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ስብከቶች፤

Subject 16 : The Gospel According to JOHN

[Chapter 8-4] The Words Spoken by Jesus Are All True (John 8:13-19)

The Words Spoken by Jesus Are All True
(John 8:13-19)
“The Pharisees therefore said to Him, ‘You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Where is Your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.’”
 
 

The Word Witnessed by Jesus Is a True One

 
Continuing the sermon from the morning worship service, I would like to share with you the passages in John 8:13-19.
Jesus said to the woman caught in the very act of adultery, “Neither do I condemn you.” Regarding Jesus having made a judgment like that, the Pharisees did not think well of Jesus’ such judgment. The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true” (John 8:13). The Pharisees said to Jesus, “By bearing Your own witness, You say all Your Words are the Truth, but how can You prove that what You say on Your own is true?”
However, after He having written something on the ground upon seeing a woman caught in the very act of adultery, Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” In that moment, no Pharisee was able to retort anything against the words of Jesus. However, to the Pharisees when they saw Jesus, He was speaking as if He Himself was God, and thus, they thought that Jesus was conceited. But Jesus said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.”
 
 

Lord’s Judgment and His Word Are All in All the Truth

 
Jesus said, “Even if I bear witness of Himself, My witness is true.” It is so because He is not alone but rather together with God the Father who has sent Him. The fact of the matter is that because Jesus is in essence God, what He says and the judgments He makes are never wrong. It is even more so because He is not alone but rather He is working together with God the Father. As it was written in the Pharisees’ law that the testimony of two men is true, Jesus said, “I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.” Therefore, what Jesus, who is God, has said and the judgment that He has made are all true. Why? They are all true because Jesus wasn’t alone by Himself but rather together with His Father. Just then, the Pharisees said, “Where is Your Father?” To that Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” It means that Jesus’ judgment is always right.
Jesus personally showed that His judgment is right even during the trial of a woman who had been caught in the very act of adultery. At the time, Jesus said that He couldn’t condemn the woman. Why? It is because Jesus had taken on this woman’s sin at once for He had taken on the sins of this world once and for all by having personally received the baptism from John the Baptist and because He would be receiving the punishment for her sin at the Cross in the future. Because she did accept the fact that she was truly a sinner, she knew that she was to receive the punishment for her sin, and thus, she was truly hoping to receive true salvation from no one else but Jesus Christ, who is God. Therefore, from the point of view of Jesus Christ, who is God, this woman’s spirit was truly worthy of receiving salvation from sins. And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you,” because for those who commit sins like that, He has blotted out all their sins by coming down to this earth.
Was this Jesus’ judgment a mistake? No, it was not. Jesus proclaimed that He couldn’t say she had a sin because He Himself had already taken on all her sins upon His body by having received the baptism. Speaking in conclusion, because Jesus is together with God the Father, it is the case that all that He says is the Truth and that His judgment is an upright judgment. Among the Words spoken by Jesus, who is God, is there any single Word that isn’t the real Truth? Because they all are the Truth, His Words are tight. The Words of Jesus are all true because they are the Words of God.
 
