Dear Friends,
One of the FIRST passages that the Lord showed me about TRUE Obedience is out of John 14. Here it is that Jesus is speaking with His disciples on the night prior to His trial. This occurs just before His high priestly prayer of John 17 when He prays for all Christians thru all time. Lets look at it!
Joh 14:19 Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
Joh 14:20 At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you.
Joh 14:21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him]
Joh 14:22 Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world?
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.
Joh 14:24 Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me
Many years ago, we attended a Baptist church, which is where I actually got saved. I did NOT have a clue, nor was it taught, that we can actually PERCEIVE Jesus just as much as anyone that we can see, our families and friends! Yes, you heard me. Please go back and read the verses above. Read verse 21 especially.
Jesus says that WHOEVER has His commands and keeps them, LOVES HIM! This means that we must first know what His commands are. What commands did Jesus actually give? Have we read the Sermon on the Mount lately? The whole thing is a picture, in perspective, of the PRINCIPLES of the OT in the reality of living today by the Holy Spirit! What am I saying? I am not going to copy the 3 chapters here, but lets look at a couple of things Jesus said.
Mat 5:21 You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court. [Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17; Deuteronomy 16:18]
Mat 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire.
Mat 5:23 So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you,
Mat 5:24 Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift.
Jesus is speaking of the REALITY of the 10 Commandments. Lets look at them>>>>>
Exo 20:2 I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 You shall have no other gods before or besides Me.
Exo 20:4 You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
Exo 20:5 You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, [Isaiah 42:8; 48:11]
Exo 20:6 But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Exo 20:7 You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Exo 20:8 [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God).
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates.
Exo 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].
Exo 20:12 Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.
Exo 20:13 You shall not commit murder.
Exo 20:14 You shall not commit adultery. [Proverbs 6:25, 26; Matthew 5:28; Romans 1:24; Ephesians 5:3]
Exo 20:15 You shall not steal. [Proverbs 11:1; 16:8; 21:6; 22:16; Jeremiah 17:11; Malachi 3:8]
Exo 20:16 You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor. [Exodus 23:1; Proverbs 19:9; 24:28]
Exo 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house, your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. [Luke 12:15; Colossians 3:5]
In the verses from Matthew, Jesus is speaking about Ex 20:13 and not committing murder. BUT notice that Jesus makes the commandment MUCH MORE comprehensive by revealing that it includes the heart attitudes of anger, or derision, or malice, etc.
This is no different than what Jesus said about adultery.
Mat 5:27 You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. [Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18]
Mat 5:28 But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
He again shows that it is a heart attitude, NOT JUST THE ACTION!
So, who can ever HOPE to obey the commandments of Jesus? The man/woman must be DEAD in order for their heart attitudes NOT to fall into the realm of sin! Yet, we ARE commanded to obey! Is God uncaring, unfeeling, and so demanding that He does not make a way for us to come into obedience to Him and His commands?
NO! NO! NO! He has shown us that we can come to the place of death and THEN resurrection into NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus! We do not have to rely on our own abilities to obey the harsh commands. YES, they are harsh, they are far reaching in their applications, yet they ARE the ONLY way we can live lives that are not only a benefit to all of those around us, but actually bless and PLEASE our Father God!
Again, it is NOT that we must pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and tough it out to obey God. NO! Read Romans! Read I John! We are to abide in the Vine which is Jesus Christ our Lord. We are to repent and place ourselves on the altar and allow the LORD HIMSELF to deal with that old nature. Have we not seen what the scriptures say?
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
1Jo 2:5 But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:
1Jo 2:6 Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.
Rom 6:5 For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God].
Rom 6:6 We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.
Rom 6:7 For when a man dies, he is freed (loosed, delivered) from [the power of] sin [among men].
I am not going to continue copying verses here that are easily looked up through any concordance or topical bible. I could list many verses that all say the same things in different ways. The point is EXACTLY what Jesus said was the reason He came!
Joh 8:31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.
Joh 8:32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered Him, We are Abraham's offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin.
Joh 8:35 Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever.
Joh 8:36 So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.
What is Jesus saying He came to set us free from? Go back and read it again! He told those who ALREADY BELIEVED in Him that whoever COMMITS SIN is a slave to SIN. BUT HE CAME TO SET US FREE SO THAT WE NO LONGER WILL BE SLAVES TO SIN! That means Jesus came so that we do not HAVE TO CONTINUE TO SIN! If that is NOT true, then Jesus is a liar!
Do we not see, can we not comprehend what it is that the Lord accomplished thru His death and resurrection? Have we not read what it says in the OT about the NEW COVENANT that God said He would bring forth?
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, [Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25]
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was their Husband, says the Lord.
