Meet your helper: A fresh look at the Holy Spirit

Jesus called him 'the Helper.' He's not distant or abstract, but is present, personal and powerful.

This sermon was given by the Rev. David Libbon at Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Cornelius, North Carolina, on May 25, 2025.

You can view the sermon here, starting 21 minutes into the service.

The text for today was John 14:21-29.

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Pentecost Sunday is just around the corner — a time when we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ followers, as told in Acts 2.

To help us prepare, Pastor David has launched a short series on the third person of the Trinity.

In his message, he turned to Jesus’ words in John 14:25–26:

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Pastor David began with some foundational truths. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force but a divine person — fully God, co-equal with the Father and the Son.

To better understand who the Spirit is, he unpacked the meaning of each word in the phrase The Holy Spirit.

The

• This definite article stresses uniqueness. There is one Holy Spirit — not many spirits. He is not a vague force but a specific, identifiable person in the Godhead.

Holy

• This describes his nature and work. He is perfectly pure, set apart, and dedicated to the purposes of God.

Spirit

• This reveals his form and presence. He is immaterial and invisible — and yet he is personal. As spirit, he can dwell within believers, move freely, and work powerfully across creation.

Together, “The Holy Spirit” names the divine person who lives within believers, empowers them, and transforms them. He is our advocate and our intercessor. He is always present with every Christian.

David quoted Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a Welsh pastor who died in 1981:

“Wherever you go, wherever you are, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is in you. And if you really want to enjoy the blessings of salvation, you do so knowing that your body is his temple. He is with you.”

It’s also interesting that Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Helper.” The capitalized “Helper” indicates that he is a person, and the title indicates his job: To help Christians.

As we move toward Pentecost (June 8), Pastor David is inviting us to reflect on who the Holy Spirit is — not just in theology, but in our daily walk with Christ.

The Spirit is not distant or abstract. He is present, personal and powerful. He helps us remember Jesus’ words, empowers us to obey, and assures us we are never alone.