Blessed Is The Man

Walking With God
Weekly Devotional Series

Week 51 2024

Why Jesus Came
Sermon #3
To Reveal the Father
John 14:1-10 (v. 9)

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
(John 14:5-9)

Previously, we have examined the fact that Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil and that Jesus came to earth to take away our sins. I now turn to a third purpose for Jesus appearing to mankind: to reveal the Father.

In John 14:9 is a statement that is so simple yet so profound. There are only two parts to the statement: 1) Whoever has seen me, 2) has seen the Father. Its simplicity leaves no room for doubt as to what Jesus meant.

Jesus’ last hours were slipping away. He had some important things to say to his disciples. As he is speaking, the disciples interrupt him four times with questions / concerns.
1) Peter (John 13:36-37) – “Lord, where are you going?” “Lord, why can I not follow you now?”
2) Thomas (John 14:5) - “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
3) Phillip (John 14:8) – “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us”.
4) Jude/Judas (John 14:22) - “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Phillip had spent enough time with Jesus to realize that there was a special connection between Jesus and God. Phillip had heard Jesus speak of God as “My Father.” Now, Phillip wanted to “see” God – Jesus’ Father.

Asking to see God was not an unrealistic question. After all, the disciples surely would have read of the appearances of God in the days gone by.
* Moses ascended a mountain and saw God. (Exodus 19-20)
* The prophet Isaiah declared “In the year Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1)
* Ezekiel declared that when he was by the river Chebar, he had seen God in fire, wheels, and in majesty and glory. (Ezekiel 1 and 2)

Asking to see God was definitely not out of the realm of possibilities.

Jesus usually spoke to his disciples or gave answers that were a little over their heads – causing them to think. But not this time. Jesus clearly states his purpose for being there – that they could “see” God, his father.
But – they had missed the obvious. So has mankind! And those who have seen, sometimes forget or lose sight of what they have seen or experienced.

Jesus came to reveal God to all of mankind. (John 3:16)

🎚 What concept of God did people have before Jesus came?
Mankind knew of God and his character – love, peace, power, justice, holiness, etc.
But mostly through physical things – miraculous acts like parting the Red Sea,
creation, the temple, prophets, and preaching.
They “saw” God at work – his handiwork – but not HIM.

🎚 Strangely, as man’s understanding of God progressed, man’s morality decreased.
Mankind created their own gods and elevated them above the one true God.
Why would such a big God be interested in their everyday life?
How could God be intimately involved with all of mankind – at once?

🎚 The greater the universe, the greater God is. And the greater God is, the less mankind has
been able to appreciate their relationship with Him. Do people think God is too big to bother?

🎚 But now, God has appeared to mankind. All of Mankind. And we must remember that!
This is the Gospel – the good news – that God has come to be with mankind. To be with us!
A big God has taken time for us.
We are important to Him. After all, he did create us!

🎚 Go anywhere in the world and you will find that there is a consciousness of God.
Mankind often seeks to express this awareness falsely. There are many religions.
Jesus Christ came to fulfill man’s religion. To satisfy man’s deepest need.
People have many needs and seek to fulfill them in many ways.

We often speak in terms of Jesus coming to save the world. And that is true. But he is doing it one person at a time. That is what we see in the Gospels. As the disciples spent time with Jesus, they learned about God. They learned more about God than certain characteristics. They got to know him personally. They came to know his will and his ways.

1) They learned through Jesus that God satisfies physical and spiritual hunger.
2) They learned through Jesus what it was like to have a true relationship with God.
3) They learned through Jesua to invite souls to come to God.
4) They learned and experienced through Jesus the power God had over sin, sickness, and death.
5) They learned through Jesus what it was like to be with God.

“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough.”

Have you “seen” Jesus?
In the Bible?
In others?
In the church?
Have you met him personally?

If so, you have “seen” God!

The purpose of Jesus appearing to mankind was to:
1) To destroy the works of the Devil.
2) To take away sins.
3) To reveal His Father
4) To prepare for a second coming.

Keeping Christ in Christmas!

