Tuesday, July 30, 2013

THE GOSPEL: The Most Reassuring Promise!

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)

Jesus had been preparing the disciples for His departure by repeatedly explaining to them what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem.  But now, He was going to explain to them how He and the Father were going to take care of them and all of us who are saved, until He returns.  Let not your heart be troubled! "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:2-6)

Jesus said, "In My Father’s house are many mansions." House singular, but many mansions, or many houses within it.  Remember, God is Spirit... (John 4:24) When David sang about the knowledge of God, he made very clear that God is everywhere: Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. (Psalm 139:7-8)  ...for in Him we live and move and have our being,... (Acts 17:28) The point is ALL is God's house, what we do see and what we can't see, and He has room for every single one of us who are saved, the millions before us and the millions who will accept Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord after us.  But Christ Jesus, the Word of God in the flesh, is the ONLY way we will make it to the mansions, a place prepared by Christ for us. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? (John 14:7-9) For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word [Christ, John 1:1-18], and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. (I John 5:7)  Now Jesus was finally explaining to the disciples and us the "Trinity".  The actual word is not used in the scripture, but these three are one!

Remember at Christ Jesus baptism, ...it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form [gracefully] like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22) The Holy Spirit, from God the Father, descended upon Jesus, and these three are one.  Jesus was explaining that the Holy Spirit of God was in Him, "I am in the Father, and the Father in Me"; therefore, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:18)

Through Christ, God has revealed Himself to the world.  How?  Jesus goes on to explain, "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:10-15) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears usAnd if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (I John 5:14-15)

This is SO POWERFUL, for us who are believers!  Jesus was saying that just as He is in the Father and the Father in Him, who dwells in Him does the works, we who are saved will have that same unity of Spirit with God and he who believes in Christ, the works that He did we will do also; and greater works than these we will do!  We will be able to do great works than Christ did? YES!  That's what He said.  How?  This verse gets taken out of context too often, but when put in the context of the scripture, because we are saved and have unity of Spirit with God, whatever we ask in Christ name, that He will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If we ask anything in Christ name, He will do it, so that we can do the works that Christ did also, and greater works than Christ did we will do! But we HAVE to love Him, keep His commandments, and ask anything according to His will!

So how do we get this same unity of Spirit with God that Christ had, which will enable us to do all these greater works? The same way Christ did.  Jesus went on to make the most reassuring promise ever: And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in youI will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:16-18) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,... In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:3, 13-14)

What a gift from God! To fill us who are saved with His Holy Spirit, to be in us just as He was in Christ Jesus.  During creation, ...the Spirit of God was... Then God said, “Let there be..." (Genesis 1:1-25) But when He got to mankind, Then God said, “Let Us [God and Lord God, Genesis 2] make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion... (Genesis 1:26-31)  How much clearer now it should be to us when Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you,...?(Matthew 6:25-30) Let not your heart be troubled!

Now we can boldly and accurately say, just as Jesus did, I am in the Father, and the Father in Me! What an AWESOME and humbling gift!  Nothing else and no one else in creation can make that claim, but only those of us who are saved!  Yes, Jesus is not here in flesh, but He is here in our flesh; He has not left us orphans, and He has greater works for us to do, until He comes to us, filling us with His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. There's so much more Jesus is going to explain to us about this new relationship we have...

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