Friday, November 11, 2016

Comfort Comes from Trusting Christ's Proclamation PT-1 (John 14:4-6)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/11/2016 11:28 AM

My Worship Time                           Focus:  Comfort Comes from Trusting Christ’s Proclamation

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  John 14:4-6

            Message of the verses:  “4 "And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

            We look today at one of the most famous verse in all of the Word of God, speaking of verse six that is. 

            Why is it do you suppose that Jesus said that they know the way where He was going?  Perhaps if we look at John 7:33 and also John 13:1, and 3 we will get the answer.  “Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me.”  “1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”  “3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God.”   All of these verses speak of the fact that Jesus made it clear that He was going back to His Father, so at least they should have realized that fact, but as seen Thomas did not know where He was going.  Now I have to say that the disciples were under a lot of stress as we have mentioned reasons why this was true in many of our previous SD’s, so that would be a reason, probably a good reason why they were not thinking as clearly as they should have.  I can say from experience of being under stress that my mind does not work as good as it usually does, and I suppose that this is true of all of us.

            We mentioned the statement that Thomas makes but Peter also made a similar statement in John 13:36 “Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.’”  One of the things or reasons there was such a problem with these disciples is because they were not thinking about what happened beyond the grave, for they had to understand that Jesus was going to die because He had told them so many times, yet if He was going to die who was He going to go back to  the Father, this was all new to them and since we live on the other side of the cross we have these questions answered for us, but they did not.

            Now Jesus answers Thomas’ question with the sixth of the I AM statements in John’s gospel when He says “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”  We have one more of these I AM statements in chapter 15:1, and 5.  This is quite a statement for Jesus is stating that not one single person to ever live can go to heaven, to be saved, to see God, unless they come through Him.  People do not like this statement at all, for it is saying there is only one way to get to heaven, and humanly speaking this is not liked at all.  People think that there are many ways to get to heaven, but they would be wrong.

            John MacArthur writes “The purpose of this gospel is to make those things known, so they are repeated throughout the book so as to lead people to faith and salvation (20:31).”  We have not mentioned the key verse or verses in a while so it is time to quote them again to keep all of us on focus as to why John wrote this book.  “30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31  but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

            We will continue to look at this truth in our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful for this great comfort that is seen in these verses, thankful that Jesus Christ died on the cross for me to provide the way that I can be with Him forever.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust that the Lord will use this SD to bring comfort and salvation to those who are in need of both.

Memory verse for the week:  (Romans 6:16) “16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either sin resulting to death, or obedience resulting in righteousness.”

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “That they be slain” (Matthew 2:16-18).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter’?”

Answer in our next SD.

11/11/2016 12:12 PM

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