god

Essence of Sin

Ken

“Whosoever committeth [Greek, poieō, NET, practices] sin [Greek, hamartia] transgresseth [Greek, poieō] also the law [NET, practices lawlessness]: for sin is the transgression of the law [NET, lawlessness]” (1John 3:4 KJV). If sin is a condition of lawlessness, from whom was Lucifer originally infected in Heaven? No one. But, if sin is essentially a heartfelt action of transgression, rebellion, or violation against God, shouldn’t we assume lawlessness is only a secondary description of the underlying heart action of committing against the Almighty Lawmaker? Yes. “For thou [Lucifer] hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). The essence of sin is selfishness — a heartfelt committing against God. 

Selfishness is not simply concern over any negative impact against ourselves. For even Paul rightly said, “No man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church” (Ephesians 5:29). Selfishness is not loving yourself as much as your neighbor, for Jesus required us to love our neighbor equal — not more and not less — to ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Selfishness is more concern about ourselves than God and not being as concerned about our neighbors as we are about ourselves.“37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). 

Sin harms our neighbor and injures us, but foremost, sin is against God. “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest” (Psalm 51:4). When we speak of the waywardness of sin towards God and humanity, we reflect that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin essentially falls short of God’s glory, not because it is trying but can’t make it, but because sin does not intend to glorify God. Sin is a choice. For this reason, only those created in the image of God, are capable of sinning. God’s accountability of humankind, even the younger, is based upon their capacity to understand the implications of their actions towards God. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Christianity must beware of “age of accountability” assumptions, where it is thought, God does not hold children accountable for their beliefs and actions until they are 12 or 13 years old. Jesus clearly invited much younger children to come into His Kingdom. “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). 

Your intention as a parent is crucial. “Train up [Hebrew, chânak, dedicate] a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Hannah dedicated Samuel to the LORD (1Samuel 1:28), and brought him to stay with Eli when he was young (1:24). Timothy was trained by his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2Timothy 1:5). “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2Timothy 3:15). Training does not give young children a free pass to poor conduct until a future “age of accountability,” but instead, requires conduct to match understanding. 

According to Scripture, sin is: 

First, “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin” (Proverbs 21:4). Sin starts in the heart, looks out through the eyes, and results in innumerable actions that are sin, though outwardly may not appear sinful. 

Second, “The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men” (Proverbs 24:9). Thinking to do or commit foolishness is sin, even without the actual commission of the act, for God sees the intentions of our heart. 

Third, “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). If believing is the pisteuō commitment of the heart to God, then withholding of that pisteuō commitment of the heart to God is sin.

Fourth, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Again, knowledge must go before intent. One cannot unintentionally sin. Knowledge of what you are supposed to do or not do, must first be present. You cannot be guilty before God of sin, unless you first knew better. 

Fifth, “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death” (1John 5:17). Righteousness is right action; but, if we take credit for our right actions, then we relapse into pharisaism, which only justifies ourselves before men and not God. We can only be clothed with Christ’s righteousness, if we take no credit for our right actions. Unrighteousness, then, is our claim for ourself, if we seek the righteousness of Christ, since we so sorely need His righteousness. 

Jesus is the Cure and Prevention for Sin 

To leave even this short study of sin without mentioning the cure and prevention of sin, would be insufferable. Jesus is both the cure and prevention of sin. “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him” (1John 3:6). 

Wait! How can this be so? 

If we back up two verses, we are told, “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1John 3:4). 

Then, we are told Jesus “was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin” (1John 3:5). 

Okay, we have His forgiveness because He is sinless. 

But, the next verse gives us the impression “whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not” (1John 3:6). 

That is, if we are presently continuing or abiding in Jesus, we cannot at the same time be committing sin. 

That is logical and reasonable. 

But, how can the Apostle John add to this, “Whosoever sinneth [present tense, sins] hath not seen Him, neither known Him” (1John 3:6)? 

Try this interpretation: The Holy Spirit cannot assure you that you know Him, while you are sinning or rebelling against Him. Instead, He witnesses against you, I have neither seen or known you. Can you blame Him? 

In summary, all sin is against God; and, Jesus is both the cure and prevention of sin. “And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin” (1John 3:5). Sin is the direct opposite of the pisteuō commitment to Jesus, and is properly, commitment against God in its rawest form. 

Father, You have been very wise, loving, patient, and kind to teach us about our sins. No one could have done better! May we care deeply about sin, if You had to send Your Son to the Cross to pay sin’s penalty. May our understanding of all sin being against You cause us to desire to depart from evil. May our understanding of Jesus lay the foundation of Your delivering us from all sin past, present, and future. May You destroy all the works of the devil, and preserve us while You do. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen and amen.

Virtue of Not Sinning

Ken

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 KJV). The vanity of trying to do it right but not succeeding was felt even by the Apostle Paul. “19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:19, 24). Is there deliverance from sinning? Yes! Paul answers the question. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (7:25). And, immediately tells how. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (8:1). Walking after the Spirit is either a mystical, theological description of what every Christian has-but-doesn’t-know or we really don’t understand, since too many Professed Christians still identify with the camp of Desperately Seeking Deliverance from sinning. If that isn’t true, why don’t we hear more testimonies of overcoming sin in the daily life than testimonies of the dramatic change, when first becoming a disciple?

Quite simply, Jesus Christ our Advocate is and should be the reason we do not sin, for the very name of Jesus means “YHWH delivers,” from the penalty of sin and the necessity to sin. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1John 2:1). Jesus Christ is our Advocate or Paraklete with the Father. He functions in us through the work of the Blessed Holy Spirit. This is what Paul began to tell the Romans in Romans 8. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Paul explained the liberation from sinning was needed, because of past vain attempts to render obedience to the law of sin and death. The Jews already proved that method of rendering obedience and not sinning didn’t work, for they ended up crucifying the very Messiah, who was sent to set them free. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). 

The virtue of not sinning is clearly the victory that overcomes the world. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1John 5:4). Our pisteuō commitment of faith to Jesus is our sense of abiding or remaining in Christ, which understanding Jesus was especially trying to impart to His inner circle in the days immediately before His crucifixion. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me” (John 15:4). 