✝ Pastor Carl
All content in Walking with God Weekly Devotions are my own work except where noted.
Credit will always be given where credit is due.
Scripture quotations are obvious and translations are noted as in accordance with copyright laws and rules. Lengthy copyright notices are used only when required.
You may share all content of Walking with God Weekly Devotions unless I state otherwise.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights preserved.

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Walking With God
Weekly Devotional Series

Week 50 2024

Why Jesus Came
Sermon #2
To Take Away Our Sin
1 John 3:1-10 (v. 5)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 1 John 3:1-10 (v. 5)

The first in this series deals with a verse in this same chapter; "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." (verse 8) If the works of the devil are death, darkness, hatred, and lawlessness – then the word “sin” expresses all of these things for us.

Sin results in death – death is separation from the life of God. This separation of mankind from God occurred with Adam and Eve and remains to this day. This separation will continue to move one further away from God until a final and permanent separation at death.

Sin results in darkness – the carnal (in or of the flesh) mind which cannot see the things of God. One will continue to go deeper into darkness.

Sin results in hatred – the person continuing in sin continues as a carnal person, not knowing God, and is at enmity (extreme ill will or hatred) towards God.

Sin results in lawlessness – not wanting to obey God or follow his will. One can only become more lawless.

If we understand these things, we come closer to understanding why Jesus came. The coming of Jesus touches our human need.
John states the purpose of Jesus appearing, “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins…” (verse 8)

But what is intended by the word ‘sins”? It is the total sum of all sinless acts. Whether through deliberate acts or through ignorance, “sin” / “sins” is “missing the mark”. The word “sins” includes all thoughts and deeds in which we have missed the Divine purpose and the Divine ideal.

Sins are the things that stand between God and man so that man becomes afraid of God. One recognizes that their sins have violated the Divine purpose and broken the Divine law.

Sins are the things that stand between man and his fellow man so that man becomes afraid of their fellow man – knowing that he has wronged him / her in some way.
Sins are the things that stand between a person and their own success.

When John the Baptist looked at Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world..” (John 1:29) he used a word that includes all sin. All the sins of everyone. To “take away” (or to bear sins) is a phrase that the people of that day perhaps understood better than we do today. The Hebrew equivalent of the word “take away” is found in the familiar story of the scapegoat. An animal was driven away into the wilderness as a symbol of their sins being carried away – completely removed from their life and memory. Their sins were said to be lifted from one place to another. (Leviticus 16)

Jesus came into the world to lift sins.
Jesus appeared in order that he might come into a relationship with human life and pass underneath the load of human sins and to lift them and take them away.

Either this is the most glorious gospel that man has ever heard of or the greatest delusion to which man has ever listened!

There are many different opinions about sin and salvation, life and death, heaven and hell. That is because there is within the heart of every person a consciousness of sin, death, and eternity. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart,… (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Not one of us would be prepared to say “I have never done something I should not have done.”
That is the consciousness of sin.
We may try to excuse it!
We may say it does not matter!
Wes may say that it is the result of some infirmity of our body!
We may say that we are still in the process of learning not to do it!
We may say it was someone else’s fault!
We may try to hide it or cover it up!

If only we could somehow make it “not be”! But we cannot!

That is why Jesus came! To lift the burden of sin from the souls that are in agony!

Some are careless about the matter of sin.
But others are in agony over their sin.
They are conscious of their sin and loath it.
They carry the consciousness of the wrongs they have done in the past as a perpetual burden upon their souls.
There are many who have never confessed their burden of sin and never spoken to another person about it. But nevertheless, hate the memory of their own sin.

Are you that person?

Jesus came to lift sins and carry them away. Past and present!
Jesus wants to get beneath our sins, our hurt, our pain, and lift them up and carry them away!

Jesus came so that He might take away our sins!

For God so loved the world....

Keeping Christ in Christmas!

✝ Pastor Carl
All content in Walking with God Weekly Devotions are my own work except where noted.
Credit will always be given where credit is due.
Scripture quotations are obvious and translations are noted as in accordance with copyright laws and rules. Lengthy copyright notices are used only when required.
You may share all content of Walking with God Weekly Devotions unless I state otherwise.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights preserved.