THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

newflady.....your post is annointed. Just more proof of God's Word residing in believers.

AMEN!!!! Thank you Jesus!

 

Kim,
You are sweet to say that but as you have shared I find in my weakness He is strong. And like the Apostle Paul says, i will boast in my weaknesses to show Gods strength. I just plain and simple love Jesus and am so appreciative of all God has done to bring me to himself......This Christmas we are doing without like so many around the world, I have realized what is really important, not posessitions but God's gift of His Son. Who gave up all the majesty of Heaven to be the King of my heart, he suffered in my place and then gave me his spirit as a down payment that he would come back and pick up(got cars on the brain...lol) what he has already paid for......again all I can say is Amazing!!!!

 

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

“I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;"

These are two statements of Jesus that jump off the page for me. Recently, Holly, responding to certain comments, asked me about relative truth, essentially wanting to know why God wouldn't have set it up that each of us lives out the truth that comes to us, and therefore all truth is relative to the observer. I gave my answer to that and I will not regurgitate it here. But it is statements like the first above in the Gospel of John that do not allow the Christian to contemplate that truth can be relative. According to Jesus, shortly thereafter the time in question, the 'Spirit of Truth' would come as a Helper Who would abide with us and in us. He refers of course to the Holy Spirit. This Spirit of Truth, comes to reside in us, and becomes an increasingly larger portion of who we are. The concept of 'truth' is very important here. Truth is incontrovertable. Truth is consistent. Truth is indefeatable. Truth is a rock, a diamond of a rock in fact. Truth is perfect, the most perfect diamond. There is absolutely not the smidgeon of falsehood or imperfection in the truth Jesus refers to here. And because truth is perfect, devoid of falsehood, it can only come from a source of perfection, one Who only deals with truth and cannot lie. That source can only be God. So all Truth comes from God. Truth derives from God's Will. Whatever is God's Will is Truth.

When the Christian is born again, then as Jesus tells us above, the Spirit of Truth comes to be with us and in fact 'in' us. That Spirit is our Helper, our edifier, our teacher. [I am trying to explain to those who are not born again exactly what that means.] When we ask and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, Jesus, being True to His Word, is committed in covenent to send the Spirit of Truth to be with us and reside in us, becoming part of us, part of our own spirit. Jesus, being Truth and Light, really has no choice here. Jesus is Truth; Jesus is perfect. So if Jesus told us that He will send the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, to inhabit our souls, He will do that. To not do that would make Jesus less than Truthful, imperfect, yes Satanic. So it is automatic, that is, as long as when we ask, we speak truthfully, from our heart of hearts.

The scriptures tell us that we must 'worship in Spirit and in Truth.' That scripture is all about the same thing. We cannot worship falsely, without our whole spirit. To worship falsely is not to worship at all. And we must worship in Spirit. The Holy Spirit Who comes to dwell with us in our souls is the conduit to God. He is the 'electric cord' that connects our thoughts and intentions to God. When we pray with a true heart, true Spirit, God hears and sends His answers via the same Spirit, the same electric cord. In the soul inhabited by the Holy Spirit, Truth meets Truth. We speak to God in Truth; He answers in Truth. And all this occurs via the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth Jesus referred to.

The Holy Spirit will deny access of falsehood to God. Falsehood cannot fit into the conduit. Falsehood is like placing a square peg in a round hole; it won't go. So if we ever talk to God out of insincerity, He does not hear it. We may as well be talking to the wall. If we ever talk to God out of an ungodly spirit, God will not respond. This is why when we talk to God, first we must clear our minds of this world, anything worldly that might cloud our intentions. We cannot, for example, pray to win the lottery and have God act on it. No, in fact, if that is our prayer, Satan is the only one who will hear it. That is because of the second truth I cited above, Satan is the 'ruler of the world.' Satan has a spirit also. If we ask for Satan's spirit to inhabit us, that gives him permission, and permission is all he needs. Satan is very polite that way. We have to ask first. There is a certain propriety in the spirit world. Spirits play by established rules. Those rules allow man to have absolute free will. A spirit cannot come in where a spirit is not welcome. But once welcomed, that spirit is likely to overwhelm any 'once born' spirit in our souls. Let's develop that point.

The scriptures tell us that flesh begets flesh and spirit begets spirit. So as flesh is begotten, born, spirit is begotten, born, that is, 'first born.' This is the spirit of our soul at birth. That spirit has certain innate tendencies. While it is to a certain degree compassionate and charitable, it is also to a certain degree selfish. That first born spirit, inhabiting one's soul at birth, is given absolute free will to guide the flesh as it will. It has a choice to follow truth, or follow falsehood. That choice is given every waking moment of every day. So at any time, we can choose to follow either. But here is what happens; when we follow falsehood we begin to weave a web of deception. I have said this numerous times, that only truth is consistent. All else is inconsistent. All else is false. That is why my litmus test on various religions and worldly philosophies is consistency. And once one's doctrine is inconsistent, then in order to support it one must fabricate more falsehoods. One must build a web of deceit to support one falsehood. So when I question an individual's personal truth, and I discover that in order for this person's truth to really be true, it can only be true relative to his or her vantage point, thus becoming anything but absolute truth, then I know it is not true and therefore is not of God. And if it is not if God, the scriptures tell us that it can only be of Satan. Any false witness we express, underwritten by the intention to deceive, is of Satan. I do not believe that white lies are of Satan. I do not believe that even if you don't like someone's dress you cannot tell her how good she looks. No, that is not a lie. That is because a real lie is underwritten by a certain intention, an intention to deceive and benefit from it. So we have all lied. We have all intentionally deceived others in order to derive certain perceived worldly benefit. That worldliness derives from the fact that Satan is the 'ruler of the world.' So to the extent that we follow worldly ways, one of which is to deceive for worldly gain, we follow Satan.

Jesus tells us that in order to enter the Kingdom of God the Father, a 'first born' spirit can and must be 'born again.' The born again spirit is one who has asked and received the Holy Spirit as his Helper, Edifier, Teacher, Leader. This Holy Spirit, once indwelling in one's soul, changes one's innate tendencies. It does not happen over night. It builds. Just like a life built upon falsehood builds a web of deceit to support the falsehood, a life built on Truth builds a foundation of Truth to support it. That foundation is not present prior to the born again experience. But once one asks to be born again, something changes in one's personality. And I might add, that for me that also meant being obedient to God's Word in that I became baptised. Something about that experience, that I pursued it volutarily; it was cold and uncomfortable, not pleasant at all, yet I did it anyway, something about that obedience just stays with me. I did not do it because I was told to or expected to. I did it as a voluntary act of submission to God. That is what He said to do, so I did it. I obeyed. I do not believe that I would have received the dose of Holy Spirit I have without having done that. Something changed in my personality, as a result. It is like taking a marriage vow. It is ceremonial, yet spiritually meaningful, spiritually fulfilling. It begins a completing of the spirit. Because this is my experience, this is why I believe that it is no doubt best that if one is going to ask for God's Spirit to in dwell, one must as evidence of one's heart be ready to immediately take a step of faith by submitting to baptism by water as the scriptures say. That is just my opinion, but my opinion, born of my experience, is also underwritten by the scriptures.

So where I am going with this is to let people who have never been born again, never been baptised, never felt that urge, to know that it is real; it is something that changes your life. It changes the way you think about others. It changes the way you act, the way you receive criticism, the way you urge others. It gives you strength when there might be no worldly reason for strength. That strength is evidence of God's grace. God's grace is given to him who is born again. When we suffer through bad times, the worldly side of us wants to shake our faith. But through prayer, again, communicating with God in Truth and in Spirit, our faith is restored. And after the hardship has subsided, and we find that we lived through it, our faith builds. AND THAT IS WHAT GOD IS AFTER! OUR FAITH! That is all He wants, our faith in Him. We are made in His image. It occurs to me then that if we can be lonely, so can God. So if nobody ever talks to God, He is as lonely, lonlier, than we might feel walking into the first grade classroom all by ourselves for the first day of class. Remember how lonely that was? Well just imagine what 'perfect lonliness' might be like. Because that is the feeling God would have if He were never spoken to. That is the feeling that God would have if His ultimate creation, man, created in His image, rejected Him. That is exactly how He would feel. God is in a different realm than we are. It is unavoidable because we are not perfect. Imperfection cannot enter His realm. Through our faith in God, we become perfect in His eyes. Through our faith in God, God builds Himself inside of us. The more and more that foundation of Truth builds, the more perfect we become. But even though we will never be perfect in a legalistic way, out of His own Truth, His covenent with Man through Jesus Christ, all our sin, our imperfection, our darkness, is washed clean when we are born again and we are perfected in the eyes of God, the only eyes that matter. Faith is the key. And we exhibit faith by an obedient heart.

