The Rest of the Story

John 14:8–17 ESV

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 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.

John 14:25–27 ESV

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. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Everyone enjoys a good story. When someone is a good storyteller, we sit on baited breath waiting for the next phrase anticipating a turn or twist that we were not expecting. There are times where the anticipation is greater than the reveal.

For many of us, one of the great storytellers in our lives was Paul Harvey. I remember listening to him on the radio on WIVK in Knoxville. He would always give an introduction to a story that may be in the headlines or perhaps an offbeat tale from somewhere in middle America. But after the introduction, he would say his famous phrase, “And now....the rest of the story...” From there he would tell of a new turn that we didn’t anticipate and bring us to a conclusion that left us with more than we thought we would get.

Pentecost is the beginning of another part of the story of Christ’s ministry in the world. It is “the rest of the story” or at least the opening act. Jesus has ascended into heaven, and the disciples along with dozens of others pray earnestly for the promise that was given to them by Jesus as he ascended - that power would come from on high and the Holy Spirit would come to them. It was a fulfillment of what Jesus had spoken to them as he was with them on the final night of his ministry. John 14-16 gives us the introduction to the coming of the Holy Spirit. That introduction leads us to the continuation of the ministry of Jesus through his church until he returns.

We are going to look at the rest of the story and how we live this out as his people today.

1. The church continues the work of Jesus in deeds and power. (vs. 8-14)

Beginning in verse 12, Jesus tells his disciples that they will do great works after he is gone. The ability to do these works is tied directly to three things: the belief that they have in Jesus, that Jesus is returning to the Father, and prayer. What is important to notice here is that just as the Father dwells in Jesus doing his works so the disciples will be filled to continue this same work in the world. These works that the disciples will do are continuous with Jesus’ works, and they reveal the Father’s glory. Jesus’ departure is the beginning of the disciples’ participation in the work of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Even during Jesus’ ministry, he sends the disciples out to extend the reach of the gospel. In Mark 6:12-13, he tells them to proclaim that people should repent of their sin and commanded them to cast out demons and anoint with oil those who are sick and heal them. Some may say that these things do not continue in the church. That great works like these died with John the last apostle to live. But that is not so. Paul tells the people in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 that God has empowered them with gifts of healing, discerning spirits, speaking in tongues, and others. These gifts are not dead. They are still alive in the church.

Too many in the church have declined to see that the deeds and power that were on display through the apostles throughout Acts is still with us today. They have not gone anywhere. People can still be healed. Demons can be cast out. People can be released from their oppression. In these last days, the church must rediscover the power of the Spirit that is alive in us by believing and trusting in Jesus and drawing closer to God through prayer. When the church embraces the power of the Spirit, people will be set free from sin and the powers of Satan so that they can live in the promises of God.

2. The church can do these works because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. (vs. 15-17)

This is possible because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. It is the Holy Spirit that fills the entire community of faith not just individuals. He is the presence of Christ among us. Later in chapter 15, Jesus will speak of the Spirit abiding in the disciples and the larger community after he is no longer with them. The language that is used by Jesus to describe the presence of the Spirit among the believers is similar to language used in John 1 to show that Jesus is the presence of God dwelling in the world.

Paul takes this language and applies it to the church in 2 Corinthians 6:16. He says, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” He is quoting from Exodus 29:45 where God tells the Israelites that he will be with his people in the tabernacle. But now because of Jesus’ ascension and the sending of the Spirit, the presence of God is not merely “with” the believers but “in” them. We are the temple of God as his church. What we have received the world cannot receive because the world is not in relationship with God. Only those who are in relationship with God through Jesus Christ have the Spirit dwelling in them.

The church as a collective body and we as individuals have the Holy Spirit in us. It is because the Holy Spirit is in us that we are not just able to works and deeds but also the love of God will be alive in us that we will keep his commandments and live according to his promises to us. Just like the covenant that is kept between God and the Israelites, we are called to keep the commandments of God and be holy and righteous not out of moral obligation but out of love for God. Our love for God creates within us a desire to be more like Christ and to have the fullness of the Spirit dwelling in us. When the church keeps the commandments of Christ, we become a community that is counter the world. We are a people who reflect the glory of God. Jesus says in verse 21 that he will manifest himself to us and make his home with him. Our belief in Christ changes us and draws us closer to the heart of God that we may know him and be in a deep and abiding relationship with him.

3. The church continues to teach the truth of Jesus to all generations through the Spirit. (vs. 25-27)

The witness of the church is the continuity between what Jesus said in his earthly ministry and what the Spirit will teach in Jesus’ absence. Jesus says two very important things to his disciples about the witness of the Spirit: he will teach them all things and bring to remembrance the things that Jesus has said. These two things are the same. The divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit will allow the disciples to remember the words of Jesus and teach it to the community of believers. Likewise, the Spirit will empower the proceeding generations with keeping this teaching in continuity with what was given to them by the apostles. This fact is of supreme importance.

What is clear is that the Spirit will never teach or reveal anything that is not in line with what Jesus taught to the apostles. This means that the apostles teaching in the generation to follow was the teaching of Jesus. These teachings were remembered and inspired by the Spirit and given to us through scripture.

There seems to be throughout the history of the church those who would believe that the Holy Spirit reveals things that are new and innovative based on the whims of society. Somehow, the Spirit will tell new generations things that are completely out of step with what was given to the apostles and the first century church because somehow God is not powerful enough to know what will be centuries into the future.

Offering “new teaching” because the Spirit has revealed it is teaching a different gospel than the one that was given to us. Instead, it is a gospel that is based on human emotion not the witness of the Spirit and the teaching of the apostles found in scripture. God does not give new teaching that is contrary to scripture. The church is called to teach all that Jesus has commanded. Jesus does not say that if it doesn’t work in the future, change it. The apostles taught what was commanded by Jesus and gave that to us through scripture. According to Matthew 28:18-20, we continue the teaching of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit so that people’s hearts and lives might be changed and that the world might be saved. It is the power of the gospel that calls us to repent and move toward Christ.

Pentecost is the beginning of the rest of the story for the church. Today, we continue this story by being faithful to the gospel of Christ. In these last days, the church must rediscover our call to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the signs and wonders of the early church. There are people who need to be healed and set free from the oppression of demons in their lives. There is a world that must know the true gospel and not a false one that is being propagated by those who preach prosperity or progressivism. The Spirit is alive in us. He dwells in us. Let the church rise up and be the witness for Christ and continue his message and ministry until he comes again in final victory.