John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

When we get to chapter seven of John six months have passed since many of His followers forsook Him. They did not understand Him or His message. Here in chapter seven, we see that His younger brothers didn’t really know Him (v. 5). Before Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles, there are whisperings regarding Jesus. People are afraid to talk openly about Jesus because the religious leaders want to kill Jesus. Some thought He was a good man, and some thought He was a deceiver. Some thought He was unlearned, because He hadn’t received an education at the feet of learned men in Jerusalem. Though they had a great opportunity, many would remain in ignorance.

We live in an age of ignorance. Most people who remain in ignorance do so because of their own will. They do not want to submit to the will of God. They do not desire for God to reign over them. They want to live their life their own way. In our society today pride and immorality reign. People remain in ignorance because of their sin and selfish pride. They won’t bow their knees. They won’t even spend a few minutes to contemplate their eternity.

If only people would love God and His Word, desiring to be obedient unto Him, He would open their eyes to truth.

With a desire to know truth, the famous 19^th century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon had his eyes opened to the truth of who God is when he heard a layman preach from the following verses:

Isaiah 45:22-23 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear… -- Spurgeon got saved that night and became a great servant of God.

Even we who know the Lord use ignorance as an excuse. We need to take responsibility for our ignorance and examine our own selfish pride and sin. It is possible to purposefully remain ignorant.

We need to be like Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah, and say willingly unto God, “Here am I.”

Ron Cox – Director of HOPE Ministry