January 20, 2002

John 14:26

Our Relationship with God the Holy Spirit:

How to Know the Best Counselor in the World

1. Introduction

1. Have you ever noticed the more that time goes by, the less this world makes sense? People are massacring other people in the name of religion. Crime seems to run rampant. Teenagers, like those involved in the head-on collision with the drunk driver in Newport, are needlessly dying. Even the things we used to be able to count on, we can’t count on them any more. Everything seems so unstable we don’t know where to turn to so we can figure out what to do next.
2. Well, contrary to what many in our country are saying, there is hope. There is Someone we can count on to give us the answers we need to make it through each day. That Someone is the Holy Spirit. There’s a verse, John 14:26, that I want to focus on today. It’ll help us know where to turn when our world doesn’t make sense. Let’s look at that verse right now.

1. Scripture Passage

1. John 14:26 - Jesus is speaking, and He says this – "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
2. What exactly does Jesus mean by "the Counselor"? Let’s figure this out.

1. Our Counselor

1. What do you think of when you think of the word "counselor"? Some folks think of an advice giver. Or maybe just someone to talk to about your problems. Or maybe a shrink, someone who finds out what’s going on in your head and how to fix it. The Greek word used in this verse can be translated as helper or intercessor or advisor or advocate. It’s made up of two words that put together translate as "one who comes alongside." In other words, the Holy Spirit is the One who helps us get through this thing called life with our faith and our sanity intact. But how? Let’s take another look at that verse.
2. The Counselor is sent in Jesus’ name, which means that He has all of the power and authority of Jesus to do His work. So the Holy Spirit is a powerful helper. Jesus tells us that the Counselor "will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." It’d be easy to think that, because of this verse, we get to be a bunch of spiritual know-it-alls. But that isn’t what it means. What it does mean is that the Holy Spirit isn’t going to tell us everything that’s going on. He’s going to tell us exactly what we need to know to accomplish God’s will. Everything we need to know to do the Father’s will is found in Jesus’ words. That’s what Jesus is trying to tell us. The problem we have is in applying what Jesus teaches to our lives. That’s the big issue. So the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, gives us wisdom to know how to apply what Jesus taught to our hearts and lives. That’s how the Spirit helps us through this life.
3. Illustration - Edmund P. Clowney, in Tabletalk magazine (March 1995), wrote, Seek wisdom, Scripture says - and wisdom includes sanctified "street smarts." Wisdom starts in heaven, but works at street level, where we bump shoulders with others. It isn't satisfied with information retrieval: You can't access wisdom by the megabyte. Wisdom is concerned with how we relate to people, to the world and to God. The Holy Spirit can give us the wisdom we need to make it through each day.

1. The Gift Giver

1. Let me give you an example of how that works. Let’s say that it is God’s will for you to be a teacher. Well, 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to give us spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift is an ability that is given by God through the Holy Spirit that enables us to do work for His kingdom that we would not be able to do otherwise. So if it’s God’s will for you to be a teacher in the church, then He will give you the spiritual gift of teaching. And by asking God to give you wisdom in how to teach and what to teach, you free the Holy Spirit to help you know how to do it. You see, knowledge is worthless without wisdom. Knowledge is just knowing the stuff, having facts crammed into your head. Wisdom is knowing how to use that knowledge for God’s glory. It’s knowing which path to take when it isn’t obvious. The Holy Spirit helps us to know how to apply the truths of Scripture to every situation we face. That is one of His greatest gifts.
2. But the Spirit does more than just give spiritual gifts. In John 6:63, Jesus says, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." He’s trying to tell us that "the flesh", our bodies and all the pleasures and power that are available in the physical world, isn’t worth a whole lot compared to His kingdom. The Spirit gives life by making Jesus’ words an integral part of who we are and then bringing those words to mind when we need them the most. The Spirit gives life by showing us how to walk by faith in this world. The Spirit gives life by giving us love and hope in a world without love and hope. The Spirit gives life by convincing our hearts of how much we need Jesus and His gift of His body and blood for our salvation. The Spirit gives life by enabling us to listen to and obey what Jesus is teaching us. That’s why John 14:26 is so critical to us. We have to understand what Jesus is teaching us if we’re going to escape God’s judgment and inherit eternal life. The Spirit enables us to do just that. He enables us to understand what Jesus is teaching us and to make it an integral part of our lives. The Spirit is the Giver of spiritual gifts and the Giver of life. He does that by pointing us to Jesus. That’s our Counselor’s major role – pointing us to Jesus, the source of life, the source of love and hope, the source of wisdom.
3. Illustration – Charles Swindoll wrote, Don’t expect wisdom to come into your life like great chunks of rock on a conveyor belt. It isn’t like that. It’s not splashy and bold… nor is it dispensed like a prescription across the counter. Wisdom comes privately from God as a by-product of right decisions, godly reactions, and the application of spiritual principles to daily circumstances. Wisdom comes…not from trying to do great things for God…but more from being faithful to the small, obscure tasks few people ever see. We need a whole more of the Spirit’s wisdom if we’re going to make a lasting impact on our world for Jesus Christ. And we need to be a whole lot more obedient to the Spirit’s voice if we’re going to get the wisdom we need.

