The Romans crucified Jesus that day,
At the urging of priests and Pharisees;
In so doing, they provided the way
For anyone to be saved that believes!
He was fully God, and as fully man,
Here to face tempting and tests as men do;
He withstood them all, as no earthling can;
Died atoning for us, so hell we eschew!
Now He lives, to prepare a dwelling place
For His brothers and sisters with Him share;
He has power over earth and space;
All events in them are under His care!
Jesus willed and planned to die on the cross,
Yet those that killed Him paid a huge cost!
Commentary on: John 19:16-27
Before the beginning of time, God conceived a great plan. He would create a universe out of a void; it would last for billions of years and collapse back into void, but men and women, His creatures, would live with Him forever after time ended. They would be righteous, for He is righteous. He knew in advance, however, that not one of the human race He was to create was able to live righteously. So He decreed that every one who sinned—that is, became unrighteous—must die. He said, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23). So He planned two places to be prepared to last for eternity—Heaven and Hell. God would dwell in Heaven with the ones who were righteous, but Hell would be a place of torment, and He would never be there. Heaven would be a paradise; no tears would fall there.
To solve the problem that would condemn all men and women to Hell, He decided that He would impute to some of his creatures His own righteousness He planned to make Himself a man and live a life with other men and women; He would live that life without ever committing a single sin, although He would deny Himself the use of His limitless power as God—He would use only the human ability that He gave to every person. He would come to earth announcing forgiveness of sin and offering everlasting life to any human being who believed that He came from God, sent to offer them redemption from the wages of sin and eternal life with Him. He came first to the racial family which brought Him into the world, the Jews, born of a virgin; they rejected His offer and had Him killed on a cross. He would resurrect Himself after three days and return to Heaven, leaving believers to spread His offer around the earth to all human beings. They began with only the Jews, But God led them to present His offer of salvation to the whole world..
Jesus died for sins, yours and mine. You may not believe there is life after death, but what if there is? Billions of people have believed there is, and the Bible affirms it. If you go through life ignoring God, you are committing sin and will be condemned to Hell on Judgment Day. You may ask, “What sin have I done? Jesus said the first and most important commandment of God is: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Think about how you have lived your life until now—have you put God first, over everything? If not, you have sinned and will be condemned to the “second death” (Revelation 20:14). Jesus is the Lord. By belief in Him your sins are all forgiven and salvation into heaven is given to you. You cannot earn it by being good. God will accept into Heaven only those who have believed in Jesus as Lord.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Where Were The Apostles? (J70)
Where were they now, the apostles He chose?
One was here, but eleven were scattered,
Like a heap of dry leaves, when the wind blows;
They should have been where their presence mattered!
The Lord hangs dying, pinioned to a tree,
His blood redeeming the whole world from sin;
Each breath required unbending of a knee,
The lungs to expand, and air to draw in!
John was here, grieving over what’s been done;
So was Mary, feeling a mother’s pain;
Jesus said, ”Dear woman, behold your son;”
Nodding to John, growing silent again.
The legs were broken of the other men,
But not Jesus’, for He was dead by then!
Scripture Quoted: John 19:16-19 (NIV)
“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Commentary on: John 19:16-37 (NIV)
Crucifixion as practiced by the Romans is perhaps the most painful and degrading means of execution ever devised. The “cross” might not have been shaped as the familiar one seen atop church steeples and in jewelry. It could be irregular, even X-shaped and an actual tree trunk, trimmed down to a couple of bare limbs. The victim is nailed to it by large square iron nails, one through the slimmest part of the crossed ankles, and one in the middle of each outstretched hand. The knees are left slightly bent.
After planting the cross and the victim in a hole deep enough to keep the cross firmly upright, the real pain is first experienced by the victim. Immediately he discovers that the weight of his torso collapses his lungs, and it is very difficult for him to inhale. He finds that it is necessary to press downward on the ankle nail so that his knees straighten his legs, which lifts the body; when he is in the higher position, he can inhale. The pain of pushing downward on his mangled ankles is excruciating, and he falls downward quickly. The only way he can stay alive is to repeat the upward push. Soon he grows weaker; some might live only an hour; stronger individuals might live three or four hours. To inhale enough air to speak takes a longer and higher upward push and weakens him faster. Jesus made seven short statements before He died.
Since this was Passover, at 6 pm the Sabbath was to begin, and the Jews requested Pilate to remove Jesus and the two with Him, so the rituals would be kept. The soldiers then broke the legs of the others, so they would be unable to breathe and would quickly die. They did not break the legs of Jesus, for He was already dead. There is a prophecy in Exodus 12:46 that states that no bone of Jesus would be broken.
It is believed that Jesus’ foster father, Joseph, was already dead. That may be the reason that Jesus asked John to take His mother into his care; she went with John immediately. The Catholic belief holds that Jesus had no brothers and sisters, and that Mary remained a virgin all her life. The Bible, however, states in several passages that Jesus had half brothers and sisters.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
One was here, but eleven were scattered,
Like a heap of dry leaves, when the wind blows;
They should have been where their presence mattered!
The Lord hangs dying, pinioned to a tree,
His blood redeeming the whole world from sin;
Each breath required unbending of a knee,
The lungs to expand, and air to draw in!
John was here, grieving over what’s been done;
So was Mary, feeling a mother’s pain;
Jesus said, ”Dear woman, behold your son;”
Nodding to John, growing silent again.
The legs were broken of the other men,
But not Jesus’, for He was dead by then!
Scripture Quoted: John 19:16-19 (NIV)
“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Commentary on: John 19:16-37 (NIV)
Crucifixion as practiced by the Romans is perhaps the most painful and degrading means of execution ever devised. The “cross” might not have been shaped as the familiar one seen atop church steeples and in jewelry. It could be irregular, even X-shaped and an actual tree trunk, trimmed down to a couple of bare limbs. The victim is nailed to it by large square iron nails, one through the slimmest part of the crossed ankles, and one in the middle of each outstretched hand. The knees are left slightly bent.
After planting the cross and the victim in a hole deep enough to keep the cross firmly upright, the real pain is first experienced by the victim. Immediately he discovers that the weight of his torso collapses his lungs, and it is very difficult for him to inhale. He finds that it is necessary to press downward on the ankle nail so that his knees straighten his legs, which lifts the body; when he is in the higher position, he can inhale. The pain of pushing downward on his mangled ankles is excruciating, and he falls downward quickly. The only way he can stay alive is to repeat the upward push. Soon he grows weaker; some might live only an hour; stronger individuals might live three or four hours. To inhale enough air to speak takes a longer and higher upward push and weakens him faster. Jesus made seven short statements before He died.
Since this was Passover, at 6 pm the Sabbath was to begin, and the Jews requested Pilate to remove Jesus and the two with Him, so the rituals would be kept. The soldiers then broke the legs of the others, so they would be unable to breathe and would quickly die. They did not break the legs of Jesus, for He was already dead. There is a prophecy in Exodus 12:46 that states that no bone of Jesus would be broken.
It is believed that Jesus’ foster father, Joseph, was already dead. That may be the reason that Jesus asked John to take His mother into his care; she went with John immediately. The Catholic belief holds that Jesus had no brothers and sisters, and that Mary remained a virgin all her life. The Bible, however, states in several passages that Jesus had half brothers and sisters.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Jesus To Be Crucified (J69)
If Judea’s high priest had done his job,
Jesus Christ’s claims he would have verified;
Instead, he became leader of the mob
That forced Pilate to have Him crucified!
There was no crime, no evidence, no trial;
When Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man,”
They howled back in bloodthirsty denial,
“You’re no friend of Caesar’s! Death, we demand!”
He would’ve kept the killer, and Jesus freed;
They chose Barabbas, and the Savior killed!
Pilate gave in, “Crucify Him,” decreed;
This silenced the Jews, their demand fulfilled!
The judge each would face the world’s last day,
Is Jesus, o’er whom they had had their say!
Commentary on: John 18:19-40, 19:1-16 (NIV)
The “trial” of Jesus was not a true trial of justice. He was questioned by Annas and Caiaphas, the former and current high priests, with no charges found; the Sanhedrin, a similar result; Roman governor Pontius Pilate (twice), who was convinced He did not deserve any punishment and tried to free Him; and King Herod, current King of Judea, again with no criminal charge. During this “soap opera” of a trial at law, Jesus was flogged, probably with a “cat of nine tails”, a leather whip with nine strips, each embedded with sharp pieces of metal, 39 lashes; struck in the face by many hands; mocked by having a twisted crown of briars pressed deep into His head, together with a purple robe placed on His shoulders; cursed, and spit upon. There were no charges substantiated by any of the authorities who questioned Him, and the two or three false witnesses, who accused Him of saying He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, misunderstood that He was speaking of His resurrection.
