Come and See: Turning Point - John 11:45-57 - August 11th

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John 11:45-57

Remember yesterday I asked you if you thought that doing something as wonderful as raising the dead would be frowned upon. I mean at least it shouldn’t be something that would get you a response like Jesus experienced.

John 11:45-57 (NIV) Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Reading this part of the passage today a couple of thoughts come to my mind. Did Jesus hesitation have anything to do with knowing what was ahead? Here He raises Lazarus and now, not just the Pharisees, but the entire Sanhedrin is up in arms looking to put Jesus to death so they can keep the Romans off their backs.

I guess that might not be such a concern for Jesus. But what about knowing the pain and the anguish that was going to come with the crucifixion? We know that Jesus had some sort of idea how excruciating it would be when we see Him praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. And yet – He goes through with it. And this is the point – raising Lazarus – that we see Jesus turning toward the cross.

It is a bit ironic that the meeting here of the Sanhedrin which was directed at stopping Jesus and His ministry from moving forward, actually accomplishes the one thing that Jesus was born to do. Which is to pay the price we could never pay, but would always owe because of sin.

And then I wonder how often do I view life in light of the cross? How often do I look at a situation, or make decisions based on my salvation instead of earthly wisdom? There are times – repeated times – that I need to be led to the cross so that I can remember the price paid for me.

Come and See: Do We Believe - John 11:38-53 - August 10th

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John 11:38-53

Now, you don’t think that doing something as wonderful as raising the dead would be bad or looked down upon.  But as we are going to read, Jesus raising Lazarus was a turning point for the Pharisees and for the entire Sanhedrin. Let’s see what happens.

John 11:38-53 (NIV) Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Some very interesting things are happening here. And hopefully tomorrow we will get into parts of this story that we normally don’t talk about or study or preach and teach.    So before we talk about how things are now shifting for Jesus, Let’s talk once more about a message that has been central in this Gospel account.

Because if we look throughout this Gospel we see God – Jesus – bringing life out of death, the creation of life out of nothing. Throughout His Gospel account John – the beloved disciple – has been telling us how Jesus alone can bring transformation from death into life both physically and spiritually – and there is more than just this – we are called to participate in bringing people back to life – alongside of Jesus.

Laura Holmes and George Lyons write: New Beacon Bible Commentary: John 1-12: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. © 2020 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. p. 284.

“Is the raising of Lazarus more than simply the story of one stinking dead man raised to live another day? Does it also illustrate the story of the spiritually dead? Jesus alone can speak the word that brings the dead to life. But Jesus still invites those who witness the transformation that brings the birth from above to participate in the miracle.”

I have never thought about that before, but they are right that Jesus invites the people around Lazarus to help in this bringing him back to life. It’s found in what Jesus says in verse 44.

John 11:44 (NIV) The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Here Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days. Can you imagine what taking off the graveclothes would have been like?    Not just the smell but the mess would have been horrible.

Now, some of you may be offended because in your mind when Lazarus walks out of the grave, all because he was being raised by Jesus, you might believe that there wasn’t any decay. Guess what, the Bible doesn’t say that.

When you look at Jesus’ invitation, everyone around was asked to help. So our question is this – do we believe that Jesus still performs resurrections, especially spiritual resurrections?

I believe that today we are invited to help with just that very thing, assisting Jesus with spiritual resurrections among those around us, who are coming from death to life. Those of us who have experienced the transformation can testify to this. What we need to realize is just like taking off Lazarus’ graveclothes, spiritual transformation can be messy. But I’m also reminded that God can that the messiness of life, and make something beautiful out of that mess.

Come and See: From Belief To Trust - John 11:1-16 - August 7th

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John 11:1-16

John 11:1-16 (NIV) Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

So before we get into the part of the story that we always like to read, the part where Jesus calls Lazarus to come out of the grave, the part where Lazarus comes back to this world, let’s talk about the discourse Jesus and His Disciples have.

When Jesus hears about the news His first response wasn’t to stop what He was doing, jump up and go to Lazarus. And as you investigate further – do the math – by the time the news reaches Jesus, Lazarus is already dead. And Jesus stays where He was two more days.

I have always looked at that and thought, this is odd – Lazarus, Mary, Martha they are close to Jesus as we will discover. Jesus loved them all. So why didn’t Jesus dump everything, and jump up and go right away?

Think about just the grief of Mary and Martha alone, the pain they endured during those four days total that Lazarus was dead. And I’ve wondered what was so important that Jesus could not jump up and go to them, even if it were to shorten it down to just one day of death or grief.

There are a couple of things to consider here.   In Jesus day when you died there were rules about burying the body just like today. Back then, someone in the family would prepare the body for burial. However, once inside the tomb they would anoint their body with ointment, wrap them up in grave cloths, and lay them on a shelf inside the cave.

Now in most tombs or crypts, whatever you want to call them, you might notice a small hole in the wall. Some have speculated that this was to let the smell or gasses escape as the body decomposed inside the tomb. If you think about it the rocks or doors that would have closed the tombs were not airtight. And we have other historical cultural information regarding first century Jewish beliefs.

The belief that many people held in Jesus’ time, was that the spirit dwelt around the body until it could no longer recognize itself. At that time the spirit of the deceased would then leave through the little hole.

And based on the circumstances surrounding the  decomposition of a dead person, most people believed it to take three to four days for the deceased’s spirit to leave the body. So by the fourth day most would have given up hope that anything could have been done to save the person.

It’s here that I want to remind us Jesus had many things to do that was in preparation for His ultimate task of dying on the cross.  It was not lack of love or complacency, malice, it wasn’t any of those things that delays Jesus to return to Lazarus. But there is a plan and Jesus talks about it in verse four.

John 11:4 (NIV) When He heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Often times we go through life not understanding – like the Disciples, or even like Mary and Martha we blame God for bad things that happen in our lives. But you know even in those times, Even when we don’t understand or we don’t have a clear answer, we can still place our hope and trust In Jesus as the Messiah, as our Savior.

Come and See: This I Believe - John 10:22-42 - August 6th

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John 10:22-42

John the Beloved Disciple has painstakingly taken steps throughout his Gospel account to make it as clear and as plain as possible in communicating why he believes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

And as John writes today’s passage, I want you to listen to the people and think about their questions. Then think about what your response is to who Jesus is. Remember Jesus was a practicing Jew. Even here in today’s passage Jesus celebrated the Jewish festivals, and that’s where we find Him.

John 10:22-42 (NIV) Then came the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah) at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” And in that place many believed in Jesus.

There is so much that we can glean from this Scripture. It speaks volumes about Who Jesus is. But here is a thought today, Jesus is Who He is – we cannot change that.  There is nothing that we can do to change who He is. What we are presented with is a choice.

Jesus has taught, taught, taught, and even here He teaches again. He asks the people who are asking a loaded question for a plain statement in this regard to make that choice. And He gives it to them – they have the ability to see and to choose between putting their faith and belief in Him or rejecting Him – the Word, the Way, the Truth, the Life. He doesn’t ask them to make their decision just on what He says, just on His verbal testimony. He asks them to also look at what He does – the signs and the miracles – then make a decision.

And you know, that’s really what we all do. Not only do we hear or read what Jesus said, we look at the evidence of what He did. And then we have a choice to make. It’s that ability to choose, which God never removes from our hearts.

This passage shows us how God initiates a call to come to Him. And when we hear that call we have a responsibility to choose Him or reject Him.

Here is what Laura Holmes and George Lyons say in the New Beacon Bible Commentary, John 1-12: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. © 2020 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. p. 268

“This Gospel emphasizes that just as Jesus is called, set apart, and given His purpose and vocation by God, so are we.  Living into that call, by God’s grace, is the mission of those who believe (10:42).”

So my question for your today is simply this, what are you choosing to do which helps you to live into the call that God has placed on your life?  What are you doing to walk in the Grace of God? What are you doing to serve Christ working alongside of God in His Kingdom? If you have trouble answering any one of those questions, today be a great day to rededicate your life to the service of the King of Kings and make Jesus your Lord and Savior.

Come and See: The Good Shepherd - John 10:14-21 - August 5th

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John 10:14-21

When we look in the Bible there are often times examples of shepherding. Throughout the Old Testament we hear prophets talk about the Messiah and God in this way.  And I have to say that Jesus probably gives us the best example of shepherding here in this Scripture today.

John 10:14-21 (NIV) “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

The Jews who heard these words were again divided. Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

As we have looked at these devotions on Jesus when we come and see – we are truly asking ourselves who do we believe Jesus is? We can see here in the Gospel According to John that he has written to us two differing responses to that question. There are two different lines of thought that seem to repeat themselves.

First is the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah. People believe and are saved. John wants to make that abundantly clear to all of His readers. And for those of us who do believe, that Jesus is the Messiah – and those of us who believe today to the point of being saved from sin and death and hell – this is a great time to deepen our faith.  As we move through this study and come to belief in Jesus as our savior and really understand why we believe this, it helps us to own our faith. 

Let me explain.  Often times we are presented with a question from someone who doesn’t believe.  For example – do you Christians really believe in Jesus being born of a virgin?  Often times our answer is well yes.  But it’s the next question that gets us.  Why? Umm, well, ahh, it’s in the Bible and my parents and my 3rd grade Sunday School teacher told me so. Family – that is not an answer – well it’s an answer but it’s not one that testifies to Jesus being Lord and Savior of your life.  It testifies to being Lord and Savior of someone else’s life – but not that you have experienced Jesus in a way that’s real where you can explain.

For thousands of years there were prophecies throughout the Old Testament that pointed us toward Jesus.  One of them being that He (Messiah) would be born of a virgin.  And when you look at all the prophecy that Jesus fulfils in His birth, life, death, and resurrection – and then as you experience the greatness of His love and compassion throughout your own life – you cannot help but believe He is the Savior.

Now I’ve had friends from other religions who want to think of Jesus as just a good moral teacher.  And from time to time we have a discussion or two in which they will say – “Jesus is Lord and Savior.” Funny thing, if I pause and don’t respond right away, those friends have countered back with, “Those are the right words right?”  To which I then respond, if you have to ask He is not your Lord and Savior. 

So we see the theme that Jesus is Messiah – John makes it abundantly clear.  Second we see that not everyone believes. There seems to be division in regards to this, each time Jesus heals someone or teaches people as to who He is. There is a group of people who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

But here Jesus tells us that He is the Good Shepherd, and what is the Good Shepherd concerned with – why He’s concerned with the sheep. It’s all about the sheep for Jesus. Those who will listen to His voice. Jesus goes as far as to say that He is the gate – or our way in. He is the way to enter into the life He calls us to live. It is through our faith, hope, belief in Him that we can enter into His fold, enter into His flock and live the abundant life free from sin, death, and hell. And guess what, He was fulfilling more prophecy by doing this.

Ezekiel 34:11-16 (NIV) “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Ezekiel had something to say about the Good Shepherd. And I believe this is yet another voice giving testimony to the work Jesus was doing in the Gospels. And giving testimony to the work He does now through the Holy Spirit working in and through His disciples. We are an extension of this work of the Good Shepherd. Are you listening to His voice, are you following the Good Shepherd today?

Come and See: Not What It Seems - John 9:39-41 - August 4th

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John 9:39-41

Have you ever been surprised by someone, have you ever looked at someone, something, or a situation and it was not what you thought they were in your initial assessment or assumption? I sure have, now probably the best illustration for me at least is reality tv.

