Please Note: Springford Baptist Church will not hold an in person service for today Sunday, May 22nd. We will consider and communicate our plans for the weeks ahead.
JOHN 14:23-27
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.24 Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you.26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:23-27 GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT REMINDS
Springford Baptist Church : May 22, 2022.
There are lots of things I can notice when I am out walking and enjoying God’s creation. I notice the beautiful colours of tulips growing in people’s yards. I notice the rabbits hopping around and nibbling on the tender grass and dandelions. I notice the colours of the sky and the patterns of the clouds. I notice the robins who are following that proverb, “The early bird gets the worm.” And I have noticed a beautiful blue perennial flower that some of you may have in your gardens. The “forget me not”.
It has occurred to me that the simple message of that delicate flower the “forget me not” is a reminder of the crucial work of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. God’s wise and loving Holy Spirit keeps reminding us of what we need to keep in mind in the living of our everyday lives. It all centers in not forgetting our God.
When it comes to noticing, God can remind us through His Holy Spirit that He is at work in all things and all people. Jesus initiated this amazing opportunity for close relationship with God and God’s Holy Spirit persistently reminds and draws us back to Jesus and all that He has taught us.
Jesus said to His followers then as He says to us His followers today, “All this I have spoken while still with you.But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (vss. 25b,26)
When we are being reminded by God’s Holy Spirit of all that Jesus has said and how His words lead and guide us, at the center of His message is the assurance and reassurance that we are not alone. We do not have to struggle on our own and in our own strength. This was never what God intended.
The Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus has said, “Surely I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)
I think of people in Buffalo who have been devastated by the lives lost through a recent hateful act of violence there. I know someone who is a teacher living just 7 minutes from the grocery store where the shootings took place.Now the children and families in that neighbourhood are shaken and scared because of what has happened.
Sometimes the reminders of how much we need God come through very painful experiences when it is clear to us that we cannot face them by ourselves.
In each of our lives, there are things we face where we can hold tightly to the truth that God is with us and loves and cares for us.
This week I was speaking with an elderly man whose mother died when he was born. All of his life he has carried that loss with him and even his ability to believe that he can trust God and that God loves him has been affected.
I want all of us to understand that God reminds us of our need for Him and how He is available to help us not just in the really desperate times of life, but every day.
Every day God is saying to us through His Holy Spirit, “Forget me not”/ “Don’t forget me.”/ “Notice me.”
You know how little children may notice things you didn’t see like a tiny ladybug or a bumble bee on a sweet smelling flower. Likewise, I am convinced that there are countless things that God’s Holy Spirit is prepared to have us notice and be reminded of if we are willing.
Reminders are only helpful if we take notice of them. We can post notes on the fridge or mirror. We can have reminders on our calendars or phones. We can have reminders from the dentist or eye doctor or another specialist of an upcoming appointment. We can have friends or family members reminding us, but we still need to take notice and follow through on the reminders. I wonder about the incredible patience of God’s Holy Spirit.
Imagine a conversation at the end of a typical day amongst God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
God the Father: “How did things go today reminding my much loved children of what Jesus has said and done for them”?
God the Holy Spirit: Well, all through the day I was busy sending them reminders and giving your much loved children a chance to hear from You and to receive strength for the day. Some of them were listening and some of them were not. Some were so busy with their own plans or so stressed out by all that has been happening in their lives that they just didn’t seem to notice my reminders.
God the Son: I experienced the same thing when I was on earth. I taught and healed and did miracles. I thought that people would understand how much we love them and how much they need us, how much we want to be there for them, but they seem to forget so easily.
God the Father: Still there are some who do notice us and there are some who receive strength and turn their attention to us. Holy Spirit, I want you to keep on reminding my much loved children of how much I love them and of all that Jesus has said and done. This is the key for them through each day of life.
We have been reminded again through today’s Scripture that we are not alone and that God has carefully arranged for His Holy Spirit to keep on reminding us and urging us to stay on the path that God has for us.
There is another promise that we have along with the promise that the Holy Spirit is available to teach us all things and to remind us of everything that Jesus has said.
This is the promise of peace that comes when we remember Who God is and when the Holy Spirit reminds us of what we need to know of God. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you.” (vs.27) Every day we can be reminded and notice and remember Jesus and receive the peace He offers!