Why It's Good that Jesus Went Away | John 16:5-15 | Darien Gabriel
Series: Signs & Glory
Title: Why it's good that Jesus went away
Scripture: 📖 John 16:5-15
Bottom Line: It's better that Jesus left his disciples when he did, because His Spirit continues and completes His work in qand through us.
INTRODUCTION
CONTEXT
📖 SERMON OUTLINE
CONCLUSION
NOTES
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
🎥 YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION
MAIN REFERENCES USED
Opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same.
INTRODUCTION
The Coach Who Steps Off the Field”
When Clemson football fans think about Dabo Swinney, they picture a passionate coach who seems everywhere at once — shouting encouragement, correcting mistakes, celebrating victories. But imagine if, before a national championship game, Coach Swinney told his team, “I won’t be on the sidelines today. I’m sending someone in my place — the spirit of what I’ve taught you.”
At first, players would panic. “Coach, we need you!” But what if that coach had spent years embedding his playbook, his mindset, his values into them? When he steps off the field, they finally step up. His spirit fills the team — and they play like him, think like him, and carry his mission forward.
That’s what Jesus is preparing His disciples for in John 16. He’s about to leave — not abandon them, but empower them. His leaving isn’t a setback; it’s a setup for the Spirit to come.
Or
“Chasing Relics of the Presence”
Throughout history, Christians have gone to great lengths to hold on to something physical that connects them to Jesus.
Pilgrims have traveled thousands of miles to see what’s believed to be a fragment of the True Cross, a splinter of the manger, a nail from the crucifixion, or even the Shroud of Turin.
Whether authentic or not, these relics reveal a deep longing: “If I could just be closer to something that touched Jesus, maybe I could feel closer to Him.”
That desire is understandable — who wouldn’t want to see or touch what He touched? But in John 16, Jesus says something astonishing: “It’s for your good that I’m going away.”
Why? Because He would send the Holy Spirit.
We don’t need a relic or a sacred site to be close to Christ. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us. What many travel the world to find, God has already placed within His people.
Bottom Line: It's better that Jesus left his disciples when he did, because His Spirit continues and completes His work in us and through us.
CONTEXT
Jesus continues to prepare his disciples for a mission way bigger than themselves. He's trying to help them shift their eyes from themselves and their personal circumstances to Jesus and his global mission that starts with him and he's passing along to them.
They haven't grasped yet all that the Holy Spirit brings to the table. But they will.
In vv. 4-5, Jesus says, "I have told you THIS, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you THIS from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me." (Emphasis mine)
What is "THIS"?
THIS is him handing off his mission to them to do in the power of the Holy Spirit. THIS is his Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). THIS is us being chosen to bear fruit that will last.
In summary, Jesus says to them:
1. I'm leaving,
2. People will hate you, and
3. You still need to tell them about Me.
But they aren't ready yet. They're consumed with how this will affect them.
SERMON OUTLINE (w/ help from ChatGPT)
Bottom Line: It's better that Jesus left his disciples when he did, because His Spirit continues and completes His work in us and through us.
Why it's good that Jesus went away:
I. The Advantage of Jesus’ Departure - we get another Advicate/Helper/Counselor (vv. 5–7)
• The disciples grieve His leaving, but Jesus says His departure is for their good.
• The Spirit cannot come unless He goes.
• Application: Sometimes what feels like loss is actually God preparing us for more.
Pyramids
"They're like the traveler who visits the pyramids in Egypt, turns his camera around to get a picture of himself in front of this wonder of the world, and when he gets home, he realizes all you can see in the picture is his face. He's completely blocked the focal point. The disciples are so focused on themselves they don't even ask Jesus where he's going." -Matt Carter
II. The Holy Spirit’s Work in the World (vv. 8–11)
• The Spirit convicts the world of three things:
1. Sin – because people don’t believe in Jesus.
2. Righteousness – because Jesus is vindicated as He returns to the Father.
3. Judgment – because the ruler of this world stands condemned.
• Application: The Spirit exposes falsehood, reveals true righteousness, and declares Satan’s defeat.
III. The Holy Spirit’s Work in Believers (vv. 12–15)
• The Spirit guides believers into all truth.
• The Spirit glorifies Jesus — He never points to Himself.
• The Spirit shares what belongs to the Son and the Father with us.
• Application: The Spirit keeps Jesus’ presence and power active in His people today.
