“He Shall Glorify Me”

(John 16:14)

I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.
1. We’ve seen that the Spirit is responsible to do two main things in the work of salvation:
a. He is the One who quickens us to spiritual life.
b. And, for our purposes this morning, He distributes to us the blessings Jesus bought
through His life and death: Himself, sanctification, spiritual gifts, comfort.

2. We saw something of how He comforts last week.

a. Jesus said, “He will . . . bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John
14:26).
(i) He would remind the apostles what Jesus said to preach, teach and write.
(ii) He would remind all believers of what He said to comfort us.

b. He would do this in two ways:

(i) Powerfully: more than just reminding, but with power.
(ii) Sovereignly: when and where He wills.

B. Preview.
1. This morning, we’ll look at His next main work: to glorify Christ.
a. When the Spirit works, when He brings things to our minds, applies them to our
hearts, He does so in a way that draws our attention to Jesus.
b. The Father’s will, in all His work, is to do just that: to glorify His Son.
c. This is the Spirit’s ministry.

2. Let’s consider two things:

a. That it is the Spirit’s work to glorify Christ.
b. How He does this.

II. Sermon.
A. First, let’s consider that it is the Spirit’s work to glorify Christ.
1. Again, we’re talking about His role in redemption.
a. The Father loves and chooses whom He will save; sends and rewards the Son.
b. The Son is sent to obey, die, rise, receive the blessings and intercede.
c. The Spirit’s work is to apply what Christ did, in answer to His intercession – to
quicken and distribute these blessings.
(i) This doesn’t make Him any less God.
(a) The Son is no less God because He takes a subordinate role and becomes a
servant.
(b) Neither is the Spirit any less because He is sent to apply the blessings.
(c) He is still fully God, worthy of all praise, honor and glory.

(ii) But the point is He does this in a way that puts Jesus at the forefront: “He shall
glorify Me.”
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(iii) He draws our attention to the person and work of Christ.

2. What this means is He will not draw attention to Himself, or to His work unnecessarily,
or to anything or anyone else. “He shall glorify Me.”
a. So much today goes under the guise of being of spiritual – of the Spirit.
(i) So many believe themselves to be spiritual – to be filled and moved by the Spirit
– these so-called great prophets, teachers, faith-healers.
(ii) But the problem is they don’t glorify Christ:
(a) They focus on the work of the Spirit.
(i) Christ did what He did to give us the Spirit, His gifts and blessings.
(ii) They turn the Spirit’s work around in their teaching.

(b) Or they focus on themselves: seeking to glorify themselves.

b. But when they do this – when they glorify themselves – they show they’re not doing
these things by the Spirit, because He was sent to glorify Christ.
(i) Consider what John wrote in our Scripture reading: “Beloved, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many
false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God:
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and
every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the
antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the
world” (1 John 4:1-3).
(ii) In John’s day, there were those who taught the Son of God didn’t become man –
Gnostics – they denied His humanity.
(a) This was a serious error – He had; it was necessary for their salvation; they
were preaching a false Christ.
(b) What was John’s conclusion regarding them? They didn’t have the Spirit of
God, but the spirit of antichrist.
(c) The sign of a false prophet – or one who speaks by a false spirit, not by the
Spirit of God – is that he teaches a false Christ, distorts the truth of God, and
dishonors Christ.
(d) The Spirit wouldn’t do this – “He shall glorify Me.”

(iii) What does this say about those today that detract from Christ’s person and work
in other ways?
(a) Who glorify themselves?
(b) Or their “ability” to speak from God?
(c) Or their ability to “heal”?
(d) Who focus on money, rather than Christ?
(e) Or the charismatic gifts – whether you speak in tongues or can prophesy or
have a word of knowledge?
(f) Or who in the exercise of these “gifts” draw attention to themselves or to the
Spirit, rather than Christ?

(iv) Or closer to home, what does it say about us when we do things to draw
attention to ourselves and not to Christ?
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(v) We can know the Spirit is at work in us when what we do and say draws
attention to Christ: His person, His work, His Word, His will, His kingdom.
(vi) Jesus said, “He will glorify Me.”

B. Second, let’s consider how He glorifies Christ. Jesus says, “He will take of Mine and will
disclose it to you.”
1. What was He talking about “of Mine”?
a. We’re told in the next verse, “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said
that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you” (v. 15).
b. He’s talking about the grace they have provided for us.
(i) The things the Father has provided in His eternal love: “All things that the Father
has are Mine” (v. 15).
(ii) The things Jesus purchased. Jesus calls them “My things.”
(a) What He earned through His obedience and death.
(b) What He received from the Father after His resurrection.
(c) The things the Father placed in His hands.
(d) This is what the Spirit distributes according to His will.

2. These are the things the Spirit would take and reveal to us for our good.
a. The things Jesus purchased in the Covenant of Grace: God’s mercy, grace,
forgiveness, righteousness, acceptance, adoption.
b. These are the things He reveals to us in a powerful way to establish and comfort us.

3. And when He does, He does so in a way that draws our attention to Christ, so that we
see what a great Savior and Redeemer He is, that He might be glorified.
a. When we see a Biblical truth or promise in this way, we can know the Spirit is
working in us His peculiar work to comfort and establish us in Jesus Christ.
b. That’s why Paul tells us in our meditation that “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’
except by the Holy Spirit” and know this to be true from the heart.
(i) Do you know this to be true this morning? Is He your Lord and your Savior?
(ii) Do you know with certainty that He is? Has the Spirit revealed this to you?
(iii) Does your life show that He is by your obedience to His commandments? Jesus
says, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord . . .’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Children is this what your lives show?
(iv) If not, then call on Him now. Look to Him to change your heart. Look to Him
to forgive your sins. Trust in Him to save you.
(v) He is able and willing to receive all who will come to Him in this way.
(vi) If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, if you have a settled confidence that He is, if
this confidence is further grounded in the fact that you are trusting Him alone,
turning from your sins, and living a life of obedience, then you can be comforted
in knowing that the Spirit is the One who brought this comfort savingly to your
soul.
(vii) For that you should thank and praise Him. Amen.

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