Christ Relationship to the Believer

Lesson #205

In the last lesson we looked at the characteristics of one who believes in Jesus. In this lesson the emphasis is on Christs relation to the believer. “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47 ESV). Jesus came into the world as light, so that whoever believes in him may not remain in darkness (v46). The emphasis in verse 47 is on his words, which the whole future of mankind will be affected. What we do with those words is very important because, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:26 – 27 NASB). Woe to the one who hears but does not act because an awful charge of responsibility is now assessed to that person.

Jesus said that he will not judge the person for hearing and not acting, because that is not what he came for. While on earth, Jesus will not pronounce a sentence against disobedience because he came to be our savior. The person is already condemned because he believes not. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:17 – 19 ESV). There will be a time in the future when Jesus will judge. We find an indication of this in John 5:22: “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (ESV).

“The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48 ESV). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14 ESV). The Word, the Son of God, in flesh as Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV). These are the words that must be received, believed and acted upon and if they are not then they in turn will judge that person on the last day.

What is Christs’ relationship to you? Is he your savior and as a result God abides in you and you in God? If so, then you should have come to know and to believe the love God has for you. “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment” (1 John 4:16b – 17a ESV). Our future is determined by what we do with the words of Jesus.

Prayer

Father, thank you for providing the way of salvation through your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you that he is not only the way and eternal life, but he is also the source and foundation of truth. As the Word, what Jesus said is truth, no manner what else anyone thinks or believes. Thank you that by grace I have been saved through faith. My salvation is not based on anything I did; it is simply the gift of God. Father, thank you for that gift. 

Characteristics of the Believer

Lesson #204

With this lesson we begin the last section of chapter 12, defined by John 12:44 – 50. The words of this section are Jesus’ final public words and pertain to his coming to save the world. “And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:44 – 46 ESV). The last public words seem to have ended at John 12:36, which then would make this section a summary inserted by John of things spoken before. These three verses characterize the belief of the believer.

“Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me” is a way of saying belief in the Father requires belief in the Son. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV) implies belief in Jesus as the only way to have access to the Father. We must believe the Father when three times he spoke from heaven testifying that Jesus was his Son, sent by him. The Father and his Son come together. You can’t have one without the other and when you believe in both of them and are born again, you receive the third person of the eternal Godhead, the Spirit who comes to eternally dwell within you.

“And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.” “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”” (John 14:7 – 9 ESV). “[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15 ESV). “And [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3 NASB). It is clear from these verses that Jesus stands before us as a means for us to know the Father. We must study the life and person of Jesus if we are to know God. There is simply no other way as he is the only way to know and to go to the Father.

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” We have heard this before: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” (John 8:12 ESV). Jesus is light and that light provides eternal life. That light removes the darkness of spiritual death and by that light we can see and understand.

To believe in God requires that we believe in Jesus. To see Jesus allows us to know and see God. Coming to Jesus in faith opens up our heart to the light of his saving grace and transfers us from the domain of darkness into the eternal kingdom of the beloved Son. These are some things that characterize the one who believes in Jesus and is obedient to his Lordship.

Prayer

Father, Jesus is clearly the only way to God. Is it any wonder the devil works so hard to keep people from knowing Jesus and has established such an effective army to persecute those who do find him or maybe find ways to distract believers with things of the world? Father, help us to be intentional in our walk with Jesus, to be willing to pay any cost to follow him to the end. Father, have mercy on us when we don’t. 

Are We Secret Believers?

Lesson #203

Even though Jesus taught with authority and backed up what he taught with many signs, most of those who heard him would not believe. As a result of disobedience on the part of the Jewish people from the time they were chosen, God turns from them and enlists the Gentiles, leaving for the time being, the Jews outside of his grace of salvation. In a way he blinded their eyes and hardened their heart because of their disobedience. Isaiah prophesied this condition of unbelief long before Jesus came to earth.

Let us return to our text and see what John has for us today. “Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him” (John 12:41 ESV). “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple” (Isaiah 6:1 NASB). King Uzziah reigned for 52 years as one of the great kings, who walked with God until the end when he sinned by assuming the role of a priest and made an offering. This sin tarnished his reign, leaving the people wondering who could be another good king to lead them. At this point God brings Isaiah on the scene to point to the Lord, God’s Son, “sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple” as their perfect king. Jesus came to earth claiming to be that king, but he did not fulfill the expectations of the king the people had in mind and thus was rejected by most as a fraud. However, Isaiah saw the glory of Christ, the indescribable majesty of the "Word of God," that would become flesh and dwell among us. There are few verses of the New Testament that convey as clearly as this reference does to the pre-existence of Jesus Christ and his place in the eternal Godhead.

“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue” (John 12:42 ESV). In the last two lessons the focus was on unbelief, but here there might be a ray of hope with the use of the word “Nevertheless,” which implies that there were some who believed, even among the authorities. If we think back to earlier lessons in chapter 3, Nicodemus comes to mind as one who eventually stood in defense of Jesus. However, the meaning of “believed” must be considered. Consider the demons that Jesus cast out of people: “Demons also came out of many, crying out, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ” (Luke 4:41 NET). They believed because they knew who Jesus was and they confessed that, but they would still spend an eternity in hell. These demons believed and confessed, but were still eternally lost. In Romans, we read in 10:9 – 10: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (ESV). Something seems to be missing because this isn’t true when applying to the demons Jesus is casting out of people. We might find the missing condition in Luke 6:46: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (ESV). Obedience is that missing condition. True belief results in obedience, which results in a lifestyle that you can’t hide for very long. I read reports from persecuting countries, where people come to salvation, but out of fear keep their conversion secret, but as they grow spiritually people see a change in their lives and eventually determine there has been a conversion. Like the Pharisees, some of these people who live under persecution are in bondage under fear for a time, but if truly saved their conversion will become known. The Pharisees did not want to be put out of the synagogue, and these people here mentioned did not want to be isolated from their loved ones and face possible death for their relationship with Jesus.

The Pharisees remained silent about their belief, “for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:43 ESV). This expression gives a distinct difference between the Pharisees and the people living under persecution. The Jews desiring glory from men more than from God remained silent while the people living under persecution desired to maintain family relationships and feared the consequences of rejection. In both cases, true belief will be validated by their obedience to the Lord and resulting lifestyle.

Prayer

Father, this was a longer than usual lesson, but the text required it be done as one lesson. I believe this lesson is vitally important for us today because of many in the American church that believe they are Christian, but seem to fall in the category of those who call Jesus Lord but do not obey his commands. Father, I fear this number may be larger than we realize. Lord, encourage us to evaluate our lifestyle against the Bible to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support our confession. 

They Could Not Believe

Lesson #202

In this lesson we will look at a reason why the people did not believe. Again John quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah; “Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes     and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”” (John 12:39 – 40 ESV). Since they “could not believe,” one might ask, “Why could they not believe?” The answer is not straight forward and is viewed differently by people who hold to different views about how people come to salvation. Let us begin by involving God in the reason. We might say that God had determined to leave the people in their blindness and hardness of their hearts, and to deny them his grace. Without his grace their hardness will not lessen, enabling them to believe. We must remember that salvation is a gift freely given by God. The question is what prompts this gift? Is it based on God’s sovereignty or on our faith? If you say our faith, then what prompts your faith? As I think about this I see little difference between creation and evolution, and between God’s sovereignty and free will. For me, Scriptures is clear; God spoke the universe into existence from nothing, not evolution and God adds to the body of Christ through his sovereignty, not our free will.

God chose the Jewish people to be his people, who he planned to use as a means of revealing himself and his plan of salvation to the world, but from the beginning they were a rebellious self-centered people who were unwilling to humbly serve the Lord. Instead they wanted to serve themselves. There were times when God wanted to do away with them, but he didn’t and he still hasn’t, but when they were unwilling to accept Jesus as their Messiah, God set them aside for the time and turned to the Gentiles to help him. This ushered in the church age of grace, which I believe comes to an end during the tribulation period because of the great multitude that obtain salvation during the tribulation. I believe they are part of the body of Christ, part of the church. I believe, that during the tribulation period, God’s attention turns from the church back to the Jewish people. We must leave this discussion and return to our study.

