Sermon: I Have Many Things to Say John 16:12-15
I Have Many Things to Say
John 16:12-15
Truth Taught-Jesus gives us the rest of what He had to say in the New Testament
Introduction
Last time we learned all that the Holy Spirit would do when He came. Jesus told us that He would convict the world of SIN, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and JUDGEMENT. We learned that His mission to the world was to expose sin, expose their false righteousness, and expose the fact that judgment is coming for all who are not in Christ.
Because of His great work in the world we are saved. He has shown us our sin and we have repented, He has shown us that our righteousness is as filthy rags and we’ve turned to Christ for His righteousness, and we’ve been shown that God’s wrath is coming on all who are outside of Christ and we’ve ran to Jesus for protection. Because of all these things the Holy Spirit does and has done for His church we are born again, and sealed until the day of redemption.
The Holy Spirit isn’t through with us. There is much more. He has much more work to do in our lives. So, the Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world much like the Father sent Jesus into the world. His role and mission is different than that of Jesus. Jesus came into the world to live a sinless life and die a sinner’s death, the Holy Spirit comes into the world to convict the world and take the called of God and bring them to life by applying the achievements of Christ to them.
So, last time we saw the Spirit’s work in the world now today lets look together at the Holy Spirit’s work in His Church.
Father, You have Gathered Your people that You may let us hear Your words, so that we may learn to fear You all the days that we live on the earth, and that we may also teach our children…amen
John 16:12–15 (ESV)
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
- The Holy Spirit Will Guide Us Into Truth
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
The things that Jesus still needed to tell them would require supernatural understanding. This was the thing they currently did not possess. They would, however, possess it very shortly once they all received the Holy Spirit.
For now they couldn’t handle or understand the rest. The word here is bastazo which means heavy or weighty. It was used in…
John 10:31 (ESV)
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.
Trying to control or pick up something heavy. So, for now the things Jesus has for them are just too much for them to handle. They will need to be powered by the Spirit to understand and properly handle the “more things” Jesus has for them.
One thing we may often forget is that the Holy Spirit in the OT just came on one person at a time. Now, we live in a wonderful age when the Holy Spirit is poured out on all who Christ saves. Not one at a time and then moves on to another but all at once. In the OT the Holy Spirit came upon a man for the purpose of sharing God’s Word with the people.
Some Bible readers assume that the Spirit’s activity in Scripture is limited to the New Testament. But actually He is just as active in the Old Testament:
1. The Spirit participated in creation (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13; Is. 32:15).
2. The Spirit gives life to humanity and the other creatures (Ps. 104:29, 30). It is interesting that when Genesis says God endows people with life by breathing into their nostrils the “breath of life” (Gen. 2:7), the word for “breath” is the same word translated elsewhere as “spirit.”
3. The Spirit strives with sinners (Gen. 6:3), which is perhaps related to His work in convicting people of sin (John 16:8–11).
4. The Spirit came upon certain judges, warriors, and prophets in a way that gave them extraordinary power: for example, Joshua (Num. 27:18), Othniel (Judg. 3:10), Gideon (6:34), Samson (13:25; 14:6), and Saul (1 Sam. 10:9, 10). However, the Spirit later departed from Saul because of his disobedience (16:14).
5. The Spirit played a prominent role in the long span of Old Testament prophecy. David declared that “the Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). Likewise, Ezekiel reported that “the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me” (Ezek. 2:2).
6. The Spirit inspired holiness in Old Testament believers (Ps. 143:10). And Scripture promised that someday God would put His Spirit in His people in a way that would cause them to live according to His statutes (Ezek. 36:27).
7. The Spirit was crucial in helping God’s people anticipate the ministry of the Messiah. For example, Isaiah 11:1–5 is a trinitarian preview of the working of the Father, the Spirit, and the Son, who is the Branch of Jesse. Looking forward to the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to prophesy: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him” (Is. 11:2), inspiring God’s Chosen One with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, righteousness, and faithfulness. Thus we come full cycle to the New Testament, where Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of this prophecy (Is. 61:1, 2; Luke 4:18, 19).[1]
Once the task was accomplished the Holy Spirit left them.
When the Holy Spirit comes, our Lord tells us, He will guide us into truth. The same Spirit of God that caused the prophets to prophecy, the craftsmen to create, the judges to speak, will lead us into all truth.
For the first generation Christians, specifically those whom Jesus is speaking to, will be led into truth in a very special way.
