And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
God the Father stayed with Jesus and never left Him alone, because Jesus always did what delighted Him. That pleasing covered His whole life, from thirty years of humble, meek obedience in common things to a public ministry in which He did nothing of Himself but spoke and acted only as the Father taught and authorized Him. He never departed from loyalty to God's law in the least, but as the sinless Son met temptation in human nature and overcame, proving obedience possible and exposing as false the claim that the law cannot be kept. He lived in constant, unbroken communion in the light of His Father's presence that no opposition could disturb, so His anguish in Gethsemane when He felt shut out from that sustaining presence while bearing humanity's guilt shows what it costs to bear sin. His life of purity is the pattern His followers are to live by through His strength, trusting that as the Father's presence surrounded Him and permitted nothing except for blessing, those who abide wholly for God are not forgotten or abandoned but may share His deep, tranquil peace.
Father With Obedient Son
The One who sent Jesus stayed with Him and never left Him alone, because Jesus always did the things that pleased the Father. He did nothing of Himself but spoke only as the Father taught Him, acting wholly under the Father's instruction and authority, and that complete obedience expressed the Father's character and proved His ministry was from God. That ministry embraced teaching, relieving suffering, forgiving sin, cleansing the temple, and reproving hypocrisy. What was revealed in His words was revealed also in His character, for He embodied the truths He taught.
The declaration was spoken in vindication against the Pharisees with thrilling power that for the time closed their lips. As He spoke it many believed on Him, uniting with Him as the Son of God, and to those believing hearers He said that continuing in His word makes true disciples who shall know the truth and the truth shall make them free. In this way believing ones who received further teaching were separated from rejecting Pharisees who hardened their hearts against Him. He offered this unity with God rather than direct proof of His claim to be the Messiah, so that minds open to God's love received Him, while His followers will meet in life the same opposition and misunderstanding He met.
His always pleasing the Father covered the whole thirty years of His private life in humble, meek, lowly obedience even in the common things of life. He advanced step by step, growing in stature and in favor with God and man, with the Spirit of God upon Him and with full, undwarfed spiritual, mental, and moral development in living connection with the Father at all times. Even in childhood and youth He followed the light and instruction received from His Father rather than human counsel, and did not let priests and rulers or others' plans direct His course.
He lived in constant, perfect, unbroken communion in the light of the Father's presence. Though surrounded by conflict, pursued by angry enemies, and opposed by human and satanic wrath, His calm and peace remained undisturbed because of that fellowship. Throughout His earthly life He could therefore say the Father was with Him because He always did what pleased Him, but in Gethsemane, as He bore humanity's guilt and was numbered with transgressors, He felt shut out from that sustaining presence, and the contrast reveals the anguish of bearing sin.
Sinless Keeping of Law
He never departed from loyalty to God's law and will, never deviating a jot or tittle or doing anything contrary to the Father, but delighted to do God's will with God's law within His heart. He was God's only begotten, sinless, innocent and righteous Son, and after three years of watching His enemies could find no fault or sin in His character, while Satan could find nothing in Him to gain advantage and even evil spirits acknowledged His holiness. As a man He met temptation and overcame through strength given by God, and His life of unbroken doing of what pleases the Father proved that obedience to God's law is possible and exposed as false Satan's claim that it cannot be kept.
His complete obedience expressed the Father's character and showed unity with God and that His ministry came from God. What was revealed in His words was revealed also in His character, for He embodied the truths He taught. He offered that unity with God instead of direct proof of His claim to be the Messiah, so that minds open to God's love received Him because of it.
Though without disobedience of His own, He bore the chastisement of the guilty, the severest punishment and suffering a human being could suffer under God's wrath inflicted because of man's transgression of God's law. That suffering came through transgressors acting as agents under Satan's jurisdiction, not for any disobedience of His own. It stands as an illustration of God's love for mankind and His desire to lead men to obey His precepts.
Pattern and Promise for Believers
In human nature He lived in obedience to the Father, and His life of purity and nobility is the pattern His followers are to live by through His strength. The Father was with Him and had not left Him alone because He always did what pleased Him, and that obedient life in human nature is set before His followers to reproduce.
