John #42 Our Advocate

That you may Believe and Have Life #42

John 15:26-16:15

The Trinity – it is an important and foundational doctrine in Christianity. But it is a word that you do not find in scripture. But it is a principle and doctrine that is seen clearly throughout scripture from the very beginning to the end. We see it in the first chapter and in the last.

We do not have time to teach it all today but as we are going to read from the gospel of John, we will see it again today. We know that at Jesus’ baptism, Jesus, the Son of God, in his divinity and humanity is there in the Jordan river. The Father is heard calling out from Heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And then we see the Spirit descending to rest on Christ in the form of a dove. So there we see Father, Son, and Spirit.

But we also see the Trinity in Genesis Chapter 1. We know that John 1 says that all things were made by the Word, Jesus and without him nothing was made.

So, with that understanding, we see the Son as Creation’s participatory agent. We see the Spirit of God hovering over the formless emptiness of creation. We see God creating through the Son and we know that the Son only does what the Father instructs. If you will, we see the Purpose of the Father, the Participation of the Son, and the Power of the Spirit. Notice something significant about the creation in Genesis 1.

God says

“Let there be light”

“Let water separate to create sky and land

“Let the Land produce plants and trees”

“Let there be sun and moon to produce days and seasons

“Let the water team with creatures and the sky with birds”

“Let the land produce animals”

And in the middle of the 6th day, he didn’t say “let there be” …

no he said “let us make” … “let us make …”

God changes the pattern when it comes to man.

Father, Son, and Spirit say “let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let him rule”

There are two distinctive words given for what God did when he made man.

àWe are NOT animals

àWe do NOT descend from Animals

àMan, male and female are distinctive creations of God

And we were created for a purpose that was very important

We were created to Show God off

We were created as his image and his likeness

Ø His IMAGE – the word comes from a root word meaning “shade” – it means an image, that which is a pattern, model, or example of something

God created a beautiful world reflecting his artisanship, with sun, moon, stars, oceans, trees, flowers, butterflies, blue whales, birds, bison, then he created man that would be an example of himself

And we were created also in his

Ø LIKENESS – the word means a likeness, similitude,

Now I don’t use that word every day, but it means a visible likeness, an imaginative comparison, a correspondence in kind or quality; a builders draft, a figurine; a simile

We were created to reflect God in this world

We were created to glorify him in his world

But there is a problem.

When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, we lost something

We lost our ability to be a simile of God in the world

Our sin caused us to no longer accurately reflect who God is. We are no longer able to be an imaginative comparison of his kind and quality.

Sin marred his likeness in us.

But God’s plan has always been for us to be Happy his likeness so, in the Father’s plan he is drawing us. The Son came to this earth and in his participation he took the nature of a servant and died for us, redeeming us and offering us salvation as Lord and Savior. Then the Spirit is deposited in the child of God to recreate in us what sin has taken from us, that is the likeness of God.

Oh but I’m getting ahead. We still need to read from the Book of John. You see, just as the Spirit RESTED on the son, that is he came to stay. So he does with us. We say that Jesus live in our hearts and he does, but how? Christ IN You happens because Jesus shows us the Trinity as he we will read, he says “I return to the ONE who sent me and I give you ANOTHER Comforter, Advocate, Counselor, the word is Paraclete the 3rd Person of the Trinity to Live IN you …

We have already learned that when Jesus said he was sending another it means one of the same kind . So, Jesus God the Son, returning to the Father and sending

The Holy Spirit for the Believer … Christ IN You

Let’s read 15:26-16:15

Why do we need the Holy Spirit? We need him because sin has caused us to lose our likeness or similitude. We are no longer that living simile of God in the world.

Jesus redeemed us and provided forgiveness for our sins, when we received him in faith, he imputed righteousness to our account. And NOW he has given us his Spirit, who comes not on his OWN behalf but FOR Christ. So Jesus Lives IN us through the Spirit.

Paul said it this way, “Christ in You, the hope of Glory.”

The only hope I have for the Glory of God to again be visible through me through God’s Spirit who has come to dwell in me …

***Now I need to make sure I say something here quickly. I have struggled in preparing because of the nature of the Holy Spirit.

We have just read that the purpose of the Spirit is to point us to Christ!

He doesn’t speak on his own or about himself, he doesn’t draw attention to himself, but to Christ. The Spirit is always about Christ!

So when I prepare to teach you about the Spirit, I hear the Spirit within me saying

“glorify the Son” …

So, please do not miss the Son as we learn about the Spirit.