 
Then, How Are Things That Today’s Servants of God Speak
 
We can dwell our thoughts on such things. Because I myself have a flesh, looking from a fleshly perspective, I am too weak. However, even though I am exactly the same as those who haven’t been born again yet from a fleshly perspective, I believe in the written Word of God, and I have the Holy Spirit inside my heart. Of course, the Holy Spirit is also inside of you if you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Yet, regarding the work of God that the church of God has to do, I have to take everything into consideration. After a deep contemplation, I have to come up with a decision and so on. And so, I encourage the workers and the saints by faith. Then, based on the Word of God, I order or admonish my fellow workers, saying, “Do this work this way, and do that work that way” and “You must live by faith. You must live by the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.” I must judge what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong.
But, there can be people who cannot have confidence in the judgment that I have made like so. I am not Jesus, but just as all the Words spoken by Jesus are true, the servants of God and the saints should follow me by faith by believing that I decide on certain matters according to the guidance of the Words spoken by Jesus and of the Holy Spirit who abides in me. It means that what the servants of God decide by believing in the Word of God is mostly right. It is because God works by grabbing onto His servants.
It is difficult for people to believe in the words of a human being anyhow. When I say certain words as a man, there are times when even I cannot put confidence in my own words. Nevertheless, you need to have confidence in a servant of God if he guides you at least by having faith in the Word of God.
Would you have any reason not to believe in the guidance of your spiritual leaders? What I am saying is that things I say to all the people of God including ministry workers by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are mostly done according to the will of God. It is because even though it may seem I am the one making the decision, in actuality, it is comprised of not only my decision but also that of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the reason why we can believe the words of the servants of God, that is, the predecessors of faith in the Church who are leading God’s Church is because they follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit inside their hearts, not because they are excellent from a human perspective. The leaders of God’s Church must make a judgment when a certain circumstance arises. Even when I speak to you, I discern the will of God with my conscience of faith and say to you that the church of God must move in a certain direction. And so, because there is the Holy Spirit also in your hearts, you are able to obey my guidance by not hearing it as just some words from a human being. You do so because the Holy Spirit is in your heart and because the servants of God are not chasing after some selfish personal desires. Thus, I can say that they are worth believing.
I am not saying to you, “Please, believe me.” I am not saying that I am right, but rather, I am telling you to have confidence in me because the Word of God I preach to you is the Truth. I cannot deliver sermons by collecting the Scripture passages, a little from here and a little from there, in order to establish my logic. It is because if I do so, your mind will be absorbed in looking for Scripture passages. And thus, I read the main Scripture passage first and then I go on to preach the will of God as clearly as possible by focusing on that Scripture passage. The important thing is for the audience of the sermon to understand and believe in the will of God through the Word of God. If a person believes in the Word of God, there is no reason why that person should not believe in the words of the preacher who delivers that Word by making it easier to understand.
It has been 15 years since you and I have met. Much time has passed since then, but I have been incessantly delivering sermons to you without any hesitation, should they be the will of God. I do not say what I think, but rather, I say to you that the Word of God has a such and such meaning. By perusing the Word of God, we can see that the Word of God is the Truth. But there are so many people who do not believe in it, even among Christians.
It may seem I am asking you to believe me by referring to the Scripture passages here, but why do I need to ask you to believe me? There is no need for me to ask you to believe me. Asking you to believe me is like speaking the words of a swindler. I am not asking you to believe me, but rather, I am preaching to you the fact that what Jesus says is right.
Jesus says that His judgment is not wrong. Why? It is because God the Father is with Jesus. Both God the Father and Jesus think together and make a judgment, so what could be wrong with that? But the Pharisees do not know that Jesus is the Son of God and the incarnation of the Truth; they don’t know who Jesus is or who Jesus’ Father is; they don’t know that God the Father is the Father of Jesus. And thus, they had started a quarrel with Jesus even though He was speaking the Truth.
We can never say that the work of Jesus having come to this earth and having saved humankind by the gospel of the water and the Spirit is wrong. Then, the words of God’s workers, who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and follow the will of God, are worth believing. At least, there is no reason why you cannot believe the ministry workers delivering the Word of God to you like so. They are 100% worth believing. If I had taught you about what will happen in the future and by what sort of faith saints have to live by referring to the Word in the Book of Revelation, then that is 100% worth believing. It is because those are the Words of God, not my words. This is why I say they are 100% worth believing.
 
 
If a Ministry Worker Speaks about God’s Truth, It Is Infallibly the Truth
 
For 15 years since I’ve met you until now, I preached the gospel of the water and the Spirit and gave sermons on what is the true faith and what the life of a born-again righteous person should be. But, never did I ask for correction on what I have been preaching until now because it had been wrong, not even once. The Word I have preached to you isn’t something that came out of my thoughts. Rather, it is the Word of the Truth that God had me realize through the Holy Spirit that resides inside of me. “For God the Father, Jesus is His Son, but He is God who had created the universe and also our Savior. Jesus has saved us by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Thus, by believing in this, we do not have sins. Those who believe have no sin but those who do not believe like so have sins. And people must believe that Jesus Christ is the One who had created the universe. Up until now, I have been speaking everything about these things concretely. Also, I have been speaking thoroughly about sin, righteousness, and the judgment that Jesus spoke of (John 16:8).
 
