The Work Of The Spirit

John chapter 16. We press on slowly but surely next week I will be in. I will be much colder than you. Next week I will be in st. Charles again. It will be year number 14 that I have been there the first full.

I guess this first full weekend I guess that's why it sort of feels like a week later this year first full weekend and in December Covenant of Grace Church they just keep having me back. I guess it's just become a tradition.

I'm not I guess there I mean think about it there are kids in that congregation that don't know what they would do the first weekend December if that strange guy from Phoenix wasn't here so I mean wow that's that's pretty amazing.

But anyways they're predicting some nice cool weather coming in this week and it's going to get there right about the same time I do and I get see some snow and highs of 25 degrees and low 14 and well I I don't I don't take my bike on on trips so I'm not not too worried about that.

But anyway it's just outside St. Louis St. Charles, Missouri but good folks there and gotten to know know people and watch that church change and seeing people die and see people born. It's I'm sort of an honorary elder there so it's it's sort of fun anyhow so I'll get my my holiday spirit going by freezing to death going to and from the church but that's how it's happened in the past and that's very enjoyable.

So then though I think for a while I'm going to be around there's the possibility of something coming up in January. It hasn't come to fruition yet. I may have a quick trip to Spain in in January. I don't know about that it's it doesn't get scheduled this week it's not going to happen but then in February we're looking forward teaching church history in Kiev.

That's going to be interesting. Kiev Ukraine that's going to be church history and a seminar on grieving. That was their request. I'm just sort of like it was. I'm I am a I'm a multitasker evidently but I guess somebody had read my book on grieving and I haven't spoken on that particular subject for about oh I don't know 20 years maybe 15 years so that's going to be a bit of a bit of a challenge but anyhow it's going to be interesting to visit the Ukraine and the brethren there.

I know them because the whole group of them came and took my sexual criticism class in Berlin back in June. So that's how the connection got made and and great guys and looking forward to that. So anyways what that means is we'll probably still be finishing up the synoptics toward the end of this decade.

Who knows. Well we'll see we'll see. But we are trying to work through the material that is found in the Gospel of John that is not directly parallel to these synoptics. So I guess you could say when we finish this we'll have done pretty much the entire gospel arc of covered Matthew Mark Luke and John.

So we will we will see how all that works out. We have been looking at the ministry of the Holy Spirit and I feel the heat coming on. Is that definitely do not need that going stop cease-desist just just let the fan run.

It's it's set at 70 and it's already up to 75. It's like hello. Of course those particular thermostats were made right around the same time the building was they're getting to be about 65 or so they're ready for retirement.

I think anyhow we're looking at the ministry of the Holy Spirit which is interesting because if this Spain trip thing comes off one of the things it's a it's a British television network that wants to do this and bring myself and Michael Brown over and one of the things would be doing would be debating the issue of healing.

Are there divine healers who have a specific apostolic gift of healing. And it's all related to the big debate going on right now in regards to cessation ism continuation ism all the various areas of spectrum within that particular realm and I just thought there were two sides but actually there is a spectrum when you start asking very specific questions anyhow.

The Spirit of Truth and the Day of Pentecost

So it's relevant to what we've been looking at in John 14 to 16 and so we had already looked at the description of the spirit is the spirit of truth. In verse 13 we had mentioned that the spirit has been in the world that there is clear biblical teaching of the spirits role for example in the building of the tabernacle remember how the spirit would come on a particular person gift them to have certain abilities to do certain things etc etc.

So it's not like the spirit of I didn't exist. There is a specific function spirit of God is going to adopt however as the one who is sent forth from the father and the son to take up residence in the church of Jesus Christ and each individual believer in the church the whole of the whole regenerate body.

And so when he comes he comes in a particular fashion in regards to the day of Pentecost there is a there is clear manifestation of his presence. This is very important in light of the distinction that has to be drawn between and I know there are people who deny this distinction but I think it's very clear the distinction between the true people of God and the ethnic people of God the people of Israel those who are of faith you know Paul's statement in Philippians we are the true circumcision who worship Christ Jesus and spirit and truth.

