Text: John 14:16-17,26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15
Who is the Holy Spirit?
- Not some mystical force or influence
- He is a person – Jesus used He, not it to refer to the Spirit (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7,8,13,14,15)
Who is Jesus Talking To? – The Apostles
What Would the Holy Spirit Do?
- Provide help/comfort (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7) — How? (following points)
- Described as the Spirit of truth (14:17; 15:26; 16:13)
- Bring the apostles into remembrance of what Jesus taught (14:26)
- Testify about Christ (15:26)
- Convict the world of sin, righteousness, judgment (16:8)
- Guide the apostles into all the truth (16:13)
Why Would this be Necessary?
- We have to know God’s will to be saved (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
- We cannot know God’s will unless He reveals it to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)
Is it Necessary Today?
- Provide help/comfort — done through revelation then & now; revelation now complete (Jude 3)
- Remind us of what Jesus said — we didn’t hear Jesus in the first place; the apostles were eye witnesses (Acts 1:8; 1 John 1:1-3)
- Testify of Christ — we have the gospel; what more information do we need?
- Convict of sin, righteousness, judgment — Has God changed the standard since the 1st century?
- Guide us into all truth — we have all truth in the gospel (Colossians 1:5)
- So is it necessary for the Holy Spirit to work with us directly as He did with the apostles? No!
How Does the Holy Spirit Operate Today?
- Not through visions & dreams
- Not through a “small, still voice”
- Not through signs & miracles
- Through the word He revealed — that is the instrument He uses today (Ephesians 6:17)