Pilate wanted to free Jesus—though he had Him flogged, it was an attempt to silence the mob of Jews raising an uproar outside his palace. There was great pressure upon him, because his boss, the Roman emperor, never wanted to be disturbed by hearing of riots and unrest in any of the nations that made up the empire—it was the governor’s chief duty to see that no such “rebellions” occurred. Pilate had to preserve the peace, even if it meant putting to death an innocent person. His last effort to free Jesus failed, when he gave the Jews a choice between freeing Barabbas, his most wicked murderer, or Jesus. The self-righteous Pharisees who formed the majority of the lynch-mob howled with derision and chose Barabbas, while screaming “Crucify Jesus!”, “Crucify Jesus”.
Jesus accepted everything that came His way with equanimity, speaking calmly in response, especially when He had a chance to testify some truth. To the high priest, He said He had always spoken in public, never in secret; He always taught in the synagogues and the temple, where large numbers of Jews heard Him (John 18:20-21). His kingdom, He said to Pilate, was not of this world (John 18:37). He also said the greater sin was made by the Jews, because it was they who turned Him over to Pilate (John 19:11). Many details of His trial are contained in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that John does not mention. Pilate tried to free Jesus several times; when everything he attempted was unaccepted, he gave in and ordered that Roman soldiers crucify Him.
Jesus of Nazareth met the same fate as most of the other prophets sent by God to Israel did; He was slain. He was the promised Messiah, sent to save the Jews from the wages of sin, but instead of accepting and obeying Him, His own people had Him killed, opening the spread of the gospel to all men and women in the world. The gospel was given first to the Jews through Moses; God expected them to be priests to the world, but instead they kept it to themselves. God set them aside temporarily and turned to the Gentiles, and the situation still prevails today. When Christ returns the Second time, He will restore Israel to their original status (See Zechariah 12:10ff.).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him, will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Jesus Christ’s claims he would have verified;
Instead, he became leader of the mob
That forced Pilate to have Him crucified!
There was no crime, no evidence, no trial;
When Pilate said, “I find no fault in this man,”
They howled back in bloodthirsty denial,
“You’re no friend of Caesar’s! Death, we demand!”
He would’ve kept the killer, and Jesus freed;
They chose Barabbas, and the Savior killed!
Pilate gave in, “Crucify Him,” decreed;
This silenced the Jews, their demand fulfilled!
The judge each would face the world’s last day,
Is Jesus, o’er whom they had had their say!
Commentary on: John 18:19-40, 19:1-16 (NIV)
The “trial” of Jesus was not a true trial of justice. He was questioned by Annas and Caiaphas, the former and current high priests, with no charges found; the Sanhedrin, a similar result; Roman governor Pontius Pilate (twice), who was convinced He did not deserve any punishment and tried to free Him; and King Herod, current King of Judea, again with no criminal charge. During this “soap opera” of a trial at law, Jesus was flogged, probably with a “cat of nine tails”, a leather whip with nine strips, each embedded with sharp pieces of metal, 39 lashes; struck in the face by many hands; mocked by having a twisted crown of briars pressed deep into His head, together with a purple robe placed on His shoulders; cursed, and spit upon. There were no charges substantiated by any of the authorities who questioned Him, and the two or three false witnesses, who accused Him of saying He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, misunderstood that He was speaking of His resurrection.
Pilate wanted to free Jesus—though he had Him flogged, it was an attempt to silence the mob of Jews raising an uproar outside his palace. There was great pressure upon him, because his boss, the Roman emperor, never wanted to be disturbed by hearing of riots and unrest in any of the nations that made up the empire—it was the governor’s chief duty to see that no such “rebellions” occurred. Pilate had to preserve the peace, even if it meant putting to death an innocent person. His last effort to free Jesus failed, when he gave the Jews a choice between freeing Barabbas, his most wicked murderer, or Jesus. The self-righteous Pharisees who formed the majority of the lynch-mob howled with derision and chose Barabbas, while screaming “Crucify Jesus!”, “Crucify Jesus”.
Jesus accepted everything that came His way with equanimity, speaking calmly in response, especially when He had a chance to testify some truth. To the high priest, He said He had always spoken in public, never in secret; He always taught in the synagogues and the temple, where large numbers of Jews heard Him (John 18:20-21). His kingdom, He said to Pilate, was not of this world (John 18:37). He also said the greater sin was made by the Jews, because it was they who turned Him over to Pilate (John 19:11). Many details of His trial are contained in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that John does not mention. Pilate tried to free Jesus several times; when everything he attempted was unaccepted, he gave in and ordered that Roman soldiers crucify Him.
Jesus of Nazareth met the same fate as most of the other prophets sent by God to Israel did; He was slain. He was the promised Messiah, sent to save the Jews from the wages of sin, but instead of accepting and obeying Him, His own people had Him killed, opening the spread of the gospel to all men and women in the world. The gospel was given first to the Jews through Moses; God expected them to be priests to the world, but instead they kept it to themselves. God set them aside temporarily and turned to the Gentiles, and the situation still prevails today. When Christ returns the Second time, He will restore Israel to their original status (See Zechariah 12:10ff.).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him, will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Peter Denies Knowing Jesus (J68)
Peter told Jesus earlier that day,
He desired to go where the Savior went—
That he would give his life with Him to stay,
But testing him sore was Satan’s intent!
For at the first place Jesus was taken,
The doorkeep asked him, “Are you one of his?”
He said, “I am not.” Peter was shaken,
Fearing arrest, wanting to avoid this!
Twice more, he denied that he knew the Son:
Once, as he warmed himself by the bonfire;
Next, by a relative of the hurt one,
When to fight was Peter’s foolish desire!
His Lord’s denials became a cruel load,
As day was breaking, and the rooster crowed!
Scripture Quoted: John 18:15-17, 25-27 (NIV)
“Simon Peter and another disciple [John] were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there, and brought Peter in. ‘You aren’t one of his disciples, are you?’ the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, ‘I am not.’ “ [Brackets added]
… “As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, ‘You are not one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it, saying, ‘I am not.’ One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, ‘Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?’ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.”
Commentary on: John 18:15-18, 25-27 (NIV)
Peter recalled his overconfident statement to Jesus at the Passover meal (Matthew 26:35): “Even if I have to die with you, I will not disown you.” When he heard the rooster begin to crow, it came flooding back to him, bringing bitter remorse. Jesus had warned him how Satan wanted to test him and predicted that he would deny Him three times before the rooster began to crow. He went outside the house of the high priest and wept bitterly. However, to his and John’s credit, they did not flee to hiding places when Jesus was arrested as did the other apostles; they followed afar off, and waited in the courtyard of the high priest’s house while that part of the illegal trial was held. It was illegal, because Mosaic Law prescribed that trials were not to be held at night. The religious rulers had decided that Jesus was to die; it didn’t matter to them how many sections of the Law had to be broken to get the job done. They were frightened that the Jewish supporters of Jesus would riot if they held the trial in public according to the rules of Law. Possibly a majority, even, of the common people believed in Him; they had feared that, at any rate.
Good old bumbling, impetuous, foot-in-the-mouth Simon Peter! He was learning some very difficult lessons in spiritual maturity, learning them the hard way. After Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to flood into the apostles, and Peter preached the first sermon of Christ’s future bride, the church, on Pentecost. He was confident, bold, and mature, the unquestioned leader of the apostles. It is fair to say that Simon never again would deny Jesus, and following Him did cost him his life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
He desired to go where the Savior went—
That he would give his life with Him to stay,
But testing him sore was Satan’s intent!
For at the first place Jesus was taken,
The doorkeep asked him, “Are you one of his?”
He said, “I am not.” Peter was shaken,
Fearing arrest, wanting to avoid this!
Twice more, he denied that he knew the Son:
Once, as he warmed himself by the bonfire;
Next, by a relative of the hurt one,
When to fight was Peter’s foolish desire!
His Lord’s denials became a cruel load,
As day was breaking, and the rooster crowed!
Scripture Quoted: John 18:15-17, 25-27 (NIV)
“Simon Peter and another disciple [John] were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there, and brought Peter in. ‘You aren’t one of his disciples, are you?’ the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, ‘I am not.’ “ [Brackets added]
… “As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, ‘You are not one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it, saying, ‘I am not.’ One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, ‘Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?’ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.”
Commentary on: John 18:15-18, 25-27 (NIV)
Peter recalled his overconfident statement to Jesus at the Passover meal (Matthew 26:35): “Even if I have to die with you, I will not disown you.” When he heard the rooster begin to crow, it came flooding back to him, bringing bitter remorse. Jesus had warned him how Satan wanted to test him and predicted that he would deny Him three times before the rooster began to crow. He went outside the house of the high priest and wept bitterly. However, to his and John’s credit, they did not flee to hiding places when Jesus was arrested as did the other apostles; they followed afar off, and waited in the courtyard of the high priest’s house while that part of the illegal trial was held. It was illegal, because Mosaic Law prescribed that trials were not to be held at night. The religious rulers had decided that Jesus was to die; it didn’t matter to them how many sections of the Law had to be broken to get the job done. They were frightened that the Jewish supporters of Jesus would riot if they held the trial in public according to the rules of Law. Possibly a majority, even, of the common people believed in Him; they had feared that, at any rate.
