John 6:10-15 PODCAST
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. John 6:10-15
Today, we continue in our study of the twentieth miracle performed by the Lord Jesus, the feeding of the five thousand. Mark's account of this miracle tells us how the Lord Jesus did it. Mark says that Jesus "blessed, and broke" the bread (Mark 6:41). Then He gave the bread to the disciples to distribute to the hungry people. Here again, the fullness of Christ and the emptiness of man is accentuated. There was a continual supply until the whole multitude of five thousand men were fed.
I direct your attention back to the one who provided this meal. No one in the crowd would have imagined that this little boy was carrying the means for this miracle, not even the boy. This was one little boy in the crowd, with a little meal, but he had been chosen by God to be a significant piece of the Messiah's redemptive plan not only for that day, but for the rest of human history.
We will never know how God will use us despite the fact that we have so little to offer. The Lord Jesus knows how impotent we truly are, yet with Him in the equation, our impotence is not a deterrent.. He is the One who is writing our stories. He can do eternally amazing things with the little fragments of our lives. The key for us is to be available and willing to be used by Him.
It was a Wednesday night and I went to Food Lion to purchase a few things for the remainder of the week. As I turned from one isle to another, the Lord gave me a message for the man at the end of the isle. I balked for what seemed to be an eternity. I told the Lord that this man would probably think I was crazy. To make a long story short, I finally fearfully obeyed. I said to the man , "the Lord is aware of your discouragement, don't give up." No sooner had I told the man that message, he began to cry and then told me that he was a Pastor of a local church and he had just told the Lord that he was quitting after that night's Deacon's meeting.
Needless to say, I went away amazed at how the Lord Jesus works in this world. I tell you this true story to encourage you to step out and do His bidding. Like the little boy in this true story, you will never know how you will be useful to the God of all creation until you step out in faith.
After the hungry people had eaten, the Lord Jesus commanded the disciples to gather up all the leftovers. Wouldn't you know it, there were twelve baskets of leftovers, one for each of the twelve disciples.
In those days every Jew who traveled carried a basket. These were the full baskets after this miracle had been performed. Like the miracle of turning the water into wine, this miracle was primarily for the disciples. When the people saw the sign which he had done they said, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."
Once the people reached the obvious conclusion, they immediately wanted to set Him up as the King. They wanted to use God to work for them according to their ideas. Their idea of a King was different than what the Lord Jesus had in mind. This story is given to teach us that this is not the kind of relationship that we are to have with God.
I find it very instructive that the Lord Jesus would not consent to being lauded as a King by these people. Like the Lord Jesus, our greatest privilege is to see ourselves as His instruments, doing what He wants, not using Him to do what we want to do.
Friday, October 04, 2019
Thursday, October 03, 2019
John 6:1-9
John 6:1-9 PODCAST
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 6:1-9
Our text today is couched in the spring of the year. The multitudes were following Jesus everywhere despite the fact that it was the Passover season, when the Law required them to have been on their way to Jerusalem. Due to the signs and miracles that the Lord Jesus was performing, they followed the Lord Jesus to the Sea of Galilee.
But miracles do not change hearts. Throughout history, people’s hearts haven’t changed because they see or experience a miracle. Pharaoh is the perfect example of this truth. Miracles simply reveal if we are hard-hearted toward God or if we have placed our faith in Him.
The Lord Jesus, along with the disciples, according to v.1, boarded a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As the boat left to cross the lake, the people ran along the northern shore to get an idea where the boat was heading. Jesus and His disciples went up on the hillside together. The Lord Jesus uses this occasion to teach the disciples. At this point, the disciples had been with Him for two years.
Now, according to v.5-6, as the crowd is approaching, the Lord Jesus addresses Philip who was the quiet, and deep disciple. The Lord Jesus said to Philip "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Philip immediately thinks of money. As he estimated the resources available, he made known they could not feed all of the people who were there. Some estimate there was as many as 15,000 people. Philip essentially says, "We don't have enough money. We can't do this. It takes more money than we have to buy bread."
The principle being illustrated here and throughout all of the Scripture is this: ministry comes first, then the resources follow. I have been the joyful observer of this principle over the last year and a half. As you already know, I coached baseball and football and taught the Bible for thirty-one years at a local Christian school here in Columbia, South Carolina. When I decided to leave that ministry, I met with two different individuals, asking them if they would help me do BYM financially. Both of them said, "no." I was blown away, but the Lord had something special for me. In fact, after I left the second guy, I asked the Lord, "what am I doing wrong?" The Lord responded with, "let me do the asking." Well, I agreed and He has not missed a beat. He has provided in some of the coolest ways, and through these experiences, He has granted to me a deeper walk with Him. I have discovered His goal isn't the provision, His goal is the relationship.
According to v.8-9, Andrew identifies a boy who had five small barley loaves and two small fish. Andrew is always bringing people to the Lord, he brought his brother Peter to the Lord. In addition, Andrew brought the donkey to the Lord upon which He rode into Jerusalem.
I love the accentuation of "small" in v.9. The smallness of these fish and loaves is accentuated with the mention of the word "great" in v.2,5. The great crowd is quite challenging in the light of such lack. Of course, small is all the Lord Jesus needs. He never asks us to start accumulating more before we begin to minister. All He wants is what we have right now. As soon as he found out what was available in the crowd, that is all He needed; just one boy's lunch was all it took.
The Lord Jesus performs miracles, pointing us to the spiritual realm, and how often do we miss what He is really doing. His aim is the growth of our faith in Him, so He highlights both the deadness of unbelief and the greatness of faith in Him. We will only be able to see that the Lord Jesus is full of grace and truth when He is all we have. It is not until we see the Lord Jesus crucified for sinners and risen from the dead that we taste and see that that the Lord is good.
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” John 6:1-9
Our text today is couched in the spring of the year. The multitudes were following Jesus everywhere despite the fact that it was the Passover season, when the Law required them to have been on their way to Jerusalem. Due to the signs and miracles that the Lord Jesus was performing, they followed the Lord Jesus to the Sea of Galilee.
But miracles do not change hearts. Throughout history, people’s hearts haven’t changed because they see or experience a miracle. Pharaoh is the perfect example of this truth. Miracles simply reveal if we are hard-hearted toward God or if we have placed our faith in Him.
