The seriousness of our commitment to Christ

John 11:45-57

Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. [Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead.]

 

But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

 

Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together to discuss the situation.  “What are we going to do?” they asked each other.  “This Man certainly performs many  miraculous signs.”

 

“If we leave Him alone, the whole nation will follow Him, and then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

 

This prophecy that Jesus should die for the entire nation came from Caiaphas in his position as high priest.  He didn’t think of it himself; he was inspired to say it.

 

It was a prediction that Jesus’ death would be not for Israel only, but for the gathering together of all the children of God scattered around the world.

 

So from that time on the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.

 

As a result, Jesus stopped His public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem.  He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with His disciples.

 

It was now almost time for the celebration of Passover, and many people from the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the cleansing ceremony before the Passover began. 

 

They wanted to see Jesus, and as they talked in the Temple, they asked each other, “What do you think?  Will He come for the Passover?”

 

Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly announced that anyone seeing Jesus must report Him immediately so they could arrest Him.

 

John regarded Caiaphas’ statement as a prophesy.  As high priest, Caiaphas was used by God to explain Jesus’ death even though Caiaphas didn’t realize what he was doing.  In Isaiah 49:6 God speaks prophetically of Jesus through the prophet Isaiah, “He says, ‘You will do more than restore the people of Israel to Me. I will make You a Light to the Gentiles, and You will bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 

 

The spiritual blindness of the Pharisees was caused by their pride. Jesus just raised Lazarus from the dead.  They spoke of His miraculous signs which pointed to His Deity as the reason they must have Him put to death.  They knew He was doing the works of God, they knew He had not committed any sin, nor was there any reason for them to charge Him with a crime. Jesus was innocent. Jesus only exposed their hypocrisy and man-made traditions which kept people from coming to God. Again and again they tried to kill Him because Jesus revealed their sin. In their pride they could not imagine being wrong. Jesus gave them the opportunity to repent and humble themselves before God, but they just hardened their heart more and more until they could not repent. They came to the place where they’d committed the unpardonable sin. Jesus told the Pharisees previously in John 8:44-45, “For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.  He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth.  There is no truth in him.  When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell you the truth, you just naturally don’t believe Me!”

 

The Pharisees didn’t kill Jesus, God had planned to have Jesus come to earth from Heaven from the beginning of time. (Hebrews 1-3) Jesus’ death was prophesied about in Genesis 22:1-18 as God tells Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, whom he loves so much – and go to the mountain of Moriah and sacrifice him there. (Mt. Moriah was also where Jesus was crucified, thus fulfilling the prophesy about Himself as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  While they were traveling to Mt. Moriah, Isaac asked his father where was the lamb to be sacrificed.  Abraham answered, “God will provide Himself a Lamb” vs.8 –  Abraham continued to follow through in obedience to what God had asked of him, then God stopped him and said, “Abraham!  Abraham! Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from Me.” Vs.11-12 – Abraham named the place, “The LORD Will Provide.” (in Hebrew: Yahweh Yir’eh or Jehovah Jirah) vs.14  God was testing Abraham’s faith.  Previously God had come to Abram when he was 99 years old and told him He would make a covenant with him and guaranteed to make him a father of many nations (Gen.17:1-8).   When Abraham was 100 years old, God fulfilled His promise.  Sarah was 90 years old when she gave birth to her husband Abraham’s baby, Isaac. (Gen. 21:1-6).   Now God would get all the glory. God was faithful to His promise.  He called Abraham righteous because He believed and obeyed Him.

 

Many of the people who were grieving with Mary over the death of her brother and were at Lazarus’ tomb, witnessed Jesus call him to come out of the tomb.  He came out with grave clothes on aftering being in a sealed tomb for 4 days. There was no doubt that Lazarus had been dead, and now was alive.  After seeing this, many believed that Jesus was who He said He was, the Messiah, the Son of God.  Their faith resulted in their salvation.  On the other hand, the Pharisees heard of Jesus’ miracles and knew that they were true, so in that sense they believed, but they were not saved because they didn’t receive Jesus, they hated Him all the more because they would not repent and believe with humble hearts of faith. 

