Old Treasures Made New

John 16:8-15 Our Lord probably meant to show us what the Holy Spirit would do to the world of unbelieving Jews. He would convince them “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Our Lord probably meant to foretell what the Holy Spirit would do for the whole of humanity, both Gentiles as well as Jews. "The difficulty of rightly explaining the sayings of our Lord in this place is undeniably ve...

John 16:1-7 We find our Lord delivering a remarkable prophecy. We find our Lord explaining His special reason for delivering the prophecy just referred to, as well as all His discourse. We find our Lord giving a special reason why it was expedient for Him to go away from His disciples: “if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” "Let it never su...

John 15:22-27 We should observe how our Lord speaks of the misuse of Christian privileges: it intensifies guilt and will increase condemnation. We should observe how our Lord speaks of the Holy Spirit: He speaks of Him as a Person. We should observe how our Lord speaks of the special role of the apostles: they were to be His witnesses in the world. "Let us settle it down as a first principle of Ch...

John 15:17-21 We are shown what true Christians must expect to meet in this world: hatred and persecution. We are shown two reasons for patience under the persecution of this world. "Mere church attendance and outward profession are a cheap religion, of course, and cost nothing. But true living Christianity will always bring with it a cross." "Let us consider that we are only walking in our Master...

John 15:12-16 We should observe how our Lord speaks of the grace of brotherly love. We should observe how our Lord speaks of the relation between Himself and true believers. We should observe how our Lord speaks of the doctrine of election. "Where there is no Christ-like love, there is no grace, no work of the Spirit and no reality in our faith." "None so rich, so strong, so independent, so well o...

John 15:7-11 Our Lord declares, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” This is a distinct promise of power and success in prayer. Our Lord declares, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” The meaning of this promise seems to be that fruitfulness in Christian practice will not onl...

John 15:1-6 We are meant to learn that the union between Christ and believers is very close. We are meant to learn that there are false Christians as well as true ones. We are meant to learn that the fruit of the Spirit is the only satisfactory evidence of someone being a true Christian. We are meant to learn that God will often increase the holiness of true Christians by His providential dealings...

John 14:27-31 We should observe Christ’s last legacy to His people. We should observe Christ’s perfect holiness. "Half our doubts and fears arise from dim perceptions of the real nature of Christ’s gospel." "In ourselves and our doings we shall find everything imperfect, and if we had no other hope than our own goodness we might well despair. But in Christ we have a perfect, sinless Representative...

John 14:21-26 We learn that keeping Christ’s commandments is the best test of love to Christ. We learn that there are special comforts laid up for those who love Christ and prove it by keeping His words. We learn that part of the Holy Spirit’s work is to teach and to bring things to remembrance. "Good feelings and desires are useless if they are not accompanied by action. They may even become misc...

John 14:18-20 We learn that Christ’s second coming is meant to be the special comfort of believers. We learn that Christ’s life secures the life of His believing people. We learn that full and perfect knowledge of divine things will never be attained by believers until the second advent. "Let us settle it in our minds that all believers are comparatively orphans and children in their minority, unt...

John 14:12-17 We have a striking promise about the works that Christians may do. We have a striking promise about things that Christians may get by prayer. We have a striking promise about the Holy Spirit. "He can help forward His cause on earth quite as much by sitting at the right hand of the Father and sending forth the Holy Spirit, as by being in the world." "Weak and imperfect as their suppli...

John 14:4-11 We should mark how much better Jesus speaks of believers than they speak of themselves. We should mark what glorious names the Lord Jesus gives Himself. We should mark how expressly the Lord Jesus shuts out all ways of salvation except Himself. "The plain truth is that all believers tend to undervalue the work of the Spirit in their own souls, and to imagine they know nothing because...

John 14:1-3 We have a precious remedy against an old disease. We have a very comforting account of heaven, the future home of God’s people. We have a solid ground for expecting good things to come. "Faith in the Lord Jesus is the only sure medicine for troubled hearts. To believe more thoroughly, trust more entirely, rest more unreservedly, lay hold more firmly, lean back more completely—this is t...