The Lord Jesus, along with the disciples, according to v.1, boarded a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As the boat left to cross the lake, the people ran along the northern shore to get an idea where the boat was heading. Jesus and His disciples went up on the hillside together. The Lord Jesus uses this occasion to teach the disciples. At this point, the disciples had been with Him for two years.
Now, according to v.5-6, as the crowd is approaching, the Lord Jesus addresses Philip who was the quiet, and deep disciple. The Lord Jesus said to Philip "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Philip immediately thinks of money. As he estimated the resources available, he made known they could not feed all of the people who were there. Some estimate there was as many as 15,000 people. Philip essentially says, "We don't have enough money. We can't do this. It takes more money than we have to buy bread."
The principle being illustrated here and throughout all of the Scripture is this: ministry comes first, then the resources follow. I have been the joyful observer of this principle over the last year and a half. As you already know, I coached baseball and football and taught the Bible for thirty-one years at a local Christian school here in Columbia, South Carolina. When I decided to leave that ministry, I met with two different individuals, asking them if they would help me do BYM financially. Both of them said, "no." I was blown away, but the Lord had something special for me. In fact, after I left the second guy, I asked the Lord, "what am I doing wrong?" The Lord responded with, "let me do the asking." Well, I agreed and He has not missed a beat. He has provided in some of the coolest ways, and through these experiences, He has granted to me a deeper walk with Him. I have discovered His goal isn't the provision, His goal is the relationship.
According to v.8-9, Andrew identifies a boy who had five small barley loaves and two small fish. Andrew is always bringing people to the Lord, he brought his brother Peter to the Lord. In addition, Andrew brought the donkey to the Lord upon which He rode into Jerusalem.
I love the accentuation of "small" in v.9. The smallness of these fish and loaves is accentuated with the mention of the word "great" in v.2,5. The great crowd is quite challenging in the light of such lack. Of course, small is all the Lord Jesus needs. He never asks us to start accumulating more before we begin to minister. All He wants is what we have right now. As soon as he found out what was available in the crowd, that is all He needed; just one boy's lunch was all it took.
The Lord Jesus performs miracles, pointing us to the spiritual realm, and how often do we miss what He is really doing. His aim is the growth of our faith in Him, so He highlights both the deadness of unbelief and the greatness of faith in Him. We will only be able to see that the Lord Jesus is full of grace and truth when He is all we have. It is not until we see the Lord Jesus crucified for sinners and risen from the dead that we taste and see that that the Lord is good.
Wednesday, October 02, 2019
John 5:39-47
John 5:39-47 PODCAST
39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” John 5:39-47
We continue today with the conversation between the Lord Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders, just after He has healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. These religious leaders had spent their whole lives counting every word of the Old Testament and memorizing great sections of it, committing themselves wholly to it, because they thought the knowledge of Scripture would give them life. And, the Lord Jesus Himself declares, "These are the very Scriptures that testify about me."
Jesus is the main subject of the whole Bible, Old and New Testament! If we want to have an exciting experience with that book, start reading it with the object of looking for Jesus. We will find Him on every page because He is there. The whole of the Old Testament is filled with subtle references to the Lord Jesus. This is why the Lord Jesus says in v.39, "These are the very Scriptures that testify about me."
So, we can study the Bible from cover to cover, and never encounter Him. In v.40 the Lord Jesus gets to the crux of the issue, "Yet you will not to come to me." He is saying to these religious leaders, "You choose not to come to me that you may have life."
In v.41-44 we are confronted with stubborn unbelief. These men who were poised to see Him, to encounter the God of the Bible, yet they did not have the love of God in them. His love was first expressed toward us through His creation. The Psalmist rightly asks of God “what are human beings that you are mindful of us, mere mortals that you would care for us?” God created the heavens with so much design that He screams to us His existence. Then He sent His Son to underscore His love for us by hanging on a tree to deal a death blow to our greatest enemy, sin and death.
The Lord Jesus said it best in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." If these religious leaders had the love of God in them, their ambition would have been to bring glory to Him. The hymn writer penned it best, when he wrote, "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win. His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin."
These religious leaders loved the praise of men so much they were unwilling to set it aside to allow God to define them. The danger of rejecting truth is we open ourselves up to anyone who comes along speaking disguised lies. The opposite is true: when we are defined by the truth, we recognize the false very easily.
When we are looking for our own advancement, we are denying the Father who loves us, and as a result, we will not follow the Lord Jesus. As the Lord Jesus points out in v.46, if we follow Moses, he will lead us to the Christ. And, as the Lord Jesus says in v.45, from this point of view, Moses is our judge, not the Lord Jesus.
These religious leaders had the witness of the Father, the witness of John the Baptist, the witness of centuries of Old Testament believers, yet they chose not to believe in the God of the Bible.
It is amazing that we can get so close to knowing God and yet miss Him. You see, the Bible is like a pane of glass, designed to help us to see God through it. The religious leaders didn't get beyond the printed page.
To help BYM, click here
39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” John 5:39-47
We continue today with the conversation between the Lord Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders, just after He has healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. These religious leaders had spent their whole lives counting every word of the Old Testament and memorizing great sections of it, committing themselves wholly to it, because they thought the knowledge of Scripture would give them life. And, the Lord Jesus Himself declares, "These are the very Scriptures that testify about me."
Jesus is the main subject of the whole Bible, Old and New Testament! If we want to have an exciting experience with that book, start reading it with the object of looking for Jesus. We will find Him on every page because He is there. The whole of the Old Testament is filled with subtle references to the Lord Jesus. This is why the Lord Jesus says in v.39, "These are the very Scriptures that testify about me."
So, we can study the Bible from cover to cover, and never encounter Him. In v.40 the Lord Jesus gets to the crux of the issue, "Yet you will not to come to me." He is saying to these religious leaders, "You choose not to come to me that you may have life."
