Jesus the Ressurection and Life

The Resurrection and the Life

Book of John Chapter 11

We all need some place to unwind and it is very possible that Jesus used the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to do this. Remember the flesh side of Christ felt everything that we feel.

In our lesson today we will see Jesus express love for His friends. It is in this chapter where we find the shortest verse in all the Bible.

John 11:35 says Jesus wept.

Jesus did not cry out in excessive grief. This crying was not a sign of human weakness. It was Jesus sharing in the grief of this family He loved.

They were dear friends He had met and enjoyed their company.

The New Testament records three times that Jesus wept.

1) In this passage we are studying today.

2) Jesus wept as He entered Jerusalem for the last time.

Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

3) Not many talk about it, but Jesus wept just before the cross.

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

The most important thing we can learn from this lesson is that Jesus revealed Himself as "The Resurrection and Life".

It is easy for us all to see that Jesus had compassion. Another word for compassion is pity.

The Lord expects each and every one of us to show compassion and have pity on all our brothers and sisters.

Mat_18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem and by the time Jesus had walked to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days.

Jesus did not go directly to the home of Lazarus but stayed just outside the little city and sent word that He was there.

Let's begin our lesson at verse 18:

*****Joh 11:18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:

Joh 11:19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

Joh 11:20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

What we must understand is, that when we believe that have reached the point of endless sorrow, this is when the Lord can do His greatest work.

Isa 33:10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

We should understand that the Jews had a wrong belief that it was possible for someone to be raised from the dead if they had been no more than 3 days dead, but no one could be raised from the dead after 4 days or more because their body had begun to deteriorate.

Even today there are many who say this story is just a parable or some story and it never happened, but it did.

Jesus did many things that only God can do!

We should also understand that this family was ranked high in Jewish society because many of the Jewish hardliners had come to comfort this family, but they were the enemies of Jesus.

This did not stop Jesus from raising Lazarus from the dead and Jesus did not do this thing to impress these men.

We should also know Jesus did not raise Lazarus from the dead to make some big public statement.

This was another lesson for the 12 disciples and a lesson of faith for Mary and Martha.

There are many who believe in some sort of resurrection but if we do not put our faith in the only One, Jesus Christ, who is the "Resurrection and the Life" then we will only see a resurrection of the dead.

The key to eternal life is only in the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can believe that Jesus was unwilling to mingle in that crowd of mourners, many of which were paid to act like mourners which was the custom.

If you going to be around Jesus, then you better be real, Jesus did not like hypocrites nor did He like people who were paid to seem like your friend!

Martha went to meet Jesus while Mary stayed at the house.

*****Joh 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

Joh 11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

Martha had enough faith to believe that had Jesus been in Bethany when Lazarus was sick that He would have healed him.

Martha gave no thought to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

Martha had enough faith to know Jesus was her Savior but just like many today she questioned why Lazarus had died.

It should be obvious that we do not completely understand the plan of God, but we must realize that the Lord never does bad things.

This is another place where God placed a certain person into the path of Jesus.

With Lazarus, Jesus would raise him from the dead but in doing so Lazarus would have to leave paradise or Abraham's bosom.

Martha did not have the "faith" of Abraham:

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

Heb 11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham knew that if he had killed Isaac his covenant would be broken with God, but he was certain that God would raise Isaac up from the dead to keep the covenant God had made with Him!

Many will teach that this is why Jesus wept and it could be true, but one thing is sure, the Lord has compassion for all His children!

The thing we must all do is, just place our lives in Jesus's hands and serve in the complete will of the Lord!

Martha may have spoken harshly to Jesus for a moment, but she was convicted by her own words and said, "whatsoever thou will ask of God, God will give thee" and we had better believe this is true because God the Father told God the Son not to lose any of His children!

We also see with this statement that she placed Jesus at a level below God the Father and Jesus had already said many times that what the Father did then He did the same, "for they are the same in every way".

We all have a tendency to do this from time to time.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost all share the same power, in fact the same everything!

Not three persons but One God in three persons!

We can also see that just believing in what Jesus says, will cause our "faith" to grow!

*****Joh 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

Joh 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

We will not understand why God does what He does until we get to Heaven and then we will understand.

We must trust that everything God does is the right thing to do, because the Lord does not make mistakes!

We must also understand that to a child at the death of their parents, some resurrection in the far future is not much consolation.

