Lesson 1088

(Lesson 1088)(09-07-14) John 12:44-Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."

In today's lesson Jesus made His ultimate purpose very clear. He said that to believe in Him is to believe in God the Father.

He also made it clear that His mission was not to judge sinners, since they were already judged by God, therefore, the divine purpose of Jesus was to provide the means by which sinners through faith in Him could be redeemed and even justified, for their sins. Paul describes the ones whom have placed their faith in God through Jesus Christ; "Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (Romans 4:7-8)~

Lesson 1087

(Lesson 1087)(09-06-14) John 12:34-43

"The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.

These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."

By demonstrating their reluctance to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Jewish leadership, in the text of today's quote, demonstrated the fulfilling of yet another prophesy, "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isaiah 53:1)

The refusal to believe in Jesus, demonstrated my many of the Jews, was a part of God's plan to provide a savior for the world. Isaiah also prohpesied that God would blind their eyes and harden their hearts so those Jews wouldn't hear and believe.

The last part of this lesson reflects much of today's "Christianity" in that like the Jews of Jesus' day, the so called "Christians" of today are far more interested in their outward appearance before the world than they are their inward appearance and devotion to God.

Jesus promised that a time will come when all those who take on the gospel of Jesus Christ, in appearance only, will be judged for their performance or the lack thereof. As Jesus said to the Church of the Laodiceans who exactly reflect much of today's "Church", "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." (Revelation 3:15-19)~

Lesson 1086

(Lesson 1086)(09-05-14) John:12:20-33

"And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die."

In today's quote Jesus told the Greeks, in essence, that in order to be productive in the work of the Lord, one must effectually die the physical death so that one could be born again and glorified in the spirit of Christ. And that one then must devote his/herself absolutely to that end.Jesus explained that His upcoming physical death was the central part of His divine mission so that through His own death, burial, and resurrection, the world could, through faith in Him, have everlasting life.

As Jesus, in anguish, defined His divine mission and His devotion to finish it, the voice of God spoke from heaven, saying "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."

Thereby, God the Father openly glorified the life and work of Jesus, His only begotten Son.

The last part of the quote says, "now shall the prince of this world be cast out." That meant that through the death of Jesus, Satan had been effectually banished for those who would believe.
The last verse from today's quote is one of my very favorites, Jesus said, "if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

What a blessing, the amazing saving grace of God.~

Lesson 1085

(Lesson 1085)(09-04-14) John 12:12-19

"On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him."

In today's lesson a great ritual was performed when Jesus triumphantly entered into Jerusalem with much fanfare among the people, fulfilling the prophecy that was made in Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

The Apostles wouldn't understand the reason for all the fanfare until later when God would again verify and glorify His Son, Jesus.

In the last part of this lesson, the Pharisees began to see that Jesus had already captured the hearts and minds of many of the Jews whom had believed in Him. They realized that unless they do something quickly, things would rapidly spiral out of their control. Little did they know that they were playing straight into God's plan for the redemption of those who would come to believe.~

Lesson 1084

(Lesson 1084)(09-03-14) John 12:9-11

"Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus."

The lesson in today's quote is that the Jewish leadership was so concerned about who might come to believe in Jesus that they actually contemplated killing Lazarus also because his return from the dead was such a potent testimony for the authenticity of Jesus as the Messiah.

We should continually reflect back to those times and the many miracles that Jesus performed as He established Himself as the perfect, sin free, 'one time fits all' sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. We should also give daily praise and glory to God for the amazing and everlasting grace that saved a "wretch like me".~

Lesson 1083

(Lesson 1083)(09-02-14) John 12:1-8

"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always."

Today's quote relates how Judas was upset that Mary had applied a very expensive ointment to Jesus' feet, saying that it should have been sold to benefit the poor. That remark by Judas prompted Jesus to say, "the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always."

I'm sure we have all heard someone, who claims to wear the cloak of Christianity, say 'it's not my job to take care of the poor, Jesus said there would always be poor people.

That attitude has done great harm to the Church of today in that the money involved was not the point. The point Jesus made was that whatever we do, if it is done from a charitable heart of love, it is well worth doing.
Paul explains the importance of a charitable, caring heart; "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

So we see that what Mary did in today's lesson, when she applied the very expensive ointment to Jesus feet, might not have been prudent by the standards of mankind, it was most certainly the Christian thing to do.

We should live our lives, every minute of every day, with the exact same frame of mind that Mary had when she anointed Jesus feet.~

　

Lesson 1082

(Lesson 1082)(09-01-14) John 11:47-57

"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. *And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him."

Within today's quote the the conspiracy to have Jesus captured, and crucified, is set into motion.

We see that Caiaphas, in his remarks to the Jews, inadvertently prophesied the divine mission of Jesus; "he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad."

*Verse fifty five of today's quote; "And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, TO PURIFY THEMSELVES.

It is important to note that to "purify" themselves physically, the Jews were required, by law, to undergo ritual water baptism. How can we know that this purification pertains to water baptism?

Strong's bible dictionary defines to "purify" as to "cleanse". We know that the quoted reference can only apply to one's physical condition in that in order for the Jews to cleanse their spirit, they were required to make offerings which they could not do until they had "purified" themselves physically.

Therefore verse fifty five confirms that water baptism (ritual purification) originated with the Jews and plays no role in Christianity.

The Jews were, by law, obligated to subject themselves to water "baptism" as a means of ceremonially cleansing (purifying) their physical bodies in preparation for any religious event, such as prayer, making offerings, or in this case, for participating in the Passover celebration.
When John said the Jews had come early to "purify themselves" he was, in essence, affirming that they had come early so as to undergo water baptism in one of the many *Mikvahs that were available around an in Jerusalem.

*A mikvah is a pool of running water expecially constructed for the performance of traditional Jewish water baptisms.

Fully understanding the why and how of water baptism should be very important to all of us in that water baptism is considered by the vast majority of "Christianity" to be a Holy sacrament, and a prerequisite to eternal life. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I am convinced that water baptism is a favorite tool of Satan, and that by placing ones faith in water baptism as a means of salvation, or faith in water baptism as a required step in the "process" of salvation, is a surefire way to assure oneself of eternal damnation.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy: 2-15)~