Every Day with Jesus (20 page)

July

July 1: Mystery of the Trinity

John 8:12-27

Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

John 8:19

Jesus talked about being one with His Father, especially in John 17. This oneness was more than singleness of purpose. Both Old and New Testaments say that there is one God. (Mal. 2:10; 1 Tim. 2:5.) This truth is so well established in Scripture that some people make no distinction between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; they believe they are simply one God expressing Himself in three different ways. However, in John 8 above, Jesus makes a distinction between Him and His Father. He and His Father are two witnesses, which fulfills the requirement of Deuteronomy 17:6. Jesus would have been deceiving these Jews if there was no distinction between His Father and Himself, yet they are one. (John 10:30; 1 John 5:7.) This is a great mystery!

Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “The Lord our God is one Lord.” We do not have three Gods, but one God, clearly identifiable as three persons. This is a great mystery that has not been adequately explained. Scriptures reveal the truth of the Trinity but make no attempt to explain it. We simply accept this revelation as it is. One day we will know all things, even as we are known. (1 Cor. 13:12.)

Jesus said that the witness of His Father was the greatest testimony of who He was. He said that to know Him was to know the Father. Whenever you wonder if you really know the voice and the ways of your Father in heaven, just look at Jesus. Jesus is just like the Father. Whatever Jesus feels, believes, and does; the Father feels, believes, and does. For every question or problem you face today, Jesus is the key to understanding the Father.

July 2: Jesus Was Lifted Up for You

John 8:12-30

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

John 8:28

This is the second of three times that Jesus spoke of Himself being “lifted up,” the first time in John 3:14 and the third time in John 12:32-33. As the Bible explains in John 12:33, this was a reference to crucifixion. The term Jesus used is referring to being lifted up from the earth and suspended on a cross in crucifixion. The Jews understood Jesus was speaking of His death when He said He would be lifted up.

The crucifixion didn’t just happen. God planned for it; however, it does not mean that He bears all responsibility for it, and those who were instrumental in the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus are not guilty. Jesus came to earth to die in our place and thereby purchase redemption for us. That was God’s plan, but He didn’t force anyone to fulfill it. Jesus’ ministry and message placed Him in direct opposition to the devil and his followers. Their hatred for Him caused them to crucify Jesus of their own free will. God, in all His wisdom, simply knew what they would do, and He determined to use their rejection of His Son to accomplish His plan of redemption. He never controls our will to accomplish His.

If you truly understand the message of the Cross, you understand real love and grace. Jesus didn’t just make a token sacrifice for you; He was lifted up for you. He paid your debt in full so that you could be fully His.

July 3: Sonship or Slavery

John 8:34-36

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

John 8:34

The devil has been deceiving the world about sin since the Garden of Eden when he told Eve that through sin she would be like God. Time has proven, not only to Eve but to each one of us, that this is not true. Sin brings death—not life. Jesus also makes it clear that sin enslaves. We become slaves not only to the sin itself but to the author of sin: the devil. We are either servants of God through obedience or servants of the devil through sin.

Jesus is likening the bondage that sin produces to slavery and the freedom that comes by serving God to being a beloved son. No one would doubt that being a son is better than being a slave! Likewise, obeying God is better than yielding to sin. True freedom is found only in serving God. Nevertheless, people continue to fall for Satan’s lie that sin is true freedom. He has deceived all of us at one time or another into thinking God is a tyrant who really doesn’t want us to enjoy life and consequently tells us not to do certain things. Because we believe this lie, we disobey God (i.e. we sin) in the name of freedom. But it is a false and fleeting freedom with terrible consequences.

The Word of God and personal experience conclusively prove that the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23.) Jesus is stripping sin of any glamour with which the devil may disguise it. Sin brings bondage. The only true freedom is found in Jesus. He not only dealt with the original sin that contaminated the human race, but He also dealt with each individual act of sin.

