Comforting Words

Comments On Lesson #11: The Spirit "Replaces" Jesus

In 2 Kings 20:1 King Hezekiah is ordered by the prophet to “Set thine house in order…” King Hezekiah decides not to follow the order and pleads God for more life. God grants King Hezekiah his wish, and thus begins King Hezekiah downfall. Moses was different. He spends most of the book of Deuteronomy setting his house in order. Moses gave instructions, selected a new leader, assured to the people of Israel God’s love toward them and His faithfulness.
This what Jesus does in these Chapters 13:31 through 16:33. He set His house in order by giving His disciples comforting words. He gave the disciples instructions, announced who would take the position He was leaving, and assured the disciples of God’s love toward them and His faithfulness. Christ was thorough in His work. All pertinent details were covered.
First, Christ gave then instructions on how to live of agape Love. This way of living was foreign to the disciples, and so it is to us. This way of living is part of what Christ came to show us. Christ came to show us how to Love. Which means he came to show us how to be obedient to the law. Love for God and love for our fellow human being is the summary of the law, Christ said. And, by this love “they shall know you that you are my disciples.” Christ told and showed us how to love God is accomplished. This type of love is unconditional, willingly and by choice. This Godly Agape love is the type of love that loves the unlovable, annoying, and those who reject us and hate us. This type of love is the Love that Christ said about, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. However, this type of loving can only be when we abide in Him as He abides in the Father. He is the Vine we are the branches. If we the branches remain in Him, we will Love God above all else, and others like ourselves. We will bear fruits, Spiritual fruits. The Father will prune us, to make sure our fruit is pure and wholesome.
Christ also gave His disciples promises. They would not be forsaken. Christ would be with them until the end. He promised them that where He was going, they also would be, eventually. To make this possible Christ promised to send the disciples a helper or comforter. We know this helper or comforter as the Holy Spirit. It would be to their advantage because, The Holy Spirit can be closer to them and us more than Christ ever would. However, the Spirit’s closeness would be the same as Christ closeness. The Holy Spirit in us is Christ in us. Ellen G. White says:

The Holy Spirit is Christ's representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high. Desire Of Ages p. 669

The Holy Spirit would empower the disciples and believers to do works that according to Christ could be far greater than His. He would give us gifts to do the work. The Spirit would bring conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit will purify and sanctify us. He will enable us to conquer sin. In the words of Ellen G. White:

Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world's Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church. Desire of Ages p. 671

The Spirit will bear His fruit in us. The Spirit will give us new wine hearts or characters in our old wine skin body. The Spirit will prepare us for the final stage of salvation. This is when we will be given new wine skins, for our new wine characters. We will be given new perfect, immortal, incorruptible, glorified bodies.
Finally, Christ promised his disciples and believers eternal life to be spent with Him. In mansions and homes prepared for us by Him, where He went 2000 years ago. This will be our eternal place of live. This is the Bride of Christ. Not the church, but The New Jerusalem filled with those who loved God and not their lives unto the death. These are indeed comforting words. Do you believe them?

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