Showing posts with label John 16. Show all posts

The Holy Spirit's Work

Prelude

How can a mere human being understand the things of God? Goal: Let’s understand the means by which God reaches out and touches us. Plan: Let’s look at John 15:26-16:15 and discover how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

John 15:26 Testify

John 15:26 says, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.” To testify means to bear witness. We are witnessing at every moment, by how we act and what we say. Are we witnessing about ourselves or Jesus? The Holy Spirit gives witness not about Himself but Jesus. If we give witness to the Holy Spirit without Jesus, we are perverting the Holy Spirit’s mission. As the disciples gave witness to their personal experience with Jesus, so too do we. Our experience as followers of the Christ is the subject of our witness.

John 16:7 Come to You

John 16:7 says, “Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” The Holy Spirit comes alongside us and helps us testify of Jesus. He “will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment” (16:8). Here, the opposite of sin is to “believe” in Jesus (16:9). The Holy Spirit convicts us that the world’s justice only makes matters worse (16:11). The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth which is in Christ alone (16:13-14). Our spiritual formation, is variously called theosis, divinization, and sanctification. It is a mystical experience.

In John 16:13 Spirit of Truth

John 16:13 says, “when he the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” There are many ideas blamed on the Holy Spirit. How can we discern between real truth coming from heaven and false doctrines or ideas of mere humans? First of all, “[the Holy Spirit] will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears.” Second, he will glorify Jesus not any human being or institution of human beings. Third, “the Spirit will receive from [Jesus] what he will make known to you.” Fourth, if it is something that receives wide acceptance in the church, it is a safer teaching.

The work of the Spirit in the Church is to guide us into all the truth. Some teachings of the Church have been more fully formulated since the New Testament was written. What the Holy Spirit speaks will always be entirely consistent with the teachings of Jesus and glorify Christ, just as Jesus echoed the Father’s teachings. Some people misunderstand sola scriptura (the Bible alone) as excluding other sources of inspiration. A clearer phrase is prima scriptura (the Bible first) and secondarily inspired tradition, not burdensome human tradition. This allows for other revelations of God such as creation, traditions, spiritual gifts, prophetic insight, angel visits, spirit-guided conscience, common sense, scholarship, etc.

John 16:13 Speaking Unity

John 16:13 says of the Holy Spirit, “He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears”. The Trinity is our example of perfect unity. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit speaks what he hears “from me” (verses 14-15). He faithfully receives the words that he makes known to us and does not make up His own doctrines like human beings have done. Division among humans is inevitable because we are fallible. However, there is something that unifies us all, the words of Jesus. When we emphasis the truths that Jesus taught, we too become more unified. The Trinity teaches us how such perfect unity behaves.

John 16:8 The Spirit Proves the World Wrong

John 16:8 says the Holy Spirit “will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment”. 1) Those in the world are wrong about sin because they do not believe in Jesus. Sin as defined here, is not moral failure, but a lack of faith. 2) Those in the world are wrong about righteousness because the world condemns Christ, but God shows his approval of Jesus. 3) Those in the world are wrong about judgment because the ruler of this world, whether human or demonic, has been condemned. Why? He is condemned for bad judgment primarily because of unbelief in Jesus as King of Kings.

Postlude

The Holy Spirit is here with us today to reveal to us the things of God. He convicts our faith, leads us to Jesus, helps us reject the world and guides us into all the truth.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

How the Holy Spirit Guides

Intro

How can we tell if an idea comes from the Holy Spirit or not?

Purpose

Many people claim to be led by the Holy Spirit, but we need to test what they say and find out the truth for ourselves.

Plan

One place that we can look at is John 16:12-15 where Jesus teaches about what the Holy Spirit’s guidance looks like.

John 16:12 “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.

1. Jesus’ Unfinished Work

Jesus still had many things to say to the disciples, but they could not yet bear it. They would have to wait for the Holy Spirit to guide them into those matters. For example, the conversion of the gentiles would certainly be a shock to some, just as eliminating certain prejudices are a shock to us and we may not yet be ready to receive that truth. What about John 15:15 where Jesus claims that he already taught them all things? MacLaren’s Expositions explains, “There is a difference between principles and the complete development of these.” What Jesus taught would need unpacking. The Holy Spirit would guide Jesus’ disciples into that knowledge. Would the Holy Spirit’s guidance ever end?

2. First Completed in the Apostles

Would the Holy Spirit’s guidance end with those disciples or continue until our day? There is no end-point given. The principles which Jesus taught would need further explanation as they apply to non-Jewish cultures and new generations. The Holy Spirit is a teacher who guides us into all truth. As a member of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit is in perfect unity with God the Father and God the Son, teaching what they would teach. The disciples were led into writing the Gospels. We are guaranteed that the Holy Spirit guided that word written down for us. The disciples lived out that divine guidance, beginning with the book of Acts and then through the rest of the New Testament.