This is necessary for the break to be made not the break between Israel and the church quote-unquote. But between the idea that even many apostles had that there was a ethnic element that defined the covenant people to a recognition that the new covenant is made up solely of those who by God's grace have been made heirs according to promise and hence the promises that have been made are given to the people of Israel etc given to the church etc etc.

So it was important to the spirit come in such a way that you could see the manifestation and you could see that in his coming the vision was the gospel to go the whole world because what what takes place at the day of Pentecost is unfortunately people focus in our day especially since 1903 or whenever that particular event was they focus upon tongues and what that meant and it's all about manifestation of power.

So like that when really you step back the real message of Pentecost was that this this gospel is going out into all the world. There were there were men and women in that gathering that day from nations all over outside of Israel and they heard the gospel message in their own language.

And it's a shame that we miss the emphasis is on the universality of the call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In fact the gospel is going out to everybody and that the the people of God cannot be defined as an ethnic group.

They never really could be in reality. Because when you think about the nature of the old covenant while there were people in the old covenant who bore the covenant signs there were many people who did not have a heart of flesh.

And one of the great superiorities of the new covenant over the old covenant is that all who are in the new covenant know the Lord from the least the greatest of them. That is that is one of the differences.

So the spirit of truth he comes he comes in a special way so he can be seen. He will guide you into all the truth specifically first and foremost that's fulfilled with the Apostles. We always have to be very careful in our hermeneutics to see what is transferable from the original Apostles to ourselves.

The reason he will guide in all truth. He will not speak on some initiative or whatever he hears. He will speak very similar to Jesus's words concerning his message again this is not it is not a presentation of the inferiority of the spirit.

There are a lot of people who look at this thing that's how can the spirit be divine because he does not speak as an initiative. God always speaks on his own initiative not somebody else's initiative.

Blah blah blah. But once again just as in John chapter 5 you have the same concern on the part of John here that you had in John chapter 5. And that is Jesus is not some separate deity out there doing his own thing in competition with the father.

So our worship is divided and all the rest of stuff. No there is perfect unity. This unity goes back to eternity itself. And so the same thing here with the Spirit his role which he has taken sovereignly is one where he does not speak on his own initiative but whatever he hears he will speak just as whatever Jesus heard he spoke.

So there's one source of divine truth. There is no division there is no dissension there is no dividing our worship up so that we're confused as to what we're supposed to be doing so on so forth and he will disclose to you what is to come now again.

Some people take that as just some general prophetic idea. But I think there's probably more of a body of truth involved there in the sense of he will be the one through whom what God is doing this world would be explicated much further.

And it is in the Gospels you know hyper red letterists always end up in balance and and off beam because it was not God's purpose to reveal everything that he was to reveal for the health of the church in the ministry of Jesus specifically Jesus never claimed other than that.

And those who say well if it's in red letters that's what's really important the black letters and you know take it leave it do not do not seem to understand the the full impact of their of their particular claims.

He will glorify me for he will take of mine will disclose it to you. Now we we enter well we have been entering into but texts like this are very challenging to us. Sometime this week I forget when it was I was it was Wednesday.

Okay Wednesday this week I was listening to a series of lectures by dr. Karl Truman Westminster Seminary on Luther's I guess Luther's theology of preaching I guess would be the terminology. And Luther basically said that when you preach you should keep things very very simple that you should really always be sort of going for the lowest level of things.

And I certainly understand what he was saying especially in light of the scholastics of his day. You know I understand what what he was saying but I don't know how you preach or teach a verse like this without having to seriously try to enter in to what it's saying.

And what it's saying is not simple we are we are called I think to to really utilize the the entirety of the gifts that God has given to us. And sometimes that means we have to really concentrate. I mean you can think of certain topics in your education that we're just difficult for you.

It's different for each one of us. I mean we're just made differently from one another. I never got to be in during higher high school and but that still didn't mean that all all things were easy to me.

Math was my toughest thing. And if I got a hundred and seven percent in English I got an 89 .6 rounded up to a 90 in in in math. Well except for except for one it's funny I was listening to Michael Medved and he was saying this was his downfall I've done and I just sort of chuckled.

