The Holy Spirit's ministry is essential for believers, as Jesus explained to his disciples before his departure. The sermon emphasizes that the Spirit's coming is profitable for believers, enabling conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment in the world, and guiding believers into all truth found in God's Word. The Spirit, referred to as the Spirit of Truth, indwells believers, seals them, and is their divine teacher, ensuring they understand God's Word and glorify Christ. Neglecting the Holy Spirit's work leads to a lack of spiritual revival and an inability to truly glorify Jesus.
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Postle of John some weeks ago when we had a little Bible reading one night here we touched upon the person and the work of the Holy Spirit and we have not been able to continue in that until tonight but I would like to continue that thing concerning the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. Let me read in John sixteen, will you please, where we were before, beginning at verse seven, a most momentous occasion when the Lord Jesus knew that he was about to leave the world and go back to the Father by the way of Calvary, the grave and resurrection.
And he was leaving the disciples behind, who had been following him during his ministry. And just before we left them, you have the greatest discourse. In John fourteen, fifteen and sixteen, the Lord had with his disciples in that upper room, before that momentous event of leaving the world and going back to the Father. And I'm sure, by the death of the Lord Jesus, upon the cross which the disciples had to endure, as we know from the word of God, they thought it was the last they had seen of him when crucified and buried.
They had omitted to take in some of his ministry, telling them that he would die. He buried and risen again. But they forgot some of that ministry until after he was raised from the dead. But on this occasion in the upper room, he speaks to them particularly as to how his own work for the salvation of the world would continue on their then. Let me read verse seven through verse eleven of this chapter. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient, and the word expedient means it is profitable.
For you that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter, meaning the Holy Spirit, will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. Please note something particularly. We need to take it in today, one of our dear brethren was praying, and rightly we should be praying, for a spiritual revival by the Holy Spirit amongst the people of God. May I humbly but forcefully say, from my heart, we need to be revived by the Holy Spirit in his power.
In the testimony we bear for the Lord today, And here's the Lord Jesus. Please note very carefully. I want you to note the words in verse seven. I tell you the truth. It is absolutely truth. It is profitable for you that I go away. Do you want to take it in? Why did the Lord Jesus tell them it is profitable for you that I go away? Meaning go back to the Father. They may have been thinking improperly so. How can we get along without him? He's been teaching us.
We've been following him. Now he says he's going away. But here he says, His reason be best for you that I go away. Then note the reason that he gives. For if I go not away, and may I transpose it, the Holy Spirit will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. My beloved fellow believer, though you and I may be but a few gathered here tonight, and even though we may be far distant from the time the Lord gave these words, they are still true.
It is more profitable for him to be where he is now. having sent the Holy Spirit, which He promises to do as you have it here. If I depart, I will send Him unto you. Let me, first of all, again, I need it for my own soul. I feel the need of it. Should we not be willing to confess, rightfully we make much and should, of God the Father, of God the Son, But we do neglect emphasizing the person of the Holy Spirit and His Word.
May I give you one reason why the Lord said these words, first of all. If I go away, I will send them unto you. Look, let me ask you the question. We know God the Father is spirit, a spirit being. We know God the Son became human. And may I emphasize, please remember the mystery and the wonder of it. The Son, equal in the God End with the other persons of the God End, is the only one of the God who you took upon in human form, and did it forever.
That human body of the Lord Jesus has left the earth, but it still exists at the right hand of God, we know. But in that human body, the Lord came only to Israel and did the work, not only to minister to Israel, but the work of redemption for the whole human race before he went back. And he is still in that human body. But the Holy Spirit came. He did not take a body. But he is a person.
A real co-equal, co-eternal, divine person. Just as equal with the Father and the Son in all deity and power. And may I correct the improper thought that often may exist and does exist. Many people speak of him as an influence. He's more than that. He is a person. You know what the Lord Jesus said. Look at the end of verse seven again. I will send him onto you.
He uses that masculine pronoun. I will send him. Now let's read on. Begin particularly at verse eight through eleven. And in this section he declares what he would do when come in relation to the world of sinners who were lost. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin and the word reprove means he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin because they believe not on me. Of righteousness because I go to my Father.
