JOHN 5:39-47. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus continued explaining to the Jews that they sought the scriptures thinking that in them they have eternal life; but the scriptures testified about Jesus. They were not willing to come to Jesus to have eternal life.

Here we learn that mere academic study of the bible is not enough. The bible is meant to lead you to Jesus. If you have not found Jesus in the scriptures, you have missed the most important thing and all your reading will avail you nothing. Jesus has eternal life; and it is in finding Him in the scriptures that we have more and more of eternal life. 

Remember that eternal life is not life without an end because people who go to hell also live forever. Eternal life knowing God and Jesus Christ intimately. John 17:3

How much have you been finding Jesus in your bible studies? 

Jesus did not receive the honour or approval of men.

In other words, what people said about Him whether good or bad; He refused to take it. What was important to Him was the approval of God. What God said or thought about Him was what was important.

The approval of men also should not be valued by you. Ask yourself, how much does this person know about me. Do he know about my private life? Does He know how I act or react at home or in workplace? Does this person know what I do when am alone? Does He know about my thoughts, my motives and attitudes? 

The conclusion you can make is that even the person who knows you best only knows about 10% and not more, of your true you. 10% in any subject is a failure and therefore the approval of men is worthless. Only God's approval matters. For God sees not only your public life, but your private life and your inner life. Actually, the opinion of the devil is more important than of men because He sees what you do in private. You can be holy brother in church but in private you are watching pornography; the ones in church will approve of you as a holy brother but the devil will sit laughing knowing that you are a hypocrite and are already in His lap, he is just waiting for you to die and take you to hell. 

If you are interested in a good reputation before men, you will be careful how you live in public, how you speak, how you behave, dress and so on.

If you want a good testimony before the devil, you will be careful on your private life, how you behave when alone, what you do in private.

If you want the approval of God, you will go a step higher, in your thoughts, in your motives and in your attitudes. 

You will go as far as it concerns the ones you are seeking their approval.

You can start now; though you have been much concerned about what people say or think about you; from now their opinions should be thrown in the dustbin. Seek the approval of God alone.

Jesus came in His father's name and they didn't receive Him but another comes in his name they would receive him. 

In other words, the natural man is natural selfish and proud. If one comes in selfish motives and seeking a name for himself, he will be gladly received; but the one who comes in the Lord, selfless and humble will not be received because the selfish man will be threatened.

Seeking honour from each other is the enemy of faith. Are you seeking the honour of others? You will not have faith. And we know that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Heb 11:6

We can say that the people who seek honour from other men do not please God because they can't have faith as well; but those who seek the honour of God will please God because they will have faith.

Moses wrote about Jesus. If you truly believe in the scriptures, you will believe in Jesus. 

From Genesis to Revelation, it's all about Jesus. Seek to find Him, for those who diligently seek find.

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JOHN 5:30-38. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus explained that He didn't initiate anything He did. He first heard from the Father then He made a judgement. 

Because He feared God, He did not make a judgement based on what His ears heard nor what His eyes saw. Isaiah 11:3

This is an area we have all failed but we can also follow Jesus here. All the judgment we make are based on what we hear or what we see. We need to develop a listening ear. Whatever our ears hear or whatever our eyes see, we need to keep it aside and have the attitude, "let me pray about it".

Always ask God even on your heart, "Father what should I do here or how should I respond here or what is the truth of the matter in this case?"

Let this be always your attitude.

Jesus said that His judgement was just because He didn't seek His will but the will of God in everything. This is the secret.

When you decide that you will always seek God's will in everything and never do your own will, God will always give you discernment in the matters we face. But we must remember not to trust what our eyes see, nor what our ears hear but always seek God in every matter.

Jesus said that if He bore witness to Himself, the witness would be invalid, but another bore witness to Him and therefore His witness is true.

A true servant of God is not one who tries to bear witness to himself trying to convince people that God anointed him or has called him and thus must listen to him; God bears witness to His servants who are doing His will. When one stands to speak, there is a witness in the hearts of those listening that this is from God.

If God doesn't bear witness to you or you ministry, go back to Him and track the place you lost the way. Your whole lifetime service to God will be worthless wood, hay and straw which will burn down if God doesn't bear witness to you. 1Cor 3:12-13

Jesus said that the witness John the baptist gave about Him is true. John was a burning and shining light. 

You claim to be the light of the world; can the people who see you most of the time say that you are a burning and shining light? Has the light in you become extinguished through sin?

God bore witness to Jesus through miraculous signs. Even today God bears witness in different ways to His true servants; not through miracles for Paul explains that God gives these gifts to few individuals and not all, 1Cor 12:7-11. The important thing is that God bears witness to you in whichever way He sees.

Since the listeners did not have God's word abiding in them, they did not receive the one whom the Lord sent. 

Even today, if you don't allow God's word to abide in you through study, meditation and obedience, you will not have discernment to know the one whom the Lord sent. If you want to have discernment as to those who sent by God, let the word of Christ abide in you.

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JOHN 5:24-29. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus continued saying that whoever listens to Him and believes God who sent Him has eternal life and has passed from death unto life. 

Remember that the kind of believing Jesus is talking about He explained in John 3:36 as one which is obedience. It's not just a blind faith; Paul explains true faith as being obedient. He calls it obedience of faith. Rom 16:26. 

A true second birth is compared to being raised from the dead. Life comes into the person and governs the whole being. One thing about a dead person is that they have no sensitivity. You can chop a whole body part and they will not feel any pain but one who has life even if you pinch them, they will feel pain.

When truly gets born again, their conscience which was dead becomes alive and now they begun becoming sensitive to sin. Things they could do with a clear conscience before begins to bother them now. And as they increasingly partake of the life of God through study of the scriptures, through devotion and fellowship and prayers and by keeping their consciences clear, they become more sensitive to not only to the sins of actions, and speech but also of thoughts, and attitudes, and motives; and just like a child goes from one class to another, they also grow in the knowledge of what sin is and they cleanse themselves from it in the fear of God. 2Cor 7:1.