Good old bumbling, impetuous, foot-in-the-mouth Simon Peter! He was learning some very difficult lessons in spiritual maturity, learning them the hard way. After Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to flood into the apostles, and Peter preached the first sermon of Christ’s future bride, the church, on Pentecost. He was confident, bold, and mature, the unquestioned leader of the apostles. It is fair to say that Simon never again would deny Jesus, and following Him did cost him his life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Friday, October 22, 2010
Jesus Is Arrested (J67)
He created man, fashioned the places
In which man moves and conducts his being;
Now, will He submit to man’s disgraces—
A farce of a trial, and death receiving?
You need not ask, for such was why He came—
His life’s blood spilling, atoning for sin;
Buying back man’s debt, which Satan laid claim,
The wages of sins committed by men!
To arrest Jesus required His assent:
Does the pot shape the potter on the wheel?
Did hordes of angels the scandal prevent?
Is truth falsehood or reality unreal?
The epitome of irony’s this:
That Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss!
Scripture Quoted: John 18:4-8 (NIV)
“Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, ‘Who do you want?’ ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘I am he,’ Jesus said. (And Judas was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, ‘I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, ‘Who is it that you want?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ ‘I told you that I am he,’ Jesus answered. ‘If you are looking for me, then let these men go.’
Commentary on: John 18: 1-11 (NIV)
Can you imagine anything so unlikely to occur as Almighty God, the omniscient and omnipotent Creator of man and the entire universe, being arrested by a group of such ant-like creatures as men? Other than the macabre unlikelihood of His planning for it billions of years before the time for it to come to pass, and then coordinating the many variables to make it happen at this precise moment in history, with His essential humbling Himself—which He did, and the answer is no. The God who first gave the law that “the wages of sin is death”(Romans 6:23); after which “all men sinned and fell short of the righteousness of God” (Romans 3:23); and become condemned to death; “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Take a deep breath and read the last “sentence” again!
Simon Peter, the bumbling, wonderful fisherman, who ultimately became the chief and ablest of original apostles, drew his sword and proceeded to cut off the right ear of one of the chief priest’s servants. Jesus quickly ordered him to put the sword away and healed the ear. Obviously Peter did not yet understand that Jesus wanted to be arrested, so that He could be martyred, and so that all men would have the opportunity to accept His atonement for sin. It was probably a miracle of Jesus that a general battle did not erupt, which would have tainted the name of Jesus forever and wrecked His mission to earth! Jesus interceded for His apostles, and they were not arrested; as prophesied in Zechariah 13:7, they scattered in fear.
Judas, the erstwhile apostle, had led the officers to the garden and identified Jesus for them with a kiss on the cheek, according to the other gospel books. He was already apprehensive about his great offense; he tried to soften it a bit later by offering the thirty pieces of silver paid him back to the chief priest, but that unworthy official refused to accept it, saying it was “blood money”; how ridiculous of him to “strain at a gnat while swallowing a camel” (Matthew 23:24).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).
In which man moves and conducts his being;
Now, will He submit to man’s disgraces—
A farce of a trial, and death receiving?
You need not ask, for such was why He came—
His life’s blood spilling, atoning for sin;
Buying back man’s debt, which Satan laid claim,
The wages of sins committed by men!
To arrest Jesus required His assent:
Does the pot shape the potter on the wheel?
Did hordes of angels the scandal prevent?
Is truth falsehood or reality unreal?
The epitome of irony’s this:
That Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss!
Scripture Quoted: John 18:4-8 (NIV)
“Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, ‘Who do you want?’ ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘I am he,’ Jesus said. (And Judas was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, ‘I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, ‘Who is it that you want?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ ‘I told you that I am he,’ Jesus answered. ‘If you are looking for me, then let these men go.’
Commentary on: John 18: 1-11 (NIV)
Can you imagine anything so unlikely to occur as Almighty God, the omniscient and omnipotent Creator of man and the entire universe, being arrested by a group of such ant-like creatures as men? Other than the macabre unlikelihood of His planning for it billions of years before the time for it to come to pass, and then coordinating the many variables to make it happen at this precise moment in history, with His essential humbling Himself—which He did, and the answer is no. The God who first gave the law that “the wages of sin is death”(Romans 6:23); after which “all men sinned and fell short of the righteousness of God” (Romans 3:23); and become condemned to death; “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Take a deep breath and read the last “sentence” again!
Simon Peter, the bumbling, wonderful fisherman, who ultimately became the chief and ablest of original apostles, drew his sword and proceeded to cut off the right ear of one of the chief priest’s servants. Jesus quickly ordered him to put the sword away and healed the ear. Obviously Peter did not yet understand that Jesus wanted to be arrested, so that He could be martyred, and so that all men would have the opportunity to accept His atonement for sin. It was probably a miracle of Jesus that a general battle did not erupt, which would have tainted the name of Jesus forever and wrecked His mission to earth! Jesus interceded for His apostles, and they were not arrested; as prophesied in Zechariah 13:7, they scattered in fear.
Judas, the erstwhile apostle, had led the officers to the garden and identified Jesus for them with a kiss on the cheek, according to the other gospel books. He was already apprehensive about his great offense; he tried to soften it a bit later by offering the thirty pieces of silver paid him back to the chief priest, but that unworthy official refused to accept it, saying it was “blood money”; how ridiculous of him to “strain at a gnat while swallowing a camel” (Matthew 23:24).
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Jesus Prays For Future Disciples *J66)
“I pray for those who will believe in me,
Through the message of present disciples,
That all of them may be as one, Father,
Like you are in me, and I am in you.
May they also be in us, that the world
Might believe that it is you who sent me.
I will give them the glory you gave me,
That they may be one, as we are but one.
May they be brought to complete unity,
To let the world know that you have sent me, 10
And will love them, even as you love me.
Father, I want them who you will give me
To be with me wherever I may be,
To see my glory you have given me,
Because you loved me before creation. 15
Righteous Father, the world does not know you;
I know you, and they’ll know you sent me;
My disciples will make you known to them,
In order that your love will be in them—
That I myself will be indwelling them." 20
Commentary on: John 17:20-26 (NIV)
This poem is a paraphrase in blank verse of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane for believers yet to come. It is of great interest to modern-day Christians, for it contains several key principles that we know apply directly to us, in the words of the Savior. I suggest that you read John 17:20-26 in your Bible, comparing Scripture line-by-line with the 20 lines of the poem.
It is obvious that Jesus’ greatest desire is the unity of all believers (see lines 3,4,9,10 above), for with Christian unity, love and cooperation with each other, non-believers are more likely to be drawn into belief. In fact, the most rapid growth of Christianity occurred in the first three centuries, and the reason is probably the early believers had great love for each other and it showed to the non-believing world. By 325 A.D. the entire Roman Empire, which constituted the known world, was so filled with Christians, despite the Empire’s horrible persecutions, that Emperor Constantine adopted “The Way” as it was called as the nation’s official religion. However, when we consider the many denominations of Christianity and those which are near to the faith, it is not difficult for the world to see how divided it is. (I am using “world” as it is usually meant in the Bible, which is the enemy of Christianity, the non-believing population.)
Jesus speaks of the inheritance believers will receive (line 7). We are to share in the glory of Christ and be adopted as His brothers and sisters; we are loved by God as Jesus Christ is loved by Him (line 11). The instant we believe we become part of the family of God, even while still living in the flesh. Also, Jesus wants us to be with Him forever (line 13(. When the believer dies, his soul goes immediately to Christ; his body returns to dust. But when Jesus returns to earth, the bodies are resurrected and rejoined to the soul, to live with Christ forever.
In line 20, we see that Christ, as the Holy Spirit, indwells the believer the remainder of his life on earth. Jesus was anxious that all believers should see His glory (line 14), and why not? There is such a staggering contrast between the glory of Christ and the poor, broken, emaciated, tortured body that spilled His blood on the cross of Golgotha, why not have believers marvel at His heavenly glory? And in line 17, Jesus gives the essential requirement for salvation when He says that future believers will know that His Father sent Him, meaning they will believe He is the Messiah! You can’t get a better guarantee of what is required for you to be saved than that!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Through the message of present disciples,
That all of them may be as one, Father,
Like you are in me, and I am in you.
May they also be in us, that the world
Might believe that it is you who sent me.
I will give them the glory you gave me,
That they may be one, as we are but one.
May they be brought to complete unity,
To let the world know that you have sent me, 10
And will love them, even as you love me.
