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READ EXODUS 21-24.
A large portion of the narrative in the Four Gospels centers on the last week of Christ on earth. Certainly, the serious Bible student treads carefully through these accounts.
Truly, there is a sense of being on holy ground. What are the thoughts going through the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ as He prepares for His exodus? What are the thoughts going through the minds of the Eleven as they conceptualize life without the presence of the one person who has changed their lives and given them an excitement never known before? There is a section of Scripture that provides answers to these questions.
The Upper Room Discourse. The account known as the Upper Room Discourse, set forth by John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, is full of useful information. How thrilling it is to take time to study five chapters every believer should master—John 13,14,15,16, and 17. Since 1977, this portion of Scripture has been a blessing to my own understanding of what it means to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing the provisions He has made to help me be the person that He wants me to be, and do the things He wants me to do has made a tremendous difference in my life as I have attempted to appropriate each of them in daily living. In fact, my own life and ministry, since that time, have centered around three of the major subjects He shared—the Word of God, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.
Focus on Jesus. Why does this passage rivet our attention? For many years, I felt the final instructions Jesus gave them prior to His leaving were the reason. The more I linger and cogitate over the content of the Upper Room Discourse, the more I am inclined to believe the appeal is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Seeing his heart and mind causes us to love Him even more. Attention throughout the five chapters is focused on Jesus Himself. The others who were present are seen in the light of their relationship with Him. What better way to study this passage than to turn our eyes upon Jesus and see Him as He beautifully manifests the Father's presence. There are few incidents in the gospel story that so perfectly and fully reveal His character and His love.
Special instruction. Having completed His public ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ devoted Himself for a brief period to His own inner circle. He was, according to the passage, with “His own”—the world shut out. The voices of His foes that were so persistent during His ministry were now silent. The sound of curious and questioning crowds had receded. This key passage contains the last words of Jesus before He left the earth—final words of instruction to the disciples, a farewell message, to prepare them for life without His physical presence. You can imagine, therefore, how important these words are. For over three years, there was intimate fellowship between Jesus and His disciples. He loved them and they loved Him. What a shock it was to their hearts when He announced that He was leaving. What a comfort it was to understand that He was not going to leave them orphans, but would continue to provide for their needs!
Relevancy to us. Believers, today, have the same need for the information He shared. As we study together this material, I encourage each reader to be willing to put forth the effort and exercise the discipline that will be required to benefit maximally from these studies. As I prepared the studies, an ongoing prayer was in my heart, that readers who know Christ will be strengthened by the studies and that we would all draw closer to the One who gave Himself completely that we might have eternal life.
My prayer is that this study will help each reader understand more clearly the nature of the conflict between the believer and the world and to realize more fully the provisions that God, through His Word, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, has made for our assistance as we move through our own journey on the earth. I encourage you to be alert to any word that will enable you to know the Father more fully and intimately. Look for truths you can apply to your own life both now and in the future. Are there promises and principles that you can incorporate into your own walk with the Lord? Allow the Holy Spirit to plant His word into your mind to the end that He can later bring the truths alive, as you need them.
Remember, Jesus concluded His time with the disciples with the true Lord’s Prayer (John 17), in which He prayed for us, as well as Himself and His immediate disciples. We can be sure that His intention is for us to sit with them in the Upper Room, see His words and actions, and gain strength for the journey which lies ahead of us applying His teaching to our lives.
Further, this passage provides a glimpse of our eternal home in a very special way. I hope that our study will motivate us to be good stewards during our sojourn on this earth and look forward to the time we come face to face with the One who not only has prepared a place for us, but has called us to Himself.
May the studies be used by the Holy Spirit to bring renewal and revival to each reader as our hearts are turned once again to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Revival fervor is characterized by genuine worship, remorse over sin, repentance and confession. Then comes joy in the Lord and a desire to come into full obedience to God's Word.
Our Teacher. It is amazing that we can ask the Author of the Book for help as we read. You and I could
start our time of Bible study with a prayer such as the psalmist did when he said, “Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4-5). A favorite prayer for me is one that is at the top of my Bible study note form: “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18).
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit, who would come after He returned to the Father, would “teach you all things” (John 14:26). The Spirit’s teaching would open their understanding to aspects of Christ’s instruction that had remained beyond their comprehension. In addition, Jesus told them that the Spirit would bring to their remembrance things He had said to them. Thus, they would be able to recall His truths as they proclaimed His word. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher as well. Let us listen attentively as He opens our minds either to teach new truth or remind us of truths we have already learned to the end that we might obey Him fully.
The Holy Spirit abides in us (John 14:17, 1 John 2:26-27). Because we have received the Holy Spirit, we do not need any one to teach us independent of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that we do not need Christian teachers. God has made specific provision for such teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Rather, it means that the Christian does not need any teaching apart from what is found in the Word of God as to the truth of God. With the Word of God in our hands and the Spirit of God in our hearts, we have all that we need for instruction in the truth of God.
Remember that we are instructed to be separated from the world and to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). We can accomplish these two things through praying about everything (Philippians 4:6-7) and meditating on the Word of God (Psalm 1:2). You will be in my prayers as you read because I constantly ask God to speak to the readers through the words He gives to me that He might have glory in a reader’s response. May you be refreshed
A large portion of the narrative in the Four Gospels centers on the last week of Christ on earth. Certainly, the serious Bible student treads carefully through these accounts.
