Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO The Father's incredible promise Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA May 8, 2005 Main Scripture text: Acts 1:1-5; John 14:15-31. Jesus told the disciples to wait the Father' promise, referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit. John 14 makes it clear that the Spirit will be given to those whose inner orientation is a love for Jesus and whose desire is to obey His teaching. The Greek word used in John 14 to describe the Holy Spirit is paraclete. This is a word that has been translated many different ways because of its many layers of meaning: counselor; comforter; helper; advocate; intercessor; strengthener; standby; someone. Let's explore what these English words tell us about the Spirit. 1) A counselor is one who gives us advice. 2) A comforter is one who soothes our brokenness in time of grief and sorrow and brings relief for our anxieties and fears. 3) An advocate is one who defends and supports, or who pleads or argues our case. 4) A helper is one who enables us to do what we otherwise could not do. 5) An intercessor stands in the gap for us in prayer. 6) A strengthener is one who gives us the power we need for daily living. 7) A standby is one who stands with you in time of trouble and is always on your side. 8) The Holy Spirit is "Someone" -- this comes from a Bible translation by J. B. Phillips. In other words, the Spirit is a person we can know and relate to. There's one more biblical image of the Holy Spirit I want to tell you about. It's not a translation of the Greek word paraclete, but it's very important. 9) The Spirit is a "seal." He seals us in Christ, protecting us and holding us firm in Him. In light of all these aspects of what the Holy Spirit does for us, no wonder Jesus said we should "not let [our] hearts be troubled" and we should not be afraid! Now you know why I titled this sermon, "The Father's Incredible Promise!" It seems incredible that all this could be true, but it is true! That's why we call it the gospel or the "good news!" Would you start today to daily receive, by faith, the Father's incredible promise of the Holy Spirit? It really is the promise of Himself, living in you to give you everything you need to do His will. Supporting texts: Luke 11:13 | John 15:14 | 1 Corinthians 2:16 | Matthew 5:4 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 | Romans 8:33-34 | Philippians 4:13 | Romans 8:31 | Romans 8:26-27 | Ephesians 1:18-21 | Hebrews 13:5 | Ephesians 1:13-14 | John 14:12 | Matthew 17:20 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (34:00). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 050508a: The Father's Incredible Promise. © 2005 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us