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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conference, Conference With the Disciples, Part XXIV, John 14:16,17 - Lesson 132
Read Verses John 14:14,15 for review: If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
When Jesus pray to the Father, the Father always hears because Jesus Christ always prays within the confines of the Word of God because he is the Word of God.
He always prays within the Father's will and therefore the Father always hears Jesus Christ.
He confidently says that he shall pray and the Father shall give.
There is no question that the Father will respond to the request of his son.
He is going to the Father and he will not leave the disciples comfortless.
He desires that the Father give them an intercessor, a consoler, an advocate, a parakletos, par‑ak'‑lay‑tos in the Greek.
He uses the word 'another' indicating that up to this point he has filled the role of comforter in the lives of the disciples.
He implies that they need another helper and he intends to provide that helper.
He will not stop being their helper but he will be their helper on High.
He will be their helper in heaven before the throne of God, and this new comforter will stand beside them on Earth.
Jesus Christ equips his own.
Ask in my name.
Keep my commandments.
I will give you another helper.
Up to now I have been your comforter.
I have ministered to you from without.
But the comforter I send will minister from within.
He will be strong and stand alongside of you and he shall abide with you forever.
I go to my Father but he shall abide with you forever.
John 14:17, Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
This other comforter is Spirit.
It is the Spirit of truth.
I am truth so it is my Spirit, Jesus says.
Do not expect someone visible like me.
The world only receives that which it sees, hears, touches, and tastes.
To the world, seeing, hearing, touching and tasting is believing.
The world only responds to the visible.
The world is faithless!
It cannot receive the Spirit of truth.
Only those who are born of the Spirit can discern the Spirit.
1 Cor 2:14, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The natural man is sensual.
The natural man responds to the senses.
The spiritual man responds to the Spirit.
So the Lord continues to equip the disciples for service in the cause of Christ.
He does not leave the disciples to their senses like the natural man.
They are to be led of the Spirit of Truth!
The Spirit of Truth will lead them into all truth.
The Spirit of Truth's office to bring home truth to the hearts of men.
But the world follows only the spirit of error.
Those who are comforted by the Spirit of Truth not only know the Spirit of Truth but they also know the spirit of error and because of this they have discernment.
John records under the inspiration of the Spirit of Truth, 1 John 4:6: We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
We ought not be surprised at the error that the lost follow.
We are amazed what the worldling does as he follows error, are we not?
But we should not be amazed at this if we believe the word of God.
We expect too much from the lost.
We forget that the lost are walking in darkness as they follow the spirit of error.
How can we expect anything spiritual from those who walk in the spirit of error?
How can they not believe error? They walk in it's spirit.
A Christian's comforter is the Spirit of Truth but the natural man's comforter is the spirit of error!
Natural men are comfortable in error.
They seek error, not truth.
Their whole lives are built around error and they like it that way.
Their boat of life floats totally upon error!
The spirit of error leads them to believe that they are OK.
It leads them to believe that their ancestors crawled out of the mud and they have no accountability to their Creator.
It leads them to believe that man is in charge and they have only to worship man.
It leads them to believe that they only go around once in life and they need to grab all the gusto they can get their hands on.
It leads them to believe that the outward is important and what is in the heart is not relevant.
It leads them to believe that education will redeem man and is the answer to all the ills of man!
We ought not be surprised where the spirit of error leads its victims! |