How does the Spirit speak today?

You’ll often hear three claims made in churches today: The Spirit speaks through the church, through yourself, or through signs around you.

Some say we hear the Spirit through the historical church, when they makes claims such as: You can only understand the Bible through the lens of the Roman Catholic Magisterium, or the Church Fathers, or the liturgy.

Others say we hear the Spirit through the modern church… Through people who claim to have prophetic gifts, or people who offer godly advice, or during times of worship.

But, when we are rejected, persecuted, attacked, …does this provide genuine comfort and security? Dead Christians and other Christians make mistakes, just like us, they act selfishly and sinfully. Sometimes other Christians may be the source of our problems.

Some say we hear the Spirit within ourselves. Through feelings, inner impressions, promptings… …or in mysticism, silence, or beautiful things.

But, when my eyes are taken away from Jesus and onto myself. When I suffer and am bullied or undermined by others… …I only have myself to look to for strength… …rather than the strength of Christ that comes to me from the outside.

Some say the Spirit speaks through signs around us, that we interpret. Circumstances and “open doors”, in nature, or the presence of moral causes and social justice.

The problem here is: When you’re really discouraged or hurting, there’s no real comfort in trying to convince yourself of something. Jeremiah says we can’t even understand our own hearts. We all know what it’s like to feel like you’re letting yourself down. When you are being attacked with Satan’s accusations—you need assurance that comes from outside yourself. Assurance that God loves you and cares for you because of Christ, regardless of your errors or mistakes.

This part of John’s Gospel is a long conversation between Jesus and his disciples the night before he died. Jesus is teaching his disciples about the Christian life, and their role as Apostles. And, He’s just told them that a normal part of the Christian life will be suffering, rejection, even bullying from other people.

Chapter 15, verse 18:

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

Verse 20:

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

And it is in the context of suffering that Jesus promises the Spirit—our “Helper” in the middle of suffering and bullying.

And there are three reasons why the Spirit’s work is so encouraging during times of difficulty:

1) The Spirit speaks about Jesus’ weakness
2) The Spirit speaks through Jesus’ weak Apostles
3) The Spirit speaks hidden power into weak people

So, the first reason the Spirit encourages in times of difficulty: 1) The Spirit speaks about Jesus’ weakness

That means his death, rejection by the world, and hidden strength only seen by faith. Please look at v. 26:

But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

The context God gives us to understand the Gospel is his Law, and Jesus here explains the role of the Spirit as a legal thing—a courtroom thing.

He will “bear witness” about Jesus, in the sense that a witness gives testimony before a judge.

The Jewish Law, Deuteronomy 19:15, says this:

A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

And in John’s Gospel, he presents many legal witnesses:

1:7—John the Baptist came as a witness
5:36—Jesus’ works are a witness
and 5:37—God the Father bears witness
5:39—The Scripture bear witness about Jesus
Here the Holy Spirit,
and in the next verse we’ll see the apostles are eyewitnesses

These witnesses are not about evidential, scientific, proof, but building a legal case, under God’s Law, about who Jesus is and what he’s come to do.

And Jesus says the Spirit comes to bear witness about him. We talked about what that witness is two weeks ago:

He will convict the world concerning sin: that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

He will convict the world concerning righteousness: that all are justified by the work of Jesus as a gift.

And He will convict the world concerning judgement: that people are wrong to oppose Jesus and persecute His followers.

In other words, the Spirit’s work is to talk about Jesus’ weakness
—his death for your sin
—his humility in giving you his victory, not lording over you
—his humble reception of opposition by the world,

As the opening of the Gospel says, chapter 1 verses 10-11:

the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Jesus looks weak in death and a failure in being rejected—and the Spirit is here testifying about this right now. Because, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians: “the weakness of God is stronger than men”

The Spirit is a Helper, not because he’s doing something different to Jesus by creating outward strength and impressiveness:

—The Spirit is not building massive cathedrals and rich churches that tower over others as an outward show of success.

—The Spirit is not giving you impressive powers to work miracles and display success and glory in this life.

—The Spirit is not providing the secret key to success through signs and signals you can work out from the world.

The Spirit Helps us by talking about Jesus, whose power is in weakness.

Which leads us to the second encouragement Jesus gives us: 2) The Spirit speaks through Jesus’ weak Apostles

Please look at v. 27:

And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Jesus chose and set apart the Apostles to be his eyewitnesses.

It’s a common misunderstanding to think that their purpose as eyewitnesses is to provide evidential “proof” of Jesus, of the Gospel.

But, one clue that they are not these kinds of witnesses, is that when people make this claim, they emphasise how the Apostles died horribly because of their preaching and never gave up.

But, while this is true, the Bible doesn’t record how they died, because this is not the point the Bible is making.

