The Spirit has Much to Say

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16: 12-15).

Our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, inspired the apostle John to record some encouraging truth here for disciples who long to hear from Jesus. In the midst of His journey to the cross, as the hour of His departure drew nearer, Jesus still had much to tell His disciples. Those who remained by His side through the difficult times were blessed to hear and see truth that escaped the crowds of fickle followers. They could not handle the entire weight of the truth He wanted to share with them now so Jesus promised a Spokesman that would remain with them after His departure. “The Spirit of truth” would tell them everything the Father wanted them to know in the days ahead. Today, we learn that when it comes to speaking Christ’s truth to faithful disciples, the Spirit has much to say.

What an incredible truth! Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Creator of the universe… “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). He is the One who holds everything together… “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). He is sovereign over all things beginning with His Church… “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18). The plain truth is Jesus Christ is very powerful and busy, yet He has “many things to say to you”. Above all the great and mighty things He is doing, Jesus wants to talk to you and me! He has much to tell us. Jesus wants so much to share His truth with us that He provided a personal Spokesperson, the Holy Spirit to speak to us whenever we want or need to hear from our Savior, 24/7. In light of whom He is and what He has to say, I do not want to miss one single word! But if we are going to hear all that Jesus wants to tell us, we must embrace some truth about His truth.

First, God’s truth is revealed by the Holy Spirit… “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth”. And God’s truth is revealed through His word… “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).  While these seem to be rather elementary truths, they prompt a reflective question. How much time do we spend immersed in the word of God and seeking and embracing the Holy Spirit’s revelation of truth? Here in the West our worldview is shaped by government run schools that do not touch God’s truth as they lead us in the study of God’s creation. How much time do we spend listening to all Jesus wants to tell us through the Spirit and the word versus what the world shouts at us via television, internet, and other culture-shaping media? What priority do we give to the truth we hear from God and the foolishness we hear from the world?... “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). The great truth that Jesus has much to say to us should prompt us to make sure we do not love anything in the world more than the great truth He longs to share with us… “Do not love the world or the things in the world… For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). While all the world has to say is about the world that is passing away, Jesus taught that what the Spirit has to say “will glorify me”. And glorifying Jesus Christ is the primary goal of every true disciple… “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

As we grow up into Christ we spend increasing time with the Spirit in God’s word because we know…

The Spirit has Much to Say.