Dear Student of the Word,
It is my privilege to bring you yet another installment from our study of John's gospel. We are nearing the end and have only five more studies after this one, which should allow us to finish John by year's end. This week we look at Jesus' lengthy prayer in John 17, which is full of evidence that Jesus is divine. Here is what I wrote on day seven of this week's seven-day study:
The Father loved Jesus before the creation of the world. That means that they had fellowship before creation, which means that Jesus was eternal, which means that He is God. As stated earlier, I have never seen these proofs of Jesus’ divinity as clearly as I have seen them in this study. Thank you, Lord!
v. 25 – The world does not know the Father, and that includes those Jewish leaders who were about to kill Jesus. They were part of the world’s system and they could not accept Jesus or His disciples. Jesus called the Father “righteous,” for His ways are only good and pure. Unrighteous men constantly question God’s intentions and motives, wondering why God would do this and why He doesn’t do that. Jesus, who has beheld the Father in all His glory, can say that He (the Father) is righteous.
v. 26 – The Son had made the Father known to His followers and will continue to do so. He will do this so that the love of the Father that is in Him will also be in His followers and so that the Son will also live in the followers. What a magnificent cooperative effort, where the Father and Son share all things so that each may be revealed and glorified in the disciples. There is no territorialism in the Father and Son. They share with one another freely. They also share with those who believe in them as well.
As you can tell, this entire chapter has impacted me as I have studied and written. I have never seen the interconnection between the Father, the Son and the believers as I have in this study. We are not just observers in this process, we are participants and we share freely in the love and unity of the Father and Son. We have the same love in us and their presence and glory are revealed to us. Praise You, Lord!
There is no way to participate in these blessings without first putting faith in the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the door to all of these blessings and the union with God the Father. Jesus did not say He was one way to the Father; He said He is the only way. Therefore, anyone who wants this union with God but who does not want to obtain it through Jesus, cannot obtain it any other way.
Jesus was clear as to who He was, His relationship to the Father and what He could provide for His followers. For there to be another way to the Father makes Jesus a liar, which cannot be the case. You and I have the good news of this way to God, which is why we must urgently share it. There is no other way to 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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RETURN HOME: I just returned from a great visit to the UK and Kenya but I am ready to get back to work here at home. I visited the ministries who are receiving The Sophia Fund money and I was pleased with what I saw. I will have a report for you soon.
I am also planning to start what I am calling The Deborah Foundation, which will begin to establish children's libraries and learning centers around Kenya. I will announce a special Christmas promotion when I will ask you to buy an educational toy or book for the children (ages 8 and under) and send it me. I will then transport them over and set up three such centers next year. Watch this space for more information in the weeks to come of how you can buy a toy for the Kids in Kenya.
And don't forget to give your $5 or more to The Sophia Fund. When you see the pictures and read my report, I know you will see what a good investment it is and how much good it is doing. For now, you can read my last report on The Sophia Fund here, which includes instructions on how to give.
"Jesus led a life dedicated to preaching the Gospel and serving others" - I'd like to take that further and say that Jesus dedicated His life to glorifying God
Posted by: bible study | October 28, 2009 at 02:03 PM