In v.41-44 we are confronted with stubborn unbelief. These men who were poised to see Him, to encounter the God of the Bible, yet they did not have the love of God in them. His love was first expressed toward us through His creation. The Psalmist rightly asks of God “what are human beings that you are mindful of us, mere mortals that you would care for us?” God created the heavens with so much design that He screams to us His existence. Then He sent His Son to underscore His love for us by hanging on a tree to deal a death blow to our greatest enemy, sin and death.
The Lord Jesus said it best in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." If these religious leaders had the love of God in them, their ambition would have been to bring glory to Him. The hymn writer penned it best, when he wrote, "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win. His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin."
These religious leaders loved the praise of men so much they were unwilling to set it aside to allow God to define them. The danger of rejecting truth is we open ourselves up to anyone who comes along speaking disguised lies. The opposite is true: when we are defined by the truth, we recognize the false very easily.
When we are looking for our own advancement, we are denying the Father who loves us, and as a result, we will not follow the Lord Jesus. As the Lord Jesus points out in v.46, if we follow Moses, he will lead us to the Christ. And, as the Lord Jesus says in v.45, from this point of view, Moses is our judge, not the Lord Jesus.
These religious leaders had the witness of the Father, the witness of John the Baptist, the witness of centuries of Old Testament believers, yet they chose not to believe in the God of the Bible.
It is amazing that we can get so close to knowing God and yet miss Him. You see, the Bible is like a pane of glass, designed to help us to see God through it. The religious leaders didn't get beyond the printed page.
To help BYM, click here
Tuesday, October 01, 2019
John 5:31-38
John 5:31-38 PODCAST
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. John 5:31-38
Our text provides the continuation of the conversation the Lord Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem after He had healed the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. In this part of the conversation, the Lord Jesus is making the point that although He was validated through John the Baptist, His greatest validity comes from God the Father.
These religious leaders had heard the testimony of God the Father through the entire Old Testament scriptures for years and years, and when the Son stood before them, they did not believe in Him. Yet, the Lord Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethesda for the benefit of anyone who was willing to have their eyes opened.
In v.31, the Lord Jesus brings our attention to His testimony about Himself, that He is the Messiah. He isn't saying that His testimony of Himself isn't true. No, He is saying His testimony isn't true to the religious leaders, because they refused to believe the evidence.
In v.32, the word for "know" means "to know inwardly, instinctively." He knew inwardly, instinctively what He was boldly proclaiming was true. On the other hand, these religious leaders should have had this same kind of confidence in the Lord Jesus since they had spent a lifetime studying the Father's for testimony of the Son, but they were hard-hearted. Until we have given up ourselves to the Creator of all, we will lack confidence and authenticity.
In addition, according to v.33-35, John the Baptist testified the Lord Jesus to be the long-expected, long-predicted Messiah, the One of whom the prophets wrote. Also, John announced Jesus to be "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29), the "Baptizer with the Holy Spirit," (John 1:33), and "the Son of God," (John 1:34).
According to v.34, the main theme of all of the Bible is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ came to provide salvation to all of mankind. And, according to v.35, John was a lamp that shined the light, a witness pointing us in the right direction so that we could see, hear and know the light.
In v.36-38, the Lord Jesus returns to His greatest witness: His Father in heaven. In v.36, the Lord Jesus refers to the works the Father sent Him to do. One of these good works was the healing of the impotent man at the pool at Bethesda.
The Apostle John wrote this Gospel so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in His name. This life is a gift from the Father, given to the willing, through the Son. In v.38 the Lord Jesus identifies the means by which we experience this gift, this life: His word dwells in you. This word, this logos, is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. This is eternal life that we know the Father, and it is the Son who takes up His abode within us who enables us to know the Father.
The religious leaders stood to lose not only power, if they believed in the Lord Jesus, they ran the risk of losing their comfortable lifestyles. Being a religious leader meant you received a handsome salary every month. This is most largely why they resisted the Lord Jesus, and, do you know what?, this is why we most largely resist Him, too. The reality is this: We are either in the process of resisting God's truth or we are in the process of being shaped and molded by God's truth.
On April 10,1963, a submarine named the Thresher sank during deep-diving tests about 220 miles east of Boston, Massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and shipyard personnel aboard in the deadliest submarine disaster ever. When the investigation was completed it was discovered that the Thresher imploded due to faulty welding.
This illustrates the utter importance of being bolstered within by the truth of God's word. This bolstered conditioned is only the result of the hiding away of the truth of God's word, God's definition of things within. This condition begins by responding to the Lord Jesus as Lord. C.S. Lewis said it so well so many years ago when he said, "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'"
To help BYM, click here
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. John 5:31-38
Our text provides the continuation of the conversation the Lord Jesus had with the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem after He had healed the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. In this part of the conversation, the Lord Jesus is making the point that although He was validated through John the Baptist, His greatest validity comes from God the Father.
These religious leaders had heard the testimony of God the Father through the entire Old Testament scriptures for years and years, and when the Son stood before them, they did not believe in Him. Yet, the Lord Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethesda for the benefit of anyone who was willing to have their eyes opened.
In v.31, the Lord Jesus brings our attention to His testimony about Himself, that He is the Messiah. He isn't saying that His testimony of Himself isn't true. No, He is saying His testimony isn't true to the religious leaders, because they refused to believe the evidence.
In v.32, the word for "know" means "to know inwardly, instinctively." He knew inwardly, instinctively what He was boldly proclaiming was true. On the other hand, these religious leaders should have had this same kind of confidence in the Lord Jesus since they had spent a lifetime studying the Father's for testimony of the Son, but they were hard-hearted. Until we have given up ourselves to the Creator of all, we will lack confidence and authenticity.
In addition, according to v.33-35, John the Baptist testified the Lord Jesus to be the long-expected, long-predicted Messiah, the One of whom the prophets wrote. Also, John announced Jesus to be "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29), the "Baptizer with the Holy Spirit," (John 1:33), and "the Son of God," (John 1:34).
According to v.34, the main theme of all of the Bible is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ came to provide salvation to all of mankind. And, according to v.35, John was a lamp that shined the light, a witness pointing us in the right direction so that we could see, hear and know the light.
In v.36-38, the Lord Jesus returns to His greatest witness: His Father in heaven. In v.36, the Lord Jesus refers to the works the Father sent Him to do. One of these good works was the healing of the impotent man at the pool at Bethesda.
