Podcasts about himself john

In the anointing at the house of Lazarus, Mary's and Judas' actions contrast two forms of love. One was extravagantly generous while the other echoed the world of social obligation. But Mary did not only anoint Jesus once. The first time had perfume filling a room during a celebration for the return of Lazarus. The second time, Mary helped anoint Jesus' body as it lay in a tomb. The two separate events were separated by just 5 days, not enough time for the apostles to fully assimilate what Jesus said about - being lifted up on a cross so that He might attract people to Himself (John 12:32). This passage causes us to reflect on the contrast of extravagantly devotion with a critical and selfish response. For Jesus has given us permission to honour Him in extravagant ways. Pastor Chris McAleer Bible Reading: John 12:1-8 (NIV)

In the anointing at the house of Lazarus, Mary's and Judas' actions contrast two forms of love. One was extravagantly generous while the other echoed the world of social obligation. But Mary did not only anoint Jesus once. The first time had perfume filling a room during a celebration for the return of Lazarus. The second time, Mary helped anoint Jesus' body as it lay in a tomb. The two separate events were separated by just 5 days, not enough time for the apostles to fully assimilate what Jesus said about - being lifted up on a cross so that He might attract people to Himself (John 12:32). This passage causes us to reflect on the contrast of extravagantly devotion with a critical and selfish response. For Jesus has given us permission to honour Him in extravagant ways. Pastor Chris McAleer Bible Reading: John 12:1-8 (NIV)

Sunday - Gospel Harmony - 20 - Jesus' Defense of Himself - John 5

     As Christians, our spiritual growth happens as we feed on God's Word and benefit from its nourishment. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4; cf. Deut 8:3). Job said, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12b). Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jer 15:16a). Paul encouraged Timothy to be “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching” (1 Tim 4:6). Peter said, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2). Pure milk means it has not been watered down. According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, “The milk is the basics of the Word of God, and it is necessary for young believers. They need this milk in order to grow spiritually…Essentially, the purpose of partaking of spiritual milk is to grow toward maturity so that believers can begin to partake of the meat of God's Word.”[1] Earl Radmacher states, “The purpose of studying God's truth is not only to learn more, but to become mature in the faith.”[2]      The Word of God helps growing believers in their spiritual development. It has milk for the new believer, as well as meat for the more mature (Heb 5:13-14). And God wants us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). The word “grow” translates the Greek verb auxanō (αὐξάνω), which means “to become greater, grow, increase.”[3] The form of the verb is present tense (implying ongoing action), active voice (the subject produces the action), and imperative mood (it's a command). Gowing “in grace” means taking advantage of God's unmerited love and provisions, and in the “knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” refers to our deepening understanding and relationship with Jesus Christ. We need God's Word of truth to grow.[4] Areas Where the Believer's Mind Needs Renovation      The Bible offers guidance on various life matters, providing believers with a blueprint for living in accordance with God's will. It does not address everything, but what it does is what God deems important for us to know. The Bible addresses foundational areas of knowledge such as the existence of God, the origin of the universe, mankind, sin, salvation, angels, Satan and demons, marriage, politics, finances, and eschatology. These and other doctrines provide a comprehensive and coherent worldview that allow the Christian to orient to reality from a biblical perspective. Knowledge of who God is takes priority.      Nowhere in Scripture does the Bible try to prove the existence of God. It starts with the assumption that He exists, that He is the sovereign Creator of the universe (Gen 1:1), and that He is known through His creation (Psa 19:1-2; Rom 1:18-20). The Bible reveals there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons within the Trinity (Gen 1:26; 11:6-7; Matt 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2): God the Father (Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11), God the Son (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:11-12; 2 Cor 13:14). God is three in Person, but one in essence, sharing the same attributes. The use of the Hebrew numeral echad (אֶחָד) reveals, in some contexts, the idea of a complex one, which supports the doctrine of the Trinity (Deut 6:4; cf., Gen 2:24; Ezra 3:1; Ezek 37:17). All three persons of the Trinity are co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternal, and worthy of all praise and service.      The three Persons of the God-head share the same divine attributes. The attributes of God consist of intrinsic characteristics that are equally representative of the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God's attributes are revealed in Scripture, which means they are objective and can be learned by God's people. Furthermore, the attributes of God explain His actions. And we cannot separate or elevate one attribute above another. The Bible reveals God is: Living, which means “He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10), He “has life in Himself” (John 5:26; cf. Psa 42:2; 84:2; Matt 16:16; John 1:4) and is the ultimate source of life. Paul states, “for in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Self-existent (aseity), which means His existence depends on nothing outside of Himself (Ex 3:14). Moses said, “from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa 90:2). There is no prior cause that brought God into existence, He will never cease to be, and He depends on nothing outside of Himself. Holy (Lev 11:44; Psa 99:9; Isa 45:5-19), which means God is morally perfect and separate from all that is sinful. Spirit (John 4:24; 2 Cor 3:17), which means the nature of God's being is spirit, not material. Sovereign (Psa 115:3; Isa 46:9-11; Dan 4:35; Acts 17:24-28), which means God acts freely as He pleases, always as He pleases, and only as He pleases. Immutable (Psa 102:26-27; Mal 3:6), which means God's essential nature does not change. Eternal (Deut 33:27; 1 Tim 1:17), which means God has always existed, does exist, and forever will exist. Infinite (1 Ki 8:27; Jer 23:24), which means God exists in space and beyond space. Omniscient (Psa 139:1-4; Matt 6:31-33), which means God knows all things and is infinite in knowledge. Omnipresent (Psa 139:7-10; Jer 23:24), which means He is equally and fully everywhere present. Omnipotent (Job 42:2; Isa 40:28), which means God is all-powerful and able to accomplish all He desires. Righteous (Psa 11:7; 119:137), which refers to His intrinsic moral perfection, from which He commands all things in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. Just (Psa 9:7-8; 19:9), which refers to the outworking of His righteousness in which He justifies or condemns, blesses or curses, that which does or does not conform to His righteous character. True (Jer 10:10; John 17:3), which means He is genuine, in contrast to false idols. This means He truthful (2 Sam 7:28; John 17:17). His knowledge and declarations define reality and help us make sense of what is. Love (Jer 31:3; 1 John 4:7-8), which means He is committed to us, desires our best, and acts for our benefit. Good (Psa 100:5; 145:9; Nah 1:7; Jam 1:17), which means all He does is good, and that He is the ultimate source of all that is good. Faithful (Deut 7:9; Lam 3:21-23), which means He is reliable in all He says and does, always keeping His Word. Merciful (Psa 86:15; Tit 3:5), which means He is kind toward us and does not judge us as we deserve. Gracious (Psa 111:4; 116:5), which means He treats us better than we deserve. Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 339. [2] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 1680. [3] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 151. [4] The writers of Scripture regarded God's Word as truth, saying, “Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth” (2 Sam 7:28), “You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are truth” (Psa 119:151), “the sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting” (Psa 119:160), and Jesus said of the Father, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17b). The term “truth” refers to the absolute, unchanging, and reliable content of God's Word. The concept of truth in Scripture is not merely about factual accuracy but also encompasses faithfulness, trustworthiness, and the eternal consistency of God's revelation and promises. God's Word is divinely authoritative. It is truth that provides a firm foundation for faith, guiding believers in their relationship with God and in their daily lives. The Bible is the source of God's absolute truth in all it affirms, and communicates information we could never know independently of it. Our ability to reason, aided by God the Holy Spirit, allows us to understand what is recorded. And, once understood, we are called to a faith response.

When did moral standards like fidelity, honesty, and sacrificial love give way to safe sex, adultery, and living together? In this program, Chip continues addressing society's abandonment of biblical morality. Discover the devastating impact moral relativism has had on the culture and the church - and what Jesus said about absolute truth.Main Points Introduction: We've got a problem! The symptom: Moral issues The issues: Ethics and values The dilemma: Who determines what's right or wrong? The question: What is truth? Understanding the real problem: Diagnosis - Our view of truth has dramatically shifted in the last 50-60 years. Among Intellectuals - Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis In Education - The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom In Law & Science - Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law, and Education by Phillip E. Johnson In Culture - Escape from Reason by Francis A. Schaeffer AND The God Who Is There by Francis A. Schaeffer How is the “relative truth –vs– absolute truth” conflict played out daily? Public Rhetoric = Truth is Relative - "All are right," Pluralism, Tolerance Private Rhetoric = Truth is Absolute - "My rights," Justice, Fairness Painful Reults = Sowing and Reaping What did Jesus say about truth? Jesus' outrageous claims …about Himself -John 14:6 | …about His Word -John 17:17 Jesus' outrageous concern …about you -John 4:23 | …about your freedom -John 8:32 Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Additional Resource Mentions "Not Beyond Reach" Small Group Study "Caring Enough to Confront" Resources About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram’s passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God’s truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus. Connect 888-333-6003 Website Chip Ingram App Instagram Facebook Twitter Partner With Us Donate Online 888-333-6003

Whatever happened to right and wrong? What is behind the blatant abandonment of ethics throughout the world, in businesses, homes, and even the Church? In this program, Chip addresses these critical questions, as he pulls back the curtain on the history of moral relativism. Learn why absolute truth is an essential building block of any society.Main Points Introduction: We've got a problem! The symptom: Moral issues The issues: Ethics and values The dilemma: Who determines what's right or wrong? The question: What is truth? Understanding the real problem: Diagnosis - Our view of truth has dramatically shifted in the last 50-60 years. Among Intellectuals - Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis In Education - The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom In Law & Science - Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law, and Education by Phillip E. Johnson In Culture - Escape from Reason by Francis A. Schaeffer AND The God Who Is There by Francis A. Schaeffer How is the “relative truth –vs– absolute truth” conflict played out daily? Public Rhetoric = Truth is Relative - "All are right," Pluralism, Tolerance Private Rhetoric = Truth is Absolute - "My rights," Justice, Fairness Painful Reults = Sowing and Reaping What did Jesus say about truth? Jesus' outrageous claims …about Himself -John 14:6 | …about His Word -John 17:17 Jesus' outrageous concern …about you -John 4:23 | …about your freedom -John 8:32 Broadcast Resource Download Free MP3 Message Notes Additional Resource Mentions "Not Beyond Reach" Small Group Study "Caring Enough to Confront" Resources About Chip Ingram Chip Ingram’s passion is helping Christians really live like Christians. As a pastor, author, and teacher for more than three decades, Chip has helped believers around the world move from spiritual spectators to healthy, authentic disciples of Jesus by living out God’s truth in their lives and relationships in transformational ways. About Living on the Edge Living on the Edge exists to help Christians live like Christians. Established in 1995 as the radio ministry of pastor and author Chip Ingram, God has since grown it into a global discipleship ministry. Living on the Edge provides Biblical teaching and discipleship resources that challenge and equip spiritually hungry Christians all over the world to become mature disciples of Jesus. Connect 888-333-6003 Website Chip Ingram App Instagram Facebook Twitter Partner With Us Donate Online 888-333-6003

