Introduction:

one of the clearest revelations of the Holy Spirit is given by our Lord Jesus Christ.  He had already previously revealed Who the Person of the Holy Spirit is (John 14:15-26).  In our current passage, He will reveal the work of the Holy Spirit. 

·         The Holy Spirit helps believers (v.7).

·         The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces the world (v.8-11).

·         The Holy Spirit guides believers (v.12-13).

·         The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus: He takes the things of Jesus and shows them to believers (v.14-15).

A.                 He helps believers (v.7).

1.                  “It is to your advantage that I go away…”  (v.7a).

a)                  His help is to our advantage (v.7a).

(1)                 Remember Mary and Martha who physically had Jesus over their house (Luke 10:38-42)?  Or how about when Mary was clinging to Jesus after His resurrection and before His ascension (John 20:17)?  What about when it comes time to pay taxes?  Go get a fish, right!    

(2)                 Jesus said it was best that He leave the world and not be physically present.  The believer is better off with the Holy Spirit than with the physical, bodily presence of Christ.  Why? 

(3)                 Since Jesus departed…     

(a)                 We now have a glorified and exalted Lord.

Paul said [that you may know] "what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:19-20, NKJV)

(b)                We now have an Intercessor before the throne of God.

We have a person who can relate to what we are going through, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:14-16, NKJV)

(c)                 We now have the presence of the Holy Spirit with us at all times.

Jesus in human body could only be in 1 place at a time, the Holy Spirit is able to be with all believers at all times, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—" (John 14:16, NKJV)

(d)                We now have a real gospel to proclaim.

This gospel is the gospel of a risen Lord who save all who call upon Him "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation…”  "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."  (Romans 10:8-10, 13, NKJV)

This gospel is the power of salvation, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”  (Romans 1:16, NKJV)

(e)                 We now have the world-wide work of the Holy Spirit, His work of...

(i)                   convicting (John 16:8-11).

(ii)                 helping and guiding believers (John 16:12-13).

(iii)                glorifying Christ (John 16:14-15).

2.                  “If I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter) will not come to you…”  (v.7b).

a)                  His name: The Comforter, the Helper (v.7b)

(1)                 Comfort in the Old & New Testament: The basic concept for comfort in both the Old and New Testaments is encouragement, whether by words or the presence of another to help in time of need.  Synonymous words are console, help, give relief, cheer up, exhort, and fear not.

(a)                 In the Old Testament nāḥnāḥam is most often translated “to comfort.”

The Lord says in Isaiah "I, even I, am He who comforts you.  Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?  (Isaiah 51:12, NKJV)

We read in Isaiah "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3, NKJV)

(b)                In the New Testament the words parakaleō and paraklēsis come from the verb kaleō, meaning “to call,” and the preposition para, “alongside of.”

The second beatitude offers a blessing to those who mourn, “for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

Paul’s classis example of comfort says that our Father is "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."  (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NKJV)

(i)                   Paul was encouraged through the coming of Titus, who had received the comfort of the Corinthian church (2Cor.7:4–7).

(2)                 So, Jesus promised the disciples another Counselor (Comforter, kjv)….

(a)                 who would be with them forever

(b)                teaching them all things that relate to what Jesus had taught them (John 14:15–27).

(c)                 He will be sent by Jesus after Jesus goes away.

(d)                He appears in Christ’s behalf as mediator, intercessor, helper, and comforter: “he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment …

(e)                 He will guide you into all truth.

(f)                  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:8, 13).

(3)                 So…  In both Testaments, God is the author of comfort (Isa. 51:12; 2 Cor. 1:3).  Christ is comforter, intercessor, and advocate.  The Holy Spirit is the Counselor sent by Jesus to be our Comforter.  The church and the Christian are to function as comforters (2 Cor. 1:4; 7:7).

!! B.                He convicts and convinces the world (v.8-11).

1.                  “He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…”  (v.8).

a)                  He convicts the world (v.8).

(1)                 What does it mean to convict?  It means “to convict” “to refute,” “to confute,” usually with the suggestion of shame of the person convicted.  A sense of guilt and shame leading to repentance.  

(2)                 Who is the conviction aimed towards?  All the world (unbelievers 1 John 2:1-2).

(3)                 When are we convicted?  Before we know Jesus… as believers even after we know Jesus

(4)                 Where are we convicted?  In the heart (Acts 2:37).   

(5)                 Classic examples:

(a)                 Woman caught in adultery (John 8:9).  They see clearly the sin in others, but are blind to the sin in themselves. 

