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Deuteronomy 6 Obey the Great Command and Things Will Go Well With You

2/29/2016

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You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might Deuteronomy 6:5
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might Deuteronomy 6:5
​Deuteronomy 6
Don’t we all want things to go well for us? We pray things will go well; we bid well for one another; we leave one another will well wishes. There is more to things going well than just hopes. Remaining within God’s will, appreciating that He is The LORD, and understanding who we are in Him lead to things going well. Israel had spent forty years in the wilderness learning the commandments, the will of God and now just before they entered The Promised Land, Moses reminded them of what they learned and exhorted them to be obedient to their discipline. Verses 1-3 read,
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Obeying the commandment requires fearing the Lord, which is respecting Him and appreciating Him as Sovereign Lord, as I Am, as all of who He is. It means knowing Him as who He says and demonstrates Himself to be and not as who we make Him to be. It also means that we will live in a way that teaches our sons and their sons to know Him like that. Obedience to the commandment—the statutes and the rules— comes with a promise, that it may go well with you, that you may multiply greatly in a land of abundance. What is the commandment? What single commandment is the statutes and the rules? Verses 4-5 read,
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
God said it here in Deuteronomy before He said it to the scheming Pharisees in Matthew 22:34-40
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus said, loving your neighbor with equal concern you have for yourself is like loving God with your entirety. And it is on these two that all the Law and Prophets are hinged. He said it to Moses as well, the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might covers all the laws. This is the commandment that He required be taught. This commandment is what the Ten Commandments spell out. This greatest commandment is the crux for all the Law and every word of God.
He wants us to know this greatest commandment to the point it is part of us, written on our hearts, before our eyes so that it is how we view the world, and on the foundations and entries of our lives and households. This commandment should define who we are as it defined Jesus Christ. Verses 6-9 read,
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
At some point, many Israelites, those who considered themselves most pious and dedicated took this command which is The Word Himself and removed Him from it. They wrote the words of Deuteronomy 6:5 on tiny scrolls and wore them (and still do) on their hands and foreheads and place them on the doorposts of their homes. I have a Mezuzah on my door. There is nothing wrong with keeping a reminder of God’s Word with you, but how many of the Pharisees who decorated themselves in grand piety had the commandment truly on their hearts as well as on the foreheads and hands? How many who flaunted their religiousness knew the True God well enough to recognize Him when He walked among them? How many of them lived out the truth of the commandment?
And what about us? We put on ‘Christian’ T-shirts, place ‘Christian’ bumper stickers on our cars, and decorate online profiles with “Christian’ pictures, but then we curse at the driver who cut us off in traffic, we gossip about that poor girl who needs prayer, and we promise prayers that we never speak. How can we wear a banner that says “Jesus loves you” and not love people with all the humility, grace and mercy of The Lord?
What is it for things to go well? What does that mean? Does it mean no suffering? Does it mean no battles? The Hebrew word translated as well is טוֹב, towb. It means beautiful, pleasant to the senses, useable and appropriate for its purpose. It is the word used when God described creation in Genesis 1:4
And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
Things go well for us when we become as we were created to be light separate from dark. That is why obedience to the commandment of verse 5 makes things go well for us. Loving God so completely with who we are, what we feel, what we do, and how we think expresses itself in loving one another the way Jesus loves us. That love shows the word who Jesus is and it continually disciples us to become more like Him. John 13:31-35 reads,
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 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. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The Promised Land was made for the promise that things would go well for Israel. In it they would rest in The Lord, depend on Him, and worship Him. He would prove their faith. Verses 10-15 read
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.”
When things go well, we have no need to look anywhere but to The Lord Our God. Taking our eyes off of Him, not crediting Him for His abundant provision and chasing good fortune rather than God kindles His anger so that He can bring us back to towb again. Keeping faith in God alone allows us to abide in towb.  Verses 16-19 read,
“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.”
At Massah, Israel complained about being thirsty. They disregarded everything He had done for them, their deliverance from Egypt, their lives, the riches He let them carry, everything. They whined that they would die of thirst. By their lack of faith they said, “Is the Lord among us or not?” God gave them water out of a rock. (Exodus 17:1-7). He doesn’t require a river or a spring. He can make a rock into a spring. He can make a spring out of thin air. He can move a mountain from here to there. He reminded them who He was in a generous and gracious way even though they had no faith. But now forty years later, they had learned and it was time to stand on what they had learned and not forget again God was with them.
Obedience shows our faith, obedience proves our faith, and obedience grows our faith. Did the people of Israel really think God had saved them from Pharaoh only to let them die of thirst? Or did they just need to complain and flaunt their suffering? They could just as easily trusted Him to provide. Do you think The Lord delivered you from the prince of the world to leave you as you are? Don’t you trust Him enough to know that He is carrying you through the wilderness for the purpose of making things go well with you, for making you the light of the world.
However you live your life, whether as a testimony to Christ or as a testimony to yourself, your children will ask what it means. They will want to know why you live in faith, why you obey the Lord, why you love Him and why you love people. The answer you give is the Gospel! It is the Truth which will enable things to go well for them too. Verses 20-25 read,
“When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes.23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’
Living in faithful obedience, enjoying the abundance of God’s promise will make your children and your fellow man ask how and why. You can be ready to give a reason for your hope. You can say, “Because the Lord delivered me from slavery to sin and gave me eternal life. My Lord impels me to love as He loves and trust that He always has my good in mind. He keeps me safe in Him so I can enjoy eternity with Him.”
I hope and pray that things go well for you. I pray that we will live in faithful obedience to love the Lord with everything we feel, all our trust, all we do, and all we think by loving others as He loves us. You, believer are the light of the world, separated from the darkness. Obey this great command and shine the good light of Christ into the darkness of the world.
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Psalm 43 Trust God to Carry you through Suffering and Make you More Like Him

