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Proverbs 7:21-27
21 With her enticing speech she caused him to
yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him.
22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes
to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks,
23 Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird
hastens to the snare, He did not know it would
cost his life.
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the
words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded, And all
who were slain by her were strong men.
27 Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death.
Father God, send your Holy Spirit to those that read this
lesson and open their heart and mind to your wonderful gift of Grace,
especially those that don’t know you with their heart. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Gospel of John 1:14-28 NKJV
This week’s lesson is mainly about
John the Baptist’s ministry, why he was questioned by the Pharisees, and the
answers that he gave. When you dig into what transpired it is quite
interesting.
14 And the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And
the Word became flesh; Here
again we have written in scripture that the Bible is a living document. Jesus
is the Word/Bible and going back to verse one Jesus is God; God is Jesus; and
the Word is God. When the Word became flesh Jesus did three things for us; (1)
He became the perfect teacher for us in human form; we see how God thinks and
therefore how we should think (Philippians 2:5-11); (2) Jesus is the perfect example
for us; a model of what we are to become, he shows us how to live and gives us
the power to live that way (1Peter 2:21); (3) He is the perfect sacrifice to
cover our sinful lifestyle with His blood; Jesus came as a sacrifice for all
sins, and his death satisfied God's requirements for the removal of sin (Colossians
1:15-23).
In Revelation there is one
verse that also points out that the Son of God is the Word. Revelation 19:13 He was
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And
dwelt among us; Jesus
dwelt among us in human flesh; perfect human flesh; He was God in the flesh;
God became visible and tangible in Christ. Jesus was a common man that did not
stand out among other men. He did not exalt himself like worldly people do,
that have money, fame, power, etc. He was humble, soft spoken, loving, and
polite for the most part unless people abused His Fathers temple. We can get to
know God through Jesus; He is our example!
And
we beheld His glory; Why
does John use the word “we” in this phrase? The “we” represents the Apostles
and it is for all of us that have never seen Jesus in human so that we can
believe; it is a testimony.
The word “glory” signifies
that they had seen him in his proper glory “as God and man united in one person.”
The
glory as of the only begotten of the Father; This glory that John speaks of here is all about Jesus
divinity. His glory or splendor that could belong to no other, that accurately
expresses His rank and character. This glory was seen eminently on the mount of
transfiguration. It was also seen in His miracles, His doctrine, His
resurrection, His ascension; all of which were such as to illustrate the
perfection and manifest the glory that belongs only to the Son of God.
Full
of grace and truth; Jesus
flesh proclaimed His Humanity and His “Grace and Truth” proclaimed His Deity.
15 John bore
witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who
comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' "
With this verse John the
Apostle is using John the Baptist as a testimony that Jesus is who He says He
is to convince his audience.
John
bore witness of Him; John’s
sole purpose or ministry was to prepare the Jews for the coming of Jesus. He
was raised up by God for this purpose, and when this was done, his Ministry was
finished, and the Lord took him home. While Herod was his executioner, even
though Herod regretted his promise to his daughter, he carried out this
terrible act, only with the permission of the Lord whether he realized it or
not. Matthew 14:1-11
Here is a thought to
ponder, “If Christians upheld the Bible like Herod upheld his promise to his
daughter, would this world be different?”
And
cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said; This is what John’s ministry was all
about, his introduction of the Son of God our Lord and Saviour.
He
who comes after me is preferred before me; What John is saying here is that Jesus was born after him
and Jesus comes to His ministry after John, but it is Jesus that is the true
light. As we will see in some future verses, some of John the Baptist followers
were put out that people were leaving John and following Jesus. That sin nature
of pride and resistance to change was keeping some from following Jesus just as
it is today.
For
He was before me; This
phrase proclaims the Holiness of Jesus and that He always was.
16 And of
His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
In last week’s lesson and
the previous verses John the Apostle tells us of Jesus fullness and glory and
this fullness is what a true believer receives when they accept Jesus as their
Saviour. As a believer the grace of God is heaped upon a believer in abundance
when they remain faithful and do work for the kingdom of God.
17 For the
law was given through Moses, but
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
For
the law was given through Moses;
This verse tells us about the Old Covenant (Law) vs. the New Covenant (Grace).
The law was given through Moses from God that was all about laws, regulations,
and rituals that revealed the nature and
will of God for us. The law and justice is to teach us and show us how we
are to live and that there are consequences for our actions.
But grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ; Grace and
truth came through Jesus in the form of mercy, love, faithfulness, and
forgiveness which also reveals God’s nature and will. Jesus came to fulfill the
law. Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that
I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to
fulfill. It is
through the New Covenant of God’s love for us that we can be assured of being
forgiven when we turn from our sinful lifestyle, ask Jesus to forgive us of our
sinful lifestyle that separated us from Him, and then ask Jesus to lead and
guide you going forward in life.
18 No one
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, He has declared Him.
No
one has seen God at any time; In
the OT God communicated with various individuals, but was never seen. He
communicated through the prophets to His people, but no one has seen the
essence of God, or has fully known God.