I don’t like much of reality tv. Mainly because it’s not that real. But once in a while I’ve watched a couple of shows and especially the talent and singing shows. And on there, every once in a while, there is someone who comes out to sing and by their appearance you wouldn’t think they had much talent.

So yesterday we talked about Jesus healing a blind man. But we didn’t talk too much about The Pharisees and the discussion some of them had with Jesus afterward. I would say that Jesus spoke strongly to them, we might not understand that because we come from a different society and culture. It might be something we should pay a bit more attention to a bit closer.

John 9:39-41 (NIV) Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

On the surface some of this just sounds like the average back and forth  Between Jesus and the Pharisees. But when we look at the overall picture, and then as we look tomorrow about what’s coming up in chapter 10, you will realize that Jesus is not just having a passing discussion.

All throughout this narrative we see that Jesus has done something that puts Him in the spotlight. And it has to do with this particular miracle - not just the part that I brought up yesterday which parallels creation – the mud in eyes – it’s the idea that the man was healed from his blindness.

Remember that the Old Testament is there to point us to the Messiah. The Messiah was promised and was sent to save all of Israel and then the world through Israel. 

Isaiah 35:5-6 (NIV) Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Now Jesus has already healed the lame, and He had the audacity to do that on the sabbath. And now He has healed the blind. Sight was given to the blind. And not just any blind man but a man, known by his entire community to be blind from birth – born blind.

And these are all things that are directly attributed in Scripture to help point us towards the Messiah. How could these men – these Pharisees not see this – they studied Scripture and they taught Scripture. You would have thought they would have figured it out by now. It seems as if they seriously don’t. I believe they knew and that’s why Jesus said what He said – He could see their hearts.

Now, the blind man could only testify to what happened to him. And the Pharisees blindly reject it. They reject the truth of Who Jesus is. What happens when we reject truth? Our hearts become hardened.

Think about this, even though there was overwhelming evidence that Jesus was exactly who He said He was, the Pharisees continue to refuse to believe their hearts become harder and harder. At the same time the man who was healed grows exponentially in his faith in Christ.

Laura Holmes and George Lyons write this in the New Beacon Bible Commentary, John 1-12: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. © 2020 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. p. 249

“In this passage, Jesus is never called the Messiah or the Christ.  Yet, bringing sight to the blind was associated with messianic expectation (Isa 35:5; see Matt 11:5; Luke 4:18; 7:22).  Therefor, this passage instructs readers not only about sin and blindness but also about beliefs, as to the kind of Messiah we expect Jesus to be.”

This begs the question, how do we see Jesus, and how do we see others? Do we look at others and ourselves through the eyes of Christ?  We truly need to focus on others and ourselves through His eyes – that we would have the eyes of our hearts opened.

Come and See: Teachable NOT Turkeys - John 9:35-41 - August 3rd

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John 9:35-41

So here we are – Jesus again has done something that draws attention, and lends credibility to who He is, the Messiah – the Son of God. And the religious leaders of the day are a bit cranky about it. Because whenever there is truth and evidence of that truth going against the given narrative of the leadership – no matter what organization – it causes a definite problem for the leadership.

As this account of healing goes this man was blind from birth. Here was the societal thinking of that day regarding his blindness.  It was believed that either him as a baby in the womb or his parents had sinned while his mother was pregnant with him, and that is what caused his blindness. Jesus does something here that you or I wouldn’t really think about. He sees the man who is blind and engages him.  He spits in some dirt, makes some mud and put it on the man’s eyes and tells him to go wash in the nearby pool.

Remember that in John’s introduction that Jesus was before creation. And that Jesus was present at creation, that everything was created through Him.

When we see Jesus taking the dust of the ground and  mixing some spit with it is a direct parallel to creation. When God formed Adam from the dust of the earth – it’s the same as what Jesus did with the dirt He picked up and mixed with spit. I honestly believe that here Jesus is creating this man new eyes.

Jesus tells him to go wash, which was a custom to ceremonially wash to be healed. And after the man washes in the pool, what do you know – he can see.

People are amazed. They even aren’t certain that this is the same man they’ve known to be blind. But he reassures them that he is and he testifies to who healed him. As word gets around, The Pharisees decide to investigate. So they question him, then his parents - who refer them back to him. And this man kind of puts this situation back in the Pharisee’s faces – he lectures them. And of course that doesn’t go well so they throw him out – synagogue, community, the village, whatever it was – this is probably what his parents feared that caused them hesitation to speak to the Pharisees in the first place. This is where we pick up the account…

John 9:35-41 (NIV) Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

When we look at this story – continually, the Pharisees call this man a sinner.  They are firm in their belief that someone at sometime at some place sinned and that caused his blindness.  Jesus didn’t think so, and Jesus even said as much. I find it interesting though, even if there were to have been a cause and affect issue that contributed to his blindness, he comes to full salvation through his belief in Jesus Christ as Son of Man. We can see that sight and salvation are synonymous with each other here, and we see that spiritual blindness is equated with sin and death.

I find it interesting that when confronted with biblical truth, those who knew the Scripture and those who knew “better” than Jesus supposedly, are the ones who are spiritually blind. They are the ones left in their sinful state of being.

And that makes me ask myself, how do I respond to biblical truth? Am I looking for Jesus and His Holy Spirit to speak to me through others around me? Or am I like the Pharisees and know it all…

When we are teachable we are like the blind man. When we become like the Pharisees it’s as if we are saying – I’m done, I’ve learned all I need to learn. There are no areas of my life that God needs to work in any further.

Hmmm… I’m not sure I ever want to be in a place where I believe “I’m done.” We are human beings not turkeys. Last I checked we don’t have a red button that pops out when we are done. We’re not done till we get to heaven. If you take anything from today remember - don’t be a turkey!

