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John 16:1-15

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The Holy Spirit Will Guide The Disciples

 

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.  They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.  They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.  I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’  Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.  But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:  about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

 

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.  All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

 

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One of the themes in the last few chapters is that Jesus is preparing the disciples for the upcoming events.  The other gospels have very little on what Jesus said on this.  John seems to be the kind of person that remembers what people say, word for word.  It is likely he had an audiographic memory. This could be very well what held the disciples together in those dark moments when Jesus had died on the cross and the disciples feared for their lives.  I can imagine John saying things like:

 

“Didn’t Jesus say, ‘He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.’?”

 

Or,

 

“Didn’t Jesus say, ‘My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’”

 

Or,

 

“Didn’t Jesus say, ‘‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’”

 

Now, Jesus says, “All this I have told you so you will not fall away.”

 

In chapter 15, Jesus told them that they would be persecuted.  Now, here in chapter 16, Jesus get a bit more specific about the persecution they will face.  They will put the disciples out of the synagogue for one.  Secondly, they will think that by killing the disciples of Jesus, they are offering a service to God. 

 

Why did they think that they were doing the right thing by killing the disciples of Jesus?

 

Was it because they were vile sinners seeking to wreak chaos throughout the country?

 

In the previous chapters we discussed that the Pharisees and the leaders of the country were looking for military intervention.  This is the one thing they expected most of all from the Messiah. 

 

Well, how many messianic passages foretold about his kingship?

 

16 out of a total of 365 Messianic passages.

 

By the way, which worked better – trying to rebel militarily against the Romans, or converting Romans into Christians? 

 

I think that God’s plan was much better than the Pharisees’ plans.

 

Messianic Prophesies

https://www.bibleprobe.com/365messianicprophecies.htm

 

Most of the Messianic prophesies are about atonement and salvation from sin. 

 

The whole basis for the Messiah begins in Genesis 3:15 in the curse against Satan!

 

“And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

 

So the purpose of the Messiah is to defeat Satan and defeat sin.

 

Many messianic prophesies parallel the life of Jesus, his birth, his birthright, his purpose, his accomplishments, his death and his resurrection. 

 

Did the Pharisees and the leaders forget about being saved from their sin?

 

Did the Pharisees and the leaders forget about the need for atonement from sins for the whole world? 

 

Did the Pharisees and leaders forget that the Messiah was to come for the whole world, and not just for them?  As it says in Isaiah 52:13-15,

 

“See, my servant will act wisely;
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him -
    his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness—
so he will sprinkle many nations,
    and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.”

 

Did the Pharisees and leaders forget that the world would put their hope in HIS teaching as it says in Isaiah 48:4, “In his teaching the islands will put their hope?”

 

Did the Pharisees and leaders forget that the Messiah will teach and explain everything as it says in Psalm 78:1-3,

 

“My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.”

 

Now here is where the Pharisees and the leaders get tripped up.  Imagine that you are one of the prominent Pharisees.  Along comes Jesus, and he is telling you that he came to take away your sin.  Are you going to admit your sin?

 

In chapter 15, verse 22, Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.” 

 

You see, Jesus pointed out their sins.  A prime example is in Mark 7:9-13,

 

“And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!  For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’  But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.  Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

 

And so, to begin with, they reacted against Jesus because Jesus was pointing out their sin.  It was after this that they started looking for ways to trap Jesus and to kill him.  It was after this that they accused him of blasphemy.  Blasphemy is “the act of speaking sacrilegiously or negatively about God.”  You cannot really fit Jesus into that as he did not speak negatively about God and his teachings were backed up by the miracles he did.  According to the Old Testament prophesies, the Messiah is to be God, so when Jesus claimed that he is God, it cannot really be counted as blasphemy. 

 

Yet here we are listening to Jesus tell his disciples that the time is coming that those who kill them will think they are doing a service to God. 

 

And it is the same today.  Some Non-Christians that kill Christians today think they are doing a service to God.  But it is all rooted in the fact that teaching what Jesus taught exposes sin, and that is why Christians are hated.  The only recourse for such people is hate and murder.  That is a weak response.  The teachings of others are weak.  The teachings of Jesus are strong. 

