You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.
The morning of January 3rd, 2023, Southwood's three pastors met in the lodge to pray for the
new year. Rain fell steadily outside and all of the sudden rain fell steadily inside as well.
Water poured through everywhere, pouring through ceiling tiles, down walls. There was standing
water in restrooms. It was all through the hallway, running into the main room. Later, we would learn
that a clogged drain on the roof of the lodge had caused the standing water to back up and get higher
and higher to the point that it began pouring in through the AC vents. That's never, you don't want
water in your AC vents like that. And it just kept coming and coming. I wish I had taken pictures
sooner in the process. Here's a brief video of the aftermath.
It's not supposed to rain in the bathroom.
This continued for quite some time. It was much worse earlier.
But what you would have seen had you been there that morning was three pastors totally overwhelmed,
utterly powerless to do anything to stop this water. We were running around with towels
and trash cans. That'll do it. That's going to fix it. Towels and trash cans, filling quickly. We were
texting. That's why I was on my phone there. Texting every deacon we knew. Calling our facility's
contractor, help! Somebody, somebody please come help. They gave us instructions. They told us where to look
on the roof. We got to the roof. But when they showed up, we were no drier than when it started.
We used all the towels, collected all the trash cans, found every mop we owned, but we could not
fix the problem. Thankfully, some people are less overwhelmed and more helpful in a flood than pastors.
Call someone else. The deacons helped us. Helped us fix the drain immediately and in time then repair
the ceiling and the walls and dry out the whole building and be able to carry on.
Maybe you can relate to feeling overwhelmed and powerless like us that day. Just think spiritually.
For a minute. We've been called to be ambassadors for Jesus, his witnesses in this world. To reflect his
perfect image. To see our city flourish. To teach our kids of him. To love our enemies like him. To experience
and express his grace in relationships that impact eternity. That your life and my life should be so
soaked in the glory of God that eternity is transformed. Anybody feeling overwhelmed yet? You got that?
Just imagine Jesus' disciples here in the upper room. He's sending them out to love one another.
To wash each other's feet just as he has done for them even though they're presently arguing.
They are to testify about him so that the world will know that the Father sent him to earth.
In fact, they are supposed to so abide in Christ, to abide in Christ so deeply that they will bear
fruit that lasts forever even though the world will hate them and try to kill them.
Oh, and by the way, I'm out, Jesus says.
I'm leaving you. How do you think they're feeling?
Powerless?
Y'all, Jesus has been the power of this ragtag bunch, right?
He is the leader. He is the teacher. He is the healer.
They are fishermen and tax collectors.
They don't do that kind of stuff. They're like pastors trying to stop a water leak.
But while he understands their sorrow, their overwhelmedness, their feeling powerless,
Jesus wants to fill them with confidence and hope.
How in the world is that possible if he's leaving?
He must have something astonishing to say.
Perhaps, I think, the most startling statement he ever makes to them is here the night before the cross.
John chapter 16, middle of verse 4.
Jesus says to them,
Just stop there for a second.
Put yourself in their shoes.
It is to your advantage that I go away, Jesus says.
Really?
Is that possible?
What are you saying, Jesus?
He'll explain.
For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
Concerning sin because they do not believe in me.
Concerning righteousness because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer.
Concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak.
And he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me.
For he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
All that the Father has is mine.
Therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Don't miss the power of a personal presence.
We are going to unpack this morning a bit the person of the Holy Spirit Jesus is promising.
But notice in this passage, Jesus doesn't give his powerless followers a long list of instructions,
things to do, follow these and fix the leak.
He doesn't give them a promise either that the circumstances will improve.
You know, people will stop hating you.
No.
The water will stop eventually.
No.
He gives them the power of a personal presence.
A helper who, like those Southwood deacons, would show up and do it with us and for us.
Information wasn't enough.
Change of circumstances was false hope.
But the incredible, I mean, really unbelievable promise is a person with us.
A helper, the word is.
Not a drill sergeant to yell orders at you.
Not on the other end, a complainer merely to bemoan with you how hard things are.
A helper, paraclete, directing, exhorting, calling you from alongside.
Tough and tender.
Calling you forward and crawling through the mess with you.
We need to take Jesus seriously even when he startles us.
He is repeating this idea enough now that we ought to know it's not hyperbole, okay?
He means something.
He's told his disciples that they will do even greater things than they have seen him do.
Really?
Is that possible?
He's telling them here it'll be better for them if he leaves and sends the helper.
Are you sure, Jesus?
Are we going to trust you on this one?
He will tell them that they'll receive power.
Where is their power going to come from?
When Holy Spirit comes upon them to be his witnesses around the world.
In fact, when Jesus identifies the good gift that his father will give to them, he tells them he doesn't even name himself.
What does he say?
The Spirit.
Maybe like me, you've thought since you were a kid that if you just lived when Jesus lived and when he was walking around here on the earth, that would do it for you.
You would have strong faith, right?
I would live passionately.
I would share the good news with everyone if I would just had Jesus here with me.
Jesus disagrees.
Look at the evidence of his disciples.
When Jesus is around with them, a few people believe, but many reject him.
His followers have little faith.
Jesus has to do most all of the miracles.
But then Jesus leaves.
The Holy Spirit shows up and bam!
3,000 trust Jesus after the first sermon and the numbers keep growing every day.
Peter, who just denied Jesus before a servant girl, now stands before the leaders of the community with the authority to take his life.
And he says, do what you have to do to me, but I will not and cannot stop speaking about Jesus.
The gospel goes to the Gentiles.
Demons are cast out.
And so many come to trust Jesus that churches are planted around the known world by the power of the Spirit.
Y'all, if we are going to be and to do what God has for Southwood, I believe he's telling us he's going to have to put some Pentecostal into some Presbyterians.
Okay?
And some of you aren't going to be very comfortable with that.
Not to mention your pastor.
Actually, it is very Presbyterian.
Or it used to be, and it should be, to say that our power is from Holy Spirit.
A person, right?
We set God in three persons.
Did we forget that there are more than two?
A real person, not a mere force.
Him, not it.
Fully God.
The third person of the Trinity.
We professed that earlier, right?
I believe in God the Father.
God the Son.
God the Holy Spirit.
We're going to see more of that here.
And Holy Spirit is not just telling us what to do.
He's not just sending us on mission.
He is joining us, paraclete, helper for us.
Let's see what Jesus tells us about this incredible power.
How could we possibly be better off now, Jesus, than we would have been then?
Well, if Jesus' physical presence was localized here, his whole life in an area smaller than Alabama,
the Spirit's presence is universalized everywhere.
I'll send him to y'all so you can bring my glory not merely to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria,
but to the uttermost parts of the earth, Alabama included, but so much bigger.
The Spirit blows where he pleases like the wind.
Secondly, this powerful person is really present inside you.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?
He's going to be so powerfully connected within you
that you'll know Jesus in ways the disciples didn't know him to this point.
They saw him, heard him, walked around with him, but now he's going to live in them all the time.
How was it, remember, that he told them they would experience full joy just in this last chapter,
just a couple hours ago perhaps?
It would be his joy in them.
And they've heard that and now Jesus is leaving,
so it would be understandable that they would be sorrowful.
In fact, without an awareness of and reality of Holy Spirit,
without finding true life in him,
what hope is there of ever tasting this full joy?
But Holy Spirit is bringing the joy and love and peace and more of Jesus
into your heart to overflowing,
so that you will bear fruit that will last,
fruit of the Spirit.
And you thought you'd never change.
Not if that fruit-bearing Spirit lives within you.
You are full of power, child of God.
Full of power by his Spirit.
That joy from Jesus is just one example
of the other thing you have to notice about this incredible power.
Holy Spirit is Christ-centered.
Always focused on Jesus.
Always shining the spotlight on Jesus.
We as a church are committed to being Christ-centered.
Good news.
So is Holy Spirit.
He's into that.
Jesus has already been telling us this about the Spirit that he promises to send.
He said it several times in this one conversation with his disciples.
There are more in this passage.
But look back to chapter 14.
He's going to ask the Father who will give you another helper
to be with you forever.
This Spirit of truth.
He dwells with you and will be in you.
Notice verse 18.
Jesus says,
I will not leave you as orphans.
I will come to you.
He's also leaving,
but I will.
This is his Spirit in a real way.
And then down a few more verses in verse 26.
The helper, the Holy Spirit,
will teach you and bring to your remembrance
all that I have said to you.
Chapter 15.
When the helper comes,
he will bear witness about me.
Me.
Jesus says.
You see what he's doing?
He's bearing witness about Jesus.
Life with his Spirit will be life abiding in Jesus.
It is beautiful how the Trinity works together.
We're going to see that more.
But he's starting to see how this personal power
could incredibly position us even better
than Jesus himself being in the room this morning.
Have you thought about that before?
That Jesus actually decided this was better for you,
for us.
Do you live with that kind of confidence?
Like you would if Jesus was standing right here next to you?
I might preach without notes if I believed that was true.
Crazy.
You might share about Jesus with your neighbor.
You might serve the poor during fall break.
You might confess your sin to your grace group
or stay around for all of my long sermon
that I preach without notes.
We might all be in it together.
If we really believed the power that Jesus says we have.
Why do we need this incredible power?
Hopefully some of that answer is apparent already
as we feel powerless toward the glorious tasks
that we've been given.
But what I want us to think specifically here
is how Jesus tells us exactly how Christ-centered the Spirit is.
Verse 14, he says it very plainly.
He will glorify me.
Come back to the rest of the verse.
But y'all, what we all need
is for Jesus to be glorified in our hearts and lives.
Okay, that's at the core level.
That's what we need.
That word for glory that we've talked about
as having weight.
Not that what we need so much is new information about Jesus
or that what we really need is our circumstances to change.
No.
We need Jesus and his words and his realities
to be as significant to us as they really are,
to carry that kind of weight.
And this is the work of the Spirit in the hearts of people,
those who don't trust Jesus at all and those who do.
So back to verse 8.
People need Holy Spirit
because we have missed Jesus at a fundamental level.
Holy Spirit comes to help us see him the way we ought to.
When he comes,
he will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
The way we often say this is that the Father
in his eternal love plans salvation
and he sends the Son
who accomplishes salvation in his life and death and resurrection
and then the Father and the Son send the Spirit
who applies that salvation to our hearts,
to you and to me.
Because without him,
we are blind to the reality of Jesus.
And so Holy Spirit comes to convict us
concerning sin
because we don't believe in Jesus.
That's actually our greatest sin.
Trusting ourselves rather than him.
So a huge role of Holy Spirit
is showing us how desperately
we all need Jesus.
He's always doing that.
Secondly, the helper convicts the world
concerning righteousness
because Jesus is going to the Father
and not being seen any longer.
This is Jesus' vindication
in his triumphant resurrection and ascension
so that true righteousness,
our righteousness,
if we believe in him,
as John Bunyan reminds us,
is where?
In heaven.
Before God.
We stand right with God
because of Jesus.
Jesus has been the one
as the righteous light of the world
exposing its darkness
because his glory is brilliant
in its purity.
It's one of the ways
Jesus has been helper.
But now he calls,
as we saw a minute ago,
the Spirit,
another helper,
meaning like him.
Holy Spirit will show the world
our insufficient righteousness
and the glory of Jesus' perfection.
Finally, we need the helper
to convict us concerning judgment
because the ruler of this world
is truly judged.
Look, actually,
what he's doing
is shining the spotlight
on Jesus again.
It's not Jesus
who was judged
and defeated on the cross
as it may have seemed,
but the ruler of this world
who was defeated
in the triumph of Jesus.
And when we look around
and we see the world hating us,
when we feel
that the forces of darkness
are stronger
than the forces of light
in the world,
Holy Spirit reminds us,
no, the light
is always stronger
than the dark.
You have power in you.
Greater is he in you
than he that is in the world.
Don't you give up
or give in.
Holy Spirit is with you.
That's been happening
since he came in Pentecost
in power.
These untrained,
ordinary followers of Jesus
by the power of the Spirit
preached sermons
and shared meals
and suffered martyrdom
and saw people
in generation after generation,
nation after nation,
bow the knee
to King Jesus
and find his joy
and love
and peace
to be true life,
to abide in him personally,
so that recent estimates
are that around 3 million people
are converting
to Christianity
every year
so that we're rushing
towards worldwide numbers
nearing 3 billion Christians.
You may see
your need of Jesus,
the glory of Jesus
right now
for the first time
and you can trust him
to save you
by the power
of his Spirit
and you're one
among billions
where he's doing
that incredible,
powerful work.
All very exciting.
I hope you're excited.
But how do we plug in
to that incredible power?
Well, the beginning of that
is that Jesus
sends his Spirit
to us,
doesn't he?
So we are on
the receiving end,
palms up,
dependent posture.
We're receiving
the Spirit,
but what actually happens?
How?
How does that happen,
Pastor?
Listen,
as Jesus makes
a massive statement,
we can hardly
comprehend this,
but look back
at verse 14.
Holy Spirit
will take
what is mine
and declare it
to you.
Jesus,
to be clear,
verse 15 says,
listen,
all the Father
has is mine.
That's what I mean,
Jesus says,
by mine,
that the Holy Spirit
will declare to you.
Let me try to unpack that.
That's a lot.
John has told us
repeatedly
that Jesus
came in the flesh
to reveal God
to us.
The very glory
of God,
all that we need
to know about God
himself is shown
to us in Jesus,
right?
That's good news.
And this,
this takes it further.
Holy Spirit
comes
to help us
get it
and keep it,
all of it.
There is the power,
all that the Father
has
in Jesus
and when we remember
then
and shape our lives
around the glorious
reality,
the true weight,
the utter primacy
of God
so that nothing
even comes close
to competing with him,
we have power
that changes
everything.
The Father
has,
everything is his,
all that is his
is in Jesus
and the Holy Spirit
declares to us
everything
that Jesus needs
for us to know.
Maybe you've heard
that to live this way
we must preach
the gospel
to ourselves
every day
and that is so vital.
How needy we are
and how gloriously
our needs are met
in Jesus.
This verse
is the closest thing
I know in the whole Bible
to expressing
that heart.
Holy Spirit
takes the full
gospel goodness.
All the grace
of Jesus
is what you need
in every moment,
every situation,
every struggle,
every opportunity,
every heartache,
every joy
and what does he do
with it?
He declares it
to you
over and over.
Not new information
per se.
Things from the Father
that Jesus has said
and that he will say
through his apostles,
notice all the truth
from Jesus.
That means a specific
body of truth.
I am strongly suspect
referring to the New Testament
that these followers
of Jesus will write.
Okay?
That's what he's declaring
to us.
Jesus has been calling him
the Spirit of Truth.
So who's he going
to tell you about?
Jesus,
who is the way,
the truth,
and the life.
He speaks all that truth
into your heart.
See, he's not just
a spotlight on Jesus,
as wonderful as that is.
He is a megaphone,
clearly,
for Jesus.
A megaphone,
child of God,
from the inside
of your heart,
declaring above
the shouts of the world
and the cries
of your pain
the truth
about Jesus.
So you hear it.
so that when you look around
and conclude
that your efforts
with your child
or your friend
are hopeless,
he declares to you
that greater is he
that is in you
than he that is in the world.
That faith is being certain
of what we do not see.
That he who calls you
is faithful
and he will keep
his promises.
And he's saying,
that's real power.
When you're tempted
to behave inappropriately
with your girlfriend,
to look at images
on the screen
that seem to offer life
and significance to you,
he declares to you
the truth of Jesus,
that she is to be treated
as though she is your sister
until she is your wife.
That if you look
at someone lustfully,
you're committing adultery.
