Spirit of Truth

Well, good morning, church. It's good to see you all on this Fourth of July.

Glad you could join us for worship.

We are continuing in our series in the book of John.

We'll be in chapter 16, if you want to start looking there.

In two chapters after John 16, Jesus is on trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler.

And Jesus, in response to a question, says that everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.

And Pilate responds, what is truth?

I think this is a question, maybe, that many are asking today.

I think there is a lot of confusion in our world about what truth is.

There are some who would deny the reality of truth.

That you could say a statement that actually corresponds to reality.

There are some that deny the possibility of knowing truth.

There may be a truth, but we can't know it.

Certainly not without any level of confidence.

On a popular level.

We live in a world today where we have competing narratives about what is real and true in the world.

We have to wade through accusations of fake news.

And we wonder, who do we listen to?

And commonly promoted, whether in the college dorm rooms or on Oprah, the idea that it is my truth that is most important.

And that I need to speak my truth to the world.

Not absolute.

This isn't, I'm not going to put this on you, but this is my truth.

And this becomes the defining reality for me, but not for anyone else.

And for some of us who actually believe in truth, we still struggle with the reality.

We see the dangers of absolutism and the way that it has created, Lord, the way it has created unhealthy patterns.

We've seen the need for humility.

And in all of this, it makes us wonder, with Pilate, what is truth?

And this question is a broad cultural one.

It is also a specific one for churches to answer, is it not?

Because the question of religious truth is particularly fraught.

In our culture today, religious truth is even more personalized, even more separated out from truth.

We think that what religious truth is, is really just an opinion on how I choose to think about what God might or might not be for me.

Our passage this morning in John 16 speaks to these questions.

And will help us gain confidence in our pursuit of truth this morning.

The disciples, giving this passage context, the disciples have been hearing from Jesus now for two chapters that he's going away.

We know from the storyline, this is literally the night before he will be crucified.

He will die.

So he is preparing them for what is coming.

He's telling them what is happening.

He's saying, I am going away.

And the disciples are thinking, well, how are we going to know anymore?

You've been leading us.

You've been with us.

You've been teaching us.

How are we going to know?

We have so many questions.

How will we know the truth when you are gone?

John.

And this is what leads us to our passage today.

The Gospel of John, chapter 16, verses 12 through 15.

John 16:12–15

And I'm actually going to back up and start in verse 5 just to give it a little bit of context.

But we're going to be looking and focusing on 12 through 15 today.

So let's read God's Word together.

John, we'll start at the beginning of that section in the ESV.

I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you.

But now I'm going to him who sent me.

And none of you ask me, where are you going?

But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

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 the Father has is mine.

Therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Let's pray as we look at God's Word together.

Lord, we thank you for this Word this morning.

We thank you for the opportunity to gather in freedom to read and to worship.

Lord, we pray this morning that what this passage says would be true.

That your Spirit would be at work among us.

That your Spirit would lead us into truth.

The truth of your Word and the truth about you.

God, we pray this morning that you would give us receptive hearts.

Lord, to have discernment and wisdom.

To grow in knowledge of you.

Lord, I pray this morning that you would help me.

The words that I speak, Lord, would be useful in the hands of your Spirit.

Lord, to proclaim the truth of your Word.

So that we might together sit under it and grow because of that.

We pray these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Friends, the big idea of our passage this morning is this.

That God's Spirit leads us into the truth that we most need.

Jesus, in verse 12, says,

I have many more things to teach you.

I've only been with you for a little while.

And honestly, you guys haven't been the best students.

You've misunderstood over and over again what I've said and what I'm about.

And I have many more things to say to you, but you can't bear them now.

Jesus knows their weakness.

Jesus knows we can't drink from a fire hose and just download all the information at once.

So He says,

You cannot bear it.

And I know that.

But I am not going to leave you alone.

This is what He's been saying for a while, but He says it again.

And then specifically about this idea of hearing and knowing Jesus' teaching and the truth about it.

He says,

I am going to send you the Spirit and the Spirit of truth.