And you see me no more. Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. Let me stop there. Particularly and especially the Lord is declaring what his work when come would be toward the world. That is the world in general. and particularly the world of lost sinners. And that work is to convince or convict them of sin first, and of righteousness, and of judgment. And you take the words that follow in verse nine, particularly in the psalmist ring.
What is the greatest sin that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of? because they believe not on me. My beloved, may I say frankly and firmly from these words, the greatest sin in the world today being committed is not murder. And God knows much of it being done. And name any other vile shame that you may know of. But the greatest sin in the eyes of God the greatest sin in the eyes of Christ. They believe not on me. You can name what you will.
But I'm sure we here tonight know, as believers, the unsaved world needs to be convicted of sin and the sin of not believing on him. That is the one sin will take them to eternal health. To die without Christ and put their faith in him. And then not only to convict of sin, but of righteousness. Righteousness. Meaning, if they are to find righteousness before God, it can only be found in the Lord who's gone to the Father. Of righteousness because I go to my Father and ye see me no more.
And here in the world of sinners, the Holy Spirit is in the world to convict them. They can not only be convicted of their sinful condition in the sight of God, but the only way they can be made righteousness is through that man in the glory who's gone to be with his Father. How beloved, let me ask you the question. Have you ever led anyone to Christ? Did they see him bodily? Or when I trusted the Lord Jesus, and when you trusted the Lord Jesus, did we see him bodily? No. But we put our faith in that once crucified, now risen and glorified Lord, in heaven.
As we often say, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest grain, but holy lean. on Jesus' name, on Christ the Solid Rock, I say. That's what the sinner means. And not only that, if they fail to believe, if they fail to trust that man in the glory, there's nothing left but judgment. As the Lord says in verse eleven, of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. Meaning Satan, And I'm sure we recognize that is the work of the Holy Spirit come to the world in relation to the world.
But I want to follow particularly, and I'm burdened particularly for what's from what of that which follows here. Let me begin reading in verse twelve, and I'm going to read through verse fourteen. For now the Lord speaks not of that which the Holy Spirit will do in relation to the world. but his responsibility and work to the believer. I've yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now, said the Lord Jesus. And may I implicate, surely, as the Lord does, under the particular present situation that the time he exposed, he could not go any further and enlighten them.
as much as he would like to have done or could have done. I've got many things to say unto you. But you couldn't take them in now. Now look. The many things that he's referring to is what follows in your New Testament. I'm sure we'll see that in a moment. The many things that they couldn't take in then could only come by the Holy Spirit's ministry. And then he goes on to say, and here we have the blessed description of the Holy Spirit in relation to the belief.
May I pause for just a moment? I'd like to take this all in myself. Look, you're an individual brother. You're an individual sister in the Lord. Take this into yourself. The Holy Spirit the Lord Jesus has sent to be particularly ministering to each one of them. Is he doing it? And the many things that will follow, take in all the, please, not the Old Testament session, the New Testament.
The Holy Spirit wasn't up on the earth in the Old Testament. He came upon believers there, and known he came upon them temporarily to do some special work for God. But in the New Testament, go back to chapter fourteen, will you, in John's Gospel. I want you to note something, something we neglect to follow up with. in chapter fourteen of John's Gospel. Note with me in verse sixteen of chapter fourteen, I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, meaning one like myself, that he may abide with you forever.
Go to the next verse, and he recalls him as we shall see again in chapter sixteen, even the spirit of truth Whom the world cannot receive. Because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But take this in, my brother, my sister. You know him. For he dwelleth with you. And shall beware in you. May I say it humbly but firmly, gratefully, Say it to yourself. He saved me.
And when the Lord saved me, the Spirit took up his dwelling place in me. I'm going to be frank. That does not mean that in my body dwells the Holy Spirit. And you know what the Lord Jesus said? He dwelleth with you. And it shall be in you. Now nowhere in the Old Testament can you find the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer. There is a prayer in chapter fifty-one of John's Gospel that David prayed, Take not thy Spirit, O Holy Spirit, from me.
