Judging by Appearances

Thursday, June 21, 2012, 5:54 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song “Your Servant Witness” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 7:1-24 (NIV 1984):

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.” Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?”

Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

“You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

My Understanding: Ever since Jesus healed the lame man on the Sabbath, and he made public statements intimating his own equality with God, i.e. his Deity, the Jews had been plotting how to take Jesus’ life; to kill him. They accused him of breaking the Sabbath and of blasphemy. Jesus went around in Galilee, but he avoided Judea, because he knew the Jews were waiting there to take his life.

In Unbelief

The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, so Jesus’ brothers spoke to him concerning the feast, and concerning Jesus’ public ministry. Since John qualified the brothers’ statement to Jesus with “For even his own brothers did not believe in him,” we can assume his brothers were not well meaning in what they said. The word “for,” in this context, is stating a reason why something happened or was done. The reason, thus, that the brothers said what they said to Jesus was because they did not believe in him.

So, in unbelief, and probably out of jealousy, they encouraged him to go to Judea so that his disciples could see the miracles that he did. They said, “No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” Yet, we know that large crowds had already followed Jesus and that he fed at least 5,000 of them who had followed him to hear his words, and because they saw his miracles he had performed on the sick (see John 6). So, obviously Jesus was not acting in secret.

When I read what the brothers said to Jesus, and the fact that they said what they said because they did not believe in him, I couldn’t help but see that they were taunting and mocking him to some degree, and that their comments were dripping with sarcasm. There is also the sense in which they were, in a mocking sort of way, tempting him to make a reputation for himself, to work to draw large crowds of people to himself, and to gain notoriety for himself. Their comments to Jesus reminded me of Satan’s words when he said, “If you are the Son of God… tell these stones to become bread… throw yourself down” (and then he quoted scripture). And, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, passersby hurled insults at him and said, “Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

Jesus’ response to the brothers was that the right time for Jesus had not come, but that for them, any time was right. What he was saying was that he answered to God the Father, that he was on the Father’s timetable, and that his mission was to do the work and the will of the Father, not the will of man. He did not perform like a trained monkey on the command or suggestion of men, nor did he do what men thought he should do or when they thought he ought to do it. He was single-minded in his purpose and in his mission, and he would not allow anyone to tempt him to detract from his reason for existence.

Yet, for his brothers, this was not the case. He was suggesting, basically, that they did what they wanted when they wanted to do it, and that they were not being directed by God in how to live their lives, because they did not believe in the one that the Father had sent. They were not in tune with God and with God’s will for their lives. As well, Jesus intimated that by their lifestyles and/or by their words they did not confront the world with its sin, therefore, the world could not hate them. Yet, Jesus testified to the world that their deeds were evil, and that is why they hated him, and why they wanted him dead – to shut him up!

Right and Wrong Judging

The people were watching and waiting for Jesus to show up at the feast. While they were waiting, they talked about Jesus among themselves. Some said he was a good man, while others said he deceived the people. How can people get two opposite impressions of one man? It is because we are human and flawed people who are subject to flawed judgment. We have the tendency within our sinful nature to make surface evaluations of people without even getting to know them. Or, we compare them to ourselves, thinking they should act like we do, talk like we do, or do the same kinds of things as we do. Or, we may judge them by our culture or by our traditions of men, too. If people are different from us, we might tag them as “weird” or even think their way of doing things is wrong just because it is different (not because it is sinful behavior as clearly defined in scripture).

About halfway through the Feast Jesus showed up and began teaching in the temple courts. The Jews were amazed by his teaching, because he didn’t have the “Bible College” or “Seminary” training of one who would teach in such a way.

Jesus answered that his teaching was not his own. It came from the Father, who sent him. I love it! Jesus didn’t get his teaching from book smarts nor did he borrow it from learned men. He didn’t talk just to hear himself talk or to sound important or to rattle off all of what he learned in “Seminary” in order to impress people. He was speaking in the power of God, and in the purpose and will of God, and he spoke for no other reason, though the people may have judged otherwise.

Then, he made an interesting statement that was also very telling. He said that anyone who chooses to do God’s will should be able to discern whether Jesus was speaking of his own accord or whether his teaching did, indeed, come from God. I am sure that did not win him any brownie points, yet what he was saying, in essence, was that he was God, he came from God, and he spoke the words of God, so anyone truly seeking God and his will for their lives should be sensitized in their spirits in realizing that Jesus was of God and his words were of God.

His brothers were trying to tempt him to go out on his own and to speak on his own in order to gain the approval of man, yet Jesus said that anyone who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of God the Father is a person of truth. And, then he suggested that the Jews who were trying to kill him were not men of truth and honor, because, although they claimed to adhere to the Ten Commandments, they did not keep the Ten Commandments, because they hated Jesus and they planned to kill him.

And, then Jesus basically “called a spade a spade.” He called the Jews “on the carpet” for their hypocrisy. Jesus reminded them that they had no issue with circumcising babies on the Sabbath in order to not break the Law of Moses, which called for circumcision on the 8^th day of life of a newborn baby. In other instances he reminded them of how they would rescue a sheep which had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, and of how much more valuable human life is than sheep. In the same manner, Jesus was chiding the Jews here for their double-standard. It was ok for them to circumcise or to rescue a sheep on the Sabbath, both of which are work, yet it was not ok for Jesus to heal a person on the Sabbath. How ridiculous is that? What right did they have to be angry with Jesus? Obviously there was something much more deep-rooted here than just concern over the breaking of the Sabbath. They hated him because he “called a spade a spade,” because he “called them on the carpet” for their hypocrisy and their wickedness, and because he was a threat to the power of the religious leaders, because they were jealous of him, and because he claimed to be God.

