Jesus unveiled His return (1) (John 16:1-15) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Jesus unveiled His return (1) (John 16:1-15)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; pastoral ministry & counseling

 

 Jesus unveiled His return - Concerning the Holy Spirit (16:7-33)

 Scriptures reading 

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John16:7). When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.

 In regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (John16:7-11)

 I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. (v.12) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (v,13) He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. (John16:14-15)

        

 

Verse 2 In this gospel religion is revealed as the enemy of life. In the Gospels, Judaism opposed and persecuted the Lord Jesus. In the Acts it continued by opposing and persecuting the apostles and the disciples (Acts 4:1-3;5:17-18,40; 6:11-14;7:57-59; 26:9-12). In subsequent history the Catholic Church persecuted the Lord’s followers. All organized religions, of whatever kind, persecute those who seek the Lord in life.All these religions consider their persecuting of the Lord’s seekers a service offered to God.

Vesse 7 This “going” was ultimately fulfilled by His ascension in 20:17

Verse 8 to convict means to convince, to condemn, to cause people to rebuke themselves. Sin entered through Adam (Rom.5:12), righteousness is the resurrected Christ (v.10; 1 Cor.1:30), and judgment is for Satan (v.11), who is the author and source of sin (8:44). In Adam we were born of sin. The only way to be freed from sin is to believe into Christ, the Son of God (v.9). If we believe into Him, He is righteousness to us, and we are justified in Him (Rom.3:24;4:25). If we do not repent of the sin that is in Adam and believe into Christ, the Son of God, we will remain in sin and share the judgment of Satan for eternity (Matt.25:41). There are the main points of the gospel. The Spirit uses these points to convict the world.

Verse 13 the work of the Spirit is, first, to convict the world. Second, as the Spirit of truth He guides the believers into all the reality; that is, He makes all that the Son is and has real to the believers. All that the Father is and has is embodied in the Son (Col.2:9), and all that the Son is and has is declared as reality to the believers through the Spirit (vv.14-15). This declaring is the glorifying of the Son with the Father. Hence, it is a matter of the Triune God being wrought into and mingled with the believers. Third, the Spirit declares the things that are to come, which are revealed mainly in Revelation (Rev.1:1,19). The three aspects of the Spirit’s work correspond with the three sections of John’s writings: his Gospel, his Epistles, and his Revelation.

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.