In my understanding of this truth, anyone who proposes to preach or teach about the Holy Spirit and does it ONLY to Glorify the Spirit is NOT in line with the Spirit because HIS purpose is to glorify the Son.

God has destined the believer to be conformed to the likeness of the Son.

This happens through the work of the Spirit who now lives IN us.

So, the Holy Spirit does NOT draw attention to himself but to the Glory of the Son, but in the few minutes we have, let’s take a look at his gift to us, this Comforter, Advocate, Counselor the Gift of Christ to Us …

1. Who Is He?

Well, we could spend hours here, but let’s be concise. We have already said he is GOD the Holy Spirit, the 3rd Person of the Trinity

Another picture of the Trinity is in

Revelation 1:4-5 (NIV)
4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

Did you see the Trinity There?

The Father is “the one who is, was, is to come”

The Son of course is Jesus Christ

The Spirit is referred to as the “Sevenfold Spirit” of the “Seven Spirits before the Throne”

A. Sevenfold Spirit

This is one of the most complete pictures of who the Spirit is and what he does in our lives. When we understand who the Spirit IS, we can see if he is Free to be himself in us.

Being filled with the Spirit is allowing him to be himself in Us …

But you might ask, what does this phrase “sevenfold Spirit” teach us about the Holy Spirit.

Well … who came to rest on Jesus at his Baptism? The Holy Spirit, correct? Well, Isaiah prophesied about Jesus and he pointed us to The Spirit that would rest ON him. It is found in Isaiah 11:2

Isaiah 11:2 (NIV)
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—

Did you count them?

1. The Spirit of the Lord – He is ALL about Jesus

2. The Spirit of Wisdom –/chokmah/ wisdom, skill (in war) wisdom (in administration) shrewdness, prudence (in religious affairs) wisdom (ethical and religious)

3. The Spirit of Understanding - /biynah/ understanding, discernment

4. The Spirit of Counsel - /’etsah/ counsel, advice, purpose

5. The Spirit of Power – strength, might, valor, bravery

6. The Spirit of Knowledge - /da’ath/ knowledge, perception, skill

7. The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord – /yir’ah/ fear of God, respect, reverence, piety

THAT my friends is the ONE whom Jesus Christ has sent to you, and placed in you … and if you look again at the completeness what Jesus has placed within you, it truly IS everything you need for life and godliness

(2 Peter 1:3)

B. He Rested On Christ

1. the Holy Spirit is the Power of God

2. He RESTED on Christ, the word means – to rest, settle down, to remain, to deposit

3. Matthew 3:16 – Heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him

C. He Empowered Christ

1. Jesus was God, but in the Trinity the Holy Spirit became Power for Christ

1 Peter 3:18 says he was put to death in the flesh and quickened or made alive, by the Spirit. It is part of the beauty and unity of the Godhead, Three in One

2. Jesus is the Creator of all and yet Job 33:4 says “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life”

3. you saw in Isaiah 11:2 he gives Christ power for wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and mighty deeds

4 Mt. 12:28 says he drove out demons by the Spirit of God

5. It was the Spirit on him that anointed and empowered him to preach good news, proclaim freedom, give sight, and release the oppressed

(Luke 4:18-19)

So we see who he is

But

2. Why Has He Been Sent?

A. Convict of Guilt vv8-11

1. Sin – because men do not believe in me – the one sin we can never be forgiven us is a failure to believe in Christ – believe in Action, i.e. receive … So the Holy Spirit is an agent to reveal the guilt of failure to receive Christ

2. Righteousness – because Jesus Left – think about that … do you know anyone perfect? Do you have a perfect one living around you to whom you can look and know what perfection is? The disciples had Christ in front of them so they knew that they didn’t live up to perfection. But we don’t have Christ if you aren’t careful, you will begin to think you are more righteous than I am or someone else is … but the Holy Spirit points us to Christ, the Holy Spirit convicts us that we are NOT righteous on our own

Convicts of righteousness in pointing us to Christ we know what unrighteousness is but the Spirit points us to the only true righteousness that is found in Jesus Christ

3. Judgment – In his death on the cross, Christ has already brought about the Judgment on Satan. He has already crushed his head, all that is left is for the Heel to Fall … It is a foregone conclusion

The Spirit of God brings us under the conviction of the foolishness of failing to believe in Action in Jesus Christ and realize that we do not come up to his standard of righteousness and we are under judgment that only belongs to satan and his angels.