The Apostle John wrote this Gospel so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in His name. This life is a gift from the Father, given to the willing, through the Son. In v.38 the Lord Jesus identifies the means by which we experience this gift, this life: His word dwells in you. This word, this logos, is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. This is eternal life that we know the Father, and it is the Son who takes up His abode within us who enables us to know the Father.
The religious leaders stood to lose not only power, if they believed in the Lord Jesus, they ran the risk of losing their comfortable lifestyles. Being a religious leader meant you received a handsome salary every month. This is most largely why they resisted the Lord Jesus, and, do you know what?, this is why we most largely resist Him, too. The reality is this: We are either in the process of resisting God's truth or we are in the process of being shaped and molded by God's truth.
On April 10,1963, a submarine named the Thresher sank during deep-diving tests about 220 miles east of Boston, Massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and shipyard personnel aboard in the deadliest submarine disaster ever. When the investigation was completed it was discovered that the Thresher imploded due to faulty welding.
This illustrates the utter importance of being bolstered within by the truth of God's word. This bolstered conditioned is only the result of the hiding away of the truth of God's word, God's definition of things within. This condition begins by responding to the Lord Jesus as Lord. C.S. Lewis said it so well so many years ago when he said, "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'"
To help BYM, click here
Monday, September 30, 2019
John 5:24-30
John 5:24-30 PODCAST
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. John 5:24-30
Our text for today makes clear that "whoever hears the word of the Lord Jesus and believes him who sent me has eternal life." It is clear, according to v.24-27, that mankind has a responsibility to believe before being made right with God. It is our faith in Him as the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior that bridges the gap between us and God. Otherwise, we will remain in our debilitating sin and we will spend an eternity apart from Him and all that is good.
Anyone who is willing to listen to Christ's claims about Himself, and believe His Father sent Him to deliver eternal life to all who believe, will cross over from death to life. This is not arbitrary on God's part. He does not choose some to go to heaven and others to not. It is simply up to us to believe He is our Messiah, our Christ, our Savior.
We were all born condemned to eternal separation from God by our sinfulness. We were conceived into sin, and, as a result, we are all bound for this lonely eternity apart from all that is good and substantive. Unless we receive the free gift of eternal life through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are hopeless. Thus the most important question is whether we have believed in the Lord Jesus and received from Him the gift of eternal life.
Every person who has or will ever live on this earth will experience resurrection. And, as a result, this said resurrection will be met by damnation or will lead to life. The resurrection is the subject of this passage as we can easily see. And it is in this passage that the Lord Jesus makes the disrupting claim that He is the One who raises the dead and judges all.
According to v.29, "those who have done what is good will rise to live." It appears that our good behavior factors in on whether we are made right with God and subsequently have a personal relationship with Him, resulting in us spending eternity in heaven with Him. But this is not what this verse is saying. "Those who have done what is good" means to have received eternal life. Only those in whom the life of God is dwelling can "do good" in God's eyes.
According to v.29, what does "those who have done what is evil" mean? Obviously this is referring to those who have refused His life, turned their backs on truth, and shut their ears to the offer of grace from God. Those are the ones who have all their life "done evil" even though there were times when they thought they were doing good. These "will rise to be condemned."
Our text informs us that "all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out." Consider the power of the Son of God. One day, He will speak, and everyone who has ever lived in all of human history will rise from the dead to face Him. Only God’s equal is qualified to judge in this way. Only God’s equal is able to raise the dead in this way. Why didn’t the Jewish authorizes believe that Jesus was God’s equal and that He would judge the world and raise the dead? They had every reason to believe, based on the evidence that Jesus puts forth, but they refused.
We live in a world that is no longer capable of being afraid of God. As a result, we have ended up with a me-centered gospel that attracts many, but changes no one. This American god of comfort must be revealed for what it is, full of meaningless stuff and empty of substance. The God of the Bible must be embraced once again by a people who once knew Him. And, as has always been the case, the God of the Bible must crush us of self, so that His Son is exalted to draw all who would come to His healing resource to drink and be satisfied aright.
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. John 5:24-30
Our text for today makes clear that "whoever hears the word of the Lord Jesus and believes him who sent me has eternal life." It is clear, according to v.24-27, that mankind has a responsibility to believe before being made right with God. It is our faith in Him as the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior that bridges the gap between us and God. Otherwise, we will remain in our debilitating sin and we will spend an eternity apart from Him and all that is good.
Anyone who is willing to listen to Christ's claims about Himself, and believe His Father sent Him to deliver eternal life to all who believe, will cross over from death to life. This is not arbitrary on God's part. He does not choose some to go to heaven and others to not. It is simply up to us to believe He is our Messiah, our Christ, our Savior.
We were all born condemned to eternal separation from God by our sinfulness. We were conceived into sin, and, as a result, we are all bound for this lonely eternity apart from all that is good and substantive. Unless we receive the free gift of eternal life through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are hopeless. Thus the most important question is whether we have believed in the Lord Jesus and received from Him the gift of eternal life.
Every person who has or will ever live on this earth will experience resurrection. And, as a result, this said resurrection will be met by damnation or will lead to life. The resurrection is the subject of this passage as we can easily see. And it is in this passage that the Lord Jesus makes the disrupting claim that He is the One who raises the dead and judges all.
According to v.29, "those who have done what is good will rise to live." It appears that our good behavior factors in on whether we are made right with God and subsequently have a personal relationship with Him, resulting in us spending eternity in heaven with Him. But this is not what this verse is saying. "Those who have done what is good" means to have received eternal life. Only those in whom the life of God is dwelling can "do good" in God's eyes.
According to v.29, what does "those who have done what is evil" mean? Obviously this is referring to those who have refused His life, turned their backs on truth, and shut their ears to the offer of grace from God. Those are the ones who have all their life "done evil" even though there were times when they thought they were doing good. These "will rise to be condemned."
Our text informs us that "all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out." Consider the power of the Son of God. One day, He will speak, and everyone who has ever lived in all of human history will rise from the dead to face Him. Only God’s equal is qualified to judge in this way. Only God’s equal is able to raise the dead in this way. Why didn’t the Jewish authorizes believe that Jesus was God’s equal and that He would judge the world and raise the dead? They had every reason to believe, based on the evidence that Jesus puts forth, but they refused.
