Walking Through The New Testament

Jesus had three to testify for Him, as He did not begin His ministry by testifying about Himself…

John 5:31-47
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study[c] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[d]?

45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

John the Baptist was the first to testify about Jesus to the world. The second testimony came in the form of His miracles and works. The third and final witness to testify for Jesus is the Word of God. These were the three required by Jewish tradition, belief, and law.

So then, why didn’t the “religious” of the day not see Him? What blinded them? The answer is the same thing that blinds many today. Reading and acquiring knowledge for personal gain rather than for the gain and glorification of the Father.

Jesus performed miracles on the Sabbath deliberately to make sure that those that were stuck in tradition and law would learn. Hiwever, in order to learn, they must have God in their hearts. The Word is alive and it lives in us. It is activated through reading, faith, and believing. The very scripture that the “learned” Jewish officials lived on was actually blinding them. They failed to acknowledge Jesus was the Messiah because after all they would’ve known right?

Jesus reminds them that because of this, they will be judged by Moses rather than He who had come to deliver them. The point…move past law and towards a standard higher than rules. God will see Jesus rather than your sin, and as He does, you are forgiven. Ransom paid. Freedom granted. Eternal life awaits. Love poured out into us.

Now, we can witness for Jesus. We can do this daily. We are called to testify and speak the Gospel to all. We are to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. We are to love ourselves, and then love our neighbors. So, ask Jesus to come into your life, step toward what you have been called to do, and speak the mighty name of Jesus. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Walking in the authority og God the Father…

John 5:16-30
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

At no point did Jesus act without the approval of God the Father in Heaven. When He healed, whether it was on the Sabbath or not, He did not do it unless He was instructed to do so by God. Those that were stuck in law could not truly see Him who was sent to set us all free if we believe.

Jesus walked this earth with authority as the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Messiah. As He did, He taught us how to love. Each interaction and conversation with those chosen in the Gospel was tailored to fit them and give them the most valuable of testimonies.

Such is true for for our lives as well. Our Faith can be different, can look different, can feel different. But friends, a person with just a mustard seed of faith can move mountains. Faith and love are powerful actions. Add Hope and watch out, for it is Hope that pulls you through when Love and Faith may seem fleeting. Hang on…

He will come again soon, and when He does, what a glorious day that will be. Until then, God use me as your will sees fit. Here Am I, Send ME! #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Another healed…

John 5:1-15
1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Stop sinning. This is exactly what it means. Stop sinning, or worse could happen to you. Those were the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ then, and they are His words now. Worse could happen to you.

Ask for help. Ask Him. He will respond. We must listen when He does. You will get clear direction from the Holy Spirit. That was a promise from Jesus as well, a Spirit that is always with us to help guide us as we grow toward God. Son, hiqever, can cause us to fall away or divert from God’s plan in our lives. He never fails and He will make it right, but if we would only listen the first time.

Get up, grab your mat, and walk. Amen! Can you picture the scene? How amazing that must’ve been to see that in person. We are all hurting in one way, shape, or form on this earth. It’s not home. The devil was given free feign here, and he tries daily to get us and drag us away. He is good at it. Don’t try to fight Him alone. You need Jesus to conquer the devil, like He did so many times in His life. Run to Him, and always get up and walk. #JesusSaves

Listen to what the official demands…

John 4:43-54
43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Jesus did not even have to go and see the boy. He healed him from a distance. He did it through the faithful the Father of the boy. The Father believed and demanded that Jesus come down and heal his son. Expectation!

You think we should ask like that? It isn’t wrong to demand what we need from God. He will listen. Many times He will give you what you ask for. Many times not. But one thing is for certain, it will be in His time and not ours. His plan and not ours. We must understand though, that unless we ask we will never receive. That is truth.

“Sir, come down before my child dies.”, was the officials statement. In the name of Jesus politely demand what you need right now. Say it clearly, so that you will hear it as well as God. Pray. Ask, Seek, Knock…ASK. Knock until your knuckles bleed. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

One witness changes many…

John 4:39-42
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. 41 And because of ahis words, many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer just believe because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the World.”

Powerful stuff right there. This woman, as you remember, was just getting water at the well and met Jesus. She felt unacceptable, unforgivable, separated from all that is right. Jesus offers her freedom and salvation despite her circumstances because He knows her heart. He knew she would tell others. He knew she would be His witness here on earth. Wow!

As she began to tell others, they believed her. Why? Why would they believe her? It is my belief that they believed her because she now walked with the Holy Spirit and the power that it brings. She had accepted Jesus at the well, and God’s promise is always fulfilled.

It is time to share how we came to know Christ with others. Thre are many others that need to hear it from you. That is why He chose you. Because He knew that you would share your story and be a witness for Christ He chose YOU. It is time to activate. Not only activate yourself, but to activate others with the power of the Holy Spirit that you possess. It is His gift to you. Let’s act on that today! Share… #JesusSaves
Amen
DK