- The Spirit of God convicts of our condition in the world

B. Guide into Truth

1. he does not speak on his own

2. he speaks only what he hears from Christ

3. he will lead into truth about the future

4. 14:26 says He will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you – how did the Apostles remember what to write in the gospels? The Spirit of God. How did they know the truth to teach us in the rest of the scripture? The Spirit of God

5. All scripture is God breathed … and he brought to their remembrance everything that Christ had done, he taught them the Truth to teach us the doctrines of God, and he brought them into the knowledge of future things found in Paul’s epistles and the Revelation. – Jesus promises the coming of the Scripture

6. The Holy Spirit teaches about Christ – Jesus said in v26, “he will testify about ME” … WHY?

C. He Glorifies the Son

1. Jesus didn’t say, “if the Spirit of God be lifted up, he will draw all men to himself.” No, he said “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself”

2. Paul didn’t say God has given the Holy Spirit the name of Lord by which every knee would bow and tongue confess. No, it is JESUS who has the name of Lord to which every knee will bow and tongue confess

3. And the Holy Spirit will be overjoyed when every tongue confesses, every knee bows, why? Because that is His job to glorify Christ.

4. Can’t you see the beauty and harmony of the Trinity working together? The Spirit doesn’t speak of himself, or alone, or apart from Father’s Purpose and Glorifying himself. That is why and how we have a completed and unified Gospel Message. It is not a “Gospel of Paul” and a “Gospel of Christ” … The Spirit of God inspired the Gospels AND the Doctrinal Teaching of Paul. He brings to light the Truth of God

And for what purpose?

To GLORIFY the SON and Fulfill the purpose of the Father

So,

3. What Does He Do For Me?

A. Recreates Me

1. 2 Cor. 5:17 – if anyone is IN CHRIST, he is a NEW Creation; the old has gone, new has come – 18 God has reconciled us to himself through Christ …

2. Christ IN you in the Person of the Holy Spirit makes you into a New thing … are you blessed to know today that in Christ you are NEW?

He Recreates us … and

B. Finishes The Work in You

1. we have been forgiven in Christ Jesus, we have been justified, as if we had never sinned

2. and 1 Thes. 5:23-24 recognizes that I don’t yet look on the outside like I do on the inside but the Spirit of God within me is finishing the task

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and througMay your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it

Yes, The Holy Spirit of God in us, Recreates us he Finishes us … why?

Because He …

C. Fulfills God’s Intention

1. The Holy Spirit has been maligned and misrepresented. He has been glorified by some to a place he was never intended to be. He is God the Holy Spirit. He is powerful, wise, humble and focused on Glorifying Jesus Christ. And he has a purpose in you. Christ in You, the Hope of Glory. Christ in You, the Power of the Resurrection for all who believe. (eph 1:19-20) Christ in You to Fulfill God’s Intention for you all along.

2. Christ in you to make you alive from the dead into what God intended. And what did God intend in the Beginning? That we would be created in the image of God. But sin ruined it.

3. If I were a sculptor, I would sculpt a figure and then throw it down. The clay would be misshapen and damaged. That is what sin has done.

4. But God didn’t quit there. What does God want? Romans 8:30 he has destined those of us delivered by Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

5. the Holy Spirit has been placed in us to bring us back to what God intended that we would be, the likeness, a comparison of kind and quality to Christ, that we might be a simile of Christ in the world. A simile compares two unlike things. We are here to Show a sinful world what God intends, we are to reflect his glory and goodness to a watching world.

6. If I were a sculptor I would take back up that piece of clay that I was marred and I would reform it into the beautiful figure that it was intended to be. But I am NOT a sculptor - And about 4:30 Saturday morning as I was finishing this message,

I began to weep because I realized that I am NOT a sculptor, I am clay. I am the likeness that has been marred by sin and I need the Sculptor to reform ME. Oh but I have Christ IN Me. And He is shaping me and forming me back into the image of Christ

Christ in me

In love you sought me

In sacrifice bought me

In kindness you walked me

To Repentance and Life

A move so audacious

Because you are gracious

You recreate us

Christ in me

Glory’s hope outpoured

Christ in me

The Temple of the Lord

Christ in me

His presence I adore

Christ in me

In resurrection pow’r

For all who believe

Christ in me

The hope of glory

Christ in me

That dear children is why he sent the Holy Spirit

Christ in you, the Hope of Glory