GLORIFIED !
After Jesus was resurrected, he needed to be Glorified (in heaven) and receive God’s Spirit in full measure before he was able to send the Spirit to His disciples. That is why he had to go away first, before the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, Christ’s Spirit, the Spirit of Christ could come. The Father would send the Spirit, in Christ’s name. Pay particular attention to the Spirit of Prophecy quotes after reading these scriptures. This of course if not what your Pastor is sharing because it goes against the General Conference’s mystery Comforter that is someone else. A doctrine introduced in full measure in 1980.
John 7:39 - "But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified."
John 11:4 - "When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."
John 12:16, 23, 28 - v16 "These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. ... v23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. ... v28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."
John 13:31-32 - v31 "Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. v32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him."
John 14:13 - "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Acts 3:13 - "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go."
1 Peter 1:21 - "Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."
2 Peter 1:16-17 - "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. v17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
2 Thessalonians 1:10, 12 - v10 "When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day.
v12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
John 17:1-5 - v1 "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: v2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. v3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. v4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. v5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
1 Timothy 3:16 - "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
Many translations for 1 Timothy 3:16 read "He was manifested in the flesh," as in Jesus. Because it was Jesus who was also justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed in the world and received up into Glory.
THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS NOT YET FULLY MANIFESTED; FOR CHRIST HAD NOT YET BEEN GLORIFIED!
"And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." The Holy Spirit was not yet fully manifested; for Christ had not yet been glorified. The more abundant impartation of the Spirit did not take place till after Christ's ascension. Not until this was received could the disciples fulfill the commission to preach the gospel to the world. But the Spirit was now given for a special purpose. Before the disciples could fulfill their official duties in connection with the church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them. He was committing to them a most sacred trust, and He desired to impress them with the fact that without the Holy Spirit this work could not be accomplished. The Holy Spirit is the breath of spiritual life in the soul. The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. It imbues the receiver with the attributes of Christ. Only those who are thus taught of God, those who possess the inward working of the Spirit, and in whose life the Christ-life is manifested, are to stand as representative men, to minister in behalf of the church.” – Ellen White, Desire of Ages, page 805
“The reason why the churches are weak and sickly and ready to die is that the enemy has brought influences of a discouraging nature to bear upon trembling souls. He has sought to shut Jesus from their view as the Comforter.” — Ellen White, Review and Herald, August 26, 1890
It is very sad that Sister White had to write such a thing. Just think what the opposite of this quote would be. 'The churches are strong and healthy because they have and believe in Jesus as their Comforter, not someone else.'
“That Christ should manifest Himself to them, and yet be invisible to the world, was a mystery to the disciples. They could not understand the words of Christ in their spiritual sense. They were thinking of the outward, visible manifestation. They could not take in the fact that they could have the presence of Christ with them, and yet He be unseen by the world. They did not understand the meaning of a spiritual manifestation.” - Ellen White, The Southern Review, Sept. 13, 1898 par. 2; Manuscript 44, May 13, 1897, par. 3
Because of the sad state of our spiritual condition, the above quote could be directly told to the Adventist church today. And if so, it would read more like this:
'That Christ could manifest Himself to the Seventh-Day Adventists and be invisible to the world, was a mystery to the Adventists. They could not understand the words of Christ in their spiritual sense. Instead they liked fables and had itchy ears that turned to their scholars and theologians. They were told to think of the visible outward manifestation of Christ in the flesh and stop thinking beyond that. They could not take in the fact that they could have the presence of Christ, personally with them through His Spirit, and yet be unseen by the world. They did not understand the meaning of a spiritual manifestation.' - Author's explanation of Sister White's original Southern Review quote.
John 14:22 - “Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” (English Standard version)
The disciples were asking Jesus "How" he was going to come unto them, in Spirit form, not "Who." Unfortunately today, the SDA denomination is taught that the Comforter is someone else.