The disciples must have been greatly encouraged and comforted to hear Jesus say that He would send another Helper to minister to them when He left. In verses 25-28, Jesus makes His disciples a very encouraging promise. At that time, they will ask in His name, and their petitions will be granted. Maurice Jones wrote of the ancient world: It was a world where the burden of sin and of human misery was intensely realised. Stoicism was a grim creed, pessimistic at its heart. Second, we know that the church will face many temptations and trials, and that our faithfulness will be tested and rewarded (see chapters 2 and 3, for example). We should take note of the important fact that Jesus is speaking to His disciples here. It is not getting worse for the disciples, as they fear; it is getting better and better. The Holy Spirit also helps Christians in their weakness and intercedes for them. John 14:15-26 is the heart of His message of comfortthat after His departure, the Holy Spirit would come in His place: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me. It was not universal nor was it permanent. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will convict the world in three areas, Sin, Righteousness and Judgment. He is just as much God as the Father or the Son and is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Son. She would catch my eye and I knew exactly what she was trying to communicate: Come on; lets get going. WebThe Ministry of the Holy Spirit John 16:4b-15 Introduction. The Spirit came and dwelt within the disciples, teaching them all about Christ, as John 14:26 says He would. 12 Having been united with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead. The disciples had been asking quite a lot of questions in the Upper Room, but the resurrection would answer so many of them that they would be in a completely new situation. Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), vol. 29 I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. He is the believers Helper ( John 14:26 ). They don't want to obey His words. As he reads, he will share key insights and application points, to help you better understand what is being said, but also to apply it to your life. No one seemed willing to address their questions to Jesus. The Greek word translated "Helper" (parakletos) literally means "one who is called alongside." Okay, its all clear to us now. When false teachers come, they seek to turn us from Christ, and to the degree that they are able to do this, they rob us of our hope, our joy, our love, and all that comes from Him. We need only to trust in Him who is in control of the past, the present, and the future. WebThe work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament differed somewhat from His work in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is not a mystical power; He is a person just as Jesus is a person. In the world you have trouble and suffering; but have courage, I have conquered the world.. Now, all that death can do is usher us into the presence of God (see 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23). However, He does not allow their pretense to stand, unchallenged. They knew of the ministry of God's Spirit from the Old Testament. Ephesians 3:20 says He "is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us." The next ministry that the Holy Spirit has with both unbelievers, as well as believers is that He has to convict all of us. That's a wonderful promise every believer has. It is the cross which is the key to understanding all of the Bible, Old Testament or New. Now I know in part, then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12). Neither will we experience the relief and joy at seeing Jesus, raised from the dead (John 20:20). from) our Lord; it is the teaching concerning our Lord. As we prayed and asked God for guidance, he has faithfully led us through the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The point Jesus was making to Thaddaeus is that He would manifest Himself in a spiritual sense. To deny the accuracy or the integrity of the Bible is to deny this crucial aspect of the Spirit's ministry. However Jesus assured them that they would not be left to fend for themselves; they would have a supernatural Helper. Jeannette and the girls were out in the hall, eager to get home. What did He mean by saying He was going to the Father?82, Jesus overheard His disciples (although He would have known through His omniscience), and graciously began to explain His words to them, although they still didnt understand. Time will tell. Once we realized it was all a part of a ploy so that we would be delayed and our friends could surprise us, we understood everything. He possesses intellect (John 14:26), will (1 Corinthians 12:11) and emotions (Ephesians 4:30). When the academic minds of Jesus' day came to their conclusion about who He was, their pronouncement was that He was from the devil (Matthew 12:24). 26 At that time you will ask in my name, and I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf. This is the office of the Holy Spirit as Judge. An unbeliever cannot get saved unless they are first convicted by the Holy Spirit. And when these traumatic days pass and the words of our Lord come to pass, then they will be greatly strengthened in their faith, and empowered to live courageously in a hostile world, knowing that Christ has won the victory over the world. This is not the joy that the world seeks. We are concerned about our Lords return, as He has described it as well, in His Word. This is why, in our church, we observe the Lords Table weekly. No wonder our Lord could say, Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. He took death and the fear and bondage it produces and defeated it on the cross (see Hebrews 2:14-15). 10 The Spirit had a ministry of restraining sin and in the creation of the world. They all say the same thing: "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments, and I will manifest Myself to you." Learn more about the third person of the Holy Trinity and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (v. 22). In Christian theology, the word commonly refers to the Holy Spirit and is translated as 'advocate', 'counsellor or 'helper'. Bible Verses and Scriptures About the Holy Spirit - Read what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and discover popular scripture quotes about the Holy Spirit in the collection of Bible verses below. Third, we know that a time of great satanic activity and resistance is coming, when saints will undergo suffering unlike anything the people of God have ever experienced before. An unbeliever cannot get saved unless they are first convicted by the Holy Spirit. The Gifts of An unsaved person doesn't have spiritual perception (1 Corinthians 2:12-14), so only those who love and obey Christ can comprehend the manifestation He was talking about. Why did Jesus tell the disciples things that they could not understand at the moment? He guards and guarantees the salvation of the ones He indwells ( Ephesians 1:13; 4:30 ). And it is clear that He does not reveal everything we might wish to know at one time. We are infinitely richer than all the billionaires of the world put together because what we possess is an eternal inheritance. He had helped them, comforted them, and walked alongside them. 3, p. 554. Is this not clear to Peter in Acts 2 and afterward? That's why sin is so out of place in the believer's life. Those who know it all do not need to learn any more, they think. Once they recorded them as Scripture, those words would be perfect and error free. You will see how this tribulation of mine was purposed to bring about great blessing for you. Paul said to the Corinthians, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" Lest we suppose we are dealing only with matters of history, let me remind you that in many ways, our circumstances today are very similar to those of the disciples so many years ago. There is a short time of pain, but that very pain is transformed into eternal joy. 16 For we did not follow cleverly concocted fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; no, we were eyewitnesses of his grandeur. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross, 15 and disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:1-15). 10 The Spirit had a ministry of restraining sin and in the creation of the world. Throughout the Old Testament He is referred to as the Spirit of the Lord or Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit ministers through spiritual gifts, ministries and operations (workings). Jeannette and I now looked upon that discussion and our delay in an entirely different light. The Holy Spirit resides within every person who believes in Jesus Christ as God and Savior, the Bible way ( Jn. For generations people have had the idea that the Holy Spirit is an apparition, something like Casper the Friendly Ghost, the 1950s and 60s comic book and cartoon character! 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. Jesus lets His disciples know that they have not put anything over on Him, that He knows full well that they still do not understand what He is saying, or what is about to take place. I was on my way out of the church when Howard Prier, a highly respected elder, stopped me in the hallway. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. 82 The disciples found themselves struggling to grasp what these words meant, not unlike the way we struggle to understand prophecies of things to come for us. Through Him we are "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). The meaning of these words [in verse 23] is not beyond dispute for, while the verb ask can mean ask a question, it can also mean ask in prayer. In the next sentence Jesus refers to prayer, and some scholars think that he is doing that here and simply using two different words for prayer. Learn more about the third person of the Holy Trinity and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The events of the next few hours will prove this, for virtually every one of them will abandon Him. WebThe Ministry of the Holy Spirit John 16:4b-15 Introduction. 11 In him you also were circumcisednot, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshy body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ. His promise is that He will never leave them nor forsake them (Hebrews 13:5). The Holy Spirit resides within every person who believes in Jesus Christ as God and Savior, the Bible way ( Jn. He wanted to engage me in a discussion, and I was not about to refuse. There is a time coming, coming very soon, when you will all abandon Me and scatter, hiding out in your own homes. The apostle Paul said that Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27), and Christ promised His Spirit would reside in us (John 14:17). Howard had been assigned the task of delaying me, so that all our friends could arrive at our house first to surprise us. The Greek word translated "power" (dunamis) is the source of the English word dynamite. We had no earthly idea what Howard Prier really had in mind. WebThe promise of the Holy Spirit is the culmination of all that Jesus said to comfort those eleven troubled men. They do not understand what is happening, or what Jesus is saying. Think of all the people in the Gospels who suffered from blindness, demon-possession, being lame, and leprosy. Sometimes the biblical authors used those words interchangeably, but sometimes they used heteros to speak of another of a different kind and allos to speak of another of the same kind (e.g. While all Bible students do not agree on this point, it would seem that the Lord and His eleven disciples are no longer in the Upper Room. And we discover that we have an inheritance that cannot be measured in human terms. WebParaclete. That implies the promises that follow apply to all who love Jesus Christ. A further observation should be noted. In Christian theology, the word commonly refers to the Holy Spirit and is translated as 'advocate', 'counsellor or 'helper'. Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete. He helps us to understand Gods will and to put it into practice. We can think of this ministry under two major headings: salvation and gifting. But they didnt understand a thing He was saying, as John makes very clear by the words of verses 29 and 30. They were concerned with our Lords departure, as He had spoken of it to them. He has already promised this, but here He indicates a substantial change. There is a realization and acknowledgement of diversities rather than uniformity regarding various New Testament theologies and rationales and forms of the Holy Spirit ministry. We need to exercise caution in the application of this passage because it applies directly to the eleven disciples, and indirectly to us. Indeed, the signs of an apostle were performed among you with great perseverance by signs and wonders and powerful deeds (2 Corinthians 12:12). In verse 24 Jesus says, "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me." WebParaclete. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25), 5. In the New Testament, one of the most important works of the Holy Spirit is the w In the Old Testament, we see different aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. He will judge the wicked and usher the righteous into His kingdom, a kingdom beyond our ability to fathom now (compare 1 Corinthians 2:9). He is not a floating fog or some kind of ghostlike emanation. We must recall that when John writes this Gospel, he writes in retrospect, looking back on the events he is describing with understanding. They brought no certainty of divine help, and people were conscious that their efforts did not measure up. At this point, the disciples still didn't understand the mystery of the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spiritlet alone how they would be able to relate to all three. These benefits are the fruit of our Lords coming and leaving. They have not told Him what they think He has just said, so that He can confirm the accuracy of their interpretations. 13 And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nonetheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. Abraham and Sarah were as good as dead, humanly speaking, so far as child-bearing was concerned. His dying on the cross would not be the end of His existence. They will soon look back and recall that the very things that had happened to them were the things Jesus foretold. He is the One who is all-knowing, and this includes His knowledge of what they claim to know, and yet do not. Beyond this, Paul warns that false teachers will seek to convey new truth, which is nothing more than man-made teaching that appeals to fleshly desires and which will attract a following. We dont need to know the details of what He has for us in the future. The most brilliant scholars and students of Scripture that I know are still the best students, ever seeking to understand His Word better, and willing to listen to the insights of other students of Scripture. My wife and I, like many of you, have faced important decisions and major crossroads throughout our life together. In other wordswords which we have heard beforejoy is the result of abiding in Christ. To live a Spirit-filled life means to yield yourself to the control of the Spirit. Jesus lets them know that He is answering the questions which they had just discussed among themselves. WebThe work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament differed somewhat from His work in the New Testament. That is the mystery of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit abides in us (v. 17), Christ indwells us (Colossians 1:27), and God is in us (1 John 4:12). Judasnot Judas Iscariot, but the disciple who is also called Lebbaeus and Thaddaeusspoke out: "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" He does not make a general statement, that new truth will be revealed to an indefinite number of people, over an indefinite period of time.74 He informs them that He will reveal His truth to them. We learn that Christ and the Holy Spirit are continually interceding on our behalf. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears. Paperback Illustrated, November 3, 2020. 75 It is self-evident that more than the twelve were known as apostles in the New Testament. He moves in immediately, without delay, the moment you believe in Jesus. 32 And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come.72 14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. I have rendered it I have said these things to you figuratively (v. 25), but the problem is in the words translated figuratively. More literally they mean in dark sayings, which might be understood as in parables or in metaphors or in figures of speech. The expression could be used for a parable (though it is not the normal word in the New Testament for this way of teaching), or it could be used for a proverb or for almost any kind of wise saying. It has quite a range of meaning, but essentially it points to a way of speaking in which the meaning is not obvious. In Johns Gospel, as the time of our Lords death draws near, He seeks to prepare them for the future. I believe that this promise of future revelation through the Holy Spirit is a promise that pertains to the New Testament apostles75 and is not a promise which can be claimed by men today. For example, John 12:16 says, "These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him." I would suggest it may be because we are looking for joy in all the wrong places. 78 the first century was a time of sadness. It seems clear to me that the apostles, through whom the New Testament Scriptures were given, were viewed as a distinct group, confined to New Testament times. Now they would have another HelperOne exactly like Jesusto minister to them as He had. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. The Spirit guides us in our pursuit of truth through the Word of God. There are many other things that Jesus did. In point of fact the disciples did pray to Jesus, so if this refers to prayer they did not fulfill it. He indwells believers and seals them until the day of redemptionthis indicates that the Holy Spirits presence in the believer is irreversible. The house was exactly what we had hoped for. They most certainly did not. God delights in transforming those things which seem most threatening, most unpleasant, and most dreaded, into blessings. The reason Jesus can say this is that the truth which the Spirit is teaching is the truth which He hears from our Lord. When they petition the Father in the name of the Son, they will not merely receive the answer to their prayers through the Son. We begin to get the idea that this is an important concept. I think one can also say, All false teaching is either Christ plus, or Christ minus. Paul would say, True teaching is Christ only.77. He promises to reveal truth to them through the Spirit. One reason is to remind us that we dont fully understand. But they had learned that joy can be all-pervasive, so that it persists even in suffering (Rom. In Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, the unbelievers who witnessed the miraculous manifestation thought the disciples were drunk. As it is for a woman in childbirth, so it will be for the disciples. We have company waiting at our house!. The Spirit never leaves any Christian; the true believer will never depart from the faith. But He's not a ghost; He's a person. But Jesus' promise extended beyond that. The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29, NKJV). God can do great things through you. In point of fact the disciples, as He had eternal inheritance 8:17. My eye and I knew exactly what she was trying to communicate: Come on ; get... Them, and this includes His knowledge of what they claim to the! This refers to prayer they did not fulfill it: it was a time of sadness ) our.... Teaching them all about Christ, as He had Jesus can say this is not obvious He has promised. Never depart from the faith Lords death draws near, He does not allow their pretense to stand unchallenged... I would suggest it may be complete 's ministry Baker Book house, 1988 ), will ( Corinthians! 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