(Read John 12:42-46)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to teach on “Minimizing Your Humanity and Maximizing Your Divinity.” We have already looked at a passage in John 5, one in John 6, and another in John 8, where Jesus minimized His perfect humanity in order to maximize the Father’s infinite divinity. Today we will go to John 12.
By John 12 it was becoming clear to many that Jesus was the Messiah. The crowds were getting bigger, the fascination with Jesus was getting stronger, and the irritation of the Jewish religious leaders (Pharisees and Sadducees) with Jesus was getting to the boiling point. As more and more people believed on Jesus the tension between His ministry and the Jewish religious leadership grew, but Jesus did not hold back. Jesus unashamedly attributed His works to the Father and claimed to be ONE with Him.
Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not just in me but in the One who sent me. Whoever looks at me is looking, in fact, at the One who sent me. I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me won’t have to stay any longer in the dark.”
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s take a closer look at this passage and see.
1. Jesus fully surrendered to His divine assignment. As you read Jesus’ words it is clear that He willingly and consistently yielded His will to the will of the Father. His success came from His surrender. Have you surrendered? Have you gotten to the point where you can willingly yield yourself over to God, and give up something you wanted to do for something He is leading you to do? If you are, and if you do, you will find that you are not losing anything, but you will rather gain all that God wants to give you and you will experience all He wants to do IN, WITH and THROUGH your life.
2. Jesus expected supernatural empowerment to do what He was called to do. Jesus told His followers that when they believed on Him, they were believing on the Father; and that when they looked at Him, they were seeing the Father. Why? Because He fully expected the Father to be involved in everything He was doing. Jesus knew He was doing the Father’s will, therefore He knew that the Father would be involved in everything He did. Likewise, when you know you are doing something God told you to do, you can (and should) fully expect God to be involved in every aspect of the assignment. This way you can do it with fearless confidence, because your confidence will not be in your limited ability, but rather God’s limitless power.
3. Jesus knew He was here to make a difference. Jesus said, “I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me won’t have to stay any longer in the dark.” Jesus expected the supernatural to manifest everywhere He went and He expected lives to be changed. Guess what? While Jesus was the incarnation of God Himself, you are called to be the continuation of His incarnation. You are supposed to be just like Jesus. The Lord wants to make a difference through you. God wants to use you to heal the brokenhearted, release the bound, encourage the depressed, inspire the despondent, restore the wayward, and recover the lost. Not by your power, but by His grace. All you have to do is sign up to be used. Are you ready? If you will minimize your reliance on your humanity, God can freely flow through you, in His divinity. If you allow God to use you, lives will be changed and you will never be the same!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for taking the time to teach me about Your willingness to use me by Your undeserved grace. There was a time when I did not feel like I was worthy to be used of You. There was a time when I looked at me, with all of my faults, failures and flaws, and I disqualified myself from becoming a candidate for Your use. But this message of grace is changing my perspective of You and of me. I now know that You want to use me because You are good, not because I am. I now see myself as a qualified vessel, fit for the Master’s use. Not because I have earned it, or because I have been so good, but only because of Your grace. So Father, I give myself over to You, to be used of You for Your glory. I will be Your legs to walk. I will be Your mouth to talk. I will be Your hands to touch. As You lead me, I go. As You speak to me, I open my mouth. And I fully expect You to be with me every step of the way, because I willingly surrender my heart and my hands to You. You want to make a difference through me, and I believe that You will. So by faith I declare that lives will be changed through me, today and every day, not by my power, but by Your grace! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
