Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-05-07
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR MAY 10.

Subject: The Mission of the Holy
Spirit, John 1926 and 1924
Golden Text, John 14:16-Com-
NIT Verse 13-Commentary.
TINIE.-Late Tuesday night or
early Wednesday morning, April 4th
or 9Th, A. d. 80. PLACE.-Near
Jerusalem.
EXPOSITION.-I. Jesus Going,
the Comforter Coming, A.. The dis
ciples were filled with sorrow at the
announcement of the departure of
Jesus. The story of the worlds hate
still goes on (cf. vs.. 1-3). The world.
Jesus says, will excommunicate and
kill the one who is true to Him. How
true this prophecy has proven to be in
actual history, but Jesus prepared His
disciples for the fiery trial by fore
warning them of it, and He would
prepare US for the prosecutions we
must surely meet, IL we are loyal to
Him, by forewarning us OF them (2
Tim. 3-12). The disciples were filled
with sorrow, SO full were they that
they did not even stop to ask.
"Whither goest Thou?" II we would
only ask that question concerning our
departing friends, and get Gods an
swer to the question, sorrow would
no longer fill our hearts (cf. Phil.
1921. Jesus did not tell them OF
coming trial while He was with them,
but now that He was to be no longer
with them in person, they needed to
be forewarned in order that they
might be forearmed
H.-When the Comforter is Come,
7-15. Their sorrow over the de-
parture of Jesus was altogether need
less. 1t was profitable for them for
Jesus to go, for another Divine Friend
was coming to take His place,
Friend who could be much nearer and
moro constantly nearer to them than
Jesus could be during the days of His
flesh. How clearly the personality OF
the Holy Spirit comes out in all this.
Can we conceive of Jesus saying 1t
was profitable for Him to go, If the
One who was~to come and take His
place was not Person but only an
impersonal influence or power? The
word translated Comforter" means
that and far more. 1t is the same
word that is translated advocate" In
l John 2:1. But advocate does not
give its full force. 1t means one
called to stand beside another, as con-
stant helper, counselor, guide, friend.
Jesus, up to this time, had been a
friend constantly at hand, but He was
going and another Divine Friend was
coming who would not only be with
them, but dwell in them (ch. 14:16,
~. A Christian need never be lone
ly IL he would only bear in mind that
fact, that in him dwells the best or
all companions, the Paraclete, the
Holy Spirit. The Comforter has come.
His first work is to show the world Its
error about sin, to show that the
great, decisive, damning sin is not to
believe in the Son OF God (cf. Acts
2:36, 81; John 3:1S, 19), and that
they are guilty of this sin. 1t is not
our work to try to convince the world
of sin. If we tried to do 1t, we should
fail; but there Is one who can do 1t
il we look to Him, the Holy Spirit.
but He does it through us. Jess
says, II will send Him unto you" ".
y, "and when He is come (untO
you), He will convict the world" AS
far as the Scriptures reveal, the Holy
He can get at the world except
through those who are already saved.
Are you an unobstructed channel?
How many there are in our homes
and our classes that the Holy Spirit
is trying to get at, and He is trying
to get the use of our lips, but we Will
not place them at His disposal. Or,
If we do place them at His disposal,
our own lives are not surrendered
fully to Him and SO He cannot work
through us. He shows the world, too,
its error about righteousness. He
shows to the world by the resurrec-
ton and ascension of Jesus, that
Jesus Is the righteous One and the
only righteousness possible to us is in
Him (cf. Phil. $40, r. w. There
are two things that a man needs to
see in order to be saved-frst, HIM
self, that he Is a sinner; second,
Jesus, His righteousness, and the
righteousness of God provided for us
in Him. 1t Is the work of the Holy
Spirit to show these two things to
man. He also shows the world it's
error about judgment, /. e., that there
is to be judgment for 1t, inasmuch
as its prince is judged already. But
the Holy Spirit would do another
work, guide the disciples into all the
truth. The disciples were not yet
ripe for all the truth, and Jesus is an
infinitely wise Teacher, and gave
them the truth as they were prepared
to receive it. 1t would be well IL
modern teachers would learn from
Jesus to adapt their teaching to the
digestion of the hearers. But the
time would come when they should
be led into all the fullness of Gods
truth. This promise was made pri-
marily to the apostles. 1t is Jesus
own guarantee of the inspiration and
truth and completeness of their teach
ing. But this promise cannot be lin
tied to the apostles, for John himself
applies 1t to all believers Il John
2:27). 1t is the privilege Of each be-
lever to be directly taught Of the
Spirit, and we will not understand the
truth until we are thus taught No
amount of reading of good books, or
of the mere letter of the Word, will
give us to know the truth the Spirit
Himself must teach us. OF course,
He will not teach anything contrary
to the Book of which He Himself Is
the Author, but He will be the inter-
prefer of the Book.