A Right Judgment

Jesus said to them, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

Jesus said to his disciples that if he was hated, they also would be hated. They would face much the same treatment as what Jesus experienced. So, as Christ’s followers, we should expect that we, too, will face false judgments because people are human and they do make surface evaluations based upon appearance. People will judge us by their own sets of standards which may or may not be hypocritical, but probably will be steeped in traditionalism and culture, i.e. in what they have been taught by men, or in prejudice (racial; social; economic; religious; cultural or other demographic status). Yet, we must hold to the standard set for us by God, and we must follow Jesus Christ in obedience even if we are hated, hunted down, persecuted, mocked, ridiculed, rejected and killed for our testimony for Jesus Christ. We must hold to what is true and never give way to a lie.

Also, we need to be careful that we are not guilty of making surface evaluations of people and end up condemning them because we judged by appearance, prejudice, tradition, culture, or by what we were taught by men. We need to hold to the truth of scripture so that we make right judgments based on truth and that result in understanding, love, forgiveness and restoration, not in condemnation. Then we will make a right judgment.

Your Servant Witness / An Original Work / March 13, 2012

Humbly I bow, Lord, before You,

Bringing my requests to You.

May I listen; hear You speaking.

May I follow You in truth.

Gently lead me in Your service.

Guide my steps and strengthen me.

Fill me with Your love and mercy.

May I live for Thee!

Let me be Your servant witness,

Telling others of Your grace.

May I always share the gospel

With those I meet face to face.

May I show the love of Jesus,

Caring for the needs of men;

Be Your servant witness always

For my Lord, Amen!

My desire to be like Jesus,

Living for Him ev’ry day.

May I obey all His teachings

Given me, so I’ll not stray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master.

You are the King of my heart;

Follow You where’er You lead me;

Not from You depart!

http://youtu.be/RYb4VXestQc

The True Bread

Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 8:04 a.m. – The Lord put the song “You are Loving and Forgiving” in my mind this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 6:25-71 (quoting vv. 25-51 in the NIV 1984): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%206&version=NIV1984

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, 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 he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that 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 that 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 him up at the last day.”

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

My Understanding: The people were looking to Jesus to fill their physical bellies, yet Jesus was much more concerned about giving them the bread of heaven that would last for eternity, and that would transform their hearts and minds for God. He told them not to work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which he, the Son of Man, would give to them. And, then he let them know that God the Father had placed his seal of approval on himself, Jesus Christ.

Now Jesus was certainly not telling them that they should not work to provide for their families. Obviously we must eat to survive. The true issue was one of focus and priorities. The people were coming to Jesus to get their physical needs met. He wanted them to be less concerned about the physical, and to be more concerned about the spiritual. We should not spend all our time, resources and energies on the things of this world while neglecting our spiritual needs. We should do what we need to do to survive, yet our main focus and purpose in life, as well as our time, resources and energies should have Jesus Christ and our relationship with him as our primary and central focus. Jesus said that we are to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and then all these other needs will be provided.

The people asked Jesus what they must do to do the works God requires. Jesus said that the work of God is to believe in the one he has sent. The word “believe” had a definite meaning for the people of Jesus’ time. Today its meaning has become much more obscure. To believe in someone means to accept that person is telling the truth or that something about them is true; to give your support, trust and/or to put your confidence in that person. To believe in Jesus Christ is not merely to acknowledge that he died on the cross for our sins so that we can go free from the penalty of sin (eternity in hell). To believe in Jesus means to have faith in everything he taught and is and said, and to do what he has said we must do if we are to be his disciples. It means we must repent (leave our lives of sin behind us) and we must obey Christ and his commands on a day-to-day basis. It is a total heart and life commitment to everything Jesus stands for, holding nothing back.

Bread from Heaven

The word “bread” is often given a much broader meaning than just a loaf of bread made from flour, water and yeast. It also means “food, sustenance, or a means of survival or support” (Encarta). The word “food” also has a much broader meaning than just what we take into our stomachs. Food can mean “source of nutrients; substances providing nourishment; or something that stimulates or sustains the mind or soul” (Encarta). Nutrients provide nourishment that keep the human body healthy and that help it to grow (Encarta). Spiritual nutrients, as well, provided through a vital relationship with Jesus Christ, time in his word, in prayer, in obedience to his commands and through service to him and to others helps the body of Christ, his church, to grow spiritually and to keep it spiritually healthy.

Jesus said that God the Father gives us the true bread from heaven, and that “the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The people wanted this bread. Then Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” He was speaking of spiritual nourishment for our lives. When we invite Jesus Christ into our lives, by faith, he fills us with his Holy Spirit who gives us all we need for life; and to live the Christian life. The Spirit of God is like a spring of water welling up within us to eternal life. That well never runs dry. Yet, even though the people were presented with the truth about Jesus – who he was – still they did not believe. They were following him, but they were not his true followers. We can say we believe and not really believe, because we only accept the surface stuff.

Jesus said that if we come to him in faith, he will not drive us away. He came from heaven to do the will of the Father who sent him. And, it was the Father’s will that Jesus should not lose any the Father had given to him. It was also the will of the Father that all who look to the Son and believe in him should have eternal life. So, what does it mean that Jesus should not lose any the Father had given him? Jesus continued by saying that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father first draws him (or her) to Christ. We cannot come to Christ on our own accord. The Father initiates our relationship with Jesus Christ, so it is the Father who gives us to Christ, and it is his will that none of us should be lost.

Eating the Bread

This is where the rubber meets the road, i.e. the moment of truth. Jesus said that he was the living bread that came down from heaven. “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever,” said Jesus. He continued, “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” The people were flabbergasted! How could this man give them his flesh to eat?

I believe if we were standing there listening to Jesus’ words, we might react the same way. It is one thing to read his words in the Bible, but it is another to try to put ourselves in the place of these people. I hear many people today say something like, “We should just follow the teachings of Jesus,” and “Jesus was all love and peace.” Really? He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Wow! Jesus said his flesh was real food and his blood was real drink. Boy, the literalists must have a hay-day with this speech! He continued, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” Now we are getting somewhere. Does any of this sound familiar?

Jesus said, as recorded in John 15: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” He said it was to his Father’s glory that we bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be his disciples. He continued, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” So, obeying his commands allows us to remain in him, and bearing spiritual fruit (results; produce; outgrowth) comes from remaining in him. Also, included in this is the importance of his words remaining in us so that he will grant our prayer requests.

So, what does it mean to remain? It means to continue; endure; persist; keep on; and stay. And, what does it mean to eat or to drink? It means to consume, ingest, believe, accept, absorb, engulf, engage, learn from, be immersed in, partake, and/or to participate, etc.

Jesus Christ gave his body and blood for us on the cross, in dying for our sins, so that we can be free from the penalty of sin, so we can be free from the daily control of sin over our lives, and so we can be free to walk in victory, to be overcomers, and to live our lives for Jesus Christ and for his will and purposes for our lives. So, when we eat (partake) of his body and blood, we are participating in his death, burial and resurrection. It means we die to our old lives of sin and we are resurrected to new lives in Christ. Jesus said that daily we must take up our cross and follow Christ if we are to be his disciples. He said we have to lose our lives (our selfish wills) if we want to find our lives in Christ. And, this is not a one-time experience. This is a daily process of dying to sin and living for Jesus Christ. It means obeying Christ and having our lives bear results that show we are truly his followers. It means being in his word daily, drinking in its truth, and applying what we learn to our daily lives. It means total heart commitment (being immersed and consumed with Christ). And, it means continuing, enduring, persisting and keeping on in our faith day in and day out.

The Cost of Discipleship

This is a radical change of life! Yet, many of those who were following Jesus felt the teaching was too hard to accept. They considered themselves to be his disciples, and they were willing to follow him to a point, but when they realized the true cost of following Jesus, many of Jesus’ disciples turned back and no longer followed him. Yet, Jesus knew all along who his true followers were, i.e. who truly believed, and who would betray him. So he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

Judas was one of the twelve, yet Jesus said he was a devil. Not all who have the appearance of being followers of Christ are truly his disciples, but only those who are willing to eat of his flesh and to drink of his blood, i.e. to die to sin and to choose to walk in faithful obedience to Christ, following all of his teachings and all his commands. When we refuse to accept the hard teachings of the cross in our lives, then we have left him, too, even if we give the appearance of still following him by holding on to what suits us and our lifestyles. Jesus asked the twelve, “You do not want to leave me too, do you?” I believe Jesus is asking of us today, “Will you leave me, too?” We can’t just go half way. Jesus wants total commitment!

You are Loving and Forgiving / An Original Work / February 19, 2012

Based off Psalm 86

You are loving and forgiving,

Jesus, Savior, King of kings.

You provided our redemption.

By Your blood You set us free.

You are gracious; full of mercy.

No deeds can compare with Yours.

Great are You; there is none like You.

Glory be to Your name.

Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.

O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.

May I not have a heart divided,

That Your name I give honor to.

I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,

For great is Your love toward me.

You have delivered me from my sins.

Your grace has pardoned me.

You, O Lord, are full of compassion,

Slow to anger, bounteous in love;

Faithful to fulfill all You promise;

Glory be to Your name above.

Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.

You are my God. I trust in You.

Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.

You are my comforter.

http://youtu.be/MfJbAwhiVkU

The Testimonies

Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 7:35 a.m. – the Lord woke me with the song “No Less” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 5:31-47 (NIV 1984):

“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.

“You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

“I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

My Understanding: Jesus had just been criticized and persecuted by the Jews because Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, and because he made statements about himself that intimated that he was equal with God, and they saw that as blasphemy. He responded to their criticism concerning the Sabbath by saying, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” And, for that reason, the Jews tried all the harder to kill him, said John.

Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does… He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 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… By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”

Jesus was testifying about himself. And, there is no question that he was saying he was himself God: He did what the Father did. The Father raises the dead and gives them life. So does the Son. Both the Father and the Son have the power to save lives and to give eternal life. The Father has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. If we do not honor the Son, we don’t honor the Father. Believing in Jesus’ words is the same as believing in the Father. The Father has life in himself and so does the Son, i.e. they are not created beings but they are the creator. Jesus is God!

Yet, his testimony, alone, would not be considered valid by the Jews, so Jesus said there was another who testified in Jesus’ favor, and he knew his testimony was valid. Right after that he spoke of John’s testimony concerning him, yet John’s testimony was not the only one Jesus mentioned. The Father had testified to Jesus being the Son of God at Jesus’ baptism. Then, John the Baptist testified as to what the Father had revealed to him about the Son of God. Then, Jesus testified about himself, as well as his works, which revealed his divine nature, also testified to the fact that he was indeed the Son of God. And, the Scriptures, too, testified to Jesus Christ being the Son, because Jesus was the fulfillment of the Scriptures.

The Baptist’s Testimony

Jesus told his Jewish persecutors that they had sent to John, and that John the Baptist had testified to the truth. In John 1, it is recorded that the Jews of Jerusalem had sent a delegation of priests and Levites to question John the Baptist as to who he was. John the Baptist told them plainly that he was not the Christ, he was not a reincarnation of Elijah, and he was not a prophet. Jesus later said that John was indeed a prophet and greater than a prophet, and that he was the Elijah who was to come, i.e. he would minister in the spirit and the power of Elijah, yet John did not promote himself as thus. He took on the humble role of a servant when he stated, quoting Isaiah, that he was “the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” John was not interested in titles or in identifying himself with great men of the past. He identified himself merely by the task he had been assigned to do by God, and that was to prepare the way for the Messiah.

John let those priests and Levites know that his job was merely as a servant and as a messenger to prepare the way for one greater than him who had already come, and who was now among them. He is the one who was to come after John, and the one for whom John was preparing the way. He was letting them know, essentially, that his job was in preparing the way for the Christ who was to come, that he had already come, and that he was now among them, yet they did not know him as the Christ.