This is what these scriptures mean to me and I thought I would pass this on this morning.

All have a wonderful God-filled day.

Hank

 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12 and SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13
JOHN 15

Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.


Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
“You are My friends if you do what I command you.
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
“This I command you, that you love one another.
Disciples’ Relation to the World
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
“He who hates Me hates My Father also.
“If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
“But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

 

What a miracle to be a branch in the Kingdom with Jesus sustaining us with His life.....eternal life.

 

Disciples’ Relation to the World

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
“He who hates Me hates My Father also.
“If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
“But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

In the above passages, count the number of times Jesus uses the term, "hate." He says, "They hated me without a cause." Now I will direct this to both non-Christians and Christians, and I include myself in these comments. At first glance, it does surprise me the extent to which Jesus Christ, a perfectly peaceful individual, and His followers, normally peaceful, throughout history have been dealt with through animosity. And because Christians are fallible humans as well, that animosity gets reflected. So everyone is at fault, yours truly included. We have seen it all over the world, ever since Jesus came onto the scene. But why the animosity in the first place? From a Christian perspective, I believe it comes from one of Jesus' statements above. He says, "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." He goes on to say, "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well." So there it is, the source of all this animosity, at least according to Jesus Christ. The forebearance of one's own sin, one's own disobedience of God's Word, is the source of animosity toward God and those who follow God. Therefore, the personal intention that one is one's own authority for this life, that one possesses complete sovereignty over one's own actions, and is therefore accountable to no one higher, except as one agrees, as in the laws of man established by man, is the source of animosity, hatred, toward that higher power, One Who requires that man submit to His authority. And that is the same source of animosity between followers of God and followers of man. It is a power struggle.

According to Jesus Christ, those who refuse to submit to God display certain hatred of God. Those people are, as Jesus says, "of the World." Those people therefore carry hatred, animosity, toward power that is not, "of the World." Jesus tells us in the previous scriptures that "the World" has a ruler. That ruler is Satan, and Jesus tells us that he "is not in me." So the power struggle to which I refer, even here on the forum at times, is not between and among men. Again, I speak from the Christian perspective; I respect all disagreements here. No, Paul confirms this 'point blank' speaking to the Ephesians in 6:12, when he writes, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." So doesn't that really help to clarify a few things? Even if you are a non-believer, understanding what I write here may help you to understand where the Christian comes from when he or she speaks of salvation through Jesus Christ. All of this strife between Christians and non-Christians is not strictly "of this world," or so Christians believe. This is as Paul wrote, spiritual warfare "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

According to the Bible, there are two realms, the seen and unseen. In the unseen realm, the heavenly realm (note little 'h'), there are spiritual forces of evil. Those forces are always at work behind the scenes influencing us as we give them the ability, and therefore the authority, to deny Heavenly authority (note big "H"), God's authority, and submit only to ourselves, or to what we believe is ourselves, on this earth. But when we do that, what we do not automatically understand is that submitting to ourselves and to the manner in which we ourselves personally prefer to interact in and among worldly influences, is really submission to that influence that denies the authority of God. And that influence is Satan. So anytime we submit to anything other than God in His Heavenly realm (note big "H"), we submit to Satan; we carry out Satan's work, Satan's wishes, Satan's plan. And the really sinister part is that Satan let's us believe that we, ourselves, are in control. So Satan is laughing the whole time behind our backs. When we follow only ourselves, in essence we follow Satan. Satan is empowered. Satan is given authority over us. That is the only way Satan is empowered or authorized. Other than that, Satan is nothing, dead, which incidentally, according to the scriptures, at the final call he will truly become.

This goes back to Truth with a capital "T" versus falsehood. If one understands what I am trying to convey here, then one understands that Satan is all about falsehood, trickery, fraud. That is why the Bible speaks so much about Truth and the "Spirit of Truth." The Holy Spirit indwelling in one's soul works to enlighten the believer in what is Truth, discerning and exposing falsehood in the process. This is why I am so hepped up on the subject of Truth. This is why I write about these things here. And I want both believers and non-believers to know this. The Truth is not just to be held tightly. No, Truth is to be broadcast to all who might receive it. So I give full disclosure here, or at least try to. I want those who disagree with me, and/or with Christians in general, to at least understand their friendly adversaries in these discussions. That is because understanding brings cooperation. Cooperation brings trust; and trust fosters more understanding. Ultimately, if we all understand each other, we trust each other and can discuss these things without animosity, without hatred, as Jesus calls it. Now please, I do not present that anyone here 'hates' anyone else. But in the Christian lexicon, anything but pure love is a form of hatred. Christianity is a belief is absolutism, very few shade of gray if any. So that is the meaning and manner in which I use the term.

