Bad News, Good News - John 16:4-11

©Copyright August 29, 2021 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

Some of the greatest blessings of our lives have come out of the crucible of our hardships. What appears to be a horrible situation often opens a door to a new ministry, a new friend, a new partner, or even new insights about yourself that change your life. Even all the Covid stuff has opened up new doors of opportunity and ministry.

We are in that point in our study of John where Jesus was preparing His disciples for some really bad news. He has just told them to expect persecution. He is about to be arrested, tortured, and crucified. All within the next 24 hours. He needed to prepare them, so they didn’t despair over the events that were about to take place. In this part of the discussion Jesus challenges the disciples to look at His departure not as a tragedy but as a great blessing and opportunity. Let Him speak for Himself,

5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

The Wrong Question

Jesus was frank. He said, “I am going away to the one who sent me (i.e. God).” He was leaving! The disciples were understandably upset. In the minds of the disciples, the Kingdom had not yet come. The Romans had not been overthrown in any way shape or form. And they had given up everything to follow Him.

Jesus told the disciples that they were looking at the situation in the wrong way. They should have asked “Why” was Jesus (trusting there was a reason) instead of focusing on being left. They were looking at what they lost instead of what they might gain.

How like us they were! When tough things come into our lives, we tend to do the same thing. We conclude we are being robbed of something rather than ask if God is leading us TO something or if He is deepening our faith. That lost job may lead to the job you always wanted. The stinging critical comment may give you a greater resolve to excel. And that painful trial may refine you rather than burn you up! (Like the fire refines gold).

We miss out on many of the blessings God has for us because we assume the worst rather than search for the blessing. We are too easily defeated. The Bible promises that God is working all things for good to those who love God and are called according to His promise . . . that’s you and me! Rather than doubt Him, we should expectantly and eagerly wait for the good He is going to bring. . . as He promised.

In the case at hand, Jesus told His disciples His departure was going to mean the Advocate (Comforter, Counselor, i.e. the Holy Spirit) would be sent to take His place. Jesus had already told them that He could physically only be in one place, while the Holy Spirit could be with them at all times and in all places.

The Work of the Spirit in the World

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

Convicts of Sin. Jesus said the first thing the Holy Spirit would do is convict the world of its sin. He went on to say the world’s sin is that is refuses to believe in Him. Unbelief is the height of rebellion against a Holy God.

This goes against what contemporary society thinks. Research today shows that the vast majority of people believe they are basically good. They consider themselves to be on the right side of “the grading curve” (there is no curve!) And this is why so many people say they hope they have done enough good things to get into Heaven. In other words, most people believe they have done enough to “EARN” Heaven. They have a very narrow view of sin.

This is why the Apostle Paul spends the first three chapters of the book of Romans showing there is “none that is righteous . . . not even one!” He concludes “ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” But even this finely reasoned argument from Paul will not convict anyone of sin unless the Holy Spirit comes and reveals our own sinfulness to us. Until we see our lost state because of our sin, we cannot be made right with God. We have to know we are sick before we will look to be made well. We have to know we are sinners before we will look for a Redeemer.

An awareness of our sin is a prerequisite to salvation. People can walk an aisle, say a prayer, get baptized, join a church, witness to others and so on without ever acknowledging their own sinful state. We must humble ourselves and realize we are helpless to save ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can lead us to that place.

Convicts us of God’s Righteousness. The word “righteousness” means the state of being morally right. In our case it means to live “rightly before God.” So why does the Holy Spirit need to convince us of God’s Righteousness?

He show us God’s righteousness so we can see what REAL righteousness looks like. We tend to think we are much more “righteous” than we actually are. This is because we are always comparing ourselves to others . . .especially those who we feel are less “righteous” than us. The Holy Spirit wants us to see we all fall short of God’s standard.

