John 16:5-15 "How Does Jesus Speak Today?"

Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah.

! It is wonderful that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah,

either by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray for us

that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself?

The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian,

we really, I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the

Bible, they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will do

what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a non-Christian,

checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't hesitate to send us

questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the types of things

that you're really struggling with. So God bless.

It is a privilege to speak this morning to you, opening up God's Word as we just heard it in John.

John, as a former student of Anton Chekhov, I worry about that right there, because apparently

nothing on stage was to be there unless it was going to be used at some point. And I've got those

fangs there, but they keep me on my toes. Let's pray before we dig in. Thank you, Lord, for the joy of

celebrating a baptism, for the joy of breaking bread together, for the joy of hearing your Word.

And we ask that by your Holy Spirit, you would open our hearts, soften us to take hold of your promise.

May we see Jesus. May we hear him today. And in his name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Now, if you heard last week's sermon, you'll recall that George mentioned how in his younger

years he knew a woman who had a word from God regarding whom she was to marry, and that that

person was to be George. Well, a few years ago I recall reading an article about a woman in Kenya

who believed that God had told her that she was to marry the Holy Spirit, and with a full wedding

and everything, not just in some informal way. And I'm not telling you this to poke any fun at her at all,

because as far as I can tell, she was very sincere in her desire to see people come to know Jesus.

But the fact is, there's a lot of confusion that surrounds the question of how God speaks today.

It's linked to a confusion about the Holy Spirit's person and his work, and who he is and what he does.

Anyway, here's what happened. The lady's name was Elizabeth Nalem. I think I'm pronouncing that right.

She believed she had a word from God. Along with instructions to marry the Holy Spirit, she was told to go preach the gospel,

first in neighboring Uganda, and then to the United States, to the uttermost parts of the earth, if you like.

So she invited her friends to church, where the ceremony took place. But it didn't go down as she had hoped,

because, well, the party was somewhat spoiled by a certain man. It turned out to be her husband.

He wasn't on board with every detail there that day.

He said, well, the decision had involved him more or less staying back to care for their children.

And here's what he said. She didn't inform me about the wedding.

We are still duly married, and this is a lot of work.

He also pointed out, just for the record, that he had paid a substantial dowry of 22 cows and 16 goats.

Well, this was an Anglican network she was part of, and the bishop was brought into the situation,

and he came down on the husband's side.

Once he'd heard that Mrs. Nalem had gone through with the ceremony,

he said, we don't support what happened because Holy Spirit things don't happen that way.

Holy Spirit things don't happen that way.

Well, on what grounds could he say that?

On what grounds could you and I claim such a thing?

Before we try to answer that, and before we turn to our text,

consider two main areas of confusion about the person and work of the Holy Spirit today.

Some of us are going to be inclined to think at times that the Holy Spirit is a power

that keeps everything and everyone connected.

In other words, the world and the Holy Spirit share a very tight relationship,

a natural kind of intimacy, if you like.

And since it's by this power that relationships happen,

it has the appearance of being personal.

But the power itself, we have to be clear, is an impersonal one that animates the world.

To live rightly, according to this understanding, is to stay connected.

In other words, to live in unity, in the connectedness of all things that's already there by the Spirit.

To sin, on the other hand, against the Spirit, is to disconnect.

It's to create boundaries, like when we draw distinctions between God and creation,

good and bad, redeemed, lost, gay, straight, so forth.

John Denver, one of my heroes, seems to have been into this kind of understanding

when he, years back, sang a song called Wind Song.

And he thought of the wind as the whisper of our mother, the earth,

the wind as the weaver of darkness, bringer of dawn,

or the sweet taste of love on a slow summer's day.

I think that captured something of this understanding of the Spirit.

Now, others like to think of the Holy Spirit as the present God,

who's to be distinguished from the God who was active in the past,

as Father and Son, in different ages, under different modes.

The idea that God is personal is here at least a bit more promising

because God is understood to speak to us from beyond all created things,

telling us his name and his will for us and for creation.

But, and here's the problem,

what he says in one age may well be superseded by what he says in the next.

And here's what it looks like.

The Father's ministry gives way to the sons,

and then that's replaced by the spirits.

In practical terms, in the present age of the spirit,

we don't really look for God to reveal his will in ways exclusively through past events

and through an authoritative word about those events, as we have in Scripture,

but more directly, either through an inner voice to the individual heart

or to the church through its collective wisdom over the years.

Now, in practice, we tend to be inconsistent,

so we won't fall neatly into these categories.

So Mrs. Nalem may very well have been diligent in her reading of Scripture,

even while actively seeking after a more direct revelation

of what God required for her salvation

or for the building up of the church.

