Salt & Light Blog

1 Kings 14:21-31 There is no Substitute for The LORD

10/1/2015

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

1 Kings 14:21-31
Worldly substitutions will never be equal to The Lord. Books about the Bible cannot replace the Bible. Listening to worship cannot replace worshipping. Idols cannot replace God. Men cannot replace the Holy Spirit. And pastors, popes, and apostles cannot replace Jesus Christ.
The last couple of days we’ve been reading about Jeroboam, the man to whom The Lord gave 10 tribes of Israel and who disregarded the Lord to create a false religion in order to keep Israel from returning to Jerusalem and joining Judah. But in the meantime Rehoboam was still king over Judah. Verse 21 reads,
“Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.”
Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and Naamah the Ammonite. Interestingly enough he was not the son of Solomon’s favorite wife the daughter of Pharaoh, for whom Solomon built her own palace. But Naamah may have been Solomon’s first wife. She was the only queen mother to be a foreigner and this may have played a part in Rehoboam’s choices. Rehoboam was forty-one when he began ruling after Solomon’s death. Solomon had reigned as king for forty years, placing Rehoboam’s birth in the last year of King David’s reign. (1 Kings 11:42). That means that Rehoboam had every advantage. He was raised while Solomon was still following the Lord, while his father was using his vast wisdom to prosper Israel and he understood the importance of The Temple. But his mother must have had more influence on him than Solomon. We already read how foolish Rehoboam was, even at forty one when he should have had a measure of wisdom, he made a stupid choice that resulted in losing Israel to Jeroboam. (1 Kings 12). He replaced the joy of the Lord with the pleasures of the world.
Verses 22-24 read,
“And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.”
Israel had a past filled with times of evil, rebellion, and idol worship, yet Rehoboam led Judah to be worse than at any time in her sordid past. They followed the false religions of the nations who had been driven out of Canaan. They went further than Israel had ever dared to go, including sexual worship of cult idols. So the Lord had to move against Rehoboam and He did it using Egypt. Verses 25-26 read,
“In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made,”
Shishak took away the treasures and riches that Solomon had collected. He stole Judah’s prosperity, the Temple’s opulence, and the protection of the king. Rehoboam made his own protection. He had shields made of bronze and gave them to the guards in place of the gold shields that had carried before. We can’t replace the perfection and holiness of God with brazen objects and efforts of our own making. Bronze will never be as good, pure, or valued as gold. But without the Lord, Rehoboam had no wealth. He could not prosper like Solomon because he was okay with substitutions, like bronze shields instead of gold ones and gods instead of God. Rehoboam gave those bronze shields to the guards and they were used to parade him back and forth to The Temple whenever he went there. He kept up appearances, he made a show of going to The Temple, but he didn’t worship the Lord in truth. He just made it look good. The pageantry of going to the Temple meant nothing to God. God doesn’t want ceremony and ritual, He wants us to know Him and love Him. (Hosea 6:6). He wants genuine worship with an understanding of who it is we worship. He wants us to worship Him in truth and in spirit, meaning we adore The One True Living God, not an icon we have imagined. We worship Him in the way He has prescribed. John 4:22-26 reads,
“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
True worship of God requires a union with Him. That peace and reconciliation can only happen through Jesus Christ. That authentic knowledge of Him can only happen through The Holy Spirit. Jesus is the way and the truth, and the life. He is the only way to The Father. (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit completes our worship and perfects us. (Acts 19:1-7, Ephesians 1:13-14).
If you have not made Jesus your Lord (Master) and Savior (The Christ who died and resurrected and forgave your sins), then you are not worshipping the One True God in spirit because Jesus is God and it is through Him you receive the Spirit. If you have not been indwelled with the Holy Spirit, you are not worshipping in truth because you cannot know God without His Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 says it this way,
“But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”--
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
To worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, requires the mind of Christ, The Holy Spirit who helps us to understand the Word, discern the truth, and receive instruction from God. Do you worship The LORD? Or do you worship a substitution? Have you replaced the parts of God you don’t understand with bronze surrogates? Have you accepted less than the fullness of blessings of Christ?

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Psalm 64 Why Do Evil Men Prosper?

7/24/2015

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Psalm 64

Does it seem sometimes, as Jeremiah complained that evil men prosper? Jeremiah 12:1-2 says what so many of us think from time to time.

“Righteous are you, O Lord,
    when I complain to you;
    yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
    Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
2 You plant them, and they take root;
    they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
    and far from their heart.”

We look up from walking our difficult road in choosing right to see people who don’t care about God or beneficence or goodness, running past us toward money, power, and an easy life. It can be discouraging. But we are not alone in this grievance. And we are not seeing the whole picture either. When we take our eyes of The Lord and compare ourselves to the people around us, we can become blinded by faithlessness. David’s enemies sometimes seemed to be winning in their quest to destroy him. He like Jeremiah complained about it in Verses 1-6 of the Psalm.

“Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
    preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
    from the throng of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
    who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,
    shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
    they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
6     They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
    For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.”

Our enemy the Liar and his followers bitterly hate us. Their hate comes out in vicious words accusing us of many wrongdoings. The enemy lies in wait for us and even though we are forgiven and righteous in Christ, he attacks us. He is determined to destroy our walk with Jesus, our testimony, and our effectiveness. Our enemy thinks we are stupid and won’t recognize his attacks. Sadly many Christians do fall for his lies, accusations, and schemes. They do not know who they are in Christ. They forget who The Lord really is. And they succumb to Satan’s attacks. They are not wearing the full armor of Christ because they don’t understand their identity in Him well enough to wear that noble armor. Paul encouraged us in Ephesians 6:10-13,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

Armor is protective. But it must be worn deliberately and properly to be effective. We have to put it on. We have to choose to know who we are and trust who God is to avail ourselves of God’s perfect protection. Paul described the armor in Ephesians 6:14-18,

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

When we know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, (John 14:6) we can understand who we are in Him and combat every lie with the Truth. When we know who we are in Christ and what He has done for us we know we nothing can take the eternal life Jesus’ righteousness gave to us. When we understand who God our Redeemer is we are able to boldly be a testimony to Him, always ready with the Gospel which makes peace between God and man. When we know who Almighty God is we can have faith in Him, and then the lies and attacks of the enemy bounce off of our Shield unable to hurt us. When we know who we are in Christ, Salvation which can’t be taken from us protects our minds and souls and gives us the ability to fight back. We don’t fight with just any weapon, we don’t sling useless retorts at the enemy, we cut him down with the Word of God, the Scriptures and Jesus Christ whose very name holds immense and holy power. When we know who God is and who we are, we don’t worry, we pray in The Spirit for all the saints battling the enemy.

Satan doesn’t care about justice. He lies to people and blinds them to the consequences of sin and the cost of rejecting Christ. But our Lord God Elohim is our Justice and our Righteous Judge. He is The Truth and the Way. He is our Righteousness, our Shield, our Salvation, and our Sword. He is The LORD. Verses 7-9 describe The Justice of The Lord for us.

“But God shoots his arrow at them;
    they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
    all who see them will wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind fears;
    they tell what God has brought about
    and ponder what he has done.”

God avenges us. He wounds the followers of the prince of this world. He gives them a chance to turn to Him. But whatever their choice, God’s mighty power and perfect love are demonstrated for the whole world to see. He is glorified. And more people can come to Him as we, wearing the readiness of the Gospel tell of the awesomeness of our Lord.

Why do evil men seem to prosper? So that when they fall the impact will be felt, seen, and heard by the multitudes. God will be glorified. And we will rejoice and glorify Him further. Verse 10 tells us to stop complaining and whining and rejoice instead because we know who The Lord is and we know who we are in Him.

“Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!”

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Titus 3 Saved by Faith for Good Works

4/21/2015

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Titus Chapter 3

Who were you before you were saved? What were you like before you were born again? What you’re your desires, your plans, and your hopes? They were likely different from your current desires. You were probably a very different person. But when you recognized Jesus as your savior, His Spirit entered you and made you new. He changed you and He continues to change you. Your will aligns more closely to God’s will.