Conclusion
Applications in summary:
Sometimes what feels like loss is actually God preparing us for more.
The Spirit exposes falsehood, reveals true righteousness, and declares Satan’s defeat.
The Spirit keeps Jesus’ presence and power active in His people today.
“The Power That Stayed Behind”
Thomas Edison was one of the most creative minds the world has ever seen. People called him the Wizard of Menlo Park because of the way his ideas seemed almost magical. He didn’t just invent things — he changed the way people lived. The light bulb, the phonograph, motion pictures — these weren’t just clever gadgets; they transformed daily life around the world.
But what made Edison truly remarkable wasn’t just his inventions — it was his spirit of relentless creativity. He failed thousands of times, but he never stopped experimenting, learning, and creating. He once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
When Edison died, his lab assistants sealed a test tube containing what they believed was his final breath. They said it was “the breath of genius” — the last of his creative spirit. Of course, they couldn’t really capture what made him great. His creativity, his ideas, his influence — those couldn’t be sealed in glass. They lived on in the world he helped shape and in the people he inspired.
In the same way, when Jesus left this world, He didn’t leave us a relic or a memory. He left us His very breath — the Holy Spirit — the living presence of God Himself. Not sealed away in a museum, but alive in every believer. The same Spirit who empowered Jesus now empowers His people. That’s why it was good that He went away. His life, power, and presence didn’t end — they multiplied.
INVITATION
What about you?
Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:
““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts 2:36-39 NIV
How do we respond? Answer 2 questions:
Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions:
What is God saying to me right now?
What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper.
What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.
[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.
Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don’t have to get too specific to give him praise.
Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.
Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)
Pray
NOTES
SERMON OUTLINE (w/ help from Matt Carter)
"A good mission statement shapes the priorities of a company and provides a great framework for decision making. If an employee understands the big picture--the mission of the organization--it places his small, daily actions in the context of a grander agenda. A clear mission gives purpose to the mundane. As Christians, what is our mission? Our mission revolves around the gospel. We have been chosen by Jesus to bear the fruit of the gospel in our lives and share the message of the gospel with our lips. We are here to continue the mission of Jesus by spreading the message of Jesus." -Matt Carter
At Grace CF,
Our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This purpose never ends. It's why we were created.
Our mission is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and people as we love ourselves. This is the mission of every church. We do this until we go home.
We believe that the key task of our mission is to make disciples who make disciples around the corner and around the world.
Everything we do runs through this filter.
This is consistent with John 15:16 where Jesus tells his disciples, "You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will last."
This is another way of saying our mission as a church.
We express this mission with our lips and our lives.
I. The Disciples' Mission is Bigger Than Themselves (16:4b-6). What is "This" in 4b? In summary, 1. I'm leaving, 2. People will hate you, 3. You still need to tell them about Me.
A. He has not fully revealed his departure. (Death, burial, resurrection) He waited until Judas Iscariot left.
B. He has not fully revealed their mission. The way of the cross. How they will carry out this mission to the nations. This is WAY BIGGER than them! And it will consume their very lives!
C. He has not fully revealed the world's reaction to the Message. That the world hated him and will therefore hate and oppose them as well. They'll bear witness in the face of persecution and rejection.
II. The Disciples' Mission Requires Supernatural Help (16:7-15). It's good that Jesus is leaving. Only then will he send the Holy Spirit. And, in the context, the reason is to empower them (and us) to carry out the mission Jesus started with them.
John highlights two ways the Holy Spirit empowers them to carry out their mission:
A. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin (16:8-11). Of sin (9), righteousness...self-righteousness (10), that is...and judgment. (11)
When I visited Africa, I was invited to eat at the home of one of the local men. We sat in his backyard and ate a dinner of boiled yams and peanuts. At one point one of his daughters brought out a pitcher of water and began to pour us glasses. He stopped her, took my glass, and poured it out on the ground. She was doing her best to be kind to me, but her best wasn't good enough. He knew if I drank that water, I'd get sick. Her gift of water was a polluted offering.
God calls our best efforts to please him "polluted" (Isa 64:6). They're unacceptable. They're tainted by sin and will be poured out as worth-less. No one can come to God based on good works.
"The word translated 'convict' (8) has the goal of convincing a person to turn from his or her sin." -Carter
How does the Holy Spirit convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment? Through his disciples--agents of the Holy Spirit.
