Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Daily Gospel Devotional 2013: Famous last words

John 12:44-50…

And Jesus cried out and said…He had already departed and hid himself from them (John 12:36). Here John is giving a summary of what Jesus had been saying and revealing in this gospel account. The words of Jesus cry out against the fear of men (Matthew 10:28 / Luke 12:4-5 / John 12:42). To believe in Jesus is to believe in God the Father (John 1:3, 15:24 / 2 Corinthians 4:6 / Colossians 1:15 / Hebrews 1:3). To believe Jesus is to receive Light from God (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:35), and to reject Jesus is to remain in darkness (John 3:19 / Ephesians 5:14).

Jesus came to save people (John 3:16-17), and those who reject Him are rejecting the only means of salvation (John 14:6 / Acts 4:12 / 1 Timothy 2:5). They will not do the things Jesus has said are the commandments of God (Matthew 7:24), and so therefore they will be judged according to the words Jesus has spoken (Matthew 7:26). These commandments are essentially a call to believe on Jesus as Messiah, as Christ, as the Son of God, as the only Savior, and as our personal savior (Matthew 10:32 / Mark 1:15 / Luke 12:8 / John 6:28-29).

It is all one package together. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is functionally subordinate to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:27-28 / Philippians 2:6-7), obeying His will perfectly and completely (John 5:19, 8:28-29, 42, 14:10). Jesus is not the originator of the message, He is on a mission from the Father and it is the Father’s words He speaks. The words and works of Jesus that result from the commandment the Father has given Him are the source of eternal life in the world. Therefore, to believe in the Son is to believe in the Father, is to have eternal life (John 6:68, 17:3, 20:31 / 1 John 2:25, 3:23-24, 5:11-13, 20).

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

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