Wed, Feb 25th - 11:11AM
Book of John Chapter 8
Today we look closer at mankind's depravity. I know, many will take exception to that statement. They will become offended. But the truth is the truth. People either outright deny God exists or else they claim that God is their father. Let's see what scripture tells us:
"You do the deeds of your father. Then they said to Him, We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love Me: for I proceeded out and came from God; neither did I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? even because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and did not live in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convinces Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe Me? He that is of God hears God's words: you therefore do not hear them, because you are not of God." (41-47)
Shocking words spoken by Jesus? Jarring? Is your perception of yourself blown apart? Each of our destinies hinges upon what Jesus revealed in this passage. Depravity means that a person is always falling short of God's glory and coming short of God. People are not as holy as God is. People are not perfect as God is perfect. Why? Because each of us is born with a nature that sins, ages, deteriorates, dies, and decays: an imperfect nature that is radically different from God's perfect nature.
We all have a tendency to do the deeds of Satan. We lust, we covet, we desire to be in control of ourselves and others. We do not like being told what we can or can't do. If these actions and thoughts are not coming from God, who then do they come from? There is the heavenly Father and then there is the other father, Satan, who was thrown out of heaven. Satan is an illegitimate father. He can't stop himself from sinning against God or lying. He is diametrically opposed to God in heaven.
The Jewish religious leaders in this passage of scripture denied that their father was Satan. In their minds God was, and always had been, their Father. They believed that they were the children of God, without question. They sound much like many Christians today.
* Believe in and profess the God of the Bible * Worship the true God * Follow the true God * Do enough good works to be accepted by God * Have not done enough evil deeds to be rejected by God * Done the best they could to please God * Had enough righteousness to be acceptable to God * Had enough godly heritage to be accepted by God
These Jewish leaders refused to hear and accept the truth. People today struggle with the exact same issue. They refuse to accept that they can only enter into God's presence by doing the will of God the Father. Talk is cheap, actions always speak louder than the words spoken. If a person professes that they know God then their actions will prove it. Their speech will prove it.
If a person refuses to love Christ Jesus it is proof of their continued depravity. To not recognize Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life reveals an unrepentant heart. If all of us were of the same spiritual world and dimension as Jesus, we would recognize Him and His words and works. It would be impossible not to recognize Him. No person can possibly be of God is they do not understand the teaching of Jesus and can't hear the word of Christ.
The works of people reveal whether they are of God or of Satan. Yes, people object vehemently to such a statement. It does not make it any less true. They will claim that we are being hateful, bigoted, small-minded, ignorant, or unintelligent. But this is what Jesus wants all people to recognize even as shocking as it is. Satan covets and lusts after the power and authority of God. When a person puts themselves on the throne of their life, they have supplanted God. They want to have the power and authority to dictate the terms of their life. Satan and people commit murder. Satan was behind the very first murder: Cain killing his brother Abel. He was behind the very first sin of Adam, which brought death to the whole human race(Romans 5:12).
What is murder compose of? Anger, bitterness, enmity, slandering, covetousness, death of a reputation. These are the roots of murder in our world. Many things obviously feed into creating anger or bitterness. But there are the roots.
Satan and people lie and deceive. Just look around in the world today. People do these two things to protect and look after themselves. Satan is very comfortable with lies. It does not bother him in the least. There are plenty of people today who are not bothered at all with the lies that they utter. Deception, misinformation, misleading statements, twisting the factual truth. All to create the narrative that is desired so that they can continue to live out the deception.
Now we all need to remember that anything that is not true is false. This means lies, ideas, words, videos, and actions. Even if a person claims to be Godly, if they are speaking lies then they are of Satan. Genuine Christians remain a small remnant in this world of ours, just as in ages past. But people need to accept the truth if they are to change and see their world change.
Finally, there are still those people who claim that Jesus married a prostitute, or that He was a homosexual and loved John that way. But there is absolutely no proof that these claims should be reasonably considered. Jesus was without sin. He commited no sins. Pilate could find no sin in Him. King Herod as well. But the Sanhedrin, they did not want to surrender their power and authority to God and so they plotted to murder their own Messiah.
"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear (Zechariah 7:11)."
"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables (II Timothy 4:4)."
Grace and peace be yours today.
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Mon, Feb 16th - 12:01PM
Book of John Chapter 8
Man's Enslavement by Sin
"They answered HIm, We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: 'how do you say You shall be made free?' Jesus answered, Verily, Verily, I say to you Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant does not abide in the house for ever: but the Son abides forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."(33-36)
People are enslaved by sin but deny it is so. Personal experience, greed, lust, selfish behavior and world history bear clear evidence of this fact. These Jews misunderstood Jesus. They assumed He meant being conquered and enslaved by a foreign power. They denied their own national history. They had, in fact, been conquered by many nations and were currently being ruled by the Emperor of the Roman Empire. They were speaking technically. They had never surrendered their will to any ruler. But Jesus was talking about something entirely different. He spoke about being slaves to sin. They could not help sinning no matter how much they tried on their own. This is true today for us. We can try to stop sinning but it is doomed to fail.
Many people deny enslavement by sin, they claim a godly heritage and believe that it frees them and makes them acceptable to God. This is a falsehood. These Jews claimed they were descendants of Abraham, the children of one of the godliest men to ever live. They felt this made them very special in the eyes of God. No matter how they lived they believed that the godliness of their forefathers covered them. Today people believe God will accept them, that they have enough good heritage to gain God's approval. They believe that something in their lives is good enough to keep them from being enslaved and doomed.
Need proof? Man commits sin. In this passage the word "poion" (commits) means continuous action. It is habitual and is practiced daily. The word "servant" (doulos) means slave or bond-slave. Bond-slaves were purchased and bound to the person who bought them. This gives us the idea that a person is bought by sin. By sinning a person surrenders their freedom. Jesus warned that the slave has no rights, and no claims to privileges within the family. As a slave they can be rejected and cast out of the house at anytime, but not the Son. The Son has all of the rights and privileges to the house. Yet there is a way for the slave to become a member of the house. The Son can free the slave and ask the Father to adopt them. If the Son makes the slave free the slave is indeed free.
Jesus claims to be the Son of God. He claims that mankind is in slavery to sin. He, Jesus Christ, can free mankind. Mankind can be adopted into God's family.
"I know that you are Abraham's seed; but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with My Father: and you do that which you have seen with your father. 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. But now you seek to kill Me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this Abraham did not do."(37-40)
A second evidence that man is enslaved by sin is that he opposes and makes absolutely no room in his heart for Jesus' Word. He does not want Jesus' claims to control his life; he just wants to do what he wants when he wants to do it. He will go about fulfilling his own personal desires. He will ridicule and belittle Jesus and anyone who believes in Jesus.
The third evidence is that mankind follows the wrong father, Satan. Satan is the father of lies and teaches them well to those who listen to him rather than God. What Jesus speaks is what He saw with His Father. That little word translates as "by the side of." What Jesus saw came from the very side of God Himself, from the very presence of God. But what man does is what hesees and hears from his father. Men are at the very side of Satan when opposing Jesus. Men are in a cage that they cannot even see nor imagine. Why are there so many serial killers, rapists, and extremely wicked/evil people in our world? It is because they do exactly the same things that got Satan kicked out of heaven. Lie, lust, murder, and seek to be just like God.
Jesus told these Jews that they did not do the works of Abraham. What was Jesus referring to? Abraham did not try to kill the messengers of truth. He received and accepted the truth delivered to him by messengers. Abraham believed God and God's truth. A person can't claim the goodness of another person for themselves. The true child of God does the works of the Lord. He hears and accepts the truth. He does not try to kill and eliminate the greatest truth God has ever given to this planet, the Truth of His Son.
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world(I John 2:15-16)" "The world cannot hate you; but it hates Me, because I testify of it, that the works of it are evil(John 7:7)." "When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out saying, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, You take him and crucify him: for I find no fault in him (John 19:6).'
If you and I do the works of God, people will hate us. They hated Jesus and so they will hate us when we speak His words to them. Do not fall in love with money or with the materialistic things that this world creates to distract us. Finally, Jesus was crucified because the religious rulers of Judaea refused to surrender themselves to their very own Messiah. They wanted to remain in control of the people. The Romans were simply a tool used to accomplish that which the Sanhedrin was not allowed to do.
Have a glorious week! Next time we will look at mankind's depravity.
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Fri, Feb 13th - 11:52AM
Book of John Chapter 8
Man's freedom from sin is conditional.
"Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My word, then you are indeed My disciples; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (8:31-32)
All of us are enslaved by sin and all of the consequences of it. You and I can not keep from sinning; thus, we bear the consequences of sin: guilt, shame, hurt, pain, sorrow, suffering, destruction, devastation, brokenness, death, and judgment. We all need to be freed from sin and its enslaving tentacles. We can be freed from sin but it is conditional and not universal.
There are two conditions for being delivered from sin, two conditions for being saved and entering into discipleship.
1) The first is belief. Verse thirty says that many believed on Christ. The Gospel was proclaimed and they listened. They heard and their hearts were stirred. This resulted in them sensing an emptiness, a hunger, a darkness, a guilt, and a hope. They experienced the beginning, the infancy of faith. They were as newborn babies. Nothing happens further without first having belief in Christ. "That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."(John 3:15-16) "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins.'(Acts 10:43)
2) The second condition completes this deliverance and salvation. It is of continuing or abiding in the Lord's Word. The idea is that of dwelling, just as a person dwells at home. God's Word becomes the believers dwelling place. The person will continue to study and do the Word (II Timothy 2:15). If there is no evidence of continuing to study and dwell in the Word of God then does that person truly believe? Do they, in fact, have salvation from their sin?
There are two results of being delivered from sin.
1) First of all, they will know the truth. They will now know the moral truth. It is something not only to know but to also do. The believer now sees true reality rather than the false reality. It is the direct opposite of sham and hypocrisy. It allows no compromise with evil. It abstains from the appearance of evil(I Thessalonians 5:22). The person believes it, reverences it, speaks it, acts it, hopes for it, and rejoices in it. This truth frees the person from all the bondages and impediments of life in this world. God's Word is said to be the Truth(John 17:17) and Jesus claimed to be the Truth(John 14:6). God's Word is the Written Truth while Jesus is the Living Truth.
One truth is that we do not struggle against human beings, we struggle against spiritual wickedness. Knowing the truth allows a person to observe what is happening all around them and see that God's Word has already spoken about these things happening and why they are happening. Can we create the kingdom of Heaven here on earth through our own efforts? God has already said "No." Conditions in the world will continue to get better and then get worse. Finally, conditions on earth will reach the point that Satan more directly enters into the spiritual battle taking place every day. The Book of Revelation reveals to the reader what the end point of human history will be. People are seeking for personal liberty. But the only true liberty is to be found in God. "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."(II Corinthians 3:17)
2) A person no longer needs to get power to conquer other people or to overcome other people or to attain possessions. All things are to be found in Christ Jesus. He gives the person the power to become a son of God. (John 1:12)
But why do I continue to sin? "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin that is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:23-25)." The Truth sets believers free from the bondage of death. The person no longer has to be afraid of death. Jesus has already conquered death. The Truth sets believers free from the bondage of judgment and hell. The fear of an unknown future and the fear of an impending judgment constantly faces all people. At best unbelievers hope for total extermination upon death. Nothingness. At worst, there is the expectation of torture by the gods that be. But Jesus has already come and borne the judgment for us, if we will just believe.
The Truth sets a person free to be saved to the uttermost. All one must do is come to Christ for salvation, for He lives forever to intercede for each and every person. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them(Hebrews 7:25)."
Won't you come to Christ today? Won't you really listen to what God is saying to you today? Just believe Jesus and what He has already said.
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Sat, Jan 31st - 10:31AM
Book of John Chapter 8
What is the basic question most people have about Jesus? What is it that most people simply fail to grasp?
"Then they(the Jews) said to Him, Who are you? And Jesus said to them, Even the same that I said to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: buy He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world of those things which I have heard of Him. They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father has not left Me alone; for I always do those things that please Him. As He spoke these words, many believed on Him." (8:25-30)
Who is Jesus? Just a man of God? Just a prophet? Just an illiterate carpenter? Or is Jesus the God-Man, the Prophet and High Priest. Was Jesus a man and God was with him? Or was he a man and God at the same time?
I converse with many people in discussion groups and am always confronted with the question of who do I think Jesus is. I end up explaining my reasons as best I can and leave it to them to decide for themselves. But here in this eighth chapter of John Jesus has made some incredible claims. He is the Light of the world, He is the Son of man, He is the great "I AM', He is never alone for God is always with Him. Jesus puts each person in the position of having to choose what to believe about Him. Is Jesus who He says He is, or is He not?
One thing that many people do not understand is that Jesus is God's spokesman and Judge. He brought the message of God to the world one last time. "I speak to the world those things which I have heard of God." Jesus' words were given to Him by God. Go back to earlier chapters in John and see that over and over Jesus said the same thing. My doctrine is not mine, what I have seen with My Father, the Father gave Me a commandment, the Father that dwells in Me does the work.
Jesus was sent to speak the words of God. He was here for a very special mission of proclaiming the message of God. Jesus was sent to the entire world, not just one part of it. His is the only message for the entire world. As the Spokesman of God He not only had the duty to say many things but to also judge many things. First of all he was to proclaim the message of salvation. The second mission will be to judge mankind. First advent to earth: proclaim salvation. Second advent to earth: judgment of mankind.
Most people do not understand that Jesus is the Son of Man. He is the One to be lifted up, to be elevated. This refers to Him being nailed to the cross and the subsequent exaltation of Him. He is the Perfect and Ideal Man and thus was able to die for all people to secure for them salvation from their sin.
