Let us turn to God's words, and
directing you this evening to words that we find in the Gospel
according to St. John, and chapter 14, verse 26. John 14, 26. 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." These words, of course, are a significant
part of these discourses that we have in these chapters, John
14, 15 and 16, often referred to as valedictory discourses
we might say certainly among the final part of the Lord's
ministry here upon the earth turning then to these words in
John 14 26 Christ says to his disciples 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." And the Lord is speaking clearly
here of that ministry of the Holy Ghost who was to come. He was to come. As we see from what He had said
previously at verse 16, I will pray the Father and He shall
give you another comforter. that he may abide with you forever,
even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him. For he
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. From what the Lord
is saying there in verse 17, clearly the Spirit was already
present. He says, He dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you." And yet the Lord is speaking of His coming.
He's referring, of course, to that great day, the promise of
His coming. The words that we find at the
end of Luke chapter 24, Behold, says Christ, I send the promise
of my Father unto you. But tarry ye at Jerusalem, And
ye shall be endued with power from on high. The Lord is there
speaking of what would come to pass when the day of Pentecost
was fully come. That glorious and blessed coming
of the Holy Spirit. And so this is what He is also
speaking of here. The Spirit was present, as we
said, many a time. He's there in the Old Testament,
of course He is. There can be no real religion
at all anywhere without the Spirit of God. He was there in the hearts
of the patriarchs and the prophets of old. But there is in the New
Testament that glorious coming of the Spirit after Christ has
accomplished all His great work of redemption. And He comes then
as the Spirit of Christ. The Lord says, doesn't He, here
at verse 18, I will not leave you comfortless, I will come
to you. And He will come by that blessed
ministry of God, the Holy Ghost. What does Christ go on to say
later in the Discourses? In chapter 16 at verse 14, He
shall glorify me, for He shall receive of mine and shall show
it unto you. And so to say something tonight
once again with regards to this ministry this ministry of the
Holy Ghost in the day of grace that's best of all the donations
of God we're living in the day the dispensation of the Holy
Spirit And as we come to say something with regards to his
ministry, I divide the subject matter into two simple headings
really. First of all, to consider his
teaching in terms of the outworking of the Covenants. In that sense
he comes as Christ's substitute. and to say something with regards
to that particular aspect of his ministry initially, but then
secondly we shall also say something with regards to his teaching
as that one who is God, the Holy Ghost, the sovereignty of the
Spirit in all his workings. But firstly to say something
with regards to his teaching as Christ's substitute in the
the outworking of the great covenant that God made before the foundation
of the world, the great Council of the Trinity, wherein Father,
Son and Holy Ghost covenant the work of redemption and salvation. What does the Lord say concerning
His ministry here in our text? At the end of the verse He shall
teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance
whatsoever I have said unto you. How His ministry is so closely
bound up with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will bring all these
matters that I've been teaching you over these years. He will
cause that all these things will be brought again to your memory. And so it was. But as we look
at this verse, how we have to take account of the fact that
it is clearly what we might term a Trinitarian verse. And it's
a verse in which we see that salvation is altogether the work
of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The three persons are
here. It is the Lord Jesus who is speaking. And he says, the Comforter, which
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. There we
see it quite clearly, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Father will
send, but he will come in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a great Trinitarian statement. We have these verses, don't we?
We have that great apostolic benediction that we're so familiar
with, we normally make use of it at the conclusion of our service
of worship. The words of 2nd Corinthians
13, 14, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all, says
the Apostle writing to that church. It's an appropriate benediction
to use in any church. Our worship is Trinitarian worship,
is it not? Now we're reminded then of that
even here in the words of this text. It's a Trinitarian verse,
but we're thinking more particularly of the work of the Spirit And
the Spirit, of course, is that One who is true Almighty God.
