References: John 14:16-18
From last week’s post: Here in the New Testament, you have the promise from the Savior that the Comforter will come from God, and He will never leave you. No matter what struggles you face, including overwhelming loneliness, He will abide with you.
The core of the message of comfort is the gift of the Comforter.
Dwell within you
But how, in particular, does Jesus not leave us? He will dwell or live within you.
Think of the well-known words about Christ’s coming in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Literally, it means Jesus “tented” in our midst, bringing God and man together. Since Jesus’ return to heaven, this togetherness is completed by the Holy Spirit setting up His tent within you.
You know Him
In order to not be totally isolated from someone, you need to know that person. Well, Jesus says “you will know Him.” For that to be true, for you to really know the Helper, several things must happen. To know the Holy Spirit is to know Christ; to know Christ means hearing what has been revealed to you about Him.
While a right relationship with the Holy Spirit includes an intellectual knowledge of the third person of the Trinity, it is certainly more than that. (Satan has that kind of knowledge.) On the other hand, knowing the Holy Spirit is not some type of mystical or magical experience. It is not merely you saying, “Well, I just sort of feel the Spirit.”
Yet knowing Him does involve an emotional, personal, tight relationship. He is part of your life. Jesus promised to send the Spirit so you are able to walk in the Spirit. As Galatians 5:16 tells us, walking in the Spirit means not living according to the lusts of the flesh. From there we understand that there are the fruits of the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22 and following).
Will be in you
Jesus makes one more detailed statement about the role of the Holy Spirit. “He will be in you.” This promise refers to what would happen at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church. Pentecost did not mark the beginning of the Holy Spirit and His work, but it is the final stage of the Holy Spirit in terms of His being poured out upon the church.
The promise of the Spirit has real significance for you in your life.
To be counted on
Jesus makes another very interesting statement. “I will not leave you orphans.” Well, what does it mean to be an orphan? An orphan is a child without parents. In the ancient world, that meant a child living basically on the streets. He did not have someone to take care of him, to provide for his needs, to protect and provide a home. It was a rather desperate situation.
Jesus says, I will not leave you in that situation.
Blog post content taken from a sermon series delivered by Dr. Maynard Koerner, President and Professor of Ministerial Studies at Heidelberg Theological Seminary.