Jer 31:33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Jer 31:34 And they will no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they will all know Me [recognize, understand, and be acquainted with Me], from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will [seriously] remember their sin no more. [Hebrews 8:8-12; 10:16, 17]
The Lord tells us that He will put His Laws in OUR hearts so that we will naturally obey Him! In other words, He will give us a NEW NATURE, we will become a NEW CREATION! That is EXACTLY what II Cor 5:17 says.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
Now my friends, either all of these, and many more verses are TRUE, or the whole bible is false and we should go back to our old ways, living for ourselves! However, I will say this>>>>> I have come thru the fire, at least in part. I have learned that He is as real as He said He would be. He has become more real to me than the people on this website. The only ones who are more real to me at this time, are those who I actually have contact with physically. Even that is quickly fading, as I learn to let Him have ALL of my life. IT IS NOT ME!! I give all the praise, honor, and GLORY TO HIM! He has made it possible. It is HIS WORK and HIS BLESSING! And this will be His glory on the earth, when many people begin to believe AND LIVE as though these verses are true, as indeed they are!
It is here, living in this place, where Jesus promises to make Himself REAL, to manifest Himself to us, as we obey Him, that the Glory of the Lord shines! I ask you, why would Jesus need to make Himself real to ANYONE if He was physically present? So, Jesus cannot be talking about His time while He was still on the earth. Neither can He be talking about when He returns, for ALL shall see Him at His return. There is ONLY ONE TIME when He would have to make Himself be seen, to manifest Himself so that we might KNOW Him as REAL Person, as our REAL LORD AND KING. That time is NOW!
We do not have to imagine Him off in heaven somewhere. We can know Him as a real person, talk WITH Him, and listen to HIS counsel, hear His guidance, and obey His commands, just as if He were with us physically. Perhaps you may think I have gone beyond the bounds of the promise, but have I? Did you really read that verse about this promise? Go back and see what Jesus promised to THOSE WHO OBEY HIM. Ask some of those that you have seen walk in a similar manner, if they do not have contact with the Lord on a daily basis. Ask them if they do not perceive Him, even though they may not see Him. Jesus has always kept His promises.
Therefore, we see that not only does He promise that we CAN obey Him on THIS earth, but that we can actually KNOW HIM as real person, right here, right now, if we WILL come to Him and abide in Him so that His life flows thru us and manifests itself wherever we go! May we all come to the place of abiding in Him and allowing Him to live His life in this manner!
God bless you all!
A bondslave in Christ Jesus, Dirk
One of the FIRST passages that the Lord showed me about TRUE Obedience is out of John 14. Here it is that Jesus is speaking with His disciples on the night prior to His trial. This occurs just before His high priestly prayer of John 17 when He prays for all Christians thru all time. Lets look at it!
Joh 14:19 Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
Joh 14:20 At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you.
Joh 14:21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him]
Joh 14:22 Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world?
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.
Joh 14:24 Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me
Many years ago, we attended a Baptist church, which is where I actually got saved. I did NOT have a clue, nor was it taught, that we can actually PERCEIVE Jesus just as much as anyone that we can see, our families and friends! Yes, you heard me. Please go back and read the verses above. Read verse 21 especially.
Jesus says that WHOEVER has His commands and keeps them, LOVES HIM! This means that we must first know what His commands are. What commands did Jesus actually give? Have we read the Sermon on the Mount lately? The whole thing is a picture, in perspective, of the PRINCIPLES of the OT in the reality of living today by the Holy Spirit! What am I saying? I am not going to copy the 3 chapters here, but lets look at a couple of things Jesus said.
Mat 5:21 You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court. [Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17; Deuteronomy 16:18]
Mat 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire.
Mat 5:23 So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you,
Mat 5:24 Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift.
Jesus is speaking of the REALITY of the 10 Commandments. Lets look at them>>>>>
Exo 20:2 I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 You shall have no other gods before or besides Me.
Exo 20:4 You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
Exo 20:5 You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, [Isaiah 42:8; 48:11]
Exo 20:6 But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Exo 20:7 You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Exo 20:8 [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God).
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates.
Exo 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].
Exo 20:12 Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.
Exo 20:13 You shall not commit murder.
Exo 20:14 You shall not commit adultery. [Proverbs 6:25, 26; Matthew 5:28; Romans 1:24; Ephesians 5:3]
Exo 20:15 You shall not steal. [Proverbs 11:1; 16:8; 21:6; 22:16; Jeremiah 17:11; Malachi 3:8]
Exo 20:16 You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor. [Exodus 23:1; Proverbs 19:9; 24:28]
Exo 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house, your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. [Luke 12:15; Colossians 3:5]
In the verses from Matthew, Jesus is speaking about Ex 20:13 and not committing murder. BUT notice that Jesus makes the commandment MUCH MORE comprehensive by revealing that it includes the heart attitudes of anger, or derision, or malice, etc.
This is no different than what Jesus said about adultery.
Mat 5:27 You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. [Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18]
Mat 5:28 But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
He again shows that it is a heart attitude, NOT JUST THE ACTION!