When He comes, He will lead you into all truth.

And this is the first big idea in this passage,

is that God is going to send His Spirit to lead us into all truth.

What He says is,

The Spirit's going to come and continue what I've been doing.

Jesus came to reveal God to the world,

to proclaim Him and to embody Him so that we might know who God is.

And what Jesus is saying is,

I am going away,

but my presence and this teaching,

revealing ministry that I have been doing will continue

because the Holy Spirit will continue what I have started

in making known God to the world.

He will speak truth.

If you look at these verses 12 through 15,

do you see how many times the words are

say, speak, or declare over and over again?

This is the primary way that the Spirit teaches us,

is by speaking through words.

And He will speak truth about God first to His disciples.

His audience is particularly, primarily His disciples,

the 12 who have been with Him for these three years.

And what we know from the rest of Scripture

is that what Jesus is promising

is that these men will then be the primary witnesses

who will tell others about Jesus.

As they learn from the Spirit,

they will tell others about Jesus.

And that's not only in the historical reality

of the proclamation in the first century,

but it also becomes this.

The Spirit will inspire these first followers of Jesus

to write down the truth about Jesus

so that we now, 20 centuries later,

can still benefit from the overflow.

So the primary audience of Jesus' statement here

is the apostles,

but the overflow audience is all of us.

That the Spirit will teach the church.

And if the Spirit is teaching the apostles

through the inspiration and the writing of the Scriptures,

He's going to teach the church

through the illumination of those writings,

the illumination,

the making clear what the Scriptures mean

for the church throughout all the ages.

So Jesus promises us

that the Spirit is going to continue

to teach us the truth that we most need.

And the focal point of it

is on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

I say this partly.

Look at the end of verse 13.

Jesus says,

He will guide you into all the truth,

for He will not speak on His own,

but whatever He speaks,

He will declare to you

the things that are to come.

Now, some people have thought

that the Spirit is going to teach

about the end times

and all sorts of speculative things

about what's to come.

But I actually think

we need to read this very carefully.

Jesus is speaking

the day before His crucifixion

and three days before His resurrection.

And those are the things to come

that Jesus is referring to.

And He's saying,

you will understand this

when the Spirit comes.

And in fact,

John has said this in other places.

The disciples did not understand this now.

But when Jesus rose from the dead,

when the Spirit came to illuminate

and help them interpret

and understand what it was about,

then it made sense to them.

And then it was clear

what the significance of Jesus' life,

death, and resurrection really was.

And this is the focus

on His most important things.

The Spirit will also focus on Jesus

as you see at the beginning of verse 14.

He will glorify me.

Now, if you've been here for a while,

you've heard me say this over and over again.

But for those of you who haven't been here,

it's worth stopping to think,

what does glorify really mean?

It's a church word

we throw around all the time.

What does it mean to glorify something?

To glorify something means

to make clear,

to make manifest

so that other people can see

and appreciate

the intrinsic quality,

character, and beauty of something.

Okay?

It actually can also be used,

you could glorify evil if you wanted to,

you could expose its negative,

but usually it's glorifying something positive.

So glorifying is to make something known

and clear

so that other people can see it

and respond

by treasuring its value and goodness.

And this is what Jesus says

the Spirit is going to do.

He will glorify me.

Jesus is going to come

and be like a spotlight,

shining His light

upon Jesus Christ.

I don't know if you've ever been

to the Statue of Liberty,

but it's really interesting

to look at the floodlights

that they have

that make the Statue of Liberty

visible at night.

I don't know if you remember,

but during Hurricane Sandy,

the lights went out

and the power went out

and the Statue of Liberty

disappeared at night.

But when you look at this,

you realize

these floodlights

make clear

the beauty of this statue.

And that's what

Jesus is saying

the Holy Spirit is going to do.

And here's the thing,

if you go and stare

into the floodlight,

what are you going to see?

Nothing.

Because the purpose

of a floodlight

is not to be stared at.

The purpose of a floodlight

is to shine its light

on something else.

