When God Says …
“They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” (John 8:27-29 KJV)
These passages bring to our awareness the blatant example of the Pharisees and religious Jews whose continued unwillingness to believe the Truth of God's Word brought about a hardening of their heart. It leads to spiritual blindness and blankness of knowing. Due to utter unbelief, the Lord Jesus said: “In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’”(Matthew 13:14-15 NIV). The attitude of these religious people show that a person's intent is more powerful than someone's proof of evidence.
Hence, the Lord raised the bar higher in His messages with hint of Him being lifted up on the cross as a way for them to believe that He is I AM, the Messiah whom the Father sent. He does nothing of Himself but what the Father taught Him and of His will. Again He echoes God's words to Moses identifying Himself "I AM, WHO I AM" to say to His people Israel: "I AM has sent me to you."
The Lord Jesus plainly revealed to the Jews and to us all in these passages who He is. Yet knowing so, those religious Jews rejected Him. What a sad state of being!? Yes, it's sad! As out of His extravagant love, the Lord came as an offering for us to have life eternal in communion with Him. But, just like these religious people confronting the Lord, many chose to reject Him, especially in this present age. Many opt for their customs and traditions of religious doctrines, instead of faith in the only begotten Son of God. We ought to keep this reminder at heart, while there's still time for grace - and time is running quick. For those who have not believed, it is time to believe! The Words of the Lord clearly say: “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 3:18 ESV)
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
(When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.)
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment