Reference

John 16:5-33

Sermon Notes

Jesus Will Send the Spirit in His Place

Sermon Notes
So That You May Believe and Have Life – The Gospel of John
Part 40 – “Jesus Will Send the Spirit in His Place”
John 16:5–33

When you hear Jesus talk about The Spirit, or when you hear followers of Jesus talk about The Holy Spirit, what is the picture that comes to mind?

That’s a hard question for a lot of people to answer because the Holy Spirit seems so mystical. We can picture God the Father, because we've all seen fathers. We can picture God the Son, because he became human, and we can read about what he did and what he's like. But when we try to picture the Holy Spirit, our minds go blank, and we end up with symbols like a dove or wind or fire.

However, God’s Word teaches us that within the nature or essence of the one true God, there are three eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This means the Holy Spirit is a divine person, not merely a force or an influence. The teaching in God’s word about the Trinity presents God the Father as our creator; God the Son as our savior; and God the Holy Spirit as the one who takes what Jesus did and applies it to our lives. And so, we can think of God the Father as GOD FOR US, God the Son as GOD WITH US, and God the Holy Spirit as GOD IN US.

Jesus recognizes that many in the world will not respond to his offer of salvation and will reject him, and that will lead to judgement. There are three errors the world will make which the Holy Spirit will expose: John 16:9-11…

Two aspects of what the Holy Spirit does for us are:

  1. The conviction of the world’s sin and ours when we follow the ways of the world

  2. In the midst of the troubles of life in this world as a follower of Jesus, we can live with peace and joy because Jesus has overcome this world.

Taking It Home

We encourage you to take a few minutes today and this week to process this morning’s message. These questions are designed for discussion with your family, a friend, mentor, spouse, and small group. They are also useful for self-reflection.

  1. What stands out to you in these passages from the Bible? From the message?

  2. What is difficult for you to understand or accept in these passages from the Bible? From the message?

  3. What is God saying in these passages and through what we heard in the message about Himself? About people? About you?

  4. What examples are there to follow, commands to obey, or promises to stand on from these passages in the Bible, and from what we heard in the message?