{"id":31322,"date":"2024-05-28T22:00:49","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T05:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john-12_27-36-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-05-21T13:48:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T20:48:09","slug":"john-12_37-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/john-12_37-50\/","title":{"rendered":"When Isaiah Saw Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

John\u00a0 12:37-50 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is John 12:37-50.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

John 12:37-41 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n37\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
\n38\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
\n39\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
\n40\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn–and I would heal them.”
\n41\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 37-41:\u00a0 John sees the cold-hearted, unbelieving response of many Jews toward Jesus as fulfilling prophecies written by Isaiah about 700 years before.\u00a0 Quoting Isaiah 53:1 in verse 38 and then Isaiah 6:10 in verse 40, John says that Isaiah spoke wrote these prophecies because he also saw Jesus\u2019 glory.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0Faith in the end is a heart issue.<\/strong>\u00a0 If a person\u2019s heart is cold, prideful and stubborn, Jesus himself could be standing in front of that person preaching and doing miracles, and still that person will find an excuse not to believe.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0As we find over and over again in Scripture,\u00a0the Old Testament points us to Jesus<\/strong>.\u00a0 John says that Isaiah \u201csaw Jesus\u2019 glory and spoke about him\u201d (v41).\u00a0 So when you read the Old Testament, learn to read it with New Testament eyes.\u00a0 That is, have an eye for how the Old Testament points you to Jesus.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0Does verse 40 mean that God intentionally blinds certain people\u2019s eyes and deadens their hearts so that they would not come to faith in Jesus?\u00a0 How do you reconcile this with the idea that God \u201cwants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth\u201d (1 Timothy 2:3-4).\u00a0 I believe Isaiah is speaking from a mindset which believed that God was the source of everything, both good and bad, and thus even a person\u2019s own stubbornness and prideful resistance to God could be seen as being from God as well.\u00a0 At the same time, the Scriptures do teach that people have been given free will to make our own choices, so a refusal to believe in God can never be simply attributed to God\u2019s doing, for\u00a0we each have a part to play in how we respond to God<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

John 12:42-43 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n42\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;
\n43\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 42-43:\u00a0 Jesus, I pray that I would not be someone who believes in You but is not willing to confess my faith out of fear of what others might say. \u00a0May I chase Your praise and not be overly concerned about getting praise from people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John 12:44-45 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n44\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.
\n45\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 44-45:\u00a0 Jesus says it himself.\u00a0 To believe in Jesus is to believe in God the Father.\u00a0\u00a0To look at Jesus is to see God the Father.<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s how united Jesus and God the Father are.<\/p>\n

John 12:46 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n46\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 46:\u00a0 As we try to find our way through the darkness, Jesus is the light we need. \u00a0So if you\u2019re lost, confused, or scared, go to Jesus.\u00a0 You\u2019ll find light, direction, warmth and life where he is.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John 12:47-48 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n47\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.
\n48\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 47-48:\u00a0 Jesus came the first time not to judge the world for its sin, but to save the world from its sin.\u00a0 However, if we do not keep Jesus\u2019 words, those very words will come back to bite us when all is said and done, \u201cat the last day\u201d as verse 48 says.\u00a0 So it\u2019s not like you can choose to believe in Jesus or not and there is no consequence if you don\u2019t.\u00a0 No,\u00a0God will judge us and hold us accountable for how we respond to Jesus<\/strong>.\u00a0 Did we accept Jesus and His words or did we reject Him?<\/p>\n

John 12:49-50 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n49\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.
\n50\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 49-50:\u00a0 Like verses 44-45, verses 49-50 speak of how united Jesus and the Father are.\u00a0 Jesus speaks not using his own authority but relying on his Father\u2019s authority, saying just what the Father wants Jesus to say.\u00a0 No wonder Jesus\u2019 teaching came with an authority that was missing from the teaching of others (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 When you submit to God\u2019s authority and consistently humble yourself before God, don\u2019t be surprised if God entrusts more and more of His heart and His words to you, such that you find yourself speaking what God wants you to speak.\u00a0\u00a0Those who practice intimacy with God, who spend quality time in God\u2019s Word and in God\u2019s presence, will tend to carry authority from God.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0So if you want your words to bless others, to be just what others need and to carry God\u2019s presence and authority, make spending quality time with God in His Word and in His presence your priority.<\/p>\n

Jesus, today I open up my heart and say I believe in You.\u00a0 May I not be overly concerned with what other people say about me, but may I be focused on what You say about me.\u00a0 May intimacy with You always be a priority for me.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is John 12:37-50.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!
\n\u00a0
\nJohn 12:37-41 (NIV)
\n37\u00a0\u00a0Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
\n38\u00a0\u00a0This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
\n39\u00a0\u00a0For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
\n40\u00a0\u00a0“He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn–and I would heal them.”
\n41\u00a0\u00a0Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
\n\u00a0
\nOn verses 37-41:\u00a0 John sees the cold-hearted, unbelieving response of many Jews toward Jesus as fulfilling prophecies written by Isaiah about 700 years before.\u00a0 Quoting Isaiah 53:1 in verse 38 and then Isaiah 6:10 in verse 40, John says that Isaiah spoke wrote these prophecies because he also saw Jesus\u2019 glory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31322"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31326,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31322\/revisions\/31326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}