We must be diligent about standing out from the world and being the image of Christ to them. They are lost and we can be the light that leads them to the Truth, the Life, and the Way. Paul encourages us to be different and live out our salvation, and to always be ready to do good for people. Verses 1-2 read,

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

What if the other person is mean, rude, or a really bad sinner? Do we have to be kind to them? Do we have to do good for the person who is trying to con old ladies out of their pensions or the drug addict? Paul tells us to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Everyone needs Jesus, no one deserves His grace and mercy. You were once lost. What was it that brought you to Jesus? Did someone argue with you, judge you, and tell you to turn or burn? Is that what brought you to redemption? I doubt it. Or did someone lead you to Jesus with love, kindness, and truth? Verses 3-7 say,

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life”

What He did for us, is not meant to be kept for us alone. He washed us and renewed us. He changed us. He poured Himself into us lavishly. We are saved by grace and now have the hope of eternal life for a purpose. We can’t continue living the way we used to live anymore because we are no longer the people we used to be. We are saved by grace but we are saved so that we can do good works. The good we do doesn’t justify us. It doesn’t make up for any sin. But it does give an expression to the Holy Spirit. It does testify to the greatness of The Spirit, the power of Christ, and the love of The Father.

The lost are lost because they’ve been led astray by the prince of this world. Jesus gave us the authority to show them the way to salvation. We show them the Way, the Truth, and the Life through good works, which is God’s love expressed and God’s word manifested. Faith saved us. Grace justified us. But it is good works, the exercising of our spiritual gifts and the fruit of the Spirit that builds the church and leads the lost to Jesus. Verse 8 reads,

“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”

Good works not only include working outside the church building but within it. Good works include using our gifts to edify one another, grow in knowledge and love, and become more like Jesus. Building up of the church and loving one another makes us more unified. Unity is a sign of maturity and shows the Holy Spirit in us. Union allows Him to work within us as a group and be manifested even more powerfully than He is as individuals. When Jesus was teaching about church unity and how to handle sin among the brethren He said,

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

How He wants to do great and good things with us and through us! Jesus’ promise is not a little thing. He promised that our unity would make anything we ask happen. He promised that even if only two of us come together to agree that He would grant us our request. He promised that even if only two or three of us come together in His name (that is as His representatives doing His will) that He is there with us.

So it is very important to maintain unity. It is extremely important to ensure no one among us is teaching lies, starting arguments, and causing dissention. The dissident causes us to look like the world. He makes us take our eyes off God’s work and puts our minds on foolishness. We are not able to do good works if we are busy arguing over the size of the church bell or whether eating pork is a sin. Verses 9-11 read,

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”

We are not saved by good works. We are not saved by our behavior. We are saved by faith. It is His grace that redeems us. But following Christ means we will do as He wants. We want to obey Him. We want to love as He loves. We want to communicate our gratitude. We want to express the Holy Spirit within us. We are not saved by our good works. We are saved by Jesus’ good work. We were led to Christ because a brother or sister did good works and we saw Jesus in them.

Verse 14 says,

“And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

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Ezekiel 20 God Will Not Allow His Holiness to be Defiled.

3/6/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 20

This chapter begins with the elders coming to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. This simple act infuriated God. Why? Doesn’t God want His children to come to Him, to seek out His will, and find answers in Him? Yes, He does. But He wants us to come only to Him. Israel, including her leaders and priests were practicing various religions and mixing beliefs together to create a spirituality that suited them. They were treating the LORD God as if He were another wooden idol, His statutes as if they were disputable, and His law as if it could be rewritten. Whatever question they came asking, God did not answer. Instead He told them He would not put up with their idolatry.

The Lord told them what He had done for their forefathers. Verses 5-7 read,

“and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. 7 And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”

Then He described Israel’s reaction to His covenant and His choice of reaction. Verses 8-12 read,

“But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”

But Israel still rebelled, still worshipped idols, and still refused to keep God’s laws. Israel profaned the Holy things God have given her by keeping their idols and practicing a convoluted version of the commandments God required. God could have destroyed them at any time. But He didn’t. He steadfastly loved them. He guided them. He disciplined them. Time and again He said, “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.” (Verses 19-20). Time and again they rebelled and worshipped idols, profaned the sacred, and ignored the Lord. Yet God remained patient. He remembered His awesome power, perfect love, and great name. He remained I Am so the entire world would know that He is The LORD.

When Israel entered the Promised Land they prayed to the Lord, but they did it on the altars of false gods. God said to destroy the high places, asherah poles, and the other adulterous idolatrous places, but instead Israel re-purposed them to suit them. They sullied the Holy Name of the LORD. The Lord cannot be desecrated and He will not allow His name to be defiled. His perfect reputation calls the lost to Him. But when His perfection is degraded with false beliefs the lost remain lost, and those who think they have found God are worshipping a god of their own creation.

Verses 30-32 read,

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? 31 When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 “What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.”

Don’t we too often think that we should be more attractive to the world? Or maybe some of the world philosophies sound appealing and we mix them with the word of God. What’s the detriment of some tantric mediation along with our prayer? Where is the harm of adding a touch of Taoism or nature worship to our walk? It is idolatry. It brings the Lord down from God to god.

The covenant God makes with us is that we realize we can never obtain life by being good enough. Israel couldn’t do it, even when they were face to face with God in the wilderness. We can only reach righteousness through the blood and grace of Christ Jesus. He is the way and the truth and the life. There is no other way. Jesus is the only way to the Father, full stop. (John 14:6). But we have choices. God says it is Him or gods. Pray to idols, ancestors, and a myriad of gods or pray to Him. Worship yourself or Him. You can’t have it both ways. 39 reads,

“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.”

Israel never kept her side of the covenant with the LORD. From its inception they continually broke it. But God never did. Instead He promised restoration. That restoration happens through Jesus. Verses 40-44 read,

“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers.43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

Not everyone will see the astounding and tremendous promise of reestablishment of New Jerusalem. No one who practices idolatry will enter into it. No one who corrupts the name of the Lord by bringing worldly philosophies into the pure relationship with Him will enter. No one who rejects the Word of God, Jesus Christ will come in. But everyone, every single person will know that Awesome God is The LORD. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess He is Lord. (Isaiah 45:23). Every person will realize the devastating truth of their iniquity. But for some, for most, it will be too late.

Do not contribute to dishonoring the name of the Lord by sullying the way. He gave you sacred things and holy knowledge. He gave you His name, His reputation, and His holiness. Don’t muck it up with fake spirituality, lies, and idolatry. Your life is a testimony. God will deal with you so that you will come to know Him and be transformed to Christ’s image and so that others can come to know Him. Do not lead people to a false god. Make sure it is the One True Holy God you worship and not a god of your own creation.

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John 14:1-14 The Father's House

12/19/2014

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John Chapter 14 Verses 1-14

Jesus and the disciples had gathered for the Passover. Judas had just left to betray Jesus. And Jesus had just told Peter that he would deny even knowing Him before the rooster crowed three times the next morning. Jesus knew that He would soon be arrested and He would give up His life for His friends and for the world. He also knew that most of His friends would abandon Him and that most of them would come back. His own heart was troubled (John 13:21). But He comforted the disciples and continued to teach them. Verses 1-4 read,

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

Jesus was going to His Father’s house. He wasn’t referring to a physical house. He was talking about the Father’s personage, His being. Being in God’s presence entirely. You and I dwell in tents now. Our earthly bodies are temporary but God in perfection and eternity is a house. He is a house with many rooms where we can dwell and rest forever. Jesus came so that we could live there too. There is space for us. And Jesus made it possible for us to go there. He prepared the way. 2 Corinthians 5:1-3 says,

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.”

The disciples didn’t think they did know the way to get where Jesus was going. They knew by now that when He talked about His Father, He wasn’t referring to Joseph of Nazareth, but His Father in Heaven, God. But did they know the way to the Father? Thomas voiced their concern, “Lord, We don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” Verses 6-7 read,

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus wasn’t reprimanding Thomas for his question. He wasn’t accusing Thomas of not being a good follower. He was teaching. He reminded the disciples of everything He had taught. He was about to truly glorify the Father by His act of complete love and sacrifice. And that was when Thomas and the rest would know, yes Jesus is God, Jesus is the Christ. Although they didn’t understand everything He was teaching at the moment, they would understand it when Jesus ascended to the Father and the Spirit was given to them. Everything Jesus taught would be remembered and understood.

