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Proverbs 14:25-35
25 A true witness delivers souls, But a
deceitful witness speaks lies.
26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His
children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king's honor, But in the lack of
people is the downfall of a
prince.
29 He
who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.
30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his
Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But
the righteous has a refuge in his death.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has
understanding, But what is in
the heart of fools is made known.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.
35 The king's favor is toward a wise servant, But his wrath is against him who causes shame.
Father God, we are born with the sin nature, you and only
you are the cure. Pierce the hearts of unbelievers with your Words to convict
and bring them home to you. In
Jesus
name we pray, Amen!
Gospel of John 5:36-47
NKJV
We left off last week with Jesus bringing
John the Baptist into the conversation with the Jewish leaders, and John as a
witness to who Jesus is. Jesus doesn’t need John as a witness, because of all
the miracles Jesus was performing, but the leaders rejected the works of Jesus.
This chapter ends with Jesus telling the leaders they search scripture for the
truth but when they find it they reject it; He tells them they have a wick
heart toward God and they really don’t know God. They can quote scripture but
don’t live it, in other words they are lost. Their outward appearance, speech,
and actions fool those around them, but what is in their heart is enmity toward
God. This is oh so true today also! Where do you stand with God?
36 But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which
the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me,
that the Father has sent Me.
But I have a greater witness
than John's; John was a
great witness, but here Jesus is stating that what He does is a much greater testimony
as to who He is.
For the works which the Father
has given Me to finish—the very works that I do; The works Jesus is speaking of here is
the miracles He was performing, healing the sick and raising the dead. These
miracles were given by God for Jesus to do; they were entrusted into His hands.
These things Jesus did because He did His Fathers will and not mans will.
These
works or miracles bore witness of him; that is, they showed that he was sent
from God, because none but God could perform them, and because God would not
give such power to any whose life and doctrines he did not approve.
The word “finish” has
special meaning here and it is the reason that Jesus protected His life at
times and vanished from the crowds. He had many tasks to complete for His
Father and when He expired on the Cross, He at that point exclaimed it is
finished. John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He
said, "It is finished!" And bowing His
head, He gave up His spirit.
Bear witness of Me, that the
Father has sent Me; The
miracles which Jesus performed were such as no human being could work, and no
angel. He that could raise the dead must have all power, and he who
commissioned Jesus, therefore, must be God.
37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You
have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
And the Father Himself, who sent Me,
has testified of Me; This
phrase Jesus is telling the leaders that God had bore witness as to who Jesus
was by the miracles which Jesus had performed; of the conversation that was
taking place; at the baptism of Jesus, where he said, “This is my beloved Son,”
Matthew 3:17;
and in the prophecies of the Old Testament.
You have neither heard His voice at any
time, nor seen His form; In
essence, Jesus is saying that these Jews to whom He was speaking believed that
God existed, even though they had never heard His Voice or seen His Shape;
therefore, why should they not believe the One sent by the Father, which the
Miracles and Deliverances performed by Jesus, proved who He was?
Jesus
is affirming that God had given sufficient evidence of his divine mission, but
they had disregarded it. The words “heard his voice” is to be understood in the
sense of “obey” or listen to, but these leaders had a deaf ear, rejected Jesus,
and believed in mans doctrine. So what god did they believe in?
38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He
sent, Him you do not believe.
Jesus
really starts to rebuke these leaders now. The words He uses are not kind words
in fact He is accusing and attacking these leaders. Do you think at this point
Jesus might be getting a little frustrated and angry with these leaders?
But you do not have His word
abiding in you; This phrase
is referencing Gods Law or Word and the fact that these leaders did not have it
in their heart; it was just head knowledge of God and the Word. In other words
they did not regard or obey it. This was the “third” thing that he charged them
with. 1.) They had not obeyed the command of God. 2.) They had not regarded his manifestations, either in the
times of the old dispensation, or now through the Messiah. 3.) They did not
yield to what he had said in the revelation of the Old Testament. How many
people of today are the same as these leaders? They know Jesus with their mind
and not their heart, therefore live in this world conforming to the laws of the
world.
Because whom He sent, Him you
do not believe; God had
foretold that the Messiah would come. He had now given evidence that Jesus was
he; but now they rejected him, and this was proof that they did not regard the Word
of God. The rejection of Christ by the religious leaders of Israel demonstrated
not only ignorance of God, but hostility to Him.
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have
eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
You search the Scriptures, for
in them you think you have eternal life; The word “search” translated here means to “search
diligently” or “search anxiously.” These leaders were students of the Old
Testament Scriptures. They searched the scriptures for a nugget, like a miner
diligently searches for a nugget of precious metal. Based on Jesus comment here
it appears that these leaders believed that by diligently studying Scripture
they could obtain eternal life. They studied the OT Scripture for laws and not
for the examples of living by faith.
The Bereans also searched the
Scriptures, but to identify what was true or false. Acts
17:11 These were more fair-minded than
those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and
searched the Scriptures daily to find
out whether these things were so. Timothy is said from a child to have “known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make us wise unto salvation,” 2 Timothy 3:15 and that
from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you
wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Early life is the good time to search
the Bible, for they who seek the Lord early shall find him. What a true
statement this is that in the early forming years of youth a person is more
willing to come to Jesus than in the years of the aged.
