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  • Today’s TFM

    Pastor John,

    In today’s TFM (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tfm06-18) you write,

    Jesus told Peter (…) that he could cry out to his Father and “more than twelve legions of angels” would come to rescue him.  So, Jesus endured the cross not to save himself; he could have returned home at any time. 

    If Jesus had saved himself from suffering and death wouldn’t that have meant that he had disobeyed the Father?  And had Jesus disobeyed God wouldn’t that have meant not being able to return to heaven?  Or would it simply mean that heaven would be a different place now (with Satan and his angels still there) than what it is today, and we wouldn’t have hope of salvation?  It is not a pleasant thought, but I have had this question in my mind a number of times before, I just never thought to ask it.

    Zoli

    ==========

    Hi Zoli.

    In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed not to have to go through the torture he was facing, that is, being brutally whipped and abused by the Roman soldiers and being crucified, which was a horrific way to die.  It is obvious that the Father gave Jesus the choice of not going through that torture for us, even though the Bible does not say so, because Jesus said to his disciples later that he could ask his Father, and He would send many legions of angels to save him.  In that case, Jesus would not have been disobeying his Father if he had chosen not to go to the cross; he would only have been making the choice not to suffer – a choice offered to him by the Father.

    The results of that choice would have been unimaginable, as you suggested, but there would have been no disobedience on the Son’s part if he had made it.

    Pastor John

     

  • Romans 10 sermon

    Hey Pastor John,

    I just finished watching you preach Romans 10.*  It was so good to my soul!  It just wipes the heart clean!  You were talking about getting rid of our opinions.  It was so good I had to type some of it out:

    He loves you so much he wants to get rid of you!  And boy, you’ll love yourself so much better when you’re gotten rid of!

    You’ll like that new man He creates.  You’ll feel better when He’s doing something!

    “Let me take that outta your mind, let me take that outta your heart!  Go be free! Let it go, the truth will make you free!”

    You can’t judge anybody right until you get your opinion out of the way and go by the Holy Ghost. That’s what the Holy Ghost is saying: “Live!”

    When we’re delivered from our opinions, we are delivered from our divisions.  Wherever there is a division, there’s an opinion.  That’s the problem

    You’ve got to submit to the righteousness of God, submit your will, what you prefer.  Get away from the pointing of the finger.  Get away from throwing that yoke on someone else, trying to make them live the way you want them to live.  That makes you miserable, and it doesn’t change them at all.  That’s your will; get rid of it.  Leave them alone; let God do something with them.

    If you see someone doing wrong, let me tell you what the answer is; it’s you submitting to the righteousness of God.  That’s the answer. That’s their answer and your answer.  If you see anybody around you doing right, your job is to submit to the righteousness of God.  That’s the answer to everything, submitting to God’s kind of righteousness.

    You don’t need to wish you had something from heaven; if you’ve got the Holy Ghost you do have something from heaven!  That’s the way, the only way, and the complete way!  He has chosen, he has given, he has invited!  What more do you want Him to do?  It’s time to praise God!”

    This blessed me so much tonight I felt like my feet were leaving the ground!   I love the truth, to hear it, to feel it!   It cleans out and lifts up!  So, so good!

    Michelle 

    *  https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_translation.html?tname=romans#CH10

     

  • Jesus can be touched!

    Pastor John,

    Ben and I read this in Hebrews 4 last night and it touched me so deeply:

    1. For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched by our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way that we are, without sin.
    2. Let us, then, boldly draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

    It brings tears to think about our high priest, our dear Jesus, being touched by our weaknesses. I felt so much love in that. We have a wonderful Friend waiting for us to come to Him with our weaknesses. And when we do, it touches his heart. Whew. That touches my heart!

    LeeAnn

  • A Hidden Gem

    In Habakkuk 1:12, we find this gem concerning the hidden Son of God.  We will live because God has set Jesus on the throne!

    Pastor John

    1. Are you not from ancient time, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One?  We will not die, Jehovah, for you have set him on the seat of judgment, and you have ordained him, the Rock, to judge.

  • God saves sinners?

    Pastor John,

    I enjoyed Allison’s email and your response (below).  My thought was, for a sinner to be saved from the coming judgement, they first have to be saved from sinning!

    Paul was describing that deliverance from sin in 1Tim. 1:15–16 when he said, “of sinners, I was the worst … but I was shown mercy….”

    Redemption from being a sinner committing sin was the mercy Paul was rejoicing about.

    It is amazing how religion conducted in the name of Jesus, but without the spirit and power Jesus gives, redefines the “mercy” Paul spoke of to mean that God in this new covenant no longer sees, or just doesn’t care, that men live a sinful life. 

    By that, men are saying, as you have pointed out, that the sacrifice Jesus, which was made for sin, didn’t change fallen man who needed redemption; it changed God, who was already perfect!  That is absurd for so many reasons, but those are our thoughts and our reasoning as humans without Jesus.

    Jerry

    ==========

    Good evening, Brother John.

    Brad and I just read the 6-4 Thought for the Morning*  where you mention Article 4 of from the Baptist church your sister ended up in.  You speak emphatically about salvation not being “…wholly of grace.”  But what jumped out to me was the phrase “… salvation of sinners…” right before that.

    Is it right to think that salvation can come to sinners?  It feels wrong.  There’s a step missing.  A sinner’s sins have to be washed away through repentance and the baptism of Holy Spirit.  No sinner is going to be saved!

    ~Allison

    ==========

    Hi Allison

    You are right in that salvation is a process, and that in the end, if a person is still a sinner, he will not be saved.  However, it is also right to say that God saves sinners because that is what we all were when He called us to His Son.  That is why Paul could rightly say this to Timothy:

    1Timothy 1

    1. This saying is true, and worthy of all acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – among whom I am the worst,
    2. but I was shown mercy for this reason, that in me, as the worst of sinners, Jesus Christ might demonstrate utmost patience, as an example for those who afterward would believe in him for eternal life.

    I am glad you asked that question.  Such questions spring from a knowledge of the truth, not an ignorance of it.

    Pastor John

    * https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tfm06-04

  • The One Body

    Pastor John,

    The first section of the new Seven Pillars book (”One Body”)* is one of the greatest explanations of things I’ve heard you write.  It was as much a summary of the history and current condition of the body of Christ as it was an explanation of the body of Christ itself.  All in 10 pages.

    The fact that Paul referred to the Seven Pillars as “The Unifying Bond of Peace” (Ephesians 4:3) deserves to be shouted from the rooftops.  It should be a motto on t-shirts!  It is the healing salve for God’s broken children.

    Jerry

    * Seven Pillars 1-2.pages

  • The One Body

    Pastor John,

    The first section of the new Seven Pillars book (”One Body”) is one of the greatest explanations of things I’ve heard you write.  It was as much a summary of the history and current condition of the body of Christ as it was an explanation of the body of Christ itself.  All in 10 pages.

    The fact that Paul referred to the Seven Pillars as “The Unifying Bond of Peace” (Ephemera. 4:3) deserves to be shouted from the rooftops.  It should be a motto on t-shirts!  It is the healing salve for God’s broken children.

    Jerry

    * Seven Pillars 1-2.pages

  • Question: Daniel 12:3

    Uncle John,

    In Daniel 12:2, it says that in the resurrection, there will be two groups of people: those raised to everlasting life and those raised to everlasting abhorrence.  Does verse 3 then subdivide further those who are getting everlasting life by distinguishing those who have understanding and who turned many to righteousness by making them shine bright, or is it now talking about people who are still alive when Jesus comes back, that they will shine bright when they are caught up as opposed to those who aren’t living right at that time?

    Daniel 12:

    1. And multitudes who are asleep in the dust of the ground shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and to everlasting abhorrence.
    2. And those who have understanding will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

    Josiah P.

    ==========

    Good question, Josiah.

    Jesus made it clear that there will be degrees of reward for the righteous and degrees of punishment for the wicked.  In a parable in Luke 19:12–26, Jesus revealed that in the Judgment, some good servants of God would be rewarded with greater blessing than other good servants of God, according to how much good they had accomplished in this life.  And in Matthew 11:20–24, he said plainly that in the Judgment, the punishment of some of the wicked will be more tolerable than the punishment of other wicked people, based on the opportunities they were offered. but rejected, in this life.

    In Daniel, 12:3, I have never understood that verse to be a comparison of the righteous versus the wicked.  It seems to me to be a description of those who in this life have attained to an understanding in the things of God and who labor to win souls.  Many of God’s precious children will doubtless be saved in the end in spite of not having much understanding or being soul winners for Christ – if they have lived morally upright lives – but the reward of the wise who labor in the vineyard of God will certainly be greater than theirs.

    Still, for all who are saved in the end, eternal life and peace in a glorified body on the new earth God has promised will be more than sufficient reward to make us all happy forever!  There will be no envy or strife in that wonderful world.

    I am glad you gave some thought to what you were reading in Daniel and that you asked a question.  You have touched on an issue which should give us all food for thought.

    God bless you!

    Uncle John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1929533694189940803

  • Open and Shutting the Door

    Hey Pastor John,

    I was reading the random thought of the day today and it was talking about Jesus opening and shutting the door. (https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=rdt05-27) It also talks about Jesus shutting himself, not just the door.  I was praying and I asked Jesus, “Will you ever shut your heart towards me?”  His response was “Not if you don’t shut yours to me.”  That meant so much, and then I asked, “Would you ever reopen it?” and he answered, “If you reopen yours to me.”  This just meant so much to me.

    And then, the reassurance at the end was so sweet when it was saying if you have any curiosity or any feelings about God, he is open for you.  That also gave me hope for all the people who have done the wrong thing, but all it would take is for them to reopen their heart to Jesus.  I thought I would just write and tell you how much this meant 🙂

    Grace C.

    ========

    Thank you for this, Grace.  The mercy that God has for people reaches to the clouds, and He is so very eager to bless us all with it!  Let us always keep our hearts open to Jesus.  He loves us.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1929530402349162806

     

  • Solomon’s Church religion

    Good morning PJ, 

    I am up reading 1Kings 8 this morning. It struck my heart to read the words  Solomon prayed to God.

    Solomon prayed for Jehovah to hear prayers when Israel comes to the church he built for Him.  Solomon ask God that after God shut up the heavens and stops the rain because of sin, that He would forgive.  Solomon prayed for any prayer, any supplication by any man or by all His people, be heard when they come and spread out their hands towards that church Solomon built for God and even calls it their resting place from Jehovah.

    I don’t think I ever felt such a deep feeling of sadness that hearts are still trying to find God there.  Hearts are still going to churches in the hope that God will heal and forgive and send rest.  They are blindly searching for God, feeling their way in the darkness, and we were, too.  And it puts me on my face to thank Jesus this morning for coming and taking us by our hands and leading us to where our Father really is.  Where we can really have rest: in the Spirit.

    I know Jesus can come get them, too, and there is a deeper prayer in my heart now for Jesus to do that. 

    1Kings 8

       38. “…any prayer, any supplication by any man or by all your people Israel when they acknowledge, each man, the affliction of his heart, and he spreads out his hands toward this church,

       39. then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive, and  act, and give to man according to all his ways, for you know his heart (for you, you alone, know the heart of all the sons of Adam),

    . . . .

       56. “Blessed is Jehovah, who has given His people Israel a resting place, according to all that He said.  Not one word has fallen of all His good word which He spoke by the hand of His servant Moses.”

    Beth D.

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1927162953976979801

     

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