Wednesday, February 22, 2017

The Father's Revelation (LS13)

      'Last Sermon of Jesus'
 
John 14:7  "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
   Jesus' disciples witnessed His numerous miracles. Healing the sick, blind, crippled and deaf, casting out demons, walking on water and raising the dead. To Him nothing was impossible. They also believed that He was the coming Messiah to deliver Israel.

Mat 16:14  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
    Because of their deeply ingrained Jewish convictions, the Almighty God, Yahweh is esteemed as a righteous, holy but judgmental God. No sinful human having seen God could stay alive, so they could only believe Jesus as another prophet like Elijah or Moses. When our Lord taught them things that were too difficult to accept, they just abandoned Him.
John 6:66  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

John 6:67-69  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
    The twelve disciples, who followed Him and had been living together with Him in His new found family, confessed Him as 'the Son of the living God' which was revealed to them by God.

Mat 16:15-17  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
    Brethren, to get revelations from God, just like the twelve disciples, we need to spend as much time as possible before His presence in our quiet time. Meditate on His word while reflecting on His love, long-suffering, and deliverance for the rebellious Jews in the OT. Take heed of His warnings concerning heresies and depraved Christians in the last days, so that we immerse ourselves in prayers of gratitude for perfecting our sinful nature to the fulfilment of His will and the advancement of His kingdom.