Trigonometry. I loved the proofs remember trig you know I loved I loved those proofs those that was that that I did. Well I was that was fun trying to figure out how to you know construct these proofs.

So I got that that I actually enjoyed but other stuff not so much. But think of whatever your difficult area was and some of you're going. Well it's easier for me to think of the ones that weren't all that difficult actually.

But it all depends on on your educational I mean I I happen to be very thankful I went to school back east and I saw a huge difference between between my schooling back in Pennsylvania when I came out here it was very very different.

At least back in the olden days back in the back in the days when 43rd Avenue ended at Greenway Road. Let's put that way that'll give you an idea of how long ago that was. I was just thinking about that because the Kmart up there at 35th and Greenway just closed and I felt really sad because that was the first place we shopped when we moved here.

I mean that was the only place it was within driving distance. So really on this back then we were so far out in the boonies and now my how things change. Anyways I have wandered away from this point the point being that this is this is a tough text and and just as you had to you know maybe reread some paragraphs and spend some time going over things and ask questions.

It's tough text. Why. Well because he will glorify me. For you'll take of mine and disclose it to you. It sounds fairly simple. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is focused upon glorifying Christ applying the ministry words teachings of Christ and disclosing these things to us.

But if we just if we just took it at that level I I think we would be greatly cheated in thinking through what is there. Because I mean the very next verse all things the Father has our mind. Therefore I said he takes of mine.

It will disclose it to you you the really the only way to see what is being communicated in these chapters and I've argued this many times in in debate context the only way to make sense of the Gospel of John is to understand it within the Trinitarian context.

It just makes no sense whatsoever. I mean if you deny the doctrines of Trinity turn the Sun into a creature turn the spirit into an impersonal active force. This whole section becomes a mishmash of incomprehensible poetry that that really I can't see what possible use it can have almost anybody he will glorify me.

So the Spirit of God will glorify me. I thought was the Spirit of God that glorified God. Well yes we can read this. And because we know who Jesus is this doesn't throw a curve at us. We're not left going.

This is impossible. But in some fashion in the work of the outworking of the Covenant of Redemption eternity past the Father Son the Spirit covenant together to bring about creation and the redemption of particular people in Christ Jesus all the glory of the Father Son Holy Spirit.

In the working of that out each of the divine persons takes a different role and as such bears a unique relationship to believers. If there was no unique relationship to believers we couldn't tell who was who.

I mean someone might have the name father so my name son so my name spirit. But we wouldn't be able to tell apart. Remember I mentioned to you and again I think Luther would disagree with my discussing this.

Maybe he wouldn't in a class situation but he might in a sermon I'm not really sure. But anyways what we're talking about here while we need to clean this board or I never I never really turn around to look at it very much.

So what we're talking about are the opera ad intra and the opera. What was it. Is it X my Latin is rusty. Yeah. X external would be the opera. I'm opera added to the the internal operations and external operations of the Trinity.

So internally how do we differentiate between the Father Son Holy Spirit. Well the father begets the son the son is begotten. It's a relationship term not an origin term. The father's the spirit proceeds from the father and the son.

Remember these four thoughts go no only from the father but that's that. That's the whole filial claim clause controversy we talked about before. But these are relationship differentiations. Now when we talk about what's going on in redemption we're talking about the the economic Trinity that is the Trinity as we see the different roles each of the divine persons has taken and so we see they've taken different roles.

It's not the son who is incarnate it's not the spirit who is incarnate. I'm just not the father who is a car. That's very described as a son who was a car. The father is not sent by the son the spirit etc etc they take different roles and so we can differentiate between them.

Well since they take different roles clearly the role of the son as the incarnate one and as the one who gives his life and whose name we are baptized into and whose name we bear in a particular fashion is in some ways emphasized and I think we can fairly say as we look at the New Testament we have a tremendous emphasis upon the father as the fount and source of all things.

We must emphasize the father is the fount and source of salvation itself. It you know look at Ephesians 1 look at Romans 8. It all begins with the father flows from. It's very very important because there is the tendency on the part of some Christians to sort of put the father so remotely and so much in the role of judge that there is a a non New Testament imbalance in our thinking.

