John 6:38-39 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
These two verses give us some very important, encouraging information by answering five questions. Where did Jesus come from? What did He come to do? What is the will of the Father for Jesus? What is the will of God for those given to Jesus? What hope do those who are given to Jesus have?
Where did Jesus come from? He came down from heaven. He isn’t from this world. He is separate from His creation and therefore isn’t tainted and corrupted by this fallen world.
What did Jesus come to do? He came to do the will of His Father, who sent Him.
What is the will of the Father for Jesus? It is the Father’s will that Jesus not lose anything or anyone the Father has given Him, and that He present all that He was given back to the Father in a redeemed state on the last day of the history of the world.
And the last question: What hope do those have who are given to Jesus ? On the last day of the history of the world, they will be presented by Jesus to the Father, not in a fallen state, but raised up into a redeemed state. Look at the security we have in Christ! None will be lost. The life which Jesus gives is eternal life. Once it is given, it cannot be lost, otherwise it wouldn’t be eternal life.
These verses fortify Jesus’ previous comments that all the Father gives to Him will come to Him, and He will not cast them out. He won’t cast them out because they were given to Him by the Father for the purpose of raising them up, out of their fallen state. My, how we have been loved. We were loved before the foundation of the world and given to Jesus.
Why do we believe? Why do we come to Christ and surrender our lives? Because we were given to Him by the Father, and it is the Father’s will to save us in Christ. That’s the love of God: the sustained direction of the will toward our highest good, no matter what the cost, for His glory. Our highest good is to be raised up for the glory of God. Our confidence is that God’s will won’t change, and Jesus is faithful over His house to do His will, whose house we are if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end (Heb. 2:6).
It is out of this confidence and sealed in God’s love that we live our lives with Jesus. He lives in us to raise us up. We are being raised up daily by the power of His love and presence into His image, filled with His life, and displaying His fruit—the same kind of love. So we have much to praise God for, as we are encouraged by John 6:38-39. We praise Him for His gracious will toward us, for sending His Son to raise us up, and let us boast of the hope we have in Him. May our praise and thanks be expressed as we love with Jesus today.
I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.
