Golden Nugget: Occasion to Blaspheme?

Good day

When we so easily yield to temptations to sin, think that Jesus was tempted just like us: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin,” (Hebrews 4:15). It was just as difficult for Him to resist temptation, and all the excuses for self-justification came to His mind as well. Yet, keeping us in mind He did not sin, for if He did we would have lost our salvation. Would you keep Him in mind when temptation comes your way: “And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.’” Does your sin give the Lord’s enemies great occasion to blaspheme?

Important Notice

Good day

I thank you for having read this blog with me as I have received it from the Lord over the past one and a half years. We have just finished with a discussion of the gospel of John chapters fourteen to seventeen, and I trust that you have received something from it that would have encouraged you and brought you closer to the Lord. I, however, felt that the Lord wanted me to wait on Him over the next few days for guidance on the next phase, so I will not place another posting until further notice. Do not go away though, since I will place short golden nuggets as often as possible to keep the blog alive and in the meantime you have over 400 postings to read from unless you have read it all. So, please use this time to catch up on the remainder of the blog, for it contains timeless material aimed at encouraging and challenging the reader (and writer). Also pray for us as a family since we are moving into a new phase with our walk with God and we have a great challenge ahead of us, which we will reveal at the right time.

Lord, I pray that you bless each reader with truth from your word.

Love in Jesus

Henry

John 17 (Eleven) I Love You

Good day

We have reached the end of this chapter in our lives as well as the end of John chapter seventeen. Soon we will begin with an exciting new interactive process. I believe the Lord wants everybody reading this blog to be involved in developing a dimension in the body of Christ that would make an amazing difference to the church and the world we are travelling through. That, however, is for next time. Here is our message. Enjoy!

“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them,” (John 17:24-26).

Jesus wanted His disciples, who were not sufficiently heavenly minded at that stage in their lives, to be where He would be so they could see who He really was. It was as if, after all that they went through together, He couldn’t contain the anticipation of his friends’ awe when they see Him and Father God in their full glory. He wanted to show heaven off to them. Can you also sense the excitement and compassion with which Jesus prayed these words? It is as if His only wish is for people to know Father God the way Jesus knows Him. From these words we clearly get an impression of how special Father God is. It is like a child who brings his best friend home and introduces him to his hero, the one that is everything to him – his dad. We can also sense that Jesus is proud to know His Father and really wishes for His body to get to know Him the way Jesus knows Him, which is why He undertook to continually reveal His Father to His followers. The ultimate purpose of life for believers is to worship Father God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23). This verse states that Father God is seeking such people to worship Him, which is why Jesus attempts to get His body to do it.

I do not think we have any idea what the Father is like. The awe with which Jesus expressed His prayer in John 17 is very obvious and one can hear the passion in His words. If we could put Jesus’ words in the second part of this passage in other words they may sound something like this: ‘Father, the world does not know you, but I know you! If only the world could know you... wow, they really do not know what they miss. If they only could know and experience your amazing love and care the way I do, they will certainly be so much different. They will also start loving the way you do. Therefore I will do my best to make them understand what you are like, by putting them in situations where they could have a glimpse of understanding what you are like.’

Every now and then I have one of these glimpses of the Father’s care and love. I also get convicted of the things that I should get rid of, since they stand between me and understanding the Father’s amazing love. If we are constantly focused on ourselves and our concerns and interests, how will we ever get to see what Father God is like? He is love! “He is patient and kind; He does not envy or boast; He is not arrogant or rude. He does not insist on His own way; He is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. He never ends,” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). He is joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23).

These are all theoretical statements, but one really begins to understand His love when you experience in your spirit Father God looking patiently on you with a gentle smile, shaking His head saying: ‘Henry, it is okay, just try again, next time you will succeed, but to help you get there, I will have to add these circumstances as discipline so you will not easily forget the consequences of your behaviour.’ Jesus seriously dreams of the day that we forget about ourselves to the point that we see Father God in spirit and truth all the time. Our enemy, however, goes to every effort to get us to constantly focus on ourselves so we would not see Father God. The choice of who will be pleased is in our hands, in our prayers and in the utilisation of our time.