It seems that since the Jews did not obey God’s plan for them, requiring him to turn to the Gentiles to help carry it out, “He has then blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn to me, and I would heal them.” (NET). The day will come when God will touch the hearts of the Jewish people and then they will realize that Jesus was indeed their Messiah, but for now only a few are chosen to understand and receive the gift of eternal life. We must be careful not to look down on the Jews for their disobedience because the American church has through disobedience turned from a Biblical church to a cultural church, allowing our wonderful country to slip into the hands of the powers of darkness. We are very quickly turning from the kingdom of light to the domain of darkness where all forms of evil lurk. At this point our suffering is not from persecution (it would be better if it was), but from the effects of not walking with the Lord as we should. When we live the way we want to live, the results are usually, in the end, not so pleasant as the lives of so many Christians show.

Prayer

Father, the thought that comes to mind as I come to the end of this lesson is from Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (ESV). If this was the way we lived, the western church would look so different today as would be the direction of our country. Father, have mercy on us as you judge our failure. 

They Still Did Not Believe

Lesson #201

With this lesson we will start the next section of chapter 12, defined by John 12:36 – 43, which considers the unbelief of the people. Tension has been growing between the Jewish authorities and Jesus and so he decides to go undercover for a while. “When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them” (John 12:36 ESV). Here is where the public ministry of Jesus comes to an end. People who have been following him will not see him again until he appears as a criminal in the hands of the officers of the Sanhedrin, on his way to the Praetorium. In the verses to follow, John presents his own reflections on why his own people would not receive him.

“Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him” (John 12:37 ESV). How the people responded then is not much different today; there is evidence of who Jesus is, but people let it pass by. At the time of Jesus, the people heard him speak and saw him perform miracles. Today we see and hear reports of God doing great things among Christians as well as unbelievers and we see how surrender to Jesus results in changed lives. The purpose of miracles is to establish faith in Jesus Christ and provide abundant proof of the deity of Jesus and his Messiahship, but people in their hardness of heart are not moved and continue to walk in spiritual darkness.

“so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”” (John 12:38 ESV). The quote in verse 38 is from Isaiah 53:1, which is a chapter devoted to prophecy of the Messiah. Isaiah suggests, that there would only be a few that would believe the report made in the ministry of the Gospel, concerning the Messiah. Even though the testimony of Jesus was true and was confirmed by miracles, and mighty deeds, the people simply would not believe and accept his powerful and special grace to them.

“and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” can have several meanings: It may refer to the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation; It may refer to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who is the power of God, by whom he made the heavens and the earth, and upholds them, and by whom he has redeemed and saved his people; or It may refer to the Holy Spirit by whom these miracles were done. No matter which meaning is correct, the people were not willing to submit to the evidence and believe.

Maybe there is a reason for this unbelief that we will discover in our next lesson.

Prayer

Father, as I think about the unbelief of the people covered in this lesson, my thinking is prompted with thoughts from 2 Corinthians 4:3 – 4: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (ESV). The gospel that Jesus is proclaiming is seen as foolishness by those who are perishing; those who were not chosen by you before the foundation of the world. Those unchosen ones are left in darkness, under the power of the god of this world, to blind their minds, and to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel. By your sovereign will you select those you will adopt as your children and they will hear and believe. Your selection is not random and will not leave out anyone truly desiring salvation; it is perfect according to your sovereign will. Thank you for salvation; so rich and free. 

Darkness to Light

Lesson #200

Jesus has been teaching throughout the Gospel of John that he was the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Christ their coming Messiah, but the people believe that the Christ would not die, but live forever. Let us go back to the text and see what the crowd had to say: “So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”” (John 12:34 ESV). The people have been listening to Jesus, but based on information they have received from public teaching, they believe the Law states that Christ will remain forever. The people realize that Jesus has been holding himself up as the Christ and that he must die a violent death, which ran counter to all their ideas of the Messianic prophecies; prophecies like: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13 – 14 ESV). They could not see that Jesus who was the Christ must die first.

