Why is there a sense of need in
you? Is it not because the Lord is
working to draw you to Himself? Cry out
to Him who is able to save you, for whosever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. Hear the Lord say,
“Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and
there is none else” (Is. 45:22). He is your
only hope, but there is hope in Him. Repent
of your sins and trust the Lord Jesus.
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