NOT LEFT ALONE
One
of the biggest fears I had growing up was the fear of being left alone. My Mother
and Father both worked in a hospital in India. Due to their work, they came
home quite late each night. We children were left with our grandmother at home.
I remember those evenings were quite long and frightful. I would stay awake,
wondering whether my Mom and Dad would come back home. I would only fall off to
sleep hearing their assuring voices upon their return.
Children and grown-ups also have
fears of being left alone or facing loneliness. Many have endured loneliness
due to the Pandemic for the last two years. We have been isolated from our
loved ones. Some affected by COVID-19 died in the hospital alone without being
surrounded by loved ones. Students graduated high school and college alone
without friends at home.
Church members have lost their
fellowship with other church members. Several pastors have felt lonely as they
were restricted from their usual way of ministering to the needs of
congregation members. They preached to empty pews through a cellphone to
imaginary crowds that were not there. Isolation and loneliness are the two
biggest problems we face today.
Here are some key findings on
Loneliness in America. "American adults, 36% of respondents reported feeling
lonely frequently, including 61% of young people aged 18-25 and 51% of mothers
with young children. Half of the lonely young adults surveyed said that no one
in the past few weeks had "taken more than just a few minutes" to ask
how they were doing to make them feel like the person "genuinely cared."[1] Loneliness is an awful
reality, hard to face.
Have you been lonely of late, or do
you know someone feeling lonely? We are not meant to be alone; we are created
for community. Yet we go through fears of being left alone or having to face
life alone. When faced with loneliness, what hope do we have? John 14:15-31.
Every kid who grew up in the Lutheran
Church in our town in India memorized and recited the Apostles Creed during
Sunday worship service. The Apostles Creed is not because the early Apostles
wrote it, but it summarizes their teachings. It was developed somewhere between
the second and ninth century AD. Christian faith rests on the teachings of the
apostles. Here is the
Apostle's Creed. “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and
earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day, he
rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the
Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the
holy catholic Church (the universal Church), the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.[2] As a twelve-year-old kid, I
recited it regularly without fully understanding it. Since becoming a follower
of Christ, I have grown in my understanding and appreciation of God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is also called the doctrine of the
Triune God.
What Christian doctrines do we teach
our kids these days? Many kids growing up in Christian homes know more about
Santa Class and Easter Bunny than the Virgin birth, crucifixion, and the
resurrection of Christ. Christians must know and believe the correct doctrines
when there are so many false doctrines and conspiracy theories out there.
We will get back to learning about
the gifts of Tongues and Prophecy next week. Today I want to introduce you to
the giver of all the ministry gifts, the third person of the Triune God, the
Holy Spirit. What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit
only meant for Pentecostals or Baptists as well? The Holy Spirit is only for
men? How about the women?
1.
The Promised Holy Spirit is for all people regardless of gender, age and
denomination.
God promised to send the Holy Spirit
into the world at an appointed time. Joel 2:27-28, Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even
on servants—men and women alike." This scripture refers to the days when
God would pour His Spirit upon all people regardless of gender and age. He
began that outpouring of His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in the book of Acts
chapter two and has not stopped ever since. He will continue that outpouring until
Jesus returns to the earth for the second time. Wilma and I have experienced
this infilling of the Holy Spirit.
You may ask, Pastor, has the Holy
Spirit not come into my heart when I got saved? Do I have to be filled by the
Holy Spirit again and again? Let's see how this infilling of the Holy Spirit
worked out in the life of Jesus. We need to realize that Jesus was filled with
the Holy Spirit from His birth. Remember the words of the Angel to Mary,
"the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the baby to be born will be holy,
and he will be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35.
Yet something significant happened
at age 30 when he was baptized in the River Jordan and anointed with the Holy
Spirit (Luke 3:21-23). From that point on, Jesus began His public ministry with
powerful teaching and performing great miracles as the Holy Spirit enabled Him.
Similarly, we Christians are only
born again by the work of the Holy Spirit. In a sense, every truly born-again
Christian has the Holy Spirit. Yet the appeal of Paul to be filled with the
Spirit to the Ephesians and us remains the same. Ephesians 5:18, "Don't be
drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the
Holy Spirit." There are over 63 scriptures in the Gospel of John that indicate
Jesus was entirely dependent on God. How much more do you and I need to rely on
God to navigate the challenges of this life.
II.
The Nature and the Ministry of the Holy Spirit
John chapter 14 begins with these
words, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in
me." What made the hearts of disciples troubled? It was the announcement
of Jesus' departure, which came as a shock to the disciples. Upon hearing
Jesus' initial call, they have left everything and followed Him. Jesus and His promises
were their only security. Now even that was being threatened. It was a moment
of uncertainty. A sense of abandonment and fear loomed large on the disciples'
faces. In that frightening context, Jesus spoke these words.
John 14:15-16 "If you love me,
obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate, who will never leave you." Vs. 16, "And I will ask the
Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate,
Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever."
AMP
Hasn't Jesus promised to be with his
disciples until the end of the age? Now the time has come to keep that promise.
He would ask the Father, and He will give them another helper to be with them
and in them forever. Let us look at the nature of the Holy Spirit?
John 14:26, But the Helper
(Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and
act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember
everything that I have told you." AMP.
John 16:13-16, "When the Spirit
of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own
but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will
bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to
the Father is mine; this is why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever he
receives from me."
Throughout the scriptures, we see this
working in concert among God the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
God, the Father, honors the Son. Jesus obeys the Father, and the Holy Spirit
glorifies Jesus. When we accept Jesus, all the three make their dwelling in our
hearts.
III.
Not Left Alone
When Jesus was on earth, he did
several things to take care of His disciples. He saved them, taught them about
the Kingdom of God, corrected them, fed them, and protected them. Now Jesus was
going away, who would carry out these crucial tasks, so they wondered.
The disciples thought they were
going to be left behind as orphans. Vs. 18, "I will not leave you as
orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you. Jesus
fulfilled that promise by sending the Holy Spirit to help them navigate their
lives.
Similarly, God's children are not
left as orphans in this world. We have the promised Holy Spirit to live with
us, live in us, and help us in our spiritual journey. When the Holy Spirit is
in us, we are never alone. How does the Holy Spirit help a believer? First, He
helps us understand God's word as He is the one who inspired all of the
scriptures. (II Timothy 3:16-17)
Secondly, He helps us in our
weaknesses by interceding for us before God (Romans 8:26). Thirdly, through his
gifts of wisdom and understanding, he helps us make the right decisions.
(Romans 12). Fourthly, He gives us other ministry gifts to serve one another
and build up His Church. Fifthly, when we walk by the Spirit, He helps us to
overcome sin (Gal 5:16)
Six, He helps us overcome the
decapitating fear of all sorts. (Ps 56:3,4, II Tim 1:7) Seven, the Holy Spirit
affirms our status of being sons and daughters of God. (Romans 8:14). Eight,
the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live a life that is pleasing unto God
(Romans 8:11). Are you feeling
lonely? Are you overwhelmed by the challenges of life? When you have no
strength left in you, remember you have the mighty power of the Holy Spirit in
you. Amen!
[1] https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/loneliness-in-america
February 2021
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed#Lutheran_Church
