Scripture: John 14:15-17
Video Link: https://youtu.be/PzgbVEScEcw
The Advocate:
Good morning everyone.
If you are accused of a crime and have to appear in court, what do you need?
[Wait] That’s right, a good lawyer. Someone who understands the rules of the court, who can advocate for you and defend your cause.
If you are marooned on a deserted island, what do you need? [Wait]
Probably a satellite phone and a survival expert, someone who knows what you can eat and what you can’t. Someone who can start a fire and help you build a shelter until the Navy arrive.
If you are facing bullies at school or at work, what do you need? [Wait]
Someone strong to stand with you against the bullies.
Today, because it is Pentecost Sunday, our message focuses on the gift of the Holy Spirit. Before his crucifixion, Jesus explained to his disciples that he would be going away but that he would not leave his disciples alone. He would ask God to send his Spirit. From John 14, verses 15-17, we read the words of Jesus to his followers…
15 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,to be with you for ever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be inyou.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
There are many images in the Bible associated with the Holy Spirit including breath, wind, fire, water and oil. None of these is sufficient in itself to capture the work of the Spirit. Nevertheless, these images convey something about the life giving power of God’s Spirit.
In John 14, Jesus talks about the Spirit as a living person saying that he will ask God the Father to give those who love him another Advocate.
‘Another Advocate’ implies there is a prior Advocate, one who comes before the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the first Advocate but now that he is about to leave he plans to send someone else who is just like him. Someone who will advocate for and help the disciples in his absence.
The Greek word translated as Advocate is ‘parakletos’ or paraclete. There is no exact equivalent for paraclete in the English language and so this word is translated in a variety of ways in different versions of the Bible.
Quite literally, parakletos means ‘called to the side of’ (in order to help).[1]
It was a legal term indicating the counsel for the defense. So a parakletos was sort of like a defense lawyer. Hence it is translated into English as advocate, because that’s what a parakletos does, they advocate (or stick up) for someone who has been accused of wrong doing.
Jesus is the original advocate, the one called alongside to defend our cause. But since Jesus has ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit is our new advocate. The implication here is that we are embroiled in a spiritual conflict in which Satan (the accuser) is seeking to condemn us.
Now some of you may be thinking at this point, “Hold on a minute. I don’t have the word ‘Advocate’ in my Bible. My Bible uses the word ‘comforter’ to describe the Holy Spirit in John 14. So what’s with this new word ‘Advocate’?”
The problem with language is that it keeps evolving, it keeps changing its meaning over time. For example, the word ‘nice’ originally meant silly, foolish or simple. So to call someone nice was a bit of an insult. Nowadays though to call someone nice is like saying they are gentle or kind. ‘Nice’ is a compliment.
Comforter is one of those words which has changed its meaning with time. Comforter comes from the Latin word fortis which means brave. So 400 years ago, a comforter was someone who, through their presence, strengthened you; making you brave so you had courage to face the bullies in your life.
These days a comforter might refer to a child’s blanket or to someone who gives sympathy when you have suffered some kind of loss. Not the same thing.
While the Holy Spirit can and does offer us comfort when we are feeling sad, the older definition (of making us brave in the face of a conflict or a crisis) is closer to the mark of what the Holy Spirit does.
Other Bibles use different words to translate parakletos. For example, friend, counselor, helper or intercessor. These are all true of the Holy Spirit but none of them captures the whole truth.
The point seems to be that the Holy Spirit is a divine person with the strength and know how to help you follow Jesus in any situation you may face.
By way of metaphor, if this life is like trying to survive in the wilderness, then the Holy Spirit is like having Bear Grylls with you to show you what to eat, how to start a fire and how to make a shelter.
Or if this life is like an international test match, then the Holy Spirit is like your coach giving advice on game strategy and lending encouragement.
Or if this life is like a court trial, then the Holy Spirit is your defense lawyer speaking on your behalf and advocating for your release.
In verse 17, Jesus refers to Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth. A little bit later in, verse 26, Jesus unpacks what he means by ‘Spirit of truth’, when he says…
26 But the Advocate,the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.
To put that another way: If this life is like an apprenticeship, in which we are learning to be like Jesus, then the Holy Spirit is our mentor and a master craftsman. The Holy Spirit shows us what Jesus would do. He teaches us to be like Christ.
Returning to verse 17, Jesus says the world cannot receive the Spirit of truth because it neither sees him nor knows him.
The world, in the gospel of John, can mean different things depending on the context. In chapter 14, the world refers to all people (collectively) who are opposed to Christ. Or said another way, the world represents those who live as though there is no God.
