John 10:7 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
And the fascination continues Friends.(smile) But whom better to be fascinated by than Jesus eh? What positive assurance and confidence He displays people. ‘Therefore doth my Father love me..’ If Jesus was sure of one thing in His earthly life, it was the great LOVE, His Father had for Him, for He proclaims it often. Listen to John 5:20; ‘For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.’ What a monumental declaration! One, He could not make, unless it was true. And why does the Father LOVE Him? ‘Because I lay down my life that I might take it again.’ More powerful words again people. Ideas too big for the human imagination to grasp then, and even now too. No wonder His listeners felt He wasn’t for real. And if those ideas weren’t monumental and preposterous enough, hear this statement: ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ (John 6:38) And that Friends, is why the Father LOVED Him so much; because He was obedient; giving up His exalted position at the Father’s side in heaven, to come down to this wretched earth and die for a bunch of ungrateful, godless sinners, who couldn’t or wouldn’t accept or understand His immense sacrifice. Now who wouldn’t LOVE and adore such an obedient son eh? Most of us wish our earthly sons had even one iota of Jesus’ obedience. And then Jesus clarifies it all people: ‘No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself…’ (vs.18) Get that straight Friends; nobody was taking Jesus’ life, He was giving it up Himself, as a sacrifice for us, and as He pointed out to the disciples.’Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:13-14) Praise Him people! He considered us worthy enough to be called His Friends, and therefore worthy to die for. What unselfishness! Very few of us have the parts to make such a magnanimous sacrifice. And can you believe, that after giving up His most prized possession, His life, for us, we still don’t show Him much gratitude or appreciation. How sad. Then, just to be sure the people understood, Jesus announced; ‘I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again.’ (vs.18) Wow! It wasn’t a one and done thing people. He could give it, then pick it back up. ‘For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.’ (John 5:26) The Father was indeed generous, but as we know, He never gives us a job to do, without providing the necessary tools to do it. Jesus is a perfect example. The Lord wanted him to be a sacrificial lamb, so He gave Him mental and emotional strength, as well as the power to give His life, then take it up again, since that was the only way Jesus could accomplish His will. Jesus ends with another profound statement. ‘This commandment have I received from my Father.’ (vs.18) Yes Friends, it’s all about obedience. The Lord prizes it above all else. As Jesus said earlier on in John 6:38. ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ It’s the same with us people; when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we’re born again, giving up the old life of sin and sorrow, and taking up a new one of joy and commitment to the sinless lamb who died on that old rugged cross, so that we could have salvation and eternal life. Please, let’s follow His example; be obedient to Him, as He was to His Father. Much LOVE! …only three things to following Christ…obedience…obedience…obedience…
And the fascination continues Friends.(smile) But whom better to be fascinated by than Jesus eh? What positive assurance and confidence He displays people. ‘Therefore doth my Father love me..’ If Jesus was sure of one thing in His earthly life, it was the great LOVE, His Father had for Him, for He proclaims it often. Listen to John 5:20; ‘For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.’ What a monumental declaration! One, He could not make, unless it was true. And why does the Father LOVE Him? ‘Because I lay down my life that I might take it again.’ More powerful words again people. Ideas too big for the human imagination to grasp then, and even now too. No wonder His listeners felt He wasn’t for real. And if those ideas weren’t monumental and preposterous enough, hear this statement: ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ (John 6:38) And that Friends, is why the Father LOVED Him so much; because He was obedient; giving up His exalted position at the Father’s side in heaven, to come down to this wretched earth and die for a bunch of ungrateful, godless sinners, who couldn’t or wouldn’t accept or understand His immense sacrifice. Now who wouldn’t LOVE and adore such an obedient son eh? Most of us wish our earthly sons had even one iota of Jesus’ obedience. And then Jesus clarifies it all people: ‘No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself…’ (vs.18) Get that straight Friends; nobody was taking Jesus’ life, He was giving it up Himself, as a sacrifice for us, and as He pointed out to the disciples.’Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:13-14) Praise Him people! He considered us worthy enough to be called His Friends, and therefore worthy to die for. What unselfishness! Very few of us have the parts to make such a magnanimous sacrifice. And can you believe, that after giving up His most prized possession, His life, for us, we still don’t show Him much gratitude or appreciation. How sad. Then, just to be sure the people understood, Jesus announced; ‘I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again.’ (vs.18) Wow! It wasn’t a one and done thing people. He could give it, then pick it back up. ‘For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.’ (John 5:26) The Father was indeed generous, but as we know, He never gives us a job to do, without providing the necessary tools to do it. Jesus is a perfect example. The Lord wanted him to be a sacrificial lamb, so He gave Him mental and emotional strength, as well as the power to give His life, then take it up again, since that was the only way Jesus could accomplish His will. Jesus ends with another profound statement. ‘This commandment have I received from my Father.’ (vs.18) Yes Friends, it’s all about obedience. The Lord prizes it above all else. As Jesus said earlier on in John 6:38. ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ It’s the same with us people; when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we’re born again, giving up the old life of sin and sorrow, and taking up a new one of joy and commitment to the sinless lamb who died on that old rugged cross, so that we could have salvation and eternal life. Please, let’s follow His example; be obedient to Him, as He was to His Father. Much LOVE! …only three things to following Christ…obedience…obedience…obedience…
SCRIP-BITS 