John 21: Let’s Go Fishing!!!

After Jesus’ coming back from the dead and appearing to the disciples we hear Peter say,

“I am going fishing.”
They (other disciples) said to him, “We will go with you.” John 21:3

This gets me every time! After three years following Jesus, they return within days to their old profession. How quick are we to move back to our ‘previous lives’ after encountering Jesus?

• When does it happen for you, during the week after worship, during the summer, during “easier” times in life, or after being forgiven?
Fishing all night they catch nothing (the story of my life). A man from shore tells them to cast the net on the right side. Unable to haul the catch they drag the net to shore without Peter!

“It is the Lord!’ … (Peter) threw himself into the sea.” John 21:4-8

Peter quickly jumps ship; running/swimming back to His Lord is a powerful image of our condition. We, like Peter have turned away from God. We are lured away from His ways, and we give Him a passing “jig” every once in awhile to say,”We are sorry”. But God’s presence hooks us, builds us up, and brings back the Joy of being caught, caught by Him.

• Have you ever had this moment; this realization of paradox between our sinfulness and God’s infinite and unconditional love? Internalize how much He cares for you. His love and grace in these moments have taught you…. What? Dwell on those moments that you’ve had with God. (Go ahead, write them if you need.)

“Bring some of the fish that you have just caught…
Come and have breakfast.” John 21:10, 12

No matter how much wrong we have done in the past, we can take unquestionable Joy in the fact He is still waiting for us on the beach. Though we swim back to Him a ridiculously large number of times, we can still rejoice in the fact that He is always waiting!

• Or have we become cold, bitter, and tired of the process of sanctification? Is this humility just another task to get done or is there an incredible sense that He catches us over and over again though we don’t deserve it?

Let’s Go Fishing as a Community!!!

The forgiveness Jesus gave to Peter wasn’t merely so He was reunited with God or limited to Peter; it was a message explicitly about the community called the church. Like Peter, we as the church get to take this great mercy and love and feed it to Jesus’ lambs, “Feed my lambs… Tend my sheep… feed my sheep…follow me.” John 21:15, 16, 17, 19.

People have become bitter towards the church. How do we share with them God’s original vision for the church? When people ask what the need is for the church, what do you say to them?

John 20: Believe

John 20 and 3 Resurrection Experiences, check it out. 
Click here  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2020&version=NIV

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.  John 20:30-31

John 19: Do you believe this?

If you've been following the blog through Lent you know we have covered many topics via pictures, videos, and text.  If this is your first time, welcome, check the archives.  At times videos speak more powerfully than words.  Today is another one of those days.  In this video you will experience the imagery and passion of Jesus for US!  It will be a mix of sacred and traditional art/music, with contemporary modern spins and application.  I pray it is worshipful for you; whether it is your style or not, the content is powerful!!!

You and I one day will experience death and be laid in our own resting place.  But those who trust in Jesus as their Savior will have a future just like Christ's.  Our bodies too will be raised from dust to immortal bodies to share paradise with Him forever, when Jesus returns!

Check this out from Acts 17:   24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

If you would like to further explore this message, have further questions, doubts, or confusions.... please contact us, comment below, let's sit down for coffee, or email lsfmoorhead@gmail.com 

At the end you see that this video was produced to advertise for a devotional book. The book "offers reflections of a medical doctor on the physical and mental anguish Jesus endured in the hours leading up to His death." If you are interested check out www.cph.org and search "He was Crucified".

John 18: Truth

Truth today seems to be in question... "What is true?"  "My truth may not be your truth..." "Is there really truth?"  And on it goes.  Sometimes truth is backed by behavior and action.

Take for instance video used in a courtroom to validate someone's where abouts or a crime committed.  Consider all the crime scene investigation shows (not that all of it is reality, I know...) and how forensics can point to truth.  Behavior, action, and accounts can bring credibility. Credibility beyond a reasonable doubt begins to point us towards truth. Is Jesus telling the truth? (share your opinions in the comment section)


Truth #1:  Jesus is in control.

• "Jesus knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them (soldiers), "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied... When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground." v4-6  Jesus knows what is going to happen, he doesn't run or hide, but speaks.  So powerful are His Words of Truth the soldiers, officers, and Judas are knocked backward.  Firmly in control He allows himself to be arrested, tried, condemned, and crucified.  Why? The truth is that all of humanity needs the power of darkness to be destroyed by HIM.

Truth #2:  We try to be in control & lie or shed responsibility to have it.