Finally, just to further full-disclosure and understanding, for those who are non-believers, understanding what Jesus tells His disciples above ought to at least help you to understand why your Christian friends seem as adamant as they might about all those things Christian. They don't do it for themselves. They sincerely believe that they do it for you, for God, for Jesus Christ, and that the Holy Spirit is guiding their thoughts and actions. That is not about who's got the best belief system. That is about spreading the Good News. That is what Jesus commanded His disciples to do, and for doing so, Jesus warned them that they would be hated. So when animosity comes to the Christian, hey, it's just in a day's work for the Lord. That is the way Christians look at it, or at least ought to. And we all, yes, myself included, need to stay on top of maintaining a Christian attitude, not only among Christians, but also among those who have not yet become Christian.

I hope everyone has a great day!

 

The Vinedresser, Vine and Branches, is a clear picture of the Holy Trinity, All in one, One in all, Jesus said He is the Vine and we are the branches, and we bear fruit, (worship Him), of course you cannot bear fruit if you are not a believer, born again Christian,,a nonbeliever is not attached to the Vine, and as Jesus says without Me you can do nothing,,,but if we are attached to the Vine, then we can grow and mature as Christians, and become more and more like Him everyday,,,Jesus has left us a great example to follow, LOVE,,Jesus loved us so much He gave His life for us,,We to must love one another, we pass that gift on to others, whether they believe in Jesus or not, Christmas is a great time to show that Love, to show that we are a part of the Garden of God...

 

I thought this might be a problem, the use of the term "hate." I received a PM concerning the definition of this term, detailing that this person does not 'hate' anyone, not Jesus, not God, no one. So I would like to expand on this. Try to think of this term as meaning anything but pure, heartfelt, embracing love. Like I said, Chritianity is all about absolutes. Jesus said that either you are 'for me or against me.' There is no middle ground. So those who are not 'for Him,' which requires positive affirmation, are 'against Him.' And anyone Who is not for Jesus, who does not embrace what Jesus tells us in His Word, rejects Jesus, rejects the Word of God. That rejection, in absolute terms, is a form of hatred, disdain, contempt. Similarly, regardless of magnitude, sin is sin. So just the most insignificant lie in order to achieve worldly gain separates us from God as much as the most heinous crime. Since God is perfect, it can only be that way.

God wills us all to come to Him. God has rejected no one. But it is up to us to embrace God as well. We do that purely through willful obedience. But to be obedient, we must first have an obedient heart. We must want to obey. Jesus asked His disciples if they loved Him. They answered, "Yes, of course, Lord." So what did Jesus say after that? "Then obey my commandments." That's it. We demonstrate our love for God by obeying Jesus' commandments, the greatest being to love God with all our hearts and to love others as ourselves. That is the primary commandment that Jesus tells us to obey. Well, to do that we must put any worldly concerns of ours down the list. Those who place worldly concerns above love of God and others, and that is all of us by the way, demonstrate contempt for the greatest commandment. It's like contempt of court. Someone put before the judge in his court may not think that he hates the judge or the judges court; but if he disobeys the judge or a court order, then he is guilty of contempt of court, hatred of the judge and the judge's court. This is very similar. When we disobey God in His court, we demonstrate contempt for God, hatred of God. This is what Jesus is talking about. And that kind of contempt, can easily magnify into animosity. Animosity is another form, a further demonstration, of contempt, of hatred.

So what does all this mean in the context Jesus uses above in the Book of John. There He tells His disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you." Try to understand it if said this way, "If the world rejects you, you know that it has rejected Me before it rejected you. If you were of the world, the world would embrace its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world rejects you." Maybe that is a way to better understand. In God's world of absolutes, rejection of God is rejection of God's primary commandment, which is disobedience, which is sin, which demonstrates contempt for the commandment and for God Himself. That is the way this should be interpreted.