And Jesus is saying

the Spirit is going to come

to continue

what the Father has begun

and what I am doing

to glorify the Son

in His work of redemption

to make this

the most important truth

for anyone to know

throughout all of history.

Jesus is saying

you are not left

grasping for the truth.

God is making Himself known.

The Father is revealing Himself

through the Son

and the Spirit

is now shining

His floodlight

on the Son

to lift Him up.

This is what we heard earlier.

God in various times

in the past

spoke in various ways

to the prophet

but now He has spoken

His final word,

the complete word,

the end of the word,

Jesus.

This is what John himself

tells us

when we look at

the very beginning

of John in the prologue.

the word became flesh

and dwelt among us

and we have beheld His glory

because this is how

we know the Father

through this one God

who has come

to earth.

And so this is the focal point

of what the Spirit is doing

is bringing us news

and information

and knowledge

of Jesus Christ

and His work

so that we might see it

and be in response to it

be brought to faith

in Jesus.

So the Spirit

will bring us into truth

in this focused way

but I will say as well

that I believe that

as Jesus says

as He says

the Spirit will lead us

into all truth.

And I want to broaden our experience

so if this is the focal point

then this overflows

into a richness

of the truth of God

for all of life.

That God is going to give us

a knowledge

about the reality

of the world we live in

and wisdom

on how to live

in the world

under God.

Let me explain

what I mean by this, right?

There's a phrase that says

all truth is God's truth

and this is a helpful phrase

in as much as it

is God-centered

it is a wonderful thing

to recognize

that everything

that is true

that corresponds

to reality

that's defined by God

is something

that is coherent with

and a part of God's truth.

The Bible doesn't

tell us everything.

It doesn't tell me

how to build

an engine

for an airplane, right?

It doesn't tell me

how to code

a computer.

It doesn't even tell me

how to cook

chicken marsala, right?

It doesn't tell me

all sorts of really

basic things of life

and very specific things

but what it does do

is it gives us

a framework.

Gives us a framework

to understand

everything we do.

Part of what the Spirit

is going to do

is give us the keys

to the library

where we can go in

to the Creator's home

and we can pull out

the blueprints

to see how He's created

the world.

We can read His tomes

of His work

throughout history

to see the way

the world works

in different ways.

It's going to give us

a knowledge about ontology,

what truly is

in the world

and it's also going to

give us this knowledge

about wisdom

of how to live.

Now look,

I know there are some

who have questioned this

who have wondered

is the Bible

really trustworthy

and they often throw out

some really

some red herrings.

Well the Bible says

that the sun rose

and we're scientists

and we know

that the sun doesn't rise,

we know that the earth spins.

So that can't be truth.

Well listen friends,

can we give God

more credit than that?

Can we give God

more credit

than He can write

in literary genres

and in context

and can we re-understand

that what He is communicating

and the question

we need to ask

of each passage is

what is this passage

seeking to tell us

about reality

and about God?

And when it says

the sun rose

it's not trying

to describe

the specific

scientific process

of how the earth

relates to the sun

in a

what's the right word?

Astronomical

way.

Right?

That's not what

it's trying to do.

It's simply saying

from the perspective

of a human being

the sun came up.

Right?

So let's not be thrown

off by those red herrings.

There are good questions

to ask

and there are good things

for us to explore

in terms of how we

understand the coherence

and truthfulness

of the Bible.

But what John

is telling us here today

is that the Spirit

will lead us

into all truth

and the Bible

gives us a big picture

of what is real

and how to live

in that world.

What does this mean?

What might this look like?

Friends,

we could be here

for the rest of creation.

And not exhaust this

because this is the glory

of what we're doing

is God is leading us

to interact with Him

in His creation

for as long as we have

life and breath

under His truth

and with His knowledge.

But I want to give you

maybe just a taste

of what it might look like.

What might it look like

for a biomedical engineer

to think about

what he does

in light of God's truth?

Well, she might explore

the complexity

of the human body

as something created

by God.