Only the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the love of other family members and friends can help them.

At the loss of every loved one we will experience a change in our life, but we must remain close to the Lord to have peace.

Martha did not really know Jesus as well as she thought, and we do the same thing. We make the Lord to be small when the Lord is great in all power but also in compassion.

Martha did not want her home to change while she was still living but none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow.

Every Father wants to die before any of his children and it is the same for the mother just as it is the same for every oldest son or daughter.

We just do not want our family to ever leave us!

We must place our lives in the hand of the Lord and know that He will do right!

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Joh 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

We must know that true life comes only by the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

What is the greatest truth of the Christian? We live a life that has triumphed over death!

Joh_10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

By the power of the Godhead, Jesus did this very thing.

What we should understand is that the atonement of Christ did not end with His death.

The atonement of Christ only came to a climax when He "resurrected" from that death.

There was so much power revealed to us at this moment of the Lords death and then His resurrection that there was enough "Grace" to be sufficient for the sins of this entire world, but it was effectual only for those who believe.

We were saved by the power of the Triune God and we are kept saved by the Triune God and we must not make the power of God too weak to sustain our life throughout eternity.

Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Almost every one of us make our God to be weak when we cannot know the strength of His power other than observing all His creation.

Rom_1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

It is by God's own power that we can be at peace with Him.

Reconciliation truly means that God by His power, not ours, has removed that barrier of sin that has been against us, since the time of Adam.

The reconciliation becomes effective once we believe.

2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Jesus made all this much simpler when He said He was the "resurrection" and He is "life".

Martha said she understood but in reality, she lacked faith, but in many ways, she puts us to shame.

After this Martha went to tell Mary that the Lord had arrived.

One of best examples of the compassion the Lord shows to us all is the fact the He will weep with us in the time of our trials and tribulations.

We have a loving, caring, compassionate God!

*****Joh 11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

Joh 11:35 Jesus wept.

We must remember, God was still God, but He was also human, and the human side showed the compassion that God had for this family.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made 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.

It is a fact that there can be tears of joy but in our life, we shed more tears because of sin but the tears of Jesus were out of sympathy for those around Him but also from a deep sense of misery sin had brought upon our nature.

Heb_4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

It would have been easy for the Holy Spirit to have left this passage out, but He wanted us all to know the love of God for each of us!

*****Joh 11:37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

Joh 11:38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

Joh 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

We must understand that God gets no pleasure at all in the death of anyone!

Eze 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

At the same time it is a precious sight for God to witness the death of any of His saints.

Psa_116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Jesus was groaning "in" His Spirit as He approached the grave of Lazarus.

It always comes up that if Jesus has this much love for us, then why did He allow this to happen?

We must understand that the nature of this world is corruption which we see every day, but also trials and tribulation, suffering and pain, death and hell.

Many times it is these things that allows an opportunity for God to do a great work.

God did not cause the death of Lazarus, and I'm sure that Lazarus did not want to be brought back to life, but because so many would witness this great miracle it was a great opportunity for the Lord.

Many believed but many fled to tell the High Priests and the Lord knew who these were.

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

It is easy to see that Jesus lived the way He preached!

We must believe that God never does unnecessary things!

We must also believe that God never speaks unnecessary words.

When Jesus was upon this earth Jesus never did an unnecessary deed or miracle open to the eyes of those around Him.

God will never show us another sign that He is real until just before He returns other than what we see every day!

Once we are saved, God gives a place to reach out to others and He allows us the time to do as He says, but we must do the rest!

We should be very clear, God will never do something that we could have done ourselves!

We must never be a stumble stone, but we should remove the stumble stones in the path of others whenever we are able!

*****Joh 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Joh 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

Our "faith" has not grown until we know, that we know, that we know, we are saved.

We must never doubt our salvation!

We must also know that we are to be busy about the work of the Lord.

Our Hope must be built upon the promises of God knowing that He has never broken a promise that He has made.

We must not grow weary in well doing nor complain about the things God has given us to do.

Mary and Martha were still growing in their faith and we need to be growing in our faith every day.

We must be at rest and at peace with the Lord and "faith" that what we lack God will provide.

The Lord Jesus did everything His Father ask Him to do and we need to do everything Jesus ask of us knowing that His words are the words of His Father!

The Father has always listened to us just as He listened to the prayers of His Son.

We are to approach God as a child calling upon his father.

Jesus said, "I thank thee that thou have heard me" and we should have this same confidence when we pray in fact it does not hurt to thank God ahead of time before we receive what we are asking for.

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God

Jesus spoke these things out loud, so these people would know more how to to pray and to show those Jews who were among this group that He still claimed to be the Son of God.

What was His proof?

*****Joh 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Joh 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

This thought from someone else reminds me of the truth.

By speaking loudly to His Father, Jesus put God in the position of answering His request or denying it.

If Lazarus remained in that tomb, then Jesus would be an impostor.

We should also understand that all the prayers of Jesus were heard by the Father and it is the same for all those who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many of the lost believe their prayers are heard and maybe God hears them, but He will not respond to the prayers of this person.

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Jesus cried with a loud voice because He wanted everyone there at that time to hear Him. The truth is if Jesus had not called Lazarus by name then all the dead that died having the faith of Abraham would have come forth and that would have been the rapture.

Jesus called him out of the tomb as easily as if he had been not only alive, but also awake.

This is what we call sleeping in Jesus!

Death had to give up to the commands of the Lord.

1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But the rapture is for the Church only!

The Church would not begin its, life until after the ascension of the Lord back to Heaven.

So what happened?

*****Joh 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Notice Lazarus came forth still in his grave clothes and they had to be removed and I imagine someone had to loan him a cloak.

Lazarus remained alive to again suffer a natural death.

It will not be like that for the saint of God when God calls His church out to go home.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This is the promise we have from the Lord Jesus Christ!

We should remember what Jesus has already said:

Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

You see, this is the truth of the Word of God!

Amen,

Let's pray!

Jesus Heals the Blind Man

One Thing I Know

Book of John Chapter 9

Over and over today we see a certain group of people bound together to hate anything and anyone who disagrees with their cherished view. In fact they will entice false witnesses in an attempt to prove the other side is wrong. Some even claim to be Christian, yet they stand against the Word of God so this cannot be true.

They stand against laws put in place by our founders that have seen this nation prosper for nearly 250 years.

They would take away every freedom of the citizens just to put forth a socialist agenda when if the truth is known most everyone of them do these things for money which still is the root behind all evil!

In our lesson today we see these same traits in the Pharisee and the hardline Jews in the day of the Lord Jesus upon this earth.

These people were so full of pride, they placed their own oral traditions ahead of the written Word of God that is preserved by the Holy Spirit.

We will see a blind man, blind from his birth.

We will see a people so afraid of excommunication from the Temple and their religion, they will seek peace with these Pharisee at almost any cost.

We will also see our Savior who is so Omnipotent, that when He put His plan of salvation together before He created anything, He also placed certain people into the future, so He could prove who He really is.

We will also see another miracle by the Lord whose power goes far beyond that of man.

We will also see the same two groups of people that exist today, the Believer and the Unbeliever.

*****Joh 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

This man, blind from his birth could only be a beggar to help support his mother and his father. Beggars would find their way near the entrance of the Temple gates in search of those who would show compassion.

Blindness from birth is a physical ailment that even today cannot be healed. Even blindness that is caused during a lifetime for many reasons cannot be healed even though great strides have been made in medicine.

We must also separate physical blindness from spiritual blindness which can be reversed in those who are "Born Again"!

The greatest thing we see is that when Jesus passes by, good things can happen!

Many things can be said about our Savior, but we should not miss the fact that Jesus was very bold, but He committed no sin in all His days on earth and we know that no sin is allowed in Heaven.

The disciples asked a serious question, but this question was based on Jewish beliefs and they had already witnessed Christ heal so many.

Was this man blind because of sin? Physically the answer is no but spiritually, we all have sin in our lives.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Many even today believe that all suffering in this life is linked to sin. If we remember Job, the Lord said Job was perfect in his ways, yet Job lost everything he had plus all his children at the same time in one long miserable day.

The truth is we live in a wicked world and Satan is the person behind all sin.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The Lord Jesus came to break this bondage and set us free and we will certainly see this once blind man, go free. Just ask him and he will tell you. "Once I was blind but now I see".

So how did Jesus respond to this question?

*****Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Neither had this man's sin caused his blindness nor the sin of his parents cause this blindness. It was not so much the will of God that this man was born blind as it was for this blind man to appear before Jesus on this particular day in this particular place!

What were the works of God demonstrated to this man?

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

We see it was not just the healing of this man's blindness it was the works of God which we all share if Jesus Christ as our Savior.

This once blind man now had the opportunity to show forth these works of God in his own life and this is what God ask us all to do once we are saved from a devil's hell.

Jesus Christ came to this earth to die because He would obey His Father in everything that He asked of Him!

*****Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

We must remember Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners. This was His Father's mission. Jesus was the one sent from Heaven to do the work His Father had given Him to do. Nothing else He did was nearly as important as this one thing!

Jesus could have healed everyone He came in contact with and this would never have been enough to save this world!

Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Even today we have a work after salvation and it is to tell as many as we can about the work that Jesus did so that they to, can be saved.

As Christians we are tied to the work that Jesus has given us to do with Him!

This work involves a delivering from darkness, in fact from the power of darkness which is of the devil.

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Individually we only have the time from our own salvation till the day we die to do this work.

We should remember that for every sinner that is saved this world becomes a little brighter, but the truth is that as every Christian goes on to be with the Lord this world becomes a little darker.

The Bible says: 2Ti_3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

In other words our world is becoming darker every day. There are more who are going home to be with the Lord than there are new "Born Again" Christians each and every day!

This blame goes to the apostate church who no longer reaches out into this wicked world!

In other words Jesus is coming soon!

1Co 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

1Co 7:30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;

1Co 7:31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

We should understand that Christianity is a set of godly principles not a set of laws. It is how we apply these principles to our own life and reach out to others, so they can get the opportunity to choose that makes us Christians.

We are not bound by laws because we are bound by "Grace"!

Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Jesus Christ was the Light of this world when He was in it! It is now the Church that is to be the light of the world and the light of the church is growing dimmer!

All those who choose to come out of this darkness can only do so thru Jesus Christ for it is Jesus Christ who is the power behind the Church through the Holy Spirit!

And again Jesus displays the power of God.

*****Joh 9:6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

Joh 9:7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

If we remember the woman at the well. We know that it was no accident that Jesus just happened to stop at that well that day. It is the same on this day with this blind man. It was no accident that Jesus just happened to see him this day.

On this day Jesus would prove that He was truly the Light of this world by giving sight to someone, who never had sight, who had spent all His years in darkness.

We know that Jesus is not afraid to lay His hands on anyone even the diseased!

Jesus could have very easily have just spoken and the sight of this man could have been restored but Jesus chose a different method on this occasion.

What we can believe is that Jesus created a remedy to heal this man of blindness.

What is "faith?

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

By using the spittle and the mud that came from it and by following the exact directions given to him by Jesus, Jesus offered this man a chance to have "Faith" and then that same "Faith" to grow.

You see, we not just to believe on Jesus with all our heart, but we are to believe on the work Jesus did for our salvation.

You see if this man had just gone home to wash he would have remained blind!

It is really not so important to have physical sight as it is to have "Spiritual Sight"!

When we believe and obey the things of the Lord, it is only then that we can get the blessings!

Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

We should understand that God has His ways of doing things and our job is to obey, knowing that whatever God does is the right thing for Him to do at that time!

Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid!

God has every right to dictate to us the terms of His righteousness!

God says He will have mercy on whosoever He will have mercy on and this is His choice!

God also says He will have compassion on whoever He decides to have compassion on.

Our faith must be centered on the fact that God will never be unrighteous in His decisions. God will always do the right thing.

Now we may not understand why God does certain things, but God does not owe us an explanation for the things He has done.

God has given us all the information that we need in His Written Word, but God also has given us the opportunity to come to Him face to face and discuss these things with Him in our prayers.

If God cannot be swayed by prayer, then He would never have given us the opportunity to pray.

God will never change anything that goes against His Written Word but the things that do not affect His Word, do not change His plans, and do not go against His Will are things He is willing to discuss, if we have enough "Faith"!

If the Lord is willing to pray for our success, then He certainly is willing to give us things to meet our needs and many things we have ask for!

It seems like everything that Jesus did was known by the Pharisees and the hard line, Jews in very little time.

Today we would say that someone was stalking the Lord at all times.

*****Joh 9:14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

Joh 9:15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

At this time these hardline Jews did not know for sure that Jesus was involved but we had better believe that they were pretty certain that He was.

No one had a cure for blindness at that time and neither do they even in our day! This was a miracle that could not be denied!