Certainly the biggest example of this is when people think that the father is this big mean nasty guy out there and comes along and makes him nice to us. No that is a horrific misunderstanding. That is that is not what reconciliation means or anything else.

And that's certainly not a New Testament perspective. But they take different roles and we relate to them in different ways. And what has been obvious to generations of Christians is that the spirits role is not nearly as prominent as that of the Sun for example.

And here you he will glorify me. Well who will glorify him. You know you ask that question. I think it's an appropriate question. He will glorify me. For he will take of mine. And we'll just close it to you.

All things the father has our mind. So it's not like I have my stuff and then the father has his stuff. It's mine. No don't take it for me. And no all things the father has our mind. Again words utterly impossible for some even highly exalted creature.

But any creature to say therefore I said he takes a mile will suppose it to you. We know that for example when Paul speaks the spirit speaks the spirit searching the deep things of God etc etc. I think you have the same themes being struck here.

But the point is the spirit glorifies the Sun. It doesn't glorify himself. He doesn't call attention to himself. That's one of the problems with the charismatic movement as a whole is that's where part of the imbalance is found is biblically the spirit glorifies the Sun.

And so especially when it comes to the work of the Sun. If you want to see a a deeply spiritual ministry of the Holy Spirit it is disclosing to someone the work of Jesus Christ. So it strikes me that in so many places where a legend the spirit is just causing people to bounce off the walls.

You ask them almost the most basic simplistic questions about the work of Christ. And they're clueless. I've never even been thought to think about. Well what do you think about the role of Jesus as the high priest.

That's biblical stuff. And they're like huh. What are you talking about. I'm um don't don't drop me. I'm praying for my new house. What are you talking about. You know. And this thing you just use. No the role the spirit is to glorify Christ.

He will take a mind disclosed to you. The this disclosure of the very work of Christ is part and parcel of what you should see when the Spirit of God is active amongst people. Now why do I mention all this.

Well again we want to say we've honestly dealt with the text and struggle with some of the difficult questions. And Trinitarian questions are challenging. But they're there. They're right there in the text.

I'm not making this stuff up. I didn't you know stick this in here this morning. It's in all of your Bibles that would have been a pretty neat trick. On my part the text itself invites us to ponder the relationship of Father Son and Spirit and to rejoice in the revelation has been given to us.

I have said many many times we need to allow the scriptures themselves to mark the boundaries of our speculations. Remember I've told you that I think in history we have an excellent example of two men one of whom he did this and one of whom he did not Calvin.

Frequently they he used the phraseology. We need to make an end of speaking where God has made an end of speaking. So if God says I reveal to this point and no farther there is something reverent and maybe immature about a person who walks up that line and they spend their life staying at their line.

Just wonder what else is out there. I wonder wonder what God's not showing us. You know that this type of thing I mean behind them there is an entire vista of revelation but they stand there right at the edge you know I wonder.

And then we have Jonathan Edwards a tremendous Christian man a tremendous mind. But I think especially when it comes trying to figure out the relationship of Adam and Adams will to God's decree. He decided to jump on over that line and even his most ardent admirers and fans have admitted in the process he ended up in an inextricable mess of self-contradiction.

It just it can't be done. Part of the reason it can't be done I think is because we're dealing about we as temporal creatures are trying to delve into eternal matters and we just can't do that. And secondly we just aren't given enough biblical data.

There's there's only a matter of verses about Adam before the fall and everything else after that takes as a given Adams fall and fall in nature and that's a different world that we're dealing with at that point.

So anyways we need to keep that in mind that God has given us he's let us enter into some tremendously deep material. But he has also made a limit this far and no farther. One of the reasons I mentioned this is I think and I'm just going to point it out to you and see if you can see where the where the connection is.

I think that what we have here is is relevant to what we have in 1st Corinthians chapter 15. I think it's one of the most challenging texts out there. Just take a look at quickly 1st Corinthians 15 25.

It's talking about Jesus. Let's go back 22 fries and Adam all died. So also in Christ all made alive. If you can't see that all there does not mean everyone. You're going to be really confused and become a universalist.

