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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to the gospel of John for our message this morning. John 16, our focus will be verses 
five to 11, but I wanna begin reading in verse one. Remember, we're in the upper 
room discourse. This is Jesus' interaction with his disciples 
prior to his death and resurrection and exaltation. He takes them 
aside to prepare them, to fit them for the ministry they will 
have upon his ascension to the right hand of the Father. And 
so he promises them blessings. He promises them the blessing 
of all blessings, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of 
truth that would aid them in disciple making and church planting 
and turning the world upside down for his glory. And in this 
immediate section, beginning in 15 at verse 18, he speaks 
about the opposition, the oppression, the persecution that they will 
face. In other words, if they, the 
world, hates the Lord God most high and is Christ, they are 
certainly going to hate his disciples. Remember, Jesus says, a servant 
is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will 
also persecute you. So in chapter 16, he sort of 
caps off that section in verses one to four, and then promises 
the ministry in verses five to 15. But as I said, we'll just 
look at five to 11 this morning. So beginning in chapter 16 at 
verse one, these things I have spoken to you that you should 
not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the 
synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you 
will think that he offers God's service. And these things they 
will do to you, because they have not known the Father nor 
me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, 
you may remember that I told you of them. And these things 
I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. Now I 
go away to him who sent me. And none of you asks me, where 
are you going? But because I have said these 
things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 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 depart, I will send 
him to you. And when he has come, he will 
convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. 
of sin, because they do not believe in me, of righteousness, because 
I go to my father and you see me no more, of judgment, because 
the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say 
to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the spirit 
of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will 
not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will 
speak, and he will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, 
for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. All things 
that the Father has are mine. Therefore, I said that he will 
take of mine and declare it to you. Amen. Well, let us pray. 
Our Father in heaven, we pray now for the ministry of the Holy 
Spirit that Jesus promises here to the apostles in this original 
context, but to the church by way of extension. We know the 
prophecy of Joel is fulfilled in the book of Acts, and we know 
that the Spirit of God is given by the Lord Jesus Christ to magnify 
that blessed name, to send forth that glorious gospel throughout 
all the nations. And we pray that He would guide 
us and direct us and lead us even now as we consider this 
passage of Holy Scripture. Again, forgive us of all of our 
sins and cleanse us in that blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And 
we pray in His wonderful name. Amen. Well, as we have seen on 
many occasions in this study in the upper room, Jesus speaks 
concerning the doctrine of the Trinity, not as a systematic 
theology, but rather he highlights his relation to the Father, and 
then he highlights the relation of the Spirit to the Father and 
the Son. And in this particular passage, 
he does likewise. Specifically, what we have going 
on in verses 5 to 15 is the Spirit's conviction of the world in verses 
8 to 11, and then the Spirit's ministry to the disciples in 
verses 12 to 15. Remember, it's a context highly 
charged with the language of opposition. and persecution and 
hardship and suffering. They're going to put you out 
of the synagogues. They're going to kill you. And 
while they're killing you, they're going to actually think they're 
doing service to God. In other words, you're going 
to leave the upper realm. You're going to see what happens in 
terms of the Lord Jesus. Once he has ascended back on 
high, you're going to be in enemy territory. When you go to the 
then known world, it's not going to be all reception. It's not 
going to be groups of sinners saying, boy, we've really longed 
to hear about this message of what it's all meant. We really 
love to hear about how totally depraved we are. We really love 
this conviction of sin. It's not going to be that way. 