John 21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.   This Chapter is here for 5 reasons: Helps us understand Peters prominent position in the church How are we to relate to the risen Christ Give us a Balance between Nurturing the saved and winning the lost Refutes the false rumor that Jesus coming back before John died Clear expression of how to love Christ. If you love me keep my commandments We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord.  The disciples have learned how to cooperate with one another and how to obey Jesus. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! There are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish.   The Purpose of chapter 21 The Conclusion Or Epilogue The expression, "By hook or by crook," originated from the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John. A hook is the symbol of a fisherman, while a crook is the symbol of a shepherd. Here then in this chapter are symbolized the two ministries of the church: fishing and shepherding. That is how the work of God goes forward. Chapter 21 contains instruction for those who have come to faith in Him and explains how they are to serve Him as they carry out their mission (20:21-23). Many of the prominent themes in the rest of the Gospel recur here. "Some critics have argued that this chapter is anticlimactic after the great conclusion in chapter 20, and therefore was written by another (anonymous) writer. But the language evidence does not support this notion. In addition, other great books of Scripture have appendixes after reaching a grand climax (cf. e.g., Rom. 16 following Rom. 15:33). Thus John 21 is neither without value nor out of harmony with other Bible books." The structure of this chapter is similar to the rest of the Gospel. John first narrated an event (vv. 1-14) and then related Jesus' teaching based on that event (vv. 15-23). Finally he concluded his Gospel (vv. 24-25). In many ways, “frustrating” also describes what it must have been like for the disciples during that 40-day interval between Jesus' resurrection and His ascension. With few exceptions, the disciples had spent three wonderful years with Jesus. They traveled together, ate together, camped out at night together, and shared a common purse. Their private, relaxing times together were exceedingly few and far between, but at least they were continually in close contact during the time of our Lord's earthly ministry. The last few hours our Lord spent with His disciples before His arrest were private and uninterrupted. After the horror of our Lord's arrest, trials, and crucifixion, it would be tempting to think of this 40-day interval as a time of wonderful fellowship for our Lord and His disciples, but this was not really the case. For one thing, the disciples expected Jesus to immediately commence His kingdom, but it quickly became evident that this wasn't happening. For another thing, the disciples were not really seeing a great deal of their Lord. After Jesus appeared to them, and they were convinced that He was alive, they were filled with joy. But if the disciples were thinking they would now be spending a lot of time with Jesus once again, they were wrong. Things had changed. This change was first indicated to Mary by our Lord, when He appeared to her after His resurrection: John 20:16-17 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'” (NIV). Jesus informs Mary that things are no longer going to be as they once were. Jesus was not going to be with His disciples on earth much longer, but was returning to His Father, as He had indicated earlier. He promised that after His ascension, He would dwell among them, and in them, through the Holy Spirit, but at the time they had no idea what He meant. And so the disciples found themselves relating to Jesus in an entirely different way during this 40-day period of time. They were formerly with Him day and night. Now, they only saw Him from time to time. Eight days passed from the time Jesus first appeared to His disciples (John 20:19-23) to the time of His second appearance (John 20:26). He appeared to them only a handful of times in those 40 days (see 1 Corinthians 15:5-7). He came and went in such a way that they never knew when to expect Him. And He did not always look exactly the way He once did—there was something different about Him, which sometimes caused them to wonder whether or not it was really Him (see Mark 16:12; Luke 24:16, 31; John 21:12). I'm sure the disciples wished for the “good old days,” when they enjoyed much more intimate fellowship with Him. Jesus, however, was “weaning” them from those days, because He would no longer dwell among them as He once had. He was soon to ascend into heaven to be with His Father. There were other things that made this time difficult. These were perilous days. The tomb of Jesus had been sealed and was under Roman guard, by order of Pilate. When Jesus was raised from the dead, the Jews and the Roman soldiers agreed on a cover-up. They sought to explain the resurrection and the empty tomb by circulating the story that Jesus' disciples had stolen His body. This would have been a serious crime. The disciples could have been the targets of a manhunt. No wonder they were hiding out in a locked room when Jesus came to them (John 20:19, 26). In addition to this, there was really very little the disciples could do during these 40 frustrating days. They were told to wait until they were given power from on high. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, because Pentecost was still a few days away. These men were not yet transformed, nor were they supernaturally empowered to heal the sick, raise the dead, or proclaim the gospel. The kingdom was on hold, there was little for them to do, and Jesus was seldom seen or heard from. It was not an easy time for the disciples at all. I can imagine that Peter could have gone home, only to find Mrs. Peter standing in the doorway, with her hands on her hips. “Peter,” she might have said sharply, “we've got bills to pay and mouths to feed. When are you going back to work? How long are you going to wait around, wondering what to do with yourself?” All of the disciples must have been thinking similar thoughts. They had families to support. They had to do something. They couldn't just wait around … Why would we be surprised that it was Peter who decided to do something? Why would we find it unusual for Peter to speak out? This is precisely where the final chapter of John's Gospel takes up. Command - vs 1-6- Manifested or Revealed Himself to the Seven Disciples 1 ¶ After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: John recorded still another post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to His disciples. It undoubtedly occurred during the 32-day period between Thomas' confession (20:28) and Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:9). Same as the sea of Galilee.  Called different names depending on where they are, Emperor Tiberius officially named it that. Evidently most of his original readers would have known it by this Roman name. They were to learn something new about Him from this revelation.  2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Mt 4:21; Joh 1:45 The exact number may be another detail designed to add credibility to the account,  or  John  may  have  been  hinting  that  a  complete  number  of disciples was present. Seven was a number that symbolized completeness to the Jews (cf. Gen. 2:2-3; et al.). He may have been implying that the lesson that Jesus taught here was applicable to the full complement of disciples. Book starts with 6 disciples and ends with 7? Anything to do with the completeness now of the work being done? Peter is always named first His name expresses the grace of God, He was impetuous, vacillating, moody, sees us as who we can be Thomas called the Twin Nathanael of Cana in Galilee The sons of Zebedee – James and John and two others of His disciples - Probably Andrew and Phillip  3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Some expositors have interpreted Peter's words as a renunciation of his calling as Jesus' disciple. They believe he meant that he intended to return to his former occupation as a fisherman permanently. However there is no basis for this conclusion in the text. Indeed when Peter learned that Jesus was standing on the shore he jumped into the water to get to Jesus as quickly as he could (v. 7). Mt 26:32 "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Mt 28:7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."  Mt 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."  Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. Mr. 16:7 "But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." For the third time in John's Gospel, our Lord appears to His disciples. This time He reveals Himself to seven of His disciples as they are fishing on the Sea of Tiberias — the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1). Most of these men were fishermen by trade. When Peter informed them that he was going fishing, they knew he was not planning to go out and do a little fly fishing on the Sea of Galilee, hoping to catch a fish or two. They understood that Peter was going back to work as a fisherman. They all must have had financial obligations they needed to meet. In addition, they needed to eat. And so those who were with Peter agreed to go fishing with him. There seemed to be nothing better to do. I do not find this decision to go fishing something unbefitting for a disciple. It was better for them to be doing something productive than nothing at all. The first miraculous catch of fish came fairly early in the ministry of our Lord. Jesus was teaching beside the Sea of Galilee, and the crowds were pressing in on Him. There were at least two boats pulled up on shore nearby. One belonged to Peter and his brother Andrew, the other to James and John (and apparently their father—see Luke 5:2-11). These men had been out fishing all night, unsuccessfully, and were now washing their nets. Jesus got into Simon Peter's boat and asked him push out from shore, so that He could use the boat as His speaker's platform. When Jesus finished teaching, He told Peter to launch out into deeper waters and to lower the nets for a catch. Peter gently protested, informing Jesus that they had just spent the entire night fishing, without success. Nevertheless, Peter did as his Master instructed. As the nets were drawn in, it was evident that they had a huge catch of fish, so large that the nets were beginning to tear. Peter and his brother gestured to their partners, James and John, who came alongside with their boat. They filled both boats so full with the fish that they began to sink. Peter fell at Jesus' knees (they were still in the boat) and said, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” (Luke 5:8). Jesus comforted the men with these words, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (5:10). It would seem that from this point in time, they ceased fishing for their livelihood and followed Jesus wherever He went. In John 21, we read of a very similar miraculous catch of fish. It is my opinion that it took place at virtually the same place, with the same boats, and most of the same fishermen. You will recall that before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that He would go ahead of them to Galilee (Matthew 28:7; Mark 14:28). Then, after His resurrection, Jesus instructed His disciples to meet Him in Galilee (Matthew 28:10; Mark 16:7). The disciples who have gone fishing with Peter may very well be in Galilee because they have done what Jesus instructed them to do—go to Galilee, where He will meet them. This took them out of Jerusalem and Judea, the source of the strongest Jewish opposition. Like most of the disciples, Peter was a Galilean. These were his old “stomping grounds.” If they had been waiting for some time, Peter might well have concluded that they may as well occupy themselves by doing something profitable. And so he announced to his colleagues that he was going fishing.  4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Joh 20:14 Likewise the breaking of this new day is perhaps symbolic of the new era that was opening up for them as Jesus' disciples, though they did not realize that yet. Jesus' instruction would change the course of their lives forever.  5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." Lu 24:41 Much of the fishing in the Sea of Galilee was done at night in those days as it is yet today. Fishermen used torches to attract the fish to the boat and then netted them. But although they were expert fishermen, the disciples had labored throughout the night and had caught nothing. That must have been a rather unusual experience for them. Yet as this account makes clear, it was the Lord's intention that they catch nothing on this occasion. Now the question that Jesus asked is a number of observations. First it's framed expecting a negative answer. What the expected answer? "Well of course not," And that's exactly the way Jesus has framed the question. "Haven't you caught any fish?" "You haven't caught any fish, have you?" That would be the English equivalent. "You haven't done so well, have you?" I think their answer is sort crestfallen. "No." Failure is a very demoralizing thing. Some of you have tried hard to accomplish something. Like these fishermen, you have expended much energy and utilized all your resources but gained nothing in return. But although failure is a painful experience, valuable lessons can be gained through it. Here is what one writer said about this failed night of fishing: The night of failure was not without its lessons and its benefits. We can do worse than fail. We can succeed and be proud of our success. We can succeed and burn incense to the net. We can succeed and forget the Hand whose it is to give or to withhold, to kill or to make alive. People who think they have done it all themselves are common today. Every now and then I meet someone who claims to be a "self-made man." I have discovered, however, that most self-made men worship their creator! Yet nothing is more revealing of human ignorance than the claim to be a self-made man. That is to take for granted all that has been provided for them all throughout their lives, without giving a thought for Who provided it. Yet, were it not for God's providing hand, we would have neither the opportunities nor the resources to begin with. Success -- yes, even spiritual success -- can be a snare and a ruin, while failure can be an unspeakable benefit. Failure is often the only test by which the real worth and quality of a man or woman can be tried. It is in failure that a man begins to think, to wonder where his failure comes from, to look around and seek for the reasons, to put into his work double watchfulness and double energy, and to look upwards to Him who can turn failure into a glorious achievement. John goes on to show what God can do with a night of failure. Now many of your translations, unfortunately, render the word "friends." The word is not friends. The word is children. In fact it's a diminutive term. It's “little children.” And I think when the translators gloss over it and call it "friends" it is unfortunate because you want to see Jesus Christ here as coming on the scene as a fatherly, loving, compassionate friend of theirs. And it's sort of like the Brits would say, "Lads. Or boys in our language" Or if you're a dad with three or four sons, and they might even be grown sons, and you would say, "Sons." There is a real endearing and graciousness in the tone of the word. "Little children." Who else uses the phrase "little children" in the NT? John in First John. Little children. Little children. Little children. It's caring and compassionate and rich. One can sense the discouragement and mild embarrassment in the disciples' "no." Jesus was in the process of teaching these men their personal inadequacy even in the type of work they knew best and had most experience with. It was important that they articulate their failure.  6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they In the Luke 5:5 account, Simon tries to pull them in and the nets are breaking, remember? They almost make the boats sink, remember? So these two are two different stories. Luke 5:5 account says: "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." Maybe there was a little hint of that again; There's enough differences in the stories that we know these are two different incidents; one early in the disciples' life and one right prior to Christ's ascension. In verses seven to nine the disciples recognize Him: they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Lu 5:4,6-7 Their nets had been hanging over the left-hand side of their fishing boat. The unknown authority on the shore now promised that if they would cast their net on the right-hand side they would catch some fish. Such a suggestion must have seemed ludicrous to these seasoned fishermen. The idea that such an insignificant change would accomplish anything was laughable. Yet amazingly the disciples followed Jesus' orders. Nevertheless it seems clear that even after they obeyed the unknown armchair fisherman on the shore this dark morning they still did not realize that He was Jesus. The reason for the disciples' obedience is not as important as the fact of it. Had they not obeyed Jesus' command they would have failed to catch any fish. However because they obeyed, they experienced overwhelming success, success far exceeding their natural ability. Jesus knew that these men had worked all night and had caught nothing. I am tempted to think that Jesus actually orchestrated things so that these men would not catch anything. Anyway, Jesus let the fishermen know that He knew they had caught nothing. He then instructs them to cast out their nets on the right side of the boat, assuring them that when they do so, they will find some fish. I don't know why these weary fishermen did it, but for some reason they were willing to make one last effort. When they drew in their nets, they did not contain just a few fish, or even a lot of fish. Their nets were virtually filled with fish. These men would reflect on this experience and realize that Jesus had been teaching them how important it was to obey His word. Obedience to Jesus was the key to supernatural success. Indeed obedience to His word even though they did not know it was His word yielded an unbelievable reward. It was at this point that John seems to have realized what was happening  7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. Joh 13:23; 20:2 Again John realized something about Jesus before Peter did (cf.  20:8).  Probably  he  sensed  that  a  miracle  had happened,  and  he  remembered  that  a  few  years  earlier  Jesus  had performed a similar miracle (Luke 5:1-11). True to the pictures we have of them in the New Testament John exhibited quick insight and Peter quick action. Now the identity of Christ is no longer obscure. They know who He is and they can see Him. This incredible catch quickly reveals to John that it's the Lord. Peter connects the dots and before we know it characteristically he's thrown himself in the water. Apparently he wanted to get to Jesus faster than his boat and net now full of fish would allow. He showed no concern for the fish; he willingly let them go. His only desire was to get to Jesus. This was not the first time that Peter had met Jesus after the Crucifixion. Jesus had appeared to Peter evidently on Easter morning (1 Cor. 15:5) and undoubtedly on Easter evening (20:19-23; cf. Mark 16:14). Peter had also seen Jesus the following Sunday when Thomas made his profession of faith (20:26-29). Therefore we should not conclude that Peter would have been reluctant to see Jesus now because of his denial in the high priest's courtyard. Peter's moment of reconciliation with Jesus had already passed. Now there's a little bit of a question if you read the text carefully. He's stripped for work. I don't think he's naked but I think he's down to the bare minimum of what he could have on. He's going to gird himself with something and jump into the water. Now if you've come to the edge of the water you take as much off as you can before you jump in not to be encumbered by your shoes or your coat or whatever else you have, right? So why is Peter putting something on? There are a couple of little hints in the text that are kind of fun. This is the same word only found in John thirteen where Jesus girds Himself to wash the disciples' feet. And so now we see Peter girding himself. I think Peter is sort of, if you will, working hard and sweating and so he's probably hot and smelling like fish, certainly like the lake water. And so he puts on the minimum amount of clothing when he comes out of the water to see Christ. John wants us to see these little connections about Jesus and girding up to serve and Peter girding himself as he goes to see his Lord, his friend and starting to put this thing together. When the disciples had followed Peter to go fishing, they don't follow him to jump in the water. It's about one hundred yards to the shore according to the text. It's a pretty good measurement. Fishermen usually worked in their light undergarments (Gr. chiton, not underwear). Peter evidently put his outer garment (Gr. ependytes) on so when he reached land he would be properly clothed albeit soaking wet. Normally people take unnecessary clothing off before going swimming. Peter's somewhat irrational behavior seems to be another indication of his strong desire to get to Jesus quickly. He was again demonstrating his characteristic extravagant loyalty to his Lord (cf. 20:6). So we have the boat, some think there are two boats, a larger fishing boat and a smaller like dingy type boat. We can't know for sure. Instinctively, he knew that the man on the beach was Jesus. And now that he knew, he told Peter as well. That was all it took for Peter. He tucked in his outer garment and plunged into the sea, swimming to shore to see Jesus. Someone has remarked that what we find here is typical of both Peter and John. John was the first to understand; Peter was the first to act.  We cannot be sure that Peter actually arrived on shore first. One thing does seem certain: Jesus must have personally forgiven and restored Peter on His previous, private meeting with him (see Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). Peter certainly shows no reluctance to see Jesus face to face here! 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. If I were one of the other disciples, I would have been perturbed with Peter for leaving me behind with a full net and an unsecured boat, still several hundred feet from shore. They seem to have learned from the miracle in Luke chapter 5 that it was unwise to try to empty the net full of fish into the boat—since their two boats nearly sank on that occasion. And so they simply drug their bulging nets behind the boat and made their way to shore, with their nets still in the water, teaming with fish. Jesus supplied the original fish and all we have originally comes from the hand of the Lord.  James 1.17  9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. John's narrative sort of creates a setting here of a number of things. He mentions a charcoal fire. If you've been with us in the study only one other time in the New Testament do we have the phrase charcoal fire. Do you remember where it is? It was with Peter's denial. Why does John, with an eyewitness touch, mark this little detail of charcoal fire at the denial and now he marks it again. What's about to happen? Peter's restoration. We can almost smell the smoke of the fish and a charcoal fire. First there's a charcoal fire as they're warming themselves and he bitterly denies Christ and breaks down and cries and now there's a charcoal fire with fish on it that Jesus prepares for him. Now they're about to be restored with a threefold question, "Do you love Me, Peter?" There are interesting eyewitness touches that John gives us Jesus was setting the stage for a lesson He was about to teach the disciples and especially Peter. Bread and fish were common staples, but again they recall earlier miracles that Jesus had performed. He had miraculously provided meals for 5,000 and later 4,000 males plus women and children with bread and fish. Notice that He had already provided some fish for them before the disciples got out of their boat and pulled the fish that they had caught to shore. Several things here have parallels in the work of fishing for men. Notice that Jesus supplied the original fish and bread for this breakfast. When the disciples landed, the charcoal fire was already lit, and fish and bread were lying there. This is indicative that all that we have come from the hand of God. We did not provide this world or the food that is in it. We do not provide the opportunities that come our way. Many of them come to us right out of the blue. Behind all of this the hand of God has already been at work. He has already put us in the right place, leading us into situations we could never have designed ourselves. We operate by his grace and according to his efforts. Before His crucifixion, Jesus had served His disciples by washing their feet (13:1-17). Now He continued to serve them as their risen Lord by providing them with a warm fire and breakfast (cf. v. 13). Jesus invites us to labor with them,  Little boy brought his fish and bread, they caught it and hauled it in. The “fire of coals” would certainly remind him of the fire at which he denied the Lord (John 18:18). It is good for us to remember the past; we may have something to confess. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Even though there was already one fish (Gr. opsarion, singular) on the fire Jesus instructed the disciples to bring some of the fish (plural) that they had caught. He would not provide for their physical needs by multiplying the food miraculously as He had done in the past. Now He would use the product of their labor to satisfy their need. Nevertheless it was clear that their fish had been the result of His miraculous provision. Perhaps this was all symbolic of how Jesus would carry out His mission through His disciples in the future compared with how He had done it during His pre- cross ministry. But notice that Jesus then invites the disciples to bring the fish they have caught. This beautifully suggests the way God works with man. As I read through the Scriptures I am continually astonished at the privilege given us by God of being co-laborers with him. Human labor was involved in almost all of the miracles of Jesus. For instance, our Lord multiplied the bread and fish which the boy had to feed the multitude, but he first sent the disciples searching through the crowd to see what they could supply. The wonder of this is that God, who could easily do it all himself, nevertheless gave them the great privilege of being co-workers with him. What he invites you to do may be a very simple thing. You may have opportunity to share your faith with your neighbors. While that may seem an insignificant thing now, when history has come to an end and we are all gathered on the shore with Jesus this may well become the greatest thing you have ever done. We will see ourselves as tremendously privileged to have worked with God in what he was doing in this world.  11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. A spiritual lesson here is that great blessing comes to one's efforts when he follows the Lord's will. Peter either organizes the landing of the fish or he's the one who hauls it in. Now, if you've ever been in the water playing with your children when they're small, you can have two or three of your small children kind of hanging on you and you can still get around the water, right? Because the buoyancy displacement makes them not as heavy as if you were on land. On land you might be able to move a step or two but you sure can't haul them around the water, right? So you envision Peter. They can't get over the gunnel of the ship because it's so heavy, but he can sort of man handle it in the water up to the side and then the disciples would organize the getting of all the fish out before they could slip back into the Sea of Galilee. Why 153 fish? Well it's almost comical, commentators write pages of what the number 153 means. They have spiritualized allegorizations into all kinds of things in the Bible and it's almost comical to read, but unfortunately they happen to believe the stuff they write. I am one hundred percent convinced that it means there were 153 fish. And if you know anything about fishing, what does any good fisherman do? You count your fish. Notice the text says large fish? No one ever says, "I caught 153 little fish.  John tells us it was 153 large fish. Much has been made of the number 153, but it may be enough to note that the author knew the exact number of fish caught, and that it was a great quantity. Such details give credibility to one's testimony, and John certainly provides us with details. There have been many symbolic explanations of the meaning of the 153 fish. One of the more credible of these is as follows. Jesus formerly told His disciples that they would become fishers of men, an obvious metaphor (Mark 1:17). If the fish here represent the converts that Jesus would miraculously provide for His disciples to "catch," perhaps their large number represents many converts and the fact that Jesus is the one who is responsible to bring the converts in to us. Mt 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, Mt 25:32 50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The fact that the net did not break may symbolize the capability of the gospel to "catch" many people without failing. We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord They have much patience and persistence, and they will not quit. They know how to cooperate with one another, and they are skilled in using the equipment and the boat. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! We are indeed “fishers of men,” and there are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish. But the main emphasis in this account is: success cannot occur without the recognition that the power of God is needed. This is not new truth. In Psalm 127 the psalmist said, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Except the Lord guard the city, the watchman watches in vain," (Psalms 127:1 KJV). But it is very common in the church today to see people rely on strictly human methods, with no recognition of the fact that God must supply. Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Text: Mark 15:27-32 ESV THE HUMILIATION OF JESUS They were two robbers crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. The word "robber" is from the Greek root word ‘lestes'. It refers to a plunderer or brigand. It is the same word John uses to describe Barabbas (John 18:40), although Barabbas is also described as an insurrectionist and murderer (Mark 15:7). Typically, the punishment for theft is repaying the victim many times the value of the stolen item. Crucifixion is only for theft either done inside a religious or royal building or if the thief kills someone in the execution of the theft. Scholars posit that they are insurrectionists, possibly even Barabbas' accomplices, though we have no hard evidence of this. In the King James Version, verse 28 reads, "And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'He was numbered with the transgressors." Scholars suggest this was added as a footnote, that is, a helpful commentary by some later scribe that accidentally came to be copied into later manuscripts. This is a reference to Isaiah 53:12, the last verse that talks about Jesus as the Suffering Servant. The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 'Ha! Look at you now!' they yelled at him. 'You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days.[v.30] They derided Him. It comes from the Greek root word blasphemeo. Literally, it means to speak reproachfully or speak evil of. To blaspheme God is a crime punishable by death in the Mosaic law (Lev 24:10–16), and this is the crime the high priest accuses Jesus of (Mark 14:64). In OT, to wag one's head is another display of derision (2 Kings 19:21; Job 16:4; Psa 22:7; 109:25). It is a crime under the Roman law punishable by death to destroy a religious building. The Sanhedrin could have accused Jesus of this threat to Pilate, but they couldn't find reliable witnesses. Mark 15:29 demonstrates the religious leaders understood Jesus meant His body, not the literal temple. Sadly, the disciples apparently don't understand this until after the resurrection in three days (John 2:21–22; Luke 24:45–46). They taunted Him, saying, “Save yourself, and come down from the cross!" The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. 'He saved others,' they scoffed, 'but he can't save himself!. Jesus has retained His resolve. Let us recall that during Jesus' forty days in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him to save Himself by making bread and manipulating the angels into taking care of Him (Mat 4:1–7). But, he did not. Also, He stopped Peter who was trying to protect Him during His arrest. He told Peter, "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that I must be so?" (Mat 26:53–54). Had Jesus saved Himself and took vengeance to His accusers and abusers, He could be a superhero worthy for a Hollywood movie now. But, He was here for a definite purpose.[Mark 10:45] He came to obediently hang on the cross (Phil 2:8), to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), to lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He does so voluntarily (John 10:18). His reason for coming to earth as a man is only a few hours from completion. Nobody can stop Him, not even the devil. He is not on the cross because He cannot save Himself. He is there voluntarily, to save others. And Only when He is finished will He save Himself (John 10:17–18). ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

