The Father is revealed through the person of Christ, two more witness are left for the Church; John 15:21-27.Title: The Father is revealed through the person of Christ, two more witness are left for the Church; John 15:21-27.
John 15:21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
John 15:22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
The fifth reason for the hatred or antagonism of the world is because their sin nature is exposed.
No one likes to be exposed for what they are. Most people walk around wearing masks or façades which they are content to hide behind, when exposed they fight back like a cornered animal.
“excuse” – pro,fasij[prophasis] – combination of “before” and “to say” = to cloak, to make excuse, to speak in defense of an action.
“before you see this or before you say that, let me say something.”
An excuse is a reason not to do something or to believe something or to hide something under a cloak. However, Jesus had come and spoken to them. He fulfilled prophecy, performed miracles, spoke the gospel with authority as only the Lord could do, and he presented Himself to them as the promised anointed one. Therefore, they have no credible defense to speak in support of their unbelief and so their sin remains and is in fact exposed.
Religion tries to cloak sin, but doctrine uncloaks it. Religion and man’s sin nature make only a house of cards and doctrine knocks it down with the breadth of truth.
They had to admit that Jesus had healed the man born blind, but they would not follow the evidence to its logical conclusion and put their trust in Him. Jesus told them that they were the ones who were blind! But since they admitted that they had seen a miracle, this made their sin even worse. They were not sinning in ignorance; they were sinning against a flood of light. Why? Because that light revealed their own sin and they did not want to face their sin honestly and they are without cloak or excuse.
But what God knocks down He is ready to lift up through Christ, but if Christ is rejected there is nothing left to lift up anyone.
Heb 10:10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
John 15:23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also.
The sixth reason for the world’s antagonism is hatred of the Father’s relationship to the Son.
So many people get to a certain age and then say to themselves, “I’m going to find God.” And they look into things, some very intellectually, others emotionally but all with the same goal to find God out of all the knowledge existing in the world. There is a huge problem with this. It can’t be done. If it could be done then the individual would already have to have known the parameters, characteristics, essence, mission, and purpose of the One God. If you already knew that then where did you learn it? Some say that it’s in all of us. Well if that’s true then why do so many people come to different conclusions about God and are confident that they’re right?
No one can find God or go to God or even know God. God must reveal Himself to every person. example.
It’s simply a matter of you being extremely limited and finite and God be unlimited, eternal, and perfect.
John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
John 20:30 Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
John 20:31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
John 21:24 This is the disciple who bears witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true.
John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written.
God the Father is revealed through the person of Christ. You can’t separate the two. No one can say that they love and worship God and simultaneously hate Christ.
John 5:19 Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
John 5:20 "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may marvel.
John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 8:28 Jesus therefore said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.
John 10:18 "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."
John 10:30 I and the Father are one."
John 12:49 "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say, and what to speak.
John 14:9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'?
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
John 15:24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
The works refer to miracles. And here is revealed the only purpose of miracles and that is to reveal the person of Christ as the Savior of the world.
The gift of miracles was given to a few in the first generation of the Church and then ceased very quickly.
Miracles were not performed by Christ to alleviate suffering but to reveal Him as Savior and the Father’s plan of grace.
Christ sums up here all the reasons for the world’s hatred of Him, the Father, and the royal family of God in positive volition.
They have seen Him [horao = panoramic view], they have further heard through the apostles and other writers of scripture, they have further seen through the completed canon of scripture and further seen through the centuries of accurate gospel presentation and Bible teaching and so they have hatred without a cause.
I hate progressivism and with much cause there is evidence that it only brings misery and loss of freedom to the individual while growing the size of government. I have good cause. I have 50 + years of evidence. Anyone who hates Jesus Christ does so ignorantly and under deception. They have no cause.
John 15:25 "But they have done this in order that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their Law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'
Ps 35:19 Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me; Neither let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously.
Ps 69:4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies, What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
John 15:26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me,
John 15:27 and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
We have two witnesses presented here, God the Holy Spirit and the individual believer. The Law states that two witnesses are needed to decide a matter in court.
After TLJC departs He leaves behind two more witnesses. During the incarnation the two witnesses were Himself and the Father.
John 8:17 "Even in your law it has been written, that the testimony of two men is true.
John 8:18 "I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."
A witness is one who has seen and must bear testimony of the things that he has seen when called to the stand to do so. What did you see?
The Spirit of truth has seen and He bears witness through the gospel all over the world and in the hearts of those who are positive He delivers that truth to wherever it is needed.
“witness” – marture,w[martureo] = to witness, to testify, to bear record. |