Lesson 1848

(Lesson 1848)(11-10-16) John 7:14-24

"Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

Today's lesson relates that after Jesus had slipped past the the Jews who were out to kill Him, He entered the temple and preached the word of God so eloquently that many recognized the He was indeed the Christ, the Son of God.

The gist of this lesson is that if a person truly believes in God and aspires to do His will, that person will continuously search for the truth of God's holy word wherever that search leads him/her.

Sadly, today, there are far too many would be Christians who hastily glom onto and swallow up the mostly distorted ravings of the flowery mouthed, 'pay-for-pray' preachers while being too lazy to search the holy bible for the ultimate truth themselves. The bible commands us to: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Many today are much like the Jews that Jesus confronted in the temple that day in Jerusalem, we give the outward appearance of being believers in God and followers of His divine word, while actually not even really understanding what it is we claim to believe.~