John 16:4b-15 - The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

In light of that underlying theme, Jesus has given his disciples an example and a command to keep loving like him with his love regardless of how bad the world might treat them.

And in our passage today, in John 16:4-15 Jesus felt the need to explain some things to his disciples and us because we tend to be overwhelmed with sorrow when the people that we love are taken away, and we get overwhelmed when that loss results in difficult or impossible tasks.

Here, Jesus reveals the sweetness of his departure to counteract the bitter sorrow in his disciples’ hearts over losing him and being left with a humanly impossible mission.

This makes me think of the famous Shakespeare quote from Romeo and Juliette, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Parting is only sweet sorrow when we can look forward to reuniting with our loved one, or when we know of some benefit in our bereavement.

Jesus already explained in 14:3 how we can look forward to being reunited with him when he comes back for us.

And here in 16:4-15 he explains the benefit in the bereavement.

And that benefit is the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

In John 16:4-15 Jesus explained to his disciples three aspects of how the ministry of the Holy Spirit is a benefit to us so that we will be comforted in his absence and encouraged to keep loving with his love in the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we briefly looked at the role of the Holy Spirit in previous passages, I mentioned that the primary word Jesus uses to refer to the Holy Spirit is the Greek word para-CLAY-toss.

We actually have a transliterated word in English for that Greek word… the word “paraclete.”

The different translations or meanings of this word include, Comforter, Advocate, and Helper.

And as Jesus explains the ministry of the Holy Spirit, he highlights each of these different aspects.

We’re going to look at each aspect one at a time.

And the first one that Jesus explains in verses 4-7 is how the Holy Spirit comforts us.

Jesus says,

John 16:4–7 ESV

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 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. But if I go, I will send him to you.

So, we see here that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit…

To Comfort Us in our Sorrow (4b-7)

In the first few verses here Jesus explains the disciples’ sorrow because he is about to leave them.

In the second half of verse 4 Jesus says that he didn’t talk to his disciples much about the future before because he wanted them to focus on him, to understand and believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God.

But he just got done explaining the future truth of how the world would hate them on account of him.

He gave them a mission to love with his love as continuation of his mission from the Father to seek and save the lost.

And he said that this mission would be done without his presence with them, and with a lot of opposition from the world.

That’d be enough for me to be sad at that bleak outlook on the future.

Well, Jesus didn’t tell them these things before because he wanted them to focus on who he is rather than worrying about the future.

But now that he’s about to leave the time has come for them to hear these important things.

Jesus says in verse 5 that now he is going back to the Father, and none of his disciples are excited or hopeful about it.

He says, “none of you asks me, ‘where are you going?’”

This question is the exact same as what Peter asked in 13:36, but the connotations between the two questions are different.

Peter’s previous question was about wanting to be with Jesus wherever he was going right then.

That’s why Jesus answered Peter’s question the way he did at the end of that verse.

He told him that he couldn’t follow him where he was going.

Jesus’ statement here about none of them asking this question is about the joy, anticipation, excitement, and hope of the next stage of Jesus’ ministry, this time at the right hand of the Father instead of on the earth.

They didn’t get it yet, but they will.

This is why Jesus explains the opposite effect in the next verse.

In verse 6 Jesus says that instead of joy, anticipation, excitement, and hope… the disciples were filled with sorrow over the loss of their beloved master and teacher, and sorrow over the overwhelming prospect of continuing Jesus’ ministry without him.

We can be overwhelmed by sorrow in life, too… just like the disciples.

They had sorrow here because they were not actively trusting Jesus and his plan.

There are a lot of hard things in life, but sometimes we dread what God wants for us.

Sometimes, like the disciples, sorrow fills our heart because what God wants for us is not what we want, and we hold onto what we want too much.

Sometimes God wants us to forgive someone who has hurt us deeply.

But in our flesh we want to hold a grudge.

And we hold onto our want and sorrow fills our heart.

Sometimes God wants us to tell someone the gospel.

But in our flesh we want to stay comfortable in our silence.

And we hold onto our want and sorrow fills our heart.

Sometimes God wants us to live in poverty so that we will depend on him more.

But in our flesh we want to be self-reliant.

And we hold onto our want and sorrow fills our heart.

Sometimes God wants us to live without a loved one.