Our Lord tells them that He has much more to say. His revelation isn’t finished. He wants to tell them many more things and He will through the Holy Spirit. When He comes the Apostles will be told more things and they will begin to write them down. Context is very important here. Jesus is not saying that the Holy Spirit will be leading all Christians into new and additional truth, only His current listeners will be given additional revelation and they will begin to write the New Testament.
Jesus tells His followers that the Holy Spirit will speak to them the things He hears from God and then He will relay those truths to the Apostles. They will be given supernatural ability to write Holy Scripture that we call the NT.
2 Peter 1:16–21 (ESV)
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit carried them along as they wrote God’s Word. They were given Holy Spirit power to write Scripture.
This passage applies to us in that we are also indwelt with the Spirit of God as believers and we read what they wrote and we are led into truth. However, we are not given additional revelation. God does not speak to us apart from His Word…ever. To receive additional revelation would mean the Bible is not a full and complete account of Jesus Christ. It would mean that our Lord’s death and resurrection were not sufficient payment for sin. To say, God told me…is to deny the finished work of Christ.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. That statement is for the Apostles of the first century. The many things Jesus had to say, He said in the New Testament.
What’s more, our Lord is authenticating and giving His endorsement of what they will write even before they wrote it. He’s telling John and Peter and the others that what they will be told are things that they cannot understand until they have the Holy Spirit leading them into it.
The other issue that lies under the surface here is the fact that God’s Word will function as the Holy Spirit works to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. It is God’s Word now accompanied with the Spirit that does that in the hearts of lost people.
1 Corinthians 15:1–8 (ESV)
15 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth…
He becomes our Teacher and He uses the textbook He wrote, The Bible.
I can remember taking certain classes in Seminary that were taught by the professor who wrote the Book. Dr. Mark Rooker for OT who wrote a wonderful highly recommended commentary on Leviticus from the NAC series. He was the teacher and he wrote the book, which we used as our textbook. So, any questions I had, I could go straight to the source for the answer. In a much greater way we have the Teacher who wrote the textbook, the Bible.
Here’s an example of the lack of ability for the Apostles to grasp the heavy truth of Jesus. This is the understanding and insight they will need to write God’s sacred Scripture.
John 2:18–22 (ESV)
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
After the resurrection and when the Spirit was sent to them, they understood more deeply and believed completely where before they didn’t get it. They were not ready to write the Bible yet.
John 12:12–16 (ESV)
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
There was much more Jesus wanted to tell them but actually they were not really getting what He had already told them.
Look quickly at the extent to which the Holy Spirit will guide us into truth…
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
All the truth that God wants humanity to have will be taught by the Holy Spirit. There are more things about God than are contained in the Bible. However, everything we need to know about God is given to us in the Bible. All truth is revealed in the pages of Scripture.
- The Holy Spirit Will Glorify Christ
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The Holy Spirit does not speak on His own. The source of what He reveals is Christ. He will glorify Me Jesus says. How does He glorify Christ? for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. So, we see the rest that Jesus wanted to say but His followers were unable to bear it is given to them later and to us by the Spirit.
We see an order here, don’t we?
God the Father has given the Son all things…15 All that the Father has is mine;
The Holy Spirit, then takes what belongs to Jesus and makes it known to us His followers… therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
I want to look at the second point…The Holy Spirit Glorifies Christ and explain it by reading a section of Scripture. So, in essence, lets test what we’ve learned to experience together how it works. The Holy Spirit teaches us all the truth we need. Here’s an example…
1 Corinthians 2:1–16 (ESV)
2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Paul is speaking about his sermons/preaching. He wasn’t so much a polished orator but he was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Specifically, his words were empowered…
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
Again, there is God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom. Turn on TV you get man’s wisdom, open your Bible you get God’s wisdom. How do we understand God’s wisdom?
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
As the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God through His Word we learn Jesus Christ correctly and we glorify Him rightly.
So, everything we have in the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and because He doesn’t speak on His own but only has relayed to us what God has told Him our Bibles are a complete and finished Word from God. To reject the Bible is to reject the Trinity. To accept and believe the Bible is to accept and believe everything God has told us.
Application
Do you believe every word written in the Bible? Do you see in the Bible that God has given us all truth? Do we understand the every jot and title (even the original punctuation marks) are given by God. Do we understand that Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but My Word will not pass away. This literally means that God’s Word is more solid a foundation than what we find on the entire earth.
How do you treat God’s Word? Are you diligently studying it to learn from God?
Beloved, study the Word and watch God change you into the image of Christ. Work hard at it and all your labor will result in godliness.
*Relied heavily on…Richard Phillips, John Macarthur, Herman Ridderbos
[1] http://www.thomasnelsonbibles.com/the-holy-spirit-in-the-old-testament/
