Words Of Christ Devotions

[nChrist]

October 1

I Am the Way

Joh_14:5-11

This is a tough passage.  Bear with me if I come through the back door to get to it.

Consider Sherlock Holmes:

His essence—that without which he would not be Holmes—is deductive reasoning.
His attributes—those things which are necessarily part of his character—include an ascetic lifestyle and an acid tongue towards his dimwitted partner, Watson.

His accidents—things not really necessary, but there—include that pipe and hat.
God has essence too:  his existence.  He is "I AM."  He could not be God if he did not always exist.

God has attributes too.  Indeed, he is his attributes—He is righteousness, He is justice, He is love.

But there are no accidents;  everything about God is essential.

(I'm thankful to Thomas Aquinas for the distinction;  the errors are my own).

With this, we can understand, perhaps, how Jesus the Christ and God the Father are the same, yet different;  how God is three, yet one.

Consider Jesus Christ:

His essence—is the same as his Father:  "I AM." He exists always.

He too is his attributes—He is the way, the truth, the life.

Only in his accidents—like shoe size—does he differ from God the Father.

But in his "accidents" he is like us.  He is the Son of Man, and therefore he understands us like no one else could.

He is the Way—I cannot see God the Father, but I can find the Way, for he taught among us.

He is the Truth—truth is abstract, but it was in front of us for a while.  Now I know where to find it.

He is the Life—the word means biological life—for He is coming again at the resurrection of the dead.

He is in the Father;  the Father is in Him.  The words twist around themselves;  we are confused.  But it is elementary, my dear Watson:  "He who has seen me has seen the Father."

____________________

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[nChrist]

October 2

Greater Works
Joh_14:12-14

The story goes that the man who put the chapter and verse markings in the Bible did so while riding on a mule.  It must have been a bony mule.

Christians read passages like this and sometimes conclude that God is a cosmic blessing machine—if only I can figure out the right way to make it work.  It is not so.

Greater things

How is it that we could possibly do greater things than Christ?

We have the same Spirit—the Holy Spirit.  So there is no more limit on us than on Him.

But we are more than one, and can be in more than one place.

Most of all, we act in the light of the Atonement.  We can proclaim forgiveness to all.

I will do it

Note the phrasing;  we ask;  He will do it.

Not God will do it, for they are one.

Not that he will ask, for he is not inferior to God.

This phrase is here to teach us to rely on Christ, God in the flesh.

That the Father may be glorified

But just so you don't miss the oneness of God and Christ, note to whom the glory shall go.  The Lord your God is one.

What we must do

So, does it not look like we have infinite power at our disposal—and we just don't know how to use it?  Note what is required of us:

First, we must believe.  Cars work whether we believe or not;  God is a person, not a machine.

We must ask "in his name."

How do we ask "in his name?"

First, we must acknowledge our complete dependence upon his intercession.  He
has the righteousness, not us.

Most of all, we must ask in his will.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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[nChrist]

October 4

The Comforter

Joh_14:16-18

My mother recently experienced the greatest loss a woman can know.  After more than fifty-seven years of marriage, she lost her husband, her love.  Her family gathered around her;  many friends came to comfort her.  But what friend, relative or even son could possibly equal the one she lost?

If you can feel that pain, then you can feel the pain the disciples were feeling on this night.  Jesus was everything to them.  Look at the loss staring them in the face:

They are losing the one who led them—not by power but by wisdom and knowledge of God.

They are losing their teacher, the one who showed them the truth.

They are losing the one who was always there to befriend them, to carry them through their mistakes.

So, to ease this burden from their minds, our Lord makes two promises to them here:

The Comforter

He promises to send them the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

The Spirit will be their counselor, as Jesus has been.  He will be that counselor forever.

He will be their teacher, guiding them into all truth.

He will be more than their friend;  he will be so intimate with them that he will live in them.

The Return

But Jesus is not content with sending what might appear to some to be a vague substitute.  Indeed, the Holy Spirit is neither vague nor second string.  But our Lord makes it clear:  He, himself, will come to them.

He will come to them after the Resurrection, to give them his final instructions before he ascends to the Father.

