The Spirit of Truth - John 14:15-17

©Copyright July 18, 2021 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

There is a lot of information in the Bible. So much information that at times it is quite intimidating to read it and to know what you should know and what is more of the “backstory.” It is obvious that promises, commands (unless they are just for a specific person), and things that say “Thus says the Lord . . .” are all things to which we should pay attention.

Another way of knowing what is important to know and absorb is to pay attention to what is repeated. In this section of the Gospel of John (14-17) Jesus is teaching the disciples, and as teachers would do in those days, he utilized repetition (this is called the Rabbinic method).

In the weeks to come we will hit some themes several times. It may even sound like some of the sermons are somewhat repetitious. The purpose of the repetition is to help us learn and absorb what is being taught.

We are going to look at just a short section today because it is filled with important information. These verses will help us build a foundation on which to build in the weeks to come.

“If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

The True Believer

The Bible tells us we cannot be saved by doing good works. We are made right with God because of what Jesus did, and not because of what we do. We say we are “justified by faith alone.”

Unfortunately, some people have taken this truth and drawn some wrong conclusions. The Bible does tell us that we are no longer under the law, but under grace. Some have concluded the Ten Commandments and other moral commands and laws in the Bible no longer apply to us. These people are called “Antinomians”which is a fancy word that means “against law”.

I have a Youtube sermon where I preached a sermon titled, “the most terrifying verse in the Bible.” That verse was Matthew 7:21 where Jesus said, “depart from me because I do not know you.” I argue in the sermon that Jesus was warning that merely professing faith is not the faith that saves. The faith that saves trusts Him for salvation and for direction in life. This sermon has been accessed as of this writing 24,550 times! For over 5 years listeners have been going back and forth on this issue: does obedience need to follow faith for it to be true faith?

The debate is spirited, and I am amused by the various things I have been called. I have stayed out of the debate. (I have way better things to do). However, I want you to see how greatly some people resist the idea of simply obeying the Lord.

So, which is it? Are we freed from the Law, or does it continue to guide us? The answer: they are both true! No longer being “under the Law” means we are no longer judged by our obedience to the Law (of which we will ALWAYS fall short). Our salvation is no longer dependent on our goodness (which is severely lacking), it is anchored to God’s gift of grace through Christ.

Here’s where we need to think clearly. We are not saved because of our obedience but . . . those who have truly put their trust in Christ will show that in the way they live. If you trust Him, then you will follow Him and do what He tells you to do. We don’t do this to earn favor, Our goal is to bring honor to the One who has done so much for us. We also do it because we trust that God knows what is best for our lives much more than we know ourselves.

James Boice relates a pointed illustration

A number of years ago, when the so-called “new morality” was at the crest of its popularity, a number of theologians met at one of our prestigious eastern seminaries to discuss it. Most were in favor of the new morality. So the discussion centered on the value of being free from rules and regulations, including those found in the Bible. “But there must be some guidelines,” someone said. This was discussed, and at length it was decided that the only acceptable guideline was love. Anything that flowed from love was permissible. Anything was allowed so long as it did not hurt anyone.

While the discussion was progressing along these lines, a Roman Catholic priest, who had been invited to the discussion and who was in the room, became very quiet. At length his silence was noticeable. So the others turned to him and asked, “What do you think? Don’t you agree that the only limiting factor in any ethical decision is love?”

The priest replied, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” [Boice concludes] He was right. Love may be a valuable guideline, but only if it is love in conformity with the love of God and therefore also in conformity with the commandments he has given.[1]

We think of obedience as obeying a set of rules. It is not about rules, it is about a person; it is about our relationship with Christ. Because we have experienced His love, grace, and mercy, our obedience flows out in gratitude. We are serving Him!

Because you love your spouse you may buy them gifts, or make sacrifices, or do things you would rather not if it were left up to just you, simply because of that love. Because you love your children you will scrimp and save and sacrifice so they can have advantages and not have tens of thousands of dollars of debt after graduating from college. You put off vacations, drive older vehicles, eat more simply, simply because of your love for your children. You don’t do these things to hold over their heads when they are older (most of the sacrifices they will never see). You do it because of your love.

