Jesus states in John 15:26,27, “When the counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father- the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father- He will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” John 16:5, “Now I am going to Him who sent me.” There was one more step Jesus had to take in order to finish the work of redemption and return to the Father; the CROSS. The cross was not avoidable, it was ordained. Acts 2:23,24 reads, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” As we continue with scripture we will understand the spiritual condition of the disciples before the cross and then by revealed knowledge appreciate the vital purpose of the Holy Spirit after the cross.
Let’s read so that the Holy Spirit can illuminate our understanding and be transformed by the power of God’s word. John 16:12-15 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear. But when He the Spirit of Truth comes He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what He hears and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine that is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” Wow! What a statement of Truth. Our Lord is saying that we can know all that belongs to Him. Is it possible our Lord would tease us? Do you think Jesus would say this to tempt us? No, never! Our heavenly Father loves us. John 14:21 reads, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them He is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and show myself to him.” I John 3:1 reads, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” That is who we are.
I have met many Christians who are not seeking the things that have been freely given to us by the Father through Christ Jesus. I Corinthians 2:12 says, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” It pains me to say there are Christians looking to the things of this world to build their lives. I Corinthians 3:13 reads, “His work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”
Jesus said the Holy Spirit will take from what is His and make it known to us. John 17:22 reads, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.” According to this the first thing our Lord reveals is that He has given us His glory. What our Lord has given us is all that He has and all that He is. The second part of verse 22 gives us the purpose of his glory, “That they may be one as we are one.” What a magnificent revelation. Here’s where we see the great significance in our Lord’s crucifixion, resurrection and exaltation. It is not possible to read this and not be moved to bow our heads and ask God to forgive us for allowing the enemy to deceive us into thinking that the world’s goods somehow are included in the glory of Christ. We need to be united to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit more than ever because of the world’s influence on Christianity. This Unity in the Spirit cannot in anyway be produced by human wisdom, intelligence, force or strength. It is supernatural and it flows out from God. Romans 11:36 reads, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Him be the Glory forever Amen!!”
The Lord has given us this inexhaustible revelation of ’Unity in the Spirit’ to deliver to the church. Once we, as Sons of God, know our place in the Kingdom of God, the Spirit of Truth will reveal to us how we will live in a world full of hate. To qualify this our Lord makes a request to the Father in John 17:24, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory the glory you have given me because you have loved me before the creation of the world.” The answer to that request is in Ephesians 2:6, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the Heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Not only does the Holy Spirit reveal to us our place, but our destiny as mentioned in Romans 8:17, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” The last part of this scripture gives us a little insight to the process we must all go through.
John 14:27, “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” We are learning what we have received and who we are in Christ. Jesus demonstrated this peace as He walked through this world in total control of the spirit of death and darkness. This peace is the result of knowing that God is in control of everything in His creation. All who receive Him according to John 15:9-13 receive what comes with Him, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Fathers commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.” Is it not amazing how our Lord is revealing all this just as He said the Spirit of Truth would do? Consider this, Jesus is talking to His disciples knowing He is about to lay down His life, resurrect and ascend to the Father. Contrast Jesus’ stance to his disciples. Peter denied our Lord three times after He was arrested according to John 18:17,25,27. Thomas says in John 20:25, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” Another passage in Mark 16:1 reads, “When the Passover was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome brought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.” Now if they had believed what Jesus had told them that on the third day He would resurrect, I ask you what were they dong? Did these disciples of Jesus really believe? The point I want to make is that there are two types of knowledge; one is mere head knowledge which will not help us when the trials come and the other is revelation by the Holy Spirit. Selah!!
The Apostle Paul, by the Holy Spirit, wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:2,5,7,9,10, (2) “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (5) So that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (7) No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. (9) However, as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him, (10) But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.” Amazing isn’t it, that we have received the Spirit of the Son according to Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts….” We have been given the spiritual ability, right and privilege to know the deep things of God. If we have received the Spirit of the Son, we have received the faith of the Son like it says in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by the faith of the son of God.” (KJ)
I believe it’s time we stop looking to man, to be delivered from all the chaos in this world and see that we have already been delivered in Christ Jesus. It is time we ask God to remove the cataracts of religious traditions and remove the hidden idols in our hearts by a revelation of Jesus Christ. One final word in Colossians 3:1, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”
To make our standing
The result of conduct
Instead of conduct
The result of our standing
Is a grievous error.
(Author unknown)
John Casarez
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