Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20040627.htm

ADAPTING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT'S PRESENT MINISTRIES
Part IV: Adapting To The Holy Spirit's Paraklete Ministry
(John 14:16 et al.)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

It can seem nearly impossible just to face the future with an optimistic attitude due to the overwhelming trials we can face:

(1) Consider that the multiple-term governor of our State of Connecticut has this past week resigned under pressure from State authorities and even possibly from a Federal investigation; he allegedly improperly received gifts from parties with whom the State had been in negotiation for bidding on State contracts.

It reminds us of two other scandals that have hit two major city mayors in our State in the last few years -- Mayors of Waterbury and Bridgeport! One may wonder if it is impossible to get quality candidates in Connecticut so we can function well at our local levels.

(2) Every week we are exposed to news reports of soldiers being seriously wounded or dying in Iraq or Pakistan and of atrocities being committed on people in the Middle East. This can only pressure the psyche not only of family members who have loved ones in the military, but it can cause all of us exposed to such reports to feel helplessly exposed to a future of nothing but trouble.

(3) In our June 9th Board Meeting, a Deacon brought to the attention of the rest of our Board members an article in the May 30th Torrington Register-Citizen paper on the issue of clothing styles in area public schools. The paper's lead article, "Latest teen fashions causing trouble at school" told of the "Britney Spears Phenomenon'" where teen girls are creating problems for their school administrators by wearing increasingly scanty clothes. The article reported that teen girls are unable to buy any clothes from some area stores as nothing sold in them would be allowed by administrators even their public schools!

Our Board member showed us the article to indicate how the difficult challenges we have had as a Board in trying to deal with dress code concerns in our Church is but a sample of the challenge society in general faces! It's a growing problem that we all will have to face!



Yet, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 calls us to "rejoice evermore" as the King James Version puts it. Well, HOW do we FACE the FUTURE with such CONSTANT JOY when we can be hit with trials that we humanly may not be able to handle as they arise?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "It seems any of us who trusts in Christ may at times be humanly OVERWHELMED by the challenges life dishes out! I know we are to trust the Lord in such times, but is there a way to FACE this life with steady joy' as 1 Thessalonians 5:16 calls us to do THOUGH we at times face humanly overwhelming trials?!"
  1. When Jesus was about to return to heaven, He said his disciples would be as ORPHANS vulnerable to harm in His absence:
    1. In John 14:18, Jesus said He would not leave His disciples as orphans, as children vulnerable to harm without an adequate parent:
      1. The KJV word "comfortless" in John 14:18 comes from the Greek word, orphanos, meaning "orphaned," UBS Grk. N.T., p. 388; Arndt & Gingrich, Grk.-Engl. Lex. of the N.T., p. 586-587.
      2. Thus, Jesus noted in John 14:18 that His disciples stood in danger of living like orphans vulnerable to spiritual harm.
    2. As this statement followed His declaration that He would leave them for heaven in John 13:33 with John 7:33-34, Jesus taught that if he did not fill the vacuum of this His absence, His disciples, as orphans, would not be able to handle humanly overwhelming spiritual trials!
  2. Consequently, Jesus promised to send a DIVINE PARAKLETE like Himself to stay FOREVER as an All-Sufficient Parent for His own:
    1. Jesus promised to send "another" Party like Himself Who would forever fill the spiritual parenting void of His absence, John 14:16.
    2. This Party would be the indwelling God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-4) Who Jesus alluded to in John 14:16-17 as the "Comforter" (KJV) or "Counselor" (NIV) or even "Helper" or "Advocate" (ESV).
  3. Examining Scripture's USE of the WORD Jesus employed in John 14:16 to describe His ROLE as a Parent, we find the Holy Spirit provides us ALL-SUFFICIENT help as our DIVINE PARENT:
    1. The word describing the Spirit's role in John 14:16 is the Greek term, paraklaytos ("paraklete" in English) and means "helper, intercessor," Ibid., UBS Grk. N.T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 623-624.
    2. When we view how "paraklete" is used of God in the New Testament, we learn the Holy Spirit is our All-Sufficient Parent (Moulton & Geden, Concordance to the Greek Testament, p. 758):
      1. The Holy Spirit acts as our All-Sufficient Teacher-Parent:
        1. John 14:17 reveals the Holy Spirit as our Paraklete is the Spirit of truth, and John 14:26a,b reveals this Paraklete teaches us all the things of God's revealed truths.
        2. Thus, the Holy Spirit as Paraklete is our Teacher of the truth.
      2. The Holy Spirit acts as our All-Sufficient Pastor-Parent:
        1. John 14:26c notes the Holy Spirit as our Paraklete reminds us of things we were earlier taught by the Lord.
        2. Since proclaiming what God has already revealed in His written Word, and is thus often already known by God's people is the key role of a pastor according to 2 Timothy 4:1-2, the Holy Spirit as Paraklete is our Pastor regarding God's truth.
      3. The Holy Spirit acts as our All-Sufficient Witnessing-Parent:
        1. John 15:26 reveals the Holy Spirit as our Paraklete will testify of Christ along with the believer's witnessing, and John 16:7, 8-14 shows the Holy Spirit as our Paraklete will convict the world in connection with our sharing the Gospel with the lost.
        2. Hence, the Holy Spirit as Paraklete is our All-Sufficient Parent in helping us as a Witness to the lost about Christ.
      4. The Holy Spirit is our All-Sufficient Lawyer-Parent to the Father:
        1. 1 John 2:1 reveals Jesus is our paraklaytos before the Father, our defense attorney in God's court when we stand accused of sin by Satan (cf. Zechariah 3:1-2 for a description of this work).
        2. Hence, as the Holy Spirit is ANOTHER Paraklete like Jesus, the Holy Spirit "suggests true reasonings to our minds, and true courses of action for our lives . . . convicts our adversary . . . and pleads our cause before God . . . ,'" M. R. Vincent, Word Studies, II, p. 243-244, s. v. "Paraklete" as cited in Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. VI, "Pneumatology," p. 38.
Application: To FACE even ALL humanly overwhelming trials that life dishes out with CONSTANT JOY, we must first (1) trust in Christ as Savior from sin to become indwelt by the Divine, All-Sufficient Parent, the Holy Spirit, Jn. 3:16; Rom. 8:9. (2) Then, we can FACE the future with CONTINUAL JOY as we rely on our All-Sufficient divine Parent ably to teach, pastor, witness and champion our causes for, to and thru us in blessing!

