Born For A Cause

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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 12, 2023
Chapters: JOHN 17-18
Message: Born For A Cause

Hello My Friend,

Did you ever read the Bible and wonder how it is that God knows every move that we will make even twenty years from now? Did you ever wonder if God had already knew were going to do that stupid thing why He did not stop us? Did you ever wonder why God fully knowing who we were going to become even allowed us to be born? Well, there are two answers to all of those questions and more regarding what we would call fate or destiny. One; we are all fearfully and wonderfully made and we are precious to Him, [Psalms 139:14-17  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  15  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.  17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!]

And two; Freewill; we are all given a choice, and at any time while in our flesh, God, would welcome every precious soul, but that does not mean that God does not know what our choices will be. In other words, we were first born with every intention to come to the Saviour, but it is our freewill that will determine what will happen to us in between life and death, [Romans 8:29-30,34  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.]

As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, Jesus, is in the garden praying, fully knowing that He would be captured as soon as He was done. He is on His knees, His spirit in turmoil as He comes to grips with what is about to come. Then He lifts up His eyes to have and says a prayer that you would not believe, and it is all for us who believe.

[John 17:1-8  These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:  2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.  3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.  4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.  5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.  6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.  7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.  8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.]

[and they have received them, and they have believed that thou didst send me.] This includes every believer who believes that Jesus is the God, the Son, born of a virgin, sent here to die a sinless death for us, an atonement sacrifice as you will for the redemption of all who make the choice to believe in Him, [Romans 10:9-10  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.]

As Jesus continues His prayer, He lets it be known that He is not praying for those in the world, rather His believers, [John 17:9-12,15-18  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.  10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.  11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.  12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.  18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.]

[those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.] Meaning that we will receive eternal life and be the image that He made us to be just like they are, [Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.]

[those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost,] Do you see why I always say that no person who has honestly and sincerely accepted Christ as their Saviour can turn on their faith in Him. Oh, we may test our faith to the limit, and may dangle on the edge of sin and lose sight of Him for a while, but we cannot turn away from our faith because He is the one holding on to us, [John 10:28-29  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.]

Nothing, and I mean nothing, can separate us from Jesus, He knows that we are going to be hated because we are not of their world. Before a person even asks Jesus to save them, amazingly, He has already seen their hearts open to Him, and prays for them, literally pleading that they would receive Him. Even more amazing is that the second a person says something like, “I believe Jesus died to save me from my sins.” they are saved before they even say Amen, and He is with them forever.

[John 17:20-24  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;  21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.  22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:  23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.  24  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.]

[but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;] This is the great commission in a nutshell, we are to teach the Gospel of Christ to the lost, they get saved, then we take them under our wing and teach them how to teach others the Gospel, [Matthew 28:19-20  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]

As soon as Jesus finished praying, we know that at this point He went to back Peter, James, and John, [Mark 14:33  And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;] and woke them up, and as soon as He did, here came Judas with a band of men to arrest Him.

[John 18:1-6  When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.  2  And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.  3  Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.  4  Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?  5  They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.  6  As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.]

[as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.] Wow! Think about it, even though this was all planned out and Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen, there was still some opposition. While this could have been the devil trying to stop them from capturing Jesus in order to throw off the prophecies, but I am pretty sure that when Jesus spoke, “I am”, that it was so powerful and with so much authority that it scared them and they fainted. Well, as they get back up, Jesus, asked them that same question.

[John 18:7-14  Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.  8  Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:  9  That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.  10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.  11  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?  12  Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,  13  And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. 14  Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.]

[if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:] Jesus, is upbraiding them with their stupidity in not knowing who He was and also signifying that He was ready to deliver Himself up into their hands. However, He knew that it was not time for the disciples to suffer the same so He is the one who encourages them to let them go, in which they all scattered. [Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.] Jesus, going back to what He said in His prayer to the Father, [John 17:12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.]

The son of perdition we know is Judas Iscariot, and he was standing right there with the band of thugs who captured Jesus. It does not matter who attempts to overthrow prophecy everything will come to pass as it is written. Did Judas and Peter know that they were going to be used? Absolutely not. Jesus, did though and made sure that everything was taken care of, including the disciples fleeing when He was captured. Now, as Jesus stands before the high priest he questions Him on His doctrine, to which we learned that Jesus actually did say something to him other than, “Thou hast said.”

[John 18:20-23,28  Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.  21  Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.  22  And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?  23  Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me? 28  Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.]

[Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me,] There was no need for them to question His doctrine because they all knew that He was in the temple teaching them. Of course, there were several false witnesses attempting to say that He had said something that went against the Law or their law, but none of them could make their accusations fit. Oh yes, they knew exactly what Jesus taught the entire time, and every bit of it was written in the Scriptures, which is why they tried to kill Jesus from the start, [Psalms 69:3-4  I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.  4  They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.]

[lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.] Oh, now they want to follow the Law. Did you ever notice that it is the most evil people get others to do their dirty work for them? That is exactly what Satan does. They were too spineless to kill Him themselves so they sent Jesus to the governor, Pilate, stating that they could not do it themselves because it was still Passover.

[John 18:29-34  Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?  30  They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.  31  Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:  32  That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.  33  Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?  34  Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?]

[If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up] [Malefactor; One who commits a crime; one guilty of violating the laws, in such a manner as to subject him to public prosecution and punishment, particularly to capital punishment; a criminal.] Notice that they said to judge Jesus according to the law of the land, but Pilate said to judge Him according to the Scriptures. They accounted Him as one of those who were guilty of crimes that were not even existent. Let me tell you, Satan make up all kinds of garbage in order to overthrow the Scriptures and those who live by them. Nevertheless, he will never prevail, and while unfortunately many will go the way of Satan, a few will, in fact, find Jesus in the midst of their own trials, [Romans 8:36-37  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.]

[Sayest thou this thing of thyself,] This man had no idea who Jesus was, and yet he is asking Him if He is the King of the Jews? Ninety-nine percent of the news people get about Jesus is hearsay, never having actually read the Bible for themselves. Do you know how many people talk about Jesus, but have no idea who He is? That number is astounding. Let me tell you, the second we ask Jesus to come into our heart and save us we become His property, and that means that we belong to Him and He belongs to us. Jesus knows that they will face some persecution but us to assures us that He is ours and nothing can separate us because we are not of this world, we are of God’s world. And Praise God for that!

[John 18:36-38  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.  37  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.  38  Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.]

[that I should bear witness unto the truth…Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?] As Pilate confronts Jesus, he may not have known who Jesus was, but he did know one thing, Jesus did not deserve to die. Of course, he also did not know that he was being used to fulfill prophecy. I always say that if I am going to be used of God I rather be a vessel used to honor Him rather than one used for dishonor. We may not always understand God’s will, His purpose, or why He allows certain things to go on, but we can understand that every person born was destined for salvation, but it was their heart that turned them into a reprobate.

[Romans 1:20-21,28  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;]

Today’s Prayer: God, I want to thank You for sending Your Son to save me, I am trusting fully in Him for eternal life with You. While I humble myself to You, help me to submit solely to You, with all the joy, peace, and comfort that only comes from Christ who is mine. Lord, just as You are the example that I need to follow let me be the example for someone else to follow in hopes that they too can find peace in the Saviour. And even though I must face lots of reproach and persecution, I know that You are my strength to see me through. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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