First the Question: In relation to the Body of Christ, the LORD Jesus is NEVER called: Jesus of Nazareth or The Son of man. True or False?
Please take a moment to respond at the LLM Question of the Day
And now the answer to the LLM Question of 8-10-2011
Question: In the Gospel of John, God is called....FATHER....122 times. True or False?
Answer: TRUE! Out of the 697 responses we received 94.4% of you got it right! Therefore,
Today let us consider, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN....THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, pt. 7 of 12
THE PARTNERSHIP OF THE FATHER AND THE SON
Hear the words of the Lord Jesus in John 16:15, “All things that the Father hath are Mine.” Again His words to His Father in John 17:10, “And all Mine are Thine; and Thine are Mine.” Note again Christ’s words in John 5:19, “The Son can do nothing of Himself; but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He (the Father) doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” So the Son said, “no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6). The Son proceeded forth and came from the Father, “neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me.” (John 8:42).
It is interesting to note that John mentions the ‘FATHER’ in his five Books about 135 times. In the other 22 Books in the New Testament Scriptures the ‘FATHER’ is mentioned about 120 times. In the Apostle Paul’s messages God is called ‘OUR FATHER’ seventeen times, ‘THE FATHER’, sixteen times, “The God and FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST,” six times; twice ‘ABBA FATHER’, once each, “The FATHER OF GLORY,” “The FATHER OF SPIRITS,” “The FATHER OF MERCIES.” The word ‘FATHER’ is used about 66 times in Matthew, Mark and Luke, referring to God, the Father. In John’s Gospel God is called ‘FATHER’ about 122 times. Surely in John’s Gospel the Father is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In John’s Gospel the Son calls God, ‘MY FATHER’ seventeen times; ‘THE FATHER’ sixteen times. He calls Him, ‘HOLY FATHER’ (John 17:11), ‘RIGHTEOUS FATHER’ (John 17:25). When the Lord Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:28; “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world and go to the Father,” the disciples told the Saviour that He was not speaking in proverbs, but “now speakest Thou plainly.” In John 14:10 the Son declared that the Father was dwelling in Him and working in Him.
John’s Gospel is truly the story of the Father and the Son. In this Record, Christ is called twice “the Only Begotten Son”; eleven times, “the SON of GOD”; twelve times, “the SON of Man”; fifteen times “THE SON,” also “His SON” and “THY SON.” Forty‑four times in John’s Gospel Christ is called ‘SON’. John’s Gospel was written that we might believe John 20:31 and 1 John 4:14; “that Jesus is the Christ, ‘The SON OF GOD’, and believing, have life through His Name”; “that the FATHER sent the SON to be the Saviour of the world.”
MY FATHER WORKETH HITHERTO AND I WORK. I DO ALWAYS THE THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM
As we seek to understand the full meaning of the statement of God’s Son, in John 5:17, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work,” and His statement in John 8:29, “The Father hath not left Me alone: for I do always those things that please Him,” let us have in mind the testimony of the Psalmist: “It is time for Thee Lord, to ‘work’, for they have broken Thy law.” (Psalm 119:126). Let us also have in mind Isaiah 53:6-10, from which we quote these words, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him: He hath put Him to grief” . . . “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
With these Old Testament Scriptures in mind we are ready for the study of the work and ministry of the Father’s Only Begotten Son between John 1:29, “behold the Lamb of God Who beareth away the sin of the world,” and John 19:30, the words of the Lamb of God bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, His soul being made an offering for sin (Isaiah 53:10), “it is finished;” “and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.”
We think of the words of the Lord Jesus, at the age of twelve, when He asked His mother, “wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49)? Then His words the day of His agony in Gethsemane when He said to Peter, “put up thy sword: the cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). The Son of God’s love testified in John 17:24 that His Father loved Him BEFORE the foundation of the world. He testified in John 10:17, “therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.” So the Lord Jesus was here on earth to be about His Father’s business and to drink the cup which His Father gave Him.
We read several times in John’s Record that the Lord Jesus knew all things (John 21:17…John 4:25…John 2:25…John 6:64…John 16:30…John 13:1-3). In Colossians 2:3 we read concerning the Lord Jesus, “in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Therefore we may be sure that the Saviour knew that He was foreordained to be God’s spotless Lamb to bear away the sin of the world, and then be raised from the dead. (John 2:19).
When His weary, hungry disciples tried to interest their Saviour in eating, He said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to ‘finish’ His work.” (John 4:34). This testimony He confirmed in John 6:38, “for I come down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” Hear Him again as He looked upon the poor unfortunate man born blind: “I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work.” (John 9:4). As we learn in connection with these statements of the Lord Jesus all that He was doing, according to the record, we catch something of the meaning of His words in Matthew 20:28, “even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
During the past few months this writer has spent more than two hundred hours reading and studying John’s Record of the earthly ministry of Christ. However, we need spend only a few hours of serious, prayerful study of this Record to see how true were the words spoken by Christ in John 8:29…
I DO ALWAYS THE THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM
Between the day the Lord Jesus testified that He came to give Himself a ransom for many and the day the Apostle Paul wrote that Christ Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1 Timothy 2:4-7), great changes had taken place in God’s dealing with Israel and with the Gentiles. The RISEN Lord did NOT direct Paul to say very much about the sayings and doings of the Saviour during the years he was Jesus of Nazareth in the midst of Israel. Instead, Paul reasoned with the Jews right from their Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus was what Nathanael said about Him, “Rabbi Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.” (John 1:49). This we learn in Acts 9:20 and Acts 17:3. In Acts 20:35 the Apostle Paul quoted words spoken by the Lord Jesus on earth.
In 1 Timothy 6:13 Paul declared that Christ Jesus, before Pilate witnessed a good confession. Several times the Apostle Paul spoke of the birth of the Saviour, which he mentioned in connection with His death and resurrection, but little or nothing of His sayings or doings in the land of the Jews as Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps this is explained in 2 Cor. 5:16…When Paul urged Christians, not to please themselves, but others, he reminded them of Christ, Who “pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me.” (Romans 15:3).
It is not easy to understand the meaning of Hebrews 5:8-9, “though He (Christ) was a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the Author (Causer) of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.” Surely we find the Lord Jesus in John’s Record, as the Author of eternal salvation. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4). Hear Christ in His prayer to His Father, in John 17:1-2, “glorify Thy Son, as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.”
As we diligently study John 1-21 we are reminded of Romans 8:3, “for what the law (the ten commandments) could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” The Lord said to His religious, ‘kingdom’ nation, “did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill Me?”…“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there IS one that accuseth you, Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?” (John 5:45-47).
With these solemn words of the Son of God read the words which the RISEN Christ gave the Apostle Paul to speak to the religious Jews in their synagogue some years after Christ had gone back to heaven…“For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew Him (Christ) not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning Him; and though they found no cause of death in Him, yet desired they Pilate that He should be slain.” (Acts 13:27-28).
Surely we understand more of the meaning of Psalm 119:126, “it is time for Thee, Lord, to work; for they have broken Thy law.” The law demanded righteousness, right living, right doing, right thinking. The Psalmist was saying, in different language, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in God’s sight. (Romans 3:20. Galatians 2:16). No child of Adam can earn righteousness.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” Acts 16:31, while there is still time!
So There You Have it!
Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide. The time is short
Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.
In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry
Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
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