His Love Ministries
Episodes
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Matthew 14:14 says And He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. We need to ask God to help us see the world as Jesus sees it. There must be a radical difference between what He sees and what we see because we don't act like He did. What He saw produced compassion in Him. Sick, lost, hungry and homeless people ... these were not just things to be avoided. These were real people with real needs. Jesus always gave….His time, His power, His wisdom ... and ultimately He gave His life. What is your response? Are you willing to give like Jesus?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Monday Oct 23, 2023
John 11:16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."
I believe this is a declaration of strong devotion to Jesus.
He did not understand that the death that Jesus would die was a death that His disciples could not participate in with Him (cf. 1:29, 36). Nevertheless he spoke better than he knew. John probably recorded his exhortation because it was a call to disciples to take up their cross and follow Jesus (cf. 12:25; Mark 8:34; 2 Cor. 4:10).
This whole Gospel is built around revelations of the glory of God in Jesus. And what we saw last week is this new emphasis that this is the way Jesus loves us. He does not mainly love us in this life by sparing us suffering and death. He mainly loves us by showing us and giving us himself and his glory. God loves us mainly by giving us himself and all that he is for us in Jesus. Jesus loves us mainly by giving us himself and all that God is for us in him.
Don’t measure the love of God for you by how much health, wealth, and comfort he brings into your life. If that were the measure of God’s love, then he hated the apostle Paul. Measure God’s love for you by how much of himself he shows you. How much of himself he gives you to know and enjoy.
Ps 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with Your praise And with Your glory all the day.
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
Died the day the messenger came to see Jesus
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.
19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
Martha and Mary must be mystified as to why Jesus is taking so long to get back to Bethany—if not to cure Lazarus, then at least to comfort them.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
21 Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
three times in our text we read, “If only You (or “He”) had been here
Why do you call that half faith?" Because she only believed, He could help Lazarus when he was sick not when he was dead. That's why it's only half faith. She had confidence in Christ, yet she limited His power. She believed that, nothing could kill her brother when Jesus was there but that once her brother died even Jesus couldn't change that.
In your mind, doubt, you know, and fear and anxiety and terror. You trust God, don't you, when everything is going good? Sure. The Lord provides, isn't He wonderful, He provides. When you really have to trust God, then you find out the measurement of your faith. Sure, it would have been all right if he was just ill, but now ... oh no, it's too much for you, Lord.
22 "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
She has doubt but she's not about to let go of all her faith. Martha turns out to be a pretty good theologian. She was dead center in that verse. I know that even now whatever Thou will ask of God, God will give it to Thee. That's exactly what Jesus had said all through His ministry, right? Everything I do I do by the will of the Father. Didn't He say that? He said that so many times. Listen, Martha knew who He was. And Martha even understood His relationship to God. She knew. Why Jesus had spent times in their home. They knew who He was. They knew His claims. And she says, "I know," how does she know? "Because You said it so many times, Lord, that whatever You ask the Father He gives You." She understands something of the relationship between the Father and the Son. Down in verse 27 she says, "I know You're the Son of God." She understood the relation between the Son and the Father. She knew that. She believed it.
The other is the word, which is used here, and it is not to ask on an equal basis, it is the word aitĕōmeans "an inferior asking a superior."
Mary was acknowledging by using the word aitĕō? She is acknowledging the humiliation of Christ. Listen, she was a theologian. She had it all down. She said to Him, "You have to ask the Father, I know, You said that."
You say, "Well, if He was equal to God, why did He have to ask the Father?" Because Christ voluntarily made Himself, the Bible says, a little lower than the angels even. You say, "Well, what is this thing about calling Jesus the Son and God the Father, and how come Jesus has to ask the Father?" Don't you understand that when Jesus was in glory before He came to the world He was face to face with God and equal with God, John 17? You know that? But when Jesus came to this earth, Philippians 2, He gave up the exercise of all of His attributes and limited them to the Father's will.
In other words, He still had all of His power but He only used it in the framework of the predetermined plan of God and Himself in heaven before He came. But she's emphasizing His humanity because, after all, as a person to her He appeared to be a person and was in His humility.
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
But in Martha's case, she seems to have too little faith in what Jesus can do at the moment, while she has greater faith in what He can do in the distant future. But run into a problem today and it's "OH, OH
Martha knew more than most Jews knew. They didn't understand that. Martha was pretty good on the Old Testament. Maybe she had read Psalm 16, I'll read it to you, don't look it up. Listen, "Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices, my flesh also shall rest in hope," why? "For Thou will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither wilt 'Thou permit thine holy one to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life, in Thy presence is fullness of joy, at Thy right hand are pleasures forever more." That's resurrection, isn't it?
And maybe she remembered old Job back there who expressed the same kind of thing in the nineteenth chapter, twenty-fifth verse, "For I know that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for myself.' Now Martha knew the theology of resurrection. So she says, "Lord, I know that he's going to rise at the last day.
If you can trust God over there, you can trust Him here. If His power is going to be exhibited there, it's the same power right here. And it's very easy to postpone all our belief in the power of God to some nebulous future when we don't even identify with it and very easy to doubt it today ... and needless
Do you realize that God still has the wonderful task of raising the Old Testament saints who have been dead for thousands of years? Their souls are with the Lord, their bodies He's going to raise some day at the end of the Tribulation, did you know that? And they've been dead a long, long time. If He can handle that, friends, a four-day corruption is a small detail. It's interesting to look at Martha's faith from that angle.
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
David said in Ps 30:3 O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
He does not say, I raise the dead; I perform the resurrection, but I am the resurrection. In His own person,
representing humanity, He exhibits man as immortal, but immortal only through union with Him.
He is saying, "It is immaterial whether you're talking about past, present, future. There is no time involved. I am resurrection and life." You see, she's saying, "It's wonderful, Lord, I know in the future ... He's saying, "Right here, Martha, see, Me. I am resurrection, not I will resurrect, I am resurrection." What a tremendous statement. She's got it all off in the future and He says it's here right in front of you, Martha. It's Me and it doesn't matter when, I am resurrection and I'll resurrect whenever I design to resurrect. And He will. And He has.
And so, He says I am. "I am" is the name of God, isn't it? Here is the revelation, this is it. Christ says I am resurrection and the life. Isn't that what we wanted to hear, friends? Isn't that the message the world wants to hear? Who cheated death and did he make a way for me to cheat it? There's the message. I am resurrection and life. And it's not a belief in a theology; it's a belief in a person, isn't it? Martha's thinking about an event. Jesus says no, look at Me a person, see. Salvation doesn't come in a system, friends, and it doesn't come in a religion and it doesn't come in a code, it comes in a living person, Jesus Christ who is resurrection and life. You will not have victory over death by going to church. You will not have victory over death by thinking religious thoughts. You will not have victory over death by doing good works. The resurrection and the life is an "I am Jesus Christ." And so Jesus is the full blessed life of God. He is the resurrection at any time in history: past, present, future ... an unconditional statement that knows no time bounds.
The life. The life is the larger and inclusive idea. Resurrection is involved in life as an incident developed by the temporary and apparent triumph of death. All true life is in Christ. In Him is lodged everything that is essential to life, in its origin, its maintenance, and its consummation, and all this is conveyed to the believer in his union with Him. This life is not affected by death. “Every believer is in reality and forever sheltered from death. To die with full light, in the clear certainty of the life which is in Jesus, to die only to continue to live to Him, is no longer that fact which human language designates by the name of death. It is as though Jesus had said: In me death is certain to live, and the living is certain never to die” (Godet).
26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
You say, "What is faith?" Faith is believing, that's right. At the end of verse 26, what are those three words? "Believest thou this," that's the invitation, that's our invitation. Do you believe it? Believe that, that's all He asks. Faith, that's it.
And once you believe, death is abolished totally. Then with the Apostle Paul, you can say this, and I like it because what he's doing is standing there mocking death. First Corinthians 15, "0 death, where is thy sting? Did you get it? "Ah grave, where's your victory?" See. He's mocking it. The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God...what? ... Who gives us the victory. Hey death, where is your sting? I like that. Big deal, death. Go ahead, get me and see what happens. Instant glorification.
What does it mean to believe God? It means to say, "God, I accept what You have to say and I'm going to just flop on it, it better hold." Just trust, that's what believing is. It's commitment; throw your whole self on God.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.
Monday Oct 16, 2023
Monday Oct 16, 2023
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." 12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him."
In this section of Scripture we see that Jesus has received the message that Lazarus is sick, but Jesus knows that he is dead at this point in time. So, Jesus waits two more days to test the sisters and the disciples. God loves to test us by making us wait on Him so our faith can grow and mature. Then He tells them lets go to Judea and scares the disciples because they know the Jews want to stone Him and they are in danger too if they go. Jesus tells us in the main point of the passage that there is only so much time for each of us to do what God has called us to do and so we better get busy while there is time to do His will. Then He tells them that Lazarus sleeps, they misunderstand, so He tells them plainly that he is dead. The last point of this section is Jesus testing them again because He says He is glad that He was not there when Lazarus died because He has something greater in mind. Did you know that God doesn’t always do what we think He ought to do because He has a greater plan and a greater purpose than any we can imagine? Faith means we trust God no matter what happens.
5 Now Jesus loved(agape) Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
He waited till the right moment in the Father’s plan. This is God’s Timing –Never late
Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, that is, in permanent death. Instead Jesus would be glorified in this incident (cf. 9:3). This statement is ironic. Jesus’ power and obedience to the Father were displayed, but this event led to His death (cf. 11:50-53), which was His true glory (17:1).
6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
As we come to verse 6, we have a real tension with which we must grapple. John makes a point of telling us that Jesus deeply loves Lazarus and his sisters. His love for Lazarus is mentioned by Martha and Mary in verse 3, and John then repeats it even more emphatically in verse 5. In spite of this, and the urgency of the situation, Jesus deliberately delays His return to Bethany. He waits two full days, so that when He does arrive in Bethany, Lazarus is “good and dead.” How can Jesus love these people so much and yet speak and act in a way that causes them such pain? it seems that since Lazarus has already been dead four days when Jesus arrives, that he must have died shortly after the messenger was sent.
In other words, it was more loving to put Lazarus through death and his sisters through grief, if that would reveal more of God’s glory to them and more of the glory of Christ. Jesus loves us by showing us himself.
When delay occurs God has a better time and a Better way – grows their faith, love sometimes has to be tough
7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
When these two days are completed, Jesus says to His disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” Notice, He does not say, “Let us go to Bethany, again.” To go to Bethany is to go to Judea, which is virtually the same thing as going to Jerusalem, a mere two miles away. To go to Martha and Mary in Bethany is to return to that place where the Jewish religious leaders want Jesus dead. The disciples know this only too well. They are amazed that He even considers returning to Judea, and they remind Him of the dangers awaiting Him there. No matter how ill Lazarus might be, no matter how much these women feel they need Jesus, the disciples do not seem to even entertain the possibility of returning to Judea.
8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"
3 times they sought to kill Jesus: John 5;16-18, 7:1, 10:27-30, 39-40
The “you” here is singular, not plural. At this point in time, any discussion about going back to Judea was, in the minds of His disciples, a personal trip for Jesus. They seem to have no intention of accompanying Him at this point
Martha and Mary must be mystified as to why Jesus is taking so long to get back to Bethany—if not to cure Lazarus, then at least to comfort them. Those four days after the death of Lazarus must have been especially difficult for them. The disciples have a different problem, however: they cannot understand why Jesus is even considering returning to Bethany, no matter what the circumstances. A return to Jerusalem would seem to spell certain death for Jesus, and for them, if they choose to accompany Him. I am not at all certain they are planning to do so—at least not until verse 16.
9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 ¶ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Joh 9:4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
This is walking in God’s will, His truth, As long as I and you are doing God’s will we are okay they can’t kill us because we are on God’s timetable. My hour has not yet come
Joh 2:4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."
Joh 7:30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
Joh 8:20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
Joh 12:23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
10 "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."
The Jews and the Romans commonly regarded the daylight hours as 12 and the nighttime hours as the other 12. Literally Jesus was referring to the daylight hours. Metaphorically the daylight hours represented the Father's will. Jesus was safe as long as He did the Father's will. For the disciples, as long as they continued to follow Jesus, the Light of the World, they would not stumble. Walking in the night pictures behaving without divine illumination or authorization. Living in the realm of darkness (i.e., evil) is dangerous (cf. 1 John 1:6). "When there is darkness in the soul, then we will stumble indeed."
As long as He followed God’s plan, no harm would come till the appointed time. Applied to people then, they should have responded to Jesus while He was in the world as its Light (cf. 1:4-7; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5). Soon He would be gone and so would this unique opportunity.
Their problem is they don’t know the truth and they will die in their sins
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."
Jesus then said, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. The word “friend” has special significance in Scripture (cf. 15:13-14; James 2:23). Not only their friend, but His also.
Jas 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.
12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."
As was often the case in the Gospels, Jesus was speaking about one thing but the disciples were thinking about another.
The raising of Lazarus is not a “first” in the Gospels. Jesus had already raised the dead son of the “widow of Nain,” as recorded in Luke 7:11-16. He did so on that occasion as they were taking his body out to be buried, and without being asked to do so by anyone. (Who would have thought to ask Jesus to raise a dead man?) This was followed by the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21-43). In this latter raising, Jesus tells those who are mourning her death that she is not really dead, but is merely “asleep” (5:39). Our Lord’s disciples and others seem to have forgotten these earlier raisings, nor do they seem to recall our Lord’s use of the term “sleep” to describe a temporary lack of life.
The idea that people would awake from this sleep, while revealed in the Old Testament (Dan. 12:2), was not the common perception of the outcome of death. Normally people thought of those who fell asleep in death as staying asleep 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
The New Testament writers commonly referred to death as sleep for the Christian because our resurrection to life is a prominent revelation and is sure (cf. Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). That Jesus was not teaching soul sleep should be clear from Luke 16:19-31.403
The doctrine of soul sleep is the teaching that at death the soul, specifically the immaterial part of man, becomes unconscious until the resurrection of the body. The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 shows that people are conscious after death and before their resurrection.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. – There is no hope now in earthly terms, it’s too late
This is a picture of us being dead in our sins and trespasses,
15 "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him."
Wants them to have more faith
When death occurs God has a better plan and a better purpose
His absence, He tells them, is for their benefit. His delay has been by divine design, so that they might believe. Frequently in the Gospel of John, reference is made to the fact that our Lord’s disciples “believed” in Him (1:50; 2:11, 22; 6:69; 13:19; 14:1, 29; 16:27, 30, 31; 17:8; 20:8; 20:25-29). It is apparent that the faith of the disciples continues to grow, the more the person and work of our Lord becomes evident to them. It is my conviction that our faith, likewise, should never be static, but that it should always be growing as our knowledge of Him increases.
Jesus was glad that He had not been present when Lazarus died because the disciples would learn a strong lesson from his
resurrection that would increase their faith. The sign that Lazarus' death made possible would be the clearest demonstration of Jesus' identity so far and would convince many people that He was God's Son.
Unto him (πρὸς αὐτόν). Most touching. To him, as though he were yet living. Death has not broken the personal relation of the Lord with His friend.
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."
I believe this is a declaration of strong devotion to Jesus.
He did not understand that the death that Jesus would die was a death that His disciples could not participate in with Him (cf. 1:29, 36). Nevertheless he spoke better than he knew. John probably recorded his exhortation because it was a call to disciples to take up their cross and follow Jesus (cf. 12:25; Mark 8:34; 2 Cor. 4:10).
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Monday Oct 09, 2023
John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
This is another section of Scripture which we find to be so familiar to us, but as in all Bible Study we need to look deeper than the surface of what is going on here. Lazarus is a man that Jesus loves, as He does all of His children, the ones who have trusted Him as Savior. But he also loves the sisters Mary and Martha, yet he allows them to go through trouble because ultimately He will be glorified in the end. That is why the Bible says we exist. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. One man put it this way, we exist to glorify God and praise Him forever. How do we do this? By first of all reverencing God and keeping His commandments. Second we do this by becoming more like Him every day. Romans 8:28-29, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. God is bringing us back to the place we were at in the Garden of Eden before man’s fall and our sinfulness dragged us down. The only way God can do this is by allowing us to go through trials that make us more like Him. So, have you looked at your situation and said that this is not something that is ultimately bad, but through it God is going to be glorified because I am trusting in Him and He will never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5)
Death is the great horror which sin has produced (Rom. 5:12; James 1:15). Physical death is the divine object lesson of what sin does in the spiritual realm. As physical death ends life and separates people, so spiritual death is the separation of people from God and the loss of life which is in God (John 1:4). Jesus has come so that people may live full lives (10:10).
This chapter with Lazarus being raised is the demonstration of John 10:10
Rejecting Jesus means that one will not see life (3:36) and that his final destiny is “the second death,” the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14-15).
1 ¶ Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus (name means one whom God Helps) of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
This Bethany ("house of the suffering) is about two miles (11:18) east of Jerusalem on the southeast slope of Olivet and is now called El Azariyeh, from the name Lazarus. Lit. Place of Lazarus
When John wrote, it was as Jesus had foretold (Matt. 26:13), for the fame of Mary of Bethany rested on the incident of the anointing of Jesus.
Luke 10:38-42, where Martha was distressed because Mary was not helping her prepare the meal.
Lu 10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
It is true the Martha and Mary do not specifically ask Jesus to do anything, but the word “look” or “behold” is not used lightly (see John 1:29, 36, 47; 3:26; 5:14; 7:26; 11:36; 12:19; 16:29; 18:21; 19:4, 14, 26, 27). They expect Jesus to drop everything and come to Bethany to heal him.
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." John 1:14
The words recorded in verse 4 are not spoken solely for the benefit of those who overhear this conversation between Jesus and the messenger, but as a message for this messenger to take back to Martha and Mary. Notice our Lord’s words to Martha later in this same account:
39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, because he has been buried four days.” 40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” V11:39-40
Verse 4 is our Lord’s response to Martha and Mary, sent back by the same messenger who brought word to Him of Lazarus’ grave condition.
This crisis has a divinely intended purpose—to bring glory to God the Father through the glorification of the Son of God. If we grant that the words of verse 40 are also sent to the women by the messenger, Jesus also encourages them to have faith, so that they too will see God glorified in all these things.
I am convinced that this is not what the women “hear” the messenger say when he returns without Jesus. I believe they “hear” (i.e., understand) the messenger say, “Jesus told me to tell you that Lazarus will not die.” The problem is that by the time the messenger returns to the women, Lazarus may already have died. Can you imagine their bewilderment if this is the case? They have already suffered the torment of Lazarus’ death and burial. Then, the messenger returns with word from Jesus which appears to assure them that Lazarus won’t die! Their faith in Jesus is really put to the test.
In this Gospel, God's "glory" is usually a reference to His self-revelation rather than the praise that comes to Him (cf. 1:14-18; 5:23; 12:28; 17:4).401 Ironically this miracle displayed Jesus' identity as God's Son, but it also led to His death that was the ultimate manifestation of His identity and glory.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Monday Oct 02, 2023
John 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 "I and My Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?" 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'? 35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. 41 Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." 42 And many believed in Him there.
In this great section of Scripture we see the eternal security of the believer expressed again as Jesus says, No one is greater than God, so they cannot take anything away from God that belongs to Him. Then Jesus tells them again that He is one with the Father. In every way possible Jesus is like God the Father because He is God in human flesh. Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. These verses tell us that Jesus is God, He created everything, He holds it all together, and He is the preeminent one (the one who has first place in everything). Then the Pharisees want to stone Jesus and He asks them why, for what good work do you stone Me. They understood He was saying He was God, so they say it is not for a good work, but because you claim to be God. Jesus tries to tell them again He is God and came from the Father, but they still won’t believe and so they try to seize Him and He escapes from them because it is not time for Him to die yet. He then goes to where John had baptized and many believe He is the Christ and are saved at that location.
“Snatch” (“ravenous wolves, robbers”). This is a fitting word here for the same verb is used in 10:12, “the wolf attacks” (lit., “snatches away”).
The sheep feel secure (3:16; 6:39; 17:12; 18:9).
29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
The greatness of the Father, not of the flock, is the ground of the safety of the flock.
He makes it very clear that the salvation and (eternal) security of the sheep are not the result of our sheepish efforts, but rather the sovereign will and working of God.[1] The Father chose us for salvation and gave us to the Son. It is the
No one overrules His will. No one overpowers Him. No one nullifies what He has achieved. No one takes away those He has purchased.
Jesus had promised this security in Galilee (6:37, 39). No wolf, no thief, no bandit, no hireling, no demon, not even the devil can pluck the sheep out of my hand. Colossians 3:3–4 (ESV) 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
It is obvious that the only one who can separate us from God’s love is ourselves (cf. Rom. 8:38–39; Gal. 5:2–4).
30 "I and My Father are one."
Not one person but one essence or nature. Colossians 2:9 (ESV) 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
They have the closest possible unity of purpose. Jesus’ will is identical to the Father’s regarding the salvation of His sheep. And yet absolute identity of wills involves identity of nature. Jesus and the Father are One in will (and also in nature for both are God; John 1:1, John 5:18, John 8:58, 10:18
He meant that He and the Father were one in their action. This explanation also harmonized with the context since Jesus had said that He would keep His sheep safe (v. 28) and His Father would keep them safe (v. 29).
The Jews had asked Jesus for a plain statement about His Messiah ship. Jesus gave them far more, a claim that He fully and completely carried out the Father's will that strongly hinted at Jesus' deity
This statement is the climax of Christ’s claims concerning the relation between the Father and himself (the Son). They stir the Pharisees to uncontrollable anger.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
It is not the word that is used before (ch.8:59), but great stones, stones that were a load, such as they used in stoning malefactors. They brought them from some place at a distance, as it were preparing things for his execution without any judicial process; as if he were convicted of blasphemy upon the notorious evidence of the fact, which needed no further trial.
32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?"
it was not for His works but for His words that they were going to kill Him. The reader should realize by now that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be, one with the Father and more than a mere mortal. A man was not making Himself out to be God, but God had made Himself a man (1:1, 14, 18).
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
The response of the Jews to our Lord’s challenge is amazing. In effect, they are saying, “Oh, we don’t look at your words in relation to your works; we view them separately.” Only those who are great hypocrites find this feat easy to accomplish. Their words and their works are not related (Matthew 23:1-3), and so they do not care that Jesus’ words and works are completely consistent. They are not about to be confused with the facts when their minds are already made up. They conclude (wrongly, of course) that Jesus is merely a man, and thus His claim to be God must be blasphemy. In their minds, He deserves to die.
If Jesus did not really claim to be God, He could easily have corrected the Jews' misunderstanding here. The fact that He did not is further proof that the Jews correctly understood that He was claiming to be God.
34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?
35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
The psalm ends: “Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.”
Can they not see what both our Lord and this psalm are saying? This psalm is not just a text Jesus has chosen to stump His adversaries. It is not a cute trick, which shames those who would pose trick questions to Messiah. He is the fulfillment of this psalm, as they are. They are the “gods” whom God is coming to judge. They are the “gods” who will die like men; He is the God who will die to save His sheep, only to rise again from the dead. This text says it all, but they cannot see it, for they are blind, while He is the light of the world. They cannot hear, for He is not their shepherd.
His critics. He wanted them to see that the divine terms that He was using to describe Himself were terms that the Old Testament itself also used of human beings. They could not logically accuse Him of blasphemy because the Father had set Him aside and sent Him into the world with a special mission. He was a legitimate Son of God for this reason.
If your judges could be called gods, are you going to call Me a blasphemer because I say I'm the Son of God when your judges were here on earth and the word came to them, and I came from there with the Word? Don't I deserve even a greater title?"
As the Jews had sanctified their temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanies, so God had sanctified His Son. The Jews celebrated the sanctification of their physical temple with the Feast of Dedication, but they were unwilling to accept the spiritual temple that replaced it, namely, Jesus.
36 "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.
The response of the Jews to our Lord’s challenge is amazing. In effect, they are saying, “Oh, we don’t look at your words in relation to your works; we view them separately.” Only those who are great hypocrites find this feat easy to accomplish. Their words and their works are not related (Matthew 23:1-3), and so they do not care that Jesus’ words and works are completely consistent. They are not about to be confused with the facts when their minds are already made up. They conclude (wrongly, of course) that Jesus is merely a man, and thus His claim to be God must be blasphemy. In their minds, He deserves to die.
40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.
John presented Jesus' departure from Jerusalem as the result of official rejection of Him. The event had symbolic significance that the evangelist probably intended. Jesus withdrew the opportunity for salvation from the people there because they refused to accept His gracious offer of salvation. Evidently, Jesus went from Jerusalem back to Bethany in Perea on the east side of the Jordan River where the Jewish rulers had no authority to pursue Him (cf. 1:28).
41 Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."
42 And many believed in Him there.
It is not yet His appointed time to die for His sheep, and so Jesus retreats to the more desolate and distant places along the Jordan river, which John the Baptist used to frequent in his ministry. We do not know exactly where this was, and likely, our Lord’s enemies do not know either. That is the point of His retreat. While our Lord’s enemies do not come to Him there, many others find Him in this place. It would seem that Jesus performed a number of miracles there from the words of those who compare His ministry with that of John: “John performed no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man was true!”
These words are recorded by John here for a reason that is very much related to the point of this passage. I have suggested that while the theme of shepherding is prominent, so is the relationship between our Lord’s words and His works.
My point is this: Many of the Jews believed that John the Baptist was a true prophet (see Matthew 21:26). They believed his words, even though he did not perform any miraculous works. And yet the Jews in Jerusalem (especially the religious leaders) will not believe Jesus’ words, even though He does many miraculous works. What a contrast John draws between these “Jordan River” Jews and the sophisticated Jews of Jerusalem. In contrast to our Lord’s rejection in Jerusalem, many are believing in Him who come to Him at the Jordan River.
And so we see that those who are His sheep have more than enough reason to believe, and that those who are not will never have enough evidence to believe.
First, this text strongly teaches the sovereignty of God, especially as it relates to the salvation and the security of His sheep. Those who resist such teaching should consider the fact that the doctrine of God’s sovereignty is not a flattering one. Is this not the principle reason we are inclined to reject it? The doctrine of God’s sovereignty glorifies God, and not men. It stresses His work, and not our works. It is this very teaching that the Jewish opponents of our Lord react to so strongly. Does this not serve to warn those who would seek to reject this teaching today, here in our text? This does not mean that the Bible ignores human responsibility, but it does mean that our salvation and our security are in His hands, and not ours. For that we should rejoice, not resist.
Second, this text reminds us of the necessary link between what we say and what we do, between our profession and our practice. Jesus constantly challenges His adversaries to consider the relationship between His words and His works. He also rebukes the Pharisees for their lack of consistency in these matters. Let us take heed. Let us be sure that what we say we believe is also what we behave.
