What is the Purpose of the Spirit?
Notes
Transcript
John 14
John 14
Jn. 14:1—We are to allow the Holy Spirit to have His way within our lives.
Jn. 14:5--”so is everyone that is born of the Spirit” (Jn. 3:8). “Faith” is beyond capability, at least without the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God quickens the intellect in that it can be understood and comprehended.
Jn. 14:6—the Holy Spirit leads men into the Truth (Jn. 14:17; 16:13; 1 Jn. 4:6). To say that “truths” outside the Word of God exist, is at the same time saying that the Holy Spirit in giving the Scripture to “Holy men of God” did not have all the knowledge concerning this all-important task.
Jn. 14:7—knowledge of who Jesus is comes about only by revelation from the Holy Spirit. This knowledge of Jesus is a Spirit revelation based on the Word of God which begins at salvation. Only on the basis of Jesus being accepted first as the Savior of man, will the Holy Spirit perform His work of revelation concerning the Father. Such can be learned only by revelation from the Holy Spirit. The reason Jesus used the word “henceforth” is because in about 51 days the Holy Spirit would come. Without the Holy Spirit it was not possible for anyone to really know Jesus. It would take the advent of the Holy Spirit to fully reveal Christ.
Jn. 14:9—God was manifest in Three Persons, “God the Father,” “God the Son,” and “God the Holy Spirit” (Gen. 19:24; Ps. 8:5-6; 16:8-10; 110:1, 5; Isa. 4:2; 10:16-17; 28:16; Dan. 7:9-14; Zech. 3:8-10; 6:12-13). Only the Holy Spirit can reveal the truth of the Word of God to anyone.
Jn. 14:10—The Holy Spirit is in believers, and believers are in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9). For any work of God to be accomplished the Holy Spirit must perform these works. (The Holy Spirit is the Preacher.)
Jn. 14:12-- The reason for the “greater things” done by the disciples is that Jesus will go to His Father, send forth the power of the Holy Spirit (see v. 16; 16:7; Ac. 1:8; 2:4), and answer prayer in His name (v. 14).
By acceptance of Christ as our Savior, one receives the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus can be in the entirety of the world. The same Holy Spirit who filled the heart of the Master indwells every Spirit-filled believer (Acts 1:8). His going away, due to the Holy Spirit being sent, was an addition.
Jesus’ ministry was and continues to be multiplied through Spirit-empowered believers. The gift of the Holy Spirit has come to mankind.
Jn. 14:13—the believer is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit (according to Acts 2:4). The infilling of the Holy Spirit presents the power source of the believer (Acts 1:8). Jesus was telling His followers that they should not witness for Him, until they were first baptized in the Holy Spirit. So many so-called Spirit-filled believers, hardly live up to their potential, but this is not the fault of the Spirit. Every thing done on this earth by God, is done through the Person and Agency of the Holy Spirit, as He indwells the Spirit-filled believer. The only thing done on this earth for Christ is by Spirit-filled believers. “It is by my Spirit” (Zech. 4:6). One must be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Any believer who is baptized in the Holy Spirit can use the Name of Jesus. The “speaking with new tongues,” simply refers to the initial evidence of one having been baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). People who are saved are fit candidates for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The “greater works” would come because the disciples, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, would carry the gospel of God’s kingdom into the world.
Jn. 14:14—Faith unlocks our understanding of Scripture and releases the Spirit’s activity in our lives.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
Jn. 14:15—the word “agape” was chosen by the Holy Spirit to convey to all the world the unique dimensions and over-whelming depth of God’s love and to explore the impact of that love on human beings.
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
Jn. 14:16--Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “another Counselor.” The Holy Spirit continues what Christ Himself did while on earth.
The Spirit will be led by the disciple’s side to help and strengthen them (Mt. 14:30-31), to teach the true course for their lives (v. 26), to comfort in difficult situations (v. 18), to intercede in prayer for them, (Ro. 8:26-27; 8:34), to be a friend to further their best interest (v. 17).
Jesus is our helper and intercessor in heaven (Heb. 7:25), while the Holy Spirit is our indwelling helper and intercessor on earth (Ro. 8:9, 26; 1 Co. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Co. 6:16; 2 Ti. 1:14).
