John 14:7-12
The Passion Translation
7 And from now on you will realize that
you have seen him and experienced him.” 8 Philip spoke up, “Lord, show us
the Father, and that will be all that we need!” 9 Jesus replied, “Philip,
I’ve been with you all this time and you still don’t know who I am? How
could you ask me to show you the Father, for anyone who has looked at me has
seen the Father. 10 Don’t you believe that the Father is living in me and
that I am living in the Father? Even my words are not my own but come from
my Father, for he lives in me and performs his miracles of power through me.
11 Believe that I live as one with my Father and that my Father lives as one
with me—or at least, believe because of the mighty miracles I have done.
How long have you known Jesus? How well do you know him? How well do you
know the Father? The disciples had known and followed Jesus for 3 years.
They were constantly together, traveling all over the middle east. How could
you not know him? Obviously...the disciples didn't get it. To see Jesus is
to see the Father. Every thing Jesus said or did was what the Father told
him to do. They are of the same mind in everything.
John 8:26-29
New King James Version
26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me
is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.” 27
They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 28 Then Jesus
said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am
He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak
these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me
alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me,
because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My
Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” 39 They answered
and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were
Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
He was implying here that they were not true children of Abraham if they did
not believe the words he spoke. Jesus always spoke the words of the Father.
Sadly many Christians say they love Jesus, and know what he did for them.
But really have no concept of who the Father is. He's not some shadowy
figure in the background with a bunch of rules and a harsh penalties if you
don't obey them.
He is a loving Father. He loves us so much that he sent His son to die for
us, and yet people accuse him of horrible things. That he wants us sick and
poor and always struggling to "Make it through this life". Why would he go
to all the trouble and sorrow of sending Jesus to take our place if we
didn't reap everything he died for. How many of you remember the saying that
went around years ago and you still hear it once and a while..."God is
Good...all the time...and all the time...God is Good. Was it just words that
we mimicked because it was the "In" saying...or do we understand how good he
really is. And do we understand all that implies? He is a Good God! And that
is what I want to convey to you in this lesson.
James 1 NKJ
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with
whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He
brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first
fruits of His creatures.
Message Bible
16-18 So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable
and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light
cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God,
nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true
Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.
John 14
12 “I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith,
believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do even greater
miracles than these because I go to be with my Father! 13 For I will do
whatever you ask me to do when you ask me in my name. And that is how the
Son will show what the Father is really like and bring glory to him. 14 Ask
me anything in my name, and I will do it for you!”
Did Jesus always tell the truth? Of course he did. So we need to take him at
his word and believe that when we ask in Faith...it will be done. Because
everything we will ever need is already provided in Heaven and belongs to
us. If it doesn't come to pass...it is not God that is keeping it from us.
1 John 1:5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
James 2:Loving God Under Trials
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved,
he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who
love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for
God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each
one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15
Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from
the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might
be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man
observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes
away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks
into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful
hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Acts 10:38 “Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and
with great power. He did wonderful things for others and divinely healed all
who were under the tyranny of the devil, for God had anointed him.
Doing good...has an anointing! Why? Because God is in it! When I choose to
do good, God is right there with me anointing me to be a testimony to
others, that God the Father and the Holy Spirit are with me, as they were
with Jesus. And were with the disciples and with anyone that is born again
and Spirit filled and that is open to the Spirit working in their lives.
Indwelling of the Father and the Son
John 14:19 Soon I will leave this world and they will see me no longer, but
you will see me, because I will live again, and you will come alive too. 20
So when that day comes, you will know that I am living in the Father and
that you are one with me, for I will be living in you. 21 Those who truly
love me are those who obey my commands. Whoever passionately loves me will
be passionately loved by my Father. And I will passionately love him in
return and will reveal myself to him.”
Believe in Jesus, and he will live in you and along with him, God the Father
and the Holy Spirit. Everywhere you go...there is four of you walking along.
You are never alone.
Who is the Father and what is His plan for us?
The Passion Translation
Ephesians 1:2-14
May God himself, the heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, release grace
over you and impart total well-being into your lives.
Our Sonship and the Father’s Plan
3 Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished
upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our
Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we
celebrate him with all our hearts! 4 And in love he chose us before he laid
the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained us,
so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.
5–6 For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful
children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his
tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace for the same
love he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan
brings him great pleasure! 7 Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been
given the treasures of redemption by his blood—the total cancellation of our
sins—all because of the cascading riches of his grace. 8 This superabundant
grace is already powerfully working in us, releasing all forms of wisdom and
practical understanding. 9 And through the revelation of the Anointed One,
he unveiled his secret desires to us—the hidden mystery of his long-range
plan, which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time.
10 And because of God’s unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign
supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages
finally reaches its climax—when God makes all things new in all of heaven
and earth through Jesus Christ. 11 Through our union with Christ we too have
been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he
gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always
accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart. 12 God’s purpose was that
we Jews, who were the first to long for the messianic hope, would be the
first to believe in the Anointed One and bring great praise and glory to
God! 13 And because of him, when you who are not Jews heard the revelation
of truth, you believed in the wonderful news of salvation. Now we have been
stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. 14 He is given to us like
an engagement ring, as the first installment of what’s coming! He is our
hope-promise of a future inheritance which seals us until we have all of
redemption’s promises and experience complete freedom—all for the supreme
glory and honor of God!
This is what the gospel is. You can sum it up with this passage of
scripture. And then he prays for them to have the wisdom to understand it
all. God doesn't just lay out the plan of redemption and expect us to
understand what he is saying...He has the Holy Spirit explain it to us.
Paul Prays for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
15 Because of this, since I first heard about your strong faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ and your tender love toward all his devoted ones, 16 my heart
is always full and overflowing with thanks to God for you as I constantly
remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the Father of glory, the God of
our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of
wisdom and the Spirit of revelation to know him through your deepening
intimacy with him.
Only through wisdom and revelation by the Holy Spirit, is God made known to
you. You can't truly know God without the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 4:5-8
NKJV
5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words
of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and
she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will
promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
Ephesians 1:18-23
NKJV
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what
is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His
power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20
which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at
His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and
power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His
feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His
body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
God Is Light
1 John 1:5-7 TPT
5 This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it’s still ringing
in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will
never find even a trace of darkness in him. 6 If we claim that we share life
with him, but keep walking in the realm of darkness, we’re fooling ourselves
and not living the truth. 7 But if we keep living in the pure light that
surrounds him, we share unbroken fellowship with one another, and the blood
of Jesus, his Son, continually cleanses us from all sin.
God is incapable of having darkness in him. The moment darkness comes in
contact with Him...the light dispells it.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light,
and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
To say that God has anything to do with evil...which includes anything that
the Devil would try to put on us...like sickness...is against everything
that God is!
We need to recognize the works of Satan and take authourity over them in
Jesus name!! Like he told us too.
1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the
faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood
in the world.
TPT
8 Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy,
"The implication in the context is that if you do not bring your worries and
cares to God, the devil will use depression and discouragement to devour
you. Just as lions go after the feeble, the young, and the stragglers, so
the enemy of our souls will always seek out those who are isolated, alone,
or depressed to devour them."
9 Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong,
vigorous faith. For you know that your believing brothers and sisters around
the world are experiencing the same kinds of troubles you endure.
10 And then, after your brief suffering,
"When we are in the midst of suffering, we are convinced it will never end."
The God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal
glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you
stronger than ever. Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up.
Ephesians 2:5-7
5 Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the
very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace! 6 He raised us up
with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious
perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as
one with Christ! 7 Throughout the coming ages we will be the visible display
of the infinite riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us
in Jesus Christ.
We are seated with Christ...in Heavenly places. We need to start acting like
it!
Everything that God did for Jesus, he has done for us. In His eyes, you are
already sitting with Jesus in Heaven, because we are His body, because we
accepted him. Ask God to give you a revelation of that.
Here are some scriptures about the Goodness of God.
Lamentations 3
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions
fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The
Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is
good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good
that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Psalm 31:19 TPT
Lord, how wonderful you are! You have stored up so many good things for us,
like a treasure chest heaped up and spilling over with blessings all for
those who honor and worship you! Everybody knows what you can do for those
who turn and hide themselves in you.
Psalm 107:7-9
7 He led us out by the right way until we reached a suitable city to dwell
in. 8 So lift your hands and thank God for his marvelous kindness and for
all his miracles of mercy for those he loves. 9 How he satisfies the souls
of thirsty ones and fills the hungry with goodness!
Read Psalm 138 The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful
So why is it so important to understand how good God is? So we can be a
witness of it to the world. Over the centuries God has been pictured as the
bad guy...and sadly by Christians themselves. They don't call him bad, but
they blame all the bad that happens on him, so it's the same thing. That he
wants us to be sick and run down etc.
Famous phrase people use
"God allowed this to happen for a reason". God only allows what we allow by
the words of our mouth and the actions we take...or don't take. How do we
change that...we need knowledge of the Word of God to know what it
says...and then act on it.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that
both you and your descendants may live;
It is time for the church to start to proclaim the goodness of God and
preach the truth of the gospel so that the world will see His goodness
through us. No one wants a sickly, woe is me Christianity. They have enough
of that in the "Real World" They are looking for something
different...something real. They need love and life and all that God has and
is. Especially in times like we are going through right now. People need
hope! They need answers. The world is offering darkness, anger, sorrow and
death. We need to be a light in that darkness.
Romans 2:3-4 TPT
3 And no matter who you think you are, when you judge others who do these
things and then do the same things yourself, what makes you think that you
will escape God’s judgment? 4 Do the riches of his extraordinary kindness
make you take him for granted and despise him? Haven’t you experienced how
kind and understanding he has been to you? Don’t mistake his tolerance for
acceptance. Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness
is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?