Third, this text says much about leaders and leadership. It reminds us that leaders have been given their place of authority to carry out their roles as God’s agents. It certainly indicates to us that those of us under such divinely ordained authority should submit to it, as to the Lord. But in addition, the message is loud and clear that those leaders who fail to fulfill their mission as “good” shepherds will someday stand before the Great Shepherd and give account for their deeds. In this day when leaders seem to be getting away with murder, let us never forget this truth.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.
[1] Morris puts it this way: “It is one of the precious things about the Christian faith that our continuance in eternal life depends not on our feeble hold on Christ, but on His firm grip on us.” Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971) p. 521.
Monday Sep 25, 2023
Monday Sep 25, 2023
In this famous section of Scripture Jesus, the Light of the World is walking around at the Feast of Lights (Hanukkah). The Pharisees confront him and ask Him again, who are You, tell us plainly? They ask this as if they don’t know, like He hasn’t already told them time and time again. They have seen the signs, they have heard His Words, and yet they WILL NOT believe. Jesus says that all the signs that He has done for His Father in Heaven prove He is God (the Messiah) and they will not believe because they aren’t His Sheep. You see in this section Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility. God calls people to be saved and they cannot be saved unless He draws them (Divine Sovereignty), yet God says we are all responsible because the Scriptures says whosoever will, let him come, whoever believes. (Human Responsibility). He tells them that they cannot hear Him because they aren’t His Sheep because His Sheep hear His voice and follow Him. Then He finally tells them that if we are saved we are eternally secure for all time. Romans 8:31-39 confirms this, as do many other places in the Bible. It says whoever believes HAS eternal life. John 17:3 says eternal life is KNOWING the true God and Jesus whom He sent. Nobody is greater than Jesus and so no one can snatch them out of His Hand.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Sep 18, 2023
Monday Sep 18, 2023
John 10:17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." 19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?" 21 Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
In this section of Scripture, we see the Father’s special love for Jesus and all who obey His commandments. We don’t work to be saved; rather we work because we are saved. Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Jesus came with a purpose to lay down His life that we may take up the new life that He gives us. Jesus tells them that He has the power over His life and His death; no one will do anything that He doesn’t want them to do to Him. He also says He will live again and all the things He said caused division among the Jews as usual. Jesus always creates division, not because He is mean and nasty, but because some people want to know the truth and others don’t. Those that don’t want to know the truth are the mean and nasty ones who cause the problems. Finally, they cannot speak to what He says intelligently, so they attack Him verbally as they have many times in the past. Isn’t that what we all do when we can’t win the discussion, we begin to attack the others and so it always ends?
Romans 3:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God 18 and know his will and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth— 21 therefore you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law. 24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:17-24).
The Gospel of John is written in a way that links the declarations of Jesus to His deeds. John does this to show that Jesus’ words must be taken seriously, because of the works that accompany them.
30 Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples that are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31).
So it is in John’s Gospel that Jesus is continually performing some miraculous deed, which validates a declaration He has made, or will make shortly. These “signs” that our Lord performs demonstrate that He is who He claims to be. The One who claims to be the “Bread of Life” (6:35) is the same One who feeds the 5,000 (John 6:1-14). The last words Jesus speaks before giving the man born blind his sight are: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). While many of the Jews object to the teaching of our Lord, accusing Him of being demon possessed, many others protest, “These are not the words of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, can it?” (John 10:21). They take Jesus’ words seriously because of His works. In our text, Jesus claims to be “the resurrection and the life,” assuring His listeners that anyone who believes in Him will live, even though he dies (11:25). This is just shortly before He calls Lazarus out of the tomb, where he has been for four days!
After Jesus feeds the crowd of 5,000 men, the people respond: “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14).
When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he acknowledged that Jesus had “come from God,” based upon the deeds He had done: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).
In our text, the Apostle John continues to employ the imagery of sheep and shepherding, but he does so with an emphasis on the relationship between words and deeds. Hypocrisy is not just the sin of the Pharisees. If you and I were honest, we would admit that we are all hypocrites, and in a big way! This text has a great deal to say to us about Jesus, about words and deeds, and about hypocrisy. Let us listen and learn what the Spirit of God has to say to us through His inspired Word. Let us resolve ahead of time, that by God’s grace, we will do what this text teaches us we should do, and that our deeds will conform to His words, as well as our own.
20 And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?"
Jewish religious leaders are more determined than ever to put Him to death. It is now only a matter of the right opportunity.
21 Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
The Gospel of John is written in a way that links the declarations of Jesus to His deeds. John does this to show that Jesus’ words must be taken seriously, because of the works that accompany them. John 20:30-31.
So it is in John’s Gospel that Jesus is continually performing some miraculous deed, which validates a declaration He has made, or will make shortly.
This is not an entirely new thing. Throughout the Gospel of John, men strongly differ as to who Jesus is (see John 6:52; 7:43; 9:16). Those opposed to Jesus are becoming more and more intense in their opposition. They have already purposed to put Him to death (see 5:18; 7:1, 19-20, 25; 8:37, 40).
In this section of Scripture we see the Father’s special love for Jesus and all who obey His commandments. We don’t work to be saved; rather we work because we are saved. Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Jesus came with a purpose to lay down His life that we may take up the new life that He gives us. Jesus tells them that He has the power over His life and His death; no one will do anything that He doesn’t want them to do to Him. He also says He will live again and all the things He said caused division among the Jews as usual. Jesus always creates division, not because He is mean and nasty, but because some people want to know the truth and others don’t. Those that don’t want to know the truth are the mean and nasty ones who cause the problems. Finally they cannot speak to what He says intelligently, so they attack Him verbally as they have many times in the past. Isn’t that what we all do when we can’t win the discussion, we begin to attack the others and so it always ends?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today. https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-z897g-aad45f
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Hi, I'm Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries. In Colossians 1 Paul prayed for them to have wisdom and spiritual understanding. In Chapter 2 Paul said all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. He also said do not let anyone deceive you with philosophy and useless deceit. The world is constantly trying to adjust our attitudes and thinking through the media. James 1 says if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives it liberally and without reproach. Where do you get your opinions and attitudes from, the truth of the Bible, or from Man’s opinions?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Sep 11, 2023
Monday Sep 11, 2023
John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
In this section of Scripture Jesus is contrasting Himself as the Good Shepherd with the Pharisees, the ones He calls thieves and hirelings. He tells us that He came to give us life and life more abundantly. That He will give His life for the sheep, but the hireling (Pharisees and other false teachers) will run when the sheep are in danger. Jesus says three times in this passage He is the Good Shepherd. This is one of the seven great I AM statements in this Gospel which shows that Jesus is Yahweh, the Self-Existent One, the One who was In The Beginning with God, the One who IS the WORD OF GOD, the one WHO IS GOD that came in human flesh. Jesus tells them that He will give his life for the sheep, in other words He will die on the cross for our sins. He also tells us that He will bring all the people together that believe in Him into one flock. Just as the tower of Babel separated man from man, Jesus will make us one in Christ. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Stealing is the purpose of the thief, but he will kill and destroy if necessary
“This is a proverbial or well-known way of insisting that there is only one means of receiving eternal life (the Synoptics might have preferred to speak of entering the kingdom, although entering into life is also attested there), only one source of knowledge of God, only one fount of spiritual nourishment, only one basis for spiritual security—Jesus alone.” Carson, p. 385
That they (people) may keep on having life (eternal, he means)” as he shows in 10:28. He is “the life” (14:6). And may have it abundantly (Repetition of (may keep on having) abundance. “To have a surplus,” true to the meaning of overflow
Romans 5:20 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
Jesus: The Good Shepherd (10:11-18)
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
Note repetition of the article, “the shepherd the good one.
“Jesus continues I am the good shepherd, really: the shepherd, the good one. The adjective is stressed! This adjective, however, is not agaqo" but kalo". The basic meaning of this word is beautiful. Here it indicates excellent. This shepherd answers to the ideal both in his character and in his work. And he is the only one in his class.”
Mr 10:17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" 18 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
To say he is good based on this passage, Jesus says you have to be God to be good and He is in effect saying I AM GOD
Ps 23 says the Lord is my Shepherd
For illustration see I Sam. 17:35 (David’s experience) and Isa. 31:4.
In Judges 12:3, it means, “I risked my life.” The true physician does this for his patient as the shepherd for his sheep. The use of ὑπερ [huper] here (over, in behalf of, instead of), but in the papyri [huper] is the usual preposition for substitution rather than [anti]. This shepherd gives his life for the sin of the world (1:29; I John 2:2).
The words ‘for (hyper) the sheep’ suggest sacrifice. The preposition, in John always occurs in a sacrificial context, whether referring to the death of Jesus (6:51; 10:11, 15; 11:50ff.; 17:19; 18:14), of Peter (13:37-38), or of a man prepared to die for his friend (15:13). In no case does this suggest a death with merely exemplary significance; in each case the death envisaged is on behalf of someone else. The shepherd does not die for his sheep to serve as an example, throwing himself off a cliff in a grotesque and futile display while bellowing, ‘See how much I love you!’ No, the assumption is that the sheep are in mortal danger; that in their defense the shepherd loses his life; that by his death they are saved. That, and that alone, is what makes him the good shepherd.” Carson, p. 386. The good shepherd lays down his life for the benefit of the sheep, but the only way in which he can benefit the sheep, saving them from everlasting destruction and imparting everlasting life to them, is by dying instead of them, as we learn from Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45, where the preposition anti (instead of, in exchange for) is used.
Five ministries of the Good Shepherd
The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
Gives up His life (soul) not just his breath and the things of life. Gave His entire being, felt the pain of hell, the curse of sin, the hate of men.
In the OT the sheep died for the shepherd (their sins), in Jesus the Shepherd dies for the sheep.
12 "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
These are the religious Pharisees; they are in it for the money and things this position brings to them.
Tit 1:10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.
1Pe 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
2Pe 2:3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
The Good Shepherd Loves the Sheep
Knows His sheep, and am known by My own –
Know implies love. Adam knew his wife
14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
Lays down His life for the sheep
15 "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
5. He unites the Sheep John 17
16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
By : Emil G. Hirsch Immanuel Benzinger Herodotus (i. 195) and Strabo (xvi. 746) assert that among the Babylonians every man carried a ring and a staff, which latter was decorated at the upper end with a carved representation of a flower or something similar. It seems to have been the universal custom among the ancient Hebrews also to carry a staff (comp. Gen. xxxviii. 18)—a custom which perhaps dates from the time when they lived the nomadic life of herdsmen. The staff was indispensable to the herdsman, for by means of it he kept his flock together (Ex. iv. 2; Lev. xxvii. 32; Ps. xxiii. 4; Micah vii. 14; Zech. ii. 7); the upper end of the long staff was bent, as Egyptian illustrations indicate. Nor was the staff to be despised as a weapon (Ps. xxiii. 4). Similarly, a long, perhaps straight, stick, with a goad at the end, was used by the peasants for driving and guiding the oxen before the plow, and also for breaking the clods behind it, as the peasants still use the stick to-day; this also was an effective weapon (Judges iii. 31; I Sam. xiii. 21, xvii. 43). Finally, the staff was indispensable to the wanderer, and a support to the weak and sick (Gen. xxxii. 10; Ex. xxi. 19; Zech. viii. 4). In the hands of the overseers it became an instrument of punishment, and therefore a badge of office (Isa. ix. 4, xxx. 31, et al.).E. G. H.
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John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today. https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-z897g-aad45f
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Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
John 10:7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 "All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
In the passage of Scripture we are studying today, we will see that Jesus is not only the door leading us out of our false ways, but also the only door leading to eternal life. I know many think that most people are going to heaven and that there are many ways to get there, but Jesus states with no stutter or stammer there is but one way and HE is it. Somehow He protects those who will trust Him from becoming totally swayed by false teachers so that one day we will trust Him and Him only to save us. He tells the people standing around that the Pharisees and all others who said you could get to heaven some other way than Him are thieves and robbers. He also tells us as we go about everyday life He is with us and takes care of us just as the Shepherds did with their sheep. He also says the thief will do anything to get the sheep and only cares that he gets what he wants. Jesus also says that if we want joy, peace, and a life that is wonderful in spite of our problems we need to trust Him as Savior.
Jesus: The Door Of The Sheep. He Says HE is the Door Twice
7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
First, He shifts from the more general third person (“the one who,” “he,” “him,” “his”) to the very specific first person singular (“I,” “me”). He makes it very clear from here on that He is speaking of Himself as “the True Shepherd” and “the Good Shepherd.”
He is the door who makes it possible for them to leave the fold of Judaism and come into salvation through Him
The door of the sheep. Meaning the door for the sheep; not the door of the fold. “The thought is connected with the life, and not simply with the organization.”
The door to the truth. 1Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
Jesus brings us out of the mixed sheepfold
Eze 20:37 "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 "I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
8 "All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
All who preceded him accordingly must be thieves and the like working in the darkness. All the more is this likely to be the case in that Jesus does not say that they ‘were’ but that they ‘are’ thieves and robbers. The emphasis is on His own day.
Lu 16:14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Mr 12:38 Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 "the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."
Mr 11:17 Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are kravenous wolves.