HOW MUCH MORE should we be willing to sacrifice out of love for our Lord Jesus Christ?

The Gift

In verses 16-17 we read

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.

When you apply for a new job, you are very often asked for references. You might say the names you present are your advocates. They speak to the employer on your behalf. Jesus says, if we obey Him, He will ask the Father to give us another advocate. If He is giving us another advocate it means we already have at least one advocate already. That advocate, of course, is our Lord Jesus Christ. He took our place and seeks your forgiveness before God through His blood.

In 1 Timothy 2:5 we read,

There is oneGod and one Mediatorwho can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.

The Book of Hebrews talks about Jesus being the mediator of a new covenant or relationship between us and the Almighty. It seems to me that the Lord is working in Heaven and the Holy Spirit is working in us as our advocate. He is also working in us so we may present ourselves as unashamed as we stand before Him.

The word used for advocate is the word “paraclete” which means one who is called alongside. Richard Philips gives us a great picture of the work of the advocate,

I thought of the idea of a paraklete recently as one of our younger daughters began to ride her bicycle without the training wheels. She was able to take this important step in life only with a good deal of help. The “helper” was her mother, who acted out both senses of the word paraklete. First, she raced to our daughter’s side as one called to answer the need. Once there, she guided the handlebars, balanced the bike as it got going, and called out the encouragement that our daughter needed to ride on her own without the training wheels. With the help of her mother as a paraklete, our daughter was able to accomplish what she otherwise lacked the ability to do on her own. In a like manner, the Holy Spirit provides the enabling help for Christians to achieve their potential as born-again followers of Jesus.[2]

R.C. Sproul writes,

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, who will be our family attorney, there for us on a permanent retainer. He will be there to encourage us, to defend us, and to strength us in the heat of the battle. The image of the Comforter is not One who comes to dry our tears afterthe battle but of One who comes to give us strength and courage for the battle. (Everyone’s a Theologian p. 185)

Notice that I call the Holy Spirit, “him.” This is not a sexist term, This is the pronoun Jesus used for the Holy Spirit. It is designed to remind us that the Holy Spirit is not an “it” or a “force.” The Holy Spirit is just as real as the Son of God. Again, let me quote Dr. Boice,

either the Holy Spirit is a real person, or he is not. But it is also important on a practical level. If we think of the Holy Spirit as a mysterious power, our thought will continually be, “How can I get more of the Holy Spirit?” If we think of the Holy Spirit as a person, our thought will be, “How can the Holy Spirit have more of me?” The first thought is entirely pagan. The second is New Testament Christianity.[3]

Jesus told his disciples that it was good that He was going away because the human Jesus could only be in one place at a time. The Holy Spirit is with those who truly believe ALL THE TIME.

That leads us to a couple of facts about the Holy Spirit with more to come. First the Spirit NEVER LEAVES US. We are never deserted; we never have to wonder if the Lord knows where we are or what is going on in our lives.

This truth should motivate us. There is nowhere we as believers go, there is nothing that we as believers do, where the Holy Spirit is not present. There are no secrets between us and the Lord. We hide nothing from Him. If we deny Him, He is there. If we cheat on our spouse, He is there. If we get drunk and act in ways unbecoming of a child of God, He is present. If we cheat, steal, lie, justify, we are fooling no one but ourselves. He sees it all. Hopefully this serves as a check on some of our behaviors if we take the time to think about it.

Second, the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. The Holy Spirit does this in many ways. First, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the truth of the Gospel. In John 6 we listened as Jesus told us that no one can come to the Lord unless the Spirit draws them. The Holy Spirit is the One who opens our blind eyes, clears our foggy brains, and unites our divided heart. He brings us to Jesus and works in us until we come to faith. You cannot be saved apart from the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit also opens our eyes to the glories of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit was instrumental in the writing of the Word of God and is there by our side to help us interpret, understand, and apply God’s Word in our lives.

On a weekly basis, God opens my eyes to His Word. As I study, I see things I hadn’t seen before, understand things that confused me before, and feel God’s chisel working on my character and behavior. This is because of the Holy Spirit leading us into the truth.

Third, there are times when the Holy Spirit leads us to truth by “that still small voice.” In 1 Kings 19 Elijah was in sort of a “rehab” after his encounter with the prophets of Baal and the wrath of Queen Jezebel. At first, God caused Elijah to rest and to be restored. And then we read these words from the Lord to Elijah,

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lordtold him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lordpassed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lordwas not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lordwas not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. (1 Kings 18:11-13)

God sometimes speaks to us in a whisper. We can’t explain it, but we have a clear sense that God is asking us to do something (I have found in my experience that it is often something outside of my comfort zone.) Sometimes I listen, sometimes I turn away. However, every time I have listened, He has shown me His faithfulness anew.

The Holy Spirit is active in many other areas of our lives. He builds character, gives us spiritual gifts, prays for us, guides us, and assures us. The Holy Spirit’s job is to bring us home to Him. His job is to develop within us godly traits that will bring glory to the Lord of all.

Cautions

There is one more part of this text. Jesus gives a caution,

The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.

He says the world has trouble with the idea of the Holy Spirit. They will dismiss this kind of talk. They CANNOT receive Him because they aren’t looking for Him. Unless the Holy Spirit comes and opens their eyes and heart, they will not see Him.

We live in an anti-supernatural world. It trusts its wisdom and senses. They do whatever seem right or feels right (and usually pleasurable). Therefore, people can indulge in all kinds of mind-boggling experience that is often deeply sinful. Without The Holy Spirit mankind loses its way.

Conclusions

As we wrap up this opening discussion on topics we will read about several more times in the next verses and chapters, it is time to stop and draw some conclusions. First, we are reminded that faith and obedience go hand in hand. We are saved by grace through faith ALONE, however, true faith is active, it is not just intellectual. In other words, it is not a test to pass, it is a relationship to nurture with the Lord Himself. We nurture this relationship through obedience. It sounds like semantics, but it is an important distinction: we don’t need any good deeds to be saved because Christ has provided all we need. He ALONE saves us. He gets ALL the credit. However, the person who is saved and in whom the Holy Spirit takes residence (which is all believers) will begin to follow Christ and start the process of becoming more Holy. In other words, they will begin to live differently.

The Lord gets ALL of the credit for our salvation. We are recipients of grace and as such, we now live for Him. It is a result, not a cause.

We are not going too far to say a person who does not show a growing Christlikeness, in their behavior, should consider whether they are truly redeemed, or merely a cheerleader for Jesus. Yes, we all have bad days or make mistakes. However, our job as believers is to do what he says! The saved person is the One that follows Him!

Second, the knowledge that we have been given the Holy Spirit to be with us always should make us first, thankful. We do not have to fight our sinful nature, face the hostility of the world, deal with the trials of life, or recover from the hardships of life, on our own. He is with us!

This knowledge should be motivation to holy living. When we were younger, we wanted to impress our parents. If we did something good, we looked to see if they were watching and approved. I remember vividly when I was in 8th grade that whenever one of the girls I liked was near, I would try to look as “stud-ish” as possible. (Which I realize now must have been a real pitiful sight to behold). Some grown men continue to act this way.

If we are eager to please parents, friends, or the girls or boys around us . . . why wouldn’t we work hard to please and honor the Spirit who is with us always? Is this a sobering thought? I hope so. It should be. We have the chance every hour of every day to show the Lord just how much we appreciate the grace extended to us.

Finally, a realization of the lostness of those who turn from the Spirit of God should cause us to pray fervently that God, through His Spirit, would awaken our family, friends, and co-workers so they will see and be drawn to the truth of the message of salvation and new life. We should pray that they will be made new rather spend eternity in Hell wishing they had made a different choice in life. And the time to begin praying is right now.

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 1106–1107. [2] Richard D. Phillips, John, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, 1st ed., vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014), 254. [3] Boice ibid, 1112.