GOD's TRUTH in DOCTRINE
Loving God as Lord and personal Savior is loving his plan,
his design, his truth and nothing but the truth of his revealed word.
It is knowing a Love and truth too marvelous, too pure to compromise its flawless design. It's trusting fully that if you follow his ways,
he will carry the rest and handle it.
And he does.
It's following his call, loving what he loves, loving his master artwork, and trusting his glorious hidden kingdom secrets with each thrill of hope, flutter of the heart, and divine revelation. It's Following his call to Proclaim his message, with the same fire, indwelling spirit and driving force
as the first apostles.
Because our God is the God of second chances,
his great love is what compels his disciples to share his truth.
Knowing such an incomprehensible love
that only comes through experience and
personal relationship through scripture
will compel us to
boast of his radiant Glory and divine Riches.
When we are faithful to truly seek his will through studying his word to us, he rewards that effort manifold- and reveals his will
for us that can only come from divine truth.
It can't be found in other people, organizations, community or relationships- which are spiritual aids. Those are all important in spiritual journeys, but they aren't what reveals his will, draw us closer, or what he asks of us primarily.
The Living Word is the key of David,
the primary source of life, the bread and butter.
It comes first and needs to be the driving force and focus.
Its spiritual rewards are with divine experiences
that are too remarkable and unforgettable
to not stay true to him and follow his will.
A Glory and love comparable to no other,
with a faith and assurance
more true than the water is blue.
God’s love is unconditional,
but God also has expectations and requirements.
What I’ve concluded is that
his love for creation
is a paradox, intentionally so.
If we don’t meet those expectations and strive to fulfill those requirements,
God doesn’t stop loving us--but is not happy, and expects us to continue to strive to do better next time. God is also extremely patient and appreciates effort. God does not expect perfection (unlike some humans, who expect it of themselves and thus think they know better than God)
because only God is perfect.
From that perspective, perfectionism takes on the
qualities of narcissism,
doesn’t it?
What a contradiction to THE WORD!
So what are God’s expectations and requirements?
I. A Love for the Word of God
A. They Hear It
As John the Baptist and his disciples were standing by the Jordan River, Jesus walked by. Once again John states, "Behold, the Lamb of God."
This was a biblical message.
John's disciples understood this to be a declaration from God Himself.
They recognized John the Baptist was a prophet sent from God and that prophets spoke the Word of God.
They had followed John for some time
and they listened intently to what John had to say.
When they heard John speak they knew his words were of God.
God's Word
is exactly what Christians need for
direction in their lives.
"The Bible, not the church, is supreme in all matters of faith and conduct. Church councils, committees and organizations and their decisions do not supersede the Word of God.
God's Word is final."
B. They Heed It
It was not enough for the disciples to just hear what John said. They took what they heard to heart. True disciples will not only hear the Word of God, it will move them to action. James states, "But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." I once heard a man say it is not how much we get into God's Word that matters but how much God's Word gets into us. Reading, studying and applying God's Word in our lives is essential.
Dr. Lee tells the story of an old man who lived in a boarding house who was converted after a life of much sinning and manifold transgressions. He would read the Bible and say loudly: "Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise God!" The boarding house folks got tired of it. One day, they took his Bible while he was at work and hid it. In its place they put a scientific book full of dry facts and figures. After reading it awhile, the old man shouted,
"AMEN! Glory to God!
Hallelujah!"
They turned to him rebukingly and asked, "Why are you shouting?
And what do you find in that book to make you shout?"
The old man replied,
"This book says the
seas in some places are five miles deep.
And the Bible says God has cast all my sins
into the depth of the sea.
Hallelujah!"
A true disciple who loves to hear and heed
the Word of God in his life
will be able to rejoice in all things.
II. A Lasting Commitment to Christ
When the disciples heard what John had said, they immediately followed Jesus. These men had heard John tell that One was coming after him who was mightier than he. He even identified Him as the Son of God. It was no surprise then that when the disciples saw Jesus walk by they left John and followed after Jesus. As Jesus called other disciples, they would leave everything and follow after Him completely.
The story is told of a pig and a chicken talking about their importance on the farm. The chicken commented how she was very active in providing breakfast every day by laying an egg. The pig replied that while the chicken gave her egg every day he had to give his life for breakfast.
The chicken was involved but the pig was committed.
A true disciple is not just involved but is committed to take up his own cross and follow Jesus to the very end. That is a complete and lasting commitment as described by Dr. Lee,
"Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and
is coming back again tomorrow."
III. A Longing to Know Christ
When Jesus turned and saw the men following Him, He asked them what they were seeking. Why did Jesus ask that question? Did He not know what they were seeking? Jesus did not ask questions for information because He is omniscient. He asked the question for the disciples to identify their desire.
Notice their answer, "Where do you live?" They had a longing to know Jesus more intimately. The true character of an individual is not what he does publicly before people but what he does privately in his home. Jesus Christ responded to their request with, "Come and see." The text states they went with Jesus to the place where He was staying and dwelt with Him for several hours. A true disciple will spend time to intimately know Jesus.