If only the going was always easy. But life's not like that. Sometimes we have to travel through difficult times. Times that test our patience, our endurance and our faith. And it's right in the middle of those times that God's Word holds the answers that we need to make it through.   Life Wasn't Meant to be Easy These days, it's a bit unpopular for someone like me to be talking about obedience to God's Word. It's not something most of us want to hear. Aw, come on Berni, teach me about grace, tell me about God's blessings, I want to know more about God's love. That's the stuff people want to hear about and sure, they're all really good things. I mean, really good things. But what about these particular verses of Scripture, John chapter 14, verse 15: If you love me, you will obey my commandments. 1 John chapter 5, verse 3: For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. No, obedience to God's Word is not a particularly popular concept these days. But the whole point of obeying God, is that the only things He tells us not to do, are the things that are going to bring harm to us and the people around us. So paradoxically, obedience brings freedom. Obedience sets us free from the consequences of our sin ... and sin ... sin always has consequences, right? Okay that's great. But what about when the going gets tough? What about when other people are doing the wrong thing, and we're hurting? What about obedience to God's Word in that place when the degree of difficulty gets ratcheted up to about a 9.9? Psalm 119, verses 20 to 24: My soul is consumed with longing for your ordinances at all times. You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments; take away from me their scorn and their contempt, for I have kept your decrees. Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. Your decrees are my delight, they are my counsellors. That's amazing, because the man writing this Psalm, the man speaking to God here, is under a lot of pressure. But he's taken a stand. He's made a decision that he will long for God's will, God's Word, God's ways, when? Just in the good times? No! At all times! Even when evil people are heaping scorn and contempt on him, even when princes are plotting against him. That's a tough decision, but it's the right one. Many centuries later, the Apostle Paul put it this way. Galatians chapter 6, verse 9: So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. The time when God's Word is most important, when God's wisdom is most important, when God's ways are most important, is when the going gets tough. Right in that moment when we want to give up honouring God by living His way, right in that instant, that's when obedience to God's Word is most important. Because in that moment, the enemy wants to snatch your inheritance away from you. But don't give up, because there's a harvest coming. When? Well, at harvest time of course! The trick, I guess, the piece of wisdom, the powerful Word that God wants us to hear today though, is don't give up in doing what is right. Don't give up honouring and obeying God. But that's not always going to be easy is it? One of the things I love about the Hebrew culture in which the Psalms of the Old Testament were written, is the powerful use of picture language to express deep emotions. The Jewish tradition is full of rich, evocative picture language, like Psalm 119, verses 25 and 26: My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word. When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes. Just drink that picture in for a moment: my soul clings to the dust. It speaks of complete and utter desolation. It speaks of burdens so heavy, a body so weary, that it's lying in the dust, barely able to move. Not even able to lift its head to look up at God. When you're in that place, it feels hopeless. It feels lonely. It feels as though you're the only one who's ever been there, and nobody else understands. My soul clings to the dust. It's a picture that we all get. It's a picture that speaks into the desolation that we've all felt. Perhaps you're in that place right now, where your soul is sucking in the dust, with nothing else to cling to. It's the place where we want to give up, because we don't have a single ounce of energy left in us. Yeah, we've all been there. So, what do you do? What does the Psalmist do? What does he have to say to God? God, revive me according to your word. When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes. The first part of that makes a lot of sense – God revive me. The obvious thing to do, the obvious place to turn, the obvious cry for help … although how often do we miss the obvious? The question is, how does God bring that revival to an exhausted and completely depleted soul? Well, the psalmist knows! Revive me according to your word. When I told you of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes. You see, when we're in that desolate, dusty place, we need a way back. A real, tangible way back. And that way is through the Word of God. It's through God speaking to us. God's Word is food for the starving soul. God's Word is living water for a parched soul. But how often do we miss the obvious? I've seen Christians from time to time praying for revival. But revival begins at home. There will be no revival unless and until the living water, the Spirit of God, overflows from His people. You and I need revival in our hearts. You and I need to be filled to overflowing with the revelation of God through His Word, the joy of God, the healing of God, the Spirit of God. Revival begins at home! Lord revive me, according to your word. God's Word is a powerful thing, because not only does it bring revival to our hearts, not only does God breathe His Sprit into us through His Word, not only does God deliver His new life for us through His Word, but His Word also brings understanding. And understanding is wisdom. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you don't understand what's going on – either around you, or in you, or both? Sure you have, so have I. I mean, sometimes we don't even understand ourselves, let alone our circumstances, or the way other people behave and think. And the absence of that understanding, that wisdom if you will, makes life a difficult thing to live. Understanding as it turns out, is the key to living life. Psalm 119, verses 27 to 32: Lord, make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me your law. I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your ordinances before me. I cling to your decrees, O Lord; let me not be put to shame. I run the way of your commandments, for you enlarge my understanding. Understanding is mentioned twice in that passage, once at the beginning and once at the end. Again we see that the Psalmist is going through difficult times – my soul melts away for sorrow – and yet the thing that he asks for is understanding. That in itself is surprising enough. We spend our time asking God to take away the pain when our souls are melting away through sorrow, but the Psalmist is asking instead, for understanding. But understanding of what? Of the ways of God's precepts. In other words: Okay God, Your Word, Your precepts, they're all fine, that's a given. But now, God, I want to understand the ways of your precepts. I want to understand how the rubber hits the road. I want to understand how I can live them out, because I want your strength, I want to put false hope far from me, so teach me. I'll cling to your Word, because I know that as I live it out, You are going to enlarge my understanding. What a powerful prayer. It's a prayer for on-the-job training. You imagine asking God for that, over and over again … imagine the understanding, the wisdom, the power that God is going to unleash in your life. Just imagine! Here's the thing: God wants to do powerful things in you and through you, He just does. And He's put His Word there, the Bible, through which to give you, all the understanding you need. Make me understand the ways of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. Wow!   A Heart for God's Word If I were to ask you today, what is the one thing that you're focussing on at the moment, what would that be? What's the biggest thing going on in your heart at the moment? The truth is, that from time to time the things of this earth grab our attention. Some of those things are good things. Some of those things are bad things. In a few months' time my daughter is going to be getting married. Well, you can imagine, that's pretty much the focus of things in our household at the moment. There's nothing wrong with any of that, unless and until the things of this world bubble to the top of our priority list, above God Himself. When that happens, our lives have a way of going pear-shaped. All of a sudden, when we get our priorities the wrong way around, we start to live out the consequences of that. So let me come back to that question: what is your heart focussed on at the moment? What's at the top of your list, hmm? Psalm 119 verses 35 and 36: Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. This Psalm is written by a man who is speaking to God. So, when he says: lead me in the path of your commandments and turn my heart to your decrees, He's asking God to do those two things for Him. Psalm 119 blows me away. It's the longest chapter in the Bible – 176 verses all-in-all. And the majority of it is a prayer, asking God essentially to help this man who is writing it, to get his life straight, by getting God's Word into his heart. That's the bottom line of the whole Psalm. God I can't do it on my own, I need your help. That's a great admission, because it happens to be true. And here in verses 35 and 36, the Psalmist is asking God to turn his heart to God's decrees rather than to his own selfish gain. That's the pivot point in our hearts isn't it? Our whole lives swing on this hinge between honouring God and selfish gain. Between right and wrong. And that's why I keep asking you: what's the focus of your heart right at the moment? Where is your heart? Focussed on honouring God or on selfish gain? The answer matters. It matters a lot. There is such power in the Word of God to set you free from your selfishness. Why is it that people leave their Bibles on a shelf somewhere gathering dust? God has the power to set you free. Free from the consequences of sin. All you need to do is to ask Him for His help and He will step in. And here's the thing about God's help. It's intensely practical. Intensely real. In our lives on this earth, you and I, we're prone to trusting things that we can see. It's only natural. We live in a physical world, so we trust in physical things. We know, for instance, that tonight the sun will set, and in the morning it will rise again. We trust in relationships. We trust in our circumstances, good or bad. We trust in our pay packets and our bank balances. And to a point that's as it should be … to a point. Up until the point where we trust in those things above and beyond who God is and what He says He will do. At that point, you've started trusting your life into things that are not worthy of that level of trust. If you have a share-portfolio that's worth a certain amount of money, hey, the market could plummet tomorrow. The same is true of every other physical thing on this earth – they can give way ... in an instant. And so often, we're caught out, because we've place our trust in the wrong things. That's why we need God's help, His intensely practical help, to get our hearts focussed on the right things. Psalm 119, verses 37 to 40: Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you. Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good. See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life. So here the Psalmist is asking God to turn his eyes away from all those vanities, all those false idols in which we place our trust. What idols as you trusting in at the moment? In what vanities have you placed your trust? Hmm? Father God turn my eyes from looking at those vanities and give me life in your ways, literally, give me living energy to pursue the way marked out by You O God. That's it! That's what I need, that's what you need. Living energy. Holy Spirit energy, to head God's way, to trust God to lead us forward, rather than placing our hope in false idols. Friend, God's promises are true. Those false idols, ultimately are going to lead you to disgrace. But God's promises will never fail. God I've seen that your ways are good. I long for your ways. Lead me in them. Give me life. What a great prayer. What a powerful way to change your heart. Try as we might, we cannot change our own hearts for ourselves. But God's living energy, the power of His Word, the power of His Spirit – that's where we get a change of heart. That's where we get a change of focus. God doesn't want you to continue trusting in idols, dreading the disgrace that they will ultimately bring. He wants to shift your focus, transform your heart, with His living energy. Because when we walk in God's ways, then all of a sudden we discover what freedom really is. It pains me to tell you this, but for the first thirty-six years of my life, I thought I was free. Free to live my life the way I wanted. But now, looking back on that time before I accepted Jesus into my heart, I realise that I was nothing but a captive. The best way to describe it, is that I looked successful and happy on the outside, but on the inside, I was plagued by fear and doubt. On the inside, I was a complete mess. That's because I was a captive rather than living as a free man. That's because the expectations of this world dominated my heart. Again, the Psalmist puts it like this, Psalm 119 verses 41 to 46: Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise. Then I shall have an answer for those who taunt me, for I trust in your word. Do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your ordinances. I will keep your law continually, forever and ever. I shall walk in liberty, for I have sought your precepts. I will also speak of your decrees before kings, and shall not be put to shame. I really get that bit about having an answer for those who taunt me. The criticism, the mockery of others, used to be like arrows into my heart. Let me ask you, to what extent are you marching to the beat of the world's drum? To what extent are you dancing to the tunes of the expectations of others? And when you can't meet those expectations, people criticise you, people reject you, they throw you out like a worthless piece of trash. We spend way too much time and energy striving, sacrificing, performing in order receive the approval of others, only to fail, only to miss the mark, only to discover that it's a pursuit that's hollow and empty and simply not worth the effort. But the more we get into God's Word, the more we discover the steadfast love that God has for us, the more we get to know God's Word and trust God's Word, the less those things matter. And the less those things matter, the more we discover the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. I shall walk in liberty for I have sought your precepts! Yes! Hallelujah! Absolutely! Freedom. God's freedom. There is such freedom when we get it into our hearts that we're meant to live our lives for an audience of One. That's what God has ready and waiting for you. True freedom in His ways, in His precepts, in His Word. Jesus said: If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.   Jesus is the Way It's rather an odd thing, but one of the names that Jesus is given in the Bible, is that He is the "Word of God". Now we normally use that term ‘the Word of God' for the Bible itself, because, after all, it's through the Bible that God speaks His words into our lives. Fair enough. But have you ever thought how powerfully God speaks to us through Jesus Himself, the very Son of God ... God in the flesh? This is how the Apostle John puts it. John chapter 1, verses 1 to 5: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in  the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. We all travel through dark times, we just do. And in those dark times, what we need is light. Jesus came to be that light. This is what He said of Himself – John chapter 8, verse 12: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Jesus is God speaking to us in a language that we can understand. And that's why in my own personal reading of the Bible, I always make sure that from time to time, I cycle through one of the Gospels. Right now I'm just about to finish the book of Psalms and head into Matthew's Gospel. Why? Because Jesus is God revealing Himself to us – to you, to me. And I don't know about you, but I need that Light in my life. I need Jesus speaking directly into my life. I need a deep, personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, as I walk with Him and for Him, day by day. Without Jesus, we don't know God, indeed, we cannot know God. Without Jesus we can't find the way to God, because Jesus is the Way. Might I ask you today, what darkness do you have going on in your life? What fears, what uncertainties, what worries are at the forefront of your thinking right at this moment? What situations are confusing you and confounding you and proving completely impossible for you to overcome? Jesus is the answer. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things that were created, were created through Him and by Him. He has knowledge and wisdom and power beyond anything we can imagine. And He is the light for all people. That includes you. And when that light, His light, the Light of the world shines in your life, the darkness simply cannot overcome it. Jesus is the answer.

     The gospel is the good news that addresses the bad news of human sinfulness and separation from a holy God. Despite our helplessness and deserving of eternal punishment, God's solution is the gospel of grace, which reveals Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself, died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. Salvation from eternal damnation is a free gift offered to all who trust in Christ alone, which emphasizes God's infinite grace rather than our human effort. This ultimate gift, paid for by Jesus's sacrifice, underscores the Bible's message that “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23), highlighting God's generosity and the completeness of Christ's work on the cross. God is Holy      The Bible reveals God is holy. God declares of Himself, “I am holy” (Lev 11:44), the psalmist says, “holy is the LORD our God” (Psa 99:9), and the Seraphim declare, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:3). In her prayer, Hannah said, “There is no one holy like the LORD” (1 Sam 2:2). In these verses, the word “holy” translates the Hebrew word qadōsh (קָדוֹשׁ), which, according to James Swanson, refers “to being unique and pure in the sense of superior moral qualities.”[1] God's holiness is closely linked with His righteousness, justice, and perfection. Holiness denotes moral purity. J. Carl Laney states, “When we say ‘God is holy,' we mean He is totally separated from all that is unholy, defiling, or contrary to His nature. God's holiness is unique and distinctive in that it is without any contamination or impurity.”[2] Because God is absolutely holy, it is written, “no evil dwells with You” (Psa 5:4), “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Evil is any thought, word, or act that is contrary to the character and will of God. According to Merrill F. Unger, moral evil “is the failure of rational and free beings to conform in character and conduct to the will of God.”[3]George Howley states, “God is separate from all evil and is in no way responsible for it…[and] It can only be attributed to the abuse of free-will on the part of created beings, angelic and human.”[4] Evil originates in the heart (Gen 6:5; Zech 8:17), is part of our nature (Matt 7:11), and results in evil actions (Neh 13:17; Prov 24:8; 1 Pet 3:12).[5] According to Scripture, “the LORD is righteous and He loves righteousness” (Psa 11:7). There is a time when “He is coming to judge the earth; and He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psa 96:13), and He will “judge the living and the dead” (2 Tim 4:1). Everyone is a Sinner      Sin is the failure to conform to God's perfect righteousness. Scripture reveals we are sinners “in Adam” (Rom 5:12-13; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Psa 51:5; Jer 17:9; Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), sinners by choice (Eccl 7:20; Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15; 1 John 1:8, 10), born as “sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2), and are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph 2:3). The Bible reveals “there is no one who does not sin” (1 Ki 8:46), and “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20). Isaiah wrote, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isa 53:6a). Paul stated that we “are all under sin” (Rom 3:9), and “there is none righteous, not even one” (Rom 3:10), for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). James wrote, “we all stumble in many ways” (Jam 3:2a), and John declared, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us... If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10). This means everyone stands guilty before God. Good Works Do Not Save      Good works have no saving merit before God. Isaiah wrote, “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isa 64:6a). Paul wrote, “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16), for “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness” (Tit 3:5a). Though human good works may have value in the sight of other people, they have absolutely no saving merit in God's sight. None at all! The Solution of the Cross      We are helpless to save ourselves, but God made a way, and this because He loves us and desires our salvation. He loves us so much that He sent His Son into the world to pay the sin debt we cannot pay. We're told, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). Nearly 2,000 years ago, God the Father sent God the Son into the world to take upon Himself humanity (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1; 14; Heb 10:5), to be free from sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5) and to live a perfectly righteous life. Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38; cf., John 7:29; 8:29; Gal 4:4). Jesus was sent by the Father to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), for “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).      Jesus willingly went to the cross and paid our sin-debt (John 10:18). His death was a penal substitutionary sacrifice for us, as the Son of Man came “to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Peter said, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). His death on the cross was for all sins for all time, for “the death that He died, He died to sin once for all” (Rom 6:10), He “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12), and “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Because of Jesus' death on the cross, God “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). There's nothing for us to add to Jesus' work on the cross. Having paid our sin debt in full on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), and then He died.      After Jesus died for our sins, He was buried in a grave, and raised on the third day, as Scripture reveals (1 Cor 15:3-4). And “Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again” (Rom 6:9). After Jesus's resurrection, He was seen alive by hundreds of people (1 Cor 15:5-8), and those eye witnesses provided a written record of what they saw and heard (Luke 1:1-4; John 20:30-31; 2 Pet 1:16-18). God's offer of salvation is available for everyone. The Bible speaks of “God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3b-4), who has brought “salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).      The cross is God's righteous solution to the problem of sin, as well as His greatest display of love toward sinners. At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. To understand the cross of Christ is to understand the heart of God toward a fallen world He wants to save. If someone perishes eternally, it is because they failed to respond to God and His drawing them to Himself (John 3:18; 5:39-40; Acts 7:51). All who end up in the lake of fire are there by personal choice, not because God failed to love them or make provision for their eternal salvation.      Once we hear the good news about what Christ accomplished for us, we are asked to place our faith in Him, to “Believe in the Lord Jesus” for salvation (Acts 16:31). Jesus is the object of our faith. To believe in Christ as our Savior means we trust Him to accomplish for us what we cannot accomplish ourselves: eternal salvation from the lake of fire. Faith in Christ is the only condition for salvation. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is merely the instrument by which we receive the gift of God. Only the empty hand of faith accepts the gift. It offers nothing, but is open to receive that which is offered by another. No payment is required by us to receive it. Christ alone saves. No one else can save us, including ourselves. Salvation is a Free Gift from God      Salvation is a gift from the Lord. It is the most precious gift ever offered. And though the gift was very expensive to God, it is absolutely free to us. The precious gift of our salvation was paid in full by the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, who hung between heaven and earth and paid our sin-debt. According to God's Word, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). The words “free gift” translate the Geek noun charisma (χάρισμα) which, according to BDAG, refers to “that which is freely and graciously given, favor bestowed, gift.”[6] And Joseph Thayer defines it as “a gift of grace; a favor which one receives without any merit of his own.”[7] Paul, when writing to the Christians at Ephesus, said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9; cf., Rom 4:4-5; Tit 3:5). To say we are saved by grace means our salvation is unearned and undeserved in any way. God's gift of salvation is totally apart from any good works we may produce, and since good works do not save, bad works cannot unsave (though they can bring divine discipline). A gift focuses on the graciousness of the giver, whereas a reward focuses on the work of the recipient. Salvation is NOT a reward for work we've accomplished; rather, it is a free gift from God and based totally on the finished work of Christ. We pay nothing. Jesus paid it all.      The realization that salvation is offered freely, based solely on the perfect work of Jesus on the cross, offers profound relief to the person who has been laboring under the yoke of a works-based system. Those who operate under a works-based system of salvation will never reach a place of certainty in their relationship with God, for they will never know whether they have done enough to gain entrance into heaven. But the truth that salvation is a grace-gift from God, received by faith alone, liberates those who accept it. When properly grasped, God's gospel of grace alleviates the pressure to perform and the fear of falling short and brings a deep sense of peace and joy, knowing our salvation is secure, not because of our own efforts, but because of Christ's finished work. Peace comes when we look to Christ and the promises of Scripture and not ourselves. This gospel of grace message transforms our relationship with God from one of fear and striving to one of gratitude and love, as the focus moves from what we must do to what Christ has already done on our behalf. This grace-based approach encourages us to live out our faith from a place of thankfulness rather than obligation, resulting in a more authentic and joyful Christian life. The Benefits of the Cross      At the moment of faith in Christ, the benefits of the cross are applied to us. Scripture reveals we are forgiven all our sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), given “eternal life” (John 5:24; 10:28; Rom 6:23), the “gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1), become “children of God” (John 1:12; Gal 3:26), are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24), are “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13), and are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). Furthermore, as Christians, we are among those “whose names are in the book of life” (Phil 4:3). As a result, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). We will never experience the lake of fire. Never. As Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). Good Works Should Follow Salvation      To be eternally saved, the only condition is faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 4:14; 16:31). That's all. Once saved and justified in God's sight, the Lord expects us to submit to Him in total obedience in all areas of life (Matt 28:20; Rom 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), and to learn His Word in order to live His will in every particular (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2).      After salvation-justification, the Lord directs us to begin a lifelong journey of faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), and to “press on to maturity” (Heb 6:1). This glorifies God, edifies others, and results in the best life possible in this world. Good works is what God expects of His people. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16). Paul wrote, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10). The Lord instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Tit 2:12) and to be “zealous for good deeds” (Tit 2:14). We agree with Paul who wrote, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10). God clearly calls His people to a life of obedience and good works. There is no question about this. The Scriptures are plain on the matter, instructing us, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15). It is never the will of God that we sin; however, when we sin (and there is no Christian who does not sin), it is always His will that we handle it biblically by means of confession (1 John 1:9), which always results in forgiveness and restoration of fellowship. If we fail to walk in regular obedience to the Lord, we are subject to divine discipline in time (Heb 12:5-11), and loss of rewards in eternity (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). Though believers may turn from the Lord and pursue a life of sin, these will also experience divine punishment, even to the point of physical death (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16-17), but will not forfeit their salvation, which is not possible (John 10:28).      In summary, salvation is free. The Lord Jesus purchased it for us on the cross, and He offers it without cost to those who place their trust in Him. It is freely offered and freely received, and there's nothing for us to pay. That's grace. Our justification before God is a one-and-done event that happens at the moment of faith in Christ. Good works are not a prerequisite, corequisite, or postrequisite to salvation. That is, beyond simple faith in Christ, nothing is required of us before, during, or after we believe in Him as our Savior. We are saved by grace alone (we don't deserve it), through faith alone (not by works), in Christ alone. Good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10; Gal 6:10), but they are never the condition of it.      Once saved, God calls us to a lifelong process of sanctification. Sanctification is the life we live after being justified, and this process continues until we leave this world, either by death or rapture. The sanctified life requires us to learn and live God's Word (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16), and make ongoing good choices to stay on the path of God's will. Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] James Swanson, “קָדוֹשׁ”, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). [2] J. Carl Laney Jr., eds. Charles Swindoll and Roy Zuck, “God is Holy”, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 188. [3] Merrill Frederick Unger, “Evil” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 382. [4] George Howley, “Evil,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 349. [5] To be evil means we conform ourselves to Satan's world-system (1 John 2:15-16), and that we, by default, are self-centered and not God-centered. To be righteous means we are conformed to God's character and will, both in a salvific and sanctified way. [6] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1081. [7] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm's Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 667.

“Voluntas Dei Est Catholica” means “The Will of God is Catholic,” and in fact this is true for those who have diligently studied the scriptures. Revelation tells us that the world will marvel after the beast and the kings of the Earth will give their power to a church-state system just like they did for 1400+ years. Christ also tells us that He will draw all kinds of men from every tribe to Himself (John 12) and so the mark of the beast that God has decreed is so to separate the true universal church from the counterfeit in the last days.Today we will see key examples of these prophecies unfolding through political and social figures, as the continue to magnify the beast and seduce the world into its system. Get full access to The Dance of Life Podcast with Tudor Alexander at www.danceoflife.com/subscribe

Dear Faithful Ones Across the Ages,My name is Lazarus, once bound by the grave's cold embrace, now writing to you as a living testament to the unmatched power and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am compelled by love and gratitude to share with you not just my story, but the profound truths that my experience unveils about our Savior.I was the seventh sign, a profound miracle that Jesus performed, as recorded by my dear friend John. Each miracle was a beacon, illuminating the path to belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. It is written, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). My resurrection from the dead stands as the crescendo of these signs, a powerful declaration of Jesus' authority over life and death.The journey to this truth began at a wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine, signaling the inauguration of a new covenant, rich in joy and abundance. It was here that Jesus first revealed His glory, prompting his disciples to believe in Him (John 2:11).As I recall my own story, it intertwines with the narrative of a royal official whose son was healed by Jesus' mere word, a demonstration of His sovereign authority even from a distance (John 4:50-53). This sign, among others, beckons us to trust in Jesus' power and His caring involvement in our lives.The healing at the Pool of Bethesda stands as a testament to Jesus' compassion and the breaking of shackles that bind humanity - be they physical infirmity or the rigid legalism that so often ensnares us (John 5:8-9). His question to the invalid, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6), echoes through the ages, probing the depths of our hearts and our openness to His transformative touch.The feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fish revealed Jesus as the Bread of Life, meeting our deepest needs and satisfying our soul's hunger with Himself (John 6:35). In this miraculous sign, we see His provision and care, reminding us that in Him, we lack nothing.When Jesus walked on water, He revealed His mastery over creation, inviting us to place our faith in Him, the one who calms the storms of life (John 6:19-20). Peter's brief venture upon the waves with Jesus underscores the invitation to step out in faith, keeping our eyes fixed on Him.The healing of the man born blind opened not just physical eyes but spiritual ones as well, challenging us to see Jesus for who He truly is – the Light of the World, dispelling darkness and granting us true sight (John 9:5-7).And then there was me, Lazarus, dead four days, bound and sealed in a tomb. My sisters, Mary and Martha, mourned, yet held onto a sliver of hope in Jesus. His declaration, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25), was not just a comforting statement but a declaration of divine authority. When He called me forth from the grave, it was a vivid demonstration that in Him, death has lost its sting, and life eternal is offered to all who believe.My dear brothers and sisters, I stand before you, not just as Lazarus who was dead, but as a living declaration of Jesus' victory over death. The grave could not hold me, not because of any merit of my own, but because the Author of Life commanded my release.This Jesus, who wept at my tomb, who calls each of us by name, is not confined to the pages of history. He is alive, actively calling us into a relationship with Him, into the fullness of life that only He can give.As one who has crossed from death to life at His command, I implore you to believe in Him. To trust Him not only with your earthly days but with your eternal destiny. For in believing, you will find life in His name – a life marked by freedom, joy, and an unshakeable hope.With deepest affection and shared hope,Lazarus, a witness to the Resurrection and the LifeMyR2B and our Podcast are free, aimed at educating and inspiring Christians worldwide. If able, consider supporting us with a $5 monthly subscription. Regardless, our content and training remain free for all. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

Dear Faithful Ones Across the Ages,My name is Lazarus, once bound by the grave's cold embrace, now writing to you as a living testament to the unmatched power and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am compelled by love and gratitude to share with you not just my story, but the profound truths that my experience unveils about our Savior.I was the seventh sign, a profound miracle that Jesus performed, as recorded by my dear friend John. Each miracle was a beacon, illuminating the path to belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. It is written, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). My resurrection from the dead stands as the crescendo of these signs, a powerful declaration of Jesus' authority over life and death.The journey to this truth began at a wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine, signaling the inauguration of a new covenant, rich in joy and abundance. It was here that Jesus first revealed His glory, prompting his disciples to believe in Him (John 2:11).As I recall my own story, it intertwines with the narrative of a royal official whose son was healed by Jesus' mere word, a demonstration of His sovereign authority even from a distance (John 4:50-53). This sign, among others, beckons us to trust in Jesus' power and His caring involvement in our lives.The healing at the Pool of Bethesda stands as a testament to Jesus' compassion and the breaking of shackles that bind humanity - be they physical infirmity or the rigid legalism that so often ensnares us (John 5:8-9). His question to the invalid, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6), echoes through the ages, probing the depths of our hearts and our openness to His transformative touch.The feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fish revealed Jesus as the Bread of Life, meeting our deepest needs and satisfying our soul's hunger with Himself (John 6:35). In this miraculous sign, we see His provision and care, reminding us that in Him, we lack nothing.When Jesus walked on water, He revealed His mastery over creation, inviting us to place our faith in Him, the one who calms the storms of life (John 6:19-20). Peter's brief venture upon the waves with Jesus underscores the invitation to step out in faith, keeping our eyes fixed on Him.The healing of the man born blind opened not just physical eyes but spiritual ones as well, challenging us to see Jesus for who He truly is – the Light of the World, dispelling darkness and granting us true sight (John 9:5-7).And then there was me, Lazarus, dead four days, bound and sealed in a tomb. My sisters, Mary and Martha, mourned, yet held onto a sliver of hope in Jesus. His declaration, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25), was not just a comforting statement but a declaration of divine authority. When He called me forth from the grave, it was a vivid demonstration that in Him, death has lost its sting, and life eternal is offered to all who believe.My dear brothers and sisters, I stand before you, not just as Lazarus who was dead, but as a living declaration of Jesus' victory over death. The grave could not hold me, not because of any merit of my own, but because the Author of Life commanded my release.This Jesus, who wept at my tomb, who calls each of us by name, is not confined to the pages of history. He is alive, actively calling us into a relationship with Him, into the fullness of life that only He can give.As one who has crossed from death to life at His command, I implore you to believe in Him. To trust Him not only with your earthly days but with your eternal destiny. For in believing, you will find life in His name – a life marked by freedom, joy, and an unshakeable hope.With deepest affection and shared hope,Lazarus, a witness to the Resurrection and the LifeMyR2B and our Podcast are free, aimed at educating and inspiring Christians worldwide. If able, consider supporting us with a $5 monthly subscription. Regardless, our content and training remain free for all. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

The Son of David comes in gentle humility, “sitting on a donkey's colt,” yet as the King of Israel “in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13–15). He comes to be lifted up in glory on the Cross in order to cast out “the ruler of this world” and draw all people to Himself (John 12:23–32). The Church is thus called to “rejoice greatly,” because her King comes with salvation, and “He shall speak peace to the nations” (Zech. 9:9–10). As He is anointed “beforehand for burial” (Mark 14:8), He also ascends His royal throne as “the King of the Jews” by way of His Passion (Mark 15:2, 17–19, 26). He goes “as it is written of Him,” wherefore “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power” (Mark 14:21, 62). For the glory of God is Love, which crescendos in the humble obedience and voluntary self- sacrifice of the Son of God for the salvation of sinners. So God the Father has “highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:9), that He might reign over us in love with the forgiveness of His Cross ----- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

     The Bible reveals that God imputes His righteousness to the believer at the moment of salvation. The word imputation itself is an accounting term used both in the Old Testament and the New Testament (Gen 15:6; Psa 32:2; Rom 4:3-8; Gal 3:6). Biblically, there are three major imputations that relate to our standing before God.      First is the imputation of Adam's original sin to every member of the human race. Paul wrote, “through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12), for “through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men” (Rom 5:18a), for “by a man came death” (1 Co 15:21a), and “in Adam all die” (1 Cor 15:22a). This means every biological descendant of Adam is charged/credited with the sin he committed in the Garden of Eden which plunged the human race into spiritual and physical death. Jesus is the only exception, for though He is truly human (Matt 1:1; Luke 3:23-38), He was born without original sin, without a sin nature, and committed no personal sin during His time on earth (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Adam is the head of the human race and his fall became our fall. This is the basis for death and for being estranged from God. Robert B. Thieme states: "[Adam's Original Sin refers to] the initial act of willful, cognitive disobedience to God committed by the first man, Adam, when he violated God's mandate to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:17; 3:6). The initial human sin resulted in Adam's immediate spiritual death, the formation of the sin nature, and loss of his relationship with God (Gen 3:7; Rom 6:23). Since Adam is the physical and representative head of the human race, his corrupt sin nature is genetically passed on through procreation to all his descendants (Rom 5:12). At each person's physical birth, God imputes Adam's original sin to the sin nature, resulting in the condemnation of spiritual death (Rom 5:19; 1 Cor 15:21-22). The only exception is the humanity of Jesus Christ, who was conceived by means of the Holy Spirit, born without the sin nature, and thus did not receive the imputation of Adam's original sin."[1]      Second is the imputation of all sin to Jesus on the cross (Isa 53:4-6, 10; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 2:9; 1 Pet 2:21-24; 1 John 2:2). God the Father judged Jesus in our place (Mark 10:45; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 Pet 3:18), cancelling our sin debt by the death of Christ (Col 2:13-14; 2 Cor 5:18-19). This was a voluntary imputation on the part of Christ who freely went to the cross and took our sins upon Himself (John 1:29; 10:11, 15, 17-18). Thieme explains: "On the cross, the justice of God the Father imputed all the sins of mankind to His beloved Son, Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:24). This was a judicial imputation because sin has no affinity with the impeccable humanity of Christ, no home in Him. To complete the judicial action, the Father's justice immediately judged every one of those sins in Christ. Our personal sins are never imputed to us for judgment. Rather, the perfect humanity of Christ was “pierced through for our transgressions,” taking upon Himself the penalty that rightfully belonged to all men (Isa 53:5). This substitutionary work satisfied God's righteousness and justice and made possible our so-great salvation (2 Cor 5:21; 1 John 2:2)."[2]      Third is the imputation of God's righteousness to those who believe in Jesus for salvation (Rom 4:3-5; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:8-9). The righteousness of God imputed to the believer at the moment of faith in Christ results in the believer being justified before God (Rom 3:22, 24, 28; 4:1-5). Moses wrote of Abraham, saying, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned [חָשַׁב chashab] it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). David writes, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute [חָשַׁב chashab] iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Psa 32:1-2). Moses and David both use the Hebrew chashab (חָשַׁב) which, according to HALOT, means “to impute, reckon to.”[3] Moses uses the verb in a positive sense of that which God imputes to Abraham, namely righteousness, and David uses the verb negatively, of that which God does not credit to a person, namely iniquity. Allen P. Ross comments on the meaning of chashab (חָשַׁב) in Psalm 32:2 and Genesis 15:6: "Not only does forgiveness mean that God takes away the sins, but it also means that God does not “impute” iniquity to the penitent: “Blessed is the one to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity.” The verb (חָשַׁב) means “impute, reckon, credit”; it is the language of records, or accounting—in fact, in modern usage the word is related to “computer.” Here the psalm is using an implied comparison, as if there were record books in heaven that would record the sins. If the forgiven sins are not imputed, it means that there is no record of them—they are gone and forgotten. Because God does not mark iniquities (Psa 130:4), there is great joy. The same verb is used in Genesis 15:6 as well, which says that Abram “believed in the LORD, and he reckoned it (וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ) to him as righteousness.” The apostle Paul brings that verse and Psalm 32:2 together in Romans 4 to explain the meaning of justification by faith: when people believe in the Lord, God reckons or credits them with righteousness (Paul will say, the righteousness of Jesus Christ), and does not reckon their sin to them."[4]      The apostle Paul cites Abraham's faith in God as the basis upon which he was declared righteous before Him, saying, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited [logizomai] to him as righteousness'” (Rom 4:3).[5] Paul uses the Greek verb logizomai (λογίζομαι) which, according to BDAG, means “to determine by mathematical process, reckon, calculate, frequently in a transferred sense.”[6] Abraham believed God's Word, and God reckoned, or transferred His righteousness to him. After pointing to Abraham as the example of justification by faith, Paul then extrapolates that we are justified in the same way, saying, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited [logizomai] as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited [logizomai] as righteousness” (Rom 4:4-5; cf. Gal 3:6). Paul then references David, saying, “David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits [logizomai] righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. ‘Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account [logizomai]'” (Rom 4:6-8).      Paul twice used the Greek verb ellogeō (ἐλλογέω) to communicate the idea of an exchange between persons (Rom 5:13; Phm 1:18). According to BDAG, the verb ellogeō (ἐλλογέω) means “to charge with a financial obligation, charge to the account of someone.”[7] Paul told his friend, Philemon, concerning his runaway slave Onesimus, “if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge [ellogeō] that to my account” (Phlm 1:18). Paul had not wronged Philemon, nor did he owe him anything; however, Paul was willing to pay for any wrong or debt Onesimus may have incurred. J. Dwight Pentecost notes: "Paul is giving us an illustration of that which God has done for us in Christ Jesus. As the Apostle assumed the debt of Onesimus and invited Philemon—who had been wronged—to charge that debt to him, so the Lord Jesus Christ took the debt that we owed to the injured One—to God—and He charged Himself with our debt and set His righteousness down to our account."[8]      In a similar way, Jesus paid for our sin so that we don't have to, and in exchange, we receive God's righteousness. This idea of an exchange between persons means that one person is credited with something not antecedently his/her own. Our sin is our sin, and Christ's righteousness is His righteousness. When Jesus took our sin upon himself at the cross, He voluntarily accepted something that belonged to another, namely us. Jesus took our sin upon Himself. On the other hand, when we receive God's righteousness as a gift, we are accepting something that belonged to another, namely God. By faith, we accept that which belongs to God, namely, His righteousness. God's righteousness becomes our righteousness. Paul references the exchange that occurred at the cross when Jesus died for our sin, saying, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21), and he personally spoke of the righteousness “which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9).[9] Once we receive God's righteousness, we are instantaneously justified in God's sight.      Some might raise the question: how can a holy God justify unworthy sinners? How can He give something to someone who deserves the opposite? How is this just? The answer is found in Jesus and what He accomplished for us at the cross. At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness requires, and saves the sinner as His love desires. At the cross Jesus voluntarily died a penal substitutionary death. He willingly died in our place and bore the punishment that was rightfully ours. Our guilt became His guilt. Our shame became His shame. The result of the cross is that God is forever satisfied with the death of Christ. There's no additional sacrifice or payment needed. Jesus paid it all. When we believe in Jesus, we are forgiven all our sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; 2:13; Heb 10:10-14), and then God imputes His righteousness to us. The apostle Paul calls it “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17; cf. 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). God's righteousness is not earned; rather, it is freely gifted to us who believe in Jesus as our Savior.      It is sometimes difficult to accept this biblical teaching, because our behavior does not always reflect our righteous standing before God. However, God's Word defines reality, and we are justified in His sight because His righteousness has been gifted to our account. The righteousness of God is credited to us who have trusted in Jesus as our Savior. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Adam's Original Sin”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 1-2. [2] Ibid., 137. [3] Ludwig Koehler, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J. Richardson, et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 360. [4] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 1, (Grand Rapids, Mich., Kregel Publications, 2011), 710-711. [5] The translators of the Septuagint use logizomai (λογίζομαι) as a reliable synonym for chashab (חָשַׁב) both in Genesis 15:6 and Psalm 32:2. Paul then uses logizomai (λογίζομαι) when making his argument that justification is by faith alone in God (Rom 4:3-5; Gal 3:6). [6] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 597. [7] Ibid., 319. [8] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, 40. [9] Though the word “impute” is not used in some passages, the idea is implied. Isaiah writes of the Suffering Servant Who “will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11), and of God as the One Who “has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness” (Isa 61:10). And Paul writes of “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe” (Rom 3:22), and of being “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24; cf. 5:17; 9:30; 10:3-4; 1 Cor 1:30; Gal 2:16; 3:11, 24).

In Christian theology, the Bible reveals there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons within the Trinity (Gen 1:26; 11:6-7; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2): God the Father (Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11), God the Son (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:11-12; 2 Cor 13:14). God is three in Person, but one in essence, sharing the same attributes. The use of the Hebrew numeral echad (אֶחָד) reveals, in some contexts, the idea of a complex one, which supports the doctrine of the Trinity (Deut 6:4; cf., Gen 2:24; Ezra 3:1; Ezek 37:17). All three are co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternal, and worthy of all praise and service. According to John Walvoord: In contrast to the polytheism of the heathen world with its many gods and idols, the Christian faith centers in one God. This God, however, is revealed to be a Trinity, including the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. As such, we distinguish the Father from the Son and both of them from the Holy Spirit…All students of scriptural truth labor to understand the doctrine of the Trinity, but it eludes them because it is beyond anything that they experience in this life…Accordingly, the best procedure is to accept the Bible as true and accept the fact that there is one God who exists in three persons and leave the explanation of this to the life after this.[1]      The three Persons of the God-head are one in essence (Deut 6:4; Isa 43:10; 44:6; 45:5-6), and share the same divine attributes. The attributes of God consist of intrinsic characteristics that are equally representative of the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God's attributes are revealed in Scripture, which means they are objective and can be learned by God's people. Furthermore, the attributes of God explain His actions. And we cannot separate or elevate one attribute above another. The Bible reveals God is: Living, which means “He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10), He “has life in Himself” (John 5:26; cf. Psa 42:2; 84:2; Matt 16:16; John 1:4) and is the ultimate source of life. Paul states, “for in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). This attribute takes priority, for if God is not living, none of the other attributes are possible. Self-existent (aseity), which means His existence depends on nothing outside of Himself (Ex 3:14). Moses said, “from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa 90:2). There is no prior cause that brought God into existence, He will never cease to be, and He depends on nothing outside of Himself. Holy (Lev 11:44; Psa 99:9; Isa 45:5-19), which means God is morally perfect and separate from all that is sinful. Spirit (John 4:24; 2 Cor 3:17), which means the nature of God's being is spirit, not material. Sovereign (Psa 115:3; Isa 46:9-11; Dan 4:35; Acts 17:24-28), which means God acts freely as He pleases, always as He pleases, and only as He pleases. Immutable (Psa 102:26-27; Mal 3:6), which means God's essential nature does not change. Eternal (Deut 33:27; 1 Tim 1:17), which means God has always existed, does exist, and forever will exist. Infinite (1 Ki 8:27; Jer 23:24), which means God exists in space and beyond space. Omniscient (Psa 139:1-4; Matt 6:31-33), which means God knows all things and is infinite in knowledge. Omnipresent (Psa 139:7-10; Jer 23:24), which means He is equally and fully everywhere present. Omnipotent (Job 42:2; Isa 40:28), which means God is all-powerful and able to accomplish all He desires. Righteous (Psa 11:7; 119:137), which refers to His intrinsic moral perfection, from which He commands all things in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. Just (Psa 9:7-8; 19:9), which refers to the outworking of His righteousness in which He justifies or condemns, blesses or curses, that which does or does not conform to His righteous character. True (Jer 10:10; John 17:3), which means He is genuine, in contrast to false idols. This means He truthful (2 Sam 7:28; John 17:17). His knowledge and declarations define reality and help us make sense of what is. Love (Jer 31:3; 1 John 4:7-8), which means He is committed to us, desires our best, and acts for our benefit. Good (Psa 100:5; 145:9; Nah 1:7; Jam 1:17), which means all He does is good, and that He is the ultimate source of all that is good. Faithful (Deut 7:9; Lam 3:21-23), which means He is reliable in all He says and does, always keeping His Word. Merciful (Psa 86:15; Tit 3:5), which means He is kind toward us and does not judge us as we deserve. Gracious (Psa 111:4; 116:5), which means He treats us better than we deserve.      All three Persons of the Godhead are involved in providing salvation. Our salvation is said to be planned and initiated by God the Father, agreed upon and executed by God the Son, and imparted to each person by God the Holy Spirit. According to Lewis Chafer: [It] is essential to recognize that the “salvation [which] is of Jehovah” includes the three Persons of the Godhead as actively engaged in the realization of this stupendous undertaking…In every aspect of saving grace the three Persons are concurring. Even when hanging on the cross, the Son was not alone in His vast achievement. It was God who was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself; the Father was offering His Lamb; and that sacrifice was offered through the eternal Spirit (Heb 9:14).[3] Robert Lightner states: Evangelical Christians, in harmony with the historic orthodox Christian faith, worship God who is one in three and three in one, one in essence and three in person. The entire Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is involved in the salvation of the sinner. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for sinners. He is the Savior! It is customary in evangelical circles to put such emphasis on the second person's part in our salvation that the roles of the Father and the Spirit are often slighted…Even though it is not always expressed in the same way, evangelicals agree that man's salvation is the product of the Holy Trinity.[4] Warren Wiersbe adds: You will note that all three Persons in the Godhead are involved in our salvation (see also 1 Peter 1:3). As far as God the Father is concerned, you were saved when He chose you in Christ in eternity past. But that alone did not save you. As far as God the Son is concerned, you were saved when He died for you on the cross. As far as God the Spirit is concerned, you were saved when you yielded to His conviction and received Christ as your Savior. What began in eternity past was fulfilled in time present, and will continue for all eternity![5]      In the following lessons, special attention will be given to the specific members of the Trinity and their work in salvation.   [1] John F. Walvoord, What We Believe (Grand Rapids, Mi; Discovery House Publishers, 1990), 38-39. [2] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 200. [3] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 207. [4] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 190–191. [5] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 11.

