We have been seeing over the past few weeks that the shepherd’s rod and staff were used not to intimidate the sheep, but for their care, welfare, support and guidance: ‘Your rod and staff, they comfort me.’ I hesitated to use the shepherd’s staff as a ‘type’ of the Holy Spirit, but as I considered the caring and comforting ministry of the Good Shepherd our Lord, my mind ran immediately to the passage before us today. Listen to what Lord Jesus said in verse 16: ‘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–‘. Notice that Lord Jesus used the pronoun ‘He’, indicating that the Holy Spirit is not an influence or a feeling as many people try to explain, but a Person, a Real Person: He is a Person who counsels, comforts, guides, empowers, inspires and teaches –but most of all abides. An impersonal influence –an ‘it’ –doesn’t do that! Modern translations substitute for the word ‘comforter’ such words as ‘Helper’, ‘Counsellor’ or ‘Strengthener’. But the Greek word is parakaleo –para meaning ‘besides’, kaleo meaning ‘to call’, and put together, it means –One Who is called alongside us. Why is He called alongside? For counsel? Yes. For Strength? Yes. For everything? Yes. There isn’t a single thing needed for life that He in His Holy Spirit, the Comforter isn’t there to provide. Just as a shepherd walks alongside his sheep to care, comfort and to guide, so the Holy Spirit has come among us to bring the reality of Lord Jesus’ Word and Presence to our hearts. It is through Him that we are in touch with Lord Jesus, and with heaven, and it is through Him also that there steals over us the assurance that we are one with Him and that we ‘belong’. Oh, the security of being under His constant supervision and care is very important. Too good to be true? Too good not to be true? But the Holy Spirit is real and is true and this is the reason why we all should always work hard to have the Holy Spirit indwelling in our Heart and Mind by meeting up with the conditions of rightness and holiness with God! True Peace only comes through and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in an individual!

Now let us read John 14:15-27; 15 If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. 16 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– 17 The 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. 18 I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you. 19 Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you. 21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.] 22 Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world? 23 Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. 24 Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me. 25 I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26 But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, 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 cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

We need a deep, residing peace in our soul. We are living in troubling times, but your heart does not need to be troubled. Sometime ago we read the words of Lord Jesus, “Let not your heart be troubled.” He was speaking to the disciples whose world was about to be turned upside down. Anxiety, worry, and fear are understandable, but just because they are understandable does not mean they are what God wants for you or for me. God speaks to it over and over in His word. “God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.” In John 14, Lord Jesus is speaking to His disciples; they had just finished their last supper together. These are some of the last words Lord Jesus will say to them before He is betrayed, arrested, handed over to His enemies and killed, so these words are extremely significant to them and to us. We have got to treasure our Lord’s teaching and practice them realizing that we are now in trouble times when fear, anxiety, worries are very eminent! In this chapter we read some of the most famous and powerful words that our Lord Jesus taught His disciples, saying “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me…” And then in verse 6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” Then, in verse 15, “If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.” It is important to notice that our Lord Jesus repeats these words three times in these verses. Somebody reading that verse might say, “Did Lord Jesus really give commandments? I mean commandment like commandments? I knew there were commandments in the Old Testament, but are there actually commandments in the New Testament? I don’t think I should like the word commandment, it sounds so – command like – so concrete, so definitive, so inconvenient. “I think He should make suggestions,” they say, “or perhaps He should make recommendations; He could even exhort us, but require? Insist? Expect? Why would Lord Jesus give commandments?” Maybe it would be comparable to the relationship of a teenager to his parents. That’s or this teaching of our Lord to His disciples is a good analogy because those times of our Lord Jesus are turbulent years similar to the one we are living in today when young people are trying to figure out who they are and whether they will agree with the wisdom and direction of their parents or if they will resist at every turn and insist that they are their own boss refusing to listen to parents. Today the parents do not even know enough truth of God in their hearts to teach unto their teens! On the other hands, the teenagers are not even interested today in the things of God, because worldliness has carried us over and blinded us! When we were raising our kids, we tried to communicate to them that our role as parents was to help transform them; to help transform their character; it was for their blessing and good that we gave certain commandments. Lord Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.” We had a very similar rule which parents give to their teens, they had or teach us to respect one another, and they had to respect us, but such ‘commandments’ were given to bless and transform them. In John 14 Lord Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” In other words, these are not commandments you keep simply because it’s the law; these are things you do because you love Lord Jesus and you love His Father and that love causes you to want to do what He says. At one point in the history of Israel God explained why their lives and their nation were falling apart, saying, “Behold, their ears are closed, and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.” In other words, they had no love for God and therefore His Word had no value to them. Here’s an illustration. Many of you are perhaps too young to remember when the Dallas Cowboys were a good football team. Many years ago, they drafted an accomplished quarterback, Roger Staubach. The problem was that he was used to calling all the plays himself, but he was drafted onto a team that was coached by Tom Landry, who was considered a genius in football strategy; and who called every play… That’s the point; many people are used to calling their own plays. But when you love God and trust that He is the way, the truth, and the life, you want to do what He says, because His way is the way of greatest blessing. It’s the way of truth and life. In John 10:10, Lord Jesus said that He came that we might have life and have it abundantly, life to the full. Many, however, don’t connect the dots; that is, we don’t seem to understand what it means by the way to abundant life you receive from Him is by doing His commandments. I. His Commandments Come from Love: • Over and over in these verses Lord Jesus says that the one who loves Him is the one who has His commandments and keeps them. • Lord Jesus connects the two together, “If you love Me, you will keep My word.” Because God loves you, He wants to transform you, so He sends His word – His commandments – so you will be a good man with a good heart that brings forth what is good in your life. • In other words, God gives His commandments out of His love for you – because of His love for you. It’s an expression of His love. A. Love gives meaning to life; • Lord Jesus said that the greatest commandment God has ever spoken is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. • Notice the connection; “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. If you do something for God without love, do you really mean it? If you do something for God without love, it’s empty, it’s hollow, it has no meaning. Isaiah 29:13, “13 And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without any thought as to the meaning],” Illus – It’s like earthly relationships, if you bring flowers on Valentine’s Day (it’s required after all), toss them on the counter and say, “Here’s your flowers,” did you mean it? • Love gives meaning to life. But what if you did mean it? Wouldn’t it change the way you did it? • Lord Jesus is saying that the two are connected. 1 John 5:3, “3 For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).” Let us make effort to be doing things out of love in other to give our life meaningfulness! B. Love your neighbor; • Lord Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” What were the two greatest commandments God ever spoke? Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength…And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. This Lord Jesus confirmed and ordained. But He also added His commandments. • What were some of these commandments? John 13:34-35, “34 I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. 35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].” • This is sacrificial love; love that blesses others even at your expense. But when you love sacrificially, you’re the one who is blessed. • He gave other commandments also… Luke 6:27-28, 36, 38. “I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.… Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you… Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful… Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” • Give unto others; that’s sacrificial living. It’s part of God’s heart to bless you through transforming your heart and character. It is our defective character and behavioral pattern that is part of the causes of our problems in life and that is why God aims at transforming us to conform to the character and behavior that is found in Christ because it is only the character and behavior of Christ that leads to upliftment in life. Illus – If you withhold forgiveness, you’ll be bitter. If you hold back love, you’ll be lonely and empty. If you hold back generosity, you’ll be greedy. So these are areas in life that requires divine attention in Christ! • When you leave this earth, you’ll leave your treasures behind; God is giving you spiritual treasures that are eternal. So let us work hard to gather eternal life and wealth God gives! Illus – Spiritual exercise is a great illustration. My wife and I drove by Nike some time ago and saw this buff guy running without his shirt. It takes a lot of exercise to look like that. What would happen if we can do the same thing (exercise) spiritually? It is only through the word of God that we can learn how to exercise spiritually! But we are bereft of God’s word, too bad! 1 Timothy 4:7-8, says, Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. • Here’s the thing; Lord Jesus said the Holy Spirit is the Helper whom the Father will send. Imagine the spiritual results in your life. In other words… C. God helps you to love; • God doesn’t just give commandments and then say, “You’re on your own, see if you can do it.” If that were the case, everyone would fail. God gives us commands and also helps us to practice it. John 14:16, “16 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–“ • In another place Lord Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” But when you abide in Him, you bear much fruit, what fruit? The fruit of the Spirit… Galatians 5:22, in talking of the fruit of the Spirit, says “22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,” • The Spirit will help you… According to Isaiah 30:21, to hear “21 And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.” Illus – Some time ago I had a difficult person in my life and one day God gave me a great revelation that truly helped me. I was in the shower and thinking about what I should do when I felt an inspiration of God say, “Does God love this person?” I knew that God loved him. “Does God want to bless this person?” I knew that God did. “Then you be in agreement with God.” Do you now see how God leads us, and it is because we do not have enough God’s word in our heart that is our problem!

• Lord Jesus then said in verse 27, “27 Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” • In other words, the result is peace. Not the kind of peace the world gives, it’s different, it’s peace in the soul. Peace that enables the body and the soul to work in unity. • Many people are really troubled in their soul, they’re looking, always searching, but never finding. Hence our Lord told us to seek, ask, knock and you will find, get or have it open unto you. A. Peace will guard your heart and mind; • Instead of being anxious, instead of worrying and being bothered about so many things in life, let your requests be made known to God with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving. • Then you’ll have peace, not just any peace, but the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension. It’s that kind of peace that will guard your heart and your mind from worry and anxiety and fear to a divine assurance that God will provide for you. In Philippians 4:6-7, we read, “6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([a]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that [b]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall [c]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” • Faith brings that kind of peace. It’s beyond comprehension or beyond understanding because it’s counterintuitive. When things go wrong, people expect you to be filled with anxiety, but when peace guards your heart and mind, you have an anchor for your soul. B. Dwell on that which is true; • Vs 16-17 — “16 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– 17 The 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.” • He will lead you into the truth, and the truth will set you free and will bring peace, a deep, residing peace in the soul. Philippians 4:7-8, “7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that [a]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall [b]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].” • What you put into your heart and mind has everything to do with how you live your life. Proverbs 23:7, “7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].” • In other words, you become what you set your mind upon, you become as you think in your heart. But He our Lord has the power to transform. • Lord Jesus finishes as He began, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you… Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” So let us give ourselves to Christ!