9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus brings us out of the mixed sheepfold and into the true fold of His love. Once the flock was led out of that fold, from Israel He gathered His own, took them out to a new pasture in the paroimia. Now it's true, and this is a beautiful thought, when a shepherd and his sheep were way off from the village, they wouldn't go back every night, too far to go. So he would build a little sheepfold on the hillside just for his own sheep. That's the sheepfold in view here, not a mixed sheepfold anymore. These have been led out, these are God's own and God has made a little sheepfold for them out on the hillside. And it represents the place of blessing. And the picture is like leading them out of Judaism into the new sheepfold which is the place of the Father's blessing. And to that sheepfold, Jesus says, "I am the door." He not only leads a man out of the bondage, but he leads him in to the new blessing in God, doesn't He? And He says I'm the door.
Now watch this. That little hillside sheepfold was just a little simple wall out of mud or stone or wood and it had an opening. No door, just an opening. Jesus says, "I am the door." How does that work? Just this, at night the shepherd would take all of his sheep, put them in the fold, and you know what he would do then? He would lie down across the opening and no sheep could ever go out or in without going over the body of the shepherd. Literally the shepherd was the door. So Jesus says in one breath, "I'm the Shepherd." In the next one He says, "I'm also the Door." For in the truest sense that shepherd on that hillside became the door to the sheepfold and he knew every sheep that went in and out. You cannot enter the presence of God through any other door, you must go over the broken body of Jesus Christ, that's the only way. The shepherd who lays his life down for the sheep, right? Jesus, Paul says, is the only way to have access to the Father, Ephesians 2:18.
Saved – means to be delivered safe and sound, someone recovered from a severe illness, come through a bad storm, survived a war, or was acquitted in court.
You'll also find pasture. Did you know the Shepherd not only takes care of us but He feeds us? You say, "What's our food?" Right here, isn't it? The Word of God, that's our food. And, you know, if there are some feeble sheep, that's because they're not eating. Tragically the Shepherd has to lead very slowly because we have a lot of sheep who are dragging along. If you want to be a healthy sheep, feed the Word to your soul and you can go in and out and find pasture, God's sustaining Word, feast on it. Be a healthy sheep.
There is no good reason to restrict the meaning of the verb in this passage, as if it meant no more than, ‘he will be safe.’ To be sure, safety is implied also in the words, and will go in and out; but this is only part of the meaning. Not only will he go in and out, i.e., experience perfect freedom from all real harm and danger, and this even in the small affairs of every-day living, and feel himself entirely at home in the daily routine of God’s people (see especially the beautiful words of Ps. 121:8), but in addition, he will find pasture; i.e., life and abundance, as the following verse indicates. The pasture which the true sheep finds in the study of the Word is certainly included.” Hendriksen, vol. 2, p. 109.
[1] “By going in and out, Scripture often denotes all the actions of the life, which means, to dwell. These words, therefore, present to us a twofold advantage of the Gospel, that our souls shall find pasture in it, which otherwise become faint and famished, and are fed with nothing but wind; and, next, because he will faithfully protect and guard us against the attacks of wolves and robbers.” John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries, Volume 7: The Gospels (Grand Rapids: Associated Publishers and Authors Inc., n.d.), p. 772.
Find Pasture (in sense of growth) 1 Chronicles 4:40 40 •where they found rich•, good pasture, and the land was very broad•, xquiet, and peaceful, for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham.
Ps 121:1 A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills-From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. (NKJV)
Destination Sickness – Arriving where you wanted to go and not wanting anything you have.
10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Stealing is the purpose of the thief, but he will kill and destroy if necessary
[1] “This is a proverbial or well known way of insisting that there is only one means of receiving eternal life (the Synoptics might have preferred to speak of entering the kingdom, although entering into life is also attested there), only one source of knowledge of God, only one fount of spiritual nourishment, only one basis for spiritual security—Jesus alone.” Carson, p. 385
That they (people) may keep on having life (eternal, he means)” as he shows in 10:28. He is “the life” (14:6). And may have it abundantly (Repetition of (may keep on having) abundance.“to have a surplus,” true to the meaning of overflow
Romans 5:20 20 Now ithe law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, jgrace abounded all the more,
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Hi, This is Marty McKenzie with His Love Ministries. Why do you think God gave us the 10 commandments? Is it because you think that God is some kind of cosmic kill joy, and that He doesn’t want you to have fun? You wouldn’t let your child play in the middle of a busy highway would you? God gave the 10 Commandments because He is Holy and to show us we aren’t, but it’s also to keep us from getting hurt. When we sin we hurt others and ourselves. The Bible says sin is fun for a season, but it also says whatever a man sows that shall he reap. Sin does have consequences.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
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“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.
Monday Aug 28, 2023
Monday Aug 28, 2023
John 10:3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
In this message we will see that Jesus is the True Shepherd and He is the only one who can get to His Sheep (Those who will trust Him for Salvation). He leads us out of the old false ways we are in, whether it is religion, drugs, alcohol, or any other wrong thing that we are involved in. He says that His people (His Sheep) will flee from the false teachers because they ultimately will belong to Christ. Somehow, because we are elect, God protects us from the false teachers (shepherds) and keeps us from following them into an eternity in hell. This is a passage that has many applications for our lives. Are we following the false teaching of philosophy, religion, psychology, worldly ways or anything that leads us away from Christ? Are we teaching our children to follow the True Shepherd, or are we allowing them to find their own way that may lead them to hell? Do you know the voice and are you following the ONE TRUE SHEPHERD JESUS CHRIST? Hear His cry today, for He says today is the day of salvation.
The doorkeeper opens the door for the True Shepherd
Verse 3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
The doorkeeper could either be John the Baptist who opens the way for the Lord to minister or the Holy Spirit who opens the door to our heart.
Several flocks might be herded in the same fold overnight. But the shepherd knows his own sheep (verse 27) and calls their names. They love and trust their shepherd.
Verse 4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
Goeth before. As the Eastern shepherd always does. He brings us out of whatever false religion or ideology that we are in.
Having pushed them forth, he now leads them.
John 11:52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
Staff in hand he leads the way in front of the flock and they follow him. What a lesson for pastors who seek to drive the church like cattle and fail. The true pastor leads in love, in words, in deeds.
The Sheep recognize His voice and follow Him
Verse 5 "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
Follow. “It is necessary that they should be taught to follow, and not stray away into the unfenced fields of wheat which lie so temptingly on either side. The shepherd calls from time to time to remind them of his presence. They know his voice and follow on; but if a stranger call, they stop, lift up their heads in alarm, and if the call is repeated, they turn and flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers. This is a simple fact. [1]
They simply will not follow such a man or woman, these well-trained sheep will not. But will flee from him
If only pastors had the sheep (old and young) so trained that they would run away from and not run after the strange voices that call them to false philosophy, false psychology, false ethics, false religion, false life.
Luke 15 the lost sheep, the lost coin and the parable of the lost son. God pursues sinners and has great joy when they turn in repentance and come to Him for salvation.
Verse 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
As David was designated the king of Israel by the prophet Samuel, so also Jesus, the Son of David, was designated Israel’s King by the prophet John the Baptist. The sheep in the sheepfold are the Jews to whom our Lord came[2] as the Messiah. His flock is but a portion of the sheep in the sheepfold. His sheep are the “elect,” the sheep whom God the Father has given to the Son (6:37, 39), and thus Jesus calls them “His own sheep” (verses 3, 4). Because they are His sheep, they “know His voice,” recognize Him as the Messiah, and trust in Him as their Shepherd. These sheep, who belong to the true Shepherd, also know better than to follow any false shepherd. Instead, they avoid such “shepherds” by fleeing from them.
Ps 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Call his sheep by name – Each one must come on his own, and He knows all of us
Leads them out or puts them out just as Pharisees did, but for a good reason. An other centered religion
Goes before them, He doesn’t leave you alone
Sheep Trust His Voice
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
[1] Vincent, M. R. (2002). Word studies in the New Testament (Jn 10:4). Bellingham, WA:
Monday Aug 21, 2023
Monday Aug 21, 2023
Jesus: The True Shepherd of Israel 10:1-5
John 10:1 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
In this section of Scripture we will learn what a real shepherd is and how he behaves towards his sheep which is a picture or type of the Pastor/Leader and how he treats his people that he is supposed to be leading towards Godliness. Jesus tells these people to listen up what He is about to say is real important since this section is a continuation of the story of the blind man being put out of the Synagogue by the Pharisees (false shepherds) and being found by Jesus (The True Shepherd) and how He cares for us and will even go out of His way at the expense of His own life to see us saved eternally. Jesus tells it like it is in this section as He always does, but here He begins to really hit the Pharisees hard by telling them what had been prophesied in Ezekiel Chapter 34. In that section of Scripture it speaks of the Pharisees being false shepherds and those who take care of themselves at the expense of the sheep (the people). Finally it speaks of the True Shepherd (Jesus Christ) coming to love, feed, and care for the people of God. Are we following the True Shepherd who is Jesus Christ? If not we are lost forever and headed for hell.
Read Ezekiel 34
Jer 50:6 "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place.
Speak about how Shepherds bring the sheep into the fold with others and then out in the fields they have their own fold
3 Characteristics of the True Shepherd
Enters by the door – Comes the right way
The doorkeeper opens the door
The Sheep recognize His voice and follow Him
Enters by the door – Comes the right way
John 10:1 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Verily, verily, the formula never begins anything quite new, but connects what follows with what precedes. This discourse grows out of the assumption of the Pharisees to be the only authoritative guides of the people (9:24, 29) They have already been described as blind and sinful.
The sheep are the Jews, the sheepfold is Israel and many false shepherds have come and led the sheep the wrong way. Jesus leads them out of the false way of Judaism and into the flock of His people the saved
All through Israel's history false shepherds have come in and taken the sheep, fleeced the sheep. And the only rightful Shepherd, the only one who has messianic authority to come in the door and take His elect sheep and lead them out of Judaism is Jesus Christ. The sheepfold is clearly Israel.
Some of God's are in that sheepfold. And Jesus is the Shepherd Messiah who comes to lead them out of Judaism into a new relationship with God through Him. And all the false leaders of Israel have been trying to climb the walls to impose their false messiahship on the sheep. But here's the rightful Shepherd. The door represents messianic authority. Nobody else had the messianic right to go in that door and lead out God's elect sheep but Jesus Christ Himself. Nobody else. He comes in the right way; He fulfilled all the messianic promises. He was the virgin-born Son of God, born in Bethlehem. He was declared so by the Father who said, "Thou art My beloved Son." He was declared to be so by His words and His works. He was declared to be so by John the Baptist and the testimony of others.
He came meek and humbly. The Pharisees came proud, arrogant, haughtily.
Jesus conformed to every messianic promise. He was the rightful Shepherd, the one sent from the Father to take those who would believe of Israel, lead them out of Judaism to form a new flock, soon to become His glorious church.
Some other way Lit., from some other quarter. The thief does not, like the shepherd, come from some well-known direction, as from his dwelling or from the pasture, but from an unknown quarter and by a road of his own. This from is significant, because, in the previous discourses, Jesus has laid great stress on the source from which He proceeded, and has made the difference in character between Himself and His opposers turn upon difference of origin. See 8:23, 42, and 44. In the latter part of this chapter He brings out the same thought (vv. 30, 32, 33, 36).
How industrious are wicked people to do mischief! What plots will they lay, what pains will they take, what hazards will they run, in their wicked pursuits! This should shame us out of our slothfulness and cowardice in the service of God.
Jesus uses this familiar scene to demonstrate how He is Israel’s true Shepherd, and how the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders are evil shepherds. Evil shepherds—to whom Jesus refers as “thieves and robbers”—do not dare present themselves to the doorkeeper, because he will know them for what they are, and will not grant them access to the sheep, since their intent is to steal sheep and to kill them
Mt 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
They thought they had just “slammed the door” in the face of the man who was born blind, but in truth he just found the “door” in Christ and entered into eternal life.
Mark 11:17 (ESV) 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
Here the man jumping over the wall comes to steal and to do it by violence like a bandit. He is both thief and robber.
2 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Jesus is the true Shepherd, Israel’s Messiah.
Shepherd - Old word with a root meaning to protect. Jesus applies it to himself in verse 16 and implies it here. It is used of Christ in 1 Peter 2:25 (ESV) 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him
Mt 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
The psalmist said, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." The psalmist said in Psalm 77, "Thou leadest Thou people like a flock." In Psalm 79, "We, Thy people, the sheep of Thy pasture, will give Thee thanks forever." In Psalm 80, "Give ear, O shepherd of Israel," the psalmist said, "Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock." Psalm 95, "He is our God and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand." God was a shepherd to Israel.
Eze 34:31 “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.
Hebrews 13:20 (ESV) 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
Paul applies it to ministers in Ephesians 4:11 (ESV) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
Jesus uses the verb ποιμαινω [poimainō], to shepherd, to Peter John 21:16 (ESV)16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Peter uses it to other preachers 1 Peter 5:1–4 (ESV) 5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Paul uses it for bishops (elders) in Acts 20:28–29 (ESV) 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
Our word pastor is simply Latin for shepherd. Christ is drawing a sharp contrast after the conduct of the Pharisees towards the blind man between himself and them.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Aug 14, 2023
Monday Aug 14, 2023
John 9:28 Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. 29 "We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." 30 The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
33 "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." 34 They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. 35 ¶ Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" 36 He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" 37 And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." 38 Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. 39 ¶ And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." 40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.
