KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, October 06, 2018
Chapters: John 2-4
Message: Worship God In Spirit And Truth
Hello My Friend,
Worship; To adore; to pay divine honors to God. It has been a long time since I started a message with the definition of a word, but so many people misunderstand so many words, especially if they come from the Bible. True worship of God is not about becoming a slave, bowing down to Him like one would do an earthly king or queen, it is about honoring God. Let me tell you, when we all stand before Jesus we will be on our knees because we will discover that we truly are sinners who were saved by Him through our faith in the Gospel, but true worship is not only receiving Jesus as our Saviour, but living our lives showing Him through us. That is what pleases God and gives honor to Him. “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:21-24
“and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Spirit, meaning must have His Spirit in them, we know this to be the Holy Spirit, and in truth, meaning believing not only in the Gospel of Christ, but that it alone is our salvation. The Scribes and Pharisees were well aware of the Law, and they were really good at helping people find their way, even so kind as to have a market for people to buy sacrifices as they were heading up to the temple to worship God (I am being sarcastic here). As you know, Jesus went into Jerusalem every year during Passover, he watches the people buying and selling things within the gate and it angers Him.
“And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” – John 2: 13-25
“and in three days I will raise it up.” Do you see what Jesus said here, “I will raise it up.”? Of course, Jesus was speaking of when He gets crucified and resurrects, but He is also saying He, pointing out that He is God in the flesh. And what about the beginning of this passage, “And the Jews’ passover was at hand,” This is another example showing that while Jesus came here in the flesh through the Jews, He was not technically a Jew. I have to point out one other part of passage here, “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them,” You see, Jesus knows those who are true believers and who are not. There are people all over the world praising Jesus and all the things He has done, but they are not true worshipers. Why? Because they never accepted Him as their Saviour. One can know who Jesus is, and even believe in His death, burial, and resurrection, but unless they personally believe that He saved them and receive Him as their Saviour they are not true, and therefore Jesus will not commit Himself to them. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:22-23.
Keep in mind that these people who were well aware of the law, if they were truly following the Law of Moses, they would not have been selling anything on the Passover because there would have been no work conducted because it was a Sabbath day, and they were selling blemished animals to the people who were offering them to God. Jesus knew that they were going to destroy His body, but He also knew that it would be restored in three days. The world cannot comprehend what is not physically shown to them, which is why they are so prone to believe that we evolve over time rather than believe we have a Creator. Jesus runs into a man name Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee, most of them just followed Him around to see if they could catch Him do something wrong, but Nicodemus saw something different than the rest, he came to Him in the night to speak with Him about God, but he just did not quite understand why Jesus said he had to be born again.
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” – John 3:5-15.
“If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not,” This goes beyond the saying that seeing is believing, this is plain disbelief in what is right in front of their eyes. These people witnessed the miracles that Jesus performed the entire time He was here in the flesh, and yet they refused to believe and get saved. People are the same way today, Jesus or not, they are blind to the truth, only want to see the lies, and yes, I am referring to our country and the countless people who protest over things they have no clue about. If people cannot see the truths of what is happening right before their eyes, how do they expect to get any respect from God let alone believe in the simple truth of the Gospel? I will say it again, sometimes it is scary when I start writing this stuff and the next passages just line up. There are some that believe Jesus only came to save the Jews, but Jesus came to save all who believe, He proved this several times, but the most notable is the Samaritan woman, we do not even know her name, but we know he faith. Jesus did not care what race or nationality she was, all He cared about was her faith, and what true worship was receiving the gift of God.
“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.” – John 4:10-11,13-15,25-26.
“I that speak unto thee am he.” So many people honor and worship God, but they truth is they have no clue who they are worshiping because it is not Almighty God. To worship God we must believe that He sent Jesus, that He, is in fact, Himself in the flesh, that He is the Christ, the Messiah. God started with the Jews, very few accept Him still today because they refuse to worship Him in spirit and truth, but there will come a time when they too will finally understand and believe. God has never only been the God of the Jews, He is God of all who worship Him spirit and in truth, He chose the Jews to show the rest of the world that there is only One God, but He has always accepted all who want worship Him. The woman believed and did what every true believer does the second they get saved, went and told people, as she was leaving the disciples came back.
“In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” – John 4:31-38.
“One soweth, and another reapeth.” Sometimes we are the one who plants the seed of the Gospel to get a lost soul to think about Jesus, sometimes we are the one who came after and pulls it out of them. Sometimes, we are the ones who plant the seed in ourselves while someone else pulls it out of us. There is no right or wrong here, I always say that everyone, unless they are reprobates, has been given the opportunity to know who Jesus is and to accept Him as their Saviour. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” – Romans 2:9-11.”
Jesus Christ Magnified: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” – John 2:19.
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for the gift of my salvation, I know that it is not by my own works that I am saved from death and hell for my sins, but by Your finished work, You died a sinless death, was buried, and arose from the grave three days later. And You not only saved me from an eternity in hell, You assure me that I have eternal life with You. Lord, it can be hard to worship You in spirit and truth when I get overwhelmed with life, lead me and guide me, fill me with Your grace, love, and wisdom to do whatever it is that You call me to do. I love You Lord and ask these things in Your name Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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