**********John 16:5-15

Holy spirit

John 16:5–15 (NRSV)

5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

There have been volumes written about the Holy Spirit. The Bible is filled with references to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is found in Genesis. The Spirit of the Lord came upon His people in the Old Testament to empower them to do a special work. The Holy Spirit is found throughout the New Testament.

What is the Holy Spirit? Where is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? Who is the Holy Spirit? Is it important to study about the Holy Spirit? Is it important to know the Holy Spirit?

Sadly, many in the modern day church go to one of two extremes in dealing with the subject of the Holy Spirit. There are many extremist who attribute signs to the Spirit that the Bible never gives. Some claim to be “slain” in the Spirit which is foreign to Bible teaching.

No where in the Bible are we commanded, or expected, or even given an example of someone being “slain” in the Spirit. That is a man-made doctrine!

→ We are commanded in the Bible to be filled with the Spirit! (Ephesians 5:18)

→ We are exhorted to bear the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22–23)

→ We are taught that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8)

→ We are taught that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God (Luke 11:13)

→ We are taught that we will receive power to witness for Jesus Christ when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. (Acts 1:8)

→ We know that the Holy Spirit of God moved on the holy men of God to write the Holy Word of God. (2 Peter 1:21)

→ We know that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit upon believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. (Ephesians 1:13–14)

We have much strange fire in churches today! Most Baptist churches that I know of, would have nothing to do with such beliefs and/or practices. Many churches have guarded against strange fire and they have settled for no fire. We can be doctrinally as straight as a gun barrel and be as empty as a gun barrel as well. The other extreme that people go to is to deny the Holy Spirit, not to talk about the Holy Spirit, not to submit to the Holy Spirit, and not to obey the Holy Spirit. Both extremes “Quench the Holy Spirit!” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) A.W. Tozer wrote, “In most Christian churches the Spirit is quite entirely overlooked. Whether He is present or absent makes no real difference to anyone. Brief reference is made to Him in the Doxology and the Benediction. Further than that He might as well not exist … Our neglect of the doctrine of the blessed Third Person has had and is having serious consequences. For doctrine is dynamite. It must have emphasis sufficiently sharp to detonate it before its power is released … The doctrine of the Spirit is buried dynamite. Its power awaits discovery and use by the Church … When the Holy Spirit ceases to be incidental and again becomes fundamental, the power of the Spirit will be asserted once more among the people called Christians.” I don’t know about you, but I for one do not want the Holy Spirit to be incidental, but rather to be fundamental in all that we teach and practice.

John declared the coming of the Spirit and the work of the Spirit in God’s people and in the world. The Spirit of God in the child of God will be a guide to the Savior, a guide for the Savior, to glorify the Savior. I want to challenge men and women to submit to the Spirit, learn from the Spirit, and be obedient to the Spirit. This passage gives us some facts about what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.

I. The promise of the Holy Spirit. (5–7)

Jesus reiterates the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit to His disciples.

Setting:

◾ The Lord Jesus met with His disciples in the Upper Room and there He instituted the Lord’s Supper.

◾ He began to tell them that He would be betrayed into the hands of sinners.

◾ This is before they left to go to the garden of Gethsemane where the Lord would be arrested and brought back to Jerusalem to be tried and then crucified.

◾ Jesus promised them in John 14:16–18; 25–26; and John 15:26–27 that the Holy Spirit was coming.

In this passage that we are studying He once again tells them that He is about to depart.

A. The departing of the Son. (5–7a)

“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you”

The Lord’s announcement about His departure didn’t excite the disciples. They were sorrowful over the news that He was about to leave them. Sorrow had filled their hearts! Sorrow: lupe, loo’-pay; sadness-grief, grievous, + grudgingly, heaviness, sorrow. The disciples had left homes, businesses, families, children, their wives, and their security to follow Jesus Christ. For three and one-half years they spent their days traveling with Him, ministering with Him, eating with Him, observing His wonderful works. Everything they had hoped for and known was about to change. The Lord’s public ministry among His followers was about to end! To top that off the Lord doesn’t console them, but He chastises them somewhat. He says that none of them asks Him “Where are You going?” They were focused on themselves and what would happen to them—it was all about them at this point.

Then the Lord tells them that it was to their advantage that He goes away. In their eyes their whole world was falling apart, but the Lord is saying that their whole world was coming together! The Lord reminds them that if He doesn’t go away the Helper will not come to them.

Helper: (KJV: Comforter) parakletos, par-ak’-lay-tos; an intercessor, consoler-advocate, comforter. The Lord is telling His disciples that the Helper will not come to them unless He (Jesus) goes, and it is better for them that He go! The Son must depart before the Spirit would come! This was hard for the disciples to grasp and get hold of. John Phillips wrote, “They were not yet able to grasp the significance of the replacement of a limited bodily presence with an unlimited universal presence.”

When the disciples were with the Lord during His earthly ministry there were times even then that they were not in His presence. There were times that they were sent ahead by the Lord, that they were left behind by the Lord, or that they couldn’t find the Lord! Now, through the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit the Lord would constantly be with His disciples. What advantage would it be for them to have Jesus leave? J. C. Ryle wrote, “The (disciples) did far more for Christ when He was absent, than they had ever done when He was present … One thing is very clear. The universal invisible presence of the Holy Ghost in the Church, is better than the visible bodily presence of Christ with the Church. Christ’s body could only be in one place. The Holy Ghost can be everywhere at one and the same time. Whatever the disciples might think, it was far better for Christ to go up to heaven, and sit at God’s right hand as their Priest, and send down the Holy Ghost to be with the Church till He came again, than for Christ to tarry with them as He had done. Flesh and blood might have liked it better to keep Christ on earth, eating and drinking, and walking and talking in Palestine. But it was far better for the souls of men that Christ should finish His work, go up to heaven, take up His office there in the Holy of Holies, and send down the Holy Spirit on the Church and the world.” The promise of the Holy Spirit’s coming was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost when the disciples received the Holy Spirit from heaven! (Acts 2:1–4) It was necessary for the Son of God to depart for glory! The Bible tells us of the departing of the Son and:

B. The descending of the Spirit. (7b)

“but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”

The Lord tells His disciples that when He departs the Spirit will descend. The Lord Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to His disciples. He knows where we are and what we need! The Lord promised to send the Holy Spirit to His church. Send: pempo, pem’-po; to dispatch, to transmit, bestow, or wield-send, thrust in. After the resurrection of the Lord before He departed from them to heaven He tells His disciples in Luke 24:49, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” The disciples were directed to wait and they were promised that they would be endued with the Holy Spirit. Thank God that He has sent the Holy Spirit! The Bible tells us about the promise of the Holy Spirit. We also learn about:

II. The Person of the Holy Spirit. (7c–8a)

“I will send Him to you. And when He has come”

The Lord Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit.

→ He didn’t promise to send a hinderer, but a Helper

→ He didn’t promise to send a critic, but the Comforter

→ He didn’t promise to send a compromiser, but the Convictor

→ He didn’t promise to send a force, but a Friend

→ He didn’t promise to send a mercenary, but a Missionary

→ He didn’t promise to send a plan, but a Person!

The pronouns “Him” and “He” is in the masculine in the Greek.

That refers to the Person of the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Spirit? Who is the Holy Spirit?

→ Holy Spirit: (Holman Bible Dictionary) the mysterious third Person of the Trinity through whom God acts, reveals His will, empowers individuals, and discloses His personal presence in the Old and New Testament.”

The Holy Spirit is God the Spirit that indwells believers, seals believers, guides believers, empowers believers, secures believers, and works through believers. Adrian Rogers wrote, “Sometimes believers get a little removed from the Person of the Holy Spirit and refer to the Holy Spirit as an ‘it.’ He is not an ‘it.’ The Bible teaches that He is a person, just as much a person as God the Father and God the Son.” The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is a Person. He has the characteristics of a person.

✓ He speaks. (Acts 13:2)

✓ He is self-aware. (Acts 13:2)

✓ He can be grieved. (Ephesians 4:30)

✓ He loves. (Romans 15:30)

✓ He has a will. (1 Corinthians 12:11)

✓ He can be offended (Hebrews 10:29)

✓ He can be lied to (Acts 5:3)

Clearly the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person. The Bible tells us about the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Person of the Holy Spirit, and we also learn:

III. The power of the Holy Spirit. (8b–12)

A. To convict the world. (8b–11)

“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction. He will reprove the world. The Lord tells His disciples that He is sending the Holy Spirit, not for a pleasure trip, or a sight-seeing journey, or to be a servant of man. The Holy Spirit has a job to do! Just as the Lord Jesus came to earth on mission. He lived with a purpose. He came to seek and to save that which is lost. The Holy Spirit’s job is to convict the world. Convict: (KJV: Reprove) elegcho, el-eng’-kho; to confute, admonish -convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove. The word means “to expose to light, to refute with a view to correction, to cross-examine with the purpose of convincing or refuting an opponent.” This word could be translated “to pronounce a verdict.”

The Holy Spirit is come to convict the world in three areas. Sin: hamartia, ham-ar-tee’-ah; sin, offence. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. He brings unrest, upheaval, a deep sense of wrongdoing to people. We are in desperate need of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit when we preach, when we teach, when we witness, when we testify, when we sing. Sadly, often we are missing the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Tommy Carlisle has often said that the Lord convicts his heart every time I preach. He comes under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Is that true of all of the church? Our altars are abandoned and dry, we listen to a message and go away unmoved and unchanged. May God bring the conviction of the Holy Spirit back to us as a church and to the U.S as a nation.

R.A Torrey, in his book “The Holy Spirit” tells of when he was the pastor of Moody Bible Church in Chicago. At that time they had a twenty-five member committee of elders and deacons. They met every Friday night for supper and to go over the church rolls to see which people needed attention. At one meeting, an elder expressed his concern:

“Brethren, I am not at all satisfied with the way things are going in our church. We are having many professed conversions, and we are having many accessions to the Church, but I do not see the conviction of sin that I would like to see. I propose that, instead of discussing business matters any further tonight, we spend the time in prayer, and that we meet on other nights also, to cry to God to send His Holy Spirit among us in convicting power.”

Everyone consented, and they spent not only the rest of that evening in prayer, but also a number of nights in prayer following that. The contents of their prayers were that God would bring the Spirit’s convicting power. It wasn’t long after the first meeting that as Dr. Torrey preached on a Sunday night that a professional gambler was there. At the invitation the gambler came forward and then was brought to Dr. Torrey. The man’s opening words were, “Oh, I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I feel awful.” He revealed that that afternoon he was walking and saw an open air meeting. Among the participants was a man with whom he had formerly associated with in his sin. He stopped to listen, but was not much impressed, so he went his way. But after he walked several blocks, he felt moved to return. After the meeting he was invited to church. He said, “Oh, I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I never felt like this before, I feel awful.” He trembled before Dr. Torrey. Dr. Torrey said, “I’ll tell you what is the matter with you. The Holy Spirit is convicting you of sin.” That powerful man trembled with deep emotion. The gambler, who had never been to a Protestant service, before, knelt before the Lord and cried out to God for mercy. He left shortly afterwards with the joyous realization that his sins were forgiven and he was on his way to heaven. Thank God for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Thank God that He makes us miserable in our sins! C. S Lewis once said, “The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.”

Jesus tells us in verse 9 “of sin, because they do not believe in Me.” The sin of unbelief is the root of all sins. It spurs disobedience, rebellion, ungodliness in the world. John 3:17–18 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Revelation 21:8 says, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” He came to convict of sin and of righteousness. Righteousness: dikaiosune, dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay; equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification:-righteousness.

