John 16:4b-15 “An Advantageous Absence”

1:16And Ben just turned three. And we had a great time. I read books like Don't Eat Bees to Ben this past week, which was lots of fun. And one of the things Ben really wanted to do with me was put. Play with this little camping set that he had where you could pretend to cook out. And all of the little foods that you could cook were these vegetables and things that were velcroed together and you could cut them to then cook them over the fire. And Ben thought he was a big deal being able to cut these things. And so he was having a hard time with a carrot at one point.

1:51And I said, Ben, do you want me to help you with the carrot? And he said, no, I can do it. I said, okay. I said, so he saw it on it for a few more minutes. And I said, Ben, are you sure you don't need help with the carrot? He said, no, I can do it. I'm an adult. We eventually got the carrot cut and had a great feast together. But it's funny to me that toddlers think that they can do all things without help because I think in some ways that mirrors our own experience with the Lord, doesn't it? How we think that we can do many things without the Lord's help, how we think we are spiritual adults, when a lot of times we need his help for even the smallest and simplest things in life. Well, friends, in our text last week, we saw how Jesus prepared the disciples for the coming persecution by talking about his word and talking about the promised Holy Spirit, who is the helper that we need. And today in our text, Jesus is going to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in greater detail, which would have definitely encouraged the disciples in their mission.

2:56And it also gives confidence to us as those who have been sent. Sent into the world as Jesus' witnesses today. So, what we're going to learn in our text this morning is that the Holy Spirit empowers our gospel witness by revealing the truth. So, if you take a look at the second half of verse 4, where we're going to pick up today, Jesus says that he did not say these things from the beginning because he was with them. And when he says these things, what he's referring to is all that he's said in the past few sections about the persecution that is going to come after he went away. So, back up to verses 2 and 3 at the beginning of the chapter here. Take a look.

3:41Jesus says, they will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me. So, Jesus has been clear that persecution is coming. And here in verse 4, Jesus says the reason that he didn't talk about persecution from the beginning of his ministry is because he has been with them the whole time. So, think of an adult with a young child, like me with my nephew Ben. If you are with them, right there holding their hand, then you don't have to warn a young child about the dangers of crossing the street or talking to strangers or the hot stove or anything else because you're right there with them. You can steer them away from those dangers and keep them safe. But if you, as an adult, have to step away from them for a moment because you've got to take care of something else in the house or if you've got to leave for a few minutes or whatever the case may be, then you have to get down on a knee and you've got to warn them about all of the dangers that they could encounter.

4:49You didn't have to do that before because you were right there, but if you go away, you have to warn that child. And that's what Jesus is saying here. In light of the fact that he's not going to be with them much longer, he wants to be sure that his disciples, his spiritual children, have been warned about what is coming. And what's coming is hatred from the world. Undeserved hatred that comes simply because we worship Jesus and do what he commands. Simply because we are seeking to live righteous lives in an unrighteous world that does not like holiness.

5:29But now Jesus says in verse 5, he's going to the Father, and yet none of the disciples are asking him, where are you going? Now, to be sure, Peter asked back in chapter 13 where Jesus was going and why they couldn't follow him. Thomas in chapter 14 said, Lord, where are you going? We don't know the way. What Jesus is saying is they've stopped asking that question, that Greek word, it means they're not presently asking him where he is going because where he is going is no longer important to them.

6:00What's important to them at this point is the fact that he is going away. It doesn't matter where he's going, he's just not going to be with them anymore. And as a result, as we see in verse 6, sorrow has filled their hearts. Their Lord and teacher, who had been with them every day for three years, was leaving, and now he was not going to be around. But it also meant that their expectations about the kingdom that Jesus was going to inaugurate, whatever those expectations may have been, are not going to be realized.

6:34So, friends, this is a sad moment for the disciples. But as he's done several other times over the course of this conversation in the upper room, he's going to encourage them with his words. Take a look at verse 7. Jesus says, Nevertheless, 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.

7:05Now, of all the things that Jesus said to the disciples over the years, I would think that this is one of the hardest things that he ever said for the disciples to believe. How could it possibly be advantageous to them that their Lord and master and teacher and savior is going away? That doesn't seem to make any sense. But, friends, there are at least three reasons why. Jesus' going away was to their advantage. First, Jesus had to go away to save us.

