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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part L, John 16:12-15 - Lesson 158
Read Verses John 16:8-11 for review: And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
John 16:12-14, I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
Jesus Christ tells the disciples that he has many things to say to them but they cannot bear them now.
They are not ready to bear the burden of his words.
They cannot handle the word that he withholds from them.
They are not mature believers.
They can be fed with milk but they cannot bear the meat of the word.
Their minds were fixed upon an immediate kingdom with Christ as the ruler sitting upon the throne of David.
They could not endure otherwise and Christ knew that they were weak and could not bear the many things he could tell them.
They need to be taught by the Holy Spirit of Christ.
Christ intends for that to happen by leaving them so that they can be indwelt by his Spirit.
It is expedient for them that he go from them.
They do not think so but that does not keep the Savior from doing what is best for those whom he loves.
That is what love does.
The presence of the Spirit depended upon the departure of Christ.
As long as Christ was present they would remain babes in Christ.
It depended upon the Spirit of Christ to impart to the disciples those truths necessary for the disciples to grow in the word and to carry on the work of Christ.
In John 16:8-11 Jesus Christ tells the disciples of the ministry of the Holy Spirit as regards the world.
It is a reproving ministry.
It is a convicting ministry.
It is a victorious ministry because it results in judgment of the world.
It is a ministry that points out the condemnation of the world for what it did to Jesus Christ.
In Christ's stead he is the reprover of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
Now in John 16:12-14 Christ tells his disciples of the ministry of the Holy Spirit as regards the disciples, as regards all believers.
He tells of the person and the work of the Holy Spirit with regard to believers.
The Holy Spirit not only reproves the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment but more importantly he is here to bring glory to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ tells of seven things of the person and work of the Holy Spirit that are to be given to the disciples and to all believers.
1) He is the Spirit of Truth. 2) He would guide all believers into all truth. 3) He would not speak of himself. 4) He would speak what he heard. 5) He would show believers things to come. 6) He would glorify Christ. 7) He would take of the things of Christ and show them unto his people.
Get a hold of the ministry of the Spirit of Christ!
1) He is the Spirit of Truth means that he is Christ's Spirit because Christ is Truth.
He is Jesus Christ's witness. He has perfect knowledge of Christ.
His love of the Truth is perfect, and he is incapable of falsehood.
He is the seeing eye of the believer, the illuminating light of the believer.
2) He will guide all believers into all truth means that his ministry is to bring believers to abide in Christ who is all truth, to abide in his word which is all truth.
Notice it is a guiding ministry, it is a pointing out the way ministry, it is a leading one on his way ministry, it is not a bringing ministry, nor a ministry of force.
He only guides those with a yielded heart, an obedient heart.
He does not force but guides the believer into all truth.
It is a continuation of the ministry that Christ began.
An orderly, gradual and progressive advancement.
It is as Peter says in 2 Pet 3:18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
The Spirit of Christ is that person who gives the increase!
3) He would not speak of himself means he will not have word to speak concerning himself independent of the Father and the Son.
Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to do the Father's will and so to the Holy Spirit is sent by the Son to do the Son's will.
The Holy Spirit conducts himself in the same manner as Jesus Christ expressed when he said in John 5:30:
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
The Holy Spirit seeks not his own will but the will of the Son who sent him.
He is to speak nothing new, nothing other than Christ and his Word. that we may have surety, that we may have a test by which to judge false spirits.
The Holy Spirit, like the Son, represents to the world the eternal truth of God.
4) He would speak what he heard means that he will only speak the words of Christ.
He does not add or subtract from the word of Christ but only speaks what he has heard from Christ.
He has no message other than what Christ brought from the Father.
It is his purpose to make that message clear and definite.
He performs the same ministry as Christ performed when he said in John 15:15: ... I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Christ never deviated from his work of revealing the Father.
So to the Holy Spirit will never deviate from his work of revealing the Son.
5) He would show believers things to come means that he will relate to believers things to come but only things to come that Christ has told him.
Not only would the Spirit of Christ bring to remembrance the words that Christ spoke to the disciples but he would show believers things to come.
Search the epistles and see this promise fulfilled.
He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches!
Who revealed that to us but the Holy Spirit in the book of Revelation.
But it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, not a revelation apart from Jesus Christ!
Things to come means that he will relate to believers things to come but only things to come that Christ has told him.
6) He would glorify Christ in all that he does.
Nothing that he does will take glory to himself and away from Christ.
His ministry is to magnify Christ so believers may see Christ as he is.
A spirit that glorifies himself instead of glorifying Christ is a lying spirit, a false spirit.
Note the glory that the so called healing spirit of the television evangelists receive.
The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ not himself.
7) For he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
He would take of the things of Christ and show them unto his people.
1 Cor 2:9,10 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Note the Spirit searches the deep things of God.
He does not develop deep things apart from God.
His office is to illumine the mind and bring home to it the things of Christ.
He does not have a ministry apart from the things of Christ but only takes the word of Christ and illuminates that word to the people of Christ.
It is not a ministry designed to draw attention to the Holy Spirit but to draw attention to Christ.
And to draw attention to Christ means to draw attention to his word!
That is what drawing attention to Christ means.
It does not mean to draw attention to the form of Christianity or some religious system or denomination or some charismatic preacher.
If a ministry alleged to be a ministry of the Holy Spirit does not magnify the word of God it is not a ministry of the Holy Spirit but it is a work of a false spirit, the spirit of error.
Does the ministry lift up the word of God?
If it does it is a work of the Holy Spirit!
1 John 4:2,3 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: ...
That sums up the ministry of the Holy Spirit, confessing Jesus Christ. And yet this is not complete as Christ explains in:
John 16:15, All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
This verse is a verse of the trinity along with a disciple of Christ.
The father, I and he and you.
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and you.
Jesus says: All things that the Father hath are mine.
Whatever that is that the Father hath, Jesus Christ hath.
What Jesus Christ hath his Spirit will take and show it to the disciple of Christ.
What is this all about?
Unity of the Trinity with those who are born into the family of God!
As Christ prays in Chapter 17: John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
This is the conforming ministry of the Holy Spirit.
He will take that which the Father has given to the Son and he will show it to those who believe that they may be conformed to the image of his Son. |