But in our flesh we want our loved-one to be with us so that we can have more loving experiences with them.

And we hold onto our want and sorrow fills our heart.

The answer for us is the same as the answer for the disciples.

In order to counteract that sorrow we need the Holy Spirit to comfort us and remind us to trust God who loves us more than we could ever understand.

And that’s exactly what Jesus says he’ll do for his disciples.

And it’s exactly what Jesus has done for you, too.

In verse 7 Jesus comforts his disciples by explaining that he’s going to send the Holy Spirit.

Jesus answers their sorrow with the comfort that it’s actually to their advantage that he go away.

Because as he goes away, he will send the Holy Spirit who will be better for them in this next stage of the redemption plan than Jesus could have been in the human form he took on in the incarnation.

A better comforter, a better advocate, and a better help.

You see, Jesus’ departure was a necessary part of the plan.

And the upgrade for the next part of the plan in the ministry of the Holy Spirit wouldn’t happen unless this part took place.

The coming of the Holy Spirit was dependent upon the ascension of the Son of God because in God’s plan, we would need both the ministry of the Son in heaven and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to affect the new covenant.

It’s a comfort to the disciples, and a comfort to us that Jesus would leave to intercede for us at the Father’s right hand.

Paul wrote in Romans 8:34, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

And John wrote in 1 John 2:1, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

We are not condemned when we sin because Jesus is right next to the Father interceding and advocating for us.

When we sin Jesus turns to the Father and says, “I already paid for that!”

And it’s a comfort that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to intercede in our hearts in a similar way.

Paul also wrote in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

And John also wrote in 1 John 3:19–20 “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

And at end of verse 24 he wrote that we are reassured “by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede and advocate for us.

Jesus in heaven before the Father, and the Holy Spirit in our heart.

Both in their respective roles affecting the new covenant.

We can also be comforted as Jesus leaves and sends the Holy Spirit because we know that Jesus is still with us through his Spirit in our hearts.

And we know that Jesus is still accomplishing his mission through us and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit as we share the truth of God’s love in the gospel with the world.

Jesus will explain the Holy Spirit’s role in accomplishing this mission next.

So, the first aspect of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the first reason he sent the Holy Spirit, is to comfort us in our sorrow.

Next, Jesus will explain how the Holy Spirit advocates for us in verses 8-11.

Jesus says,

John 16:8–11 ESV

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

So, we see here that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to…

To Advocate for Us in our Mission (8-11)

I admit it’s a bit odd to talk about the Holy Spirit advocating like this.

We already saw how both Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede and advocate for us with the Father.

But the word advocate simply means to speak on someone’s behalf.

And we see here how the Holy Spirit speaks on our behalf in the hearts of those we share the gospel with.

He takes our words about the good news of Jesus and applies them to the heart of our hearers.

In verse 8 Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world.

The word for convict here is the Greek word el-EN-cho.

It can also be translated to expose, to rebuke, to reprove, or to tell.

These English words are pretty different from each other depending on the circumstances, the context in which they are used.

But the Greek word is almost always used in the New Testament in the context of revealing sin so as to affect repentance or judgment.

“This is your sin, it’s not right, so stop it, or else!”

Jesus says that this particular conviction of the Holy Spirit has three facets: sin, righteousness, and judgment.

The reality of sin, the stark difference of that sin from the righteous requirement of God, and the just judgment for failing to meet that requirement because of our sin.

And Jesus will go on to explain a bit of each facet.

In verse 9 he says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world about their sin in their state of unbelief.

This is not as though unbelief were a sin.

Unbelief is not a sin in itself.

It’s a lack of accepting the truth because of sin.

Sin is the condition we are all born into, and because of that we do what we are.

We’re sinners, so we sin, not the other way around.

We’re not considered sinners because we have sinned.

We’re considered sinners because that’s what we are.

Our individual sins are a result of our condition of being sinners.

And unbelief is also a result of being sinners, but not a sin in itself.

Our state of being sinners makes us spiritually dead and blind so we are completely unable to believe unless God gives us spiritual life, spiritual sight to see his glory in the gospel and believe in Jesus.

So, people in the world are in a state of unbelief because all of us are born into sin, all of us are sinners.

And as we tell people about their sin as part of the gospel message…

The Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of those in the world who are still in a state of unbelief.