We live in a world that is no longer capable of being afraid of God. As a result, we have ended up with a me-centered gospel that attracts many, but changes no one. This American god of comfort must be revealed for what it is, full of meaningless stuff and empty of substance. The God of the Bible must be embraced once again by a people who once knew Him. And, as has always been the case, the God of the Bible must crush us of self, so that His Son is exalted to draw all who would come to His healing resource to drink and be satisfied aright.
Friday, September 27, 2019
John 5:16-23
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. John 5:16-23
According to v.16, in response to the Lord Jesus healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, the religious leaders persecute Him. In v.17, the Lord Jesus responds to the religious leaders of Israel by saying, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” Here, He is saying that He is on par with the Father, and they are livid.
According to v.18, "the Jews sought all the more to kill the Lord Jesus, because He not only broke the Sabbath, He also called God his Father, making himself equal with God." Due to their investment in the study of the word of God, these Jewish religious leaders should have been poised to recognize the Messiah. Yet, they missed Him. They missed Him because He didn't bow His will to theirs. Despite the fact that they had witnessed a man who had been lame for 38 years healed and made whole by the Lord Jesus. Their reaction to the Lord Jesus was that of disgust and anger.
Through the answer the Lord Jesus gives in v.19-23, we are given the key to discovering meaning in life. The key is finding out what God is doing in any context and cooperating with Him, as He does His work. In fact, the believer must be in the habit of entering a room and within his heart ask God, "how are you working here and how do I fit in with what you are doing?"
Through the answer the Lord Jesus gives in v.19-23, we are given the key to discovering meaning in life. The key is finding out what God is doing in any context and cooperating with Him, as He does His work. In fact, the believer must be in the habit of entering a room and within his heart ask God, "how are you working here and how do I fit in with what you are doing?"
In v.19, the Lord Jesus mercifully engages these hard-hearted, lifeless leaders in a conversation. In doing so, He leaves open the possibility that they may come to faith in Him as the God who created everything.
He begins by saying, "the Son can do nothing by himself." This statement gives us the first step in being in sync with God in this world. Here, we learn that a recognition that any effort made to use God's resources for our own benefit will leave us lacking substance, hollow and empty. But, when we yield our will to Him, the sky is the limit. It is at this point that we discover our greatest desire: the desire to bring glory to this One who has opened our eyes.
He begins by saying, "the Son can do nothing by himself." This statement gives us the first step in being in sync with God in this world. Here, we learn that a recognition that any effort made to use God's resources for our own benefit will leave us lacking substance, hollow and empty. But, when we yield our will to Him, the sky is the limit. It is at this point that we discover our greatest desire: the desire to bring glory to this One who has opened our eyes.
The Lord Jesus never chose to exercise His resources for His own benefit. God gives His resources to those who will not use them for their own benefit. That is one of the most profound secrets in the Scripture and in life. Jesus starts there: "the Son can do nothing by himself."
According to the latter part of v.19. the Lord Jesus gives us the key to walking in the Spirit. He says He observes the Father and follows suit. What we learn from His words and the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians is: Nothing comes from us, everything comes from the Father. And, we have the same relationship with the Father as the Lord Jesus. God's leading is like the wind on the sails of a sailboat. When we set our sail His wind will move us rapidly over the water, according to His will.
In v.21-23 we see the Lord Jesus' explanation of the "greater works" mentioned in v.20. His claim is life belongs to Him. He only loans it, for a while, to us. Our lives are not ours. We were handed it by God. He claims not only to possess the power to give physical life, but spiritual life as well. The Bible calls this spiritual life, "eternal" life, which is a quality of life that has the touch of eternity on it. It cannot be diminished by circumstances or ended by death. It is described by the Apostle Paul, in the book of Ephesians, as the life with the view from the spiritual realm.
The Lord Jesus alone has the power to give eternal life. Since the Lord Jesus gives "to whom he pleases," that makes Him the arbiter of the destiny of human beings: He is the Judge of all men. If the Lord Jesus gives us life, then we are on our way to a personal relationship with the Father which will culminate in heaven. If He gives us eternal life we will never taste the emptiness and awful loneliness of death. We will immediately have a fuller experience of life than we have ever had before.
The religious leaders were resistant to the Lord Jesus because they were not willing to bow their will to the will of God. They also were not ready for someone to capture their hearts to the point that they were willing to let Him make them uncomfortable. They did not want to be filled with an awe which is so captivating that would have led them to consider a wild, unpredictable and dangerous life worth living.
Unlike them, are we ready for the opposite of the dull and boring? Are we ready for a faith that is considered “dangerous” by our predictable and monotonous and self-centered culture? Let us set sail and ride off into the unpredictable, the scary, the unknown with a God who is worth the pursuit of our hearts.
Corrie Ten Boom put it this way, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Thursday, September 26, 2019
John 5:10-15
JOHN 5:10-15 PODCAST
10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well. John 5:10-15
Today, we jump back into a context where Jesus had just healed a lame man of 38 years on the Sabbath. God gave to man the Sabbath for man's benefit. God meant for the practice of observing the Sabbath to be about observing Him. He didn't mean for us to have a relationship with the Sabbath, He meant for the Sabbath to serve us in relating with Him.
Yet, according to today's text, the religious community revealed they didn't get that this life isn't about all of the means, it is about the person. They valued the practice of observing the Sabbath more than the person of God and this man. The religious leaders came down on the formerly lame man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. The real motive of their hearts is obvious when the man says to them, "The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.'" Their reaction, "Who is the guy who told you to disobey one of our regulations?" This reveals them for the religious bigots they were, intent on the letter of the Law, but totally unconcerned about the person made in the image of God.
According to the religious leaders' interpretation of the Law of Moses, stoning was prescribed for anyone caught working or bearing a burden on the Sabbath. This punishment was not often carried out, but still the man is in real trouble. Notice that the minute this man gets in trouble, according to v.13-14, the Lord Jesus sought him out and finds him in the Temple.
