JOHN 12 v 44-50

IN CHRIST

V 44. In Christ; GOD CHALLENGES US when God created mankind, He expected His people to worship Him, and obey His statutes. However we read as far back as GENESIS 6 v 5-7 that God said, The wickedness of man was great in the earth and every imaginations of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He made man on the earth and it grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth ; both man and beast and the creeping things and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth Me that I have made them. At that time only Noah and his family were righteous before God and He spared them and allowed them to start a new population. As the population again increased the challenge by God to His people was the same. DEUTERONOMY 6 v 5 ; And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Over the centuries that followed, God continued to challenge His people to live a life of holiness and worship Him , but time and time again the Israelites worshipped other gods and rebelled against their own true God. The Israelites went into slavery and were in Egypt for some hundreds of years in absolute slavery. Finally God sent Moses into Egypt to lead the Israelites out of their prison and into the promised land of Canaan. God sent His Son, born of a virgin on this earth to show His people that He was a God of mercy, love and forgiveness To make salvation easier for them Christ died on Calvary's Cross that His shed blood would pay the price of our redemption. Although rejected by most of the Israelites at that time, Christ's work on earth was by no means finished. He rose from the dead and gathered a band of disciples together and gave them the great commission to go forth and preach the Gospel of salvation and forgiveness. MATTHEW 28 v 19-20 ; Go you forth and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you alway even unto the end of the world. ACTS 4 v 12 ; Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. JAMES 4 v 7-8 ; Submit yourselves therefore to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded. God showed the Israelites more of His power in raising Jesus from the dead thus fulfilling prophecy and allowing His people to see Him in Jesus. Now there is no more need to sacrifice animals daily to have sins forgiven and to be in a right relationship with God. By His death and resurrection, Jesus has made access to God possible and forgiveness of sins for the truly repentant sinner. HEBREWS 9 v 13-14 ; For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifying to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. v 45. In Christ. GOD MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO US In old testament writings we see that God was seen and spoken to by men and women. In the new testament Christ was sent that we might know more about God and understand Him through Jesus. So in Christ God sent a fresh challenge to Israel and the world. Jesus came to reveal God to the people. who were expecting a Messiah to come and save them from the Romans. They could not accept that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God. JOHN 14 v 6-9 ; Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Me. If you had known Me you should have known My Father also and from henceforth you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, Lord show us the Father and it suffices us . Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time

with you and yet have you not know Me Philip. He that has seen Me has seen the Father and how do you say them show us the Father ? As the truth was being revealed by Jesus and the works that he performed more people began to accept that He was the promised Messiah and they began to follow Him. JOHN 14 v 1. Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. Jesus readily acknowledged God as His Father. JOHN 14 v 23 ; Jesus answered and said to him, If a man love Me he will keep My words and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. And the day is coming when everybody shall see God and hear His voice. v 46 ; In Christ. GOD SEEKS TO SAVE US ; JOHN 12 32 ; And 1, If I be lifted up will draw all men unto me. Only the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ could atone for our sins and give us access to God. JOHN 6 v 40 ; And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone that sees the Son and believes on Him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day. God was saying to His people, through Jesus, I am the true God and Jesus is My Son. Repent of your sins and acknowledge that the shed blood of Jesus has made it possible for you to be reconciled to Me. Praise God for the preachers and teachers who explain the meaning of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who will listen JOHN 12 v 26 ; If any man serve Me let him follow me, and where I am there shall also My servant be. If any man serve Me him will my Father JOHN 10 v 27-28 ; My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. What more can a forgiving and loving Father do for His children ? Let us look to Jesus and approach God in the name of His Son, in prayer, praise and worship. JOHN I v 29 ; Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. JOHN 3 v 15-17 ; That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. v 47. In Christ. GOD COMFORTS US ; 2 CORINTHIANS 6 v 17-18 ; Wherefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and be a Father to you and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Will our finite minds ever be able to grasp the mightiness and holiness of our God ? When Christ returned to His Father , He sent the Holy Ghost to teach us the meaning of the Scriptures. JOHN 14 v 16 ; And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you for ever. JOHN 14 v 27 ; Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, Not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. ROMANS 5 v 1 ; Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. The unsaved are destined to receive the wrath of God, and ye knowing they still worship other gods. Still our God points-to Calvary and reminds us that He through Jesus Christ has made a way of escape for them ROMANS 2 v 9 ; Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentile. ROMANS 2 v 10 ; But glory and honour and peace to every man that works good, to the Jew first and also to the Gentiles. Let us choose the peace and comforting of our God instead of His wrath.

