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John 16:7-15 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. Here’s some brief background to put these texts into context. Jesus has just announced that He will be leaving His disciples and they are now disturbed and no doubt disappointed. They are extremely unsettled and so our Savior takes this time to assure them that they will not be left alone. There’s no doubt the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood and maybe even the most ignored member of the Trinity. I recognize that we cannot possibly cover everything the Bible says about Him in one message, so we’re going to ponder the promises that Jesus gives us in our text. We’ll look into the passages that will help us understand and engage with the Holy Spirit. After learning about the person of the Holy Spirit, we’ll conclude with ways we can live in the power of the Spirit. I want to draw your attention to the word “Helper” that is used to describe the Holy Spirit in all four of these passages in… First: John 14:16-17 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. Notice the entire Trinity is involved here… Jesus asks the Father who gives another Helper, the Spirit of Truth. That in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. The word “another” means, “one of the same kind or quality.” The idea is that of “sameness.” Jesus is saying the Holy Spirit will be like Himself and will take His place. The Helper will be us forever. In the Old Testament the Spirit is mentioned many times and came upon people to enable them to accomplish God-given tasks and then would depart. That’s why David prayed in Psalm 51:11: “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” We don’t have to worry about that now because the Holy Spirit comes in at conversion and stays forever. In John 14:18, Jesus says, “I will not leave you as orphans.” He is the Spirit of truth. Those who don’t know Christ cannot receive the Holy Spirit. Believers “know” Him… meaning He is personal, not just a mystical force like in Star Wars or an impersonal power. He’s not a power to experience but a “Being” to know. The Holy Spirit dwells within a believer. I read a quote from devotion, “He has always been a God who is close and present but only since Jesus returned to heaven has He taken up residence inside of us. And that makes Him closer than ever.” Second: John 14:26 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 things that I said to you. Notice the Trinity is mentioned here again. The Father sends the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to teach believers. He brings new truth to the disciples and also helps them remember all that Jesus has said in the past. That’s why the Holy Spirit was so involved in the inspiration of the Scriptures. We’re taught and reminded as we study the Word of God. 2 Peter 1:21 (ESV) 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Third: John 15:26 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. Here we see the Trinity at work again… Jesus will send the Helper who comes from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth…we all need the truth in a world filled with lies and error, don’t we? The Holy Spirit helps the believer discern between what is true and what is not! The Holy Spirit will guide you and I… He will give that extra on the spot sense of discernment we need to make both big and small decisions. And as we develop a greater sensitivity to His guidance, we will worry less as each day goes by. After all, we do know and admit, that God knows best. And that is why He has sent us His Spirit as a gift. (The Helper) Fourth: Verse, still in regards to the Holy Spirit as our Helper. From our opening verse… John 16:7 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. The word “nevertheless” is used as a contrast to what the disciples are feeling. Jesus then says something to get their attention: “I tell you the truth…” Jesus always told the truth, it’s as if He’s saying, “Listen up guys”. This is really important. “it is to your advantage that I go away” There was no way the disciples were thinking that it was a good thing that Jesus was about to leave them. How could it be to their advantage that Jesus was going away? Of what benefit would it be for Jesus to be gone from them? Jesus tells them why His departure would be profitable for them, “for if I do not go away, the “Helper” there’s that word again, will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” Three times Jesus uses the word, “go” to help the disciples understand that He was about to leave them. But it would be to their advantage because the Helper could then arrive. His going is essential to the Spirit’s coming. Now, let me be quick to say that that the Holy Spirit will never be taken from us, but it’s worth asking ourselves what is it that we’re doing in our own power. What I mean is, did you notice a change in your life when you received the Helper? (The Holy Spirit) You should, I should. We should have been made new, the old has gone. Now… if you are still the same person, then it should be obvious that you were never made new. Again, the changes in the believer’s life will not happen all at once, but there should be an evidence of change. Slowly, and slowly, the Helper gets rid of everything that is not pleasing to our Father. Being pruned…being conformed into His likeness. The Bible says there at least two ways we can short-circuit the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. We can grieve the Holy Spirit… Ephesians 4:30-31 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. To “grieve” means, “to make sad or sorry.” We can grieve Him by holding on to gross stuff in our lives. We can quench the Holy Spirit… 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit. To “quench” means, “to put out a fire.” When we ignore the Holy Spirit by continuously, compromising our morals and biblical convictions, the fire of the Holy Spirit can be reduced. We become out of touch with our “Helper”. One of the best ways to make sure we’re not grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. When we mess up, own it. When we sin, confess it. When we’ve wronged someone, make it right. The Holy Spirit, (Helper) is there to help! We have just learned of the importance of… receiving this Special Gift. Without the Holy Spirit, we are still lost. Without the in dwelling of the Helper, we would still be blind, and not knowing the truth of who we are, and who God is! So… by receiving this Gift, how should one live? Galatians 5:25 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. As we yield to the Spirit, we will experience His power and people should and will notice. I like what Francis Chan Wrote… “I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power.” (Francis Chan) POWERPOINT Here then are some ways we can keep in step with the Spirit.
It’s important to distinguish between the gift of the Spirit which happens at salvation, the gifts of the Spirit, which have to do with service, and the graces of the Spirit, which relate to Christian character. Building Christian character must take precedence over displaying other special abilities.
In Conclusion: Go with the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s fascinating to me that Jesus held his disciples back from witnessing until they had the Holy Spirit. We see this in Luke 24:48-49: Luke 24:48-49 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with Power from on high.” How does this verse apply to you and I? Without the gift of the Holy Spirit, we cannot know God, because we do not know the truth about God, because of His Son. Without the Spirit, we cannot change our lives in a way that will be pleasing to our God, hence it will be impossible to know His will in our lives without the gift of the Helper! If you’re saved, you have all of the Holy Spirit. But here’s a question: “Does the Holy Spirit have all of you?” Have you been living in your own might and do you think you’re always right? Have you been saved by grace but now you’re trying to do everything in your own grit or through you own wit? What I mean is, are you now taking credit for the new you? Paul addressed this in Galatians 3:3… Galatians 3:3 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Don’t take credit for something that is impossible for you and I to do. Forgiveness, salvation, a new life, and most importantly, the gift of the Holy Spirit, is all from God!!! If You are not saved? You are in a very dangerous position. There will be a final exam one day and you will fail. You have to cry out to Jesus Christ. Pray to be forgiven Listen to what the Holy Spirit is doing right now according to… John 16:8-13 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. The Holy Spirit never speaks on His own. Like Christ, this person of the Trinity submits to the authority of the Father. Everything He communicates to us is directly from the Father. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. After all, where does the Holy Spirit reside? In you and me. Since the Holy Spirit has direct access to our minds, emotions, and conscience, He is the perfect candidate for communicating Gods will to us. 1 Timothy 2:3-6 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Again…if you are saved, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, stop fighting, give Him your all, because it leads to righteousness. If You are not, cry out to God. Pray to be forgiven, and be saved. And receive the special Gift that will be with you forever. “The Work Of The Holy Spirit”
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AuthorPastor Richard Santos Archives
February 2021
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