I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

Will you continue to pray, “your Kingdom come, your will be done”?

PRAYER

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may my heart desire your kingdom above my own, your will not my will, and your purpose in all things. Give me eyes to discern your kingdom way, and hands that work in collaboration with your Holy Spirit to build that kingdom here on the earth. I entrust myself to you once more this day.

Joh 14:1-31.   DO NOT let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me.

      In My Father's house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you.

        And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.

        And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.

         Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, so 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 by (through) Me.

          If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him.

           Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father--that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied.

           Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?

            Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority and of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the (His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power).

            Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the [very] works themselves. [If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father's name convince you.]

              I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.

            And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. [Exo 3:14]

            [Yes] I will grant [I Myself will do for you] whatever you shall ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM].

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.

            And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever--

            The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.

            I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you.

            Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.

             At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you.

              The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]

            Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world?

            Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.

             Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me.

              I have told you these things while I am still with you.

              But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.

              Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

            You heard Me tell you, I am going away and I am coming [back] to you. If you [really] loved Me, you would have been glad, because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater and mightier than I am.

            And now I have told you [this] before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe and have faith in and rely on Me.

            I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]

              But [Satan is coming and] I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know (be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do only what the Father has instructed Me to do. [I act in full agreement with His orders.] Rise, let us go away from here. 

John 14:1-31.    THE DEPARTING JESUS

A. The departing Jesus’ relationship to the Father.

1. (Joh 14:1-4) Jesus assures a future reunion in His Father’s house.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

a. Let not your heart be troubled: Although He is leaving them bodily, it is not forever. Jesus is confident that He will meet Peter and the rest in His Father’s house

b. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me: Even though there was good reason why their hearts might be troubled, Jesus tells the disciples to challenge their troubled hearts with faith in the Father and the Son. They did not have to give into the emotions of fear and despair - they really could let not your hearts be troubled.

c. I go to prepare a place for you: You only prepare a place for someone if you are confident of their arrival. Jesus could only say this to the group after Judas had left. He would not go to prepare a place for Judas - at least not a place in His Father’s house.

d. Many mansions: In light of the ancient Greek, “mansions” is better translated “dwelling places.” The noun mone (connected to the verb meno, “stay” or “remain”) means “a place to stay.” But in light of God’s character, it is better to translate it mansions. Whatever dwelling place God has for us in heaven, it will be as glorious as a mansion.

e. To receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also: The entire focus of heaven is being reunited with Jesus. Heaven is heaven not because of streets of gold, or pearly gates, or even the presence of angels. Heaven is heaven because Jesus is there.

i. Take comfort; even as He prepares a place for us, He prepares us for that place.

2. (Joh 14:5-6) Jesus is the exclusive way to the Father.

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

a. I am the way, the truth, and the life: In light of soon events, this declaration is a paradox. Jesus’ way would be the cross; He would be convicted by blatant liars; His body would soon lie lifeless in a tomb. Because He took that way, He is the way to God; because He did not contest the lies we can believe He is the truth; because He was willing to die He becomes the channel of resurrection - the life to us.

b. No one comes to the Father except through Me: Is Jesus the only way to God? An often-heard disagreement with Christianity is “Jesus and Christianity are fine, and it is great that you have a way to God. But I have my own way, and the Muslim has his, and the Buddhist has his. All roads lead to God if we are sincere in seeking Him.”

i. If a Christian objects to such a statement, they are often met with the reply, “What right do you have to send me to Hell just because I don’t believe in Jesus the way you do?”

ii. But the Bible tells us that Jesus is the only way to God. How can we say this? We begin with the basic truth that Jesus is at least a way to God. Was He a true or a false prophet? Was He at the very least an honest man? If Jesus is a true prophet - or at least an honest man - then what He said about Himself is true. Therefore, Jesus is the only way to God.

iii. Simply put, if Jesus is not the only way to God, then He is not any way to God. If there are many roads to God, then Jesus is not one of them, because He absolutely claimed there was only one road to God, and He Himself was that road. If Jesus is not the only way to God, then He was not a honest man; He was most certainly not a true prophet. He then would either be a madman or a lying devil. There is no middle ground available to us.

iv. Sometimes people object and say, “I believe Jesus was an honest man, and I believe He was a true prophet. But I don’t actually believe He said those things about Himself in the gospels. I believe Christians added those things in later on all by themselves.” But there is no objective reason for a person to make a distinction between “Jesus really said this” or “Jesus really didn’t say that.” We have no ancient texts showing us just the supposedly “true” sayings of Jesus. Any such distinction is based purely on subjective reasons - “I personally don’t think Jesus would have said that, therefore He did not say that - later Christians just put those words in His mouth.”

v. If it is all up to personal opinion - if we can determine what Jesus said or didn’t say on our own whims - then we can just throw out the gospels period. It really is an all-or-nothing deal. Either we take the words of Jesus as recorded by these historically reliable and accurate documents, or we throw it out all together.

vi. To take it a step further, it is not enough to merely believe in Jesus. Shockingly, that isn’t narrow enough! The Bible also tells us the atoning work of Jesus on the cross was the only way salvation could be accomplished. In the Garden of Gesthemene, the night before His death, Jesus prayed if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me (Mat 26:39). Jesus asked the Father if there was any other way to accomplish the salvation of man other than His atoning work on the cross, other than Him drinking the “cup” representing the wrath of God poured out upon Him in our place, let it be so. But there was no other way.

vii. Even the demons could admit the truth that Jesus was the Son of God (Mat 8:29); but they did not submit to Jesus or believe in His atoning work on their behalf.

viii. The idea that all religious beliefs are equally valid, and all that maters is that we be sincere in our beliefs is so absurd that people would only apply it to religion. If you thought you were a cow - sincerely, of course - and insisted that you should stay outside and eat the lawn, men in white coats would take you away. Why won’t they allow you to be sincere in your beliefs? Because they objectively know you are wrong. Why do we apply the same muddled thinking to religion?

ix. But is Christianity bigoted? Certainly, there are some who claim to be Christians who are in fact bigots. But Biblical Christianity is the most pluralistic, tolerant, embracing of other cultures religion on earth. In fact, Christianity is rather pluralistic - it is the one religion to embrace other cultures, and has the most urgency to translate the Scriptures into other languages. A Christian can keep their native language and culture, and follow Jesus in the midst of it. An early criticism of Christianity was the observation that they would take anybody! Slave or free; rich or poor; man or woman; Greek or Barbarian. All were accepted, but on the common ground of the truth as revealed in Jesus Christ. To leave that common ground is spiritual suicide, for both now and eternity.

3. (Joh 14:7-11) Jesus again explains His unity with and dependence on the Father.

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

a. Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me: Jesus’ gentle rebuke might well be spoken to many church-goers today. After all our time with Jesus, do we really know Jesus?

b. He who has seen Me has seen the Father: No image or material likeness could depict God, but a person could - the person of Jesus.

i. This forever finishes the idea some people have that there is a “bad God” in the Old Testament that Jesus somehow calmed down and made nice so we could be saved. If you want to know what God the Father is like, look at Jesus - the same love, compassion, mercy, and goodness which is evident in Jesus is evident in God the Father. Exo 34:5-9, among other passages, shows this nature of God the Father in the Old Testament.

4. (Joh 14:12-14) When Jesus departs to the Father, His work will continue on earth.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

a. The works I do he will do: Jesus did not expect the disciples to disband after His departure, but to carry on the work in even greater magnitude.

b. Greater works than these he will do: This promise seems impossible; yet after Peter’s first sermon there were more converted than are recorded during Jesus’ entire ministry.

i. Greater is not “more sensational” but greater in magnitude. Jesus will leave behind a victorious, working church, not a cowering one.

c. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do: In My name is not an Aladdin’s lamp of prayer; it signifies both an endorsement (like a check) and a limitation (requests must be in accordance with the character of the name). We are coming to God in Jesus’ name, not in our own.

d. That the Father may be glorified in the Son: True prayer in Jesus’ name always has this goal. Since that was Jesus’ passion, to pray in the name of Jesus means the prayer will have the same passion. Surely, this is prayer God will answer!

B. The departing Jesus gives the promise of the Holy Spirit.

1. (Joh 14:15-18) The promise to send the Helper.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

a. If you love Me, keep My commandments: This is a fair measure of our love for Jesus. It is easy to think of loving Jesus in merely sentimental or emotional terms. It is wonderful when our love for Jesus has sentiment and passion, but it must always be connected to keeping His commandments, or it isn’t love at all.

b. I will pray the Father: God even works in us so we may love Him more perfectly.

i. Joh 14:16 is one of the verses in the Bible that shows the underlying theme of the Trinity. God the Son prays to God the Father that He might send God the Holy Spirit to us.

c. He will give you another Helper: Helper translates the ancient Greek word “parakletos.” This means “a person summoned to one’s aid,” and may refer to an advisor, a legal defender, a mediator, or an intercessor.

i. Another Helper: The word “another” is the ancient Greek word “allen,” meaning “another of the same kind” not another of a different kind. Just as Jesus shows the nature of God the Father, so the Holy Spirit - being “another of the same kind” - will show the nature of Jesus.

ii. Essentially, the Holy Spirit is sent to empower and help the believer live the Christian life. The greater work described in Joh 14:12-14 is impossible without the empowering described in Joh 14:15-18.

d. That He may abide with you forever: Jesus will give the Holy Spirit that He (a person, not a thing) may abide in us permanently, not temporarily (as in the Old Testament).

e. Whom the world cannot receive: The world can not understand or receive the Spirit, because He is Holy and true.

f. I will come to you: Jesus again promises to come again (previously in Joh 14:3). This was a broad promise fulfilled by His resurrection, by the sending of the Spirit, and especially by the promise of His bodily return to this earth.

