John 16:1-4 "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you." Jesus used the same word stumble which he used in the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13. Persecution arises for the gospel or the word of righteousness apart from our works. This persecution is meant to cause us to stumble or fall away from the gospel back to an Old Testament mindset of Law and condemnation. This is not losing our salvation. It is falling away from grace back to Law.
John 16:5-11 "But now I go away 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 depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment; of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." How will the Holy Spirit convict or convince the world of these things? These are all elements of the gospel; it is the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will be able to convict or convince the world of these things as we preach the gospel to them. Their sin is their attempts at self-righteousness instead of believing in Jesus. We then declare that Jesus has provided His free gift of righteousness, because He paid for our sins and went to be with the Father. We declare that the ruler of this world, Satan, has been judged. Satan's power of condemnation is broken. Our sins were punished in Jesus. Righteousness and healing are ours as a free gift.
John 16:12-16 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; For He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father." The disciples were not yet born again, therefore they did not have the Holy Spirit living within them. They were not yet able to receive everything that Jesus wanted to tell them. After Jesus paid for our sins and arose from the dead, the Holy Spirit now dwells in us when we ask Jesus into our hearts. As we listen to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, He will reveal Christ in us.
Keith Oliver
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