Come and See: The I Am - John 8:48-59 - August 1st

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John 8:48-59

One of the thoughts I spoke about earlier this week was that Jesus often made these “I Am” statements. And while all of them may not have been directed to the name of God Yahweh – I Am, today in our passage He does just that, let’s look.

John 8:48-59 (NIV0 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Did you catch that – Jesus told them point blank that before Abraham was even born, I AM – exclamation point, boom, drop the mic. He couldn’t have been more clear to who He is!

I wonder though, if we understand how important that particular statement or name is, or how important was it to the Israelites.  Well they sure reacted to it didn’t they? They wanted to stone Jesus because of it. That means it was a strong worded statement.

Here’s  why those two little words mean so much to these people, and should mean much to us today. First – Jesus is telling them and us that He is before even Abraham. He’s telling us that He is God – Yahweh. And that’s a big deal for Israel. But there’s more to this.

I love the explanation that Jonathan Cahn gives in his book, The Book of Mysteries. © 2016 Jonathan Cahn. p. 2 where he is explaining who I am is and what that name really means.

In the discussion between the rabbi and disciple the student is asked if he knows the name of God.  To which he replies not really – and the rabbi goes on to explain.  He gives him the “I AM” answer explaining that we say God’s name every time we use that phrase – it’s built into us. And he gives the reason for that to be simply this,

“It’s because your existence comes from His existence.”

Further on in the discussion the rabbi ends with this premise:

“Because His existence is first and your existence flows forth from His. That’s the flow of existence. Therefore, you must put Him first and then let everything flow from that.  Let everything begin with Him and flow forth from Him. That’s the secret to life. To not only live for Him, but to live your life from Him, to live from His living, to move  from His moving, to act from His actions, to feel from His heart, to be from His being, and to become who you are from who He is…I Am.”

This brings us to question, are we becoming who we are to become in Christ Jesus because we are living life from His living, being, and doing? It all comes back to Jesus. He is at the heart of everything we are.

Come and See: The Heart of the Matter - John 8:31-47 - July 31st

The video link will be here after this devotion airs.

John 8:31-47

One of the thoughts I spoke about this week was that Jesus looks into our very souls. And when the Law was given it truly was meant to be followed from the heart. It was always to be from the heart, listen to what Moses taught the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NIV) These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

You notice here that Moses didn’t just mention it in passing but came right out and said that these commandments are to be on your hearts. From the very beginning it was simply a heart issue not a body or mind issue but a heart issue that plagues humanity. And that very heart issue is still plaguing humanity today.

Let’s see what happened with Jesus.

John 8:31-47 (NIV) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus does not dispute that the Israelites are the physical descendants of Abraham. But He does accuse them of being slaves to sin. And they take issue with that.

Here in His one statement, Jesus wraps up His entire mission. He teaches them that when we sin we place ourselves in submission to sin, and thusly we become slaves to sin. The only way out is to believe in Him. It’s only through the grace or unmerited favor Christ gives to us when we believe in Him that breaks the power of cancelled sin.

Come and See: I Am - John 8:21-30 - July 30th

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John 8:21-30

So before we get into today’s devotion, I want to mention that the first part of Chapter 8 tells us the story of the woman caught in adultery. In this story we see Jesus not so much re-interpret the law, but He gives the people involved a fresh understanding of the law. And what we learn is that it’s not just our actions or obeying the law, but that the spirit of the law  is to be followed by our hearts. Our actions become the overflow of our hearts. And Jesus gives us a fresh understanding all throughout the Gospels in similar situations. Jesus will tell the people “You’ve heard it said…but I say…” So this is part of Who Jesus is, in that He is always looking to the heart that is within us. He is looking into our spirit and soul.

So let’s look at what happens next. Jesus is talking about being the light of the world, and the Pharisees get a little upset. Remember He had just told a great crowd of people that He is the bread of life.  He had been testifying about Himself. There were some cultural rules that encapsulated a testimony in that day, especially testimony of this significance – remember He is testifying to being the Messiah, the Son of God. But here’s the thing, and I believe this to be rightly so, Jesus wasn’t the only testimony that was given about Who He is. Remember back to His baptism, what happened?

Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, and when He comes up out of the water the heavens open up and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove lands on Him and the voice of God is heard by everyone saying “This is my Son in whom I am pleased.” We have all three persons of the Trinity right there at the same time. And to top it off, if the Pharisees had simply studied their Scriptures as diligently as they portrayed they did, they would have known the Father and thusly would have known  the Father’s testimony about the Son.

John 8:21-30 (NIV) Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

“Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

All throughout this portion of Scripture, the Pharisees and others around Jesus are pressing to hear Jesus tell them Who He is – and many do believe Him. But there were those who did not.

And here Jesus says some “I Am” statements. Which I have always thought interesting, and here’s why. I Am is the name that God gave Abram when he asked who was telling him to pack everything up and go to the promised land.

And here Jesus talks about in these last couple of chapters and makes these “I am” statements, I Am the light of the world, I Am from above (heaven), I Am not of this world, I Am He (Messiah). Now, I know that when Jesus says I am He is not using it as a name as God did explicitly with Abram. But at the same time there would Have to be a bit of a parallel there, especially when Jesus claims He is not from earthly origins but from heavenly origins. At that moment – I think they missed it.

And even when Jesus talks of His crucifixion, even though I’m not certain that those around Him understood Him, but it’s in this phrase of being lifted up that Jesus again tells everyone He doesn’t say anything or do anything on His own – only what the Father has for Him to do.

It’s here I would like to end this morning. You see Jesus is our perfect example. And just as He asks us to allow His Holy Spirit to live in us and through us, Jesus demonstrated how that works. We can see His example through His relationship with the Father. Fast forward to the point where Jesus, facing crucifixion prays in the Garden for another solution to the problem of sin.        And yet He knows there is not one and He relinquishes His own will to the will of the Father. That kind of obedience does not come from simply following the rules.  That kind of obedience is fruit of His relationship with the Father. It is the fruit of His heart.