In order to believe in Jesus as our savior, we need to be convinced that we need to be saved.

Jesus said something similar to this recorded in the other three gospel accounts, but I like how Mark puts it the best.

Jesus said in Mark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus calls those who know they need to be saved!

While people are still unbelievers, we tell them about their sin, and we watch as the Holy Spirit takes that truth and convicts them, convinces them of the reality of their sin.

Some won’t believe that they’re sinners, or they’ll believe it but they won’t care.

Those people have not had the Holy Spirit apply our message to their heart.

But we look especially for those who are are convinced of their sinfulness by our message being applied to their heart by the Spirit.

Next, Jesus says in verse 10 that the Holy Spirit will convict the world about the righteousness of Jesus now that he’s gone.

This is the perfect righteousness that’s required by God to avoid punishment for our sin.

This righteousness was exemplified in the person of Jesus Christ.

But he’s not physically present on earth anymore, he’s gone to the Father, and we don’t see him anymore.

As we tell people about the righteousness of Jesus as part of the gospel message…

The Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of those in the world that Jesus’ perfect righteousness is the requirement we are all held to.

God told Moses in Leviticus 19:2, ““Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

Peter quoted this in 1 Peter 1:15–16 “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

Jesus said in Matthew 5:20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

And He continued in Matthew 5:48 “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

And Jesus is the embodiment of that righteous requirement.

We already read in 1 John 2:1 where, as our advocate before the Father, he is called “Jesus Christ the Righteous.”

And John goes on to say in 1 John 3:5 “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.”

Jesus was completely sinless, and perfectly righteous.

But he isn’t physically here on the earth for us to see that righteousness.

So we rely on the Word of God to tell us about it, and we rely on the Holy Spirit to convince those we tell that they fall short of that requirement.

Well, Jesus says in verse 11 that the Holy Spirit also convicts the world about the coming judgment for their sin along with the judgment of Satan.

This is the judgment prepared for the devil and his angels which the world in its sin will join.

Jesus said in Matthew 25:41, ““Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

This is the result of the previous two convictions.

The reality of sin, and its departure from God’s righteous requirement exemplified in the perfectly righteous Son of God.

Those two things must result in the just judgment of God or else he isn’t just.

The thing that Jesus highlights, though, in this statement and the one he made in Matthew 25:41 is that this judgment is first for Satan and his minions, and only secondarily for mankind who have earned that judgment because of their sinfulness, but who refuse to be saved from it.

Satan is already condemned, but we have the opportunity to avoid that condemnation simply by believing in and submitting to Jesus as our substitute.

Because in God’s love, he sent his Son Jesus the Christ to die in our place so that we wouldn’t be condemned if we have faith in him.

As we tell people about the coming judgment as part of the gospel message…

The Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of those who otherwise would be condemned along with the ruler of this world.

He convinces them that they need to be saved from God’s wrath against them for their sin which is already reserved for Satan.

Notice that all of these aspects of the gospel are actually the bad news that comes before the good news.

We tell people about the bad news and the Holy Spirit is the one who takes that bad news and advocates for us in their heart to convince them of their need for a savior.

Then when they are convinced, we tell them about the good news.

Jesus died in your place so that you wouldn’t have to.

Then he rose from the dead so that by simply repenting of your sin and believing and submitting to him, you can be saved from sin and death and live with him forever!

When the Holy Spirit applies all of these aspects of the bad news that we tell people…

he also gives them spiritual life and spiritual sight to see and understand their need for a savior…

and the humility and faith to believe the good news, to believe in Jesus as the only way to be saved.

Now, if we tell people about all of these things, but they remain unconvinced of their need for a savior, that simply means that the Holy Spirit hasn’t convicted them, he hasn’t applied these truths to their heart, they haven’t been given spiritual life, they haven’t been given spiritual sight.

The reason they don’t believe has nothing to do with how well we packaged the message, or how convincing we were.

It has everything to do with the work of the Holy Spirit or the lack thereof in his sovereign choice.

We can see this at work in Acts 17:22-34 when Paul preached the gospel in Athens at the Areopagus.

Specifically in verses 30 and 31 he said, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Paul told them about their sin of idolatry in the midst of their unbelief and called them to repent.

He also told them about the righteous requirement of God in the person of his Son whom he raised from the dead.