“He shall give you another Comforter” refers to the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to keep the Lord’s commandments, without the help of the Holy Spirit. The word “Advocate” can be used of the Holy Spirit as well. The Holy Spirit can be said to strengthen on the one hand and defend on the other. The Holy Spirit pleads the cause of the believer against the world (Jn. 16:8). The Holy Spirit will not come and go. The Holy Spirit is the only Member of the Godhead presently in this world. Both Jesus and the Father are in the world through the Person and Agency of the Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit is personally present as He resides in the hearts and lives of believers. (1 Cor. 3:16). The Holy Spirit can have nothing to do with the sinful world except to “reprove it of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (Jn. 16:8). Before Jesus died on Calvary, the Holy Spirit could not come to dwell in believers as He now does since the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit will not be taken out of the world at the Rapture.
The Spirit’s coming assures continuity with what Jesus did and taught.
The Helper—the Spirit of God Himself—would come after Jesus was gone to comfort and intercede for the disciples. The regenerating power of the Spirit came on the disciples just before Jesus’ ascension (20:22), and the Spirit was poured out on all believers at Pentecost (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within us and all believers. By faith we can have access to the Spirit’s power each day.
The Holy Spirit is the very power of God in us working for and with us.
Jn. 14:17—THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH—The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth” (15:26; 16:13; 1 Jn. 4:6; 5:6), because He is the Spirit of Jesus. Those who are willing to sacrifice truth for the sake of love or any other reason deny the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit will not be the Counselor of those who are indifferent to the faith or halfhearted in their commitment to the truth.
The Holy Spirit now lives with the disciples. This promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was filled after Christ’s resurrection when he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:22).
“Even the Spirit of Truth,” means in the Greek, “The Spirit of the Truth.” Of all the attributes of the Holy Spirit, the greatest of all is Truth. The Holy Spirit superintends the Bible in every respect. The Holy Spirit is Truth. Paul said, “We have received the Spirit which is of God . . . which things also we speak, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth” (1 Cor. 2:12-14). Even though the Holy Spirit definitely comes into the believer’s heart at salvation, it is only when one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit according to Acts Chapter 2, that the Spirit of God can fully lead the individual. This is the reason we see the urgency of believers being Spirit-filled after salvation (Acts 1:4; 8:14-15; 9:17; 10:44-46; 19:1-2). Entire segments of the Christian community only pay lip service to the Holy Spirit. Parts of the Pentecostal community have abandoned the moving and operation of the Spirit of God. It is the Holy Spirit which makes the Church what it ought to be. The Spirit of God does not dwell in buildings or organizations. The Holy Spirit can and does convict the sinner of his sin and need for Christ. Before the sinner is born-again, he remains a polluted being, which the Holy Spirit cannot tolerate. Once the blood of Jesus cleanses the sinner from all sin, the Holy Spirit is then able to effect the great work of regeneration in the heart and life of that person. This is done “by the Spirit of our God.” Until this is done, the Spirit of God cannot indwell the person. Only born-again believers can understand the Holy Spirit and know Him. While the Holy Spirit does convict the world of sin, the unbeliever does not know or understand at all the work of the Spirit until he yields to that which the Holy Spirit points. He has no knowledge that the Holy Spirit is the One who is doing these things. Old Testament believers while having some knowledge of the Holy Spirit, were very limited. It was not until Jesus died on Calvary, which then made it possible for the Holy Spirit to come in a new dimension, that believers understood Who He was! The Holy Spirit occupied believers in both Covenants. Due to sins continuing to be against believers, the Holy Spirit could not fully occupy the individual. After all sins against believers were taken away, the Holy Spirit could now dwell in the believer.
The Holy Spirit who operates as a Helper for the church, is not impersonal.
The Holy Spirit has been active among people from the beginning of time. Many people are unaware of the Holy Spirit’s activities, but to those who understand Jesus’ words and the Spirit’s power, the Spirit gives a whole new way to look at life.
Jn. 14:18—Jesus reveals Himself to the obedient believer through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit makes us aware of the nearness of Jesus and the reality of His love. This is one of the Spirit’s primary tasks. The fact that Christ comes to us through the Spirit should cause us to respond in love.
“I will not leave you comfortless,” refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. “I will come to you,” spoke of coming to the disciples in the Person and Agency of the Holy Spirit. Inasmuch as it was the business of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ (Jn. 16:14), the disciples would learn even more about Jesus by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts the disciples did not grieve for the Lord because they now had the Holy Spirit Who constantly made Christ real to them.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in believers, and to have the Holy Spirit is to have Jesus Himself.
