King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Sunday, November 10, 2019
Chapters: John 13-15
Message: Because I Live, You Shall Live
Hello My Friend,
Did you know that the government has rules that actually prohibit clergy to end a public prayer, if they follow Christ, with, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”? They are actually instructed to only say, “In His name.”. And did you ever notice a TV show or movie that speaks about Jesus, unless they are truly stand by Christ, they say, “In His name.” This is actually the politically correct way to pray in public today as to not offend those who say they believe in God, but not Christ. Let me tell you, this is an insult to God, and those who say they believe in God yet not Christ ought to be ashamed of themselves. And if you think your prayers are going to be answered by ending them with, “In His name.”, think again. You see, in order for God, the Father, to hear our prayers, we must take them to the Son first, “In His name” could mean anyone, and therefore, He will not hear them.
“Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 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. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” – John 14:11-19.
“or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” Just think about that, the works that Christ did while He was here in the flesh, we are able to do. How? “because I live, ye shall live also.” The worldly Christian tends to forget that although Christ died, He arose, and is alive and well, and sitting at the right hand of the Father (Mark 12:16). And since He lives, we too shall live, and forever. Why? The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, lives in our soul, and even though we do not physically see Christ, He is all around as He lives in and through us. That enables us to do the works He has done and more. Let me tell you, the works we do are not your typical help feed the poor, feel good about yourself deeds, they are literally the works that Jesus did. All four Gospels tell of the Passover meal that Jesus had with His disciples prior to His passion, John goes into more detail, and if you read carefully you will see that it is not actually John’s words, these are God’s.
“Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” – John 13:1-5,12-16.
“he loved them unto the end.” I do not think that I ever noticed this before, Jesus loves His own so much that the very last thing He would do while here is die for them. Remember, those who deny Christ, He will deny, so, they can say they believe in Him all they want, He knows who are His, and the mere gesture of saying, “In His name”, is not going to prove that. They might fool the world, but no one who truly receives Christ, and lives through Him is ashamed to stand up in public and say, “In Jesus’ name.” The worldly Christian has this idea that they can live anyway they please, follow only what they want to believe in God’s Word, and still be justified because they asked Him to “save” them. Well let me tell you, we may be saved by grace, and therefore, our works do not determine our salvation, but our actions speak louder than words. Jesus explains all of this further.
“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 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. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” – John 15:3-10,14-16.
“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” We are washed, we are clean of all our sin and the shame that comes with it through our faith in Christ alone. That does not justify our living in sin, and let me tell you, we can repent a thousand times a day, and as long as we are sincere He will hear us, but if we are not, forget about it. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” – Galatians 5:13.
“for without me ye can do nothing.” Is this not the truth? I will tell you what, I know I can do nothing without Christ, and anytime I get too big for my britches, He is sure to let me know that. I was looking at some of the cakes I made when I first started my online bakery, they were beautiful, but it failed because, one, I stopped giving credit to God, and two, I was more worried about impressing others than God. However, something changed, a few weeks ago when I made some cupcakes for my Sunday school class, I made the best batch of cupcakes and frosting than I have ever made. Do you know why? I gave all the credit to God. And do you know what? I have my first paying customer. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – I Corinthians 10:31.
“even as I have kept my Father’s commandments,” Do you know what the most amazing thing about Jesus is? He is humble. Jesus, knowing fully well who He is, that He is God Himself manifested in the flesh as God’s Son, fully surrenders to His own commands, He never takes credit for the work, giving it all to the Father. Do you know why He did that? The answer is from the beginning of our reading, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” – John 13:15.
“that ye should do as I have done to you.” There is not one thing, except die on the cross, that we are not capable of doing that Jesus did when He was here. He gave us an example to follow, and if we want Him to hear our prayers, we need to not only ask it is Jesus’ name, we need to follow His commands, which are His, and our Father’s commands. Because Christ lives, we shall live through our faith in Him alone. He will not be mocked, He will break those who sought Him in vain or whom have no intention of repentance off from the vine. And He will remove the candle from them. “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” – Revelation 2:5.
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for sacrificing Your sinless, spotless life in that I might not only be saved from death and hell, that I might also be one of Your very own. My faith alone in what You have done for me is all You ask for my redemption, but You want more than that, You want faithfulness, adoration, repentance, confession, and for me to be a living sacrifice. Thank You for saving my soul, and my life, I know there is nothing I could ever do to repay You nor is it even required, so instead of living the life I want I choose to live the life You want for me. Lord, lead me and guide me, fill me with Your mercies, grace, and unleash the power of the Holy Spirit in me that enables me to live in and through You. I know that without You I can do nothing, that is if I want to see any value out of my return. You truly do grant my requests when I live by faith, and obedience, and ask all things in Your name. I love You, Lord, and pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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