We do not immediately think of the virtue of not sinning, since it is an inverse method of reflecting on faith, obedience, and knowing Christ. “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him” (1John 3:6). The mental gymnastics of how only a present tense abiding in Christ can yield a present tense condition of not sinning, must actually and more firmly be a part of the foundational thinking of every disciple, or else we will develop the alarming condition of reassuring ourselves of having come to know Jesus, even while we are continuing in present sin and disobedience. 

This weakness will especially be exploited by the Man of Sin before the soon reappearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, for he knows the uselessness of a faith, which does not produce the work of the abiding fruit of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness [gentleness], temperance [self-control]” (Galatians 5:22-23), for he will re-explain all of reality to those left behind after the Harpazō Rapture. Your faith was only an illusion of which I am now your present, powerful, and awe inspiring reality. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1John 2:18). 

Not sinning is virtuous, since it is part of our wholehearted pisteuō commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the antithesis of the works of the devil. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1John 3:8). Destroying the works of the devil and destabilizing the future foundation of the Antichrist requires us to be campaigning to not sin, as much as our need to abide in Christ. “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not” (3:6). 

O be careful little heart whom you trust

O be careful little heart whom you trust

For the Father up above

He’s looking down in love

So, be careful little heart whom you trust. 

Father, You are the One who sets the agenda for how we should act in these Last Days. May we enlarge our thinking that we will perceive more of the reality of what is fast unfolding before our eyes. May we do our small part of destroying the works of the devil by not sinning. Increase the understanding of the Body of Christ of how not sinning must be part of abiding in Christ. We know we cannot stop all sin or the embrace of the world for Antichrist, but help us to give our last full measure in promoting and embracing Jesus, the only Way, Truth, and Life. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Sermon on John 8

Ken

I’d like to share with you from John 8.

But first, let us pray.

Father, use me to reveal the truth of Your Word, and prepare the hearts of all who hear to understand, so You would receive all the credit and glory. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

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[Gospel of John 8] 

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[Outline of John 8 

John 8 deals with:

[(1) The woman taken in adultery (8:1-11).

(2) Jesus’ claim to be the Light of the World (8:12-30).

(3) The Truth will set you free (8:31-38).

(4) You are of your father the Devil (8:39-47).

(5) Before Abraham was born, I am (8:48-59).] 

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[The whole purpose of the Gospel of John is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31 NIV).]

God presented Jesus in the wisest possible way as the Jewish Messiah, the Son of God that they would believe and have Eternal Life through His name, but still many resisted and opposed Jesus.

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[Key to their opposition was Jesus’ claim that God was His Father.] Jesus had previously healed a lame man on the Sabbath, telling him to take up his mat and walk (John 5:8-9). Instead of praising God for that wonderful work, they condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath (5:10). When Jesus responded, 

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[“My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working” (5:17), they further condemned Him of blasphemy, since He was claiming an equality of authority and power with the Father in the healing.] Just so, the remainder of John 5 clearly depicts why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus for His apparent blasphemy. “For this reason they tried all the more to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (5:18). 

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[The difference between a disciple being called a child of God, making God our Father, is Jesus is the Eternally Begotten Son of God, and we only have received spiritual “adoption to sonship” (Romans 8:15, 23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5) and do not claim the authority and power of God, as naturally our own, when God acts.]

What I hope to present in this eighth chapter of John is a revelation of the character of God to draw us to greater devotion to the God who loves us and has assembled all of life to bring about a demonstration of His glory in accomplishing His purposes in the Earth.

Let us examine the incident of

The Woman Taken in Adultery (John 8:1-11) 

After Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem on the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles (John 7:2), about 2 1/2 years into His earthly ministry, He came to the Temple Courts, and sat down to teach (8:2).

Sitting was a sign of authority, as Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1). 

Since the teachers of the law and the Pharisees already were seeking to put Jesus to death for healing on the Sabbath and making Himself equal to God (5:18), they devised a plot to catch Jesus, and, just as important, to convince even the rabble “who knows nothing of the law” (7:49) that Jesus is not the Messiah. 

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[“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?” (John 8:4-5).]

(1) They caught a woman in the act of adultery (8:3), but hypocritically, what about the man? This was simply a set-up to entrap Jesus. Obviously, they were not interested in God’s righteousness, but only the justification of their own righteousness.

(2) If Jesus did not condemn her worthy of death (Leviticus 20:10), then He did not support the Law of Moses.

(3) But, if He correctly applied the Law of Moses, then He would be interfering with Roman Law, which at that time alone had the right of Capital Punishment (John 18:31).

Dramatically and calmly,

Jesus stooped down and wrote something on the ground with His finger (8:6). 

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[And remember, this was the same “finger of God” (Exodus 31:18), which inscribed, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14 KJV) on tables of stone for Moses. How would Jesus harmonize the mind of Almighty Justice with the need of Desperately Seeking Mercy, not just for the terrified woman, but for all the rest of us, who also yearn for deliverance?] 

Undoubtedly, she had broken the Law of Moses, but rescuing her would only be icing on the cake of confounding her accusers, and demonstrating He was the Messiah, whom He claimed to be.

(1) Most likely, Jesus was writing the names of her accusers and their sins in the dirt, for they knew their secret conduct was no better than the adulterous woman.

(2) Not unexpectedly, the Holy Spirit put them to shame, as prophesied by Jeremiah. 

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[“Lord, You are the hope of Israel; all who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water” (Jeremiah 17:13 NIV).] 

“When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them” (John 8:7) 

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (8:7), using the guilt  

from their own secret sins against them. The Holy Spirit had set them up for Jesus to masterfully outmaneuver them.

Jehovah fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy, and the Holy Spirit’s convicting power did its work, so her accusers melted away. 

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[We  also should be more concerned about the Holy Spirit’s influence upon our actions and circumstances than striving to have no human peer to our intellect or experience.] 

Jesus was left with only the woman, to whom He asked, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” (8:10).

“No one, sir, she said. Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. Go now and leave your life of sin” (8:11).

Makes one think, she must have repented, for “mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13 KJV). 

Jesus may not have gained a convert from her accusers, but Jesus most probably gained the undying devotion of the rescued woman.

The veracity of the ancient manuscripts, which describe this incident of the woman taken in adultery are upheld by Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine. Modern translations, such as the NIV, disclaimed the authenticity of the story, with the note that “the most reliable manuscripts” do not include John 7:53-8:11, and chose to include the text only in italics, because the numbering system of the verses was intact long before their scholarship disagreed with the Majority Text, such as used by the KJV. 

I believe the text is authentic. 

The convicting power of the Holy Spirit in this incident dramatically sets up Jesus’ declaration in the following verse, “I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12 NIV). 

We are now to examine the second of the seven “I Am” Statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. 

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[Jesus Claimed, “I Am the Light of the World” (John 8:12-30).]

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[What an exalted title, The Light of the World! This was God’s announcement to humankind that Jesus is just that Unique One!] 

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[And, we, His children are His reflection! “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).] 

Remember Simeon’s prophecy to Joseph and Mary at the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Jerusalem Temple (Luke 2)? 

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[(1) Simeon said about Jesus, “A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:32).] 

(2) This reached back to a reference about David, “Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong” (1Kings 15:4). 

(3) Simeon was verbalizing the oft repeated idea and phrase from the OT, associated with the Son of David, identifying the Messiah as the one who would dispel the darkness and bring light. 

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[“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness; I will take hold of Your hand. I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6).] 

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[This event in the Temple was the fulfillment of all the OT prophecies longing for release from the prison of darkness for Israel, but even more significantly, for the world, Messiah was declaring Himself available to the Gentiles.]

Jesus began to clearly declare, as in an official announcement, his identity in the wisest possible way.  

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). 

And, like reading from a script, the Jews immediately condemned Jesus’ claim to be the Light of the World, since the Mosaic Law demanded the testimony of two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6), and self-testimony was inadmissible. 

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[Jesus countered, since He knew where He came from and where He was going, self-testimony was acceptable from God, which He is. And, since the Father testified of the Son that He was well pleased (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22), then He was consistent with Moses.] 

“You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, My decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent Me” (John 8:15-16).

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[Jesus consulted whether He was right, not whether He would win the argument. So, He let the Holy Spirit work out the results. As, should we.] 

As God, Jesus always had the advantage over the objections of His opponents. Their objections would be valid, if He was not God, and they were honest. He simply had to declare the truth about Himself and not apologize for being who He knew He was.

When He prophesied, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come” (8:21). He spoke of His upcoming death.

The significance of the special relationship between Jesus and His Father depicts what our relationship should be to our Father.

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[(1) We are somewhat like Jesus, “I know where I came from and where I am going” (John 8:14), we are not looking for man’s permission or approval to do God’s will. “Because the Sovereign Lord helps Me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set My face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame” (Isaiah 50:7).] 

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[(2) Like Jesus, in His First Coming, we are not sent into the world to condemn the adulterous woman, but when the Spirit of God grants us spiritual discernment, “My decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent Me” (John 8:16). “The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one” (1Corinthians 2:15 NET).] 

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[(3) By spiritual regeneration, we, like Jesus, can call God our Father. “To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 NIV).] 

In this John 8 narrative, Jesus warned His hearers, 

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[“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe [Greek, pisteuō, commit] that I am He, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24). Commit entirely to Jesus or perish.] All have been warned. It will be useless to begin with Jesus, tire of our efforts, and find other pursuits more lucrative or praiseworthy in the world. 

Jesus warned them that killing Him would result in some of them coming to realize He is who He said He was. The Son of Man. The Messiah. The Son of God. 

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me” (John 8:28). 

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[“Even as He spoke, many believed [Greek, pisteuō, commit] in Him” (John 8:30).

Getting people to believe in Jesus is not as hard as it may sound, but getting them to commit to Jesus requires the Holy Spirit to enlighten, persuade, and fasten the truth in their hearts. We need more expectation of His intervention and outpouring. Then, when the Spirit works, God gets the glory.] 

Now, let us consider the significance of

The Truth Will Set You Free (John 8:31-38)

Jesus called upon His followers, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). 

He explained more fully, a disciple is one who holds to His teachings.

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[“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples” (John 8:31).]

Christian is merely a name given to the Church of Jesus Christ by those outside the Body of Christ. “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:2). 

Our heart is what we supply to God. “My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways” (Proverbs 23:26).

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[The Holy Spirit uses our Heartfelt Pisteuō Total Commitment to inspire us to obey Him — and this is most often overlooked or minimized. “And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27).] 

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[We fail to obey, when we are trusting in ourselves to be obedient. We need to be trusting in Jesus to make us obedient. When this tender distinction is observed, then it can truly be said, “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).]

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[“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).  

Being set free from selfish addictions is founded upon knowing the truth. And, knowing the truth comes from our commitment to Jesus. That commitment is the pisteuō of heartfelt believing in Jesus.] 

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[“Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).] 

But, Jesus, who doesn’t sin? 

We’re no better than anyone else. 

So, how can we be in the bondage of sin, just by sinning? 

What are You proposing? 

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[“Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever” (John 8:35). 

Anyone who is still sinning is in bondage to sin and is a slave to sin.  

Anyone who is set free from sinning joins with the Son in the family of God forever. 

We are to look to God for the forgiveness of our sins, as well as His grace not to sin.] 

This is an area of Christian Living that must be developed both for the individual victory of every disciple, but most of all for the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father over Lucifer and His angels in the Final Conflict in the Unseen Realm. We are justifying God’s design in making us in His image and giving us the ability to Pisteuō Commit ourselves to Him now and forever, which the Adversary seeks to disprove through our defeat. 

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[Jesus Was Promoting Spiritual Freedom]

(It is all here in these handful of verses in John 8, and Jesus presented this while engaged in a public exchange with antagonists, who were seeking to kill Him.) 

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[If we can trust Him to guide us to do His will, can we not trust Him to guide and keep us from not sinning? 

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11 NIV).]

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[First, True Discipleship is freedom. “31 To the Jews who had believed [Greek, pisteuō, commit] Him, Jesus said, If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). True Pisteuō is holding to Jesus’ teachings. Make sure you are practicing it!] 

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[Second, Spiritual Slavery is the act of sinning. “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). If this is true, then Jesus must be able to keep us from sinning.] 

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Third, Spiritual Emancipation from sinning comes only from our Heartfelt, Pisteuō Commitment to Christ (cf. verse 31.) “35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:35-36). When we abide in the Son, we are as free as He is. 

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[Fourth, Present Trusting in Christ is Spiritual Freedom, and Present Withholding of Trust is Spiritual Slavery. Everything hinges on our Heartfelt, Pisteuō Commitment to Christ. Our abiding or resting in Christ is at the same time our commitment to Jesus.] 

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[Fifth, Jesus claimed to deliver His followers from the darkness of sin, a bold claim for His work on the Cross, or for any other time. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). All true freedom flows from the light of Jesus Christ. Any attempt to liberate humankind from slavery of any kind, cannot truly succeed without Christ.] 

Hallelujah! Jesus, You are our Great Emancipator from sinning! Cause us to constantly look to You and trust You to free us from any necessity to sin. 

True freedom is not based upon the lack of physical chains or the enfranchisement to vote, for the child of God is more free than one who has been emancipated or enfranchised by man. 

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[“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).] 

True freedom is spiritual deliverance, the kind of deliverance which draws the conclusion made by King Nebuchadnezzar, 

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[“There is no other God that can deliver after this sort” (Daniel 3:29 KJV).] 

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[The focus is upon a committed, sustainable, present relationship of trust with Jesus. Not a past relationship, which assures us of what we think has happened, or a future relationship, which assures us of what must happen to fix the current mess. 

If Christ’s directions are not immediate, then they are not effective. 

If Christ’s directions do not depend upon Him as the answer, then they are not real.] 

We need to say and constantly remind ourself: Our expectation is in God, who has delivered us, is delivering us, and will deliver us. So, when He does deliver us, He alone gets the glory. No other expectation among humankind is capable of explaining or anticipating how the stalemates and logjams of human circumstances can be obliterated to achieve a better day. We need only to keep our eyes on God, remaining steadfast in faith, and keeping our hand on the plow. 

<33a> 

[“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11 NIV).] 

Freedom is already ours, when we abide in Christ. 

<33b> 

[“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).] 

Don’t allow the enemy to control your thoughts, or you will be back into bondage. What may appear only as reframing our thinking to allow ourselves to declare Spiritual Victory becomes more sharply focused, when Paul later warns us that the little foxes of Thought Warfare are actually the tip of the iceberg of the greater warfare presently waged in the Unseen Realm. 

<34> 

[“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2Corinthians 10:4-5).] 

Which brings us to 

<35>

You Are of Your Father the Devil (John 8:39-47) 

Jesus unavoidably launched into a discussion with the Jews about their parentage. 

<35a>

[“Abraham is our father, they answered. If you were Abraham’s children, said Jesus, then you would do what Abraham did” (John 8:39). 

Why did Jesus have to bring up this discussion with the Jews? 

Because this was the foundation of their hope of Heaven. 

Abraham was their father, or they were going to Heaven because they were born to be Jews. And, Jews go to Heaven.] 

Then, Jesus brought up again the obvious elephant in the room, “If you were Abraham’s children, then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father” (John 8:39-41). 

What else would the Jews be forced to do? “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God Himself” (8:41).

And, Jesus responded to them in all sincerity, as clearly as you should expect. “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own; God sent Me” (8:42). 

Of course, Jesus knew that their rebellious hearts were already committed against the truth, so they were not receptive to hearing Him. “Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say” (8:42-43).

<36>

[Either you are a Child of God or a Child of the Devil. “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (1:12). [Faith makes you a child of God, and unbelief makes you a child of the devil.] “Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me” (8:45). 

“Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (8:47).]

Which brings us to 

<37>

[Before Abraham Was, I Am (John 8:48-59)  

Jesus’ discussion with the Jews caused them to conclude He was crazy.  “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” (John 8:48).] 

<38>

[Honor is foreign to much of our modern mindset, but it is common for athletes to taunt opposing players, much like Goliath disrespected the Israelites before David slew him (1Samuel 17).] 

<39>

[Honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:7), does not mean the opponent is to be elevated, but to be recognized with the position God has allowed them. Today, athletes would call this “Trash Talk.” “But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, May the Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9 NET).] 

<40>

[We are to honor our parents (Exodus 20:12) and to honor God with the expectation: “Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained” (1Samuel 2:30).]

“I am not possessed by a demon, said Jesus, but I honor My Father and you dishonor Me” (John 8:49). 

Jesus countered that He was seeking glory for God, who is the True Judge in these matters (8:50). 

“Whoever obeys My Word, Jesus said, will never see death” (8:51), referring to Eternal Life. “Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). 

The Jews responded. You’re crazy. Who do you think you are? (8:53) 

This is critical. 

<41> 

[Do not waste time attempting to defend yourself, such as Jesus before Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:14). This is difficult because we do not want to look bad. Our job is to look out for and promote God’s glory. It is God’s job to defend us, until we reach our journey’s end. “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).] 

“Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; He saw it and was glad” (8:56). 

“You are not yet fifty years old, they said to Him, and you have seen Abraham!” (8:57). 

<42>

[Jesus then made the most incredible statement of His earthly ministry. 

“Before Abraham was born, I am!” (8:58). This of course was Jehovah’s statement to Moses concerning the identity of who sent him to the enslaved children of Jacob. “God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus is Jehovah God!] 

If Jesus did not have a prior appointment to die on a Roman cross at a later time, He would have died that day. “At this, they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (8:59).

<43>

[Like Jesus, we are immortal until God is ready to take us Home. “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in Thy word” (Psalm 119:114 KJV).] 

We end this chapter with Jesus in a precarious position; but, just as there are 14 more chapters in the Gospel of John and at least another year of Jesus’ earthly ministry left, we learn to navigate our not always easy circumstances, trusting God to preserve us, and showing us how to be abased and how to abound. 

<44>

[“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1John 3:2).] 

Let us pray. 

Heavenly Father, we have only a small idea of what You have done throughout the ages for our benefit. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for us, and we pray that we would be as committed to You, as You are to us. In Jesus’ name, return quickly. Amen and amen. 

 

What’s the Real Value of Prayer?

Ken

We’ve grown accustomed to feeling prayer somehow changes God, so we will receive whatever we ask. Prayer does not change God, but prayer changes us. Prayer nourishes the life of God in us teaching us the character of Jesus through His Spirit. We quit our praying because we do not see the point in our continually asking for what we apparently do not receive. If God is all knowing, why the bother of prayer? Either we have been deceived into the notion that prayer changes things, or we have entirely been waiting for God to change, when God has been seeking our renovation and growth through the occasion of our emotion racked circumstances. “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1 KJV).

We need prayer. 

“Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). 

We normally do not pray, but pray we will, because human wits have an end. 

“27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses” (Psalm 107:27-28). 

We do not know what else to will and choose in prayer, because human wills have an end. 

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).  

We do not have the wisdom to know for what and how to ask, because human wisdom has an end. 

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). 

Prayer changes me, and I must do it. 

“And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). 

Prayer helps me to know God better. 

“Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). 

Prayer enables me to help others. 

“12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:12-13). 

Prayer helps me do God’s will. 

“14 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: 15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. 16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it” (1John 5:14-16). 

Prayer changes others, just as it has changed me.  

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). 

Prayer changes others, when I ask. 

“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). 

Prayer changes others, when I do not give up. 

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). 

Prayer changes circumstances through me. 

Heavenly Father, may we value prayer as You do. May our pleas for help fall upon Your loving ears, and may our desire to be delivered out of our present distress be less than our appreciation of You. Accomplish all Your Will and show us Your glory. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Old Testament Expectation of Miracles for the Messiah

Ken

The miraculous is to be expected whenever God must make a statement to arrest the attention of His intended audience, which serves His purpose, when ordinary means would not be sufficient. This must be so, since He alone determines when the ordinary must be replaced by the extraordinary. Even our day to day obedience, though ordinary, He has promised to inspire and confirm through His New Covenant giving of the Holy Spirit. “And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27 NIV). But, if the Spirit of God can so captivate His children, “If you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done” (Matthew 21:21). O faith, be inspired to this, and more! 

OT: Messiah would perform miracles, but references to vengeance refer to Christ’s cleansing of the Temple at His First Coming (John 2), as well as pointing to His Second Coming. 

“4 say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you. 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:4-6 NIV).  

NT: Jesus performed miracles, as proof of His messiahship, even to John the Baptist. 

“2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask Him, Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? 4 Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.” (Matthew 11:2-6). 

OT: Messiah would perform miracles with His First Coming, but also vengeance at His Second Coming.

“1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1-2). 

NT: Jesus worked miracles in His First Coming; but notice, He stopped short of mentioning vengeance to His hearers at Nazareth, since that would be for His Second Coming.

“18 The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). 

Significance of Christ’s Miracles 

“37 Do not believe Me unless I do the works of My Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38). 

“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14). 

“Still, many in the crowd believed in Him. They said, When the Messiah comes, will He perform more signs than this man?” (John 7:31). 

Though Christ had ample reason to perform miracles, He did not perform His first miracle until He created wine from water at Cana of Galilee (John 2). This indicated His divine authority and messiahship. Miracles serve the purpose of arresting our attention to gain God the opportunity of hearing His Word and establishing or reestablishing His relationship to us. 

May we seek Him for more than His miracles!

“23 Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person” (John 2:23-25). 

Synopsis of John 2

Ken

In our survey of the Gospel of John, I was asked to speak on John, chapter 2.  

But first, let us pray. 

Father, anoint me that I may reveal the truth as it is in Jesus (Ephesians 4:21). Cause us to be satisfied with nothing less than a faith in Jesus requiring total commitment to You. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

In our survey of John 2, Jesus was just beginning His earthly ministry, when He and His disciples were invited to attend a wedding. 

Evidently, the addition of the extra guests caused a shortage of wine. 

He consented to his mother’s request to remedy the situation by creating wine from mere water (about 180 gallons of the Good Stuff). 

This was His very first miracle (John 2:11), which was an indicator of both His divinity and His messiahship to His disciples. 

The OT predicted the Messiah would work miracles, even as Jesus did. 

“4 Say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you. 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:4-6 NIV). 

If we were alive at that time, would we be as spiritually attentive and receptive to understand the part of Isaiah’s prophecy speaking of healing referred to Messiah’s First Coming, and the part speaking of vengeance pointed to His cleansing of the Temple, as well as Messiah’s Second Coming? Would we have identified Jesus as the Messiah? And, that the Messiah was Yahweh? (Compare Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth, Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1-2). 

Reflecting back on the birth of Jesus, there was a devout Jew by the name of Simeon, “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), who was ready for the Messiah; as well as a devout, prophetess Anna, who “worshipped night and day fasting and praying” (2:36), who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. They both were ready. 

But again, are we ready for the Lord’s soon return and appearing as Simeon and Anna were?

In John 2, Jesus then proceeded on to Jerusalem, where He cleansed the Temple, in keeping with the Psalmist: “For zeal for Your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult You fall on me” (Psalm 69:9 NIV). 

Then again, wouldn’t the cleansing of the Temple agree with the portion of Isaiah’s prophecy that cryptically referred to “your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you” (Isaiah 35:4)? No doubt Messiah has plenty left to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy at His Second Coming! 

Before we rightly condemn the Jews of Christ’s day, would we have had enough spirituality to have known better about His messiahship? And, His divinity? 

Finally, the most profound portion of John 2 is in verses 23 and 24, the last part of the chapter. 

“23 Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:23-24 NIV). 

Let us pause the narrative for one moment and consider this, that many people believed on the name of Jesus. This believing was the Greek word pisteuō. But also, notice very carefully, “Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them” (2:24). Entrust was also from the Greek word pisteuō. Both “believed in His name” and “would not entrust Himself to them” are translated from the same Greek word, pisteuō.

Why was that?  

Because “He knew all people” (2:24), He knew their faith was insincere and insufficient for Him to entrust Himself to them, to commit to them, and to believe in them. This provides us with the realization that our faith is not enough for Jesus to commit Himself to us, unless we have genuinely committed ourselves to Him. 

Pisteuō is used about 250 times in the NT. Pisteuō is translated as believe 240 times. Pisteuō is translated as commit eight times, in the KJV. 

John 3:16 is properly translated, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes [Greek, pisteuō, COMMITS] in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). 

Commit, as in commitment, is more of a long term investment for those who have counted the cost. 

Commitment is what God is waiting for from the Church; and, all this time, the Church was under the impression that declaring ourselves as having trusted in Jesus as our Savior was mission accomplished, the end purpose of evangelical faith. 