People still do not understand that Jesus is the great "I AM." His being nailed to the cross, burial, resurrection, and ascension was meant to convince people that He is the great "I AM." The cross is to awaken people to the glorious love and salvation of God(John 3:16). While all of us were still sinners Christ agreed to die in our place, to secure our salvation(Romans 5:8). "For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves, but to Him which died for them, and rose again.(II Corinthians 5:14-15). The resurrection declares Jesus to be the Son of God with divine power(Romans 1:4). The ascension allowed the Holy Spirit to replace Jesus on earth. It initiated the pouring out of the Spirit and His convicting power(John 16:7-11).
As the Son, Jesus never failed the Father. He obeyed God perfectly and completely, never sinning. He is the picture of what a son should be to a father in this world. As a result of all of these things many who heard these words chose to believe. They became convinced that Jesus was who He claimed to be. He was the Light of the world, the spokesman and judge of God, the Son of Man, the great "I AM", and the one whom God never left alone.
If we choose to accept that the scriptures accurately record what God wants us to know then we must decide whether to believe Jesus is who He says He is or to not believe. There is no middle ground or neutral zone to live in. We must then choose wisely.
Next time I shall look at our conditional freedom from sin and our enslavement by sin.
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Thu, Jan 29th - 4:52PM
Book of John Chapter 8
Why is a person's search for the Messiah futile?
"Then Jesus said again to them, I go My way, and you shall sek Me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come. Then the Jews said, Will he kill himself? because he said, Where I go you cannot come. And Jesus said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you do not believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." (8:21-24)
This passage is very brief but it is earth shattering. Mankind continually searches for Utopia and enlightenment. Jesus proclaims that He is the Light of the world, the promised Messiah for the Hebrew people, and the author of salvation from sin. He tells these Jews that where He is going they can't follow. Why? Because He is from above this world while they are here below in this world. It is a tale of two very different realms of existence. Jesus is from the spiritual realm while all of us live down here in the physical realm that God created for us. So we search for the supernatural, try to contact our dearly departed loved ones. It is all an exercise in futility and failure. Mankind seeks for a great deliverer here on earth. Whether people realize it or not, they seek for a Messiah to save them from failed societies and governments. They yearn for someone to lead them to utopia. It is tragic for the Messiah has already come and brought the presence of utopia to mankind but He and it were rejected.
Thus man fails to find the Messiah, he dies in his sin. Our sin is singular in that it is the sin of unbelief. As long as we disbelieve we are in a position of unbelief. If we die in this state we go right on into the next world still in sin. The tragedy back then and still today, separation from where Christ Jesus is. That is exactly what Jesus told these Jews: Where I go you cannot come. Since Jesus is the Light and sinners are in the darkness, they cannot be in the same place together. So the unbeliever is separated forever from the presence of God.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 An often repeated verse it informs us that we owe a debt to God as a sinner. If we die in sin the debt has been paid but there is no forgiveness of sin. The debt must be paid before we die. This is transactional. Accept Christ and believe in Him and God considers the debt paid in full. Reconciliation is accomplished. Believe that Jesus came and died in your place, the price being Him spilling out His divine blood upon the cross. But so many people mock the idea of Jesus Messiahship and that God could die upon a wooden cross. They continue to think only in terms of the physical world around them and listen to the wisdom of learned scholars. Those Jews in this text understood that Jesus was referring to death. They simply refused to follow, considering it utter folly. Today people do not care to follow Christ in His death. They are unwilling to take up the cross and follow Him. They only want the world and what it can provide them with. They seek for a human deliverer, but such a person will be flawed and imperfect and will seek his/her personal agenda.
UTOPIA
This is the ideal world, full of perfection, provision, possessions, comfort, protection, peace, and security for all people. It would be freedom from all negative circumstances, from sin and its bondages, from death and from hell. Mankind believes that its vaunted scientific technology if employed correctly will relieve and escape the reality of all these negative things and their results. And the Church has begun to believe that God wishes it to create this utopia (kingdom of god) and that then Jesus will return to earth to rule. Sounds so nice. But it is unbiblical. Scripture informs us that the world will not turn into a peaceful and prosperous place until Christ returns to rule over all. In fact, the last book of the bible plainly reveals to us that many will turn away from God to run after worldly pleasures and possessions.
INCARNATION
Jesus was born into this world from above, from heaven. Born of God as well as of Mary. He therefore is not only Man but He is also God. You and I were born into this world by earthly fathers and mothers. Jesus is Man through the flesh of His mother, and He is the eternal Son of God by the miraculous act of the Holy Spirit through Mary. Thus the only utopia that will not waste away is the one created by the Messiah.
Next time I will explore Man's tragic failure to understand the Light. Peace and grace be with you all.
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Name: Eric Rajaniemi
