Lenten Devotions for 15 April 2011 Anno Domini

Lenten Devotions for 15 April 2011 Anno Domini
44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. John 12:44-50
“Jesus cried and said” Jesus cried aloud, he didn’t demurely whisper. His voice was lifted for the benefit of all who would hear Him. If you hear and respond, welcome are you! And what do we know of Christ? “He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.” Christ is an exact reflection of His Father. They are One in nature, likeness, and purpose! If we would believe upon the Father, then we must believe through the Son, for it is Christ that reveals the Father to our failing eyes. The glory of the Father in His Heavenly estate is too bright and glorious for us to behold and yet live. So God the Father sent His only Begotten Son to be born in the flesh that our eyes may behold Him and know the Father that sent Him.
“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not:” Judgment from Christ is not necessary for those who believe not for they are judged already! If we would escape the judgment of the world, we must run to Christ and allow Him to bear the burden of our transgressions. “for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” He came to save you and me! The world is judged out of its failing marks to abide by the Law of God. None shall escape but through Christ. “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him” Who, pray tell, will judge those who reject Christ? There is a judgment coming for them with certainty! How are all sins judged? The Word is the judge! We are made weak by a false understanding of Christ’s counsel to “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matt 7:1) This command, applied without qualification, has led to the disarming and weakening of the Church of Christ, especially in our modern day. We must look to the context and following verse, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” (Matt 7:2-5) Do not judge unrighteously or as a hypocrite whose sins are just as crimson. Allow God’s Word to judge. If God says lying is a sin, then liars are sinners. If God says homosexuality is a sin, then homosexuals are sinners. If God says murder is a sin, then murderers are sinners! Is that too hard to grasp? Hear Christ: “the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
Christ is the Word (John 1:1-3). He is not simply the New Testament Word, but the Old Testament as well. He is the Whole Word! He is the Alpha (first letter of Greek Alphabet) and Omega (last letter thereof) and, therefore, every letter in between of the Word! If English speakers feel left out, alright then, He is the first (Abel) and the last (Zechariah) of the English alphabet: “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharia” (Matt 23:34-35) How does Christ appear to the Englishman? He appears as the Word clad in English vocabulary. How about a Chinese person? He appears as the Word appareled in Chinese vocabulary, and so forth for all nations, tribes, and tongues under the sun.
“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” The Triune God is not divided against itself! Christ spoke only the Word which the Father commanded. The Holy Spirit, as well, will not speak of His Own, but point always to Christ. Today we have many proliferating churches who claim to be Holy Spirit churches! Really? Who told them they were, for it was certainly not the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit teaches us out of the Word we have first read, and He relates all to Christ! Christ is not going to reveal a new truth to you, or to your neighbor, which is binding on another. His Word is complete and finished! It needs no additions, deletions, nor alterations. If another comes to you and whispers, “The Holy Spirit told me that we should not longer eat apples!” how can you confirm that ridiculous statement by Holy Scripture? God has mysteries, but not secrets of righteous living or salvation. How many ‘itching ears’ are gratified by a ‘new so-called Word’ from the Lord? Believe them not! Christ is sufficient unto the saving of your soul. He has given you His Word – His complete Word! What need you more? “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt 12:39-40) Need you more evidence than this? Christ died for you, and He rose again on the Third Day. Believe it and be satisfied!