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THE KING’S BUSINESS
trial (and is preparing us for the fiery trial that may not be very far ahead o f us) by forewarning o f it. All through the book, over and over again, He seeks to prepare us for the persecutions we must surely meet if we are loyal to Him, by forewarn ing us o f them (2 Tim. 3:12). Christians in many heathen lands are having their day o f testing now, and who o f us can tell whose turn it may be next. But we need not fear. It is a glorious privilege to suf fer for and with Jesus. All this hatred, and persecution has its source in the world’s ignorance o f God and Jesus (v. 3J. As Jesus told them again that He was going the disciples were filled with sorrow, but that sorrow was needless as we shall shortly see. Jesus did not tell them o f coming trial while He was with them, but now that He was to be no longer with them in per son they needed to be forewarned in order that they might be forearmed. Monday, August 7. John 16 :7-11. Their sorrow over the departure o f Jesus was altogether needless. It was profitable fo r them fo r Jesus to-got, for another Divine Friend was coming to take His place, a Friend who could be much nearer and more constantly near to them than Jesus could be during the days o f His flesh. How clearly the personality o f the Holy Spirit comes out in all this. Can we conceive o f Jesus saying it was profitable for Him to go if the One who was to come and take His place was only an impersonal influence or power? The word translated “ Comforter” meatis, as we have seen in a previous study, that and far more. It means One called to stand beside another as constant helper, counsellor, guide, friend. The first work o f this^One o f whom Jesus speaks as the coming One, but who now has already come, is to show the world its error about sin, to show the world that the great, deci sive sin is the sin o f not believing in Christ (cf. Acts 2;36, 37; John 3 :18, 19), and that they are guilty o f this sin. It is not our work to convince the world o f sin. I f we try to do it' we shall fail utterly, but there
in their treatment o f our Lord than those who deny His virgin birth and thus cast contempt upon His mother and upon Him. The world’s hatred o f Christ reveals itself both in its doctrines and its conduct, and reveals the awful determination o f the human heart in sin. Yes, the world does hate Christ; that was never more apparent than today. It often, says complimentary things about Him, but it really exults in every attempt to undermine faith in the historic facts about Him. The “liberal preacher” who with subtlety evaporates every fundamental truth, that Jesus taught and questions every distinctive supernat ural fact o f that Divine life, is lauded to the skies. The papers make much o f him and his books, comment favorably upon his brilliant mind, and advanced scholar ship. Why? Because the world at heart hates Christ—and “without cause.” Not only is the world’s hatred without a cause, it is in the face o f every reason o f gratitude and common sense for loving Him. He made the greatest possible sacrifices for us -and yet instead o f repaying Infinite love with love, the world repays it with bitterest hatred. What hope of any victories in a world that so hates our King? At first thought it might seem as if there were none, but there is. Indeed, so far from being no hope there is the very highest hope o f vic tories ; because while the world hates there is One mightier than the world who unceas ingly testifies for Him, the Holy Spirit. So His cause goes on in the face o f the world’s murderous opposition. But while the Spirit testifies we ftiust not depend upon His testimony alone, we must add our testi mony to that o f the Holy Spirit, or rather, we must let the Holy Spirit use us as instru ments for His testimony. Sunday; August 6. John 16:1-6. Here the story o f the world’s hatred of Jesus goes on. The Lord tells how the world will excommunicate and kill the one who is true to Him. How true this proph ecy has proven to be in actual history. But Jesus prepared His disciples for the fiery
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