November 15 – Confident Love

Sunday School Lesson

November 15

Lesson 11 (KJV)

Confident Love

 

 

Devotional Reading: Hebrews 13:1–8

Background Scripture: 1 John 3:11–24; 2 John 4–11; 3 John 5–8

1 John 3:11–24

 

11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

 

12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

 

13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

 

14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

 

15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

 

16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

 

17. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

 

18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

 

19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

 

20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

 

21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

 

22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

 

23. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

 

24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

 

 

Lesson Aims

 

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. List several ways Jesus called His disciples to show love for fellow believers.

 

2. Explain what Jesus meant when He promised that the world will hate Christians.

 

3. Recruit an accountability partner to help him or her grow in keeping God’s command to love.

 

 

HOW TO SAY IT

 

Ephesus

Ef-uh-sus.

Galilee

Gal-uh-lee.

 

Introduction

 

1. Hated by the World

 

Blogger Carey Nieuwhof has written that non-Christians hate Christians because they think they are judgmental, hypocritical, and insincere friends. But history tells the stories of many Christians who were none of these things. We can find many examples in our churches today of Christians who refuse to be judgmental, whose lives are not hypocritical, and whose friendships are sincere both with believers and nonbelievers. Still, some of these exemplary folks suffer persecution, even death. There must be a deeper dynamic here.

Most Christians have plenty of room to be more Christlike in our relationships with non-Christians. But nothing we do will earn the world’s love. This was also true for John’s readers. What is to be done in a seemingly no-win situation?

 

1. Lesson Context

 

The three letters of John were likely written about the same time as the Gospel of John, in the AD 80s or 90s. The letters reflect a personal relationship with the readers, like a pastor writing to his flock. Indeed, early Christian sources indicate that the apostle John left Jerusalem and his home region of Galilee to settle in the city of Ephesus. Paul had founded the church of Ephesus in the mid-50s on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1–22). The city had become a center of Christian activity, and this was strengthened by the arrival of John 15 to 20 years after Paul. At the time of the writing of 1 John, the apostle had served as a pastor for the Ephesians for more than a decade.

John wrote as the senior statesman of the church, likely the last living of the 12 original apostles. First John contains a wide range of topics that summarize the aged apostle’s teachings and advice for his beloved “children,” the Christians of Ephesus. The letters of John deal with factions within and outside the church of Ephesus, which had begun to teach many false things (examples: 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3). Included in this list were things like the denial of the true humanity of Christ (and therefore His atoning death), of the reality of sin in the lives of the teachers, and of the assurance of salvation for believers as taught by Jesus.

John wrote this epistle against a background of false teachers who came to be known as gnostics. Among other things, gnostics taught that it did not really matter if a person had morality or love—as long as he or she had “secret knowledge.” To combat this false teaching, John emphasized the interconnection of right belief, right actions, and right love. To put it another way, it is the right involvement of head, hands, and heart. The child of God must believe the truth, obey the commands, and love brothers and sisters in Christ.

John showed that such threats to the faith must be dealt with firmly and without compromise, yet with a spirit of love. Christians cannot return hate and abuse with more hate and abuse. Even in the most contentious relationships, love must prevail. Surely this applied to John himself, whose teachings were under attack by these heretics. His original readers may have witnessed firsthand his response to his antagonists, and if this had been anything but love, the message of 1 John would have a hollow ring.

John demonstrated that if we are in the right and “walkest in the truth” (3 John 3), we can bring great confidence to our relationship with anyone. This is not arrogance or elitism, but inner strength that does not depend on the approval of others for personal well-being.

 

1. Cain’s Example

(1 John 3:11–15)

 

1. Loving from the Beginning (v. 11)

 

11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

 

The beginning for John refers to his original teachings among his readers. His message has not evolved or changed, and the basic message is still that we should love one another. Furthermore, this key concept can be found in the teachings of Jesus (see John 13:34–35). These words of his master made a strong impression on the young John 50 years earlier, and he never forgot them. He does not want his readers to forget or neglect them either.

 

A Gentle Reminder

 

When the new preacher arrived at our church, the members were glad that he was young. They thought he would bring new energy to the congregation, which he did. For a month and a half, this minister led the congregation through the basic principles of the Christian faith and life.

By the fifth week, one of the older members told the young man that they already knew what he was teaching. The preacher smiled and told her, “I said I would not be sharing anything you didn’t already know. This series on discipleship is only a reminder of how we are supposed to live as Christians in the world.”

John was doing the same thing that this young preacher was doing. Sometimes we all need a gentle reminder of the central message of the Christian faith—not because we don’t already know it, but to make sure we’re living it out in the world.

—L. H.-P.

 

1. Lifeless like Murderers (vv. 12–15)

 

12. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

 

While we usually see hate as the opposite of love, John gives a biblical example that shows the complexity of our relationships. Why would we hate another person? In the story of Cain and his brother, Abel, there was an underlying dynamic of jealousy. God judged Cain’s offering of agricultural products to be evil, while Abel’s offering of choice portions from the animals of his flock were deemed righteous (Genesis 4:1–5).

 

What Do You Think?

Which kind of Bible character inspires you more to act in love: positive examples of those who did or negative examples of those who didn’t?

 

Digging Deeper

What biblical characters, other than Jesus or Cain, can you name as examples?

 

We know from the later laws of Israel that a “meat [grain] offering” was not repugnant to the Lord (see Leviticus 6:14; Numbers 4:16), so the fault of Cain was in the unrighteous condition of his heart. John’s point is that Cain’s actions confirmed his evil heart. His jealousy grew to hatred and resulted in murder.

 

13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

 

When John wrote of the world, he meant something more specific (and sinister) than the general populace. The world represents those who are in rebellion against God, defiantly sinning against God’s commands. They have rejected God’s rules for living and resent any restrictions on their freedom to sin.

The world’s hatred for the church flows out of its hatred for God himself. The people of God will never be accepted by those who reject God. Such hatred of the righteous by the unrighteous has changed little in the thousands of years since Cain and Abel. This ancient dynamic persists in the way the world views the church.

 

14a. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.

 

While the world is dead in its wickedness and hatred, believers have moved from death unto life. This fact calls and then empowers Christians to love each other, a sign of genuine life in Christ. Our assurance of salvation is based on more than our love for Jesus. We cannot claim to love the Lord while hating others. This reinforces what John has already taught about the world. The world hates Christians because it hates Jesus.

Hate, of course, may seem strong to describe the world’s reaction to Christ. Some people genuinely seem to respect Jesus as a philosopher or even prophet who had important things to say. However, by rejecting His claim that He is the Son of God who redeems people from their sins, they fail to love Him as they ought. For this reason, the world dwells in death when it could pass into life, if only it would love Jesus and accept His lordship.

The hatred of Cain is an old story, and the hatred of the world is probably not surprising. But what about hatred within the family of God? It is inconceivable! If a believer doesn’t love other members of Christ’s body, it signifies that such a person either has never come all the way into life or has gone back and now abides in death.

 

14b. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

 

This verse represents an absolute truth for Christians: if you hate your brothers and sisters in the faith, you abide in death, spiritual separation from God. Such people have not experienced the eternal life promised to those who put their faith in Jesus (see John 5:24). They are still under condemnation because of sin (3:18).

 

15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

 

Jesus taught that anger and disrespectful behavior are comparable to murder (Matthew 5:21–22). Anger and hate feed one another. Human anger does not produce God’s righteousness (James 1:20). Unchecked and unresolved anger may indeed lead to violence and even murder, things that should have no place in the church.

Though murder can be coldly calculated (and thus reveal a horrifying depth of hatred), more often it is a crime of passion committed in a fit of anger and hate. This was the case with Cain, who seethed with anger against God and his brother (Genesis 4:5–6). The Lord described this deadly mix of animosity as “sin … at the door” (4:7).

 

What Do You Think?

What do you need to do to reject the kind of hatred described in 1 John 2:9, 11; 3:15; and 4:20 while embracing the kind of hatred Jesus describes in Luke 14:26?

 

Digging Deeper

Which of those two tasks will be harder for you? Why?

 

The End of Hate Is Death

 

One of my favorite television shows depicted a long-held feud between two brothers. Since childhood, their father favored the older son because he always showed interest in the family business. When the father died, he left the business to both sons. The younger brother despised the father’s sticking him with a business he didn’t want and a partner he resented.

Then the older brother had an accident on the job, which sent him to the hospital. Doctors discovered he needed a liver transplant immediately. His brother was a match, but would not help unless his older brother sold the business. The brother refused; they exchanged hateful words. These two brothers were so concerned with their personal vendettas that one of them almost died.

Hate and jealousy can become fatal. The death-dealing nature of hate is literal but also subtle. These brothers missed out on the loving, life-giving relationship that they could have had. The energy to exert hate is not worth the costs. Christians are called to choose love and life over hate and death.

—L. H.-P.

 

1. Christ’s Sacrifice

(1 John 3:16–18)

 

1. Imitate Jesus (v. 16)

 

16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

 

Jesus’ Jewish opponents hounded and threatened Him throughout His ministry (example: John 11:8). If Jesus had decided to let His emotions turn to murderous hate, He had far greater resources than whatever murder weapon Cain used. Jesus could have summoned thousands of warrior angels to exact His vengeance (Matthew 26:53). But he didn’t. Instead, He willingly died for the sake of all people, including His killers (Luke 23:34), John’s first-century readers, and even us. Jesus acted out His love with willing purpose, the polar opposite of the angry hate of a murderer.

Thus the first measure of love is a practical test. When God loved the world, He sent Heaven’s greatest gift. Jesus came and laid down His life for us—unrepentant enemies of God (see John 3:16; Romans 5:8, 10; Colossians 1:21–22). Love like God’s love could give nothing less. God’s children should resemble their Father in this kind of love. We should be willing to do just about anything for our brethren.

 

What Do You Think?

How would you explain to someone that 1 John 3:16 is just as important to memorize as John 3:16?

 

Digging Deeper

How would your explanation to a fellow believer differ from your explanation to an unbeliever, if at all? Why?

 

1. Demonstrate Love (vv. 17–18)

 

17. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

 

Today we might talk about hardening one’s heart instead of shutting up one’s bowels (compare Exodus 8:15; 9:34; 2 Corinthians 6:11). Jesus’ death for His brothers and sisters serves as the ultimate act of love, in contrast to Cain’s act of hate.

John pushed this to a smaller scale, something within his readers’ daily experience. Most of us will not literally die for others (compare Matthew 16:24–27), yet we have opportunities daily to give of our livelihoods, our personal resources (this world’s good), to help those in need. Love, like faith, requires evidence in our actions (James 2:15–17). When we accept the love of God, we also take the responsibility to prove that love in our relationships with others.

 

18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

 

Any claim for loving God should result in observable deeds of compassion for others. Lack of concern for the needy brings the entire status of a Christian into question. John used truth here in the sense of veracity, of verifiable actions. He also taught that love for God and hate for others cannot coexist (1 John 4:20).

John knows that these stern words might convict some of their unfaithful deeds, so he spoke with urgency to his little children, his beloved flock. Although false teachers seemed unworried about physical actions as evidence of faith, John insisted that loving behavior is the only way to really demonstrate love in one’s heart.

 

 What Do You Think?

What are some situations in today’s churches in which John’s stress on the importance of truth (a word occurring dozens of times in his Gospel and letters) requires the greatest measure of tact in light of the need for grace (compare John 1:14–17; 2 John 3)?

 

Digging Deeper

What have you learned from such situations that were handled wrongly in that regard?

 

III. Faith’s Test

(1 John 3:19–24)

 

1. Of the Heart (vv. 19–22)

 

19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

 

John offers a test to determine whether we are of the truth (see 1 John 3:20 commentary, below). To be of the truth is John’s way of saying our actions prove we are not acting with guile or deceit, but with godly sincerity and honesty.

We should pay attention to our hearts, but not as an infallible guide. The heart in biblical thought is not simply the center of emotions. The heart is the source of our deepest impulses, our motivations, our freewill decisions. It is where we make choices.

 

20. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

 

Here, a heart that condemns may be rightly convicting us of sin that has not been rooted out. This seems especially to be what John had in mind; if our hearts condemn us, then God has even more reason to condemn us because He sees our hearts even more clearly than we do!