Come and See: Expectations - John 7 - July 29th

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John 7:45-8:1

Have you ever experienced a mis-formed or mis-set expectation? Boy I have, it’s really not that uncommon today to have a misunderstanding over expectations. That is exactly what’s happening here in chapter 7 of the book of John. Everyone’s presupposition of what the Messiah was supposed to do, or how He was supposed to do it comes into play here.

The Jewish leaders are looking for some way to kill Jesus, but it’s not time yet so Jesus hangs back from the festival. His brothers and Disciples go on ahead, Jesus follows but not publicly. And John writes about what the crowds were saying about Jesus, there was much discussion about Him.

Eventually Jesus teaches at the festival in the temple courts and we openly see the division. As He teaches, there are some who in fact believe in Him.

The Pharisees hear the crowds whispering and they send the temple guards to arrest Him but that plan doesn’t happen. More people believe Jesus is Messiah, Others are emphatic He isn’t who He says He is. And there is more division, this is where we pick it back up.

John 7:42-8:1 (NIV) Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Then they all went home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

So – some older more accurate manuscripts leave out that last sentence.  We aren’t certain if it was added kind of as an explanation but even if it isn’t exactly what happened – that’s ok.  If people went home or stayed what is that to us? It doesn’t change anything about Who Jesus is.

The point here is simply this, again the crowd of people are diving into Who Jesus is. And there is definitely no central answer.    But there are those who come to belief in Him – they indeed believe  Jesus is the Messiah.

In their New Beacon Bible Commentary on the book of John 1-12 – A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. © 2020 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, p.204. Laura Holmes and George Lyons write this.

“Conflict over Jesus’ identity has been present throughout John’s Gospel, but it is highlighted in John 7.  The central point o this conflict is that people did not know what to think about Jesus’ identity.  They sometimes knew the right words to say: He’s the Prophet/He’s the Messiah (vv 26, 31, 40-42). But even if they accepted these designations, they missed the larger picture.”

This is what I was driving at yesterday. In our society today I see so many wrapped up in their rights as citizens of the United States of America. To the point that we are forgetting we have a higher citizenship as Christians. We are no longer citizens of this world, but are indeed citizens of the Kingdom of God.

If we are going to be a disciple of Christ we need to be about spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ instead of arguing who has the right to wear a mask or not wear a mask. What if we simply were about the Father’s business? What if we put all of that effort into getting people saved and sanctified, and then discipled them to go and actually it’s the thought or idea of wherever you are going make more disciples?

We need to be about this no matter our political views.  We need to be about loving God and loving others.

Come and See: Bread of Life - Part 2 - John 6:60-66 - July 28th

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John 6:60-66

So as Jesus is teaching the people that He indeed is the Bread of Life,     He begins to speak metaphorically to them. He explains that they need to eat His flesh and drink His blood. He is not being literal – that’s what metaphorically means. Rabbis did this often in Jesus’ time.

Now, I now for many of us the thought of this being literal is insane. And I believe it shows us how out of focus the people truly are about what it is that Jesus is talking about.  Let alone what He is really here to do. Remember they wanted deliverance from a political oppression. What they got was deliverance from the power of sin and death.

Remember that Nicodemus was very confused at Jesus’ metaphor with him as well.  He questioned Jesus about going back into his mother’s womb to be born a second time.  Nicodemus didn’t give up trying to understand what Jesus was talking about.  Rather, he continued to question and learn.  And I believe he had a life changing moment.  Simply because it was Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea that came to take Jesus’ body down from the cross and bury Him in the tomb.

The crowd doesn’t do this, here is the crowd’s response when they believed Jesus wasn’t delivering on the political oppression the way they thought He should.

John 6:60-66 (NIV) On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?  Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Wow – all the miracles, all the free food, all the healings etc. and no one took a minute to even ask Jesus what was truly talking about.     And it wasn’t even that they honestly thought Jesus was talking about cannibalism. They would have known to some point that Jesus was speaking to them metaphorically in ways that I admit may have been provocative, especially for that time.

What hung up the disciples little “d,” not the 12 Disciples or Apostles, but all the others who had followed Jesus. They were the ones who had fish sandwiches from Him the day before. You know from the little boy’s loaves and fish he brought for lunch. These are the same people who had brought children to be blessed that we see in another Gospel account.  They are the same ones who had seen Him heal the sick. These people, this crowd of people began to grumble. And what did they grumble about?

The first part, and I believe this is where they were hung up and stuck, was that they knew Jesus from his family – that He is that son of a carpenter – Mary and Joseph. How can He say He is from heaven; He is Mary and Joseph’s son? And when He corrects the behavior of them grumbling about that, He then speaks to them again metaphorically. And they decide to run with that, what Jesus is saying is too hard.  But look at the Scripture that was not their initial nor their strongest complaint.  They didn’t grumble because of His teaching, they grumbled because they didn’t believe He was the Son of God. Then they use the other as an excuse.

All throughout the narrative of this section of Jesus’ ministry, we hear Jesus speak of how the Father enables people to come to Jesus. In the Church of the Nazarene we call that Prevenient Grace – grace that goes before salvation.  God uses His Holy Spirit to draw us to Him, thusly opening salvation to all - whosoever would believe that Jesus is who He says He is.

This is where people had an issue. It wasn’t the metaphor that was the issue, it was that Jesus claiming He was Son of God. And that is where people made a decision. There were those who stayed. But many that day turned away. My question today is this, where are you in this crowd today? Are you with those to say – I don’t believe, and this is to hard?  Or are you part of the disciples who stay and who are about the work of spreading the Gospel?