• "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter.  he replied, "I am not." v17  Jesus was in control, even His words proved physically powerful.  Yet, Peter's and our words and actions/inactions are at times weak,  not loyal, and seeking self-preservation.  We forget the pardon, the penalty, the redemption Jesus paid to set us free. He has set you free!!
• "Pilate said to them, 'Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law.'..." (v18) Pilate is caught in a "catch 22". He puts Jesus on 'trial' and finds Him not guilty, but to let Him go may create a riot. "I find no basis for a charge against him." (v38b). Yet Pilate mitigates his responsibility for truth and justice and let's Barabbas an insurrectionist free. Jesus would not allow freedom for Himself, but took responsibility for His role in the God's design for redemption. Jesus didn't shy away from responsibility, Jesus forgive me for when I do.

Truth #3:  Truth for truths sake

• Jesus is questioned by the former High Priest, Annas.  (He was likely still viewed as the one with authority, though he didn't have the job title.) Questioned about His teachings Jesus responds (v20,21) and is then struck.  Jesus was no coward. Jesus was no meek individual to take abuse, He spoke up for truth after being struck.  "If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong.... Why did you strike me?" (v23)  Annas ignores truth by calling no credible eye witnesses to corroborate truth.  Are we like Jesus or Annas?  Do we distort truth for our gain/advantage?  Do we twist it just the right way?

John 17: This is the LIFE

"This is the LIFE!" These four short words are so familiar to us.  We've spoken them.  Likely it was at the sands of the ocean, the mountaintops of our life experiences, or a relaxing cooling night. With a deep sigh and enjoying the coolness of the air we say with joy, "Ah this is the life!"

Similarly and yet completely differently, as children of God we rest and relax in the sure foundation and future promises of our Redeemer and say to the world, "This is the LIFE!" 

Jesus stepped from time's beginning to our time.  He stepped from the throne of heaven to the dirt of earth.  He stepped from death to life.  To LIFE that will never end.  This is the LIFE He freely gives to us, who believe Him.

Though, have we completely breathed-in the invigorating, powerful, life-giving gifts of God?  Have we turned our heart, mind, and life upward to God for His daily mercy, forgiveness, and strength to carry us through each day?  Have we inhaled the awesome opportunity to breathe-out (live-out) our lives to others?  Let's live-out to them by bringing them help, hope, and healing in the name of the one who loves us and gave us "THIS LIFE".

"This is the LIFE" :

•  "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." John 19:3
• "May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:21b
• "I have made you (Father) known to them (my disciples), and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and that I myself may be in them." John 17:26

 ...........................
A devotion on PRAYER.  John 17 is known on the High Priestly Prayer. Here is a thought provoking  meditation from Oswald Chambers on John 17:2, from Utmost for His Highest.  There are parts you may agree with and others you may not, feel free to comment and start a conversation here on the blog.

If you are going through a solitary way, read John 17, it will explain exactly why you are where you are- Jesus has prayed that you may be one with the Father as He is. Are you helping God to answer that prayer, or have you some other end for your life?  Since you became a disciple you cannot be as independent as you used to be.


The purpose of God is not to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God, and this s revealed in John 17. There is one prayer God must answer, and that is the prayer of Jesus- 'that they maybe one, even as We are One."  Are we as close to Jesus Christ as that?


God is not concerned about our plans; He does not say- Do you want to go through this bereavement; this upset?  He allows these things for His won purpose.  The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, nobler men and women; or they are making us more captious and fault-finding, more insistent upon our own way.  The things that happen either make us fiends, or they make us saints; it depends entirely upon the relationship we are in to God. If we say- "Thy will be done," we get the consolation of John 17, the consolation of knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom.  When we understand what God is after we will not get mean and cynical.  Jesus has prayed nothing less for us than absolute oneness with Himself ans He was one with the Father.  Some of us are far off it, and yet God will not leave us alone until we are one with Him, because Jesus has prayed that we maybe.

John 16: The Spirit

"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper (Paraclete) will not come to you." John 16:7

Not unlike the disciples we would prefer a life of joy and happiness.  But sorrow, grief, and hard times always seem just around the corner.  Jesus has been preparing the disciples and us for the reality that life will be difficult, but He does not leave us alone... He gives us the paraclete!

Let me explain.  For three chapters now Jesus is having a "farewell conversation" (if you will) with His disciples.  He forewarns them He will be with them only for a "little while" and that persecution is coming as well.  But He gives them a promise... the paraclete!

The paraclete  is known by us as the Holy Spirit, who was to come to the disciples on Pentecost. He was given to dwell within in us in our Baptism.  What an AWESOME GIFT!  And yet we know so little about the paraclete.  So today let me just layout some facts about the paraclete from John's Gospel (limited to chapters 14-16). May it enrich your faith because God Himself, the paraclete, dwells inside all believers.  COME GET TO KNOW HIM!

What does paraclete mean?

Since no English word really is suitable for the depth of this Greek word, enjoy the list: 

• defender, counsel of the defense, helper, comforter, assistant, lawyer, advocate, solicitor, counsellor, mediator, and one who exhortsand makes urgent appeals

What are the characteristics/activity does the paraclete make?