7:40We learn in Scripture that the wages of sin is death. And long before Paul wrote those words in Romans 6, when our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned, God shed the blood of an animal and covered them with the skin of that animal. Look what Hebrews 9:22 says. Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. No shed blood means no forgiveness because the wages of sin is death. Someone must die for sin, either us or someone in our place.

8:25But thankfully, church, Jesus came down from heaven, sent by the Father, to willingly lay down his life for us. No one would take it from him, but he would lay it down in order to take it up again. Apart from his death and resurrection, there was no way for us to be reconciled to God. Jesus had to defeat both sin and the consequence of sin, death, in order to save us. So our salvation required his going away.

8:56Second, Jesus had to go away to meet. Mediate for us. Ever since the fall, human beings have been separated from a holy God. Our sin has created a chasm between us and Him. And so we needed a mediator, someone to fill in that gap. And under the old covenant, the ones who stood in the gap were the priests. These men were chosen to stand in the gap, not because they were exceptionally holy themselves and thus able to stand before God on their own, but rather because they were those who could stand in the gap and mediate for us according to God's prescription in the law. And that meant they first had to offer sacrifices for their own sin.

9:44And then and only then could they offer sacrifices for the sins of worshipers like you and me. But friends, our God is a peacemaker, and he's one who desired reconciliation with us. And so he made a way for us to be reconciled to him, and that was through the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus. You see, Jesus alone could serve as our mediator because he is both fully God and fully man. And thus he alone is able to stand in and bridge the gap, that chasm between us and God. Take a look at 1 Timothy chapter 2.

10:21For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for us. For all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Look what the author of Hebrews says in chapter 7. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office. But he, that is Jesus, holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

11:05So we see that by going away, Jesus was able to serve as our perfect mediator. He holds his priesthood permanently and always lives to make intercession for people like you and me. That's the second reason he had to go away. And then, third and finally, Jesus had to go away to send the helper for us. Now, Jesus is not saying that as long as he was on earth, the Holy Spirit could not come. Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus himself was filled with the Spirit. The Spirit was present at his baptism, and the Father spoke audibly all throughout Jesus' life and ministry. So we see that the three members of the Trinity are all present throughout Jesus' life and ministry. The Bible does not teach that the three members of the Trinity can't be present at the bottom of the The same time. That heresy is called modalism, and modalism teaches that God first expressed himself in the form of the Father, and then in the form of the Son, and then in the form of the Spirit, but not all three at once. And so, well-meaning Christians, in an attempt to explain the Trinity, especially to children, will use things like water as an analogy to explain the Trinity. Saying that God is like water, He's solid, liquid, and gas. But the problem with that analogy is it breaks down because water can't be a solid and liquid and gas simultaneously. But what we learn from Scripture is that God is eternally one God who has expressed Himself in three persons. It's a mystery, but not a contradiction. So the Bible does not teach modalism, and Jesus is not saying that the Holy Spirit can't come unless he goes away. He's saying that the Holy Spirit won't come unless he goes away. But if he goes away, he will send the Holy Spirit, whom he refers to as the helper.

13:08And that is crucial because the disciples are going to be given the task of making disciples of all nations and leading holy lives that emulate Jesus, the Savior's life, and standing firm while being persecuted. They could attempt those things without the help of the Holy Spirit, but in just a few chapters, we're going to see how. How poorly that's going to go. Without the help of the Holy Spirit residing in them, all of the disciples are going to forsake Jesus and run away when he's arrested.

13:42Without the Holy Spirit living inside of him, Peter is going to deny even knowing Jesus three times when challenged by a little servant girl. How different things will be when the Holy Spirit fills believers at Pentecost. These men who were once terrified to claim Jesus in front of little servant girls are going to boldly proclaim Jesus to the masses and in front of religious authorities and in front of government councils. It will be an entirely different situation once they've been filled with the Holy Spirit and helped by his ministry. They needed help to carry out the mission, and so do we. But Jesus had to go away in order to send the helper for us.