2. (Joh 14:19-24) After His departure, Jesus will only be manifested to hearts that love Him and honor His word.

“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

a. You will know . . . he who loves Me . . . who has My commandments: Trusting, loving and obeying Jesus are all dependent on each other.

b. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word: If we love Jesus, it will be shown in a genuine love for His word - and not a love that just admires His word, but obeys it - keeps His word.

3. (Joh 14:25-27) The departing Jesus leaves two gifts: the Holy Spirit and His peace.

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

a. The Helper . . . Peace I leave with you: Jesus had no fortune to bequeath His followers, but He gives them gifts that can’t be bought - the presence of the Holy Spirit and the presence of peace.

i. How many a defeated lives would buy the power of the Holy Spirit if they could? How many distraught souls would buy the peace of Jesus? These can’t be bought, but Jesus gives them as gifts to His people.

ii. “All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.” (Thomas a’ Kempis)

b. Let not your heart be troubled: These gifts do not grant us exemption from the storms of life, but promise us the power and the peace to weather any storm.

4. (Joh 14:28-29) Jesus’ departure to the Father is a happy thing.

“You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.”

a. If you loved Me, you would rejoice: This was hard for the disciples to believe; but Jesus’ departure really was best. It was best for Jesus, best for the disciples, and best for the world. Jesus wants the disciples to realize this, and so says, “If you loved Me, you would rejoice” at His return to God the Father.

b. My Father is greater than I: The Father is greater than the Son in position (particularly regarding the incarnation), not in essence or being. If Jesus were not God in essence, it would be absurd for Him to compare Himself to God in position. In what sense is it any kind of revelation for a mere man, or even an angel, to say, “God is greater than I”?

5. (Joh 14:30-31) Jesus goes forth willingly, not as one who is being overwhelmed by Satan.

“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”

a. The ruler of this world . . . has nothing in Me: What an amazing statement! Jesus declares that Satan has absolutely no hook, no foothold, no toehold of deception in Him. Satan isn’t pushing Jesus to the cross. Jesus goes in loving obedience to God the Father, and out of love for fallen humanity.

Both Man and God!

Psalms 110:1-7

Psalm 110: David's Son and David's Lord

This Psalm of David enjoys the distinction of being quoted or referred to more frequently in the NT than any other passage in the OT. It is quite clearly a Psalm of the Messiah—first as the glorified One at God's right hand, then as the King of glory returning to earth to take the scepter of universal government, and also as the eternal Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

110:1 In the first verse David quotes the LORD as saying to his Lord:

"Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

The key to understanding this lies in identifying the two distinct persons referred to by the name of "Lord." The first use of the word refers unmistakably to Jehovah. The other word "Lord" is the Hebrew adon and means "master" or "ruler." It was sometimes used as a name of God and sometimes applied to a human master. Although the word itself does not always indicate a Divine Person, the words that follow show that David's Lord (Adon) was equal with God.

One day when Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in Jerusalem, He asked them what they believed concerning the identity of the Messiah. From whom would the Promised One be descended? They answered correctly that He would be the Son of David. But Jesus showed them that according to Psalm 110 (which they acknowledged to be messianic) the Messiah would also be David's Lord. How could He be David's Son and David's Lord at the same time? And how could David, the king, have someone who was his Lord on earth?

The answer of course was that the Messiah would be both God and Man. As God, He would be David's Lord. As Man, He would be David's Son. And Jesus Himself, combining in His Person both deity and humanity, was David's Master and David's Son.

It was the moment of truth for the Pharisees. Yet in spite of all the evidence, they were unwilling to acknowledge Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. So we read:

And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore (Mat 22:41-46; cf. Mar 12:35-37; Luk 20:41-44).

The NT writers leave no room for doubt that the One who is seated at God's right hand is none other than Jesus of Nazareth (Mat 26:64; Mar 14:62; Mar 16:19; Luk 22:69; Act 2:34-35; Act 5:31; Act 7:55-56; Rom 8:34; 1Co 15:24ff; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, Heb 1:13; Heb 8:1; Heb 10:12-13; Heb 12:2; 1Pe 3:22; Rev 3:21). Therefore verse 1 tells what Jehovah said to the LORD Jesus on the latter's ascension day when He sat down at God's right hand. But He is only there till His enemies are made His footstool.

110:2 Between verses 1 and 2 we have what H. A. Ironside called "the great parenthesis"—the Church Age which extends from the enthronement of Christ to His Second Coming. In verse 2 we see Jehovah sending forth Messiah's royal rod from Zion; in other words, the Lord establishes Christ as King with Jerusalem as His capital. This scepter is the symbol of royal authority. Christ is given authority to reign over all the earth in the midst of His enemies. "Rule in the midst of Your enemies." Prior to this time the Lord Jesus will have destroyed His unreconstructed foes. Here it is not a matter of destroying His foes but of ruling over those foes who have become His friends and who gladly submit to His rule.

