St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“ ‘May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us.”
1 Kings 8 v 57
For without His holy presence we are lost.
So what happens to us when the risen Lord Jesus
Returns to His rightful place in heaven?
Are we left alone as orphans to fend for ourselves?
No, surely this would be an impossibility.
“Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13 v 8
Holy love, eternally perfect, cannot, will not abandon us.
1 Corinthians 13 v 10 “But when that which is perfect has come”
God’s purposes are completed by Christ Jesus.
Therefore there is no break, nor fracture in the holy plan.
The risen Jesus has ascended by God’s purpose.
“The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3 v 3
A new chapter in salvation opens up before us.
For together with our Father’s holy purpose, the holy plan
Begun back in heavenly eternity, God will remain with us,
In Jesus sending the Holy Spirit of faith,
To embrace us in safe security, defence against the enemy.
“ ‘Behold, happy is the (wo)man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the
Almighty.” Job 5 v 17
The Spirit protects us by granting us in the presence of Jesus,
In the Person of Jesus, true knowledge and experience of God.
He teaches us therefore to look for God in every circumstance
And to maintain our glance towards His being with us,
Evidence of the Lord’s love for us and a profoundest blessing.
“ ‘I am with you always, even to the end of the age’.” Matthew 28 v 20

“...God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For
there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a
ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2 v 3, 4, 5
And that time is now, Christ Jesus having lived and died for us, returns to heaven to mediate on
our behalf. He sends His Spirit to teach us of this, thankfully.
The Spirit comes to consecrate us in the truth Jesus places before us. Jesus reveals our Father,
our Maker, Provider, Protector, Preserver, Governor always at work with us.
The Spirit guards and guides us, mercifully, for this is a fact: “In the religious realm. The
Father Donald incapacity to perceive sacred questions in the truth of religion, leads sometimes to a
Haggerty permanent loss of interest in religious faith.
“Consecrate them
in the truth” At some point, a soul must have, on the contrary, a profound experience of the
13.05.18 sacred, which by its nature is always an incomplete taste, provoking a desire to know
www.magnificat.com more. This need is fundamental for religious faith.”

Therefore the teaching, illuminating, enlightening Spirit remains with us as a gift of God’s
continuous presence as Jesus has returned to heaven.
*John 17 The Spirit reveals how the Lord Jesus prays for us,* that we be kept secure as believers, blessed
as His followers. How else could we possibly know this? Thank You for the Spirit of revelation.
Jesus prays to protect us from the wiles of satan. Jesus identifies issues of importance: unity,
God’s protection, holiness, joy and evangelization. The Spirit reinforces our understanding and
appreciation.
The Spirit of joy comes to teach us how to joy in Jesus, how to share this by living out the gospel
of grace. He prepares us to embrace forgiveness.
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The Spirit of power comes to prepare us to live sanctified lives, blessed by the continuous love of
Jesus, that each of us in receipt of spiritual gifts, will fulfil the commission given to win the
world for Jesus.
The Spirit teaches us, all praise and thanks ever be, to be in the world, but not of it. Called into
unity with the Trinity, we are to bring joy to each other as we discover what holiness means to
us.
The Spirit of love teaches us what it is dearest Father, that You have accomplished for us in
Christ Jesus, highly, richly, fully blessed to be recipients of grace.
May the Spirit ever remind us of the Lord Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, promised Son of Mary,
“ ‘The virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel’
Matthew 1 v 23 which is translated ‘God with us’.”
Your presence is ever with us in an altogether new way through Jesus, the Risen and Glorified
Saviour, still our Brother. In Jesus’ name may we then minister to each other. Amen.

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