 

Jesus Said That Even If He Bears Witness to Himself, His Witness Is True

 
But the people who haven’t been born again including the Pharisees did not know where Jesus came from and where He was going. We know that though. We know that Jesus came from God the Father to this earth, and blotted out all our sins completely by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. He went back to God the Father and we believe in Him.
However, people who haven’t been born again do not know this Truth. People who haven’t been born again do not believe in what the servants of God say. Of course the servants of God do have aspects of them that are lacking, but nevertheless, because God holds them tight and has them show His will, when they are teaching the Words of the Bible, the Holy Spirit teaches the meaning of the Word of God to them first and has them witness the Truth using their lips. Just as God the Father resided in His servants as the Holy Spirit, there is the Holy Spirit also in my heart. And in my hand, there is the Word of God all the time. Also, because I had studied hard in theology prior to being born again, as I got to know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, I came to realize the kind of theological fallacies today’s Christians have been falling into and how erroneous their faith is. Also, the Lord has taught me what the Bible says. And so, through the Holy Spirit, I came to know what the Word of God is saying as well as the absurd claims of those Christians who haven’t been born again. Through the Holy Spirit, not only I, but all the born-again as well, are able to understand what this written Word of the Truth means.
Until now, we have spread God’s Word of the Truth by having faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And we have published a considerable number of books. Now, anyone can receive and read the books I have written in the electronic book format at our homepage. A great number of theologians and ministers all over the world must have read my books. But, there isn’t anyone who comes forth and points out exactly which part of my writings is wrong. They aren’t able to do so. Because the One who speaks inside of me is the Holy Spirit, I can truly say that the words I preach are also the Truth.
Just as the judgment was correct that Jesus had made regarding the woman, His judgment is always correct. There is no reason why one shouldn’t believe in the Words spoken by Jesus, and also, there is no reason why one shouldn’t believe in the words about the Truth that the servants of God say in this current day and age. People who haven’t truly been born again do not know, but those who have been born again do know the will of God.
When I preach the Word, I myself first believe in the Word of God, and then with that faith, I deliver the Word. I believe in the Word of God unwaveringly. And, the Word will be realized without fail. People tend to interpret the Scripture in a certain way, only to change it later on, and what is worse is that they are liable to do this repeatedly. They make such commotions, referring to the Word of the Book of Revelation. Because they speak so many lies with pre-tribulation theory, post-tribulation theory, and things of the sort, I couldn’t just stand by, so I wrote a couple of sermon books on the Book of Revelation. I have given many sermons taking the main passages from the Book of Revelations, but in these sermon books on the Book of Revelation, I have delivered the Word by carefully expounding on one passage after another like a Bible commentary book. Why? I did so because I had to explain the Scripture passages one by one, since people were in too much chaos. And so, my sermon books on the Book of Revelation were published into two volumes, and that is how I came to share them with the entire world.
Is the pre-tribulation theory the Truth? The pre-tribulation theory is absolutely not the Truth. Most Christians say that before the tribulation comes, they will all be going up to Heaven, but this is absolutely not true. It is an utter fraud. It is a lie. The Bible says that the born-again saints will also suffer the days of tribulation along with the sinners, going through the same hardships and persecution on this earth. The only thing is that the righteous people who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit will be able to endure the tribulation and will not betray their faith because they have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and because the strength to be patient and to endure the hardships comes from the Lord. But righteous people will not be going up to Heaven prior to going through the tribulation just because they have been born again.
However, there is a passage that says God will keep those who have persevered God’s command from the hour of trial (Revelations 3:10). Perhaps, the Lord could take away those who have kept their faith well prior to the coming of the extreme tribulations. But the fact is that the pre-tribulation theory many people generally speak of is completely false.
