The Spirit of Truth - Wed Night Study
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As Jesus was preparing to head to the cross in a few short hours, I know that he spent time teaching His disciples about the one who would come after Him, the Holy Spirit, He is the third person of the Holy Trinity.
Our who text covers but I want to let you read the whole passage for yourself, I want to pull out just a couple verses to focus on this evening as we are topping off our tanks if you will.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Let me ask you a question...
Who had it better, those who walked with Jesus while he was on earth or those who have walked with Him since then?
Well here is what I think .... as hard as it is to perhaps believe or imagine, I think those of us who live with Christ after his ascension, we have had a better opportunity - why?
Because the Holy Spirit walks with and leads us into all truth. He dwells in you and will be with you verse 17 says there.
This is because we live in the day when the old covenant promise that the Spirit would come in His fullness has been realized.
At Pentecost, Christ poured out His Holy Spirit on the church, the Spirit of truth who guides us into all of the Lord’s revealed will
Let me share with you three verses of Scripture....
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Three absolutely wonderful verses of Scripture, how wonderful it is to see what God has done for us in sending His Spirit to us...
Now lets go back to our text for minute....
Three absolutely wonderful verses of Scripture, how wonderful it is to see what God has done for us in sending His Spirit to us...
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 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 that I have said to you.
When you look at this passage you see that believers today are enjoying a good relationship with Jesus and in fact, one that might be better than the disciples. And when you heard the perivious passage we understand why?
A. He would give us a Helper: The Holy Spirit who will be with you forever.
B. Not leave us as Orphans
C. Father will come and make his home with Him.
D. He will teach you all things.
Speaking to His apostles, who are about to go through a great trial as the Teacher is arrested, humiliated, and executed, our Savior encourages His followers with the news that He will be sending them another “Helper” ().
Hard as it may be to believe at times, the New Testament informs us that we who live after the ascension of Christ to the right hand of God the Father are in a better position than the disciples were when Jesus was walking the earth. This is because we live in the day when the old covenant promise that the Spirit would come in His fullness has been realized. At Pentecost, Christ poured out His Holy Spirit on the church, the Spirit of truth who guides us into all of the Lord’s revealed will (; ; ).
The meaning of the term Helper is multifaceted, but part of the sense is that the Holy Spirit will come as our advocate — as One who will stand with us and for us.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
The Term Helper can mean advocate… A person who acts as a spokesman or representative of someone’s else policy, purpose or cause. Especially before a judge in a court of law.
So we know that a portion of His role is to stand with us in persecution to give us wisdom and the strength to speak the truth even when our lives might be on the line.
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus ties the new covenant experience of the Holy Spirit to our love for Him that manifests itself in obedience to His commands (, ).
Jesus ties the new covenant experience of the Holy Spirit to our love for Him that manifests itself in obedience to His commands (, ). It is not that by our love we earn the gift of the Spirit, only that loving Christ is more than just words. The Holy Spirit, because God first loved us, puts love for Jesus in our hearts and makes us willing to follow His way (3:1–8; ). In turn, as we exercise this love, we enjoy a fuller experience of the Spirit’s grace and power.
That we are in a better position today than the disciples were when Jesus walked the earth is an implication of today’s passage, which is part of a lengthy discourse about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Speaking to His apostles, who are about to go through a great trial as the Teacher is arrested, humiliated, and executed, our Savior encourages His followers with the news that He will be sending them another “Helper” (). The meaning of the term Helper is multifaceted, but part of the sense is that the Holy Spirit will come as our advocate — as One who will stand with us and for us. At least partly in view here is the Spirit’s role to stand with us in persecution to give us wisdom and the strength to speak the truth even when our lives might be on the line ().
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
But it is not through our love and obedience that we earn the Holy Spirit, No, God first loved us..
And how wonderful it is that he choose to give us a helper.
The Holy Spirit, because God first loved us, puts love for Jesus in our hearts and makes us willing to follow His way
19 We love because he first loved us.
In turn, as we exercise this love, we enjoy a fuller experience of the Spirit’s grace and power.
The Holy Spirit, because God first loved us, puts love for Jesus in our hearts and makes us willing to follow His way (3:1–8; ). In turn, as we exercise this love, we enjoy a fuller experience of the Spirit’s grace and power.
It is not that by our love we earn the gift of the Spirit, only that loving Christ is more than just words. The Holy Spirit, because God first loved us, puts love for Jesus in our hearts and makes us willing to follow His way (3:1–8; ). In turn, as we exercise this love, we enjoy a fuller experience of the Spirit’s grace and power.
Jesus ties the new covenant experience of the Holy Spirit to our love for Him that manifests itself in obedience to His commands (, ). It is not that by our love we earn the gift of the Spirit, only that loving Christ is more than just words. The Holy Spirit, because God first loved us, puts love for Jesus in our hearts and makes us willing to follow His way (3:1–8; ). In turn, as we exercise this love, we enjoy a fuller experience of the Spirit’s grace and power.
In turn, as we exercise this love, we enjoy a fuller experience of the Spirit’s grace and power.
This fuller experience includes a deeper knowledge of the Lord’s truth. In , Jesus says the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of all He has taught.
In context, since the first hearers of these words were the apostles, Christ is probably referring primarily to the inspiration of these apostles to write sacred Scripture.
Secondarily, He is speaking of the Spirit’s ministry to illumine the Word so that we might understand it, recall it when needed, and put it into practice.
Coram Deo in the presence of God
Coram Deo in the presence of God
The ministry of the Spirit is not to reveal new things outside of Scripture but to teach us all that our Savior taught.
Learning to hear the Spirit is a lifelong task of reading His Word and developing our ability by this Word to discern truth from error.
We can be confident that the Spirit will help us do this as we approach the Scriptures with humility, in the context of Christ’s church, and ask Him to open them up to our minds and hearts.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!