14:32But, friends, the question remains: how specifically does the Holy Spirit help us? Jesus explains in verses 8 through 11. Let's pick up in verse 8. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, concerning righteousness, Because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer. Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. So, according to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is coming to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

15:20And before we jump in and talk about each of the ways that he's going to convict the world, I think it would be helpful to spend a little bit of time thinking about this word convict. You see, it's fairly normal for Christians to use that word with respect to sin in our own lives or the lives of other Christians. And so we say things like, I've been convicted lately about the way that I've been speaking to my spouse or to my children. Or we might say, I think my Christian friend is under conviction about his or her sin.

15:59And there's a sense in which we understand what people mean when they are using that word, and nobody likes to have their words dissected under a microscope. But in this case, it could reveal a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of God and our relationship to Him as Christian believers. And so I think it's important that we explore this a little bit more. In Scripture, anytime this Greek word, elenko, which is translated convict, is used in conviction. Connection with the Holy Spirit, it is only used with reference to non-Christians.

16:39So it's not that this word doesn't appear elsewhere in Scripture, it appears a lot in Scripture. We talk about being convicted about the truth of the gospel or being convinced or convicted about believers and their progress in the faith. There's a lot of times this word is used, but the only time this word is used in connection with the Holy Spirit is in reference to non-Christians. So I want you to think about that for a moment. What is a convict?

17:05A convict is someone who has been declared guilty of committing an offense. He or she has been convicted of a crime and now has been condemned to pay a fine or serve a sentence. And so I want you to think about that for a minute. Is that how you think God looks at you, Christian brother or Christian sister? Do you think that God looks at you like he looks at a convict as someone who is under condemnation?

17:37I'm not talking about how God viewed you before you came to faith in Christ. Before we came to faith in Christ, we were lawbreakers. We were guilty of breaking God's perfect law, and we were rightfully condemned for disobeying and rebelling against God's law. But that's who we were. That's not who we are anymore. Take a look at 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Here's the key phrase. And such were some of you.

18:29But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Adulterers, thieves, drunkards, and idolaters is what we were. But friends, in Christ, that's not who we are anymore. We've been washed and sanctified and justified. We are no longer convicts. We are Jesus' friends. We are the children of God. Look at this well-known verse, Romans chapter 8, and think about this in reference to what we're saying. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

19:15So, church, the Holy Spirit doesn't convict Christians. According to what Jesus has already taught the disciples, what does he come to do? He comes to teach us and to bring to remembrance everything that Jesus has said. And that will include sometimes things that Jesus has said to us that we are not currently obeying. But that's different than convicting us and condemning us. When God does that, he does so as a loving father does for his beloved child, not as a courtroom judge does for a guilty criminal. And so I hope that truth encourages you this morning.

19:57So Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to help us with our gospel ministry, which he does by convicting the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Let's take a look at verse 9. The Holy Spirit comes to convict the world concerning sin. What does he say? Because they do not believe in me. According to Jesus, not believing in him is sin. In fact, not believing in Jesus is the only unforgivable sin. Every other sin we commit, no matter how vile, is forgivable. I think sometimes we think that Jesus only died on the cross for what we might consider acceptable sins. But friends, Jesus died for all sins, no matter how heinous. And if we come to Jesus through faith in his life, death, and resurrection, then we will be forgiven. It is only if we fail to repent of our sin and to receive Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection. Resurrection through faith, that we will not be forgiven. I want to remind you of the words back in John 15. You can look there, verse 22.

21:10Jesus says, If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my father. Jesus taught and performed many miracles. And those who heard his teaching, those who heard or saw his miracles, they are without excuse, Jesus says. There's no more excuse for them. They're guilty of sin because they rejected Jesus, and in rejecting Jesus, they rejected the Father also. So they are without excuse. So the first thing the Holy Spirit does to help us in our mission is convict the world of sin, revealing their guilt for rejecting the person and work of Christ. Look at verse 10.

22:13The Holy Spirit comes to convict the world concerning righteousness. Look what he says: because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer. If you back up again to verse 2 from last week, Jesus says, Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever Kills you will think he is offering service to God. Now, that is precisely what the religious leaders thought when they went to Pilate and asked him to crucify Jesus. They thought that they were offering service to God. Here is a Jewish man of all people claiming to be God, committing blasphemy. They thought they were performing a service to the entire nation by asking Pilate to put this man Jesus to death.