Father, I want them who you will give me
To be with me wherever I may be,
To see my glory you have given me,
Because you loved me before creation. 15
Righteous Father, the world does not know you;
I know you, and they’ll know you sent me;
My disciples will make you known to them,
In order that your love will be in them—
That I myself will be indwelling them." 20
Commentary on: John 17:20-26 (NIV)
This poem is a paraphrase in blank verse of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane for believers yet to come. It is of great interest to modern-day Christians, for it contains several key principles that we know apply directly to us, in the words of the Savior. I suggest that you read John 17:20-26 in your Bible, comparing Scripture line-by-line with the 20 lines of the poem.
It is obvious that Jesus’ greatest desire is the unity of all believers (see lines 3,4,9,10 above), for with Christian unity, love and cooperation with each other, non-believers are more likely to be drawn into belief. In fact, the most rapid growth of Christianity occurred in the first three centuries, and the reason is probably the early believers had great love for each other and it showed to the non-believing world. By 325 A.D. the entire Roman Empire, which constituted the known world, was so filled with Christians, despite the Empire’s horrible persecutions, that Emperor Constantine adopted “The Way” as it was called as the nation’s official religion. However, when we consider the many denominations of Christianity and those which are near to the faith, it is not difficult for the world to see how divided it is. (I am using “world” as it is usually meant in the Bible, which is the enemy of Christianity, the non-believing population.)
Jesus speaks of the inheritance believers will receive (line 7). We are to share in the glory of Christ and be adopted as His brothers and sisters; we are loved by God as Jesus Christ is loved by Him (line 11). The instant we believe we become part of the family of God, even while still living in the flesh. Also, Jesus wants us to be with Him forever (line 13(. When the believer dies, his soul goes immediately to Christ; his body returns to dust. But when Jesus returns to earth, the bodies are resurrected and rejoined to the soul, to live with Christ forever.
In line 20, we see that Christ, as the Holy Spirit, indwells the believer the remainder of his life on earth. Jesus was anxious that all believers should see His glory (line 14), and why not? There is such a staggering contrast between the glory of Christ and the poor, broken, emaciated, tortured body that spilled His blood on the cross of Golgotha, why not have believers marvel at His heavenly glory? And in line 17, Jesus gives the essential requirement for salvation when He says that future believers will know that His Father sent Him, meaning they will believe He is the Messiah! You can’t get a better guarantee of what is required for you to be saved than that!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Jesus Prays For His Disciples (J65)
“Holy Father, protect those you gave me;
I am leaving the world, but they must stay;
May they be one, even as one are we;
It is for them, not the world, that I pray!
They have accepted the words you prescribed,
And are confident that I came from you;
Your word is truth; may they be sanctified
By it and me, to righteousness that’s true!
They are not of this world, who detests them;
I send them to the world, as you sent me;
Protect them from Satan, for they fight him;
Through them much glory shall you and I see!
I have kept them safe, except for the one
Doomed to death before the world was begun!
Scripture Quoted: John 17:6-8, 13-14 (NIV)
“ ‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They know with certainty that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me.’ “ …
“ ‘I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.’ “
Commentary on: John 17:6-19 (NIV)
Jesus continues praying in Gethsemane on Thursday night about midnight. He had prayed for Himself, and now He prays for the disciples He has won. The “world”, here and throughout the Bible, usually means the non-believers who are still condemned. It is the enemy, enslaved by Satan, and includes the cultures, religions, and governments that hate the name of Jesus. In the world are people that Jesus refers to as “belonging to you” who will accept and believe in Jesus as Lord. Jesus knew that soon He would be ascending to heaven, leaving the spread of the gospel in the hands of His followers. He was going to send the Holy Spirit to them; He would indwell each believer, so that they would always have God’s guidance and counsel.
Notice several important truths contained in Jesus’ prayer. The names of all persons who are going to accept Jesus Christ are known to God before the beginning of time. Jesus called them “yours” and thanked His Father for giving them to Him. This does not mean that God pre-selected believers; of every person who calls for Jesus, none will He reject. It is a matter of each person’s free will.
Jesus emphasized two conditions that each believer had to meet. Each had to believe sincerely that Jesus had been sent to earth by God; also, each must accept the words His Father had given for Him to say. The words include the fact that Jesus lives today, meaning He was resurrected from the dead. If you accept Jesus as coming from God, and His resurrection from the dead (see Romans 10:9), you, too, can be saved to everlasting life.
In His prayer Jesus acknowledged that God’s word, the Bible, is truth. He prayed for his followers to be “sanctified”—meaning to be made righteous—by God’s word and by Jesus Himself. One task of the Holy Spirit is to regenerate the life of each believer so that he or she can live a sinless life. In the epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul showed that no human being can live without sin; however, the Lord Jesus Christ will impute His sinless character to each believer. You can do nothing that will admit you to heaven except to give you life to Jesus as Lord. Accepting Jesus is not a "work"; it is an attitude.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
I am leaving the world, but they must stay;
May they be one, even as one are we;
It is for them, not the world, that I pray!
They have accepted the words you prescribed,
And are confident that I came from you;
Your word is truth; may they be sanctified
By it and me, to righteousness that’s true!
They are not of this world, who detests them;
I send them to the world, as you sent me;
Protect them from Satan, for they fight him;
Through them much glory shall you and I see!
I have kept them safe, except for the one
Doomed to death before the world was begun!
Scripture Quoted: John 17:6-8, 13-14 (NIV)
“ ‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They know with certainty that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me.’ “ …
“ ‘I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.’ “
Commentary on: John 17:6-19 (NIV)
Jesus continues praying in Gethsemane on Thursday night about midnight. He had prayed for Himself, and now He prays for the disciples He has won. The “world”, here and throughout the Bible, usually means the non-believers who are still condemned. It is the enemy, enslaved by Satan, and includes the cultures, religions, and governments that hate the name of Jesus. In the world are people that Jesus refers to as “belonging to you” who will accept and believe in Jesus as Lord. Jesus knew that soon He would be ascending to heaven, leaving the spread of the gospel in the hands of His followers. He was going to send the Holy Spirit to them; He would indwell each believer, so that they would always have God’s guidance and counsel.
Notice several important truths contained in Jesus’ prayer. The names of all persons who are going to accept Jesus Christ are known to God before the beginning of time. Jesus called them “yours” and thanked His Father for giving them to Him. This does not mean that God pre-selected believers; of every person who calls for Jesus, none will He reject. It is a matter of each person’s free will.
Jesus emphasized two conditions that each believer had to meet. Each had to believe sincerely that Jesus had been sent to earth by God; also, each must accept the words His Father had given for Him to say. The words include the fact that Jesus lives today, meaning He was resurrected from the dead. If you accept Jesus as coming from God, and His resurrection from the dead (see Romans 10:9), you, too, can be saved to everlasting life.
In His prayer Jesus acknowledged that God’s word, the Bible, is truth. He prayed for his followers to be “sanctified”—meaning to be made righteous—by God’s word and by Jesus Himself. One task of the Holy Spirit is to regenerate the life of each believer so that he or she can live a sinless life. In the epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul showed that no human being can live without sin; however, the Lord Jesus Christ will impute His sinless character to each believer. You can do nothing that will admit you to heaven except to give you life to Jesus as Lord. Accepting Jesus is not a "work"; it is an attitude.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Jesus Prays For Himself (J64)
“Father, my time of passion has arrived;
Glorify me, that you may be glorified,
For pow’r o’er people you have given me,
That those you have given, I have set free!
Freedom is that they know you, the true God,
And me, who you sent this land to trod;
I have glorified the Lord that is true,
By doing the work he sent me to do!
Now, Father, give me the glory again,
I had with you before the world began!"
Commentary on: John 17:1-5 (NIV)
Jesus and the eleven apostles have arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane, a grove of olive trees. Eight of them stop near the entrance. Peter, James, and John walked on a short way, and they stop, while Jesus goes further. He spends the brief remaining time of freedom in prayer to the Father. He begins with a prayer for Himself. The poem above is a very close paraphrase of His supplication to the Father.
By the sacrifice He is prepared to make on the morrow, He is giving His sinless life as a man to die on the cross as atonement for all the sins of all humanity. From God’s viewpoint, this is the greatest event in the history of man. God had decreed that “the wages of sin is death!” (see Romans 6:23). The first man, Adam, sinned, and every man and woman who lived has sinned, thus by God’s law all men are condemned to death. The soul, which is the essence of life within every person, will never die; therefore God defines death as being cast into the lake of fire forever, to live in the same torment as will Satan and the fallen angels (see Revelation 20:14-15). But God loved the man He had created so much, that He planned from before the beginning of the world to send His Son to live as a sinless man on earth and maneuver things so that the very people He had chosen, the Jews, would kill Him as they would an innocent lamb to pay the sin-debt of all men and women who believes in His Son; thereby saving some of mankind.