He is sovereign, as is the Father, and as is the Son. We read of
Him in 1 Corinthians 12, 11, dividing severally to every man
as He will. As He will. He divides gifts
to men, does the Spirit. He's equal to the Father, He's
equal to the son now the name that we have here
Holy Spirits doesn't really express his essence
but what it does do is it tells us something of his relationship
with the other two persons in the Godhead Their names tell us something
about the relationship between each of those divine persons. They are equal in essence. They are God's. They are God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And we know what the name Father
and Son suggests to us, the Father begets the Son. The Son is begotten
of the Father. We beheld His glory, says John,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. The Father begets, the Son is
begotten. What of the Spirit? Well, the Spirit is the one who
proceeds. He proceeds, He comes out, as
it were, from the Father. Look at what the Lord goes on
to say in verse 26 of the following 15th chapter. When the Comforter
is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify
of me. As the Son is begotten of the
Father, so the Spirit proceeds from the father but he also really
proceeds from the son also in chapter 20 and there at verse
22 the son is speaking this is Christ when he had said this he breathed
on them and said unto them receive ye the Holy Ghost, he breathes
on them, he proceeds from the Son in the sense that the Son
breathes on them and in breathing on them he says, receive ye the
Holy Ghost, he proceeds from the Father and he proceeds from
the Son, the eternal possession of the Son. that is his relationship
to the other two divine persons. And in the Godhead, the Holy
Spirit is co-equal of course, co-equal to the Father, co-equal
to the Son. But here, in this particular
chapter, John chapter 14, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking
of the Spirit's coming and His work in terms of the Covenant
and the relationship that the three persons have in terms of
that eternal plan and purpose of salvation. Remember how the Lord Jesus Christ, God the
Son, in the Covenant was sent by the Father. He was sent by the Father. and he acknowledges here, at the
end of verse 28, my father is greater than I. Elsewhere he
can say I and my father are one, they're equal, in terms of the
Godhead, but we're thinking in terms of the outworking of the
covenant, and in that he becomes the servant of the father, doesn't
he? God says, Behold My servant whom
I uphold, Mine elect. He's the Father's first elect.
He comes to do the work of the Father. And here at the end of
the chapter He says, This is the Son speaking, but that the
world may know that I love the Father and that the Father gave
Me commandments. Even so I do. He comes to serve
the Father, to do the will of the Father, to obey the commandments
of the Father. My meat is to do the will of
Him that sent me, and to finish His work. He will finish all
that work that the Father has given to Him. And so He does,
and He comes to the end of His ministry, and remember how He
prays in the 17th chapter. He says to the Father, I have
glorified you on the earth, I have finished the work that thou gavest
me to do. O truly, he is that one who is
sense, whom God hath sent. Doeth the works of God, God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him. As he is serving the the
will of the Father and doing the commandments of the Father
so we see Him as the Christ, He is the Anointed One and even
at the beginning remember it is baptizing as He comes up out
of those waters and the heavens open the Spirit descends upon
Him the Father give us not the Spirit by measure but an infusion
of the Spirit fell upon Him and the Father speaks those words
this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." When we see
Him then in that state of humiliation as a man here upon the earth
found in fashion as a man He's obedient and He's obedient to
the death of the cross. Christ was sent by the Father
then and does the will of the Father and obeys the commandments
of the Father. Well, the Spirit comes to work
the works of Christ. In a sense, He is Christ's substitute. That's what the Lord is saying.
Look at what He declares here in the opening part of the text.
"...the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send," He says, "...in mine eye." The Father sends in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's quite remarkable really.
He comes to be the Lord's substitute. In a sense, we might say, is
Christ's vicar on earth? Vicar, as you know from the word
vicarious, in the place of. There we see something of the
awful blasphemies of the papacy, don't we? Because the Bishop
of Rome takes to himself all the names that belong to God.
They speak of him as the Holy Father. He takes the Father's
name. They speak of him as Pontifex
Maximus, the chief priest. Of course there are a multitude
of Romish priests, but he is the chief priest, the Pontifex
Maximus. But who is the Great High Priest?
