Sunday, April 20, 1997 In Your Absence:
In my line of work, I have often been required to take business trips. On such occasions, I have always tried to sit aside some time before leaving to tell my wife those things that she would probably need to know while I am away. In this week's lesson from John 16:5-15, we saw Jesus do something very similar to this with His disciples. In our current study of the Holy Spirit and in this specific lesson which centers around the last week of His life, we saw that Jesus wanted to teach His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He wanted them to know that the Holy Spirit would come to represent Him while He is away, He wanted them to know that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, and He wanted them to know that the Holy Spirit would guide them and all other believers through the various situations of this life.
Some theologians have looked at these verses and tried to argue that God the Father was manifested in the Old Testament, that God the Son (Jesus) was manifested in the New Testament, and that God the Holy Spirit is being manifested in the Church Age. These people, by presenting this argument, have suggested that God can only reveal Himself in one way at a time. But this belief is not biblically correct !!! God exists as One God, but He exists in three separate, distinct Persons. According to Genesis 1:26, each of the Three were at Creation, and according to Matthew 3:16-17, all Three were present when Jesus was baptized. The Holy Spirit represents Jesus while He is away, but He is not simply Jesus in another form! An important conclusion of this week's lesson is that the Holy Spirit is Christ-centered. Thus, as we learn to follow His leading, we, too, will learn to become more Christ-centered.
The Holy Spirit is Christ's Representative while He is away. One of His jobs is to convict the world of sin. He uses the cross and the resurrection of Christ like a prosecuting attorney to convince the world of its guilt. In the light of God's holiness, we all come up short and are lacking (see Romans 3:23). Yet, sad to say, most of us still try to defend ourselves against the condemning Finger of the Holy Spirit. The truth is that we do not have a valid defense. If we are going to have forgiveness for our sins and if we are going to have a right relationship with our Lord, then we must fall down before Him with an attitude of humility and worship, and we must accept His finished work on the cross. It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us to turn from ourselves and to turn to the Lord. It is the Holy Spirit Who indwells us and gives us comfort and assurance about our salvation. And it is the Holy Spirit Who leads us through the various events of this life. He is our heavenly source of power, and He is our heavenly teacher. He reveals to us and the world that Jesus is the Christ. Therefore, as you go through this week, make it your goal to follow His leading and be sure to tell others what the Lord has done for you. Thank you for your attention, and I hope to see you in class soon.
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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