To die in this way and on this Passover day was the mission on which the Father had sent Jesus. He had manipulated the Pharisees and chief priests exactly right, so that He was prepared to be arrested by the guards at any moment. Dying for the sins of men was glory to the Son and to His Father, especially since He and His Father are one, God Himself. So Jesus asked the Father to restore the glory to Him that He had had with God before the world began. He had given up His glory as God to enter the world as the baby of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. How hypocritical is a world that celebrates Christmas and not give glory and praise to the babe that became a man who would die for their sins; and more, would give up His perogatives as God to do it!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him would not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Glorify me, that you may be glorified,
For pow’r o’er people you have given me,
That those you have given, I have set free!
Freedom is that they know you, the true God,
And me, who you sent this land to trod;
I have glorified the Lord that is true,
By doing the work he sent me to do!
Now, Father, give me the glory again,
I had with you before the world began!"
Commentary on: John 17:1-5 (NIV)
Jesus and the eleven apostles have arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane, a grove of olive trees. Eight of them stop near the entrance. Peter, James, and John walked on a short way, and they stop, while Jesus goes further. He spends the brief remaining time of freedom in prayer to the Father. He begins with a prayer for Himself. The poem above is a very close paraphrase of His supplication to the Father.
By the sacrifice He is prepared to make on the morrow, He is giving His sinless life as a man to die on the cross as atonement for all the sins of all humanity. From God’s viewpoint, this is the greatest event in the history of man. God had decreed that “the wages of sin is death!” (see Romans 6:23). The first man, Adam, sinned, and every man and woman who lived has sinned, thus by God’s law all men are condemned to death. The soul, which is the essence of life within every person, will never die; therefore God defines death as being cast into the lake of fire forever, to live in the same torment as will Satan and the fallen angels (see Revelation 20:14-15). But God loved the man He had created so much, that He planned from before the beginning of the world to send His Son to live as a sinless man on earth and maneuver things so that the very people He had chosen, the Jews, would kill Him as they would an innocent lamb to pay the sin-debt of all men and women who believes in His Son; thereby saving some of mankind.
To die in this way and on this Passover day was the mission on which the Father had sent Jesus. He had manipulated the Pharisees and chief priests exactly right, so that He was prepared to be arrested by the guards at any moment. Dying for the sins of men was glory to the Son and to His Father, especially since He and His Father are one, God Himself. So Jesus asked the Father to restore the glory to Him that He had had with God before the world began. He had given up His glory as God to enter the world as the baby of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. How hypocritical is a world that celebrates Christmas and not give glory and praise to the babe that became a man who would die for their sins; and more, would give up His perogatives as God to do it!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him would not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Jesus Reveals His Death And Resurrection *J63)
“Are you asking what I meant when I said,
‘In a little while, you’ll see me no more;
heTn, after a little while, you’ll see me’?
You’ll weep and mourn, while the world rejoices!
You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy,
Like a woman in labor, when her time’s come—
She forgets the pain, when the baby’s born,
In joy at new life added to the world!
Now you’ll grieve, but I will see you again;
You will rejoice; none takes away your joy!
Truly, then you’ll not ask me a thing;
So long as you ask for it in my name,
My Father will give you whatever you ask;
Ask and you’ll receive; your joy’ll be complete!”
Scripture Quoted: John 16:25-31 (NIV)
“ ‘Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.’ Then the disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.’ ‘You believe at last!’ Jesus answered.”
Commentary on: John 16:17-33 (NIV)
The poem is in blank verse and paraphrases closely what Jesus told His apostles in John 16:19-24. He perceived they were having difficulty comprehending His remarks about the events lying ahead. We human beings must always remember that Jesus’ perception is one of eternity; He always had to narrow His remarks down to fit the brief time and events of His incarnation as a man—narrowed down from a perspective covering before the beginning of time, throughout creation, human history, and the eternity following. Also, He was walking a slim tightrope in His remarks to mankind that took into consideration that He must be rejected and slain by the ruling Jews, while, at the same time, planting the seed of salvation in as many poor and common people as He could; and this in the limitations of God’s judgment dulling the spiritual insight of all Jews in Isaiah 6:9-10. His clarification, in this instance didn’t do much to clarify, but His disciples did seem to comprehend enough that He could say, “At last, you believe!”
In plain English, He was telling them that He would be crucified and buried the next day (Friday), be in the tomb three days (from Friday before 6 p.m. to Sunday before 6 a.m.(this was the time the disciples would grieve and the world rejoice); He would be resurrected Sunday (this was the time when their grief would turn to joy); He would remain on earth with them for forty days, after which He would ascend to heaven, where the Father was. (It was at that time, and from then until now, when they would not see Him, but they would have the Holy Spirit and be able to ask the Father whatever they wished, so long as it was in His name Jesus Christ), and His Father would give it to them.
Notice when Christians pray, they are instructed to do so in the name of Jesus. Yet some state congresses are forbidding chaplains who open daily sessions with prayer to say the name “Jesus” in the prayers. This means the prayers are useless, if not in the name of Jesus.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
‘In a little while, you’ll see me no more;
heTn, after a little while, you’ll see me’?
You’ll weep and mourn, while the world rejoices!
You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy,
Like a woman in labor, when her time’s come—
She forgets the pain, when the baby’s born,
In joy at new life added to the world!
Now you’ll grieve, but I will see you again;
You will rejoice; none takes away your joy!
Truly, then you’ll not ask me a thing;
So long as you ask for it in my name,
My Father will give you whatever you ask;
Ask and you’ll receive; your joy’ll be complete!”
Scripture Quoted: John 16:25-31 (NIV)
“ ‘Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.’ Then the disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.’ ‘You believe at last!’ Jesus answered.”
Commentary on: John 16:17-33 (NIV)
The poem is in blank verse and paraphrases closely what Jesus told His apostles in John 16:19-24. He perceived they were having difficulty comprehending His remarks about the events lying ahead. We human beings must always remember that Jesus’ perception is one of eternity; He always had to narrow His remarks down to fit the brief time and events of His incarnation as a man—narrowed down from a perspective covering before the beginning of time, throughout creation, human history, and the eternity following. Also, He was walking a slim tightrope in His remarks to mankind that took into consideration that He must be rejected and slain by the ruling Jews, while, at the same time, planting the seed of salvation in as many poor and common people as He could; and this in the limitations of God’s judgment dulling the spiritual insight of all Jews in Isaiah 6:9-10. His clarification, in this instance didn’t do much to clarify, but His disciples did seem to comprehend enough that He could say, “At last, you believe!”
In plain English, He was telling them that He would be crucified and buried the next day (Friday), be in the tomb three days (from Friday before 6 p.m. to Sunday before 6 a.m.(this was the time the disciples would grieve and the world rejoice); He would be resurrected Sunday (this was the time when their grief would turn to joy); He would remain on earth with them for forty days, after which He would ascend to heaven, where the Father was. (It was at that time, and from then until now, when they would not see Him, but they would have the Holy Spirit and be able to ask the Father whatever they wished, so long as it was in His name Jesus Christ), and His Father would give it to them.
Notice when Christians pray, they are instructed to do so in the name of Jesus. Yet some state congresses are forbidding chaplains who open daily sessions with prayer to say the name “Jesus” in the prayers. This means the prayers are useless, if not in the name of Jesus.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Work Of The Holy Spirit (J62)
The Holy Spirit dwells in the elect;
He reminds them of all that Jesus said;
Tells them of events they are to expect;
Teaches them truths where Jesus had not led!
He counsels them of righteous ways and wrong;
Supplies words to say to judges and kings;
Provides their needs required to get along;
Furnishes pow’r to succeed in righteous things!
The Spirit enters the hearts of those that’re lost
To convict them of guilt in acts of sin,
Warning them of coming judgment and cost,
Tugging at their consciences from within!
To the child of God the Spirit casts light
On Scripture’s dark places to read them right!
Scripture Quoted: John 16:12-14, 16 (NIV) Got Spirit?
“ ‘I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own’ he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you,’ “ … “ ‘In a little while you will not see me.’ “
Commentary on: John 16:1-16 (NIV)
Jesus here is continuing His Thursday evening talk with His eleven remaining apostles. Judas Iscariot departed earlier to go to the chief priest and guide a party of armed men to arrest Jesus. The little group is on their way to an olive grove called Gethsemane. In this Scripture Jesus is telling the disciples as much as they can handle in the brief time He has before He is taken away. He repeats His warning that the world will hate and persecute them because of His name.