“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples” (John 8:32 NIV). Small wonder Christ spoke to His disciples as those who believed on Him, and He emphasized those remaining, continuing, and enduring with Him are really His disciples. This is True Commitment! 

“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (1Corinthians 15:2). This is a daunting statement about commitment until we recall the purpose for the giving of the Holy Spirit is to inspire and confirm us in obedience. “And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27). We have the power of the Almighty to succeed, so much more than the fear of failure the devil taunts us with in our dark moments. 

“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2John 1:8-9). Wouldn’t it be a strange thing, if the faith or commitment of a small child or the mustard seed faith of the youngest disciple was not sufficient for our Heavenly Father to overcome the enemy and the world for the benefit of His Little Ones? Of such are the Kingdom of God! 

Let us pray. 

Father, may we reform our understanding of faith from only an intellectual concept to a commitment of our all in all to Jesus for ever and ever. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Sermon on John 2

Ken

I’d like to share with you from the Gospel of John 2. 

But first, let us pray. 

Heavenly Father, prepare our hearts to give and receive the truth of Your Word by Your Spirit that You would receive all the glory. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

[DISPLAY OUTLINE OF JOHN 2]

Two events are portrayed in John 2, which are: 

(1) Christ’s miracle of creating wine from water (2:1-12) and 

(2) His cleansing of the Temple to announce Jehovah’s dealings with His people Israel (2:13-22). 

But, of greatest significance to the Church of Christ today is an overlooked distinction made by John based upon one Greek word pisteuō, translated as believe, commit, and entrust (2:23-25). 

(1) The First Event was the Wedding at Cana of Galilee of John 2:1-12. 

[DISPLAY JOHN 2:1-12 ON SCREEN] 

“1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to Him, ‘They have no more wine.’ 4 ‘Woman, why do you involve Me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’ 5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then He told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’ 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which He revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. 12 After this He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples. There they stayed for a few days” (John 2:1-12 NIV). 

Jesus was just beginning His public ministry. 

He and His disciples (Simon Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, and John) were also invited to the wedding. 

His mother Mary was there and probably was the reason for His invitation, but they added six additional guests, which may account for the shortage of wine. 

Addressing His mother as “woman [Greek, gunē]” was not considered disrespectful or rude by the Greeks, and was also used by Jesus as a title of respect such as “lady” to address the woman at the well (John 4:21) and Mary Magdalene after His Resurrection (John 20:15).

Mary informed Jesus of the shortage, knowing full well He is the miraculous Son of God. 

He informed the servants to fill the six empty jars with water and bring some to the master of the banquet. Why was the “Good Stuff” held back until now? 180 gallons of wine would be a substantial wedding gift even today. 

Just as Yahweh had created man out of dirt, Jesus had just created wine out of water. 

Because the Early Church believed in taking the words of the Gospel of John literally, they rejected the spurious writing called “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas” as part of our New Testament Canon of Scripture, because it falsely claimed Jesus performed miracles in His childhood, when it was clearly stated the transforming of the water to wine at “Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs [Greek, sēmeion, miracles] through which He revealed His glory” (2:11).

(2) The Second Event was the Cleansing of the Temple of John 2:13-22. 

[DISPLAY JOHN 2:13-22 ON SCREEN] 

“13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts He found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves He said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning My Father’s house into a market!’ 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me. 18 The Jews then responded to Him, ‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’ 19 Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ 20 They replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ 21 But the temple He had spoken of was His body. 22 After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken” (John 2:13-22 NIV). 

The First Temple was built by Solomon [957 BC] and destroyed by the Babylonians [586 BC]. The Second Temple was rebuilt by Zerrubabel [516 BC] and later Herod began remodeling the Temple about 46 years earlier.

To our knowledge, Jesus cleansed the Temple twice. Once at the beginning and also at the end of His approximately 3 1/2 year ministry. 

The Gospel of John is instrumental in establishing this as the first Passover Jesus observed during His ministry (2:13), along with two others (6:4; 11:55-57). “Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry” (Luke 3:23 NIV). 

Jesus was angry with the commercialization of the holy business of Yahweh’s Temple. 

John cited Psalm 69: “Zeal for Your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult You fall on me” (Psalm 69:9). 

Anger is righteous, if you are angry at what God is angry. 

It took Herod 46 years to build this present Temple, what gives you the right to do this? 

Jesus declared, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19), referring to His resurrection from their upcoming crucifixion of Himself. 

Ancient prophecy demanded a literal Messiah [Hebrew, mâshı̂yach] in Daniel 9:25-26. It was not just an idea. Unfortunately, the Jews apparently wanted more of a deliverer from the Romans, not simply from their sins (Isaiah 53:1-12). Likewise, many today may be more prone to look for an easy Rapture exit than a plan for Spirit filled obedience in building His Kingdom. 

(3) The Closing Words of John 2 are a Distinction Based Upon the Word Pisteuō (John 2:23-25).

[DISPLAY JOHN 2:23-25 ON SCREEN] 

[ALSO DISPLAY ON TOP OF JOHN 2:23-25: 

Our faith is not enough for Jesus to commit Himself to us, unless we have genuinely committed ourselves to Him.]

“23 Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed in His name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person” (John 2:23-25 NIV). 

“Signs” or miracles [Greek, sēmeion] were being performed and people “believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name” (2:23). 

“But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:24). 

Pisteuō can properly be translated commit, as in commitment, giving us a more forceful grasp of the meaning of this foundational, consequential, evangelical word. Commit gives us the sense we are making a long term investment in Christ, since we have counted the cost. In the KJV, in all but a handful of the 250 verses it appears in the New Testament, pisteuō is translated as some form of the word believe; in eight verses, it appears as some form of the word commit, and in three verses, it appears as trust. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth [Greek, pisteuō, commits] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). 

Pisteuō is translated some 240 times out of 250, as believe. “Believe [Greek, pisteuō] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household” (Acts 16:31). “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe [Greek, pisteuō] in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).  

“But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:24).

The same Greek word pisteuō is here translated as entrust [NIV] and commit [KJV]. 

Q: Why would Jesus refuse to entrust or commit Himself to these Jews in John 2, if they had “believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name” (John 2:23)? 