A believer can't pray that now. But in the Old Testament he never permanently abode. But no, go back again. Emphasize it at the end of verse seventeen. For he dwelleth, he abideth in you, and shall be in you. The words of Paul in first chapter of Ephesians verse thirteen, upon believing he was sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. And may I point out a reference you may be familiar with, I hope you are. At the end of First Corinthians chapter six. The dear Apostle Paul had to rebuke the Corinthian believers for forgetting something.
What? Know ye not that your body is the temple, the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost? Which ye have of God? Ye are not your own? And my beloved, I think one of the most important, and I say it to myself, just as I do to you. One of the most important facts we should grip and let it grip on. The Holy Spirit was in us. Now go back to John sixteen. Let's continue reading on there. As you read verse thirteen, we begin here. And I want you to know the title that is given to him.
How be it when he, the Spirit of Truth, has come. as we read in John fourteen when he is come you have two you have three facts regarding the Holy Spirit coming to the world you have it in chapter fourteen as well as sixteen of John the Lord said I will send him and then he said in chapter sixteen again later on the Father will send him but you've got it right here he's coming to him by himself he's coming he's going to come voluntarily and willingly And note the title that is given to him. It's called the Spirit of Truth.
The Spirit of Truth. Why is he called the Spirit of Truth? Well, let's read on. What will he do? He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of or from himself, but whatsoever he shall be here. That shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. The spirit of truth. Now what is the perfect and the main and chief work of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer to minister to that believer to minister the truth?
What truth? The word is called. The Lord Jesus didn't finish his teaching when he left the earth. But the Holy Spirit has been sent to teach what the truth is. And it's called the Spirit of Truth. Now may I point out to you, please may I point out to you, what the Apostle John writes there. Yes, you know this first. Note the phrase in verse thirteen. How be when either spirit or truth is come. And I want you to know what follows. He will guide you into all truth.
Now let me raise a question. Where do you find the truth? There's only one thought to find it. It's the word of God. Go back to, go further in chapter seventeen please. John's Gospel, chapter seventeen, in the prayer of the Lord Jesus. Please note these words of the Lord Jesus. In verse seventeen, I believe, you have the Lord Jesus praying. Note, as you may note, in verse fifteen, I should note the words of his prayer, for whom he's praying. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them, my own disciples, keep them from evil.
And then verse sixteen, they're not of the world, even if they're not of the world. Now know verse seventeen. Try to find them through thy truth. Now where do you find the truth? Please let me say you don't get it from the preacher. You don't get it from the church. You get it from God's word. There are some institutions in the world, ecclesiastical, claim to be the revealer of the truth of God. They are not. You never learn the truth of God except from the Holy Spirit.
He will guide you into all truth. And if we are to know the truth, we've got to get it from this man. Let me give you another verse if you see. Go to the Epistle of Jude, next to the book of the Revelation, almost the end of the Bible. The Epistle of Jude, just verse three only please. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was makeful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the truth.
That's the meaning of the word faith. the faith, which was once, note that word once, once delivered unto the faith. Beloved, let me say, you and I have no business searching for the truth outside the Bible. It's contained in the Bible. Look at me in chapter four of the first epistle of John for just a moment before we go a little further. No, we can't go too long. Chapter four in the epistle of John, if you please. Let me read the first six verses to you. And you see emphasize what John emphasizes here regarding the truth.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirit whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Take it in. There are many that are teaching false doctrines. Where did they get them? Not from the Spirit of God. They're false prophets. Read on. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. I know every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
is none of God, and this is the Spirit of Antichrist. Whereof ye have heard that it should come? And even now already is it in the world. Ye have gone, little children, have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you, the Holy Spirit, than he that is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore speak thee of the world, and the world heareth them. But we are of God, and he that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God, heareth not of. Hereby know we the... And that word spirit should be a capital S. In the original writing it is. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and also the spirit of error.
My beloved praise me, I say, the truth is the word of God. And you can recognize. Go back to John chapter where we were in the words of John as he wrote in verse thirteen. He will guide you into all truth. Can I say this? Encouragingly for all of us, each of us. If you want to know your Bible is only one teaching. The Holy Spirit. And let me say lovingly. Whether you go to a Bible school or seminary or not, wherever you are, wherever you are learning and studying in the Word of God, in such an institution or not, you've only got one divine teaching.