And so Jesus prepares them in the best way possible. He's gonna 
send the helper. He's gonna give them another 
advocate. He's going to give them the Holy 
Spirit. And so that's the emphasis in 
this section in verses 5 to 15. But as I said, we'll look at 
5 to 11 under two heads. First, the departure of Christ 
in verses 5 to 7. And then secondly, the conviction 
of the world in verses 8 to 11. But let's pick up first on this 
departure of Christ and what He reiterates to them. We saw 
that in the reading in Mark 9. Jesus announced several times 
that He must go to Jerusalem. He must be tried at the hands 
of godless men. He must be crucified. And on 
a couple of occasions, He even said that He would be resurrected 
again. They didn't always get it. In fact, in that reading 
there in Mark 9, they didn't get it. They didn't understand 
it. Well, as we jump into this particular section, they're still 
not getting it. They're still not fully aware 
of all that is involved. And we certainly cannot blame 
them for that. We have open Bibles. We have 
the written record. We have the revelatory completion 
of the Old and New Testaments. So we're not blaming them, but 
they're still kind of finding their way in the dark. And I 
would suggest that on the heels of hearing that you're going 
to be cast out of synagogues, you may likely be killed when 
these fanatics think they're doing service to God. I'm sure 
that their mindset at this particular juncture is one of sorrow. Jesus acknowledges that. Part 
of the emphasis throughout the upper room is that they wouldn't 
be troubled, that they wouldn't be sorrowful, that they wouldn't 
be scandalized, that they wouldn't stumble. Jesus is encouraging 
them for the work at hand and encouraging them with the reality 
of the knowledge that there's going to be opposition. He doesn't 
lie to them in the upper room. Just go to the synagogues. They're 
all going to bow down and worship me. Just go to the Roman Empire 
and stand before emperor and all of his hordes and tell them 
that Jesus is here to save sinners. And of course, emperors are gonna 
fall. He doesn't say that. Jesus tells 
his disciples, and again, by extension, his church today in 
the 21st century, in this world, you will have tribulation. We 
have been blessed richly. We have enjoyed many comforts. And again, not a profit, but 
it may not always be that way. So we need to be on guard and 
alert and realize the great resources that we have in the Word and 
in the Spirit. So note Jesus' declaration concerning 
His departure, verse 5a, All throughout John's gospel, we 
see several references to the hour. And the hour means the death, 
the resurrection, and the exaltation of Jesus Christ, the reason for 
which he came. Jesus didn't come into this world 
just to start a new religion. He didn't come into this world 
just to be another ethical teacher. Jesus came into this world, assumed 
our humanity to live for us, to die for us, and to be raised 
again for us. The Jews seek signs, the Greeks 
seek wisdom, but as Paul says, we preach Christ and Him crucified. 
To the Jews, a scandal, and to the Greeks, foolishness, but 
to those who are being saved, Christ is both the wisdom and 
the power of God. So Jesus speaks about the now 
as having arrived. Notice in verse 32 in the same 
chapter. Verse 32, Indeed the hour is 
coming, yes has now come, that you will be scattered, each to 
his own, who will leave me alone, and yet I am not alone, because 
the Father is with me. Notice in 17.1, Father, the hour 
has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son 
also may glorify you. We see it several times in the 
Gospel of John, this hour referred to. The hour is imminent. Jesus 
is going to depart from them. As well, note the relation between 
Him and the Father, a relation that has made its way very conspicuously 
in much of John's Gospel. Jesus says, I go away to Him 
who sent me. That's the relation the Son bears 
to the Father. The Father sends the Son. We 
call that a temporal mission. The Father sends the Son into 
the world to assume our humanity, to live for us, to die for us, 
and to be raised again for us. It reflects or reveals something 
of the eternal procession. The Father is unbegotten and 
the Son is begotten by the Father. We're going to see the same sort 
of a thing when Jesus says, I will send the spirit. So what Jesus 
does in time reflects something true of God in eternity, the 
father unbegotten, the son begotten by the father and the spirit 
proceeds from the father and the son. And so all of this teaches 
us not only the ministry of the son and the spirit relative to 
the father in terms of their life on earth, but with reference 
to how God or who God is in himself. It's a wonderful way that Jesus 
teaches so that we can understand who God is and what God is in 
terms of his relation to the world. So notice, he then explains, 
or rather, he explains this elsewhere. If you look at verse 5, but now 
I go away to him who sent me. We know what that means. They 
don't at this particular point, but we know what that means. 
He's going to die. He's going to be raised again 
the third day and he's going to be exalted to the right hand of the Father. 
