The Holy Spirit Illumines Scripture
John 16:12-13
June 9, 2013
As you know we are in the middle of a study of the Holy Spirit.
Without rehashing all that we have said,
You know that we have learned that it is vitally important
That we get to know the God who is in us.
In the Old Testament they had God in their midst.
God’s glory dwelled first in the tent of meeting and then in the temple and the people were heavily encouraged not to take it for granted.
When Jesus came, they had God with us.
God in human form walked the earth and the people were again encouraged not to disregard Him, but they did.
Today we have God in us.
The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to indwell those who believe in Christ. And again we would be foolish to disregard Him.
We want to get to know the God who dwells in us.
Namely we want to get to know Him
Because He is the answer to an absent Jesus.
Jesus is no longer dwelling on earth.
And that would leave us in quite a bind.
But to answer for His absence Jesus promised “another Helper”
Who would dwell in us.
A “Helper” of the same kind as Jesus.
And to reiterate the value of this Helper Jesus actually said:
John 16:7 “But 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.”
Jesus actually said that it was better to have the Holy Spirit
Than it was even to have Jesus on earth.
The reason of course is that in order for God to become flesh
He had to relinquish certain parts of His deity.
To some extent He had to “glory down”
Philippians 2:6-7 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
There was a certain emptying that took place in order for
The second person of the trinity to become human.
• To some extent He limited His OMNIPOTENT power, subjecting Himself to death.
• To some extent He limited His OMNISCIENCE, saying He didn’t even know the day of His return.
• And to perhaps the greatest extent He limited His OMNIPRESENCE, being able only to dwell in one place at one time.
We had God with us, but not in His greatest form.
The Holy Spirit however would have no such limits.
• He would be omnipotent God
• He would be omniscient God
• He would be omnipresent God
And so Jesus said, it is advantageous that I return to the Father,
And that He come to you.
And then Jesus began to spell out that advantage.
The first was that the Holy Spirit Convicts Sin
That is one of the ways He helps us in ministry.
• We can’t see the heart of man…
• We can’t convict the heart of man…
• We can’t cause man to desire righteousness…
BUT HE CAN
He shows the world their sin, and that they miss the mark.
He shows the world what true righteousness looks like.
He reveals to the world the reality of the coming judgment.
We could not succeed in evangelism without His help.
He is the helper.
AND THROUGH THAT WE ALSO LEARNED WHO HE IS.
Not only is this how He helps us in ministry,
But it is also a way in which we know that it is really Him at work.
I told you last week that one of the things we need to be willing to do is “put God back in the box”
We can’t put God in our own box.
The reality is that God has put Himself in a box.
God has set parameters of things that He simply will not do.
And those parameters are revealed to us in Scripture.
That means, if you want to know who God is, you read Scripture,
He has revealed Himself there.
• Your own logic does not reveal who God is…
• Your experiences do not reveal who God is…
• Your desires do not reveal who God is…
Scripture reveals who God is.
We don’t know all there is to know about Him,
But we do know what He has chosen to reveal to us.
Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”
God has let us know what we need to know.
And God has revealed all that we need to know.
And this is what we see regarding the Holy Spirit here in John 16.
John 16 contains the box that the Holy Spirit dwells in.
Jesus doesn’t speak of specifics, but rather generalities.
The Holy Spirit does more than what Jesus mentions here,
However, the things Jesus mentions here are always true of Him.
This passage reveals His fingerprints.
• In a world were false spirits are at work…
• In a world were false prophets are at work…
• In a world were even Satan masquerades as an angel of light…
We need to have a criteria by which we discern what is true.
Jesus gave us that criteria here.
So if we want to learn who the Holy Spirit is, look here.
Last week we saw that He convicts sin.
THIS MORNING WE SEE THAT HE GUIDES US INTO THE TRUTH.
THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE (both Old and New)
WE HAVE SEEN SATAN WORK THROUGH MEN AND WOMEN
WHO CLAIMED TO SPEAK FOR GOD
Jeremiah 14:13-14 “But, “Ah, Lord GOD!” I said, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.'” Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.”
Jeremiah battled with those who claimed to have a word from God,
But it did not benefit the people in the least.
Jeremiah 23:32 “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.”
• In a world saturated with falsehood, how do we know what is true and what is not?
• In a world saturated with falsehood, how will we ever convince the people we are preaching to that we are true while others are false?
THE ANSWER: THE HOLY SPIRIT
Just He hates sin, He also loves truth.
And this morning we are going to talk about
His ministry of ILLUMINATION.
NOW We must remind ourselves who Jesus is speaking to here.