And remember, spreading the Gospel is not a political thing.  You cannot wrap the cross up in the American flag. When Jesus was confronted with political stuff – He tells them to basically let it take care of itself, why? Because His mission was to free us from sin and death NOT from political oppression.  So, are you going to be about freeing someone from political oppression, great! But honestly, I’d rather, and I believe that Jesus has called us to something greater – freeing people from sin and death.  Which one is more important to you? Where is your faith? Is it wrapped up in the political or is it in the Messiah, Jesus Christ?

Come and See: The Bread of Life - John 6:32-40 - July 27th

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John 6:32-40

At this point in time, Jesus’ ministry is in full swing. There are miracles – Jesus feeding thousands, for example.  And by the way if you think it was only 5,000 then you are mistaken. Back then they noted it was about 5,000 men. Which means they only counted men ages 13 and older. But we know Jesus had many women followers. There are mathematical people who estimate that there were over 13,000 people that were fed that day.

Jesus walks on water, and there are a million sermons on this. The people of His day have gotten to the point where they simply see the signs and wonders, the miracles and cannot see past it.  It’s the free food and healthcare that they want, not the teaching. Which causes me to wonder are we in the same place?

Jesus begins to give deep thoughtful teaching, and those who have been following Him are simply asking for more. They want more free food and healthcare, they are asking for more miracles and signs. As if feeding thousands, healing the sick and walking on the water is not enough. When it comes down to it, there is so much more, and Jesus gives to them what they truly need. 

And here is Jesus trying to explain it to them. They begin to question Jesus , what is it that we need to do that God desires? Jesus simply tells them to believe in Him. And as He does he begins to explain that there is more than simply physical sustenance more than food. There is more to this life than just working for the next meal. We are more than physical beings, we are emotional, intellectual and spiritual beings who need more.

John 6: 32-40 (NIV) Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, 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. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

I believe that we as Christians need to be asking ourselves if we are simply following Jesus just so we can see the miracles, just so we can have free food and healthcare. Or are we going to be the followers who are about our Savior’s business, are we going to be about meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the least of those around us?

At some point in time we have to make the switch from being a fan of Jesus to being a disciple of Jesus. When Jesus came to earth He gave us the example of how to do this, He surrendered His will completely to the will of the Father – that’s everything not just some things. You have to come to that same place, I have to come to that same place - I surrender all.

Come and See: Real Life - John 5:31-40 - July 25th

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John 5:31-40

Remember that we have been studying the book of John, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ According to John (The Beloved Disciple). And up till now we have heard the testimony of John and other Disciples. And that of John the Baptist, the Samaritan woman at the well, and many in her village.

We’ve skipped over a couple of testimonies; the royal official’s son was healed, and the man who lounged near the pool at Bethsaida. And we come to this point where Jesus is confronted by religious scholars and now has something to say about Himself.

John 5:31-40 (NLT) “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true. In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true. Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you.

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.”

These religious scholars were those in the community who studied the Scriptures professionally, yep they were rabbis. And it’s interesting as we look at this passage what Jesus says about the local teachers. They believe that simply studying Scripture will save them from hell. And Jesus – refutes that without question.

It’s not enough to know about God, you have to come into relationship with God for salvation to be real – there’s simply no other way. And while studying Scripture is great, it cannot be a substitute for real relationship with Jesus.

Laura Holmes and George Lyons write this in the NBBC John 1 – 12: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. © 2020 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. p158.

“Jesus’ opponents expected the Scriptures to give them something Bible study could never grant – life (see Gal 3:21-4:7). Jesus’ ironic charge deepened when He claimed that His opponents studied the Scriptures diligently (eraurnate: ‘make a careful or thorough effort to learn’ [BDAG, 389]) but could not recognize the life-giving God in front of them.

The Scriptures’ proper role is to point those who study it to God in Jesus, not to take the place of the One who gives life.”

Do we study God’s Word and miss hearing His voice? That is the question we need to ask ourselves every time we open the Word.  We need to ask God’s Holy Spirit to speak to us in a fresh and new way each and every time we open our Bibles.  Weather we have read that particular Scripture for the first time or the 100th time, we need God’s Holy Spirit to speak to us that we would grow deeper in relationship with our Savior. It’s then that we can hear what Jesus says.  Jesus tells us that life – real life – the life that God intended humanity to live, is the life we find in Him.

Come and See: All The Way - John 4:39-42 - July 24th

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John 4:39-42

I’m going to assume this morning that most of us gathered together on this live stream, have made up our minds who Jesus is. That He is the Messiah, the Son of God who has died for humanity’s sin that we might have a reconciled relationship with our Creator.

But I want you to think back to before you came to believe this. I’m not sure that anyone is simply born with the knowledge and understanding of Who Christ Jesus is in their minds. At some point in time, like the Samaritan woman at the well, someone taught you about Jesus. And at some point you went beyond knowing about Jesus to knowing Jesus.

There was once a radio personality named Paul Harvey. He was famous throughout the land and probably what most of us remember was the segments he called “The Rest of the Story.”  This was a segment of back stories of various people and events that he started in 1976 and continued until he passed in 2009.

We’ve heard the life changing story of the Samaritan woman at the well, but what happened after that to her – and those she went to testify to? Here’s the rest of the story.

John 4:39-42 (NIV) Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

This woman simply went back to the people of her village and gave a simple testimony. She testified that she believed that she had indeed met the Messiah. You notice she didn’t try to explain everything herself, She simply wanted them to experience Christ Jesus for themselves. It was an invitation to come and see.

And that’s exactly what they did. They believed her and came to Jesus. And after He spoke to them, they invited Him, and Jesus stayed with them. It was just two days, He spoke to them over the course of two days. The Bible doesn’t say He performed miracles or signs and we don’t really know what He talked about for those two days. But when He was done, the Bible tells us that many more became believers to the point that their belief was no longer contingent on the woman’s testimony. Their belief was no longer about her faith in Jesus but that they had, over those two days,  developed and owned their own faith in Jesus Christ.