We call that the ascension. And what Jesus is doing right 
now is called the current session or the session of our Lord. One 
man said that he went in his human nature to the one with 
whom he was from all eternity in his divine nature. So that's 
the departure that Jesus is speaking. But now I go away to him who 
sent me. But then notice he highlights 
the absence of any question on their part. He says to them, 
yet none of you asks me, or none of you asks me, where are you 
going? It's an interesting thing. And 
I think it's interesting for a couple of reasons. First, in 
1336 and 145, it kind of sounds like they did ask him. If you 
look back to 13, 13 specifically at verse 36, Simon Peter said 
to him, Lord, where are you going? I don't think Simon Peter is 
reflecting upon the going of the Lord Jesus to his death, 
to his resurrection, and to his ascension. I think he's reflecting 
on a locale change. In fact, if you go back to John 
7, Jesus says similar things to the unbelieving Jews, and 
they ask that very question, well, where's he gonna go? How's 
he gonna hide? Where's he gonna evade from us? 
Notice in John 7 at verse 35. Then the Jews said among themselves, 
where does he intend to go that we shall not find him? Does he 
intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the 
Greeks? What is this he said? You will seek me and not find 
me, and where I am you cannot come. I think that's what Simon 
Peter is asking. Jesus mentions that he's going 
to be going. Where? Where, Lord? Where are you going 
to go? And then in John 14, five, notice what we see there. Thomas said to him, Lord, we 
do not know where you are going and how can we know the way? 
Remember, Jesus taught about going to heaven in my father's 
house or many mansions. And I go to prepare a place for 
you. Again, we can forgive Thomas a bit, not knowing all the contours 
of that theology, but I think that's the, Lord, we don't know. 
Of course you don't know. That's the point. And then over 
on 16.5, none of you asks me, where are you going? I would 
suggest that the question of Peter in 13 is a confusion concerning 
locale. The question of Thomas in 14 
is a confusion concerning the mansions in heaven. But I think 
the significance of the question here is most important. I would 
suggest the disciples are sorrowful, which indicates they don't understand 
what Jesus is talking about. Notice verse six, sorrow has 
filled your heart. Their sorrow has kept them from 
appreciating the glory of the announcement that he's going 
to depart and be with the father. I would suggest the disciples 
are concerned about their own situation, which ultimately indicates 
they're not so concerned about his. Again, brother, I'm not 
picking on these men. But it's kind of like what you 
see there in Matthew 16. Remember when Jesus says, who 
do men say that I, the son of man am? And they answer about 
all the answers of those outside of the disciple community. And 
then Jesus says, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter says, 
you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus makes that 
pronouncement of the blessedness of Peter, not because flesh and 
blood revealed this, but the Father who is in heaven revealed 
this, and makes that declaration that on this rock I will build 
my church. Not Peter, he's not the rock, 
it's the Christ that Peter confessed, that's the rock. And then dropping 
down in that section, Jesus announces that he must go to Jerusalem. 
He must be tried at the hands of wicked men, he must die. And 
what does Simon Peter do? He takes him aside and rebukes 
him and says, may it never be, Lord. I think these men, again, 
not blaming them, not casting aspersion upon them, they are 
still reflecting on the difficult things that they have heard. 
Sorrow has filled their hearts, so they don't have that joy that 
is consistent with the departure of Jesus. That's what's happening, 
and I think that's what he's shining the light on. I'm going 
away to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, where are 
you going? The disciples are caught up more 
in the earthly and therefore are not focused upon the spiritual. And then note, he acknowledges 
the sorrow of their hearts. But because I have said these 
things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. What things? Naturally, 
we'd say, well, his departure. Yeah, naturally, but I think 
naturally we'd also say the world's going to hate you. They're going 
to cast you out of the synagogues. they're gonna kill you in a lunatic 
frenzy wherein they're thinking they're doing service to their 
God. So these things that he has spoken that has produced 
the sorrow of heart, yes, I think departure of Jesus is certainly 
one of them, but not to the exclusion of the opposition of the world. 
Jesus is telling them in no uncertain terms, I get it. Remember that 
the apostle in the book of Hebrews tells us that he is able to sympathize 
with us. It's one of the beautiful things 
about the incarnation of the Son. He takes on our humanity. 
He identifies with us. He's a man of sorrows. He's acquainted 
with grief, his own, and the grief and the sorrows of others. 
He is speaking precisely what these men need to hear at a crucial 
time. He has just told them of the 
opposition of the world. He's just told them about the 
enmity of the world. He has told them that they're 
going to lose their spot in the world and may lose their lives 
in the world. That produced sorrow of heart 
for these brothers. Jesus understands that. The sorrow due to persecution 
likely explains why no one asked him, where are you departing 
to? The sorrow due to persecution is natural, but Jesus has throughout 
this section addressed it. Let not your heart be troubled. 
These aren't throwaway phrases with the Savior. We do that. How are you doing? Fine. And 
you're not fine. But you realize nobody wants 
to hear how not fine you are. So you just say fine, right? 
We have a lot of throwaway phrases. Hello. Oh, it's good to hear 
from you. It is. Whenever you call me, 
it is good to hear from you, by the way. But lots of throwaway 
phrases. When Jesus does this, these aren't 
throwaways. You think that let not your heart 
be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also 
in me. Why is he doing that? Because these men are going to 
go out into a world that is going to exclude them from their religion 
and is going to exclude them from their lives. He knows the 
sorrow of heart. That's why he speaks words of 
comfort. I would suggest it would be unnatural 
for these men not to be concerned. God has built us in such a way 
that we don't ingest poison. knowingly, God has built us in 
such a way that we don't stand in front of trains. God has built 
us in such a way that there's a degree of self-preservation. 
And the idea of exclusion from society, the idea of exclusion 
from business, the idea of being put to death in some lunatic's 
frenzy for their God, That's not something that most people 
willingly say, all right, bring it on. So Jesus knows the sorrow 
of their hearts and he is speaking calculatedly to address that 
in the most helpful way. He's going to say what the Spirit 
does in terms of the world itself, who's in opposition to God, but 
then in terms of the ministry of the Spirit to the disciples 
themselves and the great benefit that they will have as a result. 
It is impossible not to be sorrowful over hard things, but being rooted 
in the scriptures, being cognizant of the Bible, knowing the promises 
of God, hearing the cautions against being fearful to the 
point where we are immobilized, we need to make sure that our 
faith is strong in the precious word of the living God. So notice 
what then Jesus goes on to say. He's told them he's gonna depart, 
verse five, He understands that they're sorrowful, verse six. And then in verse seven, he says, 
this is actually for your advantage. Do you think intuitively they 
thought it was to their advantage? By the way, you know, 15, 18, 
you're gonna go into this world and they're gonna hate you. They're 
gonna despise you. And if you need any proof for 
that, just look at how they've treated me. They're gonna see 
the next day how the world treats Jesus very vividly. Away with 
him, away with him, crucify him, crucify him. What about Barabbas, 
the terrorist revolutionary? Oh, we want him released. We 
want him free. What about Jesus? Crucify him. 
They're gonna see all too well the culmination of ill treatment. 
So he has told them, you're gonna be treated in like manner. Now 
he tells them, and by the way, I'm leaving. I'm going to the 
one who sent me. Nevertheless, I tell you the 
truth, it's to your advantage. Intuitively, brethren, I doubt 
they saw it as their advantage in that present situation. You 
have told us we're going to be opposed, you have told us we're 
going to die, and you have told us you're not going to be there. 
And you're talking about advantage? Look at verse 17. 7. Nevertheless, I tell you the 
truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. Generally speaking, 
that's absolutely positively true. and then specifically we'll 
hone in on in just a moment, but it's to their advantage that 
he go to the cross. It's to their advantage that 
he dies on the cross. It's to their advantage that 
he's raised from the dead. It's to their advantage that 
he ascends on high. It's to their advantage that 
he sits enthroned at the right hand of God where he ever lives 
to make intercession for them and where he functions as their 
advocate with the Father. It's always advantageous when 
you consider the gospel. Nevertheless, I tell you the 
truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. If you are not 
a believer in Jesus Christ this morning, I want to encourage 
you that the reality that Jesus is speaking to here is the most 
advantageous thing ever. If I said to you, what would 
be a good thing to happen tomorrow? Well, it'd be nice thing to find 
a bag of money. That would be advantageous. Or to get a job 
promotion, that would be advantageous. Or to get an A on my paper, that 
would be advantageous. It's not that those aren't advantageous, 
but the most advantageous thing in all the world is that Christ 
Jesus came into this world, sinners to save. It is to your advantage 
that I go away, that he dies on the cross as a substitute 
and sacrifice, that he's raised again the third day, that he 
is ascended on high, that he does make intercession for us, 
that he is our advocate with the Father. I suggest this is 
the most advantageous thing that's ever happened to anyone here 
that's saved. That if I asked you, what's the best thing that 
ever happened to you? Oh yeah, I got married. Yeah, we got wonderful 
kids. What's the best thing? Oh, Jesus saved me. Isn't that 
the testimony of God's people that Jesus saved me? I was lost 
and now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see amazing 
grace. How sweet the sound that saved 
a wretch like me. Brethren, this is the most advantageous 
thing. And Jesus reminds them of that, 
but specifically the advantage falls upon the gift of the Holy 
Spirit. Notice in verse seven, 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 depart, I will send him to you. We have seen the 
helper referred to, notice in John 14. John 14, 16, I will 
pray the Father, and He will give you another helper, that 
He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth whom the 
world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows 
Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in 
you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. And then 
dropping down to verse 26, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit and 
the Father will send in my name. He will teach you all things 
and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 15, 26 and 27, but when the Helper 
comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of 
truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me. And you 
also will bear witness because you have been with me from the 
beginning. This means one who takes up the cause for another 
and indeed for his benefit. So just to put it in its context, 
you're gonna suffer, I'm gonna go, but that's for your advantage. The person and the work of the 
Holy Spirit is identified here by Jesus as an advantage for 
the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's the way the promise 
of 1418 always abides. When Jesus says, I will not leave 
you orphans, I will come to you. So he departs via cross, via 
resurrection, via ascension to the right hand of the Father, 
physically absent from us, no longer in this locale, but spiritually 
present with us by the Spirit. It is a wonderful promise. Now 
the Spirit is present prior to the day of Pentecost, I'll argue 
in just a moment that's what he's referring to there, the 
advantage of the Spirit coming in power on the day of Pentecost. 
We know the Spirit's in the Old Testament. The Spirit's in creation, 
not in it like he's part of it, but Genesis chapter 1, verse 
2, we see the Spirit brooding over the waters. Psalm 33, 6 
tells us it's the triune God who made the heavens and the 
earth. The Spirit spake by the prophets. We see the Holy Spirit 
throughout the Old Testament. The Spirit in personal salvation. Remember David's psalm of repentance 
in Psalm 51 verse 11? Take not thine Holy Spirit from 
me. What does that mean? It means 
that David had the Spirit. But the promise of the presence 
of the Spirit in this powerful, advantageous manner all revolves 
around the day of Pentecost. Notice in John 20. John 20. He gives a down payment of this, 
a further promise of this. And note the language that is 
utilized here, or the metaphor, or the signification. Notice 
in John 20 at verse 22. And when he had said this, he 
breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. The word breath and spirit are 
the same word. Wind is associated. So here we've 
got this sort of prophetic announcement by the Lord Jesus with a visible 
symbol, doesn't mean the Spirit is actually the physical breath 
that emanated from our Lord, but that language is beautiful, 
and especially in light of Acts 2. Look at Acts 2 at verse 1, 
when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with 
one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound 
from heaven, note, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the 
whole house where they were sitting. So when Jesus says, it is to 
your advantage that I go, yes, death, yes, resurrection, yes, 
ascension, but from that vantage point at the right hand of the 
father, according to Acts 2.30, it's the son who gives the spirit 
to the church to equip her for a worldwide ministry to conquer 
the nations. He shall have dominion from sea 
to sea. It comes about as a result of 
the plan of the Father, the redeeming work of the Son, and the power 
of the Holy Spirit to effectuate it. It's to your advantage that 
I go away, he says. That's what he emphasizes. Klink 
says that Jesus transitions here from the persecution the disciples 
will experience to the paraclete or comforter or helper who will 
empower them. That's the meaning in verse 7. 
