Songs

All the People Said Amen
Grace Alone
Always
Be Thou My Vision
Speak, O Lord

Sermon

The Spirit’s Guidance | John 16:12-13
I. Guidance Needed (12)
II. Guidance Described (13)

Big Idea

One of the advantages of the Holy Spirit’s guidance into all truth.

Quotes

“No doubt these words have a continuing significance for Christians today, but not in the direct way in which they are often understood (the Spirit will lead me into all truth in an unmediated way). Rather, they indicate that it is by means of the apostolic witness (now inscripturated in the New Testament), not by direct revelation of the Spirit to individual believers or by corporate revelation to teaching officers (the claim which was to be developed in the Roman Catholic magisterium), that Christ’s person, his teaching and his future purposes are made known.” ~ Sinclair Ferguson

“The Holy Spirit does not come to reveal anything new, nor does he do anything that contradicts or opposes Christ’s doctrine and works. The Holy Spirit does nothing contrary to what is taught in Scripture. Any spirit that does contradict Christ and Scripture is not from God.” ~ John Owen

The Holy Spirit showed Christ’s truth to his disciples by revelation, for he is the author of all divine revelations. By inspiration, he enabled the apostles to receive, understand and declare the whole counsel of God in Christ. And in other that they could infallibly do this, he led them into all truth. In addition the Holy Spirit showed Christ’s grace to the disciples by pouring out sanctifying graces and extraordinary gifts on them. The Spirit continues to show Christ’s truth and grace to believers, although not in the same as he did to those he inspired, nor to the same degree. Christ’s truth comes to us now by the Word written and preached. And as we read and hear, so the Holy Spirit enlightens our minds spiritually to understand the mind of God in what we read and hear.” ~ John Owen

“We fall into a difficulty sometimes; we say, “Oh, if I could take this to my minister, he would explain it; but I live so far off, and am not able to see him.” That perplexes us, and we turn the text round and round and cannot make anything out of it. We look at the commentators. We take down pious Thomas Scott, and, as usual he says nothing about it if it is a dark passage. Then we go to holy Matthew Henry, and if it is an easy Scripture, he is sure to explain it; but if it is a text hard to be understood, it is likely enough, of course, left in his own gloom; and even Dr. Gill himself, the most consistent of commentators, when he comes to a hard passage, manifestly avoids it in some degree. / But when we have no commentator or minister, we have still the Holy Spirit. And let me tell you a little secret: whenever you cannot understand a text, open your Bible, bend your knee, and pray over that text; and if it does not split into atoms and open itself, try again. If prayer does not explain it, it is one of the things God did not intend you to know, and you may be content to be ignorant about it. Prayer is the key that opens the cabinets of mystery. Prayer and faith are sacred picklocks that can open secrets, and obtain great treasures. There is no college for holy education like that of the blessed Spirit, for he is an ever present tutor, to whom we have only to bend the knee, and he is at our side, the great expositor of truth.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon