As we travel through life, there is both the journey and the destination.
- Don’t under-value either one! They are BOTH a BIG deal!
John 12:36-43
- In this part of the passage John references a prophesy found in Isaiah 6:10, which says “God blinded their eyes and He hardened their hearts, lest the see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and turn so that God would heal them.”
- Is this prophesy saying that God “caused” people NOT to believe?
- Something to consider:
- The Destination- Jesus WAS going to be rejected and crucified by the people. There was no getting around that. It had to happen
- The Journey- How that took place could play out in any number of ways: God didn’t have to “make” people do something. He knew the condition of their hearts. Therefore, He just guided them!
- For example; John 12:42-43 says that some actually DID believe! They just didn’t stand up for Jesus! Which ultimately led to His crucifixion!
John 12:44-50
- The journey/destination analogy works here too, just in a different way:
- The Journey- In verse 47 Jesus says that anyone who hears His word but does not keep His word, He does not judge.
- The Destination- In verse 48 Jesus that the one who rejects Him and does not receive His word, does have judge… The WORD that He has spoken will judge them in the Last Day! (John 1:1, Rev. 19:13)
Here is the good news: We are still on the journey! We have yet to reach the final destination.
- Don’t wait. Choose Jesus today!
Message: Journey/Destination
Scripture: John 12:36-50
Simple. Authentic. Jesus.
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