Today we are going to look at John 16:7-15. These verses are part of the last conversation Jesus had with his disciples before being arrested and going to the cross. I love this part of Scripture. Whenever I read it, I always think about how, if I were Jesus, I would be thinking, “What are the key things I want my friends and followers to know before their world is turned upside down?” To me these are some of the most important words Jesus ever spoke. Let’s take a look at the passage for today and see what we can learn from it. 

“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 go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬-‭15‬ (‭ESV)‬‬

What Would It Be Like

Can you imagine what it would be like to have Jesus in the flesh? I imagine I would feel safe knowing that God himself is right there when I need protection. It must be empowering to have Jesus there. Just imagine all that the disciples had seen up to this point. Not only had they watched Jesus do amazing things, but he also empowered them to do the same. It would be way easier to have a relationship with Jesus in the flesh. It’s easy to have a relationship with someone I can see facial expressions, body language, etc. It was probably extremely exciting to have Jesus here in the flesh. 

The disciples never knew exactly what the day held. Were they going to see a herd of pigs infected with demons and run off the side of a cliff? Maybe they would watch as Jesus turned a few loaves of bread and fish into enough food to feed thousands. I’m sure the disciples never got comfortable hanging out with Jesus in the flesh because Jesus was always doing something to amaze them.

As amazing as it was to have Jesus here in the flesh, we still see Jesus say, “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 go, I will send him to you.” John‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ (‭ESV)‬‬

It Is To Our Advantage

Why is it to our advantage that Jesus left and sent us the Helper, aka Holy Spirit? Why is it better for us to have the Holy Spirit instead of Jesus here in the flesh? To find out the answer to these questions we need to first look at the role Jesus had when he was here in the flesh. 

Filled With Holy Spirit

I believe one of the main roles Jesus had when he lived on the earth in the flesh was to show us what it’s like to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit. We see this in Luke 4:1 (ESV), “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness” (emphasis added). Jesus had just gotten baptized and was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led him to the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days. This was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on the earth. He was first filled with the Holy Spirit so he could demonstrate to you and me what it looks like to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit. 

This is what a true follower of Jesus should be like. In fact we are told we are going to do even greater things than Jesus did in John 14:12 (ESV), “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.”

Healed The Sick

‬‬What are those things Jesus did? First, he healed the sick. Over and over and over again we read how Jesus went into a town and healed everyone who came to him. One such example is found in Luke 4:40 (ESV), “Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them” (emphasis added). Have you ever noticed how many times the words “he healed them all” are in the Bible? If not, I encourage you to go read through the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and take notice how often those words are said. 

Deliverance

The next thing we see Jesus doing while he is on the earth is casting out demons. In modern terms we call this deliverance. Again, this was a HUGE part of Jesus’ ministry while he was on the earth. One such example is when Jesus delivered a man from a legion (which is at least 4,000-6,000) of demons. We read this story in ‭‭Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭15‬ (‭ESV)‬‬.

“They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 

And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”

“We are Legion”

And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. 

And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.”  ‭‭Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭15‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

In His Right Mind

Because Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was able to discern that this man was infested with demons, and he knew exactly how to help this man. It was through deliverance this man was healed. He went from being “the crazy man no one could control” to the man “sitting in his right mind.” This is one of many examples of Jesus setting people free from the control of demons. 

Ministered To The Brokenhearted

Jesus ministered to the brokenhearted. This is a little more difficult to see in Scripture, but if you pause and think, you can see several examples of Jesus mending the brokenhearted. One such example is the encounter the woman at the well had with Jesus. 

“Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”” John‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭26‬, ‭39‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

He Told Me All That I Ever Did

Did you notice she said, “He told me all that I ever did”? In the conversation we read Jesus only pointed out that she had been married five times and was currently living with another guy. Yet she said Jesus told her EVERYTHING she had ever done, and she was excited about that. So clearly, there was more to this conversation than we are privy to. 

This woman definitely was brokenhearted. Just think about all the pain that went into being married five times and the shame that went along with being married and divorced that many times. She was an outcast and by living with her boyfriend, she was living up to that false identity. During the course of their conversation Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke words that healed her broken heart. He showed her what her true identity was. This is why she was so excited to tell everyone she could that Jesus told her everything she had ever done. 

The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand

One of Jesus’ main messages was proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Again, there are many verses where Jesus proclaims this message. We find one in Mark 1:14-15 (ESV), “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'” 

The Kingdom of God is at hand. Stretch out your hand. How far is that? Maybe a couple feet? That is how close the Kingdom of God is. The Kingdom of God is closer than you can imagine. How do you become a part of this kingdom? Jesus told us you become a citizen of God’s kingdom by repenting and believing in the gospel. You change the way you are thinking about who Jesus is. You believe the good news that Jesus is in fact God, he gave up his position as God to come to the earth, he lived a perfect life, he took your punishment by dying on the cross, and conquered death, sin, hell, and the grave by rising again three days later.

Repentance Is The Key

By changing your thinking to align with the truth of who Jesus is and what he did for you, you receive his gift of cleansing you of all the things you have ever done and ever will do wrong. (Wrongdoing, by the way, is what we call sin.) You are made righteous. In the eyes of God you have never done anything wrong. You are perfect in his sight. This is how you gain your citizenship into this Kingdom of God.  

If you want to know more, Brett wrote a great post called See the Kingdom. I recommend you go read that to learn more about the Kingdom of God. 

Stood For Truth

The next thing Jesus did to show us what it’s like to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit is he stood for truth and righteousness no matter who the audience was. We see a clear example of this in John 8:39-47. 

“They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”” ‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭39‬-‭47‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

Can You Imagine Saying This

Jesus is telling the powerful leaders of the time that although they believe they are children of Abraham, they have deceived themselves. They are in fact children of the devil. Those are fighting words to people who had tons of power. They had the power to arrest Jesus and convince everyone that Jesus deserved death. 

This would be akin to going to the pope or a pastor and telling them, “You are the child of the devil. You are a liar and murderer just like your father. Just as Satan does those things out of his character, so do you.” Just as the pope or a pastor believes they hear from God and do the works of God, so these religious people believed the same thing. Now imagine this pope or pastor has the power to sway the rulings of judges to condemn you to death because you hurt their feelings. This is exactly what Jesus did here. 

Jesus Didn’t Care

Jesus didn’t care that these people had “power.” He didn’t care that he hurt their feelings. All Jesus cared about was that these people saw the truth of who they were really following, changed their mind and started following him. After all, Jesus is the one who created them to begin with. Why would he care how the rest of his creation saw them? Jesus saw them through the eyes of God the Father and viewed them as equals to everyone else. There isn’t anyone better than the next person in his view. Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, was bold and spoke the truth to these people because he loved them and wanted them to repent. Yes, his words seem harsh, but they were spoken in love. After all, God is love and since Jesus is God, he is love. 

Raised The Dead To Life

Lastly, Jesus raised people back to life. The most famous time is when he called Lazarus to come out of the grave after being dead for four days. However, we see other times when Jesus raised someone from the dead.

“Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

Jesus had compassion on this widow and raised her son back to life. He didn’t want to see her be left all alone and destitute since single women didn’t have any rights to property back then. Jesus cared for her and loved her. Perhaps he was sent there by the Holy Spirit for this one woman. 

We Are Commanded To Do These Works

So, Jesus came to show us what it’s like to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit. He showed us by doing the works that we are supposed to be doing. He healed the sick, performed deliverance, ministered to the brokenhearted, proclaimed the Kingdom of God is at hand, spoke the truth no matter who his audience was, and he raised people back to life. Recall Jesus said we would do these things and even greater things. What are the greater things we are supposed to do? Let’s look at Mark 16:15-18 (ESV). 

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

There’s More

This is commonly known as the great commission. However, most people stop after the first verse. “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” People are ok with going out and preaching the good news but they fall short of the second part of this charge, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons;  they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  When was the last time you prayed for healing for someone and saw improvement, or prayed for someone to be delivered from the demons that torment them? 

How Do We Do These Things

These are the things we, as followers of Jesus, are commanded to go out and do. How do we do these things you ask? It’s done the same way Jesus did them. Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember, Jesus said that it was to our advantage that he go away, because the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would be coming. The Holy Spirit is here now, and he enables us to activate Jesus’ command to do the works that he did.

Living a life filled with the Holy Spirit is a whole other post. Next time we are together, we are going to look at what the role of the Holy Spirit is in our lives. I hope you will join me!