Dear Student of the Word,
Greetings from cloudy England! I have had a great visit so far, having spoken six time - reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I have been doing a lot of writing while here, working on this week's attached and working on school papers. I feel at times like I am more productive while on the road simply because there are less distractions: I sit in my hotel and write.
At any rate, this week we proceed into Jesus' words in John 16, where He spent a great deal of time comforting the disciples concerning His imminent departure. Their relationship would change for the better once He had left, for the Spirit would come to lead, teach and guide. Yet it was not easy for the men to grasp that at that point. So this week I wrote on day three of this seven-day study:
16:12 – Jesus was full of things He wanted to say as
He prepared to depart. Yet He knew
that the men were not ready to receive it all. Jesus knew the hearts and condition of those who followed
Him. I want the same kind of
sensitivity. I know I have shared
too much with some who were not ready to hear what I had to say. I was not sensitive to their situation
or their ability to accept and comprehend the truth, or at least the truth as I
saw it. Help me, Lord, to be a
good shepherd like Jesus was and is.
v. 13 – Jesus did not have to share it all, for the
Spirit was coming who lead and guide them into all truth. We see the Spirit
working and moving in the book of Acts, as these same men came to realize more
fully their purpose and the work God had called them to do. What’s more, the Spirit gave them the
power to do it all.
Jesus promised that the Spirit was coming to continue the work and teaching that He had introduced. This Spirit
was coming from God and was God, or else He could not have done what Jesus
promised He would do. The Sprit
would not speak on His own initiative, but would share what Jesus said
according to the Father’s purpose.
v. 14 – Jesus came to glorify the Father, the Spirit
would glorify Jesus the Son. And
the Father would glorify them both.
The Spirit is a teaching Spirit, for He takes what belongs to Jesus and
shares it with Jesus’ followers.
Therefore the Spirit must know who those followers are, another
indication that He is the Lord God Himself. He knows all things and teaches all things. I know I have never seen such biblical
evidence for the reality of the unity in the Godhead as I have in this study of
John. Can you see it too?
v. 15 – So the Spirit will take what belongs to Jesus
and share it with the disciples, but all that Jesus has came from the
Father. Do you see how
interconnected they are? How they
take from one another, glorify one another and are unified in their work and
purpose, even though their roles vary? I have seen more on this subject than I
ever have and I am grateful for what God is showing me. These studies over the last eight years
have changed my life. I know they
have changed others as well, for they have told me so.
v. 16 – Jesus told them a bit of a riddle, that they would not see him and then see Him again. We look back and know that Jesus was referring to His death and subsequent resurrection. The disciples did not understand and could not even comprehend it fully when He did come back to life. That is what Holy Spirit came to do: Provide the witness and conviction that Jesus was and is alive.
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.
Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.
Download John Study 24
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1. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE: I will be in Kenya next week and have set a time to visit the orphans and those overseeing The Sophia Fund when I am there. I am excited and grateful that the fund continues to grow. You can read my latest report on The Sophia Fund here (written about three weeks ago). You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother).
Now that the Revelation Project is complete, please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.
2. DAILY PROVERB: I am now posting a short daily devotional focusing on one verse every day on my blog site. If you would like to read it or subscribe to receive it, just go to my site and register there. I promise to have it updated every day.
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