So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”
– John 7:16
Now, John 7:16 begins a whole dialogue at the temple with all kinds of people who are listening Jesus talk. Some who are receiving what he is saying, some who are rejecting what he is saying. But the key is from the very beginning, he says, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” It’s another one of these pictures in the gospel of John, where we see the son, Jesus, in a relationship to God, the father, and how Jesus’ words, his teaching, are a reflection of the father of God.
The Word Of God Is Very Important To Understanding The Gospel
And as I read this, obviously there is so much here about the uniqueness of Jesus, about how the words of Jesus are the words of the father, and how that ties in. Even how we understand the whole Bible. The whole Bible is the revelation of God that we can legitimately call the Bible. The word of Christ, not just that which is in red letters and some Bible translations, but everything, Old Testament, New Testament is the word of God, because the word of God, the father, the word of God, the son are the same, all inspired by the holy spirit. Again, there’s just so much there when it comes to the mystery of the Trinity.
But what I want to encourage you with, even as if I’m encouraged reading John 7:16, is that to the extent to which we are, you and I, are teaching what Jesus has said, speaking what Jesus has said, then we speak with his authority, with the very authority of God. And that sounds like a bold statement when you really think about it, that you or I can speak with the authority of God, but that’s kind of the whole point in the great commission, right? Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven on earth has been given to me,” Jesus says, “therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, of the son, and the holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
God’s Word Should Be Taught In Disciple Making
This is what we do in disciple-making. This is how we make disciples. We tell people, we say to people, we teach people, “Obey, do this, do that.” And what authority do we have to tell other people what to obey, what to do, how they should live? Like that’s bold, isn’t it? Well yeah, it’s bold, but it’s not based on authority that you or I have in and of ourselves. It’s based on Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth, “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” So when we are making disciples, what we are saying, whether it’s with children, with spouse, with people in our family, friends, in the church, as we lead people to Christ, we are saying, “Here’s the word of Christ.
Obey this, do this, and you will experience life.” How can you say that? You can’t say that because of any credibility you have. You can say that though, based on the credibility of Jesus Christ himself. So what that means is, you and I need to make sure we know the word of Christ. We need to know God’s word, and not just know it, but speak it, share it, call others to live according to it. And in this way, you and I get to lead other people to experience life even as we experience life in the same way, by obeying the words of Christ. So God, we praise you for your word. We praise you for what we saw in John six even. Jesus, you have the words of life.
John 7:16 Prays That We Understand And Obey God’s Word
So we pray that you would help us to hear and know and understand and meditate on and memorize your word, and then do it. God help us to obey your word and experience life your way, according to your will, according to your wisdom, God, we pray for this in our own lives.
And God, we pray that you would help us to obey your command, to make disciples in others’ lives, to lead other people, to obey you, not based on our, our own ideas or our own thoughts or our own opinions, but based on your word, God, we pray that you’d help us to make disciples with your word, help us to encourage others with your word, help us to exhort, correct rebuke all the things that we see in second Timothy, chapter three, with your word, not our words, but with your word to help others experience life.
John 7:16 Prays That Leaders Of The Church Teach Through God’s Word
God, I pray for myself as a pastor for any other, every other pastor or church leader, listening to this God that we would only lead your church based on your word, God that I, other leaders would never lead your church, according to our own thoughts, our own opinions, but totally, according to your word, according to your authority. Oh, God, we praise you for your word. We pray that you’d help us to live according to it. And we pray that you’d help us to serve others with it. That based on your authority and your word, they might experience even as we experience life more and more and more around your word. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