Are you becoming more sensitive to sin or less sensitive? If right now you are doing things you could not do when you first got saved and loved Jesus with all your heart, you are a backslider. Wake up before you get into more serious things. Peter warns that it's better not to be born again than to experience true spiritual birth and then backslide. 2Pet 2:20-22

Those who hear the voice of the Son of God shall live; that is our life is dependent on constantly listening to the voice of Christ and obeying it. The more we listen, the more life we have; as He said in Mat 4:4, that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Have you been constantly listening to God? Do you have time to listen to God; Jesus said that there is only one thing that you need, and that is to sit at Jesus feet and listen. Luke 10:42.

You can begin now; have the attitude that Samuel had, "speak Lord, your servant is listening". 1Sam 3:10. 

The attitude of the true disciple is that of listening to His master morning by morning. This helps them to always have a right word for everyone they meet. Isaiah 50:4. This means everyday from morning to evening, your whole attitude of your being is speaking Lord, your servant is listening. Whenever you meet any situation during the day or at workplace or at home, in your heart, before you respond, the cry should always be; Lord, what should I do in this situation; how should I respond; what should I say in response? And whatever He speaks to you in your heart, do it. 

Your life will become more fruitful if you develop this habit. 

It's not easy if you haven't begun but just like a child learns to walk through many falling without giving up; you can begin today. The sheep knows the voice of the Master, but the lambs have to learn it. The voice of God is revealed in the scriptures. Take time every day to study God's word and meditate on it. As you study, have the attitude, speak Lord, your servant is listening.

As do so each day, you will become a better person everyday and the best gift you can give to those around you is a better version of yourself every time they meet you. The must sense that you are better than you were last time. This must be in increasing measure as you develop this attitude of listening to God's voice primarily by saturating yourself with the scriptures, a we obey the exhortation in Col 3:16, to let the words of Christ dwell in us richly. 

Jesus will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. Judgment will very much depend on whether you listened to His voice or not. It is His words which will judge us. John 12:48. 

If you want to continue hearing the voice of God, learn to always keep your conscience clear and full your heart with God's word. When we read the bible it goes to the mind, but when we meditate, it goes to the heart. 

Fill your heart with God's word and keep your conscience clear if you want to continue hearing the voice of Christ which will bring more life to you.

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JOHN 5:20-23. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

God loved Jesus and showed Him everything that He did. He would show him even greater works, that you may marvel. The same way God raises the dead, Jesus also does and gives life to whoever He wills and is pleased. The Father judges no one but has given all judgement unto the Son so that we may honour the Son just as we honour the Father.

Here we see how God loved Jesus and He showed Him all things. 

The Father did so much for Jesus that He fulfilled Gods plan for His life. In the same way, Jesus is not only our Lord and Saviour, He is also our elder brother; Rom 8:29. He called God Father, just like we call Him. God has no partially. Rom 2:11, Eph 6:9, 1Pet 1:17. He is willing to do for His every other Son, what He did for His firstborn, Jesus but we have to fulfill the conditions that Jesus fulfilled. Remember that Jesus came became like human beings in every way and He was tempted in every aspect just like we are tempted and overcame. Heb 2:17, 4:15. 

Jesus prayed that the world will know that God loves the disciples in exactly the same degree to which He loved Jesus. John 17:23. 

Remember also that God is perfect. He cannot love to a lesser degree or a greater degree, His love is perfect.

If God loves the disciples like Jesus, He will do everything for them that He did for Jesus; but remember, this is not for anyone who calls themselves a Christian; it's for those who are disciples.

In the previous studies we have seen that a disciple is one who loves Jesus more than everything and everyone else, parents and relatives and friends. He denied His will to do God's will everyday. He has given up everything that He is obsessed with. There is nothing in hands that He is not willing to give up to please Jesus. He is who seeking to follow Jesus in every way; He is seeking to study the life of Jesus and make Him an example to follow in Jesus' steps. His only ambition in life is to please God and do His will. 

To such a person, God will give everything in His power for him to fulfill his purpose. That is

1. God will give Him all the wisdom, knowledge and understanding that He needs to do God's will;

2. God will give His all the health that He needs to do God's will; this does not mean we will not get sick; even if a sickness may come, it will not prevent us to do God's will.

3. God will command all the resources that we need to do all of Gods will. It doesn't mean we will be the richest people; in fact the richest people in the world and in any country are not Christians.

        Someone said that if you want to know what God thinks about money, look at those He has given most of it.

4. God will see to it that you get all the counsel that you to fulfill all of His will.

5. God will see to it that you will have all the gifts and abilities that you need to do His will. It doesn't mean that we'll have the gifts and abilities we desire; but those which are necessary to the specific calling in your life. For example, a person working in the kitchen does not need a wheel spanner; it is the person working in garage who needs it. What the person working in kitchen needs is kitchen utensils. In the same way, God will not give you gifts He has given to another because they have a different purpose than yours just like the purpose of the person working in the kitchen has a different purpose from the one working in the garage.

Paul says that He can do everything through Christ who enables Him. Phil 4:13

What does everything mean? Does it mean that now Paul would walk in water like Jesus, and perform every miracle Jesus performed? Definitely not: it means that through the power of Christ, He would everything that is in God's plan for His life. 

Even for you if you are a tru disciple, you can do everything in God's plan for your life. Don't waste your time. Become a disciple and fulfill God purpose for your life. You can start now. 

Don't worry about the past, Acts 17:30 says that God overlooks the times we were ignorant but now that we know, we should stop and change the direction of our lives. God is still in control. Begin today.

We have an upward call in God. Phil 3:14. This is to say that as you wake up every morning; the Lord is saying to you: 'COME UP HIGHER' I HAVE SOMETHING GREATER THAN YOU HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED SO FAR. FORGET ON HOW MUCH YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED OR HOW MUCH YOU HAVE OVERCOME; THERE IS STILL MUCH MORE RICHES IN CHRIST THAT ARE YET TO BE POSSESSED. ITS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU THAT I AM CALLING YOU TO A HIGHER LIFE THAN YOU HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED.

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JOHN 5:1-20. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

Jesus went to a place called Bethesda where a multitude of sick people were, blind lame and paralyzed. We may think that Jesus healed them all but He didn't.

We do not read the scriptures and that is why we assume that Jesus healed everyone; but this passage teaches us otherwise. He went to a man who laid there for 38 years and asked Him whether He wanted to be made well. The man replied that He'd no one to put Him in the pool and someone always gets before him after the water have been stirred. Jesus the then told him to rise up and walk.

We see here that the man was in desperate need for healing; that is why for 38 years he never gave up. He still hoped that a miracle would happen and He would be healed. God saw His desire and longing and Jesus came to him along leaving the multitudes. Even today God is the same; there are multitudes of people in need but God will meet with those who have hope and their expectation is from God. Those who are desperate towards God, they alone will see God manifest in their lives.

The Jews saw the man and told him that he was not permitted to carry His sleeping mat on Sabbath. He replied that the one who healed him told him to carry his sleeping mat.

They asked who it was but the man didn't know Jesus for Jesus had slipped away.

Jesus did not walk with the man to show the crowds what a great healer He was. He was not seeking for any honour.

When Jesus met the man, He told him to stop sinning so that something worse could not happen to Him. 

We learn here that some sicknesses are due to sin. It is one of the discipline that God disciples His children when they sin. The next chapter teaches that not every sickness is due to sin and therefore we must learn to sick God to know the cause of a sickness because if the sickness is as a result of sin, repentance will bring healing.

The man went and told the Jews that it was Jesus who healed Him and they persecuted Him for healing in Sabbath.

Jesus said that His Father is working until now, and He also is working. 

We that God from creation has got on one day He rested, in Genesis 1-2, up until now He is working and Jesus being in fellowship with the Father also worked.

We must desire to have such fellowship with God that we know what He is doing and when so that we can join Him and be coworkers with Him.

 There are many things God is doing right now and He wants to involve you in some of it, but you must be open to His voice and leading and you will find fruitfulness as we work together with Him; 

The unfortunate thing is that in most cases we work where God is not working and thus gets exhausted and lose heart. Let's seek fellowship with God to be able to discern what He is doing at each particular time and season.

Persecution increased for Jesus calling God Father, making Him equal with God.

Jesus replied that He can not do anything in His own initiative. He only does what the Father does, and then does that.

This is the secret of Jesus life and ministry. He was not busy doing a lot of things for God. He only did what He saw His Father doing in the eyes of the heart. 

Many times we initiate many things in the name of God's work. God does not bear witness to such works because it is He who wants to involve us in what He is doing not us involving Him in what we are doing. 

It must begin with God, must be done through God power, and must be done for Gods glory alone.

What we initiate even if we can claim is for God, it has begun with us; it will be an Ishmael and God will not accept it no matter how good-looking it is.

The reason the Father shows Jesus what He is doing is because He loves Him. Even now, God loves you the same way and longs to open your inner eyes for you to see what He is doing that you may get involved in it. Be open to His love.

Learn from Jesus and you will find rest for your soul.

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JOHN 4:27-54. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

The disciples came back and marvelled at Jesus speaking to the woman but didn't ask her why He spoke to her.

She left the water pots and went to her town and told the men that she saw the Messiah who told her everything. They believed and followed her to Jesus.

This is a wonderful way of sharing a testimony; in such away that you will not draw people to yourself but rather to Jesus. At the end people will not think of what a great person you are but rather, what a wonderful saviour you have and will want to follow Him.

The disciples were urging Him to eat. These disciples has a genuine concern for their master. They not only thought of themselves but if the interests of others. We can also learn from the disciples to care for the needs of others.

Jesus responded that He had food the disciples knew nothing about and they wondered whether someone gave Him food when left Him. 

Jesus said that His food was doing the will of the Father and accomplishing His work. 

What satisfied the heart of Jesus was doing God's will and finishing His God-given purpose. 

The purpose of food is nourishing the body; as it's said, we eat to live not live to eat. If we don't eat our bodies becomes weaker and weaker but we become stronger after eating so that we are able to work. In the same way, if we want to strong to do tomorrows tasks, we must eat today.

If we want to be strong to do God's will tomorrow, we must do God's will today. 

If we want strength to obey God tomorrow, we must obey Him today.

This must be our utmost desire, to do God's will everyday. At the end of the day you should have an attitude of asking yourself whether you did God's will today? Is there a place I dishonoured God? Is there something I should not have done or said, or could I do it I a better way? 

Learn to judge yourself everyday to see whether you have done God's will for that day for this is the only way you can be sure to do God's will tomorrow otherwise you will be deceiving yourself. 

He continued and said that we shouldn't says there is still time before harvest but we should lift up our eyes for the harvest is ripe. 

We can say that we should say that we will obey God tomorrow or do His will tomorrow, but God's will must be done as long as it's called today. 

He is sending us to harvest where we never reaped; we are entering their labours so that we all can rejoice. 

Thus others have done for God in the past should be a motivation for us to do something of eternal value with our lives, and become a blessing in our generation. As the old saints begun in their devotion to Christ, we are encouraged to do so in our generation. It's good to read the writings of the old saints and missionary biographies. These are rare gems to find today. But you can find some of the old saints here👉🏽 sermonindex.net

When people came and listened to Jesus, they said to the woman that they not only believed because of her testimony but also because they heard Jesus. Jesus left after two days for He said a prophet is honoured everywhere else except in his own hometown and among his relatives.

