HEAR AND BELIEVE THE WORDS OF JESUS

John 12:44-50 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth 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 rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth 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 His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak.

Having just heard Jesus prove Himself to be the promised Messiah by the prophecies of Isaiah (See Vss. 37-41), many chief rulers of the Israelites believed on Him, but because they loved the praise of men, they could not confess their beliefs for fear of being put out of the synagogue (See Vss. 42-43). Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. The scriptural truth here is that Jesus did not want them to believe in Him as a fellow Jew, but to believe in His Heavenly Father that sent Him to earth and commissioned Him for His ministry. In other words we can understand, Jesus was saying, "Don't believe the message I teach as coming from My human wisdom, but believe it to be God's message spoken by His wisdom through Me."

And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. Those that saw the physical body of Jesus did not actually see the image of God. Rather, it is truer, not to see, but to comprehend Jesus as saying, "He that hears, understands, and believes what I say must believe it to be the same doctrinal message coming directly from God, Himself." One's faith does not end with belief in Jesus, but extends to, and ends, with God. He is the Heavenly Father that sent Jesus into the world as the promised Savior of mankind; all things that are good, just, and righteous come from Him. Even the light that Jesus says comes from Him, is indeed, a reflection of the true light that originates with God, our Creator. Jesus brought that light into the world. It was not the natural light of the sun and stars, but a comparison to it. Just as the sun is hidden from sight for approximately half of a day, it comes forth with each dawning, giving light to the world. So was the complete revelation of God hidden from mankind from the beginning of the world. And now, through His Son, Jesus, the world is enlightened with God's complete truths by which all people of the world have access to, and knowledge of, the hope of eternal salvation of one's soul. Once men and women of the world hear, believe, accept, and obey the teaching of our Lord and His Holy Spirit-inspired disciples, spiritual darkness will fade away and it will be replaced by the eternal light of our Savior, Christ Jesus.

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. Here we have another scripture that unlearned, ill-prepared teachers often misinterpret, and in doing so, often lead others astray. During His earthly ministry, many Jews heard the teaching of Jesus, and most did not believe and accept, either His teaching or His deity, as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. These, Jesus said in this lesson text, He would not judge during His sojourn on earth. His assigned mission, during His human life span on earth, was to reveal God's plan of eternal salvation to the Jewish nation and endow His disciples with the gift of the Holy Spirit of God, in order to continue that teaching throughout the known world. This is the message found in Matthew 18:11, Luke 9:56, 19:10, and John 3:17. Beginning on the Day of Pentecost, eternal salvation for mankind was completely unfolded, first in Jerusalem, and afterwards, to both Jew and Gentile throughout the world. This gospel message was then, is now, and will be forever, the doctrine of God by which all men and women of the world will be finally judged. Revelations 20:12 assures us of this fact: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. The One that judgeth him, that is, all mankind, is God. And as we all stand before God on the Day of Judgment, the New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ will be used as the just measure of obedience (or disobedience) for all men and women of the earth. From that righteous judgment, each will gain everlasting life in heaven, or everlasting punishment in hell. The teaching of Jesus, while on earth, did not originate within His earthly, human wisdom. Rather, the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. Regardless how earthly preachers credit God with direct inspiration for their teaching, only Jesus Christ, His Son, can attest to that fact. This verse, as well as the one following, gives us that assurance.

And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak. No further "so-called revelation" to any man or woman can be true. It has been given once for eternity, and all that are athirst, both Jew and Gentile, are invited to take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Rev. 22:17-19).

How important are the words of God that were spoken to us through His Son, Christ Jesus? They are so important that we must study them, believe them, obey them, and live our lives on earth with them as our guide, because in the last day, they will judge each of us!