Universalism John writes in John 1v1-5, talking about Jesus "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." Jesus talking about Himself John 14:2, 6: "Trust in God; trust also in me. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 17:1-2 "O God, Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him." Most modern societies, particularly in the West, are pluralistic with many cultures evident within any city and country. With the advent of pluralism, comes the widely held belief that all religions, creeds, beliefs and non-beliefs are equal, which all ultimately lead to God and that after death, every person will enter heaven and have everlasting life with God.  That is universalism, and sadly, some Christian churches hold this belief.  However, that is contradictory to what Jesus said in the bible passages I read earlier.  That is not to say that each religion does not have an element of truth within it.  But only one religion is ultimate and absolute truth and that is Christianity. As Christians in the twenty first century we are often informed that Christianity is wrong, and that Jesus Christ can't possibly be the only way to God, even if a God or Gods exist. Just a scant look at each religion throws up the incompatibility between them. For instance the great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam all profess that there is only one God.  Contrast this against the religion of Hinduism, which has millions of God, or Buddhism where there may well be no God at all! So Universalism could really be just a form of functional religious atheism. If we were all going to be with God anyway, why would God bother having a plan of salvation as revealed in the Bible? If Universalism is true, why bother with morals or ethics now during this life as each religion has differing codes of morality and behaviour.  Now as soon as a Universalist says that morality is what defines the human (as some do), we can then say well which God, and therefore religion, decides what morality as different religions have different rules of morality!!  Taking it even further we could say why would God bother interacting with His creation at all, if humanity is going to be spending eternity with Him anyway! Why would there even be a thing called death at all, if universalism is true! So why is Universalism wrong? Lets have a look very briefly together, how superior Christianity is to Universalism. Universalism Denies Salvation by Grace Universalists inevitably proclaim that it is due to God's nature of love and mercy that everyone will have everlasting life with God. Surely a merciful God will allow all to live with Him, regardless of the path they took in this early life!   However the Bible states that while God is a God of love and mercy, He is also a God of justice and the sins of people need to be dealt with.  That is where God's grace comes in. How does God promise salvation to those reaching out for it? Through His unfailing love, kindness and tender mercy, which is enacted through Grace!  Salvation can be attained by no other means, but only through the combination of God's mercy and grace - God's twin actions working in unison.  Grace is easily defined as: God's Riches At Christ's Expense.  So what about Jesus Christ? Universalism Denies Jesus' uniqueness being human & divine That Jesus was a man is not really disputed.  But why did Jesus need to fully human? Firstly, so Jesus death could appease God's anger with us. Secondly so that Jesus can empathize and pray for us.  Thirdly, Jesus exhibited true and perfect humanity.  Fourthly, due to his perfect humanity, Jesus is to be our example to follow.  Fifthly, true human nature is good.  Lastly, while God is both above and beyond, He is not so far removed from us, that He cannot interact with his creation. But he was more than human, He was also fully God - He was fully divine!  God's salvation plan for humans involved triumphant victory over sin, death and the grave.  However no person could be found that was eligible or capable to do this.  Because of this, God stepped into human history, so that this victory could be achieved.  This God-man would be fully human, so as to live every feature of humanity, including suffering and death.  This God-man would also need to remain fully God, so as to defeat sin, death and the grave.  Jesus, being sinless, was this God-man, consisting as he did of two complete natures, the God nature and the human nature. That Jesus is both human and divine is what makes Christianity truly unique amongst the world's religions.  It is why Jesus' claims to be the only way to God are true and make sense.  It is why universalism is shown to be a fallacy. Universalism is wrong because it makes Jesus Christ out to be either a liar or a lunatic or worse - both. Universalism Denies Jesus' cross As all paths under universalism lead to God, why would God have to send Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world?  Surely, if all paths lead ultimately to God, then there would be no need for Jesus to suffer the agony of the cross.  On the cross, Jesus died so that all sins - past, present and future sins - can be forgiven.  Salvation is to be found only through God's grace and mercy exhibited by God the Son on the cross.  Moreover, it is only to those who acknowledge Him as Saviour in this earthly life that He will acknowledge before God the Father. Universalism Denies Jesus' resurrection The resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1:22; Acts 4:33, Acts 17:18). But what significance is there in Jesus' resurrection? The resurrection proved and vindicated all Jesus' teaching and claims as the suffering Servant and attested to his being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53:10-12; Acts 2:36; Acts 3:13-15; Romans 1:4). The resurrection declared God's approval of Jesus' obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises, resulting in forgiveness of sins and salvation being only found in and through Jesus Christ, Jesus' resurrection is a sign of the bodily resurrection for all believers in him, giving a new attitude to death and transforming hopes (1 Corinthians 15:12-58, Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Peter 1:3 & 21) As the resurrected King, Jesus now intercedes for us and has perfected the redemption of all those who choose to follow him (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 6:20, 1 Peter 1:21). Universalism Denies Jesus' authority Jesus has authority (Matthew 28:18) over all things, all people, all circumstances and happenings. has authority over all spiritual beings, whether angels or demons. Jesus has authority over all nations, governments and rulers. Jesus has authority over all earthly and spiritual authorities. Jesus has the authority. Over all religions, leaders and people - Jesus has the authority and supremacy. This means regardless of what ever the Christian Disciple faces, Jesus is in control. Therefore, as Christian Disciples, we can obey him without fear of retribution from those who would seek to harm us. We have been given a free will, but as his Disciples, we should choose to exercise our free will to obey him and live a life worthy of him. As we grow to rely and depend on Jesus' authority, we continually gain wisdom, guidance, and power.  Because of His authority, Jesus has authority and supremacy over all things - created, non-created, religious and non- religious. Either Jesus was who he said he was - God - or he was a liar and a lunatic not to be trusted.  Universalism and Christianity are non-compatible - the Jesus of the Bible and therefore Christianity, is uniquely superior to all other religions and beliefs encompassed in Universalism. For more to think about please do read John 14:1-6. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together. Q1.  How does my life of worship to Christ denounce Universalism? Q2.  How does the call for me to be a witness for Jesus affect views of Universalism? Q3.  How have I witnessed universalism in my community or country? Click or Tap here to save/download this as a MP3 file

We are remodeling our studio—and so for the next two weeks, we are heading back to the archives and listening to a few of our favorite throwback series (episodes from Leslie, Nathan, and Eric). This week Nathan focuses on one of his favorite topics: knowing (ginoskō) Jesus. Jesus says that eternal life is having relationship and intimacy with Himself (John 17:3). In this study, Nathan Johnson talks about intimacy and knowing God relationally … and does so by talking about one of his favorite words in the Bible. --------- For more information about Daily Thunder and the ministry of Ellerslie Mission Society, please visit: https://ellerslie.com/ (https://ellerslie.com/). If you have been blessed by Ellerslie, consider partnering with the ministry by donating at: https://ellerslie.com/donate/ (https://ellerslie.com/donate/)

     Scripture opens with the statement, “In the beginning God” (Gen 1:1a). The Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God, but simply acknowledges His being. The Bible teaches God has made Himself known through nature. David wrote, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psa 19:1). And Paul stated, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Rom 1:20).      And God has revealed Himself within the heart of every person. Paul wrote, “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (Rom 1:19). Within each human mind is an intuitive awareness of God. John Calvin called this awareness the sensus divinitatis (sense of divinity). Calvin wrote, “there is no nation so barbarous, no race so brutish, as not to be imbued with the conviction that there is a God…Since, then, there never has been, from the very first, any quarter of the globe, any city, any household even, without religion, this amounts to a tacit confession, that a sense of Deity is inscribed on every heart.”[1] This awareness does not inform us as to the specifics of God, but merely informs us that He is. The Bible is that special revelation that informs us about the particulars of God.      The Bible reveals God exists as a Trinity (or Triunity). In the Bible we learn that there is one God (Deut 6:4), who exists as three Persons (Gen 1:26; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2). All three members of the Godhead are co-equal, co-infinite, and co-eternal, possessing the same nature and attributes (Deut 6:4; Isa 44:6-8; John 10:30; 14:9).[2] The Trinity consists of God the Father (Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11), God the Son (Isa 7:14; 9:6; John 1:1, 8:58; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:11-12; 2 Cor 13:14).       Furthermore, the Bible reveals God has specific attributes that describe who He is and explains why He thinks and acts in certain ways. What we know of God's attributes comes to us only by divine revelation, and these attributes belong to all the members of the Trinity, who are worthy of all praise and service. Charles Ryrie states: "The various perfections of God are not component parts of God. Each describes His total being. Love, for example, is not a part of God's nature; God in His total being is love. Although God may display one quality or another at a given time, no quality is independent of or preeminent over any of the others. Whenever God displays His wrath, He is still love. When He shows His love, He does not abandon His holiness. God is more than the sum total of His perfections. When we have listed all the attributes we can glean from revelation, we have not fully described God. This stems from His incomprehensibility. Even if we could say we had a complete list of all God's perfections, we could not fathom their meaning, for finite man cannot comprehend the infinite God."[3]      When studying the attributes of God in Scripture, we should never seek to understand them separately from God, as though an attribute of God may exist apart from Him. More so, the attributes of God are as infinite as God Himself, and to try to understand them fully is not within the scope of our ability. A detailed understanding of God's attributes prevents us from having an incomplete or faulty view of God, in which we see Him only in part. For example, a solitary view of God as righteous can lead to legalistic behavior, whereas a singular understanding of God as loving or gracious can lead to licentiousness. A thorough understanding of God will prove healthy for us who seek to reflect His character. The biblical revelation of God has practical application for growing Christians, for as we advance in spiritual maturity, we will take on the characteristics of God, though only a few of those characteristics may be visible to others at any given moment, depending on the situation. Below is a short paragraph listing God's attributes with a basic explanation of each.[4] God's Attributes      God is living and creates life (Gen 1:1-31; Psa 42:2; 84:2; Matt 16:16). Jeremiah said, “the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10). Jesus declared, “the Father has life in Himself” (John 5:26). And the apostle Paul stated, “for in Him we live and move and exist” (Act 17:28). This teaching, that God has life in Himself and is self-existent, is called the doctrine of aseity. God also exists eternally and depends on nothing outside of Himself (Ex 3:14; John 1:4; 5:26). There is no prior cause that brought God into existence, He will never cease to be, and He depends on nothing outside of Himself to remain eternal. God is holy (Lev 11:44; Psa 99:9; Isa 45:5-19). This means God is positively righteous and separate from all that is sinful. Holiness connotes moral purity. Being holy means God cannot be affixed to anything morally imperfect. God is Spirit (John 4:24; 2 Cor 3:17). This means the nature of God's being is spirit, not material. God is sovereign (Psa 115:3; Isa 46:9-11; Dan 4:35; Acts 17:24-28). This means God acts freely as He pleases, always as He pleases, and only as He pleases. God is immutable (Psa 102:26-27; Mal 3:6). This means God's essential nature does not change. God is eternal (Deut 33:27; 1 Tim 1:17). This means God has always existed, does exist, and forever will exist. God is infinite (1 Ki 8:27; Jer 23:24). Though God exists in space, He is also beyond space, infinite in being. God is omniscient (Psa 139:1-4; Matt 6:31-33). This means God knows all things, being infinite in knowledge. God is omnipresent (Psa 139:7-10; Jer 23:24). This means He is equally and fully everywhere present. God is omnipotent (Job 42:2; Isa 40:28). This means God is all-powerful and able to accomplish all He desires. God is righteous (Psa 11:7; 119:137). His righteousness is that intrinsic moral perfection, from which He commands all things in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. God is just (Psa 9:7-8; 19:9). His justice is the outworking of His righteousness in which He justifies or condemns, blesses or curses, that which does or does not conform to His righteous character. God is true (Jer 10:10; John 17:3), which means He is genuine, in contrast to false idols. God is truthful (2 Sam 7:28; John 17:17). His knowledge and declarations define reality and help us make sense of what is. God is love (Jer 31:3; 1 John 4:7-8). Because God is love it means He is committed to us, desires our best, and gives for our benefit. Good is good and is the ultimate source of all that is good (Psa 100:5; 145:9; Nah 1:7; Jam 1:17). God is faithful (Deut 7:9; Lam 3:21-23); which means He is reliable in all He says and does, always keeping His Word. God is merciful (Psa 86:15; Tit 3:5). Mercy is when God is kind toward us and does not judge us as we deserve. God is gracious (Psa 111:4; 116:5). Grace means God treats us better than we deserve.      Learning about God and His character helps us understand the fundamental nature of reality. Our complex universe is the result of a complex divine Being that chose to create. And what He created is magnificent and beautiful. In contrast to biblical theism is atheism, which is the belief that God does not exist.[5] Biblically, this is the view of the wicked and foolish, who say in their hearts, “There is no God” (Psa 10:4; 14:1).      Most who hold to atheism desire to operate independently of any authority outside of themselves, especially God's authority set forth in Scripture. These assign no serious thought of God to their discussions, plans, or projects, but seek to use His resources independently of His wishes. But these same persons become trapped in their own system when their individual sense of good and evil, right and wrong, clashes with another person who holds to opposing moral standards. Having rejected God and moral absolutes, they have no objective final standard by which to measure values and behavior, to declare anything good or bad. These can go about their daily lives as long as the pressures of life are not too great; however, if they're ever confronted with vicious evil that disrupts their lives, they'll naturally seek a mechanism to control it, lest it destroy them (I'm speaking about the atheist who desires law and order rather than anarchy and chaos). If they continue to reject God, they'll likely turn to a totalitarian government they hope is strong enough to deal with the depravity of reckless people; but in so doing, they'll trade freedom and prosperity for slavery and the illusion of equality. In contrast, a society that acknowledges God and operates in accordance with His moral laws will tend to produce a virtuous people that can enjoy freedom and prosperity; but this must start with God and His Word.      Learning about God and applying the knowledge of who He is to our thinking results in a mental paradigm shift that changes how we see ourselves and the world around us. “In our spiritual lives, we cannot transcend the God we worship; we can rise no higher than what we believe to be the highest. Our concept of God will have a marked effect on our practical lives.”[6]    [1] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 1.44 [2] The use of the Hebrew numeral אֶחָד echad reveals, in some contexts, the idea of a complex one (cf. Gen 2:24; Ezra 3:1; Ezek 37:17). [3] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 39–40. [4] Bible scholars are not entirely in agreement concerning the number of God's attributes. I started with a basic understanding of God's attributes back in the mid 90's, but it has grown since then as I've learned more about God through His Word. [5] There are pagan theistic views other than what is being set forth here; however, this chapter is written from a Christian perspective which does not recognize other claims to deity, whether Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, etc. Therefore, biblical theism is being contrasted with atheism, which seeks to deny the existence of God, and which is the dominant view among unbelievers in America. [6] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Two: God, Creation (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2003), 18.   Systematic Theology by Lewis S. Chafer: https://smile.amazon.com/Systematic-Theology-Lewis-Sperry-Chafer/dp/0825423406 Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie: https://smile.amazon.com/Basic-Theology-Systematic-Understanding-Biblical/dp/0802427340

Join us this week as we examine John chapter 17. In this chapter we see that just before His arrest Jesus prayed for Himself, His Disciples and the future Church. He prayed for His people to be equipped in the Word, protected from spiritual adversity, and united love to share the gospel to the world. Jesus Prays for Himself -John 17:1-5 -John 3:16 -Hebrews 7:25-26 Jesus Prays for His Disciples -John 17:11-12, 14-15 -To be Protected -To be Sanctified -John 17:16-19 Jesus Prays for His Church -John 17:20-24 -To See Jesus' Glory -To Share Jesus' Glory -John 17:25-26

Recap Title: Praying Like Jesus Prayed Series: Discovering The Real Jesus Key Text: John 17 Key Message: As we continue our series on ‘Discovering the real Jesus' we will arrive at John chapter 17, which looks at a prayer of Jesus. Interestingly, this prayer is the longest prayer recorded by Jesus. Through this prayer we see the heart and nature of Jesus. The prayer demonstrates Jesus' relationship with his father and it also shows us that he intercedes for us. As Christians we know that prayer is an important part of our walk with God. Martin Luther King Jr said “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing”. We cannot claim to be a Christian and not pray. Jesus Himself prayed a lot. He prayed when He needed to make important decisions. We have examples in the bible of Jesus praying alone and with his disciples, He prayed early in the morning and in the evening. He prayed often and with fervor. In John 17, Jesus' prayer is a different kind of prayer. It is a prayer of vision, faith, confidence and victory. This particular prayer was during a time when He faced his greatest and toughest mission. He knew that it would not be long before He would suffer and be crucified on the cross to pay the price of sin. Jesus prayed for Himself (John 17:1, 5) Jesus prayed for His disciples He prayed for their protection (John 17:11; Romans 8:34) He prayed for their joy (John 17:13; Hebrews 12:2) He prayed for their development in holiness (John 17:17-19) Jesus prayed for all believers (John 17:20, 11) Apply Jesus prayed for Himself. It may seem selfish or self-centred to pray for yourself, however, John chapter 17 verses 1 & 5 helps us to understand Why Jesus prayed for Himself Jesus is the only one who can ask God to give Him glory because He is the son of God and all authority has been given to Him. However, it is important to note that He doesn't just ask for glory, He says give me glory, that I can give glory to you. In this, Jesus prayed that through Him, God would be glorified. We know that this is what indeed happened through his intense suffering. The glory of Jesus was displayed through his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection. Jesus prays in everything and in every situation His Father will be glorified. Real prayer should always be focussed on seeing God work out his good purposes in our life so that honour and glory goes to Him. When you pray for yourself, what is your intention? Is it all about you being blessed? Is just about your personal needs? Or are you focussed on God blessing you so that you can bless God and others. The best way is to pray like Jesus, Lord, give to me, that I can give more to you. This can include our time, our finances, our resources etc. Jesus prayed for his disciples The main focus of the ministry of Jesus was to call and train His team of disciples. He knew that making disciples was the greatest way for his message and ministry to be continued. He knew that the condition of his disciples was key to their success or failure and to the advance of the kingdom of God. He was well aware that they would face big trials and temptations that could make them or break them. This is why He made it such a priority to pray for his disciples and this is why all of us who are leaders of the flock of God need to pray for the disciples under our care. He prayed for their protection Jesus knew that his disciples would need spiritual cover in his absence. He knew that they needed protection from the evil one. Jesus prayed for his disciples then and He prays for us now. (John 17:11; Romans 8:34) We need to pray that our disciples will be protected in their health, in their faith, finances in their family and in every area of their lives. He prayed for their joy Jesus was full of joy. Even when He faced the cross, He never lost his joy. (John 17:13; Hebrews 12:2). The Lord doesn't rob us of joy but fills us with joy. He prayed for their development in holiness One of the great areas we need to focus, is for those we are training to always walk in the ways of the Lord. We need to pray that they will stay close to the Lord and constantly be freed from dirt and spiritual pollution. We must pray daily for our loved ones and for our disciples. (John 17:17-19) Jesus prayed for all believers This means He prayed for the church both locally and globally. Both in the present and in the future. Jesus had a heart and a vision to see the multitudes come to believe in Him throughout all generations. He prayed for unity, not just for his disciples but for all future believers. (John 17:20) Unity across the church is important if we are to win people to Christ. Jesus prayed for a unity like that which unites the Trinity – (John 17:11). This means that we all should be of same heart, mind and will. Are you united with our church's vision to grow and bless the nations? We have a vision for growth, for generational blessing in families and to see transformation in our world. As a church we must be united together so that others will see the truth and be believe in God. If we will commit to unity, we will see change in our lives, in our families and in our nation. Do you commit your family, your leaders and your disciples to prayer? Pray for their protection and sanctification, that is to be set apart to do the will of God. Are you united in all things with one goal, to spread the good news of the gospel?

Recap Title: Praying Like Jesus Prayed Series: Discovering The Real Jesus Key Text: John 17 Key Message: As we continue our series on ‘Discovering the real Jesus' we will arrive at John chapter 17, which looks at a prayer of Jesus. Interestingly, this prayer is the longest prayer recorded by Jesus. Through this prayer we see the heart and nature of Jesus. The prayer demonstrates Jesus' relationship with his father and it also shows us that he intercedes for us. As Christians we know that prayer is an important part of our walk with God. Martin Luther King Jr said “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing”. We cannot claim to be a Christian and not pray. Jesus Himself prayed a lot. He prayed when He needed to make important decisions. We have examples in the bible of Jesus praying alone and with his disciples, He prayed early in the morning and in the evening. He prayed often and with fervor. In John 17, Jesus' prayer is a different kind of prayer. It is a prayer of vision, faith, confidence and victory. This particular prayer was during a time when He faced his greatest and toughest mission. He knew that it would not be long before He would suffer and be crucified on the cross to pay the price of sin. Jesus prayed for Himself (John 17:1, 5) Jesus prayed for His disciples He prayed for their protection (John 17:11; Romans 8:34) He prayed for their joy (John 17:13; Hebrews 12:2) He prayed for their development in holiness (John 17:17-19) Jesus prayed for all believers (John 17:20, 11) Apply Jesus prayed for Himself. It may seem selfish or self-centred to pray for yourself, however, John chapter 17 verses 1 & 5 helps us to understand Why Jesus prayed for Himself Jesus is the only one who can ask God to give Him glory because He is the son of God and all authority has been given to Him. However, it is important to note that He doesn't just ask for glory, He says give me glory, that I can give glory to you. In this, Jesus prayed that through Him, God would be glorified. We know that this is what indeed happened through his intense suffering. The glory of Jesus was displayed through his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection. Jesus prays in everything and in every situation His Father will be glorified. Real prayer should always be focussed on seeing God work out his good purposes in our life so that honour and glory goes to Him. When you pray for yourself, what is your intention? Is it all about you being blessed? Is just about your personal needs? Or are you focussed on God blessing you so that you can bless God and others. The best way is to pray like Jesus, Lord, give to me, that I can give more to you. This can include our time, our finances, our resources etc. Jesus prayed for his disciples The main focus of the ministry of Jesus was to call and train His team of disciples. He knew that making disciples was the greatest way for his message and ministry to be continued. He knew that the condition of his disciples was key to their success or failure and to the advance of the kingdom of God. He was well aware that they would face big trials and temptations that could make them or break them. This is why He made it such a priority to pray for his disciples and this is why all of us who are leaders of the flock of God need to pray for the disciples under our care. He prayed for their protection Jesus knew that his disciples would need spiritual cover in his absence. He knew that they needed protection from the evil one. Jesus prayed for his disciples then and He prays for us now. (John 17:11; Romans 8:34) We need to pray that our disciples will be protected in their health, in their faith, finances in their family and in every area of their lives. He prayed for their joy Jesus was full of joy. Even when He faced the cross, He never lost his joy. (John 17:13; Hebrews 12:2). The Lord doesn't rob us of joy but fills us with joy. He prayed for their development in holiness One of the great areas we need to focus, is for those we are training to always walk in the ways of the Lord. We need to pray that they will stay close to the Lord and constantly be freed from dirt and spiritual pollution. We must pray daily for our loved ones and for our disciples. (John 17:17-19) Jesus prayed for all believers This means He prayed for the church both locally and globally. Both in the present and in the future. Jesus had a heart and a vision to see the multitudes come to believe in Him throughout all generations. He prayed for unity, not just for his disciples but for all future believers. (John 17:20) Unity across the church is important if we are to win people to Christ. Jesus prayed for a unity like that which unites the Trinity – (John 17:11). This means that we all should be of same heart, mind and will. Are you united with our church's vision to grow and bless the nations? We have a vision for growth, for generational blessing in families and to see transformation in our world. As a church we must be united together so that others will see the truth and be believe in God. If we will commit to unity, we will see change in our lives, in our families and in our nation. Do you commit your family, your leaders and your disciples to prayer? Pray for their protection and sanctification, that is to be set apart to do the will of God. Are you united in all things with one goal, to spread the good news of the gospel?