110:3 This is confirmed by verse 3. His people offer themselves willingly on the day He leads His army upon the holy mountain. Or as the NKJV states it:

Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; in the beauties of holiness. . . .

Here a willing people greet the King in holy array. "In their lives and conduct," writes Barnes, "they will manifest all the beauty or attractiveness which there is in a holy and pure character."

The last part of verse 3 has been the torture of translators and commentators. Scroggie paraphrases as follows: ". . . as dew is born of its mother the morning, so Thy army shall come to Thee numerous, fresh, bright and powerful."

110:4 One of the extraordinary features of the Kingdom is that the Lord Jesus will combine in His person the dual offices of king and priest. It is a combination that is highly dangerous in the case of mere human rulers; the loud, long cry for separation of church and state has not been without valid cause. But the combination is ideal when Jesus is the Ruler. Uncorrupted kingship and spiritual priesthood will give the world an administration such as it has longed for but has never known.

In verse 4 we learn four things concerning the priesthood of the Messiah:

He was made a priest by the oath of Jehovah.

This appointment was irrevocable.

His priesthood is eternal.

It is according to the order of Melchizedek.

The phrase "according to the order of Melchizedek" is interpreted for us in Hebrews 5-7. There the priesthood of Melchizedek is compared and contrasted with the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood.

Under the law God designated the men of the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron to be priests. Their priesthood was a matter of parentage and it terminated with their death.

The priesthood of that mysterious personage Melchizedek was by sovereign appointment of God. It was not inherited from his parents ("without father, without mother, without genealogy," Heb 7:3 a) and there is no mention of his priesthood ever beginning or ending ("having neither beginning of days nor end of life," Heb 7:3 b). In these and other ways, the Melchizedekan priesthood was superior to that of Levi. Melchizedek was a prototype of the Lord Jesus. Our Lord's priesthood was not a matter of parentage; He was of the tribe of Judah, not Levi. His priesthood was established by the sovereign eternal decree of God, and since He lives in the power of an endless life, His priesthood will never end.

Another way in which Melchizedek foreshadowed the Messiah is that he was both king and priest. His name and title signify that he was king of righteousness and king of peace (Heb 7:2). He was also priest of God Most High (Gen 14:18).

110:5 The last three verses of the Psalm picture the Lord Jesus as a mighty Conqueror, putting down all lawlessness and rebellion prior to the inauguration of His kingdom. The problem of identifying the personages in these verses is largely solved if we think of them as being addressed to Jehovah and as referring to the Messiah-King. Thus verse 5 would read:

The LORD (Adonai—here the Lord Jesus) is at Your (Jehovah's) right hand; He (Messiah) shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.

110:6 It is the Lord Jesus marching forth against the Gentile nations, as foreseen in Joe 3:9-17; Zec 14:3; and Rev 19:11-21. He executes judgment among the nations, strewing the landscape with their corpses. The further statement "He shall execute the heads of many countries" could also be translated "He shall strike through the head over a wide land." This could be a reference to the doom of the Man of Sin, "whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2Th 2:8).

110:7 As He goes forth to deal with His foes, the King shall drink of the brook by the wayside. Since water is often a type of the Holy Spirit (Joh 7:38-39), this suggests that the Lord is refreshed and reinvigorated by the ministry of the Spirit, and this explains why He subsequently lifts up His head in victory.

YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON

Mar 1:11 

 And there came a voice out from within heaven, You are My Beloved Son; in You I am well pleased. [Psa 2:7; Isa 42:1]AmpC

Mar 1:11 Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life."Msg

Isaiah 42:1.  BEHOLD MY Servant, Whom I uphold, My elect in Whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice and right and reveal truth to the nations. [Mat 3:16-17]

Psalms 2:7. I will declare the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, You are My Son; this day [I declare] I have begotten You. [Heb 1:5; Heb 3:5-6; 2Pe 1:17-18]

Mark 1:11.  From heaven. The preposition is ek, not apo. The latter means "from the edge of," the former, "out from within." In the previous verse we had, "He saw the heaven being rent asunder." Here we have "There came a voice out from within the heavens." Heaven is a place. It has boundaries. It can be opened and closed.