She might work humbly

as a sub-creator

recognizing she doesn't have

ultimate control

over the world

but that God

is in doubt

with the ability

to create something,

biomedical technology,

that might actually

help someone.

she might consider

that God is the Lord

of life and death

but that she has been

given gifts

to be able to help people

in the process.

she would see

how the healing process

or the restoring

to what we would call

healthy functioning

is a foretaste

of the ultimate redemption

that God is going to bring

to all of His creation

when the powers of sin and death

are defeated

and eradicated finally.

And she might rejoice

in the opportunity

to serve others

by building

biotechnical

I don't even know

I'm so far out of my field

I can't

I don't even know

what it might be

but something that could

actually help

people live

and thrive

in this world.

Those are the kinds

of questions

that a biomedical engineer

might ask

in light of

the truth

that God is revealing

in the world.

Here's another example.

How about a filmmaker?

What is a filmmaker

going to do

to think about

what they do

in light of

the truth

that God has revealed?

Well, I think

first of all

they're going to consider

the storyline

all filmmakers

are telling stories

right?

So they're going to consider

the storyline

of the Bible

creation

fall

redemption

glory

right?

if this is the arc

then the films

that he makes

might do

all sorts

of different things

it might

reveal

the

the created

beauty

of humanity

and of creation

the

in his imageness

of all human beings

male and female

from every tribe

and tongue

and to

to bring to light

the glory

of the diversity

of what God

has created

in humanity

and in creation

he might tell

stories

about darkness

and despair

how sin

and evil

have infiltrated

the world

how it corrupts

our souls

how it corrupts

our society

how it has brought

death broadly

into the world

and how it might

help us connect

with that

and help us

understand

the despair

and brokenness

that that brings

he might tell

stories

of redemption

of courage

and of hope

that remind us

the incredible thing

that God has done

by bringing

Jesus

our rescue

and our savior

to break

into the darkness

with light

to bring hope

where there is despair

to bring life

where there is death

so we might tell

stories

of redemption

and of love

and of restoration

he might tell

stories

that give us

tastes of heaven

of perfection

of glory

of righteousness

and justice

that will never

be true

on this earth

but when we get

a taste of it

we are reminded

of what God

is doing

in the world

and where

this creation

is going

I hope

that you can

see through

these two

little examples

what it might

look like

to begin

to embrace

this overflowing

truth

that God

is giving us

by his spirit

some of you

are engaged

in the university

world

and your world

is the world

of ideas

and Jesus

is telling you

that the Holy Spirit

wants to teach

you how

what you do

in the academy

is going

to connect

with what God

is doing

in all of creation

and all of history

and for you

to find your place

to serve God

in all of these things

some of you

have nothing to do

with the university

you don't care

about it at all

and God is doing

the same thing

for you

no matter what

you are spending

your time doing

no matter what

you are engaged

in your life

God has given us

a framework

to navigate

all kinds

of different questions

of life

and work

here are some things

that the Bible

speaks to

that our society

is wrestling

with today

the Bible speaks

to gender

identity

and sexuality

and how we

understand that

the Bible speaks

to race

and oppression

and discrimination

and glory

in the diversity

of our world

the Bible speaks

to economics

and to justice

the Bible speaks

to the importance

of work

and of play

and of rest

the Bible speaks

to the place

of politics

and society

and how we live

with one another

and our neighbors

and it applies

in the everyday

lives