7/3/2015

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Psalm 43

This Psalm was likely written at the same time as Psalm 42. Its theme is similar and verse 5 of this psalm is the same as the refrain of verses 5 and 11 of the previous psalm. The aforementioned psalm is about feeling far away from the Lord and this one is about being persecuted. In Countries like the America and Great Britain we do not face much persecution for our faith. But we do face some and it is getting worse. Until The Day of Judgement there will be people who hate us, people who try to hurt us and hurt our testimony. Jesus promised us that. (John 15:18-25). The author of this Psalm knew where to look during his persecution. He trusted the Lord to take care of Him and left retribution to Him as well. Verse 1 reads,

“Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
    against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
    deliver me!”


His enemies wanted to get him. They wanted nothing more than his destruction. And the author cried out to God for rescue. But the Lord didn’t rescue him immediately. God does that for us sometimes. He holds back, he waits, always with a reason, and always for our benefit. Perhaps the author needed to be strengthened, perhaps he needed his faith tested and proved, or maybe the Lord used his enemies to discipline him. God waits sometimes. And we think we will never get through the situation intact. And maybe God doesn’t want us intact. He allows us to go through the fires to purify us. 1 Peter 1:5-9 say,

“who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

The writer understood this, but persistent in his prayer regardless. Even Jesus repeated His prayers through His suffering. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed three times, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”  (Matthew 26:38-44). Prayer allows us to maintain our dependence on God. It allows us to communicate with Him. We speak our hearts and God speaks His. In that communion He leads, teaches, comforts, encourages and exhorts. Verses 2-3 continue the prayer,

“For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
    why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?


3 Send out your light and your truth;
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
    and to your dwelling!”


While the author longed for the comfort and safety of God to remove his trial, he still asked for God’s light and truth to lead him. He didn’t want to depend on his emotions to lead him, or his faulty wisdom to guide his decisions. He wanted God to show Him the way. Prayer, meditation on God’s Word, and reflection of our communion with God brings us nearer to Him. As we contemplate God’s Word, He comforts us. He lets us know Him more deeply and we know that even while we are persecuted and suffering that God has us, we are safe in His hands, and our future is secure in Him.

James 1:2-8 reflects on the benefits of the trials we suffer and the communion with God as we depend on Him to teach us, guide us through them, and come out looking more like Jesus with the Fruit of the Spirit.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Although we suffer God is always with us. And we can know it well and completely. If we know God well, we know He will make us wise, conform us to His image and bring us through. We can without a doubt praise Him and thank Him, even before the manifestation of our hope and prayers. The psalmist looked forward to praising God for the answer to his prayer. Verses 4-5 read,

“Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.


5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.”


No matter how low we feel, regardless of the depth of our grief or the intensity of our suffering we can rejoice, we can praise, and we can thank the Lord. He is with us. He has a purpose for all He allows us to go through. He loves us so deeply and knows us so well that we are free to trust Him with our lives, our salvation, and our hearts.


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Leviticus 24:1-9 The Lampstand and the Bread of the Tabernacle

5/15/2015

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PictureThe Lampstand made of one solid piece of pure Gold
Leviticus Chapter 24 Verses 1-9

The Lord made laws even for His Tabernacle. And like every other statute there was a purpose and a glimpse of who He is in the rules. Verses 1-4 read,

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. 3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the Lord regularly.”

The lamps were to burn always. They had to be attended to. The wicks were trimmed every day and the oil that burned was pure olive oil. The work that went into making the oil for the lamps was arduous. But only pure olive oil cold light the lamps of God’s lampstand. Once in Canaan there was an abundance of olive trees (The Garden at Gethsemane was actual an olive orchard with an olive press) but on the 40 year trek through the wilderness, olives were obtained as Israel came to them and then trodden into oil for the lamps. Once in Canaan, Israel used olive mills to make the oil. Olive oil burns without smoking and produces a bright flame.

The lampstand was exquisite it is described in Exodus 25:31-40. It was hammered out of one piece of pure gold weighing a talent (about 70 pounds). It had six branches and one center bowl shaped like almond blossoms with knobs beneath them. It was kept just outside the holy of holies and it provided the light for the sanctuary.

It represented the light of God, eternal, holy, and pure. His light is all we need. And in Christ we become lights as well. If we attend to our wicks (our relationship and communion) which maintains the anointing of the Holy Spirit within us, we burn brightly without smoke. Adding impurities causes smoke and dulls the flame. Jesus, the Son of God is the Light of the world, and we like our God are lights to the world. The flame beckons people to God, it reveals God to people. God will keep it burning if we keep the fuel pure. The fuel is the fruit of the olive tree. The fruit of the Spirit which expresses itself in our behavior as we are made like Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit is Love which manifests as joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God is Love and we demonstrate Him as lights in the world.

Also in the tabernacle was the bread, called the bread of presence or showbread. Verses 5-9 read,

“You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. 6 And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold] before the Lord. 7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. 8 Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. 9 And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord's food offerings, a perpetual due.”

Two piles of 6 large loaves of bread stood on the table in the tabernacle, they were replaced each week and the old bread was eaten by the priests in fellowship with the Lord. The bread, one loaf for each tribe represented God’s fellowship with His people. It was His invitation to friendship with Him. We can look back and see that the bread represents Jesus, He is the Bread of Life and his invitation to friendship with God is open until The Day of Judgement. Only the priests could eat that holy bread under the Old Covenant. And likewise only the saved, the Royal Priesthood may have communion with Our Lord God, The Bread of Life today. Our friendship with God is a holy privilege of being His children. We are not slaves to law and ritual. We are not children of the father of lies. We are children of the Most High, royal priests, sanctified and holy, anointed and sealed. We are friends and sons of God.

We are the temple of God. He is always with us. We are the lampstands. He is the flame who burns brightly to make us lights. We are the table of the showbread. He is the bread of Life who gives us life, provision, the sustenance of His Word, and an intimate relationship with Him to enjoy all He gives.


Picture
The Showbread and table
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1 John 1:5-10 What is Walking in the Light?

1/11/2015

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1 John Chapter 1 Verses 5-10

1 John 1:5 describes God this way,

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

God is light. Light or phós in this verse is defined as light especially in terms of its results, illumination, source of light, and radiance. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).  God is light. What does light do? It elucidates. It takes out the shadows, the darkness and reveals the truth. Light is the source of life. Without light there could be no life[1]. Light is a beacon. It illuminates the way to safety and life.

Verse 6 reads,

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

John often makes these statements that t first appear frightening. This one seems to imply that if we sin, we are lying about our relationship with God. But that isn’t what it says. Walking in darkness, is living under the lie of the world instead of the truth of God. Verse 7 reads,

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Walking in the light is not walking without sinning, it is walking in the truth of Christ, cleansed from our sin. God shines His light into our hearts and reveals to us, the darkness there, the sin that kept us away from a relationship with Him. Jesus’ blood cleans us and purifies us, so that we are given new life and are able to fellowship with God. Having all those sins forgiven is not a license to keep sinning no matter that we are pardoned. Walking in the light means we no longer want to sin. We walk in God’s nature with His will and truth. We do not want to sin anymore. We want to shine for Him and glorify Him. We become light too. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.;”

Walking in the light means you are manifesting, demonstrating and making it clear who God is. You reveal God. Your life becomes a revelation of Christ. Revealing Christ in your life, doesn’t mean hiding yourself, lying, or putting on a mask of perfection. The Holy Spirit is transforming you. Jesus’ power is magnified by your flaws and weaknesses as He forgives, overcomes, heals, and works through them. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 puts it this way,

“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

And 2 Corinthians 12:9 says it like this,

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

We do not want to hide our sin when God’s light has revealed it. We would need darkness to cover them up. We do not want to keep on sinning either. We have to admit to the sin and let Jesus forgive us. Walking in the light means we live transparently in the Father’s love, Jesus’ grace and the Holy Spirit’s transformative power. Verses 8-9 of 1 John chapter 1 continue,

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

You just can’t be a believer and a child of the Living God if you profess you don’t sin. You have to admit you are in a sinner to receive the forgiveness of Christ and have a relationship with God. To say, you haven’t sinned makes God a liar. Jesus, the Word of God the Truth, The Life, and The Way can’t be in you if you say you don’t need Him, if you refuse to acknowledge you have sinned. Everyone has sinned. Everyone has missed the mark of God’s perfection. (Romans 3:23).

