John 14:1-6
The sick were healed, thousands fed, Lazarus raised from the dead - the disciples had to wonder when Jesus would take His position as Deliverer and free the Jews from their Roman oppressors.
That night, though, as they share the Passover meal, Jesus is not behaving as a conquering King. He washes their feet, reveals His imminent betrayal and tells them He is going away. Brave, brash Peter wants to know why he can't follow Jesus and claims, "I will lay down my life for your sake." Willing to follow Jesus where ever that may take him, willing in his heart - but in his flesh he will deny Jesus three times before morning.
Jesus knows His time on earth is near completion. He wants to prepare them for what is about to happen, and give instructions on how to live when He is gone. He knows their hearts are troubled by what they have seen and heard during the evening, and reminds them to believe in Him. When we are troubled and filled with doubt, God's Word calls us to trust Him.
Jesus may be leaving, but He is not forgetting about them. He is going to prepare a place for them in Heaven, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." "Lord, we don't know where You are going", replies Thomas, "and how can we know the way?"
They thought they knew the direction Jesus was headed. They expected Him to set up His earthly kingdom. They hoped to rule with Him. Painful realization was seeping into their hearts - these expectations were not going to be met.
How many times have I prayed and asked God for His will in my situation, expecting His will to align with my plan - finding disappointment when it did not? Perhaps you can relate to this. I've blamed God and accused Him of not listening to, or answering my prayers - especially when I thought I had it all figured out! Forcing things to go my way, though, has only brought more problems and pain. I've found that God's way is always best even if it isn't what I expected.
Jesus goes on to tell His followers that He alone is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Him. The way to Heaven, and eternal life, something bigger than just setting up an earthly kingdom! But not what they expected...
God has something bigger planned for us than our small expectations can even begin to consider. We need to let go of our expectations and trust Him with our life. When the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost, were they still disappointed that their own hopes had failed? No, God's plan far exceeded their past expectations - they were no longer looking toward an earthly kingdom, but a Heavenly one! One that was only possible because of Christ's great sacrifice on the cross.
Jesus - the only way to Heaven, no matter what other expectations you may have!
"My soul wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him." Psalm 62:5
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Love as Evidence
John 13:18-36
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples. If you have love for one another." John 13:34-35
As Jesus and His disciples are sharing the Last Supper He gives them a "new" commandment. This is given after acknowledging His betrayal by one in their very midst. When He dipped the bread and handed it to Judas Iscariot, Jesus honored Judas and revealed that He knew the intent of this disciple's heart. This action showed a "new" kind of love.
In the Old Testament we find a commandment to, "...not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself...". The concept of loving one another was not a new one. Part of loving your neighbor as yourself was spelled out in Zechariah 8:17, "Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor...".
In the New Testament, Jesus takes this a step further as He instructs us to, "...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." (Luke 6:27) This is the kind of love He showed towards Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew everything that was about to happen to Him, yet He sat at the same table with His betrayer sharing a meal.
When we love with the same type of love that Christ showed us there is a recognizable difference. A humble, self-sacrificing, enemy-loving, full of forgiveness love is completely different from the type of love we find
apart from Christ. Jesus loved when it wasn't convenient, cared even when it hurt, put other's needs before His own. That kind of love changed the world.
Included in a sermon was this question, "If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
Loving as Christ commanded is evidence!
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11)
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples. If you have love for one another." John 13:34-35
As Jesus and His disciples are sharing the Last Supper He gives them a "new" commandment. This is given after acknowledging His betrayal by one in their very midst. When He dipped the bread and handed it to Judas Iscariot, Jesus honored Judas and revealed that He knew the intent of this disciple's heart. This action showed a "new" kind of love.
In the Old Testament we find a commandment to, "...not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself...". The concept of loving one another was not a new one. Part of loving your neighbor as yourself was spelled out in Zechariah 8:17, "Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor...".
In the New Testament, Jesus takes this a step further as He instructs us to, "...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." (Luke 6:27) This is the kind of love He showed towards Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew everything that was about to happen to Him, yet He sat at the same table with His betrayer sharing a meal.