It's not the preacher. It's not the Bible teacher. It's the Holy Spirit. And beloved, let me emphasize, You and I are responsible that the Holy Spirit be teaching us. And teaching us from this precious one. The Lord Jesus had much and does unfold later on through his dear apostle. He had the truth. He knew they had to receive and didn't. And please, may I save it.
Those apostles that finished the Bible, they finished the Word of God. Look, we're near one verse at the end of the Bible, please. Chapter twenty-two in the Revelation. And near the last verse, where the beloved apostle John writes, relative, I believe myself to the whole world, word, let not let alone the book of the Revelation. Verse eighteen, verse nineteen, rather. If any man shall take away, or let me read verse eighteen and nineteen together, for I testify unto every man that here is the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in his book, and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in the book.
Now one can recognize fully, look. The Lord Jesus said, when he is come, he'll guide you into all. You've got all the truth. You've got all God's truth revealed in the Word of God. And the Lord prayed, as we read in John chapter eight, sanctify them, minister to them. encourage them by the truth and thy word is truth let's close by reading that thirteen verse again how being when he the spirit of truth has come he will guide you now let me ask a question my own heart too would ask the question have I learned all the truth now please Don't forget who your teacher is.
Don't forget who your, what your school is. It's the school, the university of the Bible. But you particularly have the New Testament. For it's the New Testament that deems only and shows only the person in the work of the Holy Spirit. And may I lovingly say, Everything that has been done. Well, let me finish that verse, if I may, if I please. The opening word, rather, of verse fourteen. Just the opening word. He shall glorify me. Take it in.
The purpose of his coming, that Christ may be glorified. One of our dear brethren prayed, and rightly we should. that we should as an assembly glorify the Lord. And the purpose of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He shall glorify me. The glory of the Lord Jesus. He's the only one through the precious word can assist you and me to glorify the Savior. in our life and in our assembly.
Look, let's confess something. I'm willing to confess. In fact, I keep confessing it. We neglect this person of the Holy Spirit. Whether you be at work, at home, at school, at play, in business or wherever in society, They've only got one kitchen, the Holy Spirit. Now, may I ask the question, look, I'm going to be, I'm not going to apologize for you, and I don't want you to apologize for me either.
How much of you alone? Please let me say, The testimony of the Lord not only depends upon the united testimony of the fellow believers gathered here, but it depends upon every one of us individually. That the Holy Spirit will take our life and glorify Christ. Remember when the Lord was here, he spoke in John eight, I believe. I seek not mine own glory. but the glory of him that sent me. Likewise the Holy Spirit today would say, I seek not my own glory, but the glory of him that sent me.
And lovingly may I add, as unfortunately we may know, there are many people who glorify the Holy Spirit instead of Christ. But the purpose of the Holy Spirit to teach you and me. Now please, let me remind you again, I must not get away from it. You've got to get it from the book. It's a ministry of its power and blessing in your heart and in your life. From the book that's called the truth. God help us to do it. We'll follow it up, God willing, next week. So let's close in the word of prayer and ask him to sanctify the truth he's taught us tonight.
Oh, blessed Father and blessed Lord. head over all things for the church which is his body. And as we shall see, Lord, you have entrusted to the Holy Spirit to be the bearer of all the truth concerning thee and all things that pertain to the purposes of God in Christ. Lord, teacher, always I beg you, as we came together tonight earlier. For the joy of coming together and saying often as we do, Lord, teach us to pray. Now as we close our session tonight, teach us thy word.
Thy precious word, O Lord, that we may see more of Christ and know more of the truth. And Lord, it's not truth about the world. It's truth about the man in the glory. by dearly, beloved son, what he's doing, and even what he's yet going to do. For we find it's hard to look. We who are Christians know what's going to happen, but the poor world doesn't. How can they be not following the book? Please, wait a minute, that we are followers of the Word of God, and we ask Him, Lord, keep it close to the book by the Holy Spirit.