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Feb. 3, 2006 “1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In 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. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goes; and how can we know the way? 6Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14: 1-6) The believer does not need to bother himself with anything. Jesus has secured his faith and has shown the Father and the path to eternal existence the very moment the individual turned from sin and turned toward God. Jesus told his disciples that he had to go to prepare the eternal places. He also said that once the eternal places were set in the heavens he would return to gather them to where he was. There may be speculation as to whether this gathering has already taken place but we can be assured by the words of the Lord and by Paul’s letters to the Corinthian and Thessalonian Churches that this gathering is yet future. Thomas may have doubted the words of the Lord here but Jesus reassures Thomas he has found the right way. The only way to the Father is through the son. Thomas and the other disciples had the advantage. They would be the first to receive the Spirit of Comfort and the Spirit of Truth. On that day their assurance would be settled. “7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. 9Jesus said unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how says thou then, Show us the Father?” (John 14: 7-9) For those who would suggest that Jesus and God are not the same Jesus offers this explanation. You know the Father because you know me. He says he has been showing the Father all along in the works and in the attitude he has expressed in his ministry. Philip, like every soul who must see to believe says that if he could see the Father that would be sufficient. Surely if we could all look skyward and see the throne of God in the clouds we’d all have an epiphany of faith. Jesus and his Father are the same being. They share identity and power. The eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus prove the existence of the Father. “10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 14: 10-14) Jesus took no credit for himself while performing his ministry. He knew where his power originated from and he explained that to his disciples. Men can believe in the Father because of the works of Jesus. Everyone who knew anything of God would easily see the works of Jesus were not the works of any man; but truly the works of God. I believe much of today’s unbelief and scoffing comes from a misunderstanding of Christ’s words about similar and greater works; maybe not so much a misunderstanding, but a great dilution of powers because of a similar dilution of faith. The disciples indeed could do similar works to those of Jesus for their ministerial beginnings. As time progressed and the disciples died off, faith was diluted and the subsequent faithful could not endure to the point that they could raise the dead and eventually even speak in tongues. These days the miracle gifts are virtually unknown among Christians. The faith that could be displayed by Peter, Paul and John is unknown by modern men. We hold the Spirit but we do not know how to draw on his power as we ought. There is the occasional miracle healing or event of tongues, but these events are rare and not publicized except perhaps within the circle of the truly faithful. Jesus says that if we ask anything in his name he will do it. We fail to achieve what we want and need because we have had our faith tested and diluted by the world and the continual onslaught against our indwelling Spirit. There are moments and days that God can work mighty things through us. We witness and see a soul saved. We pray and see a friend healed or a marriage mended or family helped or a church born. We see great revivals in China and South Korea and African Nations that only a few years ago had no real knowledge of Jesus. God still works. We are the instruments that too many times play the sour notes. “15If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19Yet a little while, and the world sees me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.” (John 14: 15-20) We believers are the most fortunate because we have the indwelling Comforter. The promise of Jesus is that the Comforter would abide in the believer forever. The world does not have this advantage nor can the world identify or recognize the true God without the indwelling Comforter. Jesus too says he will come to indwell. This is how we perceive our assurance of salvation. We are comforted in our knowledge of Jesus. To know Jesus is to know the Father. The Father is he who sends the Comforter into us to seal our faith forever. It is not rocket science. It is spiritual truth that leads to assurance of life eternal. ------------ Email Skip: skiptoomaloo@hotmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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