Lord, I really desire to rid myself of everything that prevents me from seeing who you are.

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.

John 17 (Ten) Get Into One Another

Good day

For as long as it takes we are going to study the gospel of John chapters fourteen to seventeen.

To pick up the topic, you may need to read the one or two postings preceding this one.

You will have noticed that these messages do not come as regularly as usual. The Lord is busy with a move into a new dimension and as soon as we are finished with John 14-17 we will change direction. The blog will then become more interactive.

In Jesus’ prayer so far He has prayed for His disciples and in our messages we have made it applicable to us. Some may have wondered whether it actually were applicable to us, since He was talking about the twelve that was with Him. We read in John 17:20-23 that apart from the fact that we are also disciples, Jesus actually repeated His prayer on behalf of any disciples that would follow Him due to the twelve disciples’ faith and work: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Since this is a repetition we have already discussed it. There are, however, a couple of significant statements in these words of Jesus. He mentioned that if the world would see the unity within the body of Christ, they will believe that Father God loves us and that He sent Jesus, in other words that Jesus is God and therefore more than just another prophet. He put it so beautifully: ‘that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us’. Jesus and the Father is one because they are in one another, meaning that they think alike, love alike, trust one another, support one another, sacrifice for the sake of each other, live for the other one, and so on. When we read this passage it is quite obvious that we must be in God as well and they in us, just like they are in one another. This is exciting, but challenging at the same time since we can challenge ourselves by asking whether we think like them, love like them, trust them and one another like they do us, support them, sacrifice on their behalf and live for them. Or is it a one sided giving – God gives and we receive?

But there is another side to it as well. Jesus said: ‘that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you’, indicating that we need to be in one another as well. That is why the first converts got rid of all that represented their own identity and shared everything they had. In this modern materialistic world governed by money (Mammon) it is difficult to grasp that principle. Do we not often just look after our own and only give a little to the needs of others? Would we give money to the poor rather than getting involved with them, building them up by becoming one with their lives? Do we not have our private programs, which are usually so full that our family in Christ are lucky if they are allowed one hour a week of our time?

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” (Matthew 5:46-48). Do you get the idea? Only if we forget about ourselves in serving one another, like Father God forgot Himself in sacrificing His son and Jesus forgot Himself in serving mankind and then giving His life for us, and like every single apostle forgot themselves in serving those around them. Being perfect is to be inside the perfect One and Him in us. The word perfect means mature, and if we are therefore mature enough not to think constantly of ourselves like children do, we will be able to allow others to get into us and share what we have to give, and we will be able to get into their lives which are not always as comfortable as we would have liked life to be, giving of ourselves. The end result would be that the world will be so stunned by this amazing lifestyle of unselfish giving that they would want it as well, just as it was in the original church.

Do you think that this is where the church is at the moment? Does every member of the body allow others into their lives to receive from them? Do we purposely get into the lives of others to serve them to the end of our resources and to the point of suffering like Jesus and the apostles did? What can we do to change it?

Lord, please show us how we can get into one another to become one.

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.

John 17 (Nine) How to be Sanctified

Good day

For as long as it takes we are going to study the gospel of John chapters fourteen to seventeen.

To pick up the topic, you may need to read the one or two postings preceding this one.

You will have noticed that these messages do not come as regularly as usual. The Lord is busy with a move into a new dimension and as soon as we are finished with John 14-17 we will change direction. The blog will then become more interactive.

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth,” (John 17:17-19).

The word ‘sanctify’ means to consecrate, make holy, make sacred and to purify. Hebrews 12:14 tells us: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” The Greek word translated as ‘holiness’ here has also been translated as ‘sanctification’ in other translations. Without being involved in the process of sanctification, in other words of becoming holy (set apart for God), individuals will not see the Lord. According to Jesus in verse seventeen above, sanctification is done by Father God through bringing those, who are being sanctified, into the truth, which is God’s Word. Jesus consecrated (sanctified) Himself by living the Word of God and He taught His disciples the Word so they can live the Word, which is why He gave them so much teaching. According to John 21:25 Jesus did and taught much more than was recorded in the Bible. The disciples therefore had the Word of God in their hearts and Father God, through the Holy Spirit, had something to work with.