He will come to them at the end of time, when he returns in power and glory.

We are not orphans.   The Holy Spirit is living within us;  and we know our Lord is coming again.

____________________

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[nChrist]

October 5

Behold Me No More

Joh_14:19-26

In this short section, Christ says they will see him no more, for a while.  He then lays out a description of the Christian life in short bold strokes:

You will see me—though the world doesn't, you will.  You will have the spiritual sight necessary to see God.

You will live—all the promises of the resurrection are ours, because Jesus lives.  How shall this be?  Do you not recall that the righteous shall live by faith?

You will realize. the wording seems complicated, but it carries two great ideas.  First is the idea of the Trinity.  Next is that we are the church, for we are "in Christ."  If we are in Christ, we are new creatures, saved by his blood.

You will be loved by God—a privilege reserved for the noble few in the Old Testament, it is ours without limit now.  The natural corollary of this is that we will love God.

You will obey my teaching—which is the natural result of loving Him.  No longer need obedience be a painful struggle.

You will be taught all things—the Holy Spirit comes and reminds the Apostles of all that Christ had taught them.  The Spirit remains in the church today to correct her and turn her to righteousness.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit—that each and every one of us carries around the Holy Spirit, both as guide and as a guarantee of the resurrection to come.

It is an awesome passage of Scripture, especially since it is so short.  It is not a list of rules or set of commandments but a description of how our lives will be—in Christ.

But it is also a test for each of us.  This is what our lives are supposed to be like, if we love Him.  Do you have the spiritual sight necessary to see Christ?  But who can have such sight, except the pure in heart?  Do you live by faith?  Who can have such faith, except the righteous?  Are you new in Christ?  Do you know the love of God?  Are you obeying his teaching?  Do you hear the Holy Spirit as he corrects you and guides you?

If all these questions seem strange to you, and you wonder how others could ever see this as ordinary, you need to look at the only instance of the word "if" in this passage.  "If anyone loves me.."  There is the secret:  love God.  All else will fit in place.

____________________

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Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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[nChrist]

October 6

My Peace

Joh_14:27

The world has some funny ideas of what constitutes peace:

Most commonly, peace is a compromise.  God does not compromise the truth for peace.

Often, peace comes by conquest.  But our Lord stands at the door and knocks—he does not break it down.

Also, peace comes by exhaustion—we are simply too tired to war anymore.  Our Lord is the fountain of strength.

The world's peace is limited—by time (the treaty can last only so long) or space (applies only here).  The peace of Christ knows no limits.

Peace in this world is peace outside—peace in external things.  We bury the hatchet—handle up.  We create such things as a "cold war."  Antagonism remains;  armed conflict ceases—for a short while.

The peace of God is peace inside—peace in the innermost part of the soul.  But consider:  if you have such peace within yourself, what can the world do to disturb it?  The peace of the world is outside;  if God is inside, how can that inner peace be disturbed?

Obtaining peace

So many seek such peace;  so few find it.  How can we obtain the peace of Christ?   We must obtain it in two ways:

He must leave it with us.  It is a passive, growing peace that comes only from experience with Him—in prayer, study, meditation and worship.

He must give it to us.  This is an active peace, given by the Holy Spirit, which comes in service and fellowship.

Holding peace

So many have peace—and lose it.  How is it that we can keep the peace of Christ?
We are not to let our hearts be "troubled" - the word means to be stirred up or in turmoil.  God is not the author of confusion.  Keep your mind fixed on Christ;  all else will fit.

Nor are we to be afraid—the word means "timid."  God is with us;  what does it matter who is against us?

Keep his peace with heart and mind fixed on Him.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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____________________

[nChrist]

October 7

Rejoicing in Departure

Joh_14:28-31

It remains one of the most argued moments in baseball.  It's the fourth inning, the third game of the 1932 World Series.  Charlie Root is on the mound for the Chicago Cubs.  He has an 0-2 count on Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat.  Ruth points to the centerfield bleachers (or does he?) and proceeds to hit the next pitch right there.  Did he call the shot—or didn't he?