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The greatest gift to be received this Christmas isn't found in a store. The greatest gift is from God Himself, the gift of Jesus, God's only begotten Son. Unfortunately, even during Christmas, Jesus is merely God's only forgotten Son. Who is this Child? Who is this Son that God has given? 4 truths about the Gift of Jesus 1) God has given us a Son who is supernatural. ● He was given supernaturally through the Virgin Mary. ● Those who reject the virgin birth, also explain away Christ's miracles and deny His resurrection... leaving only a pale, powerless, and pathetic Christ who has no power to save a sinful race. 2) God has given us a Son who is sinless. Heb. 4:15 ● Christ refrained from all willful transgression. ● He was the very essence of personal purity ● Even the verdict of the Roman governor Pilate Luke 23:14, You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. ● At the time of Jesus' baptism, a voice from heaven expressing complete, divine approval of Christ (Matt. 3:17). ● This divine approval happened again at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). 3) God has given us a Son who is a suffering substitute. When Jesus rose from the grave, it was a public demonstration of the divine acceptance of His substitutionary death on the cross. ● The prophet Isaiah foretold the substitutionary death of the suffering servant of God (Isa. 53:5–6). ● The angel told Joseph that the unborn child of Mary was divine (Matt. 1:21) ● When John the Baptist introduced Jesus to his disciples and declared (John 1:29) "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Jesus defined his objective for coming into the world (Mark 10:45). ● Jesus described Himself (John 10:11). ● Paul declared that while we were still rebel sinners against God, God loved us (Rom. 5:6). ● Peter believed (1 Peter 3:18). ● God revealed to us as unrighteous people (2 Cor. 5:21). 4) God has given us a Son who is a satisfying Savior. ● He pardons your PAST forgiving every sin Psalm 103:12 ● He provides your PRESENT with every need ● He prepares your FUTURE with an eternal home with God John 14:1-3

November 08 2021 Monday Week 21 In Him Scripture Study  Made Peace Through His (Jesus') Blood  Ephesians 1:15-23 NLT  'Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.'  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT 'When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' This In Him Scripture Study Started On June 21 2021 Go Back And Listen From The Beginning…  Matthew 11:28  Find Rest In Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return…  Millions of people live in chains not knowing that they have the key to break those chains… Biblical Hope Is A Confident Expectation… Colossians 1:20  Reconciling all things unto Himself… John 14:27  Jesus said My Peace I give unto you… Philippians 4:7  A peace that passes all understanding through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:18  God has given us a ministry of reconciliation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Romans 8:6  To be spiritually minded is peace… Romans 12:2  Renew your mind to the Word of God… Romans 10:9-10 KJV/NLT/AMPC  Salvation… Matthew 18:19-20  I will agree with you about your prayer request… Romans 12:3  God has given us His Faith… Romans 5:5  God has given us His Love… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are the Righteousness of God in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… God's Word Is True Above All Opinions…  Believe God's Word Above All Opinion… Philippians 4:19  God will provide all your needs… Romans 10:13  Call on Jesus' Name and be Saved… 1 John 1:9  Confess your sins God Will Cleanse You…  John 3:3  You Must Be Born Again… Acts 10:34  God Is No Respecter Of Person… Luke 15:10  Heaven Rejoices Over One Person That Repents And Is Born Again… John 3:16  Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ Your Lord And Savior… 1 Peter 2:24  Healing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com YouVersion Bible App  https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

Without a theological and practical understanding of limits, we compromise our ability to love God, ourselves, and others over the long haul of our lives. Understanding the limits that are on our lives is a good thing and a deeply spiritual issue as well. It is true that some people need to become more aware of being lazy but for most people, we spend much of our time doing things beyond our limitations. God's limitations on our lives are a gift that protect us, keep us grounded and humble, and break our self-will. They are God's means of giving us direction, wisdom, and encounters with Himself “John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” -John 3:27 NLT- Ethos is a life-giving community committed to keeping Jesus at its Center. We are on a mission to love all people in Jesus' name so that we may all Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, & Make a Difference. EthosOH.com Small Groups: EthosOH.com/Community ServeColumbus.org

Many of can get caught up in the belief (explicitly or implicitly) that we are supposed to clean ourselves up before God can accept us.However, Romans 5:8 reminds us that "while we were still sinners Christ died for us." Also, when we read what Scripture says in regards to repentance, we know that we can't take any credit for it. Plus, we have no ability to clean ourselves up which is why God had come down in the first place. The healing and the fixing have to come from outside of us.Pastor Daniel Dickard puts it beautiful when he says:"The false gospel says: God will love you if you change. The true gospel says: God will change you because He loves you, so believe in Christ. The former makes you think that God's acceptance is based on meeting certain conditions. The latter affirms that God accepts you because of what Christ has done."Even repentance on it's own isn't a work you do, but rather a response to what God has done in you and for you. Repentance doesn't start with us. A person can only change their mind about God if God draws them near to Himself (John 6:44)Repentance isn't something we do to earn salvation, it's an indicator of true and right belief/faith in Jesus in regards to what's He done for our past sin. It is something that God gives and it is only possible because of His grace (Acts 5:31; 11:18). Simply put, no one can repent unless God grants repentance.Like Jonathan Edwards once said:"The only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary."As important as salvation is, it is not the goal of the Christian life; it is just the beginning. Salvation restores God's purpose into your life. Redemption returns you to the purpose for which God created you: to be a bearer of his image and an agent of his kingdom. He did not save you for your purposes; he saved you for his purposes.

Who is forcing their agenda on who?   The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 KJV   So many times, we have heard that Christians were trying to force the saving grace of Jesus Christ on them. And reality just trying to share the good news of the gospel. Jesus said many times throughout the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, “He who has ears, let him hear.” This is not just some generic statement for “hey, everybody listen up”, he is calling for people to take careful heed. Matthew 11:15 King James Version (KJV) He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Now we have leaders and the media and even some alleged religious leaders are forcing mandates on the American people, cancel culture, BLM, CRT, ANTIFA, Homosexuality it appears now that everywhere homosexually is being praised as mentioned in a football game about the openly gay player, but when an openly Christian player choose to honor Christ, he was criticized, now there is a gay batwoman, a bisexual superman, so many gay scenes in many tv shows. The Bible clearly and consistently declares that homosexual activity is a sin (Genesis 19:1–13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10).  Also, so many gay shows, look it up for yourself. They say this is groundbreaking, but a Christian show is trying to force religion on others wow. Then we have many that really think this nation was formed on secular ideas. Oh, by the way, I have family members that are gay: yes, I care for them I just do not agree with their lifestyle. You can not be born gay: In 1996, The Advocate, a gay and lesbian magazine, asked readers what they believed the potential impact would be to the advancement of gay and lesbian rights if a scientific discovery proves a biological basis for homosexuality.   About 61 percent of the magazine's readers asserted that such scientific research would advance the cause of gays and lesbians and lead to more positive attitudes toward homosexuality. For example, if one can be born gay, much as one can be born with brown eyes, then a fair society could not possibly condemn him as being unnatural or immoral.  To that end, gay activists and the liberal media have actively encouraged the idea that homosexuality is inherited and unchangeable, and researchers have diligently sought scientific evidence to back up that claim.  Unfortunately for the pro-homosexuality movement, the research on this subject has failed to establish any scientific evidence that shows a purely genetic basis for homosexuality.  In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, the sin of homosexuality is listed right next to theft. Just as there is no genetic excuse for stealing, there is no genetic excuse for homosexuality. Environment, culture, and choice make one a thief, and the same factors make one a homosexual. Then you will have those that will try to justify their gayness by saying God and Jesus loves everyone, yes this is true but that does not mean that they agree with one's lifestyle, think about when Jesus chased the thieves out of the temple. Matthew 21:12-13 King James Version 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Think about Sodom and Gomorrah: God was mercifully willing to spare the cities for the sake of a few righteous people, but none lived there. The Bible tells us all the inhabitants were depraved.   At the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, evil is all around us in today's society, from lying and stealing to pornography, drugs, illicit sex, and violence. God calls us to be holy people set apart, not influenced by our wicked culture. Sin always has consequences, and you should take sin and God's wrath seriously.  When examining what the Bible says about homosexuality, it is important to distinguish between homosexual behavior and homosexual inclinations or attractions. It is the difference between active sin and the passive condition of being tempted. Homosexual behavior is sinful, but the Bible never says it is a sin to be tempted. Simply stated, a struggle with temptation may lead to sin, but the struggle itself is not a sin. Romans 1:26–27 teaches that homosexuality is a result of denying and disobeying God. When people continue in sin and unbelief, God “gives them over” to even more wicked and depraved sin to show them the futility and hopelessness of life apart from God. One of the fruits of rebellion against God is homosexuality. First Corinthians 6:9 proclaims that those who practice homosexuality and therefore transgress God's created order, are not saved. A person may be born with a greater susceptibility to homosexuality, just as some people are born with a tendency to violence and other sins. That does not excuse the person's choosing to sin by giving in to sinful desires. Just because a person is born with a greater susceptibility to fits of rage, that doesn't make it right for him to give in to those desires and explode at every provocation. The same is true with a susceptibility to homosexuality. No matter our proclivities or attractions, we cannot continue to define ourselves by the very sins that crucified Jesus—and at the same time assume we are right with God. Paul lists many of the sins that the Corinthians once practiced (homosexuality is on the list). But in 1 Corinthians 6:11, he reminds them, “That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (emphasis added). In other words, some of the Corinthians, before they were saved, lived homosexual lifestyles; but no sin is too great for the cleansing power of Jesus. Once cleansed, we are no longer defined by sin. The problem with homosexual attraction is that it is an attraction to something God has forbidden, and any desire for something sinful ultimately has its roots in sin. The pervasive nature of sin causes us to see the world and our own actions through a warped perspective. Our thoughts, desires, and dispositions are all affected. So, homosexual attraction does not always result in active, willful sin—there may not be a conscious choice to sin—but it springs from the sinful nature. Same-sex attraction is always, on some basic level, an expression of the fallen nature. As sinful human beings living in a sinful world (Romans 3:23), we are beset with weaknesses, temptations, and inducements to sin. Our world is filled with lures and entrapments, including the enticement to practice homosexuality. The temptation to engage in homosexual behavior is very real to many. Those who struggle with homosexual attraction often report suffering through years of wishing things were different. People may not always be able to control how or what they feel, but they can control what they do with those feelings (1 Peter 1:5–8). We all have the responsibility to resist temptation (Ephesians 6:13). We must all be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We must all “walk by the Spirit” so as not to “gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Finally, the Bible does not describe homosexuality as a “greater” sin than any other. All sin is offensive to God. Without Christ, we are lost, whatever type of sin has entangled us. According to the Bible, God's forgiveness is available to the homosexual just as it is to the adulterer, idol worshiper, murderer, and thief. God promises the strength for victory over sin, including homosexuality, to all those who will believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 4:13). We all are called to repent: Many understand the term repentance to mean “a turning from sin.” Regretting sin and turning from it is related to repentance, but it is not the precise meaning of the word. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one's mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8–14; Acts 3:19). In summarizing his ministry, Paul declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The book of Acts especially focuses on repentance in regard to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to change your mind regarding sin and Jesus Christ. In Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what? Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their minds about that sin and to change their minds about Christ Himself, recognizing that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter is calling the people to change their minds, to abhor their past rejection of Christ, and to embrace faith in Him as both Messiah and Savior. Repentance involves recognizing that you have thought wrongly in the past and determining to think rightly in the future. The repentant person has “second thoughts” about the mindset he formerly embraced. There is a change of disposition and a new way of thinking about God, about sin, about holiness, and about doing God's will. True repentance is prompted by “godly sorrow,” and it “leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Repentance and faith can be understood as two sides of the same coin. It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about your sin and about who Jesus is and what He has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ. Repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44). Repentance is something God gives—it is only possible because of His grace (Acts 5:31; 11:18). No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God's longsuffering leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4). While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly change your mind without that causing a change in action. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented of his sin and exercised faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19–23; James 2:14–26). To see what repentance looks like in real life, all we need to do is turn to the story of Zacchaeus. Here was a man who cheated and stole and lived lavishly on his ill-gotten gains—until he met Jesus. At that point he had a radical change of mind: “Look, Lord!” said Zacchaeus. “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). Jesus happily proclaimed that salvation had come to Zacchaeus's house, and that even the tax collector was now “a son of Abraham” (verse 9)—a reference to Zacchaeus's faith. The cheat became a philanthropist; the thief made restitution. That's repentance, coupled with faith in Christ. Repentance, properly defined, is necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about your sin—no longer is sin something to toy with; it is something to be forsaken as we “flee from the coming wrath” (Matthew 3:7). It is also changing your mind about Jesus Christ—no longer is He to be mocked, discounted, or ignored; He is the Savior to be clung to; He is the Lord to be worshiped and adored.   RESOURCES: Got Questions website-Sermon Central website Beware World                             Floodgate Productions       Repent And Believe Video Illustration Produced by Twelve:thirty Media God First Video Illustration Produced by Twelve:thirty Media 

So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord's life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father's will— “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19). --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

*LIVING SEEDS DEVOTIONALS* (Life Transforming Words) Day:172|Monday|June 21st| 21 ************************************* *WHO IS THIS SON OF MAN* _The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever_ : and how sayest thou, _The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man_ ? John 12:34(KJV). A crowd of people was speaking with Jesus in Jerusalem, not long before Passover (John 12:20–22). In this conversation, Jesus has mentioned His impending death, and received a response from heaven, in the form of audible words (John 12:23–28). Some in the crowd dismissed this as thunder, while others ascribed it to an angel (John 12:29). *_Jesus pointed out that these signs were meant for the people as proof they needed to respond_* (John 12:30–31). All people are faced with a certain level of evidence for God (Romans 1:18–20), and the crucifixion of Christ represents the ultimate call that people must either accept or deny (John 12:32–33). Old Testament prophecy looked forward to the Messiah. However, that perspective didn't include a clear separation of time between events. Most people in this crowd expect the Messiah will come and immediately establish a permanent rule on earth. *The question being asked here implies that Jesus words are not falling on completely deaf ears* . Being lifted up, to some, might suggest ascending to heaven, while others might understand the veiled reference to crucifixion. Either way, this implies that Jesus will not be on earth forever. Earlier, Jesus used the title Son of Man for Himself (John 12:23). This is part of the people's confusion, so they ask Jesus to clarify what He means. There is no doubt that He has claimed that phrase, but the people don't understand how that connects to being lifted up. In a sense, they're asking if Jesus means Son of Man in a different way than He's been using it. His answer will flow from prior comments that there's a clear choice between belief and disbelief, and a person's time to make that decision is limited (John 12:35–36). None believing Israel expected a triumphant Messiah, so they questioned whether Jesus could be the Messiah. Daniel 7:13-14 said that the Son of Man would establish an eternal kingdom. It was difficult for these Jews to reconciled conquering Messiah with a dying one. It is important to approach the Bible without biase. Nonbelievers reject Christ because of their biases. These prejudices are of greater value and importance to them than what God has to say explicitly in His Word. *SHALL WE PRAY* :Father in the name of Jesus Christ, I operate in the dynamic faith. *THE BIBLE THROUGH* Job 25-29 *MEDITATION* John 4:1-10 *SURE PROPHECY* . I decree you will operate by divine knowledge and succeed in Jesus name. ©Thomas Adegbile, Senior Pastor, Revealed Life Christian centre. 08035868741

Covered in this episode:*Rebroadcast from 11/11/19 – The Gospel & Prayer / Matt 5,6,& 7 The Essence of the Gospel of Christ / Humbling One's Self / Matt 5:4 / John 5:19 “…the Son can do nothing of Himself…” / John 7:8 “…My time has not yet fully come.” / We are Called to Live in […]

So It's Come Down to This - Luke 24:1-12 I. He Told Them It Would Happen - John 2:19 - Matthew 16:21 - Matthew 17:22-23 - Mark 8:31 - Luke 24:7 II. The Early Morning Visit III. The Revealing of Himself - John 20:19-29 IV. His Proclamation - Revelation 1:4 - Revelation 1:18

Easter 2021 Part 2: Jesus' Final Prayers “Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said: Father, it's time. Display the bright splendour of your Son So the Son in turn may show your bright splendour. You put him in charge of everything human so he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, the one and only true God, And Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendour, the very splendour I had in your presence before there was a world. (John 17:1-5) Yesterday we learnt about Jesus’ final teaching – teaching his disciples about the Kingdom and his going back to the Father via the cross. Now, Jesus quite rightly now turns to prayer. Let’s look together at what Jesus prays, recorded for us in John 17. This prayer is probably the pinnacle of revelation in John’s gospel. Here we see Jesus’ very words, revealing an unparalleled intimacy with His Father. 1. Jesus prays for Himself (John 17:1-5) 2. Jesus prays for His disciples (John 17:6-19) 3. Jesus prays for all Disciples to come (John 17:20-26) This scene, as portrayed by John, shows the importance of prayer and how when doing anything for the glory of God, it must be covered in prayer. If the world sees Christian Disciples loving others sacrificially, then unity is seen and it is an effective witness to the reality of reconciliation with God, and a vibrant living relationship with Him. It is also imperative that prayer covers all the work of the church and the Christian – prayer is the foundation and the backbone, just as prayer was the strengthener for Jesus as He faced the cross. Without praying so earnestly that he sweated drops of blood, do you think He could have maintained the cross and its supreme significance for humanity? Come! Download and listen to the podcast to find out more regarding Jesus' Final Prayers. Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file ~ You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

“You Comforted Me” (Isa. 12:1–6)Isaiah 12 is a short psalm (song) of praise to God for His mercifuland powerful comfort. The psalm, put in the mouth of a member ofthe restored remnant, compares the promised deliverance to that of theHebrews in the Exodus from Egypt (see Isa. 11:16); it is like the songof Moses and the Israelites when they were saved from Pharaoh’s armyat the Red Sea (see Exodus 15).Compare this song in Isaiah 12 to Revelation 15:2–4, the song ofMoses and of the Lamb. What are they both praising God for?_____________________________________________________Isaiah 12:2 comes close to identifying the coming Deliverer as Jesus. Itsays that “God is my salvation” and “he has become my salvation” (NRSV).The name Jesus means “The Lord is Salvation” (compare Matt. 1:21).What is the significance of the idea, contained in the name of Jesus,that the Lord is salvation?_____________________________________________________Not only does the Lord bestow salvation (Isa. 12:2) but He Himselfalso is salvation. The Presence of the Holy One of Israel in our midst(Isa. 12:6) is everything to us. God is with us! Not only did Jesus domiracles but He also “became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14,NRSV, emphasis supplied). Not only did He bear our sins on the cross,but He also became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Not only does He makepeace, but He also is our peace (Eph. 2:14).No wonder “the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples”(Isa. 11:10, NRSV). When He is lifted up on the cross, He draws allpeople to Himself (John 12:32, 33)! A remnant shall return to the“mighty God” (Isa. 10:21, NRSV), who is the Child born for us, the“Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6)!Dwell more on this idea that Jesus is our salvation. Read Romans3:24. It says that redemption is in Jesus; redemption is somethingthat happened in Him, and it is through God’s grace and mercythat we can have an eternal share in that redemption, as well. Inother words, that redemption that was in Him can become oursby faith, and not by works, because no works we do are goodenough to redeem us. Only the works that Christ did, which Hecredits to us by faith, can bring redemption. How does this truthgive you hope and assurance of salvation, especially when you feeloverwhelmed by your own sense of unworthiness?