Yet John’s encouragement is that God is greater than our heart. Our inner voice can be misleading, an embodiment of our self-centered tendencies or shameful previous behavior. God sees not only what our hearts tell us, but also what He knows about us. His great love does not condemn us when we are in Christ.

 

21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

 

If the heart does not condemn us—does not resist helping the needy with acts of love—we should feel confidence in our relationship with God. We have tamed the heart of stony selfishness and allowed it to be a soft heart of obedience and kindness. The hard heart is liable for the judgmental wrath of God (see Romans 2:5). When we act in kindness for others, we show that we have a new heart, the heart recreated by God’s grace (see Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 11:19).

 

22. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

 

The path forward for the believer is to ask the right things of God and to do the right things for God (see John 15:7; lesson 10). We are self-testing when we look at these things critically. When we pray, do we pray for things necessary to do God’s will? When we act, do our actions please God rather than disappoint Him?

 

1. Of Actions (vv. 23–24)

 

23a. And this is his commandment.

 

The commandment that John stated here did not come from the apostle but from God.

 

23b. That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

 

To believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ (compare John 6:29) and to love one another cannot be disconnected from each other. True believers in Jesus Christ will practice mutual love always. Jesus mentioned this repeatedly on the final night He spent with His disciples in the upper room (see John 13:34; 15:12, 17). Many decades later, John showed us that he had not forgotten his master’s words of that night. Despite the many problems and challenges of the church(es) John addressed, this controlling ethic never lost its power or authority.

Although there are many layers to John’s teachings, he often simplified his discussions to essential basics at appropriate places. Pleasing God requires a clean heart that acts with love for others. This is the act of surrender, of putting full trust in Jesus with a heart that is willing to follow His teachings. John only taught his “little children” (1 John 3:18; see commentary above) what Jesus taught him.

 

24. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

 

We know we are in fellowship with God if we keep his commandments. We see evidence of our obedience when our lives show that we are loving one another faithfully. The Spirit abides in us, changing our hearts so that we keep the commands from pure motives, not just fear of punishment.

A loving church that serves the needy of its community gives witness to the Spirit of God in its midst. We please the Father when we follow the teachings of His Son and allow His Spirit to guide our acts of love for others.

 

Conclusion

 

1. Evidence Required

 

A few years ago, my wife had knee-replacement surgery. I chose not to witness the procedure. When she came back to her room, I could see incisions and stitches, but I could not see an artificial appliance made of metal and plastic under her skin. A small, paranoid part of me wondered briefly if it was all fake. Maybe the surgeon and hospital conspired to make a few cuts to give the appearance of surgery, charged thousands of dollars, and left her old, worn-out knee intact.

It takes time to recover from this operation. At first, the pain of healing outweighed the previous pain of a crippled knee. Gradually, though, her knee got better. Now, after complete recovery, she has much better mobility and much less pain than before. Even though I did not see it placed there and cannot see it now, I know there is a new knee in my wife’s right leg. I witness the evidence every day.

John asks if we love God. He insists we cannot make a credible claim to loving God if we hate other people. Furthermore, we cannot claim to love other people without evidence. Does the love of God in our hearts result in acts of kindness toward others?

Cain’s heart of hate and anger resulted in murder, a heinous but accurate reflection of his inner thoughts. Jesus Christ’s heart of love resulted in the willing sacrifice of His life as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), the same world that John warns will hate Jesus’ followers (1 John 3:13). The paradox is profound, but the evidence is there with Jesus. While we were His enemies, He died for us (Romans 5:8–10).

What does the evidence of our lives reveal about the secrets of our hearts?

 

What Do You Think?

What are the one or two most important things you learn about pastoral care from today’s text?

 

Digging Deeper

What is the most important thing you can do this week to initiate such care directly or to support someone who already does so?

 

1. Prayer

 

Loving Father, when the world hates us, comfort us with Your love. Give us the presence of Your Holy Spirit and new hearts that love one another and show our love in our actions. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

 

1. Thought to Remember

 

Loving God is shown by loving people.

 

  

KID’S CORNER

Know the Son to Know the Father

Sunday, November 10, 2020

John 12:44-50

 

John 12:44-50

(John 12:44) And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me.

The verses in this Bible lesson are the last public words of Jesus to the crowds in Jerusalem. In a few days, He would be crucified. Beginning with John chapter 13, Jesus teaches His disciples as much as He wisely can and as much as they can receive before His crucifixion. Otherwise, He speaks to those who arrest Him, when He is on trial before the priests and Pilate, when He hangs on the cross, and when He appears to the women and His disciples after His resurrection from the dead before He ascends into heaven. From now on, crowds will only learn about Jesus after He sends the Holy Spirit into His disciples on the Day of Pentecost and from the Bible when they hear God’s Word written preached and taught through the Church. In John 20:30-31, John wrote about the purpose of His book and the teaching of the disciples, “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” The same purpose can be said for the entire New Testament.

The importance of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord can be seen in the fact that Jesus, with a breaking heart, shouted out as loud as He could to the crowd for His hearers to believe in Him and also believe in the One who sent Him: the Father in heaven. When Jesus shouted the words, “believes not in me,” He meant that believers were not to believe in Him alone or in Him as a substitute for believing in God the Father or the God of the Bible: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It makes no sense for someone to say, “I don’t believe in God, but I do believe in Jesus” or “I follow Jesus because He was a great prophet and a wise teacher, not the Son of God.” Because of Jesus’ teachings about God the Father and God the Son always acting and speaking as one in total agreement, Jesus could not only be a prophet or a good moral philosopher. He is who He said He was.

(John 12:45) “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.

Jesus expects true believers in Him to interpret these words about himself and the Father spiritually (not physically or as an encouragement to try to create mental images of them in bodily form). Jesus expects believers to learn about His divine nature and His moral and spiritual attributes from the Bible, which are the same divine nature and moral and spiritual attributes of God His Father. If we see how Jesus loved God and others, even His enemies, and if we see how Jesus always used His divine power in compassionate ways to save the world (not to condemn the world), and if we see how Jesus loved us so much to die to save us while we were still His enemies; then, we begin to understand that Jesus is God, the Son of God, as He claimed. God the Father also uses His divine power in compassionate ways because He and Jesus have the same divine attributes. If we see Jesus as He is (not completely, but truly, because we are finite and physical), then we see as much of God the Father as we possibly can with the help of the Holy Spirit using the truth of the Bible to help us. Jesus did not mean that He and the Father are the same Person with different roles to play, but they are two Persons with identical spiritual attributes and qualities. We can think ever more deeply and learn about the Father and the Son as we pray and read the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit, but we will not know all God wants us to know about them until we meet them after Jesus comes again and we receive our resurrected and glorified human bodies.

(John 12:46) “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.

Jesus said once again that He came as light into the world. In John 1:1 and 1:9, we learned that in Jesus “was life, and the life was the light of all people” and Jesus is “The true light, which enlightens everyone.” In the context of the previous chapters we have studied, we know that Jesus referred to himself as “light” in ways that remind us that the LORD God is light. In Psalms 27:1, David prayed, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” We know from the New Testament that Jesus is our light and salvation because He came to save the world. He gave us life, and He came to give eternal life to all who would believe in Him as Lord and Savior. The Lord Jesus is our defense and the stronghold of our life, so we have no one to fear. In John 14:27, Jesus encouraged His disciples (and us) saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Jesus still gives God’s peace to believers in Him, so we do not need to let our hearts be troubled or be afraid.

Jesus also reminded the crowd, His disciples, and all believers in Him that there are two kinds of people. When they learn about Jesus, one kind of people remain in darkness and the other kind of people come into the light. Jesus did not want people to remain in darkness, so He came as light into the world and preached: “Everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.” Those who hear the truth about Jesus should not remain in darkness, but some choose to remain in darkness because their deeds are evil. Remember what Jesus said and what we studied in John 3:19-20, “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.” Those who hated the light and wanted to do evil eventually crucified Jesus instead of coming to the light. No wonder Jesus cried out as loud as He could to warn those in the crowd who would listen.

(John 12:47) “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

Because Jesus came to save the world, at that time He did not “judge” in the sense of “condemn” those who heard His words but did not keep them. We know from experience as believers in Jesus that keeping or obeying Jesus’ words perfectly requires the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus would not give to His followers until after His death and resurrection. Keeping Jesus’ words is a matter of spiritual growth as we learn the truth and the Holy Spirit helps us. We call this the process of sanctification and we consecrate ourselves daily to learn Jesus’ words and pray for the Holy Spirit to help us live according to Jesus’ words in our daily practice.

(John 12:48) “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

Believers know they are unable to hear and keep Jesus’ words completely and perfectly, so they draw closer to Jesus for help in hearing and keeping His words. They know Jesus loves them and they love Jesus. However, those who want to remain in darkness will reject Jesus and His words. They do not love God and they will not try to love God. For love of God and Jesus, they will not strive to understand Jesus’ words and obey Jesus’ words. Notice: Jesus promised that there will come a time of judgment for those who reject Jesus and His teachings. On the last day, the day of judgment, the word (the message or the teachings) of Jesus will serve as judge. The one judged will know that he has not kept or tried to keep, but has rejected, what he learned about Jesus and His teachings. When the unbeliever faces God on the last day, he will learn that God is just, and he will remember that he rejected the way of salvation that God provided and graciously revealed to him in Christ Jesus. He will know he deserves just condemnation, and he will have no excuse for rejecting God in Christ.

(John 12:49) “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.

When an unbeliever rejects Jesus, he also rejects the Father who sent Him. Jesus did not speak on His own authority. Jesus did not teach different moral and spiritual standards from those of His Father. Jesus did not teach ideas based on His own understanding of how the world works and how to get along with others. Jesus did not speak on his own or share his own beliefs and ideas as we might do. Rather, the Father sent Jesus into the world with a commandment. Notice: a God-given commandment to obey is of greater significance than a command that someone might receive from a parent, an employer, a politician, or a religious leader. God the Father gave Jesus a commandment like the Ten Commandments, the Law of Love. God gave Jesus a loving commandment regarding all He was to say (no more and no less than His Father told Him to say) and what He was to speak (the teachings of God the Father and God the Son—truths they both knew and in perfect agreement wanted to share with us). As a commandment, the Word made flesh came to share truths of God and reality with us. Jesus said His words were the words of God; therefore, His words would serve as judge. His words were all that were needed for the passing of judgement on those who rejected the Son and the Father, as revealed to us by the Son and accurately recorded in the Bible.

(John 12:50) “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

In John 17:3, Jesus defined eternal life: “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” The commandment Jesus received from the Father was that He might make known the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the only true Son of God, whom the Father sent. When believers receive the gift of eternal life, they begin to personally know the Father and the Son, and we cannot know them until Jesus reveals himself and the Father to us. God speaks to us through the Bible as the Holy Spirit gives us understanding, and we speak to God as we love, pray, and obey God. To receive the gift of eternal life and not perish, we must receive the Father, Jesus, and the truths Jesus came to reveal. Jesus came to reveal the truth about the Father (the only true God) to us and the truth about himself (the only true Son of God) to us. In order for us as believers in Jesus to obey Jesus and His words, Jesus prayed to the Father for us as recorded in John 17:17-20, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word.” In behalf of those we seek to teach the words of Jesus, we pray, consecrate, and sanctify ourselves so they may be sanctified in the truth of God in Christ, and be saved from darkness and destruction through faith in Him—that people might not remain in darkness but come to the light.

 

Know the Son to Know the Father

Sunday, November 10, 2020

John 12:44-50

And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak (John 12:50—KJV).

I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me (John 12:50—NASB).

And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me (John 12:50—NRSV).