Jn. 14:19--”Ye see Me,” refers to the revelation of Him by the Holy Spirit. It is the business of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to the seeking soul. It also speaks of the quickening of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, for no person can be said to be spiritually alive, unless one has been born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Jn. 14:20--”At that day,” speaks of the Holy Spirit indwelling the heart and life of the believer. “Now we have received the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:13). A six-year old child who is Spirit-filled knows more about the ministry and operation of the Holy Spirit than a professor who does not know God! Being born again provides fertile ground for the Holy Spirit to work. The Holy Spirit moves mightily upon the Word of God to the heart of the lost soul. The Holy Spirit moving upon the Word of God is peculiar to Bible Christianity alone. The Holy Spirit move only upon the Word of God and nothing else! We are given the basic ingredients of what the Holy Spirit wants us to know!” People who are truly saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit have no problem understanding that Jesus is God, as the Holy Spirit opens up the Word of God to these great truths.
Jn. 14:21—Jesus keeps the Commandments for us through the Person and Agency of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:2). He does it for us through the Spirit. Having life “more abundantly,” (Jn. 10:10), is done through the Person and Agency of the Holy Spirit, even as said in verse 17.
Jn. 14:23—The Father and the Son come to believers by means of the Holy Spirit (see v. 18).
If the Spirit be grieved, the Spirit has to deal with the conscience in conviction rather than with the heart in manifestation. here could be no greater honor than having the Holy Spirit abiding within our hearts (vss. 16-17). The abiding of the Father and the Son, is through the Person and Agency of the Holy Spirit.
Jn. 14:24—To say that people remained saved even though they cease to love Christ and begin to live lives of immorality, contradicts these and other words of Jesus concerning obedience and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Millions of Christians ignore what Jesus has said about the Holy Spirit.
Our decision to obey is the key to understanding the spiritual reality of the Scriptures and frees the Holy Spirit to teach us.
Jn. 14:25—The disciples did not understand what Jesus spoke but this woud all change, upon the advent of the Holy Spirit.
“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 said to you.
v. 26--HOLY SPIRIT—The Counselor is identified here as the “Holy Spirit.” For the NT Christian the most important thing about the Spirit is not His power (Ac. 1:8), but that He is “Holy.”
The phrase, “which is the Holy Spirit,” proclaims the third Person of the Godhead. The personality of the Holy Spirit appears here in the terms of “teaching.” For the Father to send the Holy Spirit in the “Name of Jesus,” refers to the fact that Jesus alone paid the price in removing the sin debt, in order that the Holy Spirit could abide within the hearts and lives of believers. The Holy Spirit is sent in”His Name!” The phrase, “He shall teach you all things,” proclaims the Holy Spirit as the Great Teacher of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will anoint the believer to know if what he is being taught is scriptural (1 Jn. 2:27). It is actually the Holy Spirit who uses “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). It is the Spirit of Truth who is the final authority. After the Holy Spirit was sent, the disciples then understood what Jesus was saying. The Holy Spirit made real the words of Christ in their hearts and lives. Immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter preached the inaugural message of the Church. Even though his message was delivered an hour or two at the most after the infilling of the Holy Spirit, it became obvious that Peter is a changed man. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was with those in the First Covenant. The believer can be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is such a given in the book of Acts, that it becomes clear that this is the intention of the Spirit of God, according to Acts 2:4! For believers to be enabled by the power of God is intended by the Spirit of God.
John’s Gospel introduces the Holy Spirit’s role in spiritual growth. The New Birth and the baptism with the Holy Spirit endow the believer with the life and gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the ability to pray in Spirit power. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher. Understand that the Holy Spirit enables God’s people to understand and live by the truth.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is predominantly Christ-oriented. The Spirit is never self-serving.
Jesus promised the disciples that the Holy Spirit would help them remember what He had been teaching them. The Holy Spirit helped them remember without taking away their individual perspectives. The Holy Spirit can help us in the same way he helped the disciples.
Jn. 14:27--”The peace of God,” is a “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23).
The Holy Spirit’s work brings deep and lasting peace to our hearts and minds. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with Jesus’ peace (see Php. 4:6-7 for more on experiencing God’s peace.
Jn. 14:28— the disciples did not understand Jesus coming back through the Person and Agency of the Holy Spirit. The advent of the Holy Spirit would solve this problem fully explaining to them what Jesus spoke. This passage proclaims that Jesus is not the Father, or the Holy Spirit.
Jn. 14:29—this verse speaks of Jesus sending the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would make the picture complete.