Sermon Tone Analysis

That you may Believe and Have Life #42

John 15:26-16:15

 

The Trinity – it is an important and foundational doctrine in Christianity.

But it is a word that you do not find in scripture.

But it is a principle and doctrine that is seen clearly throughout scripture from the very beginning to the end.

We see it in the first chapter and in the last.

We do not have time to teach it all today but as we are going to read from the gospel of John, we will see it again today.

We know that at Jesus’ baptism, Jesus, the Son of God, in his divinity and humanity is there in the Jordan river.

The Father is heard calling out from Heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

And then we see the Spirit descending to rest on Christ in the form of a dove.

So there we see Father, Son, and Spirit.

But we also see the Trinity in Genesis Chapter 1.

We know that John 1 says that all things were made by the Word, Jesus and without him nothing was made.

So, with that understanding, we see the Son as Creation’s participatory agent.

We see the Spirit of God hovering over the formless emptiness of creation.

We see God creating through the Son and we know that the Son only does what the Father instructs.

If you will, we see the Purpose of the Father, the Participation of the Son, and the Power of the Spirit.

Notice something significant about the creation in Genesis 1.

God says

/“Let there be light”/

/“Let water separate to create sky and land/

/“Let the Land produce plants and trees”/

/“Let there be sun and moon to produce days and seasons/

/“Let the water team with creatures and the sky with birds”/

/“Let the land produce animals”/

/And in the middle of the 6th day, he didn’t say “let there be” … /

/no he said “let us make” … “let us make …”/

God changes the pattern when it comes to man.

Father, Son, and Spirit say /“let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let him rule”/

 

There are two distinctive words given for what God did when he made man.

àWe are NOT animals

àWe do NOT descend from Animals

àMan, male and female are distinctive creations of God

And we were created for a purpose that was very important

We were created to Show God off

We were created as his image and his likeness

Ø      His IMAGE – the word comes from a root word meaning “shade” – it means /an image, that which is a pattern, model, or example of something/

God created a beautiful world reflecting his artisanship, with sun, moon, stars, oceans, trees, flowers, butterflies, blue whales, birds, bison, then he created man that would be an example of himself

 

And we were created also in his

Ø      LIKENESS – the word means /a likeness, similitude,/

Now I don’t use that word every day, but it means a /visible likeness, an imaginative comparison, a correspondence in kind or quality; a builders draft, a figurine; a simile/

 

We were created to reflect God in this world

We were created to glorify him in his world

 

But there is a problem.

When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, we lost something

 

We lost our ability to be a simile of God in the world

Our sin caused us to no longer accurately reflect who God is.

We are no longer able to be an /imaginative comparison/ of his kind and quality.

Sin marred his likeness in us.

But God’s plan has always been for us to be Happy his likeness so, in the Father’s plan he is drawing us.

The Son came to this earth and in his participation he took the nature of a servant and died for us, redeeming us and offering us salvation as Lord and Savior.

Then the Spirit is deposited in the child of God to recreate in us what sin has taken from us, that is the likeness of God.

Oh but I’m getting ahead.

We still need to read from the Book of John.

You see, just as the Spirit RESTED on the son, that is he came to stay.

So he does with us.

We say that Jesus live in our hearts and he does, but how?  Christ IN You happens because Jesus shows us the Trinity as he we will read, he says “I return to the ONE who sent me and I give you ANOTHER Comforter, Advocate, Counselor, the word is /Paraclete/ the 3rd Person of the Trinity to Live IN you …

We have already learned that when Jesus said he was sending /another /it means /one of the same kind/ .

So, Jesus God the Son, returning to the Father and sending

The Holy Spirit for the Believer … Christ IN You

Let’s read 15:26-16:15

 

Why do we need the Holy Spirit?

We need him because sin has caused us to lose our likeness or similitude.

We are no longer that living simile of God in the world.

Jesus redeemed us and provided forgiveness for our sins, when we received him in faith, he imputed righteousness to our account.

And NOW he has given us his Spirit, who comes not on his OWN behalf but FOR Christ.

So Jesus Lives IN us through the Spirit.

Paul said it this way, /“Christ in You, the hope of Glory.”/

The only hope I have for the Glory of God to again be visible through me through God’s Spirit who has come to dwell in me …

 

~*~*~*Now I need to make sure I say something here quickly.

I have struggled in preparing because of the nature of the Holy Spirit.

We have just read that the purpose of the Spirit is to point us to Christ!

He doesn’t speak on his own or about himself, he doesn’t draw attention to himself, but to Christ.

The Spirit is always about Christ!

So when I prepare to teach you about the Spirit, I hear the Spirit within me saying

/“glorify the Son”/ …

 

So, please do not miss the Son as we learn about the Spirit.

In my understanding of this truth, anyone who proposes to preach or teach about the Holy Spirit and does it ONLY to Glorify the Spirit is NOT in line with the Spirit because HIS purpose is to glorify the Son.

God has destined the believer to be conformed to the likeness of the Son.

This happens through the work of the Spirit who now lives IN us.

So, the Holy Spirit does NOT draw attention to himself but to the Glory of the Son, but in the few minutes we have, let’s take a look at his gift to us, this Comforter, Advocate, Counselor the Gift of Christ to Us …

 

1.

Who Is He?

 

Well, we could spend hours here, but let’s be concise.

We have already said he is GOD the Holy Spirit, the 3rd Person of the Trinity

 

Another picture of the Trinity is in

/Revelation 1:4-5 (NIV) \\ 4 //John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,// //5 //and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,/

 

Did you see the Trinity There?

The Father is “the one who is, was, is to come”

The Son of course is Jesus Christ

The Spirit is referred to as the /“Sevenfold Spirit”/ of the /“Seven Spirits before the Throne”/

 

  A.

Sevenfold Spirit

This is one of the most complete pictures of who the Spirit is and what he does in our lives.

When we understand who the Spirit IS, we can see if he is Free to be himself in us.

Being filled with the Spirit is allowing him to be himself in Us …

But you might ask, what does this phrase “sevenfold Spirit” teach us about the Holy Spirit.

Well … who came to rest on Jesus at his Baptism?

The Holy Spirit, correct?

Well, Isaiah prophesied about Jesus and he pointed us to The Spirit that would rest ON him.