You
see you can be like these leaders Jesus is speaking to, or be like Timothy and
the Bereans. You can read the Bible like a story book or read it in search of
the truth that will set you free. You need to read it with you heart and not
your mind.
And these are they which
testify of Me; They,
meaning the forefathers of the OT bore witness to the Messiah. They predicted
his coming, and the manner of his life and death, Isaiah
53:1-12; Daniel 9:26-27, etc. The entire story of the Bible is
“Christ and Him Crucified”.
40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
It
has been said that this is the saddest statement ever made. Not only would
Israel not come, but also most of the world for all time.
Jesus
is the life source for eternal life and the only life source. This verse
proclaims He is the only source, eternal life cannot be obtained through Mohammed,
Confucius, Buddha, Joseph Smith, or anyone or anything else for that matter! He
is the giver of eternal life if a person will come to Him in repentance. A
person has to seek out Jesus with their heart to be saved; they have to have
the will to be saved. John 3:16; Revelation 20:11–15
41 "I do not receive honor from men.
Jesus
did not look for any honor, praise, atta boys from people. He was here on earth
to do His Fathers will and to carry out God’s plan of salvation; to be the
ultimate sacrifice; to start the New Testament. This should be our criteria as
well to please God and not man if we call ourselves Christians. It shouldn’t
matter what people think about us, but it does. Here in the United States many
people go to great measures to make sure they, their houses, yards, vehicles,
etc. are spotless to make a good impression with their neighbors, but curse,
blaspheme God, lie, steal, gossip, etc. and never think anything about pleasing
God.
42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.
The
reason why people do not love God is because they have no regard for his
character, wishes, or law. They are more concerned in keeping mans laws and
receiving praise from man. If one is truly Saved, one will truly have the Love
of God in their heart.
43 I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me;
if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.
I have come in My Father's
name, and you do not receive Me; This
phrase proclaims the real reason they did not receive Jesus, it is because they
did not know the Father, despite their claims. They claimed to know the Father,
but they only knew Him with a head knowledge and not a heart knowledge.
If another comes in his own
name, him you will receive;
This actually speaks of the coming Antichrist, as well as all other False Messiahs.
Mankind is more apt to accept other humans and what they say and do over
spiritual matters.
44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and
do not seek the honor that comes
from the only God?
How can you believe, who
receive honor from one another; Jesus makes a bold claim here that is directed at
the Jewish leaders. He tells them they are
students of praise, and live for pride, ambition, and vain glory. This desire,
Jesus says, was the great reason why they would not believe in Him. They were
unwilling to renounce their worldly honors, and become the followers of one so
humble and modest as He was. The great reason why multitudes do not believe is
their attachment to human honors, or their pride, and vanity, and
ambition. These are so strong, that
while they continue they cannot and will not believe.
And do not seek the honor that
comes from the only God; Meaning the praise, the glory, the
approval of God. The honor which comes from men is their praise, flattery,
commendation; the honor that comes from God is His approval for doing His will.
Only God can award the honors of heaven, the reward of having done our duty
here.
45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom
you trust.
Do not think that I shall
accuse you to the Father; Actually
means that they are already accused.
There is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom
you trust; This phrase
points to the Scriptures. These Religious Leaders claimed to obey the Law of
Moses, and held up this claim as an example. But Jesus tells them, they are not
obeying the Law of Moses, and they are only using Moses as a front for their
hypocrisy. Jesus is actually saying, what Moses said will condemn them in the
Judgment.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote
about Me.
Moses
wrote of the Messiah, clearly foretold his coming, and commanded them to hear
him. They did not do it and disregarding his commands. Had they obeyed Moses
commands they would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe
My words?"
Jesus
bluntly tells these leaders to their faces that despite their claims, they were,
in fact, unbelievers. All of their religious laws and actions were but a masquerade
party. At heart they did not believe the Bible any more than the heathen.
What
may we learn; 1.) That many men who profess to believe the Bible have really no
regard for it when it crosses their own views and inclinations. 2.) It is our
duty to study the Bible, that we may be established in the belief that Jesus is
the Messiah. 3.) The prophecies of the Old Testament are conclusive proofs of
the truth of Christianity. 4.) He that rejects one part of the Bible, will, for
the same reason, reject all. 5.) The Saviour acknowledged the truth of the
writings of Moses, built His doctrine upon them, appealed to them to prove that
He was the Messiah, and commanded men to search them. We have the testimony of
Jesus, therefore, that the Old Testament is a revelation from God. He that
rejects His testimony on this subject must reject his authority altogether; and
it is vain for any man to profess to believe in the New Testament, or in the
Lord Jesus, without also acknowledging the authority of the Old Testament and
of Moses.
We have in this chapter an instance of
the profound and masterly manner in which Jesus could meet and silence his
enemies. There is not anywhere a more conclusive argument, or a more triumphant
meeting of the charges which they had brought against him. No one can read this
without being struck with his profound wisdom; and it is scarcely possible to
conceive that there could be a more distinct declaration and proof that he was
equal with God. (Barnes)
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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