of relating

to one another

of being in a family

of being a parent

or being a child

and so on

and so forth

and in all

these things

God is giving us

through His Spirit

a knowledge

of the ontology

of what is true

about the world

and then

a knowledge

of wisdom

how we are to live

under God's rule

how are we to live

wisdom might be

described as

living in harmony

with or in

concert with

God's creative purposes

and God's plans

for this world

and this is what

God is doing

the Bible doesn't

always give us

easy answers

it certainly doesn't

always tell us

what job we should

take

who we should marry

or what we should

eat for dinner

but it does tell us

all that we need

in this big picture

and the most important

thing there is Jesus

but there's this

grand glorious picture

of His kingdom

and His world

that He's invited us

in to explore

and to know

and to exhaust

our whole lives

learning more

and more

about the glory

of God

in all of this

how do we

how do we do this

how do we pursue this

friends

it actually isn't

very difficult

and it's also

incredibly difficult

here's the easy part

do you see this book

it's called a Bible

if you have one

you should read it

if you don't have one

you should get one

and read it

because it is how God

has put down

in writing

His revelation

to us

so how do we pursue

growing in our knowledge

of truth of God

well we read the Bible

that may sound

really simple

it may sound simplistic

but it's the most

important thing

to do

and to do it

asking God

God help me

understand it

because Jesus

is promising us

that the Spirit

will help us

do that

you don't have

to be an expert

you don't have

to be an intellectual

you don't have

to be a theologian

to understand

God's Word

because God's Spirit

can help you

secondly

explore the world

with the lens

of the Bible

take seriously

the calling

that God has put on you

to figure out

how in the things

that I invest my life in

what does God

think about these things

start with the Bible

but recognize

that you also have

the church

the church today

and the church

throughout history

for you to talk to

about this

that means reading books

we have a book stall

downstairs

many of you

haven't seen it

because we've been

in a pandemic

for 18 months

but there's a book stall

downstairs

if you want a book

on something

go down there

see if you have one

we have a resource list

on our webpage

and if you don't find

what you're looking for

come talk to me

or one of the elders

we'd love to help you

find books

that can explore

God's world

and how God's world view

applies in different

parts of life

and finally

live a life

of humility

acknowledging

that you don't

know everything

but that you are

related to a God

who is truth

and a God

who by his spirit

of truth

is leading you

into all truth

that's the main point

of our passage

but there are two more

verses here

that we need to spend

at least a minute on

because when you look

at verses 14 and 15

it is remarkable

what Jesus says here

we could have just

preached the sermon

I just finished

and that would be nice

but there's more here

and we need to taste

because the spirit

doesn't only lead us

into all truth

but the spirit

leads us in a way

that helps us understand

that truth comes

from the triune God

when you look at

verses 13, 14, and 15

what is it that the spirit does?

The spirit speaks

what he hears from Jesus

and declares it

to the disciples

verse 14

what Jesus has

that is the truth

and the knowledge

of who he is

and his self-disclosure

the spirit will declare

that is what

so from Jesus

through the spirit

to us

and then verse 15 says

oh and by the way

what I have

Jesus is speaking

Jesus says

what I have

I get that from the father

and so the father

through the son

by the spirit

is brought to us

in this incredibly

personal way

I said earlier

that the spirit

unlocks the library

so we can walk in

and read the blueprints

and see the tomes

of the library

but it's actually

better than that

isn't it?

