Sermon Notes - John 16:5-15 - Littleby Baptist Church - October 22, 2023

 1.     Remain in Jesus.

a.      Choose to spend time with Jesus every day.

2.     Remain in His Love.

a.      Follow God’s commands.

b.     Learn to trust in His love for you.

3.     These were words Jesus used to remind the guys that they were not alone.

4.     Persecution was coming.

a.      Today we see a strong reminder of persecution in Israel.

b.     Following Jesus will not guarantee us a perfect life.

c.      But we do not have to endure it on our own.

d.     Jesus taught about how the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will come and help us understand the truth.

e.      He will help us when things get rough.

f.      He will guide us as we spread the Truth of Jesus to the world.

5.     The Holy Spirit will help us to stand strong as we follow our Jesus.

6.     John 16:5-6

a.      Jesus is referencing a conversation from the Upper Room.

b.     Thomas was wondering where Jesus was going.

c.      The group was concerned because they did not understand.

d.     They could not grasp that Jesus was going to the Father.

e.      They were filled with sorrow because Jesus would be leaving them.

f.      John 14:28

g.     They should be filled with joy for Jesus returning to His rightful place.

h.     They should be happy about what the coming sacrifice meant.

i.       As the topic is reintroduced, the guys know what Jesus is talking about.

j.       Yet, they don’t understand so they are not happy about it.

7.     John 16:7

a.      Jesus leaving was going to be hard, difficult, and even painful for the disciples.

b.     But it was necessary.

c.      It was necessary for the sacrifice that is needed to wipe away our sins.

d.     Without Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension… there is no Gospel message to be shared.

e.      Our faith would be worthless.

f.      Jesus leaving was necessary so that the next part of the plan could be fulfilled.

g.     The wiping away of sin, the new life that is given, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

8.     In some of the verses last week we saw part of what that means.

9.     John 15:26

a.      The Holy Spirit will testify about Jesus.

b.     Help us to see the truth found in the Word of God that points to Jesus.

c.      Help us to see that He is the Son of God.

d.     That He is the perfect sacrifice for us.

10.  Beyond that we find throughout the NT that the Holy Spirit works in us.

a.      John 14:26 – teaches us.

b.     Jude 1:20 – helps us prayer.

c.      Romans 8:26-27 – intercedes for us before our God.

d.     Titus 3:5 – regenerates and renews followers of Jesus.

e.      1 Thessalonians 1:6 – fills us with His joy.

f.      Galatians 5:15-18 – Sanctifies us, leads us down the path to righteousness.

g.     The list goes on.

h.     Without Jesus departing, we would not receive salvation or any of what the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

i.       It may have been hard to witness and understand, but Jesus’ leaving was the next critical step.

11.  John 16:8

a.      We already touched on a lot of things we like that the Holy Spirit does.

b.     Jesus says it is not all wonderful.

c.      Needed, absolutely!

d.     The next couple of verses expand on this for us.

12.  John 16:9

a.      The Holy Spirit will convict the lost of their sin.

b.     When we think of sin, we think of the actions we commit that are not in alignment with God’s Word.

c.      We may think of the thoughts we have that are not the best.

d.     But, if we look at the core of it.

e.      The Holy Spirit convicts the lost for not believing in Jesus.

f.      The other stuff are symptoms or the results of if someone is a follower of Jesus or not.

g.     Before we knew Jesus we lived our lives however we wanted, but our true sin was not trusting in Him and His amazing gift.

h.     As followers, the Holy Spirit works in us, shapes us, convicts us, so that we can live our lives and honor our God.

                                                    i.     The difference being that our sin has been wiped away.

                                                  ii.     We are not perfect by any means, but we have been wiped clean.

i.       The work of the Holy Spirit in convicting about sin, is how people see that they need a Savior.

j.       The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our greatest need, which is Jesus.

13.  John 16:10

a.      The Holy Spirit convicts us of Righteousness.

b.     Part of this is seen in Him teaching us who Jesus really is.

c.      Correcting our flawed views on Jesus.

d.     Helping us to see that He completely wiped away our sins and we don’t need to hold on to them any longer.

e.      Jesus has ascended, so we do not see Him.

f.      Yet the Holy Spirit helps us to know the truth about what Jesus did for us and guide us in how we are to live our faith.

14.  John 16:11

a.      Satan’s defeat is already a done deal.

b.     Colossians 2:15

c.      Jesus is Triumphant.

d.     Not will be triumphant, He is Triumphant.

e.      The events have not played out, but the end of the story is already decided.

f.      The Holy Spirit is here to testify about the judgement against Satan.

g.     The judgement that will also apply to those who choose Satan over Jesus.

h.     The conviction about judgement is one more way that the Spirit helps people see that they need Jesus.

15.  John 16:12-13

a.      Jesus has been pouring into the disciples.

b.     To the point that Jesus knew enough was enough.

c.      One can only absorb and understand so much.

d.     Especially when faced with the loss of the Messiah.

e.      They did not understand why.

f.      They could not grasp how it could happen.

g.     They could not absorb anymore at this time.

16.  Thankfully God meets us where we are at.

a.      In this case, the Holy Spirit was coming to teach them.

b.     To help them understand what Jesus meant when He taught them.

c.      Help them recall what Jesus had taught them to strengthen their faith.

d.     Help them to see how the pieces all fit together as they unfold.

17.  “He will guide you into all the truth.”

a.      To the disciples this meant that the Holy Spirit would help them understand who Jesus is and what it is He did.

b.     Would help them see that Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary for us to be saved.

c.      But there is more to it.

d.     Jesus was talking about future revelation that would come through the Holy Spirit.

e.      1 Corinthians 2:10

f.      Part of the work of the Holy Spirit is the New Testament that we are reading.

g.     The Holy Spirit used men to write the Word of God that helps us to understand our Jesus and His mission.

h.     The Words we read that fill us with Hope, Peace, Joy… all were revealed by the Father for the Holy Spirit to share with a man hundreds of years ago to speak to us today.

i.       The coming of the Holy Spirit was critical for each of us today.

18.  John 16:14-15

a.      The Gospel of John has stated several times that Jesus is the revelation of the Father.

b.     Paul stated that Jesus was the ‘image’ of God in Colossians 1:15.

c.      Since the Father and the Son are connected, everything shared by the Holy Spirit comes from Jesus.

d.     The Holy Spirit worked in the Disciples so that they could grasp, understand, and teach about Jesus.

e.      He does the same to each one of us.

f.      It is the Holy Spirit that helps us to understand the Word of God and changes our lives with it.

g.     It is the Holy Spirit that helps us to recall these words and truths when we are talking to others.

h.     It is His work that helps us share the Good News of Jesus with others.

19.  Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would come to this world, and He did.

20.  It is the Holy Spirit that opened our eyes to the fact that we are sinners.

a.      That we needed to understand who Jesus really is.

b.     That we want no part of the future that is in store for Satan.

21.  The Holy Spirit may have used someone to share with us, but He is the one who drew us to Jesus.

a.      He is the one who convicted us of our sin.

b.     He is the one who will do the same for those we are praying for.

22.  Continue to pray that God will open their eyes before it is to late.

a.      Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and to give you the words to share.

23.  Thankfully the Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting.

24.  Two things I want to encourage you to pray for.

a.      One that the Holy Spirit does open the eyes of the lost person or people you are praying for.

b.     Second that the Holy Spirit work in you to pursue righteousness in that you are living your life for Him more and more each day.