John 17:12 (KJV) Understanding Judas

John 17:12 (KJV)

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

 

None but one.

Here is a point worth careful consideration: None of those whom God gave Jesus were lost. However, there was one who was lost. It's not a contradiction; it's not that Jesus wasn't able; it's not that Judas was saved but lost his salvation.

 

Judas provides for us a grave warning. The blood of Christ can save to the uttermost, but nowhere does the Bible promise that all are saved. There's not even a promise in the Bible that all who claim to be saved are saved. On the contrary, the Bible makes it very clear that: 

·       There will be false professors of faith. 

·       There will be deceivers and wolves among the flock of God. 

·       There will be people doing many wonderful works in the name of Jesus. 

·       There will be "virgins" who appear to be waiting for the Lord. 

These will all be rejected (Matthew 7:23 KJV):

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 

Notice that it is not that He once knew them, but they were lost; Jesus says to them, “I NEVER knew you.”

·       The universal fatherhood of God is a scam.

·       The casual Christianity of so many is a sham.

 

We must not play games with God and play loosely with our eternal soul. Those who are saved may never be lost, but those who are lost are eternally damned. 2 Timothy 1:12 (KJV)

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

 

Are you able to say the same?

 

#EternalSecurity #FalseProfessors #GraveWarning #CasualChristianity #EternalDamnation

Understanding Judas: Playing Games with Our Soul

 

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
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John 17:12 (KJV) Understanding Judas

John 16:12 (KJV) Unfolding Truths

John 16:12 (KJV)

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

 

The easiest way to apply this passage is personally. There were still doctrines, truths, and matters of the church to be revealed, but they were not ready for them. The human mind can receive only so much at a time. They had spent 3 1/2 years of very intense training. They were about to experience the loss of Jesus Christ through His death and burial. The resurrection would be such a shock and of such magnitude that it would be overwhelming.

 

Sometimes the mind simply needs to absorb what it has already received before it can receive more. I believe this happens to us as we grow in faith and read the Word of God. Over the years of my faith, I've read the Bible cover to cover well over 40 times—more like 100. Yet with each new reading, I still see things I had never seen before. I take it that God knew I could not receive it in previous readings. I don't let myself get frustrated that I can't comprehend a particular passage. I just accept that God is not yet ready to reveal it to me.

 

But in the case of this passage, a more primary application belongs to the Apostles themselves. There were specific things Jesus left for the Holy Spirit to reveal to these men, who would be responsible to complete the written revelation of God.[1]

 

"All truth."

·       Matters of church doctrine, polity, the qualifications of preachers,

·       Doctrines of sanctification and justification

·       Personal righteousness

·       The unity of the body of Christ composed of Jews and Gentiles

·       Warnings of apostates of the faith

 

And the revelation of “things to come.”

·       The pre-tribulational rapture of the saints of God

·       Details of the seven-year tribulation period

·       Clarifications involving the Millennial Kingdom

·       Our future hope of heaven and of 

·       Jesus' place in glory

 

The Old Testament spoke of many of these things in the forms of mystery. The apostles would, after Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven, be guided by the Spirit of Truth to uncover these mysteries.

 

We call that the New Testament Epistles.[2]

 

#DivineRevelation #GrowthInFaith #SpiritualUnderstanding #DivineGuidance #RevealedTruths

Unfolding Truths: The Holy Spirit and the Apostles

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[1] 2 Peter 1:21 (KJV)

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

[2] The book of Romans gives us the doctrines concerning salvation. The book of Ephesians gives us the doctrines concerning the church. 1 and 2 Corinthians gives us doctrines concerning sanctification. Galatians and James address grave vs works. 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus deal with the pastor and church polity. Hebrews deals with Christ vs religion. Etc.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

John 16:12 (KJV) Unfolding Truths

John 15:6 (KJV) Trusting God

John 15:6 (KJV)

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

 

- Jesus is depicted as the vine,

- The Father assumes the role of the husbandman,

- Christians are likened to the branches.

However, it is the men of this world who gather up the withered branches to burn them.

 

It's crucial to acknowledge that God actively engages in the pruning process. This is His divine will and His work. Yet, He utilizes individuals on earth to execute His purposes.

