Sermon Text
John 14:15-17
“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.
The Next Two Sermons
Last week we ordained a Ruling Elder for our body and also began Celebrating the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit together. For the next two weeks, we will focus on the person of the Holy Spirit by using our Memory & Meditation Verses as the texts for our sermons. The Holy Spirit is the content and blessing of the New Covenant. John Calvin, as you all know, who is my favorite old-school reformer was known among his peers as the “Theologian of the Holy Spirit.” He focused more than any of the first-generation reformers on the work of the Holy Spirit. Yet today, in reformed churches, the doctrines surrounding the Holy Spirit are often avoided or, worse, corrupted by shallow modern theology.
Our passage for today is John 14:15-17–which was our Memory & Meditation verses for last week. Let’s dive in and begin a short excursion into the Discourse on the Holy Spirit.
Setting Our Context
John is unique among the four Gospel accounts. There are the Synoptic Gospels (those that match) and then there is John. John tends to record the words that Jesus spoke at important events, rather than the event itself. A good example of this is that John does not record Jesus changing the Passover to the Lord’s Table. However, if we examine the texts closely John will tell us what Jesus said during the first Lord’s Table.
Sandwiched between Judas’ betrayal in Matthew 26:17-25 (corresponds to John 13:26-30) and Jesus foretelling of Peter’s betrayal in Matthew 26:30-35 (corresponds to John 13:36-38) is the institution of the Lord’s Table in Matthew 26:26-29 which corresponds to John 13:31-35:
When he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The Discourse on the Holy Spirit
The Discourse on the Holy Spirit, which is what Christian teachers often call John 14-16 comes on the heels of the institution of the Supper. Changing one of the covenantal seals requires some new revelation. What lies ahead will tax the fledgling disciples to their core and beyond. The Master will be crucified and they will forsake Him. There is sorrow, confusion, and despair in their immediate future, but also fullness of joy.
That is virtually how he concludes the Discourse on the Holy Spirit.
John 16:20-23
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
John 14:1-3
It is also how He begins the discourse. Jesus moves from the trouble ahead to the joy of His benefits.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Preparing for the Cross
Jesus is softening as much as He can the blow of the Cross by preparing them for what they will go through the next three days. All of it will be worth it and they will understand better then, what He is saying now. The discourse that He gives in John 14-16 will make more sense in 3 days than it does today. It will make even more sense in 40 days. And the engines will really start firing on day 50, at Pentecost when the Spirit is poured out.
Trinitarian Passages Surrounding the Text
The passages just before and after our text today are strong Trinitarian proofs. The kind of passages you should have in your hip pockets, ready for apologetic use.
The Meaning of “If You Love Me”
The opening lines of our passage can be interpreted controversially. “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.”
So this could be read as an if-and statement. If you do this, then I will do this. Notice however the conspicuous period at the end of “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The “And” begins the next sentence. Which is important. Let’s use the Analogy of Faith. Instead of approaching the text as a skeptic or as one unlearned, let’s approach it as a Christian should. What does Jesus say in other places about obedience? What metaphor is a favorite of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul to describe Christian obedience? Fruit.
Fruit as the Testimony of Love
John the Baptist: Matthew 3:7-10
“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Jesus: Matthew 7:15-20
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
Apostle Paul: Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
What You Love Comes Out in What You Do
The sentence “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” rightly understood, means if you love me you will bear fruit in keeping with that love. Your works will show your love to be true or false. What you believe comes out in your hands and feet. What you love is always on the tip of your tongue and in the back of your mind. You can’t help but act on the real Love that is present with authentic Faith and the sure Hope in the Gospel. And if that can be said of you, imperfect and feeble as it may seem, it is enough to assure your heart that the Son, your High Priest and Advocate has sent His Advocate to indwell you.
The Role of the Helper
I usually hate the notes in the ESV study Bible. But, in this instance, they are useful. The word translated “Helper” can also retranslated as Advocate or Counselor.
The Son is your Advocate before the Father. The Spirit is Christ’s advocate to your conscience. Christ appealing within you to you and advocating for action either positive (righteousness/the right thing) or negative (repentance-turning away). Christianity calls the internal advocacy of the Holy Spirit to the conscience “conviction,” based on Jesus’ teaching in John 16:6-11.
The Spirit as Our Eternal Possession
The Father and the Son give the Holy Spirit to the saints as a possession forever. The Holy Spirit, who brings forth the fruit of obedience by lobbying our consciences in this life–drawing us to holiness through progressive sanctification–will also “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” blossom into perfect sanctification, making us perfect spirits at our death, joining us with holy bodies at His coming. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit does not stop at eternity’s door, He is “with you forever.”
The Spirit of Truth
He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.”
We have to define “the world,” because it is a concept the Bible assumes you understand. There is the world and there is Creation, and they are not the same thing. Creation is all that God has made, everything visible and invisible. Land, laws, water, light, love, music, etc. The world is the spiritual influence that Satan exercises over, in, and through human beings. Squirrels aren’t part of “the world” in the biblical sense, they fall under Creation. The world exists within Man and it is expressed in the systems he builds, what he creates, and how he uses them. The world is not of God, it is of man.
The World Cannot Receive Him
Unregenerate men, who are “of the world,” Paul says, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).” He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because they lay under Satan’s influence. They do not see God because they have been blinded, and so they deny Him and never come to know Him.
You Know Him
Jesus closes by telling the Apostles that they already know Him–the advocate He is going to send. He says, “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” How do they know the Holy Spirit already? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Phil 1:19). Father, Son, and Spirit are of One essence. To know the Father is to know the Son (John 14:8-11) and to know the Son is to know the Spirit (John 14:17).
Application In Preparation For the Lord’s Table
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Love of Christ brings forth the fruit of Christ.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,17 even the Spirit of truth.”
Our fruit, feeble and weak though it seems to us, is also to us proof that Christ has sent His Spirit into our hearts. He draws forth the “Abba Father.
“whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.”
The world, or those without the Holy Spirit still living under the slavery of sin are blinded by Satan. They neither see nor know God.
You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:15-17).
The Spirit of Christ in Us
Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation through His perfect Life and Death on the Cross. He rose again from the dead, glorified, as a messenger of justification. The resurrection is the white flag of peace between God and man. His sacrifice was accepted.
He ascended into Heaven and is seated on the right hand of the Father. How do we know? We have an internal advocate that witnesses the truth to our conscience, the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Jesus that walked the Earth and accomplished salvation now lives in us through the Outpoured Holy Spirit. The Apostles knew Him in the Incarnation. 51 days after His crucifixion Jesus indwelled them, as He does all that believe in His Name. All Christians can say with Paul:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).”nows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:15-17).
Subscribe, Like, Share
Finally, at the risk of sounding desperate, make sure to smash all the buttons and share it, puhleez. If you enjoyed Paul’s Testimony Before the Sanhedrin based on Acts 22:30-23:5, then check out some of our other blogs.
Recent Individual Essays:
- Paul’s Testimony Before the High Priest based on Acts 22:30-23:5
- Paul’s Interrogation By The Civil Ruler based on Acts 22:22-29
- Paul’s Defense In The Temple based on Acts 22:1-22
- Remember Jesus Christ: Risen and Royal based on 2 Timothy 2:8
Completed Essay Series: Christ, His Church, & Marriage (4 Essays) or Forsaken For us All (6 Essays)
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