A royal official whose son was sick went to Jesus and Jesus said that unless they saw signs and wonders they wouldn't believe. The man was not offended at the reply of Jesus but asked Him to go and heal his son. Jesus said to Him that His son was well and he believed the words of Jesus.

Do you get offended with the words of Jesus? Do you get offended when you read something Jesus said which you are not comfortable with and you try to explain it away for for you to accept it? 

Such an attitude is a great hindrance to faith and spiritual growth. Ger out of the baby class where you get offended easily and grow up. Overcome getting offended.

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JOHN 4:20-26. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

The Samaritan woman changed the subject of her past sinful life and asked about worship. The Samaritans and Jews worshipped in different places and Jesus now taught her about true worship.

We learn here that Jesus does not love embarrassing people. If it's today, we would tell the woman to first conclude about her five husbands, and marriage and divorce; but not Jesus. Jesus does not love embarrassing people. This also the reason He speaks to us privately. He convicts us by His Holy Spirit in private if there is something we need to repent of or set right. If there is an apology we need to make, or do some restitution or repay a debt or fulfill a promise you made. 

Can you imagine if He spoke to us Loudly when everyone is listening and everyone knows what the Lord has spoken to us? We would be very obedient to God, not because we fear Him but because we want to maintain a reputation that we are obedient to God. It is in our private lives that God tests us to see whether we fear Him. What God speaks to you in private and no one knows; it's a test of whether you fear God or not. Many who claim to fear God don't fear Him because they disobey Him in their private and inner lives constantly. What they have is an outer covering of humility and the fear of God but when you look inside, there is nothing. Jesus won't embarrass you but also it's a test of whether you fear God in your life.

Jesus said the Samaritans worshipped what they didn't know but the Jews worshipped what they knew for salvation is of the Jews. 

The hour is coming and now is when true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth. The Father is seeking such people.

True worship involves worshipping in reality of our lives. It's not singing. For example you can sing we honour you; but if in your private life you have not been seeking to honour the Lord; you are just deceiving yourself.

You can be singing and saying we give you glory; but if you have been taking credit for what God does through you or forget you; you are deceiving yourself. 

If you sing you are worthy but in other days you feel in you deserve something and you get offended because of something that was never done for you, you are not humble and broken but proud; you are just deceiving yourself. The words are right, the life is wrong and therefore God will not accept such. There must be a reality in our lives of what we are saying to God.

Paul defines true worship as giving our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Rom 12:1. That is giving your eyes, to only read and watch things that you would not be ashamed of if came to you or lived with you. Have you given your tongue; to only speak encouragement, and bless others and build others up not to destroy them; have you given your ears to only listen to what you would not be ashamed of listening to! In the same way every part of the body you give to God in holiness and a living sacrifice; that means you live a life of sacrifice. This alone is true worship: not singing songs on Sundays.

Abraham defined worship as giving to God what you love more than anything else in the world. Gen 22:5,2, 2Sam 24:24.

Looking at the definition of worship above we can see that what we do on Sundays is not worship; it's singing. Worship is in our private lives before Sunday. If there is no backing up of our private lives during other days, then we do not offer worship to God: yeah, we sing thanksgiving and praise songs and consecration songs but worship have to be in our private lives offering our best to God and giving our bodies to God. These are the people the Lord is seeking. You can be among them.

God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit, that is from their inner selves and truth, that is in reality. 

The woman said that the Messiah will come and tell them such and Jesus told her the He was the Messiah.

The previous chapter Jesus told an equivalent of a pastor today, Nicodemus, that he must be born again; in this chapter, a woman who had five husbands and living with the husband of another, Jesus taught her about true worship. These two not explained clearly in any other part of the new testament. God's thoughts are not the same as ours.

If Jesus was to organise a pastors conference today; He would probably speak about being born again, and if He were to organise a conference for women who were divorced and remarried and living with the husbands of other women; Jesus would probably speak to them about true worship. To us us today; we would speak to the pastors about true worship but to the women living in adultery the need to be born again. 

This is why we need to seek God constantly and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit because God's ways and thoughts are different from ours. We must always humble ourselves and not imagine that we know what we need to speak to a certain kind of people. 

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JOHN 4:1-19. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

When Jesus heard the Pharisees heard that He baptised more people than John, He left Judea to Samaria.

Jesus knew that Pharisees will always be jealous and would definitely cause trouble. Since He could avoid it, He went away. In the same way we also must learn as the proverbs Says, the prudent sees danger and hides himself. Prov 22:3a.

Are you a Pharisee? Are you jealous of anyone who is better than you in any way? Jealousy is a mark of Pharisee; repent of it.

Jesus sat near a well, and His disciples went for lunch. 

We can learn also from Jesus that because He himself didn't plan to take lunch that day, He didn't force His disciples also not to take lunch because they were hungry, but allowed them to go for lunch. We also must learn to give freedom to others and when we decide to deny ourselves some things, we must not force others to do the same.

A Samaritan woman came and Jesus asked her to give Him water. The Samaritan woman asked her why Jesus asked her for water though she was a Samaritan and there was no dealings between Samaritans and Jews.

We learn here also that Jesus didn't allow the prejudices of His community or of where He was brought up with affect the way He related with others.

Do you allow the prejudices of where you've been brought up in affect the way you relate to others who are of the community that the prejudice is against? Learn from Jesus and follow Him.

Jesus said that if she knew the gift of God and was the one speaking to her, She would instead ask Him for living waters. Here we can see God's gifts in men. Unless God opens our eyes, you can miss out on God's blessings for many times they come in a way that you not expect. Oh, that God may open our eyes.