The Bible claims that Jesus is God; that he rose from the dead. These are not claims you can ultimately prove with evidence. No amount of eyewitness testimony can convince you the impossible is real.

So, while the Apostles do give us eyewitness testimony, their testimony is not as evidential or apologetic witnesses.

They are legal witnesses, just like the Spirit. And the Spirit speaks through their legal testimony to give us faith.

Here’s how John describes that role in his first letter, 1:2-3:

we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life… so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Prophets wrote the Old Testament, and the Apostles wrote the New Testament. And it is through this Scripture, the written word of human beings, that the Spirit is speaking to us today.

To understand why that matters, the Bible describes what happens when people see God’s power not wrapped in weakness.

On Mount Sinai, when God met Moses in front of the people of Israel, he appeared in glory: in thunder and lightning.

And as a result, this is what the people felt. Exodus 20:18-19:

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”

When God speaks in His power, you are forced to look away from Him and at yourself.

And to see your sin, your weakness, your terrible decisions, your mistakes, missteps, and failings.

Consistently, you let him down and you let yourself down.

If God were to meet you in justice, in power, in glory, you and I would respond exactly like the Israelites: afraid… trembling… standing far off… In terror begging: “Do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”

And so that is why the Spirit does NOT speak to you in this way. The Spirit speaks through Scripture. Which means… The Spirit speaks through the Word of Jesus’ weak Apostles.

He speaks through the words of weak men, who are were like you and just like me. Through the Word of Peter, who denied him three times. Through the Word of Thomas, who doubted. Through the Word of John, who was in the courtyard when Peter failed, but chose to say nothing and stay silent.

The fact that the Spirit speaks through Scripture …is looked down upon by many people today.

Some people call the Bible dead, boring, old irrelevant, and they want the Spirit to speak through something more impressive, like the Magisterium, more glorious, like modern day prophets, more inspiring, like the coincidences of signs.

But, our God is not a God who imposes himself in power… He is a God who embraces weakness, who speaks with tenderness, who comes to encourage, not to crush.

This is what it means for the Spirit to be our Helper… …He is our Comforter, our encourager. So that even the means through which he always speaks, the words of the Apostles, the words of Scripture, reflects God’s understanding, God’s grace, and God’s goodness and empathy toward you.

Which leads us to Jesus’ final encouragement: 3) The Spirit speaks hidden power into weak people

Please look at 16:1-4:

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

Jesus tells his disciples all this “to keep you from falling away.” He knows what’s coming. He knows they’ll be thrown out of their communities, betrayed by their spiritual family, even killed by people who think they’re serving God.

You see, Jesus understands your situation, your sadness… Jesus is not surprised by your suffering. He knows what it’s like to be abandoned by friends. He knows what it’s like when religious people twist the truth. He knows what it’s like to look utterly weak in the eyes of the world. And that’s why he sends you His Spirit.

There are so many different teachings about the Spirit today. that try to re-write what He says to make life impressive. But that’s not what the Spirit is doing. He doesn’t live within you to give you signs or secret wisdom. He’s here to keep you. To hold you. To give you Jesus—when everything else gives way.

And, look at the particular context Jesus refers to in v. 2:

They will put you out of the synagogues. …whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God

The Apostles will be persecuted, by people who feel like brothers and sisters, people who are most close to them.

To be attacked by people who are obviously hostile to Jesus is one thing. But, to be attacked by the very people who are supposed to be the closest to you really hurts.

And of course that can feel a lonely place… …but not a place where you are alone from Jesus.

Jesus knows what it’s like to have hard times. Jesus knows your experience of people turning against you. Jesus knows what it’s like to be a few weak people gathered in a Scout Hut every Sunday morning… …with no magisterium …no impressive prophets …no deep insight from the signs around them.

That’s why the Spirit is speaking through the Word, through weakness, through promises that lift your eyes to Jesus, who was betrayed by his own, who was abandoned by his friends, who hung on the tree as a church of one.

Because, you are not forgotten. And you are not too weak for Jesus. You are the person whom the Spirit empowers with hidden strength that comes through looking at Him.

So, How does the Spirit speak today?

Not in power, but in promise. Not in glory, but in grace. Not to impress, but to fix your eyes on Jesus.

1) The Spirit speaks about Jesus’ weakness
2) The Spirit speaks through Jesus’ weak Apostles
and
3) The Spirit speaks hidden power into weak people

Because the God who meets you in Scripture, the Spirit who speaks to you through the weakness of this book, is not a God who terrorises you in power from a throne of thunder, and crushes those who are failing.

But, a God who empathises, sympathises, cares… …a God who chooses to meet you in your weakness.

As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11:

we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

Because this is the Spirit’s strength in your weakness, to fix your eyes on Jesus.

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.