Scripture: John 16:5-15

Video Link: https://youtu.be/dlaJZBC44q0

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 31 Mar 2026 – Father, Son, Spirit by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The person of the Spirit
  • The prosecution of the Spirit
  • The revelation of the Spirit
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today is Trinity Sunday, one week after Pentecost. The Trinity is the name we give to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Some think of the Trinity as three divine persons who are one.

In simple terms, we might say the Trinity is the divine community of love. Beyond that, it is difficult to find the right words. There is a mystery in God that we cannot comprehend.

We read about the Trinity a number of times in the gospels. All three persons are present at Jesus’ baptism and, Father, Son and Spirit are woven through Jesus’ conversation with his disciples the night before he died.

Our message this morning focuses on John 16, verses 5-15, where Jesus talks about God the Father and the Holy Spirit in relation to himself. From John 16, verse 5 we read…

5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Today’s message has three parts: the person of the Spirit, the prosecution of the Spirit and the revelation of the Spirit. Although that sounds like a very Spirit centred message, what we discover is the Spirit does not act in isolation.

The Spirit acts in close relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son.

Let us continue then with our first point: the person of the Spirit.

What is a person? You might think that is obvious, but it’s actually more complicated than you think. The best simple definition I could come up with was, a person is someone capable of relationship.

Now, there may be some exceptions to this but, for the sake of clarity, let’s use this as a working definition. A person is someone (not something), but someone capable of relationship. 

By this definition, a potato is not a person. A potato is not a someone. A potato is a something; it’s a vegetable. You can eat and enjoy a potato in many different ways, but you cannot really communicate with a potato. You can’t be friends with a potato or enemies for that matter. The potato is not aware it is a potato. It doesn’t care whether you mash it or fry it.

But a fellow human being is a person. Human beings are made with the capacity to relate, to communicate, to think and feel, to have opinions and make choices. Human beings care very much how you treat them. Don’t ever try to mash or fry a human person, it won’t be good for your relationship.

Now, there will be some human beings you find it impossible to relate with. That’s beside the point. They are still persons. They have a personality, a soul. They are able to relate with someone, even if it is not you.   

What about dogs? Is a dog a person? Well, I would say yes. Dogs are not human persons, obviously, but they are capable of relationship. You can communicate with a dog. A dog has feelings. Canine persons often make better friends than human persons.

A person then, is someone capable of relationship.   

Last Sunday we heard how Jesus used water as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also associated with wind and fire in the Bible. Wind, water and fire are forces of nature. They are not persons. They are a something, not a someone. They don’t possess a mind of their own or consciousness, as we do.

For this reason, wind, water and fire are helpful, but not adequate for describing the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God is not a force of nature; the Holy Spirit is a divine person, capable of reason and relationship. You cannot communicate with wind, water or fire but you can communicate with God’s Spirit.

In verse 7 of John 16, Jesus says to his disciples: Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 

Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit here. The original Greek word, translated as Advocate, is: paracletos, which literally means to call alongside. Advocate, in the legal sense of that word, is a good translation but there is no one word in English which does justice to describe the work of the Holy Spirit.

Notice here how Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a person, using the personal pronoun, ‘him’.  The Spirit is a ‘him’, a someone, sent by Jesus to come alongside and relate with us as our advocate and helper.

In verses 5-7 we see something of the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity. Jesus says: but now I am going to him who sent me. Jesus is talking about God the Father here. It was God the Father who sent Jesus (His Son) into the world to save us.

Jesus had to go away to God the father before he could send the person of the Holy Spirit. The going away that Jesus speaks of is a reference to Jesus’ death on the cross, followed by his resurrection and ascension to heaven.

As I mentioned last Sunday, sin had to be dealt with first [by Jesus on the cross] before the Spirit could be sent. Jesus’ atonement for sin made it possible for the Spirit to be poured out at Pentecost. We live at a time in history when the Holy Spirit is available to all who repent and put their faith in Jesus.

Coming back to the point: the Holy Spirit is a divine person. We relate with the risen Jesus by the Holy Spirit, and we relate with God through Jesus.

This is mind-blowing stuff. Jesus is talking about human beings participating in the life of the Trinity by his Spirit. This means the Trinity is not a closed society, it’s not an exclusive clique. God wants to make room for humanity in his love.