The woman asked what Jesus would draw the water with since He he had nothing. 

We see that this woman was sincere.

Jesus said the water He gave, one would never thirst again; but would become a spring of water springing up to eternal life.

We learn here that when you drink of the true waters from Jesus; all your other thirsts would disappear. You would find a satisfaction in Christ and you would not long for anything else. Jesus defined eternal life as Knowing God and Him. John 17:3. This longing would create a hunger in your heart would long to know more about Jesus and more about God. This hunger would continue in you leading you to a greater knowledge and relationship with Christ. It would be as dissatisfied Satisfaction. In other words, you are completely satisfied with Christ but you long for more of Him.

The woman asked for the water. She expressed her need. Jesus asked her to call her husband and she honestly acknowledged that she had none and Jesus said she had 5 husbands and she lived with another who was not hers. Jesus was looking for expression of her need honesty from this woman.

Jesus is the same today; if you want to have a relationship with Him, you must be sincere and honest about yourself, both your inner life and your private life, and you must express your need to Him. For example, going to Jesus and telling him, Lord I have been living in hypocrisy; the picture I potray of myself before others as a righteous man is not true. I am corrupt and filthy inside my heart. My private life is evil. Please save me from such a life. Change me and make it real in my inner and private life what I express to others in my outer life.

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JOHN 3:31-36. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

  

Jesus continued saying that He who is from above is above all but he who is of earth speaks of earth. This is why we need to seek God to lift our viewpoint that we may see things as Jesus sees them.

If God can lift our viewpoint, we would have a different set of priorities which are eternal, but unfortunately we are satisfied to see things from an earthly viewpoint. For example, you maybe insisting that you must have something earthly; and be very sad when you don't get; looking at that from a heavenly viewpoint, you will ask, when I get to heaven, and look back the time I was arguing about this, will I see that I was foolish in fighting for such a thing? If is in the situation right now, what would He do. If Jesus is physically present with me in the situation; how would I behave? What would be my priorities in life if Jesus walked physically with me everyday. How would your life change if Jesus lived physically in the same house as you and walked everywhere with you? Would it be a burden or a delight? 

Answering these questions honestly shows us how much earthly we are. We need our viewpoint to be lifted up.

Many didn't receive the testimony of Jesus, but those who received affirms that God is true. In other words God's bears witness in our spirits and we have an assurance that God is true.

Jesus spoke the words of God because He was given the Spirit without measure. In the same way, the more spirit-filled we are, the more of God's words we will speak. This is why we need to seek God everyday for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Don't be satisfied with the old filling, the car that was fuelled last year to the full tank right now is not depending on that oil. It must be refuelled constantly if it has to keep on going. In the same way, we must be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit if we are to keep on waking in the narrow way.

The Father loves the Son and has given all things to Him. Do you love Jesus? The prove according to this verse is that you will give your everything to Him. You will be absolutely surrendered to Him in everything otherwise you are deceiving yourself.

What is it that you have not surrendered completely to Jesus? Are you afraid that it will not be safe in His hands?

Have you given your plans, your ambitions, your longings, you time, your wealth and health, you every part of your body? Have you the attitude that Jesus can change anything you have or take it away. Does He have absolute right and authority over all your possessions. 

Does He control the way you use your tongue, your money, your time? Does He have a right over your interests and goals and ambitions and longing. Does He have a right over your eyes to tell you what to read and what not to read, what to watch on your phone or computer or television and what not to watch? Does He have a right over your thoughts and attitudes and motives, telling you what to think about and what not to think about? What your attitudes to different people and circumstances should be and the motives with which you do what you do? 

The absolute question to all this is, is Jesus the Lord of your life. This is the meaning of saying that Jesus is my Lord and saviour. Is He really the Lord of your life? You can start today. This absolute surrender will not be a strain as the devil will have you think but a life of constant peace and endless joy.

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Jesus concludes in saying that believing and obedience are two sides of the same coin. If one is lacking, you know your faith if fake if it has no obedience, and obedience is fake if it has not faith. You have to have both 

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JOHN 3:11-30. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus continued speaking to Nicodemus telling him that He spoke things He knew and testify of what He had seen. 

We can also follow Jesus here, in speaking things that we know. We many times speak things we don't know or rumours we've heard from others or things we assume and many times we are wrong. If we can eliminate assumptions from our speech and and hear-says, if we purify our speech from things God can use us in a more greater way.

What He spoke to Nicodemus was earthly things, and there were heavenly things. In other words, being born again is the first experience each of us need before we can know and experience heavenly things. It's impossible to know heavenly things without being born again.

Only Jesus ascended to heaven and descended from heaven. He also therefore can tell us about heaven and heavenly things. He calls himself the son of man; in other words, a normal human being. He was so much human for He was made like us in every way. Heb 2:17.

He must be lifted up just as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. 

For God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God did not come to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.

He who believes is not condemned but who who does not believe is condemned already.

The word believe is further explained 

Vs And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

From this verse we see that believing involves turning from sin.

Vs 36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

In this verse we see that believing and obedience are like two sides of a coin. Your faith is not genuine if it doesn't have obedience just like a coin is not genuine if it's not printed on both sides. Paul talks of obedience of faith. Rom 1:5, 16:26.

Is your faith genuine or counterfeit. NB. *Genuine faith leads you to forsake sin and obey God.*

Jesus continued with His disciples and were baptizing. John also baptised. John's disciples asked Him about Jesus because He also was baptizing and John replied that a man can receive nothing except He be given from heaven. 

Here we can learn from John not to compete with other fellow servants in the vineyards. If God calls you, He will give you those who will be blessed by your ministry. There is a lot of jealousy among many of God's servants simply because some have more gifts, but that should not be the case. Seek to know your place in the body of Christ and fulfill that function and be content with those whom the Lord gives you. God is looking for Faithfulness from you not numbers.