1. A Change in Thinking and Relating

1. It’s time to talk about misconceptions again. The last two weeks we’ve talked about our misconceptions of who the Father and the Son really are. Today we need to talk about our misconceptions about who the Holy Spirit really is.
2. There are those who would have us believe that the Holy Spirit is nothing more than a spiritual room service, someone we call on when we want something and who makes that something happen. These folks believe that there is no connection between living the way Jesus wants us to live and having the Holy Spirit meet our needs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Romans 8:13-14 says, For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. The Holy Spirit isn’t a spiritual wish dispenser. He is God’s agent for bringing life into our hearts.
3. Likewise, the Holy Spirit isn’t just some ethereal being who is hanging out in the spiritual realm and just drops in on us from time to time. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Paul writes, Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. If you’ve received Jesus into your heart and life as your Master and Savior, you have the Holy Spirit living within your heart. God has placed a piece of Himself within you, enabling you to experience spiritual life instead of spiritual death, to be gifted to work in His kingdom, to receive His wisdom to know how to live this life bringing glory to His name.
4. So then how do we relate to the Holy Spirit? First, we have to be willing to give up our misconceptions about who He is and realize that He is here for our benefit. Second, we have to recognize who He is – God the Counselor who helps us and intercedes for us. Third, we have to be willing to listen to that gentle whisper, His voice speaking within our heart that seems so contrary to what our world would normally have us do. Fourth, we have to be willing to do what He has whispered for us to do.
5. What happens when we relate to the Holy Spirit in these ways? Well, let’s talk "what ifs." If the man driving down the coast highway had been living by the Spirit and listening to the Spirit’s promptings, I can guarantee you that man would not have been driving drunk and the lives of those teenagers would have been spared. On a much larger scale, if Osama bin Laden had been living by the Spirit and listening to the Spirit’s promptings, the terrorist attacks would not have been ordered and thousands of lives would have been spared. In fact, if only one of those terrorists had listened to the Spirit’s promptings and had turned the whole operation in, those attacks never would have happened. One person listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit can make a huge difference in our world. Are you willing to be that person?
6. James Edwards, in Christianity Today ("God Lite," April 29,1991), wrote, "The more we obey God, the more real God becomes to us and the greater our love grows. And the more we love God, the more we become like God… obedience is not a penalty levied on faith. It is the strength of faith. The Bible absolutely will not separate faith and obedience, as though obedience were some kind of inheritance tax that God levies on the free gift of salvation. God cannot separate them and still offer salvation. There is something about love that is no longer love apart from obedience. Dietrich Bonhoeffer kept saying this in The Cost of Discipleship: 'Only those who obey can believe, and only those who believe can obey."' Are you going to demonstrate your belief and your love by being one who listens to and obeys the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart?

1. Communion

1. Please bow your heads and close your eyes. We’re going to spend some quiet time with the Lord right now. How have you been relating to the Holy Spirit? Have misconceptions about Him been keeping you from living your life to God’s fullest for you? Have you been hearing the Spirit’s voice in your heart but still doing your own thing? Spend a few moments communicating with the Spirit about how you’ve been relating to Him.
2. First, ask God the Holy Spirit to show you any misconceptions you have about who He is. Now confess those misconceptions and any ways you’ve been relating to Him that aren’t right. Now ask for His forgiveness for sinning in this way. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you as He truly is, and to use that revelation to change your heart. Now tell Him how much you love Him. Commit to Him your willingness to listen to His voice and receive life from Him. Now commit to Him to obey His voice when He asks you to do something, even if it’s something you don’t want to do. Now spend a few minutes praising Him and listening to His voice.
3. When the Holy Spirit is done speaking to you or when He says it’s okay, come forward and receive the bread and the juice for Communion and take them to your seat. In a few minutes, we’ll partake of them together.