their own perception of how they will believe in him through religion that degrades who Jesus is.

Notice how Jesus tells us to beware of false prophets. They may look like they belong to Jesus in clothing attire or by the religious dialog. But Jesus said they were wolves. Wolves love to feast on real sheep.

John told us this in the book of 1 John. 1} "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2} Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3} And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1 John 4:1-3 KJV).

How do you test the spirit coming from someone? By simply praying daily and seeking God in his word and relying on the Holy Spirit’s discernment to help in not be deceived by someone who is religious but may not know Jesus.

When someone speaks to you about religion, simply check to see what their saying against what God’s word says (the Bible). Are they connected to the body of Christ? (1 John 2:19). Are they committed follows of Jesus?

What's their everyday lifestyle like? Do they love being around Jesus’ people? What is the fruit they are producing. But obviously, the most important factor of all is what they believe about Jesus. Who is he to them? (1 John 3:23-24; 4:6).

Do they teach that Jesus is fully God and fully man? Our world has many voices claiming to speak for God.  Many of them know about God, but do they know him as Lord and Savior? Are they born-again by the Spirit of God? (John 3:3-8).

Those who are truly authentic born-again believers have their names written in his book of life. Remember beloved, fruits tend to give what light they are operating in. (John 3:19-21). God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

His plan of salvation does not change according to the religious dogma of different religions. Jesus’ teaching that he is the only way to God’s Kingdom grates against our normal sense of fairness.

God created the heavens and earth. He owns them. He alone determines the requirements for who can enter into his Kingdom. Living his way may not be popular or easy, but it is true and right. All who scoff at this truth will fail.

Again, many people may want Jesus, but are they willing to take all of him in surrendering their heart to him in Lordship? Or will they listen to the false doctrines of devils? (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

Peter faced a scenario about whether to leave a certain part of Jesus' ministry. Please read the outcome of Peter's response after he denied Jesus to do something for him. Jesus desires to be our all in all.


7} "Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. 8} Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. (John 13:7-8 KJV).

Remember beloved, everything Jesus did during his ministry had a spiritual significance with it. God is a Spirit. Jesus came to give us spiritual truths. We have a damaged spirit that only God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit can restore.

The word "no part" involved a significant symbol of spiritual cleansing around foot washing.  If Peter did not participate in the cleansing, he would not enjoy fellowship with Christ (1 John 1:9).

The word "part" (Gr. meros) is to have some part due or assigned to one. It is one of the constituent parts of a whole. Some of you may have heard of the phrase, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Let me put it this way, if you placed all the parts of your watch on your dining table, you'd just have scattered parts all over the table. But once those parts are assembled, they work together to keep time for what your day may be like.

These parts could never accomplish anything on their own. Jesus was telling Peter without him, he could not have the fullness or the whole of what Jesus why Jesus wanted to wash his feet. Notice again how Peter responded.

"Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." (John 13:9 KJV). Once you've experienced the power of Jesus on your life, you don't want any part of him separated from you.

Sometimes it takes God touching our lives in a particular manner before the blinders come off and we see the whole truth and nothing but the truth. (John 8:32; 14:6). Peter seemingly passed this test, but there was more to come.

Have you ever listened to someone and ask them to repeat themselves again? Why? Because you can't believe what you just heard. Before we think something sounds outlandish to us, we might say, "Could you repeat that again?"

In the setting of our last portion of scripture before we close today's message, Jesus had just performed a miracle of feeding 5,000 people. This served as his controversial "Bread of life" discussion in the synagogue.

Here's where you get to hear how it sounds in your hearing. Please read (John 6:47-58) into your spirit, family, or study group. It was one thing to Peter to have someone wash his feet, but to eat of flesh or drink someone's blood, this was hard to swallow.

Please read those verses again. Jesus is simply asking that he be your source for everything. We are to love every substance of what Jesus offers us. We are not to trust what the world is offering us. (Matthew 4:8-10; 1 John 2:15-17).

I will continue to highlight that every single illustration and parable Jesus told involved ministering to others in a spiritual sense. Jesus made it abundantly clear that eternal life is gained by believing (Verses 29, 35, 40, 47).

The Jews knew that drinking blood was forbidden. (Leviticus 7:26, 27). Jesus knew this also because he's the author of his book. Some of his disciples considered this a hard difficult statement to grasp.

But it was difficult because they made it difficult. They misinterpreted his point. Has that ever happened to you before? If they had but remembered what it signified by reading the book of Leviticus a bit more. (Leviticus 17:11).

Jesus came to bring and sustain spiritual life to our dead spiritual bodies. The disciples were thinking of the physical life. We all remember the Lord's supper, right? Please read (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Read it once more.

The life of Jesus had to become one with them. Not just knowing him in a physical sense but knowing him as he knew his Father. (God being a Spirit). They ate manna from heaven in the wilderness to live physically.

