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It's Who You Know
John 9:30 'The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.'
JOHN 9:28-30
The 'acid test' of whether or not someone is of God is by his actions. Jesus' actions were so miraculous and overwhelmingly consistent with God's Word that any reservations about whether or not He was of God should have been set aside. But, as in Mark 7:13, they had exalted their own traditions above God's Word, thereby making the Word of God of no effect in their own lives. Just as in this instance nearly two thousand years ago, theologians today are sometimes the last to accept a move of God if it violates their traditional beliefs. 'The common...
FOR INSTANCE, DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN JESUS WAS TEACHING WITH HIS DISCIPLES, THEY WERE TEACHING STRICTLY TO THE JEWS? IT WAS PAUL THAT WAS SENT TO PREACH TO THE GENTILES. HE WAS ALSO THE ONE THAT WAS GIVEN THE "GOSPEL" OF JESUS CHRIST, THE DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION. IT IS INTERESTING TO KNOW THAT WHEN JESUS WAS TALKING ONLY TO HIS DISCIPLES AND TELLING THEM ABOUT HIS DEATH, THEY DIDN'T...
Love Conquers Fear
John 9:27 'He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?'
JOHN 9:6-27
This man showed great courage in confronting these religious leaders. Even Peter later backed down for fear of this same group of men (Lk. 22:54-62). Certainly one thing that gave him this boldness was that he knew what Jesus had done for him. And even beyond the physical healing, he knew that Jesus had healed him because He loved him. It's our security in the Lord's love for us that gives us the strength to face rejection from others. As Proverbs 28:1 puts it, 'the righteous are bold as a lion.' The antidote for fear of men is a large dose of the love of...
HAVING A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS
OUR GREATEST TREASURE
Sickness Is Not From God
John 9:2 'And his disciples asked him saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?'
JOHN 9:1-4
The disciples asked a question that still puzzles many people today. Why is a child born with a physical defect? Is it a judgment of God upon the parents for some sin, or is it possibly God's judgment upon the child for sins that God knows he will commit?
Jesus Himself had previously linked sickness with sin. In this instance, however, Jesus said this blindness was not caused by this man's or his parents' sins.
This has led many people to interpret the rest of this verse as saying that God made this man blind just so that He could heal him and be glorified thereby....
God Made Flesh
John 8:58 'Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.'
JOHN 8:57-59
Jesus didn't seek to clarify the Jews' misunderstanding of His previous statements. Instead, He made a new statement that those who would not accept that Jesus was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16) could not possibly understand. 'Before Abraham was, I am.' He not only said that He existed before Abraham, but He was again associating Himself with the great 'I AM' statement of Exodus 3:14. This statement could leave no doubt that Jesus was claiming deity in the highest sense of the word.
Jesus proclaimed 'I am.' This is how Jehovah identified Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14. When spoken under the anointing power...
What Pleases God
John 8:56 'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.'
JOHN 8:53-56
Jesus is referring to the day when men would be justified by putting faith in God and not in their own works. Abraham had this truth revealed to him (Rom. 4:13), and he believed it and was himself justified by faith (Rom. 4:3-4, 9).
Hebrews 11:6 says, 'But without faith it is impossible to please him.' It was Abraham's faith that pleased God. The Lord promised Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore and Abraham believed God. That pleased Him so much that he counted Abraham righteous right then, even though Abraham had not yet fulfilled the rite of...