The pre-tribulation theory first professed by an American theologian is a lie, having no Biblical foundation whatsoever. In the preface of the book on Revelation, I candidly wrote: “Most Christians all over the world right now believe the pre-tribulation theory developed by Doctor so and so in America, but this is something gravely false. What does the Bible say? I wish to speak what the Book of Revelations in the Bible says exactly. Rapture does not occur before the tribulation. After the mid-point of the tribulation prior to the end of this earth, the Lord will come down to this earth at a certain point in time and take us away. And, as for the people remaining on the ground, the Lord will pass the full disaster by bringing down the wrath of the seven bowls. After that, the Millennium Kingdom will unfold and all the righteous will stay there acting as kings for a thousand years. And after one thousand years, they will get to enter the Kingdom of Heaven that will truly never dwindle for all eternity and live there forever.
Just as Jesus said what He has said is the Truth, Jesus gave such power that comes out from the Truth to the servants of God on this earth. In the last part of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23). Just as God had given Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, He has given us the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The only key that enables one to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If we spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit and people believe in it, then those people will get to receive the remission of sins, but if we do not spread it, then those people will not get to go to Heaven because they will not have been able to believe in it. In other words, they won’t be able to receive the remission of sins. If we do not spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit to people all over the world, they will not be able to hear the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
If a so-called servant of God does not spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit, people around him will not be able to receive the remission of sins. Even in our gathering, there was a man who had spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit as just a piece of knowledge without having believed in it. The distinctive character of people like him is that they are highly legalistic. They may seem like a tyrant to the weak, but they would be very servile toward the strong. They cannot but leave God’s Church when they recognize that they can no longer exercise power in His Church.
However, I speak of what the Bible says as it is. And because I give you teachings based on the Word of the Truth and because I believe in it first, there is no reason why you shouldn’t believe in what I say. Even now, you must know how the world will change in the future through my teachings. If I don’t know such things, how could I be a prophet and how could you call me a servant of God?
When I share a conversation with a person, I can see that person’s future days to a certain extent. I am not a fortuneteller, but because I am a servant of God, when I meet someone and share a conversation, I can tell whether or not that person will receive God’s blessings. Anyone who is led by God’s Church well will receive abundant blessings from God and vice versa. Just by sharing a short conversation, I get to know about people’s faith well. And so, when I share a conversation with someone and get to know that person’s state of his heart, I can foresee, “In the future, you will be like so and so. Ten years into the future, you will be a so and so person, and you will become so and so in such and such time.” Actually, I’m not saying that I have some sort of presentiment, but rather, I can discern like so because I believe in the Word of God.
That is why I say these things with faith. When the servants of God believe in the Word of God and spread it by faith, what they spread is in turn a prophecy. I am saying that the words of God’s servants are of the Truth. But because people who do not have the faith of believing in the Word of God cannot believe in the words of God’s servants, they get to suffer much loss in body and in spirit. And, because they will not be able to follow the guidance of the Church, they will destroy themselves. In conclusion, if one cannot believe in the words of a servant of God, then that person cannot believe in the Scriptures also.
Strictly speaking, because the servants of God have the Spirit of God in their heart, they go on speaking the Truth to you boldly. For this reason, if one cannot believe in the servant of God, then that person cannot believe in God also. Some people think that they can privately read the Scriptures and that they don’t have to attend Church. But, God does not allow such people to do His work, and also, God does not allow them to understand the Word, for in fact they are not befitting to God’s heart. One gets to understand the Word only when God allows that person to understand. Just because one is reading the Word of God does not mean that that person gets to understand the Word. It is never like that.