James Montgomery Boice illustrates this idea of false righteousness by telling the story of a group of prisoners of war in World War II. They were permitted to receive care packages, and these included Monopoly games to help them pass the time. Soldiers being soldiers, they took the money to be used as their camp currency, which they primarily used for playing cards. As usually happens, one card player ended up getting almost all the money, amounting to thousands of dollars in Monopoly currency. When he returned home from the war, he brought this pile of paper, which he had long come to think of as real money, and tried to deposit it in a bank account. It was, of course, rejected as fraudulent. Likewise, mankind has developed a counterfeit system of righteousness that has no currency at all in the courts of heaven. Boice concludes: “Human righteousness is like Monopoly money. It has its uses in the game we call life. But it is not real currency, and it does not work in God’s domain.” Jesus reveals true righteousness, and when the Holy Spirit convicts a sinner, his or her false righteousness is also revealed.[1]

The Holy Spirit shows us that true righteousness means doing everything for the glory of God. It means obeying the commands of God because of our love for God. He persuades us that the only way we can ever be in right standing before God, is through the work of God applied to our account. The Righteousness of Christ must be placed in our account, or we are hopelessly lost.

The Son of God proved He was righteous through His perfect life and His resurrection from the dead! That is a powerful confirmation that Jesus was telling the truth about His ability to secure forgiveness for us.

Convicts of the Coming Judgment Jesus said the Holy Spirit also convicts us of the coming judgment. He adds, “Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.” So, the coming of the Holy Spirit declared the judgment and defeat of Satan. In other words, Satan’s judgment has already been handed down. He is defeated because of our Lord.

We do not have to succumb to the temptations of Satan! He has no power over us unless we surrender it to hum!

Perhaps more importantly, the Holy Spirit shows people that the decision to follow Christ is one that has eternal consequences. We don’t just live and then die. We live, we die, and we face judgment! If we have not run to Christ as our Savior and Lord at that time, the Bible says we will face eternal torment!

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Disciples

The first part of the words of Jesus referred to the work of the Holy Spirit in the world. Next, He described the work of the Spirit in his people.

12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

This is similar to what Jesus just told the disciples (the rabbinic method of teaching involved lots of repetition.) In John 14:26 we read,

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

When you put these two together, we see the Holy Spirit will be the one who helps us understand the truth of the gospel and also leads us to a deeper awareness of God. The riddles and parables of Jesus are difficult to understand unless the Holy Spirit enlightens us. With the Spirit’s guidance, these parables take on new power as we begin to see the wisdom of our Savior.

Notice a few things. First, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, leads us into the truth gradually. There are times of course we wish the process would hurry. However, the truth will confront the way we are living our lives. The Holy Spirit will help us to make incremental changes in our lives. We have to do this slowly because we need to learn how to think differently. We are re-training our brains. We must learn from experience and this takes time.

This is why we read the Bible over and over. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes layer by layer. You can read the same passage and see different things each time you read it. The Bible is a remarkable tool for those who believe. The Holy Spirit shows us the truth as we are prepared to receive and apply it.

The Holy Spirit guided the writers of the Word of God. He brought details and stories back to the memory of the Prophets and Disciples. He gave them the ability to think clearly and choose just the right words. The Holy Spirit oversaw (and I believe continues to oversee) the translation and the transmission of the text of Scripture so it remained God’s infallible Word.

This means when we are reading the Bible we are consulting an accurate translation of what the original authors wrote under the power of the Spirit. We can trust it, we can follow it, we can bet our lives on it.

The primary focus of the Holy Spirit is to draw attention to Christ. The reason for this is salvation comes through Christ. We must see and embrace Christ before we can make any other strides in faithfulness. I think this is why at times we forget about the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is not intending to draw attention to Himself. He wants to point others to Christ. As a result, it is easy to look past Him. When the Holy Spirit is truly at work He is always drawing attention to Christ.

CONCLUSIONS

First, the Holy Spirit is not an “it”. He is a genuine being. He is assigned a personal pronoun. If you listen to people talk about the Holy Spirit you will also hear Him referred to impersonally. This is why, for so many, the Holy Spirit seems distant and detached.

