For as long as it takes we are going to study the gospel of
John chapters fourteen to seventeen. Some of it will be what I have already
written and some will be new. Therefore it may sometimes appear that I leave
off in the middle of a topic to be continued, since I have reached my daily
word count limit.
To pick up the topic, you may need to read the one or two
postings preceding this one.
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from
falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is
coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And
they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I
have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that
I told them to you,” (John 16:1-4).
That which we have studied in chapters fourteen and
fifteen had a purpose – to keep the disciples from falling away. This that we
have read and received from the Holy Spirit could be summarised in one word –
obedience. What is it that many teachers tell us we should do to keep us from
falling away? We are told to read the Bible daily, go to church regularly, say
our prayers habitually (note I did not say ‘pray’), obey the pastor and elders
and then we will not fall away. When we look at reality though, what do we see?
Many Christians fall back into the world, play church as if the church is a
social club and change church the moment the church takes a strange direction. Concerning
the latter; to keep religion interesting to their members many churches follows
every new and interesting wind of doctrine, often causing some members to get
annoyed and look for other options.
Satan works very subtly and will present ideas to us with
the aim to keep us from being obedient to the Holy Spirit. These usually look
very attractive and easy to attain, not demanding much from us, but deceive us
into a comfortable and/or people pleasing lifestyle. The focus of chapters
fourteen and fifteen was on Christ centred obedience, but if we honestly look
at Christian lifestyles these days, inclusive of messages brought in church, we
have to ask ourselves whether it actually is so Christ centred. How many of us
are prepared to let the Lord do in our lives that which we have discussed
regarding the mentioned chapters.
Living a Christ focused and obedient life puts us
safely in the arms of Jesus and will stop us from falling away. Declaring
scripture passages and desperately praying when we get into trouble, whilst
living selfish lives will not do this. Obeying the various conditions that
Jesus had attached to His commands and promises makes these promises manifest
for us and becomes our security in Christ.
Following chapter sixteen verse one, which was about
falling away; Jesus continued to mention examples of what could cause the
disciples to fall away. He pointed out rejection and murder for He knew that if
His past and present disciples were not founded solidly on a rock of security
in Jesus through obedience and relationship, they would easily give up when the
going gets tough. The trouble makers doing the rejection and killing do it
because they are blinded by religion, and neither know Jesus nor the Father. If
we look at our own lives honestly we would note that when times get tough we
actually run to our idols for reassurance. Some of us run to comfort, others to
excitement, others to lust, some to material increase, and so on. How many of
us have a relationship with Jesus that dictates that we become even more
obedient when we get hardship due to our obedience, since we know that only a
real close relationship with Jesus will keep us from falling away.
In verse four Jesus told the disciples that He had
prepared them by giving them all this information, so they would be ready when
persecution and hardship came. Knowing this as head knowledge would not have
had any value, because when the flood of hardship came they would have fallen
away. Applying what they knew would have honed into them a habit of obedience
and would have formed in them a lifestyle Jesus desired from them. The same
applies to us. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will
be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall,
because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the
sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it,” (Matthew
7:24-27).
Lord, I desire to anchor me in you through obedience,
so I could be secure.
Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth,
via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will
accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.
Please pass this on if you
think others may benefit by it.
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