In this section of Scripture we will see the formerly blind man being confronted by the “religious” leaders (Pharisees) of the day. Instead of jumping up and down and rejoicing for his newly found sight, they mistreat the man because they want to find the Man who broke THEIR Sabbath. These Pharisees think they are somebody and they confront this man, but little do they know that he has a new found confidence and will soon have salvation too, while they end up lost and headed for hell. This man when confronted says that Jesus is not a sinner but from God and who has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of the blind! So the religious leaders remove him from fellowship with any Jew by kicking him out of the Synagogue. Well, Jesus goes and finds the man and asks him if he believes in the Son of God (Messiah), then man says who is He that I might believe and Jesus says I am Him. Right then and there the man believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved. Then the Pharisees meanwhile demand to know whether they are the blind Jesus is talking about who are lost and Jesus says yes, you are. Are we blind, yet think we see and know the truth, or do we really know the Jesus of the Bible?
V28 The controversy exposes another deceit. No, they are not disciples of Moses. Because Jesus said in John 5:46, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.” Now we start to see who is really blind in this story.
V 35-38 And that’s the last thing we see or hear of him. That is the point of the story. Jesus does the works of God. Jesus is the glory of God. Jesus is to be worshipped. The man was blind. And then he called Jesus “the man.” And then he called him a prophet. And then he defended him at huge risk. And then fell down and worshipped. This is why Jesus came into the world. He is seeking worshipers.
39–41 The same light that leads one person can blind another
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Aug 07, 2023
Monday Aug 07, 2023
John 9:14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. 17 They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." 18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20 His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 "but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." 25 He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." 26 Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?"
In this section of Scripture we will see the effects of Jesus healing the blind man. It affects the blind man in that he can see now, but also begins to see who Jesus really is. He is a picture of us who are spiritually blind and cannot see the truth unless Jesus opens our eyes to it. It affects the Pharisees because they get mad that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Instead of rejoicing that a man blind from birth can see, they want all the details, especially those pertaining to the sin they believe the healer has committed. It affects the parents, they are not sure what to think, but then they are also scared and intimidated by the Pharisees who will kick them out of the Synagogue if they admit that it was Jesus. So these parents who have probably taken care of their son all their life suddenly want him to stand on his own two feet and take care of himself, especially when it comes to talking to the Pharisees. Lastly it affects all the people who knew the man and saw the difference in him. How about you, has Jesus coming into your life affected all the people you know or have you forgotten to share that new sight with all who do not know the truth of Jesus and His saving grace.
14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
Why would he do this? To show that he was “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). He defines the Sabbath. To show what the point of Sabbath rest is. The point of Sabbath rest is healing. That’s why you rest. Healing! The point of Sabbath rest is that we are helpless and God creates, God sustains, God heals, we don’t. What day could be better for God incarnate to find a broken man and heal him—to give him and his parents rest from all the struggles of blindness? That’s what the Sabbath is for—God-exalting blessing to broken and weary humans.
15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.
Blind Man’s Spirtual Progress –
Verse 11 - All he knows is A Man called Jesus
Verse 17 - then comes to realize Jesus is a Prophet
John 9:25 He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."
Believes He is From God - John 9:31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."
John 9:38 Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. Then he believes Jesus is from God then He believes in Him and Is Saved
As He sees more and more of Jesus his courage is strengthened more and more to the place where He does not care if he is thrown out of the Synagogue and directly confronts the Pharisees, go back to John 1 where the disciples see more and more of Jesus, John 4 the woman at the well, the man whose son is healed, Peter on the day of Pentecost and all believers who truly understand who Jesus is and will stand up for Him even to death
Note the Spiritual Digression of the Pharisees and others nearby
Not from God - Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.
He is a Sinner - John 9:24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner."
Would not believe, so they remain unsaved - John 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." 40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.
Jesus has himself done the works of God. And those who have eyes to see say with John 1:14, “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” That’s what the blind man saw. That’s what the Pharisees did not see, which is why this chapter ends with blindness just like it began, only of a worse kind.
John 12:35 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. 37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?" 39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: 40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them." 41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
This is what Jesus was after: Clear sight of who he was, courageous confession of faith, and worship. And the expression of tragically blasphemous hearts.
V24 Give glory to God (cf. Josh. 7:19; 1 Sam. 6:5; Jer. 13:16) was a call to admit his guilt in siding with Jesus, whom they called a sinner. When they said We know, they were pressuring him. Unbelief often claims to be scientific, but here it was just stubborn and willful.[1]
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jul 31, 2023
Monday Jul 31, 2023
John 9:1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. 8 ¶ Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" 9 Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." 10 Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" 11 He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." 12 Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." 13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
We are taking a second look at this section of Scripture because there is so much that is going on that we missed last week. Jesus cares more about the blind man than He does His own life, because it says as He passed by He saw the man. He was leaving the Pharisees who were trying to stone Him and yet He stopped to help this man. Oh, that we were like Jesus and cared about people like He did and still does. Jesus knew He was on a divine timetable and that He had a limited amount of time to work and accomplish the purposes that He was sent to do. We need to realize our time is limited too and we need to work like Jesus said to, because a time comes when our time to do God’s will is done. There are no do overs, no un do’s, no deletes, what is done is done and what has not been done will never be accomplished by us. Lastly, life’s circumstances ought to draw us closer to Jesus and when people look at us they ought to be like the people who saw the blind man and said in verse 8 "Is not this he who sat and begged?" 9 Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he. We should be so different after Jesus has saved us that people wonder if we are the same person and then we get to testify that we are, but we are changed totally, completely, and only by the grace given to us by Jesus coming into our lives.
The Controversy
John 9:8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"
9 Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he."
They weren’t sure if it was him or not because when we are changed by Jesus and given spiritual eyes to see, we are not the same person. Also having eyes now instead of sunken in places on his face changed his looks.
God changes the way we look to the world when we begin to see the light of Jesus and respond to it.
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
10 Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" Looking to find a violation of the Sabbath, not worried about him and his healing, Asked How, not who
11 He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight."
12 Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."
John 9:13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.
9:13-14. Since this miracle was so unusual, the people brought the man to the Pharisees, who were highly respected in religious matters. To the Pharisees, healing (unless life was in danger) and making or kneading clay violated the Sabbath Law.
14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
Why would he do this? To show that he was “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). He defines the Sabbath. To show what the point of Sabbath rest is. The point of Sabbath rest is healing. That’s why you rest. Healing! The point of Sabbath rest is that we are helpless and God creates, God sustains, God heals, we don’t. What day could be better for God incarnate to find a broken man and heal him—to give him and his parents rest from all the struggles of blindness? That’s what the Sabbath is for—God-exalting blessing to broken and weary humans.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jul 24, 2023
Monday Jul 24, 2023
This is the chapter that illustrates Chapter 8:12 Jesus is the Light of the World
John 9:1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
In this very familiar Scripture we need to make sure we don’t think we know everything that is going on here since we have heard this story so many times. There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes as in any Scripture we read. That is why we have to be very careful when we study to make sure we are really getting the meaning behind it that GOD wants us to have. Number one his disciples assume the man is born blind because of someone sinning. We also need to understand that sometimes God allows circumstances in our lives so that He might get glory from the way we respond to it. Third, there is a limited amount of time we have to work for God and do His will for our lives. Lastly, we have to go to the source of every solution to the problems of life. Note that He doesn’t always fix everything, but He enables us to handle all the ups and downs of life, no matter how bad things get. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
His Compassion
There are more miracles of the giving of sight to the blind recorded of Jesus than healings in any other category (see Matt. 9:27-31; 12:22-23; 15:30-31; 21:14; Mark 8:22-26; 10:46-52; Luke 7:21-22).
In the Old Testament the giving of sight to the blind is associated with God himself (Exod. 4:11; Ps. 146:8).
It is also a messianic activity (Isa 29:18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.;
Isa 42:7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
Lu 4:16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." and this may be its significance in the New Testament.
It is a divine function, a function for God's own Messiah, that Jesus fulfills when he gives sight to the blind."
Ex 4:11 So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?
Ps 146:8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous.
2Co 3:14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.
2Co 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
1Jo 2:11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
This whole chapter is steeped in Controversy, Why was the man born blind v 2, was it really him 1) The Beggar and His Neighbors (Verses 8–12), The Beggar and the Pharisees (Verses 13–17) Why did Jesus do this v14, who is He really v15-41? Controversy between The Pharisees and the Parents (Verses 18–23), Again- The Beggar and the Pharisees (Verses 24–34) Controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees (V39-41)
This chapter presents the sixth of seven special miracles recorded in John’s Gospel as witnesses to Christ’s deity (20:30–31). The first three signs show how a person is saved: through the Word (water to wine), by faith (healing the nobleman’s son), and by grace (healing the impotent man). The last four signs show the results of salvation: satisfaction (feeding the 5,000), peace (stilling the storm), light (healing the blind man), and life (raising Lazarus).
The man has the characteristics of the lost sinner.
(1) He was blind (Eph. 4:18; John 3:3; 2 Cor. 4:3–6). The unsaved, though intellectual like Nicodemus, can never see or understand spiritual things. See 1 Cor. 2:14–16.
(2) He was begging. The unsaved are poor in God’s sight, though perhaps rich in the eyes of the world. They are begging for something to satisfy their deepest needs.
(3) He was helpless. He could not cure himself; others could not cure him.
John 9:1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
He is more concerned with the man than His own life. Lu 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Probably Jesus healed this man in Jerusalem (8:59). John apparently noted that the man had been blind from birth to prove his helpless condition and to compare him with those who were spiritually blind from birth (cf. vv. 39-41; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-3). While the Synoptics record several instances in which blind people received their sight, this is the only case of this happening to a man who was born blind. The miracle also illustrates the origin and development of faith.
2Co 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork”
He is a prepared vessel to show the Glory of God, he was a miracle waiting to happen
So when Jesus said in verse 3, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him,” this is the work of God—that the man see natural light and that the man see spiritual light. That the man be given natural eyes, and that he be given spiritual eyes. That he see the glory of this world, and the glory of its Maker, Jesus Christ. And worship him.
Romans 8:28 –
God is worth more than all the troubles we go through Romans 8:18
Psalm 63:3 says, “Your steadfast love is better than life.” And Jesus said to the prisoners in Smyrna, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Being loved by God, and being with God forever, is better than having eyes and better than being alive in this world. If we don’t believe that, then saying that God has wise and good purposes in all our losses, will not be much comfort. But if we do believe it, not only will God’s purposes comfort us and strengthen us, but they will make us able to patiently, and gently help others through their times of darkness.
His Purpose
4 "We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
There is an urgency to this command to Do God’s works, not ours, the time is short
All of us must tell others about Christ through our life, actions, words, and sharing with others about who He is
A time is coming when all work for God in leading others to Christ will be over and it will be too late for them and too late for us to get another chance to tell them. There is a time to discuss theology or Biblical teaching, but all the time is the time to share Christ.
Jesus tells them WE must work, then He proceeds to do the work Himself, see this is the way it really works because when we do our part God is really the one who is really doing the hard work that changes lives. We are partners in this work.
Eph 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
5 "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." He is the truth, righteousness, holiness, and morality that only comes from God.
Eph 3:20 – He is able to do, His Power working in us
8:12 I am the light of the world
John 12:35 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them
He will be hidden from all who do not believe one day. He is even now hidden to those who do not want to know the truth
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. Spit on his eyes, may have motivated to get it off too because it was nasty
Jesus deliberately causes a controversy
Jesus did it because it was against the law to do it on the Sabbath—against the Pharisee’s understanding of the law—and He meant to unleash the controversy that would bring out both blasphemy and worship
1Co 11:19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
Lu 12:51 "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.
God’s part – God’s Sovereignty the work He will do in our life and others if we follow Him like we ought to.
Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
His Power
7 And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
What else did Jesus say to the man? Does the man have any idea of who He is at this point and if not why does he obey
John 1:3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
2Co 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Man’s Responsibility - If he had not went, he would not have been healed. Maybe this is where we get the term blind obedience.
God doesn’t need man, but He uses man, He sent this man on a mission and he did it and God worked, we must listen and obey God
The second reason for the mud is to show that God usually uses means in doing his wonderful works in this world. Jesus could have simply spoken and the man’s eyes would have been opened. Most of the wonders of God in the Old Testament were brought about by the use of human means. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31). God is decisive in the victory, but he uses means. He doesn’t need the horse, but he uses the horse.
The Siloam Aqueduct: Opposite to the main part of Silwan is the "Virgin's Fount," ancient GIHON (which see), whose waters are practically monopolized by the villagers. It is the waters of this spring which are referred to in Isaiah 8:5, 6: "Forasmuch as this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly,.... now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the River." These waters are sent from God, Jesus is the Living Water Chapter 4 and
Remember back in John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
Early each of the seven mornings of the feast the high priest would lead a procession from the Pool of Siloam to the temple. Another priest would first fill a golden ewer with water from the pool. He would then carry it through the Water Gate on the south side of the temple and into the temple courtyard. There he would ceremoniously pour the water into a silver basin on the west side of the brazen altar from which it would flow through a tube to the base of the altar. Many Jews would accompany these priests. Some of them would drink from the pool while others would chant Isaiah 55:1 and 12:3: "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. Joyously draw water from the springs of salvation." This was such a happy occasion that the Mishnah stated, "He that never has seen the joy of the Water-drawing has never in his life seen joy."301 The priest would then pour water into the basin at the time of the morning sacrifice. Another priest would also pour the daily drink offering of wine into another basin at the same time. Then they would pour the water and the wine out before the Lord. The pouring out of water represented God's provision of water in the wilderness in the past and His provision of refreshment and cleansing in the messianic age. The pouring out of wine symbolized God's bestowal of His Spirit in the last days. Every male present would simultaneously shake his little bundle of willow and myrtle twigs (his lulab) with his right hand and hold a piece of citrus fruit aloft with his left hand. The twigs represented stages of the wilderness journey marked by different kinds of vegetation, and the citrus fruit symbolized the fruit of the Promised Land.302 Everyone would also cry, "Give thanks to the Lord!" three times. Worshippers in the temple courtyard would then sing the Hallel (Ps. 113—118).303 This "water rite" had become a part of the Israelites' traditional celebration of the feast of Tabernacles. Essentially it symbolized the fertility and fruitfulness that the rain brought. In the Old Testament, God likened His blessings in the messianic kingdom to the falling of rain (Ezek. 47:1-7; Zech. 13:1). The Jews regarded God's provision of water in the wilderness and rain in the land as harbingers of His great blessings on the nation under Messiah's reign. Thus the water rite in the feast of Tabernacles had strong messianic connotations.