This man was blind, and He could not have described Jesus, at least His physical features.

According to the law of the Pharisees, not the Law of God it was a violation of the Law to cause this man to see on the Sabbath.

We can certainly see just how ridiculous this was.

All this man knew was that some man had put clay in his eyes and when he washed at Siloam, he had also washed away his blindness.

This man was full of joy that he could see. and these Pharisees wanted to dampen his joy and change it into breaking the law which deserved stoning, but the fact is this man had only taken a bath and rejoicing did not break any law.

We may never know how many Jews were stoned to death for breaking Jewish traditions that were actually against the commandments of God.

The truth is that the works of God cannot be matched by mankind!

Act 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

Act 5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Again this man that was once blind had not seen the Savior and in reality, the faith that he had was not saving faith at this time.

*****Joh 9:16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

Joh 9:17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

Notice it was not that Jesus did not keep the Sabbath, Jesus did not keep those traditions passed down from generation to generation from the time these Jews had returned from Babylon.

Traditions are not the same as the laws of God and we know that Jesus was free from all sin.

Traditions are the same as adding to the Word of God which is sin in itself.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

These men were not divided by traditions they were divided by the truth!

In that day, to be named a prophet was the highest office that a man could hold. A prophet was still considered to be a voice from God!

Even in this great honor Jesus was still considered to be no more than a man.

These Pharisees just said that no miracle had occurred because this man could not have been blind.

*****Joh 9:18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.

We should understand that every Jew that studied the Scriptures would know that restoring sight to the people would be a sign of the Messiah.

Not only physical blindness but spiritual blindness.

Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

Isa 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

These people could see Jesus as a lot of things but until they saw Him as their Savior then they did not really know Him!

This has not changed today.

We should understand that all those who put any faith in Jesus as the Messiah were ex-communicated from Judaism and in most cases, they would lose their job and any source of income.

So when these parents were questioned they confessed that this was their son and that he had been blind from his birth, but they were not willing to say much more than this.

Their son was more than 30 years old, so he could speak for himself

*****Joh 9:24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.

Since these Jews could no longer doubt the blindness of this young man they then decided to put an end to his testimony.

We certainly need to give God the praise every day that He allows us to live but until we recognize that Jesus, the Son of God is God then our praise falls far short for everything that is not of God is of the devil.

So our question that we need to answer is, "just who is my God"?

It is Jesus Christ who is God of the Bible and He is certainly no sinner!

Most Jews have never progressed any further than this today. They reject the Lord Jesus Christ as God along with most of our world.

This man who was once blind had only one answer for them.

*****Joh 9:25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

We could say a lot more of these Pharisees and we will, but we must also admit that God will test us and many times this test will come right after we have been given a great blessing.

When we do not give God the credit for the good things in our life, we will certainly blame Him for the bad things which are of Satan!

God will test our faith from time to time!

When asked we must never be ashamed of our Lord.

Mar_8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

We should have enough "faith" that we do not deny the truth of our salvation nor the truth of the Scriptures.

If we have a personal experience with the Lord, we will know it, and this is our testimony!

When we are questioned by high authorities God will cause the Holy Spirit to give us the answers!

Luk 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

Luk 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

God will never leave us especially in our most difficult times!

We should also consider that almost a whole chapter is taken up with is one miracle, so it would be good if we spent some time studying these words and the Lord's intent.

Have you ever noticed that those who insist that they always know everything in most cases know less than we do?

This is because we have the Holy Spirit living within us and He does know everything!

We should also notice that we are never given the name of this man because names are not as important to God as is the soul!

We may never know all we want to know about our Savior until we get to Heaven but the "One Thing" can know is, that we have been touched by the Lord Jesus Christ and we are saved from a sinners Hell!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

As the questions kept coming to this man, he actually became bolder.

To open the eyes of some one, who was blind is a true miracle even in our day!

*****Joh 9:32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.

Joh 9:33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.

Sometimes we over look, the wisdom of those who have faced great trials in their life.

There is no one even today who can heal blinded eyes of such a man as this one, though much progress has been made. No one but Jesus and those Apostles He gave some power to, could do the things that only God can do.

Miracles such as these died out with the Apostles. This does not mean that God is not still in the healing business because He still does these things every day. They just go unnoticed or some foolish man will take the credit for what God has done.

Even more than these miracles this man also received "Spiritual Sight".

It is only the Word of God that can cause light to shine where darkness once ruled.

Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

We need to have good preachers to teach us the Word of God, but the fact remains that most souls are led to the Lord by the preaching of the Gospel.

We must understand that no eye is ever opened to see Jesus, except by Jesus!

Until we clearly see Jesus we will wander aimlessly in this world!

This man that was once blind could now clearly see the opposition to Jesus who was certainly of God!

This man knew that Jesus was not a liar.

This man knew that Jesus was not a deceiver.

This man knew that Jesus was not an evil man.

This man knew that Jesus was exactly who He said He was!

This man knew these things and he had not yet seen Jesus face to face!

*****Joh 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

Joh 9:36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

We must understand that Jesus wants a close personal relationship with each of us.

We must not be fooled, Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible and Jesus will accept all those who are cast out and rejected by society!

It is also obvious that Jesus sought this man, so he could clearly understand what had happened to him.

Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is!

*****Joh 9:37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

Joh 9:38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him

It is not so important to know who we are or what we do for a living, as it is important to know who Jesus the Messiah is and what He has done for us!

We must also understand that is more important to know why we love Jesus, than just to say we believe.

If we cannot believe all the promises of God, then how can we say we believe His Son!

The very moment we realize these things is the very moment we should ask the Lord to move into our heart. It must not be put off!

Without these things our worship is fruitless!

As this man was cast out of the Temple, we must cast out all our vain hopes.

We must cast off our carnal thoughts.

We must submit to the will of God!

Jesus does not have to be in front of us for us to talk to Him!

We must understand that the only foundation of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ!

1Pe 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

1Pe 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

How are we saved? When we give ourselves into the hands of God the Father, fully dependent upon for all His things!

We can only do this through and by His Son and His Son is Jesus!

Jesus will never return to claim those who have rejected Him in the Church Age. Jesus has already paid the price for everyone who has ever lived!

Heb_10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

If the Holy Spirit lives within us:

1) We will remember the means of our "Faith".

2) We will highly esteem Jesus Christ.

3) We will have the Holy Spirit within our souls.

4) We will enjoy the peace and comfort of the Lord.

5) We will be filled with the love of God for the Church.

6) We will be subject to the authority of Christ Jesus, the Son of God.

If we love the Lord and though He already knows those who love Him, we must still tell Him that we love Him!

Amen

Let's Pray!

The Lord Jesus the Light of the World

The Light of the World

Book of John Chapter 8

If we remember when we were lost and out in the world, we had a great need, but we had no idea what that need was. We seem to forget that now but those who are out in the world, even some of our own families still have that need today and they do not know where to go to meet that need, just like we were.

1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

In verses 1-11 the Jews we have been referring to, had brought to Jesus some poor woman who had been setup by those Jews as a test for Christ Jesus.

Their story was that she had been caught in the very act of adultery. Whether that was true or, not is irrelevant.

What we must realize is the Jesus was seen as the mortal enemy of these Jewish rulers and every trick possible was used to trap the Lord or to make Him look bad in front of His followers.

Jesus caught them all off guard when He said these words:

Joh 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Wouldn't you have liked to know what Jesus was writing in the sand with His finger?

So let’s pickup our passage with Chapter 8 and verse 12:

*****Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

We live in a dark world not because there is no light but because our world is full of the darkness of sin.

What is this darkness? Darkness is the blindness of the mind by the reason of sin!

1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

How are we to deal with this darkness?

2Co 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This darkness brings with it, wickedness, ignorance, bondage and misery.

The truth is we all walk in darkness until we follow the Light, The Lord Jesus Christ!

The big commotion of Nicodemus and the Jewish rulers had happened the previous day toward the evening and every one of those had gone to their homes but at daylight Jesus was back in the Temple teaching the people again.

Now again some of these same hard-line Jews clearly knew Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah.

Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Isa 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

They had already rejected that Jehovah could be the God of the Gentiles so it nothing greater to reject His Son Jesus as the Light of this world!

The truth is sin does not like to reveal itself and therefore wants no part of any light.

To these Jews their God was just for the Jews and not anyone else in the world.

*****Joh 8:13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

Let's go back and review a verse in Chapter 5, where this same topic had already come up.

Joh 5:31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.

What Jesus meant here was that He witnessed only the will of His Father so certainly His own witness would not be true if it differed from that of the Father.

These enemies of Christ had not forgotten what the Lord had said but they certainly could not grasp the meaning of what Jesus had said!