There is no question in this passage.  Jesus is telling the disciples what is going to happen over the next few hours.  He makes one thing completely clear:  the reason he is saying all these things is so that they will believe.  They don't believe it now—they don't even understand it, by half—but they will later.  They will remember his words.

In telling them this, he reminds them that they really should not be distressed about this.  His reasoning—for such it is—may seem obscure to us.  Look at it this way:

If you truly love me, you would be glad that I was going away—to the Father.

Why?  Because the Father is greater than I.  If you are in doubt as to whether or not I can handle the events I am telling you about, surely you know that God the Father can do all things, and all is in His control.

Even after three years of ministry and miracles, the disciples do not yet have that solid, sure faith they need.  Jesus does not condemn them for this;  rather, he gives them one more reason to believe that all will be well.

But Why?

One reason the disciples are so puzzled is that they do not understand (yet) why Jesus would do this.  Jesus now explains this:  "The world must learn."  It is not sufficient that it happen;  the world must know about it.  For that purpose Jesus has chosen these Apostles to spread that knowledge throughout the world.

What must the world know?

That Jesus does exactly what God commanded,

Because he loves the Father.

As we are to love him, and therefore obey his commands, Jesus sets the example for us.  The world will know because the Apostles will tell them.  They will tell because they truly believe.  They truly believe—because He called the shot.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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[nChrist]

October 8

On Pruning

Joh_15:1-11

One of the difficulties in understanding the analogies of the New Testament is that grapes come wrapped in plastic in our time.

Most of us are not gardeners; very few of us are farmers.  So passages like this may lose some of the meaning that was clear to earlier times.  Here are some of the ways that earlier Christians looked at this process of pruning:

Some saw this as persecution.  God allows the persecution of the church, for as Tertullian said, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church."  God prunes off his martyrs—but when He does, see how the church grows!

Others saw this as the process of cleansing.  Grape vines evidently must be pruned early in the season to rid them of "sucker vines."  These tendrils trap dirt, but they also reduce the amount of fruit produced.  So therefore we may see this process as God cleansing the Christian to make him more fruitful.

Still others saw this as the removal of the fruit itself—in the form of God removing students from the care of a particular teacher.  Why would God do this?

First, so that no one would come to depend entirely upon one particular teacher.  Who is Paul?  Who is Apollos?  Also, God does this so that the teacher's pride may be controlled;  no teacher should think himself indispensable.  Both of these answers are evidence of what Paul tells us:  it is God that gives the increase.

Some think this analogy is talking about Christian evangelism.  Vines produce more vines, after their own kind.  But the same idea may be applied if we think of the fruit of this vine as being good works.  One thing is certain:  all these good things come only when we are "in the vine" - rightly related to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We cannot bear fruit without him.  Consider the disciples:  were these men naturally courageous and bold?  Were they great speakers?  The Bible tells us they were not, yet after the Resurrection, with the Spirit to guide them, they turned the known world upside down.  Peter, who on that night didn't have courage enough to stand up to a servant girl, later was crucified (upside down) for his faith.

All this has a purpose:  the glory of God.  As we bear fruit today, it fits that same purpose, for we are in that same vine.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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____________________

[nChrist]

October 9

No Greater Love

Joh_15:12-13

What is it that you love more than life itself?

Most of us, when we hear that question, interpret it to mean, "What would I risk my life for?"  Think of the things you might risk your life for:

If you saw a friend drowning, would you jump in to save him, even at risk of your life?

How about your family?  Mothers rush back into burning buildings seeking their children.

Many have been known to risk their lives for their country, or the cause of freedom.

But that is not the example Christ puts before us.  The example here is of this type:  "If it were 100% certain that you were going to die in order that ____ should live, whose name fills in the blank?"

The answer says much about you.  It is fortunate for most of us that the question is seldom truly presented.  Most such instances come about suddenly.  In so doing, they reveal our impulses, based upon our character.  They do not reveal what deliberate choice we might have made.  Christ, in going to the Cross, made the deliberate choice to die.

Here he gives us a command, and an explanation of it.  As he has loved us, we should love each other—to the point of laying down our lives for each other.

This is indeed a great love, but even if we are called to do so, it is still an imitation of Christ.

