The Advocate!

The Advocate!

‭‭John‬ ‭14:26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

But the Advocate, 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.

The Context and Focus:

Just as Jesus taught his disciples about the kingdom of God at the start of his earthly ministry, so did he find time to again empower his disciples with knowledge about the coming kingdom, just before he went to the cross. In the first sermon, the crowd was also listening to Him, but in chapters 13 - 17 of John, it was just the disciples, because the message here was not for the crowd, but for disciples. There is a message for the crowd, but there is an expectation and demand placed on disciples. Am I part of the crowd, or one of the disciples? Jesus spent time telling his disciples about the life of fruitfulness God expects from all those who have given their lives to Him. It is only in connection with the supply of this kingdom that my life can have meaning or direction. No one branch can stand on its own if it loses connection with the stem that is supposed to supply what the branch needs for nourishment and growth. No one or nothing else signifies the importance of this point more than the person, work and impact of the Holy Spirit in the life of a disciple. 

The Message:

In order to fully appreciate the value of the person of the Holy Spirit, a good place to start is to define Advocate. It means 'a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy'. When the verse speaks about the Holy Spirit being an advocate, it means his work in and for me cannot always be silent. Yes, there is an inner presence that must be in place, but there is an outer witness that the world must see, and be convinced of the power, might and mercy of God. The advocate is sure and certain of the cause or policy being supported or recommended, because He does not take a stand by Himself, but he is also God. The verse above is also a testament to the truth of the Trinity, with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit mentioned in the same verse, working towards the same goal. The Father will send the Holy Spirit in the name of the Son. The reason why Jesus had to tell his disciples all these is because the world, as it is, cannot receive the Holy Spirit. The standards of the Holy Spirit are quite fundamentally different from those of the world. Does my life look like one the Holy Spirit of God can inhabit? 

The Conclusion:

The work of the Holy Spirit, as laid out in the verse above, also shows that only the right heart can receive Him. If the work of the Holy Spirit is to teach me all things, and to remind me of all that Jesus had said, it means that I have come to accept Jesus as the authority on truth. It means that I spend time seeking to know God's version of truth, not what men want me to know. It has to be emphasised over and over that the work of the Holy Spirit can only be done in a surrendered heart. Of what use can a heart steeped in sin be to the work of the Holy Spirit? What can a holy God do with a heart that is not under his total control and influence? The work that needs to be done in the world at these end times is not going to get done by human effort, labour or wisdom, but by the power, influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. What the world needs are not palliative measures, but the changing power of the Holy Spirit. Human schemes have failed, and will continue to do so. I need to surrender control to the One who is the Truth, and who can supply what the world really needs. Can God count on me? God's time of favour is here.