The same confusion is there for those who try to hold both Scripture

and church tradition as sources of revelation.

This way may look more cautious and more restrained,

but in practice, it becomes very easy for a church

slowly but surely to invent stuff

that it considers necessary for our salvation

or for our unity or for the advancement of the kingdom,

for the building up of the church,

but that God hasn't required

or that God has expressly forbidden in Scripture.

So we have Scripture as God's Word written,

as our only infallible standard for discerning these things.

I'll say a bit more about that towards the end,

but for now, let's just ask this.

What does Jesus teach about the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit and what is his work?

So let's go through that reading together.

If you have your Bibles there or your devices,

follow with me as we go through this passage once again

broken down in three segments.

The first segment, verses 5 to 7,

is a necessary preface to what Jesus teaches

about the Holy Spirit's work and person and work

because it has to do with the fact

and the blessings of his going away.

Verse 5,

But now I am going to him who sent me,

and none of you asks 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,

some translations say comforter or consoler,

will not come to you.

But if I go,

I will send him to you.

Just let me make three brief points on this section.

I'm going to him who sent me,

says Jesus.

I'm going to the Father.

In the Creed,

we confess that Jesus ascended into heaven,

but we often overlook that event,

don't we?

Since we tend to focus more on Jesus'

direct presence in our lives

at the expense of a real departure.

And the upshot, I think,

is that we tend to overlook

the necessary role of the Holy Spirit.

So we do well to note

how perplexed the disciples are.

And apart from being troubled,

which I'll mention a little further down,

Jesus has earlier,

just in the previous chapter,

said to them,

remain in me,

even as I remain in you.

And now he says he's leaving.

And so naturally,

we'd be asking,

how is that supposed to happen?

And then Jesus, in effect,

answers the question.

Because he says,

it's to your advantage,

and this is my second point,

it's to your advantage that I go away.

Here we need to grasp, I think,

why exactly Jesus' departure

is a real benefit to them.

Now, if we think

that a spiritual presence

is something less than real,

then we will run into difficulties.

But the fact is,

and as commentaries can help us to see,

to remain would limit Jesus

geographically, spatially.

And what God has in store

in this glorious sending

of the Holy Spirit

at Pentecost,

it's not that he wasn't active,

the Spirit wasn't active before,

but there's this special outpouring

at Pentecost.

God's design in this wonderful moment

means that there are no such limitations

to God's power

to make Jesus present

to every heart

that's willing to make him room,

as we sing at Christmas time,

to receive him for every group,

to any group

that gathers in his name.

And that's the wonder

of a personal relationship with Jesus.

We sometimes maybe overuse that term,

and it's good to know what we mean.

But it's a good term.

It's the wonder

of a personal relationship with Jesus

when, by God's mercy,

we're brought into it

through our repentance

and faith in Jesus,

as we've heard so well

in our baptismal rite.

That's the most important decision

we could ever make.

Now, the phrase itself, of course,

can be misunderstood,

personal relationship,

as when we think of

other personal things,

like personal belongings,

personal careers,

things that you and I

can kind of more or less

direct and control.

But to enjoy a personal relationship

with Jesus

is really,

it's really about Jesus.

Brought about by the Spirit

who gives life,

and it's to have him direct us

and govern our lives.

He's in charge,

and there really is no other way

for a relationship with Jesus

to happen.

And then the third point

has this promise.

Jesus says,

if I go,

I will send him to you.

What we learn here

is that the Holy Spirit,

sent from the Father,

according to Jesus'

earlier promise as well,

also comes from the Son.

That's why,

and incidentally,

it was not wrong

to add the filioque clause

to the creed.

As when we declare

that the Holy Spirit

proceeds from the Father,

and the Son.

There's a theological significance

I won't dwell on here.

We can talk about that after.

But,

because now all we need to do

is understand why

Scripture itself

speaks of the Spirit

belonging,

as belonging to Jesus.

Yes,

they are distinct persons

of the Godhead,

but when Paul writes

in Galatians 4, 6,

that God's children

are able to address God

as Abba,

as Father,

because of the,

because of the,

because the,

because the Spirit

of His Son

is in their hearts,

we're meant to understand

the unity of purpose

that the Son

and the Spirit share.

So we should never

drive a wedge

between the work

of the Son

on the one hand

and the work

of the Spirit

on the other.

This text

draws us marvelously

into that truth.

So that,

turn with me

to verse 8,

the second part

of the passage.

In this second part,

verses 8 to 11,

Jesus describes

the Holy Spirit's work

there in the world.