There are some differences, however:

We cannot choose to die—and rise again.  We can only choose to die.  Then again, we didn't have to descend from heaven to make that choice.

We are not an atonement for sins, either.

As our choices in this matter would say much about us, so our Lord's choice says much about himself.  It tells us who He loves:

It is clear that he loves God perfectly—for in so doing he obeys his commands perfectly.

It is equally clear that he loves us perfectly.

The virtue of having a perfect example is that you need never say, "Yes, but."  Be perfect;  imitate his love.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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____________________

[nChrist]

October 10

Friends of Christ

Joh_15:14-17

Have you ever considered yourself to be the friend of God?  You are, you know.

The words would have struck a nerve with the disciples.  For in all the Old Testament only one man was ever described as the "friend of God."  That man was Abraham, the patriarch.  No one else was described as such by name.

This was not because Abraham was perfect.  On the contrary, it was simply because of his faith.  He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and thus he became the friend of God.  Like us, his friendship is based on faith, not anything we have done.  Like us, his friendship was started by God;  God sought him out.

There is an interesting connection there.  Remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?  God brings before Abraham the fate due their wickedness.  He will not hide his intentions—his will –from his friend.  Abraham, standing before the king of kings, intercedes for them.  We can learn from that:

God does not hide his will from us either.  Indeed, he has made it plain in the Scripture and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

When we perceive that will as it relates to others, we need to stand up in prayer on behalf of that person, interceding with God, pleading for our friends.

When we do, we should make our plea in the name of (and the will of) Christ.  If we do that, God will hear us and grant our prayer.

The cause of this intercession is simple:  we are to love them as He has loved us.

We are the friends of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you have a friend or loved one who is clearly going down the wrong path, you should go to God in intercessory prayer for them.  Do not ask that they be spared the results of their sin;  rather, ask that those results will produce repentance in accordance with God's will.  Ask God that he be merciful, using such methods to produce that repentance which will cause the least pain to those you love.

Beware one thing, however.  To ask such is to invite God to use you in his cause.  You may be the one who must go to that person in tender care when God's punishment is unveiled, putting the oil of forgiveness  on a wound you asked for.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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____________________

[nChrist]

October 11

Opposition from the World

Joh_15:18-21

In the early days of the Promise Keepers movement, that eminent paragon of impartial and fair reporting, the Los Angeles Times, produced a front page article on the movement.  Better than half the article was devoted to an interview with a professor of sociology from California State University, Northridge.  In her interview, the good professor set forth how all of the publicly announced principles of the movement were merely cover for increased wife beating.  She had calculated—to a tenth of a percent—the increase in domestic violence which would certainly arrive if the authorities did not take prompt action against this dangerous movement.

The article appeared on Saturday.  I remember how furious the women of our Bible Fellowship class—most of whom had husbands who were Promise Keepers—were about this piece of libel.  (The male reaction was more along the lines of incredulous humor.)  What perturbed them most was the blithe way in which the Times "knew" that all the literature, statements and preaching of this movement were simply code words to hide the conspiracy to beat women.  Since they were the women in question, we may presume they knew what they were talking about.  The Times certainly didn't.

The surprising thing is that they were surprised.  Christians are frequently astonished at the venom and hatred they receive from the world around them.

They shouldn't be.  Our Lord in this passage makes it clear that this is going to happen, and he explains why.

There are two competing systems out there:  God's, and Satan's (also known as the world's system).

The world's system hates God, hates Christ and has no hesitation about lying about it.  Their end justifies their means.

You, if you are a Christian, are the visible target of the world's system.  If they hate God;  if they crucified Jesus Christ, what chance do you have of being loved and understood?

The war is conducted one soul at a time.  If they will turn and love God, loving you and obeying Christ's teaching will come naturally.