Why, that is God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But then they
speak of the Pope as the Vicar of Christ, but Christ's Vicar
on earth is the Holy Spirit. And that's what the Lord is saying
here. He comes in his name. He comes to serve the Lord Jesus
Christ. We see it even in prophecy, the
language of Isaiah 59, the last verse, verse 21, As for me, this
is my covenant with them, saith the Lord, my spirit that is upon
thee, and my word which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart
out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out
of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth
forever. And these are words addressed
to the Redeemer. The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and not to them that turn from
transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. And the Lord God is
speaking, you see, to him who is his servant in terms of the
covenant. My spirit that is upon thee and my word which I have
put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of
the mouth of thy seed, and so forth. It is the Spirit who comes,
Christ himself, at such a remarkable outpouring of the Spirit upon
him, but then that selfsame Spirit will continue his ministry, even
through the Apostles, and even to the end of this Gospel day
and dispensation. And what does the Lord do? He
prays the Father. And He prays the Father, making
requests, asking for the Spirit. I will pray the Father, He says,
in verse 16. And He shall give you another
comforter, that He may abide with you forever. Oh, it comes
very much then in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, that language that we
have at the end of Luke's Gospel, right towards the end of Luke
24, Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, He says
to His disciples. that it shall be there at Jerusalem. It is the promise of the Father,
the Spirit Himself is the promise. And as the covenant is being
worked out, we see how it is the Lord Jesus Himself who won
that great guy, that auspicious guy, Pentecost. What does Peter say in the course
of his preaching? therefore being by the right
hand of God exalted, having received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see
and hear." Now we have these remarkable
statements that the Lord is making throughout these chapters. These
valedictory discourses, He speaks so much of the blessed coming
of God, the Holy Spirit. Again, there's a most significant
verse, isn't there, in the following chapter? In verse 26 of chapter
15, When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me. All we see here is eternal relationship
with the Father. He proceedeth from the Father. As I said, that's His relationship. In the mystery of the doctrine
of God, three persons, and yet one God, the Father beget and
the Son begotten. and the Holy Spirit proceeding
and proceeding from the Father and from the Son. But Christ
says, Whom I will send unto you from the Father. What is His
mission? He comes, as it were, by Christ,
but He comes from the Father. And that work that He undertakes
is quite clearly seen to be so self-effacing. It's quite remarkable
when we think about it because He is God, and He is to be worshipped
as God. We speak in terms of the first
person, and the second person, and the third person, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, but in many ways that's quite misleading.
because there's no superiority or inferiority as they are co-eternal
so they are co-equal but when we see this great mystery being
unfolded the way God has worked in the great covenant of redemption
the salvation of sinners the Spirit's ministry is so self-effacing
He doesn't draw any attention at all to Himself. He comes surely to speak only
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those words in chapter 16 verse
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 show you things
to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall
receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. He shall testify
of me, the Lord says. That's his ministry, to bear
testimony to all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done. And yet,
that ministry that he exercises is such an authoritative ministry. Why he shall teach you all things,
it says here in our text. He's a great teacher. He teaches
all things, and he teaches with such an authority. What is his
work in the Covenant? It's effectual calling, isn't
it? when we think in terms of the
electing love of the Father, making choice of a people from
all eternity, and then we think of the great work of the Son,
who comes and actually accomplishes the salvation by living, by dying,
by rising again. All that work of the Lord Jesus
Christ, standing in the Lord's place of His people and answering
for them before all the demands of the Lord of God. He obeys
every commandment. He accomplishes a righteousness
wherewith He can justify the sinner. But He doesn't only answer
the Lord in terms of His precepts, His commandments, but He also
answers that Lord in terms of all His dreadful penalties. He bears the punishment. He pours
out his soul unto death. He dies as a substitute. He accomplishes
the salvation. But then what is the Spirit's
work? He applies it. He makes that salvation a reality,
effectual calling. When the Gospel comes not in
word only, but in power, says Paul, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance. The way He teaches, none teach
us like Him. He makes the sinner willing. The sinner is born again, born
of the Spirit of God. Born from above, it says. Oh,
it is a great work that He does in the outworking of the covenant
and yet He doesn't draw any attention
to himself. He exalts the saviour of sinners. But let us turn,
as it were, from his teaching as that one who comes in Christ's
name as Christ's substitute, to apply the work of Christ,
and turn to his teaching as God the Holy Ghost. It's interesting
what he said here. This is words, of course, that
are in the first place being addressed to the Lord's own disciples. And the Lord says, concerning
His ministry to these disciples, He shall teach you all things
and bring all things to your remembrance. He'll bring all
things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. Now historically that is a promise