 

One time I was interacting with someone online about the proofs of the death and resurrection of Jesus because he did not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  I was laying out all the proofs that Jesus both died on the cross and rose from the dead.  Then he suddenly exclaimed, “No!  No!  This can’t be.  Your deception is strong!”  I told him, “Friend, deceptions are weak.  Only Truth can be strong.” 

 

Now Jesus said back in chapter 14, verse 6, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” 

 

But now Jesus is going away.  He says in verse 5 and 6, “I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me.”

 

The disciples are filled with grief because he said these things. 

 

But this is God’s plan all along.  Things are going to get even better. 

 

Jesus says,

 

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

 

Did you get that part?  The part about Jesus saying, “I will send him to you?”

 

Back in chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus said,

 

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.”

 

And in chapter 14, verse 26, Jesus says,

 

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…”

 

But now Jesus is saying that He will send the Advocate.  What the Father does, Jesus does. 

 

Also notice this about the Holy Spirit in verse 14,

 

“He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.”

 

So, what the Father does Jesus does, and what Jesus does the Holy spirit does?

 

What can we call this to explain it? 

 

          (The Trinity – One God with three persons)

 

Now let’s get back to the purpose of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.  What things will the Holy Spirit do?

 

1. Prove the world to be wrong about sin.

   • Why is the world wrong about sin?

   • Because they do not believe in Jesus.

   • Why does not believing in Jesus make someone wrong about sin?

     • What is at the core of sin?

     • What was at the core of Adam’s sin?

       1. Adam’s sin was knowing for himself what good and evil is.

       2. Adam’s sin was going at life without God’s direction – without listening to God.

     • Now, God comes in the very flesh to teach us what is good and what is evil.

     • Jesus made it plain that right and wrong do not reside in man-made laws and traditions.

     • It is now imperative to believe in Jesus to be right about what is sin.God sent Jesus to explain everything to us.Jesus gave us the highest ethic possible.

2. Prove the world to be wrong about righteousness.

   • Why is the world wrong about righteousness?

     • The Pharisees thought they were righteous by putting Jesus to death.

   • Because Jesus is going to the Father.

   • How is Jesus going to the Father related to righteousness? How does that prove the world is wrong about righteousness?

   • However, for Jesus to get to the Father, he was going to rise from the dead into a glorified body.Jesus rising from the dead and being seated at the right hand of God proves that the world, the Pharisees were wrong about righteousness.

3. Prove the world to be wrong about judgment.

   • Why is the world wrong about judgment?

     • The world is wrong about judgment because without the atonement for sins with Jesus’ death on the cross, all systems of judgment are based on works.

     • Jesus provided atonement for sins.

   • Because the prince of the world now stands condemned.

     • Without the atonement for sins, Satan can argue that every person should go to hell because God said when Adam sinned that he would surely die.

     • Now Jesus is about to provide atonement for sins.

     • This is why the prince of this world stands condemned at this point.He is doomed.All of his work from the temptation of Adam and Eve will be all for nothing very soon when Jesus provides the atonement for sins.

4. The Holy Spirit will guide the disciples into all truth.

   • How will he do this?

     • By speaking what he hears from Jesus.

       1. Acts 13:2,

“While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."”

• By telling them what is yet to come.

  1. Acts 16:9-10,

“During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

1. Revelation 2:7,

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

1. Acts 11:27-30,

During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”

• By glorifying Jesus.

  1. Example: Acts 10:44-46,

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.  The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.  For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”

1. Acts 19:1-7,

“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”  On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.  There were about twelve men in all.”

• By receiving from the Source (not the Force, but the Source).

  1. Jesus said, “All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

  2. So, the Father is the Source.Jesus has everything that belongs to the Father.Jesus will give to the Spirit so he can make truth known to the disciples.

  3. We don’t know the Force, but we do know the Source.

  4. As it says in Colossians 1:15-20,

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

1. Amen?