Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”

Jesus is speaking of those who are His children.  Those who obey His Word.  Those who are in good standing.  Jesus Himself is the truth that makes us free from disobedience (sin)-- Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  Those who disobey the King's commands are slaves to disobedience (what we call sin).

Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  Sin is the one single word that describes disobedience.  This is what is called a Kingdom concept.  Remember, Jesus is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right.  He was here from the beginning.   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Because of King Jesus, we all live.  He is the Source of all creation.  Obeying His Word is our standard for living an effective lifestyle.  

John 8:31-38   John 1:1-3

W.R. Luchie

Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!  Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

We have all heard of people who have won millions of dollars and then lost everything.  Even the average person can spend an inheritance--or a paycheck--with lightening speed and have very little to show for it.  When you have embraced the Kingdom concept, you won't spend your time pursuing riches.  You don't have to spend your time chasing fleeting earthly treasures.  Instead, store up treasures in the Kingdom of Heaven.  For such treasures will never be lost.  King Jesus made it perfectly clear:

Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

Money seen as an end in itself quickly traps us and cuts us off from both the Lord God and the needy.  The key to using money wisely is to realize that we don't own anything.  The King just gives us access to all we need.

Proverbs 23:4-5   Luke 12:33-34

~~W.R. Luchie

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

Viewing this from a Kingdom concept, this verse is stating that if you embrace His Word as the King He is, then and only then are you a citizen in good standing.  

Please note:  If you believe and have faith in the Word of Jesus the King, then your faith alone in His written Word will cause you to become obedient to His command.  It is our faith in His Word that gives us understanding of creation.  ...who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

If you don't have faith in the Lord Jesus the Christ, then you most definitely will not obey His Word as King.  If your supervisor at work asked you to work several hours of overtime, but you had no trust in his word, would you do it? So, also, if you don't obey the Lord God's Word, you do not have faith that He will do what He says He will do.  If you truly had faith in God and His Word (which are one) you would never want to disobey and miss out on His promises!  Faith and obedience are intertwined. 

John 8:31   Hebrews 1:3

~~W.R. Luchie

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

I want you to realize, when you are operating by the leading of the Holy Spirit, no one can harm you.  Remember, Jesus' own brothers didn't believe in Him, nor did they understand His motive.  

His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”  Jesus made it quite clear that the information He was teaching wasn't His own.  He also stated that those who teach their own message seek honor for themselves.

 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”

Observe those who fail to obey the Lord Jesus and teach the message of the Kingdom.  They preach finance, prosperity, grace and how to be blessed; but not the Kingdom concept.  Jesus obeyed His Father's commands to the letter (last word).  Jesus made it plain that He always does what pleases the Father.

And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.

John 7:37-38, 3-8, 16-19   John 8:29

~~W.R. Luchie

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

King Jesus told His disciples to keep constant watch for His return.  Although over 2000 years have passed since He spoke these words, the truth remains.  The King will keep His Word.  He will come again, and we need to keep watch.  This means working faithfully on our purpose and the task for which the Lord God has created us.

Do not allow your mind to be distracted from His purpose in your life.  Do not allow your mind and spirit to become dull by careless and ineffective living.  Do not allow drinking or the foolish pursuit of pleasure to become your primary goal in your life.  Do not allow the cares of this world system to weigh you down through the thoughts of your mind.  Remember what Jesus stated:

But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 21:34-36   Matthew 24:48-51

~~W.R. Luchie