When we love with the same type of love that Christ showed us there is a recognizable difference. A humble, self-sacrificing, enemy-loving, full of forgiveness love is completely different from the type of love we find
apart from Christ. Jesus loved when it wasn't convenient, cared even when it hurt, put other's needs before His own. That kind of love changed the world.
Included in a sermon was this question, "If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
Loving as Christ commanded is evidence!
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Blind Eyes, Hard Hearts!
John 12:37-50
The end of Jesus' earthly ministry nears its close, and though He has performed amazing miracles, there are many who still refuse to believe He is the Messiah.
John's reference to Isaiah, in verses 39-40, makes God sound harsh and unloving, but wait to form that judgment against Him until you've read Isaiah 59, and think about this: "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you." (verses 1-2). The sin of disbelief caused the people to become blind and hardened to Christ and His message of salvation, God's intention was for the whole world to believe in Him and have eternal life, "For God so loved the world (inclusive of every person), that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) The problem is not an unloving God, but rather a sinful people.
Another group, upon seeing the miracles of Christ, believed in Him. However, they refused to confess their belief because it would result in being cut off from the Jewish community. It's easy to judge this group because they seem like such cowards! I ask myself what my own response would be to losing the respect of my community, a complete loss of friends and family and the way of life that I'd always known. Perhaps I can relate to those "cowards" far better than I care to admit! Confessing Christ was viewed as rebellion, an act against God's Law, and brought cursing, rather than praise, into the life of the believer. Romans 10:9 tells us, though, that confession - speaking out loud, and telling others that we believe in Christ - is what we do when we believe, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Christ speaks, and makes it clear that rejection of Him, is rejection of God. He was doing God's will, speaking what God had commanded Him, bringing light into a dark world as He ministered. Isaiah 59 shows us just how desperate the world was for that light, " So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twighlight..." (Isaiah 59:9-10)
We have a saying that is used when we are uninformed, "I am in the dark", about this or that. It means we don't know, we are unsure, the truth isn't available to us. Christ brought the truth to us so that we no longer have to be "in the dark" about our purpose in this life, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10), or about His purpose for us after our earthly life is finished, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24)
God, who loves us beyond our understanding, has a great plan for our lives now - and throughout eternity. It's our choice though - do we walk in darkness, or Light?
The end of Jesus' earthly ministry nears its close, and though He has performed amazing miracles, there are many who still refuse to believe He is the Messiah.
John's reference to Isaiah, in verses 39-40, makes God sound harsh and unloving, but wait to form that judgment against Him until you've read Isaiah 59, and think about this: "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you." (verses 1-2). The sin of disbelief caused the people to become blind and hardened to Christ and His message of salvation, God's intention was for the whole world to believe in Him and have eternal life, "For God so loved the world (inclusive of every person), that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) The problem is not an unloving God, but rather a sinful people.
Another group, upon seeing the miracles of Christ, believed in Him. However, they refused to confess their belief because it would result in being cut off from the Jewish community. It's easy to judge this group because they seem like such cowards! I ask myself what my own response would be to losing the respect of my community, a complete loss of friends and family and the way of life that I'd always known. Perhaps I can relate to those "cowards" far better than I care to admit! Confessing Christ was viewed as rebellion, an act against God's Law, and brought cursing, rather than praise, into the life of the believer. Romans 10:9 tells us, though, that confession - speaking out loud, and telling others that we believe in Christ - is what we do when we believe, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Christ speaks, and makes it clear that rejection of Him, is rejection of God. He was doing God's will, speaking what God had commanded Him, bringing light into a dark world as He ministered. Isaiah 59 shows us just how desperate the world was for that light, " So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twighlight..." (Isaiah 59:9-10)
We have a saying that is used when we are uninformed, "I am in the dark", about this or that. It means we don't know, we are unsure, the truth isn't available to us. Christ brought the truth to us so that we no longer have to be "in the dark" about our purpose in this life, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10), or about His purpose for us after our earthly life is finished, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24)
God, who loves us beyond our understanding, has a great plan for our lives now - and throughout eternity. It's our choice though - do we walk in darkness, or Light?
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