Gospel of John - The Upper Room Discourse - The Works of the Holy Spirit

                             

The Works Of The Holy Spirit

John 15: 26-16:5-15

In the memorable writings from American history, comes the legendary quote of little George Washington, “I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet.” The Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington, Parson Mason Locke Weems. The quote embraced the morality of honesty and integrity. But Truth didn’t originate with any man, it’s origin is God, for they are the Truth. Let’s look at the first portion of the text, “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…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.

 Jesus has told the disciples that the Spirit of Truth, the Advocate, will go out of the Father and Jesus will send the Holy Spirit after he is gone. Jesus’ promise was fulfilled because he is the Truth and the Spirit is the Truth from the Father. The disciples were only beginning to understand the Holy Trinity. Jesus told them the Holy Spirit will testify about Jesus and the Works of God the Father. The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God the Father, “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God…And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (1 Cor. 2:11; Rom. 8:27)

Jesus again reassures the disciples that his going away is all a part of the purpose and will of God the Father. He is not leaving them as orphans (Jn. 14:18), he wants them to know he is going back to God the Father who sent him to the world. But the disciples were still grieving the eventual loss of Jesus. They had become one as Jesus will tell them later. They didn’t see how not having Jesus around was a benefit. He was literally their master, messiah, and mentor. He fed them, taught them, corrected them, and changed their lives by walking through life with them. They were new creations in Jesus. But the One in whom Jesus will send will live in them, the Holy Spirit. But He couldn’t come unless Jesus went away to the Father.

Application - Grief and not understanding always come when someone or thing is taken away before we are ready in life to have it taken. Ask any parent who has a child taken in death, and they will share with you their grief and lack of understanding of the why’s and if’s that happens in life. Like the disciples, we need the Holy Spirit to testify to us the Truth. As I have said before, the enemy of God has been distorting the truth, working through sinful men who spin the truth, twisting it to anything but what it was meant to say in the beginning. 

We are so blessed to know the Truth and have him set us free from sin and bondage, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:31b-32)

We are not to be like the world, for we have the Spirit of Truth living in us, sent through the Father from the Son. We may grieve but not like the world, “so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” (1 Thes. 4:13b)  We have hope in the Truth who are our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." (Rom. 15:13)

Next, Jesus tells of the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting sin, Jesus explains (analyzes in detail) the working of the Holy Spirit in convicting sin in the lives of all the people of the world. Let’s look at the next portion of the text, “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.”

The Holy Spirit will prove by revealing the Truth on the existence and degradation of man’s concept of sin. The world was blind to the origin of sin because of the prince of the power of the air, also called the god of this age, “You used to live like people of this world. You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power. This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience…The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (Eph. 2:2, 1 Cor.4:4) 

For the world in which the disciples lived and would testify didn’t know the truth about sin. They didn’t need a savior from sin because they had created for themselves gods. The people believed they could appease, placate, and pacify their spiritual void by these gods. They were deadening their minds and their spirits within them by the demonic spiritual powers in the heavenly posing as gods.

Earlier, the disciples had preached in the villages the Good News about the kingdom of God. The Good News was that God's kingdom was eternal, sin-free, and holy, and that God sent his Son to save mankind from their inherent sin-nature by believing in him. Jesus came to forgive sins and set all who believed in him free from the captivity and penalty of their inherent sin-nature. Jesus didn’t come to appease sin, to be placated, or to pacify sin, he came to eradicate it by being the only sacrifice acceptable to God the Father for sin. It was God’s gift (grace) by believing (faith) that they could be cleansed of their sinfulness, "For by grace you have been saved through faith and this not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph. 2:8-9)

The Holy Spirit also convicts mankind of his self-righteousness. The world had believed they were righteous because of their good works or their inherent good nature as a human being. The Holy Spirit would come to convict the world of their filthy unrighteous nature because of sin, and that the only righteousness that was acceptable to God the Father was the righteousness of the Son, who alone was without sin as a human. Jesus’ righteousness was completed on the cross, in his resurrection from the dead, and in his ascension back to the Father.

And last, the Holy Spirit came to prove that the death of Jesus on the cross was the judgment’s death knell for Satan and all of his evil fallen ones. For on the cross, his resurrection, and ascension, Jesus defeated the devil and proclaimed victory over sin, death, and hell. “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades…Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 1:18, 20:14, 21)

Application - The Holy Spirit is very much alive and convicting sin in our world today. He is infilling the believers with boldness and power to speak and reveal the darkness of sin in the world, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph. 5:11-14)

Yet like the people mentioned in Scripture, they didn’t listen to the Word of the Lord because of the sin that held them unresponsive and stiff-necked in their lives. The Holy Spirit proved the sin that consumed and controlled them would bring discipline and judgment, “Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God…“However, You bore with them for many years, and admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. (2 Kings 17:13-14, Neh. 9:30)

We who have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit 

of God living in us should know the truth of sin, and how it destroys our lives and those around us. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we are not to be like the world, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” Eph. (4:18-19)

  The third work of the Holy Spirit is to guide the disciples into all the truth. Let's look at the final portion of the text, “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.”

Jesus knew that the disciples couldn’t retain all that he wanted them to know. He knew the Spirit of Truth would guide them into all that he had taught and said, as well, the Holy Spirit would guide the disciples into the very will and purpose of God the Father for their lives, ministries, and greater knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of God. “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” (1 Col. 1:9-12)

Just as Jesus had done, The Holy Spirit will only speak the words that he hears from the Father, and of the things yet to come. As well, the Holy Spirit will glorify the Son and he will relay what the Son has to say and what he is to make known to you. All the Holy Spirit says will be done because the Son has been given full authority from the Father and all that belongs to the Father is now the Son’s. 

Application - We as believers have the Holy Spirit to guide us in the truth about sin in our lives, for the Holy Spirit’s words are straight from the Throne of God. The Father through the Son is speaking to us by the Holy Spirit in order for us to know and put off the sin that has so easily beset us, “...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…” (Heb. 12:1). 

He has given us his Word, the Bible. It was written from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to men as they listened and wrote down the words the Holy Spirit conveyed from the Son and the Father. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words…But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

 (2 Tim. 3:16, 1 Cor. 2:13, 2 Pet. 1:20-21) 

We as believers who have the Holy Spirit in us, should know God’s will and purpose as he guides us and convicts us on sin to not stray from the truth, but let the truth free us from sin to fulfill the plan and will of God and to live abundant lives in the power and blessings of the Holy Spirit of God that lives in us. He is our Advocate before the Son and the Father. He is God who lives in us, we are his temple, where he resides over our lives to the Glory of God the Father and the Son.

 I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. And he wants to empower you with the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I am developing a new webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. I’m adding answers each week to questions that pertain to our time today.  Thank you

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com