Sunday, April 13, 1997 In Your Absence:
In this week's lesson, which came from John 14:15-17, 23-27, we looked on as Jesus started to prepare His disciples for His leaving. Over the five chapters between John 13 and John 17, He had a lot to say to them about the time that He would no longer be with them, and there is an important lesson that we can learn from those discourses. Some people might think that Jesus "lost" His life to His enemies, that He was somehow caught off guard and not able to overcome those who were against Him, but this and the other conversations which He had with His disciples during the final week of His life clearly show that such a belief is not correct. Jesus knew exactly what was about to be in His life. He knew about the cross and all about what laid ahead for Him, yet He was willing to endure those things for us. From time to time, we might become depressed over the events of this life or even think that no one really cares. At those times, we need to remember the cross on which our Lord died and realize that Jesus truly loved us, and still does, enough to die for each of us, one by one. Life has a way of trivializing the individual, but may we never forget that the King of Glory and the God of our Creation gave Himself totally for each of us!
In this week's passage, we saw that Jesus was about to leave His disciples, but we also saw that He was not about to leave them alone. He said that He would be going away but that in His place He would send a Comforter, this Comforter being the Holy Spirit of God and the third Person of the Trinity. When Jesus had existed before His incarnation, He had possessed certain attributes, which we call His comparative attributes. First, He was omniscient, meaning that He knew everything. Second, He was omnipotent, meaning that He had possessed all power. And third, He was omnipresent, meaning that He could be anywhere and everywhere, all at the same time! In Philippians 2:8, however, we read that Jesus, as a man, voluntarily gave up the free use of these attributes, plus He also gave up the glory that He had known before His incarnation. By His going away, though, the Holy Spirit, which also has these same three comparative attributes, could come and indwell each believer. He could be our Helper, Counselor, and Teacher, and He could also make us into powerful witnesses for Christ.
When Jesus told His disciples that "Another" would come after Him, He was literally telling them that "Another One like Him" would be coming. Does the Holy Spirit truly indwell every believer, or is this just some sort of symbolic, religious hogwash? According to Romans 8:9-11, the Holy Spirit of God does truly indwell every believer. Can I understand this indwelling process? No! Can you? Probably not, but that does not mean that we cannot benefit from it. With the Holy Spirit of God living in you, you never have to feel alone. He is your perfect Helper and Comforter! With the Holy Spirit of God living in you, you can open your Bible and have a personal Instructor to lead you through its sometimes complicated, spiritual teachings. He is your perfect Teacher! And with the Holy Spirit of God living in you, you can share with others what God has done and is doing for you. If you let Him, He will turn you into a powerful witness for Christ! The challenges of this life are often difficult, but may the work of our hands and the conversation of our lips always reflect a close, personal walk with our Lord. May we always be faithful to speak to those to whom He has led us, and may we also always be faithful to say those things which He has given us to say. In this coming week, let the Holy Spirit lead you to talk to someone about your faith in Christ. What we have in Him is truly worth sharing!
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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