#10: The Holy Spirit as Paraclete

I. Introduction A. Today is Fathers Day. Though I have utmost respect and appreciation for the fathers of our congregation, I don’t have a Fathers Day gift for them today. But I can’t think of a better Fathers Day gift than a message about what a great Helper Jesus has sent us in person of the Holy Spirit. B. This sermon series is entitled: The Helper Jesus Sent. That title comes from John 14:16. On the night before His departure, Jesus comforted His disciples – who are terrified about the idea of His departure – with these words: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even 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. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (John 14:16-20) C. Of course, Jesus didn’t speak these words only to comfort the Twelve. He spoke these words to encourage us as well as we face the stern realities of this life. He knows we need help. II. Paraclete A. Today’s sermon is about one word, specifically one Greek word: the word PARAKLETOS, or Paraclete, the word translated “Helper” in John 14:16 above. B. What does PARAKLETOS mean? It is a combination of a verb and a preposition: 1. KALEO = call 2. PARA = beside or alongside 3. Thus, it means “one who is called to someone’s aid” (Arndt, W., Danker, Of. W., & Bauer, W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament) or “one who is called upon to help.” C. It has a technical meaning and a non-technical one. In its technical sense it is used of an attorney who represents someone in court. One of the five times it is used in the NT, it is used once in this technical sense: in 1John 2:1, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate (PARAKLETOS) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” D. But then there is the non-technical use, which is the dominant use in the NT. 1. It means more than “helper” because helper doesn’t necessarily imply any kind of personal relationship, nor any special power to do whatever is needed. 2. You might think that friend would be a good word to translate PARAKLETOS, but friend can mean merely a personal relationship without an active role of helping. 3. It refers to one who comes in love to help you in whatever way you need to be helped E. You can see why this word has caused a lot of problems for translators. The problem is that we don’t have an English word big enough to translate it properly. Various terms have been used: 1. Counselor/Advocate (which is too limited because it refers mainly to the legal sphere) 2. Comforter (which was a fairly good translation in 1611 when the King James Bible was introduced, but this word has changed its meaning considerably since then – and now captures little of the meaning of the Greek word) 3. Paraclete (which is merely a transliteration of the Greek word PARAKLETOS) 4. Helper (which is the only word that makes sense in every context, but it still doesn’t capture the richness of the Greek word, as explained above) 5. There is also a verbal form of the word (PARAKALEW). In the NT, that word is translated comfort or console 14 times, encourage 8 times, exhort 4 times, and appeal 3 times. F. As I ponder the rich meaning of PARAKLETOS, several life experiences come to mind, which I think illustrate the concept of this word: 1. Almost 30 years ago I got a speeding ticket in Manassas for going 41 in a 25mph zone. I had to go to court or it would have added points to my record. But I was quite unfamiliar with and uncomfortable in the judicial world. A good friend of mine who was a lawyer offered to go to court with me. He walked through it with me, explained everything to me, represented me before the judge, and made the whole thing go smoothly, not for money, but because of his care for me. 2. Then I think of a young mom having her first baby, not knowing what to do, not knowing how everything works. But her mom comes and stays with her for a week or two, showing her how it’s done, and making sure she gets enough sleep. 3. Then I think of the times when young drivers get in an accident, or their car breaks down, or they get a flat tire. And they call home and Dad (or Mom) jumps in the car to go be with them and help them. It’s not just like the kind of help AAA provides. It’s help born of love. 4. The next instance which comes to mind is when we had a house fire in 1990, which was caused by our wood stove. After that none of us wanted a wood stove or a fireplace. But my father pleaded with us to install a fire place, even offering to pay for it himself: not because he liked fires so much but because he knew that all our children would be afraid of fires for the rest of their lives if we didn’t rebuild a fire structure of some kind. He was a helper, not just affirming us, but urging us to do what he knew was best. 5. Then there’s the story of Mary Ann’s father in the spring of 1975. That was a very hard semester for Mary Ann and she got very discouraged about finishing college. But he pled with her and urged her not to give up. And so she pressed on — and finished. What her father said to her was just what she needed. So it is with a PARACLETOS, whether it is comfort, affirmation or challenge. III. Jesus and PARAKLETOS A. But there’s one other source from which we can learn about what PARAKLETOS means. We can learn from the way Jesus uses this word. 1. The word occurs five times in the NT, and four of them are in the context of this one talk (recorded in the gospel of John 14-16) Jesus gave to His disciples at His last supper with them when He spoke to them about the coming of the Holy Spirit. 2. John 14:16 is the first time it’s used, and here Jesus gives us the most definition of what He means, as is often the case when a concept is first introduced. Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus says to them, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” (John 14:16). a. Jesus is referring to Himself as the first paraclete, saying that when He leaves He will send them another paraclete – the Holy Spirit, “a new One to be with you, One to stand in My place.” b. By paraclete, then, Jesus means Someone who is going to come and fill His shoes in His ministry to the disciples. 3. This is confirmed by the second, third and fourth uses of this word: a. John 14:26 "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” b. John 15:26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.” c. John 16:7 "I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” 4. So, the word PARAKLETOS is as rich as the gospel record of Jesus’ dealings with His disciples. When Jesus has to summarize the role He played with His disciples, PARAKLETOS is the word He chooses. a. He was many things: healer, guide, friend, challenger, corrector, forgiver. He was to be their teacher, their shelter, their corrector, their companion, and the joy and sweetness of their lives. b. So the idea behind the Holy Spirit as paraclete is as broad and rich and deep as the role that Jesus played in the lives of His disciples during the three years when He walked with them. What Jesus had been to them, the Holy Spirit was now going to be to them – only better (as is clear from John 16:7 just above). B. But of course this isn’t just for them. What Jesus was to them, the Holy Spirit is to us. Or, what Jesus was to them in the flesh, Jesus is to us in the Spirit – and more! 1. Think about the story of the disciples in the storm (Matt.8:23ff.; Mark 4:35ff.). Jesus helped the disciples by calming the storm. But then He helped them also by rebuking them for their lack of faith. 