21 March 2018

John 14
Psalm 27

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.

John 14:15-17

In a troubled world where we seem to be at the mercy of corrupt politicians and bad people seem to prosper, we draw comfort from the fact that Jesus is the only way to the Father, that He reveals the Truth and gives us eternal life. Jesus promises not to leave us as orphans (vs 18) and, in fact, we have the enormous privilege of being adopted into God’s family so we can call God our Father and Jesus our Brother.

In Psalm 27 David faces opposition but he knows that with the Lord’s help he has nothing to fear (Psalm 27:1).

We have nothing to fear from the world; God our Father has sent the Holy Spirit (John 14:16) to live with us and in us forever (John 14:16-17).  This means that all believers have God dwelling in them now, on this side of eternity, and for all eternity when we are in the new earth and restored universe.  What a responsibility to know that God dwells in us and that our actions are being watched by a sceptical world and to live in a way that glorifies God the Father. But we also look forward to – and long for – the day when we are in the new, perfect, restored earth and bound to all of God’s children and the Father and Son by the Spirit. But even though we live in a world which is far from perfect, and is groaning as though in childbirth (Rom 8:22), we can know the peace that Jesus has brought us, by bearing the penalty of our sins, and the promise that we will not face God’s judgment.

In the end, God is our “comforter” (14:16) – or helper – He will always be the strength that we require in every situation in this broken world. As Christians we have the ability, through the Holy Spirit, to recall Scripture and truths to assist us in every situation.