Verse 8,

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.

Two brief points

here in this text.

The convicting work

of the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean

to be convicted

of sin?

Well,

it's to have

its true nature

exposed

so that we understand

what it is exactly

and what its consequences

are.

It's to be aware

and convinced

of its real nature.

And I think

what I want to highlight

here is that

an impersonal God

can't possibly

make that happen.

An impersonal God

is mute.

Even convenient.

And convenient

because we get

to decide ultimately

what is what sin is

if there is such a thing

and what its consequences

are.

But here we see

that the Holy Spirit

is personal.

He's sovereign.

His work,

far from

inserting

some kind of

general glue

that holds

all things together,

is very specific

related to the

saving purposes

of God.

And he works

particularly

and specially.

As Sinclair Ferguson

puts it,

the New Testament

places the spirit

and the world

in an antithetical,

not conciliatory

relationship.

That's because

two chapters back,

John 14,

Jesus tells the disciples

that the world

does not know

the spirit

and therefore

cannot receive him.

The second point,

we,

in the second point

here is that

the convicting work

is very specific

and it's very

closely,

tightly related

to Jesus'

person and work.

It has a very

Christological focus.

It's very

Jesus-centered here.

In other words,

when the Holy Spirit

comes,

he will apply

Jesus'

saving work

in three ways.

He's going to

turn hearts

from unbelief

in Jesus

to belief

in Jesus.

He's going to

give the remedy

for sin

through faith

in Jesus

and his righteousness,

taking on

his righteousness

as like a mantle.

And he'll

establish

Jesus'

lordship

and righteous

rule over all

things,

given the victory

over Satan

that he's won

through the cross.

And that's his

work in the world

which will continue

right to the day,

the glorious day

when Jesus comes

again.

And here we see

the Holy Spirit

not attracting

attention to himself.

He's always

pointing us

and leading us

to Jesus.

Jesus.

Let's see

the third part

which concerns

the Holy Spirit's

work in the lives

of disciples.

Verse 12,

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.

So just

once again

some brief

points here.

The first

has to do

with who

is the

person

of the Holy

Spirit.

We have

confessed

in the

Creed

that he

is Lord

and life

giver

and we

have solid

biblical

reasons for

confessing

that.

And here

Jesus tells

us that he

is the

spirit of

truth.

There are

many things

we could

say about

the Holy

Spirit's

person but

these are

the two

that I

want to

highlight

here.

He's the

life and

he's truth.

And what

it's wonderful

how wonderful

it is to

understand

to grasp

that the

life that the

Holy Spirit

brings is

not somehow

disconnected

or separate

from the

truth that

he imparts.

To get

one is to

get the

other.

We're so

prone to

put those

things,

life and

truth,

in separate

boxes as

though we

could select

one and

take one and

leave the

other aside.

So we can

say that the

Holy Spirit's

work is to

give us the

truth about

who God

is and

what he has

done even

even as

he gives

us new

life.

Everything

he does

serves the

purpose of

revealing the

truth and

the beauty

of Jesus,

whether it

means shining

light into

our hearts

to expose

things that

are not of

God or

giving us

insight and

gifts we

need for

building up

the church

and advancing

Christ's

kingdom.

A second

point.

Jesus says

he will guide

you into

all truth.

Whom will

he guide?

Is the

question here.

And in the

primary sense

we have to

recognize that

he's speaking

directly to

his disciples.

His promise

is that the

Holy Spirit

is going to

reveal what

they will need

to know and

understand so

that his

word can be

complete and

his written

word can be

completed,

can be sealed

if you like.

That's why

he told them

in John

14, 26,

he will

teach you

all things

and bring

to your

remembrance

all that

I've said

to you.

But the

Holy Spirit's

guidance doesn't

end there.

We believers

of the 21st

century benefit

from the very

same ministry.

There is one

important difference.

The Holy Spirit

now leads us

into the truth

not so as to

add to the

revelation that's

already there

but so that

we will grow

in our

understanding of

that revelation

so that more

light may be

shed on the

meaning of

scripture as we

apply it in

different and

new contexts

and to new

situations.

That's the

difference between

the Holy Spirit's

revelation and

his illumination

and I think it's

a crucial distinction

for us to make.

So to the

last point in

the passage

he will take

what is mine

and declare it

to you.

There again

here we see

the unity of

purpose between

Jesus and the

Holy Spirit.

We see here

that it's Jesus

who will be

speaking through

the Holy Spirit.

We see the

unity in their

present ministry.

It's not as

though we have

Jesus speaking

only in the

past and the

Holy Spirit

speaking today.