In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples to join him in his mission followed by his reminder that the Holy Spirit will bear witness through them.
In John 16, Jesus warns them of the opposition and persecution that they will face that will be so difficult they'll need the power of the Holy Spirit to bear witness in the midst of that.
In summary, "The Spirit convicts the world by empowering the disciples to bear witness about Jesus. The Spirit brings conviction to the world through the message of the disciples." -Carter
Our role is to "faithfully bear witness to Jesus, and the role of the HOly S;Iris is to make that witness spiritually effective." - Carter
Maybe we don't realize that the Spirit's power is in you because we're not busy doing things that only he can accomplish. Things like:
Love people who are like you
Go to church
Go to home group or bible study
Give some money
Maybe try something that requires the Spirit's power like
Love someone antagonistic to the gospel
Be on call 24/7 for a person in need
Meet weekly with a brother or sister to help bear their burdens
Plead with your unbelieving friends or family to repent and believe
Give your hard-earned money when there's not much left
Move your family around the world for the sake of the gospel
We need the Holy Spirit to carry out his mission!
B. The Holy Spirit will guide the disciples into truth (16:12-15). "Jesus describes a mission that will take an entire lifetime and might require them to give their lives. He unfolds a new community unique in the way it lives together." -Carter
They have many questions. Jesus doesn't give them answers.
Jesus gives them a promise. The Holy Spirit will guide them (12-15). That's where their answers will come from.
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth.
He only speaks the truth.
He only speaks what God wants spoken.
He passes the truth on to his disciples on mission with him.
He will guide his disciples with the truth that sets us free.
C. It's good that Jesus is leaving to go to work at his Father's side...
“It’s like a newly elected president saying on election night, ‘This is great — let’s just stay at the party forever.’ His supporters would respond, ‘No, you have to go to Washington — that’s where the real work begins!’ In the same way, Jesus had to go—not to a capital city, but to the right hand of God—so He could send His Spirit to us. His leaving wasn’t the end of His ministry; it was the beginning of ours.”
“All of us, even the most pious Christians among us, are overwhelmingly influenced by the cultural customs and conventions of the societies in which we live. It starts in school, where popularity means “being with it,” that is, being in line with the morality of the society, even if that morality includes things of which God does not approve. That’s what our innate struggle with sin is all about. We listen every day to the voices of the culture around us that tell us what’s politically correct and what isn’t, what is socially acceptable and what isn’t. Then, for a few minutes on Sunday morning, we hear the law of God. We know they don’t match up, but unless or until the Holy Spirit takes the law and pierces our souls with it and convicts us of sin, we don’t really pay attention to it.Real conversion is an experience of repentance and forgiveness before God. It is not merely praying a prayer, joining a Christian church, or receiving a sacrament. It is being brought to our knees by the conviction of God the Holy Spirit. The Spirit then convinces us of what true righteousness is and shows us we[…]”
Excerpt From
John - An Expositional Commentary
R.C. Sproul
This material may be protected by copyright.
“Just imagine if he were to say: “Hey, this is great. Let’s stay here. This celebration is so much fun, I don’t think I’ll ever go to Washington.” The candidate’s supporters would be sure to say: “Oh, yes, you will. That’s why we elected you. We want you in Washington to work for us.”Jesus was going to a much more important place than Washington. He was going to the right hand of God. It was far better for Him to go there than to stay in Jerusalem. There He would be in a position of power, and one of His first acts would be to send the Holy Spirit to minister to the disciples.” -RC Sproul
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What do I want them to know?
Why do I want them to know it?
What do I want them to do?
Why do I want them to do it?
How do they do this?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/
Read the passage together.
Retell the story in your own words.
Discovery the story
What does this story tell me about God?
What does this story tell me about people?
If this is really true, what should I do?
What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)
What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)
Who am I going to tell about this?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Alternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:
Who is God?
What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?
Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)
What do I do? (In light of who I am)
How do I do it?
Final Questions (Write this down)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
🎥 YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent Hughes
Exalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg
The Gospels & Epistles of John, FF Bruce
John, RC Sproul
John, Köstenberger
The Gospel According to John, DA Carson
Let's Study John, Mark Johnston
The Light Has Come, Leslie Newbigin (TLHC)
The Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner (TVW)
“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee (TTB)
Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/
Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org
The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com
Nicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersion
ChatGPT AI