John 14:16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever. 17even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
As we wait eagerly for Christ’s return we can hold tightly to his promise that he will not leave us alone. There are no orphans in the kingdom of God. Ten days after his ascension Jesus would keep this promise, the Holy Spirit will come to his disciples and the church will be born at Pentecost.
What comes to mind when you think about the promised Holy Spirit? For some (like us Baptist) the answer might be “not much.” For others, the Holy Spirit is the miracle working, sign producing, power of God. Maybe you’re somewhere in between.
If we look closely at scripture, what we will find is that the Spirit of God IS life. His name literally means breath. In Genesis, the Spirit gave physical life to all creation including mankind. The Spirit also gave people God’s power for living. Joseph, Deborah, Samson, David, the prophets, all did amazing things by the Spirit’s power. Even Jesus received the Spirit’s life giving power at his baptism and the Spirit of God empowered him to move in love towards the cross.
Now let’s look at John 14:16 again. Jesus says I will give you ANOTHER Helper. What does this imply? It implies that Jesus himself is the first Helper sent by God, and that the Spirit will be the second Helper, another form of Jesus to them. Then Jesus says it clearly – I will come to you. The Holy Spirit in us is Christ in us. The Spirit’s indwelling is Jesus dwelling in us. The fruit of the Spirit’s love is the love of Christ poured into our hearts.
There is much confusion today about the Holy Spirit and his work in us. What exactly is the Holy Spirit doing? What is his ministry? Christians often talk about being guided and led by the Spirit, and rightly so. The Apostle Paul will say “walk in the Spirit,” and “keep in step with the Spirit.” But what does this mean? How is it done? Is the Spirit of God a mystical force or a deeper knowledge that we tap into? Does the Spirit guide me from experience to experience making me more and more “spiritual” as I go? Do we need a “Catch the Holy Ghost Sunday” in our churches to make sure we have all of the Spirit?
Or could it be that the primary work of the Spirit in us, is the work of conforming us into Christ’s image? That the “next Helper” makes us like the “first Helper” in his suffering and death?
Yes, we all want the Spirit’s power, but it’s important to remember that the Spirit’s power is the power of the cross of Christ. Power through weakness and suffering. Gaining by giving. Winning by losing. The yoke of rest. The hard and narrow way of simply trusting. Putting to death the self, and receiving the grace of the finished work of the cross.
Sadly, for many Christians the pursuit of the Spirit has become the pursuit of the self. The flesh. Christians are told to yield, abandon, dedicate, consecrate, commit, surrender to him. But this is a self-powered work. A discouraging work. A defeating work. Am I yielded enough? Committed enough? Dedicated enough? How will I ever know?
But the Spirit’s true work in us is the work of the cross. The work of the Spirit is the work of acknowledging weakness. Of admitting that we will never be yielded enough, abandoned enough, dedicated enough, committed enough, good enough, “spiritual” enough.
But in Christ, this defeat is victory. By trusting in Christ’s work alone. His yielding. His dedication. His commitment level. His surrender. Now I am free.
The promise of the Holy Spirit is the great promise of the Ascension. Without Jesus’ return to glory he could not have sent us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, ministering the death and resurrection of Christ to our lives. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the finished work of Christ is the ongoing work of the Spirit in us. By the Spirit, Christ’s death IS our life. And our dying is now our living.
You: How would you describe the Spirit’s work in your life? Does your answer include looking like Christ?
You in Christ: The Spirit’s work is the work of ministering Christ’s finished work to your heart. How might the day be different if you were to embrace “It is finished?”
Christ in you: How can you live from the Spirit today? Remember it will look like the cross.
Prayer: Father, all your gifts are amazing, but the gift of the Spirit is by far the greatest gift we could receive, the life of God in us. Spirit, conform me to Christ. Mold me and make me after your will. Teach me to trust God and depend on his mercy just as Jesus did. Amen.
To Live is Christ 