because what the spirit

is

is the promise

that the creator

himself

the architect

the librarian

wants a relationship

with us

that we can walk

into his library

and not just read

his books

but we can sit

in the armchair

across the table

have a cup of tea

metaphorically

with Jesus

and ask him

and learn from him

the grand architect

the author

of all things

we are taught

by him

directly

and the spirit

brings

the fullness

of truth

to us

and so truth

is found

ultimately

and fully

in relationship

with God

here's a quote

I found online

this is on a blog

post

on Ligonier.com

but it's a quote

from Herman

Bavink

who's a great

theologian

this is what he says

about this

God

is the truth

in its absolute

fullness

he therefore

is the primary

the original truth

the source

of all truth

the truth

in all truth

he is the ground

of truth

of the true being

of all things

of their knowability

and conceivability

the ideal

and archetype

of all truth

of all ethical being

of all rules

and laws

in light of which

the nature

and manifestation

of all things

should be judged

and on which

they should be modeled

God

is the source

and origin

of the knowledge

of truth

in all areas

of life

the Bible

does not simply

bring to us

a coherent

world view

with a philosophical

understanding

that coheres

but God

the Bible

brings us

God himself

who is the definer

and the creator

and the source

he is the beginning

and the end

of all truth

according to the Bible

friends I don't know

if you've thought

about this

but this is how

the Bible

really answers

the question

of religious knowledge

some people would say

well I need to come

to religious knowledge

through a scientific

I need to look

at evidences

and facts

and somehow

come to a proof

and faith

would be

denying that process

and ignoring it

but the Bible

actually says

that faith

and truth

go together

faith isn't

biblically

blind trust

faith is

reasonable trust

faith is

seeing that

there is

something there

and being

willing to

actually entrust

yourself

to it

and the truth

is that God

is making himself

known

in so many

various ways

and by his spirit

is drawing us

into that truth

so that faith

in God

is not an

irrational act

but it is a

super rational act

it is a

spiritual act

it is not in

denial of

a scientific method

but it is above

that

the biblical

worldview

marries faith

and truth together

because here's the thing

if you deny

the possibility

of the existence

of God

as a presupposition

you will never

know

whether there

is a God

or not

but what the

bible says

is

if you are

willing

if you will

humble yourself

and acknowledge

that maybe

there is a

God

then God

will reveal

himself to you

he will make

himself known

and he will

lead you

into all

truth

and so

relating to

God

is where

we find

what is

really

true

and real

because the

spirit

of all

truth

is going

to come

and bring

to us

not just

a system

and knowledge

but bring

to us

a revelation

of God

himself

the person

of God

will be

made known

to us

and as we

respond to him

in faith

we are then

able to

understand

the truth

friends

this is what

Jesus has

said from

the very

beginning

Jesus

in John

John 1:14

1

verse 14

is the

word became

flesh

dwelt among

us

full of

grace

and truth

and we

have beheld

his glory

if you want

to know

what God

is like

you go

to Jesus

you look

at him

because the

Bible says

this is where

God has

displayed his

glory

and when

you see

his glory

you will

experience

what Jesus

promised

in John

8

if you

abide

in my

word

you are

truly

my

disciples

and you

will

know

the

truth

and the

truth

will set

you

free

when you

see

Jesus

in his

glory

you will

understand

why

Jesus

said

in John

14

6

I am

the way

and the

truth

and the

life

no one

comes to

the

father

except

through

me

this is

the great

hope

for the

disciples

as they're

watching

Jesus

say

he's

going

away

and

wondering

how

can

we

know

you

the

spirit

is

going

to

come

and we

still

have

that

same

spirit

today

that

same

spirit

is

still

at

work

in

the

world

and

is

in

the

church

revealing

this

Jesus

to

us

revealing

God

to

us

so

that

we

might

know

him

and

know

his

truth

we

are

not

adrift

my

friends

we

don't

have

to

create

our

own

truth

or

to

grasp

in

the

dark

as

if

we

were

lost

but

the

Holy

Spirit

is

seeking

us

to

bring

to

us

all

truth

and

to

guide

us

so

that

we

might

know

him

and

know

the

truth

that

is

in

him

the

spirit

is

here

friends

let

us

rejoice

and

let

us

pray

spirit

we

come

to

you

Jesus

father

we

come

acknowledging

that the

mystery

of the

trinity

is

greater

than we

can

understand

fully

and

yet

we

thank

you

that

in

the

richness

of

your

three

persons

father

son

and

holy

spirit

you

have

revealed

yourself

to

us

your

gracious

self

disclosure

means

that

we

are

not

adrift

but

lord

that

we

can

know

real

truth

and

that

the

most

important

truth

is

about

you

once

we

know

you

lord

that

we

can

explore

all

truth

in

this

world

in

ways

that

bring

glory

to

you

lord

i

pray

this

morning

lord

if

there

are

those

here

this

morning

who

don't

yet

know

you

who

don't

yet

understand

that

you

are

God

of

truth

to

rescue

us

from

our

lostness

lord

i

pray

that

your

spirit

would

lead

them

into

truth

this

morning

and

i

pray

for

all

of

us

lord

that

we

would

have

confidence

in a

world

that

seems

adrift

that

we

would

have

confidence

that

in

knowing

you

we

can

know

what

is

right

and

good

and

true

in

this

world

holy

spirit

help

us

we

pray

we

pray

these

things

in

Jesus

name

amen

amen