John 14:15-20
In the anchor text, Jesus called the Holy Spirit another Comforter. A comforter is someone who brings soothing relief to you. A comforter is someone who brings consolation to you. A comforter encourages you in the time of mourning. For Jesus Christ to have mentioned that the Holy Spirit is another Comforter, it means that He, Jesus, was also a Comforter (Luke 4:19). The greatest thing that could happen to a man is that the Lord abides with (and in) him. When Jesus was about to leave the disciples, He mentioned that He would not leave them comfortless. Let us now consider some of the workings of the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit does not leave us as orphans
John 14:18- “I will not leave you comfortless”. David declared “Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Blessed is he, whom the Lord chastens (Job 5:17). 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 says “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God (the Holy Spirit)…it’s profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness… (2 Tim. 3:16).
God chastens a wise man and he becomes wiser (Prov 9:9). Romans 8: 14-16- The Holy Spirit ensures that we don’t live as orphans through His leading. Anybody that does not live by the leading of the Holy Spirit lives as an orphan. To live without the Holy Spirit is to be hopeless.
- The Spirit quickens the inner man
2nd Corinthians 4:16- He quickens one day by day (Rom 8:26-28). Because the Spirit dwells in us and knows all things, we also by that same effect know all things. There are times when things are not going as planned, but you know it is God that is at work. The Spirit reveals to you the process flow of communication taking place in the heavenly places. God reveals the Son and the Son reveals and is revealed to you. It goes beyond human knowledge to know that Jesus Christ is the son of God (Matt 16:13-20). The Holy Spirit enables you to see yourself in the Son and enables you to see the Son in the Father.
- The Holy Spirit teaches you all things
The Holy Spirit teaches you all things and sharpens your memory (Isaiah 48:16). When you hear the voice of the Spirit, do not harden your heart (Heb 3:7). He teaches us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2nd Peter 1:3). God’s testimonies become your meditation (Psalm 119: 111). He teaches your hands to war (Psalm 144:1).
- He bears the testimony of Jesus to you
John 15:26-27- The Spirit of God through His working to you would testify about Jesus to you. This personal revelation becomes a platform for showcasing the gospel.
- The Holy Spirit reproofs the world
John 16:9-11- The Holy Spirit reproofs the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.
Of sin- Why would the Holy Spirit reproof the world of sin. It is because of their unbelief. Unbelief led to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Rom 1:16). The message of the Holy Spirit convicts one of unbelief. A man under the yoke of unbelief is convicted by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:22-37)
Of Righteousness- (Eph 1:17-20)- The Spirit of God would make the world know the true essence of righteousness. The type that is borne out of the mystery of godliness. Not only did Jesus Christ die, He was buried, He resurrected from the dead, He ascended to heaven and is also seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Eph. 2:6).
Of Judgement – Many people see the devil as the supreme being, the truth is that he is under divine judgment (Luke 10:18, John 12:31). The world’s perception of judgement is different from that of God’s kingdom (Rom 8:1, John 5:24, 1Cor 2:15). Judgement can also be viewed as a decision-making process. If everything you hope for is earthly-based, you are under the judgement of the devil (Rev 12:12). When you have the Holy Spirit in you, He quickens your understanding to rebuff the devil.
- Our heart is set on pilgrimage
The Holy Spirit ensures that we don’t live our lives wrapped up in one spot (Psalm 84:5). Abraham rather than build monuments in his journeys, built tents. He instead sought for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10). You might lose friends in the process of the workings of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, our strengths lie in the wrong thing, like our bank accounts.
Your strength must lie in and on Jehovah. The development cycle of a disciple through the workings of the Holy Spirit starts with the Community-Crowd-Convert-Committed-Consecrated-Commissioned. This ensures that we do not stay in one spot, but rather are on a constant move as we are led of God.
PASTOR NATHANIEL SADELA
Resident Pastor