He informs them that He is going to leave them to return to His Father in heaven. He perceives they are grieving over his leaving them, and He tells them they will be glad He goes, because He will send them the Holy Spirit, who will take His place and do a multitude of things for them. The Spirit is God, and equal in power to the other two persons of the Trinity. the Father, and the Son. He is able to multiply Himself, so that He can live inside each believer. He will be a counselor, guiding them in their new life, learning to live righteously; He is better than the believer’s conscience, because the conscience is influenced by worldly impressions and morals. An individual’s conscience is a part of his human nature; it will lead you into sin. The Holy Spirit will teach you a new way of living—God’s way. He will help you to understand Scripture, so that spiritual language will be comprehensible to you. He will teach you how to love others in an agape way; He will give you peace, patience, kindness, joy, gentleness, and self control.
The Spirit will also enter the hearts of non-believers, tugging at them to call for Jesus to come into their lives. The Bible describes His admonitions to both saved and lost as couched in a “still, small voice”. If either ignores Him, He will become quieter and quieter, until finally He is “quenched”. Anyone who ignores the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit does so at his peril.
“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
He reminds them of all that Jesus said;
Tells them of events they are to expect;
Teaches them truths where Jesus had not led!
He counsels them of righteous ways and wrong;
Supplies words to say to judges and kings;
Provides their needs required to get along;
Furnishes pow’r to succeed in righteous things!
The Spirit enters the hearts of those that’re lost
To convict them of guilt in acts of sin,
Warning them of coming judgment and cost,
Tugging at their consciences from within!
To the child of God the Spirit casts light
On Scripture’s dark places to read them right!
Scripture Quoted: John 16:12-14, 16 (NIV) Got Spirit?
“ ‘I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own’ he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you,’ “ … “ ‘In a little while you will not see me.’ “
Commentary on: John 16:1-16 (NIV)
Jesus here is continuing His Thursday evening talk with His eleven remaining apostles. Judas Iscariot departed earlier to go to the chief priest and guide a party of armed men to arrest Jesus. The little group is on their way to an olive grove called Gethsemane. In this Scripture Jesus is telling the disciples as much as they can handle in the brief time He has before He is taken away. He repeats His warning that the world will hate and persecute them because of His name.
He informs them that He is going to leave them to return to His Father in heaven. He perceives they are grieving over his leaving them, and He tells them they will be glad He goes, because He will send them the Holy Spirit, who will take His place and do a multitude of things for them. The Spirit is God, and equal in power to the other two persons of the Trinity. the Father, and the Son. He is able to multiply Himself, so that He can live inside each believer. He will be a counselor, guiding them in their new life, learning to live righteously; He is better than the believer’s conscience, because the conscience is influenced by worldly impressions and morals. An individual’s conscience is a part of his human nature; it will lead you into sin. The Holy Spirit will teach you a new way of living—God’s way. He will help you to understand Scripture, so that spiritual language will be comprehensible to you. He will teach you how to love others in an agape way; He will give you peace, patience, kindness, joy, gentleness, and self control.
The Spirit will also enter the hearts of non-believers, tugging at them to call for Jesus to come into their lives. The Bible describes His admonitions to both saved and lost as couched in a “still, small voice”. If either ignores Him, He will become quieter and quieter, until finally He is “quenched”. Anyone who ignores the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit does so at his peril.
“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Christians To Be Hated And Persecuted (J61)
“My dear ones, the world has hatred for me;
They will hate and persecute you as well;
If you belonged to them, they would love thee;
They love darkness, and the light wish to quell!
I have been sent by God, whom they don’t know;
If I had not come and spoke truth to them,
The world surely would not hate Christians so;
They’d not be guilty of sins against Him!
They who hate me hate my Father as well,
For they saw the miracles I did,
Knowing no pow’r but God’s in me did dwell,
Yet they don’t believe, keeping their sins hid!
The Holy Spirit will tell about me;
You, too, must tell the world how to live free!
Scripture Quoted: John 16:22-24 (NIV)
‘ ‘if I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, yet they have hated both me and the Father.’ “
Commentary on: John 15:18-27 (NIV)
Time after time, in speaking to the Pharisees, trying to convince them He was genuine, that He had been sent by God the Father, and therefore He was speaking the truth in claiming to be the promised Messiah (Christ), Jesus had pointed to the miracles He had done as proof that He was from God. No one else, before or since, has done such healing and miraculous signs of divinity. In fact, you, too, ought to believe in Jesus as Lord, because of the historical evidence that supports their reality and the Bible which testifies about their happening. The Jews of His day had all seen and heard of the miracles He had done, and still rejected Him as the Christ; they have no excuse to present to God at the final judgment for their sins. If you read this blog, yet continue in your unbelief, you have no excuse for your sins. It is this blog that informs you about Jesus, and His offer to save you from condemnation by believing in Him; if you had never heard of Jesus before today, by reading this poem, Scripture and commentary, you have heard. You need nothing else.
By the term “world”, Jesus means the great host of non-believers in the world. Tragically, we must add the millions of supposed Christians that are predicted to “fall away” during the end-time tribulation. The persecution began soon after Jesus left the earth. Even though the church grew larger with many new Christians in the first 3 centuries, there were unimaginably high numbers of believers martyred by the Roman emperors; through the centuries millions of Christians have died for their faith in Jesus Christ. More Christians were killed in the twentieth century for their belief than even in those first 3 centuries. The slaughter of Christians continues in this 21st century. Jesus warns us, and I warn you: Belief in Jesus as Lord separates you from the “world”, in the sense of being accepted and unpersecuted by the society in which you live. Becoming more and more vicious each day is the hatred of Jesus and His followers in America and the rest of the world. You may not be adding years to your earthly life to accept Him as your Savior, but there are benefits now and more benefits to come in the everlasting life in heaven after physical death. You must think in terms of eternity rather than in terms of this life only.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
They will hate and persecute you as well;
If you belonged to them, they would love thee;
They love darkness, and the light wish to quell!
I have been sent by God, whom they don’t know;
If I had not come and spoke truth to them,
The world surely would not hate Christians so;
They’d not be guilty of sins against Him!
They who hate me hate my Father as well,
For they saw the miracles I did,
Knowing no pow’r but God’s in me did dwell,
Yet they don’t believe, keeping their sins hid!
The Holy Spirit will tell about me;
You, too, must tell the world how to live free!
Scripture Quoted: John 16:22-24 (NIV)
‘ ‘if I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, yet they have hated both me and the Father.’ “
Commentary on: John 15:18-27 (NIV)
Time after time, in speaking to the Pharisees, trying to convince them He was genuine, that He had been sent by God the Father, and therefore He was speaking the truth in claiming to be the promised Messiah (Christ), Jesus had pointed to the miracles He had done as proof that He was from God. No one else, before or since, has done such healing and miraculous signs of divinity. In fact, you, too, ought to believe in Jesus as Lord, because of the historical evidence that supports their reality and the Bible which testifies about their happening. The Jews of His day had all seen and heard of the miracles He had done, and still rejected Him as the Christ; they have no excuse to present to God at the final judgment for their sins. If you read this blog, yet continue in your unbelief, you have no excuse for your sins. It is this blog that informs you about Jesus, and His offer to save you from condemnation by believing in Him; if you had never heard of Jesus before today, by reading this poem, Scripture and commentary, you have heard. You need nothing else.
By the term “world”, Jesus means the great host of non-believers in the world. Tragically, we must add the millions of supposed Christians that are predicted to “fall away” during the end-time tribulation. The persecution began soon after Jesus left the earth. Even though the church grew larger with many new Christians in the first 3 centuries, there were unimaginably high numbers of believers martyred by the Roman emperors; through the centuries millions of Christians have died for their faith in Jesus Christ. More Christians were killed in the twentieth century for their belief than even in those first 3 centuries. The slaughter of Christians continues in this 21st century. Jesus warns us, and I warn you: Belief in Jesus as Lord separates you from the “world”, in the sense of being accepted and unpersecuted by the society in which you live. Becoming more and more vicious each day is the hatred of Jesus and His followers in America and the rest of the world. You may not be adding years to your earthly life to accept Him as your Savior, but there are benefits now and more benefits to come in the everlasting life in heaven after physical death. You must think in terms of eternity rather than in terms of this life only.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)
Friday, October 8, 2010
How You Can Remain In Jesus' Love (J60)
To remain in His love, keep this command:
Love one another, as He has loved you!
Spread the news of Jesus over the land;
Let the world see joy in the life that’s new!
Greater love has none shown, than Jesus showed,
In laying down His life, that you may live;
Your debt for sin was so heavy a load
That no life but His was enough to give!
Jesus chose you, before there was a “you”,
And He desires you to go and bear fruit;
That’s what He wants all believers to do:
To scour the world, lost souls to recruit!
Win them, not by power, and not by might,
But by His Spirit*— your love, and His light!