And at the end
of the pathway
that the adulterous woman
calls you to walk down
is death
while wisdom offers
true life
and he declares that to you
and that's real power.
When you deal with sadness
and darkness
and depression
and you begin to believe
it's never going to end,
he declares that the light
of Jesus
shines into the world
and will not be overcome
by darkness.
That even in the moments
when darkness seems
to be your closest friend,
God is working
for your good
and nothing separates you
from his love.
And as a result,
that one day
he will wipe away
every tear
from your eyes
and you will know
his full joy.
And he says,
that's real power.
When you're afraid
of sharing
with your neighbor
or your family member
about Jesus,
he declares to you
that God has given you
not a spirit of fear
but a spirit
of power
and of love
and of sound mind
that the spirit
that cries
Abba, Father,
that you're accepted already,
that boldness
is the right thing
to pray for
because Jesus
is not ashamed
to call you
brother or sister
so you need not
be ashamed
of him
and of his gospel
but to be full
of the spirit
and of power.
That's real power,
he says.
By the way,
those of you
ruthlessly eliminating hurry,
raise your hand,
you know who you are.
Yep, okay,
some of you are about
to go to a class about it.
this is why
you're doing that.
It's not so you can
feel better.
It's so you can
plug in
to this
power
so you can
open this word
and hear this spirit
declare this truth
and see
the glory
of Jesus
take its proper
place in your life,
carry the weight
it deserves
in your heart.
He promises
power, y'all
and we rush
through our scripture
reading without
stopping to listen
so that we can
go about our days
improving our lives
on our own
as though we
have that power
in ourselves.
So God gives us
a day every week
to reset our hearts,
to recharge
our batteries,
to plug into
true power
and we give him
half of it
mornings,
sometimes,
a bit late,
a lot preoccupied,
but we gotta get
there to hear
a couple tips,
you know,
some practical
how-tos that will
be powerful enough
to change my life
this week
and make me
instantly a better
parent and a more
patient spouse
and a more
successful person
and all the time
we are missing
the true power.
We wonder
why we're
feeling so frantic
and so self-focused
and so powerless
some days.
Listen,
I wanna tell you
something
that is really
good news
but it won't
sound like that
at first.
This mission
Jesus gives
his followers
to see his glory
fill the earth,
to testify to him,
in case you didn't
notice earlier,
not only does the
spirit testify
about Jesus,
we do.
It's not getting
any easier
in our day,
in our culture.
The water won't
stop flooding in
but you're not
going under.
He promises
the helper
is not leaving us.
We're not fighting
on our own.
Did you get that?
You're not on your own.
Southwood,
we know a lot
and we have a lot
but what we most
need is
Holy Spirit
power.
Holy Spirit
is showing us
and our neighbors
the truth
about Jesus
whether it looks
like it or feels
like it to you
or not.
He is powerfully
drawing us to God
so that his glory
will fill the earth
so you receive
that power
to abide in Jesus
as you meet Jesus
in his word
and meditate on it.
As you meet Jesus
by his spirit
in the Lord's
supper
to empower you
for life with him.
as you meet Jesus
in his people
as you go to your
grace group
where he's present
by his spirit
living in them
right?
And you think
there's power
there's hope
there's joy for us
because the spirit
is here.
But in all those places
you get this
incredible power
by asking
your good father
you ask him
for a good gift
how much more
will he give you
the Holy Spirit
the best gift
because he has the power
to point you
to the son
who shows you
the father
so that you live
in relationship
with God
and the fullness
of his power.
You can ask
anytime.
You can ask
this afternoon
you can ask
tomorrow morning
maybe you want
to start
every day
waking up
Holy Spirit
I need you
thank you
that you're with me
I need you
more and more
come fresh
we're gonna
we're gonna ask
right now
if you'd like
as our worship
team helps you
so that I don't
lead you in singing.
Whether the spirit
lives in you
already
or not
you can ask
the father
to send him
to you
right now
to guide you
into all truth
to help you
see the glory
of the father
in the grace
of his son.
For more information
visit us online
at southwood.org