of inspiration. That is the promise that we will
have by the hand of the Lord's own disciples the New Testament
Scriptures. Remember what we are told in
2 Peter 1 concerning the Old Testament. The prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man. But holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Spirit of God. That speaks to us concerning
the Old Testament. The Old Testament really, it's
the writings of a multitude of men, yes, but it's ultimately
not their writings. it's the word of God the Holy
Spirit. And I've remarked previously
concerning what word is used there in 2 Peter 1.21. They spake
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit and the word, the verb,
to move there is such a strong verb literally meaning to carry
them along, to bear them along. And I said it's the same word
that's used in Acts when the Apostle Paul is making that final
journey from Jerusalem to Rome and they're on board the ship
in the middle of the Mediterranean. They're caught up in Heraclidon,
that great tempest. that seems to have been a periodic
thing. And the vessel is broken to pieces. The mariners have no control,
really, of the vessel. And I think twice we're told
what they do. They straight sail and they let
the vessel drive. They let it drive. It's there,
you see, governed now, not by the mariners, but by the winds
and the waves. That's what he meant to let the
wind drive. Well, that's the same word. Exactly the same word
that is used in 2 Peter 1.21. Holy men of God spake as they
were born, driven along by the Spirit of God. The Old Testament is the Word
of God, isn't it? Well, here we have that promise
that the New Testament also the writing of these men, these disciples
of the Lord. It is the Spirit who shall teach
them all things and bring to their remembrance all things
whatsoever the Lord Jesus Christ had said to them. And so we can
rely upon the veracity of what we have in the fourfold Gospel. We can rely upon the truth of
what we have throughout the Old Testament. It's as inspired as
all that we have in the New Testament. It's as inspired as all that
we have in the Old Testament. Now that is the promise here.
What is the church built upon? The foundation of the apostles
and prophets. New Testament prophets. Jesus
Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. But besides seeing the words
in that historical setting and the promise of inspiration for
the New Testament, there is surely also here a more general application,
because everybody who is saved must know that blessed ministry
and that teaching of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Lord says, He shall teach you all things. No man can say that Jesus Christ
is Lord but by the Holy Ghost. We can only know the Lord Jesus
Christ by and through that gracious ministry of the Holy Ghost. And I read that portion in John's
first epistle, that first general epistle of John. I read it quite
deliberately because we're reminded of the Spirit's ministry there,
aren't we? John says to these that he's addressing, these little
children, you have an unction, an anointing from the Holy One
and you know all things. Oh, the Spirit teaches all things
necessary to salvation. He repeats it really. But the
anointing, or the unction, it's the same word in verse 27 as
in verse 20, unction, anointing. But the anointing which ye have
received of him abideth in you. And ye need not that any man
teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and
is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye
shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide
in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not
be ashamed before him at his coming. You see, he's speaking
of the ministry of the Spirit. But what does the Spirit teach
us? He teaches us to abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's in
Christ that we have all our salvation, but it is the Spirit who teaches
these things. the same anointing which teacheth
you of all things and is truth and is no lie and as it hath
taught you what does he teach us the Spirit he teaches us our
great need to be in Christ to be in Christ and how does the
Spirit do that well as we come to a close tonight three aspects
three aspects of that blessed teaching and we see it here quite
clearly how the Spirit is the one who comes first of all to
convince to convince us of our sins the words that we have to
remember in chapter 16 verse 7 the Lord says 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, and when he is come, he
will reprove. Or the Margin says, Convince
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because
they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go
to my Father, and ye see me no more. Of judgment, because the
Prince of this world Or are we convinced? Are we convinced as
friends of sin because they believe not on birth? Does He not convince
us of that? Are we not convinced of our utter
unbelief? That's what we are. It's our
very nature. We're unbelievers. It is that sin which does so
easily beset us. And we have to learn that. Where
can we obtain faith? We cannot We cannot produce saving
faith. And to tell the poor sinner that's
his duty. That's to legalize the gospel. The gospel doesn't speak of duty,
the gospel speaks of gift. The Spirit will teach us that,
that we cannot, we cannot believe, we're full of unbelief. We need
that faith that comes by the operation of God, that faith
that is the gift of God. That's what He does, He convinces
us of sin, He convinces us of righteousness. Christ says, because
I go to my Father, you see me no more, we have no righteousness
of our own. And we have to be convinced of that. By nature
we're so wedded to the idea of a covenant of work, surely there's
something to do. Men and women are awakened, in
Scripture what do they say? What must I do? Oh, the rich young ruler, when
he comes to Christ, what good thing can I do that I might inherit
eternal life? There's some good for me to do. We have no righteousness. We
have to be convinced that our righteousness, and imagine righteousness, it's
filthy rags. The righteousness that justifies
the sin is now in heaven, at God's right hand. It's the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He convinces of that. He convinces
of judgment. The prince of this world is judged.
