#3
SERIES ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
"THE HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES"
TEXTS: Jn.
INTRO: Without the
Holy Spirit's teaching ministry we would have no love or interest in Spiritual
things:
ILLUS: LIKE
THE WOMAN WHO PURCHASED A BOOK AND READ A FEW PAGES OF IT BUT FOUND IT BORING
AND UNINTERESTING. SHE LAID IT
ASIDE AND RARELY LOOKED AT IT. THEN
ONE DAY SHE BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH THE AUTHOR AND A TENDER LOVING RELATIONSHIP
BEGAN TO GROW WITH HIM. FINALLY IT
RIPENED INTO DEEP LOVE AND BETROTHAL RESULTED. NOW SUDDENLY THE BOOK WAS NO LONGER
DULL, EVERY SENTENCE WAS FULL OF MEANING, EVERY PAGE HELD HER HEART, SHE WAS
ENTHRALLED BY EACH CHAPTER. THE
ONLY THING THAT HAD ACTUALLY CHANGED WAS THAT SHE NOW HAD BEEN TOUCHED BY THE
AUTHOR AND THIS BROUGHT A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE BOOK ... THE RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE AUTHOR BROUGHT ALIVE THE BOOK'S CONTENTS!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
This
is a main ministry of the Holy Spirit ... to teach us truth, God's truth! This is also why the Bible is considered
by those who are not saved as just a boring uninteresting book, they often see
little value or power in it. Unless
they have the author, the Holy Spirit revealing it to them they are lost in its
pages.
In
several places in the Bible the Holy Spirit is called, "the Spirit of
truth" ... He is our teacher!
PROP.SENT: The Bible teaches us that
the Holy Spirit is our great teacher; primarily He does this through the written
Word by revealing to us its meaning.
His role is to lead us into all truth!
I. SPIRIT OF TRUTH! Jn.
16:7-11
A. Plan
16:7
1. Up until the day of Pentecost
living for God had been tough and stormy!
a. Jesus' presence had been a great
help, but when He left for heaven the disciples would need the presence of the
Holy Spirit to guide them!
b. The Holy Spirit would be able to be
with each one of them all the time, unlike Jesus which at the time He was on
earth was limited mostly to time and space; thus it was necessary for Jesus to
finish His work so He could leave and send the Holy Spirit to help them
all!
2. The presence of the Holy Spirit
would make dramatic changes in believers, it would change the whole meaning of
living for God.
a. Now storms would become great
opportunities rather than setbacks.
b. The Holy Spirit would teach them in
ways their own intellect had failed.
ILLUS: ONE
OF THE FIRST ADVENTURERS ON THE MIGHTY OCEANS WHO SAILED TO SOUTH AMERICA WENT
AROUND A CAPE ON A STORMY SEA. HIS
SHIP WAS THREATENED TO BREAK INTO PIECES; SO HE CALLED THE PLACE THE "CAPE OF
STORMS." BUT VASOC DA GAMA, WHO
CAME LATER CHANGED THE NAME TO THE "CAPE OF GOOD HOPE" FOR HE SAW AHEAD OF HIM
THE JEWELS AND TREASURES OF INDIA.
HIS VISION SAW BEYOND THE REALITY OF THE STORMS TO A BRIGHT FUTURE! THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US TO SEE BEYOND
THIS WORLD TO A FUTURE THAT IS BRIGHTER THAN ANYTHING HERE, AND SO HE TEACHES US
TO VIEW LIFE NOW IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN THE WORLD DOES! HE TEACHES US A DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
3. And so, God's plan was to send the
Holy Spirit, this new age of the Spirit of God would bring spiritual knowledge
and understanding to ordinary believers.
It was thus imperative for Jesus to return to Heaven so this new age
could come in its fullness!
B. Purpose
16:8-11
1. The Holy Spirit's coming would be
to teach about 3 main areas:
a. SIN
(16:8a,
9)
(1. The Holy Spirit will reveal and
convict about sin ... even unbelievers understand man is a sinner, the Holy
Spirit reveals the truth about our fallen nature!
ILLUS: A
WEALTHY HINDU BOARDED A SHIP AT BOMBAY LOADED DOWN WITH CHAINS; HE COULD MOVE
ABOUT ONLY WITH THE HELP OF SERVANTS AND COULD NEVER KNOW PEACE OR COMFORT. SQUATTED ON THE DECK IN THE MIDST OF
THESE CHAINS HE EXPLAINED THAT WHILE STILL A YOUNG MAN HE HAD VOWED TO PUT ON A
LINK FOR EVERY SIN HE COMMITTED AND NOW THAT HE WAS OLDER HE WAS HELPLESS UNDER
THE CRUEL WEIGHT OF 600 POUNDS OF IRON LINKS! HE HAD COME TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH
ABOUT SIN ... BUT HAD YET TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS AND FORGIVENESS!
THE HOLY SPIRIT HAD HELPED HIM TO
UNDERSTAND HIS SINFULNESS BUT AS YET HE HAD NOT OPENED HIS HEART TO RECEIVE
CHRIST AS SAVIOR!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
(2. The work of the Holy Spirit is
available for all people ... they cannot be saved unless they come to understand
that they are sinners!
(3. This is the general work of God's
Spirit in the world, to reveal the truth, to teach us about
sin!
(4. When someone gets saved it is
because the Holy Spirit has awakened in them the realization that they are a
sinner first!
(5. No one could get saved without this
ministry of the Holy Spirit first, thus He teaches the world about sin. The first step toward salvation has to
be a realization of the nature of sin, and the truth about
sin.
b. RIGHTEOUSNESS (16:8b,
1O)
(1. This teaching work of the Holy
Spirit is critical for salvation for it is the truth that no human works can
save us, only the righteousness of Christ which comes by
faith!
(2. Without the teaching of the Holy
Spirit on this subject men will try to save themselves ... they will do good
works as a means of salvation, or turn to vain teachers and mystics for promises
of salvation.
(3. This work of the Spirit is critical
for gaining salvation, He convicts us about the true nature of righteousness,
that it can only come through Christ and not through our own efforts or
goodness!
(4. How different the concept of
salvation is in Christianity than in most other
religions!
(a. In most other religions salvation
always has something to do with our works.
(b. In Christianity works are important
as a result of salvation, but not the means of salvation, salvation comes
by grace and faith in Christ!
(5. This is a true revelation for man,
for we would never have thought this up ourselves, only the Spirit of God has
revealed this!
ILLUS: THE
VERY CONCEPT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS TAUGHT BY THE VERY CHARACTER IN CHINESE CHOSEN
TO REPRESENT THE WORD "RIGHTEOUSNESS." WHEN CREATING A CHARACTER FOR THIS
CONCEPT THEY TOOK TWO OTHER CHARACTERS AND BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER, THEY TOOK THE
CHARACTER FOR "LAMB" AND PUT UNDER IT THE CHARACTER FOR "ME!" THIS REPRESENTED THE TRUTH ABOUT
RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT ONLY AS I AM UNDER THE LAMB OF GOD CAN I TRULY KNOW GOD'S
RIGHTEOUSNESS! THUS I AM RIGHTEOUS
IN GOD'S EYES NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT I DO, BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT THE LAMB OF GOD HAS
DONE FOR ME! THIS IS THE WORK OF
GOD'S SPIRIT TEACHING US IN THE NEW COVENANT OF CHRIST, THIS WAS QUITE A BIT OF
NEWS FOR BELIEVERS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
(6. This teaching of the Holy Spirit
primarily from the pages of Scripture thus frees us from bondage and penalty, it
enables us to enjoy our relationship with God and gives us
peace!
(7. Thus the New Testament saint is
free from the tyranny of guilt and shame all the time for we are righteous by
being clothed upon by Christ's righteousness!
c. JUDGMENT
(16:8c, 11)
(1. This work of teaching by the Holy
Spirit has to do with judgment and justice, the fact that Christ's death and
resurrection assures a future time of judgment against sin and sinners, of which
Satan is already now condemned, and when real justice will be
served!
(2. This work of the Spirit breeds into
the hearts of men and women a sense of eternal life that yet awaits all, a
future of either judgment or heaven!