In verse 10 the Lord explains, “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see will Me no more.” The Lord Jesus was condemned as a criminal, as an evil doer, as a lawbreaker. They trumped up charges against Him because there was no sin in Him. He who was without sin was made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Those who had condemned Him as evil would be convicted by the Holy Spirit of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. William Barclay wrote, “Jesus was crucified as a criminal. He was tried; He was found guilty; He was regarded by the Jews as an evil heretic; and by the Romans as a dangerous character; He was given the punishment that the worst criminals had to suffer, branded as a felon and an enemy of God. What changed that? It is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who convinces people of the sheer righteousness of Christ, backed by the fact that Jesus rose again and went to His Father.”

The Holy Spirit shines the light on our unrighteousness and shows us of our unworthiness in light of the Lord Jesus’ perfect righteousness and worthiness. R. Kent Hughes wrote, “When Almighty God raised Jesus from the dead, He was saying, ‘This is the Man I accept, and all men unlike Him I reject … The Holy Spirit convinces us that our own righteousness does not come close to Jesus’ righteousness … .Unworthiness is the driving awareness of the man or woman who is in the process of grace. Only the Holy Spirit can bring this awareness.”

The Holy Spirit will also convict of judgment. In verse 11 the Lord elaborates, “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” The devil is judged! The devil brought sin to the world. He brought rebellion to the world. He tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God! He’s corrupted the human race! He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, but thank God that the Lord Jesus has defeated the devil and destroyed the devil’s work. (1 John 3:8) Warren Wiersbe wrote, “When a lost sinner is truly under conviction, he will see the folly and evil of unbelief; he will confess that he does not measure up to the righteousness of Christ; and he will realize that he is under condemnation because he belongs to the world and the devil. The only person who can rescue him from such a horrible situation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There can be no conversion without conviction, and there can be no conviction apart from the Spirit of God using the Word of God and the witness of the child of God.” Have you been under the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Are you under conviction of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit has power to convict the world. We also note He has power:

B. To convey the Word. (12)

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

The Holy Spirit reveals to the disciples the Word of the Lord. The Lord had many more things to tell them, but they could not bear them at that time. He was not going to be physically present to teach them, but He was sending the Holy Spirit who would convey His Word to them and to us. The Lord knew that the disciples were full of sorrow and they were at their limit. Bear: bastazo, bas-tad’-zo; (through the idea of removal); to lift, literal or figurative (endure, declare, sustain, receive, etc.) bear, carry, take up. This word gives the picture of carrying something.

◦ Mindful of our human frailty is the God in whom we trust;

◦ He whose years are everlasting, He remembers we are dust.

The Holy Spirit has power to convict the world and to convey the Word. We’ve learned about the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Person of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, and we also note:

IV. The pointing of the Holy Spirit. (13a)

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth”

The Spirit of God will lead the child of God to know the Word of God and do the will of God. He will guide us into all truth. He is called the Spirit of truth. The Lord tells His disciples that He has many things to say to them in which they cannot bear at that time, but the Holy Spirit is coming and He will guide them into all truth. He is not taking us to the mountaintops of the world, but to the marvelous treasures of the Word. Guide: hodegeo, hod-ayg-eh’-o; to show the way (literal or figurative [teach]) guide, lead. He is our tour guide and He will illuminate our paths, steady our feet, give us clear signs on which way to take, and what to believe and not to believe.

Have you ever been on a guided tour? Maybe it was in a museum or in a factory, or maybe in was in a foreign land. Tracy and I went to St. Augustine a couple of years ago for our anniversary. While there we paid to ride the trolley around town and take the guided tour. I remember the driver was well trained and they had a speaker system on each trolley. The driver would give a run down of the history of St. Augustine. He would point out buildings, forts, trees, Spanish Moss, fountains, churches, businesses, and would proceed to tell us the history of each item. He would tells us about who owned what, who donated what, what year settlers came here, etc … These guides were very well trained and thoroughly versed in the history of St. Augustine. It is beneficial at times to have a guide when visiting places, but it is essential to have the Guide while dwelling here below.

