John 14:16-17,26-27 (The Ministry of the Holy Spirit, Part 1)

 

Intro: Final words thoughts – teachings

A)Jesus introduces the idea of the HS

 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments.  16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever —   17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 

 

B)Jesus told his disciples that he was leaving them.

1)The good news for these men is that they would not lose Jesus.

 

C) Not leave them orphans.  He would be back by means of His Spirit, and He would stay with them.

1) Says Another Helper = Another of the same Kind.

 

Talked last time – Personality of the HS

A)3rd Person of the triune God – Not a force or a Power

 

B) Personal Characteristics –

1) He loves:

2) He has a mind: Romans 8:27

3) He has will: 1 Corinthians 12:11

4) He can be lied to: Acts 5:3 

5) He can be grieved : Ephesians 4:30

C) Personal ACTS Ascribed to the Holy Spirit.

1) He brings comfort John 15:26

2) He speaks. Revelation 2:7

3) He cries out. Galatians 4:6

4) He makes intercession. Romans 8:26

5) He gives testimony John 15:26

6) He teaches all truth John 14:26

 

D) Again those are things that a force or a power cannot do!  Personal traits and actions

 

So Jesus was leaving but He wasn’t going to leave them alone – Send another just like Him{ Spirit

A)If you were going to die – and you told your kids – Uncle Joe is going to come and take care of you.

 

B) But Never met uncle Joe – not very comforting

 

C)But if you told them – I am going to come back to you – in another form –

1) I will be with you forever . They may not understand it totally-  but much more re-assuring for them.

 

The Spirit would take over the work that Jesus had been doing with the disciples.

A) The reason they had held firm in their faith for

3 ½  years was because they were with Jesus.

 

B)The minute they lost sight of who he was, even when he was physically present, they began to come apart.

C) He upheld them; he strengthened them; he counseled them; he ministered to them.

1) But now he promises another is coming who will do this same work.

 

D) Entering into a new dimension in their relationship with Him!

 

V.19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will LIVE ALSO , 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

 

A)There is a new vitality coming by means of the Spirit.

 

B) It is amazing to me to see when someone starts to understand that the Risen Christ is alive in them – thru His Spirit – they live

1) Lives once dull – Now they are filled with a new sense of Joy & purpose  as the Spirit began to release to them the life of Jesus.

 

C) I love the way that Jesus puts this – I am in the father and you are in me.

1) Become a Christian – First experience – Placed in Christ.

 

D)We know we belong to another family; we realize that we now are children of God.

E)We are no longer children of the devil, following after a false philosophy.

1) We have been transferred out of the powers of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of his love.

 

F) The reality of the phrase  "You in me."

 

But soon we begin to learn another great truth -- that he is "I in you."

A)We learn that we are not required to demonstrate how much we can do for God, but what he can do through us!

 

B)Many Christians take a long time to understand this

1)They spend yrs trying figure out – what can I do for God.

 

C)This explains how a lot of believers can have a great deal of excitement and holy zeal

1) But in reality achieve very little.

 

D) They are not aware of the new provision that has been made:

1)Jesus will be at work in them.

 

E) He has given us the HS as a Helper!

 

Now the word Helper is the word Paraclete in the Greek it means one called to one’s side to help.

A)It is also a that was an ancient warrior’s term. "Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs,",

 

B) See  when the enemy attacked, they could draw together back-to-back, covering each other’s blind side. 1)One’s battle partner was the paraclete."

 

C)Our Lord does not send us to fight the good fight alone.

1)The Holy Spirit is our battle partner who covers our blind side and fights for our well being.

 

Now here the HS is referred to as the Spirit of truth

Imparts truth to the world – especially believers v26

Look at John 14:26

 26 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 things that I said to you.

 

A)Here we are told that one of the main aspects of

His ministry is that of teacher

 

B) For the rest of our time today I want to focus on How He teaches & then the Purpose of His teachings.

 

C) How ?  4 ways

 

#1 Through appointed Vessels!

Ephesians 4:11-14

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

 

A) Placed Pastors and teachers{ Open up the word

      Give understanding insight

 

B) Equip edify – build up and strengthen – make stable.

 

#2 He Himself gives us understanding.  Turn to John 16:12-15

12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 

 

A)Why didn't he say them? What was hindering him?

 

B)The answer, of course, as he says, is that they couldn't bear them then.

1) Kindergartener Calculus

 

C)It would have been laying too heavy a load on them.,  so he refused to lay it on them.

1)But the text also tells us what they were lacking

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;

A)Teaching guiding – carry the idea of instruction and application.

 

B) Computer problems – Eddie/ Aaron / Rob

1) They quickly fix it – fast – what did you do

They start talking computer { forget it

 

C) The HS doesn’t operate that Way – He teaches – He guides

 

D) He opens the word to us and speaks to our hearts giving us insight into how it is to be applied.

 

I love the fact that the Lord’s desire is not to keep us in the dark – V. 13 continues

for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

 

A)Twice Jesus says – the heart of the father is to DECLARE these things to you.