Okay, so the Holy Spirit is a person. What then does the person of the Spirit do? Well, the Spirit has many roles and functions, one of which is acting as a prosecutor.     

The prosecution of the Spirit:

A prosecutor is a type of lawyer. A person with special skills who advocates for justice in the realm of the courts.    

The prosecution lawyer represents the state or the government. Their job is to decide whether to press charges and then provide evidence to prove guilt and secure a conviction against the accused.

The prosecutor in any criminal case is advocating for all citizens of that society. Although we are unaware of it most of the time, the prosecutor is upholding justice and defending each one of us against dangerous criminals.   

The person of the Holy Spirit acts a bit like a prosecution lawyer. He brings convictions against the world and the devil. By doing this the Spirit is upholding justice in the spiritual realm and defending us against evil.

In verse 8 of John 16, Jesus says the Holy Spirit will prove the world to be in the wrong… The world, in this context, refers to those people and systems who are against God and his people. The world as organised by Satan.

Although they were not aware of it, many of the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day were aligned with the world, as were the Romans.

Jesus says the Holy Spirit will prove the world to be in the wrong about three things: sin, righteousness and judgement.

How then is the world wrong about sin? Well, the people who called for Jesus to be crucified got it very wrong. They thought Jesus had committed a grave sin by claiming he was from God. But the truth is, those who condemned Jesus to death were the real sinners.

On the face of it, their sin was killing an innocent man. They framed Jesus so they could murder him. But their sin went deeper than that. Their primary underlying sin was not believing Jesus was sent from God. Had the religious leaders believed in Jesus to start with, they would not have killed him.

Jesus is giving us a definition of sin here. Sin isn’t just all the bad things we do or all the good things we leave undone. Sin, at its root, is not believing in Jesus. If we don’t align ourselves with Christ, then we are aligning ourselves with the world as organised by Satan.  

Given the world is wrong about sin, it logically follows it is also wrong about righteousness. The world (by in large through history) thinks of righteousness as an achievement. If we do enough good deeds, then we can earn enough points to go to heaven or nirvana or paradise or whatever.

Not according to Jesus. Christians believe that righteousness cannot be earned, no matter how hard you try. Righteousness can only be received as a gift from Jesus.

Jesus is the only truly righteous one. This is proved by his going to God the Father. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven is God’s vindication of Jesus. It proves Jesus’ righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to believe in Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.  

To put it simply, if sin is not believing in Jesus, then righteousness is believing in Jesus. Therefore, we are made righteous by putting our faith in Jesus.

Accept Jesus and God will accept you. Reject Jesus and you condemn yourself.

That is the gospel.

The world is wrong about judgement too. Many people in this world think God wants to punish them or their enemies or both. There is this perception that God is a severe judge, gathering evidence against people so he can condemn them. That is not a fair perception of God.  

The prince of this world (also known as Satan, or the devil), he is the one who wants to accuse you and condemn you. But we do not need to be afraid, for the Holy Spirit (like a good prosecuting lawyer) has proven the devil wrong so the evil one now stands condemned.

What is your perception of God? Do you think God is out to get you? Do you think he is gathering evidence to punish and condemn you? Or do you think he wants to heal you, to redeem and save you?

God is for you. He is not against you. Jesus defeated the devil on the cross.

If you are in Christ, then the evil one has no power over you. 

We see a real historical example of the Holy Spirit proving the world wrong in Acts chapter 2. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached to the crowds saying…

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter preached Jesus and the Holy Spirit brought the inner conviction, so the people that day were cut to the heart. This conviction led the people to a realisation of the truth about Jesus and the grace of God.

Okay, so the Holy Spirit is a person, and he acts like a prosecutor, proving the world and the devil wrong. Now let’s turn our attention to the revelation of the Spirit.

When we talk about the revelation of the Spirit, we simply mean the Holy Spirit reveals things. It’s like we are in the dark and the person of the Spirit turns the lights on so we can see what was right in front of us all the time.

The revelation of the Spirit:

Have you ever believed something to be true, only to find you were wrong?

A hundred years ago, cigarettes were promoted as healthy, something good for you. Doctors endorsed smoking. It was accepted as a normal part of life. Now we know smoking can kill. Cigarette packets come with graphic health warnings.

It makes you wonder, what new truth will be revealed in 20 years’ time, changing the way we live?   