We all have the same choice to make about Jesus today.  If we want to know Jesus and desire to learn more about Him, we will find Him.  We can receive Him with hearts of faith because He will reveal Himself to us.  But if some try to find fault with Jesus when they learn of Him,  they are like the Pharisees who chose to harden their hearts and reject Him.   God gives everyone the opportunity to receive Christ and to receive the salvation that is only offered through His blood shed on the cross for our sins.  Our decision begins in our heart.  We must pray for the Lord to help us to have hearts of humility and hearts of faith to believe in the Only Begotten Son of God who came to take away the sins of the whole world.  If anyone rejects Jesus, their sin remains upon them, so that when they die, the wrath of God’s judgment will send them to hell as eternal punishment for their sin. God said that He’s not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation.  Each person chooses their own eternal destiny.  God is fair in all of His judgments.  He can’t just gloss over sin, it cost Him the life of His Only Begotten Son.  We can’t just gloss over sin, either.  We must reckon with our sin and recognize we can not save ourselves.  We need Jesus!

 

Heavenly Father;

Thank You for Your consistent and patient love toward us.  Thank You for Your plans and Your purposes which reveal that You are in control over all and You have always been in control.  Thank You that no one took Jesus’ life from Him, and no one could prove Him guilty of sin or any wrong doing. Thank You that Jesus was just in all of His ways.  He was perfect in His obedience to You.  Thank You for Your wisdom that gives everyone the opportunity to receive Jesus Christ and Your gift of salvation through His blood sacrificed on the cross for our sins.  Thank You that no one can boast of their own goodness before You, as when we see the works of Jesus which are recorded in Your word, the Bible, we are convicted of our sin and of our need to repent before a holy God.  Thank You for Your mercy and love which was extended to us while we were still Your enemies.  Thank You for Jesus’ obedience to Your will to come from Heaven to earth to live a perfect, sinless life then to go to the cross as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world’.  Thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation and the life we receive through Christ. 

 

Please help us to walk closely with You and to hear Your beautiful voice.  May our hearts be true to You during those times our faith is tested.  May You find us faithful to You.  Thank You that You never intend for the painful things we go through to hurt us, as we are Your children, but You do discipline and train us so that we may know You better and trust in You more fully.  Thank You for the wonderful opportunities You give us to share Your love and to testify of Jesus, who lives!  May Your harvest be plentiful and may lives be changed for Christ.  We love You, Lord Jesus.  Thank You for all You’ve given us! 

 

Please help our pastors to know You and to serve You faithfully.  Please help them hear from You clearly and to have Your wisdom as they face trials of all kinds.  May they have Your wisdom in their dealings with the people who come into Your church.  No doubt there are Pharisees today who have evil hearts and who secretly, or even openly, hate You but still come to church.   Please protect our pastors and all of Your precious children from those with evil intent in the church. Please help our leadership and protect them from the same self-deluded hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Please expose what is hidden in the darkness, that Your Light may be manifested for all to see.  Please help us to shine Your Light in this dark and dying world that those who are without hope may come to know that Jesus lives!  May those without Christ come to know how much God has done for them and may they see the seriousness of their decision for Christ.  May we all seek hard after Jesus while there is still the Light of Day.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Are we teachable?

John 9:13-34

Then they [the blind beggar’s neighbors and others] took the man [the blind beggar whom Jesus healed] to the Pharisees,

 

Now as it happened, Jesus had healed the man on a Sabbath.

 

The Pharisees asked the man all about it.  So he told then, “He smoothed the mud over my eyes, and when it was washed away, I could see!”

 

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for He is working on the Sabbath.”  Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?”  So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

 

Then the Pharisees once again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “This Man who opened your eyes – who do you say He is?”  The man replied, “I think He must be a prophet.”

 

The Jewish leaders wouldn’t believe he had been blind, so they called in his parents.

 

They asked them, “Is this your son?  Was he born blind?  If so, how can he see?”

 

His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,

 

but we don’t know how he can see or Who healed him.  His is old enough to speak for himself.  Ask him.”

 

So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God by telling the truth, because we know Jesus is a sinner.”

 

“I don’t know whether He is a sinner,” the man replied.  “But I know this:  I was blind, and now I can see!”

 

“But what did He do?”  they asked.  “How did He heal you?”

 

“Look!”  the man exclaimed, “I told you once.  Didn’t you listen?  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you want to become His disciples, too?”