He uses our knowledge of the Word, and directs our circumstances and interaction with other people to get us to a point where we live what the Word says. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure,” (Philippians 2:12-13). The Lord’s dream for us is to become one with His Word for He is the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth,” (John 1:1, 14).

Say for instance we need to be pure in our thinking. The Holy Spirit will then expose us to passages such as Colossians 3:1-3: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Then He will allow unpleasant consequences every time we disobey this rhema command He has given us until we succeed in controlling our thoughts. He will also assist us in how to pray as we seek solutions to control our thoughts and give us other supporting passages along the way. The Holy Spirit will convict us every time we disobey and will add practical advice on how to control our thoughts. Can you see that the Lord goes to great lengths to consecrate us into the truth, but without our cooperation His hands are tied? As you can see this is only one example of one area in our lives that needs sanctification. Holiness is a lifetime process for Christians and needs to be actively pursued, which is why not much time is left to live for our own pleasure if we want to be like Jesus.

Being sanctified is therefore being set apart to live like the Word of God describes a life acceptable to Father God. Do you want to know Jesus? You therefore need to know the Bible. Do you want to be like Jesus and do what He did and do? You therefore need to live like the Bible commands? We will only be holy once we have become one with the Word of God, and we will only become one with the Word of God, and therefore one with Father God, if we start doing by faith everything the Word commands.

Lord, I am available. Please sanctify me in your truth (be aware that if you mean this prayer, the Lord is going to do it and your life might change).

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.

John 17 (Eight) Acceptance or Rejection

Good day

For as long as it takes we are going to study the gospel of John chapters fourteen to seventeen.

To pick up the topic, you may need to read the one or two postings preceding this one.

“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world,” (John 17:13-16).

I am thinking of the saying: ‘Birds of the same feather flock together.’ Kind looks after kind and therefore people, who think the same way, believe the same things and are of similar nature tend to seek one another’s company. Jesus said on several occasions that those who follow Him are only pilgrims or travellers through this world. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God who happen to have residency permits to stay in this world until our work here is completed, after which we return to our land, the Kingdom of God.

If we live like Kingdom citizens, the world will not like us because the lifestyle in the Kingdom is completely of another ‘feather’ as that of the world. The world will try to make Christians like they are and if Christians continue to refuse; the ‘birds of that kind of feather’ will reject the ‘birds’ that do not fit in. The world would reason: What is wrong for instance with sleeping together outside of marriage, having an abortion when the baby is unwanted, a lie when it could be justified and so on. When Christians then live by higher moral standards, they do not fit in and are hated.

It is interesting that Jesus asked His Father in our passage above that He should not take the disciples out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. Being different from the world is an honour to a Christian and if we could maintain it we bring glory to Father God. That is exactly what the devil tries to prevent. The hatred we receive from the world puts pressure on us to compromise with them, since if we are more like them we will not feel so lonely and rejected and it will release the constant pressure we live under. Satan therefore feeds that natural desire of the sinful nature for acceptance, and tempts us to become like the world, in other words to sin. It is not the hatred of the world that would harm us, but the pressure to become like them and Satan is very active in His subtle attempts to get us there, which is why Jesus prayed that Father God must protect us from Him. If we keep our faith in Jesus and our eyes on things above and not on earthly things as the Word commands, and if Jesus is our first love, we will have a fortress of love to flee to every time the hatred of the world becomes too much for us. But the temptation to sin and compromise is silent and subtle and we do not always see it coming, which is why we need Father God’s protection.

We just need to always be aware of the fact that it is not wrong to be odd, to be different and to be unacceptable to the world. We are accepted by the beloved and that is sufficient. The godlier we live, the more we will be rejected and persecuted. We must therefore find our acceptance by faith in the love of the Lord and in the love of his people, our family in Christ.

Lord, please help me to look to you for acceptance.

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.