“But now I am going
to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because
I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I
tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go
away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And
when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and
judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning
righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning
judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16: 5-11).
Jesus
made the ominous declaration about His departure once again. This time He
included a revelation of the hearts of His disciples. They were not sorrowful
about where He was going, but they were hurting only because He was leaving
them. Their self-centered definition of the life of a disciple was shattered.
In the place of close, intimate fellowship with Jesus there would be a painful void
left by His absence. How could this be? Jesus had big plans for these precious
disciples. He would purposely fill the void He purposely created in a marvelous
way. The results would be profound, in a personal way for each diligent
disciple, and in a life-changing way for those in the world around them. You
see, for Christ followers who are willing to lay aside their preconceptions and
become truth-embracing disciples of Christ, His plan is always to our
advantage!
Do you remember
some promises that were made to you by the person who led you to Jesus, or by
the preacher who invited you to receive Christ? These promises set the stage
for your first few weeks and months as a Christ follower by helping you to establish
some expectations about your new life. Perhaps you were looking forward to a
life of peace and joy now that you were part of the Church. Maybe you
anticipated a life of victory and success now that you were a child of the
King. Surely you expected to enjoy the very real presence of Jesus every day as
you spent time in His word, in prayer, and in fellowship with other believers.
But if you’re honest, you must admit that there are many days when you feel
that God is very busy somewhere else and doesn’t even seem aware of your
existence. Be encouraged, all disciples experience moments when God does not
fulfill our limited expectations. In moments like this Jesus wants us to look
to our Father and ask for the special gift of the Holy Spirit… “If you
then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke
11:13). But we must set aside our temporal expectations and ask in faith… “But
let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave
of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must
not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). We must not ask selfishly
for the gift of the Holy Spirit. God will not send Him just to make us feel
better. In fact, Jesus promised that when the Helper comes He will cause a lot
of discomfort in the world around us… “He will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment”. Because the Spirit
lives in our hearts, the convicting work He does in the hearts of others will
be through us… “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). As the
Spirit leads us into and empowers us to live according to God’s truth, our
Spirit-filled lives will convict and compel others to run to Jesus for
forgiveness and salvation… “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts
16:30) or convict and incite them against us because we are His disciples… “When
they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them” (Acts 5:33).
Either way, it is to our advantage because the Spirit helps us to be fully
engaged in the kingdom-building work of God… “You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
As we grow
up into Christ the Spirit empowers us to be part of Christ’s plan, and we
learn…
His Plan is Always to Our
Advantage.
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