October 2020 – Page 2

15.z. “For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness”

John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Matthew 12:41   The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.  “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.  Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.  Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

2 Timothy 4:10    For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me

Hebrews 10:38   but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

2 Peter 2:20-22    For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.  What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

The Son of God was in their presence. He spoke wisdom greater than the wisdom of Solomon and preached greater than the preaching of Jonah. There were in His presence and many rejected Him. In 2 Peter he says; “it would be better for those who did not know the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back.” Jesus said, “the last state of that person is worse than the first.” When a person who knows the message of the Gospel and is aware of eternal life through it, and then chooses to reject it, then falls away or is drawn away by worldly passions and pleasures, what is it that so easily pulls them away from Jesus Christ? How does a person who has tasted what the blessings of forgiveness are and then comes to reject the forgiver? There are many things that come to mind. Pleasures and things of this world devour the light of Jesus Christ. They choose to become blind and deaf to things of God but open their ears and eyes to things of this world. They choose to believe a lie rather than the truth of the Gospel.

The day of salvation is now. If you hear His voice speaking to your heart and soul, do not reject Him. Let Him in. Hunger and thirst for Him. A time is coming when the offer of salvation in the presence of the Holy Spirit will cease. Rejecting it now means you reject eternal life and choose to go to eternal damnation and torment, hell. You may not ever get another chance. There are many who say they will choose to believe but sometime later in their lives. We are not guaranteed a single day in the future. Think about all of the people who die each day from a host of various accidents. I am sure they would have said, “if I had only known today was my last day I would have come to Jesus Christ.” The “day of salvation is now”, do not reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ a single moment longer.

15.y. “No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

John 6:65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

John 10:16    And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Ephesians 2:8-9    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Titus 3:3-7     For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,  he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

James 1:16-18    Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Raising children we often encourage them to try something on their own. We teach them to walk without us holding onto their hand, we teach them to ride a bike without training wheels, we teach them how to drive so they can drive on their own, we teach them how to eat, use the bathroom, read, work, help others, etc…… While raising them up we encourage their independence from things that hinder their full development or function. We take them from new-born to adulthood and hopefully, we have helped them become a person who knows their limits, knows when to ask for help, and when not to be afraid to take on something new. I am afraid that when we teach this independence without God’s Word they will grow in self-reliance and independence and will harden their hearts, close their eyes, and become deaf to the calling of God. When He calls upon them, will they see the need for salvation and forgiveness of sin? Will they see Jesus Christ as redeemer savior? Will they hear God’s calling, repent, turn away from their sinful nature, and believe? It is so hard for us to understand how God is able to give us free will to choose and, at the same time, draw us to Himself. But draw us He does. He knocks at the door to our heart and soul. He makes Jesus known to us. He reveals His holiness and majesty. He makes us aware of His love. And in all of this, some are drawn to Him and some turn away. There are consequences. There is eternal life for those who are drawn to Him and eternal damnation to those who reject His calling. Independence and free will result in a choice for one or the other.

15.x. “This is the bread that comes down from heaven”

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:48-58 I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Isaiah 55:1-3 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant

“I am the bread of life”, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out”, “I am the living bread”, Jesus is both living water and living bread. In other words He will satisfy Christ and hunger of the soul of all who come to Him. Spurgeon said, “ coming is a very simple action indeed; it seems to have only two things about it, one is, to come away from something, and the other is, to come to something.” What are we to come away from? Unbelief, worldliness, sinfulness, greed, pride, self-reliance, fear, worry, and self-satisfaction are all aspects of life we are to turn away from and repent of, and come to Jesus Christ. I guess I see that the coming part seems easy for some, it is the staying that is hard for them. They come but do not stay. It is as if they don’t like the taste of the Bread of Life and more. Be mindful that there are many things in our culture that will pull you away from being a humble servant, honoring, glorifying, following, worshiping, and obeying Jesus Christ. It does us well to keep a thirst and hunger for God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading in our life. Come and stay at the table and eat and drink God’s Word each day.

15.w. “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

John 6:22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Deuteronomy 5:27    Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say, and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’

Jeremiah 42:3-6    Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us.  Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”

Micah 6:7-8    Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Acts 2:37    Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Acts 16:30    Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Those who questioned Jesus seemed sure that if only Jesus told them what to do, they could please God by their works of God. For these people, as with many people today, pleasing God is found in the right formula for performing works that will please God. The sense behind their question seemed to be, “Just tell us what to do so we can get what we want from You. We want Your miracle bread and for You to be our Miracle King; tell us what to do to get it.” If we want to do the work of God, it begins with trusting Jesus. The first work is to believe in Jesus whom God sent. This is first. Some people stop with this. They say they believe but, beyond these words is nothing to indicate any kind of change in their lives. They seem to forget “obedience”. Belief/faith/trust is the foundation for works that are done for the sole purpose to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Without faith in Jesus Christ first, our works turn into what we trust to be right with God. Our works easily become our false sense of security. Our works are not out of obedience but rather out of self-reliance. No work of ours will wash away our sins. No work of ours will remove the stain of sin. No work of ours will result in eternal life. No work of ours will give lasting peace, joy, and refuge.

Robert Lowry got it right. This is from the hymn he wrote.

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

15.v. “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Deuteronomy 18:15-18 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

Acts 3:22-24 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.

This crowd was willing to support Jesus so long as He gave them what they wanted – bread. It’s easy to criticize how the crowd loved Jesus for the bread He gave them, but we often only love Jesus for what He gives us. We must also love and obey Him simply for who He is – Lord and God. They saw an opportunity through Jesus. imagine five thousand people show up at a park, who are hungry and you want to feed them. Even if you had the means how long would it take to arrange this and supply food for the people? Jesus did this immediately. They saw the miracle He had just performed feeding so many. If He was able to do this, He is a “Prophet from God” and we should make Him King. They wanted to make Him king so that their lives would no longer be subjected to Roman rule. They possibly thought that they would never have to work for food again. He would supply it just like God had supplied mana and quail in the wilderness. It is also possible that they thought if He was able to do this then making Him King would surely make their life much easier and less harsh. They would honor Him for what they could get from Him and not for who He was.

It is the same throughout history. There are shallow commitments to Jesus Christ because He is seen as a supplier of worldly stuff to satisfy the flesh rather than the Holy Redeemer and overflowing satisfier of the soul. It is right to come to Jesus in full surrender and live to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, follow, trust, and obey Him. Out of this commitment deep within our soul, we can come to Him with a purity of heart for our earthly needs. In this purity, our requests leave room for the perfect will of God in complete trust of His everlasting love for us.

15.u. “And many followed him, and he healed them all”

John 6:1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

Matthew 4:24-25    So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.  And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Matthew 12:15    Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all

Matthew 15:30-31    And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them,  so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Fame spread and large crowds, great crowds, and many followed Jesus. The fame of His healing the sick, healing those possessed by demons, healing the blind, mute, and lame all pointed to Jesus being who the prophets spoke of hundreds of years before. Can’t you hear what people were saying? He healed my blind son, He cast the demon out of my brother, He healed my paralyzed friend, My dad can hear again, my daughter is no longer sick……. and the word spread about Jesus. Signs and wonders were all given out of grace and mercy but they were also given to show that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Many glorified God because of the miracles that Jesus did. Don’t you wonder how many came to the knowledge and understanding of the Gospel after Jesus was crucified? Do you wonder how many hearts were broken when He was hung up on the cross? How hard would that have been to see the very man who healed you or a friend or a family member being beaten, whipped, and hung on a cross? Wouldn’t your heartache? Wouldn’t you have questions? Wouldn’t you say this is all wrong? You have to know there were those in the crowds who doubted Jesus Christ even though they saw what He did. People today are healed still today but I would have to say that there is more doubt than ever before in the history of mankind. Jesus Christ is still the same though we have changed and thoughts about Him have dwindled. Our culture shouts out that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are nothing more than fairytales or man-made stories of weak men. In their hardened hearts they have set their path straight to eternity in hell. In their wisdom, they deny signs, wonders, and miracles that have been recorded for us so that our faith in Jesus Christ would continue to grow and we would forever continue to give glory to God.

15.t. “While no one understands”

Phillipians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Isaiah 57:1-2 The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace.

Philippians 2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,

2 Corinthians 5:8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Dilemmas: we face them just about every hour of every day. What is a dilemma? A dilemma is usually defined as a situation involving a choice between equally unsatisfactory alternatives.

Sometimes the dilemmas we face are not between two unsatisfactory choices. It might be between the known and the unknown. Do I keep my present job, or do I take that new position in a different city? Sometimes our dilemmas involve two equally satisfactory choices. Do I take the pecan pie or the chocolate pie? Sometimes our dilemmas involve choices that are very important. Do I forgive my child one more time, or do I ask him or her to move out? But, at some point, we will face death. Like it or not we will come face to face with it. Now here is the dilemma; Do I make the choice, now, for heaven “Believing and Trusting in Jesus Christ”, or do I give no thought about heaven and hell and take the consequence of hell because I chose not to believe and trust in Jesus Christ while I was alive. Heaven and hell should not even be a dilemma, but sadly it is. Too many people choose to deny Christ and would rather live to satisfy themselves rather than living for Jesus Christ.

