Reign as Kings

"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." - John 16:7

It's interesting that Jesus said the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) "will not" come to us until after Jesus returned to the right hand of the Father. Jesus didn't say the Holy Spirit "could not" - He said the Holy Spirit "will not". So, why not? Why did the Holy Spirit want to wait until after Jesus returned to the Father's side?

I think we can shed light on this question by understanding how Jesus reveals the Father to us, and how the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us. We can only know the Father through the Son, and we can only know the Son through the Spirit.

So, if we know that the Holy Spirit reveals the Son to us and forms us into His image, why was it better for the Spirit to wait until after the Son returned to the throne?
I believe it's because "as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Not as Jesus was, but as He is. The Holy Spirit is a real-time link to the heart & mind of Jesus. That's what makes the relationship possible.

See, the Spirit doesn't want to make us into how Jesus was as a suffering servant on earth - that's not who He is anymore. The Spirit wants to make us into how Jesus is now - King and Priest with all authority. Jesus is now "seated in heavenly places" (Eph. 2:6) as our king and high priest. That's why Jesus said, "It is good for you that I am going away." That's also why the apostle Paul calls us a "royal priesthood" - because just as Jesus is (right now), so are we in this world. Jesus is a royal priest to us, and we are royal priests to the world. As He is, so are we.

We are no longer the suffering servants we read about in the Old Testament. Our model isn't even the suffering Jesus of the New Testament. After all, the whole point of Him suffering was our redemption - not more suffering. We may endure persecution (in fact Jesus said we would), but suffering for sin, bondage, emotional pain and sickness was paid for on the cross of Calvary for all time. Our model is now the victorious Jesus - the glorified Jesus. We are sons & daughters who "reign as kings" in this world (Romans 5:17). 

Sometimes I think we get stuck in Old Testament ways of thinking of ourselves and we chalk it up to humility. But that is not humility.

Humility isn't denying who we are, it is serving others because of who we are. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to demonstrate this. Real kings don't lord it over others, they serve others. We must not let the poor kings & presidents of the world taint our understanding of what true leadership is.

Humility, like faith, is about believing God and acting on it. God says we are: 

Kings (Rom. 5:17; 1 Pet. 2:9)
Priests (1 Pet. 2:9)
Sons & Daughters (Gal. 3:26)
Ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20)
Ministers of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18)
The fragrance of God (2 Cor. 2:15)
New Creations (2 Cor. 5:17)
Seated with Christ on the throne (Eph. 2:6)
Miracle workers (Mark 16:17-18)
Keepers of the Kingdom (Matt. 16:19)
Soldiers for Christ (Eph. 6:14)

See, our Advocate the Holy Spirit wanted to wait. He wanted to wait until the crown was placed on the head of King Jesus. He wanted to wait, to make us like the resurrected & glorified Lion of the present, not the suffering Lamb of the past. His work is now complete. It is finished. Now as He is, so are we in this world.