*Zechariah 4:6
Scripture Quoted: John 15:9-12 (NIV)
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is that you love each other as I have loved you.’ “
Commentary on: John 15:9-17 (NIV)
Finally, we have reached the answer to the question in the headings of all 548 of my blogs: How do you remain in Jesus’ love? The answer is given in the Scripture quoted above in the words of Jesus. He said, “obey my commands and you will remain in my love”. Of course, He gave many commands, and I don’t suppose any believer ever kept them all. However, He emphasized “Love one another” so much, that if you do this, I am sure you will remain in the love of Jesus. It means that if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord, you have become one of billions of people who have done the same thing, and you are commanded to love each of them. He is speaking to His apostles, but He meant it for all Christians throughout history. We can show our love by helping one another, not repeating or listening to malicious gossip, not participating in scraps and quarrels among members of the church, not being self-seeking or prideful, not launching lawsuits against other Christians, supporting each other in times of trouble, being cooperative, etc. In Galatians 5 are listed the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit—that is, the attributes of a “born again” Christian——love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control. We can learn to practice these traits toward all people, and especially with other Christians.
During the first century after Jesus was crucified, millions of people became believers, despite vicious persecution by the Romans. During no other time period were more souls added to the church. The reason was Christians loved each other, and lost people outside the church observed their love, joy, and happiness despite the vicious opposition; they wanted to become a part of the Kingdom of God. Today it is not like that; in fact within churches there is so much antagonism and internal strife, that the effect is to turn lost people away from becoming members. Christians do not cease sinning when they accept Jesus Christ; their lives don’t seem to be any different than those of people outside the church. This fact is an obstacle to winning people to Christ. We will all face judgment by Jesus Christ some day. We Christians will stand before Him one at a time, and every action we ever engaged in will be known and exposed by Him. That will not be very pleasant. At least, though, we will have eternal life in heaven; if you do not accept Him as your Lord while you live, you will face Him, too, but it will be far more dreadful for you.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Love one another, as He has loved you!
Spread the news of Jesus over the land;
Let the world see joy in the life that’s new!
Greater love has none shown, than Jesus showed,
In laying down His life, that you may live;
Your debt for sin was so heavy a load
That no life but His was enough to give!
Jesus chose you, before there was a “you”,
And He desires you to go and bear fruit;
That’s what He wants all believers to do:
To scour the world, lost souls to recruit!
Win them, not by power, and not by might,
But by His Spirit*— your love, and His light!
*Zechariah 4:6
Scripture Quoted: John 15:9-12 (NIV)
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is that you love each other as I have loved you.’ “
Commentary on: John 15:9-17 (NIV)
Finally, we have reached the answer to the question in the headings of all 548 of my blogs: How do you remain in Jesus’ love? The answer is given in the Scripture quoted above in the words of Jesus. He said, “obey my commands and you will remain in my love”. Of course, He gave many commands, and I don’t suppose any believer ever kept them all. However, He emphasized “Love one another” so much, that if you do this, I am sure you will remain in the love of Jesus. It means that if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord, you have become one of billions of people who have done the same thing, and you are commanded to love each of them. He is speaking to His apostles, but He meant it for all Christians throughout history. We can show our love by helping one another, not repeating or listening to malicious gossip, not participating in scraps and quarrels among members of the church, not being self-seeking or prideful, not launching lawsuits against other Christians, supporting each other in times of trouble, being cooperative, etc. In Galatians 5 are listed the “fruits” of the Holy Spirit—that is, the attributes of a “born again” Christian——love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control. We can learn to practice these traits toward all people, and especially with other Christians.
During the first century after Jesus was crucified, millions of people became believers, despite vicious persecution by the Romans. During no other time period were more souls added to the church. The reason was Christians loved each other, and lost people outside the church observed their love, joy, and happiness despite the vicious opposition; they wanted to become a part of the Kingdom of God. Today it is not like that; in fact within churches there is so much antagonism and internal strife, that the effect is to turn lost people away from becoming members. Christians do not cease sinning when they accept Jesus Christ; their lives don’t seem to be any different than those of people outside the church. This fact is an obstacle to winning people to Christ. We will all face judgment by Jesus Christ some day. We Christians will stand before Him one at a time, and every action we ever engaged in will be known and exposed by Him. That will not be very pleasant. At least, though, we will have eternal life in heaven; if you do not accept Him as your Lord while you live, you will face Him, too, but it will be far more dreadful for you.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Jesus Is The True Vine (J59)
“You are the branches; I am the true vine;
A vine and its branches live to bear fruit;
The branch that bears no fruit is none of mine;
It’s cut and withers, for it has no root!
You are pruned now by my words said to you;
Remain in me, and in you I’ll remain;
From a branch alone, no fruit ever grew,
Nor can you bear, if me you don’t retain!
Whatever you ask for, you will receive,
If my words remain fresh inside your heart;
You can do nothing unless you believe
In me, and never from me drift apart!
It is to God’s glory to bear much fruit,
Many new disciples of Him recruit!”
Scripture Quoted: John 15:1-5 (NIV)
“ ‘I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.’ “
Commentary on: John 15:1-8 (NIV)
Jesus is continuing His instructions to the remaining eleven apostles on the Thursday evening before His crucifixion the next day. They have now departed from the upper room and are walking across the Kidron valley to the garden of Gethsemane, a place they frequented. Here Jesus employs a new analogy for Himself and His disciples; He has already called Himself the “light of the world”, the “good shepherd”, and other very apt comparisons; now He says He is the “true vine” and His disciples are its “branches”. The growing of grapes was a common farming occupation in the Holy Land; the apostles probably had an easier time understanding this than most. This teaching applies to all disciples, including believers through the years and today. Jesus commands us to bear fruit; the fruit of which He is speaking is new believers. It is not the will of God that anyone die and be condemned to hell; it is His will that every person in the world hear the gospel, believe on the Lord Jesus, and inherit eternal life. That is what He came to us as a man to do—to spread the word to the uttermost part of earth that belief in Jesus saves.
By cutting off the branches that fail to bear fruit, He meant those who profess belief in Jesus, but who are not sincere and who do not repent of their sins and do not ask for forgiveness; they fall away without studying the Bible, attending church, and without witnessing to people about their new life in Jesus. These probably were not saved because of insincerity; there are many like that. Once a person has sincerely professed the Lordship of Jesus and believe in his or her heart that He has been resurrected from the dead, that individual is saved and cannot be unsaved! It is sadly true, though, that many sincere believers do not “bear fruit”; they attend church, but seldom if ever testify to others about being born again. Some Christians are better fruit-bearers than others, but no one has ever been fruitful enough to earn his admission to heaven. It is the grace of God that saves everyone, because no one has ever lived without sinning.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
A vine and its branches live to bear fruit;
The branch that bears no fruit is none of mine;
It’s cut and withers, for it has no root!
You are pruned now by my words said to you;
Remain in me, and in you I’ll remain;
From a branch alone, no fruit ever grew,
Nor can you bear, if me you don’t retain!
Whatever you ask for, you will receive,
If my words remain fresh inside your heart;
You can do nothing unless you believe
In me, and never from me drift apart!
It is to God’s glory to bear much fruit,
Many new disciples of Him recruit!”
Scripture Quoted: John 15:1-5 (NIV)
“ ‘I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.’ “
Commentary on: John 15:1-8 (NIV)
Jesus is continuing His instructions to the remaining eleven apostles on the Thursday evening before His crucifixion the next day. They have now departed from the upper room and are walking across the Kidron valley to the garden of Gethsemane, a place they frequented. Here Jesus employs a new analogy for Himself and His disciples; He has already called Himself the “light of the world”, the “good shepherd”, and other very apt comparisons; now He says He is the “true vine” and His disciples are its “branches”. The growing of grapes was a common farming occupation in the Holy Land; the apostles probably had an easier time understanding this than most. This teaching applies to all disciples, including believers through the years and today. Jesus commands us to bear fruit; the fruit of which He is speaking is new believers. It is not the will of God that anyone die and be condemned to hell; it is His will that every person in the world hear the gospel, believe on the Lord Jesus, and inherit eternal life. That is what He came to us as a man to do—to spread the word to the uttermost part of earth that belief in Jesus saves.
By cutting off the branches that fail to bear fruit, He meant those who profess belief in Jesus, but who are not sincere and who do not repent of their sins and do not ask for forgiveness; they fall away without studying the Bible, attending church, and without witnessing to people about their new life in Jesus. These probably were not saved because of insincerity; there are many like that. Once a person has sincerely professed the Lordship of Jesus and believe in his or her heart that He has been resurrected from the dead, that individual is saved and cannot be unsaved! It is sadly true, though, that many sincere believers do not “bear fruit”; they attend church, but seldom if ever testify to others about being born again. Some Christians are better fruit-bearers than others, but no one has ever been fruitful enough to earn his admission to heaven. It is the grace of God that saves everyone, because no one has ever lived without sinning.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Jesus Promises The Holy Spirit (J58)
“In a little while, I will leave this earth,
Returning to Him by whom I was sent;
He will send a Counselor of great worth
To indwell you, revealing my intent!