When we think of a commandment, we sometimes think of the Ten Commandments that the LORD gave Moses. We know that Jews and Christians have an obligation to obey the Ten Commandments because they are the Moral Law of God or Law of Love. We do not often remember that God the Father gave a commandment to His only Son before He sent Him into the world. Jesus served as a perfect example by obeying all the commandments of God. In John 12:49, we learn the special commandment that the Father gave Jesus was “about what to say and what to speak.” We know that the Father’s commandment was vitally important because Jesus told the crowd when He spoke to the masses for the last time that He came to save the world, and “on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge” (John 12:48). Jesus spoke what His Father commanded Him to speak to save people from destruction. When Jesus declared that God the Father’s commandment is eternal life, we need to know what Jesus taught about eternal life. In John 17:3, speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” To “know” does not just mean intellectual knowledge. Jesus meant that eternal life involves a personal relationship with the Father and the Son based on knowing God as revealed in the Bible. In John 12:45, we learn how to know them both, for Jesus said, “Whoever sees me sees Him who sent me.”

 

Thinking Further

Know the Son to Know the Father

Sunday, November 10, 2020

John 12:44-50

Name ________________________________

 

1. If you believe in Jesus, who did Jesus say you also believe in? If you see Jesus, who did Jesus say you also see?

 

 

 

2. How did Jesus come into the world?

 

 

 

3. Why did Jesus come in that way into the world?

 

 

 

4. On the last day, what will serve as judge of those who reject Jesus?

 

 

 

5. What commandment did the Father give Jesus? What did Jesus say about His Father’s commandment?

 

 

 

 

Discussion and Thinking Further

 

1. If you believe in Jesus, who did Jesus say you also believe in? If you see Jesus, who did Jesus say you also see? You would also believe in the Father. If you see Jesus in His true spiritual attributes as He has revealed himself in the Bible, you also see the Father.

 

2. How did Jesus come into the world? Jesus came into the world as the Word made flesh. He came into the world as a man: fully God and fully human.

 

3. Why did Jesus come in that way into the world? Jesus came into the world to save the world.

 

4. On the last day, what will serve as judge of those who reject Jesus? The word (message) Jesus spoke will serve as judge.

 

5. What commandment did the Father give Jesus? What did Jesus say about His Father’s commandment? A commandment about what to say and what to speak. His Father’s commandment is eternal life, and Jesus spoke just as the Father told Him.

 

 

Word Search

Know the Son to Know the Father

Sunday, November 10, 2020

John 12:44-50

Name _____________________________________

 

V R E H T A F C H P S F T W Q

X Z X Y K C R A S W N Z N K A

W P M D G L F U I E O F E Y O

L T R O A S V C L P G R S F L

M A V G K R F W K J E D L K Y

V S K E N J K M R M K D U D G

Z C U Y L O C N D L R B S J P

A R P S Z K X I E O X E V T S

L I K D E T Y B W S V D L Y K

O E R T V J Q M R E S J C V T

U D H Z B L F E I S P E E K B

D N C K U D I L P E R J L W E

A W R J A P E G J U N A O Z V

C Y N B H B I Y H C L G E L A

M X E J E S U S J T J M I H S

 

Jesus

Cried

Aloud

Believes

Sent

Me

Light

World

Darkness

Hears

Word

Keep

Judge

Save

Father

 

 

True and False Test

Know the Son to Know the Father

Sunday, November 10, 2020

John 12:44-50

Name _____________________________

 

Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.

 

1. When Jesus was serious about teaching people the truth, He hid His emotions. True or False

 

2. Jesus insisted, “Whoever believes in me must really believe only in me and in no other person.” True or False

 

3. If you believe in Jesus, you should also believe in the Father who sent Him into the world. True or False

 

4. The Son of God and God the Father looked just alike physically before Jesus died on the cross. True or False

 

5. You can spiritually see the same spiritual attributes and character in the Father and the Son. True or False

 

6. Jesus came to judge and save the world. True or False

 

7. The word that Jesus spoke will serve as judge on the last day. True or False

 

8. To help people better understand Him, Jesus added words to the words His Father told Him to say. True or False

 

9. Those who reject Jesus and do not receive His words will receive the gift of eternal life. True or False

 

10. Jesus came as the light so everyone could see who was living in sin and darkness. True or False

 

True and False Test Answers

 

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False
9. False
10. False

 

 

Prayer

 

Loving Father, when the world hates us, comfort us with Your love. Give us the presence of Your Holy Spirit and new hearts that love one another and show our love in our actions. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.