Bringing this home, I hope, Jesus tells His disciples that they will be rejected by the world, and to expect it. After all, the world rejected Him. That sets their expectations. But just like there is rejection of Jesus and His disciples, at times that rejection will escalate to true animosity as well. Look at what the world did to Jesus, a perfectly peaceful individual. Not only did the world reject Him; but that rejection escalated and it crucifed Him, the ultimate rejection, the highest degree of contempt and hatred. Many of the original disciples received the same fate. But it all begins with rejection. Hatred begins with rejection. That is how the Word of God defines these terms. So when a follower of Jesus Christ initiates a conversation with us to share the Word of God, how many times do we simply reject that Word, in so doing demonstrating contempt for it? And I speak to all folks who have ever heard the Word of God here, those who have ultimatley accepted it, as well as those who have not yet. How many times did I reject the Word of God before I accepted it? Many more times than I would like to admit.

In the first chapter of the book we are studying here, John makes it clear that Jesus Christ is synonimous to the Word of God. Jesus = the Word of God. So when we reject Jesus, we reject the Word of God. We demonstrate contempt, and certain hatred for that Word, that message. Likewise, when we reject those who come to us bearing the Word of God, we demonstrate the same contempt and hatred, but through the messenger. And sometimes it does get contemptuous in the ordinary sense of the term. So this is what this is all about. Followers of Jesus Christ understand that, that they are not personally hated, despised, by non-believers. Although it can escalate, it is not automatically that sense at all.

Someone near and dear to me and I cannot talk about these things. He 'hates' hearing this message. He truly does. He doesn't want to hear it, perhaps especially from me. Although he does not hate me, in fact he loves me, there is certain hatred of the Word of God that I might tell him. And that exhibits as hatred, animosity, toward me. And all I want to do is to help him understand something that I know, that he does not know, so that he can find certain peace that I know as well, that he also does not know. But he will not hear it. He rejects it. He hears 'the world' only, sees 'the world' only. So from my standpoint, I reflect this experience back into the scriptures and I see exactly what Jesus was trying to tell me. What Jesus says in these passages correlates to my exact experience. But for folks who have not accepted Jesus Christ, who do not understand or accept the Word, this is all just nonsense. That is what this person says too. It's just a bunch of crap. I believe that attitude manifests because he and they are only looking at it as the world looks at it. But above, that is what Jesus says that they would do. So when I recognize that, in my mind, my experience witnessing that only further confirms the Word of God. Jesus foretold how the world would react to being told the Word of God. These scriptures are prophetic. The purpose of prophesy is none other than to confirm the Word of God. Well, to the believer, that is exactly what happens each time someone rejects the Word of God, anytime anyone gets a little hot under the collar about being told the Word of God. It is just prophesy coming true. That 'hot under the collar' reaction is perfectly reasonable for those who follow the world, and not God. It is a 'natural reaction,' a 'worldly reaction' to the Word of God. This is what I believe Jesus is telling us in the passages given. I hope that I have been able to bridge a certain gap of understanding here.

 

JOHN 16

Jesus’ Warning
“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
“They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
“These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
“But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
The Holy Spirit Promised
“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
“But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
“He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
“All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Foretold
“A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.”
Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”
So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.”
Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
“Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
“Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
Prayer Promises
“In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.
“In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;
for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.
“I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”
His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.
“Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
“Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

 

These two statements jump out at me. First of all, at this moment, Jesus tells us that He is not alone, "because the Father is with Me." There will be a time shortly to come when Jesus will cry out from the cross, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?", thus indicating that in some form or fashion, at that moment the Father was no longer "with Him." I believe it is plain from the scriptures that Jesus lived amid both realms, the natural and the spiritual. Jesus had perfect access to both realms while walking on earth. And at this moment, Jesus is comforted by the fact that "the Father is with Me." This can get awfully confusing; I'll grant that. But I believe that it was vital that at the moment of His death, Jesus Himself volutarily cut off His access to the spiritual world. He died a natural death, therefore, not as God for God cannot die, but as a man. He felt those same sensations and held the same thoughts that any man would feel and think when about to die in such a fashion. For man to have any hope on the other side of the grave, this is how it had to be. Jesus had to die as a man, and then be resurrected, so that man can know that he can do the same. It would help man not a bit for Jesus to pass through as God and then resurrect Himself. No, for it to mean anything of significance to mortal mankind, Jesus had to drop all qualities of deity prior to the moment of death, and thus cross over as man would. And this, I believe, is why shortly before giving up the ghost He cried out for all to hear, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus, being God in the flesh, had all things possible to Him, even to forsake Himself, give Himself amnesia perhaps, and leave Himself to die seemingly forsaken, without the Father being "with Him." At the moment of His death, or somewhere shortly before, the backlighting of the Heavenly Realm was turn off. Jesus died not with the Father "with Him." No, He died alone, as a man, just like any of us would in His place. He gave up all power to change events. He closed His spiritual eyes. He perhaps even closed off even memory of Who He really was. And He did so in order to know exactly how man feels under the most arduous and helpless circumstances. Jesus endured the most physically torturing circumstances in order that He could know how man feels. Having done so, God can have empathy that He would not have before. God has been there. God has the T-shirt. So this should give us certain solace, knowing that whatever we go through in our lives, however we may suffer, God is not sitting in some ivory tower somewhere oblivious to all we deal with. No, He has dealt with much more than we will ever deal with. And here is the important part...as Jesus tells His disciples in the closing line above, "Take courage; I have overcome the world." Yes, that is the message here. Because Jesus overcame the world, and did so as a man, by His example we can find the courage to deal with all of life's trials. Because Jesus died on the cross as a man, and came back resurrected, man can know that through Jesus, he can do the same. Since Jesus overcame the world, man can overcome the world too.