His Relationship with the pneuma (the Spirit):  The paraclete is the pneuma (the Spirit).  He is the Spirit of truth; he is the Holy Spirit.  (16:13)

The Parclete is the actor/subject of the following actions:

• He dwells with the disciples: 14:17; he will be in them 14:17
• He teaches: 14:26
• He calls to mind: 14:26
• He proceeds from the Father: 15:26
• He bears witness: 15:26
• He convinces of sin 16:8
• He comes;  16:7ff; 16:13
• He listens (hears): 16:13
• He communicates (makes known): 16:13ff
• He speaks (reveals): 16:13
• He receives what is Jesus': 16:14ff
• He glorifies (Jesus): 16:14
• He guides into all truth: 16:13

The Paraclete  is the object of the following actions:

• He is given:  14:16
• He is neither seen nor known by the world (not-yet believers):  14:17
• He is not received by the world (not-yet believers): 14:17
• He is sent: 14:26; 15:26; 16:7

 Application:

• What comfort, What happens inside you, after you realize that God dwells within you?
• Spend some time in prayer, singing, or living in worship today. 

Points taken from Congar's I believe in the Holy Spirit, page 55

John 15: Fruit

A childhood memory of mine... smelling the great freshness of a new orange just sent to us in a huge crate from Grandma and Grandpa in Florida.  Not only the smell, but the sweet refreshing taste.  Good Fruit!

Fruit has TWO PURPOSES... God created oranges on trees for two objectives.
1. A method of multiplication for the tree. Seeds create a new orange tree.
2. A method of nourishment for others. And man do I love Vitamin C!

The theme of Christianity is a faith of action continues today.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." - Jesus, John 15:5

The life of a Christian is compared here by Jesus to the fruit of a vine or tree.  Jesus is the vine, Christ-followers are the branches.  When Jesus gave us faith and the Spirit (v26-27), He attached us to His Son the vine, and made us a new creation as a branch of the vine.  Why?  To bear the Fruit of the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what that is... "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

Staying attached to the vine, Christ, through prayer, Christian community, reading His Word, Lord's Supper, we get more "grafted" into the vine.  Our character is transformed to be like the character of Christ.

Jesus calls His disciples to bear fruit for at least TWO PURPOSES...
1.  Multiplication:  Fruit is born in the life of a believer and character develops.  He uses the fruit in our lives to draw people to the vine and He then creates new believers.
2.  Nourishment:  Growth as a Christin is nourishing for other Christians in their personal growth.

So continue to stay attached to the vine! If so, you will bear fruit!

John 14: Love

Love, a popular word for sure.  A word that is too unreservedly uttered by those dating.  A word that is used without restraint my those seeking to manipulate a situation.  A word that is often used to generously without any action.

Love in our culture is connected so closely to emotions it is causes me anxiety.  I am not saying emotions are bad, they are a gift of God!  But I think the ancients understood the depth of Love much more fully than us 21st century folks.  The idea of Love, then, was often rooted in behavior and action, even identity.

Action: "Anyone who does not love, does not know God..." -- 1 John 4:8a
Identity:  "....God is love"-- 1 John 4:8b
 

Ultimately we remember that Christ loved world so much that He gave His own life for it! Love rooted in action.  Love, agape- love, self-sacrificial love, a total commitment, giving love to all including enemies (i.e. the world who did not love Him).  Wow!

 

What about us though?  Can we love like that? Maybe not to that extent of sacrificing for the whole world, but certainly in a most powerful way!

 

"If you love (agape) me,

you will keep mycommandments."   (commandments = all His teaching vv 21, 23-24)  Love rooted in action, not just a fleeting feeling or when it is easy or accessible.  A self-sacrificial love, a total commitment.  Listen to these thoughts by the Christian devotion writer Oswald Chambers, from Utmost for My Highest (Nov. 2)

 

"The Lord does not give me rules, He makes His standard very clear, and if my relationship to Him is that of love, i will do what He says without any hesitation.  If I hesitate, it is because I love someone else in competition with him, viz., myself.... If I obey Jesus Christ the Redemption of God will rush through me to other lives, because behind the deed of obedience is the Reality of Almighty God."

 

Love is a popular word even in Christian circles.  May we see it for what it is.  Love in action.  Ultimately seen in Jesus who has loved us so much for when we miss use it.  He forgives you because of repentance and belief.  So GO.... LOVE.... because "He (the Spirit) dwells with you and will be in you." (v17)

John 13: In Control

Yesterday we explored that we are at times out-of-control. It can be scary if you don't have a grounding.... But John 12 showed us that Jesus is in-control, not in a control tower watching our lives, but actively involved and in control.  He proves it in the lives of the disciples in John 13 and likewise us today.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper... He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet...If then, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet.   (John 13: 3, 5, 14)

• Jesus is in control.  Taking on the responsibility of the slave of lowest stature in their day, Jesus unexpectedly in complete humility, care, and compassion washes their grimy feet.  We often think that to be in control is to have others serve us, but Jesus shows that he is in control by serving through washing and sacrifice.  Sounds like a bit of foreshadowing, huh!  Where is God calling you to serve, because He is in control?