I say all of this to communicate to you, that you believing Jesus is the Son of God cannot be because I say so, not because your 3rd Grade Sunday School teacher or parents or grandparents tell you so. I don’t think they taught you incorrectly. But you cannot get into heaven on their faith – it has to be yours. You have to own this for yourself, just like the rest of that village.

Your testimony has to be that you no longer believe because I’ve told you. But you have heard His voice in your heart, and that you know He truly is the Savior of the world.

Come and See: All Who Are Thirsty - John 4:19-26 - July 23rd

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John 4:19-26

This is an interesting part of Jesus’ ministry. First, because even here Jesus implies that His message or His ministry is first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles. When He’s talking with the Samaritan woman.

Where does that come from…? Well – it comes from the covenant that God makes with Abraham. If you want you can read all of the promises God makes to Abraham from chapters 12-18 of Genesis. And what God says about Abraham in chapter 18 is interesting as well.

Genesis 18:18 (NIV) Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

So not only does God have a special relationship with Abraham and his descendants, but also will bless all other nations through the nation of Israel. And those numerous descendants are actually promised to Abraham by God.

There are some other things that feed into this part of the story, that we might need to know to fully understand what Jesus is doing here with this Samaritan woman.  For me, it’s because I’m not an Israelite living in the time of Jesus – so I don’t always understand the significance of the subtleties written here.

We know from the account in 2 Kings that the Israelites were captive and sent to Samaria. While they were there, they worshipped other gods and God – Yahweh.  They even sacrificed children and did other things in worshipping other gods that Yahweh had warned them not to do.

2 Kings 17:32-41 (NIV) They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

In Jesus’ time an Israelite would not even associate with Samaritans – or travel through populated areas where they settled. Normally if they had to travel from point A to point B and that meant going through areas that had been settled by Samaritans, they would travel around that area. It didn’t matter how much longer that made the trip. Jesus didn’t do that.

In fact here in this story Jesus destroys many offensive practices of that day regarding other races and women. Let’s talk about their meeting for a moment. A Jewish man – not married to this Samaritan woman asking her to draw a drink would have been wrong on so many levels in that day and society.

Since they weren’t married, it was wrong of Jesus to even talk with her without her husband or other male member of her family present. And Jesus definitely should not have asked her to draw the water for Him because He shouldn’t touch anything a woman who is not His wife touches. And to top it off – she’s living in sin. Guilt by associating or talking with her would have been implied, and she’s a Samaritan. But Jesus goes beyond all of that and invites her to come and see.

John 4:19-26 (NIV) “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

So, Jesus is revealing who He is – the Messiah – even to the most common of peoples, to the most undesirable people of that day and age. And not just to His Chosen Children – the Israelites – but also to those who are not His. You see to Jesus it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. All that matters to Him is weather or not you want to be in relationship with Him. Do you want Him to be your Savior? If you are thirsty for something new and refreshing, for something healing then come to the well that Christ provides.

Come and See: Jesus Saves - John 3:22-36 July 22nd

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John 3:22-36

If you haven’t decided by now for yourself, you get the feeling that John (John the Beloved – the Disciple) is trying his best to drive home the point that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And before he exits the scene, John the Baptist leaves this account. He gives one last testimony that would remove any doubt of Who he believes Jesus to be.

Let’s look at what he says…

John 3:22-36 (NIV) After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.  They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Now when you first read this, it seems as if John the Baptist might be in competition with Jesus. But let’s look a bit closer to his response.

It seems as if it’s very possible that Jesus and His disciples might actually have been working along side of John and his disciples. And it naturally seems as Jesus begins to shift towards an independent ministry, that there might be some tension between the two leaders and their disciples. You know, anytime we are faced with changes there are tensions that magnify.  It’s a fairly common thing.  But, I believe that John the Baptist handles this so well. And he honestly echoes Jesus’ conversations with Nicodemus.

Remember in that conversation there is the contrast between the physical or earthy things, and the spiritual or heavenly things. John does the same here with his disciples.

And then I love this example of the Groom and the Best Man. When we look at this parable-like story, we can draw some fairly obvious conclusions. For instance, the Bride is not for the Best Man.  The Bride (in this case the people of Israel and later the Gentiles), is for the Groom. Jesus is the Groom, and John is the Best Man.

The best man is not jealous of the Groom, rather the best man is overjoyed in the relationship that his Friend, The Groom, has in finding such a woman who is worthy, who completes Him, to be His bride, the Bride of Christ.

John understands and claims that Jesus must become greater, while he becomes less. And this is no less than an image of the Creation. Where Jesus becoming greater He is being fruitful and multiplying.

In these first three chapters, we see John (the Beloved Disciple) telling us unequivocally that the new beginning, the salvation of the human race is finally here.

Come and See: Change Us From Within - John 3:1-2; 10-15 - July 21st

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John 3:1-15

Yesterday we talked about the thought that many people believe good people – whatever that is in their minds – go to heaven. But that’s not what Jesus said.

And we spoke a bit about Nicodemus and how I believe he indeed had some life changing moment  with Jesus that night. But I want to stop and back up into that part of our Scripture today. Because Jesus talks to him about something that happened long before in the Old Testament, and maybe we are not all that familiar with it.

John 3:1-2; 10-15 (NIV) Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Did you hear that part about just as Moses lifted up the snake so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life…? What is Jesus talking about? Well – I’m so glad you asked because this is an important part of  the history of the Israelites from the book of Numbers chapter 21.

Moses has already lost his sister Miriam before all of this, and Aaron had now died.  Moses is not mentioned in a few accounts and it seems as if this first generation of those delivered from Egypt are ending their time here on earth. The next generation is beginning to take over the nation and guess what – the people complain. They complain about not having bread or water, nor do they like the food that God is providing them. And that’s when God sends snakes, venomous snakes among the people. So they were faced with mortal death.

Numbers 21:7-9 (NIV) The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

I want us to think about this for a moment. God does not remove the snakes. The people repent, and turn back to God, so shouldn’t God remove the snakes? God instead provides a conditional cure. You know the human body can live through a lot of sickness and trauma. Here God says if they look at the bronze serpent, they will live. This gives us a picture; first – there are going to be more Israelites bitten after the corporate repentance. They won’t die – but it seems as if they will probably be sick and feel the bite from the snake, but there is relief from the mortality rate here. 

You know, it’s interesting that in the same way God does not remove the problem of sin on earth after Jesus death and resurrection.  But yet has provided a way to break the power of sin in the believer’s life. Which begs the question when the Israelites pray for the serpents to be removed, was that really what God wanted? Or would it have been better for them to pray that God would transform their hearts to line up with His.

In our day I wonder If we suffer through the various circumstances in this time because we are not praying for God to change our hearts.  I know there are many who are praying for God to just put everything back the way that it was before. But could it be that churches and gatherings have become idols in our hearts?

Here’s why I ask; centuries later the king, Hezekiah, demolishes the bronze snake because the people hold it up in worship. It becomes not an icon to remember what God did, but becomes an idol they worship.

Maybe today just like back then, we as Christians need to look to Christ as the One whom we worship no matter the format or circumstances. No matter the location or method, we need to worship Him in Spirit and truth. Maybe our prayer shouldn’t be respite from the pandemic, or political oppression, but rather a transformation and reformation of our hearts as we persevere in our faith looking to Jesus for our truth.

Come and See: Good Enough? John 3:14-18 - July 20th

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John 3:14-18

How good is good enough? Andy Stanley has written a book with this title – and I believe that many of us already ask ourselves this question.  Am I good enough to get into heaven? You see, no matter how good we think we are, we still are in need of a loving savior to get into heaven. Being good enough does not change the truth that sin requires a sacrifice.

Here’s a quick quote from his book:

“Here’s what the New Testament says about working our way into heaven:

Romans 3:10 (NIV) As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one;’

Romans 3:20 (NIV) Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Romans 3:23 (NIV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 (NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The New Testament comes right out and says what the Old Testament implies: no one will reach God by being good.” (Andy Stanley © 2003. Since Nobody’s Perfect…How Good Is Good Enough? P.43-44)

There’s a guy in the Bible, who at one point goes to visit Jesus under the dark of night. He’s actually part of the ruling council, a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. In their discussion Jesus brings up that for we as humans to see heaven must be born again. Of course Nicodemus doesn’t quite understand. He asks Jesus about being physically born a second time from his mother’s womb.  And Jesus explains that flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit - “S” - gives birth to spirit.  And that He’s talking to Nicodemus about a spiritual re-birth.

Jesus continues on a few verses later with this.

John 3:14-18 (NIV) Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

When Jesus talks about flesh giving birth to flesh we can understand that no good deed or work of our flesh restores relationship with our Creator, God the Father. So the answer to our question, we can’t be good enough on our own. We indeed all require a savior.

You know I believe something happened that night in Nicodemus’ heart.  If you follow the Book of John, later on in Chapter 19 after Jesus has given His life, Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for Jesus’ body. And Nicodemus, the one who met Jesus in the night, brings 75lbs of Myrrh and aloes to help bury Jesus – as was the custom. That wasn’t cheap by any means, why would someone – one of the Pharisees do this.  It would only be out of love and worship from a changed heart.

Come and See: God Still Calls - John 1:47-51 - July 18th

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John 1:47-51

All throughout Jesus’ life there were people who were drawn to Him. People followed Him wherever He went. We see here in this first Chapter of the book of John, Jesus calling those to follow Him. And it didn’t seem to always be that they found Jesus in the same way, or that He found them in the same way.

There is a diversity of people who follow Jesus. Even His own Disciples – “D” – come from different places. Some He finds and calls them to follow, others hear about Him and come to hear or come to see who this teacher is who teaches with such authority.

And it seems to me that no matter how they came to find Jesus, they all come to the same conclusion. Jesus indeed is the Messiah the Son of God.

John 1:47-51 (NLT) As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”

When we read this passage I believe we find ourselves here, right here in the Gospel story. Because which of us has not come from a point of doubt to a place of belief much like Nathaniel?

At some point in our lives, maybe even this very moment, Jesus is thrust upon us in a way where He becomes completely real. We’ve seen that here throughout Chapter 1 of the book of John. And yet – Thomas holds out until chapter 20, but don’t get down on him for that – and we will talk about it later – it’s ok to doubt, this is how our faith in Jesus strengthens – but that’s a discussion for another day. The point I’m trying to make this morning, is simply that Jesus is still calling. He is still calling for us to come and see and believe.

In their book God Still Calls: Discerning God’s Direction for Service. © 2017 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. Dr. Mark Maddix and Dr. Stephen Riley put together some thoughts about God calling people into vocational ministry.  But here is what they said about all Christians:

“In the New Testament, the concept of diakonos [ministers] is applied universally to all who are members of the Christian community. In the New Testament, ministry never signifies ecclesial office; rather, it refers to leaders’ function of serving the church.  Therefore, Christians as ministers of the gospel are called to serve Christ and the church.  This is the vocation of all Christians.” (p.12).

It's simple, we are all called to Jesus in some fashion. And Christians are all called to minister to the people around them.  Not just pastors or board members, not just Sunday School Teachers or Small Group leaders, it’s up to all of us – me and you because we are all called to Christ Jesus.