Thomas did know the way to the Father’s house. He knew Jesus. Jesus is the only way. We can’t get to Heaven by being good. That is impossible. We can’t get to know God by looking inward, or searching the skies, or by doing good deeds. We can only get to know God by following Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Phillip spoke up with his desire to see God. He said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” I think some people imagine Jesus as exasperated much of the time, but I don’t see Him that way. Love is patient and kind. Jesus is the personification of love. He is Love. I imagine Him answering with that patience and kindness, understanding that the men were only men and didn’t have the Spirit yet to help them grasp the divine concepts. The people we encounter today who might aggravate us and upset us with their misunderstanding of scripture, salvation, and God don’t have the Spirit either. We have no right to answer them with defensiveness or irritation. Verses 9-11 read,

“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

Jesus already lived in His Father’s house spiritually. He and the Father are united. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him. Jesus said He was going to the Father’s house fully and preparing a place for us. He did that through the cross and resurrection. He made a way by laying down His life so you and I can abide in the Father as well. Believer, Jesus is in the Father, the Father is in Jesus, Jesus is in you, you are in Jesus, the Spirit is in you and you are in the Spirit. Try diagramming that.

Jesus is the truth and He said to believe Him because He said it or believe Him because He proved it but just believe Him. Then He gave one of the most awesome promises ever. Verses 12-14 reads,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

If you are living in God and the Father, Son, and Spirit are in you, you can do anything Jesus did and more!!! He said we would do greater things than He did if we do them in Jesus’ name, which means in the will and purpose of God. You’ve got the power of God in you. There are countless lost and hurting people who need a relationship with God. You can bring God to them. You can introduce them to a love so deep they can’t fathom it, a love so strong nothing can change it, and love so perfect that it can heal them perfectly.

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John 11:25-26 Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

12/11/2014

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John Chapter 11 Verses 25-26

John 11:25-26 reads,

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus said this of Himself. He revealed this trait of who He is, so it is important to understand what it means that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. What is resurrection? It’s simplest definition is, “the act of causing something that had ended or been forgotten or lost to exist again, to be used again” or “the state of one risen from the dead.” (Merriam-Webster, 2014).

In Judaism and Christianity we look forward to the prophesied resurrection that will bring us into Eternity. In Ezekiel chapter 37 The Lord shows Ezekiel a vision of resurrection. Ezekiel is a valley of dry bones and God has him prophesy to the bones and as he does, the bones grow muscles, sinew, and skin, but they remain dead until God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath and when Ezekiel does, the breath enters them and they stand up and become a great army. Ezekiel 37:12-14 read,

“Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

Isaiah 26:19 describes our ultimate resurrection this way,

“Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.”

After Jesus’ resurrection we learned more clearly about our own expected resurrection.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 reads,

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

But Jesus didn’t say, “I will be the resurrection.” He said, “I am.”

His Godly statement gives us hope that we do not have to wait until He returns to receive the new life He promises. He gives new life now. He doesn’t only give it. He is the source. We learned in John 1:1-5 that Jesus is the Word, God’s will manifested, that in Him is the life, and everything was created by Him and through Him and for Him.

Jesus is the source of our physical life and our spiritual life. Death entered the world when Adam and Eve sinned. Life entered the world when Jesus rose from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:22 reads, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Believer, you once were dead, but now you live. You once had no hope, you could only look forward to eternal death after your physical life ended. But now, you await eternal life in New Jerusalem with Jesus. But that life begins the moment you accept Jesus as Christ your Savior. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26). He gives you life the instant you believe and it is eternal.

2 Corinthians 5:15-17 reads,

“and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Jesus gave you life when you believed. He continually makes possible your physical and spiritual life. And one day, Believer, you will rise up transformed in an instant to spend eternity with Christ. Though we look forward to our eventual resurrection, we are called to live resurrected now.

Jesus came to save everyone. He doesn’t want to stop with just you and the Ladies Auxiliary, and the church deacons. He died so all men could live. That includes your racist neighbor, the hooker, the junkie, the sweet lady with 11 cats, and the atheist who has been slandering you. They’re dead. But Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He wants to breathe life into their dry bones. Just as Ezekiel spoke God’s word in his vision and brought life to the bones, you, Christian are called to speak life into the remains of the world.

When Jesus told Martha that He was the resurrection and the life and that whoever believed in Him would have eternal life, He asked her if she believed. She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:27).

Don’t keep the awesome gift of God’s grace to yourself. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. That is awesome and desperately needed news for the dead. If you are alive, you are Jesus’ representative, you are salt and light. Express your love of God by doing His will which is that none will perish but all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9).

