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Proverbs 14:1-12
1 The wise woman builds her house, But the
foolish pulls it down with her hands.
2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the
LORD, But he who is perverse in
his ways despises Him.
3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, But the lips of
the wise will preserve them.
4 Where no oxen are, the trough is
clean; But much increase comes
by the strength of an ox.
5 A faithful witness does not lie, But a false
witness will utter lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, When
you do not perceive in him the
lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the
folly of fools is deceit.
9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a
stranger does not share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Father God, bless our families, homes, activities, finances
etc. We give you all the glory, honor, and praise for all that you do for us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Gospel of John 5:13-23
NKJV
This week’s lesson starts with Jesus
finding the man that He healed by the pool and ends with Him conversing with
the leaders of the Jewish people. What Jesus tells these leaders must have
totally bewildered them? It is too bad they didn’t believe what Jesus said, but
it only angered them.
13 But the
one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a
multitude being in that place.
This
man that Jesus healed was so exuberant over his healing he didn’t even inquire
who it was that healed him. He was like a young horse contained in a stall for
several days and when let out into the pasture runs and kicks up its heels.
This man was probably dancing and running around after 38 years of his
infirmary and never gave it a thought as to who cured him.
This
man may have gone back to see who healed him after the excitement subsided, but
Jesus was gone. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus just sort of
vanished while the crowd was watching this man that was healed knowing what He
had done would not set well with the Jewish people.
14 Afterward
Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See,
you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple,
and said to him; This
phrase tells us that Jesus had a message for this man. It doesn’t say Jesus ran
into the man, but that He found him. This message was a very important message
for the man and also for us today.
See, you have been made well.
Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you; Jesus tells this man that he was cured,
to get his attention for what He was about to say. This cure is speaking of the
physical healing and also of a spiritual healing because Jesus had forgiven
this man’s sin that caused the condition the man was in for 38 years. This
verse is a confirmation that our physical state or diseases are a result of sin
and disobedience to God. Maybe not all conditions are which we have no way of
telling, but some are. This tells us that disobedience to God opens the door
for worse things.
Jesus
tells him to sin no more in other words repent of your lifestyle. This is a
wakeup call for this man and that if he goes back to the sin that cause this
condition it will be much worse for him physically and spiritually. What Jesus
could be saying is that if you go back to sinning, a disease will destroy you
with physical death and spiritual death in Hell.
Food
for thought in current times; Could cancer that some people get be caused by
sin, I’m not saying all cancer victims, but some? If it is and the cancer goes
into remission, but returns at a later date, could it be because the person
ignored God’s calling to grace? I think it is possible and I’ve always said if
a person is inflicted with some disease it may be a calling from God to wake up
and repent and join His family. When life changing events happen in our life we
need to examine our lifestyle.
15 The man
departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Why
would this man go and tell the leaders of the Jews it was Jesus that healed
him? Most likely he thought he was doing the right thing. He knew Jesus was
someone special and he wanted the leaders to be in awe of Jesus, just like he
was. He probably didn’t know how the Jewish leaders felt about Jesus and that
they were looking for fault to condemn Jesus.
16 For this
reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done
these things on the Sabbath.
From this time forward the
Jews would watch closely and seek out a reason to kill Jesus. They thought they
were upholding this; Exodus
31:15 Work shall be done for six days,
but the seventh is the Sabbath
of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any
work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.; but in reality they had confounded
God’s command with their silly petty rules of what work was.
This
is still going on today with religions and man adding and changing what God
says. We have religions that say theirs is the only true religion and close
their mind to the truth. Look at the middle east and the religion that is
attempting to take over the world. There is great persecution of Christians now
just like the great persecution of those when Jesus walked this earth. Whenever
someone opposes leaders of a religion, persecution is the result. Martin Luther
is a fine example of this if you know his biography. If you don’t know about
him do some research and see what religious leaders he confronted and the religion,
he came out of.
17 But Jesus
answered them, "My Father has been working until
now, and I have been working."
But Jesus answered them; By this phrase we know this is a face to
face conversation.
My Father has been working
until now, and I have been working;
Genesis states this about the seventh day; Genesis 2:2 And on the
seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had done. This verse tells us that God ended His work of creation on
the seventh day and rested. The work God did on the seventh day was good and
what Jesus was trying to teach was that good work is ok. Just like the example
He gave about saving an animal on the Sabbath. If God stopped every kind of
work on the Sabbath, nature would fall into chaos, and sin would overrun the
world.
With this phrase Jesus was identifying
Himself with God, his Father. There could be no doubt as to his claim to be
God. Jesus does not leave us the option to believe in God while ignoring God's
Son. John 5:23 that all should honor
the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not
honor the Father who sent Him. The
problem being that the Pharisees also called God their Father, but they
realized Jesus was claiming a unique relationship with Him and this
relationship was what the Pharisee had a problem with because they viewed the
claim as blasphemy.
18 Therefore
the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the
Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
With
the previous verses there is no doubt that Jesus was claiming God as His father
and equal with God. He made it clear where He came from. This angered the
Pharisee greatly causing them the desire to kill Jesus.
19 Then
Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly,
I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father
do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself; The
intimate relationship Jesus had with His Father lead Jesus to do nothing
contrary to the Fathers will. This union between the Father and the Son was not
one of “independence” or separate from the Father. It was one that Jesus was
dependant on His Father for all things. This is the type of relationship we
need with Jesus. Before we say or do anything we need to listen for Jesus voice
for guidance. What Would Jesus Do?
But what He sees the Father
do; No person can see
God acting in his works, but Jesus implies here that He sees Him act. This
speaks of the deity of Jesus and the fact that Jesus is one with God.
For whatever He does, the Son
also does in like manner; If
one does “all” that another does or can do, then there must be equality. If the
Son does all that the Father does, then, like Him, he must be almighty,
omniscient, omnipresent, and infinite in every perfection; or, in other words,
he must be God. If he had “this” power, then he had authority, also, to do on
the Sabbath day what God did.
20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that
He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may
marvel.
For the Father loves the Son,
and shows Him all things that He Himself does; The love that God has for His one and
only Son is so strong and binding; and is built on His Sons obedience, that God
led Him through all things. We know this is fact because Jesus was human and He
prayed for His death on the Cross to be taken away, but God gave Him the
strength to endure the death that He was to suffer for our salvation.
And He will show Him greater
works than these, that you may marvel; What Jesus is saying here is this man that was healed is
nothing compared to what is to come, His resurrection, raising the dead, and
judging the world, etc.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to
whom He will.
For as the Father raises the
dead and gives life to them; With this verse Jesus is telling the
Pharisees that He has the power to give life (physical and spiritual) just like
His Father had done. In at least two instances, one by the prophet Elijah, in
the case of the son of the widow of Sarepta (1 Kings 17:22), and two by the prophet Elisha, in the case of the
Shunamite’s son, (2 Kings 4:32-35). The Jews did not doubt that God had power to raise the
dead. Jesus here expressly affirms it, and says he has the same power.
Even so the Son gives life to
whom He will; Jesus is
likening Himself to His Father in the fact that He also can raise the dead and
give life pertaining to physical, and also spiritual life.
This
phrase also tells us something else, do you know what it is? Salvation is by
faith and not of works. We can’t do enough good deeds in our lifetime to earn
Heaven. It is a heartfelt repentance of a sinful lifestyle and placing ones
faith in Jesus death and resurrection for us, and then the mercy and
forgiveness of Jesus engages with that wonderful gift of grace.
22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment
to the Son,
For the Father judges no one; Jesus in these verses is showing his
“equality with God.” He affirmed John 5:17 that he had the same power over the
Sabbath that his Father had; in John 5:19, that he did the same things as the
Father; in John 5:21
particularly that he had the same power to raise the dead. He now adds that God
has given Him the authority to “judge” men. The Father pronounces judgment on
no one. This office he has committed to the Son. The power of judging the world
implies ability to search the heart, and omniscience to understand the motives
of all actions.
But has committed all judgment
to the Son; Jesus is
the Saviour of mankind; however, if men refuse Him as Saviour, they will face
Him as Judge. Acts
17:31 because He has appointed a day
on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has
ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the
dead." This
judgment will not be by Grace, because Grace was refused, but by Law in keeping
the Law perfectly and in totality. The curse of the broken Law is spiritual death,
but Jesus took that curse upon Himself. However, if His payment for our sins is
rejected, the penalty of the curse must be performed.
23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
That all should honor the Son
just as they honor the Father;
To honor is to esteem, reverence, praise, do homage to. We honor one when we
ascribe to Him in our hearts, and words, and actions the praise and obedience
which are due to Him. We honor God when we obey Him and worship Him. We honor
the Son when we esteem Him to be as He is; when we have right views and
feelings toward Him. As He is declared to be God John
1:1, as He here says He
has power and authority equal with God, so we honor Him when we regard Him as
such.
He who does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent Him; Here Jesus is stating the Father wills that the Son should
be honored. He that refuses to do it disobeys the Father; that they are equal,
He that denies the one denies also the other; that the same feeling that leads
us to honor the “Father” will also lead us to honor the “Son,” for he is “the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,” Hebrews
1:3.
From
this verse we learn: 1.) That those who do not render proper homage to Jesus
Christ do not worship the true God. 2.) There is no such God as the infidel
professes to believe in. There can be but one God; and if the God of the Bible
be the true God, then all other gods are false gods. 3.) Those who withhold
proper worship from Jesus Christ, who do not honor Him even as they honor the
Father, cannot be Christians in God’s eyes. 4.) One evidence of piety is when we
are willing to render proper praise and homage to Jesus Christ, to love Him,
and serve and obey Him, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Next week we will continue this
discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees.
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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