He added that a bridegrooms friend also rejoices. Learn to rejoice in others who are fulfilling a different ministry from yours if they are serving God. We are on the same team; we are kicking the ball towards the same goal and we have a common enemy; the devil. 

It is the devil who brings about fights and quarrels among Gods children so that they will be powerless to fight against him. 

NB. IF YOU USE YOUR ENERGY TO FIGHT WITH HUMAN BEINGS, YOU WILL BE WEAK TO FIGHT THE DEVIL. Preserve your energy to only fighting the devil.

John said that Christ must increase more and more, and He must be become less And less.

This should be the attitude of every child of God; to crucify our self-life that Christ may be seen in us. The more I die to myself, my way, my will, my ambitions, my desires to choose those of Christ, the more Christ will be seen in me. If I refuse to deny myself everyday, then I will be blocking Christ from being seen through me. 

It is as we walk the way of the cross that Christ is seen in us. We refuse to deny ourselves because we are proud and don't think much about Jesus. 2Cor 4:10

You are blessed to be a blessing 

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JOHN 3:1-10. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

A Jewish religious leader went to Jesus at night.

One thing we can learn from Jesus is that He never made people feel small but made others feel valued. People were more important to Him than His comfort. Nicodemus knew that if He woke Jesus from His sleep, Jesus would have time for him and listen to him. 

How do others think about you. Do you make them feel small and you a very important person who shouldn't be disturbed with prior notice? Learn from Jesus. Make people feel valued even if they don't have same beliefs. Nicodemus was a Jewish religious leader and it was they who always had conflicts. Jesus did not allow the differences He had with the religious leaders to form a prejudice on His side; otherwise He would not have helped Nicodemus. Do you have prejudices against people of a certain group or community or race? Do you allow what particular people said or did to you affect the way you relate to others in the same group? Learn from Jesus and discard all your prejudices.

Nicodemus acknowledged that Jesus was a teacher sent from God and that His miraculous signs proved that. 

Jesus instead of contributing to the topic, He changed the subject and told Nicodemus that He must be born again. That was more important than discussing about miracles, signs and wonders. 

Nicodemus being a religious leaders then, today the equivalent is a preacher or a pastor. One with a church pastoring. Jesus told pastor Nicodemus that He must be born again. Nicodemus didn't have a crew of what that meant. Even today, Jesus if He were here, He would preach the same message to most of the pastors. Many like Nicodemus have been carried away by miracles, signs and wonders as if that was the most important thing. So far, as we have been studying the message of the gospels, it's very clear that what Jesus preached is rarely preached today. What we hear mostly today is about health and wealth and breakthrough. 

The richest people in the world are not Christians.

The wealthiest people in the world are not Christians.

Has God failed? Has He blessed the children of this world more than His own children? Does Wealth and health a mark of God's approval? If yes, then God is unjust for having blessed the children of this world more than His. God is good both to the wicked and the righteous. Ps 145:9, Mat 5:45.

Pastor Nicodemus asked Jesus whether He should go to His mother's womb and be born again but Jesus replied that he must be born of the water and the spirit. The first birth is of the flesh and the second birth is of the Spirit. The natural birth is called here being born of water, and the second is referred to as being born of the Spirit.

One born of the Spirit is like wind blowing, we hear the sound but don't see where it's coming from. In other words, God leads those born again in different purposes for their lives.

Nicodemus wondered how that was possible.

This shows how one can be church leadership, and even be a pastor and never know the ways of God. Having a position in the church does not necessarily mean you are spiritual or that you know God. 

Are you born again? What makes you think you are? 

You must be born again.

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JOHN 2:1-25. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus with His disciples were invited to a wedding. The wine ran out and His mother told it to tHim and Jesus asked Him, Woman, how does that concern us? His mother left and said to the servants that whatever He told them, to do it. 

Here we learn that as Jesus waited until the wine ran, even today He waits until our run out of our strength in doing what we are doing for Him. He waits until we come to the end of ourselves. After we struggle in our own strength and fail Him numerously, He waits until we give up and realise that by our strength we cannot produce wine, that is, the life of God in us. God has to do it for us and our lives will be filled with divine wine; divine life which will be a blessing to all around us. 

We also learn that to go to Jesus through Mary is not a reliable way as some teach. It's better to go Jesus by ourselves and speak directly to Him. He didn't call her mother, but "Woman". This name must have shocked Mary to the core and left hurt by His Son, who at that time seemed to have disrespected me.

This being the first miracle teaches that God can change water, which is the natural nature of man to wine which is the divine life of God. Only Jesus can do that.

Have you given up trying to please God with your own strength and wisdom. Have you come to the end of your strength and wisdom or do you still need more failures to convince you that you cannot please God in your own strength?

Jesus later on went to the temple and found people selling sheep, oxen and doves.

He made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

This people were selling this things for the sacrifice offered by the people in the temple. It was to help those who came from far who need to offer sacrifice. People came with different currencies and there was only one type of currency accepted in the temple, and the money-changers came solve that problem; of course with a profit. Also, these people had permission from the chief priests and of course they must have been giving them some commission.

     All these reasons though acceptable to our natural mind could not convince Jesus. He made a whip and drove them all away. 

We may outwardly have good actions and be serving God but God is not convinced. He looks at the motives of why we do the good thing. No matter how good or how spiritual an action is, God will not accept it if the motives are evil. The aim of the businessman in the temple was to make profit. The church is is a place of making profits for yourself or gaining honour or some respect or to cover some sin; all your good actions are worthless and a burden to God. See Isaiah 1:11-19

Jesus businessmen in the temple were more in numbers and could have ganged up against Jesus but they didn't. Why, because Jesus lived a pure life that in the presence of Jesus all were convicted of their crimes. Desire to walk with Jesus in a more intimate relationship that wherever you are, His manifest presence will convict people of sin and bring them to a decision.