Thou art my beloved Son. The Greek has the pronoun of the second person su. Literally, "As for you, in contradistinction to all others." Messiah is the unique Son of God. Believers are sons of God, but they sustain a different relationship to the Father than the Son does. Messiah claimed to be the Son of God in a unique way, for He said that God was His own private, personal, unique Father (His, not the personal pronoun of the third person (autos), but idios, the latter word speaking of what is one’s own private, unique, absolute possession (Joh 5:18). The order of the Greek words are, "as for you, you are my Son, the beloved One." Here, equal emphasis is laid upon the fact that Messiah is the Son of God, and that He is the beloved Son. The particular word for "love" here is agapē which in the classics spoke of a love called out of one’s heart by the preciousness of the object loved. The Son of God is infinitely precious to God the Father. This love is called out of the Father’s heart by the preciousness of the Son In whom I am well pleased. The best manuscripts have the personal pronoun of the second person, not the relative pronoun which appears in some. It is, "In you I am well pleased." The Greek language had no "thee" and "thou" form of address. The writer prefers to use the "thee" and "thou" when addressing God in prayer, since this form of address shows more reverence for Deity. But for the sake of accurate translation and a faithful reproduction of the Greek text, the word "you" is used, however, without any thought of irreverence. "Well pleased" is eudokeō. The word is made up of dokeō "to be of opinion, to think, suppose," and eu which when prefixed to a word adds the idea of "good." The noun form of this compound word means "delight, pleasure, satisfaction," the verb, as it is used in the New Testament, "to be well pleased with, to take pleasure in." The entire statement is therefore, "As for you in contradistinction to all others, you are my Son, the beloved One; in you I am well pleased." This verb is in the aorist tense, which in the indicative mode speaks of a past action. The particular classification here is that of the constative aorist, which contemplates the action in its entirety, gathering it into a single whole, presenting a panoramic picture. This tense was used here rather than the present, because the aorist reaches back into the past, and in its constative classification regards the Father as always having been pleased with the Son and as always being pleased with him. It is a delight that never had a beginning, and will never have an end.

Translation: And a voice came out from within heaven, As for you, you are my Son, the beloved One; in you I am well pleased.

“I Am the Light of the World”

https://youtu.be/IftosyEv6qg

John 8:12-59

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to Him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come.

So He said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to Him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.” They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” As He was saying these things, many believed in Him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

They answered Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 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. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 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. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am

The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known Him. I know Him. If I were to say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and I keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

Kingdom of our God, and of His Christ.

The Unstoppable Life

“And Jesus went about all Galilee — preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” (Mat 4:23)

At the very moment when wicked Herod imprisoned faithful John, Jesus stepped forward and raised the torch of truth even higher. Herod should have left well enough alone!

Once Jesus settled in at Capernaum, establishing a base of operations, He then launched a campaign of conquest that will never be rivaled. For He did not seek lands or titles; His was not an egotistical desire for fame or wealth, or for power and honor. No; rather He came to conquer the heart of mankind; conquer and convert it back to its original passion — a full, free, and fantastic friendship with God Almighty!

Centuries earlier the prophet Isaiah had looked forward by faith and spoke concerning the Lord Jesus, who was yet to come, saying, “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end…from henceforth even forever.” (Isa 9:7).

This great prophecy emboldens our belief that good will most certainly triumph over evil, despite the many things which seem to suggest the exact opposite in these violent days. Tune into any news channel and see how inundated we are with unbridled passion, unimaginable decadence, and unbelievable cruelty. Nevertheless, when evil sits upon the throne and the streets of nations are filled with foolhardy acts of immorality and injustice — we take heart in knowing there is a Kingdom which is greater than these fleeting empires. It is the Kingdom of our God, and of His Christ.

And — for any heart that has received this King into its multiple compartments — a promise is made that of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end. Government is what Christ brings to our discarded souls, and Peace is what results when He reigns in our lives. Would you know this peace of which I speak? Then yield your heart to the government of Christ over your affections, appetites, ambitions, aspirations, and aggravations.

Yes, Old King Herod should have left John alone! For, as it stood, he was merely a voice in the desert preaching to those who came out to see him. But this Jesus fellow was now going all over the place — bringing the Gospel into the very heart of the Nation. Matthew tells us that Jesus “went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Kingdom of God, and healing all manner of diseases among the people” (Mat 4:23). And get this — what Christ did in those days, He is still doing in these days — in an ever increasing circle of conquest. Furthermore, He has never stopped, and He never will!

This, then, is our heritage, as well as our mission. We are not merely subjects in this Kingdom; we are royal ambassadors, empowered by our King with the credentials that give us the clout necessary to cast down devils and call out the redeemed of the Lord.

This King, to whom we have sworn allegiance, told us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mar 16:15). John was in the desert; Jesus went round about Galilee; and now we have been thrust forth into all the world — the unstoppable Life has now been unleashed, and the world will never be as it was before!

OUR FATHER

Our Father Who art in Heaven

“Oh, look and see for yourself just how great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God!” (1Jn 3:1, Pastor’s Paraphrase)

Years ago one of my first overseas preaching trips took me to England, and then across the Channel into Denmark. Our team was staying at a retreat center near the city of Zwolle, along with a few hundred locals who were attending the conference.