Today, if you are born again, you are walking in true freedom. You have God’s nature to do right and His love that causes you to desire to do right. Be thankful that you are a son or daughter of God and no longer a slave to the devil and sin.

July 4: Abraham’s Children

John 8:33-38

I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

John 8:37

The Jewish people were direct physical descendants of Abraham. However, as with so many biblical truths, there was much more to the Abrahamic covenant than what a casual glimpse would reveal. In truth, some Jews were not the spiritual children of Abraham.

The Holy Spirit revealed through the apostle Paul in Galatians 3:16 and 29 that God’s covenant was to Abraham and his “seed” or one descendant, which was Jesus. No one ever became an heir of God’s promises through their natural birth. Before Jesus gave Himself as an offering for our sins, the Old Testament saints were justified by faith in God’s promises concerning the Messiah who was yet to come. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, New Testament saints are justified by faith in what Jesus has already accomplished. No one has ever been saved because of who their parents were.

Those who have been born again through faith in Jesus have been circumcised in their hearts (Col. 2:11,12) and are the true Jews. They aren’t Jews in nationality or religion, but they are the true people of God. Gentiles who are united with Christ in the new birth are now God’s people. Anyone who is saved through faith in Jesus is now Abraham’s seed and an heir according to the promise. (Gal. 3:16, 22, 26-29.)

This leaves no doubt that the church is now God’s chosen people on earth. This does not mean God has forsaken the physical descendants of Abraham. There are still prophecies that apply to the nation of Israel that will be fulfilled. However, the New Testament church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, is now God’s kingdom on earth. We are all His.

Today you can ponder the fact that as a born-again believer in Jesus Christ you are a true Jew and an heir to all God promised Abraham.

July 5: What Pleases God

John 8:53-56

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

John 8:56

Jesus was referring to the day when men would be justified by putting their faith in God and not in their own works. God revealed this truth to Abraham (Rom. 4:13), and when he believed it, he was justified by his faith. (Rom. 4:3,4,9.) Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him.” It was Abraham’s faith that pleased God.

There are many reasons we know it must have been Abraham’s faith and his faith alone that pleased God. When we gather all the facts concerning Abraham’s life, there was more to displease Him than please Him! According to Leviticus 18:9 and 26, it was an abomination for a man to marry a half sister. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was his half sister. (Gen. 20:12.) Therefore, Abraham’s marriage to Sarah was not what pleased God.

Abraham lied, saying that Sarah was not his wife, to save his own neck. He was willing to let a man commit adultery with her rather than tell the truth and risk being killed by the man who might want her. And yet, immediately after this incident the Lord counted Abraham’s faith in Him for righteousness. (Gen. 15:6.) Abraham tried to accomplish God’s will in the flesh with Hagar (Gen. 16), and then repeated the terrible sin of denying that Sarah was his wife again. (Gen. 20.)

Anyone who really studies the life of Abraham and the favor he found with God would have to conclude that it was Abraham’s faith that pleased God. So whatever you have said or done that you know displeased God, today just receive His forgiveness and move forward with complete faith in Him. Then you will be truly blessed.

July 6: God Made Flesh

John 8:57-59

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 8:58

Here Jesus made a new statement. He said those who didn’t believe He was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16) could not possibly understand what He was talking about. “Before Abraham was, I am” not only declared that He existed before Abraham, but also associated Himself with the great “I AM” statement of Exodus 3:14. This statement could leave no doubt that Jesus was claiming to be God.

Jesus proclaimed, “I am.” This is how Jehovah identified Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14. When spoken under the anointing power of God, Jesus’ pronouncement: “I am he,” knocked all of those who came to arrest Him backward to the ground. (John 18:5,6.) Jesus was the great “I AM THAT I AM” of Exodus 3:14 manifest in the flesh.

When the Jewish authorities heard Jesus call God His Father, they immediately understood that Jesus claimed for Himself deity in the highest possible sense. That claim was either blasphemy to be punished by death, or Jesus was who He claimed to be.

The purpose of John’s gospel is clearly stated, “That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Today you have His life because you believe in His name. Don’t let the enemy, the world, or your flesh deceive you into thinking Jesus was anything less than God made flesh.

July 7: Physical Healing

Isaiah 53:1-5; Matthew 8:16-17

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:4

Physical healing is so prominent in Scripture—especially the New Testament—that there should be no debate about it, but there is. Many people interpret the promises concerning our healing to apply only in a spiritual sense. They believe verses such as Isaiah 53:4-5 are speaking of being healed spiritually.

The best way to interpret Scripture is by Scripture. If a particular passage is quoted and applied in another passage, then we have a very clear understanding of exactly what the Lord is saying. This happened with Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah bringing us healing.

In Matthew 8:16, multitudes came to Jesus for healing, and He physically healed every one of them. Then in verse seventeen, Matthew said this happened “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” This emphatically states that Isaiah’s promise of healing was for our physical bodies. Praise the Lord!

Healing is just as much a part of Christ’s atonement as is the forgiveness of sin. The Greek word used for salvation hundreds of times in the New Testament is sozo. It’s also translated in reference to physical healing in Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, Luke 8:48, and James 5:15.

Your faith for physical healing has to begin at the place of believing that it is God’s will to heal you. The truth that this was part of the atoning work of Christ, as prophesied in Scripture, provides you with that foundation.

July 8: It’s a Done Deal!

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

The last phrase of this verse is the same as Isaiah 53:4, with one important exception: It places our healing in the past tense. We have already been healed. This is a hard concept for some people to grasp. They cannot understand how they could already be healed if there is sickness in their bodies. One way to get around this is to say that this is speaking of spiritual healing, but Matthew 8:17 made it very clear that the healing Isaiah was speaking of was physical, not spiritual.

The key to understanding this concept is relating it to the forgiveness of our sins. When were our sins forgiven? According to Scripture, they were forgiven when Christ died, long before we ever received it. Our prayers only enable us to receive what was already accomplished in the spiritual realm and bring it into physical reality. That’s the way it is with healing.

Jesus has already accomplished our healing. The same virtue that raised Him from the dead is resident within every believer. (Eph. 1:19,20.) It’s a done deal. All we must do is believe and give physical substance (Heb. 11:1) to what’s already true in our born-again spirits. It’s infinitely easier to release something that we already have than to try to get something that we don’t have, and we already have healing.

Start releasing your healing by confessing and acting on your faith instead of trying to use your faith to ask God to heal you. He’s already done it.

July 9: You Can See Faith

Matthew 9:1-8

And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

Matthew 9:2

What does faith look like? Faith itself is like the wind. You can’t see the wind, but you can see the effects of it. You can see things that are being blown by the wind. Likewise, you can’t see faith, but by a person’s actions you can tell when someone is moving in faith.

For Jesus to see the faith of these men meant that He saw their actions. Specifically, they climbed on the roof, took the roof off, and lowered their sick friend down right in front of Jesus and in the presence of an antagonistic crowd. They were sure to be criticized by the religious leaders and would certainly be in trouble with the owner of the house whose roof they had just removed! They must have believed that what they were going to receive was worth the price. They believed their friend would be healed.

These men could have believed Jesus could heal their friend but then done nothing about it. If they had not acted on their faith, it wouldn’t have done their friend any good. Their faith without any action would have produced nothing. Actions are a vital part of faith. Faith without corresponding action is not faith at all. (James 2:17.)

What kind of action would show true biblical faith in your situation today? Is that the way you’re acting? If not, why? Is it because you don’t have true biblical faith yet? Determine in your heart today to walk in real trust and reliance on God. Then watch your actions change.

July 10: Is Your Heart Sick?

Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

When I was in the sixth grade, I competed in a spelling bee. I was determined to win that competition, so I diligently studied for weeks. I knew every word in the book by heart. The day of the competition came, and I was ready. I told everyone—including the teachers—that I was going to win. Therefore, they gave me the very first word to spell. It was the word Rhine, as in the Rhine river. I confidently spelled r-h-i-n-e, which was correct, but I failed to capitalize the letter r. Therefore, I was the first one eliminated.

