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Proverbs 18:13-24
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.
14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in
sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?
15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man's gift makes room for him, And brings
him before great men.
17 The first one to plead his cause seems
right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
18 Casting lots causes contentions to cease, And
keeps the mighty apart.
19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
20 A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the
fruit of his mouth; From the
produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat
its fruit.
22 He
who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the LORD.
23 The poor man uses entreaties, But the rich answers roughly.
24 A man who
has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Father God, I pray all that call themselves Christians,
whether Democrat or Republican, pray for our newly elected President. He will
need your guiding hand. We pray also that the new Congress on both sides of the
aisle will work together for the good of the people of this nation. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Gospel of John 8:12-20 NKJV
This lesson follows the event of the woman caught in
adultery. We left off last week thinking these pesky Pharisees left, but they
didn’t or maybe it is another group of them harassing and bullying Jesus. It
could be that when they drifted away from the woman they just blended in with
the crowd, we really aren’t told who or where they came from.
12 Then
Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light
of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light
of life."
Then
Jesus spoke to them again, saying; After
the Scribes and Pharisees left Jesus turns back to the people and resumes
teaching in the Temple.
I am the light of the world; What does Jesus mean here, “light”? It is in reference as
to the way things should be done concerning physical, spiritual, and material. Jesus
is the truth; He is the Word of God, He is the way, and since He is the Word of
God (Bible) the Bible is the Standard of Righteousness for all of mankind. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. See
also John 1:14
A person that is unsaved may
heed the Word of God from afar or only bits and pieces of it, whereas a Born
Again person will believe the Bible is the Word of God and it is Jesus speaking
and therefore strives whole heartedly to feed and live according to what it
teaches. The unsaved believe God is merciful and forgiving therefore they live
their life believing when they stand before Him, He will forgive. A Born Again person
also believes and knows God is merciful and forgiving, but only when they
realize they were born a sinner, they still are a sinner, and they will always
be a sinner till death which caused them to repent of their sinful lifestyle,
ask forgiveness, and then ask Jesus to lead them through life because they have
come to the knowledge they can’t live without sinning and need the blood of
Jesus to cover them. Romans
3:23 for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God,
From that day forward they live by faith knowing the Bible is Jesus and strive
to live accordingly. They fear God in a loving way like a child fears the
correcting hand of his dad and they want to please Him through obedience of His
Word. When a Born Again person does sin the Holy Spirit convicts in such a way
the child of God is brought to their knees and they ask God to forgive them and
they repent of their sin. Note: Repent meaning turning 180 degrees and not
wanting to sin no more because they have disobeyed God/teaching of the Bible.
An unsaved person may not
even know they have offended God because they don’t have the helper/comforter
residing in their heart. Example being; using Gods name as an adjective to
express themselves (Exodus
20:7 "You shall not take the
name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in
vain.); using the words
hell, damn, or telling an off color joke (Ephesians 5:4 neither
filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but
rather giving of thanks. Colossians 3:8); calling a priest father (Matthew 23:9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your
Father, He who is in heaven.);
saying they hate someone which is viewed as murder in God’s eyes (1 John 3:15 Whoever
hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life
abiding in him.); etc. A Born
Again person has a strong desire to please God through obedience. It is one of
the evidences of change that takes place in a Born Again (child of God; true
believer; true Christian; Saint of God) individual. The light is Jesus and
living in Jesus likeness!
This phrase also tells Jesus
listeners, including us, He came for all mankind, not just the Jews. He uses
the word, “world” to signify anyone that believes will have eternal life.
Whosoever in John 3:16 means all, everyone. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of
life; If
we walk in the light of Jesus we will have eternal life. JSM wrote the
following in 1997 which has come to fruition for the USA. When we do not walk
in the Light, digression comes quickly. This nation is walking in darkness and
digressing rapidly, which I truly believe is signs of our Lord coming soon
based on the Book of Revelations.
JSM;
(Whenever the Courts of this land, or any land for that matter, deviate from
the Word of God concerning the Standard for Righteousness, gross inequality and
abuse are always the result. For instance, when the Supreme Court of the United
States made abortion legal, they violated the Word of God, which has soaked
this nation in blood by the killing of untold millions of unborn babies. To be
sure, that blood will ultimately be required at the hands of this nation.
As
well, the other Standards of Righteousness given in the Bible, are being
stricken down and ignored, such as the condemnation of Homosexuality, Adultery,
Fornication, etc.
However,
when such things are done, sin and evil do not remain static. In other words,
the slide downward commences, and grows faster by the moment. Now the
Government is being pressured to recognize homosexual marriages, which are an
abomination in the Eyes of God. As well, it is being demanded that society
recognize the terrible sin of homosexuality, as merely an alternate lifestyle.