We were there for a full week, but I wasn’t scheduled to speak until Friday evening, which would be our final session. When the time came, I shared my testimony of being in the prison my father built. Many were noticeably moved as the Lord ministered that night.

The next morning as our team gathered at the bus to head for the airport, several people came to send us on our way with warm appreciation for our having come. One man in particular walked over to me and firmly took hold of my hand, holding it with both of his. He was an aged man, wrinkled and weathered with the years, his skin looking like soft leather. His eyes were as blue as the Dutch sky, and tearful.

“I must ask your forgiveness,” he said, looking me square in the eyes.

“Why?” I asked, genuinely perplexed.

“All this week I’ve watched you walk about the grounds, smiling and laughing without a care in the world. And I judged you in my heart. Who is this boy, I thought to myself, that he should come here to tell us how to live. I was sure that you had never known a day of sorrow in your life; born to a good family and raised in a loving home. But then last night I heard your story, and then realized how very wrong I had been.”

At this point my eyes were filled with tears; I wanted to let him know that I held nothing against him — but he wasn’t finished.

“Then it struck me,” he said, “God has been your Father, and that explains why you are so happy. And now, I want Him to be my Father, too.” Wow.

Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mat 5:16). I saw it happen on that unforgettable day in Denmark; and a thousand more days since then.

Let your light shine — and you will see it, too!

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

Psa 51:1-6.   To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba. HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin!

For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me.

Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment. [Rom 3:4]

Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful]. [Joh 3:6; Rom 5:12; Eph 2:3]

Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.

Psalms 51:1-6

The title has reference to a very sad story, that of David's fall. But, though he fell, he was not utterly cast down, for God graciously upheld him and raised him up. 1. The sin which, in this psalm, he laments, was the folly and wickedness he committed with his neighbour's wife, a sin not to be spoken of, nor thought of, without detestation. His debauching of Bathsheba was the inlet to all the other sins that followed; it was as the letting forth of water. This sin of David's is recorded for warning to all, that he who thinks he stands may take heed lest he fall. 2. The repentance which, in this psalm, he expresses, he was brought to by the ministry of Nathan, who was sent of God to convince him of his sin, after he had continued above nine months (for aught that appears) without any particular expressions of remorse and sorrow for it. But though God may suffer his people to fall into sin, and to lie a great while in it, yet he will, by some means or other, recover them to repentance, bring them to himself and to their right mind again. Herein, generally, he uses the ministry of the word, which yet he is not tied to. But those that have been overtaken in any fault ought to reckon a faithful reproof the greatest kindness that can be don them and a wise reprover their best friend. Let the righteous smite me, and it shall be excellent oil. 3. David, being convinced of his sin, poured out his soul to God in prayer for mercy and grace. Whither should backsliding children return, but to the Lord their God, from whom they have backslidden, and who alone can heal their backslidings? 4. He drew up, by divine inspiration, the workings of his heart towards God, upon this occasion, into a psalm, that it might be often repeated, and long after reviewed; and this he committed to the chief musician, to be sung in the public service of the church. (1.) As a profession of his own repentance, which he would have to be generally taken notice of, his sin having been notorious, that the plaster might be as wide as the wound. Those that truly repent of their sins will not be ashamed to own their repentance; but, having lost the honour of innocents, they will rather covet the honour of penitents. (2.) As a pattern to others, both to bring them to repentance by his example and to instruct them in their repentance what to do an what to say. Being converted himself, he thus strengthens his brethren (Luk 22:32), and for this cause he obtained mercy, 1Ti 1:16.

In these words we have,

I. David's humble petition, Psa 51:1, Psa 51:2. His prayer is much the same with that which our Saviour puts into the mouth of his penitent publican in the parable: God be merciful to me a sinner! Luk 18:13. David was, upon many accounts, a man of great merit; he had not only done much, but suffered much, in the cause of God; and yet, when he is convinced of sin, he does not offer to balance his evil deeds with his good deeds, nor can he think that his services will atone for his offences; but he flies to God's infinite mercy, and depends upon that only for pardon and peace: Have mercy upon me, O God! He owns himself obnoxious to God's justice, and therefore casts himself upon his mercy; and it is certain that the best man in the world will be undone if God be not merciful to him. Observe,

1. What his plea is for this mercy: “have mercy upon me, O God! not according to the dignity of my birth, as descended from the prince of the tribe of Judah, not according to my public services as Israel's champion, or my public honours as Israel's king;” his plea is not, Lord, remember David and all his afflictions, how he vowed to build a place for the ark (Psa 132:1, Psa 132:2); a true penitent will make no mention of any such thing; but “Have mercy upon me for mercy's sake. I have nothing to plead with thee but,” (1.) “The freeness of thy mercy, according to thy lovingkindness, thy clemency, the goodness of thy nature, which inclines thee to pity the miserable.” (2.) “The fulness of thy mercy. There are in thee not only lovingkindness and tender mercies, but abundance of them, a multitude of tender mercies for the forgiveness of many sinners, of many sins, to multiply pardons as we multiply transgressions.”

