“31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath” John 3:31-36.
Once again we see John speaking of the Glory of God and the supremacy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony” John 3:31, 32. The Son of God, the one who comes from above in heaven, testifies to what He has seen and heard. If you want to know God, then listen to and get to know Jesus, the Son of God who comes from above and who testifies to what He has seen and heard in heaven. Jesus alone knows God and comes from God, and we will never know God apart from Jesus.
But can you hear John’s grief when he reluctantly acknowledges that “no one accepts His testimony” (John 3:32) — the testimony of Jesus Christ. It grieves John that we can all listen to Jesus and hear His Word, but we can reject the testimony of Jesus to God or we can accept the testimony of Jesus — a testimony that certifies that God is true — and all that Jesus tells us about God is true! When you accept Jesus and believe in Him you are attesting to the fact that you believe what God says is true. To listen to Jesus and accept that what He says is true is to listen to the voice of God and accept that everything God says is true. To know Jesus is to know God.
Notice also that John reassures us that Jesus “speaks the words of God, and He gives the Spirit without measure” John 3:34. This is a reflection of Old Testament Jewish thought. In the Old Testament, certain people were given the Spirit of God — but for a limited time. These include certain prophets (2 Chronicles 24:20; Micah 3:8; 2 Samuel 23:2), various people (Numbers 24:2, 1 Samuel 19:20), and some of the Judges (Judges 3:10; Judges 6:34), including Samson (Judges 13—16). John is telling us today that Jesus, however, has the Spirit of God “without measure” — continuously. Jesus has the Spirit "without measure," or "without limit." The full measure of the Spirit is reserved for God’s Son who has come down from above — Jesus Christ. That John says that Jesus has been given by God the Spirit without measure means that Jesus perfectly knew and perfectly understood the truth of God, and so to listen to Jesus is to listen to God. For Jesus IS God!
But it is John’s final remark that stands us up straight. “35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath” John 3:36. The coming of Jesus lays before us all an eternal choice: life or death. Moses spoke about this in Deuteronomy:
15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil adversity…19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them”
Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Joshua challenged us to make this choice too:
“choose for yourselves today whom you will serve” Joshua 24:15.
Once again what matter is my reaction to — and your reaction to — Jesus Christ. If we choose indifference and hostility we bring the wrath of God on ourselves.
Oh dear Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner. I beg you to grace me to choose You and that I may not bring down on me Your wrath. I love You too much to walk away from You, even though I have done so many times in my life. I repent and pray for Your eternal forgiveness. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
From the Bible:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth”Romans 1:18.
“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people” Hebrews 10: 26-31.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Thessalonians 5:9.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” Matthew 7: 13-14.
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