The Spirit Will Make It Known to You -- John16:12-15

The year was 2011. The National Basketball Association was all atwitter with what had happened in the off-season with the Miami Heat. It was then that Labron James announced that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Heat. Along with Chris Bosh, another all-pro player who had signed with the Heat, Miami had three bona fide all-stars with James, Bosh and Dwayne Wade. They were clearly the team to beat for the championship, and the way they sliced through the competition in the Eastern playoffs seemed to confirm the belief.

Facing the Heat in the NBA championship was the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas had only been to one final before, also against the Miami Heat, in 2006. In that series, Dallas seemed to be heading to a championship when Wade and the Heat took command over the last four games and won the series, 4-2, and with it the championship.

Miami opened the series with two convincing wins at home. They were leading in the third game Dallas, but somehow, the Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitski, managed to pull out the victory. Dallas won the next game two games in Dallas, and then went to Miami where they won the championship.

How did the Mavericks, decided underdogs, manage to beat the seemingly unbeatable Heat? One word: Teamwork. While Miami had the better players over all, the Mavericks had the better team. The Mav players knew what they needed to do, and they did it well. Well enough to win the 2011 NBA Championship.

As we read the passage today, one thing that stands out is the cohesiveness of the Trinity. As Jesus speaks about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He lets us know that the Spirit, the Father and the Son are working together to reveal more of God to each us in Christ.

Central Truth: As a new creation, God’s Spirit tells us the things of the Father and of the Son.

The role of the Spirit is to:

1. Guide us into all truth (12-13a)

Isn’t it funny how, sometimes, saying goodbye can take forever? I remember a lot of times going with my mother to her sister’s house, and hearing mom say that we needed to leave. Half an hour later, we were still there, and usually, the phrase, “We need to go,” has been said more than once. I admit it happens with me, too.

There’s a reason for that. When we’re with people we like a lot or love, we have a lot to tell them, and they usually have a lot to tell us. We’re reluctant to leave them, because we can’t be sure when we’ll see them again.

That night in the upper room must have felt that way for Jesus. The night was nearly over, and still there was so much to be said. In Jesus’ case, though, it wasn’t just the shortness of time. It was also the capability to understand what He wanted to say. That’s what v. 12 is about. Imagine the things Jesus could have said. He could have told them what was going to happen later that night in the garden. He could have told them about the walk to Calvary, the crucifixion. But they weren’t ready for that. He tried to tell them of the coming of the Holy Spirit, in part to comfort them, but also to encourage them.

It was clear from the response that the disciples wanted to understand, but so much of what Jesus was saying to them didn’t make sense. It couldn’t make sense, and wouldn’t make sense until after Jesus rose again and walked among them again. Even then, it would take the coming of the Holy Spirit to give them the full understanding of that night in the upper room.

Jesus knew this. That’s why He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” Jesus knew what part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit was, and that was to bring us into all the truth. Jesus had told the disciples that He was the way, the truth and the life. He told them that, if they were really His disciples, they would know the truth, and the truth would set them free. Jesus knew that this would include freedom from sin’s wages, but also freedom to follow and learn and do His will. He knew that the Holy Spirit would enable us to not only hear His words, but also lead us to do those words.

Jesus’ words that the Spirit will lead us into all truth sets us free to ask questions, to learn, to become all that God wants us to become. As the Spirit leads us into the truth, He will also enable us to discern that which is false. As disciples of Christ, thanks to the Holy Spirit, we are not called to be gullible, but to be wise. It is for this reason that He calls us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. As the Spirit guides us into all truth, there is also the expectation that we will be speakers and doers of that which is true.

There is so much in these words and this promise that can and does transform us, making us the new creation.

2. Making Jesus known to us (13b-14)

Building on the promise of vs. 12-13, Jesus tells us how this will happen. The reason the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth is because He will speak only what He hears.

The role of the Holy Spirit is not to act on His own, telling us what He thinks we ought to hear, or what He wants us to hear. Instead, He works in union with the Father and the Son. He only says what He knows and hears.

It can be frustrating when we’re in a group, and one of the group members decides to take over. That person then proceeds to make decisions based not on the group dynamics, but on their own desires and concerns. Sometimes, it’s not too bad, if we have confidence in that person and we know this person to be not only capable but also compatible with us. It’s when the person is not even trying to reflect the group that things get frustrating, when things can go horribly wrong.

Such is not the case with the Holy Spirit. He will not speak on His own. He will only speak what He hears. This reflects Jesus’ earlier words to the disciples that the Spirit will remind us of everything Jesus has said. Jesus also said the Spirit will testify of Him. Knowing this role of the Spirit assures us that His message to us will be accurate and reflect exactly the will of the Father and of the Son.

The result of this relationship between the Spirit and Jesus is that glory will be brought to the Son. As we listen to and follow the Spirit’s leadership, we will come to a greater understanding of Jesus. As we are shown more of Jesus through the Spirit, and as we walk in obedience to the Son through the enabling power of the Spirit, our faith will grow and our amazement at Jesus will increase. We will see Him working through His Spirit in us and we will have no other choice but to praise and glorify Christ.

3. Reveal the Trinity (15)

Throughout Jesus’ ministry as recorded in John, Jesus repeatedly told His listeners that all He said and did came from the Father. Jesus did nothing but in obey the Father, going, saying and doing what the Father instructed Him to do. Such an attitude was consistent with the humble surrender of His rightful place in the Godhead to become man. Now, Jesus has returned to the Father and has returned to His glory and His rightful place in the Trinity.

The Spirit reflects this. He knows that all that Jesus has is from the Father, and He knows that when He, the Spirit, reveals the Son to us, He is also revealing the Father to us. As we learned last week, one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to bring us into a greater intimacy with the Father, giving us the mind of Christ. We have an awareness of God that is not possible without the indwelling presence of the Spirit.

There is a consistency with the ministry of the Trinity by the bringing of the Holy Spirit. The Father has continually revealed Himself to us, first through His mighty works recorded in the Old Testament, then, most fully through the Son who came to live among us. Now, God continues His work of revelation and fellowship through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit takes from Jesus, who has all that belongs to the Father, and makes it known to us.

This is why Jesus’ opening remark in these verses we looked at is not one of frustration, but a promise of what is to come. He has so much more to tell us, and He will do so through His Spirit. This Spirit, an equal part of the Trinity, fulfills His role by being the means through which we can come into full awareness of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

I’ve started a new job with the Waco Tribune-Herald this week. Tonight will be my first night alone on the night desk, putting the sports section together. Over this past week, I’ve had Brice Cherry, the sports editor of the paper, sitting alongside me, showing me the ropes, letting me know what to do and when to do it.

Tonight I’m on my own. But, through the miracle of the cell phone, email and texting, I can still access his guidance as I do my first solo flight. I’m nervous, but I’m confident. Confident not because I really know what I’m doing, but confident in that I know Brice is only a call away.

So it is with Christ. We may not see Him, we may not be able to speak directly to Him as you and I can speak to each other. But through the wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit, we have access to Christ. The Spirit makes Him known to us. Can there be any greater promise or assurance?