The next day John declared publicly that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Then he told his hearers that Jesus was the one he had spoken of previously when he said that a man would come after him who had surpassed him because he was before him, even though John was the older of the two. He was saying that before John existed Jesus was. He was eternal. He was God. And, John came in order that Jesus might be revealed to Israel as their promised and long-awaited Messiah and King. John told how it was God the Father who had instructed him as to how he would recognize Jesus, and it was through this testimony of God that John came to know that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and he testified to this fact, and to the fact that Jesus Christ would be the one to baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Validation for Salvation

So, going back to Jesus’ words in John 5, when Jesus said to his persecutors that they had sent to John, and that he had testified to the truth, he was saying that what John had said about himself, about the Father’s testimony concerning Jesus, and what John had said concerning Jesus was all true, and that what John had said validated what Jesus was saying about himself. Jesus was letting his persecutors know that what he was saying about himself could be substantiated by other witnesses, including the witness of John the Baptist.

Then, he went on to talk with them about how, for a time, they enjoyed the light of John’s lamp (of truth) that burned brightly, and that Jesus’ testimony was weightier than John’s. And, his purpose in mentioning John’s testimony was ultimately that the people might believe and be saved, because John’s testimony about Jesus validated his own about himself, which validated the Father’s testimony about Jesus. The work the Father had given to the Son to do, and which he was doing, also testified that the Father had sent Jesus, and if they believed John’s testimony, they would believe Jesus, and if they believed Jesus, they believed the Father who sent Jesus, and if they believed both the Father and the Son, and they put their faith in the Son of God, they would be saved. So, it was critical that Jesus’ testimony about himself be validated. It meant the salvation of human lives.

Exhortation and Confrontation

Once Jesus had established his own testimony concerning himself, and that John the Baptist, God the Father, and the work to which the Father had called him, and that he was doing, all served to validate his own testimony regarding himself, Jesus then spoke some strong words to his persecutors. These indictments help explain why they would not accept Jesus’ testimony about himself. Jesus said about them:

• Though they knew the Scriptures through careful study, they did not recognize or know the voice of God speaking to them, or the person of God among them

• Even though they had a great deal of head knowledge of the Scriptures, it had not gotten into their hearts through faith and practice (obedience; applied knowledge)

• They did not know the word and it was not in their hearts, because they had the Living Word right there among them, and yet they did not believe his words

• They were so careful to study all the finest details of Scripture, thinking that knowledge would lead them to eternal life, yet they refused the God of the Scriptures through their refusal to accept the testimony about Christ in Scripture

• They did not have the love of God in their hearts for God, in heart response to God’s prior love for them, or for others whom God loved

• They did not accept Jesus, even though he came in the name of the Father, yet they accepted men who came in their own name (this is so true today)

•  They were more interested in the praise of men they received from men than they were concerned about whether or not God accepted them and praised them

Jesus knew they had little regard for him, so his accusations against them probably made little impact on them. So he cited one name they did regard as important, valuable, honorable, and worthy of respect. He told them that this man would accuse them. His name was Moses. They had put their faith in Moses, but they refused to put their faith in Christ, to whom Moses’ writings pointed. So, Jesus basically said to them that they didn’t really believe Moses, because if they did, they would believe Christ, for Moses wrote about Jesus.

So… how does this apply to us today? We need to accept all the testimony about Jesus Christ from the Scriptures and not just pick and choose what we want to believe. Many people paint Jesus as a “Peace and Love” hippie from the 1970s, yet they forget he is God, that he is also our judge, that he disciplines us for our good, that All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” that Jesus said we need to repent (turn from) our sins, and that we need to take up our cross and daily die to our old way of lives if we are to be his followers, etc. He died to free us from sin, not to give us a free license to continue in sin. He expects and demands obedience. Yet, he promises much joy, peace, assurance, protection, guidance, comfort, freedom from sin, strength, wisdom, empowerment and eternal life, etc.

So many preachers are preaching a watered-down gospel, which is a gospel of men, and they are looking for their praise from men rather than from God. We need to know the truth of Scripture by listening to God’s voice speaking, and then by applying its truths to our lives, thus having the word dwelling within us and living out through us. And, we need to respond to God’s love for us by loving him; by obeying his commands and by following him wherever he leads us and in doing whatever he says for us to do.

No Less / An Original Work / March 19, 2012

I can do no less than praise You,

Lord, for all You’ve done for me.

You died for my sins to save me,

So I would be set free.

I adore You! Lord, I praise You!

Jesus, Savior, King of kings!

You provided my redemption.

Your grace has pardoned me.

I can do no less than serve You.

Lord, Your witness I would be,

Telling others of Your love,

And why You died on that tree.

Tell of how You gave of Your life,

So from sin we’d be set free,

So we could worship You forever,

And live eternally.

I can do no less than love You,

Lord, for You have first loved me.

You gave of Your life so willing,

Because You cared for me.

Turn from my sin! Obey freely!

Live for You each passing day.

Read Your word, and follow Your lead,

Lord, as I humbly pray.

http://youtu.be/ntBP1BhcyzQ

Finish the Work

Sunday, June 17, 2012, 8:30 a.m. – The Lord woke me with this song this morning, “The Regions Beyond.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Yesterday I read in John 4 the story of Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%204&version=NIV1984

The scriptures say Jesus “had to go through Samaria.” The Jews often avoided going through Samaria. I am not sure why Jesus had to go through that town other than he had a divine appointment there with a woman. The Samaritans were a despised people because they were a mixed race. Jews did not associate with Samaritans. So, for Jesus to go into Samaria, and for him to talk with a Samaritan, and with a woman, was a break with Jewish tradition and custom.

When the Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman was taken aback by this, because she knew Jews did not associate with Samaritans. Jesus responded to her by saying, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The woman thought he was talking about literal water, so she inquired of him as to how he was going to give her this water if he did not bring something with which to draw water from the well. Jesus understood the woman’s confusion. It was not unlike Nicodemus’ confusion when Jesus told him that he must be “born again.” He wondered how he, a grown man, could reenter his mother’s womb. Yet, Jesus often used the physical to illustrate the spiritual, because we identify with the physical, because we can see it and touch it.

The Gift of God

Going back to what Jesus said to her, he began to let her know that he was the Messiah. If only she knew the “gift of God” and who was asking her for a drink, she would be asking him for this living water. The “gift of God” is not defined clearly in this passage. Certainly Jesus is the gift of God to mankind, as well as is God’s grace to us, and so is the Holy Spirit. The answer to the “who” is that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah-God. If only she knew who she was talking to and what God had for her, she would be asking for it. Perhaps the “gift of God,” then, is to merely be understood, in this context, as the “living water” Jesus desired to give her, which was salvation, eternal life with God, and the Holy Spirit, who would come, and has now come into the lives and hearts of believers in Jesus after Jesus died, rose and ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit and eternal life (abundant life; our salvation) would become a spring of water within her welling up to eternal life, which is now the experience of all true followers of Jesus Christ.

Then, the woman asked for this water so she would never be thirsty again. Yet, for her to receive it, something had to happen first. She had to acknowledge her sin and to turn from it (repent of sin). So, Jesus, knowing this, told the woman to go call her husband and to come back. The woman exclaimed that she had no husband. Then, Jesus took that opportunity, which he had provided, and gently confronted the woman with her sin. The woman previously had five husbands, and the man she was now with was not her husband. And, then he affirmed that what she said about not having a husband was true.

In spirit and in truth

The woman could see that Jesus was, at least, a prophet, because how else would he know these things about her. But then she moved right into another question, in the form of a comment: “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” She was still thinking this all through. If she believed Jesus, and she received this living water, practically what would that mean? The Jews worshiped a different place than her people did. What changes or moves would she have to make in order to follow the God of the Jews? At least, it appears to me that this may have been what prompted her question to Jesus. Yet, Jesus put her concerns to rest when he answered her in a way, most likely, that came as a surprise to her. He said:

~ “Believe me, woman, 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 spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” ~

I love this passage! There is such freedom in Jesus’ words. Jesus was telling her, basically, that things were changing, and that he was part of that change. The Jews had been worshiping God in a physical temple which was the house of the Lord, and perhaps the Samaritans worshiped their god in a physical building, too. That was all changing, and Jesus was the change-agent through which these changes were taking place. We, as followers of Christ, no longer have to go to a specific location or to a particular building or even on a specific day in the week. That all changed when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and the veil that stood between us and the Holy of Holies (God’s holy presence) was torn in two. Jesus’ death opened the way to where daily, no matter where we are, we can enter into God’s holy presence. The church building is not the church, and it is not God’s house. The temple of God is now in our hearts, so we can worship our Lord 24/7 in spirit (within us) and in truth (in confession and repentance of sin and in walking in obedience to Christ).

The Messiah

The woman was still thinking about what Jesus said to her, and she was working that through her mind and heart, because her next statement is very telling, I believe. She said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” I think she was fishing to see if Jesus was the Messiah. And, he responded to her plainly, “I who speak to you am he.” She suspected he might be the Messiah, it appears, and her statement, I think, really was more of a question. And, so he told her what she wanted to know. He was indeed the promised Messiah who was coming and had now come.

The disciples returned and interrupted this dialogue between Jesus and this woman. They were surprised to find Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman. Then the woman left, leaving her water jar behind her. She went back to her people and said: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

John said, “They came out of the town and made their way toward him… 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.’” Awesome!

John’s gospel is the only one that records this story, I believe. John did not spell out for us whether or not the woman left her life of sin or whether she was among those who believed in Jesus Christ. The passage seems to allude to that conclusion, though. Yet, what we do know is that Jesus had a divine appointment with a woman at a well in a town Jews did not normally frequent and among a people Jews did not normally associate. So, Jesus was out of his comfort zone, as a Jew, but not as God in ministering to this woman. And, because of Jesus’ testimony to this woman in presenting to her the gospel message, many Samaritans came to believe in Jesus Christ.

Following this encounter with the woman and the time spent in Samaria in leading people to faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus went to Galilee. I love what this says next: “(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him.” Awesome! While there, Jesus healed the son of a royal official. The son was sick in Capernaum. At merely the words of Jesus the boy was healed, and at the same exact hour in which Jesus had said, “Your son will live,” too. Amen!

Do the Will of God

Going back to the story of the woman at the well, there was an interlude here that I left out and that I saved for last. The disciples had now returned to Jesus, the woman left to go tell her people the things Jesus had said to her, and now the disciples were urging Jesus to eat something, probably because he had not eaten for a while and they were concerned about him. Yet, Jesus responded to them by saying, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” The disciples, just like Nicodemus, and just like the Samaritan woman, translated Jesus’ words into the physical realm, and they asked each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” I love Jesus’ reply:

~ “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” ~

Jesus was speaking of spiritual food (sustenance; nourishment; nutrition), which was of greater importance and value than physical food. He was more concerned with the salvation of human lives than he was with his physical needs. That does not mean he neglected his physical needs, but that he had the right order of priority between the physical and the spiritual. What was most important to him was doing the will of God the Father, who had sent him to the earth to do the work of God in the hearts of human lives. Though farmers would plant seed and tend to what they planted, they had to wait for the harvest. Jesus said we don’t have to wait for a spiritual harvest. All we have to do is to look all around us and to see that the spiritual fields of this world are ripe for harvest, if we know where to look.

Jesus realized that a prophet had no honor among his own people. We have no record showing Nicodemus having a transformed heart and life due to Jesus’ words, or that he went out sharing the gospel, as did the Samaritan woman. He was a Pharisee. The rich young ruler went away sad because he had so much wealth. The people of Jerusalem were much harder for Jesus to reach with the gospel, yet the Samaritans and the people of Galilee welcomed Jesus and his words. Sometimes we can spend so much time and effort working in hard soil that will never produce fruit, while there is so much soil that is just ripe for bearing fruit someplace else. I believe that was the lesson Jesus was trying to teach his disciples. He knew they were surprised at him talking with the Samaritan woman. Jesus was trying to get them to see beyond their own traditions and/or prejudices, perhaps, and to realize that a whole field was out there just waiting for them if they would be willing to go.

