–Love for one another. Our Lord covers that with them in John 13:14-20 and 13:34-35, then returns to it in 15:12-13 and 16:26-27. Woven throughout His prayer of chapter 17, particularly verses 21, 23, 26,
–The coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave the disciples this in John 14:16-21 and 14:25-26, then picked up the theme again in 15:26 and 16:5-15.
–The uncertain days that lie ahead. This theme is woven throughout the discourse: 13:31ff. 14:1-6. 14:28-31. 15:18-27. 16:1-4 and 16:16-22. Mentioned also in 17:11,14-18.
–Necessity of staying close to the Lord in the future. Abiding in Him, Jesus called it. See this point made in 14:9-14; 14:23-24. 15:1-11. 16:23-33. Mentioned also throughout the High Priestly Prayer of chapter 17.
Pastor Teacher Example #2: Paul, a Great Teacher
In the amazing eighth chapter of Romans, we see him using spaced repetition also, much in the same manner as our Lord in the Upper Room Discourse. In this case, Paul is telling how “God is with us,” i.e., what He has done for us. Verse 31 of that chapter says, “What shall we say then (as a basis of all that has gone before)?” And he answers his own question: “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
The point of that answer is that He has just spent the first 30 verses of Romans 8 emphasizing how God is indeed for us. Consider, for instance…
–The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free (vs 2).
–What the law could not do, God did. (And what did He do?) Sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…He condemned sin in the flesh…for those who walk by the Spirit (vs 3-4).
–We are to set our minds on things of the Spirit… We are not in the flesh but in the Spirit… If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (v.5,8,9).
–If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus lives in you, He who raised Jesus (that would be the Father) will give life to your bodies through His Spirit. (v.11. All three members of the Trinity in this verse.)
It’s this way all through those 30 verses. The workings of the Father, Son, and Spirit are braided together.
Pastor Teacher Example #3: All of Scripture
Take the subject of faith. Genesis 15:6 tells us “Abram believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” a truth quoted in Romans 4:3 and 4:20-22, as well as Galatians 3:8. Ad on the same subject, Habakkuk 2:4 gives us the memorable line, “The just shall live by faith.” That is quoted in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38.