3. And Completed in Us

The guidance of the Spirit continues in the Church. Some teachings have been more fully formulated since the New Testament was written. What the Holy Spirit teaches is always consistent with the teachings of Jesus, just as Jesus echoed the Father’s teachings. If the Spirit guides us into all truth, how can sola scriptura (the Bible alone) be our entire source of truth? Perhaps a more logical term is prima scriptura (primarily the Bible) and secondarily tradition which includes the Holy Spirit’s inspiration throughout Christian history. Let’s also add reason and experience, when they are consistent with the Bible. That means worshiping God with our minds, guided by the Holy Spirit and experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

4. Spirit of Truth

In Acts 2 the disciples spoke in foreign languages to make the Gospel plain to others. That was new. What is the Holy Spirit’s purpose today? It is to be with us forever, and teach us everything, remind us of all that Jesus said, to testify on Jesus’ behalf, to prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment, and guide us into all the truth. In our passage He is called the Spirit of truth. His purpose in the early church was to reveal that truth to other languages and cultures. His purpose today is also to guide us into the truth about the issues of our time which were unheard of among those first disciples.

5. Finish Well

King Asa of Judah, great grandson of Solomon, began well. He discouraged paganism and commanded Judah to obey God. When Ethiopia’s million man army threatened war, Asa sought God and won. Later in life, he bribed a pagan king to protect him. Hanani the seer rebuked him for not seeking God’s protection, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." Asa became a "bent" king, got gout, and still did not seek God’s help (1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 16). It’s not how we start, but how we finish that counts. Let’s finish well, always seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Outro

Even if we have been sidetracked by some kind of false ideas, the Holy Spirit will eventually guide us into all truth, if we remain humble and let Him. He is here with us today to reveal to us the things of God. He convicts our faith, leads us to Jesus, helps us reject the world and guides us into all the truth.

Pentecost Every Day

Intro

How can a mere human being understand the things of God?

Goal

I want us to understand the means by which God reaches out and touches us so that we can begin to understand him.

Plan

We will look at John 15:26-27;16:4-15 and discover how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

Testify

John 15:26-27 speaks of the Holy Spirit testifying to the disciples on Jesus’ behalf and them testifying to what they had witnessed of Christ. To testify means to bear witness. A witness is there for all to see and hear whether we know it or not. We are witnessing at every moment. People see how we act and hear what we say. If we are always talking about ourselves or our denomination, are we giving witness to them and not to Jesus? The Holy Spirit gives witness not about himself but on behalf of Jesus. If we give witness to the Holy Spirit and not Jesus, we are perverting his mission. As the disciples gave witness to their personal experience with Jesus, so too do we. Our experience as followers of the Christ is the subject of our witness.

Daily Pentecost

Acts 2 was an unusual Pentecost. John describes a daily Holy Spirit experience. He comes alongside to plead our case as accusers condemn our failures. He helps us testify to Jesus in the face of opposition. He puts the world to shame regarding sin, justice and judgment (16:8). The opposite of sin is not impossible law-keeping, but faith. The remedy for our failures is faith (16:9). The Holy Spirit convicts us that the world’s idea of justice is unjust and causes oppression, inequality and poverty. The Holy Spirit in us judges the world (16:11). The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth which is in Christ and nowhere else (16:13). Christian discuss our becoming like God in various ways as theosis, growing into union with God, divinization, spiritual formation or sanctification. It is a mystical experience.

The Spirit of Truth

The Holy Spirit is our advocate, encourager, comforter and helper. He is also the Spirit of Truth. We are told that he will guide us into all truth. Over the centuries many wacky and troublesome ideas have been proclaimed as being guided by Jesus Christ. How can we discern what is truth guided by heaven and what is just an idea pulled out of thin air by mere humans? First of all we note that the Holy Spirit will not speak on his own initiative, but only what he hears. Second, he will glorify Jesus not any human being or institution of human beings. Third, it is from Jesus that he will receive what is to be made known, not from a mere human being. Fourth, if it is something that receives wide acceptance in the church, it is a safer teaching.

Creating Unity

How can we Christians be unified? We can keep unity by following God’s example expounded in John 15:26-16:15. Here we see the way Father, Son and Holy Spirit act in perfect unity. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. He is not a rebel, who speaks words that divide, but speaks only what he hears. From whom does he hear those words? It is from Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit receives the words that he makes known to us. As we look down through Christian history, perhaps we can see that division comes from politics, lust for power and words of mere human beings. However, there is something that unifies us all, the words of Jesus. When we emphasis the truths that Jesus taught, we become more unified. The Trinity teaches us how perfect unity behaves.