From verse 12 of John 16, Jesus says to his disciples: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth…”   

These verses are talking about the revelation of the Spirit. The truth is too big, too much for us to take in all at once. We need time to absorb new information and adjust to that information gradually. The adjustment isn’t just intellectual; there’s an emotional and behavioural adjustment as well.

Although Jesus had told his disciples (ahead of time) that he would suffer and die and be raised to life again, they could not take it in. They were struggling to understand what Jesus meant when he said he was going away where they could not see him anymore.

Jesus understood this and reassured them that the Spirit would reveal to them what they needed to know as they needed to know it.

Some of you may have been to Pilot Bay at the Mount. Pilot Bay gets its name (I guess) because of the pilot boats that guide larger ships in and out of the harbour.

A navigator, who knows the coast well, boards the larger ship and helps to guide it safely, avoiding rocks and sandbars and other hazards. The ship’s crew don’t have the local knowledge they need, but the navigator from the pilot boat knows all the truth and guides the crew in it.

I wonder if it is like that with the Holy Spirit. When we come to a tricky time in our journey of faith, when we lack the specific knowledge we need, the Spirit guides us like a pilot guiding a ship into (and out of) a harbour.

Unlike the navigator from a pilot boat, the Holy Spirit is with us always, but we are usually more aware of him at the transition points in our lives.

We come across a real historical example of the Holy Spirit guiding Peter into the truth, in the book of Acts. In chapter 10, the Spirit piloted Peter to preach the good news to the Roman Centurion, Cornelius.

All his life Peter had avoided certain foods and certain people, thinking that contact with non-kosher food and non-Jewish people might offend God. This was a deeply held, sacred belief for Peter and other Jews of his time.

This belief was wrong. What’s more, it was getting in the way of the spread of the gospel. So the Spirit of Jesus reassured Peter, through a vision and through circumstance, that it was okay for Peter to eat non-kosher food and accept the hospitality of a gentile like Cornelius.

Long story short, as Peter was telling Cornelius about Jesus, the Roman Centurion and his gentile household received the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth, especially the truth concerning Jesus and his redemptive purpose. How then do we know if a revelation is from the Holy Spirit?

In verses 13 and 14 of John 16, Jesus gives us two clues for recognising the Holy Spirit’s revelation: Firstly, the Spirit will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears Jesus saying.

In other words, the Holy Spirit won’t contradict Jesus. During his earthly ministry, Jesus said that food cannot make a person unclean. Peter’s vision in Acts 10 was consistent with Jesus’ teaching. So that’s the first test; the Spirit’s revelation will always be consistent with the teaching of Jesus.

The second test goes hand in hand with the first. The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus. When Cornelius and his household received the Spirit, they praised God. The Spirit does not draw attention to himself; he is always putting the spotlight on God the Father and Jesus. So, if it doesn’t glorify Jesus, it’s not from the Spirit.

Conclusion:

In verse 15 Jesus says: All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Here we have a picture of the communion between Father, Son and Spirit.

God the Father shares all his knowledge, all his power and wisdom with Jesus the Son. Jesus in turn shares this with the Spirit who reveals the truth to us, as we need to know it.  

Let us pray…

Holy God, thank you for sharing yourself with us. Help us to share your love and truth with others, in harmony with your Spirit and to the praise of your glory. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. How would you define a person? What are some of the key characteristics of personhood? How do we know the Holy Spirit is a person?
  3. What did Jesus mean by ‘going away’? Why did Jesus need to ‘go away’ before the Holy Spirit could come?
  4. What is sin, according to Jesus? What was the deeper underlying sin of those who called for Jesus’ crucifixion? 
  5. How does the world’s understanding of righteousness differ from a Christian understanding of righteousness?
  6. What is your perception of God? Do you think God is looking for ways to condemn you or save you? Why do you have this perception?   
  7. What is your experience of the Holy Spirit’s revelation / guidance? Can you think of / share a specific example?
  8. How do we know if a revelation is from the Holy Spirit and not from some other source? 

Bibliography

  • R.V.G. Tasker, Tyndale Commentaries: The Gospel According to John, 1960.
  • William Barclay, The Gospel of John, Vol. 2, 1975.
  • Bruce Milne, BST The Message of John, 1993.
  • Leon Morris, NICNT The Gospel According to John, 1995.  
  • Gary Burge, NIVAC John, 2000.
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Published by Tawa Baptist