 

“Then they cursed him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.”

 

“We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know anything about Him,”

 

“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied.  “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know anything about Him!”

 

“Well, God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will.”

 

“Never since the world began has anyone been able to open the eyes of someone born blind.”

 

“If this man were not from God, He couldn’t do it.” 

 

“You were born in sin!” they answered.  “Are you trying to teach us?”  And they threw him out of the synagogue.

 

Are we teachable? Are we offended when we are corrected?  The Pharisees were so prideful in their own ideas, teachings, and skewed understanding of Scripture that they were not even open to the miracle Jesus performed by healing the man who was born blind.  They were so arrogant that they were not willing to see how wrong they were in their thoughts about Jesus.  They instead clung to their man-made traditions.  They claimed that Jesus couldn’t be from God because He healed the man on the Sabbath, and didn’t keep it .  Yet they completely misunderstood God’s intention for the Sabbath, the day of rest. Jesus pointed this out in Mark 2:27 when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”  Sin so blinded the Pharisees that they couldn’t even believe what they saw before their very eyes.  They refused to believe in Jesus!  And when they couldn’t prove Him wrong, they turned against the very man who was healed and threw him out of church because he spoke truthfully to them about Jesus. 

They should have been rejoicing that this man was healed.  They should have been giving glory to God.  They should have been completely humbled.  This miracle should have caused them to  repent of their sin and turn to Jesus for salvation.  They should have see Jesus as from God, as hope for all mankind.

Jesus said in John 3:17, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  The world was already condemned.  The Pharisees were condemned, and in turn, rather than repent and recognize they were wrong, they were condemning the very one who could set them free from their sin and give them life.  They were slamming the door on the only hope they had to really know God.  They thought they were Moses’ disciples, but by rejecting Jesus they proved themselves liars.  By rejecting Jesus they proved that they were disciples of the devil.  They proved their intentions were evil by hating the Lord of Glory, God’s only Begotten Son, who showed His Deity by the miraculous signs He performed. By powerfully teaching openly with authority and wisdom in the Temple about Himself and God’s plan for Salvation through Him, Jesus spoke words of truth and hope for those who believed – but His words convicted and hardened the hearts of those who didn’t believe in Him, or His Heavenly Father.

 

Heavenly Father;

Thank You for Your abundant grace.  Thank You for Your word that shines light on our sin and rebellious ways against You that we may repent and surrender our lives completely to Jesus.  Please help us to be humble and gentle like Jesus.  Please protect us from pride and arrogance which blinds us to Your truth and the miraculous signs You continue to do all around us.  The greatest miracle is seeing a life changed,  when someone comes to saving faith in Christ through the power of Your Holy Spirit, and is passed from death to life, from darkness to light, from hopelessness to eternal hope in Christ. 

Please be with our pastors and the team of people who are driving down to Vizcaino tonight.  Please give them traveling mercies and abundant joy in their hearts as they rejoice in You.  Please give them safe food to eat and protect them from illnesses.  Please keep the drivers alert and help them on the road, especially where there is construction and the roads are torn up.  If they must drive at night, please guard them with your angels.  Please help them to arrive safely and get rest tonight.   Thank You for all You’re doing through our fellowship and Your people.  May we all grow in our faith and trust in You.  Please help those who are traveling down to Vizcaino for the first time.  Please calm their fears and anxieties.  Please give them wisdom on how to keep from getting ill.  Please bless this trip and bless the people down in Vizcaino.  Please help the poor people in the Campos.  Please be with them and open their hearts to know You, Lord Jesus.  Please give Your people favor with those in the work camps that they may receive Your love.  Please provide for the children and the families who are hurting.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Sin blinds our view of Jesus

John 8:48-59

The people retorted, “You Samaritan devil!  Didn’t we say all along that You were possessed by a devil?”

 

“No,” Jesus said, “ I have no demon in Me. For I honor My Father – and you dishonor Me.”

 

“And though I have no wish to glorify Myself, God wants to glorify Me.  Let Him be the judge.”

 

“I assure you, anyone who obeys My teaching will never die!”

 

The people said, “Now we know You are possessed by a demon.  Even Abraham and the prophets died, but You say that those who obey Your teaching will never die!”

 

“Are You greater than our father Abraham, who died?”  Are You greater than the prophets, who died?  Who do You think You are?”

 

Jesus answered, “If I am merely boasting about Myself, it doesn’t count.  But it is My Father who says these glorious things about Me.  You say, ‘He is our God,’”

 

“but you do not even know Him.  I know Him.  If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you!  But it is true – I know Him and obey Him.”

 

“Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as He looked forward to My coming.  He saw it and was glad.”

 

The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old.  How can You say You have seen Abraham?”

 

Jesus answered, “The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!”

 

At that point they picked up stones to kill Him.  But Jesus hid Himself from them and left the Temple.

 

Sin  blinds people from the truth.  Jesus spoke plainly and honestly about Himself as the Father had directed Him.  His Heavenly Father was His witness.  No one is greater that He.  When Jesus pointed out that the blind Religious leaders were of their father the Devil, rather than humble themselves and repent of their pride of self-righteousness, they saw their own sin in the one Who never sinned.  They accused Jesus of being possessed by a demon Himself.  The continued hatred that these Religious leaders had toward Jesus shows that they are committing the unpardonable sin. This is the end result of their rejection of Jesus: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  Matthew 7:21-23

 

Jesus is always in control of what goes on.  No one can force Him to do anything outside of God’s will.  Though He was in the Temple and standing up in front of the people preaching about the Kingdom of God and His Deity, those who hated Him and wanted to kill Him couldn’t touch Him – not until it was ‘His time’ to go to the cross according to God’s plan for Him, as Jesus willing obeyed His Heavenly Father, even unto death.  Until then, Jesus hid Himself in the crowd.  Jesus can make seeing eyes blind as well as He can make blind eyes see. 

 

The hold of the power of sin on those rejecting Jesus made them wise and self-righteous in their own blinded eyes.  We all can fall into the temptation to hypocrisy – as Peter did in Galatians 2:11-12 – but Paul withstood him to his face – Jesus always resisted the proud to their face.

 

James 4:6-12 says, “But God gives more grace, Therefore He says: ’God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’[Prov.3:34]. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep!  Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.  Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.  He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.  But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.  There is One Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another.”

 

Heavenly Father;

How wonderful You are to consider us and to send Jesus to pay for our sin on the cross.  How kind and gracious and loving is this mighty and powerful sacrifice and undeserved mercy shown toward us. Thank You for the cross, Lord Jesus.  Thank You for Your obedience to Your Heavenly Father.  Thank You for Your powerful example as You walked on this earth and spoke openly and plainly about this salvation offered through Christ alone.  You are good in all Your ways.  Jesus, You’re the perfect expression of Your Heavenly Father. 

Heavnely Father, thank You for calling us to be Your children, Your disciples, Your inheritance.  May our lives reflect Jesus and may Your love fill our hearts and lives to overflowing that others may see You in us and desire to come to know and walk with You, Lord Jesus.  May we be faithful to obey You and so prove ourselves Jesus’ disciples.

 

Please help and strengthen our pastor as he prepares to go to Mexico with a team of workers.  May You be glorified in this trip. Please pave the way for him and all who are going with him.  Please help each person on this missions trip to have fervent love for You and one another.  May Your joy fill their hearts with songs of rejoicing and praise. 

 

You are a wonderful, loving God and we are grateful for all You’ve done for us in Christ Jesus.  Please help Your church to grow in love for You and to express that love with songs of worship and praise all throughout the days You give to us, so that when we come together on Sunday morning, Thursday night, or whenever we meet, our worship will be an overflow of our life and walk with Jesus, and nothing less. 

 

We love You, Lord Jesus –  We love You, Heavenly Father – We love You, Holy Spirit.  Be glorified in and through us.  May Your church honor and love You and obey You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Who’s your Daddy?

John 8:31-47

Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly My disciples if you keep obeying My teachings.”

 

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said.  “We have never been slaves to anyone on earth.  What do you mean, ‘set free’?”

 

Jesus replied, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin”

 

“A slave is not a permanent member of a family, but a son is part of the family forever.”

 

“So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.”

 

“Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham.  And yet some of you are trying to kill Me because My message does not find a place in your hearts.”

 

“I am telling you what I saw when I was with My Father.  But you are following the advice of your father.”