2. What is the particular mercy that he begs - the pardon of sin. Blot out my transgressions, as a debt is blotted or crossed out of the book, when either the debtor has paid it or the creditor has remitted it. “Wipe out my transgressions, that they may not appear to demand judgment against me, nor stare me in the face to my confusion and terror.” The blood of Christ, sprinkled upon the conscience, to purify and pacify that, blots out the transgression, and, having reconciled us to God, reconciles up to ourselves, Psa 51:2. “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity; wash my soul from the guilt and stain of my sin by thy mercy and grace, for it is only from a ceremonial pollution that the water of separation will avail to cleanse me. Multiple to wash me; the stain is deep, for I have lain long soaking in the guilt, so that it will not easily be got out. O wash me much, wash me thoroughly. Cleanse me from my sin.” Sin defiles us, renders us odious in the sight of the holy God, and uneasy to ourselves; it unfits us for communion with God in grace or glory. When God pardons sin he cleanses us from it, so that we become acceptable to him, easy to ourselves, and have liberty of access to him. Nathan had assured David, upon his first profession of repentance, that his win was pardoned. The Lord has taken away thy sin; thou shalt not die, 2Sa 12:13. Yet he prays, Wash me, cleanse, blot out my transgressions; for God will be sought unto even for that which he has promised; and those whose sins are pardoned must pray that the pardon may be more and more cleared up to them. God had forgiven him, but he could not forgive himself; and therefore he is thus importunate for pardon, as one that thought himself unworthy of it and knew how to value it.

II. David's penitential confessions, Psa 51:3-5.

1. He was very free to own his guilt before God: I acknowledge my transgressions; this he had formerly found the only way of easing his conscience, Psa 32:4, Psa 32:5. Nathan said, Thou art the man. I am, says David; I have sinned.

2. He had such a deep sense of it that the was continually thinking of it with sorrow and shame. His contrition for his sin was not a slight sudden passion, but an abiding grief: “My sin is ever before me, to humble me and mortify me, and make me continually blush and tremble. It is ever against me” (so some); “I see it before me as an enemy, accusing and threatening me.” David was, upon all occasions, put in mid of his sin, and was willing to be so, for his further abasement. He never walked on the roof of his house without a penitent reflection on his unhappy walk there when thence he saw Bathsheba; he never lay down to sleep without a sorrowful thought of the bed of his uncleanness, never sat down to meat, never sent his servant on an errand, or took his pen in hand, but it put him in mind of his making Uriah drunk, the treacherous message he sent by him, and the fatal warrant he wrote and signed for his execution. Note, The acts of repentance, even for the same sin, must be often repeated. It will be of good use for us to have our sins ever before us, that by the remembrance of our past sins we may be kept humble, may be armed against temptation, quickened to duty, and made patient under the cross.

(1.) He confesses his actual transgressions (Psa 51:4): Against thee, thee only, have I sinned. David was a very great man, and yet, having done amiss, submits to the discipline of a penitent, and thinks not his royal dignity will excuse him from it. Rich and poor must here meet together; there is one law of repentance for both; the greatest must be judged shortly, and therefore must judge themselves now. David was a very good man, and yet, having sinned, he willingly accommodates himself to the place and posture of a penitent. The best men, if they sin, should give the best example of repentance. [1.] His confession is particular; “I have done this evil, this that I am now reproved for, this that my own conscience now upbraids me with.” Note, It is good to be particular in the confession of sin, that we may be the more express in praying for pardon, and so may have the more comfort in it. We ought to reflect upon the particular heads of our sins of infirmity and the particular circumstances of our gross sins. [2.] He aggravates the sin which he confesses and lays a load upon himself for it: Against thee, and in thy sight. Hence our Saviour seems to borrow the confession which he puts into the mouth of the returning prodigal: I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, Luk 15:18. Two things David laments in his sin: - First, That it was committed against God. To him the affront is given, and he is the party wronged. It is his truth that by wilful sin we deny, his conduct that we despise, his command that we disobey, his promise that we distrust, his name that we dishonour, and it is with him that we deal deceitfully and disingenuously. From this topic Joseph fetched the great argument against sin (Gen 39:9), and David here the great aggravation of it: Against thee only. Some make this to intimate the prerogative of his crown, that, as a king, he was not accountable to any but God; but it is more agreeable to his present temper to suppose that it expresses the deep contrition of his soul for his sin, and that it was upon right grounds. He here sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, against his own soul, and body, and family, against his kingdom, and against the church of God, and all this helped to humble him; but none of these were sinned against so as God was, and therefore this he lays the most sorrowful accent upon: Against thee only have I sinned. Secondly, That it was committed in God's sight. “This not only proves it upon me, but renders it exceedingly sinful.” This should greatly humble us for all our sins, that they have been committed under the eye of God, which argues either a disbelief of his omniscience or a contempt of his justice. [3.] He justifies God in the sentence passed upon him - that the sword should never depart from his house, 2Sa 12:10, 2Sa 12:11. He is very forward to own his sin, and aggravate it, not only that he might obtain the pardon of it himself, but that by his confession he might give honour to God. First, That God might be justified in the threatenings he had spoken by Nathan. “Lord, I have nothing to say against the justice of them; I deserve what is threatened, and a thousand times worse.” Thus Eli acquiesced in the like threatenings (1Sa 3:18), It is the Lord. And Hezekiah (2Ki 20:19), Good is the word of the Lord, which thou hast spoken. Secondly, That God might be clear when he judged, that is, when he executed those threatenings. David published his confession of sin that when hereafter he should come into trouble none might say God had done him any wrong; for he owns the Lord is righteous: thus will all true penitents justify God by condemning themselves. Thou art just in all that is brought upon us.