Sometimes we go places where they have never heard the gospel. Other times God may send us to places where the seed has already been planted and nurtured and all we have to do is to reap the harvest of spiritual fruit among the people. Yet, the point is that we must go. If Jesus had walked around Samaria, or if he had followed tradition and custom and had avoided speaking with the woman at the well, would that woman have heard the gospel? And, would the people in her village have come to believe in Jesus Christ? We have to be willing to step away from tradition, out of our comfort zone, and to go to the regions beyond. We have to take the gospel wherever Jesus Christ sends us. If he says to leave a place because they will not listen, then we have to leave, too. In all things, we must be about doing the will of God and completing the work he sent each of us to do in being Christ’s witnesses, and in making disciples of all nations.

The Regions Beyond / Albert B. Simpson / Margaret M. Simpson

To the regions beyond I must go, I must go,

Where the story has never been told;

To the millions that never have heard of His love,

I must tell the sweet story of old.

To the hardest of places He calls me to go,

Not thinking of comfort or ease;

The world may pronounce me a dreamer, a fool -

Enough if the Master I please.

Oh, you that are spending your leisure and powers

In those pleasures so foolish and fond;

Awake from your selfishness, folly and sin,

And go to the regions beyond.

There are other “lost sheep” that the Master must bring,

And to them must the message be told;

He sends me to gather them out of all lands,

And welcome them back to His fold.

To the regions beyond I must go, I must go,

Till the world, all the world,

His salvation shall know.

What is "Born Again"?

Friday, June 15, 2012, 7:17 a.m. – the Lord woke me this morning with the song “No Less” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 3:1-21 (NIV 1984):

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, 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 desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

“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 he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

My Understanding: Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, came to Jesus at night. He had recognized Jesus as being a teacher who had come from God, because “no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him,” he said. Jesus had the advantage of knowing what was in Nicodemus’ mind and heart, and why he had come to see Jesus, so he cut to the chase. He said:

“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Born Again

Now, Nicodemus was not familiar with this “born again” thing. He knew how he had been born of his mother, but that was the only birth he knew about. So his question was perfectly natural. How could he be born physically again? It didn’t make sense. So, Jesus explained it. He had to be born of water and of the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. Now, many preachers and theologians try to make this “born of water” associated with either baptism or the Holy Spirit, but the context does not bear that out. Nicodemus wanted to know if Jesus was saying he had to be reborn physically. Jesus was speaking of spiritual birth. So, he explained to Nicodemus that he had to be born of water (physical birth) and of the Spirit (spiritual birth). And, he gave further evidence that this was his meaning when he said, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” Human flesh produces physical birth, but the Spirit produces spiritual birth. He let Nicodemus know that there were two kinds of birth – physical and spiritual – and the one he was talking about was spiritual.

Jesus then told him that he should not be surprised that Jesus said, “You must be born again.” Evidently Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, was well versed in scripture and should have known Jesus’ meaning. Yet, he did not comprehend Jesus’ words or meaning. So, Jesus gave further explanation. Birth in the Spirit is kind of like the wind. We hear the wind, and we can see the effects of the wind, and we can feel the wind, but we can’t see where it is coming from or where it is going. So, it is with birth and life in the Spirit. New birth in the Spirit is not something one can see with physical eyes such as with physical birth of a new born baby. It is unexplainable by human logic or reasoning. Yet it is true, and real, and it transforms human hearts and minds and changes lives, so we can see the effects of it.

Nicodemus was still confused. I don’t know if it was because he merely lacked faith, or if it just wasn’t plugging into his brain, or if all the knowledge he had in his head was blocking his mind from receiving such simple truth. Yet, it appears from Jesus’ following words that Nicodemus was just not willing to accept Jesus’ words by faith. It was not just that he did not understand Jesus’ words, because Jesus did go to great lengths to try to make it so Nicodemus could understand, but it appears he was unwilling to understand, for Jesus’ said that even though “we” (he) spoke of what “we” (he) knew and “we” (he) testified to what “we” (he) had seen, still the Israelites (“you people”), or perhaps specifically the religious leaders, did not believe “our” (his) testimony.

Jesus Lifted Up

Jesus let Nicodemus know that he was from heaven, and that he was the “Son of Man,” i.e. he was God in the flesh – fully man yet fully God – their promised Messiah. And, then he said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

The story of Moses and the snake reads like this: The Israelites were on their wilderness journey. God had just given them a major victory in battle. Then, they hit the road again. While they were on the way, the scriptures (Numbers 21:4-9) say, the Israelites grew impatient. “They spoke against God and Moses and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread. There is no water! And we detest this miserable food.’” They were very ungrateful for all that God had done for them, and they criticized God and Moses for their circumstances and for bringing them out of Egypt, the land of slavery, where they had been severely persecuted for their belief in God.

So, God sent venomous snakes among them. The snakes bit the people and many of them died. Then, the people confessed and repented of their sins and begged God for forgiveness and for removal of the punishment (judgment of God). So, the Lord told Moses to make a snake and to put it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten by the snake could look at it and live.

I have always struggled with this story of the snake on the pole and why God chose that the people look at the snake in order to live. I have also been troubled with why Jesus would make a parallel between Moses lifting up a snake on a pole and Jesus being lifted up, in this case on a cross (his crucifixion), not on his throne in heaven. He was exalted, though, for his obedience in what he did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess one day that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father (see Philippians 2).  