The
only begotten Son; Jesus
had a knowledge of God which can be expressed by saying that he saw him. God
revealed his nature and essence in a way that could be seen and touched. God
became a man who lived on earth.
Who
is in the bosom of the Father; Jesus
knew God intimately and completely because Jesus is both God and the Father's
unique Son.
He
has declared Him; It is only
fitting that Jesus would declare the Father because God the Father and God the
Son are One.
19 Now this
is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem
to ask him, "Who are you?"
Have you ever wondered why
the Pharisees sent priests and Levites to inquire who John was? First of all a
great number of people were following John and his numbers were growing and
this concerned the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a group that Jesus, John the
Baptist, and Apostles denounce several times. Their hearts were filled with
pride and greed. They greatly promoted their many Jewish laws resulting in
their hearts being in laws and not God.
The Pharisees were also
the guardians of the Jewish faith and they were in charge of investigating any
new religious movement to ward off false doctrine. They also wanted to know if
John was a prophet or the Messiah, and lastly and most probable they were
jealous and worried they were going to loose monetary support.
20 He
confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
John puts it clear and
bluntly that he was not the Christ so that there would be no misunderstanding
even though some were claiming he was. John’s humanism could have step up and
caused him to say he was the Messiah, but John knew who he was and what his
purpose was because the Holy Spirit had filled him while he was still in his
mother’s womb. Luke 1:15
21 And they
asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am
not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
These two questions being
asked is the result of OT scripture. Are you Elijah pertains to; Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Malachi predicted the return of Elijah
before the second coming of Jesus which is still in the future. The question,
“are you the prophet” pertains to Deuteronomy
18:15 "The LORD your God will
raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you
shall hear. This
verse does pertain to Jesus so John was asked a second time if he was the
Messiah. John answers both questions with a “no”.
22 Then they
said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent
us? What do you say about yourself?"
Do you suppose those
including the Pharisees were actually trying to trip John up into an answer
that would condemn him? They were becoming concerned with the following that
John had and how it was growing that maybe they wanted an answer that would go
against their beliefs so as to lock John away? If this is the case then they
got an answer that was quite revealing as we see in the next verse.
23 He said:
"I am 'THE VOICE OF ONE
CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS: "MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD," ' as
the prophet Isaiah said."
This statement from John
is taken from Isaiah; Isaiah
40:3 The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A
highway for our God.
It was customary in this
time era and familiar to the Jews that if armies would go on the march a
messenger would be sent out to announce their coming to clear the path of
obstructions. So John’s response was one that he was preparing the people for
the coming if the Messiah.
24 Now those
who were sent were from the Pharisees.
This is interesting that
only the Pharisees were questioning John the Baptist. Why weren’t the Sadducees
questioning John? The reason being is that the Sadducees were accepting John’s
message and preaching. They were a little more lax in keeping the laws to the
tee. In fact they were being baptized whereas the Pharisees were much more
strict, in keeping the laws. The Pharisees held their rituals very high and
here was something new John was introducing and it disturbed the Pharisees.
They probably thought how dare this man introduce a new ritual and by what
authority does he do it, and so division was starting in the Sanhedrin.
25 And they
asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor
Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
They were indignant that
John not only baptized without ecclesiastical authority, but baptized contrary
to the practice of the Pharisees. In other words, he had not asked nor sought
their permission, and it appeared that he didn’t cared. When Gentiles converted
to Judaism they were baptized as a ritual of cleansing, but John was baptizing
Jews also, which irritated the Pharisees.
26 John
answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among
you whom you do not know.
There is three points one
can harvest from this verse; first; Jesus would usher in the New Covenant of
faith which would be a huge change for the Jewish people, and John was in a way
introducing change to their beliefs. Second; Jesus their Messiah was standing
among them and they didn’t even know it. The spirit of God is all around us
nudging and prodding us, but we are oblivious to His presences and continue in
our destructive ways. Third; John’s baptism was a temporary symbol of of the
true, abiding, and effectual baptism of the One Who would baptize with the Holy
Spirit.
27 It is He
who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not
worthy to loose."
To unloose the strap of a
sandal was the duty of a servant, and John is saying that he was unworthy to
perform the lowest office for the Messiah. What humility this was since John
was well known; he was highly honored; and thousands came to hear him. So we
all should be willing to lay all that we have at the feet of Christ, and feel
that we are unworthy to be his lowest servants.
28 These
things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Bethabara, was probably on
the other side of the Jordan River, not too far from Jericho. The wilderness to
which Jesus went after His Baptism, is believed by many to be that which is
near Jericho.
Next week we will study more of John
the Baptist and the baptism of Christ.
Colossians
1:16 For
by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him and for Him.
Romans
3:23 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans
6:23 For
the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say
to you,
unless one
is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The
Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you believe it with
your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I confess my
sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness. I believe that only you can forgive sin. I commit my life to you and ask you to come
into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.”
(John 3:16,17; Romans
3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians
2:8-10; 1 John 5:11-14; 1:6-10)
(Sin: Rom. 1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.
5:3-7)
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