And that reflects, again, in history, in time, in the temporal 
mission, something of what is true of God in Himself. Verse 
7, I will send Him to you. The Spirit proceeds from the 
Father and the Son in what we call the eternal processions 
of God and Himself. So that when God works in the 
world around us, it's reflected, it's revealed. The Father sends 
the Son, who takes on our humanity. The Father and the Son send the 
Spirit, who affects the application of the redemptive work of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Nicene Creed, and I believe in 
the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from 
the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together 
is worshipped and glorified. We cannot miss the significance 
of Jesus' constant refrain in this simple, small section of 
upper room discourse on how much he emphasizes the relations between 
the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Ferguson was right. When 
their world was collapsing all around them, what Jesus feeds 
their soul with is the knowledge of God. I submit, brethren, that 
is what you and I need. When we're sorrowful, when we're 
troubled, when we're scared, when there's a temptation, at 
least, hopefully not a tendency, to be scandalized or stumble, 
what gets us through? Man, I'm a great guy. Man, I 
did well this week. If you're that much like me, 
you know that's not it. You know that's not it. What 
gets us through the valley of the shadow of death? Thou art 
with me. Thy rod and thy staff comfort 
me. I reject every bit of that sentiment 
that says, oh, theology is for the seminaries. Theology is for 
the heart. Theology is for the sorrows. 
Theology is for the cesspool. Theology is for the deathbed. 
Theology is for the sickbed. Theology is for the labor and 
delivery room. Theology, theology, theology. It's not that we have too much 
of it in the church today, it's that we have stinking too little 
of it. We need to know the Father unbegotten, 
the Son is begotten by the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from 
the Father and the Son in terms of who God is in Himself. We 
see that revealed in these missions, the sending of the Son by the 
Father to take our humanity and take our place on that wretched 
cross, to rise again for our justification. and then to see 
the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the one Jesus breathes upon these 
disciples that comes in a mighty rushing wind on the day of Pentecost, 
that one that brings power to the preached word, salvation 
to the dead soul, sanctification and edification to the weary 
soul. It's the word and truth of God 
that sustains His people. That's it, brethren. I'm going 
to do something to the people that were in the confession study 
today that I apologize for. I'm going to repeat something 
I said in the confession study today. Wednesday night, those 
of you who were here, we studied Numbers 15. And Numbers 15 is 
an emphasis on the requirements for religious life in Israel. 
You get a lot of in Pentateuch, right? There's no shortage of 
chapters on law on how to relate to God in terms of cult, worship. Well, Numbers 15 is unique because 
Numbers 11 to 14 is all rebellion. It's all sin. It's all transgression. 
Numbers 16, more sin, more rebellion, more transgression. Why drop 
in the midst of a section dealing with sin and rebellion a chapter 
on the religious requirements? They already knew, with reference 
to grain and wine offering, that they already knew the law concerning 
unintentional and intentional sin. They already knew the disposition 
for vile Sabbath breakers, and they knew that these tassels 
on the cloaks were to help remind them about the law. I think the 
motif, or I think the emphasis, is that if you're serious about 
Numbers 15, you might mitigate some of the effects of Numbers 
11 to 14 and 16 and following. In other words, communion with 
God, Numbers 15, may help keep you from going a-whoring from 
God. Coming to church, reading your 
Bibles, listening to sermons, reading good theology, understanding 
more of God, it's not gonna solve all your problems. It's not gonna 
cure your polluted remaining corruption having art, but it's 
certainly not gonna hurt. Thy word I have hidden in my 
heart that I might not sin against thee, the psalmist said. In other 
words, the more we know of God, the more it gets worked out in 
our lives. Jesus is speaking to them concerning 
the ministry of the spirit, not of feelings, not of experience, 
not of emotion, but the spirit of truth. When Paul comes to 
deal with love in 1 Corinthians 13, what does he tell us? Love 
rejoices in what? Feeling, emotion, roses. Love rejoices in truth. The upper room is to prepare 
this band of soldiers to go out into the war. And Jesus does 
it. And one of the chief elements 
