Author: Jeff Englund

…and he will tell you what is yet to come.

One of the advantages of gently strolling through the garden of John’s words is the ability to stop and examine a flower like today’s passage. Jesus is telling the disciples that they will receive a special spirit from God, the Spirit of truth. This Spirit, Jesus says, will guide his followers into all the truth. He also assures us that the Spirit of truth does not add to or take away from God’s word.

Besides to all this, the Spirit of truth will “tell you what is yet to come.” What do you suppose that means? Is this an inside track to the horse races? Is this a sure-fire way to beat the stock market? No?? Then what?

As with the proofs about sin, righteousness, and judgment, the Spirit of truth is not interested in worldly concerns or desires. He desires only what God desires. He speaks only what he hears from God. “What is to come” could refer to a lot of things, but one thing they would all have in common is that they are spiritual matters not worldly.

Food for thought: What kinds of “things to come” do you want to hear from the Spirit?

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Continue reading “Flower Power – John 16: 13c”

He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears…

Jesus is giving last-minute instructions to his disciples. There is more that he wants to share with them than he has time for or they can bear. Instead, he will send them a helper he calls the Spirit of truth.

This Spirit of truth is not a random spirit or a rogue spirit but is a very special spirit. Jesus describes how this spirit works by saying “he will not speak on his own.” This spirit does not invent things to say or speak off the cuff. So what does he say?

Jesus gives us the answer to that question in the next verse. For today’s meditation, we look at how this Spirit of truth is obedient to the truth. He will speak only what he hears.

Would Jesus send a spirit that misleads? Would a spirit sent by Jesus have to guess at what should be said? No, this spirit is given a message for you. Especially for you. You can be sure that it does not have to guess at what to say. From God’s lips to your ears, the Spirit of truth speaks only what it hears.

Continue reading “From God’s Lips to Your Ears – John 16: 13b”

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

Do you ever wonder if there is a “truth” that everyone can agree on? God’s view is that it doesn’t matter what you or I think is true if it doesn’t agree with what He knows to be true.

God is in a unique position. He created the universe and everything in it. That alone is pretty amazing. He set into work the original atoms which are the same today as they were when they were created. He laid the foundations of existence by putting in place the laws of physics that hold the universe together. The universe is incredibly complicated yet uniquely simple in how it operates.

From God’s point of view, there is no question about how things work. He knows. From His point of view, there is no question about how things are supposed to function. He made us to be a certain way. We can claim that reality and truth are what we want them to be, but in the end, God’s truth is the one that remains.

Since the world allows for all kinds of truth claims, it is confusing sorting out what is true from what is not true. What a blessing that God offers us His Spirit of truth. How awesome that we have a personal guide to lead us through the jungle and show us what our Creator intended.

With the Holy Spirit as our guide, life is no longer a confusing jungle but rather an exciting adventure of discovery. The Spirit leads us from truth to truth, opening our minds to understanding and our hearts to the love of our Creator.

Continue reading “Guide – John 16: 13a”

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.

Jesus’ last night on earth is a mixed bag. On the one hand, he is able to celebrate Passover with his disciples. On the other…

On the other hand, he is going to have to prepare them for his departure and for the time between his death and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Then he is going to be up all night asking his Father if there is some other way. After that, in the waning hours of the night, he will be confronted by the traitor, Judas, and the cadre of militia that accompany him to take Jesus into custody. Allowing himself to be led away Jesus is hauled before the High Priest and his mock trial begins. He will find no rest until he gives up his spirit on the cross.

Continue reading “How much can you bear? – John 16: 12”

…and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

So far the Spirit has proven the world wrong about sin and righteousness. God defines what is sin, not the world. Righteousness is a matter of what comes out of the heart and not the things one does to mask what is in the heart.

Now the Spirit takes on the world about their definition of judgment. How does He prove the world wrong here?

Continue reading “Judgment – John 16: 11”

… about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer …

The world doesn’t understand sin because it doesn’t know God. To the world, “sin” is anything that the world doesn’t like, not what God doesn’t like. Today we look at righteousness. How does Jesus going to the Father prove the world wrong about righteousness?