In John 3:16, when Jesus says, For God so loved the world he gave his only Son… he means that God loves those who are opposed to him. God loves his enemies enough to offer the life of his Son to save them.
Jesus says the world is blind; meaning those who are hostile to Christ cannot receive the Holy Spirit because they cannot see him or know him. Eugene Peterson paraphrases this thought by saying: A loveless world is a sightless world.
Framing that in more positive terms, love gives us the eyes to recognize the Holy Spirit at work in our own lives and in the lives of those who do not yet know Jesus.
In verse 15 Jesus says: ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments…’
Basically, God gives the Holy Spirit to those who love Jesus and the proof of love is obeying Jesus. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Which comes first? Obeying Jesus or receiving God’s Spirit? I’m not sure we can obey Jesus without the help of the Holy Spirit. Surely the Spirit comes first.
Perhaps, before we are aware of it, the Holy Spirit is at work cultivating God’s love in the soil of our lives and if that love bears the fruit of faith and obedience to Jesus, then the Spirit reveals some more of God to us. There is a mystery to this process. We can’t really put the Spirit in a box or tie him to a formula.
We can say this about the Holy Spirit though. He always holds love and truth together; he never separates the two. In fact, he uses love & truth to create connections between God and people. Jesus alludes to the love & truth connections the Holy Spirit makes in verse 17 where he says to his disciples…
You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be inyou.
The Holy Spirit is so close to those who love Jesus that he is actually inside us. We could understand this thought in two ways. The Holy Spirit is inside our body, mind and soul, as individuals. But, at the same time, the Holy Spirit is among us (or in our relationships) as a body of believers, as the church, prompting us and guiding us.
So how does the Holy Spirit work in our own experience. What practical difference does the Advocate make in our lives? Let me suggest three things the Holy Spirit does. This is not an exhaustive list.
Firstly, the Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s word in Scripture. We see this principle at work, for example, with the birth of the church at Pentecost.
In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit empowers the apostles to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus in a variety of foreign languages. People from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem and heard God’s word preached in their mother tongue.
As well as empowering the apostles to speak in different languages, the Holy Spirit was active in the hearts and minds of those listening so they were able to believe and receive the gospel message. God’s Word and God’s Spirit go together and have a creative power.
Often, when we read the Bible, we can find it difficult to understand. Reading Scripture without the Holy Spirit is like trying to decipher a foreign language.
The Holy Spirit reveals the love and truth of God contained in the Scriptures. When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit high lights God’s word for us so that we have that ‘aha’ moment. He shows us God’s heart. He shows us Jesus. The Spirit enables us to understand what God is saying to us personally. He makes Jesus close and real.
As well as helping us to understand God’s word in Scripture, the Holy Spirit also helps us to pray.
In Romans 8, Paul describes the work of the Spirit saying…
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Prayer can be hard work at times. Sometimes we don’t have words to do justice to our thoughts and feelings. Sometimes all we have is sighs and tears. The Holy Spirit gets us. As our Advocate the Spirit understands us intimately and he speaks on our behalf to God. The Spirit intercedes for us in harmony with God’s will. We might not know what to ask for but the Holy Spirit does.
So the Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s word, he helps us to pray and thirdly, the Holy Spirit gives each of us a gift to share.
In 1st Corinthians 12 we read…
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
Some people are given the gift of administration. Some are gifted with discernment and wisdom. Others are gifted with the desire and skill to help people practically. Others are gifted communicators. Some are good with money and others are good with children. Some have musical talent and others are careful listeners or skilled organisers.
It’s a brilliant strategy if you think about it. By giving each person a different gift, the Spirit is giving each of us a purpose and a place to belong, a way to fit in and make a meaningful contribution. We don’t have to do it all on our own, but it is crucial that we do our bit.
The gifts the Spirit imparts create connections that enable the body of Christ to function so the message of God’s love & truth is shared with the world.
What gift has the Spirit given you? How are you using your gifts for the common good?
Let me finish now with another reading of Jesus’ words from John 14…
15 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,to be with you for ever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be inyou.
This means that, with the Spirit, you are not alone. May the divine Advocate be real for you, making you brave to face whatever comes your way this week. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
- What are some of the Biblical images associated with the Holy Spirit? What do these images show us about the Spirit? Which image resonates most strongly with you?
- Why did Jesus ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit?
- Discuss / reflect on the various English translation of the word Parakletos (Paraclete). What light do these words shed on the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer?
- How do we know if we (or someone else) loves Jesus?
- How does the Holy Spirit work in your experience? How might we discern the Spirit’s activity?
- What gift(s) has the Spirit given you? How are you using your gift(s) for the common good?
[1] Leon Morris, NICNT John, page 587.
Tawa Baptist 