23:01But they weren't. Jesus was righteous and not them, and the proof of his righteousness was in his resurrection from the dead. Take a look at Acts 17 on the screen. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

23:36Had Jesus not risen from the dead, the religious leaders would have gone on thinking that they had done a righteous thing in putting this man to death who claimed to be God. But friends, because Jesus rose from the dead, it gave perfect credibility to his claim that he in fact was the Son of God, just as he said that he was. The resurrection. Is proof that Jesus was perfectly righteous and that God accepted his sacrifice on behalf of his people. As Psalm 16 says, God would not allow his holy one to see corruption by leaving him in the grave.

24:16So the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment because Jesus would rise from the dead and go to the Father. And then look at verse 11. The Holy Spirit comes to convict the world concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. Now back in John 12, 31, Jesus said that Satan, the ruler of this world, was going to be cast out. And at the end of chapter 14, Jesus said that Satan, the ruler of this world, had no claim on him.

24:51And on the cross, it certainly appeared like it was a victory for Satan and that Jesus was being judged by God. If you remember the gospel accounts, that's exactly what many of the onlookers concluded. They jeered at him, saying, he trusts in God. Let God deliver him now if he desires him. But in reality, it was Satan and not Jesus who was being judged on the cross. And Satan's judgment means that all who follow in his footsteps of rebellion against God will be judged as well.

25:27Back in John chapter 8, Jesus told the Pharisees, That they belong to their father, the devil, because they did the same works that he did. And as a result, they would be judged just like him. So the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. Church, these verses 8 through 11 should give us great hope with respect to evangelism. Whenever we share our faith, we don't have to rely on our own wisdom or our arguments or the power of our words. None of those things can bring a dead heart to life. And none of those things can convince a mind that is set against the things of God. That's not possible. Instead, we rely on the helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to bear witness to him and to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. So I want you to remember: when you feel anxious about sharing your faith, particularly at this time of the year, I think for many of us, nothing causes us more anxiety than thinking about sharing our faith with our extended family. When you think about sharing your faith and you feel anxious, remember that the Holy Spirit is empowering you, that he is bearing witness to Jesus through your words and your life. That he is at work all the time through their conscience and their lives, convicting them of sin and righteousness and judgment.

27:00Jesus did give us a big mission that is impossible for us to fulfill on our own, but he also promised to give us the helper that we need, the Holy Spirit, to empower us to complete that mission. Let's finish in verse 12. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 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. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. Therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

27:54Jesus had a lot more to say to the disciples, but he says here that they couldn't bear it now. Friends, our God is so patient, so wise, and understanding about our weakness. And here he says, I've got a lot more to say, but you can't handle it at this moment. For one thing, it wouldn't have made sense to them. Jesus had not yet died and risen from the grave, and so he couldn't reveal all things to them at this moment. But for another thing, they were so torn up and sad about his upcoming departure that they couldn't handle it.

28:30And so Jesus assured them that when the Spirit of truth came, he would guide them into what? All the truth. Not just some of it, but all of it. The Holy Spirit would reveal everything that they and future disciples like you and me needed to know. And when the Spirit spoke, he wasn't going to speak on his own authority. After all, he was being sent by the Son. His role is to take what belongs to Jesus and therefore to the Father and to make it known to us, his disciples, his followers. And friends, these last four verses should give us at least two assurances.

29:15First, they assure us that the Bible can be trusted as the Word of God. Have you noticed how many times in this last few sections in the upper room that Jesus has assured us concerning his word that is to come? Well, here he says it again. He says that just as the Spirit would guide the disciples into all the truth, he is going to guide them into all the truth after his departure. And back in chapter 14, Jesus said that the Spirit would teach them all things and bring to their remembrance everything, all the things that he had spoken in his life. And so these verses assure us that the Bible can be trusted as the Word of God. So when you hear people call the Word of God, Into question, you can let them know about passages like this: that we believe in faith that Jesus did what he said he was going to do. Send the Spirit to bring to mind all that He taught, all that He spoke, and to help those authors of Scripture understand those words so that our faith could be informed and encouraged.

30:23Second, these verses assure us that the Holy Spirit will not contradict Scripture. Sometimes professing Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is leading them to do something that is prohibited in the Bible. And while I could give many examples of this, I think that perhaps one of the most pressing examples for our context occurs in the context of relationships. We're a young church and a young community by and large. And there are many times where Christians will yoke themselves to unbelievers in dating or marriage relationships, claiming that the Holy Spirit led them to do that.

