Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• We saw this morning the problems the disciples were facing
• Judas had left
• Peter was to deny Jesus
• Jesus was to leave them
• The disciples had enjoyed intimate fellowship with Jesus over three years
• How do they get through a week - let alone get to the ends of the earth?
• Jesus gives them comfort in their trouble
• Now is the time to exercise faith in God and Jesus
• "Let not your heart be troubled" - repeated in v27
• The Ground of Faith and the Goal of Faith
• v15ff
• Pull the whole section together
• Jesus is saying the Trinity is committing themselves to these disciples
• Fellowship of the highest order: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
• You are not to be left alone - God will not leave you nor forsake you
• The promise of the Trinity being with you
• By us, for us and in us

God the Holy Spirit

• God will grant the Holy Spirit (v16)
• A counsellor - the Spirit of truth (v17)
• A helper, a comforter - the Holy Spirit (v26)
• Five things stated of the Holy Spirit:
1. Promised
• From the Old Testament
• As close as a helper
• Joel 2:28-29
2. A helper / counsellor (v16, v26)
• A term from the court
• He is a guide
3. He will indwell us (v17)
4. The Spirit of Truth
• To help us evaluate life
• He has the same characteristic as Jesus
• He will reveal the truth about the world and about God
5. Personal teacher (v26)
• He will teach us all things
• The words of the gospel would be taught by the disciples
• We are not alone
• The Holy Spirit is a gift to all

God the Son

• He will be present spiritually (though He will be absent physically)
• v18
• The Holy Spirit communicates a sense of Jesus' presence to us
• Five things stated of Jesus:
1. The Life Giver (v19)
• Because of the Resurrection we will be raised from the dead and live forever
• Jesus is the origin and author of life (v6)
2. The Spiritual Joiner (v20)
• Every person joined together
• We will be joined / united with Jesus
• Example: John Bunion
3. A Perpetual Presence (v21)
• Not just union but communion
• This comes in different ways at different stages of our life
• Examples
• Do we desire and ask for this?
4. The Peace of Jesus (v27)
• One of His greatest gifts to us
• Peace, perfect peace
• Peace in a troubled world

God the Father

• Where the Spirit and Son are found - the Father is there also
• v15-16
• God the Father is with the disciples
• v20-21
• God's love is everlasting - it will not let them go (v23)
• Jesus has said He will take the disciples home (v1-3)
• But He and the Father will come to make their home with us [until heaven]
• Rev 21:3 - The Tabernacle of God is with men
• There is a foretaste of this on earth
• This is true for us in all situations