that he does it with is who is God? He is Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit. And this is God in Himself, and 
this is God, how He works in and amongst the sinners in this 
age. The Father is unbegotten, the 
Son begotten by the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the 
Father and the Son. It is revealed in these temporal 
missions, the Father and the Son send the Spirit. Jesus says, 
I go back, or I go to Him who sent me. This is theology. This is Trinitarian theology. This is the theology that has 
sustained the church, the theology that has defined the church, 
the theology that will ever sustain the church, and the theology 
that has fed God's people. in the midst of sorrow, in the 
midst of affliction, in the midst of a world that's going to kill 
you and think that they're doing service to God. I couldn't think 
of anything, and this reflects obviously the infinite wisdom 
of God Almighty, I couldn't have done any better. I could not 
have in a million worlds imagined how comforting verse seven could 
possibly be. It's to your advantage that I 
go away. I'd have been that guy, what do you mean? Advantage that 
you're, we don't want you to go away. We want you to stay 
with us always, especially when we go out there and the world 
hates us. We want your protection. He's saying, you've got my protection, 
you've got my presence, you've got my power, you've got everything 
necessary so that when the time comes, you can go stand in synagogues 
and preach me, Jesus, as the Messiah, so that you can stand 
before kings. and preach that Jesus is the 
Messiah. Remember that bit in Acts, I 
think it's 25, when Paul is before Festus and Festus says, Paul, 
much learning is driving you mad. What would you have said 
in that situation? Yeah, it sounds pretty mad. He 
says, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but I speak the words 
of truth and reason. Man, how does he do that? Because 
Paul is eight foot tall and bulletproof? No, because Jesus sent the helper. How does Paul stand up to the 
Epicurean and Stoic philosophers at Mars Hill in Acts chapter 
17? Because Paul's eight foot tall and bulletproof, bring on 
all your philosophers, I'll tear them up. No, because of the spirit 
promised by Jesus that is the advantage of his people. The 
Spirit, and we'll end here, we're not gonna push the conviction 
of the world in this sermon. I don't wanna tax your patience 
and my throat. But with reference to the ministry 
of the Spirit, I just wanna close with two thoughts here. The necessity 
of faithful perseverance in a hostile world. This is paramount. Verse 7 and the advantage that 
they will receive is not divorced from 1518 to 1604. That's why 
it's always good when you do your Bible study and you do your 
Bible reading to read stuff in context. What's happening? What's 
the lay of the land here? What's going on? Larger context, 
upper room, Jesus with his 12, fitting them, preparing them, 
encouraging them so they can go out and turn the world upside 
down. But immediate context, I just 
told you, you're going to suffer. You may die. You're certainly 
to be excluded from the synagogues once you start preaching Jesus 
as the Messiah, because it's a stumbling block to the unbelieving 
Jews. So that's the particular context. So I think the particular 
emphasis is the necessity of faithful perseverance in a hostile 
world. Now, just in terms of the upper 
room, the difficulties that we face, we're gonna go by extension 
from these apostles to us, the difficulties we face. He's already 
spoken to that in 14.1 and 27b. Look at 14.1. Let not your heart 
be troubled. Then notice 14.27b. Let not your heart be troubled, 
neither let it be afraid. As well, the presence of fear. So trouble and fear. Don't let 
it be afraid. See, the fear of God is a good 
thing. The fear of man is not a good 
thing. And the only thing that really dispossesses the fear 
of man from the heart is more fear of God. Because too much 
fear of man will dispossess the heart from the fear of God. So 
best to fear God and you won't fear men. As well, the potential 
for stumbling as a result to difficult things. Notice in 16.1, 
these things I have spoken to you that you should not be made 
to stumble. Again, he's able to sympathize. He knows what human nature is. He knows the propensity of the 
heart of his people. He knows the tendency. So he 
wants us to understand the troubles we face, but as well, he wants 
us to understand the promises that we need. We don't need bumper 
sticker theology. We need the truth of God's holy 
word. We need the promises of Jesus, 
all of which are yea and amen in him. And we need to walk according 
to that. Whatever our eyes may dictate 
otherwise, we need to know that he shall have dominion from sea 
to sea. We need to know what the psalmist in Psalm 46, be 
still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. 
