John 14:15-17 God’s blank cheque to you: the Holy Spirit

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17

Background

Jesus, having taught the disciples the secrets to effective prayer, He proceeded to ask the Father to give the most power and important gift of all: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is unlimited in power and capability and it is God’s blank cheque to His children.

Observation

1.  “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth,…” Then Jesus began to ask the Father on their behalf for the most precious gift to humanity: the Helper, which is the Spirit of truth. The word “Helper” means the One called to accompany. Jesus was also called the “Helper” in Luke 2:25 who was to accompany the people and lead them to salvation. This time “another Helper”, who is the Holy Spirit will come and remain with the people forever.

The Helper, who is also called the Spirit of truth gives clarity to the way of righteousness and abundant life. As the spirit of error gives confusion, bitterness, hopelessness and hatred that leads to death; the Spirit of truth gives peace, hope, wisdom, power and faith leading to abundant life. When the Spirit of truth indwells us, we are able to discern and empowered to walk in the truth, towards success and salvation.

2.  “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” Jesus clarified that the Spirit of truth will not come into every person in the world, but only to those who acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God; those who love Him and standby His truths. The Holy Spirit can only work in those who are willing to humble themselves to follow God’s ways.

The position of the Holy Spirit is inside you: “He abides with you and will be in you.” He may manifest His power and presence externally, but He is resident physically inside your body and being one with your spirit. Up until the time of the Gospels, God speak audibly to man. But ever since the coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecoste, God has been speaking from inside us and bearing witness with our spirit.

Truth

1. Knowledge comes from the mind, but insights come from the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth. Truth is divine wisdom that gives insights to difficult problems. Man utilizes the knowledge and the resources of the present to solve problems. But truth gives insights to future events that only the Spirit knows. Daniel was given an supernatural spirit, knowledge and insights to solve difficult problems (Daniel 5:12). Knowledge makes us relevant in the present, but the Spirit of truth holds key to the future. Without the Spirit of truth, there is no light to illuminate the way, the future becomes bleek and hopeless. Yet many rejects of truth of the Spirit, because they were blinded by bitterness, pride and unbelief. We acquire the truth by humbling ourselves before God being ready to follow His ways. We will experience a peace and assurance that everything will be fine. Gradually, God’s plans are revealed in greater clarity and detail.

2. The Spirit speaks to us from inside us. He communicates with us through our thoughts and emotions. He impresses upon us the way of truth through our thoughts. We could feel the Spirit’s emotions when we think about certain things. For example, when the family is disharmonious, I could feel the Spirit’s sorrow and longsuffering; an emotion that is clearly distinct from mine. The things that hinders our communication with God are the very same things that hinders human communication: differences in values systems and vision of life, distractions, lust of the flesh and obsessions etc.

3. The Spirit can do all things, but He will not manipulate the will of man. We see a trend in today’s society: the righteous becoming purer and those bent on doing evil becoming worse. God can impress upon a person the righteous ways of life and draw him with His love. But the Spirit can play no part in his decision to repent or to rebel against God.

Application

1.  Prepare yourself each morning by visualizing with the Spirit how your day would go. He will show you the vital decisions you must make, the task that you need to accomplish and conversations you need to hold. For once you step into the office, there is little time to think. At any point in time, do not stop to feel regret, or let the tide of ill-confidence sweep in. But roll with the punches and flow with the grace of the Spirit being confident that He is with you every step of the way.

2.  Do not pray that God would change someone’s mind or attitude because God doesn’t do that. But rather ask God for more patience to love, the wisdom to do the right thing, and the confidence to succeed despite of oppositions. God will use you as an instrument to convict the world of sin and turn them to God.

Dear Lord, I understand that I have been overly concerned and anxious of many things. Such that I became distracted from the joy of fellowship with You. I know Your words are Spirit and life. Clear my mind of my anxieties and fears and fill me with Your peace. I open my mind and my heart to seek Your face. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.