Jesus, God’s Son, coming to earth precipitated the greatest decision any man or woman must make. To accept Him or reject Him? There is no other Way to Heaven!

Both Jesus’ Words (verse 22, things “spoken”) and Jesus’ works (verse 24, things “done”) put mankind “without excuse” in terms of God’s Judgment!

“22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.”

The greatest sin ever committed? Rejecting the Grace of God as offered through Jesus, through the old, rugged Cross, through our Lord’s shed Blood!

Those who had been with Jesus “from the beginning” (verse 27) are of necessity eyewitnesses of our Lord’s Ministry. It is important to believe that the New Testament’s four Gospels are written by men who were indeed on-the-scene eyewitnesses or at least men who had direct access to such eyewitnesses!

Rejecting Jesus … a sin of “unparalleled magnitude!”

Hating God, verse 23?

Yes, Romans 1:30 … “Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, etc.”

Paul gauges sin by the Law of Moses. John gauges sin by one’s acceptance or rejection of Jesus!

I liked this quote: “The Holy Spirit works through the LIVES and the LIPS of Christain men and women!”

Our Text closes with the Holy Spirit aiding us while we are being hated and persecuted! He is the General Who rallies the troops for battle!

The Holy Spirit in Scripture is also called “the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of His Son,” and “the Spirit of Jesus Christ!” (See Romans 8:9, Philippians 1:19, 2 Corinthians 3:17, and Galatians 4:6.)

In Judges 6:34 we are told the Spirit of God “came upon” Gideon! That Hebrew verb is spelled “labash” and means “to put on as clothing!” The Holy Spirit “wore” Gideon (as a garment) and led him to military victory over Israel’s enemies!

Are we that “yielded” to the Spirit? Can He also “wear” us?

Watch the Lesson now …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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We Christians love the world’s people, because God the Father did so in John 3:16. But we do not love the world’s ways, because they are at enmity with God the Father, as in James 4:4.

Jesus’ first (and longest) Sermon on Record is written for us in Matthrew chapters 5-7. Twice in that single Message did Jesus mention coming persecution for the saints of God.

Matthew 5:10 … “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:11-12 … “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Two Beatitudes!

The community of religious scholars that gave us the Dead Sea Scrolls taught each other to love their friends and then to hate their enemies! Not Chrisitan!

Jesus taught us … “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44, very Christian!

Here is New Testament James, Jesus’ half-brother, opining on the world and our relationship to it …

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4, pretty bold!

The noun “world” (in a negative sense, a pejorative sense) is used by John more than any other Gospel writer! Matthew employs the word 18 times. Mark only 5 times, and Luke utilizes the word 10 times! But John, in His Gospel … 80 times! I counted! (Add another 22 times for John if you count his first Epistle!)

Truly for this dedicated Disciple (John) we are not “of” the world! Not “locked into” the world!

To get more information, just watch the class now …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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One author expressed this Paragraph as “inhaling God’s Love” deep into our souls, then “exhaling it” outward to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ! (Personally I enjoyed this analogy.)

In Romans chapter 5 Jesus died for His enemies. In John chapter 15 Jesus dies for His friends! (Verse 13 … “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.“)

In John 15:16 here Prayer is directed to the Father, God the Father. And back in John 14:14, Prayer was directed to the Son! (Yet we correctly discern that chapter 14 is the “Father Chapter” and chapter 15 is the “Son Chapter!”)

The noun “joy” is used 7 times in Jesus’ “Upper Room” Sermon, John chapters 14-16! And only 1 time in John’s Gospel previously! (John 3:29)

Someone wrote: “JESUS LOVES ME RIGHT NOW WITH THE SAME LOVE THAT PLACED HIM ON THE CROSS TO FORGIVE MY SINS!”

That last verse (17), “Love one another,” is a command repeated throughout the New Testament!

A few examples …

Romans 12:10 … Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring (pro + ago) one another …

Ephesians 4:2 … Forbearing (ana + echo) one another in love …

Ephesians 4:3 … Endeavouring (spoudazo) to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:32 … And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another …

Colossians 3:13 … If any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

1 Peter 1:22 … See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently …

1 Peter 4:8 … And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves …

What a Paragraph, all consisting of the words of Jesus!

Now, watch the while class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

It is certainly clear in Jesus’ Mind that there is a critical relationship (linkage) between our bearing fruit … and … prayer!

No doubt!

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Someone called Jesus … “THE CORE OF REALITY!” Yes indeed, He IS The absolute Truth!

Our eight verse Text here is primarily about FAITH (faithfulness), about “abiding” in Christ. Our next Lesson, verses 9-17, are all about LOVE! 

Apparently in the Christian experience faith precedes love! In fact, Paul in Galatians 5:6 plainly states that “faith worketh by love.”

So does the great 2 Peter 1:5-11 “spiritual growth” Text begin with faith and end with charity, agape love!

Wow!

The Prayer Promise in verse 7 is amazing. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

This could be considered a “blank-check” type of praying! But notice how Jesus qualifies it. “IF” ye abide in Me! A real “abider” wants to please the Lord more than gain earthly wealth!

Grapes, that delicious fruit, are the products of “overflow!” And so are our “rewards” before the Saviour, the result of overflow in our individual Chrisitan lives.

Here is the position of the truly saved man … he is “IN” Christ our Lord. Now here is the state of the true disciple who is excited about living for the Lord every day, “ABIDING” in Him!

Jesus did say that without Him we can do nothing! Jesus did NOT say that without us He can do nothing!

Jesus being the True Vine, and God the Father being His Overseer/Protector … you DO NOT want to neglect this great Relationship! Abide in Jesus, as a mindset! Do not lose that intimate fellowship with the Saviour!

Here’s the entire class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Actually, I was able to use (in the video class) most of my study material for this Text.

But I am especially intrigued by one thing Jesu said, verse 30, its last half. “For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” The devil had “nothing” in Jesus! There was no “foothold” in our Lord that the devil could exploit!

There was some sort of moral weakness in Adam, in David, in Peter, and certainly in you and me! BUT NOT IN JESUS! Our Saviour “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

I’ve said this a hundred times or more. WHAT A SAVIOUR!

I omitted using this quote I recently gleaned, a word about the Peace Jesus gives us. “A Peace the smiles of the world cannot bestow, nor the frowns of the world take away!”

Love is becoming mature when it allows its loved one liberty to pursue things pursuant to his (or her) own interest! The disciples were not there yet, not to that level!

Jesus: “If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father.” His men were grieving at His upcoming departure, really.

But real love, sacrificial love (agape love) …

“Seeketh not her own.” Is not self-absorbed! Quoting 1 Corinthians 13:5, King James Version.

The Cross of Calvary in one word, “OBEDIENCE!” Jesus perfectly doing His Father’s Will!

Now why not watch the entire class?

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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