He Is The Giver Of The Holy Spirit Series

Who Is This Jesus?

15. He is the Giver of the Holy Spirit

John 16:1-15

Don Jaques

February 26/27, 2005

MAIN IDEA: Jesus does not leave his disciples as orphans. He sends them the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

1. He convicts people of sin. (John 16:8)

Are you listening?

2. He reminds disciples of the truth of what Jesus taught. (John 16:13, 14:26)

Are you obeying?

3. He is our constant companion. (John 16:7,14:26-27, 14:16, 16:33)

Are you leaning on Him?

OBJECTIVES:

The audience will understand why the Holy Spirit was sent and will welcome his work in their lives.

People will feel conviction about their sin and the need to be ready for judgment.

People will seek the work of the Holy Spirit to lead them into truth and to bring them peace in the midst of trouble.

INTRO:

I saw a great movie last Monday. “Because of Winn Dixie” tells the story of a ten year old girl who moves with her father to a small town in Florida where he is the preacher for a small Baptist church. The movie is memorable for the dog “Winn Dixie” who really can smile! But in one of the opening scenes, young Opal is praying in church, “Please Lord, send me a friend. I only know the kids from church and that’s not too many.”

The movie then shows how the Lord answers that prayer through a homeless dog and a number of people that the dog introduces her to.

In the movie, Opal feels all alone. You ever felt that way? I’m sure we all have at one time or another. But if we believe in what Jesus taught in John 16 – those of us who are his disciples are never truly alone. We’ve been given the Holy Spirit.

We’ve been going through the Gospel of John and here we are at chapter 16 where we find that the answer to the question “Who is This Jesus?” is “He is the Giver of the Holy Spirit”. As we examine the teachings of Jesus today we’ll get a chance to discover why Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to the world, and we’ll have a chance to examine our own lives to see if we’re welcoming His work in our lives or not.

Let’s start with verse 15:26. The scene is still the Last Supper, where Jesus is giving his disciples his final instructions before he is crucified. Let’s listen in…

John 15:26“When the Counselor 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. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16

1“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

5“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all 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. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

So Jesus tells his disciples that he’s going away from them – but that it’s actually a good thing (which is hard for them to understand) because only when he is gone from them will He send to them the one he calls the “Counselor”, “The Spirit of Truth”. This is good news for the world, and especially for disciples of Jesus Christ, for at least three reasons that Jesus mentions in this passage and other verses in John 14 and 15. Let’s take a closer look at what the HS is sent to do in this world.