He is the perfect example of a holy character formed by obedience to God's holy law and commandments, for He always did what pleased the Father. His followers are to become like Him and form characters in harmony with its principles by God's grace. This is accomplished through faith in Christ and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and this is Bible sanctification. His obedience displays the character His followers are to develop, a character in harmony with God's holy law.
He is the perfect example of the new covenant life, living among men in unbroken doing of what pleases the Father with delight to do God's will and God's law within His heart. The same law once engraved on stone is in this life written by the Holy Spirit on the heart. Those renewed by the Holy Spirit accept Christ's blood for pardon and His obedience for righteousness, receiving His righteousness. Having the Spirit of Christ, they bring forth the fruits of the Spirit and through His grace live in obedience to the law written on their hearts and walk even as He walked.
As He learned from the Father and did what the Father told Him to do, those in His school must learn from Him in the same way. They are to put away the unChristlike traits of character they naturally possess and do what He tells them to do.
The Father's presence surrounded Him, so that nothing happened to Him except what infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world. Those who abide in Him may trust that the Saviour surrounds them with His presence, and that whatever comes to them is permitted by the Lord and can serve for their good. God does not forget or abandon those who live wholly for Him, and trusting in His love amid difficult circumstances brings a deep, tranquil joy.
He speaks as Instructor inviting all to heed and share His peace which passes understanding, possessed in perfect, unbroken communion with the Father who sent Him and never left Him alone, so that no storm of human or satanic wrath could disturb His calm. When teachers receive Him into their hearts as an abiding Guest they share that calm to impart in words, attitude, and example. They learn His meekness and lowliness and find rest for their souls instead of letting love of self come between the soul and God in criticism and complaint.
His peace came from knowing He had done His Father's will, not from avoiding conflict or securing outward quiet. He did not cover sin, remain silent, or neglect duty when souls were in danger of ruin. He warned, instructed, and reproved them rather than leave wrongdoing unwarned and unreproved.
God the Father stayed with Jesus and never left Him alone, because Jesus always did what delighted Him. That pleasing covered His whole life, from thirty years of humble, meek obedience in common things to a public ministry in which He did nothing of Himself but spoke and acted only as the Father taught and authorized Him. He never departed from loyalty to God's law in the least, but as the sinless Son met temptation in human nature and overcame, proving obedience possible and exposing as false the claim that the law cannot be kept. He lived in constant, unbroken communion in the light of His Father's presence that no opposition could disturb, so His anguish in Gethsemane when He felt shut out from that sustaining presence while bearing humanity's guilt shows what it costs to bear sin. His life of purity is the pattern His followers are to live by through His strength, trusting that as the Father's presence surrounded Him and permitted nothing except for blessing, those who abide wholly for God are not forgotten or abandoned but may share His deep, tranquil peace.
Father With Obedient Son
The One who sent Jesus stayed with Him and never left Him alone, because Jesus always did the things that pleased the Father. He did nothing of Himself but spoke only as the Father taught Him, acting wholly under the Father's instruction and authority, and that complete obedience expressed the Father's character and proved His ministry was from God. That ministry embraced teaching, relieving suffering, forgiving sin, cleansing the temple, and reproving hypocrisy. What was revealed in His words was revealed also in His character, for He embodied the truths He taught.
The declaration was spoken in vindication against the Pharisees with thrilling power that for the time closed their lips. As He spoke it many believed on Him, uniting with Him as the Son of God, and to those believing hearers He said that continuing in His word makes true disciples who shall know the truth and the truth shall make them free. In this way believing ones who received further teaching were separated from rejecting Pharisees who hardened their hearts against Him. He offered this unity with God rather than direct proof of His claim to be the Messiah, so that minds open to God's love received Him, while His followers will meet in life the same opposition and misunderstanding He met.