Jesus says that eternal life is having relationship and intimacy with Himself (John 17:3). In this study, Nathan Johnson talks about intimacy and knowing God relationally … and does so by talking about one of his favorite words in the Bible. NOTE: Only part one of this four-part series is released in and through our Daily Thunder Podcast, watch or download the other three parts at http://ellerslie.com/daily (ellerslie.com/daily).   Support this podcast

What does Paul mean when he told the Thessalonians that the dead in Christ will rise first and we wo are aline and remain shall meet the Lord in the air? Is this the Rapture? Answers From Scripture is your podcast where we will take questions and together search the Bible for answers. Eddie Armstrong and Charlie Hays team up for this continuing Podcast. Our topic in this series is what the old and new testaments says about the commandments and the Law of Liberty. In this episode, we discuss Jesus reassurance that He will receive us unto Himself (John 14, Rev 21). We are grateful for our expanding listeners in Ireland, the UK, Germany, India, Zimbabwe, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Jamaica, Zambia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Turkey, Botswana, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Uganda, Mauritius, Australia, Austria, South Africa, South Korea, Suriname, Republic of Moldova France, Canada, New Zealand, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Finland, Denmark, Papua New Guinea, United Arab Emirates, Bahama, Georgia, Colombia, Solomon Islands, and Israel, as well as, across of the United States and Puerto Rico We hope that these episodes continue to be a blessing. Share the Answers From Scripture podcast with a friend. For more information go to: http://www.answersfromscriptureonline.com "What the Rapture is Not" - http://www.answersfromscriptureonline.com/2020/03/22/what-the-rapture-is-not-2/ For in-depth personal bible study go to our Discovery Bile Page at: https://bibleschools.com/1514 Let us hear from you and send us the topics you would like us to dig into at AFSepisodes@gmail.com. You can also join our Daniel and Revelation Series on YouTube https://youtube.com/channel/UCGIlixU8JjnnXuUsF2Kn4fA #AnswersFromScripture #Bible #Christian #Rapture #SecondComing --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/charlie961/message

     The coming of Messiah into the world is a prophesied event in the both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament revealed Messiah would come, both as a Suffering Servant (Psa 22:6, 12-18; Isa 50:6-7; 53:1-12; Dan 9:26; Zec 13:7), and as a reigning descendant of David, who will establish an earthly kingdom in Israel (2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:3-4, 34-37; Isa 9:6-7; 11:1-5; Jer 23:5; Dan 2:44; 7:13-14). Jesus is the promised Messiah (Matt 1:1, 16; Luke 1:31-33; John 1:41-42). At His incarnation—nearly two thousand years ago—God the Son added humanity to Himself (John 1:1, 14), walked among men and lived a righteous life, free from sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 John 3:5). At His first coming, Jesus repeatedly offered the earthly Davidic kingdom to Israel (Matt 4:17, 23; 9:35; 10:7), but His offer was rejected by the Jewish leadership and people (Matt 11:20; 12:14; 27:22-23; John 19:13-16), so the kingdom was postponed for a future time (Matt 21:43; cf. Matt 19:28; 25:31; Luke 22:28-30; Acts 1:3-6; Rev 20:4-6).      As the Suffering Servant, Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins (John 3:16; Rom 5:6-8; 1 Pet 3:18), was buried, and raised again on the third day (Matt 16:21; 17:22-23; Luke 24:6-7; Acts 10:38-41; 1 Cor 15:3-4). After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to numerous persons over a period of forty days, namely, Mary Magdalene and other women (Matt 28:1-10; John 20:10-18), two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), the disciples without Thomas (John 20:19-25), the disciples with Thomas (John 20:26-29), the disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-23), Peter, James, and more than 500 brethren at one time (1 Cor 15:5-7), and lastly, to the disciples at the Mount of Olives, before He ascended bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9-12).      The Second Coming is distinguished from the rapture of the church when Christ takes all Christians to heaven (John 14:1-3). The rapture of the church occurs just prior to the seven-year Tribulation. We are informed “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th 4:16-17). After the rapture of the church, there will be a period of tribulation that will last seven years (Dan 9:24-27; Matt 24:9, 21; Rev 7:14). The Second Coming will happen after seven-year tribulation. The Gospel of Matthew records the words of Jesus concerning His coming in vivid detail (Matt 24:27-30). The apostle John recorded the Second Coming of Christ in the book of Revelation. And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war [as righteous Judge, Jesus declares guilt, and as Warrior, He executes punishment]. 12 And His eyes are a flame of fire [signifying purity and anger], and upon His head are many diadems [διάδημα diadema – a king’s crown]; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood [“dipped in blood” = signifying previous battle experience, i.e. the Flood, Sodom, Egypt, etc.]; and His name is called The Word of God [cf. John 1:1, 14]. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses [same as those described in vs. 8 = believers]. 15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword [symbolizing the spoken word of God], so that with it He may smite the nations [God is militant; cf. Ex. 14:30-31; 15:3; Ps. 24:8]; and He will rule them with a rod of iron [Ps. 2:9]; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty [Isa. 63:1-6]. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God [“great supper of God” = a time when God consumes His enemies]; 18 in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast [Antichrist] and the kings of the earth [world rulers] and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army [cf. Rev. 16:12-14]. 20 And the beast was seized [Antichrist], and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone [these are the first two persons cast into the lake of fire = eternal punishment]. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword [the spoken word] which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse [the Living Word], and all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Rev 19:11-21)      After the tribulation, “when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne” (Matt 25:31). At that time Jesus will judge the nations of the world (Matt 25:32-46), “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Th 1:8). And what will their punishment look like? Paul wrote, “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed” (2 Th 1:9-10).

WHAT CAN SEPARATE US God’s love created us and God’s love has joined us to Himself (John 3:16). But what is our experience of God’s love? Our experience will be one of being joined to God and his love or one of being separated from his love and even from God himself. We are going to look at why so many people feel separated from the love of God, and what the Bible says about the experience of being joined to God and his love.Romans 8:35 What can ever separate us from the love of Christ? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow— No power in the sky above or in the earth below can separate us from God’s love—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. ‘no power in the sky above or in the earth below’. God does not withdraw his loving, but we can withdraw our receiving of his love. What power causes this, when we just read that no power can separate us? The only power that can do this is the one that lies within us as it did in Adam, to separate ourselves, as we shall see. We are provoked in this by the power of our own desires, and by the power of darkness that seeks to blind our minds, or the bitterness of adversity that makes us feel uncared for. And that lies within us in our mind and heart, either by way of turning away from his love or by not having any inner basis for believing in his love. Personal turning awayThere is an Old Testament Scripture that speaks of God talking to his people about separating themselves through deliberate turning away.Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from God; And your sins have hidden His face from you.This separation was not from God’s point of view, but from theirs. His face is hidden from them only because they were pursuing their own desires and not God’s. The word iniquity means lawlessness – being a law unto one’s self. It is our face that turns away and we go where our face turns to (have you ever noticed that?)  It is being separated from letting the activity of God’s love flow in their life.  Personal ignorance There is also the warning of separation through not knowing, not seeing and not hearing in the New Testament for us today.Ephesians 4:17 don’t live like the Gentiles (ungodly unbelieving world) –who live in the futility of their minds, having their understanding darkened (not knowing), being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them (not hearing), because of the blindness of their heart (not seeing).People who have no idea cannot receive God’s life and love. They are not separated from God (from God’s point of view,) but they are alienated from his life as an experience of being joined to him (that is sad). Their experience is separation from God. Mark 4:12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.(The invisible gorilla and the wrong point of view having persuaded them to look for the wrong thing)) Personal disgruntlementMagnifying negative circumstances – separation virus – just as widespread as the Corona virus - highly contagious – but it’s caught through negative talk and negative example. However there is a vaccine called being renewed in the spirit of the mind (repentance) and receiving faith.Separation from the life of God is a mindset that was sown into the minds of Adam and Eve and into all of humanity. This causes us to magnify the negative or difficult things in our circumstances and get bitter and disillusioned and stop trusting God, which blocks us off from the consolation of God’s love and encouragement to stay the course in difficult times. We are living in a time of global distress and affliction and disappointment, and a lot of bitterness. The whole world sees chaos and disorder and confusion and uncertainty everywhere at this time – but the Scripture says; Hebrews 2:8 … You have put all things in subjection under his feet… but at the present time, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him - but we see Jesus… (the invisible gorilla) When we see Jesus with eyes of faith in the midst of all that is happening we are not separated from God’s love but are more single-mindedly joined to God, who is with us and loves us, and we see God in all that happens – we see all things working together for good and God reordering our lives and helping us to let go of the unnecessary and focus on the necessary etc. This is God’s big work in the earth today (Isaiah 28:21). This is the time to have a single mind and to focus with a single eye of faith and see the supernatural work of God bringing order out of chaos and joining people to himself through his love. We see victory instead of defeat, hope instead of despair, faith instead of fear. Nothing is separating us from his love. We are joined and not separated.1Corinthians 6:7…He that is joined to the Lord is ONE SPIRIT.We are able to see through all of this disorder and uncertainty and say we are well able to overcome. Joshua and Caleb saw the challenge of the giants that had to be defeated for them to be able to enter into the Promised Land and said ‘We are well able to overcome’.  A little while after Israel finally entered the land after their forty year journey in the wilderness Joshua blesses Caleb – we made it Caleb! and invites him to have a say – A big shout out for Caleb… this is what Caleb said;Joshua 14:6 The people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb spoke: "You'll remember what God said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me back at Kadesh Barnea. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of God sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. And I brought back an honest and accurate report at Hebron with the huge branch full of grapes so big that it needed the two of us to carry it. the other spies discouraged the people, but I stayed the course, totally with God, my God. That was the day that Moses solemnly promised, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance, you and your children's, forever. Yes, you have lived totally for God.' Now look at me: God has kept me alive, as he promised. It is now forty- five years since God spoke this word to Moses, years in which Israel wandered in the wilderness. And here I am today, eighty- five years old! I'm as strong as I was the day Moses sent me out. I'm as strong as ever in battle. So give me this mountain that God promised me. You yourself heard the report of what I said that day, when the Anakim giants were there with their great fortress cities –‘ We are well able to overcome’ - If God goes with me, I will drive them out, just as God said. "Joshua blessed him and he gave Hebron to Caleb as an inheritance. Hebron was the city where Joshua and Caleb brought back the grapes and the good report. The word Hebron means joined together – the opposite to the word badal – which means separation . Hebron was the place of David’s royal residence where he was anointed king and began that royal line that joined  Jesus to his Kingly Heritage. Hebron was the home of Abraham where the three angels appeared to he and Sarah and announced his inheritance of becoming the father of many nations, joining God to his people Israel. God wants to give us our Hebron in these times of challenge – Nothing can separate us and like Caleb, we are well able to overcome. In these days of pandemic the whole world is grieving the loss of so many elderly people and there is much care and compassion felt for them because of their vulnerability. It is a good thing that a younger generation feels this empathy and gives honour to their elders. But there is another side to this picture, and the eighty five year old Caleb is the message of hope and endurance, and fortitude and faith to all generations that follow on behind. I see daily in the eyes of many of my venerable (and often vulnerable) brothers and sisters the same message, the same report that Caleb gave of ‘Give me this mountain’. Yes there are giants in the Land but I have seen an inner strength in these people, won through faithfulness and patience and perseverance, and a wisdom that has aged like an oak tree. They remain as a shelter and a source of strength and loving comfort to the many younger people in their world, that they safeguard in their prayers and in their peaceful presence. This current Caleb generation is a is a sign board in these days that announces victory and not defeat. It is a testimony of God’s faithfulness.

The word “convict” can mean “to cast judgment as to guilt” or it can mean “to convince” (i.e., people in prison are called convicts, but beliefs we hold dear to use are often called CONVICTION). Which one does God do to us— because we read the the Holy Spirit convicts us…? Does He do the kind that is punitive? Or does He do the convincing kind…? My thoughts = You're not being punished… When things are going quite as you planned, it's easy to think there's some cosmic judge behind the scenes, seeking to “mess up” stuff on your behalf and “give you what you deserve.” (Especially in the area of RELATIONSHIPS & MONEY!) Maybe you've even done the negative self-talk about that kinda thing… “I'm so ________________________ [insert the negative phrase of your choice here].” Been there, done it, have the t-shirt. Let me offer you this perspective… The voice inside of you (some people call it the Holy Spirit) isn't here to convince you that you are bad, evil, janked-up, etc… In fact, there's one who IS called the accuser… On the other hand, the Spirit convinces- ahh, let's just say it, convicts- you that you are righteous. Not wrong. But righteous. Here's where I get that:

The Person and Attributes of God        Learning about God and His character helps us understand the fundamental nature of reality. Scripture reveals God is the absolute standard for what is right. Apart from God and His Word, we have no absolute standard for right and wrong and are left with arbitrary laws based on manufactured or borrowed values. Atheism is the predominate belief system that stands in opposition to God. Atheism is the belief there is no God. For the atheist, mankind is nothing more than a molecular accident in a material universe where everything is the product of matter, motion, time and chance. For the atheist, there is no rational reason for a person to exist and no given purpose for his life. His thoughts, feelings, morals and actions are simply electrochemical impulses that occur in the body and brain, and when a person dies, those impulses cease. Right and wrong as well as good and evil become arbitrary. Without God and Scripture to guide and give man purpose, man’s uniqueness is lost in the universe, as he is ultimately of no greater value than what he paints on the canvass or studies under the microscope. Biblical thinkers know this to be true; because if there is no God and man is not unique (as the Bible teaches), then he is of no greater value than the tree, the rock, or the worm on a hook.  If there is no God, then man is a zero. When he dies, his biological life is consumed by the material universe from which he came. Consider this view of death by the atheist John Updike: "Without warning, David was visited by an exact vision of death: a long hole in the ground, no wider than your body, down which you were drawn while the white faces above recede. You try to reach them but your arms are pinned. Shovels pour dirt in your face. There you will be forever, in an upright position, blind and silent, and in time no one will remember you, and you will never be called by any angel. As strata of rock shift, your fingers elongate, and your teeth are distended sideways in a great underground grimace indistinguishable from a strip of chalk. And the earth tumbles on, and the sun expires, an unaltering darkness reigns where once there were stars."[1]      Most who hold to atheism desire to operate independently of any authority outside of themselves, especially God’s authority set forth in Scripture. These assign no serious thought of God to their discussions, plans, or projects, but seek to use His resources independently of His wishes. But these same persons become trapped in their own system when their individual sense of good and evil, right and wrong, clashes with another person who holds to opposing moral standards. Having rejected God and moral absolutes, they have no objective final standard by which to measure values and behavior, to declare anything good or bad. These can go about their daily affairs as long as the pressures of life are not too great; however, if they’re ever confronted with vicious evil that disrupts their lives, they’ll naturally seek a mechanism to control it, lest it destroy them (I’m speaking about the atheist who desires law and order rather than anarchy and chaos). If they continue to reject God, they’ll likely turn to a totalitarian government they hope is strong enough to deal with the depravity of reckless people; but in so doing, they’ll trade freedom and prosperity for slavery and the illusion of equality. A society that acknowledges God and operates in accordance with His moral laws will tend to produce a virtuous people that can enjoy freedom and prosperity; but this must start with God.   God Exists as Trinity        Scripture opens with the statement, “In the beginning God” (Gen 1:1a). The Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God, but simply acknowledges His being. Those who are positive to divine truth accept this statement. Furthermore, the Bible reveals God exists as a Trinity (or Triunity). In the Bible we learn that there is one God (Deut 6:4), who exists as three Persons (Gen 1:26; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2). All three members of the Godhead are co-equal, co-infinite, and co-eternal, possessing the same nature and attributes (Deut 6:4; Isa 44:6-8; John 10:30; 14:9).[2] The Trinity consists of God the Father (Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11), God the Son (Isa 7:14; 9:6; John 1:1, 8:58; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:11-12; 2 Cor 13:14). The Bible reveals God has specific attributes that describe who He is and explain why He thinks and acts in certain ways. What we know of God’s attributes comes to us only by divine revelation, and these attributes belong to all the members of the Trinity, who are worthy of all praise and service. "The various perfections of God are not component parts of God. Each describes His total being. Love, for example, is not a part of God’s nature; God in His total being is love. Although God may display one quality or another at a given time, no quality is independent of or preeminent over any of the others. Whenever God displays His wrath, He is still love. When He shows His love, He does not abandon His holiness. God is more than the sum total of His perfections. When we have listed all the attributes we can glean from revelation, we have not fully described God. This stems from His incomprehensibility. Even if we could say we had a complete list of all God’s perfections, we could not fathom their meaning, for finite man cannot comprehend the infinite God."[3]      When studying the attributes of God, the student of Scripture should never seek to understand them separately from God, as though an attribute of God may exist apart from Him. More so, the attributes of God are as infinite as God Himself, and to try to understand them fully is not within the scope of our ability. A detailed understanding of God’s attributes prevents the believer from developing an incomplete or faulty view of God, in which he/she sees Him only in part. For example, a solitary view of God as righteous can lead a Christian to legalistic behavior, whereas a singular understanding of God as loving or gracious can lead to licentiousness. A thorough biblical understanding of God will prove healthy for the Christian who seeks to reflect His character. The biblical revelation of God has practical application for the growing Christian, for as the believer advances in spiritual maturity, he/she will take on the characteristics of God, though only a few of those characteristics may be visible to others at any given moment, depending on the situation. The major attributes of God as revealed in Scripture are as follows: Living – God is living and is the source of all life. He is personal, thoughtful, emotive, volitional and active. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psa 42:2a). “My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God” (Psa 84:2). “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10a). “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (Matt 16:16). Self-Existent (aseity) – God’s existence depends on nothing outside of Himself. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’” (Exo 3:14a). John writes “In Him was life” (John 1:4), and He “has life in Himself” (John 5:26). Holy– God is positively righteous and separate from all that is sinful. “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:44a). “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy hill, for holy is the LORD our God” (Psa 99:9). Spirit – The nature of God’s being is spirit, not material. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). Sovereign– God acts freely as He pleases, always as He pleases, and only as He pleases. “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Psa 115:3). “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Dan 4:35; cf. Isa 46:9-11; Acts 17:24-28). Immutable– God’s essential nature does not change. “Even they will perish, but You endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.” (Psa 102:26-27). “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Mal 3:6). Eternal– God has always existed, does exist, and forever will exist. “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut 33:27). “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever” (1 Tim 1:17). Infinite – God exists in space, but is also beyond space, infinite in being. ‘“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!” (1 Ki 8:27). “Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? declares the LORD” (Jer 23:24). All-knowing– God knows all things, being infinite in knowledge. “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all” (Psa 139:1-4). “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt 6:31-33) All-present– God is equally and fully everywhere present. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.” (Psa 139:7-10).‘“Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ declares the LORD.” (Jer 23:24) All-powerful– God is able to accomplish all He desires. “Then Job answered the LORD and said, ‘I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted’” (Job 42:2). “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.” (Isa 40:28). Righteous– God’s righteousness is that intrinsic moral perfection, from which He commands all things in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. “For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face” (Psa 11:7). “Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments” (Psa 119:137). Just– God’s justice is the outworking of His righteousness in which He justifies or condemns, blesses or curses, that which does or does not conform to His character. “The LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, and He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity” (Psa 9:7-8). “The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether” (Psa 19:9b). True – God is genuine, in contrast to false idols. “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10a). “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (Joh 17:3). Truthful – God is truthful. His knowledge and declarations define reality and help us make sense of what is. “Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant” (2 Sam 7:28). “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (Joh 17:17). Loving– God desires our best, and He gives for our benefit. “The LORD appeared to him [Israel] from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness’” (Jer 31:3). “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). Good – The Lord is good and He is the ultimate source of all that is good. “The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Psa 145:9). “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him” (Nah 1:7). “For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations” (Psa 100:5). “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jam 1:17). Faithful– God is reliable in all He says and does, always keeping His word. “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deut 7:9). “This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lam 3:21-23). Merciful – God is compassionate and kind toward others. “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth” (Psa 86:15). “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). Gracious– God treats us better than we deserve. “He has made His wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate” (Psa 111:4). “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate.” (Psa 116:5).   [1] John Updike, Pigeon Feathers (New York, NY, Random House Publishers, 1975), 17. [2] The use of the Hebrew numeral אֶחָד echad reveals, in some contexts, the idea of a complex one (cf. Gen 2:24; Ezra 3:1; Ezek 37:17). [3] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 39–40.