And he told them about the judgment that’s coming for their sin as the reason to repent.

But notice that he didn’t tell them openly about how to be saved from that judgment other than calling them to repent.

Some were convinced.

Those who the Holy Spirit applied these truths to their heart asked Paul to tell them more, and some joined him and believed in verses 32-34.

We can assume that the “more” Paul told them was the specifics of Jesus’ death in their place, and the way to be saved from judgment by simply putting their faith submissively in Jesus.

But Paul didn’t spend a lot of time arguing and convincing them of their need for a savior.

He simply told them, and left the convincing to the Holy Spirit.

Because that’s what the Holy Spirit does.

He advocates for us in our mission to spread the gospel by applying the message to the hearts of unbelievers to change them into believers by giving them spiritual life, and spiritual sight.

This is a great comfort to know that the Holy Spirit is doing pretty much all of the hard work in the mission Jesus gave us.

It makes the mission a lot less daunting.

It actually makes the mission pretty exciting.

So the first aspect of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the first reason Jesus sent him is to comfort us in our sorrow.

And the second is to advocate for us in our mission.

Finally, Jesus will explain how the Holy Spirit helps us in verses 12-15.

Jesus says,

John 16:12–15 ESV

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

So, we see here that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit…

To Help Us in our Hope (12-15)

Our hope is found in the truth of Scripture.

And Jesus says that the Holy Spirit guides us into the truth in verses 12 and 13.

There were a lot more implications and truths that Jesus wanted to tell his disciples, but they couldn’t bear them yet.

What Jesus means here is that they needed the hind-sight of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.

That’s why they couldn’t bear the things he wanted to say to them yet.

They hadn’t experienced Jesus going to the cross and rising from the dead… but they would experience those things very soon.

Forward-looking statements can be confusing, especially when our assumptions and presuppositions get in the way.

But hind-sight is 20/20.

They needed the clarity of what Jesus would do at the cross and the empty tomb in order for the truths Jesus wanted to tell them to make sense to them.

But at that point Jesus would not be physically with them anymore.

He would be in heaven with the Father, but the Holy Spirit would be poured out on them and on all true believers.

So, Jesus gave this responsibility to the Holy Spirit who he would send to tell them these things after those events that were necessary for the disciples to understand.

In verse 13 Jesus says that the things he wanted to tell them would be told by the Holy Spirit who would speak the truth to them in the combined authority of all three persons of the trinity including things that are future realities.

Jesus is referring here to the Holy Spirit’s role of inspiring all of Scripture.

This means that the Holy Spirit helps us in our hope by inspiring the entire Bible including the New Testament.

This inspiration is not like a muse for an artist or a pep talk to get people to do great things.

The Holy Spirit did not inspire the human authors of the Bible to write really great things.

No, this inspiration means that the words of Scripture are actually God’s words.

Paul tells us about this inspiration in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

Peter also tells us about this inspiration, specifically the inspiration of prophecy, in 2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

And later in that same letter, Peter includes the writing of Paul in the category of Scripture that the Holy Spirit has inspired in 2 Peter 3:15-16.

When we look for hope we look to the entire Bible, which God breathed out by the Holy Spirit, so that we can see the faithfulness of God and the great promises he makes to us that are still future realities.

Let’s look at a few of these future realities in the New Testament.

John, specifically tells us of the future reality of being perfectly pure and righteous like Jesus in 1 John 3:2–3

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:13

“But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

And John tells us more about that future hope of a new heaven and a new earth in Revelation 21:1–4

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.””

Well, not only does the Holy Spirit inspire the Bible in the combined authority of the trinity to help us in our hope…

In verses 14 and 15 Jesus says that the Holy Spirit also does that by glorifying Jesus in the Father’s plan.

The Holy Spirit points us to the glory of Jesus and his sufficiency in verse 14.

The things that the Holy Spirit takes from Jesus and declares to us is Jesus’ sufficiency.

He’s sufficient to save us from sin and death.

He’s sufficient to keep us from falling away.

He’s sufficient to grow us into his likeness.

He’s sufficient to comfort us in our trials.

Jesus is sufficient for all of these things and more, and the Holy Spirit takes that sufficiency and declares it to us in the Bible, and he applies it to our hearts so that it’s not just stuff we know, it’s stuff that changes our lives, stuff that changes who we are.

