John 16: 1 – 15 (NLT)
“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.2 For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.3 This is because they have never known the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate (or Comforter, Encourager, or Counselor) won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now.13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.”
I imagine the disciples are reeling from all this information. Remember they are still at what we refer to as The Last Supper. They’ve been told there is a traitor in the midst of them. Jesus is talking about going away and not coming back. Can you imagine how you would be feeling, what you would be thinking if you were one of them? I know how I react when I’m getting information that scares and confuses me – and it’s not pretty. For sure, my head would be spinning, and I likely would miss a lot of what was being said as I got caught up in my anxiety. We get all this information in our Bibles many years later, and we can look at it with joy and thankfulness instead of fear.
It’s really taken me a lot of years to comprehend the Holy Spirit’s role in my life. I was raised in a church that clearly told us how to be Christ followers, but not much was ever said about the Holy Spirit. We knew that the Spirit lived within believers. Being aware of His work in us wasn’t dismissed, but it wasn’t stressed either. I had a friend in high school who belonged to a church that was really into the Holy Spirit, and he asked me to go with him to a ‘healing service’ one weekend. I was scared out of my mind at all the noise and people falling to the floor around me. When I asked my parents about what I had experienced there, they said it was likely just emotional overload. So my early experience really didn’t encourage me to think that much about the Spirit’s work in our world, let alone in my own life.
The verses today are what Jesus told His disciples at that last meal with Him. First of all, Jesus stressed that they were going to be very thankful for the Spirit’s presence. Jesus was human – in one place at a time. The Holy Spirit was God, one of the Trinity, and he would be present with each of them all the time. Notice the English translation of the Greek word (paraclete) used to name the Holy Spirit – advocate, comforter, encourager, counselor.
He will be my advocate. That’s another word for lawyer. He will fight for me, and take my side. I don’t have to come up with the right words – that’s his job. Remember those verses in Romans about how the Spirit will pray for us when we don’t know what to say or ask? (Romans 8: 26, 27 – “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”)
He will be my comforter. When things are scary in my life, he will provide comfort. He may send a friend of mine over with a cup of coffee and a Tim’s treat just when I need that comfort. He might bring a verse to my mind that helps me remember God is on my side. He will whisper words of a future that brings promise, when I worry about what will happen. Psalm 94:19 – “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 119:50 – “Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.”
He is my encourager. When I feel like I’ve messed things up, he helps me to get up and keep going. When I’m not sure I’m qualified to do a job, he reminds me that I’m not alone and that he will help me. Psalm 138:3 – “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.”
He’s my counselor. When I’m not sure what to do, he will help me find good answers. He will send people into my life with good advice. He will help my brain to think carefully as I mull over the options. He will remind me of scripture that applies to my situation and how I should react. John 14:26 – “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
Does the Holy Spirit really do this? YES! One of the things I am still learning to do is listen to the Spirit in my life. So often I start handling things all on my own. Then I remember to pray, and I’m amazed over and over again with what happens when I do that. You’d think I’d learn to pray right from the start.
Earlier, we looked at how we should not be surprised if we face persecution for our faith. In fact, Jesus says to expect it. These verses give us the foundation to stand on when that happens. Do we have to worry about how to handle that hatred? “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” (verses 8,9) “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.” (verses 13 – 15) The Holy Spirit will be there handling the situation for us, telling us what to do and say.
God’s gift to us of the Holy Spirit is absolutely amazing. I’m still learning about God’s presence and activity in my life, and I expect I will continue doing that until the day I join him in heaven. But I do encourage you to start being more aware of the Spirit’s work in your life and circumstances. These promises from Jesus, and the fact that we can count on them for sure, bring a stability and purpose to life that comes from nothing or nowhere else.
What a gift!
Our song for today is Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli.