THE KING’ S BUSINESS
751
when the Spirit teaches us. On the day o f Pentecost when the promise here made was first fulfilled, all that Peter had to say was about Jesus (Acts 2:14-26). Wednesday, August p. • John 16:15-24. The statement with which this passage begins is o f tremendous importance. It is a stupendous statement. Our Lord does not hesitate to say that absolutely everything the Father has is His. It is one o f the very many remarkable statements o f our Lord a s .recorded in the gospel o f John and in other books, that clearly show His con sciousness o f absolute Deity. Again Jesus announces to them that His stay with them ‘is to be very brief,, that in “a little while” He was to disappear from their sight. But that separation was to be very brief; in another “little while” they would see Him again. The disciples were greatly mysti fied. Though they did not tell their bewil derment to the Saviour, He read their hearts and answered the unasked question. He told them that a day o f midnight dark ness was coming for them, a day o f such deep sorrow that they would “weep and lament,” but the world would rejoice. But a little while (three short days in fact) and they would see Him again and despair would give place to jubilant joy. Their sorrow was to be bitter but brief, their joy was to be abounding and eternal. This joy would center in the return'of Jesus'to them, and all the believer’s joy centers in the comings o f Christ: His first coming as an atoning Saviour, His coming back from the grave in resurrection—the Risen One, and His coming as the Ascended One in the Spirit (John 14:18-23), and His com ing again as our returning Lord (Acts 1:11; John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17). In this present day when He has come in res- urrection and ascension power, it is our privilege to pray to the Father and He will give us, in Jesus name, anything we ask (v, 23, R. V.J. Fullness o f joy comes through praying in Jesus’ name (v. 24). The reason why the Average believer has so little o f this fullness o f joy is because
he prays so little in the name o f Jesus. Thursday, August 10. John 16:25-28. Many things which Jesus had spoken to His disciples up to this time were enigmat ical. It was necessary that they be so. But He tells them that the hour will come (and the hour has now already come) when He would no more speak to them in dark say ings (A . R. V .), but would tell, them plainly o f the Father. Now that that day has come, the believer in Jesus has direct access to God the Father \in the name of Jesus. In a sense he does not need the intercession o f Jesus in his behalf, because o f the direct access he has in Jesus’ name. O f course, as we learn ,very clearly from other Scripture, Jesus does intercede for us, and this is one o f the sure grounds o f our security (Heb. 7:25; Rom. - 8 : 34 ; 1 John 2:1 ), but we do not need this inter cession o f Jesus in our behalf in order to incline the Father to listen fa us, for the Father Himself loveth us (vs. 26, 27). Note very carefully who it is that the Father loves and why He loves us.- He' loves those who love Jesus and who believe Jesus came forth from the Father (v. 27). It is true God loves all men (John 3:16), but He has an altogether peculiar love for those who love Jesus Christ, His Son, and who believe that Jesus came forth from the Father, and it is because we love Jesus and believe that He came forth from the Father that the Father loves us with this peculiar love. Friday, August 11. John i6:2g~33. The disciples make a new profession o f their faith in Jesus. What they declare they believe about Him is very definite, viz., that He came forth from God. This, o f course, involves belief in His pre-exist ence, a belief that He was with God before coming into this world. When they had made their profession o f faith in Him, Jesus ^turned to them very wistfully and said, “Do ye now believe?” They thought they did, but did they really? Oh! how Jesus longs for the fullness o f pur faith in Himself. Then He went on to tell them
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker