While Ye Have Light, Believe In The Light, That Ye May Be The Children Of Light - Part 1793

"Ye both know Me, and ye know whence I AM; and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He hath sent Me." (John 7:28-29)

Jesus spoke these words to the same people who were accusing Jesus of having a devil within "who goeth about to kill Thee?" The same people who wanted Jesus dead. But as we now know from the Word, their desire to destroy Jesus could not happen because of the promise declared in the Garden. Therein, the Lord God said unto the serpent, "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." (Genesis 3:14)

Why? Because as the Lord God confirmed then, there would come a time when He will/has put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; "it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15; John 8:44; Luke 1:31, 35; Galatians 4:4; Romans 16:20) And as we know from the prophecies given in the Old Testament, and then confirmed/established in the new, the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that spoken Word in the Garden -- that "shall bruise satan under his feet shortly." (Romans 16:20)

How do we know? Because from the very beginning, even before the foundation of the world was formed, the battle was already won. The King of kings and Lord of lords already established, because He is the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. He knows the end from the start. And in this current dispensation of grace (the time in which we live) His Name -- JESUS!

"Lo, behold, the volume of the book is written of Me!" Therefore, the only one who did not recognize Jesus for who He truly was -- as God manifest in the flesh as a Son for all the world to behold His glory -- was the devil. (I Timothy 3:16)

And this ignorance about who Jesus was did not change. Even in the wilderness, when the devil tempted Jesus, he would begin by saying, "If Thou be the Son of God ..." (Matthew 3:3-4) And he said this even though Jesus cited scripture that stated the devil should not tempt the Lord thy God. Indeed, just before the devil left and angels came and ministered unto Jesus, He said, "Get thee hence satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Matthew 3:10; Deuteronomy 6:4, 13; Deuteronomy 10:20)

Yes, God became our Saviour, fulfilling the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. (Romans 16:25) And because of His love for His beloved creation -- those who choose to believe in Him by faith -- we who look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us -- can be redeemed from all iniquity, and purified unto Himself as a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:13-14)

In prophecy:

"Therefore, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His Name Immanuel ..." (Isaiah 7:14)

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

And later fulfilled, as promised by the prophets from afore:

"And she shall call His Name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins ... Emmanuel, being interpreted, God with us." (Matthew 1:21-23)

Put this way in Romans, "Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world Bega, but now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith, to God only wise, [be] glory through Jesus Christ for ever, amen." (Romans 16:25-27; Ephesians 3:20; Romans 2:16; Ephesians 1:9; Colossians 2:2, 9; Colossians 4:3)

The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now has been made manifest to His saints -- to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27)

The greatest love story ever told to mankind! But if satan had known beforehand, he would not have crucified the Lord of glory. "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (I Corinthians 2:8)

As Peter, standing with the eleven said on the day of Pentecost, "This same Jesus whom ye have crucified is both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36-38)

The battle won when our Lord God shed His own holy blood on that cross for you and I. (Acts 20:28) And now we are dead for our life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3) "Rooted and built up in Him, stablished in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:7; Ephesians 2:21)

It is for this reason, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, that we walk in Him. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending. His Name in this current dispensation of grace is JESUS. (Matthew 1:21-23)

No other Name wherein we must be saved. (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9)

This is why Jesus could say to those who loved the praise of men more than the praise of God -- "he that believes on Me, believes not on Me, but on Him that sent Me, and he that sees Me sees Him that sent Me. I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believes on Me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear My words and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world ... he that rejects Me, and receives not My words, hath One that judges him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, he gave Me a commandment what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that this commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak." (John 12:44-50)

This day, we have the privilege of having sufficient scripture to understand in whom we serve, and similarly, from whence comes our salvation. We can study His Word and comprehend what it means when Jesus tells us to "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19; Luke 5:10) Most of all, we can come to know that Jesus is the only Light in our world, worthy of pursuit. Because He is the dayspring from on high that willingly chose to visit His people. The same God who made us in the beginning robed Himself in sin-prone flesh (yet without sin) so that we could wholly abide in Him, when we in our hearts ask Jesus to be both Lord and Christ, and are water baptized in His Name -- the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ! (Acts 2:36-38)

It is for this reason that we (as believers in Jesus by faith) don't sit in darkness any longer. And we let the scales of blindness (which comes from having focused on this world and its earthly endeavours) be taken from your eyes. And that, in our hearts, we desire that the God of hope fills us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13)

"Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer ..." (Romans 12:12)

Forever knowing that the night is far spent already and the day at hand whereby we can put on the armour of Light -- that is, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 13:12-14; Ephesians 5:11; Ephesians 6:11-13; Philippians 4:8; I Corinthians 6:9; James 3:14; Galatians 3:27; Galatians 5:16)

For He is the Light, and when we believe in the Light [JESUS] we become the children of Light. The city on the hill, that points always to the Giver of Life!

As Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes unto the Father but by Me." (John 14:6-12)

And even though the devil -- the thief and robber who wants to steal our soul from eternal presence with our Lord God who created us in the beginning -- does not want the world at large to hear the message of the cross, and how after His kindness toward us, God became our Saviour, it does not matter anymore because he was already kicked when Jesus shed His precious holy blood on a wooden cross for you and I. Thus, He -- our Lord God and Saviour Jesus the Christ -- remains victorious.

And He is the one and only door to heaven.

"By Me," Jesus said, "if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9)

Therefore, "now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for He is our peace, who hath made both one, and broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to them that were nigh. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (Ephesians 2:13-18; John 10:9)

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." (I Corinthians 12:13)

Ask Jesus into your heart today. Repent and be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and allow Him -- the Good Shepherd to guide your steps.

Stand in the offering plate.