MEMORISE:
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36
READ: John 8:31-36
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
MESSAGE
There are two very important characteristics of a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ which we shall be reflecting on today. The first of these is knowledge of the truth. The Truth is no other person than the Lord Jesus Christ. He declared Himself to be The Truth in John 14:6, saying:
“…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
He further declared that the word of God in truth, thereby indicating that He is the Word of God (John 17:17), John 1:1-12). By implication, whoever rejects the word of God rejects Jesus Christ, and whoever rejects Jesus Christ rejects the Truth. Through this principle, we know those who are genuine disciples of Jesus Christ. Real disciples of Christ accept the infallible word of God as the truth, which no accent or modern philosophy can change. Speaking on the constancy of God’s word, the Lord said in Luke 21:33:
“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”
He further declared in John 6:63b:
“the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
True disciples of Jesus Christ are known by their lifestyles which reflect God’s word. Today, many who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ pick and choose which of Jesus’ Words they would live by. Some even say that if Jesus had to live in our time, He would reverse many of His teachings! What a lie from the pit of hell! If you want to finish your Christian race in heaven, beware of such people, because they will try to mislead you. Into believing their falsehood.
A second characteristic of genuine disciples of Jesus Christ is that they are free from the bondage of the devil. When I come across some so-called disciples of the Lord complaining of one form of demonic oppression or the other, I often wonder. Jesus Christ said we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. Why then are some disciples not free? They are either ignorant of the truth concerning who they really are, or they are not genuine disciples of the Lord in the first place (Hosea 4:6). Beloved, I counsel you to re-examine your position as a disciple of Christ and find out if there is any missing link between you and the Master, subjecting you to any form of bondage. If this is the case, quickly do something about it today. Freedom from every form of oppression is your inheritance in Christ. Claim it now!
PRAYER POINT:
Father, I lay hold of the freedom that Christ has purchased for me, and I claim total liberty from every form of devilish oppression in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judges 3-4
Ezekiel 22:23-23:10
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 12: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS
• Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
• Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
• Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
• Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
• Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
• Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
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