 I say to you, one of you will betray Me.... It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it... What you are going to do, do quickly.  (John 13:21, 26, 27)

• Jesus is in control.  His betrayer sits next to him and Jesus hands him bread.... Jesus could have turned betrayed Judas... You know:  clock 'em in the face, spit in his face, turn the disciples on Judas and pummel him.  Judas betrayed Jesus and so do we.... sharing private information, tearing another down so we gain social status, acting unrighteously, or sealing our lips in silence.  Where is God calling you to to come clean, He is in control wanting to cleanse you?

Where I am going you cannot come.  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:  just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have Love for one another. (John 13:33-35)

• Jesus is in control.  He very well could have had the disciples sacrificed with him, but no He goes alone.  He says turn your eyes to me and others.  Burn away your self-centeredness and take the flight of loving me by loving others.  Jesus is in control of His depressing night, but also those who follow Him, not by coercion but by sacrifice.  A sacrificial love.

Father when things in my life are out of control or when I want full control, may you show me again the sacrificial love of Jesus on the cross.  Holy Spirit take up in me a love for others, the fruit of truthfulness, and a life of serving others. In Jesus name, Amen.

John 12: Out of Control??

Thousands of business travelers boarding airplanes this morning may feel they have no control.  After Friday's Southwest Airlines mishap... three more planes were identified with fractures in the fuselage.

Being "out of control" can be scary.

A pilot of jets once said that whenever a jet goes out of control and begins to spin, the only salvation is to let your hands off the controls and let the plane self-correct itself.  This goes against natural instincts to control.

The depature of Jesus' last week of life takes off in John chapter 12. 

• Judas tries to ground (prohibit) Mary's act of appreciation/gratitude toward Jesus' for raising her brother Lazarus from the dead. 
• The Pharissess out of fear and frustration see only one way to stop Jesus popularity, an insider hacking job. 
• The Jews in Jerusalem see Jesus' as the perfect arrival, a earthly king who will bring control to their divided lives, so they chant "Hosanna" which means "help" or "save".  
• And a whole lot more...(If you haven't read it yet, sit back in the terminal and check it out... http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2012&version=NIV )  

 Your Pre-flight questionaire...
1.  Where in your life today do you feeling the need to control people or circumstances?
2.  The need to overcontrol things around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has intended for us.  What is your control quotient today?

So John 12 gives some flight instructions...
1.  Give Gratitude:  Is my sense of appreciation/gratitude for the Lord like Mary?  Her ticket of love was the equivalent of a year's wages to show appreciation... Ask the Holy Spirit to create in you a similar love in you for what He has done "lifted up from the earth" (v32), given to you, and will give to you when He returns.

2. Jesus' is in Control:  Jesus is in control of the last week of His life.  We are like the Pharisees and the Jews singing "Hosana" fealing fearful and out of control.  Throw up your hands or call upon Jesus to "save", to "help".  Jesus reminds us through His actions that delays, failures, and all situations even at their worst and totally out our grip of control are never beyond His Control.

John 11: The God-man

This chapter is filled incredible!!! 
Danger, suspense, grief, misunderstanding, death, miracle, life, jealousy, revenge, and more fills out this chapter. 
Sounds like a drama, sounds like life, and it is.

Jesus gets a frantic message about a dear friend who is utterly sick.  The God-man Jesus waits 2 more days before leavin' to see him. His disciples believe his delay is because of the danger that the attempt to stone him again as he has to travel through Jerusalem to reach Bethany.  So Thomas, puffs his chest, builds the adrenaline and says, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." 

Jesus and his disciples arrive and Lazarus had been dead for 4 days! Mary & Martha (Lazarus' sisters) knew that Jesus could have healed Lazarus… but in v. 21 & 32 they both expressed their disappointment with Jesus’ “failure.”

Here's a shock, Jesus’ responds with a question…. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26)

They are reminded that all who believe though they die physically (the consequence of sin) they will live forever.  Also He is capable of doing more than we can even imagine - like raising a dead, decaying body back to newness of life! After weeping with them, "Jesus wept. So the Jews said, 'See how he loved him!'"
Jesus asks for the stone to be rolled away. 

The overwhelming odor and fumes from a decaying 4 day old body overwhelms those present and Jesus commands Lazarus to come out and the linens to fall from his Lazarus' face and body.  The God-man Jesus in front of many (including his disciples, Jews, believers and unbelievers) raises a 4 day old dead man to life.

