When He Is Come
Our Bible passage, introduction to Sunday 27th April service and hymns are below.
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Our principal verses are:
Jhn 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Jhn 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Jhn 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Jhn 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Jhn 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Jhn 16:13 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 shew you things to come.
Jhn 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jhn 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
When He Is Come
The promise of the Spirit was given by the Lord Jesus to His disciples shortly before He went to the cross to atone for their sins. It was God’s purpose that the Holy Spirit would come to help, comfort, instruct and encourage Christ’s people when the Saviour returned to His Father, His redemptive work complete. It is blessed for believers to trace the continuous care of God towards His children in whom He delights.
Promises made and fulfilled
Thereafter, just as the Lord had said, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. He came, ‘with a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind’ and ‘cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost’. Having come at Pentecost the Spirit also comes into the hearts of all Christ’s people in the work of regeneration. This transforming experience is what the Lord is describing in our verses, today.
Spiritual reproof
Reproving by the Holy Spirit is the spiritual work of conversion in the lives of God’s elect. The Lord God does not bring His people to faith in Christ without first revealing to them their need of the Saviour. This is a threefold lesson. First, the Spirit of God convinces us of our sin. He persuades us of its offensiveness to God and its damning consequences. Second, He proclaims the righteousness of the Lord Jesus and teaches us how suitable He is for our case. Third, He applies Christ’s redeeming blood to our hearts in cleansing power so delivering the believer from guilt, fear and judgment.
Trust in Christ
The Holy Spirit’s work brings faith to trust in Christ alone for salvation. Though individual experiences differ there will be repentance and confession of sin. Self-righteousness submits to God’s righteousness and fear is turned to joy. New life and spiritual growth follow as the Spirit ministers wisdom and knowledge to those who before were dead in sin and could not receive spiritual truth. The Holy Spirit speaks not of Himself but of Christ and glorifies Him by teaching God’s people the doctrines of Christ and the deep truths of the gospel. He is the Spirit of Truth who leads into all truth.
Divinely taught people
The Spirit taught the Apostles about Christ who in turn preached Christ to the church. All the doctrines of Christ’s saving work such as eternal election, substitutionary atonement, imputed righteousness and free grace cannot be believed except they are divinely revealed and spiritually understood. To a greater or lesser degree, all the Lord’s people will be informed of these truths by the preaching of the word and spiritual application. Those who are quickened by the Spirit of truth and taught of God in the gospel will be able to testify of Christ. He is the reason for the hope that is within us.
Constant comfort
The Lord Jesus in speaking thus to His fearful disciples shows His great love towards them and His burden for their wellbeing. In speaking thus of the coming of the Holy Ghost and those things which He shall bring, declare and apply, the Lord is promising all the blessings of God’s grace and goodness. All that has been given by the Father to the Son will be shown to the Apostles, expounded to the church and believed in by His people till the end of time.
Daily help
The Apostles were comforted with this knowledge and we too should not be afraid. We need not fear for the wellbeing of the church nor the safety of any individual believer. The same gospel truth and enduring promises received from Christ and confirmed by the Holy Spirit are ours, too. Grace, love, mercy, faithfulness and divine goodness from the all-wise, all-powerful God is daily-assured because Christ accomplished His work and returned to His Father. The Spirit’s presence with us confirms this to be true.
Amen
Our hymns are below.
Hymn 1
Gadsby Selection 42
Excellency of the Scriptures. Ps. 19. 10; Luke 24. 32
S. Stennett C.M.
1
Let avarice, from shore to shore
Her favourite god pursue;
Thy word, O Lord, we value more,
Thy word, O Lord, is true.
2
When God the Holy Ghost reveals
The riches it contains,
And in the conscience safely seals
The grandeur of its lines;
3
Then mines of knowledge, love, and joy
Are opened to our sight;
The purest gold without alloy
And gems divinely bright.
4
The counsels of redeeming grace
Those sacred leaves unfold;
And here the Saviour’s lovely face
Our raptured eyes behold.
5
Here light, descending from above,
Directs our doubtful feet;
Here promises of heavenly love
Our ardent wishes meet.
6
Our numerous griefs are here redressed,
And all our wants supplied;
Nought we can ask to make us blest
Is in this book denied.
Hymn 2
Gadsby Selection 29
Led by the Spirit. Ezek. 37. 5, 9; John 16. 14
J. Hart 8.8.6.
1
Descend from heaven, celestial Dove,
With flames of pure seraphic love
Our ravished breasts inspire;
Fountain of joy, blest Paraclete,
Warm our cold hearts with heavenly heat,
And set our souls on fire.
2
Breathe on these bones, so dry and dead;
Thy sweetest, softest influence shed
In all our hearts abroad;
Point out the place where grace abounds;
Direct us to the bleeding wounds
Of our incarnate God.
3
Conduct, blest Guide, thy sinner-train
To Calvary, where the Lamb was slain,
And with us there abide;
Let us our loved Redeemer meet,
Weep o’er his piercèd hands and feet,
And view his wounded side.
4
From which pure fountain if thou draw
Water to quench the fiery law,
And blood to purge our sin;
We’ll tell the Father in that day,
(And thou shalt witness what we say),
“We’re clean, just God, we’re clean.”
5
Teach us for what to pray, and how;
And since, kind God, ’tis only thou
The throne of grace canst move,
Pray thou for us, that we, through faith,
May feel the effects of Jesus’ death,
Through faith, that works by love.
6
Thou, with the Father and the Son,
Art that mysterious Three-in-One,
God blest for evermore!
Whom though we cannot comprehend,
Feeling thou art the sinner’s Friend,
We love thee and adore.
The Holy Spirit's comforting work amongst God's people is here detailed by the Saviour as being of a reproving nature. It is the Holy Spirit who brings chosen sinners to salvation and to eternal life by convincing us of our sin, convincing us of our need of Christ's righteousness and convincing us that Christ's death on the cross has successfully delivered us from judgment.