(3. Only those who shut out the voice
of the Holy Spirit will have no sense of a coming eternity, the Holy Spirit is
at work in hearts to reveal to us the truth about our eternal
soul!
ILLUS: TWO
SOLDIERS ON AN AMERICAN TROOPSHIP CROWDED AROUND THEIR CHAPLAIN AND ASKED HIM,
"DO YOU BELIEVE IN A HELL?" HE
RESPONDED WITH "I DO NOT!" THEY
THEN RESPONDED WITH "WELL, THEN CHAPLAIN, WOULD YOU PLEASE RESIGN, FOR IF THERE
IS NO HELL WE DO NOT NEED YOU, AND IF THERE IS A HELL, WE DO NOT WISH TO BE LED
ASTRAY BY YOU!"
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
(4. These men knew instinctively the
truth about eternity, even an unbelieving chaplain couldn't convince them
of any other truth other than what the Holy Spirit taught them in their
hearts!
(5. The work of the Holy Spirit to
teach is critical!
2. Thus, the Holy Spirit is at work in
the world to teach in these 3 ways … to teach about:
a. Sin
b.
Righteousness
c. Judgment
3. The Bible is the foundational tool
of the Holy Spirit for teaching truth.
a. The principle tool the Holy Spirit
uses for His teaching all men and women is the Word of God, the
Scriptures!
b. That is why it is the most
important book the world has ever known!
c. Men and women of all ages have come
to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ many times by merely reading the Bible and
having the Holy Spirit convict them through those
words.
d. Or many have come by hearing the
Word of God preached.
e. Or by seeing the Word of God lived
out by a believer.
f. In any case, it always is
connected with the Word of God!
4. This is one of the main purposes of
the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to teach all people truth, and in doing this
lead them to Jesus Christ: "the truth shall set you free!" JOHN 8:32
II. SPIRIT WHO TEACHES! Jn.
A. Problem
1 Tim. 4:1 1 Jn.
2:26-27
1. One of the problems in the last
days will be people following deceiving spirits, buying falsehoods, and
abandoning truth!
a. It is disturbing to read here that
there will be "some who will abandon THE
FAITH…"
b. If we are not tuned into the Holy
Spirit and this means Scripture, it may be that many may be led astray even if
they originally accepted Christ!
c. Any movement that emphasizes
experience over the Word of God is headed down a dangerous path!
2. Without the Holy Spirit's teaching
us through the Word of God we are apt to become gullible, ready to swallow
anything that appears to be spiritual!
a. The Word of God is the textbook for
Christianity ... the Holy Spirit is the teacher!
b. It doesn't matter how interesting
any other teacher is, if their teaching is not found in THE BOOK it should be
avoided and held suspect!
3. It is most important who you allow
to be your teacher, the Holy Spirit is the only reliable
teacher!
4. John writes about this also in
1 Jn. 2:26-27:
a. Here John warns the early believers
to be on guard against a group within the church known as “Gnostics” ... these were people who made great
claims of deep spirituality and deep understanding about spiritual things, they
claimed knowledge superior to all other Christians!
b. They were marked by their arrogant
attitude toward other Christians and even toward the Apostles, claiming they
knew far more about the Holy Spirit that even the Apostles or the written
Word!
c. They emphasized experiences over
Scripture and so they were in danger of leading the church
astray!
5. John writes here to the believers
reminding them that they have the "anointing" (a reference to the Holy Spirit) in
them as a teacher already … and that human teachers are not above the Spirit of
God, this Holy Spirit would "teach them all
things"…
a. This was not a reference to
literally "every" thing ... but all
the "things" they needed to know about salvation and
walking with God!
b. The body of this teaching was in
Scripture and the Apostle's doctrine!
6. John's point was simple; the Holy
Spirit by revealing truth from God's Word had taught them how to live in the
light, they are being warned not to be tempted to leave that light lest they be
in danger of spiritual apostasy!
ILLUS: IN
7. These false teachers tried seducing
the saints by their apparent deep spirituality which characterized itself
by:
a.
Superiority.
b. Harshness and a claim of great and
new knowledge that even the Bible supposedly didn't
have.
c. They were judgmental toward those
who would question them!
d. They were not accountable to anyone
or anything other than God alone ... or their definition of
God!