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John 11:17-45 God is in Control. Trust Him.

12/9/2014

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John Chapter 11 Verses 17-45

You may recall that yesterday we read about Lazarus’ illness and how Jesus waited until He knew Lazarus was dead before He went to Bethany. Today the narrative picks up as Jesus neared Martha and Mary’s home. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days by the time Jesus got there. Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha were both in mourning for their brother. But when Martha heard that Jesus was on His way she ran out to meet Him. Because of Bethany’s vicinity to Jerusalem, many Jews were at her home and she didn’t want Jesus to face any more danger than He already did. She also knew that Jesus could offer her comfort with the Word and Love of God. Martha and her family loved Jesus deeply. She knew He would need comfort as well. Verses 20-22 read,

“So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Martha offers up a lovely image of faith. Firstly, she tells Jesus had He been there Lazarus wouldn’t have died. She didn’t accuse Jesus of anything, she simply states that had Jesus been there, it would have been different, because the Father would grant Jesus whatever He asked. She understood that for some reason, Jesus had allowed Lazarus to die and she acceded to it. Her statement is profound. It reveals her acceptance of God’s sovereignty and Jesus unity with the Father. Verses 23-24 read,

“Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Even here, Martha’s faith is exhibited in her contentment with God’s will over her own. For four days people had been consoling her with words such as, “You will see your brother again in the resurrection” and “He is no longer suffering.” Martha knew Jesus didn’t offer empty consolation and yet His words must have sounded like the feeble attempts to solace her. She knew Jesus words were not empty. She comforted Jesus in acknowledging that yes, on the last day, Lazarus would rise again.

Verses 25-27 read,

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

What a complex and intense teaching! And Jesus gave it to Martha. The beautiful thing is, Martha accepted it. She didn’t ask for clarification, she just accepted it by faith and proclaimed Jesus Christ. Her love for Jesus bore itself out in faith which allowed her to grasp Jesus’ sovereignty and His message. She received Jesus’ words, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Martha ran back to the house and told Mary that Jesus was there and waiting for her. So Mary went to meet Him. The many people gathered at the house for mourning followed her thinking she was going to her brother’s tomb. She ran to Jesus and fell at His feet crying and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (Verse 32). Jesus was moved by her weeping and the weeping of the many people who were with her. He asked where Lazarus had been laid and they led Him to the tomb.

Jesus was not cold. He was not stoic. He reached His friend’s tomb and He wept. While Jesus mourned the death of His friend, the crowd wondered why this supposedly great man who had healed a blind man didn’t heal Lazarus rather than let him die.

Verses 38-44 read,

“Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

This was truly the glory of God! Lazarus had been dead four days, decaying and Jesus brought Him back to life. He was careful to give God all the glory for the miracle. Mary and Martha’s belief was rewarded in a way that they never could have guessed. God’s purpose was revealed. Verse 45 reads,

“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,”

If Jesus had healed Lazarus and kept Him from dying, the people would have heard about it and said, “Oh how nice.” They had heard that Jesus had healed a blind man and that hadn’t been enough. Hearing about a friend being healed wouldn’t have done it. They had heard about Jesus but they needed to see Him. Because of the miracle of Lazarus, they saw Jesus and believed. I wonder who amongst those people were among the 120 gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost a year and half later. I wonder how many people those witnesses shared their encounter with and how many of those people believed.

Jesus didn’t want to let Lazarus die. He grieved the loss of the man deeply. Jesus obeyed the Father rather than do what He wanted and the impact was immense. Everyone knew that had Jesus been there, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. But if Lazarus hadn’t of died God wouldn’t have been glorified and all those who believed would have remained ignorant.

God is sovereign. It doesn’t always make sense in the moment to obey Him. But it always makes sense in His plan. Do you trust God? Do you truly and wholly? Do you obey your emotions and call that being led by the Spirit? Had Jesus obeyed His emotions, He would have healed Lazarus the moment He heard about His illness. Instead He obeyed His Father and though that meant facing pain, the outcome was well worth it.

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John 7:25-36 Jesus is the Truth. Are You Seeking Him or the Lies Created about Him?