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Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
John 8:48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" 49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 "And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 ¶ "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." 52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' 53 "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.(NKJV)
This is the section of Scripture right after Jesus tells them if the Son sets you free you shall be free indeed. They say they never have been in bondage, they are Abraham’s descendants and then Jesus tells them the truth about who they really are, so they start accusing Him of all kind of things. They accuse Him of being demon possessed, that He is a half breed Samaritan and finally say He is an illegitimate child. But Jesus has the last word as usual and tells them if they keep His word they shall never see death, nor taste it. He says He honors His Father, but they dishonor Him. They finally hear Him say that Abraham rejoiced to see His day and they are incredulous and say you are not even 50 years old how could you see Abraham. Then Jesus lets them have it by saying He is the great I AM, Yahweh, Jehovah, the Self Existent One, the one who has always existed and will always exist. Then they try to kill Him again, but as usual they fail since His time had not yet come.
John 8:48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"
Samaritans were a mixed race with a religion the Jews considered apostate (cf. comments on 4:4). To call Jesus a Samaritan was to use a term of abuse, referring to a heretic or one with a faulty worship. Their charge that Jesus was demon-possessed (cf. 7:20; 8:52; 10:20) suggested they thought He was mad, unclean, and evil. How ironic that after He said their father was the devil (8:44), they said He was demon-possessed![1]
49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
When accused, Jesus did not seek to justify Himself
Jesus says, in effect, I don't need to defend myself, because God the Father seeks my glory. In other words, if you dishonor me, instead of glorifying me, you set yourself against God. If you oppose me, you oppose the one who is committed to honor me.
50 "And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.
But all through this whole book, the message has been: The Son of God did not come for judgment but for salvation. He did not come to condemn, but to save. John 3:17: "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
So Jesus finishes his response to their indictments like this (verse 51): "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." In other words, you have gotten to the point where you are blaspheming me, calling me a half-breed and demonized. And you are in great danger of God's judgment, but I hold out to you once more the gift of salvation. If you will keep my word, you will never see death.
51 "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
(cf. comments on 1:51(Similar expressions are “hear” His Word [5:24] and “hold” to His teaching [8:31].) It means to observe, pay attention to, or to fulfill.
John 11:25–26. He says to Martha at Lazarus' grave: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." Though he die, he never dies.
Yes, We Die—And, No, We Don't
Yes, we die: "Though he die, yet shall he live." No, we don't die: "Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." Lazarus' body lay dead in the grave. But Lazarus was not dead. His body was dead. But he was not dead. He had not died.
John 5:24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."
When we were born again, we received the gift of life. Spiritual life (John 3:6–8). When we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive (Ephesians 2:4–5). This new life is eternal life. In this new spiritual life, we are able to fellowship with God, know God, experience God, speak with God, hear from God through his word, sense the love of God shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5). This is the work of the Holy Spirit
Our Bodies Die, But We Do Not
Our bodies die. They lie—looking like they are sleeping, which is why the New Testament sometimes calls death falling asleep—they lie in the grave until the last trumpet. "For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52). But when our bodies die, we do not die. We have passed from death to life. Eternal life. Unbroken, unending life.
52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'
53 "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?"
Joh 4:12 "Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"
Either Jesus is a blasphemer or he is God.
54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."
57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"
58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
There it is—the clearest, most forthright claim in this Gospel that Jesus is Yahweh, the God of Israel, the great "I am" of Exodus 3:14 and the prophets. If he only wanted to claim pre-existence, he could have said, "Before Abraham was, I was." But he means to say more than mere pre-existence. He says, "Before Abraham was, I am." Exodus 3:14: "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."'"
Hebrews 2:14–15 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise hpartook of the same things, that ithrough death he might jdestroy kthe one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who lthrough fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Hebrews says that the fear of death produces a pervasive, lifelong bondage—even when we don't realize it, fear is haunting our choices, making us cautious, wary, restrained, confined, narrow, tight, robbing us of risk and adventure and dreams for the sake of Christ and his kingdom and the cause of love in the world. Without our even knowing it, fear of death is a slave master binding us with invisible ropes, confining us to small, safe, innocuous, self-centered ways of life.
Jesus Sets Us Free
Becker has no solution for this bondage, but Jesus does. "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." Or as he says in John 8:32, "You will know the truth [about death], and the truth will set you free." The world desperately needs the courage and the Christ of fearless Christians who know they will never taste death. Be one.
59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Leviticus 24:16
Joh 5:23 "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Joh 5:41 "I do not receive honor from men.
Joh 5:44 "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?
Joh 8:49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
Joh 8:54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
Joh 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Jn 5:41 | I do not receive glory from people.
Jn 7:20 | The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”
Heb 11:13 | These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Ex 3:14 | God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Jn 7:28 | So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
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The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jul 10, 2023
Monday Jul 10, 2023
John 8:37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 "I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father." 39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40 "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 "You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father--God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 "But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 ¶ "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.
In this section of Scripture we will see the difference between the true children of God and the false professors. Many people say they belong to God, but Jesus tells us here that if we were truly His children (Abraham’s children), then our walk will match our talk. It is easy to say you are a follower of Christ; it is another thing to have that ring true by the way you live and talk day in and day out. The Bible always matches saying and doing together. James 2:14 says what does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? In other words if you say you have faith, but are not backing it up by working for God, then you are not really saved. He says can this kind of faith save him. It is a question that is asked with the implied answer of no it cannot and will not. He puts it this way in James 2:20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? That is why Jesus can tell these Pharisees that they are not His children, but the devil is their father and that they are liars and murderers too.
God hates sin
2Pe 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
Romans 6
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
We think we are secure because of things, Baptism, communion, church membership, grew up in the church, etc.
Claim to be Abraham’s seed and therefore the children of God by the use of three arguments.
Bloodline of Abraham
Ethnicity - John 8:33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?"
Jesus refutes their claim
Joh 8:37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
Ro 4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Ro 4:14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
Religion 39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, (Spiritual Father) - Romans 9:6-8, Romans 2:28-29
Ge 18:1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 "Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
Mt 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
1Th 1:6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,
40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
Mt 21:28-46 Parable of the Son and the Vineyard.
1Jo 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Morality 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
Jesus is speaking a language they do not know (understand) so they cannot understand the content of His words.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” [1]
Galatians 3:23-29
Jesus is telling us in this text that one’s “father” is known, not by one’s parents, or even by one’s profession, but by means of one’s practice. Our father is the one who behaves as we do. The Jews who oppose Jesus are liars and murderers, just like their “true father,” the devil. Who your “true father” is will be evident by your walk.
Word – 6 times
Joh 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
Joh 8:37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
Joh 8:43 "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
Joh 8:51 "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
Joh 8:52 Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'
Joh 8:55 "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
Father - 11 Times Jesus speaks of His role with the Father
Joh 8:16 "And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.
Joh 8:18 "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."
Joh 8:19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."
Joh 8:27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
Joh 8:28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
Joh 8:29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
Joh 8:38 "I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."
Joh 8:39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:41 "You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father--God."
Joh 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
Joh 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Joh 8:49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
Joh 8:53 "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?"
Joh 8:54 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
Truth – 5 times
Joh 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Joh 8:40 "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
Joh 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
John 8:45 "But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jul 03, 2023
Monday Jul 03, 2023
John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 "I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."
In this very familiar section of Scripture we see Jesus get down to the heart of the matter. This is one of the most crucial truths in Scripture regarding whether we are truly saved or not. If we are truly saved, we will continue to believe His Word, follow His Word, and obey His Word. The old song says Trust and Obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey. If we are to be truly saved we have to first trust that His Word is true and believe it, then we have to follow or obey it. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. We need to examine ourselves to see what we trusted in and who we trusted in and did it make a change in the way we live. Those are the tests outlined in the Book of First John, which John also wrote. If you say you are saved and the way you live has not changed and if your want to’s have not changed (I used to “want to” live in sin, now, I “want to” please God”) then you need to ask yourself am I really saved. Jesus said this way in another passage Luke 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? (NKJV)
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
John 8:21 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come." 22 So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?" 23 And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." 25 Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 "I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." 27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
In this section of Scripture, Jesus is once again confronting the religious people (the Pharisee’s and Scribes) who think they can get to Heaven by doing some good work. Jesus has stopped these people from stoning a woman “they say” was caught in the very act of adultery, declared He is the Light of the world, has told them again who He is. Now they are saying He is going to kill Himself because He declared that He was going to Heaven and they could not go where He is going. Then they have the nerve to ask Him again who He is, as if He hasn’t told them about a million times already. Jesus testifies again that He is God and that He is representing the Father who sent Him from Heaven to tell them the truth. They will know all this is true when they crucify Him on the cross and that the Father is always with Him and that He always pleases the Father by doing His will. Then many people believed. We will have to wait till next time to find out what kind of believing they did, so I hope you will listen again to our next three messages to hear the conclusion of this chapter.
Die in your sin twice (of unbelief), in your sins once (actions of many sins)
If you die and go to hell, you have no one but yourself to blame.
To go to hell all you have to do is:
Be self-righteous They think He is killing Himself, have to go to hell so that they cannot get to where He is
Be earthly
Be prideful
Be willfully ignorant.
Where I am going you cannot come twice
If they are listening to Jesus carefully, how can He say they will look for Him, as though they need Him? He is not talking about suicide or going to hell. He is saying that once He goes away, it will be too late for them. They will need Him, and they will seek Him, but they will not be able to go where He has gone. They will not find Him to help them. I believe Jesus means they will “look for Him” in the sense that they will eagerly look for Messiah to “come” and to save them in their hour of distress and need. Little do they realize that He has come to save them, and yet they have rejected Him. After they put Him to death, they will realize that He is the Messiah.
It is no surprise that they cannot recognize Him. After all, He is from above, and they are from below. Sadly, they think they are going above (to heaven) and that He is going “below.” They will not believe Him who is not of this world, who came down from heaven. Because of this, they will die in their sins. He who came to bear the sins of men is to be rejected and crucified as a sinner by sinful men. He is the only One who can testify of things above, and they reject His testimony. Unless they believe in Him, they must bear the penalty for their own sins; they must die in their sins.
8:24 Jesus' hearers would die in their sins (plural) unless they believed in Him. Only belief in Him could rescue them from this fate. Here Jesus viewed their manifold sins (plural) as the consequences of their sin (singular, v.21) of unbelief. “The attitude of unbelief is not simply unwillingness to accept a statement of fact; it is resistance to the revelation of God in Christ."331
They needed to believe that Jesus was "I am." In this context this phrase has heavy theological connotations (cf. vv. 28, 58; 13:19). It appeared enigmatic at first, but later Jesus' hearers realized that He was claiming tobe God (cf. v. 59). The NIV "the one I claim to be" is an interpretation of
Jesus' meaning that is perhaps more misleading than helpful. Jesus was alluding to the title that God gave Himself in the Old Testament (Exod. 3:14; Deut. 32:39; Isa. 41:4; 43:10, 13, 25; 46:4; 48:12). Essentially "I am" means the eternally self-existent being.332 Unless a person believes that Jesus is God, in contrast with less than God, he or she will die in his or her sins.
