Verses 1-4
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The Word tells us that we will be persecuted by the world so that we are not surprised when it happens. Believers that don't expect to be hated by the world could be made to fall away from their faith because of shock and surprise.
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Understand that expecting to be persecuted will help to strengthen you for it(Acts 14:22).
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Verses 5-7
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It is better that we have the Spirit with us rather than Jesus with us in the flesh. Why?
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Jesus is one Man. But place the Spirit of Christ within all believers and you have the potential for Christ to shine through millions, rather than just one.
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Believers that follow Christ's habits, with the power of the Spirit, are able to accomplish great things! Trust that is it better to have the Spirit!
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Verses 8-11
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Part of the Holy Spirit's role in this earth is to convict people. Notice that the Spirit speaks to convict the world—unbelievers. This lets us know that unbelievers can hear/feel the Spirit at times when the Spirit chooses to come upon them to convict them.
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And the Spirit convicts people of three main things.
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1. The Spirit brings conviction of sin, to show people that they have done wrong against God. The Spirit especially convicts the sin of rejecting Jesus.
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Rejecting Jesus is the only sin that prevents you from entering the kingdom, so it's the one that is most important to expose.
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2. The Spirit brings conviction of righteousness, knowing that Jesus went to the Father and is now seen no more.
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After Jesus rose again and and went to the Father, He was known in a more powerful light, and by His resurrection it is known that He will come back to cleanse and purify the earth with fire. It is the Spirit that convinces a person that Jesus is returning, and the Spirit that convicts them that they ought to turn from their sins and choose righteousness. One cannot be convicted of just sin, but also of righteousness. This allows them to know what is wrong, what is right, turn from what is wrong, and do what is right instead.
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3. The Spirit brings conviction of God's judgment, while it is known that the the devil is judged.
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Satan was judged/defeated because of the cross of Christ (Hebrews 2:14), and he will be cast into the lake of fire in the end (Revelation 20:10). And now, the Holy Spirit will convict people that they too will be judged, like the devil, if they do not repent (Matthew 25:41). People will also be judged by God for ignoring feelings that were brought by the Spirit, to help them come to Christ; so people ought to listen when they feel they should repent.
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Knowing all this, trust in the Spirit's work to do for unbelievers what you cannot. Understand that the Spirit helps people to repent and be saved.
Verses 12-15
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The Holy Spirit speaks to believers, bringing information to us from Christ, and it helps us to understand the truth of the Word. In other cases the Spirit can reveal future events or bring prophecies.
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The apostles themselves received prophecies from the Spirit which are recorded for us in the epistles.
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Learn how to grow in hearing from the Spirit and you will experience the Spirit to a greater degree.
Verses 16-22
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A short while was to pass before Jesus was arrested and led away to be crucified. This would bring sorrow. But a few days after that, the disciples would see Him risen and they would be given joy that no one would ever be able to take away.
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The joy of knowing that Christ is risen is greater than any other form of joy we could get from this world.
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Focus on the hope of Christ's resurrection and this will bring you joy! And no one can take this joy because no one can change the fact that Christ is alive!
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Verses 23-29
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The stand-out theme of this passage is that because of what Christ has done for us—to bridge the gap between us and God—through Him we have access to the Father. We can pray to the Father and have our prayers answered! What an amazing gift that we can can so interact with the God of the universe!
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Rejoice in the connection that you now have with God because of Christ!
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Verses 30-32
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Jesus knew that in a moment of weakness His disciples would all forsake Him. But this did not concern Him because of how secure He was in His relationship with the Father. When all others forsook Him, He knew He was not alone because the Father was with Him.
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Be secure and content with the fact that you have Christ with you, and this will keep you strong during times when people forsake you.
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As Paul said, “...No one stood with me, but all forsook me...But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me...” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).
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Verse 33
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Jesus promises that we can have peace in Him, but also that we will experience hardship in this world.
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Know that hardship is inescapable. Don't expect things to be easy. They will be hard.
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But we can always rejoice and keep our peace in knowing that Christ has overcome the world. And by our faith in Him, we also overcome the world.
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“And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5). “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:16-17).
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Through the world's onslaught of violence and hatred against Him, and in the face of Satan's every temptation, Christ did not surrender, but remained strong and obedient to God. And in so doing He obtained eternal life for us.
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And because our faith is in Christ—who overcame all—we have Christ's strength to overcome the world! We do not submit to the lusts and temptations of the world; and when the world perishes in its sin, we will remain with Christ in God's kingdom forever. Christ is stronger than the world, so your faith in Him is stronger than the world.
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Rejoice in this, and do not fear what the world could do to you. You do not have to be weakened by anything in the world!
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