“So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” (John 12:35 ESV). Jesus did not respond to their question but instead refers back to John 8:12, where he claims to be the light of life and as that light he will not be with them much longer and when he leaves they will be left in darkness. The idea of being with them “for a little while longer” has been stated before: “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.” (John 7:33); “Little children, yet a little while I am with you.” (John 13:33); “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19); “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” (John 16:16). Jesus is encouraging them to use this “little while” to understand their need as sinners and to see Jesus as their savior to allow them to be with their Messiah. Jesus says to them that they need to come to this understanding while they have the light among them, because if darkness overtakes you, you will not know where you are going. In that darkness are unseen perils and pitfalls to stumble over. They will have no perception of imminent danger and will be driven on by a measureless force to their eternal destruction. Their only hope is to be in the light that only Jesus can offer.

Jesus holds out an offer to them: “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” (John 12:36 ESV). While the light is among you, believe in the light; believe in Jesus who is that light that gives life. By coming to the light and believing in the light you will be born again and will become sons of light. Paul speaks of this in 1 Thessalonians 5:5: “For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness” (NET). We as believers carry this light throughout the world, providing people the opportunity to come to it, but many will refuse and continue to walk in darkness into eternal destruction. Now is the time of salvation. We must not wait.

Prayer

Father, the more time I spend preparing these lessons the more aware I am of the darkness of the world in which we live and of the darkness that prevails in the hearts of unbelievers. Father, even many believers tend to stay in the shadows because of the pleasure of sin and the enjoyment the world offers. Father, I find that these things are nothing compared to the love, joy and peace you offer. Father, thank you for your training and discipline used to guide my life. 

The Uniqueness and Power of the Cross

Lesson #199

The voice from heaven just validated who Jesus is and now Jesus is going to try to help the people understand that before their Messiah rules as the King, he must suffer and die for the people. We will see in future lessons that this concept is going to severely alienate the people from Jesus, even to the point that they will cry out for his crucifixion. Following the voice from heaven, Jesus continues by saying, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31 ESV). Paul spoke of the ruler of this world: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:3 – 4 ESV). Through his death on the cross and his resurrection, Jesus assures that the world will be judged for its evil and its stand against God, especially their stand against Jesus and his followers. The victory that Jesus gains over death, guarantees that the reign of Satan as the ruler of this world will end at the end of the age.

Jesus continues to say, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32 ESV). There is some debate on how to interpret the phrase “lifted up from the earth.” Does it refer to the Lord’s resurrection and ascension or does it refer to his being lifted up and hung on the cross to die? The next verse speaks of his death and in the conversation with Nicodemus, the same language is used: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14 – 15 ESV). In John 6:44 we first encountered the concept “will draw” when Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 3:44 ESV). Jesus is declaring that his death on the cross would draw all of those whom the Father has chosen. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus draws as the Father gives, those chosen in ages past. By the Father’s work of grace, those chosen are prepared to come to Christ and when they hear the message about the work Jesus finished on the cross, they find it more compelling than anything the world has to offer and they surrender their will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This work on the cross, this matchless love of God, is a pronouncement of judgment against the world and its prince.

Why did Jesus say he would be lifted up? “He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die” (John 12:33 ESV). Jesus was making it very clear to the people listening, who had just heard the Father speak from heaven, that he would be lifted up and nailed to a cross and die and through that death would release judgment against the world and gain victory over its ruler, the devil. He also made it clear that his death on the cross and his resurrection would divide the population of the world into two groups; those chosen by the Father and those not chosen. Those chosen would see it as the power of salvation and those not would see it at utter foolishness. In which group do you currently find yourself?

Prayer

Father, how compelling this passage is concerning your validation of who Jesus is, how he would die and what would be gained by that death. The promise Jesus made on the cross that he would draw all of those you chose is being realized throughout the world every day. Father, thank you for your plan of salvation and its implementation that provides us with the gift of salvation. Thank you for such a rich and powerful text. Thank you for salvation so rich and free through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Lord, thank you for your overwhelming love for us that you would be willing to sacrifice yourself in our place on the cross.