IV. A Leader of Others to Christ
Andrew is identified as one of the two disciples. Notice what he did immediately. He found his own brother, told him about Jesus and then brought him to Jesus. A true disciple will bring others to Jesus. R. G. Lee wrote "The greatest sit-down strike in the world has not been on the part of some labor union in some industrial or manufacturing plant, but in our churches. Many who love Jesus do not seem to love Him enough to make any special personal effort to get others to give Him their hands and hearts in repentance and faith for salvation."
God will use who he wills for his purposes.
And he still loves us.
Looking to the future,
Jesus predicted His betrayal and death, and He comforted His disciples, assuring them that His death would not be the end of the story
and that He would not be leaving them alone
(John 13:1–14:28).
Think about that! He predicted it.
And God governs the authority of the devil.
He does it to test us!
Even those he allowed to be consumed with falsehood
might be under his divine call. He uses us all for his purposes.
But what are we going to do about it?
Are we going to recognize what that is, recognize our error,
and seek his face?
Are we going to follow Truth or be
complacent in falsehood?
Our Lord did not tell the disciples these things solely to calm their fears.
He also explained what lay ahead for the sake of their faith.
Christ told them about Judas’ betrayal so that they would believe that Jesus was who He claimed to be, that He remained in full control of everything that transpired as the Lord of heaven and earth
(13:19).
And in today’s passage, we read of how He again explained that His predictions concerning the future were for the sake of the disciples’ faith (14:29).
Jesus spoke these words because He knew that as He was arrested and crucified, the disciples might begin to think that someone else, namely, the devil, was sovereign over what was transpiring.
We see evidence of this in John 14:30. Jesus said He would not be talking much longer with them because “the ruler of the world” was coming.
He was referring to Satan, the evil one under
whose power the world was bound (1 John 5:19).
Satan had tempted Judas to betray Jesus (John 13:27), and soon more men, under the devil’s thrall, would arrive to take Jesus captive (18:1–11). The time for His teaching was growing short, so our Savior said there was not much time left to speak to His disciples.Christ’s words that the time of His arrest was at hand are evidence that He was in control, not the devil. But lest there be any doubt, Jesus then said that the “ruler of the world”
had no claim over Him
(v. 30).
Satan had no claim over Jesus because the authority he has in creation is not an inherent authority and is not over all of creation but only over the sinful order. As Augustine of Hippo reminds us in a sermon on today’s passage, “The whole world therefore, from the highest heavens to the lowest earth, is subject to the Creator, not to the deserter; to the Redeemer, not to the destroyer; to the Deliverer, not to the enslaver; to the Teacher, not to the deceiver.”
Jesus was never a part of this sinful order
in the way that sinners are because
He never sinned.
Satan never had any claim or authority over Him.
The disciples needed to know that, for it would seem otherwise as they watched Jesus be arrested and taken to the cross.
Coram DeoSatan has a measure of influence over this sinful world. He has this influence only by God’s permission, for authority in this world is not rightfully his. He did not possess it before the fall. Knowing that God is sovereign over creation should encourage us to pray and to work for the sake of the gospel. Because He is sovereign over the devil, He will bless our efforts for the sake of His name and accomplish His purposes through us.
We are all on different journeys with different
callings, in different stages, and different requirements.
God uses us in marvelous ways when we follow his call, through discerning his voice.
We need to continue to follow him and grow.
We need to be so sure of what he is doing. We need to be
so clear in our vision.
We need to follow him all the way to his divine presence.
And we need to keep moving and
confirming our calling
through him.
Be diligent to attend to that word with
all humility,
eager to receive it for yourself.
Pride has kept many people from spiritual Growth.
Admitting sin and acknowledging that in our own strength we can do nothing to inherit eternal life is a constant stumbling block for prideful people.
If we want to boast,
then we are to proclaim the glories of God. What we say about ourselves means nothing in God’s work. It is what God says about us that makes the difference (2 Corinthians 10:18). Why does God oppose the Proud?
How do I know if that's me?
Am I wholly serving his calling through his revealed word?
Am I sure Im correct?
Glorifying Christ, boasting in his glorious riches of saving redemption and divine mysteries, proclaiming his depths, riches, and wonders, and teaching his word is exactly what he asks of us. He wants us to boast of his love and his saving grace. It has nothing to do with us.
It's all about him.
And we should all strive to have the closest level of intimacy with Christ by truly seeking him, and not through any personal complex that creates a stumbling block in achieving that goal.
Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves, or belittling others who are authentically doing God's Work. Pride is essentially self-worship. Anything we accomplish in this world would not have been possible were it not for God enabling and sustaining us.
“What do you have that you did not receive?
And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
(1 Corinthians 4:7).
He is the head of the body, who humbles the proud, and whose ways are much, much higher than ours.
I can only speak for myself, but I BELIEVE
That is the GOOD NEWS that We All NEED to hear.
To God be the GLORY, the God of provision, GRACE, and second chances.
The God who judges our heart, knows our sincere efforts,
Sees our good deeds,
and who recognizes when we seek him and endure his
loving offering of edification.
The offering that leads to deeper relationship with him.
'That's the
The greatest Gift.
That is why we are blessed to Give God ALL the glory—He alone deserves it, and we are motivated by our sincere love for Jesus and his Word Alone!
'only he deserves every effort to bear the Cross.
“Now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
Rise, let us go from here.”
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