AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Monday – June 22, 2020, Sivan 30, 5780
MANY THINGS TO SAY
Greetings to all the precious saints and those who are not yet saints, and welcome back to this powerful (if received, believed, and acted upon) Bible Study of the Book of John. Those who are not yet saints are those who are not born again, don’t know Jesus as Lord and risen Savior. As saints of God, sons of God, we are not to live impoverished, disease laden, and frustrating lives, but one of abundance in our resources, health, and mental environment. This happens only if we receive, believe, confess, and walk out the Word of God as written in context. We must have faith, believe the Word of God, to please God (Hebrews 11:6), we must be led of love otherwise it is trash in the eyes of God, and we must be led of the Holy Spirit. Faith without works is dead.
1 Corinthians 13:2 (CJB)
2 I may have the gift of prophecy, I may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith — enough to move mountains; but if I lack love, I am nothing.
James 2:20 (KJV)
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
I can’t speak for you but I don’t want to get to the Judgment Seat of Christ and be called a vain (unsuccessful) man. I don’t want Jesus to say; “David you did not live and act in love therefore these things garner no reward”. I want to stand before my Savior beaming and see Him beaming back at me. Now, let’s turn our attention to our main Bible text and read it out loud, yes, out loud. Faith comes by hearing not thinking or watching and increases with usage. I don’t know about you but I want to be known for great faith, evidence of great faith, not just talking about faith.
John 16:12-16 (KJV)
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
As a reminder know that this discourse is happening just a few hours before the Cross. With that in mind, there are no utterances of God that don’t have an eternal impact and significance. Jesus has told them and now us that His teachings are to prepare us to not be offended. When we are offended, we have been ensnared by the devil. The key is to get our focus off the offending thing and onto the Word in unwavering trust. The enemy sometimes through others presents us with a temptation and we bite and now are in the process of being devoured by the enemy. Now, let’s pick up our study in verse twelve above. Here Jesus is telling them that He has a lot to tell them but they just can’t handle it right now. However, there is One coming who will guide them, and us, into all the Truth.
Before I talk more about “the Spirit of truth” I want to linger for a moment on the idea presented in verse twelve. Jesus tells these disciples and by extension us, I have a lot I could tell you but you just can’t absorb or handle it all right now. We are all familiar with this in the natural. We cannot talk to a first grader the same as we can a senior in High School. A person that was born again two weeks ago will not get the same thing out of a sermon or a chapter in the Bible as one who has diligently studied the Word of God the last twenty years. It is of utmost importance that we not overload a person but on the other hand we must not fail to stretch others and to stretch ourselves.
We stretch ourselves by engaging with people further ahead spiritually and by being diligent in study. To be diligent in study is way beyond reading a certain amount of Scripture each day or attending Church once or twice a week. We are all too quick to squeeze everything we hear or read into our paradigm (way of thinking and understanding and believing) or we just discard it out of hand without trying to understand what we have read or heard. We have to look at each and every Scripture and determine what it is actually saying not what someone else said it says or what another source like a Commentary tells us it says. This is work. As I finish for today, let’s give a familiar (I hope it is familiar) Scripture on this topic some attention in three different translations.
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP)
15 Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 (YLT)
15 be diligent to present thyself approved to God–a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing the word of the truth;
The more we study and do the Word the more the Lord can share with us and the more like Him we can become. First graders in the Kingdom do not look like Jesus but with diligence we can be just like Him. Yes, just like Him, doing just like Him, and doing even greater things than He did in His earthly ministry (John 14:12). Our Lord is eager to share all things with us but we are the limiting factor, the governing factor by our diligence or laziness.
2 Chronicles 20:20b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it, believe it, and speak over yourself and your family by faith in Jesus name! Quit asking God to bless you, you are already blessed, you have the Blessing, give Him something to do by the words of your mouth. Once you know the will of God, decree the thing (Job 22:28, Isaiah 45:11, Mark 11:23). (The Blessing is the Holy Spirit) We have left God way to long with nothing to do in our lives.
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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