A: Since “He knew all people” (2:24), He knew their faith was insincere and insufficient for Him to entrust Himself to them, to commit to them, and to believe in them. This simple but significant statement informs us that our faith is not enough for Jesus to commit Himself to us, unless we have genuinely committed ourselves to Him.

This does not upend the validity of faith in our salvation, but it cautions us from the uselessness of promoting a “faith without deeds” (James 2:20). Instead, we should reevaluate John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes [literally, COMMITS] in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). 

“He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person” (John 2:25).

This is not a works salvation but an ongoing relationship with the only One who truly knows us, loves us, and genuinely seeks our highest good.

How can we not in return commit ourselves to Him and count upon His Spirit to work in us “to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13)? 

This Brings Us to Our Commitment to Christ 

[DISPLAY ON SCREEN: Commitment is what God is waiting for from the Church; and, all this time, the Church was under the impression that declaring ourselves as having trusted in Jesus as our Savior was mission accomplished, the end purpose of evangelical faith.] 

Pisteuō would be an appropriate choice for your Word Study this year. 

Pisteuō can properly be translated commit, as in commitment, giving us a more forceful grasp of the meaning of this foundational, consequential, evangelical word. Commit gives us the sense we are making a long term investment in Christ, since we have counted the cost. 

We commit an act, but when we pledge ourselves to Christ, we are committing to Christ. Only the uncommitted ask, how much is enough to show our commitment? The Spirit of God presents to our heart the sin of not committing to Christ, the rightness of that commitment, and our worthiness of judgment for the lack of commitment. Our reasonable service to God is our spiritual worship of Christ, which flows from our commitment to Him. In the NIV, of the 14 verses in the NT, only three times does the word commit mean anything positive. As in the OT, commit predominantly is attached to some sin; but, doesn’t that mean it’s something consequential? Jesus committed Himself to the Father, when He was dying on the Cross (Luke 23:46). Paul committed the Ephesian elders to the Word of God’s grace (Acts 20:32). Peter exhorted sufferers to commit themselves to their “Faithful Creator” (1Peter 4:19). Commitment is what God is waiting for from the Church; and, all this time, the Church was under the impression that declaring ourselves as having trusted in Jesus as our Savior was mission accomplished, the end purpose of evangelical faith. 

“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold [Greek, menō, abide] to My teaching, you are really My disciples” (John 8:31 NIV). Small wonder Christ spoke to His disciples as those who believed on Him, and He emphasized those remaining, continuing, and enduring with Him are really His disciples. This is True Commitment! 

“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain” (1Corinthians 15:2). This is a daunting statement about commitment until we recall the purpose for the giving of the Holy Spirit is to inspire and confirm us in obedience. “And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:27). We have the power of the Almighty to succeed, so much more than the fear of failure the devil taunts us with in our dark moments.

“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2John 1:8-9). Wouldn’t it be a strange thing, if the faith or commitment of a small child or the mustard seed faith of the youngest disciple was not sufficient for our Heavenly Father to overcome the enemy and the world for the benefit of His Little Ones? Of such are the Kingdom of God!

On the opposite side, we see the irredeemable demons believing on Christ without any True Commitment. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder” (James 2:19 NIV). Only with wholehearted commitment to Christ are we any different from the demons that believe! Commitment means unreserved obedience to Christ! 

Even Judas Iscariot, the Apostle who betrayed Jesus, was among those who had been given “power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases” (Luke 9:1 NIV). But, he obviously did not have True Commitment, or he would have been among those who “stands firm to the end” (Matthew 10:22). Is the Spirit of God inspiring us to stand for Jesus to the end? 

In conclusion, let us take our Communion together.

If Communion is all about remembering Christ’s sacrifice for us, then our Commitment to Christ would be our reasonable service in return to Him. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2 KJV).

Let us pray.

And may we pray from a full heart even with our eyes wide open.

Heavenly Father, too long have we spoken of faith as if it could be accomplished without any noticeable consequences, but Your Word has informed us that True Faith demands complete commitment to You.

Cast out all of our former misconceptions of a faith that hold back on complete commitment.

May we be transformed in the smallest and greatest things in our life as we begin to comprehend the simple act of believing is committing to You our all in all for ever and ever.

Change us and we will be changed in our perception of believing that we may see what Your disciples saw at Pentecost.

Revolutionize our expectations of what believing You and Your Word truly means.

I pray that our understanding of what it means to believe becomes so fully transformed by the idea of commitment that we would never think or talk about believing without total commitment to You.

And, may we never look back, but go on to a greater day, as we keep our hand on the plow, awaiting the soon appearing of Your Son. In Jesus’ All Powerful Name, we pray. Amen and amen.

How to Know That You Know You’re a Christian

Ken

You’ve prayed the sinner’s prayer, been baptized, attend or joined in membership to a church, volunteered your service with the church, and even contributed financially to support the church, which is all fitting and right. But, Scripture is actually very specific about how to know that you know you’re a Christian. The Apostle John was inspired to write a letter or epistle dedicated to his little children about this very subject. “These things have I written unto you that believe [Greek, pisteuō] on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe [Greek, pisteuō]  on the name of the Son of God” (1John 5:13 KJV). 

Pisteuō can properly be translated commit, as in commitment, giving us a more forceful grasp of the meaning of this foundational, consequential, evangelical word. Commit gives us the sense we are making a long term investment in Christ, since we have counted the cost. In the KJV, in all but a handful of the 250 verses it appears in the New Testament, pisteuō is translated as some form of the word believe; in eight verses, it appears as some form of the word commit, and in three verses, it appears as trust. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth [Greek, pisteuō, commits] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). 

Back to our topic of how to know that you know you’re a Christian.

Let us examine 1John 2:3-5. 

2:3 

“And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1John 2:3). 

Here is how we know that we know Jesus, if we presently, actively keep His commands. John plainly exhorts us to walk in present obedience, in order to know that we know Jesus.

2:4  

“He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1John 2:4). 

Just as plainly, declaring a present knowledge of Jesus, while walking in disobedience, makes one a liar. The truth cannot exist in a liar, for John further declares, “All liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). This is very blunt language. 

2:5 

“But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him” (1John 2:5). 

Truth and obedience perfect God’s love. Actively keeping God’s Word is the perfection of God’s love. This is the only means to know that we know Him and are in Him. All other methods do not represent exactly what God says about how to know that you know you’re a Christian. 