2. And how about the story of Peter walking on the water (Matt.14:22ff.). Jesus empowered Peter to walk on the water. Then when he doubted and began to sink, Jesus reached out to catch him and pull him up. Finally, Jesus challenged Peter about faith. 3. Then there’s the story of Peter’s denial of Jesus (John 18:15ff.; 21:15ff.). Jesus warned Peter (Matt.26:34ff.; Luke 22:34ff.), Jesus prayed for Peter (Lk.22:31-32), then Jesus forgave Peter, and finally Jesus exhorted Peter to feed His sheep and care for His lambs. 4. This is just a tiny sampling of the ministry of Jesus in the lives of His disciples, but it is enough to give us a glimpse of what Jesus had in mind when He referred to Himself as their PARAKLETOS. C. Jesus goes on to give us one more analogy that helps us to understand the Holy Spirit as paraclete: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) 1. This is more than just the fact that He has been like a father to them. He has fathered them, He has given them life, He has caused them to be born (again). And now they are children and their father (Jesus) is leaving. They are in danger of becoming orphans. And in the language of a dying father He tells them He will not allow them to become orphans. He is going to send them another father to walk with them and help them and teach them and protect them and guide them, for children are not able to take care of themselves. 2. But here Jesus says something very strange. He tells His disciples that in order to not leave them as orphans, He will come to them. This shows us that the ministry of the Holy Spirit as paraclete is really the continued ministry of Jesus with us through the Holy Spirit. 3. All through His ministry Jesus made reference to the fact that He was going to be with His disciples on a continuing basis. E.g.: a. Matt.18:20 "Where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst." b. Matthew 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 4. Well, it is through this new PARAKLETOS, the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is with His people. When Jesus walked on this earth, He was with His disciples. But now He is in heaven with the Father. But He has sent us the Holy Spirit as our new helper. Or, Jesus is now our helper through the Holy Spirit. 5. That’s why He says of the Spirit in our passage: “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you...In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (John 14:17, 20) 6. And this pattern can be seen through the rest of the NT: a. 2Timothy 4:17 “But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me, in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth.” b. Acts 18:9-10 “And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.’” c. Acts 9:31 “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.” (The word translated comfort here is paraklesis, a derivative of PARAKLETOS.) IV. Application A. Some of us struggle to remember how much we need God’s help. This is an evil kind of contentment, a contentment which destroys the soul. It is being content with the coldness of one’s heart. It is being content without God. It is being content with deadness and apathy and lust and self-reliance and Christlessness. It’s thinking we can handle things fine without His help. Or it is wanting to be able to handle things without His help. B. Other times we feel our need very keenly, but we don’t realize what wonderful help we have from God. We think of Him as far off. We think of ourselves as journeying along pretty much alone. 1. (And we might be. If we are outside of Christ, then in one sense we ARE walking alone, which is a sad and scary thing.) 2. But if we are believers in Christ, then we have the HS. The HS is not someone we hope for, but someone we have, someone who is with us and in us, an ever-present helper. 3. So, if you are a believer in Christ, you have a Helper, and He is with you. You have not been left alone! 4. This is such good news for us when we feel weak, when we feel lonely, when we feel like God is far from us. Behold what love God has for us, that He would send us a Helper! How great is the love of Jesus that He did not want to leave us alone! He is not detached. He is not just an impersonal power working from a distance upon my soul — by remote control. He is close to me. He is with me. He is my Friend. Indeed, He is even in me. How slow we are at appreciating the preciousness of the fact that God is with us. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) ought to be our daily consciousness. We are a God-helped people! We must strive to think of ourselves as and live our lives like a God-helped people. 5. In Col.1:29 Paul said he was “striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” In Eph.3:20-21 he said that God is able to “do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” It’s good to have a sense of our own weakness. God wants us to feel weak. But He also wants us to walk in the knowledge of His strength – even as we are feeling our weakness. God said to Paul in 2Cor.12:9 “My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness.” Sometimes we feel very weak. At other times we feel strong. But how rarely we have both a profound sense of our own weakness and yet also the confidence that God’s power is at work mightily in us and through us in spite of our weakness! God wants us to feel our need for help, but He also wants us to know the presence of His Helper, the Holy Spirit. C. Finally, a special word for the younger generation among us. 1. Every generation has it’s way of thinking, which strongly affects the thinking of all those who live within that context. 2. In my opinion, the foundational perceived reality of the younger generation today is that we are alone, that there is nothing ultimate, nothing absolute. We are on our own, except that we have each other. 3. Even Christian growing up in this generation are easily affected by this thinking of their peers. They often experience a sense of emptiness, a sense of randomness, a sense of purposelessness of this world. 4. But Christian young people need to know that they are NOT alone. God rules over all according to His good purposes, and is bringing all things to their perfect consummation. And He has sent His Spirit as our Helper/Friend. We never walk alone.