I will be exalted in the earth. May not most likely the way things 
look be in our lifetime, but God is yea and amen, brethren. It's not contingent. He plans 
and he purposes and he accomplishes. And then he wants us to know 
the helper that we have. 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 depart, 
I will send him to you." So the ministry of the Holy Spirit is 
what I wanna end. He is the disciples power. Paul makes an interesting statement 
in 1 Corinthians 2. Yeah, we're good. 1 Corinthians 
2, you can turn there. 1 Corinthians 2, verse one. Imagine that you're in a church 
and you're on the board hiring the new pastor. And Paul stands 
up for his interview or sits there, and this is how he presents. And I, brethren, when I came 
to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring 
to you the testimony of God. Notice verse three. We'll get 
back to two, but notice verse three. I was with you in weakness 
and fear and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were 
not with persuasive words of human wisdom. Do you think he'd 
get a job in a church today? Seriously, he doesn't seem capable. He doesn't seem powerful. He 
doesn't seem to be the mover and the shaker. I mean, come 
on, could you point or paint yourself in a worst possible 
light? You know, hit the road. Hit it, hit it, Paul. We got 
another guy coming, and he presents much better. Kind of looks like 
Joel Osteen, has a nice big voice, doesn't seem to be fearful. He's 
going to be our guy. Paul in himself tells you, I'm 
nothing. I have nothing. I can do nothing, 
except. Notice in verse two, for I determined 
not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That was Paul's central focus. That was Paul's central message. 
That was everything for Paul. Again, because of the helper, 
because of the ministry of the Spirit, the Spirit shines the 
light upon the Redeemer King. And then he goes on to say after 
the section in verse four that we read, we'll just repeat it. 
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of 
human wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. Imagine being the church that 
turfed the apostle Paul because he presented so weakly. And yet 
it was the apostle Paul that when he preached, it was a demonstration 
of the spirit and power. Why? Because he determined to 
know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Why? Verse five, that your faith 
should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 
I wonder what Paul would say to the celebrity preacher culture 
that we face today in North America. This is my celebrity preacher. 
This is my hero. This is the guy I listen to all 
the time. That's exactly what he is saying 
is not what's supposed to happen. Oh, that guy's really great. 
We need guys like Spurgeon. Let the name of Charles Spurgeon 
die. Let the name of Jesus Christ be magnified. This celebrity 
preacher fad, I hope it's a fad and it vanishes with the heat 
of a thousand suns before too long. It's just not right, brethren. Your faith is in Jesus, the power 
of the Holy Spirit resulting in glory given to God, not this 
great preacher. And then the other thing is that 
the Spirit is the disciples' protection, comfort. Aid! Parakletos! He will be there with you in 
the midst of the fire, in the midst of the hardship, in the 
midst of the trail, so that you can continue to be faithful to 
the Lord Jesus Christ. In Psalm, the Spirit is the disciples' 
advantage. Praise God that when our blessed 
Savior went back into heaven, he did not leave us as orphans, 
but he comes to us in and through the power of the Holy Spirit 
so that Christ is said to be in the midst of the lampstands. 
That's what we have in our blessed God. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the truth 
of our triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we thank 
you for the ongoing ministry of the Spirit in the Church. 
Truly, this is an advantage for your people. Help us to see it 
this way, help us to appreciate the resources that you have given 
to us, and help us not to stumble, and help us not to be troubled 
or fearful as we see the various ways that the world reacts or 
responds to the Christian faith. Give us that boldness, give us 
that courage, give us that attitude of a Caleb. Let us go up at once 
and take the land for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we ask this 
in his most blessed name. Amen. Well, you can stand with 
me and we'll close our service by singing 572. 572. This hour and ever it shall be. Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Well, please be seated for a 
brief time of meditation.