I Will Send the Comforter Unto You - John 16:5-15
5] But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?
[6] But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
[7] Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
[8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
[9] Of sin, because they believe not on me;
[10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
[11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
[12] I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
[14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
[15] All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
What seems like the worst thing may actually be the best thing. That is how it was with the disciples. When Jesus had told them just before our text, “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service,” John 16:2, they were discouraged. The picture Jesus had painted of the future, namely, that they would be thrown out of churches and might even be killed, made them cling to Jesus even more. In the course of three years, they had grown to love Him and to depend on Him. They would never forget how He had fed thousands and had healed many others. They saw how He had vigorously defended them against the spiteful charges of the church leaders. Now when they heard Jesus say, “But now I go my way to him that sent me,” they were worried. No wonder they didn’t ask Jesus where He was going. They had enough trouble to cope with the thought of Him leaving.
When Jesus told them, where He was going and why, the disciples didn’t want to hear. All this talk about the Holy Spirit, about an invisible Comforter who would come, seemed so unreal, so far away. For Jesus to leave them was the worst thing they could possibly imagine. In an effort to open their minds, Jesus plainly said, “Listen to me, ‘I tell you the truth;’ it is for your benefit that I go to the Father. Nothing better could happen to you.” That is exactly how it took place. When Jesus sent a special measure of the Spirit 50 days later, it was something so great that it exceeded their imagination. The Spirit removed the cloud of confusion and doubt about the cross and the Easter tomb. The Spirit changed these whimpering and helpless disciples into men of conviction who fearlessly risked their lives to spread the message of repentance and remission of sins. Most of all, the Spirit caused the apostles to remember everything that our Lord had spoken, and to write it down in the sacred book. ” But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26.
Pentecost was only a beginning. Through the precious word of the prophets and the apostles, our heavenly Father continues to send His Spirit into the hearts of men everywhere, not only to comfort and strengthen the faith of His children, but also to call the whole world to repentance. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. “ 2 Peter 3:9. When you look at the world, you will notice if you haven’t noticed already, how angry people are. They are angry with the government, they are angry with each, and some are even angry with God. People are angry because they do not know how to cope with their problems. In view of an impending recession, one radio psychologist tells people to imagine the worst possible scenario and then to be prepared to meet it when it happens. What comfort is that? What comfort is there in even thinking about meeting the future without faith in the Good Shepherd who promises to care for His children?
The basic cause for the anger of our world is the problem of sin, a problem for which it has no answer. Their best advice is, “forget sin; thinking about it will only make you unhappy and destroy your self-image.” They say, “Don’t feel guilty if you can’t keep the commandments; no one can.” Despite all this brave talk, the world can never relieve a guilty conscience. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. Jesus says in our text that the Spirit “will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He will reprove the world of sin because they believe not on me.” He promised to send His Spirit into the world to rescue men and women from their sins. “Confess your sins; don’t cover them up!” He says. “Look to Jesus Christ who gave His life for you.” “Only in Him can you find peace of heart and the hope of heaven.” This precious invitation of the Holy Spirit is, at the same time, a solemn warning to the world against unbelief, against despising the mercy of God in favor of their own righteousness.
This is the righteousness Jesus was talking about when He went on to say, he “will reprove the world of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more,” There is only one righteousness that counts, and that is the wonderful righteousness that Jesus won for us by His resurrection and return to the Father. It is nothing that we earn, nothing we deserve, nothing we possess by ourselves. It is the gift of God through the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul declares, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:5. St. Paul sized up the unbelief of his world when he wrote: “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:3. They have their own idea of righteousness, a righteousness that is based not on what God does for man through Jesus Christ, but on what man does for God. The world expects God to reward them for trying to keep His laws much like the church leaders at the time of Christ. This is not righteousness. This is self-righteousness, which Jesus roundly condemned when He said to His disciples, “except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20.
Think of the judgment that Jesus pronounces on the world when He says, “He will reprove the world of judgment because the prince of this world is judged.” The prince of this world is not God, contrary to popular opinion. The prince of this world is the devil, whose power has been broken. Judgment day will be a fierce thing for the devil. He, who rules men’s hearts like a tyrant with every device and illusion of sin, will be cast into eternal fire, and his empire along with Him. What a powerful warning to a world that doesn’t listen, but prefers to follow the lies and leadership of the devil to their own destruction.
The same word of God that reproves the world for its unbelief is the very word that blesses our lives with every gift of the Spirit. What seems like the worst thing may actually be the very best thing. The worst thing for our flesh is to give up the sinful lusts and pleasures of this world, to turn away from the materialistic thinking of our age. Yet nothing better could happen to us. Through the precious word of God, the Holy Spirit lead us to repentance and dwells in us and we in Him. These are our best days. While the world trembles in fear over financial ruin or the devastation of war, you and I have the assurance that God makes all things work out to good for His children. He comforts our trembling hearts with the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. He calms our fearful spirits with the assurance of His abiding presence. What a difference the Holy Spirit makes in our lives. Where before we doubted, now we trust. Where before we hated, now we love. Think of just some of the things the Spirit works in your heart, things like love, and patience, and self-control.
Should we still find hatred and envy a problem in our lives, it is because we have a sinful inner nature that wants to destroy everything God’s spirit does for and in us. “The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that you would,” Galatians 5:17, writes the Apostle. If these days are to be the best days of our lives, then we dare never give up our dedication to the Word of our God. We need church; we need each other, we need the Word of God and we need it every day, for each time we meditate on God’s word, the Holy Spirit is there. He is there to strengthen our faith, to make us more spiritual in the way we think and live, and to lead us unto everlasting life. Thank God for the precious gift of His Holy Spirit.
Preached by Pastor Robert Dommer on 4-20-08