THIS UPPER ROOM DISCOURSE
WAS GIVEN TO THE DISCIPLES / APOSTLES
I tell you that to help you understand the work of the Holy Spirit here.
HIS AID TO THEM IS VERY SIMILAR TO OURS, BUT IS ALSO DIFFERENT
He aided them with what is commonly called INSPIRATION
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
God, through the Holy Spirit,
Inspired the apostles to write the New Testament.
John 14:25-26 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
John 15:26-27 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
The Holy Spirit aided them with inspiration, BUT NO LONGER
And I’ll help you see why in a moment.
He aids us through ILLUMINATION
He opens our eyes to understand the Scripture.
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 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 a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.”
I hope you understand the difference as we get into this text this morning.
And as we look at these two verses, I want you to see
Three attributes of the Holy Spirit that will help us identify
When it truly is Him who is speaking.
#1 HIS SERVICE
John 16:12-13a
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
Could you imagine if Jesus had dumped His entire knowledge bank on the disciples in the upper room?
There is no way they could have handled it all.
The word “bear” is the same used of a donkey under a heavy load.
So there again we see a vitally important role of the Holy Spirit.
(13) “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth…”
And this is a very important statement.
The Holy Spirit is not in the business of re-writing truth.
He is not in the business of inventing new truth.
He comes to “guide” into the truth of God.
The word for “guide” is the same that is used in Acts.
Acts 8:29-35 “Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH. “IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH.” The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.”
The Ethiopian Eunich did not want someone to give him new truth,
He wanted someone to help him understand the truth that was before him.
That is what the Holy Spirit does.
HE GUIDES YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH
THAT IS ALREADY THERE.
THAT IS REALLY WHAT HE DID WITH THE APOSTLES
EVEN IN INSPIRING THEM.
Almost all of what He showed them had already been recorded in the Old Testament, but it was in a mystery.
You can find the rejection of Jesus You can find the betrayal of Jesus
You can find the death of Jesus You can find the resurrection of Jesus
You can find the breaking off of Israel You can find the salvation of Gentiles
You can find the return of Jesus.
BUT IT WAS ALL A MYSTERY, UNTIL THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDED THEM.
And this is still what He does with us.
Not to write more Scripture, but to help us understand what is written.
HE IS NOT WRITING NEW TRUTH,
BUT GUIDING YOU TO SEE THE TRUTH THAT IS ALREADY THERE.
Did you catch what Jesus said in verse 13?
“He will guide you into ALL the truth”
Now remember, He is speaking to the apostles here.
These were the men who would write Scripture under divine inspiration.
DID JESUS SAY HE WOULD GIVE THEM ALL OF THE TRUTH OR JUST SOME OF IT?
He said, “all the truth”
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?
SCRIPTURE IS SUFFICIENT – IT IS ALL YOU NEED
It is simply amazing how prone our world is to wanting new truth.
Some don’t like the truth that is there, so they wish to reinvent it.
Some are just bored with the truth that is there, and want to spice it up.
I constantly hear this talk of people who want a “new word”
Or a “fresh word” from the Lord.
And instantly I think:
• “Has the Bible somehow become outdated that we need a new?”
• “Has God word spoiled that we need a fresh word?”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
You aren’t in need of something new,
What you need to understand is what God has already revealed.
Remember when Jesus spoke in parables?
Do you remember why?
Matthew 13:10-13 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
Jesus spoke in parables because
These people were always wanting something new,
But they had never dealt with what they already had.
Listen to me, when you can honestly say you have plumbed the depths of the truth revealed in Scripture, and there are no more mysteries and you have mastered it all.
Then go to God and ask Him for a “new” word.
Until then, I’m pretty sure the one He has given is sufficient.
And the Holy Spirit knows this,
That is why He is in the business of revealing that word to you.
People get so caught up in a new fresh word,
The Spirit just wishes people would obey what they already have.
He guides you into all truth.
He inspired the Apostles to record Scripture,
And now He illumines that Scripture to you.
The service of the Holy Spirit is to guide you into the truth of God.
#2 HIS SOURCE
John 16:13b
Please notice Jesus does NOT say, “He can not speak on His own initiative…”
There is a lot of faulty theology, and faulty leadings that fall under the category of “Don’t you think God can…”
One of the biggest and most common today:
“Don’t you think God can save a person apart from Jesus Christ?”
But this same backwards theology is used today,
Even in the name of the Holy Spirit.
“Don’t you think God can speak something new apart from Scripture?”
“Don’t you think the Holy Spirit can lead you in a direction that doesn’t seem Biblical?”
