It's The Spirits Job

Is this our moment?

Some of you are going, maybe.

The Spirit is Christ-centered.

The spirit will never highlight what He is doing but only who Jesus is. This is important for us to remember. It is something I must constantly be reminded of.

The Spirit is a witness.

It is almost as if the Spirit becomes our defender. This would make sense as one of the ways we can translate the word here is “Advocate”. The Spirit is a witness on our behalf and primarily on behalf of Jesus. Yet He is not the only witness.

We are to be witnesses Jesus goes on to say. Our job is to also be Christ-centered in such a way people see Jesus and not us!

The Spirit is the reminder.

The Spirit will remind us of what Jesus has said. Reminding us of what Jesus did. Reminding us of why Jesus came in the first place: His mission. Reminding us of how Jesus lived in this world.

This Spirit is the judge.

This brings us to the major underlying framework or motif of what John is doing. It is the scene of the courtroom. The disciples will have cases brought against them but at times they need someone to provide a case for their defense, and sometimes go on the offense against others.

The judicial system of our day was not what was around back then. There were no prosecutors or juries. There was a judge and each person would need a witness or two in order to be heard.

Some of the saints of old, in particular Job expressed how he wanted God to be his judge. “Go ahead and judge me” he says as he also proclaims, “my Redeemer is alive”. The same can be said of us this day.

Will judge and expose sin.

This exposing is translated in primarily in either convicting or proving. I think both are helpful but chose this word for the “emotion” behind it. As we will be hearing in a few verses the Spirit will reveal many thing, or expose many things not just what is “wrong”.

Will judge and expose injustice.

Will make final ruling.

The ruler of this world is already defeated.

The Spirit is the revealer.

How will the Spirit do this?

We hear all this. We read all this but it begs the question, how will this happen?

The Spirit will use the Church!

We must be Christ-centered.

We must be exposed.

We will be encouraged.