The Advocate!

Readings for the Day
Jeremiah 16-17, Psalm 96, John 16

Verses for the Day
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Thoughts for the Day
Yesterday, Jesus told the disciples that he was the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through him. This would be their message to the world. Today as Jesus prepares them for His departure he tells them it is good for him to go away for it is for their benefit. I am sure the disciples had a hard time understanding what he meant by this. But Jesus gives the reason for this comment when he states that unless he goes he cannot send them the "Advocate. This was another adjective for the person of the Holy Spirit.

The word for "advocate" in the Greek is the word "parakletos", John's favorite word for the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. It is also translated "comforter" and "counselor". The words means to "come alongside". As Jesus had walked with and came alongside the disciples to show them the Father's love, now the Holy Spirit would be their guide. The Holy Spirit would strengthen and encourage them in their faith, enliven them with God's gifts, and guide them into all truth. Simply put, the disciples would need to rely on the Holy Spirit for everything Jesus had called them to do.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples after he rose from the dead, he breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. With this he told them that if they forgave the sins of any, they were forgiven. If they did not forgive them, they were not forgiven. This can be mis-interpreted, but it meant in the power of the Holy Spirit, they could speak the word of God's forgiveness to those who repented and came to the Lord. This is the same absolution we give in the church today as we confess our sins together.

As believers in Jesus, we too have received the person of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ lives in us. He is our guide and our comforter. Unfortunately in the church we have not taught you enough about the Holy Spirit. As we read through the book of Acts and the letters of Paul, we see the power of the Holy Spirit is the fuel for the mission of the church. In the Old Testament prophecy in the book Zechariah we see the prophet saying, "it is not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord." Zechariah 4:6

I thank God and Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are never alone. We always have what we need to live the life God has called us to. The Holy Spirit guides into the truth and sets us free from our sinful nature. Come Holy Spirit and renew our hearts and send us out in Jesus' name.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more