 

B) That is the role of the HS

1) He starts by bringing the word to life!

1 Corinthians 2:9-14

9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."   Usually we stop there – but we must read further.

 

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.

A)What a remarkable thing – These deep things have been revealed to us by the HS.

 

B)The Word of God can at times seem like a dark cave with many tunnels and depths

1) For the Christian who is willing to venture in the HS is like a guide – holding a torch – illuminating wonders there in.

 

C)Unfolding the beauty of ancient truths that with stand the test of time.

1) True 4,000 yrs ago and equally true today.

 

 Paul continues

For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

 

The spirit of God is clued into the heart and mind of God!   { Good news

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

God has blessed us – Given us His spirit – opens the word to our hearts

 

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

 

The Spirit is truly a remarkable resource.

A)He gives to the believer a source of knowledge not to be found in any university in the land.

 

B)Take the top academic institutions – filled with vast collections of human learning and knowledge,

1) But it doesn’t compare with the Wisdom that comes from the Spirit of God.

 

C)There is fundamental knowledge about life, absolutely necessary to properly function as a human being, that will never be found in any secular university, 1) but is made available to us only by the Spirit.

 

D)This resource is a fountain of strength, an ability to revive, to encourage, to put new focus into life.

1) The Spirit can grant a cleansing of the conscience and heart that human psychology knows nothing about.

 

 

Here is what is amazing: You can take two individuals and put them in the same situation

A)One has a ton of formal training & education – but not the spirit –

 

B) He might follow the procedure to the letter – follow the manual by the book

1) But it is the wrong approach for the situation

 

C) Take another individual no formal training – but filled w/ the spirit – and sensitive to the spirit.

1) Listens to the voice of the Spirit –

 

D) Result is his actions are right on the money

1) He handles the situation in a way – that shows a great deal of wisdom

 

E) Probably the best combination – Someone who is trained yet filled and sensitive – best of both worlds

 

#2 The HS teaches by giving us understanding of the Word of God

 

#3 He brings to remembrance: For the disciples talking inspiration

A)Jesus was reassuring the disciples that the things He taught them – over 3 yrs – HS bring to remembrance

 

B)This is our reassurance that when these men began to write they wrote exactly what Jesus had said.

C) To use the modern language of Silicon Valley, the Spirit of God has power to trigger the "data retrieval system" in the minds of these apostles and bring back everything they had heard.

 

D)Some even see this division in the words of Verse 13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; (that would be Gospels), for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; (the Epistles), and He will tell you things to come  (the book of Revelation)

 

E)For them it was bringing to mind the things that He taught – to be penned for the scriptures

 

He still does the same thing in our lives – brings to your remembrance truth –

A)Don’t worry about what to say …….

 

B) Some verse you haven’t even memorized – He brings to your remembrance.

1) HS retrieval system – Computer data base of the heart and mind.

 

C) Notice v. 13 again However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;

 

This is an important point as well.

A)What does he mean there? He means that the Spirit of God is never going to give you isolated truth.

 

B)He will not come out with some startling, brand new, absolutely different revelation which nobody has ever heard of before!

 

C)Every now and then we hear of some preacher who says, "God has spoken to me and has revealed to me this brilliant new idea. Nobody has ever taught it before.

1) If you want to know the secret you've got to come to me!"

 

That is exactly what Jesus says will not happen.

A)The Spirit of God will never speak that way.

 

B)He will speak only what he hears. The Spirit, as God, is always hearing what God forever is saying to men.

1)Therefore, what he says is always integrated truth, always in line with what God has already said.

 

C)It is in line with what he has already spoken.

1) It will never differ from what he has said in the past, but will fit into the context of life as God has revealed it.

 

No new truth! If it is new it is not true!

A)New application – maybe even insight that might broaden the truth. – No new truth

 

B) Test taught by Jesus in the gospels? Was it modeled by Jesus in the gospels?

1) Modeled by the Church in the book of Acts ?

2) Taught by the earlier Church in the epistles?

 

C) If answer is no – throw it out!

 

J. O. Sanders wrote, “A walk in the Spirit will of necessity be a walk in accordance with the Word the Spirit has inspired.”

 

Now lets consider the purpose of His teachings

A)John 14:27 – Peace = Stability in tough times – the ability to cope!

 

B)Think for a minute about the persecution that they were about to face.

 

C) Yet there was a peace and confidence that marked the earlier Church that was staggering.

 

2) Testify of Jesus! -  John 15:26

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

 

His whole purpose is the point us to Christ – Bear witness to Christ.

 

HS doesn’t want to be the focus – doesn’t want to be the center of attention Doesn’t want Glory

3) Glorify Christ – John 16:14

 

We can tell when we are walking in the Spirit.

A)There is peace and an absence of strife.

 

B) No Striving!

 

C) We are pointing to Jesus – testifying of Jesus

 

Jesus is being glorified not us.