Do you believe Jesus? Are you sure? What would happen if 10% of Christians actually believed Jesus? The answer to the question, was answered by Jesus himself. Let’s just say for now that this world would be radically different.
Read what Jesus said about this…
“VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO; AND GREATER THAN THESE SHALL HE DO, BECAUSE I GO TO MY FATHER, AND WHATSOEVER YOU SHALL ASK IN MY NAME, THAT WILL I DO, THAT THE FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON. IF YOU SHALL ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT.” (John 14:12-14)
Let’s take a moment to consider all of the aspects of this teaching from God in the flesh, in the person of Jesus:
1. ìTRULY, TRULY, I SAY UNTO YOU.” Jesus is making this declaration in the person of Deity. He is invoking the same ìIî as in “I Am”. He is also clearly emphasizing the TRUTH of the promise. As was His custom, He said the word Truly or Verily, Twice for emphasis. God in person is telling us that the promise that He is about to make is TRUTH. He is not saying that it is partially true, or sometimes true, but that it is eternally true because He is saying it.
2. Be careful to understand also, that Jesus, only included one qualification. The only qualification that Jesus included in the promise is this “HE THAT BELIEVES ON ME”. Since John’s report was first distributed, men, not God have been attaching qualifications that begin with the word “IF” to this promise. They are clearly wrong. The word “IF” was not uttered by Jesus. Here are some examples of man-made qualifications to this promise: “IF you are in right standing with God”, “IF you are praying in the will of God”, “IF you have a pure heart”, ìIF you have kept all of His commandments”, “IF you have no unforgiveness in your heart”, “IF you are not a sinner”… etc, ad infinitum. JESUS INCLUDED NO QUALIFICATIONS IN THIS PROMISE, OTHER THAN…HE THAT BELIEVES ON ME.
3. It is also important that we understand to whom the promise is being made. Many people believe wrongly, that this promise was made only to the original disciples. Again, Jesus clearly said that He was addressing “HE THAT BELIEVES ON ME.”
4. Let us now consider the promise itself, which has four parts:
First… “THE WORKS THAT I DO, SHALL HE DO ALSO.” As we continue this study, we will evaluate this promise extensively. In order to fully understand the power of this promise alone, we must know the works that Jesus did.
Second…”AND GREATER THAN THESE SHALL HE DO, BECAUSE I GO TO MY FATHER”. Wow! Jesus is teaching us that because He was to complete His work on this earth without failure; That He would empower us to do greater work than even He could do through the gift of the HOLY GHOST. This is a very deep teaching.
Third AND WHATSOEVER YOU SHALL ASK IN MY NAME, I WILL DO THAT THE FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON.” Please note that, again Jesus is intentionally removing any qualifications of the promise by using the word WHATSOEVER. God is glorified by the fulfillment of His Word. When we believe Jesus and see the Word of God come to pass, God is glorified. One way to understand this, is to remember what Jesus said to Martha in the 11th chapter of John…. ìDID I NOT TELL YOU THAT IF YOU BELIEVED, YOU WOULD SEE THE GLORY OF GOD.”
FourthÖ “IF YOU SHALL ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT.” Jesus is clarifying the lack of qualifications in this promise with the intentional use of the word ANYTHING. Jesus is also again establishing His Deity with the promise…”I WILL DO IT”
Frankly, I know only a small handful of Christians who believe Jesus. Recently, I discussed with a very well known Pastor/ Theologian, this scripture. He told me that he absolutely refused to believe it. He said that Jesus would never keep this promise to a person who had certain sins in their lives. His exact words were that “GOD WILL NOT BLESS A SINNER”. I could not help but ask this noted leader, then how would you explain the fact that Jesus died for the sins of the world? I also could not resist asking him to explain God’s grading curve.
Lets examine the first part of Jesus’ promise to us. “VERILY, VERILY, I SAY TO YOU THAT HE WHO BELIEVES ON ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO”.
