The Gospel of John: The Power Behind the Plot
Pastor Johnathan begins by describing how the plot thickens in the Gospel of John as Jesus approaches his betrayal. He draws a parallel between the plots in movies and the spiritual plot against believers, explaining that Satan works to make people believe they're doing right when they're actually being led away from Jesus. As Pastor Johnathan states, "The devil works the same strategy with us today. He gets people to believe that they're doing right, maybe even good."
The pastor emphasizes that Satan is the true source behind our struggles—not other people, political parties, or circumstances. Using John 14:30-31 as his key scripture, Pastor Johnathan highlights Jesus's declaration that the ruler of this world "has no power over me." This sets up his main theme: we must focus on "the power behind the plan" (God) rather than "the power behind the plot" (Satan).
Pastor Johnathan then delves into Jesus's teachings about the Holy Spirit in John 14:15-31, noting that Jesus spent a significant portion of his final moments discussing the Holy Spirit (Parakletes). He clarifies that "the Holy Spirit is not scary, and the Holy Spirit is not weird. The Holy Spirit is for you." The pastor categorizes people's understanding of the Spirit into three groups: the uninformed (who fear the Spirit out of ignorance), the misinformed (who believe the Spirit's work was only for Biblical times), and the well-informed (who have a balanced understanding of the Spirit's role).
Drawing from Genesis 1:2, Mark 1:10-11, and other passages, Pastor Johnathan establishes that the Holy Spirit is a person—the third person of the Trinity—who has always existed as co-equal and co-eternal with God. He explains that the Holy Spirit has a personality with mind, will, and emotions, serving as our helper just as Jesus promised.
The sermon then focuses on the promises we can hold onto through the Holy Spirit's power. Using Exodus 6:6-8, Pastor Johnathan outlines four promises: God will rescue us from bondage, free us from oppression, redeem us with power, and make us part of His family. He challenges listeners: "What promises has God given you? Have you let those promises go?" He encourages perseverance, reminding us that Biblical figures like Joseph, David, and Jesus held onto promises for long periods.
Pastor Johnathan concludes with a powerful correction to a common misunderstanding: "Being filled with the Spirit is not how much of the Holy Spirit you have. It's how much of the Holy Spirit has you." This perspective shift moves believers away from pride and toward surrender, allowing the Holy Spirit to truly work through them as "the power behind the plan" for their lives.