The Jewish religious leaders recognize his popularity, are fearful of losing their position/status with their people and the favor of the Roman governor. And so they are further hardened in their opposition to Jesus.  Unbelief causes ones' heart to harden towards God's acts of grace, mercy, and compassion.

It is heard in the prophesy of Caiaphas the head religious leader, a plan to stop the madness, "... it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." (50) Jesus must die. 

God reached the same decision.  If Jesus would not die on the cross for the sins of the world,  then we would all be destroyed, but if this one man, this God-man, Jesus, died then all of us could live if we believed.  So John points out in v52 that Caiaphas did not say this on his own, but he Holy Spirit led him to say it. 

"Do YOU believe this?" (v26) 

• If so, then when you get discouraged, are having a rough time, are feeling depressed, then be reminded that Jesus knows our future and your future is secure. 
• If not, find a Christian and ask questions, express your concerns.  Jesus was a good teacher and a good man, but here in John 11 through His actions He is demonstrating that He is more.  Let's dialogue...

John 10: You are Significant

"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." (10:4)

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (10:11)

So often we feel insignificant.  Often you are identified just as a number, sometimes even "called by a number".

• The government calls you by your Social Security number.
• The university calls you by your Student ID number.
• The church counts you as 1 of xxx who attended church.
• In your family you are the "3rd of five".

God is different.  He knows everyone of His Sheep by NAME.  The individuality of each believer is desperately important to God.  If you were the only one to have lived-- Jesus would have died on the cross for you.  Romans 5:6 says Christ died for the ungodly.  John 10:15, "...I lay down my life for my sheep."  Brother and sister in Christ this is you and me.

Are feeling insignificant?  Are you thinking you are the least?  Are you feeling undeserving? unlovable? No matter how you feel, Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.  I know my own..." (v14) He knows you and knows you and knows you wander and stray and struggle with such thoughts.  He knows you often like sheep are prone to go your own way...

So Listen to Him, get in hearing distance of Him who doesn't call you by number, but calls you by NAME and KNOWS you.  "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish and now one will snatch them out of my hand." (10:27-28). 

• You are significant to God.
• You are known by Name. 
• You are Known by God.
• You are His Sheep.

John 8: I am second

The woman caught in adultery learned that Jesus was not there to cast judgment on her, BUT to deliver her.  Through repentance and faith Jesus came into the world to save sinners like her through the cross.

She could say, "I am second".

Listen/Watch the story of Karen Green, she was caught up in prostitution.  But she can now say, "I AM SECOND."  http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/#prostitution

Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are truly; y disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  Those Jews who believed in him could say, "I am second".

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin...So if the the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (v34,36) Those who have been liberated from the slavery say, "I am second."

"Whoever is of God hears the words of God...if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death (everlasting)" (v47, 51) Those who hear the word of God can say, "I am second."

"But you have not known him..." Jesus said this to those debating with Him about whether He had ever seen God, The father.   They ask him if He say Abraham and Jesus responds. "Truly truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." "I am" Jesus calls himself the very name of God.  Their response... "So they picked up stones to throw at him..."

So John 8 starts with a woman caught in adultery about to be stoned, Jesus comes to her aid.  John 8 ends with Jesus being the possible victim of a stoning (though Jesus did get away).

Could you say, "I am second." because Jesus is God and Jesus has delivered you and set you free like the woman who was a slave to sin? or Would you say Jesus is a good teacher, a moral/upright man who fought for justice?

Who/What  is first in your life?
Who/What is second?

Seconds - I Am Second

Seconds - I Am Second

John 7: Misperceptions

A few random thoughts and questions from our reading today concerning different people. If you are short on time jsut concentrate on one section.

Jesus' biological brothers on their way to the harvest festival mocked Him for not "making a name for himself" (v3-5).  Jesus' response focuses on TIME.  The TIME for Jesus' death/resurrection was not now.  Though, these brothers did not believe (v5) now, we  come to learn that after His death/resurrection, "THE TIME", some brothers did come to faith (e.g. James; 1 Cor. 15:7)

• How does Jesus' time compare to our notion that "anytime is right?"
• Those who tried to size Jesus could not "because his time had not yet come".  What can I learn from this and how can I be encouraged to trust's God's time?

The "worshipers" in the temple ask two questions.  "How is it that that this man has learning, when he has never studied?" (v15) Jesus responds (v16-19) and they respond, "You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?"Jesus ends his response, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (v24)

• Jesus' point is that the Law must be applied in the context of God's grace and mercy (see Matthew 12:1-8) instead of legalism.  Likewise we jump to conclusions with out hearing someone out. 
• When you began reading John did you see Jesus as meek and quiet? Have you begun to see His courage and commitment?  

