John 15:26-27 16:4b-11 When the Counselor Comes

John 15:26-27, 16:4b-11 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

26“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27And you also are going to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

16:4bI did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

5“But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6Yet because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth: It is good for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

When the Counselor Comes...

I.

There is always so much going on in life, isn’t there? As the weeks rolled on into years, they had developed a certain rhythm of life. They had been with him constantly for three years. They had eaten many meals together. They had watched him heal the sick over and over. They had seen him feed massive crowds. They had been with him when he was in prayer. They had seen him preach to crowds, and had heard him say they should let the little children come to hear him, for the kingdom of God was for such as those children—for the kind of faith those little children had.

There had been some challenging times thrown in there, like the crossing over stormy seas, or him walking out to them on the water on another occasion. They had been accused of violating the Ceremonial Law when they got hungry and plucked some kernels of wheat to rub together to get a little something to gnaw on one Sabbath Day. Jesus had quickly come to their defense.

“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me” (John 15:26, EHV). It is safe to say that, although they had been with him continually for three years, the disciples didn’t really know Jesus.

All those miracles they had witnessed had been designed to show the people that Jesus really was the Messiah. But what did that mean? Everyone was convinced that Messiah would establish an earthly kingdom. The disciples had been part of the “everyone.” Some had even asked if they could sit on his right and left hands when Jesus sat on his throne. They were sure that this core group was on an inside track to be in high positions in his administration.

Jesus promised to send the Counselor, who would testify about him. They had so much to learn. Yes, he had been teaching them as they walked along, but they didn’t fully understand. The truth is, they really didn’t understand much at all about what was happening and about to happen.

There’s always so much going on in life. Like the disciples, maybe you have developed a rhythm of life. You call on his name to invite him to be a guest at your meals. You remember to call on him when there is sickness or sorrow in your life. You’ve listened to his Word week after week at church.

Do you really know him? Is he just the One to whom you look when the crises of life come up? Is it just the mumbled prayer at mealtimes, and a superficial relationship with him the rest of the time? Maybe you think only about how your relationship with him affects you in this life.

II.

Earlier in their walk Jesus had said: “I am going to be with you only a little longer... Where I am going, you cannot come” (John 13:33, EHV). Perhaps that startling news had been disconcerting enough to be distracting as Jesus continued to teach them.

Now he tells them: “Because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart.” (John 16:6, EHV). Human beings tend to be most concerned about themselves and how everything that happens might affect them personally. Perhaps they thought about all their Sabbath violations, or any one of a hundred other infractions. The One who consistently came to their defense was going to be gone.

“I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’” (John 16:5, EHV). It wasn’t even just the “where” that they should have been asking about, but the “why.”

It was because of all those infractions. They’re called “sins.”

III.

“Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth: It is good for you that I go away” (John 16:7, EHV). It was good for the disciples that Jesus would go away—not just those disciples, but disciples of every age and generation. There was work that needed to be completed.

Jesus knew that Judas would soon approach with the kiss of betrayal. He had already warned Peter about his upcoming denials. He knew each one of our betrayals and denials, too.

Jesus knew all about the upcoming trials before the High Priest and Pontius Pilate. He knew that he would be condemned to death.

The real work of the Messiah was to be the sacrifice for sins. We heard Jesus say a couple of weeks ago: “No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, EHV). He would be put to death for our sins, but Jesus knew that the most intense sacrifice as he hung on the cross would come when he cried out: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” God the Father abandoned him as he hung there so that he would pay the penalty of hell for every sin.

“When the Counselor comes...he will testify about me” (John 15:26, EHV).

What the Bible teaches about sin and God’s grace in sending Jesus to pay for that sin does not make logical sense to us. Without the Counselor—without the Holy Spirit—none of us could possibly know Jesus.

“It is good for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7, EHV).

Today we are celebrating Pentecost. When the Counselor came at Pentecost everything changed. The timid, fearful disciples, who had hidden behind locked doors and had been afraid to acknowledge even knowing Jesus were timid no longer. They heard the sound of the rushing wind. They saw what looked like tongues of fire. Crowds of people came together to see what was going on. The disciples spoke in languages they had never learned before, astonishing everyone.

Jesus had told the disciples in today’s Gospel: “You also are going to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27, EHV). And testify they did. People who had gathered from many different countries, who understood many different languages, were each able to hear the gospel message of salvation in their own language.

IV.

“When [the Counselor] comes, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment” (John 16:8, EHV). Those who don’t know Jesus as their Savior need to hear about sin, and righteousness, and judgment.

“He will convict the world... 9about sin, because they do not believe in me” (John 16:8-9, EHV). Jesus has paid for every single sin that will ever be committed in this world. But we who testify about Jesus need the power of the Counselor to show people that the only sin that still damns is the sin of unbelief. Those who don’t yet know Jesus won’t be in heaven with him.

“He will convict the world... 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me” (John 16:8, 10, EHV). Righteousness—true righteousness—is not something that can be achieved by human effort. People look around and see what seem to be good deeds done by others, but if they aren’t done out of thanks to God for what Jesus has done, they are only acts of civic righteousness. Such deeds do not earn any favor with God.

“He will convict the world... 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned” (John 16:8, 11, EHV). Many have been led to think the Devil is nothing more than a cute little cartoon figure—all in red, with horns and a tail. They think that following the advise of that little red devil on one shoulder isn’t anything to be concerned about. A little evil isn’t really such a bad thing.

The Counselor works to show the people of this world that the Devil is the old evil foe, not a harmless cartoon. Because Jesus has already defeated him, the devil and his minions already stand condemned. One little word can fell him.

“You also are going to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27, EHV). Believers these days don’t usually get to hear a sound like a rushing wind, or watch divided tongues like fire resting on us, or speak in languages that we have not learned. But we have been with Jesus. The Counselor has come to us and has given us faith in Jesus’ saving work. And so it is that you and I are among those Jesus says are going to testify.

Jesus promised that When the Counselor Comes, he would be with us, just as he was with Jesus’ first disciples. He will guide us in our lives of holiness and give us the courage and the strength to testify about what Jesus has done. Share what the Counselor has come to testify to the world. Amen.