Lesson: Since CHRIST has sent GOD the HOLY SPIRIT to INDWELL the believer as his All-Sufficient PARENT to teach and to pastor him, to help him witness and to work as his Advocate before God, if the believer FOCUSES on DEPENDING on the HOLY SPIRIT as a way of life, ALL that comes his way is handled by GOD'S POWER working FOR and THROUGH him, so he can FACE ALL the FUTURE holds with JOY!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 In the past, both I and our deacons have found it taxing at times to face challenges in the Church to our ministries of the Word.

Well, in our Board meeting last Wednesday, I learned the Holy Spirit has RECENTLY indicated His PARENTAL SUPPORT for our deacons AND Me in reference to our ministries of God's Word:

(1) First, one of our deacons, Dave Slate spoke in the Adult Class on May 23rd while I was on vacation. In that class, concern was voiced about his claiming God wants us as people to be trustworthy. Since verses like Romans 3:4 claim God alone is true, Dave was questioned as to how he could say we mortals could be trustworthy .

Well, at our June 23rd Board meeting, Dave reported that at the time he had supported his stance by citing 2 Timothy 2:2. The verse states (KJV): "And the things that thou hast heard of me . . . commit thou to faithful [reliable in the NIV] men . . ." (emphases ours)

Then, after my vacation, on June 1st, when I first heard of that class's events via a phone conversation with a Church member who is not a deacon, I had immediately supported Dave's stance; not aware that Dave had already used the verse to support his position (as he will also testify), I then cited 2 Timothy 2:2 in support of his stance!

In effect, the HOLY SPIRIT, the divine Parent of BOTH DAVE and ME had thus CONFIRMED BEYOND our HUMAN capacity to do so NOT ONLY that WHAT DAVE had TAUGHT on May 23rd was CORRECT, but that God has been LEADING ME in my ministry of His Word at Nepaug Church AS WELL!

(2) Then, at that same June 23rd Board meeting, Dave also told how he had not long before been asked a question on the Holy Spirit by a party in our Church. He had not known how to reply, and said he found the answer he needed from notes that another Deacon, Don Ereminas had taught while filling the pulpit on one of my vacations!

Thus, TODAY, June 27th, the Holy Spirit as our divine PARENT has indicated His support of the ministries of the Word by BOTH our PASTOR AND our DEACONS; GOD is directing as our PARENT that WE as a BODY HEED the MINISTRIES of His Word as given by our Pastor AND our Deacons!

We can ALL thus JOYFULLY face the FUTURE as a body as we lean on the Spirit's divine PARENTING of us ALL!