Now, the Lord Jesus healed and disappeared before the man could find out His name. He didn’t know who healed him. According to v.13, the reason the LordJesus walked away from the man was due to the large crowd. Had He stayed there after healing one man, many would have clamored around Him for a miracle.
The man had gone to the temple because the Law required that one who had been healed had to make a thanksgiving offering. The Lord Jesus knew he would be in the Temples He goes there to find him..
Notice what the Lord Jesus says to him in v.14, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." The Lord Jesus calls the man's attention to the fact that not only had he been physically healed, he had been spiritually healed. He was well, his sins had been forgiven; he had been cleansed; he was a new man, physically and spiritually. To that person who has received the gift of wholeness from God, without any merit or earning on his part, to that person, Jesus says, "Stopped sinning."
For 38 years some sin was sapping the life out of his life. We do not know what sin. Perhaps it was bitterness. The response of the Lord Jesus is not that the man sin should not more, the issue was that he no longer do certain sins that harms him. The goal of the healing was holiness or wholeness, not health. Jesus' aim in healing him was the healing of his soul, and the health of his soul influences the health of his body.
According to v.15, the man identifies the Lord Jesus as his healer to the religious leaders. Think with me. If the man had gotten into the pool and had been healed, who would have been given credit for healing him? Let's assume that most, including the religious leaders, believe God healed him. Here is the root of the problem with the religious leaders: they were not willing to acknowledge the Lord Jesus as God. Since the Lord Jesus is God He could heal and He is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was not created for God but for man. This means He is not under that which He created. God has never rested from being God on the Sabbath. According to the Genesis account, God rested from creating, not being God.
The implications are great: IS JESUS GOD? IS HE OUR GOD? If He is, He must be the One who our lives are ordered around. He is the center of the universe and He is the One who gives life to our mortal lives. The problem is that instead of turning to God and letting Him fill our souls, we turn to other things, pleasure, fame, money, sex, or drugs and alcohol. Some people even turn to false sources, hoping these will lead them to the truth and fill the empty place in their lives. For a time, they may think they’ve found what they were looking for, but in the end, they’re just as empty as they ever were. Tragically, some will even discover that they’ve almost destroyed their lives.
Only God can satisfy our inner hunger, and He will, as we turn to Him and by faith open our hearts and lives to Christ’s transforming power. God doesn’t want us to wander through life, constantly wondering who we are or why we’re here. Instead, Christ came into the world to bring us back to God, and He will, as we commit our lives to Him.
10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well. John 5:10-15
Today, we jump back into a context where Jesus had just healed a lame man of 38 years on the Sabbath. God gave to man the Sabbath for man's benefit. God meant for the practice of observing the Sabbath to be about observing Him. He didn't mean for us to have a relationship with the Sabbath, He meant for the Sabbath to serve us in relating with Him.
Yet, according to today's text, the religious community revealed they didn't get that this life isn't about all of the means, it is about the person. They valued the practice of observing the Sabbath more than the person of God and this man. The religious leaders came down on the formerly lame man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. The real motive of their hearts is obvious when the man says to them, "The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.'" Their reaction, "Who is the guy who told you to disobey one of our regulations?" This reveals them for the religious bigots they were, intent on the letter of the Law, but totally unconcerned about the person made in the image of God.
According to the religious leaders' interpretation of the Law of Moses, stoning was prescribed for anyone caught working or bearing a burden on the Sabbath. This punishment was not often carried out, but still the man is in real trouble. Notice that the minute this man gets in trouble, according to v.13-14, the Lord Jesus sought him out and finds him in the Temple.
Now, the Lord Jesus healed and disappeared before the man could find out His name. He didn’t know who healed him. According to v.13, the reason the LordJesus walked away from the man was due to the large crowd. Had He stayed there after healing one man, many would have clamored around Him for a miracle.
The man had gone to the temple because the Law required that one who had been healed had to make a thanksgiving offering. The Lord Jesus knew he would be in the Temples He goes there to find him..
Notice what the Lord Jesus says to him in v.14, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." The Lord Jesus calls the man's attention to the fact that not only had he been physically healed, he had been spiritually healed. He was well, his sins had been forgiven; he had been cleansed; he was a new man, physically and spiritually. To that person who has received the gift of wholeness from God, without any merit or earning on his part, to that person, Jesus says, "Stopped sinning."
For 38 years some sin was sapping the life out of his life. We do not know what sin. Perhaps it was bitterness. The response of the Lord Jesus is not that the man sin should not more, the issue was that he no longer do certain sins that harms him. The goal of the healing was holiness or wholeness, not health. Jesus' aim in healing him was the healing of his soul, and the health of his soul influences the health of his body.
According to v.15, the man identifies the Lord Jesus as his healer to the religious leaders. Think with me. If the man had gotten into the pool and had been healed, who would have been given credit for healing him? Let's assume that most, including the religious leaders, believe God healed him. Here is the root of the problem with the religious leaders: they were not willing to acknowledge the Lord Jesus as God. Since the Lord Jesus is God He could heal and He is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was not created for God but for man. This means He is not under that which He created. God has never rested from being God on the Sabbath. According to the Genesis account, God rested from creating, not being God.
The implications are great: IS JESUS GOD? IS HE OUR GOD? If He is, He must be the One who our lives are ordered around. He is the center of the universe and He is the One who gives life to our mortal lives. The problem is that instead of turning to God and letting Him fill our souls, we turn to other things, pleasure, fame, money, sex, or drugs and alcohol. Some people even turn to false sources, hoping these will lead them to the truth and fill the empty place in their lives. For a time, they may think they’ve found what they were looking for, but in the end, they’re just as empty as they ever were. Tragically, some will even discover that they’ve almost destroyed their lives.
Only God can satisfy our inner hunger, and He will, as we turn to Him and by faith open our hearts and lives to Christ’s transforming power. God doesn’t want us to wander through life, constantly wondering who we are or why we’re here. Instead, Christ came into the world to bring us back to God, and He will, as we commit our lives to Him.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
John 5:1-9
1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath. John 5:1-9
John 5 introduces a new division in John's Gospel. In John 1-4, John introduces the Lord Jesus as the promised Messiah. In John 5, John begins to chronicle the growing rejection, by the Jews, of the claims of the Lord Jesus.