The Lord promised us that the Spirit of truth will come and guide us into all truth. The Spirit will lead the way. He didn’t come just to point out the way, or inform us, but He came to lead the way! We will not know everything about everything, but we do know the One who knows everything. When the Bible tells us that He will guide us into all truth it speaks of the truth that pertains to God’s revelation of Himself and His redemptive purposes in the world. Have you heard from the Guide? Are you following after the Guide? He came to point the way, show the way, and lead the way! The Bible tells us about the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Person of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, the pointing of the Holy Spirit, and lastly we note:

V. The proclamation by the Holy Spirit. (13b–15)

A. The message of the Spirit. (13b)

“for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

The Lord tells us that the Holy Spirit is not coming to do His thing, but to do the will of God. He will not speak of His own authority, but He speaks all that He hears from the Father. The message of God the Holy Spirit is in unison with the message of God the Son and God the Father. The Holy Spirit will speak and does indeed speak. The Holy Spirit has a message and His message is the truth. The Lord lets them know that He will tell them things to come. He spoke to His disciples! Peter, James, John, Paul, Luke would all record the things the Spirit taught them. Paul would write of things to come! (1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4; 2 Thessalonians 2) John would also write of things to come! (Revelation) The Bible tells us of the message of the Spirit, the Bible tells us of:

B. The magnifying of the Son. (v. 14)

“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

The Lord Jesus tells us about the proclamation by the Holy Spirit. He will not speak in and of His own authority, but He will speak all that He hears. The Lord Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will magnify Him. Glorify: doxazo, dox-ad’-zo; to render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide application):- (make) glorify (-ious), full of (have) glory, honor, magnify. The Holy Spirit will always magnify and glorify the Lord Jesus. He will brag on Jesus! He will lift up Jesus! He will point others to Jesus Christ. He will put the spot light on Jesus. F. B Meyer wrote, “The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, and when the Holy Ghost works most, you do not think about the Holy Ghost, but you think about our dear Lord.”

In his book “Your Father Loves You” J. I Packer wrote, “I remember walking to church one winter evening to preach on the words, ‘He will glorify Me,” seeing the building floodlit as I turned the corner, and realizing that this was exactly the illustration my message needed. When floodlighting is well done, the floodlights are placed so that you do not see them; in fact, you are not supposed to see where the light is coming from; what you are meant to see is just the building on which the floodlights are trained. The intended effect is to make it visible when otherwise it would not be seen for the darkness, and to maximize its dignity by throwing all its details into relief so that you can see it properly. This perfectly illustrated the Spirit’s new covenant role. He is, so to speak, the hidden floodlight shining on the Savior.

He goes on to say, “Or think of it this way. It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder onto Jesus who stands facing us. The Spirit’s message to us is never, ‘Look at me, listen to me, come to me; get to know me.’, but always, ‘Look at Him, and see His glory; listen to Him and hear His word; go to Him and have life; get to know Him and taste His gift of joy and peace.”

The Spirit will proclaim the Word of God to the child of God and through the servants of God in the world. The Spirit of God will magnify the Son of God! The Bible tells us about the message of the Spirit, the magnifying of the Son, and lastly about:

C. His ministry of sharing. (15)

“All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

The Holy Spirit will engage in a ministry of sharing God’s word with God’s people. He will take of what is of the Father and of the Son and declare it to the disciples. Thank God we do not have to try figure out the Bible on our own. This book is alive and it is sharper than any two edged sword. God the Spirit will declare to us what God the Father would have us to know. The Lord Jesus did not leave us stranded, lonely, hopeless, and without guidance. The Holy Spirit has come and He has come with the message of God about the Son of God! Thank God for His salvation that He provides. Have you received the Holy Spirit? Does He live in you? Have you submitted to the Lordship of Jesus and the leadership of the Spirit? Have you been under the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Do you need to repent of sin today? Do you need the righteousness of Christ today? Do you need freedom from the judgment today? Trust the Lord for salvation! Follow the Spirit’s guidance! Magnify the Son in all that you do! Follow the Lord, be faithful to the Lord, bear fruit for the Lord Jesus!