The believers  are the ones he speaks of on the last day of the feast, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" (v38-39) 

• Notice this invitation for anyone, which we heard in John 4 as well at Jacob's well.  Is God inviting you to quench your thirst? Is God calling you to believe?
• How can the experience of this living water, stream to others?

Nicodemus, John 3, comes back on scene (just like the words spoken to the women at the well) not in the dark this time, but in the daylight of the religious leaders saying "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?"  Today, people continue to misjudge Jesus on the basis of their own feelings and perceptions. 

• The Pharisees' were prideful and stubborn. (v47-52).  Is there any way in which I am prideful, stubborn, or prejudice that causes me to demonize others?
• Do I pause and allow myself to repent when my contradictions or pride are pointed out?

 People Today continue to misjudge Jesus as another lawgiver.  They fail to see that Jesus is a merciful Savior who would bear our misdeeds on the cross and rise to new life, so we too may receive the living water.  Just yesterday, I heard again the misperception of Jesus.  "No, it's to late for me to believe; I'm too far gone."  If you are still breathing it is not too late.

John 6: Needs for Life

After reading John 6, I came away with @ least two things: 
1.  Jesus' reigns!

•  He defies the culinary world, collecting 12 baskets of leftovers after feeding thousands with only 2 fish and 5 loaves.  
• He defies all rules of physics by walkin' on the turbulent sea, he rules creation.

2. Jesus gives life!

•  He draws a parallel (v32-33; v48-51) between how God provided for Moses and the Israelites by giving them manna in the wilderness, which gave them life.
• To the eternal LIFE sustaining/giving gift of faith/life that only the Father can give. (which dismantles the idea that we "initiate" faith, instead we receive it v44; 14:6).

 You also will be highly familiar with Jesus phrase, "I am..."
 "I am the bread of life." (v35, 48)  "I am the bread that came down from heaven." (v41) "I am the living bread." (v51)
This is the most frequent name for God in the Old Testament (over 5,000 times). God spoke of His name to Moses for the first time, "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14).  Moses would say, "He Is' sent me" literally "Yahweh sent me."  The 5,000 who ate the bread and those Jesus taught in the synagogue (v59) new of this Moses' story about the "I AM" about Yahweh. 

Try this it out...
Breathe in and breathe out. Listen as you breathe. Breathe from your mouth, in and now out. Can you hear it? If not, as you breathe in say, Yah, and breathe-out saying Weh.  Again, Yah-weh.

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." 

From the first breath we take as a new born until the our very last draw of oxygen, we breathe the name of God.  Whether one believes in the "I AM" for eternal life or not, every creature God has created utters the name of God as they live.  So, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." This is a fact, not a command!

Just as breath is necessary to live and  food is necessary for earthly life, Christ is necessary for life eternal.

John 5: God's Healing

Something happens overtime.  It happens often to Christians after many years of belief.  It seems even more prevalent in Christians who have always "gone to church".  What is it?

In my experiences I have personally seen and experienced a slow fade.  This fade to acquire more and more knowledge about God rather than a knowledge of God.  It is a fascination with the knowledge about God versus a knowledge of God. 

A famous Christian musician Rich Mullins said it this way, "People don’t read the Bible to know stuff; they read it to know God.”
Jesus said this to the religious elite, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." John 5:39-40

So I began reading John 5 specifically asking, “How does this apply to me?” Go ahead and read John 5 searching for a knowledge of God.

Jesus says to an ill man who is sitting next to a healing pool hoping we will be restored.  John 5:6 says, "When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, 'Do you want to be healed?'" Jesus healed the man.

So, "How does this apply to me?" 
Two responses comparing the knowledge about God and knowledge of God.
1.Knowledge about God response:  Jesus, God's Son and Son of Man- has authority  because of his Father (v30-46), has the ability and power to heal the ill, even when it is against the "Sabbath laws" of the religious elite in Jesus' day. 
2.  Knowledge of God response:  The very core of Jesus' character is a desire to heal (physically, emotionally, and spiritually), so "Do I want to be healed?" "Where do I need Jesus to heal me in my life?"

John 5:25 "Truly, Truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead (spiritually) will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."  In order to live fully in Jesus' plan for our lives it requires not just an acquiring of knowledge about God, but also a knowledge of God's character an how he wants that character to be part of my life NOW and forever.  Hear from Jesus, "...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd." John 10.

Heavenly Father, through Jesus and the power of your Holy Spirit increase in me a knowledge about you and what you say.  Increase in me too a knowledge of you, so that your healing may come to different corners of my life. Help em to develop a healthy balance of knowledge to know who you are and who you want to be through me.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

John 4: Lifewater

"Obey Your Thirst" .... Sprite's tag line and encouragement to fill yourself with their product. 

"Obey OUR Thirst"... Our tag line in much of life, isn't it?  I mean we consume and purchase about anything.  

