KNOWING GOD – THE GOD OF LOVE || Lesson 12 

KNOWING GOD – THE GOD OF LOVE

[With Reference to the Events Concerning Jesus’ “Passion,” note how Jesus’ love is amazingly displayed throughout and therefore ‘stand in awe of God, the Most High.’]

Lesson Twelve

AT THE COENACULUM, name of traditional place of the Last Supper.

Text:  (NIV) Matthew 26:17-35 (Mark 14:12-31; Luke 22:7-38; John 13 & 14)

Events Relating to the Coenaculum (Cont’d)

Words of Comfort and Promise of the Holy Spirit – John 14:1-31a (Cont’d.)

John 14:4-6 – ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

(V.6) – I am the way – (As the Alpha and the Omega):

(a) Jesus was “The Way” in the beginning:  John 1:1-5 – ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning.

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

“But the darkness has not understood” – NIV note: “and the darkness has not overcome”

(b) Jesus was “The Way” in the middle, leading to Canaan:  Exodus 13:21-22 – ²¹By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.  ²²Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

See Numbers 9:15-23.

© Jesus is still “The Way,” leading to the Heavenly Home: (Refer to John 14:2-3, Lesson Eleven.)  Note:  Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

John 6:32-35 – ³²Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

³⁵Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

The “bread of life” is equivalent to the “word of Christ” – Colossians 3:16-17 – ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

In addition to the supply of manna in the wilderness, there was the supply of water.  See Exodus 17:1-6.

1 Corinthians 10:3-4 – ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.)  Note:

John 19:33-34 – ³³But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

The GOD OF LOVE is hereby reminding us of 1 Corinthians 5:7 – Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

In the early years, Christianity was known as “The Way” – Acts 9:1-2 – Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Application: Let us thank the GOD OF LOVE for providing us with instructions for following “The Way” in order to arrive at the destination.  Example:

2 Peter 1:3-11 – ³His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

¹⁰Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, ¹¹and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let us also thank the GOD OF LOVE for the following promise of enablement.

Luke 1:74-75 – ⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.