So, who can ever HOPE to obey the commandments of Jesus? The man/woman must be DEAD in order for their heart attitudes NOT to fall into the realm of sin! Yet, we ARE commanded to obey! Is God uncaring, unfeeling, and so demanding that He does not make a way for us to come into obedience to Him and His commands?
NO! NO! NO! He has shown us that we can come to the place of death and THEN resurrection into NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus! We do not have to rely on our own abilities to obey the harsh commands. YES, they are harsh, they are far reaching in their applications, yet they ARE the ONLY way we can live lives that are not only a benefit to all of those around us, but actually bless and PLEASE our Father God!
Again, it is NOT that we must pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and tough it out to obey God. NO! Read Romans! Read I John! We are to abide in the Vine which is Jesus Christ our Lord. We are to repent and place ourselves on the altar and allow the LORD HIMSELF to deal with that old nature. Have we not seen what the scriptures say?
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
1Jo 2:5 But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:
1Jo 2:6 Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.
Rom 6:5 For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God].
Rom 6:6 We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.
Rom 6:7 For when a man dies, he is freed (loosed, delivered) from [the power of] sin [among men].
I am not going to continue copying verses here that are easily looked up through any concordance or topical bible. I could list many verses that all say the same things in different ways. The point is EXACTLY what Jesus said was the reason He came!
Joh 8:31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.
Joh 8:32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered Him, We are Abraham's offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin.
Joh 8:35 Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever.
Joh 8:36 So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.
What is Jesus saying He came to set us free from? Go back and read it again! He told those who ALREADY BELIEVED in Him that whoever COMMITS SIN is a slave to SIN. BUT HE CAME TO SET US FREE SO THAT WE NO LONGER WILL BE SLAVES TO SIN! That means Jesus came so that we do not HAVE TO CONTINUE TO SIN! If that is NOT true, then Jesus is a liar!
Do we not see, can we not comprehend what it is that the Lord accomplished thru His death and resurrection? Have we not read what it says in the OT about the NEW COVENANT that God said He would bring forth?
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, [Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25]
Jer 31:32 Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was their Husband, says the Lord.
Jer 31:33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Jer 31:34 And they will no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they will all know Me [recognize, understand, and be acquainted with Me], from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will [seriously] remember their sin no more. [Hebrews 8:8-12; 10:16, 17]
The Lord tells us that He will put His Laws in OUR hearts so that we will naturally obey Him! In other words, He will give us a NEW NATURE, we will become a NEW CREATION! That is EXACTLY what II Cor 5:17 says.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
Now my friends, either all of these, and many more verses are TRUE, or the whole bible is false and we should go back to our old ways, living for ourselves! However, I will say this>>>>> I have come thru the fire, at least in part. I have learned that He is as real as He said He would be. He has become more real to me than the people on this website. The only ones who are more real to me at this time, are those who I actually have contact with physically. Even that is quickly fading, as I learn to let Him have ALL of my life. IT IS NOT ME!! I give all the praise, honor, and GLORY TO HIM! He has made it possible. It is HIS WORK and HIS BLESSING! And this will be His glory on the earth, when many people begin to believe AND LIVE as though these verses are true, as indeed they are!
It is here, living in this place, where Jesus promises to make Himself REAL, to manifest Himself to us, as we obey Him, that the Glory of the Lord shines! I ask you, why would Jesus need to make Himself real to ANYONE if He was physically present? So, Jesus cannot be talking about His time while He was still on the earth. Neither can He be talking about when He returns, for ALL shall see Him at His return. There is ONLY ONE TIME when He would have to make Himself be seen, to manifest Himself so that we might KNOW Him as REAL Person, as our REAL LORD AND KING. That time is NOW!
We do not have to imagine Him off in heaven somewhere. We can know Him as a real person, talk WITH Him, and listen to HIS counsel, hear His guidance, and obey His commands, just as if He were with us physically. Perhaps you may think I have gone beyond the bounds of the promise, but have I? Did you really read that verse about this promise? Go back and see what Jesus promised to THOSE WHO OBEY HIM. Ask some of those that you have seen walk in a similar manner, if they do not have contact with the Lord on a daily basis. Ask them if they do not perceive Him, even though they may not see Him. Jesus has always kept His promises.
Therefore, we see that not only does He promise that we CAN obey Him on THIS earth, but that we can actually KNOW HIM as real person, right here, right now, if we WILL come to Him and abide in Him so that His life flows thru us and manifests itself wherever we go! May we all come to the place of abiding in Him and allowing Him to live His life in this manner!
God bless you all!
A bondslave in Christ Jesus, Dirk
you both
Just thought I would share hope it
encourages you to keep fighting the good fight. He will be here so.... soon. With LOVE Jessie.... and May our Father bless you all with strengthen and His joy
through our Lord and Savior Jesus!