(b)                Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:5).

b)                  He convicts the world: Of sin, righteousness, and judgment (v.9-11).

(1)                 Of sin: Because they believe not on Jesus (v.9).  Man needs to understand the bad news before he can appreciate to Good News:

1st bad news is that we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23, NKJV)

2nd bad news is we are spiritually "dead in trespasses and sins," (Ephesians 2:1, NKJV)

3rd bad news is "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation" (Hebrews 2:3, NKJV)

(a)                 The sin that man is judged for is not believing in Jesus Christ…

Jesus said that "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:17-18, NKJV)

And John said "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  (John 3:36, NKJV)

(b)                He can be blasphemed (Mark 3:28-29): all roads do not lead to heaven; only one way.

(i)                   Example of being convicted but rejecting (Felix Acts 24:24-25).

(ii)                 The Hardened Heart (John 12:37-50)

(2)                 Of righteousness: Because Jesus’ righteousness is proven—He is ascended as Lord (v.10).

(a)                 Christ’ resurrection was for our justification (Romans 4:5, 24-25; 5:18).

(b)                If Christ had not been raised we would still be dead in our sins (1Cor.15:17).

(c)                 Because of Christ’ ascention to the Father, the Father was saying He (Jesus) is the standard by which I will accept.  No man can come to Me unless he is perfect like My Son (Matt.5:20; Phil.3:5-9; 2Cor.5:21.)

(3)                 Of judgment: Because Jesus condemned Satan (v.11).

(a)                 The prince of this world, Satan was judged at the Cross.  While the death of Jesus Christ at first looked like Satan's greatest victory, it proved to be Satan's death blow because Jesus rose from the grave.

The writer of Hebrews says that "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”  (Hebrews 2:14-15, NKJV)

Christ has "Disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”  (Colossians 2:15, NKJV)

(b)                One day, judgment is coming for all of us (Heb.9:27).

C.                He guides believers (v.12-13).

1.                  “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them…”  (v.12).

a)                  Christ will speak through the Spirit.

(1)                 Christ said that He had many things to say to the apostles, but they were not able to “bear” (handle, grasp) them, not yet.  He would share them later through the Holy Spirit.  Christ tells the Spirit what to say and how to guide believers.

After His resurrection, Jesus "Presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”  (Acts 1:3, NASB95)

In a practical level, Paul could not speak the things that he wanted to, he said "I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.  I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.  Indeed, even now you are not yet able, " (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, NASB95)

2.                  “He will guide you into all truth…”  (v.13a).

a)                  Through leading into all truth.

(1)                 He will give us the discernment to judge between true and false teachings.  He teaches us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2Peter 1:3).

(2)                 After Jesus arose, the Holy Spirit was the One who led the apostles to write the New Testament and to foresee the things revealed in its pages. Since that day, the Holy Spirit is the One who takes the things revealed in the Word and shows (declares, announces) them to the heart of the believer.

(3)                 Have you ever wondered why an unsaved person cannot believe the truth of Jesus when it is so plain to you?  It is very frustrating.  The reason why is in John 14:17, “the world cannot receive Him, because they do not know Him.”

(4)                 If you receive any spiritual truth, it is only because He has taught you (Matthew 16:13-17).

The apostle Paul writes "Just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. " (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, NASB95)

3.                  “He will not speak on His own authority…”  (v.13b).

a)                  Through speaking the truth.

(1)                 Again, He will be speaking the things Christ would have Him to say.

(2)                 Let that be a lesson for us: to speak only the things that God would have us to say.

4.                  “He will tell you things to come…”  (v.13c).

a)                  Through showing things to come.

D.                He glorifies Jesus (v.14-15).

1.                  “He will glorify Me, He will take what is Mine and declare it to you…”  (v.14-15).

a)                  He takes the things of Jesus and shows them to believers (v.14-15)

(1)                 Convicts unbelievers to Christ

(2)                 Glorify Christ in believers

(3)                 Some churches emphasize the Holy Spirit and not Christ (Holy Spirit is like a flood light) flood light shows off the thing being lighted

(4)                 Any movement that seeks to put all of the focus of the phenomenon of the spirit is an imbalanced movement

I.  The Work of the Holy Spirit, 16:7-15

A. He helps believers (v.7).

B. He convicts and convinces the world (v.8-11).

C. He guides believers (v.12-13).

D. He glorifies Jesus (v.14-15).