On Television sitcoms, etc., adultery and fornication are held up as the normal
thing in which all indulge. As a result, and especially to the children, the
nation is sowing to the wind, and will certainly reap a whirlwind. If one sows
to corruption, which is exactly what this country is doing, one will reap
corruption. That as well, is the Law of God. To be sure, man’s laws can be
changed, but not God’s!)
What
was said here in 1997 has come to pass. This Nation has and is digressing
quickly!
13 The
Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your
witness is not true."
Here
is one of the main reasons the Pharisees did not believe Jesus. Deuteronomy 19:15 "One
witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he
commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be
established. Jesus
didn’t have a tangible second witness to testify who He was, even though God
the Father was His second witness. Had God appeared to them and made the
statement Jesus was His beloved Son do you suppose they would have believed
then? Not having a second or third witness, the Pharisees discredited Jesus
claims.
14 Jesus
answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness
of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am
going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.
Jesus
answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness
of Myself, My witness is true; This
phrase seems to contradictory what He says in John 5:31 ("If
I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.), but can be explained, there He speaks of Himself
as man, alone and separate from his Father. Therefore His single testimony concerning
Himself could not be admitted as authentic among men. But here He speaks of Himself
as a divine person, and in conjunction with his Father, two giving testimony. Therefore
His testimony ought to be looked upon, and received as firm and good.
For I know where I came from and where I am going; This phrase
Jesus is proclaiming His deity. His deity was what the whole argument was
about. These Pharisees didn’t believe Jesus was who He said He was, they deemed
Him a Prophet. When Jesus claimed to be the Son of God they heatedly denied it.
But you do not know where I come from and where I am going; Simply due to
unbelief, these Pharisees couldn’t comprehend where Jesus came from or was
going to. They had seen plenty of proof, but refused to believe it. There was
no amount of proof that would convince them. Secondly they didn’t see
themselves as sinners and needing redemption, after all they were Jews, God’s
chosen people.
The action of these
Pharisee’s is so much like people of today. They refuse to believe because they
don’t view themselves as sinners needing to be redeemed. They have their self
righteousness and/or a religion for salvation.
15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
You judge according to the flesh; Jesus is telling these Pharisees that they judge according to
appearance; according to their carnal and corrupt mode; not according to the
spiritual nature of the doctrines.
I judge no one; Jesus didn’t come to judge people His purpose was
redemption. John
3:17 For God
did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved. Example
being; Jesus never judged the woman at the well or the woman caught in
adultery, He forgave them.
16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not
alone, but I am with the Father
who sent Me.
And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; If Jesus did judge His judgment would be infallible because He would not
judge on outward appearances only on what is in the heart of people.
For I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me; This phrase states that Jesus would concur with the Father’s judgment. Again this
speaks of the deity of Jesus and the fact that Jesus and the Father are one.
17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men
is true.
Jesus
is reminding these Pharisees of the law that the testimony of two is truth and
in the next verse He tells them who the second person is that is a witness, and
therefore they should believe what Jesus states. Deuteronomy
17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15
18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent
Me bears witness of Me."
Jesus
proclaims here that He bears witness of Himself through His teachings. He also
is stating that the Father bears witness of who Jesus is by the miracles and
healings that took place, along with the Fathers voice from heaven when Jesus
was Baptized. Matthew
3:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
19 Then they
said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me,
you would have known My Father also."
Then
they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?”; This was said in a sarcastic sneering
way. They did not ask “Who or What is He?”, but rather, “Where is He?”
Jesus
answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If
you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; What Jesus is
saying here in a very direct declarative statement is, if they had listened to His
instructions and received Him as the Messiah, they also would know who He is,
where He came from, and God was His Father. Bluntly, He tells them they are
without God, and, consequently, without hope!
20 These
words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid
hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
These words Jesus spoke in the treasury,
as He taught in the temple; The
Temple Treasury was located in the Court of Women. In this area, 13 collection
boxes were set up to receive money offerings. Seven of the boxes were for the
Temple tax; the other 6 were for freewill offerings. On another occasion, a
widow placed her money in one of these boxes, and Jesus taught a profound lesson
from her action (Luk_21:1-4).
And no one laid hands on Him, for His
hour had not yet come; The time for him to die had not yet arrived, the
Holy Spirit restrained them. This proves that God has power over good and bad
people to control them, and to make them accomplish his own purposes.
I close this lesson with this thought; God has His Spirit
guiding all that takes place here on earth and with the election of Donald
Trump for President, those that have their faith properly place in Jesus Christ
can rest easy knowing God is in control, while the unsaved will fret and stew
about what is to come.
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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