No, it's

Jesus speaking

today through

the Holy Spirit.

So let's

turn to a

couple of

practical questions.

What about

God revealing

the name of

the person

we're supposed

to marry?

What about

what should

we expect

how should we

expect to hear

Jesus' voice

today?

Given that

there are

competing

understandings

of this?

Well, the

first question

raises what's

called the

doctrine of

the Scripture's

finality.

You can make

a note of

that.

The Scripture's

finality.

And the best

way I try to

explain that

is just as

we seek no

further Christ

beyond Jesus

of Nazareth,

the same

risen Lord

Jesus who

will come

again in

glory to

judge the

living and

the dead.

we seek no

further revelation

from God

concerning salvation.

Finality.

Scriptures are

God's final

revelation.

This means that

they are the

only standard

for testing

any and

every idea

that we might

consider to be

from God.

Let me bring

in Sinclair

Ferguson again

here because I

think he makes

the point far

better than I

could.

He says this,

since the

Scriptures record

God's last

word for the

last days,

we should not

now expect

that God

will speak

to us

directly.

Let's hear

what he means.

Now that he

has spoken in

Christ and

through the

apostles,

we discover

his will by

applying

Scripture to

all the

varied circumstances

in which we

live.

We do not

expect, for

example, that

God will

whisper to

us the

name of

the person

we are to

marry, the

calling we

are to

pursue, the

church to

which we

are to

belong, or

the place we

should live.

We discover

God's will in

these areas by

the careful

and ongoing

application of

the principles,

commands, and

illustrations we

find in

Scripture to

the life

situations in

which we find

ourselves.

God has

given me a

word for

you.

But when

it happens,

what is the

way to

receive such

a report?

Well, I have

the option of

my own dad's

very practical

example.

He says,

okay, brother

or sister,

thanks for

that.

When God

tells me the

same thing, I'll

let you know.

It's one way to

go about it,

right?

But if

Ferguson is

right in

his judgment,

as I believe

he is, in our

efforts to

apply biblical

principles to

life situations,

at times we

do get a

strong sense

that this

way, as

opposed to

that way, is

the right way

to go forward.

After all, the

Holy Spirit does

enlighten our

path by his

word, giving

us that

discernment.

But even

there we have

to recognize

that our

vision is

going to be

fallible.

we can

never apply

to our

interpretations

of God's

will for us

any kind

of thus

saith the

Lord.

We have

to recognize

that our

strong sense

may also

have other

motives attached

to it that

could cloud

our understanding.

So to the

question of

how does

Jesus speak

today, I

do pray that

this, what

I share here

will be of

help, as

it has been

in my own

life.

It's not

intended to

oversimplify

something that

can be rather

complex, but

simply to set

different perspectives

side by side

so that we

can compare

them and

see them

hopefully for

what they

are.

I didn't

come up with

this.

I got it

from John

Stott, who

some years

back outlined

five answers

to the question

how does

Jesus speak

today?

The classic

Roman Catholic

answer, Jesus

speaks today

through the

magisterium,

okay?

The teaching

office of the

Pope and his

fellow Roman

Catholic bishops

who rely on

both scripture

and tradition

in doing that.

That's a

standard and

official, in a

sense, Roman

Catholic

explanation.

But the

problem here,

apart from

having a sort

of expanding

Bible, if you

like, to which

we can add

more infallible

texts, has

to do with

the fact that

final authority

rests with a

body of

bishops, not

a body of

books.

C.S.

Lewis identified

the problem

well when he

was asked why

he wasn't a

Roman Catholic

or was asked

to address the

question of

why he wasn't

Roman Catholic.

And even

though he was

very gracious

in his dealings

with his

close Roman

Catholic friends,

he answered

something like,

to become a

Roman Catholic,

I not only

must accept

what you

teach today,

I'm committed

to accepting

what you

might teach

me tomorrow

because of

this open

canon idea.

The Eastern

Orthodox view

is the second

one.

Jesus speaks

today through

holy tradition.

That is,

principally through

the Bible,

which has pride

of place,

but also the

creed, the

first seven

councils, the

teachings of

the fathers,

within that

period, the

liturgy, holy

icons as well,

and perhaps one

or two other

things.

But here also

the authority

rests with the

church, understood

in a kind of

dynamic liturgical

sense, what the

church in its

liturgical life,

its worship life,

sees fit to

incorporate into

that great

tradition.

I'd like to

illustrate that,

but I don't

think I have

time.

But talk to

me after,

and I have a

way of

illustrating that.

that I think

highlights this

Eastern Orthodox

understanding as

distinct from the

Roman Catholic

one.