Re 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jun 19, 2023
Monday Jun 19, 2023
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." 14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 "And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 "It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." 19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
Today we are going to hear about Jesus being the only real righteousness, holiness, and truth there is; this is what it means for Jesus to say He is the Light of the world. Unless we come to Him, we will never see the light of truth, or be righteous and holy like God wants us to be. There is only one source of these attributes and the source is Jesus, God who came in human flesh to pay for our sins. We call it when we think we are smart or in touch with our times enlightenment, well true enlightenment comes only from being saved by Jesus Christ because He is the source of all truth. Jesus will also tell them that if you want to live rightly then you have to Follow Him. The Pharisees do not like what Jesus says and call Him a liar. Jesus tells them who He is and what His role is not only as witness, but judge also. The slander Him and call Him an illegitimate child after He says for the umpteenth time He is from the Father. They say they know who their father is, but does He know who His is? He says His Father bears witness that He is God in human flesh and they don’t know the Father because they don’t believe He is who He has said; He is (God). They want to kill him AGAIN and they cannot because it is not yet the right time according to God’s timetable. He had to die at the right time, when the Passover Lambs were being slaughtered.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jun 12, 2023
Monday Jun 12, 2023
John 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
In this very familiar section of Scripture we will see that God is a forgiving God and He is willing to forgive us too if we will only repent of our sins and come to Him as the only way to really be forgiven and saved. Jesus has performed several miracles in the book of John, He has told them He is God, He has forgiven the town prostitute (The Samaritan Woman), He has walked on the water, and proclaimed Himself to be the Living Water that gives life to anyone who thirsts for satisfaction that leads to holiness and righteousness. Now we see Him in action showing that He is a loving and forgiving God once again. When they bring this woman that they “caught in the act of adultery” Jesus begins to bring out that principle in Romans 2:1-6; Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds":
Jesus wants these Scribes and Pharisees to know that they are not without sin and we are not guilty either. Many times we judge people for sins they have done and we have done things just as bad or worse, yet we condemn them. If we have enough knowledge to condemn others, then we have enough knowledge to be condemned too. That is why we all need the forgiving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Monday Jun 05, 2023
Monday Jun 05, 2023
John 7:40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" 43 So there was a division among the people because of Him. 44 Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. 45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" 46 The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" 47 Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? 48 "Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 "But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." 50 Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" 52 They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee." 53 And everyone went to his own house. (NKJV)
In this section of Scripture we will see the Pharisees trying to arrest Jesus because too many people believe in Him and they are losing their popularity and prestige. The people are still divided and the Pharisees are divided and nobody can lay a hand on Jesus because His time still has not come for Him to die on the cross. The officers (the Temple Police) cannot believe the things they hear Jesus say and so they do not arrest Him because no man ever spoke like this Man. They are amazed at Jesus. The Pharisees get mad because the officers do not arrest Jesus and Nicodemus begins to stand up a little more for Him. The Pharisees get mad with Nicodemus and talk about him like they have been about Jesus. They slander him by asking him if he is from Galilee too.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Tuesday May 30, 2023
Tuesday May 30, 2023
John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
In this great section of Scripture we see Jesus get to the crux of the matter, without Him life is nothing, without Him, life is meaningless and useless. But, when Christ’s Spirit Romans 8:9 (The Holy Spirit) comes to dwell in you because you have believed that Jesus died on the Cross, was buried and rose again the third day and have confessed that He is the Lord of your life, then life becomes full, it has meaning and purpose. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would enable those who trusted in Him for salvation to live the life God wants us to have, although not in the fullest sense of the word since that will only come when we go to Heaven. But we will have the fruit of the Spirit, an ability to live life to the fullest this side of Heaven, the ability to have joy, peace and live victoriously in spite of what life throws at us. Jesus will satisfy your deepest longings; he will meet your deepest needs and make your life full and joyous. Have you trusted Him, He is waiting to send that living water into your life if you will only ask Him for it.
Jesus Christ can quench the thirsty soul. That's only the beginning of what He does though. Verse 38 takes another dimension. He didn't just save us to fill us full of living water. No, no, verse 38, "He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of His heart shall flow rivers of living water." See, when you come to Jesus Christ initially, that's not the end, my friend, that is the beginning. Not only do we drink and have our own thirst quenched, but we become the supplier, would you believe it? The supplier of living water to the world. That's the real key to this. We are channeled for living water to reach the world. Out of our hearts should flow rivers, not one river and not a drip. Most of us can't even say, "Out of my heart drips living water." I think the reason that so many Christians stink spiritually is because they have become stagnant storage tanks instead of rivers of living water. And I always say most of us need a good dose of spiritual Drano because somewhere along the line the channel is clogged.
Once Jesus was with us as an incarnate man, and now he is in us by his Spirit. Listen to John 14:16–17: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
And he is indeed in everyone who believes on Jesus. Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:9? “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” If you come to Christ to drink for your soul’s satisfaction, you get Christ. And now we see that he means: You get the Spirit—the Spirit of God and of Christ.
Isaiah 58:11: “You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
this is prophetic, it can't happen till Jesus ascends and the Spirit comes. And Jesus Himself said later on in John's gospel, "If I go not away, the Comforter cannot...what?...come." And so Jesus had to be glorified after His ministry, the Spirit came. That's what Jesus meant in Acts 1:8 when He said, "You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you and you shall be My..what?...witnesses." You can't be that kind of a witness, that river doesn't flow apart from the Spirit of God.
V37 -Early each of the seven mornings of the feast the high priest would lead a procession from the Pool of Siloam to the temple. Another priest would first fill a golden container with water from the pool. He would then carry it through the Water Gate on the south side of the temple and into the temple courtyard. There he would ceremoniously pour the water into a silver basin on the west side of the brazen altar from which it would flow
through a tube to the base of the altar. Many Jews would accompany these priests. Some of them would drink from the pool while others would chant Isaiah 55:1 and 12:3: "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.
Joyously draw water from the springs of salvation." This was such a happy occasion that the Mishnah stated, "He that never has seen the joy of the Water-drawing has never in his life seen joy."301 The priest would then pour water into the basin at the time of the morning sacrifice. Another priest would also pour the daily drink offering of wine into another basin at the same time. Then they would pour the water and the wine out before the Lord. The pouring out of water represented God's provision of water in the wilderness in the past and His provision of refreshment and cleansing in the messianic age. The pouring out of wine symbolized God's bestowal of His Spirit in the last days. Every male present would simultaneously shake his little bundle of willow and myrtle twigs (his lulab) with his right hand and hold a piece of citrus fruit aloft with his left hand. The twigs represented stages of the wilderness journey marked by different kinds of vegetation, and the citrus fruit symbolized the fruit of the Promised Land.302 Everyone would also cry, "Give thanks to the Lord!" three times. Worshippers in the temple courtyard would then sing the Hallel (Ps. 113—118).303 This "water rite" had become a part of the Israelites' traditional celebration of the feast of Tabernacles. Essentially it symbolized the fertility and fruitfulness that the rain brought. In the Old Testament, God likened His blessings in the messianic kingdom to the falling of rain (Ezek. 47:1-7; Zech. 13:1). The Jews regarded God's provision of water in the wilderness and rain in the land as harbingers of His great blessings on the nation under Messiah's reign. Thus the water rite in the feast of Tabernacles had strong messianic connotations.
We can see the strategy of the moment. It says in 37, "In the last day that great day of the feast." Timing is the key here. The whole dramatic ceremony became even more dramatic on the last day because the last day the whole group with all their boughs and branches was marching around the altar and they marched around it seven times...coming to a climax and then the water was poured. Why do you think they marched seven times? That's how many times Israel marched around the walls of Jericho. And so they were symbolically remembering Jericho, all a part of the wilderness wanderings. And then the water was poured out.
Now He makes these claims in verses 37 to 39 reiterating in a different phraseology, with a different metaphor the same claims that He has made before. In effect, I'm God, I'm here, I came to redeem you, believe in Me, you can be redeemed. Reject Me, and you've...you've sentenced yourself for time and eternity. He reiterates the same claims again. And, in fact, He makes a great invitation to the whole city of Jerusalem here, and then we'll see how these four groups responded to Jesus Christ and His invitation.
On the last day that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and...and there we meet the word ek krazenagain...and cried out." He yelled at the top of His voice again. He did it one other time in anger. This time He does it in invitation. He stands in Jerusalem and at the top of His voice He yells, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink." Loud He yells, ek krazen, He cries out, piercing the air with His voice. Jesus is not, as I said, angry this time, He's yelling because He wants men to hear. This is a public invitation. Some people don't think you need to give a public invitation. Jesus did. Jesus did. And while He spent most of His time teaching privately, most of His time He was with the few people instructing them He did make public evangelism a part of His ministry. And here He announces that He is water for the thirsty soul.
You know, that's really not anything new because if you remember the story of John chapter 4, you remember the Samaritan woman and Jesus met her at the well and He said to her, "Well, your water's okay, but you're going to have to get some more when you get thirsty again. But the water that I give you, if you drink it you'll never thirst again." And He talked to her about living water, didn't He? And He was saying, in effect, I can quench the thirst of your soul. So the idea of Him being water for the thirsty soul is not new. He said that in John 4. He's also food in John 6 for the hungry heart.
the first word is thirst, that's the idea of a recognized need, right? You're not going to come if you don't feel thirsty. And you want to know something else? Nobody needs to tell you when you're thirsty, do they? It's fairly obvious, right? Listen, when a man knows his soul is thirsty, he knows. There's a craving, there's a soul-thirst that's as real as body thirst. When a man longs for forgiveness, when he longs for hope, for love, for meaning, for peace, for liberty, for salvation, that's nothing more than spiritual thirst and Jesus says, "Here I am, come and drink." But it's got to start with a thirst. So Jesus said, "If you're thirsty," see. If you're not thirsty, sorry, you won't come. If you're thirsty.
Second word, come. That signifies the action of the will. Move toward Christ. That's...that's...that's the same thing you do with your heart that you do with your feet. If Jesus was over there and said "Come here," and you walked over there. It's just taking yourself over to where Jesus Christ is. It's expressing the action of the will. It's moving toward Christ. It's beginning to turn your back on the world. It's beginning to abandon your self-confidence. It's the point of real thirst where you're ready to grab whatever you can.
1. The gift of water, Salvation, the Holy Spirit is free –Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
He is the bread of life. He is the living water.
Re 21:6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
Re 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.(NKJV)
2. It is for Everyone - Isa 55:1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
3. The Water (Spirit) is Abundant- Out of him will Pour Rivers - Isa 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
Ps 78:15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
When you come to Jesus to drink, you don’t just get a single drink, but you get spring, a fountain, a well. You get Jesus. Rivers of water will flow because a River-Maker is in you. That’s the point. You will never have to search again for a source of satisfaction for your soul. Every river that needs to flow for the joy of your soul will flow from Jesus. When you come to him, you get him. And he never leaves
4. It Satisfies our deepest longings - Ps 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips
5. The Soul hungers and thirsts for God – We are made to live on God – Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, Our souls were made for Jesus. The ache in our hearts is an ache for Jesus. This is how the soul lives. It lives on Jesus.
Ps 42:1 To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Ps 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
6. Jesus wants to satisfy our soul forever. Coming and drinking are what it means to believe on Jesus. Verses 37–38: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me . . .” That last phrase is another way of saying come and drink. Coming and drinking Jesus is what happens when we believe. It’s what believe means.
We saw it in the parallel structure of John 6:35: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Believing on Jesus is coming to him to eat and drink for our soul’s deepest satisfaction.
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Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
John 7:25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 "But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27 "However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from." 28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 "But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." 30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33 Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 "What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"
In this section of Scripture we see some of the people confused because they know the rulers want to and even have tried to kill Jesus; but yet, Jesus is boldly teaching and preaching. They wonder if the Pharisees really know Jesus is the Christ and that is why they do not touch Him. Little do they know that it is not Jesus’s time to go to the cross and die and that is why they cannot take Him and kill Him. It had to happen at the proper time and it did according to God’s divine timetable. Many people believe in Him because of His miracles and many murmur about the Pharisee’s doing nothing to stop Jesus. So, the Pharisees send Temple Officers to get Jesus because they hear the people murmur. Then Jesus tells them He is going and they cannot come where He is. They are confused and speak an unintentional prophecy about Him going to the Gentiles, which is why He has really come to bring the Gospel to all peoples regardless of race. The bottom line of this whole section is no matter what Jesus says, these Pharisees do not want to believe that Jesus is who He says He is, so they will never make it to Heaven where He is going.
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Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
John 7:17 "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 "Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" 20 The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?" 21 Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 "Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
We are taking one more closer look at this section of scripture because this time I want to focus on verse 18 that speaks to Jesus being the true one from God, who seeks not His own glory, but that of the Father. The Bible uses the word glory 351 times. 17 times in Bible it talks specifically about glory of God, but all the whole Bible is about God and His Glory. That is why we cannot save ourselves, because He is the only one glorious and holy enough to do it. Our whole world and especially our culture here in the United States has come to the place where we see the glory, not God’s or any others but ours. We always have to be first, we always have to have our way, and we always have to have the best things for our life or our children. God says in James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. He says in 1Pe 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. (NKJV) This means if God wants us to be exalted…..HE WILL DO IT and we should not. This is a lesson we really need to learn in today’s culture and world. Whose glory do you seek?
The great obstacle to recognizing the truth of Christ is not deficient resources but deep rebellion against God. People cannot see and recognize the truth of Christ's teaching because the prevailing tendency of their will is insubordination against the authority of God.
John 8:44 44zYou are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. aHe was a murderer from the beginning, and bhas nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. cWhen he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Verse 18 says that in order to recognize the truth of Jesus you need to see that his life is devoted to the glory of God.
Two Facts and Two Conclusions
When I look at these two verses together I see two facts and I draw two conclusions:
Fact # 1: the truth of Jesus is shown by his commitment to enjoy and magnify the glory of God rather than seeking his own private glory (v. 18).
Fact # 2: the rebellion of our fallen will makes us blind to the truth of Jesus. (If we willed what God willed, we would see the truth (v.17).)
Conclusion # 1: therefore the specific thing that our wills rebel against in the will of God is that his glory not ours should be the quest and passion of our lives.
Conclusion # 2: therefore the reason we can't see the truth of Jesus is because he embodies the will of God which we hate, namely, that God's glory and not ours should be the quest and passion of our lives.
Applications
1) Realize that the deepest obstruction to knowing the truth of Jesus is a heart-obstruction, not a head-obstruction.
It is a problem with our will, not first a problem with our reason, new birth is to replace a heart that loves praise with one that loves to praise God.
2) Therefore, pray that God would cause his name to be hallowed—glorified, treasured—in your heart above all things, so that your eyes would be open to who he really is.
If you feel deficient in God-exaltation, ask him to change you. Is that not what he taught us to pray every day in the words, "Our Father, hallowed by your name"? Pray for a will that is more and more passionate for God's glory. And less and less addicted to you own.
3) Strive to increase your spiritual taste for the glory of God as your favorite pleasure. And if you want to love the glory of God above all other glories, then you will study God and spend time with lovers of God, and listen to God and look at God and gaze and gaze and gaze at the revelation of the glory of God—especially in Jesus.
