John 10:22~42
At that time the
Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and
Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will
You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not
believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of
Me. "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give
eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch
them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than
all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. "I and
the Father are one." The Jews picked up stones again
to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works
from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The
Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy;
and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." Jesus
answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law,
'I SAID, YOU ARE GODS'? "If he called them gods, to whom the
word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say
of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,'
because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do
them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may
know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." Therefore
they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first
baptizing, and He was staying there. Many came to Him and were saying
"While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man
was true." Many believed in Him there.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Then
all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And
the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners
and eats with them." So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
"What
man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave
the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until
he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying
to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I
say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner
who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Son
Then
He said: "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his
father, "Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he
divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son
gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his
possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose
a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went
and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his
fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with
the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
"But
when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father's hired servants
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise
and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against
heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Make me like one of your hired servants."'
"And
he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off,
his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and
kissed him. And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven
and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
"But
the father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on
him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the
fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my
son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began
to be merry.
"Now
his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house,
he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked
what these things meant. And he said to him, "Your brother has come, and
because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the
fatted calf.'
"But
he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded
with him. So he answered and said to his father, "Lo, these many years
I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time;
and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my
friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood
with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'
"And
he said to him,
"Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right
that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is
alive again, and was lost and is found."'
Matthew
12:31
Wherefore
I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto
men.
Ephesian 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through
faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
"
'In the pride of your heart
you
say, "I am a god;
I
sit on the throne of a god
in
the heart of the seas."
But
you are a man and not a god,
though
you think you are as wise as a god.
Ezekiel
28:2
Lucifer
"Luci = light - fer = Bearer"
Angel
of Light
Brilliant
one
Son
of the morning
Diabolos
"wicked one"
He
is the "god of this world." Paul in I Corinthians 4:4, says
that the eyes of the unbelievers have been blinded by the "god of this
world."
He
became god of this world when the dominion that God had given to Adam was
forfeited by Adam. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS
OF THIS WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES." Principalities.
The Greek word for here is arche, and can be translated either "beginning"
or "principality."
Can
you imagine what Lucifer looked like as he reflected the glory of God at
the throne? The stones are mentioned in Ezekiel 28:13. The sardius
is reddish-brown; the topaz is deep yellow; the diamond is clear and reflects
all colors; the beryl is dark red; the onyx is multicolored; the jasper
is blue-green; the sapphire is rich blue; the emerald is green; the carbuncle
is blood red. Lucifer was beautifully arrayed in a rainbow of color
to reflect the outshining glory of the Holy God. In the midst of all this
beauty he surely began to be self-deceived into believing that some of
the glory was his own!
It
is good to be able to play a musical instrument. How much more majestic
to be one! Lucifer was not only a musician, but he was music in
himself. "The workmanships of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was
prepared in thee in the day that thou was created" (Ezekiel 28:13).
This was his praise to the God of heaven. This creature of spotless
character, flawless beauty, unceasing praise, unimaginable color, and musical
majesty we have Lucifer before he became Satan. His work of
accusation is universal. He will accuse God to us, us to ourselves,
others to us, and us to others. He accuses by inference or by insinuation.
Did you notice how subtle his question to Eve was on the occasion of her
sin and Adam's? "Hath God said? was his approach (Gen. 3:1).
Victory implies struggle, battles, and warfare. Without an enemy
there is no victory. We have an enemy, and he has troops. We
also have a commander and allies. The wonderful truth about this
war is that the outcome has already been determined and the gift of victory
is already the personal possession of every child of God. If you
are going to fight a war, that is the kind to fight! Jesus
is the victor and has vanquished the foe! The announcement has already
been made and has become reality in heaven. We are set in the world
to be the means by which the Holy Spirit produces in terms of reality in
the earth that which is already true in heaven. There is not even
room for a shadow of a doubt as to our VICTORY. It is ours NOW!
In the preincarnate announcement in Isaiah 61, the Messiah declared, "THE
SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME; BECAUSE HE HATH ANNOINTED ME TO PREACH
TIDINGS UNTO THE MEEK; HE HATH SENT ME TO BIND UP THE BROKEN HEARTED, TO
PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES." He PROCLAIMS liberty because
He
has already PROCURED liberty!
Angels
are heavenly creatures and are an expression of God's love...
We
do not worship angels... We do not pray to angels...
We
do not follow doctrine given by "A" angel of the Lord...
Man
"Kings"
will judge the angels...
1
John 4:20
If
a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother,
he
is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath
seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
Ezekiel
28: 11~18
Again
the word of the LORD came to me saying,
"Son
of man, take up a lamentation over the king of
Tyre
and say to him, '
Thus
says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
"You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx and the jasper;
The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald;
And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
Was in you.
On the day that you were created
They were prepared.
"You were the anointed cherub who covers,
And I placed you there.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.
"You were blameless in your ways
From the day you were created
Until unrighteousness was found in you.
"By the abundance of your trade
You were internally filled with violence,
And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I
put you before kings,
That
they may see you.
"By the multitude of your iniquities,
In the unrighteousness of your trade
You profaned your sanctuaries.
Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you;
It has consumed you,
And I have turned you to ashes on the earth
In the eyes of all who see you.
Luke
18: 20
However,
do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you,
but
rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
As
the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee,
O God. Psalm 42:1
|