Psalm 8:1

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in John 8. Verses 30-47 blew my mind. How ever did I miss this over the hundreds of times I’ve read the passage? But it is too long to present in full here. I’ll lay out the key verses:

John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.

John 8:31 ¶ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

…

John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

…

John 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

John 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

That should be enough! Did you catch it? These are Jews who “believed on him.” Jesus said if they continued in His word, that would prove they are true disciples. He tested them: “ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). This offended them; they retorted: “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” (John 8:33). Jesus then revealed that He knew their heart, that in truth, they had murder in their hearts for Him: “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you” (John 8:37).

This is a very strange passage. The Scripture plainly says they “believed on him” (John 8:30-31), and that Jesus said to those Jews who “believed on him” that the test of their faith would be if they “continued in [His] word” (John 8:31). He put His word to them. They almost immediately refused it, thereby betraying that they were not genuine “believers.” They did not prove themselves to be His disciples indeed.

Wow! They “believed,” but their belief was choked out by unbelief. John once remarked on the phenomenon of “believers” who went “out from us” as betraying the truth that they “were not of us.” Listen to the Spirit:

1John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

Jesus put it this way: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). When they rejected His word concerning the fact that those who are servants of sin would not abide in the House for ever (John 8:34-35; see verses 34-37). They had murder in their hearts against Him because His word did not abide in them. The Spirit has spoken to us about those who have hidden in their heart the spirit that crucified Him:

Hebrews 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Along the still waters, I reflected on those I have shown the truth of GOD but who later found themselves unable to receive His words, who fell away, and continue to insist that because of this or that, they are “okay,” but they left the faith once delivered: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). You know they are disciples indeed when they “continue in [His] words.”

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, I groaned over the truth that the way is narrow, and “few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” For there are “Many [who] will say to [Christ] in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22; see 7:23-27). These are servants of iniquity, self-willed and willing instead to subordinate the word to themselves, and arrogantly place themselves above the word, and hide “murder” in their hearts —ready to “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). They do not “depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

The Master called: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). There is the test. Do they have a heart to “deny self” or deny Him and His word? Selah!

At the table, He spoke to me concerning these things, and anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace, and called me to “follow Him.” I did! Goodness and mercy followed as we went into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v71adpo-shepherds-pasture.html