As I read this story in Numbers of the snake, Moses, and the people once again, I saw these parallels: 1) There was a sin problem; 2) God punished the people for their sin; 3) The people responded to the punishment with confession, repentance and a call to God to forgive their offense; and 4) God gave them a remedy: They had to look at the snake - their punishment on the pole, and they could live. Compare that to what we know of Jesus and the new covenant: 1) There was a sin problem; 2) The people had to be judged for their sin, so Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin - he took the punishment for us; 3) We must respond to what Jesus Christ did for us in taking our place by confessing and repenting of our sin, and trusting Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins; and 4) We have to look at our punishment on the pole, i.e. we have to look at what Jesus Christ did in taking our punishment for us and in dying for our sins, and we have to put our hope, faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in order to live eternally with God in heaven.

God’s Love for Us

Why did Jesus Christ go to the cross and take upon himself all our sin? He did this because he (God) loves us. God loved us so much that he sent his Son Jesus Christ (God) to die on the cross for our sins, so that whoever believes in Jesus Christ (God) as Lord and Savior has eternal life with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit - in heaven. What a great and precious promise! Jesus Christ was not sent into the world (the first time) to condemn the world, but to save it. The next time he comes, he will come to judge, but he will also come to complete our salvation and to take us to be with him forever! If we believe in Jesus Christ, we are free from condemnation (eternal punishment in hell), we are free from the control of sin over our daily lives, and we are free to walk in fellowship and faithful obedience to Christ. Yet, if we choose not to believe, we are condemned, and eternity in hell is what awaits us.

We have a choice. We can choose Jesus Christ or we can choose to continue to live in sin and for ourselves. We can choose heaven or we can choose hell. We can choose to live in darkness (absence of light) or we can choose to come into the light of truth (belief in Jesus Christ and in the gospel of Jesus Christ). If we choose to remain in the darkness (lies; wickedness; sin), it is because we love the darkness instead of the light, and because our deeds, usually done in the dark (in secret), are evil. If we do evil, it is because we hate the light (Jesus; the truth; the gospel). Ouch! In fact, the reason we will not come into the light is out of fear that our evil deeds will be exposed. Double ouch!! “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” Hallelujah! Praise Jesus! Great things HE has done!!

John (in 1 John 1) said that if we say we have fellowship with God and yet we continue to walk in the darkness, we lie and we do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light of truth (the gospel), as Jesus Christ is in the light, we have fellowship, not just with God, but with other believers in Christ, and Jesus’ blood purifies us from all unrighteousness. Amen! May we all be ones who choose to walk in the light of truth, in the light of the gospel, and in the light of the cross of Christ, taking up our cross daily and following Jesus Christ. Amen!

No Less / An Original Work / March 19, 2012

I can do no less than praise You,

Lord, for all You’ve done for me.

You died for my sins to save me,

So I would be set free.

I adore You! Lord, I praise You!

Jesus, Savior, King of kings!

You provided my redemption.

Your grace has pardoned me.

I can do no less than serve You.

Lord, Your witness I would be,

Telling others of Your love,

And why You died on that tree.

Tell of how You gave of Your life,

So from sin we’d be set free,

So we could worship You forever,

And live eternally.

I can do no less than love You,

Lord, for You have first loved me.

You gave of Your life so willing,

Because You cared for me.

Turn from my sin! Obey freely!

Live for You each passing day.

Read Your word, and follow Your lead,

Lord, as I humbly pray.

http://youtu.be/ntBP1BhcyzQ

Water to Wine

Thursday, June 14, 2012, 6:30 a.m. – The Lord woke me with this song:

Full Release / An Original Work / April 15, 2012

Walking daily with my Savior brings me joy.

Loving Father; precious Jesus;

He’s my Savior and my Lord.

Gently leads me; follow Him.

I’ve invited Him within.

Now abiding in His presence, oh, what peace.

From my self-life He has brought me,

By His mercy, full release.

Hope and comfort, peace and safety Jesus brings

When I daily bow before Him;

Obey freely; do His will.

Follow Him where’er He leads.

Listen to Him; His words heed.

Now obeying his words fully, oh, what love

That He gives me through salvation,

By His Spirit, from above.

Loving Father; precious Jesus, He’s my friend.

With my Savior, by His Spirit,

I will endure to the end.

Share the gospel, tell what’s true.

Witness daily; His will do.

Tell the world of how their Savior bled and died.

On a cruel cross He suffered

So that we might be alive.

http://youtu.be/q1i0FCm46gw

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 2:1-11 (NIV 1984):

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him

My Understanding: Jesus, his mother and his disciples were all attending a wedding. Weddings at that time in history and in that culture often lasted several days. The wine had run out. Mary presented Jesus with the problem. Jesus replied, “Why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” Yet, his mother told the servants to do whatever he told them.

I have read several different interpretations of this passage of scripture. The best one I’ve read, in my estimation, comes from “The Bible Knowledge Commentary,” out of Dallas Theological Seminary. It said that the phrase, “Why do you involve me?” was an expression of Greek origin, and that it made reference to differences in realms or relations.

A realm is “a defined area of interest or study” or “a kingdom” (Encarta). Jesus was from a different realm, i.e. his kingdom was not of this world, but of the kingdom of heaven, and his interest was in seeking God’s kingdom first. Whether or not they had run out of wine at a wedding was not in his realm of interest, concern or kingdom. That is why it did not involve him. Jesus answered to God the Father, and his life and ministry were on God’s timetable. So Jesus was letting his mom know that he had to be about his Father’s business, and on his Father’s timetable, and that his realm (kingdom) was not of this world.

Mary’s response to Jesus seems a little confusing. His comments to her suggested that this problem with the wine was not his concern and not in his realm, and yet she told the servants to do what he said. I don’t think any of us can know for sure what was going through Jesus’ mind at the time or through Mary’s. Mary didn’t push the issue with Jesus, yet her response seems to suggest that she still gave him the option to do something if he wanted to. The BK Commentary suggests that Mary’s response to Jesus “revealed her submission to her Son. Even though she did not fully understand, she trusted him.”

