God: Comforter
These are the extended notes from today’s message at Cross Community Church. As you might imagine, I did not have time to develop all the scriptures. So these are the major points. If you like, you can also listen to the message or those from the rest of the series online at this link.
John 14: 16-18 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever– 17The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you. (AMP)
Comforter: paracletos: The compound noun refers to “one called alongside.”
When and why do you need The Comforter?
Broken hearted: Psalms 69:19-20 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. 20 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. (NIV)
Oppressed: Ecclesiastes 4:1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter. (NIV)
Sorrowful: Jeremiah 8:18 You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. (NIV)
In Danger: David (to Saul when he was trying to kill him) I Samuel 24:15 May the Lord therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!” (NLT)
When Destroyed: Job 16:19 Even now my witness is in heaven. My advocate is there on high. (NLT)
Jesus sends the Comforter:
Mark 1:8 (John said) “I baptize you withwater, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” (NLT)
John 14:16 Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. (CEV)
John 14:17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. (NLT)
John 14:26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (NLT)
John 15:26 I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will help you and will tell you about me. (CEV)
What the Comforter provides:
Defense when persecuted: Matthew 10:19-20 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (NLT)
Spiritual life: John3:8a Only God’s Spirit gives new life. (CEV)
John 6:63 The Spirit is the one who gives life! Human strength can do nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are from that life-giving Spirit. (CEV)
Conviction: John 16:8-9 The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God’s justice and the judgment. 9The Spirit will show them that they are wrong about sin, because they didn’t have faith in me. (CEV)
Love: Romans 5:5b For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (NLT)
Freedom from power of sin: Romans 8:2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. (NLT)
Resurrection after you die: Romans 8:11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. (NLT)
Power to overcome temptations: Romans 8:13b But you will live, if by the help of God’s Spirit you say “No” to your desires. (NLT)
Spiritual confidence: Romans 8:16 God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. (CEV)
Spiritual strength in prayer: Romans 8:26 In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. (CEV)
We are made right with God: I Corinthians 6:11 But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NLT)
Spiritual gifts to build up the church: I Corinthians 12;1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. (NIV)
I Corinthians 12:7 The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. (CEV)
Made more like Jesus: II Corinthians 3:18 And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (NLT)
Unity: II Corinthians 13:13b May God bless you with his love, and may the Holy Spirit join all your hearts together. (CEV)
Fruit or evidences of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23a God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23gentle, and self-controlled. (CEV)
Wisdom: Ephesians 1:17 The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. (CEV)
Renewed thinking: Ephesians 4:23 let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. (NLT)
Spiritual courage: II Timothy 1:7 God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. (CEV)
New birth, new life: Titus 3:5 He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. (NLT)
Defeating the devil: I John 4:4 Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world. (CEV)
Everything we need is provided by God: Comforter – the Holy Spirit!