And based upon the way those types of questions are asked,
You have to say “Yes”, but those are bad questions.
It is not a matter of ability, it’s a matter of God’s will.
“He will not speak on His own initiative,
but whatever He hears, He will speak;”
This is the same attitude that Jesus had while He was no the earth.
John 8:28 “So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.”
THE POINT IS THIS.
The Holy Spirit does not speak anything other than what God is saying.
And we just learned in the first part of this verse
That ALL that God is saying is revealed in His word.
SO WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?
The Spirit only speaks according to and through Scripture.
So if you want a little help discerning the spirits,
Just ask yourself if what you are hearing is Scripture,
Because the Holy Spirit won’t speak any other way.
NOW THERE ARE PLENTY WHO WILL
Jeremiah 23:16-22 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD. “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said, “You will have peace”‘; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘ Calamity will not come upon you.’ “But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened? “Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked. “The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it. “I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. “But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.”
The world is full of false prophets and deceitful spirits
Who cloak themselves as apostles and as the Holy Spirit
To tell you all sorts of stuff, but that doesn’t mean it’s from God.
I’ve had many people prophesy over me over the years.
(Every one I can remember spoke of my success and glory in the ministry)
BUT I AM VERY SKEPTICAL AND PLACE STOCK IN NONE OF IT.
The reason is because that is powerless.
I can tell you what the Holy Spirit tells me.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
I’ve never been given a promise of success…
I’ve never been given a promise of fame…
I’ve only been told that most people won’t like it,
But I am to preach anyway.
CONSIDER PAUL AS AN EXAMPLE:
Acts 20:17-23 “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.”
HOW DID HE KNOW THAT WAS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
BECAUSE THAT WAS THE JESUS HAD BEEN SAYING IN SCRIPTURE
Matthew 10:22-23 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”
When the Holy Spirit comes
He guides into truth, and He speaks what Jesus speaks.
That is His Service, That is His Source
#3 HIS SUBJECT
John 16:13c
NOW REMEMBER THE FIRST APPLICATION IS TO THE APOSTLES
Jesus had a lot He wanted to tell them that they just couldn’t handle,
And so the Holy Spirit is coming to tell them all of what Jesus is saying.
SPECIFICALLY
“what is to come.”
We are not talking about some prophetic tool
Where they could see around every corner and know the future.
What Jesus is talking about here is that
The Holy Spirit will reveal the events that are to come.
The death of Jesus
The resurrection of Jesus
The ascension of Jesus
The return of Jesus
AND HE DOES THE SAME THING TO US, BY GUIDING US INTO THE TRUTH THAT THE APOSTLES RECORDED.
HE REVEALED WHAT WAS TO COME
BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND, THEIR SUBJECT WAS JESUS.
As we will see next week.
John 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
WHEN IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT
There is Conviction of Sin
There is Illumination of Scripture
And I hope that helps you understand how to tell
If it is the Holy Spirit who is speaking.
Don’t fall prey to a deceitful spirit who is speaking something appealing apart from the word of God.
God has said all He wants to say in the New Testament,
DON’T GO LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
All we need is there.
2 Peter 1:2-4 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
God gave us EVERYTHING we need for life & godliness.
Where does it come from? – “through the true knowledge of Him who called us”
How do we come to a true knowledge of Him? – “He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
Now that is also where the “Helper” part comes in.
The Holy Spirit helps you understand the Scripture
And the Scripture provides everything you need for life and godliness.
Now think, even in regard to evangelism.
We said last seek that He convicts.
Well let me show you why His guiding into truth is so important.
TURN TO: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Notice that there is a wisdom that on our own we cannot receive.
There is a wisdom so lofty that the world cannot understand it.
But:
VERSE 10-12
And what do we preach?
The things God reveals
VERSE 13
That is how the Holy Spirit helps us.
So last week we said, if sin isn’t confronted, it isn’t the Holy Spirit.
But the fact that He convicts is a tremendous help to us in ministry.
And so it is with this next attribute.
If Scripture isn’t illuminated, if truth isn’t revealed, it isn’t the Holy Spirit.
But the fact that He guides into truth is a tremendous help in ministry.
We are going out to people
Who are absolutely bombarded with falsehood.
False prophets are a dime a dozen.
We not only need to know how to discern what we hear,
But we also need help knowing what to teach.
The Holy Spirit provides both.
MY POINT?
The Holy Spirit is a helper.
He helps us in evangelism.
He convicts sin and He guides into truth.
We desperately need Him, and it is to our advantage to seek Him out.
John 16:7-13 “But 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 He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