If you want an iPhone, buy it or get as a gift for your birthday.  If you want an education, take out loans.  If you want to tell someone right away you are thinking of them; text 'em or Facebook 'em.  If you need a pick me up it won't take long to buy it, drink it, or seek out that person.  "Obey OUR Thirst" is often our lifeline.

But eventually we always come back again and again asking, "Why am I so dry/parched?"

These "Obey Your Thirst" items are like well water... Yes they are useful at times, but eventually leave you dry.  So we try something new or a new fad or new friends or a new relationship and we are dry again and even more thirsty than before.

This is the same pattern we see at Jacob's well in John 4.  The Samaritan women was in the same pattern of "obeying Her thirst". In a dialogue with her Jesus says, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and one you now have is not your husband..." (17, 18). Whether you have been with multiple partners like this woman or whether you have tried to quench your thirst time and time again by "obeying your thirst".  Jesus' provides Life-giving water.

Jesus meets us in the deepest, most raw parts of our lives. He meets us in the place we are most wounded. Jesus' Water- John 4:14...”is life-giving water in you!”…

Life-giving water replenishes not just when you were brought to faith, but continually. It’s the spring that never runs dry. Jesus' water is physical, here are three ways.

• Baptism brings a New Life and the Holy Spirit.
• The Community of Believers tangibly serve one another and the world.
• The Holy Spirit is our liaison bringing physical and spiritual healing).  Jesus' water is useful; it is replenishing and even Quenches the Soul.

Nutritional Label for "Life-Giving Water":  Replenishes and Refuels, when you spend time with God (prayer, worship, devotion, serving,see yourself as he sees you). The effect is an Overflowing in your life to others.  So once you get filled how is the overflowing into others lives. 

Application:  Let's thank and praise God for replenishing us and give thanks and praise for the ways He is using us.  Spend some time giving thanks to God for the way the gift of life He's given you and the ways He is overflowing through you specifically [if you can't answer it then consider how the Holy Spirit is calling you to overflow; tell a friend how you see the Holy Spirit overflowing in their life; or ask a friend what they see in you] And no it is not bragging, it is thanking God for His work in your life; we call that worship!!

John 3: God Heals darkness... with True Light

Up to this point John has used short storeis, but now as John uses a longer conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus.  This helps to enlighten and reveal Jesus' central message of his life and mission. Read John 3, if you are in a rush... check out the video link below (2 min.) and here are a few "outtakes" from chapter 3.

"Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

"Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."  John 3:5

"Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness  to what we have seen..." John 3:11

"...the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light..." John 3:19

Click on the link and watch this video entitled "Collide".  Watch it completely! It is worth your time!http://vimeo.com/10662312

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condmen the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life..." John 3: 36

Share your reflections:

• So, what is true?
• In what ways is this challenging?
• In what ways is this affirming?

John 2: Jesus is Constant and Dependable

"Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.  But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man." John 1:23-25.

This is sobering and maybe a bit troubling.  Jesus "knew what was in man".  He knew we are fickle or inconsistent.  We have this ability to be passionate for one thing  and the next day be passionate about the opposite.  Jesus had just turned water for cleansing into wine for celebrating (the bride/groom would have been humiliated instead they got 120-180 gallons of the best wine!!).  "But Jesus..." knows that many believed because of miracles and could easily get bored and move on to the next "flavor of the day" tomorrow.  See the parable of the sower for another instance (Mark 4:1-20)

We creatures change very slowly, if at all.  The thrilling, the spectacular, the breathe-taking is more foundational than the constant and dependable.  What do I mean?  I know I get caught up in looking forward to the next celebration instead of the here and now. 

• So I jump from Labor Day to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years to Valentines Day to St. Patrick's Day.  I just covered half of the year with six days and skipped the other approximate 182 days.  One big celebration after another.  
• This happens in our faith journey as well.  We tempted to jump from one "high" to the next "high" to the next "high".  We expect a most uplifting worship service every week, and expect an awe-inspiring devotional time everyday, and the "high" of the retreat to last for months. 

We get duped from culture and ourselves that the pattern of life is...living from one high to the next; instead of the dependable and constant. In John's Gospel, Jesus did signs or miracles, unexplainable events to communicate a truth. 

"But Jesus'..."  focus is not on the sign itself, but on what it communicated.  So what does John 2 communicate? 

•  To the Jews of Jesus' day it was to communicate that the traditions of cleansing and worship in the temple were fulfilled not in the actions, but that God's agent in creation came in Jesus (1:1-3) and that foundations of faith are in the one who would be raised from the dead (2:19-22). 
• And to us, Jesus' death and resurrection reveal God's heart of love for the world; they are the foundation of faith and hope for now and the time to come.  He too is calling us from this superficial faith based on the "highs" to a faith grounded in Him who is consistent and dependable.

Application: 

•   Think of a time when God actually helped you in a small matter.
•   Write down when you knew God answered one of your prayers.