Consider this report from Matthew about the Works that Jesus did in the area of healing alone:
ìAnd Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and HEALING ALL MANNER OF SICKNESS AND ALL MANNER OF DISEASES AMONG THE PEOPLE. And His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought unto Him ALL SICK PEOPLE THAT WERE TAKEN WITH DIVERS DISEASES AND TORMENTS, AND THOSE WHICH WERE POSSESSED WITH DEVILS, AND THOSE WHICH WERE LUNATIC, AND THOSE THAT HAD THE PALSY AND……………HE HEALED THEM.” (Matthew 4:23-24)
What would the world be like if 10% of Christians believed (were fully persuaded beyond a shadow of a doubt) and practiced using this power that Jesus gave to us when He went to His Father.
How many Christians do you know who actually believe that because Jesus promised us that “THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL THEY DO ALSO”, that they can, “GO ABOUT HEALING ALL NATURE OF DISEASES AMONG THE PEOPLE”?
If 1% of Christians believed and obeyed this promise from Jesus, there would be no need for hospitals. Disease could not exist.
But just for the fun of it, let’s imagine what would happen if we did believe. Think about this one healing that Jesus performed and how He performed it:
“And a certain Centurion’s servant, who was dear to him was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto Him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.”
“And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom He should do this: for he loves our nation and he hath built us a synagogue”.
{Here it is important to note the mistake made by the disciples. They presented this man and his request to Jesus, on the basis of the man’s worthiness. The man himself, is about to deny any worthiness and by doing so correct the disciples. Jesus never considered any body’s worthiness before granting their request. He even allowed the demons request to go from the demoniac’s body into the bodies of the pigs nearby. The Centurion who was neither a Jew, nor a candidate for salvation, he was a gentile lost and without hope or God. Jesus had not yet been lifted up. So the gentiles were not yet reconciled to God. Yet he found favor with Jesus not through WORKS…BUT BY USING FAITH!}
“Then Jesus went with them, And when He was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying unto Him, Lord, trouble not thyself; FOR I AM NOT WORTHY, that You should enter under my roof;………..BUT SAY THE WORD, AND MY SERVANT SHALL BE HEALED.”
“For I also am a man under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to one Go, and he goeth, and to another Come and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this and he does it. When Jesus heard these things HE MARVELED AT HIM, and turned him about, and said to the people that followed him, I SAY UNTO YOU, I HAVE NOT FOUND SO GREAT FAITH, NO, NOT IN ISRAEL.”
“And they that were sent, returning to the house, FOUND THE SERVANT WHOLE THAT HAD BEEN SICK.” (Luke 7:2-10)
I think this is one of the most powerful teachings in the Bible. Jesus MARVELED at the use of FAITH, which led the centurion to believe without doubt that Jesus could command words like soldiers to accomplish what they were ordered to do. The result was that this man who was “READY TO DIE”, lived. Take a moment and visualize GOD MARVELING!
Read the following analysis from John the disciple who perhaps was the closest person to Jesus: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they were written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.”
I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that if 1% of all Christians believed the following scriptures, Cancer could not exist because the human immune system would be so strengthened by belief, that no invader could successfully attack it.
“Surely He has born our grieves and sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.” (Isaiah 53:4&5)
“Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead unto sin, might live unto righteousness, BY WHOSE STRIPES YOU WERE HEALED.” (1Peter 2:24)
What would happen if we believed that we not only can; but also have the responsibility, to do the works that Jesus did? And that we have been given the power to heal diseases and perform other miracles, simply by SENDING THE WORD? How would our world be different?
Would you like to stand before Jesus and have Him Marvel at the way you used the faith that He paid to give you?
JESUS GUARANTEED THAT EVERY PROMISE THAT HE MADE IS TRUE, WITH HIS BLOOD. TO DRINK HIS BLOOD IS TO MAKE A DECISION TO BE FULLY PERSUADED BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT HIS WORDS ARE TRUE AND GUARANTEED TO WORK 100% OF THE TIME. JESUS TAUGHT US THAT IF WE DO NOT DRINK HIS BLOOD, THAT WE HAVE NO LIFE IN US.
I pray that this teaching has blessed you. If it has blessed you, please pass it to another who will be blessed.
BELIEF IS A DECISION TO BE FULLY PERSUADED BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT.
Believe and Receive,
Your brother in Jesus… Pastor Allen