Expect it.  Expect to be persecuted, spit on and reviled as something sub-human.  Wear it as a badge of honor when they do, for this is the mark of those who love the Lord.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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[nChrist]

October 12

No Excuse

Joh_15:22-27

There is a very sad passage in Ezekiel.  God has told the prophet that he is to bring the word of the Lord to the people, no matter what their reaction.  And then He tells Ezekiel just what their reaction will be:

(Ezek 33:31-33 NIV)  My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. {32} Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. {33} "When all this comes true--and it surely will--then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

Here we have something even more sad.  The Lord Jesus himself has walked among these people.  For three years he has preached; he has worked miracles;  he has given them every evidence needed to know that—at least—a prophet has been among them.  Their reaction is the same.

How familiar this seems to us today!  How many people there are who come to church each Sunday, listen to the music, hear the sermon, and will even come up to the preacher afterward and say, "Great sermon, Rev."  Then, feeling warm and satisfied within, they leave—unchanged.  They don't feel guilty;  they feel righteous and justified.  After all, they're good people—they go to church.  They are not drug addicts or prostitutes, thieves or murderers.

Guilt is not a matter of feeling but a matter of fact.  When the traffic cop pulls you over, "I didn't think I was speeding," doesn't save you from the ticket.

If the sermon is magnificent and the music inspiring, your guilt is increased.  You did not hear the word second hand, but in a setting to which you came—to hear.  Why did you not listen?

You yourself acknowledge this.  Every time you snarl in righteousness at someone else, you acknowledge the truth of what you heard.

Attending the right church means nothing if you do not attend the church rightly.  Consider well your integrity, your "one-ness":  are you the same man on Sunday and Monday?

____________________

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Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
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[nChrist]

October 13

Keep You From Stumbling

Joh_16:1-4

Christ now explains to his disciples the reason for this teaching.  It is that persecution is coming.  All but one of the Apostles died by execution of some form.  The pattern has not changed all that much today.

The nature of the opposition

First, understand that the opposition to Christ and his kingdom will come from our own households.  Our friends and relatives will think us strange—or worse.

This is perfectly normal.  It is the reaction the world must have to the things of God.  This is not something unusual.  The rare thing, which existed for a while in America, is that Christianity is taken as the norm.

Understand also that your opponents will claim righteousness.  It may go by the name "politically correct."  It may have any other name.  But the opponents of Christ will immediately claim moral superiority.  (Homosexuality is morally right, remember?  You're just a bigot.)

Here is one key test:  killing someone who is a true Christian is a service to God (or whatever supreme ethic is held).  As one current author put it, "I know of nothing more evil and sinister than Christianity."  It's a short step to taking prudent action to wipe out this ugly threat.

Why did Christ tell us this?

Jesus did not want us to go astray in this.  If your expectation is that once you become a Christian everything will be rosy, and people will love you, it's a real disappointment to be treated like this.  Moreover, you begin to think, "I must have gotten it wrong somehow."  Christ tells us that we got it right;  this is the normal reaction to real Christians.

Root Cause

Why do they do such things?  They are worshiping another god, one of their own making.  One who smiles on their pride.  Is not arrogance a "virtue" in our time?  They never did know the real God, and so loudly proclaim their righteousness:  self-found, self-made and self-determined.  Burning inside is hatred.  When it spills out, remember:  you were warned.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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____________________

[nChrist]

October 14

Function of the Spirit

Joh_16:5-11

One of the perturbing passages of the New Testament has to do with the "sin against the Holy Spirit." Many Christians over the years have been told that they have committed this sin, and therefore cannot be forgiven.  We can perhaps understand it better if we see here the function of the Holy Spirit:  to convict the world of guilt.

Of sin

First, the Spirit is to cut of our excuses for sin.  Man is the rationalizing creature, and always ready with an excuse.  The Spirit says, sin is sin.

Next, to show that our actions are sinful, that we have indeed had our transgressions.

Of righteousness

But there is no sense in convicting someone of guilt due to sin if there is no righteousness.  All that would do is to create a sense of hopelessness!

But there is righteousness—His righteousness.  The Spirit is to convict us of the righteousness of Christ.

Thus, by his righteousness and sacrifice, we see that this man came from God.

Of judgment

Again, there is no sense in conviction of sin and righteousness if there is no penalty for same.  So the Spirit will convict us:

That the personification of evil, Satan, and all his demons, are condemned eternally to the pit of hell.

