Warning, Comfort, and the Work of the Holy Spirit

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: John 16:1-15

 

John 16:12-13

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

(NKJV)

 

In a divisive world full of hatred and violence, the Church is called by Christ to put forward a unity of purpose, to love one another (John 13:34-35). Jesus is about to return to His Father and knows the disciples are fearful. He is also aware of divisions among them regarding who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God. He comforts their fears by letting them know the Father will send the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, to live within them. This passage provides a warning not to stumble, comfort that they will not be alone, and the work of the Holy Spirit through them when Jesus is gone.

 

Jesus begins by telling them that He has spoken to them about His leaving so they will not stumble when it occurs because they have been warned (John 16:1). Jesus warns them that they will be thrown out of the synagogues for their belief in Him and even killed with their murderers believing they are offering service to God (John 16:2). They will do these things because they do not know the Father or Jesus (John 16:3). Jesus reveals these things now because he is about to leave with these things about to happen and waited till now because He was with them (John 16:4).

 

Jesus is going to the Father who sent Him and is concerned that none of the disciples ask where He is going (John 16:5). The disciples are sorrowful because of what Jesus has said, but it is for their advantage that Jesus leaves so the Helper, the Holy Spirit, can come to them (John 16:6-7). The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Conviction of sin for those who do not believe in Jesus, righteousness because Jesus goes to His father having completed His mission to die for humanity’s sins, and judgment because Satan is judged (John 16:9-11).

 

Jesus still has many things to say, but when the Holy Spirit comes, He will guide the disciples into all truth (John 16:12-13). The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus and take what is from Christ and declare it to the disciples because all that is of the Father is Christ’s (John 16:14-15).

 

Jesus is about to depart from the disciples and warns them of persecution to come, which brings them great sorrow. However, Jesus is not leaving them without a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will be with them and in them (John 14:17). The Book of Acts records the ministry of early church history. This is a history of church growth accompanied by persecution. This is why Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before going out in ministry (Acts 1:4). When we see how the disciples scattered when Jesus was arrested, we can understand the need for these same disciples to have the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives so they would be empowered to be witnesses for Christ and be able to fulfill the mission given to them by Christ (Acts 1:8; Mark 15:16; Matthew 28:19-20). The fact that these disciples were accused of turning their world upside down (Acts 17:6) illustrates the effectiveness of one ministering under the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Unlike the disciples who walked with Jesus and saw him face-to-face, we must accept Christ in faith as the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin (John 16:8). It is sad that the Holy Spirit, part of the Trinity, has become a point of division in the Church. His work is the power behind the spreading of the Gospel (Acts 1:8), leading us to ask what is behind this division.

 

1. The need for one to speak in tongues as evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit – While there are three instances in Scripture where people spoke in tongues when they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4, 10:46, 19:6), there is no place in Scripture telling us this is a requirement for receiving the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said Receive the Holy Spirit with no one speaking in tongues (John 20:22).
2. Disorder in worship blamed on the Holy Spirit – In 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, Paul points out the disorderliness of worship in the Church, reminding them that God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Things done in the Church should be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40).
3. Gift comparison leading to some believing they are superior to others – This was the main point of contention Paul had with the Church in Corinth, with divisive factions of people following Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ when all believers must follow Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). The world is attracted to believing in Jesus because of unity in the Church behind Christ with Love for one another (John 13:34-35).  

 

The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity and given to the Church for empowerment, not divisiveness. I pray the Church will repent of divisiveness through deceptive teaching about the Holy Spirit and experience empowerment by the Spirit to warm up from its lukewarmness.

 

I want to invite anyone who has never prayed to accept the gift of salvation through the grace of God, and who feels convicted of his or her sin, to pray with me now.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God convict, challenge, empower, and encourage everyone reading this post.