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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
Over these past weeks we have been reading and studying in the Gospel of John. We have been in the Upper Room watching and listening and observing, and then walking down from the Upper Room past the Temple towards the Garden of Gethsemane. We have read of the washing of feet, stooping and serving – Judas leaving the room – the atmosphere lifting – Jesus teaching and informing His disciples of what is about to happen and what they can expect and face as they serve.
During that Passover meal Jesus takes the bread and the wine and imparts that new meaning and significance which is so precious to each one of us, who believe in Jesus and who belong to Jesus Christ.
Jesus speaks about the supernatural help of the Holy Spirit. There is so much being said as Jesus is about to be betrayed and arrested and put on trial and crucified.
We now come to the second half of John Chapter 16.
John was around 90 when he is writing this. He is the last surviving member of that band of men whom Jesus Christ chose and called and it all seems so fresh.
For 60 years John had faithfully served and obeyed and witnessed to Jesus. John had been through good times and not so good times.
He was among the first to be imprisoned for his faith and his ministry and he realises that he is not going to live all that much longer. He takes his pen and writes down all that he knows – or everything that the Holy Spirit brings to his remembrance. This is the good news as told by John, and John gives a deep account, and John writes with profound thoughts, and John writes accurately.
If you ever hear anything about Jesus that does not fit in with this book, it is a lie.
There is only one Jesus Christ, and He is the risen Christ as revealed to us through His living Word.
Jesus has been speaking to His disciples about the coming ministry of the Holy Spirit. He would convict the world of sin. He would convince people of their need of a Saviour, and we saw how part of His work and ministry would be to guide us and lead us into all truth. It is He who interprets the Word for us – and makes it meaningful – and gives it relevance. He enlightens and explains and informs, and the Holy Spirit always glorifies Jesus, and points to Jesus.
When we remain in the word, we are saved from years of wandering and wondering and confusion. And yet, these verses in the second half of John 16 can be a bit puzzling.
Remain in the Word of God as we have it in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. That can save you and keep you from years of heartache and disappointment and sadness, and worse!
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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