Nebuchadnezzar serves as a poignant example. As an unbelieving Gentile ruler, God employed him to chasten and "prune" Jerusalem. Despite the Jews' resistance to the surrounding Gentile nations, they were unable to comprehend that God would allow them to fall under the dominion of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. Nevertheless, this was the Lord's doing.

 

I am also reminded of Luke 6:38 (KJV)

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

 

God can and does utilize individuals of this world to support and assist His praying, obeying, and giving believers. We should neither become overly reliant on worldly elements and people nor reject the possibility of the Lord using them to meet our needs.

 

Have you heard the anecdote about the man trapped in the flood? As the waters began to rise, a man in a jeep offered to transport him to safety. However, he declined, believing that God would rescue him through prayer. As the floodwaters continued to rise, a man in a boat extended the offer of rescue, which he also declined, reaffirming his faith in divine intervention. Eventually, forced onto the roof of his house, he refused rescue from a passing helicopter, confident in God's deliverance.

 

Tragically, he perished in the floodwaters. In heaven, he questioned God about why his prayers for rescue went unanswered. God's response was, "My child, I sent you a jeep, a boat, and a helicopter."

 

God is ever-present and active in our lives, often working through the individuals around us.

 

#DivinePruning #GodsProvidence #TrustInTheProcess #GodsWorkThroughMen #FaithInAction

Trusting God: The Vine, the Branches, and Divine Pruning

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

John 15:6 (KJV) Trusting God

John 14:20 (KJV) Living in Hope

John 14:20 (KJV)

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

 

At that day

 

There are several proposals when that day should be:

The day of his resurrection

After which He proved Himself alive by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days.

 

The day of Pentecost

At which time they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.

 

The day of our resurrection

At which time we may truly be said to be in Jesus and Jesus in us.

 

The faith life of the believer is mysterious in so many ways. We know Christ because we know. But we can’t prove what we know to those who do not know. Ours is to keep hearing and to keep telling and to keep obeying and to keep loving. While there is sufficient evidence of the resurrection those of the world cannot and will not receive it. But we can believe it and we can preach it.

 

Until that day…

 

#InChrist #ResurrectionLife #MysteryofFaith #EternalHope #KeepBelieving

Living in Hope: Awaiting 'That Day'

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

John 14:20 (KJV) Living in Hope

John 13:20 (KJV) Sender to Receiver

John 13:20 (KJV)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

 

In this passage, we witness what might be termed a "chain of command" or rather a "chain of reception."

 

On one hand, there is the act of "sending":

- God the Father sent Jesus.

- Jesus sends His disciples as witnesses.

 

On the other hand, there is the act of "receiving":

- Those who receive and accept the witness of Christ's disciples will, in turn, receive Christ.

- Those who receive Christ as Savior will simultaneously receive God the Father.

 

It is a chain of events that cannot be broken. No one comes to faith except by hearing the Word of God—there must be a witness.[1]

 

Christ is not a figment of one's own making. There is no living Saviour unless He is the One revealed to us in the Word of God. Therefore, without the Bible and someone to teach it to us, we miss the Saviour God provided.

 

No one is reconciled to God the Father who hasn't come through Christ. Jesus Himself said, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me."[2] Making a mistake about Jesus equates to making a mistake about God.

 

Some might argue that they don't need a teacher and that the Holy Spirit is their teacher. However, this is only a partial teaching of the Bible and becomes false teaching because it disregards the rest of the instruction. Matthew 28:18-20, among many other passages, clearly teaches the progression of coming to faith, being baptized as a profession of faith, and spending the rest of our lives being instructed in the observance of our faith. There is a clear handoff of truth from one witness to another, teaching those who will teach others also. To deviate from the teachings of those who have taught us is to apostatize from the faith.

 

- Jesus sends witnesses.

- Those who accept their witness come to Christ.

- Only those who come to Christ come to God the Father.

 

#ChainOfReception #WitnessOfChrist #FaithByHearing #ReceivingChrist #SentByJesus

Sender to Receiver: The Key to Receiving God

 

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[1] Romans 10:17: 

Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

[2] John 14:6

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

John 13:20 (KJV) Sender to Receiver