 

“Our father is Abraham,” they declared.

 

“No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were children of Abraham, you would follow his good example.”

 

I told you the truth I heard from God, but you are trying to kill Me.  Abraham wouldn’t do a thing like that.”

 

“No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way.”

 

They replied, “We were not born out of wedlock!  Our true Father is God Himself.”

 

Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I have come to you from God.  I am not here on My own, but He sent Me.”

 

“Why can’t you understand what I am saying?  It is because you are unable to do so!”

 

“For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.  He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth.  There is no truth in him.  When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for his is a liar and the father of lies.”

 

“So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe Me!”

 

“Which of you can truthfully accuse Me of sin?  And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe Me?”

 

“Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don’t, it proves you aren’t God’s children.”

Those who listened to Jesus with hearts of faith became His disciples.  Their faith was a gift from God.  No one can boast before God, not even claiming to have faith by one’s own diligent efforts.  The discourse here between Jesus and the Religious leaders who hated Him and were out to kill Him because He proved them guilty of sin and of not knowing God, shows that God knew who would believe in Him and who would reject Jesus.  In God’s Sovereignty and Omnipotence God knows everyone’s heart who was ever born and who will be born, all at the same time, as with God there is no limit with time as we have in our humanity here on earth.  Some may say that for God to harden the heart of those who continually reject Him is unfair, but God is completely fair and just all of His ways.  God is merciful and loving and gracious – giving everyone opportunity to receive eternal life.  Yet many still reject His plan of salvation through the blood of Christ alone.  It’s frightening to realize that our choice of free will can cause us to spend eternity separated from God and all He is – suffering in eternal torment in Hell. This puts the fear of God in me to know that any of us are capable of denying Christ if we reject Him at those opportunities when He calls us, falsely believing we always have tomorrow, or that we’re not that bad that we might not make it to Heaven.  The devil continually lies and tries to make people think that they are in control over their own lives and that they really are okay and acceptable to God to be in Heaven with Him because of some good things they think they’ve done that wins God’s favor.  This is such a lie of the devil that so many are falling for.  No one is good, not even one person. [apart from Christ]  “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”  Romans 3:23. 

 

Jesus speaks often of His truth that sets people free from sin – a free gift from God for all who will believe and receive Him.  Jesus openly tells all who will listen who He is and that He came to earth for their benefit according to God’s will, that they may have life and the hope of Heaven.  He warns the Religious leaders over and over and explains to them the deception they are under and gives them opportunity to repent and believe in Him, but they only harden their hearts more and more.  The more they listen to Jesus, the more they hate Him and hope to trap Him so they can kill Him. The human heart filled with sin is hostile toward God and is at war with Him.  This is true of all of us even today.  We are no different from the people Jesus spoke to.  We can find ourselves in either camp – those who listen to Jesus with a heart of faith and believe unto salvation vs. those who listen to Jesus but don’t hear with faith, but whose hearts becomes more and more hardened – until finally there is no hope for salvation and one has committed the unpardonable sin – completely rejecting Jesus and desiring to kill Him and anyone representing Him.  We can either listen to Jesus or the devil.  The choice is always ours.  What we value most will be where our heart is at.

 

Heavenly Father;

Thank You that the power and wisdom of Jesus’ words which give light and life to those who know they are lost and have no hope of saving themselves.  Thank You that Jesus shows so much compassion upon those who are broken and suffering in their sin.  Thank You that He shows us how to be set free.  Thank You that His words of truth are revealing and give hope when received by faith.  Thank You for Your grace and the compassion of Christ, as it’s not easy to be confronted by our sin, it’s painful.  Thank You for Jesus’ willingness to suffer so much for us on the cross.  Thank You that Jesus speaks so plainly to us, so that we can know You and Your will for our lives.  Thank You that in Christ there is no darkness at all and the devil has no opportunity to move us from Your mighty hand of love, for You’ve redeemed us by the blood of Jesus.  We belong to You.  Thank You that You call us Your children.  It’s so wonderful to know Jesus and the life You’ve given us in Him. 