4) Finally, know that Jesus is true.
Jesus does not merely speak from himself. He speaks for God. When he says, "Before Abraham was I am," he bears true witness that he is the Word and was with God from the beginning and was God. And when he says, "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11), and, "Whoever comes to me I will never cast out" (John 6:37), he is true. And you can trust him.
Ro 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Joh 9:31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.
Read Pr 1:20 -33 Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.
Ac 22:14 "Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.
Ro 2:18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
Eph 1:9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
Col 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Heb 13:21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
1Jo 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (NKJV)
Joh 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Isa 58:2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.
351 times uses the word glory
17 times in Bible talks specifically about glory of God,
1Co 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
In Genesis 12 God said to Abraham, I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Just as Abraham was blessed so he could be a blessing to all the earth, the only reason we Christians have been blessed by God is so that we can do the same thing. Are we living up to our calling as Christians to be a blessing to others or are we being a curse and a hindrance to others coming to Christ?
Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” -John 8:32
Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.
hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F
The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions
Tuesday May 02, 2023
Tuesday May 02, 2023
John 7:7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the [a]Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him. 6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not [b]yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” 12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
It is characteristic of many of the outstanding men of the Bible that they are convinced that they must do what they are doing, and say what they are saying, because they have received a divine commission.
7:17 Jesus further claimed that the key to validating His claim that His teaching came from God was a determination to do God's will. The normal way that the rabbis settled such debates was through discussion. However, Jesus taught that the key factor was moral rather than intellectual. If anyone was willing to do God's will, not just to know God's truth, God would enable that one to believe that Jesus' teaching came from above (cf. 6:44). The most important thing then is a commitment to follow God's will. Once a person makes that commitment God begins to convince him or her what is true. Faith must precede reason, not the other way around. "His hearers had raised the question of his competence as a teacher.
He raises the question of their competence as hearers."
His point was that submission to God rather than intellectual analysis is the foundation for understanding truth,
particularly the truth of Jesus' teachings. "Spiritual understanding is not produced solely by learning
facts or procedures, but rather it depends on obedience to known truth. Obedience to God's known will develops
discernment between falsehood and truth."
You know how you can pick out the true Savior, folks? Check them all out. You know how you can pick out the true Savior? He's the one who doesn't seek His own glory, see. The phony ones want their own glory. You can pick out the true Savior; He's the one who doesn't want His own glory. He's the one who stoops down and washes the dirty feet of disciples. HE's the one who came not to be ministered unto but to...what?...minister and to give His life a ransom for many. He's the one who humbles Himself in love. He's the one who lies down flat on a cross while they nail Him there. That's the true Messiah. He's the one who makes no money, has no home, takes nothing, just gives, gives, gives, gives. False messiahs don't do that. He's the one who gives all the glory to God and takes none for Himself. The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whatever you do whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all... to the glory of God." And 1 Peter 4:11, Peter says, "If you're going to minister, minister to the glory of God. If you're going to speak, speak to the oracles of God in order that God might receive the glory through Jesus Christ." That's what we're to do.
Seeking your own glory makes belief in Jesus impossible. John 5:43–44:
“I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
He is not merely saying you have to want Jesus in order to receive Jesus. He is saying you have to want your whole life to be shaped by the will of God in order to even recognize Jesus. To paraphrase the verse: "If anyone wills (wants, prefers, desires) to do the will of God, then and only then will that person be able to know the divine authority of Jesus—that his teaching is God's."
This is one of the most important verses in the whole Gospel of John
“You cannot believe in Jesus if you your root desire is to be praised by other people.” Pride at its core is the craving for human approval. And Jesus is saying that if pride is at the root, faith can’t be at the root.
Faith at its core is humble gladness in the God of grace. It’s not driven by the need to deserve human praise. It is driven by a thankful joy that God is for us when we deserve no praise at all. “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:14, 16).
That is what the brothers of Jesus did not see and did not have. They had not yet been born again. The root of their joy was the praise of man, not the grace of God. That’s what John meant in verse 5 when he said that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him.
The root of their unbelief is the same as Jesus’ brothers’ unbelief. For the brothers, the miracles of Jesus can get them human praise. For the crowds, the miracles of Jesus threaten their human praise. Written over both like a great indictment are the words of John 5:44: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:14–16).
Because pride, at its core, is the rejection of grace and the craving for human approval. And faith, at its core, is despairing of human approval and being glad in the God of grace.
The mark of his truth is a passion for God-exaltation, not self-exaltation. "The one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true." For me to see that as a mark of his truth, my will has to join him in that. I have to will God-exaltation over self-exaltation. And this is not what I will by nature. I am like the brothers of Jesus and like the Jewish crowds. I want him to do his miracles in a way that endorses my own love for self-exaltation. I want him to endorse my Sabbath-keeping, my law-keeping, in a way that confirms my self-exaltation.
Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
In other words, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit (v. 9), our wills are deeply, often unknowingly, antagonistic toward God and resistant to his authority, insubordinate to his law, and so unable to please him.
And my whole life, Jesus is saying, contradicts that way of willing. That is why you can't know me. You can't know me until your will is to do God's will—to do what the law most deeply demands, namely, to treasure (to love!) the glory of God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.
The great obstacle to recognizing the truth of Christ is not deficient resources but deep rebellion against God. People cannot see and recognize the truth of Christ's teaching because the prevailing tendency of their will is insubordination against the authority of God.
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Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
John 6:61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 "Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
In this final lesson on the Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus goes from having thousands of followers down to maybe only the 12 who become the apostles, certainly not many are left. This goes to show you that not all people who go to church or follow Jesus are the real thing. The parable of the four soils or seeds makes this very clear. This is not four different kinds of Christians in this parable; it is one real Christian who bears fruit and three who never become Christians. John 15 makes this clear that only real Christians bear fruit, but the others never have any fruit. 1John 2:19 also speaks to this fact, They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us..
Mark 4:20 "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."
Luke 8:15 "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
John 15:2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
We see Peter as the leader of the group and Jesus’ closest disciple speak up and say where else would we go? We have lived as non-Christians and now we know this is the best way and the only way to live so where would we go! We have the best, you can keep the rest. How about you, do you know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and there is no other way to live except for Him. He is the only way that means anything in life, He is the only real truth, and He is the only way to have abundant life as it was meant to be lived.
They could take His person, they could take His works, but His words they can't tolerate.
You say, "Well what's so hard to believe? What didn't they accept about what Jesus said?" They didn't accept any of it. Number one, they didn't like the idea that He said He came from heaven. "What do you mean He came from heaven? We know Your father, Joseph and Mary, they live over there in Nazareth." Secondly, they didn't like the idea that He said He was the only answer to a man's spiritual need. That's apparent egotism to them. That wasn't bad enough, the idea that He came from heaven, the idea that He claimed to be the only answer, the third thing that really capped off their attitude was that He said you had to eat My flesh and drink My blood and they said, "Whoa..." and they were thinking literally about chewing on His body. If you can imagine that. They objected to the whole thing. They didn't like anything He said. They found it intolerable and they cried out and said, "Who can hear this stuff? Who can stand here and listen to that stuff?" And immediately they disqualified Jesus from being their Messiah because He didn't fit their messianic mold.
There's an important note I want to make here. Jesus is giving a rather detailed explanation to these false followers. Moreover, it's an interesting thought because He gave absolutely no explanation to the Jews. He didn't even give them as much as the time of day. They didn't believe and so He just turned away and made it more complicated, more profound and they didn't know what was going on. To these followers even though they're false followers, Christ at least condescends to give them some more information.
There's a great principle there and we've already gone over it in the past weeks, let me just remind you. Just this, here it is, Jesus never committed Himself to unbelief. Did you get that? He never committed Himself to unbelief. Where there is the slightest opening of possibility of faith, Christ commits Himself. To the hostile Jew...nothing. To the would-be more-or-less follower...Christ will commit Himself and take the time to give a detailed answer. I'll say it another way, Jesus never caters to unbelief but to the would-be disciple He gives Himself. He always honors the seeker.
Here's the key. Now hang on to this, I'm reemphasizing the same thing, I want you to get it, listen. The key to
false discipleship is this, to accept the person of Christ but reject His...what?...His words. To hear and receive His person and to refuse His words.
He says this, John 8:31 "The real proof of your true belief... if you continue in My word,"
Matthew 11:6 where He says, "And blessed is he who shall not be offended in Me," see. Jesus' words offend some people.
John 5:24, backing up, He says, "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth...what?...My word and believeth on Him that sent Me hath everlasting life."
Men's refusal of Christ doesn't always come because they can't understand, because it's not an intellectual problem. It comes because they're challenged, confronted and condemned by the words of Christ and they walk away.
So, verse 62 is profound, isn't it? He not only predicts His ascension, but He uses His ascension to answer the problems of their unbelief. Boy, that's a tremendous answer. Just to show you that's the correct interpretation, look at verse 63. I know you trust me anyway. But look at verse 63, "It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing." I'm not talking about eating My literal body, folks, it's My Spirit that is the life-giving thing, right? See, that's what He's talking about. He's saying to them, "You...My whole body will go back...back intact in total when it goes back to heaven because I haven't come to be eaten alive, I've come that you might partake of My spirit for...verse 63...it is the spirit that gives life." And He's not talking about the Holy Spirit. He's not all of a sudden teaching the new birth. He's contrasting spirit with what other word? Flesh. He's saying it's not my physical body that needs to be in you, it's My spirit.
What do you mean My spirit? All of His person and being. The flesh is the outside of a man, the spirit is the inside. Christ's saying, "It's not My body that I'm so concerned with, it's the real Me that I want to have in you," see. And isn't that what Paul meant when he said, "Colossians 1:27 Christ in you,"? It doesn't mean we devour His body. It means the person of Christ received into us. So He says, "It is the spirit that gives life." My life coming into your life. Paul says, "Nevertheless I live, yet not I but the life which I live I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me," see. My life is Christ in me.
Well He's trying to get the message to them...I don't want you to take My body, I want you to take the Me, the real Me, My being, My person, My character, receive Me into you by faith. Oh the spiritual is what matters, not the physical. So Jesus says I came from heaven, I'm going to return to heaven. Also, My physical body is going to return intact. I have been teaching you spiritual truth, not physical.
Then Jesus hits the crux of the issue again. Verse 63 in the middle, "The words..." there they are again, folks, you see them there? "The words that I speak unto you they are spirit..." What do You mean by that? They reveal My real self and they are...what?...life. What is the dividing line then? It is the words of Jesus Christ, for they and they alone reveal who He really is. And so He says it is My word that is the key. Words reflect the spirit...that is My words reflect what I am, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." I am what I am and will reveal what I am by what I say. You accept the words of Christ and in fact you have received Him. Paul says in Romans 10:17, "Faith comes by hearing a speech about Christ," Romans 10:17. Faith comes by hearing a speech about Christ. It is the words themselves, empowered by the Spirit of God that give life.
Now mark that. Mark that in your minds. That is a biblical principle. Jeremiah 15:16 said, "Thy words were found and...what?...I did eat them." "They became the joy and rejoicing of My heart." Take in the word of God is to receive God for the only expression God ever gave definitively is His words. And that's where true and false discipleship separate company. The false disciple can take everything up to the word but that does it. That's why you can categorize most of liberalism and modernism under that category of false discipleship. Whenever they start explaining away the words of Christ and denying the inspiration of the Word of God, you can file them in the false follower category.
You say, "Well why does He take the time to be..to describe this betrayer right here?" I think because of this, if He's talking about false disciples and showing you the character of false disciples, who is the greatest example of the history of the ages of a false disciple? Judas. And so Judas becomes the illustration. Jesus says, "I knew Judas would betray Me from the beginning." And in John 17:12 it says that he was the son of perdition and he was lost to the cause that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Listen, you go back, if you want to study it, to Psalm 41:9 and Zechariah 11:12 and 13 and you read those and they'll give you a detailed description of the betrayal of Christ. God knew in eternity past, before this world was ever created that Judas would betray Him. That's not outside the knowledge of God.
But Judas is a perfect example, absolutely perfect of a false disciple. to hypocritically confess Christ with your mouth while your life denies Him, to exalt His virtues while your life robs Him of His place, to sing enthusiastic hymns and songs and oratories or whatever while you trample His gospel by Your word and deed, what is that but another Judas kiss.
Everything's okay as long as it's the person and the work but when the words of Christ become demanding and change and just aren't what you thought they should be, you leave.And you know what happens to false disciples? They always leave. They always move out. Verse 66, "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him." False disciples can't take it when it gets to the crucial. They can't hack it. Demas, Paul said, hath done...what?...forsaken us. Why? Because he loved the present world. They went out from us because...what?...they weren't of us.
I want you to see the character of a true disciple. The false we've seen. The true is in verses 67 to 69, Let me read this question as it appears in the Greek structure. Listen to it, "You won't also go away, will you?" That's the question. They've all left, but almost melancholy Jesus says, "You won't also go away, will you?" A broken heart. Thank the Lord for Peter, sweet ole Peter. He jumps up in verse 68, "Then Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go?'" Don't you like that? "No, Lord, where would we go?" Is that the character of true discipleship? Oh. Then he says this, "Thou hast the words of eternal life and we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." There is the key to discipleship. Listen to me, two things, did you see them there? You know what two things make a true disciple? Here they are, are you ready? Faith...get it...faith, "Lord, we believe." You see it there? "We are sure who You are, we believe.' You know what the other one is? Faithfulness. "Lord, where would we go." See. "Not only do I believe You, I stay where You are."
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