In Jesus’ day, the concept of righteousness was closely tied to the Mosaic laws. Outward obedience to the laws meant that you were being righteous. Jesus was hated by the Jewish leaders. He cared more about inward righteousness than he did the outward righteousness practiced by the Jews.

Jesus proves them wrong about righteousness because he will be with God the Father while those who were “righteous” on the outside but unrighteous inside are not. The Holy Spirit attests to this truth.

Food for thought: If someone doesn’t believe a proof, does that mean the proof is not a proof?

…about sin, because people do not believe in me…

Sin is the first of the three proofs that the Holy Spirit provides to those who accept Him. In yesterdays’ post, “Proof,” we looked at the nature of proof and who accepts it. In this case, Jesus refers to the evidence given to those who accept the testimony of the Holy Spirit. This testimony is itself, the proof that Jesus spoke about.

In today’s verse, the question is about sin. How does the fact that people do not believe in Jesus prove them wrong about sin? This begs the question, what does the world believe about sin that is wrong?

Have you ever heard anyone say that people are “basically good?” Does the Spirit confirm this or prove it wrong?

How about the idea that we can be “good enough?” Does the Spirit confirm that or prove it wrong?

Is being “basically good” going to be “good enough” when we meet our Maker? If we ignore our sin will God also ignore it? Will people who believe in themselves rather than Jesus be able to convince God that they are really okay?

Food for thought: If the world can ignore sin and ignore Jesus, what else is the world capable of?

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Continue reading “About Sin – John 16: 9”

When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment…

In this statement, Jesus points to three very important concepts: sin, righteousness, and judgment. Over the next three days, we will look at each one so today let us look at the overarching theme. The Holy Spirit will “prove the world to be in the wrong…”

How do you prove something? Who is convinced by your proof? People argue all the time hoping to prove they are in the right. As much as people argue it seems to me that they are mostly just making noise. Proof is only as good as it seems to the mind of the person you are trying to convince.

How then does the Spirit prove the world to be wrong?

Continue reading “Proof – John 16: 8”

Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Jesus is offering the disciples reassurance that they will not be left alone. What a glorious reality! Two thousand years later we enjoy the same assurance from Jesus that he gave to his disciples: “I will send him to you.”

Jesus calls the Holy Spirit, “Advocate” in this translation. His name is also translated “Comforter” or “Intercessor.” We can read the book of Acts to learn more about this amazing aspect of God. Right now, Jesus is referring to something the disciples do not understand.

Isn’t it wonderful to realize that the Advocate that comes to us now, this year, this day, is the same Advocate that Jesus was telling his disciples about?

Food for thought: How does having the Advocate affect your life?

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Continue reading “Comfort – John 16: 7b”

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away.

“This will only hurt a little.”

Ever hear that when you were a kid? Or how about, ”This will hurt me more than it hurts you.”

When we are little we do not understand the importance of vaccinations or medication. When I was in fourth grade there was a flood. Hundreds of homes were affected and ours was one of them. It was Christmastime. I remember spending that Christmas in a hotel while all our belongings were in a house that was slowly filling with water.

After the floodwaters had crested, I remember visiting our house with my parents. I had my rubber boots on and by the time I was done exploring they were full of water. Once I fell into a submerged window well and was up to my chest for a moment. I remember the water was chocolate brown. After the waters receded there was a coating of mud everywhere it had touched.

What I didn’t think about at the time was what made the water muddy. The farms around our town had flooded and all the fertilizer provided by the farm animals had been swept up in the flood waters. The sewers backed up, too. The waters were a toxic mix of mud and bacteria.

As a precaution, everyone who had been exposed to the flood waters had to get typhoid shots. I use the plural “shots” because there were a series of three shots. They were not something l enjoyed or looked forward to, yet I understood that they were better than getting sick.

Jesus is about to let an incredibly excruciating thing happen to him. They are coming to kill him and he is not going to defend himself. He knows it is going to hurt but he also knows it is necessary. The disciples do not know what is going to happen. They don’t understand. To them, the idea of Jesus going away is like getting a shot for no reason at all.

Question: How would you have prepared the disciples for Jesus’ departure?