*****Joh 8:14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

Jesus then said He could bear witness of Himself because He knew everything about the Father and they both do exactly the same things all the time.

There are so many things that only God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit know, that no one can know but them.

The Evolutionist make some great big deal about what they know but they cannot begin to describe the truths of life and its beginning because to them life is just one big accident. How can people believe such nonsense?

God on the other hand gives us all the information that we need to know about life and then life after the death of this thing we call the flesh.

The truth is only God knows His own beginning and His own ending. In fact God says He has always existed.

Isa_48:16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

Psa_14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Only God knows where He comes from and where He is going and to us that means God is everywhere.

There is no place in this cosmos that you cannot reach out to the Lord and He will not already be there.

God is Spirit (not a spirit) because He has no form.

God is everywhere because He cannot be limited to surroundings.

God has substance, yet He is not material.

God is life which means He is the source of all life.

God is independent of His being but also independent of all His creation.

God is perfect, therefore He can never change!

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

God will never change in His response because God will never change in His person!

Jesus said He is the Light of this world and this is a true statement!

For there to be communication with the Spiritual dimension then the Spiritual world had to come to this physical world and this is what happened when the Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.

Jesus allows us to look through His eyes to get a glimpse into the Spiritual World.

Knowing and understanding this truth opens the door to understanding all the Words of Jesus Christ.

*****Joh 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

Joh 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

Mankind is incompetent to "judge" anyone because we "judge" by sight, the appearance of things.

Joh 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

When mankind attempts to "judge" the Lord Jesus Christ, they cannot do so on the basis of physical things because Jesus is not of this world!

Jesus can only be "judged" by "Faith"!

Jesus is either believed or His Words are rejected!

In Jewish Law it was required that there be at least 2 witnesses for someone to be believed.

Jesus said since our Father in Heaven was with Him at all times then they both were witnesses of the truth at all times!

Jesus could not bear false witness, it is impossible!

Jesus could not lie, for it is impossible!

Jesus could not make a deceptive claim, for it is impossible!

Jesus stressed the Father, Son relationship because this is the relationship our God seeks with each of us!

Joh 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Food for thought: God the Father and God the Son are distinct persons but only One God.

God is sometimes said to come down from Heaven but at the same time God never leaves Heaven.

Because Jesus is the Light of this world, then He is the Light of all life!

*****Joh 8:17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

Joh 8:18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

We touched upon this earlier but let's look closer now. The Law of Moses said:

Deu 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

We say a lot about the air we breathe and the water we drink that we would die without them. The truth is that without our Sun there would be no life upon this planet. The natural Sun is the fountain of life to this world.

Again the truth is that without Jesus Christ, the Son of God, there would be no physical life nor Spiritual life in this world.

The witness of Jesus is always true because everything He did, He did in obedience to God the Father.

Everything that Jesus did was to bring eternal life to "whosoever" believed upon Him and this was because His was the plan of His Father in Heaven.

1Jn 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1Jn 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

1Jn 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

We must understand that none of the laws of this physical world apply to our Triune God.

Then we see that just like every false religion that exist upon this earth have the same question.

*****Joh 8:19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

What is the difference in Christianity and Religion? It's called the truth!

You will never know the true God until you accept His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

They did not ask who was His Father, they asked "where is thy Father".

We might ask ourselves, just as these foolish men asked, show us physical proof of your Father.

The same truth says if you cannot accept the Lord Jesus Christ, then you cannot know God.

This drives the Muslim crazy, but this is what the truth will do.

This drives all false religion crazy because, this is what the truth will do.

This drives the Atheist crazy because, they have to believe to say they do not believe. They will die knowing that they actually believe!

If Jesus Christ is not your Lord, then you will never meet God!

The truth is Jesus had given them the truth and they could only mock Him. Jesus did not owe them any other explanation because they had no "faith".

Just the day before these same Jews had sent the Temple police to arrest Jesus but Jesus had returned this next day to teach in the Temple, yet no one made any attempt to arrest Him.

*****Joh 8:20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

Joh 8:21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

The treasury was located in a certain part of the women’s court. A place where there was much foot traffic, but no one dared to lay a hand upon the Lord. This place would have been heavily guarded but again no one attempted to arrest the Lord, "for His hour had not yet come"!