Analyzing 1John 2:3-5 

First, spiritual knowing and intellectual knowing are different. What your mind intellectually remembers is not necessarily the same as what you spiritually know. When God says you spiritually know something, then you know it. Otherwise, your intellectual recall of praying the sinner’s prayer, being baptized, attending  or joining in membership to a church, volunteering your service with the church, and even contributing financially to support the church, all are what you intellectually know. But, walking in present tense, heart obedience to Jesus Christ is the only way to spiritually know that you know Him. “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked” (1John 2:6). 

Second, everything then can be reduced to walking “in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NIV). If we walk in step with the Spirit, then our intellectual knowledge will coincide with our spiritual knowledge. When disciples backslide into carnality, they insist their intellectual knowledge of past events is correct. This is called self deception. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3). 

Third, the great mistake made still by those insisting on this understanding of how to know that you know Him, is not understanding the significance of God’s Spirit working in us “to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Unless properly understanding the Spirit’s role, you can easily develop a pharisaical, arminianism, i.e., my obedience makes me righteous. 

A- God’s presence through His creation of the physical world (Romans 1:20) puts us on notice He is the One with whom we have to do, and He alone can save. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22). 

B- God’s Word enables our salvation. “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). 

C- In this New Covenant age, God has given His Spirit to inspire us to obedience. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). This was the great achievement of the outpouring of His Spirit at Pentecost— not the miracle of tongues (Acts 2:4), but the giving of the Holy Spirit to those who gladly received God’s Word. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). 

D- The Gift of the Holy Spirit is evidenced not by speaking in tongues but by obedience. “And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him” (Acts 5:32). We obey Him “because He first loved us” (1John 4:19). He granted us “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2Timothy 2:25). Understanding our ability and responsibility to obey, we know we never will obey without God’s help. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). 

All of this brings us back to how you know that you know you’re a Christian. 

“Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit” (1John 4:13). 

If you can live without obedience, you can live without His Spirit, and you can live without the assurance of how you know that you know you’re a Christian. But, may God grant you the joy of knowing Him! 

How to Control Your Thoughts

Ken

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2Corinthians 10:5 KJV). Mind control is not an external force demanding compliance, but it is the inner direction of the indwelling Holy Spirit inspiring and persuading us to pattern ourselves into the image of Jesus Christ. “For whom He did foreknow [us], He also did predestinate [us] to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren [us]” (Romans 8:29). 

First, it is possible to control all our thoughts for the LORD, or we would not be commanded to do so (2Corinthians 10:5), because “His commands are not burdensome” (1John 5:3 NIV). 

Second, thought control requires complete submission to God. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [Lordship of Christ], and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Third, thought control must be total or not at all. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). 

Fourth, thought control must be directed by the Holy Spirit inspiring us to obey God. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). 

Fifth, thought control requires our complete cooperation, as if we were following in the steps of Christ.  “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps” (1Peter 2:21). 

Sixth, thought control necessitates us to think and have the heart attitude, What would Jesus do in this circumstance? “What wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). 

Seventh, thought control must be God’s normal means of building His Kingdom, and requires (of course, not all at the same time):

A- Hearing, reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God, i.e., “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).

B- Singing God’s Word, which is worshipping God, i.e., “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1). 
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).  

C- Praying in the Spirit, quietly or out loud, i.e., “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). 

If we are so occupied with God, He will be in all our thoughts. The wicked are not so. “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4). 

Father, may You inhabit all our thoughts, for You are worthy. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your Name, we pray. Amen and amen.

Jesus Knows All About Us

Ken

“He did not need any testimony about mankind, for He knew what was in each person” (John 2:25 NIV). Of course, Almighty God knows everything about us. He is our Creator. “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17 KJV). This is what makes this matter of trusting in His name so vital. He knows when we sincerely believe Him and when we are trusting Him for selfish, self-serving reasons, such as the Jews who wanted to make Him a king because He had performed miracles for them. “23 Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:23-24 NIV). 

Here’s the problem. 

Believing in Jesus is absolutely necessary to get to Heaven, i.e., “Believe [Greek, pisteuō] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household” (Acts 16:31). 

However, insincere, selfish believing is unacceptable to Jesus, and He will refuse to commit Himself to us, as His children. “But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:24). 

How do we know they had insincere, selfish believing? 

“Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name” (2:23). These were the same people “Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (2:24). 

All of this sounds plausible, but is that what it is really saying? Yes. 

“23 Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs He was performing and believed [Greek, pisteuō] in His name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:23-24 NIV). 

Even, Paul insisted, believing was essential to salvation. Notice that Paul qualified the believing as the sincere, “I-really-mean-it” kind of faith, when he wrote, “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe [Greek, pisteuō, commit] in  your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). 

Translators chose to render pisteuō as “believe” in John 3:16, but they could have just as easily chosen “commit” to function as the equivalent. Commit gives us the sense of commitment. This is exactly what some have complained is missing from the recitation of the “Say-It-And-Forget-It” Sinner’s Prayer. But, is that fair to say? After all, it is supposed to be “praying-Jesus-into-your-heart.” That is where the “it-is-necessary-to-be-baptized-to-be-saved” insist upon the one being baptized proclaim “Jesus-is-Lord” at their baptism. “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe [Greek, pisteuō] in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 NIV). 

As you can see, both are in agreement on the necessity of heart commitment, but disagree on the mechanics of the commitment. 

Both praying the Sinner’s Prayer approach to salvation and the “it-is-necessary-to-be-baptized-to-be-saved” approach to salvation can be circumvented by the insincerity of the faith of the one believing, as we have seen by John’s inspired statement: “But Jesus would not entrust [Greek, pisteuō] Himself to them, for He knew all people” (John 2:24 NIV). Jesus knew what? He knew the sincerity of their heart, when they said, “I believe.” A sincere heart is what God accepts. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). 

Father, we know that this discussion will not solve everyone’s questions about the nature of salvation, but we pray it will take down barriers in our understanding preventing us from presenting salvation to those around us for whom Christ died. Cause Your Spirit to work in us and those around to give us a willing heart to repent, believe, and obey the Gospel. Grant us confidence in You as the One who knows us, loves us, and deserves us to submit to You for now and for Eternity. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen and amen.