Today, we consider the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda. This pool was lost until recently, therefore many have used its seeming non-existence to disprove the Bible. However, in 2005, this pool was discovered, and with its discovery the critics were silenced. No one has ever proven the Bible to be anything other than the word of God through archeological discoveries. No, every archeological finding has proven and substantiated the claims of the Bible.
The pool of Bethesda, like many pools in the Jerusalem area, is an intermittent spring. At times water is released in surges from hidden reservoirs in the hills around the city, causing these springs to rise and fall suddenly. This is what gave rise to the superstition about an angel troubling the pool as mentioned in v.4.
This man at the pool at Bethesda had been burdened with this illness for 38 years. He was weak, feeble, and unable to stand. In any event his disease made him unable to walk for 38 years.
So here was a great crowd of people, paralyzed, blind, lame, sick, all waiting for the water to be troubled. Out of that crowd the Lord Jesus picked out one lone man to be the recipient of His grace. He did not heal everybody that was in need of healing that day.
In John 5:6, the Lord Jesus asks the man, "Do you want to get well?" This a strange question to ask of a man who had been ill for 38 years! " The Lord Jesus had to pose this question to this man. Of course, He already knew the answer before the man uttered it. So, why ask it?
Many people today do not want to be healed of their infirmity. They do not want to receive divine help with their problems. They do not want to be helped out of their weakness. They love their helplessness. They are always craving the attention of others through their helplessness. And, they cannot be helped if they do not want to be helped.
Some, perhaps, may not have yet reached the place this man had reached. They are not helpless enough yet. They are not ready to give up on human efforts to solve their problems. They are not ready to admit they cannot make it on their own. They are still determined to get into the water when it is troubled. The Lord Jesus can do nothing for them.
The sick man answered the Lord Jesus in v.7. In essence, he says, "I want to be healed, but I cannot. I've tried, I've done everything I know how. I want to get into that water, I want to be healed, but I lack the ability; I've no one to help me."
Notice the Lord's response in v.8: "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." It is obvious that it was Jesus' will that this man should be healed. However, the Lord Jesus required this man to act on his faith in the word of the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus did not merely say, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." The Lord Jesus is essentially saying: "Get rid of that mat that will tempt you to depend upon it tomorrow. Let it be known that your faith is firmly in the Lord Jesus."
Then the Lord Jesus tells this man to "walk." Many want to be carried, even after they have been healed. But if the Lord Jesus gives the power to get up and walk, we must obey His word. The Lord Jesus is the One who gives us the power to rise up and to keep going. The key is He is the One we focus our attention upon. Our eyes must not behold any other resource that distracts us from Him.
If my dad said it once to me, he said it a thousand times when he said, "Son, some people are so narrow minded they could look through a key hole with both eyes." This man had to redirect his focus, especially due to the fact that he had been focused as he was for 38 years.
This true story of this lame man at the pool at Bethesda is an illustration of how God accomplishes His will for and through our yielded lives. It does not happen automatically, we must decide to follow Him and be defined by Him. We must come to an end of our emptiness and receive His fullness.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
John 4:43-54
43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. 46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” 49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. 54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. John 4:43-54
The Lord Jesus once again travels to Galilee, where the once unbelieving Galileans welcomed Him, according to v.45. They now believe because of the miracles they had seen His miracles in Jerusalem. Then the Lord Jesus specifically returns to Cana where He had turned the water into wine.
Twenty miles away, over in Capernaum, there was a Nobleman, a father whose young son was sick with a fever and about to die. Hearing that the Lord Jesus was in Cana, this man rode the whole way on horseback to beg Jesus to come and heal his son.
The Lord Jesus' responds in v.48, by saying, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." It seems the Lord Jesus exhibits a cold shoulder to the man. But, He is not addressing these words to the father, He spoke in the plural, not in the singular. He actually said, "Unless ''y'all' see signs and wonders 'y'all' will not believe." He was not addressing this to the anguished father, it was clearly directed to the people who, for the most part, were in opposition to His ministry.
Now, in v.49, this desperate father pleads with the Lord Jesus, "Sir, come down before my child dies!." There is agony in the father's voice. This Nobleman believes Jesus is some type of a miracle worker, his faith is desperate. He has no other hope than in this Rabbi from Galilee.
In v.50, Jesus says, “Go your way; your son lives.” Literally, the Greek says, "Your son is living; he lives." The Lord Jesus is both answering and denying the father at the same time. The man was begging Him to come to Capernaum but the Lord Jesus doesn't go to the boy. Yet, He heals the little boy.
Then, at the end of v.50, we read, "So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way."
This man accepted the Lord Jesus' word and returned to his son. Though he was uncertain, he obeyed the word of Jesus. Such is the nature of faith. As Philip Yancey has said, “Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.”
I can only imagine how fast the man returned home, hoping the Lord Jesus had healed his little boy. According to v.51, as he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. Then he asked his servants the hour his son improved, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
In John 2, there were six imperfect water pots filled to the brim. In John 4, the woman had six men, and she discovered the One who would complete her, her Seventh man. In our text today, at the seventh hour the Lord Jesus healed this Nobleman's little boy. When it dawned on this Nobleman that his little boy was healed at the precise moment when Jesus had said to him, "Your son is living; he lives," he discovered that the Lord Jesus was not limited by distance or time. When the man understood that, "he himself believed, and his whole household. This is the same word for belief that was used of him before, but now it is used at a much higher level. This kind of human response is in response to divine persuasion.
Some have felt that this Nobleman, this official of the court, is referred to by name in Acts 13. Where there was great spiritual awakening in the city of Antioch. Seeing the tremendous possibilities of the hour, Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Saul and bring him back with him to minister there. That chapter declares there were a number of prophets in the church at Antioch, among them one named "Manaen, the foster-brother of Herod," (Acts 13:1). That would make him a "king's man," a member of the court. Though it is not certain that it is the same man, it is likely that this was the moment when Manaen came to Christ. He understood who He was, believed in the Lord Jesus, and together with all his household committed himself to the remarkable power and authority of Jesus.
The first miracle of the Lord Jesus was the changing of water into wine in John 2. That miracle shows the Lord Jesus had authority over the natural realm. This second sign tells us that Jesus had authority over illness.