Transformation

The BK Commentary also said that the water jars were used for Jewish purification rites, and that the change of the water into the wine symbolized the contrast between the old order (old covenant; the law) and the new way (new covenant; grace), i.e. the old way of purification under the law vs. the new way of the Spirit. How fitting!

The Zondervan NIV Commentary suggested that Jesus’ ministry was one of conversion, and that the change of the water into wine symbolized the transformation from sinners to saints. This also brought to mind what Jesus said about new wine:

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” ~ Matt. 9:16-17

You can’t put the new system inside the old; the way of the Spirit inside the old way of the law. Both the wine and the wineskins will be destroyed and of no use.

New Way is Oldest Way

At Bible study last night, someone suggested that the new way of grace is really older than the law, because it comes through the promise, which was made to Abraham. Then, today, when I was looking at the idea that the wine Jesus made was not newer wine, but was older than the wine they had been drinking, because it was the best, this man’s comment from last night came to mind. The promise concerning the “seed,” Jesus Christ, and to spiritual descendants numbering more than the stars in heaven or the sand on the seashore was given to Abraham. The law came later through Moses. So, the new wine (the new way of grace) was instituted of God long before the law came, and the law was given to lead men to Christ. So that is why the best wine (the new wine) was truly the oldest wine, because this was God’s plan all along. Cool! Through this miracle Jesus revealed his glory, i.e. that he was the promised seed, and his disciples put their faith in him.

The New Way?

I know many modern churches today are pulling away, they think, from the old way of doing things and are using new techniques to try to reach people for Christ, yet they are still very much tied into the old way of the law and they don’t even realize it. And, they don’t realize that their “New Way” is just another version of the old way.

Under the law, the people of God had one day a week set aside to honor God, to rest from their work and to worship God corporately with others of like-faith. They met in a building called a temple where priests were in charge. They followed many rules and regulations that were ceremonial, traditional and/or that God had established for them to follow. Yet, when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and was resurrected, he did away with that old order.

We no longer have to go to a physical temple, because the temple of God is within the hearts of true followers of Christ. We no longer have to go through human priests to hear from God, because we are all priests of the new covenant. Jesus’ death tore the veil in two that stood between us and the Holy of Holies, and now we can come boldly into God’s presence by the blood of Jesus Christ. We no longer have to go to a particular place on a specific day in the week in order to worship God. We can worship him “in spirit and in truth” all day, every day, and any place. We should honor each day as holy unto God.

The church is not a building. God does not dwell in church structures. The sanctuary in church buildings is not the sanctuary of God and we do not enter God’s house or into his presence when we enter a physical building. There is nothing more sacred about the day Sunday than there is any other day of the week. The church is the body of Christ, the people of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Whenever two or more are gathered together in God’s name (in his divine character, purpose and will), he is in the midst. That is church. We are all one body and we all have a part in that body, and it is God who determines that part, not man. The gifts of the Spirit are not our human talents nor are they to be confused with positions or ministries within an organization or a human-business called a church.

Even the new modern churches that have pulled away from what they consider “traditional” churches are still “traditional” and are still following man’s ways, just a new way of men with new rules that are not of God. One man usually does all the preaching, and there is no discussion concerning his “prophecy” to see if it really is scriptural and of God. And, in fact, there is a wave of teaching among today’s pastors that encourages them to discourage any kind of checks and balances with regard to their teaching, and to raise themselves above all others. Even modern churches are not following the Biblical model for what church is supposed to be, but they are holding on to traditions of men, and are adding new traditions and teachings of men onto the old system to try to make it better, but it is still the old system with a new look.

We need to get back to Jesus’ teaching and to the scriptures and away from studying the teachings of men, often to the exclusion of the teaching of the word. We need to follow the Biblical model for church, spiritual gifts, and for the body of Christ, where the body can function as God intended it, with every part doing the work God assigned us. And, we truly need to operate in the freedom of the Spirit and not the old way of the written code. Jesus set us free, not just from bondage to sin or from the ultimate judgment that stands against our sin, but he set us free to follow him in the new way of the Spirit, not in the new way of men, men’s teachings and men’s marketing schemes. There is a HUGE difference! We need much discernment from the Holy Spirit to know that difference. The truth of God’s Holy Word will set us free!

He Gives Purpose / An Original Work / June 9, 2012

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

http://youtu.be/GYk99c2ruC4

He Touched My Mouth

Isaiah and Jeremiah were prophets of God in Old Testament times. When they spoke in the name of the Lord God Almighty, they spoke the exact words of God for his people, i.e. they were the word of God. All the law and the prophets were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word (see John 1). He is God. We have the written word, the Bible, and we have the Living Word, Jesus Christ, via his Holy Spirit, living within those of us who are truly His. He speaks his words into our hearts, and he speaks out through us, his servants. We are his witnesses. We are to teach, encourage, strengthen, counsel, and give guidance. All of that comes from his written word and from the Living Word living within us and out through us, and in the power of his Holy Spirit touching our mouths and giving us the words to speak.

He Touched My Mouth / An Original Work / June 13, 2012

Based off Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 1:4-9

Oh, I saw the Lord

Seated on His throne,

High and lifted up;

Holy is the Lord!

The earth is full

of His glory.

“Woe to me,” I cried,

“I’m of unclean lips.”

My Lord touched my mouth

With His cleansing pow’r;

Removed all my guilt,

Paid for by His blood.

He asked, “Whom shall I send;

Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here am I.

Send me!”

Before I was born,

God set me apart;

He appointed me

To His servant be.

I said, “I don’t know

How to speak.

I am but a child.”

Then, the Lord replied:

“Do not say to me,

‘I am but a child.’

You must go to all,

And do what I say.

Do not fear them,

For I’m with you.”

My Lord touched my mouth;

Gave me words to say.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Song lyrics and Sheet music (free):

https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/he-touched-my-mouth

Song on video:

http://youtu.be/nyUvDGwpfAA