Truly, there is a sense of being on holy ground. What are the thoughts going through the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ as He prepares for His exodus? What are the thoughts going through the minds of the Eleven as they conceptualize life without the presence of the one person who has changed their lives and given them an excitement never known before? There is a section of Scripture that provides answers to these questions.
The Upper Room Discourse. The account known as the Upper Room Discourse, set forth by John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, is full of useful information. How thrilling it is to take time to study five chapters every believer should master—John 13,14,15,16, and 17. Since 1977, this portion of Scripture has been a blessing to my own understanding of what it means to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing the provisions He has made to help me be the person that He wants me to be, and do the things He wants me to do has made a tremendous difference in my life as I have attempted to appropriate each of them in daily living. In fact, my own life and ministry, since that time, have centered around three of the major subjects He shared—the Word of God, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.
Focus on Jesus. Why does this passage rivet our attention? For many years, I felt the final instructions Jesus gave them prior to His leaving were the reason. The more I linger and cogitate over the content of the Upper Room Discourse, the more I am inclined to believe the appeal is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Seeing his heart and mind causes us to love Him even more. Attention throughout the five chapters is focused on Jesus Himself. The others who were present are seen in the light of their relationship with Him. What better way to study this passage than to turn our eyes upon Jesus and see Him as He beautifully manifests the Father's presence. There are few incidents in the gospel story that so perfectly and fully reveal His character and His love.
Special instruction. Having completed His public ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ devoted Himself for a brief period to His own inner circle. He was, according to the passage, with “His own”—the world shut out. The voices of His foes that were so persistent during His ministry were now silent. The sound of curious and questioning crowds had receded. This key passage contains the last words of Jesus before He left the earth—final words of instruction to the disciples, a farewell message, to prepare them for life without His physical presence. You can imagine, therefore, how important these words are. For over three years, there was intimate fellowship between Jesus and His disciples. He loved them and they loved Him. What a shock it was to their hearts when He announced that He was leaving. What a comfort it was to understand that He was not going to leave them orphans, but would continue to provide for their needs!
Relevancy to us. Believers, today, have the same need for the information He shared. As we study together this material, I encourage each reader to be willing to put forth the effort and exercise the discipline that will be required to benefit maximally from these studies. As I prepared the studies, an ongoing prayer was in my heart, that readers who know Christ will be strengthened by the studies and that we would all draw closer to the One who gave Himself completely that we might have eternal life.
My prayer is that this study will help each reader understand more clearly the nature of the conflict between the believer and the world and to realize more fully the provisions that God, through His Word, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, has made for our assistance as we move through our own journey on the earth. I encourage you to be alert to any word that will enable you to know the Father more fully and intimately. Look for truths you can apply to your own life both now and in the future. Are there promises and principles that you can incorporate into your own walk with the Lord? Allow the Holy Spirit to plant His word into your mind to the end that He can later bring the truths alive, as you need them.
Remember, Jesus concluded His time with the disciples with the true Lord’s Prayer (John 17), in which He prayed for us, as well as Himself and His immediate disciples. We can be sure that His intention is for us to sit with them in the Upper Room, see His words and actions, and gain strength for the journey which lies ahead of us applying His teaching to our lives.
Further, this passage provides a glimpse of our eternal home in a very special way. I hope that our study will motivate us to be good stewards during our sojourn on this earth and look forward to the time we come face to face with the One who not only has prepared a place for us, but has called us to Himself.
May the studies be used by the Holy Spirit to bring renewal and revival to each reader as our hearts are turned once again to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Revival fervor is characterized by genuine worship, remorse over sin, repentance and confession. Then comes joy in the Lord and a desire to come into full obedience to God's Word.
Our Teacher. It is amazing that we can ask the Author of the Book for help as we read. You and I could
start our time of Bible study with a prayer such as the psalmist did when he said, “Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4-5). A favorite prayer for me is one that is at the top of my Bible study note form: “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18).
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit, who would come after He returned to the Father, would “teach you all things” (John 14:26). The Spirit’s teaching would open their understanding to aspects of Christ’s instruction that had remained beyond their comprehension. In addition, Jesus told them that the Spirit would bring to their remembrance things He had said to them. Thus, they would be able to recall His truths as they proclaimed His word. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher as well. Let us listen attentively as He opens our minds either to teach new truth or remind us of truths we have already learned to the end that we might obey Him fully.
The Holy Spirit abides in us (John 14:17, 1 John 2:26-27). Because we have received the Holy Spirit, we do not need any one to teach us independent of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that we do not need Christian teachers. God has made specific provision for such teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Rather, it means that the Christian does not need any teaching apart from what is found in the Word of God as to the truth of God. With the Word of God in our hands and the Spirit of God in our hearts, we have all that we need for instruction in the truth of God.
Remember that we are instructed to be separated from the world and to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). We can accomplish these two things through praying about everything (Philippians 4:6-7) and meditating on the Word of God (Psalm 1:2). You will be in my prayers as you read because I constantly ask God to speak to the readers through the words He gives to me that He might have glory in a reader’s response. May you be refreshed
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