John 1

This last weekend was a range of emotions. 

On the excitement side of things was the excellent time with my two kids all weekend because  my wife being out of town.  Yep, daddy-kid time, there is nothing better! 

On the other side of the spectrum was this dark reminder that on the other side of the Pacific were children who had been separated from their parents due to the dark forces of an earthquake and tsunami in Japan. 

Excitement and mourning.  Light and Dark.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:5)  My son at the age of two understood this basic principle.  "Daddy I am scared?"  "Why?"  "It's dark!" All it takes is a very dim night light to calm his fears.  A flicker of  light overcomes the darkness. 

The tragedies in Japan are all too real. The world right now is not the way God made it the beginning.  Events of darkness like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, and so much more seem to cast a dark range of emotions and thoughts over our lives.  (for more see Romans 8:18-25)

This weekend again my kids reminded me of the "the light that shines in the darkness."  My two year old daughter touches this flannel banner in her room every night, it says, "I am Jesus little Lamb".  Today it reminds me of John 1:12-13, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."  The banner is from her baptism when God choose her to be a child of God.  The bright message of the gift of deliverance that Jesus gives, hangs there in the middle of the night.  A good reminder of the Light in our lives in the midst of dark times.

You know that is all and good and safe for those of us Christians here in the US away from the pains of Japan.  What about those physical signs of darkness?  This same Light, Jesus Christ, gives hope and light in the midst of darkness, whether its spiritual or physical, the solution is the same, Jesus the Light of the world.

 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." Psalm 46:1-3

"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8

"...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39

an invitation

During Lent at Our Redeemer we are preaching six weeks on "God's plan for healing in the Gospel of John".  So for the next several weeks come along and join me in reading through the book the Gospel of John. Several times a week I will be posting my thoughts on the chapters.  I pray that you would pray for God to open His Words to your life and that He would "break into your life" in significant ways.

Read a chapter a day (4 days a week) and check out the blog for commentary from my life and thoughts about what the readings are showing me.  This is a place too for you too share what God is teaching you, questions you have, and to interact with others.  So let's get started. 

Worship in actions

You know the desk calendars that have a picture or phrase for everyday... well I finally opened one of them for 2011, timely, huh?  Well today the verse is Deuteronomy 13:4.  "It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere.  Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him."

That reminds me of a thought provoking question by a teenager about the creation story in Genesis.  "Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden? ... Was it just a 'tease'?"  Why would God create something that He told Adam and Eve they were banned from eating its fruit?

Did God set them up?

The Genesis account does tell us that the garden was full of other trees from which to eat fruit.  In the midst of an abundant grove of fruit trees God clearly informs them to refrain from the fruit of this one tree. We also know what happened, Eve and Adam chose to not believe God and trust Him. Instead they chose Satan and his lies.  God does and did not not create puppets.  God does and did desire people to worship Him through obedience (belief and trust).

So it is.  In the Garden of Eden and outside the Garden. In the beginning and in the now, 2011.  God desires us to worship Him by belief and trust that His plan for us and our actions will bear abundant fruit because of Him.  His ways are like the abundant groves of Eden, much more nutritious and tasty.  So in what area of your walk is God calling you to worship Him? 

"It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere (i.e. worship). Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him."

Creation

Everyone does it: you Google your own name, you Google your friends' names, you Google information you need. Sometimes you do it for the text information and sometimes you do it for the images.

Google it-- "creation". Click on images. What do you see?

The famous painting from the Sistine Chapel done by Michelangelo. You can Google it to get an even closer view of God's finger reaching out to Adam's finger. But, they are just about to touch.

Known by the religous and non-religious due to it's aesthetics and history; it is could be viewed as an image revealing God's character at creation and beyond. (Romans 8)

His Character?-- Reaching Out and Pursuing!

Genesis 1:26-27 says it this way, "Then God said,' Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them hve dominon over the fish of the sea nad over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth.' so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."(ESV)

Look at the picture, check out the hand on the left. That hand seems a little lazier than the intensity of the one on the right. God's hand (the one on the right) is Pursuing, seeking to Abide with His Creation.

God spoke all creation into being. With human beings (made in His image) He does something unique. He Reaches Out and Pursues to form them with His hands. Even when we get lazy or run away, God is still Reaching Out and Pursuing.

That gap between God and Adam is closed in the Second Adam, Jesus. God shows just how much He cares for His entire creation in Jesus. There is no seperation between God and Jesus, there is no gap because Jesus is God. And through our relationship with Jesus, that He pursues, we intimately know that God Reaches Out and touches us.

Prayer:

Pursuing God, may I know your presence and your touch this week. I am often lazy in life and my relationship with you, so reach out and breathe life into me. Then I may do your will with my hands and praise you through it. In the name of the one who closes the gap, Jesus. Amen.