31:08But according to 2 Corinthians 6, we should not yoke ourselves to unbelievers because light does not have fellowship with darkness. Unmarried couples sometimes will claim that their physical intimacy isn't sinful because they are married in their hearts. In spite of all God commands, Concerning purity, especially sexual purity in an impure world. And so, friends, we can know that the Holy Spirit doesn't call us to do these things because he only speaks what he hears from the Father, and the Father's will is revealed to us in the Word of God.

31:48And so, we see here that the work of the Spirit isn't solely convicting the world of sin, it's not just with unbelievers, it is also for believers. He guides and directs all the followers of Jesus through the scriptures written by the apostles as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. So, church, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower our witness. And when we're not leaning on Him, asking for His help in prayer, we are like an unplugged appliance.

32:23The potential is there, but the power is not. And that's exactly why Jesus said that we must remain in Him, we must abide in Him if we're going to bear much fruit. Because apart from Him, we can do nothing, but by abiding in Him, we will bear much fruit, which is why He chose and appointed us. So, let me challenge all of us again, Church. If we're not seeing as much fruit as we'd like to see in our own lives and ministries, or in our collective ministry as a Church with respect to our evangelism and discipleship, if we're not seeing as much fruit as we'd like to see, then let's ask God for help.

33:09That's why He sent the Spirit to help us in our mission by convicting the world and guiding us into all the truth. The Helper is there for us, He lives within us. All we have to do is ask. And if you're here this morning and you've been feeling something for some time, you might call it guilt, you might refer to it as just being uncomfortable. You might even know the word conviction, and you might use that word.

33:47Whatever you use to describe your situation, the reality is you have felt this way for some time. You've become more and more aware of and increasingly uncomfortable with what you know to be sin and rebellion against the God who made you. Well, I have good news for you. That means the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. God Himself is at work in your life because one of His roles, as we saw this morning, is to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

34:26He is at work in your life, He's led you here today. And the good news for you this morning is not that if you just try harder, then you'll be fine. The good news today is not that with the new year around the corner, you can start over and have a second chance. The good news today is not that if you become a religious person and add some religious things to your life, that you can become right with God. The good news is that Jesus of Nazareth claimed and proved to be God. And he said that he came to live in perfect obedience to the law that you have failed to keep. He said that he would willingly lay down his life, which he did on the cross, that he would die and be buried, and that he would rise from the grave so that all who believe in him would be forgiven and reconciled to God once and for all. Not given a chance to start over, not given another opportunity to try and fail, but actually forgiven, actually counted righteous, actually adopted into God's family as sons and daughters through faith. That is the good news for you this morning. And so I want to encourage you: if you've been in that place for some time, whether it's been just a few days, it's been a few weeks, or it's been years, if you've been in that place where you've been feeling guilty, you've been feeling uneasy, you've been under conviction about your sin, the reason is the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. And he is calling you to. Turn away from that sin and to receive the Savior, Jesus, by faith. And so, our hope and prayer this morning is that you would do that today, that you would receive Him.

36:12Let's pray. Father, we thank you that you have sent us a helper. We are aware every day of how much we need help to live the Christian life. You've called us to make disciples of all nations. It's hard for us to make disciples of our children, our roommates, the people next door or across the street. You've called us to live holy lives. And although you've made us new creations and given us new hearts, we still struggle with the flesh.

37:27We still struggle with that indwelling sin. You've called us to be those who worship you in spirit and truth, God, and yet our lives are not marked by daily, hourly, minute-by-minute worship and trust in you. So we are aware of our need for the Helper. And we pray this morning that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we might honor you and make disciples and live lives of worship. God, we pray for those who may be under conviction this morning for their sin.

38:10We pray that they would see that this is your work in their lives. And we pray that they would confess their sin and turn away from it and trust in Jesus Christ, his life, death, and resurrection on their behalf, that they too might become part of the redeemed, part of the church for which you gave your life, Jesus. We ask that you would bring some from death to life even this morning. God, we thank you for your word, the way that it helps us, instructs us, and teaches us to renounce this world and to live for you.

38:53In Christ's name, we pray all these things. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.