Because God has used us in doing His work, we get to perceive the will of God and follow it. We perceive today’s world properly, predict the future, and foresee someone’s future days, not because we are smart or because we have a certain foreseeing power. We get to spread the Word of God and do His work, not because we have a personal power of some sort but because of such blessings that come to us by the Holy Spirit and by our faith in God’s Word of the Truth. In conclusion, many people’s faith goes wrong because they aren’t able to believe in the Word of God and the servants of God. Actually, it is a sheer nonsense to say to others, “My words are the truth, and they are true. So, believe in my words.” You know that saying such words is a serious discourtesy. However, Jesus told us this. Because Jesus said that the Words He says are all correct, that they are upright judgments, and that they are of an upright Truth, we become servants of God by believing in the Lord. Now, I hope you will also become servants of God by believing in the Word.
Do you think I want to gain some other benefit from you? Do I say this in order to drive you hard as if you were my slaves or to use you for my benefit? What the Lord says is the Truth, and everything that the servants of God proclaim by believing in the Word of the Lord is the Truth, too. They are never the wrong things.
People who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit must endure all the hardships and keep their faith. There is a saying that goes, “No pains, no gains,” and likewise, the sufferings we go through now are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). It is true that we are physically and mentally tired, but if we were to keep our hearts with the Word, we would remain spiritually strong. Even though we are tired, if we were to endure and wait a bit more, the Lord will give us new strength and refresh our hearts, and so on. Also, even though no one may comfort you, the Holy Spirit inside your hearts will comfort you and give new strength.
When we hold fast unto God’s Word, we get to experience spiritual blessings. A person does not receive comfort from another person, but rather, it is God who gives you comfort with His Word. It means that we will be receiving peace and blessings that God gives, not the peace and blessings that a fellow person gives. As I have been doing the ministry work until now, I also had experienced that many times. I came this far because whenever I got tired, unable to bear and so on, the Lord gave me new strength. I believe that God will surely do unto you the same things that He has done unto me. God will surely do that.
You get tired trying to serve the Lord, and at times, it just seems dismal from a fleshly perspective. But the truth is that it is never just dismal. Let us go on living by bearing in mind the fact that each of us is not alone by ourselves but rather together with the Lord, the fact that the Holy Spirit is inside our hearts, and the fact that the Lord is with us always. I want to spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit quickly and then go to the Lord.
Wouldn’t it be great if the Lord comes quickly? In the future, there will be events happening in this world that are so horrific that you will truly not be able to look at them with your eyes. Because I have already preached the Word of God concerning these disasters, there is no need to say anything more now. If scary stories are told repeatedly, people tend to become gloomy, but one thing we have to keep in mind is that such events are rapidly approaching this world. Because we can see such calamities drawing near all over the world, I am saying that we should instead serve the gospel so that we will not have to regret it.
“(To himself) I could’ve got more out… I could’ve got more… if I’d just… I don’t know, if I’d just… I could’ve got more… If I’d made more money… I threw away so much money, you have no idea. If I’d just… This car. Goeth would’ve bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people, right there, ten more I could’ve got. (looking around) This pin – – Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would’ve given me two for it. At least one. He would’ve given me one. One more. One more person. A person, Stern. For this. One more. I could’ve gotten one more person I didn’t” (excerpts from http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Schindler’s-List.html).
These are the words Mr. Schindler said in the movie called Schindler’s List as he was gazing at the ring presented by the Jews, regretting that he could have saved many more Jews if he had used up all his belongings. He was doing the work of buying the Jews and making them work in his munitions factory so that they would not have to die in the gas chambers. And that is why when the war was over he spoke those words as he was looking around at his possessions such as his car, a pin and some gold. I believe that this movie is spiritual.
Truly, we must diligently bear the work of the gospel by faith right now when we can do it. Instead, if we aren’t able to do any of the work, even though the time to go to the Kingdom of the Lord truly approaches with the coming of the calamities and the tribulation along with the outbreak of wars, what will you do then? Would you not regret, saying, “I really should have done so back then. Even though the circumstances were difficult, I should have done a little bit more for the Lord?”
We all are spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit well. I don’t know how much longer we have to do this work, but up until now, you and I have been bearing it well. I truly hope that you and I will get to meet the Lord after having borne the entrusted work well just like the faithful servants who have made profits with the talents they have received.
 
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