v 48. In Christ. GOD JUDGES US : Hebrews 9 v 27 ; It is appointed one to die, after this the judgement. All that we have done on earth is recorded in heaven and each person will have to stand before God and give an account of his life on earth and his works. There will be rewards or penalties according to God's judgement. DANIEL 7 v-10 ; A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. Thousand thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him, the judgement was set the books were opened. MATTHEW 23 v 37 ; 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that killed the prophets and stoned them that are sent unto you, Hoe often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not. Behold your house is left unto you desolate. Jesus came into this world of ours to show us the Father. To prove that by His miraculous works and resurrection from the dead that He was the Son of God as promised hundreds of years before He was born. His death and resurrection atoned for our sins and each person has the free will to decide to repent of sins and follow Jesus or reject Him and serve satan and finish up with him in the lake of fire and brimstone. REVELATION 20 v 12-15 ; And I saw the dead small and great stand before God , and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. This is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. However the Christians will be judged in heaven after the rapture of Christ's church to receive rewards or loss of rewards as their deeds on earth are read out of the nook of life. REVELATION 15 v 3 ; And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God and the song of the Lamb., Great and marvellous are your works Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways You King of saints Mankind will never be able to say God is unjust. He has warned the people for centuries of the danger of rejecting Jesus and the punishment for those who do. v 49 . In Christ. GOD PLEADS WITH US EZEKIEL 18 v 30b-31 ; Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all transgressions whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit, for why will you die, 0 Israel ? JEREMIAH 36 v 3 ; It may be that the house of Judah may hear all the evil which I purpose to do to them that they may turn every man from his evil way that I may forgive their iniquity and sin. God is not willing that any should perish but that all sinners should be reconciled to Him . He wants us to be His sons and daughters. God is ever willing to forgive the repentant sinner who seeks this from Him in the name of Jesus Christ who has made redemption a free gift for the believer. The disciples of Jesus still appeal to us today to return to God and take up that new life found only in Jesus Christ. 2 CHRONICLES 7 v 14 ; If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. On into the New Testament and we see God rebuking the sinners who were worshipping false gods and rejecting Jesus as their Saviour. ROMANS I v 29-30, 32 ; Being filled with unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers. Backbiters, haters of God despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedience to parents ... Who knowing the judgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them/. v 50 ; In Christ. GOD OFFERS LIFE EVERLASTING.

JOHN 3 v 16-17 ; For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. JOHN 3 v 36 ; He that believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abodes on him. Let us be clear on these verses, All mankind will have eternal life, the saved will be with Jesus and the unsaved will end up in the lake of fire and brimstone. REVELATION 14 v 9 -11 ; And the third angel followed them saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture, into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name. To the Christian God also offers life everlasting with Jesus. JOHN 14 v 1-3 ; Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am there you may be also. So the Christians will have seven years in heaven with Jesus while the tribulation on earth is completed and then Jesus will bring the believers back to earth to reign with Him a thousand years, May we ever be mindful of all the wonderful things we have "In Jesus and seek to worship God in Spirit and in truth. I must needs go home by the way of the Cross There is no other way but this. I shall ne'er get sight of the gates of light If the way of the Cross I miss. I must needs go on in the blood sprinkled way The path that the Saviour trod. If I ever climb to the heights sublime Where the soul is at home with God. The way of the Cross leads home. The way of the Cross leads home. It is sweet to know as I onward go The way of the Cross leads home.