John 13:31-38 These verses show us what glory the crucifixion brought both to God the Father and to God the Son. Secondly, these verses show us what great importance our Lord Jesus attaches to the grace of brotherly love. Lastly, these verses show us how much self-ignorance there may be in the heart of a true believer. "Let us remember that painting and sculpture can never tell a tenth part of wha...

John 13:21-30 Let us mark what trouble our Lord Jesus went through for the sake of our souls. Let us mark the power and malignity of our great enemy the devil. Let us mark the extreme hardness which comes over the heart of a backsliding professor of faith. "How many cups of sorrow He drained to the dregs in working out our salvation, beside the mighty cup of bearing our sins! They show us how litt...

John 13:16-20 We are taught that Christians must never be ashamed of doing anything that Christ has done. We are taught the uselessness of Christian knowledge if not accompanied by practice. We are taught the perfect knowledge which Christ has of all His people. We are taught the true dignity of Christ’s disciples. "We are all too likely to dislike any work which seems to require trouble, self-den...

John 13:6-15 We should notice the hasty ignorance of the apostle Peter. We should notice the plain practical lesson which lies upon its surface. We should notice the deep spiritual lessons which lie beneath its surface. "We must make allowances for the corruption of the understanding as well as of the will. We must not be surprised to find that the brains as well as the affections of Adam’s childr...

John 13:1-5 We learn what patient and continuing love there is in Christ’s heart towards His people. We learn what deep corruption may sometimes be found in the heart of a great professor of religion. "The love of Christ to sinners is the very essence and marrow of the gospel. That He should love us at all and care for our souls, that He should love us before we love Him, or even know anything abo...

John 12:44-50 One thing shown in these verses is the dignity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Another thing shown in these verses is the certainty of a judgment to come. "Forever let us make much of Christ in all our faith. We can never trust Him too much, follow Him too closely or commune with Him too unreservedly." "Yet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have no cause to be afraid. For them there is no...

John 12:34-43 We may learn the duty of using present opportunities. We may learn the desperate hardness of the human heart. We may learn the amazing power which the love of the world has over men and women. "Light is about us and around us and near us on every side. Let us each resolve to walk in the light while we have it, lest we find ourselves at length cast out into outer darkness forever. It...

John 12:27-33 We have in these verses a great doctrine indirectly proved: that doctrine is the imputation of our sin to Christ. We have in these verses a great mystery unfolded: that mystery is the possibility of much inward conflict of soul without sin. We have in these verses, a great miracle exhibited: that miracle is the heavenly Voice described in this passage—a Voice which was heard so plain...

John 12:20-26 We learn from our Lord’s words in this passage, that death is the way to spiritual life and glory: “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” We learn from our Lord’s words that if we profess to serve Christ, we must follow Him: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me.” "It is as true of Christians as it is of C...

John 12:12-19 We learn how entirely voluntary the sufferings of Christ were. We learn how minutely the prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming were fulfilled. "He did not bleed and suffer and die because He was defeated by superior force and could not help Himself, but because He loved us and rejoiced to give Himself for us as our Substitute. He did not die because He could not avoid death, bu...

John 12:1-11 We see what abounding proofs exist of the truth of our Lord’s greatest miracles. We see what unkindness and discouragement Christ’s friends sometimes meet with from other people. We see what desperate hardness and unbelief there is in the human heart. "In an age of abounding unbelief and scepticism, we shall find that the resurrection of Christ will bear any weight that we can lay on...

John 11:47-57 We should observe the desperate wickedness of our natural hearts. We should observe the blind ignorance with which God’s enemies often act and reason. We should observe what importance bad people sometimes attach to outward ceremonies, while their hearts are full of sin. "To fancy, as some do, that if they saw something wonderful done before their eyes in confirmation of the gospel t...