What is your purpose in life? What have you chosen? Have you chosen Heaven through Jesus Christ or hell through Satan and self-reliance? Your purpose in life determines how you will act, think, speak, and live. Remember, there is no choice after death. None of us know the minute, hour, day, week, month, or year when we will die. Heaven or hell both are eager to welcome you. One to eternal life and the other to eternal damnation.

15.s. “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?””

ohn 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Romans 2:17-29 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness0 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Jesus did not call these religious leaders to a new or a different faith. He called them to believe what Moses, what the Scriptures, what His works, what John the Baptist each testified about Jesus: that He is the Messiah, the Son of God and God the Son. If they refused to believe this overwhelming testimony, it was unlikely they would believe Jesus’ own words. It is hard in this flesh to rely on faith. We always seem to want to add something to it to make ourselves more right with God. The fact remains though, that faith alone in Jesus is what makes us right before God. In and through faith in Him we have been cleansed from our sin. We have been born again. We are a child of God. There is nothing we could have done to earn this adoption into His family. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we have been brought from death to life. In this new life, our works should bring honor, glory, and praise to Jesus Christ. In this new life, our actions and words should be directing people to give glory, honor, and praise to Jesus. In this new life, we find purpose and satisfaction in humbly serving and honoring Jesus Christ. In this new life, obedience is not an obligation but rather a desire. In this new life, we seek to know and do His perfect will. In this new life, our trust and reliance never stop growing, “UNLESS” neglect and complacency have found root in our hearts and minds.

15.r. “The very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me”

John 5:31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

Jesus speaks of three trustworthy witnesses who will testify that He is equal to the Father. Jesus found it important to give them a reason to believe beyond what He said about Himself. The Jewish leaders somewhat accepted the work of John the Baptist. “He said that John was the lamp which burns and shines.” The light John gave off had the function to guide and point men toward repentance and to God. These Jewish leaders were familiar with a coming Messiah and they expected Him to deliver them out of the hands of their oppressors, the Romans. Jesus spoke of spiritual deliverance of infinitely greater importance and they rejected it. The light should expose that which was once dark. It should reveal that which cannot be seen in the dark. They obviously saw the light but immediately closed their eyes to it because what it exposed was not what hey wanted or perceived needed to be exposed.

Jesus tells them that they rejected John but there is another witness, the very works that He was doing. This too is a light shining bright in the miracle of healing the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. This miracle done for a needy person out of compassion and mercy was not what they were looking for. Their hearts and minds were set on military and political deliverer. They obviously saw this light but immediately closed their eyes to it because what was exposed was not what they wanted or perceived needed to be exposed.

Jesus tells them that God the Father testifies of Him. Jesus Tells them they never saw God or audibly heard Him, but they had His Word. If His Word was abiding in them they would have believed in Jesus. They searched scriptures but searched them with a heart, mind, and soul closed to what it said. They had all the testimony one could have. “Spurgeon,” said; “Jesus made it clear that having life is found in fulfilling the command “come to Me.” “Christ is a person, a living person, full of power to save. He has not placed his salvation in sacraments, or books, or priests, but he has kept it in himself; and if you want to have it you must come to him.” The rejection of Jesus will leave the mind and soul open to deception, lies, and delusion. “Clarke,” said; “The grand obstacle to the salvation of the scribes and Pharisees was their pride, vanity, and self-love. They lived on each other’s praise. If they had acknowledged Christ as the only teacher, they must have given up the good opinion of the multitude; and they chose rather to lose their souls than to forfeit their reputation among men!” It is a very dangerous oneway road to Hell to seek honor and approval of man where the eyes become blind and the ears become deaf to things of God, rather than living to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ.

15.q. From Pathway to Victory

Hebrews 3:19  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Jude 1:5  Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

1 John 5:10  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

2Thessalonians 2:10  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

In the Bible, unbelief is more than simply failing to believe God’s promises. Unbelief is the deliberate decision to reject God’s revelation.

The writer of Hebrews offered this commentary on the Israelites’ sin in the wilderness. In Hebrews 3:18-19, he wrote, “To whom did [God] swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.” And he made this application in Hebrews 3:12: “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” The adult Israelites chose to reject the revelation that God had given to them. The writer also quoted Psalm 95: “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, and saw My works for forty years” (Hebrews 3:7-9). For forty years the Israelites had seen God’s miraculous care for them. The adult Israelites had seen God send the plagues that changed Pharaoh’s heart and caused him to let the people go. They had witnessed the miraculous parting of the Red Sea. They had experienced God’s supernatural provision of manna and water. Yet they deliberately rejected the knowledge of God they had received and His promise of deliverance. Therefore, they were without excuse.