Jesus promised parting gifts to His disciples (1)

This morning we continue to consider our Lord's last words to His disciples, which He spoke to them just a few hours before He was arrested, which resulted in His crucifixion the next day. Jesus would rise from the dead on the third day, and then appear to His disciples over the course of 40 days until His ascension to His throne at the right hand of the Father. Ten days after His ascension the enthroned Lord Jesus sent His Holy Spirit that transformed His disciples into courageous and powerful leaders of His kingdom. In the two paragraphs that we address today we consider our Lord's promises to His disciples respecting the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of peace that He would leave with them. We also read His words of encouragement to His disciples, even as He warned them of the difficulty before them.