Parting Words-Part 9- The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Introduction- John 16:12-15

Last week we saw Jesus affirm to His disciples that His departure was in fact better than His remaining with them.

This was because His departure was necessary in order that the Spirit of God would come to dwell in them.

Jesus then went on to describe the work of the Holy Spirit (through the disciples He would indwell) in the world.

The Spirits role is one of convicting and convincing and this He does through believers as we yield to Him and testify of Christ and live out our faith in the world.

Today we will take a look at the ministry of the Holy Spirit not in the world but in the lives of the disciples and by extension the lives of all believers.

The Holy Spirit would work in and through the disciples to continue the work Jesus had begun in the world.

The Holy Spirit would also work in the lives of the disciples continuing the ministry of Jesus to them now that He has departed.

The Holy Spirit will...

Guide You Into All Truth

Jesus begins now to speak of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples.

Jesus plainly states that He still has much to say to them but that they are not ready now to receive what He has to say.

God operates in a specific way throughout history and still today and this is by means of progressive revelation.

This simply means that God does not reveal everything all at once, but reveals truth to men in part over time.

We who are saved can testify of this reality. We certainly know more of God and His Word today than we did at the moment of our salvation because God over time has revealed more to us.

We know that in a very short time Jesus will be departing and so we may ask “How then does Jesus intend to continue to speak to the disciples?”

He will continue to communicate truth to them now by means of the Holy Spirit which will dwell within each of them.

Jesus speaks of the fact that the Spirit will guide them into all truth. He will not speak independently but will take what He hears from Jesus and will deliver it to the disciples.

It would be impossible for us to comprehend all that there is to know about God and His Word, but there should be a continual growth in our understanding as the Spirit of God works in us to guide us into all truth.

Jesus had carefully instructed the disciples during His time with them and now the Holy Spirit would continue that work after His departure.

Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit will...

Shew You Things to Come

At this moment the New Testament had not yet been written and there is certainly a sense here that God would reveal the truth to these disciples in order that they might pen the scriptures under the inspiration of the Spirit of God.

2 Peter 1:21 KJV 1900

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

God would reveal the truth about things to come to the disciples who would then record these truths for future generations of believers.

Revelation 4:1 KJV 1900

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

The Spirit of God does not today give to us new revelation, but He does provide illumination, helping us to understand what has been written.

1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV 1900

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The natural man may read the Word of God but will never be able to understand it fully, while those who have the Spirit of God will be able because the Spirit works in us to reveal to us the truth.

God has given us a great deal of information concerning what is to come in His Word and it is the Spirit of God which will help us to understand what is given to us in the Word of God.

It is impossible to fully understand the Word of God without the Spirit of God.

Finally the disciples are told that the Holy Spirit will...

Glorify Jesus

The Holy Spirit does not come in order to promote Himself but rather to bring glory to Jesus.

The Spirit’s role is to reveal more about Jesus to the disciples. In these moments the disciples understanding of the significance and the purposes of Jesus Words and works were very limited.

Ultimately the Spirit of God would reveal to them the greater significance of all that Jesus said and did.

The Holy Spirit continues this work still today in the hearts and minds of believers.

When an individual trusts Christ as savior today it is unlikely that he truly understands all that Jesus is and has done for them.

Yet as the Spirit of God takes up residence in him, he begins to learn of Jesus and all that is his in Him.

We who are saved probably had only a very basic understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us when we trusted Him as Savior and yet over time the Spirit of God has taught us and we have learned of the true significance of our relationship with Jesus.

It is the Spirit of God’s ongoing ministry to lead us into deeper knowledge and relationship with Jesus.

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the life of every believer, not only enabling us to do the work that we have been called to do, but also enabling us to understand the Word of God and revealing Jesus to us.

Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we would never be able to understand spiritual realities or the true significance of Jesus Words and works.

Today you are either on one side of the other with regard to the work of the Holy Spirit.

It may be that you are the target of His work of conviction and convincing men of the sin, righteousness, and judgment.

If you have already been convinced and have place your faith in Christ as Savior then He will continue to work in you to guide you into all truth, to shew you things to come, and ultimately to glorify Jesus in you.