Saturday, November 5, 2016

JEWELS From The GOSPEL Of JOHN: YOU ARE MY SON, SHINE! - JOHN 3:34-36

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject. These articles will not run contiguously on this blog but peppered throughout and in the midst of other articles (though some might be posted consecutively). I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 3:34-36
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

"For he whom God hath sent..."

God the Father sent His Son to this fallen world. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for the LORD Jesus - to leave the holy atmosphere of Heaven, with all of its purity, glory and goodness and come to this dank, depressing, lost world reeking with putrid sin and corruption. Nevertheless, He came and willingly so, out of a heart of love for us!

He came not in His own Name, but in the Name of the Father (JOHN 5:43) and sent by His authority. The LORD Jesus is The Apostle (HEB 3:1) and as we know, the word 'apostle' means 'sent one', that is, 'one who is sent on some mission or purpose'.

The LORD Jesus Himself appointed His apostles, and these were witnesses of His life, including His teachings and miracles, His character and holy nature, as well as His death and His resurrection - just as the LORD Jesus was the witness of God the Father to this blind world.

We saints, members of His body, are in a sense, apostles - or more specifically, have an apostolic calling in whatever ministry He has us serving Him in - because we are sent by the LORD for that purpose or mission in ministry and are His witnesses to the Truth of His Word and His Gospel.


"God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him..." 

Upon the LORD Jesus, the Father gave an unmeasured anointing of the Holy Spirit (LUKE 4:18) - that is, our Savior was granted the 'full-to-overflowing' measure of the Holy Spirit. There is much talk about being 'Spirit-filled' particularly among neo-Pentecostals, and they attribute their often bizarre actions and behavior 'to the work of the Spirit', but if one wants to know what being 'Spirit-filled' looks like, one needn't go anywhere else than to our example of Jesus! Amen?

And He used the power of the Spirit, not to accomplish things for His own selfish interests or promotion (as is too, too often the case with those who claim to be 'Spirit-filled') but to "preach the gospel to the poor;. . . to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord"

"he ... speaketh the words of God..."

The anointing of the Spirit will not provide for us 'new revelation' which those leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation movement claim (for an excellent article explaining this cult, click on this preceding link!).
If we are truly led of the Spirit, then we will speak God's own words (1 COR 14:36-37), as recorded in Holy Scripture; the exclusive truth-source of God's entire revelation to us (JOHN 17:17). Any supposed prophecy or declaration that any would claim is from God must be compared to the holy Word of the Bible and if it doesn't line up, it must be rejected as false!


"The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand..."

Just as the Father has given all things into the nail-pierced hands of His Son, the LORD Jesus - the LORD Himself will give us our inheritance through His atoning justification of our souls, out of His heart of love! AMAZING (ROM 8:17)! The Father has granted all judgment of all creation - man and angel alike - to the LORD (JOHN 5:22-23) and likewise, the LORD will grant to us His church the position of judging alongside with Him (1 COR 6:2-3; REV 2:26-27)!

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life..."

"Believ[ing] on the Son" is far more than mere intellectual agreement and assent to doctrinal truth - it is a matter of genuine faith and trust in the Person of Jesus Christ for the saving of the soul - it is an implicit offering of oneself to the LORD with a heart of repentance, yearning, devotion, submission and obedience that is the first step to a living, vital relationship with Jesus as LORD and Savior. For those who express such faith, they are recipients of the Spirit of God and thus "everlasting life" as reborn children of God (JOHN 3:3; 1 PETER 1:23).

None of us are children of God inherently at our natural birth; we must be born a second time, spiritually to become God's children (JOHN 1:12-13). To neglect to do so, means that one remains in the natural state of sinfulness, due to being a child of Adam - who fell into sin at the beginning and thereby brought the curse of sin and death upon the entirety of humanity (ROM 5:12).


"...he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him..."

The offer of salvation through the LORD Jesus Christ and His redemption as our Kinsman-Redeemer still stands. He offers His salvation in extending that nail-pierced Hand of His.
If one rejects this offer to the end (whether that is the end of one's own physical life in this world or the end of this age of the church when we that belong to the LORD are raptured out from this planet and go Home; 1 THESS 4:16-18; 1 COR 15:52-54), then that soul will continue uninterrupted, unimpeded on their course to eternal destruction in hell where "the wrath of God [will] abide upon [them]".


May those of us who have indeed expressed such living faith (JAMES 2:18) that is evidenced by a life of Spirit-produced fruit (JOHN 15:4-5) rejoice in that we have everlasting life, destined for the glories of heaven that revolves solely around the Person of our Precious LORD Jesus Christ! Such everlasting life is beyond our full experience and comprehension in our present state, but we shall know the fulsome and profound love, joy and peace once we step out of this temporal world of sin and decay and step into the kingdom of heaven, "and forever shall we be with the LORD" (1 THESS 4:17)!

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