They also needed the spiritual nourishment Jesus was providing them when he would later ascend to the Father and send the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Jesus was telling his disciples to fully trust him above all else.

He is instructing them to fully consume, internalize, and rely on him alone. Like the song I love to sing, 🎵 "In Christ alone." The song signifies placing Jesus into your life, trusting fully in his sacrificial death on the cross.

Those who do this have the present promise of eternal life now. This just means that salvation and spiritual renewal are a current possession. Some false religions teach a different gospel than the one Jesus spoke of.

Beloved, the moment a person genuinely invests their faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice, their eternal life begins. It is no longer a hope, but an immediate reality. (Luke 19:9-10). Jesus offers new life today if you open your heart to him.

Finally, Jesus doesn’t stop at the present, but mentions the glorious future of those who believe in him. (John 6:54). This is a future guarantee that the religious and unbelieving cannot take part in. (Matthew 25:32-46).
 

🗣📢 Last words: Jesus promises that those who are spiritually united with him will overcome physical death entirely. He positions himself as the final authority over life and death on the ultimate Judgement.

Jesus explains his seemingly difficult words to the twelve as other disciples walk away. (John 6:63-69). I love Peter's response to Jesus after hearing some words that maybe didn't fully resonate to him.

68} "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69} And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:68-69 KJV).

Have you ever felt like giving up on God? Have you been confused about what Jesus means to your life? I mean, what's better than Jesus? Who or what compares to him? Someone please tell me, "Who's better than Jesus?"

Some people want to separate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit into different parts of religion. Some religions and denominations categorize God and Jesus as having different authorities. Some religions don't even acknowledge the Holy Spirit.

They say their is no spirit in their teaching. When Philip approached Jesus on this topic of him and the Father, here's what he said. Please read these verses aloud into your spirit and family.

8} "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9} Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

10} Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11} Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." (John 14:8-11 KJV).

Jesus told his listeners that he and his Father were one. (John 10:30). All authority and power was given to him. Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus is the creator of all that exist. (Colossians 2:8-13). So, here's a question to think about.

“What would you want to do if you knew you’d die tomorrow?” If you knew your time was short, you’d want to make the most of it. You’d want to fill the moments with love and warmth and thrills and delight.

You’d want to seize the day, right? But what about the afterlife? How do you deal with that part of your life? The afterlife involves the real you. Your flesh is headed to some cold dead dirt. But your spirit will keep living.

Head knowledge about God (knowing about him without knowing him), leaves your head filled but your heart empty. This is what false religion does to you. But when you truly accept Jesus as Lord in your heart, he sends a helper for you.

God’s Holy Spirit changes our hearts, renews our minds, reminds us of God’s truth, and leads us in his love. Through the Holy Spirit, we continue to grow more like our Heavenly Father. (John 14:23-27).

As we do a final recap, we can firmly stand on the rock of what Jesus told us about engaging in receiving his living bread to become united with him. Please meditate on who you are in Christ Jesus.

You are united with him in two ways.

A) By believing in his death (the sacrifice of his body, and resurrection.

B) By devoting yourselves to living as he requires, depending on his teaching for guidance and trusting in the Holy Spirit for power.

If you do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, you can know him Intimately in a real and loving way that will leave you in awe of his loving presence. All you have to do is turn from your sin and self and trust in Jesus. (Romans 10:8-13).

He will then become the all-sovereign, all-satisfying Savior of your soul. Then simply pray each day and ask God to empower you by his Spirit as you seek to follow Christ faithfully in accordance with his Word.

When you ask God with openness, honesty, and sincerity to save you from your sins, he will do it. Know the whole Jesus, not just a part of him. Knowing the Bible is one thing; knowing the author is another!
 

🛐 Here’s a prayer you can pray to receive all of Jesus. "Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me what was missing in my life. For years I thought reading your Bible was getting in the way of more important things.

Lord, I thought some religious activities were unnecessary for my already crowded life. I thought having a picture of you in my home was enough. But today I realized that you are alive in a real way for my spirit to live.

Jesus, I have decided to make you the whole of me and not the religious parts that do nothing for my soul. Lord, I want more than to live for today. Teach me to seize eternity and live with your greater purpose in mind.

As I rebuild my life in you, show me how to invest in the work you have laid before me with a mindset marked by hope. Give me grace when I doubt; give me comfort when I am discouraged. You are the bread and blood for my life.

Jesus, may your sacrifice be my daily nourishment and my ultimate hope, so that I may abide in you now and forevermore. Thank you for the gift of eternal life through the broken body and shed blood of your Son, Amen."
 

❤ "If you would like to know Jesus as your Savior, please read the drop-down page entitled "How to know Jesus."


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