Greetings

 

Congregation stands to read Jn 14:15-18.

[15]“If you love me, keep my commands. [16]And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—[17]the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18]“I will not leave you as orphans;  I will come to you” (Jn 14:15-18, 26; 15:26; 16:7-11, 13-15; See Ac 1:4-5).

Prayer

 

Introduction:

Many people are claiming God as their Father, but they really do not have a parent-child relationship with Him. They are orphans, spiritual orphans, just as children in the natural world are orphans because they have no parents. In the passage we just read, Jesus promised His disciples that He would ask His Father to send the Spirit of truth to them, and He assured them that He would not leave them as orphans, He would come to them (Jn 14:15-18). The Holy Spirit coming to dwell in them is the confirmation that they belong to God’s family (Jn 16:15; 17:6, 10; Ro 8:9). My message this morning is “God Does Not Want You To Be An Orphan.”

 

1. God wants you to come into His family, but not on your terms: 

God wants you in His family but not  on your terms, not because you believe you are a good person, you come to Church on Sundays, you always say the Our Father Prayer, you have Christians in your family or even that you are a descendant of Abraham, as the Jews in Jn 8:31-47 found out.

• Before God can give us His Holy Spirit as a confirmation of His parent-child relationship with us, we have to  [23]"believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and…love one another as He commanded us.  [24]“Those who keep his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave to us" (1 Jn 3:23-24;Acts 5:32).

 

• Romans 10 explains how God wants you to believe in the name of His Son.  [9]“If you declare  with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10]For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified  and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved…. [11]As Scripture says, Anyone who believes in him [Jesus] will never be put to shame.  [12]For there is no difference   between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, [13]for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Ro 10:9-13). If you follow what we have just read, you will be saved, you will not face eternal punishment for your sins--all the times you disobeyed God.  You will stand before God as someone who is justified, because you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is the only valid reason for God not to hold you responsible for your sins and to give you His Holy Spirit. 

 

• Again, the Holy Spirit sets you apart from the world as God’s son or daughter.  Jesus declares, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt 12:50). You will no longer be a spiritual orphan; God will truly be your Father. For only [14]" those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” [15]The Spirit you received…brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [16]The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children" (Ro 8:14-16). And as 1 Corinthians 12:3 clearly states, “No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”

 

2. What are some evidences you have God's Holy Spirit and are not an orphan?

It should not be too hard for your brothers and sisters in the Church and the people whom you live among in the world to see the evidence of God in your life.

• Every child of God has the fruit of the Spirit, i.e., love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Ga 5:22-23), and I love to think of the fruit of the Spirit as one fruit with nine distinct seeds in it. God has given them to us to help us live holy lives and to make us a blessing to others, even to those who curse and physically harm us.  The fruit of the Spirit is a more lasting proof of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life than other evidences.

 

• Another evidence is the gift of speaking in other languages (1 Cor 13:8) as the Holy Spirit enables you (Acts 2:1-4). The disciples received this gift on the day of Pentecost. This gift covers two areas, the earthly--tongues of men and the heavenly--tongues of angels.  The tongues of men is called the gift of  prophecy (1 Cor 13:2), the ability to speak earthly languages we never knew before to prophesy about the wonders of God to people of different languages and tell them that Jesus is the Savior (Acts 2:17). The tongues of angels is called the gift of tongues, the ability to speak in heavenly languages (Acts 2:13, 15), which no one understands, to praise God in a new way. The heavenly languages are called tongues because they have no earthly names, such as Parthians or English. Be aware that not all believers have the gift of prophecy and gift of tongues, but we can ask for them (1 Cor 12:10, 29-30; 1 Cor 14:1). While these are important gifts, they are not lasting gifts as this verse shows, [8]"Where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled" (1 Co 13:8). In contrast, faith, hope, and love will remain, and love is the greatest (1 Cor 13:13). It is all about faith and love. Galatians 5:6 says, “…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” When you have the Holy Spirit and God is truly your Father, you will be able to love others as Jesus loves you (Jn 15:12; 1 Jn 3:23).

 

3. What does God want you to do if you do not have His Holy Spirit?

God wants you to turn away, repent, from your life of disobedience and obey Him as others have been doing for a long time.

• On the day of Pentecost, many people heard the message of salvation and 3000 people obeyed the command that led to them receiving the Holy Spirit. [38]“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39]The promise, is for you and your children…for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:36-39; Ro 10:9-10).

• For Jesus says, if earthly fathers, though they are evil, [13]"know how to give good gifts to your [their] children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Lk 11:13).

 

Invitation:

The doors of the Church are open, and I encourage you to come. Believe in Jesus from your heart. God wants to give you His Holy Spirit, and be your Father, today. 

 

 

 (Sunday Morning Service, Aug. 16, 2015).