His always pleasing the Father covered the whole thirty years of His private life in humble, meek, lowly obedience even in the common things of life. He advanced step by step, growing in stature and in favor with God and man, with the Spirit of God upon Him and with full, undwarfed spiritual, mental, and moral development in living connection with the Father at all times. Even in childhood and youth He followed the light and instruction received from His Father rather than human counsel, and did not let priests and rulers or others' plans direct His course.
He lived in constant, perfect, unbroken communion in the light of the Father's presence. Though surrounded by conflict, pursued by angry enemies, and opposed by human and satanic wrath, His calm and peace remained undisturbed because of that fellowship. Throughout His earthly life He could therefore say the Father was with Him because He always did what pleased Him, but in Gethsemane, as He bore humanity's guilt and was numbered with transgressors, He felt shut out from that sustaining presence, and the contrast reveals the anguish of bearing sin.
Sinless Keeping of Law
He never departed from loyalty to God's law and will, never deviating a jot or tittle or doing anything contrary to the Father, but delighted to do God's will with God's law within His heart. He was God's only begotten, sinless, innocent and righteous Son, and after three years of watching His enemies could find no fault or sin in His character, while Satan could find nothing in Him to gain advantage and even evil spirits acknowledged His holiness. As a man He met temptation and overcame through strength given by God, and His life of unbroken doing of what pleases the Father proved that obedience to God's law is possible and exposed as false Satan's claim that it cannot be kept.
His complete obedience expressed the Father's character and showed unity with God and that His ministry came from God. What was revealed in His words was revealed also in His character, for He embodied the truths He taught. He offered that unity with God instead of direct proof of His claim to be the Messiah, so that minds open to God's love received Him because of it.
Though without disobedience of His own, He bore the chastisement of the guilty, the severest punishment and suffering a human being could suffer under God's wrath inflicted because of man's transgression of God's law. That suffering came through transgressors acting as agents under Satan's jurisdiction, not for any disobedience of His own. It stands as an illustration of God's love for mankind and His desire to lead men to obey His precepts.
Pattern and Promise for Believers
In human nature He lived in obedience to the Father, and His life of purity and nobility is the pattern His followers are to live by through His strength. The Father was with Him and had not left Him alone because He always did what pleased Him, and that obedient life in human nature is set before His followers to reproduce.
He is the perfect example of a holy character formed by obedience to God's holy law and commandments, for He always did what pleased the Father. His followers are to become like Him and form characters in harmony with its principles by God's grace. This is accomplished through faith in Christ and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and this is Bible sanctification. His obedience displays the character His followers are to develop, a character in harmony with God's holy law.
He is the perfect example of the new covenant life, living among men in unbroken doing of what pleases the Father with delight to do God's will and God's law within His heart. The same law once engraved on stone is in this life written by the Holy Spirit on the heart. Those renewed by the Holy Spirit accept Christ's blood for pardon and His obedience for righteousness, receiving His righteousness. Having the Spirit of Christ, they bring forth the fruits of the Spirit and through His grace live in obedience to the law written on their hearts and walk even as He walked.
As He learned from the Father and did what the Father told Him to do, those in His school must learn from Him in the same way. They are to put away the unChristlike traits of character they naturally possess and do what He tells them to do.
The Father's presence surrounded Him, so that nothing happened to Him except what infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world. Those who abide in Him may trust that the Saviour surrounds them with His presence, and that whatever comes to them is permitted by the Lord and can serve for their good. God does not forget or abandon those who live wholly for Him, and trusting in His love amid difficult circumstances brings a deep, tranquil joy.
He speaks as Instructor inviting all to heed and share His peace which passes understanding, possessed in perfect, unbroken communion with the Father who sent Him and never left Him alone, so that no storm of human or satanic wrath could disturb His calm. When teachers receive Him into their hearts as an abiding Guest they share that calm to impart in words, attitude, and example. They learn His meekness and lowliness and find rest for their souls instead of letting love of self come between the soul and God in criticism and complaint.
His peace came from knowing He had done His Father's will, not from avoiding conflict or securing outward quiet. He did not cover sin, remain silent, or neglect duty when souls were in danger of ruin. He warned, instructed, and reproved them rather than leave wrongdoing unwarned and unreproved.