We should also understand that though it appears that they may never get another opportunity to repent and show faith, as long as Jesus is still warning the unbeliever He is still seeking for them to repent.

These people never did repent so they did die in their sins.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The truth is no one can come to the Lord unless they are called.

1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

1Pe 5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

As Christians we see death as sad for those left behind but wonderful for that one who is going to be with the Lord.

2Co_5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

2Co_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

For those who do not accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior, death is a nightmare.

To die in our sins was the judgment laid upon us all because of Adam's disobedience.

To die is a complete separation from everything you know. If you have rejected the Word of God while you were alive then it is too late to seek Jesus and you will die in your sins.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

About 40 days after His resurrection the Lord Jesus Christ went back to Heaven. While we are alive we can choose to join Him there or we can reject His offer of "Grace" and end up in eternal torment.

We all claim to be seeking the "fountain of youth" which does not exist but the promise of eternal life in Heaven does exist, but we must get up close and personal with Jesus Christ to get there.

Jesus knew these Jews that confronted Him would never accept Him as the Messiah, so they would die in their sins having lost the ability to be saved.

The sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin of unbelief all other sin can be forgiven!

We do not possess enough brain power to know what a life in Heaven would be, but the Scriptures do tell us a good bit of what is not in Heaven.

God is perfect, so His home is a place of perfection!

Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

If we know Jesus Christ as Lord, then we already know how to get to Heaven. We can look anywhere we want to but if we do not look to Jesus we will never get to Heaven!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

The worst possible thing that we could ever do is to alienate ourselves from Jesus Christ!

*****Joh 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.

We must understand that Jesus is God's spokesperson here on earth.

Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be!

Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

We have the message the Father gave to His Son and the message of the 4 Gospels teach us the same message.

We know that the Lord will return so His first message was a message of salvation, then by default Jesus will return for "Judgment".

The cross shows us the love of God!

The resurrection declared the power of God!

The ascension allowed the Holy Spirit to replace Christ on this earth!

It is all these things that prove that Christ Jesus is the God of the Bible!

This seems to give people the greatest problem, but this is why it takes "Faith".

*****Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

Again we see Jesus speak of the Cross, but it also describes the end when every knee will bow before the Lord!

We can just imagine the smile on Satan's face when the Lord was placed on that cross. Had God used His own power to come down off that cross then we would still be dead in our sins!

Since He did not come down off that cross Jesus paid the ultimate cost for our salvation.

The Cross proved that Jesus was the Messiah, God in the flesh.

The Cross proved that Jesus did not act alone but with all the power of the Holy Trinity.

The Cross proved that Jesus was the Messenger of His Father in Heaven.

The Cross proved that we have a Savior.

Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Heb 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

*****Joh 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Joh 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.

Jesus Christ is our example in all things so as Jesus did, we to are do always things that please God the Father.

It is God the Father who sent the Lord to the Cross.

God the Father was with God the Son at all times, when the Lord was upon this earth, even when He was upon that Cross.

Many will never accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, but God will never abandon His Son.

God will never provide any other means to join Him in Heaven no matter what religion teaches you at the same time God the Father gets no satisfaction at the death of those who refuse His Son.

Isa_53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Eze_18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

It is only the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that can reconcile us to God the Father!

When you meet Jesus, some will believe and be saved, and some will reject His Words and die the death of a non-believer!

What is true "freedom"?

*****Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The absolute truth is that all mankind has been in bondage to sin since the time of Adam.

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

We are not good people who occasionally sin. We are sinners who occasionally do good!

Luk 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

There is very little truth in this world we live in because it is a wicked world!

As sinners we will bear the consequences of our sin unless we accept that the work Jesus Christ did upon that Cross has set us free from sin's bondage.

We must be free from sin to enter into God's Heaven!

We must escape the clutches of Satan!

2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Without Christ Jesus, Satan takes us as he sees fit and the only escape is "Faith" in the work of Jesus!

The Word of God is the absolute truth and if we do the best we can to follow the Word of God, then Satan has no power over us anymore.

We must also know that we cannot reach perfection until the Lord returns to take us home!

As the "Born Again" children of God we have chosen a new Father and even more than that He has chosen us!

Jesus Christ is truly the Light of this world because He is the Light of Creation and the Light of Salvation.

We need to make the Word of God our own personal Temple to dwell in as the Holy Spirit dwells in us and we are a Temple of God!

Amen

Let's Pray!