This Spirit of truth will be your guide,
And remind you of all I have said;
With non-believers He cannot abide;
They turn Him away; refuse to be led!
It is as if the Father and I both
Make our home with you, and also, in you;
I leave you not orphans, so don’t be loth
To continue doing the work I do!
The Holy Spirit shall teach you all truths,
And supply the words to convey the proofs!”
Scripture Quoted: John 14:15-18, 25-26 (NIV)
“ ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.’ “ … “ ‘All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’ “
Commentary on: John 14:15-18, 25-26 (NIV)
Jesus promised the apostles that the Father would send them the Holy Spirit, who would abide in each believer. Here we have come again to the mystery of the Trinity, called sometimes the Triune God. It is a mystery to us today, and it certainly was to the apostles when Jesus told them about the Holy Spirit. In this Scripture passage He is still teaching them in the upper room at the Thursday evening Passover meal. The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is One Being, but He does His work in three different and equal beings simultaneously at times.
I have found it more understandable to think of just one God who somehow is able to simultaneously accomplish three roles. I think of the man Jesus as God who lived 33 years as a man on earth. I think of the Father as God, to whom Jesus prayed and who remained in heaven as Supreme Being while Jesus/God was on the earth. I think of the Holy Spirit as God who is mysteriously able to multiply Himself so that He can live in the body of each living believer on the earth. While inside each Christian, God, the Holy Spirit, guides that individual and accomplishes all the things He has been sent to do. Later in this book of John, Jesus talks again about the Holy Spirit, adding to His responsibilities.
The Holy Spirit comes to the disciples on the day of Pentecost, which is 50 days after the Passover Friday on which Jesus was crucified, 10 days after He leaves the earth (See Acts 2). When each disciple received the Spirit, he was more confident, braver, and better able to do the work of spreading the good news of the gospel. Several million people, Jews and Gentiles, became believers in Jesus as Lord within 50 years after His ascension in 32 A.D. Churches were established on three continents, Asia, Europe, and Africa, as the apostles carried out the work Jesus had commanded. The last apostle, Paul of Tarsus, was called especially by Jesus, speaking from heaven, to witness to the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit is in the world today; one of His assignments is to speak inside the minds of non-believers, inviting them to come to Christ. He has spoken to you; you might not have recognized that God was speaking to you, but He has reminded you to seek God while He may be found; that is, while you still live.
"For God sp loved the world that he gave his only begotten Spn, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life," (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Returning to Him by whom I was sent;
He will send a Counselor of great worth
To indwell you, revealing my intent!
This Spirit of truth will be your guide,
And remind you of all I have said;
With non-believers He cannot abide;
They turn Him away; refuse to be led!
It is as if the Father and I both
Make our home with you, and also, in you;
I leave you not orphans, so don’t be loth
To continue doing the work I do!
The Holy Spirit shall teach you all truths,
And supply the words to convey the proofs!”
Scripture Quoted: John 14:15-18, 25-26 (NIV)
“ ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.’ “ … “ ‘All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’ “
Commentary on: John 14:15-18, 25-26 (NIV)
Jesus promised the apostles that the Father would send them the Holy Spirit, who would abide in each believer. Here we have come again to the mystery of the Trinity, called sometimes the Triune God. It is a mystery to us today, and it certainly was to the apostles when Jesus told them about the Holy Spirit. In this Scripture passage He is still teaching them in the upper room at the Thursday evening Passover meal. The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is One Being, but He does His work in three different and equal beings simultaneously at times.
I have found it more understandable to think of just one God who somehow is able to simultaneously accomplish three roles. I think of the man Jesus as God who lived 33 years as a man on earth. I think of the Father as God, to whom Jesus prayed and who remained in heaven as Supreme Being while Jesus/God was on the earth. I think of the Holy Spirit as God who is mysteriously able to multiply Himself so that He can live in the body of each living believer on the earth. While inside each Christian, God, the Holy Spirit, guides that individual and accomplishes all the things He has been sent to do. Later in this book of John, Jesus talks again about the Holy Spirit, adding to His responsibilities.
The Holy Spirit comes to the disciples on the day of Pentecost, which is 50 days after the Passover Friday on which Jesus was crucified, 10 days after He leaves the earth (See Acts 2). When each disciple received the Spirit, he was more confident, braver, and better able to do the work of spreading the good news of the gospel. Several million people, Jews and Gentiles, became believers in Jesus as Lord within 50 years after His ascension in 32 A.D. Churches were established on three continents, Asia, Europe, and Africa, as the apostles carried out the work Jesus had commanded. The last apostle, Paul of Tarsus, was called especially by Jesus, speaking from heaven, to witness to the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit is in the world today; one of His assignments is to speak inside the minds of non-believers, inviting them to come to Christ. He has spoken to you; you might not have recognized that God was speaking to you, but He has reminded you to seek God while He may be found; that is, while you still live.
"For God sp loved the world that he gave his only begotten Spn, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life," (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Jesus Predicts His Death And Resurrection (J57)
“The world won’t see me long, for I must leave;
Satan, prince of this world, comes for me;
Let not your hearts be troubled; do not grieve,
He can’t hold me; Father’s greater than he!
Because I live, you, too, will live again;
On that day, you will know I am in you;
Obey my teaching; your love’s not in vain;
I will dwell with you; my Father will, too!
When I go, my peace I give unto you,
Not as the world gives, which at best is brief;
You’d be glad I go, if you only knew,
My resurrection brings an end to grief!
Before this happens, I have told you so,
That your faith in me continue to grow!”
Scripture Quoted: John 14:19-20, 22-24, 27-31 (NIV)
“ ‘Before long, the world will not see me any more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.’ “ … Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, ‘But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’ Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.’ … ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid. You heard me say If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than me [while He is in the flesh of a man]. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens, you will believe. I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and will do exactly what my Father has commanded me.’ “ [Brackets added]
Commentary on: John 14:19-31 (NIV)
Jesus was preparing His apostles for the blockbuster events that were immediately in front of them. He would be arrested, tried, crucified, buried, resurrected on the third day, spend 40 days more on the earth in His spiritual body, and then ascend back into heaven. The arresting party, led by Judas Iscariot, was preparing even then to set forth. That was the cause of His statement that “the prince of this earth” was coming. Satan is the one called by that name; he had beguiled Judas to betray Jesus. He thought he would get the upper hand in his battle with God, but the opposite was about to happen.
It is doubtful if the apostles comprehended the significance of what was about to happen; Judas (not Iscariot) asked Jesus why He wouldn’t be seen by the world but the apostles would see Him. Jesus’ answer was not clear to them; what He meant was that during the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension He would not let non-believers see Him, but He would let disciples see Him. When He spoke of them being glad to see Him go, He meant that when He died and then came back to life, that was a promise that all of His disciples would be raised from the dead. When He said that His Father and He would come and live with each believer, He was talking about how the Holy Spirit would indwell them after He returned to heaven. My next blog will discuss Jesus’ promise of sending the Spirit.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Satan, prince of this world, comes for me;
Let not your hearts be troubled; do not grieve,
He can’t hold me; Father’s greater than he!
Because I live, you, too, will live again;
On that day, you will know I am in you;
Obey my teaching; your love’s not in vain;
I will dwell with you; my Father will, too!
When I go, my peace I give unto you,
Not as the world gives, which at best is brief;
You’d be glad I go, if you only knew,
My resurrection brings an end to grief!
Before this happens, I have told you so,
That your faith in me continue to grow!”
Scripture Quoted: John 14:19-20, 22-24, 27-31 (NIV)
“ ‘Before long, the world will not see me any more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.’ “ … Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, ‘But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’ Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.’ … ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid. You heard me say If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than me [while He is in the flesh of a man]. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens, you will believe. I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and will do exactly what my Father has commanded me.’ “ [Brackets added]
Commentary on: John 14:19-31 (NIV)
Jesus was preparing His apostles for the blockbuster events that were immediately in front of them. He would be arrested, tried, crucified, buried, resurrected on the third day, spend 40 days more on the earth in His spiritual body, and then ascend back into heaven. The arresting party, led by Judas Iscariot, was preparing even then to set forth. That was the cause of His statement that “the prince of this earth” was coming. Satan is the one called by that name; he had beguiled Judas to betray Jesus. He thought he would get the upper hand in his battle with God, but the opposite was about to happen.
It is doubtful if the apostles comprehended the significance of what was about to happen; Judas (not Iscariot) asked Jesus why He wouldn’t be seen by the world but the apostles would see Him. Jesus’ answer was not clear to them; what He meant was that during the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension He would not let non-believers see Him, but He would let disciples see Him. When He spoke of them being glad to see Him go, He meant that when He died and then came back to life, that was a promise that all of His disciples would be raised from the dead. When He said that His Father and He would come and live with each believer, He was talking about how the Holy Spirit would indwell them after He returned to heaven. My next blog will discuss Jesus’ promise of sending the Spirit.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
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