I was humiliated and frustrated because I knew every single word they gave and could have easily won that contest—if I had just capitalized the letter r. My heart was sick. I lost all desire to excel in spelling. In my sixth-grade mentality, I actually vowed to never study spelling again. Bad idea! I went on to become one of the worst spellers in history. Much later in life, I confronted this episode in my past and began learning how to spell again. It took me thirty years to get over the hurt, bitterness, and anger of that day.

Is your heart sick because of some disappointment? Maybe your hurt is more serious than mine, but the results are the same. You may have lost your will or your hope to try, but don’t let it haunt you another day. Go to the Lord and let Him give you new hope and a new joy. Life without hope and joy isn’t God’s kind of life.

July 11: Sickness Is Not From God

John 9:1-4

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

John 9:2

The disciples asked a question that still puzzles many people today. Why is a child born with a physical defect? Is it a judgment of God upon the parents for some sin, or is it possibly God’s judgment upon the child for sins God knows they will commit? Jesus had previously linked sickness with sin; however, in this instance He said this blindness was not caused by this man’s or his parents’ sins.

This has led many people to interpret the rest of this verse as saying that God made this man blind just so He could heal him and be glorified thereby. From this thinking, many doctrinal teachings have risen about how sickness and other problems in our lives are actually blessings from God, intended to bring glory to God and correction to us. This reasoning, however, does not line up with the other truths of God’s Word.

It was not God who made this beggar blind. This man was not born blind because of any one person’s sins, but because sin in general had corrupted the perfect balance that God had created in nature. Therefore, some maladies happen not as a direct result of an individual’s sins, but as an indirect result of sin in general.

Deuteronomy 28 settles forever the question of whether sickness, poverty, and oppression are really blessings in disguise. God says that sickness and poverty are curses—not blessings from God. Christ redeemed us from these curses of the law so that now the blessings may come upon us through Him. (Gal. 3:13.)

The curse of all sin and disease was placed on Jesus, and when you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, all curses were removed from your life. Today you are blessed with health and healing through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ!

July 12: It’s Who You Know

John 9:28-30

The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

John 9:30

The “acid test” of whether or not someone is of God is their actions. Jesus’ actions were so miraculous and overwhelmingly consistent with God’s Word that any reservations about whether He was of God should have been set aside. But here, as in Mark 7:13, the Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law had exalted their own traditions above God’s Word, thereby making the Word of God of no effect in their own lives. Just like them, theologians today are sometimes the last to accept a move of God if it violates their traditional beliefs, but, “The common people heard him gladly” (Mark 12:37).

In spiritual matters, a person can educate himself in theology to the degree that it does more harm than good. It is possible to win a theological battle and yet lose the war for a person’s heart because “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (1 Cor. 8:1). Arguments over points of theology often distract from the more important issues. There is no premium on ignorance, but love is infinitely superior to knowledge. We should learn all we can, but we must make our knowledge a servant to love. “The greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

Don’t let your quest for knowledge lead you away from knowing God today. What you know is not as important as who you know, especially speaking of the Lord! Your most important goal in life must be to love God and to know Him personally and intimately.

July 13: About Those Pharisees

John 9:34

They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

John 9:34

Much of the Pharisees’ problem was spiritual pride, as is evident by this statement. They were so blinded by their arrogance that they couldn’t believe that anyone who hadn’t been through their “seminary” could teach them anything.

The name Pharisee comes from a Hebrew word meaning “separate.” This term was applied to this sect because of its extreme devotion to the Mosaic Law and their commitment to leading a separated life. Devout Jews formed this sect when they came back to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity and saw the pagan customs and influences of the Babylonians everywhere. Not only their religion but their identity as a nation was being threatened.

