The Work of the Holy Spirit (1)

Before us today is the fifth declaration of our Lord Jesus in His farewell discourse to His disciples. This is set forth in John 16:1-15. It may be summarized in this way: it is as if the Lord were telling His disciples, "I will empower you by the Holy Spirit (Paraclete)." Jesus first told of the trial that His disciples would encounter (vs. 1-4a), which would take place after He departed from them (vs. 4b-6). But He assured them that He would send unto them the Holy Spirit who would give them guidance and power in their witness to the world (vs. 7-15). We learn from these verses that the work of advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ involves resisting and overcoming the hostility of evil people and satan, and that, although the work is very daunting and difficult, the Lord has given the Holy Spirit to His people to enable them to accomplish their mission.