Please help our pastor today and guide him according to Your will for our fellowship.  There are many decisions he needs to make and people whom he counsels that are stuck in sin.  Please fill him afresh with Your Holy Spirit that he may know Your power and be strengthened in You.  Please guide the team leaving for Mexico in a couple of days.  Please help those men who are already down there to redeem the days they have left to work together to finish the missions base so the leadership conference can be held there this year.  Please heal those who experienced injury and loss. Thank You for all who sacrifice their time and resources to come together to serve You and the people down there.  Please be glorified through their steps of faith.  Please bless them with peace, health, provision, love and unity in Christ. Please help those who are experiencing trials and hardships to get the rest they need to heal and to have their vehicle replaced so they can come back home safely. Please bless them as they cross the border.  Please keep them safe and give them favor so they don’t have to spend long hours in line or being held up.  Please bring them all home safely – blessed, healthy and strengthened in their faith.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Where is your home, this world or Heaven?

John 8:21-29

Later Jesus said to them [the Religious leaders] again, “I am going away.  You will search for Me and die in your sin.  You cannot come where I am going.”

 

The Jewish leaders asked, “Is He planning to commit suicide?  What does He mean, ‘You cannot come where I am going?’

 

Then He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not.”

 

“That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins.”

 

“Tell us who You are,” they demanded.

 

Jesus replied, “I am the one I have always claimed to be.”

 

“I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t.  For I say only what I have heard from the One who sent Me, and He is true.”

 

But they still didn’t understand that He was talking to them about His [Heavenly] Father.

 

So Jesus said, “When You have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will realize that I am He and that I do nothing on My own, but I speak what the Father taught Me.”

 

“And the One who sent Me is with Me – He has not deserted Me.  For I always do those things that are pleasing to Him.”

 

Then many who heard Him say these things believed in Him.

 

The mighty power of Jesus’ words converted those who believed in Him; they had faith in the only Begotten Son of God.  When Jesus taught in the Temple, His audience were the Jews and the Religious leaders.  Those who considered themselves above the rest of the people were blinded by their pride and arrogance and their hearts were hardened to Jesus’ claims of who He was.  Jesus spoke again and again to them and told them plainly who He was.  He openly answered their questions, even those questions that they didn’t openly ask but murmured amongst themselves; Those condemning questions that revealed the blindness of their own hearts due to their sin and unbelief in God. As Jewish Religious leaders,  they were to represent God to His chosen people, yet by their rejection of Jesus whom they denied and hated, they were rejecting God and their own salvation.  Jesus tells them that He’s from Heaven and they are from Hell; He is Deity and they are from the devil.  Wow!  He tells them that He’s going to the cross and that this is God’s plan.  They don’t get it.  They should have known the Scriptures that pointed to the Messiah.  If they’d been faithfully following the God of Abraham whom they claim to be following, they should have recognized Jesus who had faithfully fulfilled all the prophesies about Himself from the Scriptures which they taught. But they not only didn’t recognize Jesus, they misinterpreted Him and twisted the Scriptures; causing  the people whom God loved to be misled.  Jesus had much to say to them about this, but refrained from saying anything which He had not directly received from His Heavenly Father –  Such was the love relationship modeled for us between Jesus and His Father. 

 

Heavenly Father;

Thank You for Jesus and the love He showed to us by obeying You, even to the extent of going to the cross for our sins.  Thank You for the mercy You showed to those who rejected Jesus.  Again and again Jesus spoke plainly to them that they might repent and receive salvation.  He have them so many opportunities as He taught in the Temple.  Today you continue to shower Your mercy upon us.  You continue to speak to our hearts through those pastors and teachers who love You and teach Your word.  Thank You for our pastors and those who teach Your word in our fellowship.  Please strengthen them and give them wisdom to hear from You and follow You closely.  Please help us to make disciples for Christ.  Thank You, Lord Jesus that You called the little children to come to You.  Please help our children to hear Your call upon their lives and to come to You.  Please protect them from the lies of the devil and the world that are pulling at their hearts and blinding them from Your truths.  Please give each parent and leader wisdom in standing together to pray for our children and to have Your guidance in helping them to know You and walk with You, Lord Jesus.  Please bless the mission’s team who will be leaving for Mexico soon.  Please keep them healthy and help them have humble hearts as they work together to serve You.  May there be unity in the Holy Spirit amongst the men.  May You be glorified and may they be blessed as they serve along side one another.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.