What's the

liberal answer?

Jesus speaks

today, these

are John

Stott's words,

through individual

reason, conscience,

experience, or the

consensus of

educated opinion.

This is the most

subjective option,

and at best it

leaves us with a

provisional head

count.

especially among

those who are

educated, right?

The fourth

option, John

Stott gives, is

the popular

Anglican way.

He says, we

hear Jesus'

voice today

through the

threefold

cord of

scripture,

tradition, and

reason.

So we have

something of an

improvement on

the liberal

approach, but it's

still subjective

because it's

really left to

the individual,

or to the

individual body

of Christians

to decide how

to coordinate

these things,

scripture,

tradition,

reason,

experience.

Usually, and

in our own

times, experience

gets to win.

So Stott comes

to the fifth,

what he calls

the evangelical

answer to the

question,

Jesus speaks

today through

holy scripture.

scripture.

Why?

Well, for the

simple reason

that Jesus

submitted to

scripture and

urged his

disciples to do

the same.

Now, if we

ask, well,

wasn't Jesus

getting his

disciples to

submit to the

Hebrew Bible,

to the Old

Testament?

Well, yes,

but he

explicitly provided

for the new

with his promise

that the Holy

Spirit would

teach his

disciples what

they weren't

yet ready to

bear.

So how

might we

respond to

what we've

heard from

God's word

this morning?

Just a few

concluding thoughts.

As we reflect

on Jesus'

teaching about

the Holy

Spirit, I

think that

this morning

we can be

grateful for

the truth

that the

same Holy

Spirit impresses

on your heart

and on mine

as we attend,

as we attend

the Holy

Scripture,

as we listen

as we consider

it, as we

meditate on it,

as we discuss

it with others.

We can also

be encouraged

by the hope

it puts in

our hearts

and also

challenged

by the

Holy Spirit's

inward work

as we look

ahead.

So I'll be

very brief.

First, we're

called to be

grateful.

If you're

like me,

most of the

time you're

not thinking,

wow,

the truth

that is now

clearing the

fog of my

brain and

unbelief as

I meditate on

Scripture is the

work of the

Holy Spirit.

And yet it

is.

So let's give

thanks that the

Holy Spirit is

the spirit of

truth,

clearing that

fog of our

confusion and

unbelief.

Second, we're

called to be

encouraged by the

hope it brings.

The Holy Spirit

does the work

of uniting us

to Jesus and

keeping him

united to

Jesus, who is

the way, the

truth, and the

life.

To have Jesus

is to have a

profound and

lasting hope that

he will do

precisely as he

has promised.

Finally, we're

challenged as we

look ahead.

The immediate

context of the

passage is

Jesus is teaching

about abiding in

him and his

word, as I

mentioned, but

also the

consequences that

will necessarily

follow from

following him.

It makes

perfect sense

then that the

disciples are

troubled, and

he's just

warned them that

the suffering is

going to come.

He even says

in chapter 16,

verse 2, that

they're going to

be put to

death with

those who kill

them thinking

they're actually

serving God.

And I can't

help think

here of a

period of time

that I've been

studying, the

16th century

Spain, with

the church and

all its outward

signs of

authority and

even representing

Jesus, somehow

thinking through

the Inquisition that

they were doing

the Lord's work as

they burnt so

many at the stake

for their faith in

Jesus in 16th

century Spain.

I think in

light of this

reality, we can

be challenged in

a couple of

ways.

We can be

challenged to

depend more on

the Holy Spirit's

ministry, in

guiding us, in

dwelling, letting

Christ's word dwell

in us richly, as

Paul says in

Colossians 3, so

that we can

encourage others

more and more and

also be moved to

give thanks.

But the second

way we can be

challenged is as

we recognize the

real battle that's

there, never to

lose sight of the

fact that there

is a battle going

on for our souls.

The cross is a

permanent mark of

disciples.

All who will live

godly in Christ

Jesus, says Paul to

Timothy, shall suffer

persecution.

2 Timothy 3.12.

The truth is,

opposition to God's

word is relentless,

so in a sense, I

don't want to be

misunderstood here, in

a sense we shouldn't

be drawing a sharp

distinction between the

persecuted church as

distinct from the one

that isn't.

There are degrees of

public and visible

persecution, of course,

but every Christian is

called to do battle

against spiritual forces

of evil in the

heavenly places.

If it were otherwise,

the armor of God

would only be something

we'd need to have on

occasionally.

So may the Lord

strengthen us to keep

it on by his

spirit, strengthen us

to keep that armor

on, and in every

victory we gain,

may we give God the

praise and the glory.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.