(2.) He confesses his original corruption (Psa 51:5): Behold, I was shapen in iniquity. He does not call upon God to behold it, but upon himself. “Come, my soul, look unto the rock out of which I was hewn, and thou wilt find I was shapen in iniquity. Had I duly considered this before, I find I should not have made so bold with the temptation, nor have ventured among the sparks with such tinder in my heart; and so the sin might have been prevented. Let me consider it now, not to excuse or extenuate the sin - Lord, I did so; but indeed I could not help it, my inclination led me to it” (for as that plea is false, with due care and watchfulness, and improvement of the grace of God, he might have helped it, so it is what a true penitent never offers to put in), “but let me consider it rather as an aggravation of the sin: Lord, I have not only been guilty of adultery and murder, but I have an adulterous murderous nature; therefore I abhor myself.” David elsewhere speaks of the admirable structure of his body (Psa 139:14, Psa 139:15); it was curiously wrought; and yet here he says it was shapen in iniquity, sin was twisted in with it; not as it came out of God's hands, but as it comes through our parents' loins. He elsewhere speaks of the piety of his mother, that she was God's handmaid, and he pleads his relation to her (Psa 116:16, Psa 86:16), and yet here he says she conceived him in sin; for though she was, by grace, a child of God, she was, by nature, a daughter of Eve, and not excepted from the common character. Note, It is to be sadly lamented by every one of us that we brought into the world with us a corrupt nature, wretchedly degenerated from its primitive purity and rectitude; we have from our birth the snares of sin in our bodies, the seeds of sin in our souls, and a stain of sin upon both. This is what we call original sin, because it is as ancient as our original, and because it is the original of all our actual transgressions. This is that foolishness which is bound in the heart of a child, that proneness of evil and backwardness to good which is the burden of the regenerate and the ruin of the unregenerate; it is a bent to backslide from God.

III. David's acknowledgment of the grace of God (Psa 51:6), both his good-will towards us (“thou desirest truth in the inward parts, thou wouldst have us all honest and sincere, and true to our profession”) and his good work in us - “In the hidden part thou hast made,” or shalt make, “me to know wisdom.” 

Note, 1. Truth and wisdom will go very far towards making a man a good man. A clear head and a sound heart (prudence and sincerity) bespeak the man of God perfect. 2. What God requires of us he himself works in us, and he works it in the regular way, enlightening the mind, and so gaining the will. But how does this come in here? (1.) God is hereby justified and cleared: “Lord, thou was not the author of my sin; there is no blame to be laid upon thee; but I alone must bear it; for thou has many a time admonished me to be sincere, and hast made me to know that which, if I had duly considered it, would have prevented my falling into this sin; had I improved the grace thou hast given me, I should have kept my integrity.” (2.) The sin is hereby aggravated: “Lord, thou desirest truth; but where was it when I dissembled with Uriah? Thou hast made me to know wisdom; but I have not lived up to what I have known.” (3.) He is hereby encouraged, in his repentance, to hope that God would graciously accept him; for, [1.] God had made him sincere in his resolutions never to return to folly again: Thou desirest truth in the inward part; this is that which God has an eye to in a returning sinner, that in his spirit there be no guile, Psa 32:2. David was conscious to himself of the uprightness of his heart towards God in his repentance, and therefore doubted not but God would accept him. [2.] He hoped that God would enable him to make good his resolutions, that in the hidden part, in the new man, which is called the hidden man of the heart (1Pe 3:4), he would make him to know wisdom, so as to discern and avoid the designs of the tempter another time. Some read it as a prayer: “Lord, in this instance, I have done foolishly; for the future make me to know wisdom.” Where there is truth God will give wisdom; those that sincerely endeavour to do their duty shall be taught their duty.