11/29/2014

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John Chapter 7 Verses 25-36

Today’s reading is a continuation of yesterday’s study. Jesus was teaching at the temple in Jerusalem. His profound wisdom and words had amazed the people. But He had also upset them and caused a division among them about whether or not He was the Messiah. In today’s reading the people were discussing the question of Jesus’ Christhood.

Verses 25-27 in The Message read,

“That’s when some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this the one they were out to kill? And here he is out in the open, saying whatever he pleases, and no one is stopping him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is, in fact, the Messiah? And yet we know where this man came from. The Messiah is going to come out of nowhere. Nobody is going to know where he comes from.”

This crowd has some things in common with people today, who decide they know what the Bible says rather than actually reading it for themselves. They use the “bible” to disprove anything that upsets them about Christianity. They assume they know, because they’ve heard it. They twist the scriptures and they take things out of context. They assume that action or lack of action of church leadership means that the church believes this or that.

That is what the crowd did. They assumed the Pharisees must have concluded that Jesus was indeed the Christ because they were allowing Him to speak publicly. The Pharisees, just like the rest of the people were divided in their opinion and in verse 30 of this chapter we see them decide to arrest Jesus.

It was and still is a common belief that the Christ would suddenly appear out of obscurity and that even he wouldn’t know He was the Christ. But Scripture doesn’t say that. The people were grasping at any argument to disqualify Jesus. In fact just a few verses later in verses 42 they reject Jesus as the Christ because they say, He was supposed to be from Bethlehem and everyone knew Jesus was from Galilee.

Have you missed Jesus as your Savior because you assumed things about Him instead of getting to know Him? Have you made decisions about who you think God is, rather than found out the truth of Him for yourself? Do you get your information about the Bible from teachers, pastors, devotionals, and blog authors or do you read the scriptures yourself? When is the last time you read the Bible? When is the last time you had a mutual conversation with God?

The people had the Messiah right there in front of them but their skewed perspective of scripture clouded them from the truth.

Verses 28-29 record Jesus response.

“So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”

Jesus said, “Yes, you know me and you know I’m from Galilee, but you don’t truly know me or where I’m from, because you don’t know Him who sent me.” If they understood that Jesus was here because the Father sent Him, that He was from the Father, then they would have recognized Him as God, Messiah, and Savior.

John 14:6-7 says,

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

You just can’t know God if you reject Jesus. They are one. To know Jesus is to know the Father and to know the Father is to know the Son. Jesus is God’s will made manifest. Every work of God was done through Christ. The Father wills it and the Son fulfills it. (John 1:1-4).

The Pharisees were trying to arrest Jesus, but they were not able to. It wasn’t time yet. Verse 31 reads,

“Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

The Pharisees and High Priests were getting really worried about the reaction of the crowd. Jesus was upsetting their neat little world by shining the light of truth into their web of lies and rituals. But Jesus told them a few things. Verses 33-34 reads,

“Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

The really confused the crowd and the Pharisees. They thought He was talking about going on the lam or going to teach Jews who lived in the Gentile world. He said, “You will seek me and you will not find me.” They wouldn’t find Him because they wouldn’t be seeking the truth. They would be seeking their idea of who Jesus was, while they waited for their idea of who the Messiah was to arrive. They wouldn’t remove their preconceived ideas to see the truth. Christ was there with them, and they couldn’t come to Him because they couldn’t remove their pride and submit to Him.

Have you submitted to Christ or have you sought a God of your own making? God promised that if you seek Him, you will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13 Deuteronomy 4:29). But you have to seek the truth, not your twisted version of who you want God to be. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Seek the truth instead of your personal opinion and Jesus will reveal Himself to you. He is the only way to the Father. It is solely through Jesus that you can have life.

Don’t cloud the water with your opinions and ideas. Don’t let your knowledge of the Word be obscured by receiving it indirectly.

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1 Kings 14:21-31 There is no Substitute for The LORD

Psalm 64 Why Do Evil Men Prosper?

Titus 3 Saved by Faith for Good Works

Ezekiel 20 God Will Not Allow His Holiness to be Defiled.

John 14:1-14 The Father's House

John 11:25-26 Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.

John 11:17-45 God is in Control. Trust Him.

John 7:25-36 Jesus is the Truth. Are You Seeking Him or the Lies Created about Him?

Donna Campbell

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