The Pharisees were patriots as well as religious zealots, who in the beginning served a very needed function in the Jewish nation that was struggling for survival. However, over the centuries the Pharisees wrote their own interpretations of the Law—interpretations they held to be God-inspired and equal to that of the Mosaic Law. In Jesus’ day this group was characterized by hypocrisy and self-righteousness. As a whole, they persecuted Jesus and His followers and received the Lord’s most stinging rebukes.

The Pharisees, like many people today, were ignorant of achieving right standing (righteousness) with God through the simple act of receiving His forgiveness by faith. They were trying to earn salvation by their own works. No one can fulfill God’s commands (Rom. 3:23) except Jesus. (Heb. 4:15.) Therefore, to be righteous, we must put our faith in what He has done for us.

Be sure to put all your trust in Jesus today.

July 14: Is Jesus Looking for You?

John 9:35

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

John 9:35

It is one thing to seek God; it is quite another thing to have God seek you. Jesus sought this man out when others had forsaken him. The acceptance of Jesus is worth more than everything this world has to offer. This is what enables the believer to endure and even leap for joy amidst persecution. When our sufferings in Christ abound, then the consolation of Christ abounds much more. Jesus did not seek out this man’s parents, who knew the truth but refused to share it for fear of persecution. (John 9:22.) They chose the company of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, which is exactly what they got.

Even though we are redeemed and delivered from many afflictions that were a result of sin and its power, we are still called to partake in what the Bible calls the “sufferings” or “afflictions of Christ.” (2 Cor. 1:5; Col. 1:24.) However, these afflictions are not sickness and poverty but the “fellowship of sufferings” that we will encounter for doing the will of God and being loyal to Jesus Christ. The Good News is, then He is with us in a very special way, just like this man in the Gospel of John.

The apostle Peter reminds us that these trials of our faith will result in praise, honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:7.) Jesus’ comfort, strength, help, and love are ready to overflow into every trial that you face today. When you stand for Him, He will stand with you.

July 15: The Life of God

John 10:7-10

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

The Greek word translated life is zoe, and it means life in the absolute sense, or life as God has it. Everyone who is breathing has life in the sense of physical existence, but only those who receive Jesus can experience life as God intended it to be. Jesus came to not only save us from the torment of eternal hell but to give us this zoe or God-kind of life in abundance. The life of God is not awaiting us in heaven but is presently possessed by all born-again people in their spirits.

We can experience this zoe life and enjoy it now by surrendering our natural lives and pursuing our supernatural life in Christ. The way we surrender our lives is to deny any thoughts, emotions, or actions that are contrary to the Word of God, which is (zoe) life. (John 6:63.) When we line our thoughts, emotions, and actions up with the instructions of God’s Word, then God’s zoe life will manifest in our bodies and souls as well.

The Word is spiritual and must be understood through our spirits. (1 Cor. 2:14.) The Bible is simply a written representation of Jesus, who is the Living Word. He embodies all spiritual truth. The Word is inspired of God and, therefore, totally accurate and reliable, yet until we receive the Spirit of these words, the Bible will not profit us. (Heb. 4:2.)

Today you can walk in the abundant life Jesus died to give you by simply abiding in His Word. His Word is spirit and life to you. (John 6:63.)

July 16: Grow In Grace

Luke 9:54-56

But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

Luke 9:55

When a Samaritan village rejected Jesus, the disciples said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” (Luke 9:54). This was right in line with the Old Testament, but Jesus rebuked them. He did that because it was not in line with the grace of God He came to bring mankind.

Jesus did not come to destroy people’s lives but to save them. (John 3:16; 10:10.) “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Cor. 5:19). He was just in doing this because He bore our sins (Isa. 53:4-6) and the accompanying wrath of God. (Matt. 27:46; Heb. 2:9.) He didn’t reject God’s judgment against sin; He took it upon Himself. (2 Cor. 5:21.) Therefore, He was able to extend the grace and mercy of God to those who would have been doomed under the Law of Moses. (Acts 13:38,39.)