Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “Whatever is not of faith is sin.” Do you believe this? The world doesn’t. Jesus commanded in John 14:1, “If you believe in God, believe also in Me.” To obey Jesus’ command is to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and that He is the way, truth, and the life, and is the only way to the Father that God has provided for mankind. Those who believe in Jesus, realize and therefore believe that Jesus is life and the source of all that is life. Everything they do that isn’t connected to Him or doesn’t come through His life in them, they believe to be sin. Why? Because the standard is the glory of God. If the words and work are not from and through Jesus, then God doesn’t get the glory, and their words and works fall short of the glory of God. Falling short of the glory of God is another way to define sin. Paul also wrote to the Romans, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). Look how convicting this is to the world concerning sin! Jesus said that we can do nothing apart from Him. So we conclude that apart from faith in Jesus, all is sin. Since the world has no connection to Jesus, everything they do is sinful. That’s convicting! We should not be surprised if they hate us as we live to love with Jesus, because holiness exposes sin and unbelief.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 16:8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
The Holy Spirit’s presence in believers, as their Helper, impacts the world. After telling His disciples that the Helper would be with them forever, He said, “that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him” (14:17). The world’s problem is that they have no understanding of sin, righteousness, and judgment because they can’t see who Jesus is nor do they know Him. But those who do know Jesus, have His life in them. Therein lies the source of the conviction. As long as Jesus was present in this world as a distinct, separate, unique individual, He could be rejected, denied, and accused as an imposter and fraud. But after the resurrection and the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, came to transform sinners into saints, the difference between believers and the world is evident. Their holy lives, characterized by the faith and love of the living Christ, exposes the blindness and ignorance of the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. As we live to love with Jesus, we are participating in the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in the world.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
How important the truth is, indeed! Jesus was going to the Father who had sent Him to make a way so that He could be with us forever! Remember what He had said only minutes before. “I will ask the Father, and He will send you another Helper, that He may be with you forever. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (Jo. 14:16, 18). Compare the two statements. In this verse, Jesus said that He will send the Helper to them. In 14:16, He said that the Father will send the Helper to them. Which is it? As we have learned, it is both the Father and the Son who send the Helper to us. They are distinct, yet one. But more to Jesus’ point, Jesus could not and would not be with us if He had not come to earth to bear our sin and shame and offer Himself as a sacrifice according to the will of His Father. In this we see what love is. Laying down one’s life for His friends and then coming to be with them in order to help them do what the Father commands, namely, to believe in the Son and love as He loves. Thank you, Jesus, for first coming to help us by removing our sins, and then coming to be with us forever for the purpose of loving through us for God’s glory.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 16:5-6 "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Had the disciples been tuned in to what was happening with Jesus, they would have asked Him where He was going? Instead, apparently all they could think of was the loss and disappointment they were going to experience. This is natural for us all. It is supernatural for us to be Christ-conscious and ask Him questions like, “Where are You going? What do You think? What do You want to do now? What opportunity lies before Him to glorify His Father in my life?” These are questions we ask when we are living to love with Him.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 16:5 "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'
Most of the time when we talk of Jesus’ return, we are thinking of His return to earth. In this verse we know Jesus was referring to His return to His Father in heaven. He was sent by the Father to be the way, the truth, and the life and to be the only way for fallen, sinful human beings to be reconciled to God. He was sent to make atonement for sins and to return to His Father with the only acceptable sacrifice—His life in this world. The point here is He came to do the Father’s will. Hebrews 10:7 "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.'" And the disciples knew this because they did not ask were He was going.
Our salvation was willed and designed by our Father because He is love: the sustained direction of His will toward our highest, no matter what the cost. To Him be the glory.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com