The Lord Jesus came to impart to the willing, faith. The Lord Jesus puts us through circumstances we do not want to go through; He makes us face things we do not like to face, in order to achieve what we have wanted with all our hearts all along. To do so requires the strengthening of faith through a stretching that is humanly unbearable.
This is similar to bulking up one's muscles. Before a muscle can grow stronger, weight lifting causes several microscopic tears to form in the fiber and connective tissue of the muscles. With proper rest and nutrients, the muscles slowly rebuild over the following days, but full repair can take a week or more. This repair causes the muscles to be stronger. Such is the case with our faith.
Monday, September 23, 2019
John 4:39-42
John 4:39-42 PODCAST
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” ~ John 4:39-42
Many come to believe in Christ by believing the testimony of others. For me, when I saw what God was doing in another man's life, I was moved. But that was not the end of my Christian growth. I continued to believe because what happened to my friend, happened to me, as well. We must never forget the incredible impact a life yielded to the Lord Jesus brings about in this world.
In today's text, after two days with the Lord Jesus the whole city was beginning to believe in Him. Jesus had not experienced this among the Jews. Here were these nobody Samaritans believing the Lord Jesus to be the Messiah.
The Samaritans discovered the fountain of water springing up in their own souls due to the fascinating testimony of a woman with a past. How often has God been known to use our ugly past to help others believe. The woman’s word leads to faith. An unlikely woman becomes the means of an unlikely people turning to the Jewish Messiah, even though they were not even full-blooded Jews.
Then Jesus’ word leads to more faith. This reminds me of Romans 10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." The word that is used here in Romans 10:17 for the word "word" is rhema, which is the "spoken word" of God. People do not believe because they do not hear and understand the spoken word of God. Rhema is the word of God that is associated with faith; faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of God. So unless a person hears God’s voice and senses His Spirit when receiving the words from God, there is no rhema, there is no faith, and there is no life.
In out text, the people heard the word of Christ for they were with Him physically. For you and me, the Holy Spirit quickens God’s Word, He makes it real and personal to us. As we listen to His imparted spoken word, and we are receptive to it, faith is born. The Holy Spirit knows just the word we need at any given moment. He directs us to God’s Word and then He makes it come alive for us. When that happens, we have heard the very voice of the living God speaking to us through His word. As we listen to His voice, faith comes—faith for what we need, and for whatever God wants us to have at that time.
In contrast to this passage, there were times when people were not receptive to the presence of the Lord Jesus in their town. Such was the case in Matthew 8. Recorded there is the account of the two demon possessed men who were released from their possession. Matthew 8:34 reads, "And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region."
The Lord Jesus had delivered two men who had long been demon possessed. Then, the people of the town begged Jesus to leave. Why when Jesus offers us freedom from our bondage, forgiveness from our sins, and a future of eternal hope, why would we turn Him down?
Jesus disrupts and disorders our lives (which is really already messed up). He is going to change us. The pain of life change and the humility necessary to let someone else be Lord of our lives is scarier than the pain of bondage and the pride of staying in control. So rather than celebrate what Jesus did and ask Him to do more, they beg Him to leave.
Finally, notice the conclusion of the Samaritans. In John 4:52, we read, "They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." They acknowledged the Lord Jesus as "the Savior of the world." They looked beyond themselves to the world. When we come into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and we experience Him, our understanding of life naturally expands and we look for opportunities to tell the world of our Savior.
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” ~ John 4:39-42
Many come to believe in Christ by believing the testimony of others. For me, when I saw what God was doing in another man's life, I was moved. But that was not the end of my Christian growth. I continued to believe because what happened to my friend, happened to me, as well. We must never forget the incredible impact a life yielded to the Lord Jesus brings about in this world.
In today's text, after two days with the Lord Jesus the whole city was beginning to believe in Him. Jesus had not experienced this among the Jews. Here were these nobody Samaritans believing the Lord Jesus to be the Messiah.
The Samaritans discovered the fountain of water springing up in their own souls due to the fascinating testimony of a woman with a past. How often has God been known to use our ugly past to help others believe. The woman’s word leads to faith. An unlikely woman becomes the means of an unlikely people turning to the Jewish Messiah, even though they were not even full-blooded Jews.
Then Jesus’ word leads to more faith. This reminds me of Romans 10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." The word that is used here in Romans 10:17 for the word "word" is rhema, which is the "spoken word" of God. People do not believe because they do not hear and understand the spoken word of God. Rhema is the word of God that is associated with faith; faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of God. So unless a person hears God’s voice and senses His Spirit when receiving the words from God, there is no rhema, there is no faith, and there is no life.
In out text, the people heard the word of Christ for they were with Him physically. For you and me, the Holy Spirit quickens God’s Word, He makes it real and personal to us. As we listen to His imparted spoken word, and we are receptive to it, faith is born. The Holy Spirit knows just the word we need at any given moment. He directs us to God’s Word and then He makes it come alive for us. When that happens, we have heard the very voice of the living God speaking to us through His word. As we listen to His voice, faith comes—faith for what we need, and for whatever God wants us to have at that time.
In contrast to this passage, there were times when people were not receptive to the presence of the Lord Jesus in their town. Such was the case in Matthew 8. Recorded there is the account of the two demon possessed men who were released from their possession. Matthew 8:34 reads, "And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region."
The Lord Jesus had delivered two men who had long been demon possessed. Then, the people of the town begged Jesus to leave. Why when Jesus offers us freedom from our bondage, forgiveness from our sins, and a future of eternal hope, why would we turn Him down?
Jesus disrupts and disorders our lives (which is really already messed up). He is going to change us. The pain of life change and the humility necessary to let someone else be Lord of our lives is scarier than the pain of bondage and the pride of staying in control. So rather than celebrate what Jesus did and ask Him to do more, they beg Him to leave.
Finally, notice the conclusion of the Samaritans. In John 4:52, we read, "They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." They acknowledged the Lord Jesus as "the Savior of the world." They looked beyond themselves to the world. When we come into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and we experience Him, our understanding of life naturally expands and we look for opportunities to tell the world of our Savior.
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