An intimate relationship with Christ that will bring God's manifest presence is God's will for you. Seek for it.

The zeal for God's house consumed Jesus. His house was to be a house of prayer but it turned out to a place of making profit. That disturbs Jesus even today.

We have to see things in a heavenly perspective. Ask God for a heart that will only be disturbed by the things that disturb Him and that will never be disturbed by things that don't disturb God. For example, if a song is sung out of tune, that doesn't disturb God but it disturbs many, but if there is hypocrisy in an individual, that disturbs God but not many people especially if one has a good reputation among them. Many have only one command to live by, "Thou shall not be caught".

He was asked the sign for cleaning the temple. He said His death and resurrection. Unfortunately we don't hear much about the death, and much more about the resurrection, yet it's the sign Jesus gave us. 

Many believed Jesus when they saw miracles but Jesus didn't entrust Himself to them.

We learn that though many claim to be Christians, Jesus have entrusted Himself to many and thus does not back them up.

Yes you claim to have believed and are born again, but, have Jesus entrusted Himself to you? Does He back you up?

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JOHN 1:29-51. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

John saw Jesus coming and said, Behold the lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.

John is a good example of a preacher who is always turning the attention of those who follow him to Jesus. His ministry did not lead people to admire him or their ministry but it drove people to Jesus Himself.

It's unfortunate that today most preachers lead people to admire them and their ministry and since God is a jealous God and will not share His glory with a human being, He withdraws His anointing from them and His presence.

John was faithfully fulfilling his ministry as Jesus came to Him. 

We also must be found faithful fulfilling the task God called us to before He manifests Himself in our lives.

BE YE FOUND FAITHFUL 

John was given a sign of recognising Jesus, and it was the Spirit descending on Him.

In the same way, God bears witness to those who are faithfully obeying Him in fulfilling their purpose. God doesn't bear witness to everyone one the same way, but in different ways as He decides.

Jesus was standing with His disciples and saw Jesus and said Behold the lamb of God and the two disciples left Him and followed Jesus.

John didn't get offended that two disciples left Him and followed Jesus.

It's a picture of a good preacher who preaches in such a way that those who listen to him will follow Jesus in their private lives.

It can be a picture also of a good preacher who when some followers join another church which can lead them to a higher life in their Christian walk, does not get offended.

It's unfortunate that preachers like John are rare in our generation. May God raise more of such quality.

Jesus went to them and saw where He stayed. One of them was Andrew, he went and brought Simon His brother to Jesus. 

A picture of a disciple who experiences the presence of Jesus and is not selfish but shares with others and invites others to come and experience the same life he himself have experienced.

Jesus changed the name of Simon to Peter. He changed the name of Saul to Paul in the book of Acts. He changes the names of people.

He didn't change the name of all but only of one. Even today He does.

The next day Jesus found Philip and said to Him, "Follow me".

This is a call to all the disciples. A disciple is a learner and a follower. Now we learn from Jesus in the scriptures and especially the gospels. In the areas we see how He lived, we consequently adjust our lives to follow Him in those areas. Following is a conscious act. You cannot follow what you don't see and that is why we need to have a constant cry in our hearts that God may open our eyes to see the how Jesus lived so that we can follow Him.

Philip alsa invited Nathaniel to Jesus, the Messiah. He asked, can anything good come out of Nazareth?

This was the reputation of Nazareth, that no good thing came from there. Even today, there many places and families with the same reputation. But God choses from such and brings our His best. Don't worry even if you have had a bad reputation in the past; God can change that and bring something good out of your life.

Jesus recommended appreciated Nathaniel that there was no hypocrisy in him. Can Jesus say that about you, that there is no hypocrisy in you? 

We also learn that Jesus was good in appreciating something good in others. The children of Adam are quick to spot something wrong with others and are quick to criticise. Learn from Jesus and don't be a fault-finder. Seek to see something good in others and appreciate that.

Nathaniel asked Jesus how He knew Him and said that He saw Him before Philip called Him under a tree.

Nathaniel called Him the Son of God and the king of Israel. Jesus told Him that He will see heavens opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of man.

Heavens open to when we recognise and acknowledge Jesus is the Son of God and is the king of kings. He is reigning over everything and we need not fear.

Its God will that you always be under open heavens. The heavens over you should not be closed or as brass. Don't be satisfied until you live under open heavens.

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JOHN 1:15-28. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

John testified that Jesus was in a higher rank than Him for He existed before Him.

We learn here that there are rankings in the spiritual realm. Not everyone is in the same level. Your ranking depends on how much you humble yourself and how much you overcome temptations, the devil and the world. The more on a higher rank you be, the more of eternal value will be accomplished through you. It's not about the numbers who follow you, but the quality of your life. It's quality not quantity that matters. COME UP HIGHER.

Of His fullness we have received all, grace upon grace. Paul prays in Eph 3:19, 4:13 that that we might be filled with the fullness of God and of Christ. 

This is God's will for us, to have the fulness of God upon us. It's not something that happens automatically. It depends on our capacity. Fullness of God is like an ocean, but if we have the capacity of a cup, it will be filled but it doesn't mean there is no more. Our capacity can then be increased to that of a jug and be filled. It can be increased further to a bucket, to 100liters tank and all can be filled. Don't be satisfied where you are. Seek to increase or enlarge your capacity. There is still more of the fulness of God you are yet to experience but the reason is that your capacity is limited. Our capacity is increased as we overcome temptations and humble ourselves. Seek therefore to overcome every temptation you face and always humble yourself wherever you are.

Moses gave the law but grace and truth were realised through Jesus.