The Work of the Spirit in the World

In John 16:8-11 we learn of the work of the Spirit in the world. He will prove to those in the world that they are wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. 1) Those in the world are wrong about sin because they do not believe in Jesus. Sin here is not described as a moral failure, but a lack of faith. 2) Those in the world are wrong about righteousness because Jesus went to the Father. In other words, though the world condemns Christ, God shows his approval of what Jesus did. 3) Those in the world are wrong about judgment because the ruler of this world has been condemned. The ruler of this world whoever that may be, whether human or demonic, is condemned for bad judgment primarily because of unbelief in Jesus as King of Kings.

The Work of the Spirit in Believers

In John 16:12-15 we learn of the work of the Spirit in the Church. He guides us into all the truth. Some teachings of the Church have only been more fully formulated since the New Testament was written. What the Holy Spirit speaks will always be entirely consistent with the teachings of Jesus and glorify Christ, just as Jesus echoed the Father’s teachings. If the Spirit guides us into all truth, how can sola scriptura (the Bible alone) be our entire source of truth? Perhaps a more logical term is prima scriptura (first the Bible) and secondarily tradition which includes the Holy Spirit’s inspiration throughout Christian history. We could add to tradition reasoning and experiences that are consistent with the Bible. Worshiping God with our minds, and our experience of the Holy Spirit’s activities play important roles in Christianity.

Spirit of Truth

In Acts 2 the disciples spoke in tongues. What was their purpose here? It was to make the Gospel plain to people who spoke other languages. What is the Holy Spirit’s purpose? When John called the Spirit the Paraclete (the one called close beside us) he explained that his purpose is to to be with us forever, teach us everything, remind us of all that Jesus said, he will testify on Jesus’ behalf, to prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment, and guide us into all the truth (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15). In our passage (John 15:26; 16:13) he is called the Paraclete, and the Spirit of truth, meaning the Spirit who communicates the truth. His purpose in Acts 2 was to reveal that truth to those who spoke other languages.

Outro

The Holy Spirit is here with us today to reveal to us the things of God. He convicts our faith, leads us to Jesus, helps us reject the world and guides us into all the truth.

Sermon: Fixing America, Part 6 — The Opposite of Murder

Intro

The commandment against murder is a basis of common law in every civilized society, but the spirit of murder is out of control. It operates in business, on the freeway and even in the church to destroy lives and divide. A purpose of the Holy Spirit’s operation in the church it to lead us into all truth and that truth is the opposite of the spirit of murder. It is the spirit of love.

Goal

Let’s understand how allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into the greatest truths of all would fix our country and our own lives.

Sermon Plan

We will look at the opposite of murder, the spirit of love, creating unity and how we can experience Pentecost every day.

The Opposite of Murder

More Christians have been murdered for their faith in the past century than in all previous centuries combined. Why is it that those who murder Christians (John 15:26-16:15) think that they are doing God service? Even Christians have been guilty of murdering other Christians. As a Catholic priest once said, the church is sometimes the Whore of Babylon and sometimes the Bride of Christ. The cause of anyone engaging in such evils is that they have not known God. If they had, they would have known that the Christian way is the opposite extreme of murder. At opposite ends of human experience are hatred and murder on one end and love and unity at the other. One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into unifying, loving truth and making it known to us.

The Spirit of Love

A spirit of murder encompasses more than just the act of killing itself (John 15:26-16:15). It has nothing to do with the Spirit of God. The spirit of murder expresses itself in hatred and division between Christians. The Holy Spirit guides us in the opposite direction, love and unity. The truth that the Holy Spirit leads us is into is not some picky doctrinal twig, but deeper love for God and neighbor. He testifies about Jesus, because while many teach us to hate Christians who believe different from us, it is Jesus who taught us to love. When many create division within the Christian church over non-essentials, it is Jesus who taught us to strive for unity. The remarkable unity among Christians over the essentials of our faith is a testimony to the Holy Spirit’s work among us.

Creating Unity

Daily Pentecost

Acts 2 was not a usual Pentecost. John 15:26-16:15 describes a Pentecost which occurs every day. The Advocate comes alongside to plead our case as the Accuser gossips about our sins. The Holy Spirit also helps us testify to Jesus in the face of opposition. He puts the world to shame regarding sin, justice and judgment. The opposite of sin is not impossibly perfect law-keeping, but faith. The remedy for sin is faith. The Holy Spirit convicts us that the world’s idea of justice is unjust and causes oppression, inequality and poverty. The Holy Spirit in us judges the world. The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth which is in Christ and nowhere else. Eastern Orthodox Christians call this theosis, growing into union with God. In the west we call it spiritual formation and it is a mystical experience.

Outro

The spirit of murder is out of control in the world. It operates in business, on the freeway and even in the church to destroy lives and divide. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and the most truths of all, love and unity. As we follow the Holy Spirit’s lead we experience Pentecost every day.