Are you living in the truth of God’s power and love? Or are you living under your own power with a mask of goodness which hides the truth. Do you have a false light ready to reveal everyone else’s sin but your own? I exhort you today to examine yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of your condition to you and live in the light. Live transparently letting God’s awesome might, perfect love, and splendid light shine in your life. The truth is liberating. Take of the mask and let Jesus stand out.

References:

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 5457. phós. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/5457.htm



[1] All life requires energy. Humans and animals get energy from food, animals and plants. Plants require light to make food and live. So without light, there could be no life.


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John 18:12-18 Peter and John Both Faced the Temptation to Deny Christ. Why Did Peter Fall to It?

1/3/2015

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John Chapter 18 Verses 12-18

Verses 12-14 read,

“So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.”

When Jesus was arrested, the Sanhedrin had already decided His sentence. They had decided Jesus had to die. But God had decided that long ago and Jesus had chosen to do it. They tied Jesus up as if He were fighting them. And took Him away. Verses 15-16 describe what happened next.

“Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.”

The other disciple is John, who didn’t referred to himself in his gospel, except by ways such as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John and Peter followed Jesus but the rest of the disciples left, scattered and hid. Since John was familiar with the High priest and his household, He was easily able to enter the the home. He didn’t forget his friend, his fellow believer Peter though and also got permission for him to come in. John probably then went all the way to where Jesus was being questioned, while Peter stayed with the servant girl at the door. Peter could have gone all the way in with John to be with Jesus, but he stayed outside.

Peter had, a few hours earlier declared that he would die for Jesus. Less than an hour prior, he had tried to fight to keep Jesus from going to His death. Now, he stood next to a servant girl who asked him with disdain, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” This passionate impetuous and proud man who had declared Jesus Messiah early on, who had rushed out of the safety of a boat to walk on water with Jesus, and had asked Jesus to wash his whole body not just his feet, said, “I am not.” (Verse 17). He denied following Jesus and it doing so denied Jesus was the Christ. The officers and servants made a charcoal fire and Peter stood with them warming himself. Whatever grief Peter faced then, his fear was larger and his fear made him selfish. He stood with the people who served the priests, the Sanhedrin, and the soldiers who were trying to find a reason to kill his Lord. As zealous for Jesus as Peter had been, he was now vehement for his own reputation. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. (Matthew 16:15). Peter denied Him for the comfort of a fire and the company of people, some of whom had been with the group who had arrested Jesus.

Jesus was inside being questioned by Annas. Verses 20-24 describe it.

“Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”

While Jesus was inside telling the truth and saying He had never been stealthy or secretive, and being hit for it. Peter was outside next to the fire hiding who he was ad who Jesus was. Charcoal fires give heat but not much light, so the people around it were not really able to see one another clearly. And again someone asked him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” (Verse 25). Verses 26-27 continue the chronicle.

“One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.”

Can you imagine it? Peter was directly confronted by a man who saw him and identified him as the person who cut off his relative’s ear. Peter couldn’t know if the man was merely guessing or truly recognizing him, but you don’t easily forget something like that. And Peter was angry and really frightened. In the gospel of Mark, which is likely Peter’s account, it says that he began to invoke a curse and swear. (Mark 14:71). But then suddenly the rooster crowed. The night was over. Peter remembered what Jesus had said that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Mark says he broke down and wept. (Mark 14:72). Peter had been prideful about his belief in Jesus as Messiah and his exuberant following of Jesus. He had likely dismissed Jesus’ warning as an impossibility. His pride made him think he would never do something so awful. He had been warned but he ignored it.

Of all the disciples, only John didn’t abandon Jesus that night. John stayed with Jesus through His trial and crucifixion. John faced the same temptations to deny Christ as Peter had. But John was with Jesus. He could draw on His strength, love and presence to carry him through. John watched as Jesus demonstrated His perfect love. Peter could have followed Jesus into the house and been with Him as John was. But his guilt and shame kept him outside in the dark. Without the light to illuminate the truth, he fell to temptation and denied Christ.