8. John's point is simple; the real
Holy Spirit doesn't divide God's people, He unites them, and the Holy Spirit
teaches us all primarily through the Word of God which is available to all
believers!
9. These false teachers are going to
be everywhere in the last days and the sad fact is that many Christians who are
not as knowledgeable about the Bible will only mean that they are more likely to
be drawn aside.
a. We need the teaching ministry of
the Holy Spirit.
b. And we need the textbook of the
Holy Spirit, the Bible!
B. Protection Jn. 16:12-16;
1. Jesus here states that He would
like to teach them more but because the Holy Spirit had not yet come as in the
New Covenant they couldn't understand yet, but when the Spirit comes “He will guide
them INTO ALL TRUTH!”
a. Again, this is "all
truth" in the sense of those things we need to know about salvation
and eternity ... not all truth in the scientific
sense!
b. Notice John states that the Father
will do this by speaking only what He has heard from the Father and the Son ...
a clear reference to the Word of God.
c. His focus will not be on Himself;
the Holy Spirit's ministry doesn't draw attention to Himself, but to
Christ!
2. This will bring protection to the
saints of God, everything can be tested by the Word of
God!
3. The greatest test must be that it
looks and sounds like Jesus, and this picture is found only in the Word of
God!
ILLUS: ONE
RAINY SUNDAY AFTERNOON A FATHER WAS BABYSITTING HIS CHILDREN AND HAD THE TASK OF
KEEPING THEM ENTERTAINED. HE
ASSIGNED SPECIFIC TASKS TO EACH CHILD.
TO KEEP HIS 10 YEAR OLD SON BUSY FOR A WHILE HE TOOK A PICTURE OF A MAP
OF THE UNITED STATES FROM A MAGAZINE AND CUT IT UP INTO LITTLE PIECES AND ASKED
HIM TO REASSEMBLE THE MAP CORRECTLY.
THINKING THIS WOULD TAKE SOME TIME, HE WAS SURPRISED ONLY MOMENTS LATER
TO HEAR HIS SON CALL HIM BECAUSE HE WAS DONE ALREADY! AS THE FATHER LOOKED IN AMAZEMENT, THE
SON HAD PUT THE MAP TOGETHER PERFECTLY, FAR FASTER THAN EVEN HE COULD HAVE DONE
AS A DAD! HE ASKED HIS SON HOW IN
THE WORLD HE HAD DONE IT SO WELL, SO QUICKLY! THE BOY ANSWERED, "WELL DAD, I PROBABLY
COULDN'T EXCEPT I NOTICED THAT ON THE BACK WAS A PICTURE OF A MAN, I SIMPLE PUT
THE PICTURE OF THE MAN TOGETHER CORRECTLY AND THE WORLD TOOK CARE OF
ITSELF!" THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS
TO US WHEN WE HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF JESUS TAKEN FROM HIS WORD ... THE REST OF
THE WORLD WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF AND WE WON'T BE LED
ASTRAY!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
4. If you are not studying the Word of
God, the Holy Spirit as a teacher will not be able to ground you as you ought to
be!
5. The role of the Spirit is to take
Jesus and His Words and help us understand them! He will teach us truth and this will
protect us from false teachers and false teaching!
a. The Spirit will thus teach us "all
things" ... "all the things
needed!"
b. The Spirit will testify about Christ,
the truth of God!
6. Without this role of the Holy
Spirit we would be adrift on the road to truth, each man doing that which is
right in his own eyes and never sure about salvation!
7. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit is our
guide, our teacher, the Spirit of truth ... and we don't have to be driven by
every wind of doctrine or practice that comes down the pike! We can stand on solid ground as the Holy
Spirit teaches us!
CONCLUSION: Without the Holy Spirit we
could not clearly understand the true nature of sin or the nature of
salvation! The role of the Holy
Spirit as our teacher is critical!
His role is to direct attention to Christ, not Himself. He reveals the truth about Jesus and
salvation so that we might be saved.
The Spirit's role is to make known the Scriptures and God’s plan for
salvation ... any work of the Spirit will be deeply rooted in the Word of
God. The Bible is the textbook; the
Holy Spirit is the teacher! What
kind of student are you?