Why would Jesus say to his disciples that it’s to their advantage, and ours also, that he goes away in John 16:7-15? We’ll answer the question in this post. In the last post we discussed the role Jesus played while he lived on the earth. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so before reading this one. I promise it will make more sense if you do! Let’s take a look at our passage.
“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)
Last time we learned about the role of Jesus. Today we are going to learn about the role of the Holy Spirit.
The Helper
The Holy Spirit is called the Helper.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 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 14:16-17 (ESV)
“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.” John 14:26 (ESV)
As the Helper, Holy Spirit is with us and dwells in us. He brings to our mind the words from the Bible when we need them. Have you ever been talking to someone, and suddenly you find yourself quoting verse after verse after verse to them?
A few years ago I was talking to a woman who was struggling with extreme anxiety. It was so bad she actually thought she might be having heart problems. As she sat at my kitchen table and told me all she was going through, I suddenly started telling her how to combat this anxiety with scripture. I started quoting all sorts of verses and telling her to write them down and read them out loud when she felt anxiety coming on her. After she left, I found all the verses and sent them to her. She did what I recommended, and guess what? She no longer deals with anxiety!
It was Holy Spirit being my Helper and telling me what verses to give to this woman. He desired for her to be free from the tormenting spirit of anxiety.
Bears Witness
Holy Spirit bears witness of who Jesus is.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” John 15:26 (ESV)
He knows exactly who Jesus is because he is one with Jesus. Holy Spirit walked with Jesus when Jesus walked on the earth. He can tell you exactly who Jesus is because he is sent from the Father to tell us just that.
Spirit Of Truth
Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.
“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.” John 16:13 (ESV)
Did you notice it says that Holy Spirit doesn’t speak on his own authority? Whose authority does he speak from? He speaks what he hears from Jesus and the Father. We see Jesus doing the exact same thing in John 12:49 (ESV), “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”
As Holy Spirit speaks what he hears, he glorifies Jesus. So what are some of those things the Spirit of Truth will say? John 16:13 tells us he will declare to you the things that are to come. In John 15:26 we are told he will bear witness of who Jesus is. John 14:26 says he will bring to your remembrance all that Jesus has said. So when that Bible verse just “randomly pops in your head,” remember it’s not random at all. That verse popped in your head because Holy Spirit has been told to remind you of that verse.
What Will Holy Spirit Do
John 16:8-11 (ESV) tells us more of what Holy Spirit will do.
“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.”
Holy Spirit Convicts People Of Sin
Holy Spirit convicts people of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He convicts people of their sin because of unbelief. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict people of sin. It is our job to use the word of God to show people what sin is, but only the Holy Spirit can convict them of this sin and help them to turn away (repent). Allow Holy Spirit to do his job, but also recall we are supposed to stand for truth no matter who the audience is, just like Jesus did.
Holy Spirit Convicts People Of Righteousness
Holy Spirit convicts people of righteousness because Jesus went to the Father. Jesus completed all he was sent to do and thus righteousness came through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit convicts us that we have been made righteous. We are no longer a dirty sinner. Rather we have been made clean through the blood of Jesus. It’s as if we have never sinned.
Holy Spirit Convicts People Of Judgment
Holy Spirit convicts us of judgment because the ruler of this world has been judged. Satan is defeated, even if he likes to pretend he isn’t. Satan lives in a delusion that he still has a chance to defeat Jesus. We are convicted by Holy Spirit that Satan is a defeated foe, and thus we don’t have to put up with his shenanigans.
Whenever he or one of his minions comes around to torment us, we have the power to tell them to leave us alone. We never have to be tormented by them again. It’s ok to remind them that they have been defeated and have no power over you any longer. Just like that lady did with anxiety, so you can do also with whatever demon comes along to torment you. Use the word of God (your sword) to cut the heads off these demons. It’s powerful and effective. Trust me, I’ve done the same thing myself.
Living A Holy Spirit Life
What does it look like for a believer to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit? A Holy Spirit filled believer will live a life of power. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (ESV)
You will have the power to tell others about Jesus. It is given to you by Holy Spirit. A few years ago I felt like I was asked by Holy Spirit to speak to this young man who was protesting with the BLM in my city. It was one of the scariest things I have ever done, but by the end I was so glad I obeyed. I truly had to rely on the power given to me by Holy Spirit to talk to this guy.
We Are Given Boldness
Part of the power we are given is to speak with boldness about who Jesus is and the amazing gift he offers. “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31 (ESV)
Holy Spirit empowers us to do all that Jesus did when he lived here in the physical. Remember those works? He healed the sick, cast out demons (aka deliverance), ministered to the brokenhearted, proclaimed the Kingdom of God is at hand, stood for truth and righteousness no matter who the audience was, and raised the dead back to life. You too have the power to do all those things when you live a life filled with Holy Spirit. You must be filled and attentive to the voice of Holy Spirit. Yes, it sometimes feels scary to obey his voice, but I promise you will NEVER regret doing so. Just like when I was terrified to speak to that man at the BLM table. But when I walked away, I felt energized and excited that I was picked to go talk to him.
Recall The Great Commission
Remember the great commission? Don’t forget we are commanded to do more than just telling others about Jesus.
“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)
Ask yourself these questions:
- Which of these are we actively doing as followers of Jesus?
- Which ones do you have faith will happen even though you haven’t seen it happen in the physical just yet?
- Which ones do you need to ask the Holy Spirit to give you faith to know these things can, do, and will happen in the physical?
- Which ones do you need to step out in faith more often?
Then ask Holy Spirit to fill you with power and truth. Ask him to help you be obedient when he asks you to do something that seems scary. You can do anything Holy Spirit asks because he is the power working through you. Now go out there and heal the sick, cast out demons (aka deliverance), minister to the brokenhearted, proclaim the Kingdom of God is at hand, stand for truth and righteousness no matter who the audience is, and raise the dead back to life!
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