 

Yes, we can do all things IN CHRIST.

 

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;,,The Spirit of Truth, something we need everyday, with the Holy Spirit in our hearts we can be overcomers, overachievers, over everything, all we have to do is believe,, Having the Holy Spirit living in your heart and soul makes life so worth living, and it makes the joy of Christmas come alive,,,No commercialism can steal it,,, its like breathing new air, its a spiritual high,, thank you Jesus for your wonderful gift!!!

 

JOHN CHAPTER 17

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

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

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

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

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

 

We are in the world....but not OF the world. This truth which is presented in Paul's letter represents that we can expect persecution and ridicule and we should be joyful through it because we are OF Christ.

 

You guys are awesome, I love these scriptures and Hank.....I think you should write a commentary

 

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. The Word is truth,,Jesus is the Word, His grace and mercy will carry us each day if we let Him,, we have to make that choice, no one can make it for us,, experiencing the Grace of God is a personal decision, but oh what a difference it makes, I know that the best is yet to come,, what a day it will be when we get to meet Jesus face to face, pure JOY, a day of Celebration,,thank you Jesus for your WORD...

 

JOHN 18

Judas Betrays Jesus
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples.
Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.
Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.
So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”
Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.
So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”
Jesus before the Priests
So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him,
and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.
Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest,
but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.
The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching.
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret.
“Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.”
When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?”
Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?”
So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter’s Denial of Jesus
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”
One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”
Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Jesus before Pilate
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”
They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”
So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,”
to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.
Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.
“But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?”
So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

 

The Garden is still there to this day, I was there back in June, it is beautiful,,it is ironic that the garden is close to the eastern gate of the temple mount,,A gate Jesus will enter again someday to rule on earth... Judas was man who loved money and power more than anything, and He betrayed Jesus even though He had seen Jesus heal the sick and feed so many people and never wanted any money for it, in fact Jesus simple said love your neighbor as yourself, imagine betraying someone like that to the authorities, judas was in turmoil inside his soul, He wanted to rule, he wanted power, and when he finally come to the conclusion he would have none he turned on Jesus, a man that could heal people simply by speaking their names,,,we must guard our hearts against getting greedy and thinking only of ourselves,,if judas could fall victim to this dillusion while being with Jesus imagine how easy it would be for us to fall into this trap,,money is not the answer as we all know, it will not buy you happiness or love, it usually only brings sorrow,,Christmas is a great time to help our brothers and sisters who are in need, Jesus gave, and so can we!!!

 

......and he ended up so miserable he ended his own life.

The other thing that got me about this was that the people formed the "crowd mentality". The excitement and power of being in a group that can control something is dangerous. I wonder how many people in the crowd that wanted Jesus condemned really witnessed all He did or even understood what was going on.

I've seen this crowd mentality today....at work. One or a few people start something, and other follow BLINDLY.

We must seek God's guidance. We are so fortunate to have the Holy Spirit to lead....if we only listen and obey.

 

John 19
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe.
They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face.
Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.”
So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.”
The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”
Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever.
He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?”
Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha.
Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”
They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.”
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
So they took Jesus;
and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’”
Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.
So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.”
Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.”
A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Jesus’ Side Is Pierced
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed.
Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.
(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)
These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.”
And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
The Burial of Jesus
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body.
Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.
And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.