Jesus prepares his disciples for difficulties ahead, explains the ministry of the Holy Spirit and reminds us that he has overcome the world.
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John 16 – Verse by Verse
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A Prayer Prompted by John 16
Heavenly Father,
We thank you that Jesus has come not only to save us but to overcome our enemy the devil. Thank you that we can have confidence that you are at work and have won the battle, even when we face various trials. Help us to remain strong in our faith and to never fall away as so many others have done.
We thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit within us and for the way he inspired the human authors of your word. We now ask you to help us fill our hearts and minds with the Bible and stay focused upon it, that we might continuously experience your peace.
And we pray this in Jesus’ name,
Amen
John 8 – Verse by Verse
Still at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem, Jesus proclaims himself the light of the world, his opponents children of the devil and, further, identifies himself as the I Am of the Old Testament.
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“Your father the devil” – John 8:42-45
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
Wouldn’t it be nice to skim right past this section as if it weren’t there? Wouldn’t it be nicer still if it if fact really weren’t there at all to skim over?
Alas, it is there, confronting us in the Gospel of John like a neighbor we would like to ignore and who refuses to go back inside his house. The implications of this passage are profound. It is so filled with content, all of it coming from the mouth of Jesus, that it practically bursts out of the page. Let’s list just a few things.
- There is a real personal devil.as well as a real personal God.
- The devil is a murderer.
- He pretty much always lies, because his character is such that lying comes naturally to him.
- Jesus, on the other hand is truthful.
- Jesus was sent by God in accordance with God the Father’s perfect will.
- If we love Jesus, then that reveals that God is our Father.
- There are people who do not love Jesus.
- They cannot seem to tolerate what he actually has to say.
- These people are children of the devil,
- They desire to do their father’s, that is, the devil’s will.
That is a lot of information to take in, all pouring forth from a few short verses, and it is all life-changing if we truly let it sink in.
Dear God, help us to clearly see the difference between the truth that we receive from Jesus and the devil’s lies. Help us not to distort your word, as the devil has from the beginning, only using it in such a way as to serve his deceptive purposes. Make us genuine lovers of God, lovers of our Lord Jesus and lovers of the truth. In this way let us reveal that we are your children. And help us to do all that we can to call the devil’s children out of the realm of his deception and into the truth of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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