When I found this scripture, God showed me that this was the whole point of
what he was trying to teach me with this lesson. His goodness is to lead us
to repentance, and make us change our hearts towards Him and towards life.
If we have an attitude like God, we will affect everyone and everything that
we touch.
Thinking that God wants to teach us something through suffering, sickness or
any other evil is WRONG! Would you want to be accused that you allowed
something evil to come into your child's life? I know I wouldn't and God
doesn't either.
We don't really know the Father if we think he is capable of anything but
LOVE.
Over the last few years I have seen all kinds of things posted and talked
about that brings despair and fear. And Christians jumping right in there
with it and adding to the darkness. We need to stop this. We need to be
sharing hope and the goodness of God, in spite of all of what is going on
around us. So how do we show the goodness of God? By being like Jesus.
Acts 4:13
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they
were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that
they had been with Jesus.
I want people to know...that I have been with Jesus, don't you? So how do we
do that? By walking in the Fruits of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
22–23 But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in
all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience
that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that
prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law
above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
These are all the attributes of God...and we are to be just like Him!
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in
love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Ephesians 2:4-5
4 But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion
and mercy. 5 Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united
us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace!
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
11 With this in mind, we constantly pray that our God will empower you to
live worthy of all that he has invited you to experience. And we pray that
by his power all the pleasures of goodness and all works inspired by faith
would fill you completely. 12 By doing this the name of our Lord Jesus will
be glorified in you, and you will be glorified in him, by the marvellous
grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to be counted worthy of this calling. I want to show God's goodness
to others, and lead them out of darkness into the Light! We can't do this if
we believe the lies of the devil...that God is the author of every thing
that happens in your life including the bad things. They need to see that
living for God brings joy and all the other gifts of the Spirit into our
lives. That we are different then them because of it! That we have the God
Given authority to take control of what happens to us. By letting God's
power that was given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus and
through the help of the Holy Spirit flow through us to them!
Psalm 145: 1-3
My heart explodes with praise to you! Now and forever my heart bows in
worship to you, my King and my God! 2 Every day I will lift up my praise to
your name with praises that will last throughout eternity. 3 Lord, you are
great and worthy of the highest praise! For there is no end to the discovery
of the greatness that surrounds you.
Every day I want to thank God for his goodness to me. For a while before I
wrote this lesson I would hear the song "The Goodness of God" in my spirit
every day when I woke up. That is what inspired me to write this lesson. I
can't listen to it without weeping. I want it so deep in my spirit that it
is the first thing I do when I get up is praise Him and thank Him and the
last thing before I go to bed.
Become aware of God's goodness in your life, meditate on it, be blessed by
it, Get the anointing from it and then share it with others. It is the only
way this world will be won!
YHWH
This is so amazing and wonderful!
There was a moment when Moses asked God what his name is. God was gracious
enough to answer, and the name he gave is recorded in the original Hebrew as
YHWH. Over time we’ve arbitrarily added an “a” and an “e” in there to get
YaHWeH, presumably because we have a preference for vowels. But scholars and
Rabbi’s have noted that the letters YHWH represent breathing sounds, or
aspirated consonants. When pronounced without intervening vowels, it
actually sounds like breathing.
YH (inhale): WH (exhale).
So a baby’s first cry, his first breath, speaks the name of God. A deep sigh
calls His name – or a groan or gasp that is too heavy for mere words. Even
an atheist would speak His name, unaware that their very breathe is giving
constant acknowledgment to God.
Likewise, a person leaves this earth with their last breath, when God’s name
is no longer filing their lungs.
So when I can’t utter anything else, is my cry calling out His name? Being
alive means I speak His name constantly.
So, is it heard the loudest when I’m the quietest? In sadness, we breathe
heavy sighs. In joy, our lungs feel almost like they will burst.
In fear we hold our breath and have to be told to breathe slowly to help us
calm down. When we’re about to do something hard, we take a deep breath to
find our courage. When I think about it, breathing is giving him praise.
Even in the hardest moments!
This is so beautiful and fills me with emotion every time I grasp the
thought. God chose to give himself a name that we can’t help but speak every
moment we’re alive. All of us, always, everywhere...Waking, sleeping,
breathing, with the name of God on our lips.
written by - Sandra Thurman Caporale.
These are the lyrics to the song that inspired this
message.
Link to mp3 of "Goodness of God"
Sung by Jenn Johnson
The words touch my heart every time I listen to it
because I become overwhelmed by how good God is!
Goodness of God
By Jenn Johnson
I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In the darkest night
You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God
And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
'Cause Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
With my life laid down
I'm surrendered now
I give You everything
'Cause Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
'Cause Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
With my life laid down
I'm surrendered now
I give You everything
'Cause Your goodness is running after
It keeps running after me
And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God
'Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God