That those who choose to ignore this conviction have chosen to side with Satan—and will share his fate.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means to deny the truth of these things.  If you say there is no sin in you;  if you say there is no hope of righteousness; if you say that Jesus was just a man; if you say there is no judgment to come, then you have denied the truth taught by the Spirit.  In such case, how can you repent?  If you think you have no sin, why would you?  And if you will not repent, how can you ever be forgiven?

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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____________________

[nChrist]

October 15

To Be Disclosed

Joh_16:12-15

The disciples might have reason to be puzzled this night of nights.  But Jesus assures them that the fog will clear, and all will be made plain by the Holy Spirit.

See that the Spirit will guide them (and us).  The word in the original means a personal guide, not  a map.  The Spirit is a person of God.

But do not think this undoes the unity of God.  No indeed!  Jesus makes plain here that God is one.  Does it belong to the Father?  It belongs to Christ.  Does it belong to Christ?  The Spirit will reveal exactly that to you.

Tantalizingly, we are told that the Spirit will reveal what is to come—the future.  This was fulfilled by John's Revelation, but think how this must have tingled in their ears.

All of this has a purpose:  The Holy Spirit will bring glory to Christ.

You might ask, "Why can't they understand all these things now?  Why would they have to wait?"  The answer is simple:  the Atonement had yet to occur.  The truth that would be revealed to them would not take effect until after Christ's death.

There are some lessons in here for us, as well.

The Spirit is the guide of the church, and keeps her from remaining in error.  How?  Consider this:  many denominations today have wandered from the revealed word of God.  They proclaim homosexual marriage to be righteous, for example.  These are the same denominations which are dying slowly.  The Spirit is moving the believers to fellowship with those who hold to the Word.

The Spirit only brings to us that which we can bear.  This is one reason we should not judge others.  It may be that what you see as fault in your brother is something the Spirit plans to take up with him—later.  He may not be able to bear it now.  The same is true for you, too.

The Spirit knows the future.  Therefore, listen to the Holy Spirit as He guides you, for he knows the bumps in the road and where the ruts lead.  As the Spirit is the guide of the church, so He should be your guide as well.  He may not reveal the future to you as was done for the prophets of old, but He will keep you from stumbling—if you will listen.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________

[nChrist]

October 16

On the Death of Christ

Joh_16:16-22

Being a male of the species, I have never experienced labor pains.  But I was with my wife during all three deliveries, and I can testify that they must be, as advertised, something no one would want to endure twice.  But we have three children!

Human beings are like that.  We don't want to think about pain and suffering;  we want to put it out of our minds.  But pain and suffering—and death—are very real.  Christ here points out that pain.  It should encourage us to meditate upon the death of Christ.

First, the fact that our Lord, God in the flesh, went to die on a cross should mean to us that we should not expect to go through life without pain.  Nor should we consider pain as completely evil, for in pain we may share our Lord's sufferings.  We should prepare ourselves for both pain and death, knowing that they will certainly come.

In so doing, we must remember that our lives are short.  Eternity is forever, but what we do in this short life determines our eternity.  Therefore, we should give careful thought to the kind of life we should lead.  You do not want to face the Judgment saying, "I planned to get around to righteousness a little later."

We must never forget that our Lord's death was the execution of an innocent man—for our sakes.  The story is told of an African tribesman seeing a motion picture of the Crucifixion.  He was so outraged by this injustice he took his spear and hurled it through the screen as if to kill the executioners.  This outrage had a purpose:  our salvation.  God permits evil that a greater good might come of it.  What a price to pay;  the only perfect man dies that sinners like us might live!

As our Lord went knowingly and willingly to the Cross, enduring pain, shame and death, we should be willing to take up the Cross.  We are his disciples, his imitators.  We should not attempt to avoid the pain that comes with sacrifice.  We should not avoid the shame others pour on us for bearing the name of Christ.  Indeed, should the time come for it, we should be willing even to die for the faith.

"What about me?"  The "self" is always ready to complain.  That's why Jesus told you to deny yourself, take up the Cross, and follow him.  There is pain, hard work, suffering and death there—on the road to glory.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________