The Advocate Within: Love, Obedience, Never Alone

And if you're struggling to love the Lord or to follow the Lord's commands or kids that are out there of all ages, if you're struggling to listen to your parents and what they are asking of you, please tell my kids downstairs, I said this too, that that we don't have to do that out of our own efforts, but we have the gift of the spirit to help guide and support us in that. Last slide. This love, this gift, it's the fountain from which all true obedience flows and the mark by which genuine discipleship is recognized. [00:47:14] (45 seconds)  #GiftOfTheSpirit

Probably butchering how that is said, but it is true love. So chiefly, this is wholehearted, unconditional, devoted love. And this is actually love that is rooted in God's character. It describes a volitional covenant loyal love that seeks the true good of another regardless of merit or cost. So we're loving God if you love me. We are seeking the goodness of another regardless of the cost. Sometimes it costs to love and follow Jesus. [00:30:34] (36 seconds)  #UnconditionalCovenantLove

I pray that the spirit is gonna nudge you and you're gonna remember this moment. And remember that, wait, I need to spend time with God. I need to fix my eyes on him and remember that I am not alone at all. Because Jesus gave the gift of the advocate, the comforter, the counselor, the one who guides and leads us, the one who reveals and illuminates Jesus' truth. Right? It said the spirit of truth. It's not just the spirit who animates the world, but also the spirit that brings truth. [00:45:13] (39 seconds)  #SpiritOfTruthGuides

The first thing that jumped out to me was another. And I thought, oh, that's interesting. Another advocate. Because first the father sent Jesus. And now Jesus is saying, I'm gonna ask the father and he's gonna send another. Because Jesus has already said this was this conversation is kind of like after they've had supper, before they've gone to the garden, and Judas comes with to betray Jesus. So we're kind of at this point. I'm gonna give you another advocate. [00:33:19] (30 seconds)  #AnotherAdvocate

I was doing school with the girls the other day, and Jerica was reading about a timeline of a story. And that timeline had the points along it, But there was arrows. It went all the way back, and it never stopped. And it went all the way forward, and it never stopped. This advocate is to be with us forever. Our next slide. So this advocate, Jesus says, this is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. [00:37:31] (32 seconds)  #ForeverAdvocate

So it's to give, to grant, or to bestow. I just love that fancy word of bestow. I bestow this upon you. It feels so fancy, you know, I'm gonna knight somebody. So it's this gift, this other advocate, and to be with you forever. This is age. Eternity world forever everlasting. So when I was reading through this, of course, Chris Tomlin's age to age he stands and time is in his hands was starting to play through and I thought, oh, this is really cool. [00:36:17] (38 seconds)  #EternalGift

I thought that was really interesting because a couple, I don't know, months ago, I preached on, the dry bones, the breath of God coming, and the dry bones coming alive. And the same word of pneuma for spirit from the New Testament reading is the same word from the Old Testament, which is ruach. I don't believe that I have a slide for ruach. But that's a Hebrew word. It is the same meaning just, you know, we have I don't know what banana and banan, French and English, same thing. [00:38:34] (32 seconds)  #PneumaRuach

It is awesome. Whether today is a wonderful celebratory day for you or whether today is a difficult and challenging day, You are seen and you are loved by the most high God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the one who knew you as you were knit together in your mother's womb. [00:26:32] (21 seconds)  #KnownAndLoved