All Satan is a mighty foe. He's a crafty foe. But greater is he that is in
you than he that is in the world. He convinces us that Satan is
vanquished. This is what Christ has done,
you see. He has a work of conviction. He convinces the sinner. But
then He ministers also the comforts of the Gospel. This is His name,
isn't it, that we have throughout these chapters. He's the Comforter.
He's the Comforter. God the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name,
He shall teach you all things. And what a name is this? It's
the rendering of the word, well we get the English word paraclete
from that particular Greek word, a paraclete. What is a paraclete?
Well the reference here is to someone who comes alongside another.
It's one who comes alongside. How wonderful that is, the compass
comes alongside. Comes alongside to do what? to
open our understanding, to touch our hearts, to move our wills.
This is his ministry. He comes to reveal the Lord Jesus
Christ. He comes to bring testimony into us. He testifies
of the Lord Jesus. It's the only way we can know
anything of Christ. What man knoweth of things of
man, save the spirit of man which is in him. even so the things
of the Spirit knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. We have
to be in the Spirit. Why was John granted such a remarkable
revelation as we have at the end of Holy Scripture? Because
he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. He didn't put himself in
the Spirit, but he had to be in the Spirit. To receive any
revelation we have to be those then who know that gracious ministry
of the Spirit. The natural man receives not
the things of the Spirit of God, they are foolishness to him,
neither can he know them. Nothing of nature, it's all of
God, the Holy Spirit, how we need Him. Or how we need that
gracious ministry of the Spirit. and that we are encouraged to
pray for Him. The Lord in the course of His own ministry, what
does He say to the disciples? If ye being evil know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? When we come
together, when we come together under the Word of God, or when
we read the Word of God, are we minded first to ask the Spirit? He gave the Word. He gave us
the Old Testament, He gave us the New Testament, and we need
Him to interpret the Word, to apply the Word. And you know,
God has given us a prayer, hasn't He? Back in that lovely song
of Solomon, Awake, O north wind, and come thou south. Blow upon
my garden that the spices thereof may flow out. That's a prayer. Can we not pray
that prayer? Awake! The Spirit is likened
to the wind, isn't it? Awake, O north wind, come thou
south. In John 3 the Lord clearly is
speaking of Him in terms of the wind blowing where it lister.
Now we need the Spirit then to come, and to come to us as that
One who is the Comforter, and comforting us by revealing to
us the things of Christ. But then thirdly and finally,
does he not also come to conform that sinner to Christ? Oh, he
conforms a sinner to Christ. He's referred to, isn't he, as
the Spirit of holiness. He is the Spirit of holiness. And God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation, it says, through sanctification of the
Spirit. and belief of the truth. If we
really know the Word of God, if we're taught by the Spirit
of God, there will be a sanctifying. We'll have a love for holiness,
a desire to walk in the path of obedience. not just to embrace
and delight in all the exceeding great and precious promises of
that Gospel, we sought to say a little of the outworking of
the Great Covenant of Grace in the hands of God, Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Now we need that the Spirit Himself should
come and not only give us a love for those exceeding great and
precious promises of the covenant, but also all those precepts. We're not to be partial in the
word of God. God grant that we might be those
who, by the Spirit's ministry, come to love the commandments.
We want to walk in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
want to look to Him as our Great Patron. When the Spirit comes,
you'll see He'll reveal Christ to us as a Holy Savior. And if
we know that salvation which is in Christ, will we not desire
then to live lives that are Christ-honoring? and God glorifying by that blessed
ministry of the one of whom the Savior speaks in the text, 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. Oh, the Lord then be pleased
to bless the text to us each. Amen. Let us conclude our worship
today as we sing the hymn number 32. The tune is Dublin 129. Whatever prompts the soul to
pride or gives us room to boast except in Jesus crucified, is
not the Holy Ghost, that blessed Spirit omits to speak of what
Himself has done and bids the enlightened sinner seek salvation
in the Son. Hymn number 32 and the tune is
129.