Thursday, 1 February 2024

The Upper Room Discourse 68

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John 17:11 I am no longer in the world; but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.

Boom!!! Just like that, Yeshua says this for the first time. John 17:11d so that they may be one just as We are. "Oneness" is a big thing for Father, Son and Holy Spirit (as we have already seen). But before we unpack this further, Yeshua makes some other comments here worthy of our attention.

First, He speaks prophetically, John 17:11a I am no longer in the world. What does Yeshua mean by that? He is about to be crucified by the world. In the world it doesn't get any more real than that. However; there is a greater spiritual reality, and that is the basis of Yeshua's comment.

Jewish theologians argue against the reality of the crucifixion, saying, "God cannot die!" And they're right. Here we start to get a sense of the depth and power of eternal life. Yeshua said this to Martha before the resurrection of Lazarus. John 11:25-26 Yeshua said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life! +Whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Do you think Yeshua believed in Himself? Martha's answer to Yeshua's question provides us the answer. John 11:27 She says to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, Ben-Elohim who has come into the world." There is no evidence Yeshua corrected her. Why would He, she got it right.

Yeshua is the resurrection, speaking prophetically, that's what He told Martha. Yeshua is calling forth what is not as though it is. But today we are able to look back and see that greater reality quite clearly. 1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

We who believe have that blessed assurance. 1 John 5:11-13 And the testimony is this - that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has life; the one who does not have Ben-Elohim does not have life. I wrote these things to you who believe in the name of Ben-Elohim, so you may know that you have eternal life.

Yeshua came so that we could have Him and have life. He is a gift from God to us. But a gift that is not opened and received is not a gift at all. In other words, an unreceived gift does not fulfill its purpose. Receive Him as your Lord and Savior and be blessed with eternal life.

That's enough for today. We'll pick this up again next time.