Dear Student of the Word,
It's been two weeks since your last post from John's gospel, so I am sure you are ready to hear from me again (well, maybe I am just hoping you are ready). This week we continue with Jesus' discourse at the Last Supper, where He gave His followers much that would only make sense later, after His resurrection. This week I wrote on day four of this seven-day study:
14:6 – How did the disciples know the way? They knew because they knew Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus then made a statement that many would challenge then and today: that He is the only way to the Father. They would say that this is true only of those who have heard of Jesus. If anyone is sincere, then perhaps there could be another way to the Father. Jesus was clear: No one comes to the Father except through Him. Who does the “no one” cover? Why, it covers everyone!
Rather than debating whether or not this is true, we need to be spending our time declaring it to everyone without earshot. If it is true, then we have a message that many must hear who have never heard it, for Jesus is the only way. What are you doing to promote world missions and the propagation of the gospel to the ends of the earth?
v. 7 – Jesus could declare with confidence that anyone who knew Him also knew the Father! Anyone who had seen Jesus had also seen the Father! That is another bold statement Jesus made. No other prophet could say that, but Jesus was more than a prophet. He was and is the Son of God!
v. 8 – Philip indicated that the disciples didn’t fully understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. He made a simple plea known: Show us the Father and we will be happy! That is the cry of every human heart, whether each person realizes it or not. We were made to know the Father. We try to substitute many things for that knowledge, but those things never fill the void or satisfy the need to know God.
While this is the heart cry of many, the rebellion in man’s heart still says, “I want God, but I want Him on my terms. I want to come to Him the way that is most meaningful to me.” So you have man seeking God, but often seeking Him in ways that are most sensible to each and not according to the way God established, which is through Christ.
v. 9 – Jesus mildly rebuked Philip for making such a statement. Jesus told them that they should know that they could see the Father when they beheld Him. They were still not seeing clearly, but Jesus was about to change all that by doing what He had to do in the next few days. Paul later summarized for us what Jesus was trying to say here:
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority (Colossians 2:9-10).
Do you fully comprehend and grasp the nature of your relationship with Jesus? Do you understand what that enables you to do in regards to your relationship with the Lord God?
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.
Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.
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1. YOUR URGENT HELP NEEDED! As I wrote three weeks ago, I had a major breakthrough in my attempt to publish my Revelation Studies. A donor made a matching grant challenge for the month of August, promising to match every dollar donated with another dollar of his own. Last week $100 came in, so that means we have $700 of the $4,000 needed to publish. I am still confident the rest will arrive by August 31, but you must act fast to help me make what I am calling The Revelation Project a reality.
Every dollar you give will be doubled this month, so when you give, you are exercising good stewardship. What's more, you will be part of publishing and distributing this work that will help reclaim Revelation as a rich devotional book of victory and worship! You can make a contribution this month by going directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Please make sure you mark you donation for Revelation and don't forget that every dollar you give is actually two until August 31.
2. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE: Last week, I posted a new report from Kenya concerning The Sophia Fund. You can read it here. $50 came in last week for The Sophia Fund, and I am always blessed when people and readers respond. I am heading to Africa in late September and will check on the status of our donations then to make sure all is going well. As you know by now, I am using the money to feed AIDS orphans and widows in Kenya and Zimbabwe. You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother). Even though I am raising money for my Revelation Project, I will not neglect The Sophia Fund. The orphans and widows need our help now more than ever.
Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.
3. DAILY PROVERB: I am now posting a short daily devotional focusing on one verse every day on my blog site. If you would like to read it or subscribe to receive it, just go to my site and register there. I promise to have it updated every day.
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