The Holy Spirit feels, understands and empathizes. The Bible tells us,

· The Spirit helps us by praying for us with groaning too deep for words (Rom. 8:26)

· We can blaspheme the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31)

· We can grieve the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10)

· We are admonished to keep in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25 NIV)

These are all “person things.” Likewise, we can pray to the Spirit, seek the Spirit, and be filled with the Spirit. These are all personal interactions. It would be wise for us to get better acquainted with the Holy Spirit.

Second, everyone who is a true follower of Christ has the Holy Spirit within them. In Ephesians 1 Paul states,

And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

When you recognize your need of a Savior, and embrace Christ as that Savior, you are given the Holy Spirit to lead you and to GUARANTEE your inheritance in Christ. This is a staggering truth! God lives in you. He is with you everywhere you go (which should make us think about where we are going). He prays for you, He works through you, He comforts you, He develops you, and He leads you.

The Holy Spirit leads by the Word of God, through circumstances, through His whispers, and sometimes even through His silence (which often means “wait”). If we will listen for His direction and wait until it comes, we will experience a life that is in step with what God wants for us. This is not something reserved for “super Christians” it is something given to every believer.

Third, the PRIMARY agent in evangelism (inviting others to follow Jesus) is the Holy Spirit. There are two extremes we must avoid in our desire for people to come to faith in Christ. The first error is thinking successful evangelism is about our arguments and fluency. We all want to be good witnesses. We should want to defend our faith effectively. It is good to study. However, our arguments will never turn on the light in the soul of another person. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. He can use us in many ways! But only He can turn on the light.

I cannot imagine how many people never share their faith because they believe they are not good witnesses. They do not know “enough,” they don’t know how they could answer anyone’s questions, or they don’t feel they are good speakers. In other words, we are either not trusting the Holy Spirit will provide the words, or, we are trying to what only He can do!

A good testimony is simply telling others what Jesus has done in your life. It is a matter of sharing the way you were, the way you now are, and how you got from there to here. We can become more skilled at sharing the gospel, but our expertise is not the key factor to people finding Christ . . . the Holy Spirit is the key!

The other extreme to avoid is on the other side. This is when we say, “Because the Holy Spirit is the primary agent in bringing people to faith, it doesn’t matter if I share my faith.” Jesus commanded us to go and preach the gospel. He wants us to tell the world. The fact that we are not the PRIMARY means to someone being saved does not mean God does not use us at all. Our job is to live our faith, tell others about Him, and pray that the Spirit would bring these people to faith and new life.

If you want to know God’s strength in your life, you need to lean on the Holy Spirit and we do this by,

· Reading and listening to God’s Word regularly and systematically

· Seeking the Spirit’s guidance through prayer.

· Abandoning impulsive decisions. We must learn to listen and wait for His prompting.

· Acting when you sense the Spirit leading you. We will forever second guess ourselves (with Satan’s help). We learn to recognize these leadings by in faith acting on them. (It may be a feeling you should go see someone, call them, or send them a card. It might be sharing the gospel with a friend when it seems like the Holy Spirit has opened a door or is pushing you to do so or daring to encourage someone even if you don’t know how it will be received or daring to give what you feel God is prompting you to give.

The Holy Spirit will gladly lead us into the great faith adventure. But . . . we must be willing to follow. Will we sometimes make the wrong choice? Of course! That’s how we learn to distinguish the voice of the Spirit from the other voices in our head! We learn to distinguish His voice like we do any other voice, by becoming very familiar with it.

Do you ever wonder why the day Jesus died is called “Good Friday?” It is not because we think the torture of Jesus was good . . . it is because the death of Christ made it possible for the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit to everyone who follows the resurrected Christ. So, even though it was a very sad and tragic day . . . it was one of the best days ever. God is the master of bringing beauty out of ashes. What He did for the disciples He will also do for us . . . if we let Him.

[1] 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), 339.