We face temptation every day. Every chance he gets, Satan will throw guilt, shame and fear in your face.  He will use your pride against you. The enemy will do whatever he can to keep you distant from Jesus, weak, and ineffective. But you do not have to believe the lies of the accuser. You have Jesus. He will help you through every situation. James 4:8 encourages us,

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

And 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 says,

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

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John 12:44-50 When People Saw Jesus, They Saw God. Who do People See When They See You?

12/15/2014

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John Chapter 12 Verses 44-50

Today’s devotional is a continuation of yesterday’s narrative. Jesus had been talking to people about His death and some people in the crowd didn’t believe Him, many did, but most of them were too afraid of the consequences to acknowledge it publicly. Verses 44-46 read,

“And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

Jesus cried out. He didn’t sit calmly while so many dismissed the chance to have a relationship with the Father through Him. He wanted them to believe. He loved them and the knowledge that they were going to die without salvation hurt Him. He encouraged those who were afraid to confess their belief publicly. He said, “it isn’t just me you put faith in if you belief I’m the Messiah, it is the Father.” It is God fully that we believe and trust when we trust Jesus as Lord and Savior. That is possible because who ever saw Jesus, saw God. She saw the Son and because the Son is a perfect representation of the Father, she saw the Father too, and because the Spirit was with, on, and in Jesus, she saw Him as well. Through Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior we can know God, the Father, Son, and Spirit. We can know Him fully. Jesus came into the world as light.

As light, Jesus reveals what can’t be seen in the dark. God can’t be in the dark. He is light. Jesus as light shows us who God is. Every act, word, and miracle Jesus did was in obedience to the Father and revelation of God. Jesus is the Word of God, God’s will manifested. So when we come to know Jesus, we come to know God. Jesus, like the Father didn’t want anyone to remain ignorant of God. He wanted everyone to come to salvation and have a relationship with Him.

Jesus continued in verse 47-48.

“If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”

The believers in the crowd were afraid to say they were believers, because they would be judged and excommunicated from the synagogue and probably from their friends and families. They would lose everything they knew. There were death threats against Jesus and some of His followers like Lazarus. They were very much afraid of the judgment of the Pharisees, the priests, and the high council. But Jesus said to them, “listen if you understand what I’m saying and you don’t take it to heart and act, I’m not going to judge you. You’re already judged. I’m here to save you from that judgment. You’ll remember on the last day, I gave you a choice, you chose. It is that choice that will judge you.”

Then Jesus reminded them it was God they were talking about. It was God giving them the choice, it was God they were receiving or denying. Verses 49-50 say,

“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

You had a choice. You either chose to believe and follow Jesus, or you chose to reject Jesus. My guess is that because you are reading this, you probably made the choice to follow Him and you are seeking to know Him more deeply. But maybe you didn’t. Maybe you are trying to decide right now.

When you elect to follow Jesus, your sins are forgiven, your old self dies and you are made completely new. (2 Corinthians 5:12). The Holy Spirit enters you and He begins transforming you to the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18). So if you are a new creation and are being transformed to the image of Christ, when people meet you they should be meeting Jesus. Whoever sees you, should see Him that sent you

 Desiring to please God means wanting what He wants. He wants everyone to come to salvation. (1 Timothy 2:4). Like Jesus is the Light, you are a light! Matthew 5:14 says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” You are supposed to be revealing God to the world. Jesus came to save. Don’t people deserve to have the choice to believe or reject? If they never have the chance to opportunity to accept the truth, they are condemned.

You are a light. Be a light just like Jesus is light. How do you do that? By giving your whole life to God and obeying Him completely. Make your words and your actions those that God gives you. Jesus depended completely on the Father for His words and actions. He did everything in love. So should we.

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John 12:20-43 Jesus Died Publicly for You. Will You Live Publicly for Him?

12/14/2014

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John Chapter 12 Verses 20-43

Not everyone in Jerusalem for the Passover was Jewish. Some Greeks had also come and wanted to see Jesus. And Jesus taught them. He spoke about His impending death which was on His mind. He had been teaching, and doing miracles for about three years telling people about the love of the Father. Now it was all coming to a close. But the end of His earthly ministry would be the beginning of The Last Days and the opportunity for every person to come to Salvation. Jesus taught the Greeks and the Jews that had found Him about the death He was about to face. Verses 23-26 read,

“And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Jesus spoke as He often did in a parable. And what He says is truly awesome news for us and for the Greeks. Jesus referred to His death as His glorification. It was truly the perfect reflection of God’s love for us. When Jesus died on the cross He revealed God absolutely and completely in His perfect love.

