Sermon Central
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Stopping Sin's Progress
Contributed by James Groce on Aug 24, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: Jesus descended from His throne in Heaven and became like us in the form of a servant. He became such a servant that He was obedient to the death of the cross.
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John 16:5-7 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 16:12-14 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.
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There were things that could not be borne by the disciples before Jesus left.
Things He wanted to tell them but could not.
Jesus would soon die on the cross after these words.
The Holy Ghost would soon be poured out after He died and resurrected.
It would lead them into all truth.
They would begin to bear truths that they could not at the time of this discussion.
Truths that now the ministry can preach and teach about since the Holy Ghost came and filled them, that will guide us into all truth.
When Israel left Egypt, they saw Moses lift up a rod and hold it over the Red Sea to divide it.
But upon entering Canaan, we read of the ark of the covenant being borne upon the shoulders of the priests.
They bore something they were not able to bear earlier at the Red Sea.
Jesus was speaking about dying and leaving them.
He said He wanted to speak truths to them but they could not bear them.
But the Spirit would come and lead them into all truth.
They needed to Comforter to be able to bear these truths.
And the comforter would lead them into the fullness.
All truth.
And the way in which the Spirit would lead them is by speaking to them.
We read:
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
So the leading involves a speaking to us.
A preaching.
A teaching.
And everything the Spirit would speak about would point back to Jesus.
John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.
What was the most important things about Jesus?
Death, burial and resurrection.
They would later "bear" something about the death, burial and resurrection they could not bear before.
And it would take them into all truth.
I want to go into all truth.
I want to go into the fullness.
I am in Christ, but I want to go into the fullness of Christ.
We read the account of the day Israel entered Canaan in Joshua 5.
Josh 3:1-7 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed [this] way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, [so] I will be with thee.
Josh 3:9-17 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God [is] among you, and [that] he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, [that] the waters of Jordan shall be cut off [from] the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood [and] rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that [is] beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, [even] the salt sea, failed, [and] were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