Does it mean there was no truth before Jesus? God's word is the truth. Truth here means reality. Where your outer life is a real reflection of your inner life. There is no hypocrisy. If we see you humble on the outside, it's true in the inside also. If you are loving on the outside, it's true in the inside... Have you this truth. If we take a scan of your inside thoughts, attitudes and motives, will it be the same as we see you on the outside? Christ came to give us reality. Seek for it.

Grace also means God's power. Grace came through Jesus means that wherever grace is mentioned in the old testament, it means favour. The common definition of grace is God's unmerited favour; but since it came through Jesus Christ, that cannot be the definition of grace. Everyone in the old testament experienced a favour from God they didn't deserve. God gave health and wealth and children to good and bad people even today. They didn't deserve it but God gave it. 

Jesus on the other hand merited everything that God gave Him yet we are told that God's grace was upon Him. Lk 2:40.

God's grace isnot given to everyone but only to the humble . 1Pet 5:5

When we have Grace, we re enabled to overcome temptations. Rom 6:14, we are also taught to say no to ungodliness, and worldly desires. It teaches that in this present evil world, as evil as it is today, we can live soberly, righteously, and in a godly way as we wait for the coming of Christ. Titus 2:11-13.

God's grace gives us everything we ever need to do everything that God wants us to do, that is to do all of Gods will for our individual lives. 2Cor 9:8.

It's God's power in our weaknesses. 2Cor 12:9

No one has God. Jesus is the exact representation of God. When we look at the life of Jesus, we learn How God is in all aspects. It's grace that made Jesus represent God well, it is grace that will make you represent Christ well, but, always remember that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Jam 4:6

When John was asked who he was , he honestly acknowledged that he was not Christ, nor Elijah, nor a prophet. He was a voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare people for the coming of the Lord through His message of repentance. 

Many preachers are not a voice but an echo of what others said. They themselves have not sought God and heard from Him. God is always calling His people back to Him from their lives of sin. The true prophets calls people from their lives of sin to holiness but the false prophets comfort people in their sin, from the old testament times til today.

They asked why John baptised and He said there was one greater than Him who he was not worthy to even untie his sandles. 

We see here true humility and realise how proud we are.

How have you been serving God.

Do you have a deep conviction that you are not worthy to serve God even in the least thing for Him. Most of us feel pretty worthy to serve God and that is why there is not much progress in the spiritual lives of the majority of those who serve God.

Ask God to open your eyes and show you that you are not even worthy to do the least for Him. 

It doesn't mean we'll do nothing. John continued preaching and baptizing.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

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JOHN 1:1-14. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

In the beginning was the word who was with God from the beginning and was God. God created w everything through Him. In Him was life and that life was the light of men.

We learn that Jesus is God, and is the second person of the trinity and He created everything.

His life was the light of men. How Jesus lived was the light of men. 

If we are to be the light to others, we must allow the life of Jesus to be made manifest through us. The more the life of Jesus we partake of and manifest it in our daily contacts, the more light we'll have to guide others. 

How much does the life of Christ flow through you at home and at the place of work? How do you react to situations? How do treat others? How do you speak during the day? Is there an aspect of Christ that others see in you or does they see the nature of Adam which easily gets offended and angry and speaks rudely and is critical and quick to judge others?

Seek God to partake more of the nature of Christ in your personal life.

The light shone in the darkness and darkness could not extinguish or overcome it. 

Can someone extinguish the life of Christ in you? Does someone doing or speaking evil to you or about you extinguish the life of Christ in you? Do you speak evil of others because someone offended you? Can you imagine what would happen if Jesus allowed the light in Him to be extinguished by the forces of evil around Him? There would be no salvation for the world.

Follow Jesus. Don't allow the darkness around you overcome the life of Christ in you. Overcome evil be doing good. Rom 12:21

There was a man sent from God. 

We see that whenever God wants to do something, He always sends a man. It's unfortunate today that we have many who claim to have been sent from God but God never sent them. The primary characteristic of those sent from God is that they are always seeking to lead you to God and not to get you attached to them.

One servant said once to His congregation, I suppose it was John Wesley, that if you disobeyed Him, you have not sinned, but if you disobey God and the scriptures, you have sinned. True servants will not lead you to be attached to them but to lead you to be attached to Christ. They are like the torch that clearly shows you the way but the hand that holds the light is scarcely seen. They are like sweet music people enjoy and the singer is scarcely seen. They always seek to show Christ clearly and disappear.

Jesus came to the world and they never recognised Him. His own rejected Him.

Unless God opens our eyes, we will not see Christ and we'll remain in darkness all our lives. Seek God that your eyes maybe opened.

As many believed Him, He gave them right to be the children of God. They were not born of the will of flesh or blood but of the will of God. 

We learn here that is not us who choose God but it is God who chooses us.

Jesus took of human flesh and tabernacled amongst us. We saw His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and truth.

We see here the glory of God is not flashes of light as we always assume. It is the character of God revealed in Christ.

When Moses asked God to show Him His glory, God showed Him His character. Ex 33:18-19, 34:5-8. Goodness, compassion, merciful, long-suffering....

The glory of God is His character revealed in Christ. Christlikeness is the glory of God; full of grace and truth. 

The Holy Spirit shows us the glory of Christ in the scriptures and then transforms us into the same image from glory to glory. 2Cor 3:18. 

If we are constantly seeing the glory of Christ in His word, transformation is being done inwardly by the Holy Spirit in our lives and we are becoming more Christlike each year in our speech, in our actions, in our motives and attitudes, in our thoughts, in our complete surrender to God. 

If you are not more Christlike now more than one year ago, you have wasted this year; but thank God He is a God of another chance. You can start today. Long to see the glory of Christ in the scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to transform you inwardly. If you have this attitude, by the end of one year you will have made more spiritual progress more than you have made so far.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

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