In The Word
Read: John 15:26-16:15
26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27 and you are testifying as well, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Jesus’ Warning
16 “These things I have spoken to you so that you will not be led into sin. 2 They will ban you from the synagogue, yet an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering a service to God. 3 These things they will do because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. However, I did not say these things to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
The Holy Spirit Promised
5 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, grief has filled your heart. 7 But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: 9 regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; 11 and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at the present time. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose itto you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Jesus continued sharing His last words to His disciples to prepare them for His departure. He warned them about the persecutions they would face, even from people who said they were doing God’s work. He said they would not be alone, but rather they would have the Holy Spirit with them as their “Helper” who would give them the strength to stand firm in their faith and “be kept from stumbling.”
We live in a dark world filled with baits and traps set by our enemy, satan, that are meant to make us stumble. The word “stumbling” comes from the Greek word skandalizō meaning: stumbling block, trap, enticement to sin, and offense. It is where we get our word scandal, and it helps us understand that we can get caught in the trap of becoming offended if we do not listen to the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes people say or do things wrong against us, even Christians who should know better. Satan comes along saying, “Can you believe they just did that to you?” He does this to entice you into the sin trap of offense, which can lead to the sins of division, bitterness, and unforgiveness. However, with the Spirit’s assistance, we can see the baited trap and go around it by refusing to be offended. Maybe you had someone say or do something wrong against you and you became offended. Take this moment to forgive them and let go of the offense. With the Spirit’s help, refuse to be offended!