Jesus’ sufficiency in all of these things is found all throughout the pages of Scripture which the Holy Spirit inspired.

So when we look for hope, we look to the Bible, not to find ourselves there, but to find Jesus and his sufficiency to help us in our hope.

…

Then in verse 15 Jesus says that his glory and sufficiency, declared by the Holy Spirit, are all part of the Father’s plan.

The Father’s plan is to glorify his Son by making him sufficient to fulfill all of his promises.

Paul said as much in 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him (Jesus). That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

The Father initiates the plan, the Son accomplishes the plan, and the Holy Spirit applies the plan.

This plan ultimately glorifies all three persons of the trinity, but Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, is the pinnacle of that glory.

The Father sent him and glorifies him.

11 times so far in the gospel of John, Jesus has claimed that the Father sent him, and he’s going to claim that 3 more times later on in John’s gospel.

Jesus also specifically mentioned the Father glorifying him in John 8:54, and he’ll go on in his prayer in John 17 to talk about the Father glorifying him again.

And not only does the Father glorify Jesus, but the Holy Spirit also glorifies him by being sent by him and declaring his sufficiency in all of Scripture.

We focus on the person and work of Jesus because both the Father and the Spirit glorify him.

Jesus is our sufficiency as the Father intended, and as the Spirit declares.

He is where we find our hope.

And the Holy Spirit helps us find our hope in Jesus by taking his sufficiency and his glory and declaring it to us throughout the entire Bible, all according to the Father’s plan.

Conclusion

So, when sorrow fills your heart remember what Jesus said to keep loving with Jesus’ love.

Be comforted and encouraged to keep loving with Jesus’ love.

And find that comfort and encouragement in the knowledge of the Holy Spirit’s ministry.

Know that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us in his absence.

Know that those in the world are convicted by the Holy Spirit, not by us.

All we have to do is tell them the gospel, the Holy Spirit brings the conviction.

And know that the Holy Spirit points us to the glory of Jesus Christ.

He brings the past, present, and future glory of the Son of God to mind so that we can put our hope in him rather than our circumstances.

If you haven’t yet put your faith in Jesus, then please do so now.

Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

All of us have sinned because all of us are sinners by nature.

The Holy Spirit may be convicting you of your sin right now.

But don’t run away from that conviction.

Confess your sin and believe in Jesus as the only one who can take away your sin.

The Holy Spirit may also be convicting you of the righteousness of Jesus.

He is the Christ, the Son of God who lived a perfect righteous life and died in your place.

Then he rose from the dead and ascended back to the Father who sent him to intercede for you.

He did all of this so that if you believe in him, you will be forgiven, you will gain his righteousness, and he will give you eternal life to live in his loving presence forever.

The Holy Spirit may also be convicting you of judgment.

If you refuse to believe in Jesus, then you will be justly judged for your sin.

The punishment for sin against almighty infinite God is eternity in hell away from his loving presence forever experiencing his wrathful presence forever.

That judgment day is coming, so if the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your sin, Jesus’ righteousness, and the just judgment for your sin, then I beg you to believe in Jesus right now.

Because he is the only way to be forgiven, the only way to avoid that judgment, the only way to have eternal life.

Pray

Father, thank you for showing us the glory of Christ.

Thank you for your plan to glorify your Son, Jesus by sending him to save us from sin and death.

And thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to give us your Word, the Bible so that we can read and know of your love for us.

Thank you for comforting us, advocating for us, and helping us through your Spirit who lives inside of us.

I pray that as we experience sorrow in life, that we would look to Jesus and trust that you have everything under control, and your plan is the best plan.

Please help us to not hold onto our wants so tightly that we lose sight of the amazing things you have in store for us to do.

And as we share the good news of Jesus, help us to rely on the Holy Spirit to convict people of their need for a savior.

All we can do is share the truth of that need.

We are sinners who have fallen short of your righteous requirements, and your just judgment is coming.

But you love us so much that you gave us a way to be saved from your judgment.

You sent your Son to die in our place and rise again so that we could be forgiven and live with you forever.

That’s a gift that is greater than any of us could think or imagine.

Please help us remember these things so that we can be comforted and encouraged to love like Jesus, with his love, even when we are overwhelmed with sorrow.

We thank you, and praise you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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