And then compared His death to that of a grain of wheat, though the grain dies alone the crop it produces is much bigger than the lone grain implied. And with each subsequent crop the harvest grows larger. And Jesus didn’t hold back. As soon as he described His own death, He alluded to us, His followers giving up our lives for Him as well. He said we would have to choose Him or the world. If we choose to give up our worldly lives, we will gain eternal life. But if we do choose to follow Him, we have to be willing to truly follow and do everything Jesus did up to and including giving up our lives.

But it comes with a promise. “If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” That is deep! It’s huge! The Father, Our God, Our Creator will honor us! He honors us through our union with Christ. He honors us by transforming us to Christ’s image. When we serve Christ, we become one with Him with the promise of God’s presence always with us. And so the Father honors us by giving us His Son and His Spirit.

Jesus continued teaching and He expressed His feelings about what was coming. So often people paint a picture of a stoic or even a detached Jesus. But Jesus was not apathetic or cold. He was passionate about The Father and passionate in His love for us. He fervently threw the money changers out of the temple. He compassionately healed the sick. He lovingly fed the hungry. He cried at the death of His friend. And He tenderly brought people to a place of repentance and belief. He did not face His fast approaching death without feeling. In verses 27-28 Jesus said,

““Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

Jesus knew how awful His death would be but He also knew that it was His purpose and so rather than forgo it, rather than ask the Father to save Him from crucifixion, He chose to glorify Him. It is not a sin to feel the angst and difficulty of the sacrifices made for God. It is in remembering their purpose that we can go through it. That is how Jesus managed it. He took His eyes off Himself and put them on the big picture of God’s purpose, which is God’s glory.  And the Father answered Jesus so that everyone could hear! “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” God was glorified in Jesus birth and life and He would be glorified in His death and resurrection. It wasn’t Jesus who needed the audible comfort. It was the listeners. Jesus continued teaching in verses 31-33.

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.”

When we read this, we understand that Jesus was talking about conquering Satan and bringing the offer of salvation to the whole world. But the crowd listening didn’t completely understand that. Many of them accepted that Jesus was the Christ, but they still thought He would have an earthly eternal kingship. They couldn’t reconcile what He was saying to their preconceptions of the Messiah. Jesus was saying He would be lifted up from the earth alluding to His crucifixion and His ascension and they thought He would be king and rule Israel forever on earth. So Jesus answered them in verses 35-36.

“So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

They had Jesus with them. They had the chance to believe right then and there. The choice was and is to believe in Jesus Christ and walk in the revelation of truth and love or to reject Him and be overcome with darkness, to be blinded to the truth. Jesus urged them to believe so that they could become sons of light, light themselves to reveal the truth to others.

So many people just couldn’t believe. They had Jesus, the perfect image of God right there in front of them. They had seen the great works He had done. They had heard the deep truths He had taught. They had seen the good He did. They had even heard the voice of God confirm Jesus Christ. But they didn’t believe.

But many people did believe. But too many of those who believed Jesus didn’t confess it. They were afraid to say it publicly because they didn’t want to be kicked out of the synagogue. They couldn’t even sacrifice their place in the synagogue for Jesus, they certainly weren’t willing to sacrifice their lives. Verse 43 describes them like this,

“for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

What is your response to Jesus? Do you believe? Do you confess to everyone that Jesus is Lord? Are you willing to give up your worldly life to follow Jesus? Do you seek honor and glory for and from God or the glory that comes from man?

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John Chapter 9 How Will You Respond When Jesus Opens Your Eyes?

12/5/2014

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John Chapter 9

In John Chapter 9 Jesus and the disciples passed a man born blind. In very politically incorrect fashion the disciples asked Jesus whether the man was blind due to his own sin or his parent’s. But Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (Verses 3-5).

Jesus didn’t answer their question in the way they expected. Knowing the cause of the man’s blindness and the source of suffering, pain or difficulty in life is fruitless. Suffering gives us an opportunity to display the greatness of God. The time to do the good works the Father provides for us to do is now. We can only demonstrate the Father’s deep love and the beauty and power of the Spirit while we are living. As long as Jesus was in the world, He was the light of the world. He is still in the world through you and me, Believer. He partnered with His disciples while He walked in the flesh, and He partners with us now as we reveal Him to the world through the Holy Spirit.

Then Jesus, without asking the man if he wanted to be healed, made mud, anointed the man’s eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man did as he was told and came back seeing. This was wonderful. He was happy and one would have thought everyone would be praising God for this great grace and miracle. But people quickly found out that it was Jesus who had healed the man. Jesus was now a wanted man. The Pharisees had said that anyone claiming He was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. So making a decision to follow Jesus meant giving up a very important part of life for the people. Even simply claiming something good about Him could cause them to lose fellowship with their friends and neighbors. To complicate matters it was the Sabbath.

Instead of celebrating, praising God, and rejoicing with him, his neighbors and friends brought the man to the Pharisees. The Pharisees themselves were still split about whether Jesus could be from God or not. He had clearly broken their rabbinic (not Mosaic) law by making mud on the Sabbath.  But some said that in order to do the great things He did, He had to be from God. The Pharisees questioned the man in order to find a reason to arrest Jesus. Then they questioned his parents thinking perhaps the man had not been blind.

The man’s parents were afraid of getting excommunicated and threw their son under the bus. “Ask him, he’s old enough to answer you!” They had no problem with letting their son be expelled from the synagogue, even though it meant they wouldn’t be able to be with him any longer.

So the Pharisees questioned the man again. He was over it. He said, listen, I don’t know if He’s a sinner, I know that I was blind and now I’m not.” Then the Pharisees wanted to know again how Jesus had done it. They didn’t ask because they had forgotten, they wanted the man to say Jesus was a sinner. They wanted him to proclaim Jesus was not the Christ so that more people would not follow Him. But the witty man had quite the answer for the hearted-hearted Pharisees. Verse 27 reads,

“He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”

Suddenly, it was the Pharisees on the defensive. They said, “We follow Moses. We just want to know where this man comes from!” But the clever man answered them in verses 31-33.

“The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

The Pharisees couldn’t respond, because this man had spoken truth that couldn’t be disputed. So they did what any spoiled 3 year old having a tantrum would do. They called him a sinner and expelled the man from the synagogue.

But Jesus found the anathematized man. Verses 35-37 read,

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.”

The man sacrificed his family and his faith community in order to uphold the truth. Jesus invited him to a new family and a new faith. The man believed. Not everyone that Jesus healed responded by believing. Faced with the same situation, the lame man at the pool of Bethesda chose not to believe that Jesus was Christ.

Verses 39-41 read,

“Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”

The Pharisees knew the law and the scriptures. They couldn’t claim ignorance of their own sin. They chose to overlook ignore their sin and refused to acknowledge their need of God, His forgiveness, and ultimately Jesus.

Jesus, the light of the world came to show us that we need Him. While once we could walk blind to our iniquity, He shined His light into our souls and let us see. We can respond by acknowledging Him, repenting and calling Him Lord like the man born blind. Or we can respond like the Pharisees and refuse to see our need of forgiveness because we can’t admit our sin.

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John 8:12 Jesus is the Light of the World.

12/4/2014

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John Chapter 8 Verse 12

John 8:12

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

How often have you heard that phrase, “the light of the world,” and thought nothing of it? What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world?

We know in context of this reading that The Feast of Booths had recently ended or was on its final day. During that celebration, a lamp-lighting ceremony took place in the temple every evening of the feast, during which large lamps were set up in the Court of Women at the temple. Jesus was teaching in the temple treasury directly next to the Court of Women, so His words likely brought to mind the image of those lamps and the great celebratory singing and dancing over God’s salvation that took place in their glow which filled every courtyard in the city.

That light represented God’s salvation and demonstrated it during the week-long festival. Jesus is the eternal representation or glorification of God’s salvation. In Him we have reason to dance and sing praises and thanksgiving forever.

The Old Testament has many references to light. When people read John’s gospel they would connect light to some of these references. They would understand that Jesus was saying something very intense. He was claiming to be God.

Light represents God’s attention toward you, His presence with you.

Psalm 4:6 reads,

“There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”

In Ezekiel Chapter 1 God is described this way,

Verse 4 says, “As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal.”

Verses 27-28 read,

“And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.”

Light signifies God’s salvation.

Psalm 27:1 says,

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?”

Proverbs 6:23 reads,

“For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,”

God’s presence and salvation merged as the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day. Exodus 13:21-22 reads,

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

Jesus told the people, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He promises that He is God with us and following Him brings us salvation. He is our guide, His light shows us the way to go.

Jesus isn’t merely showing us light and hope, He is light and all hope is in Him. He is light, the source of light and life. John 1:3-5 says,

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus light completely overcomes darkness. Psalm 112:4 says,

“Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.”

Darkness cannot exist in light. 1 John 1:5 says,

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

What does all that mean for you and me? Jesus is God, the Light of the world. He is our hope and our salvation. He doesn’t leave us alone to wander blindly toward righteousness. He lights the way, guides us and stays with us every step of the way. But there is more. He said, whoever followed Him would “have the light of life.” In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Just as Jesus is the light, the glorification of God, who leads people to salvation, you and I are also the light. We are called to glorify God, to conform to Jesus’ image and lead people to the beauty of a relationship with God through Christ. We can’t do that if we are hiding in a prayer closet. If our light is hidden because we only let it shine in the privacy of home or the comfort of church then it is not shining into the darkness beckoning men to the hope of eternal life. Does your light call people to celebrate the goodness and greatness of the Lord?

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John 8:12-30 Only Uninformed Ignorant Fools Believe Jesus

12/2/2014

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John Chapter 8 Verses 12-30

Jesus was teaching. He spoke in such a profound way that people either recognized Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, or they couldn’t see the truth through their preconceptions and pride.

The Pharisees had made up their minds and no one was going to change them. They were so full of pride and surety of their convictions that they could only believe what fell in line with those opinions. Jesus spoke openly and truthfully. He passed every test they threw at Him, trying to trip Him up. Yet, they always came up with another reason to hate Him.

But some people, even a couple of the Pharisees did believe.  What were the differences between the people who believed and the people who didn’t?

The Pharisees thought they knew it all already. They had already decided what the Christ would look and act like. They assumed He would be like them. They were puffed up by their own righteousness. They were full of pride about their knowledge, goodness, and position. Those who believed Jesus had no goodness of their own to brag about. While many had ideas about the Christ, their minds were not so closed that they couldn’t accept new information and restructure those notions.

Verses 12-13 read,

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.”

The Pharisees had to try anything to discredit Jesus, because He was really upsetting the status quo. So they came at Jesus with, “You can’t say that about yourself!” Jesus knew His answer wouldn’t affect the Pharisees, but it would affect the crowd. So instead of reminding them of John the Baptist who had said that very thing about Him, He referred to His Father and His Divinity.

Verses 14-18 in The Message record Jesus’ response.

“Jesus replied, “You’re right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I’ve come from and where I go next. You don’t know where I’m from or where I’m headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don’t make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father. That fulfills the conditions set down in God’s Law: that you can count on the testimony of two witnesses. And that is what you have: You have my word and you have the word of the Father who sent me.”

They wanted to know where His father was. And Jesus said, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” (Verse 19).

Now the Pharisees were getting angry and Jesus was right there in front of them teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested Him because it wasn’t time yet. Verses 21-24 of the message detail what happened next.

“Then he went over the same ground again. “I’m leaving and you are going to look for me, but you’re missing God in this and are headed for a dead end. There is no way you can come with me.”

22 The Jews said, “So, is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by ‘You can’t come with me’?”

23-24 Jesus said, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You’re at a dead end. If you won’t believe I am who I say I am, you’re at the dead end of sins. You’re missing God in your lives.”

The Pharisees thought they were the best of the best. They had dedicated their entire lives to studying the scriptures and upholding the law. And Jesus was telling them they didn’t have God in their lives! They were getting angrier and angrier. They had no defense, because Jesus was speaking the truth. He was shining a light into their souls and it was showing them the plain hard fact that though they loved the law they didn’t even know God or love Him.

They didn’t want to hear it though. What He was saying didn’t align with their mindset. So they kept asking Jesus, where He was from and who He was. He told them. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” (Verses 25-26).

The Pharisees still didn’t get it that Jesus was talking about the Father so Jesus continued. Verses 28-30 read,

“So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.”

The educated and pious Pharisees couldn’t grasp what Jesus was talking about because their minds were obscured and confused by their prejudices and pride. But many in the uneducated crowd did understand Him and believe. They may have had preconceptions about who Messiah would be, but their minds were not closed up by their smugness.

Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist who developed a theory about how people learn. His Theory of Cognitive Development revolutionized education and still impacts education today. In the simplest terms he said that, children develop ideas or schemas about the world and through exploration they come across discrepancies in those structures. When that happens they must reorganize the ideas and build new schemas. For instance, a toddler has a pet cat and he knows that furry animals with four legs and tail are kitties. But when he meets a dog and calls it kitty, he learns that this is called “doggy.” He must reorganize his knowledge and learn that only some furry things are kitty and others are doggy and perhaps others are also different.

The Pharisees were too full of themselves to allow new information to upset their knowledge. Most of them missed out on the awesomeness of grace. How about you? Are you too full of yourself to accept the whole truth of Jesus? Are you so insecure in your beliefs that you can’t hear something that might not fit your convictions? Will new ideas destroy your structures of information or build them into better stronger structures?

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    Donna Campbell

    As I read the Bible every day, I take what God teaches me, what He says, and write it out. I then share that with you. It gives me a deeper understanding of the Word and I hope that it will encourage you as it does me, to put your love and faith into action.

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    September 27th 2015
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