But I won't expand upon that moment. But each in his own order Christ the first truth after those that those who are Christ that is coming. Then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to the God and father when he has abolished all rule and all authority and all power.

So what are we talking about here. We're talking about redemption itself. We're talking about the grand scheme of redemption. We're seeing it sort of in an overview and we have the emphasis upon the key player.

And that's Christ. And he has abolished all rule and authority and power for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Last enemy that will be abolished is death. For he has put all things in subjection under his feet.

But when he says all things are put in subjection is evident that he is accepted. Who put all things in subjection to him. So everything becomes subject to Christ in his kingly role. Now what does that mean.

Well universalist say that means everyone's gonna save. We could we could expand upon what's being said here but try to at least some of that speculation off the side for a moment. What he's saying is there's there's one who is not subjected to the Sun and that's the father.

And then we have verse 28 when all things are subjected to him then the Sun himself also be subjected the one who subjected all things to him so that God may be all in all now. Favorite text of Unitarians favorite text of those who wish to deny the deity of Christ or at least present a view of the deity of Christ that is an orthodox the the big the common argument today is the the the the Sheliak argument.

The Jesus is a representative that's where he he bore the powers and names of God but really wasn't God himself. He was still just a mere creature. That's the big popular Unitarian arguments today. The point is when all things are subjected to him then the Sun himself also be subjected the one who subjected all things to him so that God may be all in all.

Now the Unitarian goes see God is God the father there and Unitarian and so Jesus isn't God. And so Jesus role will eventually be subjected and sort of disappear. Now from an orthodox perspective I think what we have here in Paul is in is enlightened by what we just saw in John chapter 16.

In the work of redemption there is a differentiation of the persons as to what they do and hence from our perspective and emphasis upon one over another we see more about Jesus in the Christian experience of the Christian message that we do about the Holy Spirit.

And there is that fact that Jesus is the is our all-in-all and our approach the father is through him and so there's that immediacy regarding the son. I think what Paul is saying is someday the work of redemption will be completed all things will be subjected to Christ.

In other words not universalism. Not everyone's been saved but the order that is the intention of the triune God to establish through Jesus Christ who subjected all things to Christ father strike all things him.

That order will be established that includes justice. Justice will have been done holiness will be satisfied everything the final judgment has taken place and everyone is where they should be for God's justice holiness love mercy grace all of his attributes to be fully seen.

And so the peculiar and particular roles not does not Jesus not cease to be the God-man. We're eternally united with him. He eternally has that physical nature all that stays the same. But the work is completed.

And in the completion of that work you then have a changed state so that it says the son himself also will be subjected. He's been getting all the attention but now he himself is subjected the one who subject all things to him just as the son was obedient to the father in his human life.

So that now isn't it interesting God may be all in all. Now it's easy enough to assume that means God the father. But up above when it referred to God in that way what it say in verse 24 the kingdom to God the father the very term is found in it literally to be God and father.

Father's not repeated here. It's just simply so that God may be all in all. So in other words I think what we see here in Paul is enlightened by what John tells us in regards to the Holy Spirit glorifying me.

There will be a time when the entire work of the triune God is completed and our worship will be of the triune God in fullness because the work has all been done and we will see him as he is. And that that unevenness of exposure shall we say due to the roles that each the divine persons take in redemption will be resolved in the perfect perfection of worship in eternity to come.

And unfortunately we have run out of time. But that's why I said Luther may have said never talk about that kind of stuff in church. But I think there's a place for it. Because I see again the scriptures are a whole there are threads that are that are woven to the tapestry of scripture.

And if we do not see how they relate to one of them were in danger of tearing the cloth apart digging for something and we end up missing the true beauty that it really has. And I think this is one of those places that's case.

Ok let's close the word of prayer. Indeed father we thank you for your word. We thank you that you call us to ponder all that it would lead us to understand that you have blessed us with such a great revelation of your purposes.

We would ask that we would revere you revere the limits to place upon how far we go. But also we revere you in listening to all that your word says. Maybe not be apathetic. May we be good students of your word.

We ask to be with us now as we go into worship we sing to your praise. Pray to your praise. Hear your word all to your honor and glory. Pray in Christ's name.