He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him., The One who sent me is with me. And that is a promise that only your Heavenly Father has the power to fulfill. Here is the secret of the release of the power of God -- nothing coming from me, everything coming from God; nothing for or from me, but everything coming for the Father and from the Father. He could cheat, lie, steal, whatever, all of us can, but it would violate his integrity; it would cheapen his whole life; it would be a total contradiction of all he believes in. You heard that I said to you, I go away, and I will come to you. If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Jesus answered, I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. A wise, loving, and patient Father, He waits. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him., He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him., And the one who sent me is with me. At the pool of Bethesda when our Lord sensed within himself what God wanted done there was an immediate response. We even see accounts in the newspapers of men who have murdered, saying God told them to do so. He steadfastly refused to do so. He could, but he would not, and he never did. This does not mean we are to be gilt-edged spooks, with wings making a holy hum, half-angel and half-human. They did not realise that he was talking to them about the Father. That is what he is talking about -- how he lived a life that was continually the point of release of the power of God in whatever he said or did. This is what our Lord is modeling for us. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him., He who sent Me is with Me. The key, of course, is that no impulse ever arose in our Lord's mind that was not in line with the external revelation of the Word of God. 26I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. While we were still blowing it. And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will., New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. Psalm 68:5, "But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, you are the potter and we are the work of your hand." New International Version (NIV), And He that sent Me is with Me. Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker and award-winning writer who helps women and couples strengthen their relationship with God and with others. And unlike human fathers, His timing is always perfect. Many people today claim that God has told them to do something or other. 1 John 4:!4, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." He was "the brightness of the Father's glory" (Heb 1:3). When that happens, he gives us more power; we grow in our ability to manifest the power of God. Scripture tells us in Psalm 84:11, No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.. It stands behind most of the technological achievements that startle us in our day. So it is with our relationship with the Son. (Somebody has well said the reason they did not help him was that the man had already been robbed!) There is a verse in Romans8 that follows a verse we often quote. Consider this somewhat imperfect analogy: The movie Braveheart described the exploits of William Wallace as he led the Scottish people in rebellion against Edward Longshanks, the king of England. He wants many sons. On the second morning, Chuck Swindoll said that, though he was scheduled to speak on a certain subject, as he had been listening, and watching, seeing God at work, he felt strangely moved to change his subject and instead to speak on forgiveness. For more on her resources to help strengthen your walk with God, your marriage, or your parenting, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him., The One who sent me is with me. Jesus starts there: "The Son can do nothing.". Hebrews says (he has done all this) "that he might lead many sons to glory," (Hebrews 2:10). We can, and we do. It was the same power that made his words full of impact and meaning to the woman at the well who had had five husbands and was still trying to find satisfaction in living with a man without marriage. How much change am I in for? This is greater by far than E=mc2. If you go out in a sailboat on the bay on a still day and raise the sail it will hang there, limp and powerless; the boat will just sit there, becalmed. The one who sent me is with me now: the Father has never left me alone for I always do what pleases him. And even while he said these words, many people believed in him. Jesus will go on to detail later in the chapter two of those "greater works" that are amazing and marvelous. Two religious persons had already passed by this wounded man. So Jesus tried again. In Verses19 and 20 there is a truth far beyond Einstein's simple little formula, E=mc2. It is through these truths of a relationship with our creator that God is seen as father over all creation and personally to believers through grace. Every person on this earth who claims to love you and never leave you will still be separated from you (at least temporarily) through their death or yours. I have never met anybody who does not have a hunger for life. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. What the Father would do through him, the Son is prepared to do through us. God is not content with having only one Son. And he that sent me is with me: the Father has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please him. On that basis the apostle did that mighty work that has changed the course of the history of the world in every generation since that day. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. If you have wounds in your life because of a less-than-perfect father, you are not alone. I am William Wallace. But one incredulous warrior exclaimed, William Wallace is seven feet tall! Yes, Ive heard, Wallace replied. We all know Romans 8:28, that wonderful verse that steadies us in times of trial, "All things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." Every manifestation of the Father's power (or the Son's power released in us), will awaken a sense of wonder on the part of those observing. Finally, the third step: " these he will show him, that you may marvel." In Matthew 7:11, Jesus said: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! God not only has the ability to give you anything you desire (as long as its good for you), He also knows your situation down the road and what will be best for you in the long run, as well as eternally. Yet God in his grace has made provision that, as imperfectly as we do it, nevertheless we can learn to grow as his power is gradually granted to us that we might leave an impact behind us. She has authored more than a dozen books including When Women Walk Alone(more than 130,000 copies sold), When God Sees Your Tears, When a Woman Overcomes Lifes Hurts, When God Pursues a Womans Heart, and Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs. And he doesnt say he is one pathway to God among many; he asserts he is the only Way. James 1:5 says, If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. That verse means your Heavenly Father will never say, I gave you wisdom once before and you didnt use it, so Im not giving you any more. He gives wisdom generously. It is his delight to communicate to us creative alternatives to the situations in which we find ourselves. It is further confirmation of what our Lord indicates is the secret of his power. Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. He had the power to do so. For he that sent me, is with me: the Father hath not left me alone, because I do always those things that please him. RayStedman.org/permissions. John 8:29 KJV. Joh 8:29 The Father hath not left me alone. "The Son can do nothing of his own accord. Your Heavenly Father is not like that. Studying through this passage this past week I felt like a little boy who was given a bucket and told to empty the Pacific Ocean before lunch! John 5:18-20: This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God. God is not a father like that. 19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. You may mount to the top of whatever heap you aspire to, and gain the admiration and attention of all the world, but if you have not found this secret your life will be unsatisfying and absolutely insipid to you, and of no use whatever to God. Chuck, Howard, and I were so excited by the prospect we were almost bouncing off the walls. Yet Jesus told them, You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. Whether you knew it or not, that formula, which Einstein came to after years of mathematical calculations and deep thinking about the processes of the universe, has changed the modern world. This is the explanation of his behavior in the wilderness when he was tempted by the devil to change stones into bread for his own satisfaction, to leap from the temple to gain the applause of people, or to gain the whole world for himself. When you begin with a self-denial -- "I cannot, I do not have anything in myself that can accomplish this thing, but God can, he wants it done" -- and you obey that, it results in a visible release of power. 2 Corinthians 6:18. That is one of the most profound secrets in Scripture. You may have felt that you had to earn your fathers love and respect by accomplishing great things to make him proud of you. even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. We want to be left alone in our comfort. Our Lord gives further insight in Verse20: "For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel." 27They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. In reply to that misunderstanding, Jesus explains himself. He doesnt say he can give life; he tells us he is the source of life itself. That is what Jesus means when he says, "The Son can do nothing of his own accord." We can see this principle at work in the incident at the pool of Bethesda. John 14:6, "And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." We do not like to be prodded and jabbed and made to think about things we do not want to think about. What are they but little puffs of air and sound coming out of my mouth? Words are insignificant in themselves, but if they are in line with the working of God they are filled with impact and power. He did it when he spoke to some lonely, heartsick, broken person and brought him to life and faith. What Does the Bible Say about Women Pastors? It was ludicrous to think that they could reject him and still claim to follow the God they had only read about. The Father has not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him. In a similar way, the people of Israel had read about God in their Scriptures, but now he had shown up in person. Without finding fault. ", "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. He knows how to give good gifts at just the right time. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Photo courtesy:Thinkstock/Jupiterimages. And he that has sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, because I do always the things that are pleasing to him. In the crowd which had gathered around the porches of the pool that day there must have been many who saw this miracle with open-mouthed amazement, staggered by what they saw. Reflect: Jesus says hes the Way. The one who sent me is with me. 31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. That is the key -- that inner vision of what the Father wants done. Photo courtesy:Thinkstock/Kuzmichstudio, The Truth about Why Men Hate Going to Church, Pentatonix Sings 'Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)' A Cappella, 5 Ways Selfishness Shows Up in Society Today, 10 Things Everyone Should Know about the Methodist Church. Thus, the amazing import of this verse is: This is what Jesus is modeling for us. When you are in relationship with His Son, Christ Jesus, you have complete access to your Heavenly Fathers ear, His heart, His focused attention. And I see a whole army of my country men, here, in defiance of tyranny Will you fight?. Let us have them before us. If Jesus is merely one more religious teacher out of countless others, then his claim would be absurd. But when the Samaritan saw him, he sensed within him what God wanted done. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. I dont see how that is anything different than spiritual racism. He has not left me alone: for I do always what is pleasing to Him. It is one of the deepest needs of the human race. ], and He who sent me is with me; the Father did not leave me alone, because I, the things pleasing to Him, do always.'. That is powerful. That is the guideline. It was not merely in raising men from sick beds that he employed the power of God. We are normal human beings who have access to a power, a wisdom, a creative mind who can suggest new approaches that seem simple in themselves, but, filled with the divine wind, are like great sails that change the course and move the events of history. He hasnt left me alone, because I always do what pleases him., And the One having sent me is with me [MISHLE 8:30]. Words are remarkable things. He did not leave me alone, because I always do the things that please Him. They looked on this occurrence with narrowed eyes, whispering their displeasure among themselves, angered by what Jesus had done. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). And with all that intimate knowledge of you, He continues to love you like the perfect Father. He has never left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.. We are moving into an election year. God knows your thoughts before you think them, your words before you say them, and your actions before you carry them out. They were some of the most religious people on earth. These verses follow immediately the account of the healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, when Jesus simply said to him, "Rise, take up your bed, and walk," (John 5:8 RSV). That is the key. Remember how thrilled and blessed you were when you discovered in school that E=mc2? Does that sound familiar? All rights reserved. ", Whenever you read those words in the gospels, pay close attention to what follows. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.