John 21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.   The Purpose of chapter 21 The Conclusion Or Epilogue This Chapter is here for 5 reasons: Helps us understand Peters prominent position in the church How are we to relate to the risen Christ Give us a Balance between Nurturing the saved and winning the lost Refutes the false rumor that Jesus coming back before John died Clear expression of how to love Christ. If you love me keep my commandments We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord.  The disciples have learned how to cooperate with one another and how to obey Jesus. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! There are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish. The expression, "By hook or by crook," originated from the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John. A hook is the symbol of a fisherman, while a crook is the symbol of a shepherd. Here then in this chapter are symbolized the two ministries of the church: fishing and shepherding. That is how the work of God goes forward. Chapter 21 contains instruction for those who have come to faith in Him and explains how they are to serve Him as they carry out their mission (20:21-23). Many of the prominent themes in the rest of the Gospel recur here. "Some critics have argued that this chapter is anticlimactic after the great conclusion in chapter 20, and therefore was written by another (anonymous) writer. But the language evidence does not support this notion. In addition, other great books of Scripture have appendixes after reaching a grand climax (cf. e.g., Rom. 16 following Rom. 15:33). Thus John 21 is neither without value nor out of harmony with other Bible books." The structure of this chapter is similar to the rest of the Gospel. John first narrated an event (vv. 1-14) and then related Jesus' teaching based on that event (vv. 15-23). Finally he concluded his Gospel (vv. 24-25). In many ways, “frustrating” also describes what it must have been like for the disciples during that 40-day interval between Jesus' resurrection and His ascension. With few exceptions, the disciples had spent three wonderful years with Jesus. They traveled together, ate together, camped out at night together, and shared a common purse. Their private, relaxing times together were exceedingly few and far between, but at least they were continually in close contact during the time of our Lord's earthly ministry. The last few hours our Lord spent with His disciples before His arrest were private and uninterrupted. After the horror of our Lord's arrest, trials, and crucifixion, it would be tempting to think of this 40-day interval as a time of wonderful fellowship for our Lord and His disciples, but this was not really the case. For one thing, the disciples expected Jesus to immediately commence His kingdom, but it quickly became evident that this wasn't happening. For another thing, the disciples were not really seeing a great deal of their Lord. After Jesus appeared to them, and they were convinced that He was alive, they were filled with joy. But if the disciples were thinking they would now be spending a lot of time with Jesus once again, they were wrong. Things had changed. This change was first indicated to Mary by our Lord, when He appeared to her after His resurrection: John 20:16-17 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'” (NIV). Jesus informs Mary that things are no longer going to be as they once were. Jesus was not going to be with His disciples on earth much longer, but was returning to His Father, as He had indicated earlier. He promised that after His ascension, He would dwell among them, and in them, through the Holy Spirit, but at the time they had no idea what He meant. And so the disciples found themselves relating to Jesus in an entirely different way during this 40-day period of time. They were formerly with Him day and night. Now, they only saw Him from time to time. Eight days passed from the time Jesus first appeared to His disciples (John 20:19-23) to the time of His second appearance (John 20:26). He appeared to them only a handful of times in those 40 days (see 1 Corinthians 15:5-7). He came and went in such a way that they never knew when to expect Him. And He did not always look exactly the way He once did—there was something different about Him, which sometimes caused them to wonder whether or not it was really Him (see Mark 16:12; Luke 24:16, 31; John 21:12). I'm sure the disciples wished for the “good old days,” when they enjoyed much more intimate fellowship with Him. Jesus, however, was “weaning” them from those days, because He would no longer dwell among them as He once had. He was soon to ascend into heaven to be with His Father. There were other things that made this time difficult. These were perilous days. The tomb of Jesus had been sealed and was under Roman guard, by order of Pilate. When Jesus was raised from the dead, the Jews and the Roman soldiers agreed on a cover-up. They sought to explain the resurrection and the empty tomb by circulating the story that Jesus' disciples had stolen His body. This would have been a serious crime. The disciples could have been the targets of a manhunt. No wonder they were hiding out in a locked room when Jesus came to them (John 20:19, 26). In addition to this, there was really very little the disciples could do during these 40 frustrating days. They were told to wait until they were given power from on high. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, because Pentecost was still a few days away. These men were not yet transformed, nor were they supernaturally empowered to heal the sick, raise the dead, or proclaim the gospel. The kingdom was on hold, there was little for them to do, and Jesus was seldom seen or heard from. It was not an easy time for the disciples at all. I can imagine that Peter could have gone home, only to find Mrs. Peter standing in the doorway, with her hands on her hips. “Peter,” she might have said sharply, “we've got bills to pay and mouths to feed. When are you going back to work? How long are you going to wait around, wondering what to do with yourself?” All of the disciples must have been thinking similar thoughts. They had families to support. They had to do something. They couldn't just wait around … Why would we be surprised that it was Peter who decided to do something? Why would we find it unusual for Peter to speak out? This is precisely where the final chapter of John's Gospel takes up. Command - vs 1-6- Manifested or Revealed Himself to the Seven Disciples 1 ¶ After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: John recorded still another post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to His disciples. It undoubtedly occurred during the 32-day period between Thomas' confession (20:28) and Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:9). Same as the sea of Galilee.  Called different names depending on where they are, Emperor Tiberius officially named it that. Evidently most of his original readers would have known it by this Roman name. They were to learn something new about Him from this revelation.  2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Mt 4:21; Joh 1:45 The exact number may be another detail designed to add credibility to the account,  or  John  may  have  been  hinting  that  a  complete  number  of disciples was present. Seven was a number that symbolized completeness to the Jews (cf. Gen. 2:2-3; et al.). He may have been implying that the lesson that Jesus taught here was applicable to the full complement of disciples. Book starts with 6 disciples and ends with 7? Anything to do with the completeness now of the work being done? Peter is always named first His name expresses the grace of God, He was impetuous, vacillating, moody, sees us as who we can be Thomas called the Twin Nathanael of Cana in Galilee The sons of Zebedee – James and John and two others of His disciples - Probably Andrew and Phillip  3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Some expositors have interpreted Peter's words as a renunciation of his calling as Jesus' disciple. They believe he meant that he intended to return to his former occupation as a fisherman permanently. However there is no basis for this conclusion in the text. Indeed when Peter learned that Jesus was standing on the shore he jumped into the water to get to Jesus as quickly as he could (v. 7). Mt 26:32 "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Mt 28:7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."  Mt 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."  Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. Mr. 16:7 "But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." For the third time in John's Gospel, our Lord appears to His disciples. This time He reveals Himself to seven of His disciples as they are fishing on the Sea of Tiberias — the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1). Most of these men were fishermen by trade. When Peter informed them that he was going fishing, they knew he was not planning to go out and do a little fly fishing on the Sea of Galilee, hoping to catch a fish or two. They understood that Peter was going back to work as a fisherman. They all must have had financial obligations they needed to meet. In addition, they needed to eat. And so those who were with Peter agreed to go fishing with him. There seemed to be nothing better to do. I do not find this decision to go fishing something unbefitting for a disciple. It was better for them to be doing something productive than nothing at all. The first miraculous catch of fish came fairly early in the ministry of our Lord. Jesus was teaching beside the Sea of Galilee, and the crowds were pressing in on Him. There were at least two boats pulled up on shore nearby. One belonged to Peter and his brother Andrew, the other to James and John (and apparently their father—see Luke 5:2-11). These men had been out fishing all night, unsuccessfully, and were now washing their nets. Jesus got into Simon Peter's boat and asked him push out from shore, so that He could use the boat as His speaker's platform. When Jesus finished teaching, He told Peter to launch out into deeper waters and to lower the nets for a catch. Peter gently protested, informing Jesus that they had just spent the entire night fishing, without success. Nevertheless, Peter did as his Master instructed. As the nets were drawn in, it was evident that they had a huge catch of fish, so large that the nets were beginning to tear. Peter and his brother gestured to their partners, James and John, who came alongside with their boat. They filled both boats so full with the fish that they began to sink. Peter fell at Jesus' knees (they were still in the boat) and said, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” (Luke 5:8). Jesus comforted the men with these words, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (5:9). It would seem that from this point in time, they ceased fishing for their livelihood and followed Jesus wherever He went. In John 21, we read of a very similar miraculous catch of fish. It is my opinion that it took place at virtually the same place, with the same boats, and most of the same fishermen. You will recall that before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that He would go ahead of them to Galilee (Matthew 28:7; Mark 14:28). Then, after His resurrection, Jesus instructed His disciples to meet Him in Galilee (Matthew 28:10; Mark 16:7). The disciples who have gone fishing with Peter may very well be in Galilee because they have done what Jesus instructed them to do—go to Galilee, where He will meet them. This took them out of Jerusalem and Judea, the source of the strongest Jewish opposition. Like most of the disciples, Peter was a Galilean. These were his old “stomping grounds.” If they had been waiting for some time, Peter might well have concluded that they may as well occupy themselves by doing something profitable. And so he announced to his colleagues that he was going fishing.  4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Joh 20:14 Likewise the breaking of this new day is perhaps symbolic of the new era that was opening up for them as Jesus' disciples, though they did not realize that yet. Jesus' instruction would change the course of their lives forever.  5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." Lu 24:41 Much of the fishing in the Sea of Galilee was done at night in those days as it is yet today. Fishermen used torches to attract the fish to the boat and then netted them. But although they were expert fishermen, the disciples had labored throughout the night and had caught nothing. That must have been a rather unusual experience for them. Yet as this account makes clear, it was the Lord's intention that they catch nothing on this occasion. Now the question that Jesus asked is a number of observations. First it's framed expecting a negative answer. What the expected answer? "Well of course not," And that's exactly the way Jesus has framed the question. "Haven't you caught any fish?" "You haven't caught any fish, have you?" That would be the English equivalent. "You haven't done so well, have you?" I think their answer is sort crestfallen. "No." Failure is a very demoralizing thing. Some of you have tried hard to accomplish something. Like these fishermen, you have expended much energy and utilized all your resources but gained nothing in return. But although failure is a painful experience, valuable lessons can be gained through it. Here is what one writer said about this failed night of fishing: The night of failure was not without its lessons and its benefits. We can do worse than fail. We can succeed and be proud of our success. We can succeed and burn incense to the net. We can succeed and forget the Hand whose it is to give or to withhold, to kill or to make alive. People who think they have done it all themselves are common today. Every now and then I meet someone who claims to be a "self-made man." I have discovered, however, that most self-made men worship their creator! Yet nothing is more revealing of human ignorance than the claim to be a self-made man. That is to take for granted all that has been provided for them all throughout their lives, without giving a thought for Who provided it. Yet, were it not for God's providing hand, we would have neither the opportunities nor the resources to begin with. Success -- yes, even spiritual success -- can be a snare and a ruin, while failure can be an unspeakable benefit. Failure is often the only test by which the real worth and quality of a man or woman can be tried. It is in failure that a man begins to think, to wonder where his failure comes from, to look around and seek for the reasons, to put into his work double watchfulness and double energy, and to look upwards to Him who can turn failure into a glorious achievement. John goes on to show what God can do with a night of failure. Now many of your translations, unfortunately, render the word "friends." The word is not friends. The word is children. In fact it's a diminutive term. It's “little children.” And I think when the translators gloss over it and call it "friends" it is unfortunate because you want to see Jesus Christ here as coming on the scene as a fatherly, loving, compassionate friend of theirs. And it's sort of like the Brits would say, "Lads. Or boys in our language" Or if you're a dad with three or four sons, and they might even be grown sons, and you would say, "Sons." There is a real endearing and graciousness in the tone of the word. "Little children." Who else uses the phrase "little children" in the NT? John in First John. Little children. Little children. Little children. It's caring and compassionate and rich. One can sense the discouragement and mild embarrassment in the disciples' "no." Jesus was in the process of teaching these men their personal inadequacy even in the type of work they knew best and had most experience with. It was important that they articulate their failure.  6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they In the Luke 5:5 account, Simon tries to pull them in and the nets are breaking, remember? They almost make the boats sink, remember? So these two are two different stories. Luke 5:5 account says: "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." Maybe there was a little hint of that again; There's enough differences in the stories that we know these are two different incidents; one early in the disciples' life and one right prior to Christ's ascension. In verses seven to nine the disciples recognize Him: they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Lu 5:4,6-7 Their nets had been hanging over the left-hand side of their fishing boat. The unknown authority on the shore now promised that if they would cast their net on the right-hand side they would catch some fish. Such a suggestion must have seemed ludicrous to these seasoned fishermen. The idea that such an insignificant change would accomplish anything was laughable. Yet amazingly the disciples followed Jesus' orders. Nevertheless it seems clear that even after they obeyed the unknown armchair fisherman on the shore this dark morning they still did not realize that He was Jesus. The reason for the disciples' obedience is not as important as the fact of it. Had they not obeyed Jesus' command they would have failed to catch any fish. However because they obeyed, they experienced overwhelming success, success far exceeding their natural ability. Jesus knew that these men had worked all night and had caught nothing. I am tempted to think that Jesus actually orchestrated things so that these men would not catch anything. Anyway, Jesus let the fishermen know that He knew they had caught nothing. He then instructs them to cast out their nets on the right side of the boat, assuring them that when they do so, they will find some fish. I don't know why these weary fishermen did it, but for some reason they were willing to make one last effort. When they drew in their nets, they did not contain just a few fish, or even a lot of fish. Their nets were virtually filled with fish. These men would reflect on this experience and realize that Jesus had been teaching them how important it was to obey His word. Obedience to Jesus was the key to supernatural success. Indeed obedience to His word even though they did not know it was His word yielded an unbelievable reward. It was at this point that John seems to have realized what was happening  7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. Joh 13:23; 20:2 Again John realized something about Jesus before Peter did (cf.  20:8).  Probably  he  sensed  that  a  miracle  had happened,  and  he  remembered  that  a  few  years  earlier  Jesus  had performed a similar miracle (Luke 5:1-11). True to the pictures we have of them in the New Testament John exhibited quick insight and Peter quick action. Now the identity of Christ is no longer obscure. They know who He is and they can see Him. This incredible catch quickly reveals to John that it's the Lord. Peter connects the dots and before we know it characteristically he's thrown himself in the water. Apparently he wanted to get to Jesus faster than his boat and net now full of fish would allow. He showed no concern for the fish; he willingly let them go. His only desire was to get to Jesus. This was not the first time that Peter had met Jesus after the Crucifixion. Jesus had appeared to Peter evidently on Easter morning (1 Cor. 15:5) and undoubtedly on Easter evening (20:19-23; cf. Mark 16:14). Peter had also seen Jesus the following Sunday when Thomas made his profession of faith (20:26-29). Therefore we should not conclude that Peter would have been reluctant to see Jesus now because of his denial in the high priest's courtyard. Peter's moment of reconciliation with Jesus had already passed. Now there's a little bit of a question if you read the text carefully. He's stripped for work. I don't think he's naked but I think he's down to the bare minimum of what he could have on. He's going to gird himself with something and jump into the water. Now if you've come to the edge of the water you take as much off as you can before you jump in not to be encumbered by your shoes or your coat or whatever else you have, right? So why is Peter putting something on? There are a couple of little hints in the text that are kind of fun. This is the same word only found in John thirteen where Jesus girds Himself to wash the disciples' feet. And so now we see Peter girding himself. I think Peter is sort of, if you will, working hard and sweating and so he's probably hot and smelling like fish, certainly like the lake water. And so he puts on the minimum amount of clothing when he comes out of the water to see Christ. John wants us to see these little connections about Jesus and girding up to serve and Peter girding himself as he goes to see his Lord, his friend and starting to put this thing together. When the disciples had followed Peter to go fishing, they don't follow him to jump in the water. It's about one hundred yards to the shore according to the text. It's a pretty good measurement. Fishermen usually worked in their light undergarments (Gr. chiton, not underwear). Peter evidently put his outer garment (Gr. ependytes) on so when he reached land he would be properly clothed albeit soaking wet. Normally people take unnecessary clothing off before going swimming. Peter's somewhat irrational behavior seems to be another indication of his strong desire to get to Jesus quickly. He was again demonstrating his characteristic extravagant loyalty to his Lord (cf. 20:6). So we have the boat, some think there are two boats, a larger fishing boat and a smaller like dingy type boat. We can't know for sure. Instinctively, he knew that the man on the beach was Jesus. And now that he knew, he told Peter as well. That was all it took for Peter. He tucked in his outer garment and plunged into the sea, swimming to shore to see Jesus. Someone has remarked that what we find here is typical of both Peter and John. John was the first to understand; Peter was the first to act.  We cannot be sure that Peter actually arrived on shore first. One thing does seem certain: Jesus must have personally forgiven and restored Peter on His previous, private meeting with him (see Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). Peter certainly shows no reluctance to see Jesus face to face here! 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. If I were one of the other disciples, I would have been perturbed with Peter for leaving me behind with a full net and an unsecured boat, still several hundred feet from shore. They seem to have learned from the miracle in Luke chapter 5 that it was unwise to try to empty the net full of fish into the boat—since their two boats nearly sank on that occasion. And so they simply drug their bulging nets behind the boat and made their way to shore, with their nets still in the water, teaming with fish. Jesus supplied the original fish and all we have originally comes from the hand of the Lord.  James 1.17  9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. John's narrative sort of creates a setting here of a number of things. He mentions a charcoal fire. If you've been with us in the study only one other time in the New Testament do we have the phrase charcoal fire. Do you remember where it is? It was with Peter's denial. Why does John, with an eyewitness touch, mark this little detail of charcoal fire at the denial and now he marks it again. What's about to happen? Peter's restoration. We can almost smell the smoke of the fish and a charcoal fire. First there's a charcoal fire as they're warming themselves and he bitterly denies Christ and breaks down and cries and now there's a charcoal fire with fish on it that Jesus prepares for him. Now they're about to be restored with a threefold question, "Do you love Me, Peter?" There are interesting eyewitness touches that John gives us Jesus was setting the stage for a lesson He was about to teach the disciples and especially Peter. Bread and fish were common staples, but again they recall earlier miracles that Jesus had performed. He had miraculously provided meals for 5,000 and later 4,000 males plus women and children with bread and fish. Notice that He had already provided some fish for them before the disciples got out of their boat and pulled the fish that they had caught to shore. Several things here have parallels in the work of fishing for men. Notice that Jesus supplied the original fish and bread for this breakfast. When the disciples landed, the charcoal fire was already lit, and fish and bread were lying there. This is indicative that all that we have come from the hand of God. We did not provide this world or the food that is in it. We do not provide the opportunities that come our way. Many of them come to us right out of the blue. Behind all of this the hand of God has already been at work. He has already put us in the right place, leading us into situations we could never have designed ourselves. We operate by his grace and according to his efforts. Before His crucifixion, Jesus had served His disciples by washing their feet (13:1-17). Now He continued to serve them as their risen Lord by providing them with a warm fire and breakfast (cf. v. 13). Jesus invites us to labor with them,  Little boy brought his fish and bread, they caught it and hauled it in. The “fire of coals” would certainly remind him of the fire at which he denied the Lord (John 18:18). It is good for us to remember the past; we may have something to confess. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Even though there was already one fish (Gr. opsarion, singular) on the fire Jesus instructed the disciples to bring some of the fish (plural) that they had caught. He would not provide for their physical needs by multiplying the food miraculously as He had done in the past. Now He would use the product of their labor to satisfy their need. Nevertheless it was clear that their fish had been the result of His miraculous provision. Perhaps this was all symbolic of how Jesus would carry out His mission through His disciples in the future compared with how He had done it during His pre- cross ministry. But notice that Jesus then invites the disciples to bring the fish they have caught. This beautifully suggests the way God works with man. As I read through the Scriptures I am continually astonished at the privilege given us by God of being co-laborers with him. Human labor was involved in almost all of the miracles of Jesus. For instance, our Lord multiplied the bread and fish which the boy had to feed the multitude, but he first sent the disciples searching through the crowd to see what they could supply. The wonder of this is that God, who could easily do it all himself, nevertheless gave them the great privilege of being co-workers with him. What he invites you to do may be a very simple thing. You may have opportunity to share your faith with your neighbors. While that may seem an insignificant thing now, when history has come to an end and we are all gathered on the shore with Jesus this may well become the greatest thing you have ever done. We will see ourselves as tremendously privileged to have worked with God in what he was doing in this world.  11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. A spiritual lesson here is that great blessing comes to one's efforts when he follows the Lord's will. Peter either organizes the landing of the fish or he's the one who hauls it in. Now, if you've ever been in the water playing with your children when they're small, you can have two or three of your small children kind of hanging on you and you can still get around the water, right? Because the buoyancy displacement makes them not as heavy as if you were on land. On land you might be able to move a step or two but you sure can't haul them around the water, right? So you envision Peter. They can't get over the gunnel of the ship because it's so heavy, but he can sort of man handle it in the water up to the side and then the disciples would organize the getting of all the fish out before they could slip back into the Sea of Galilee. Why 153 fish? Well it's almost comical, commentators write pages of what the number 153 means. They have spiritualized allegorizations into all kinds of things in the Bible and it's almost comical to read, but unfortunately they happen to believe the stuff they write. I am one hundred percent convinced that it means there were 153 fish. And if you know anything about fishing, what does any good fisherman do? You count your fish. Notice the text says large fish? No one ever says, "I caught 153 little fish.  John tells us it was 153 large fish. Much has been made of the number 153, but it may be enough to note that the author knew the exact number of fish caught, and that it was a great quantity. Such details give credibility to one's testimony, and John certainly provides us with details. There have been many symbolic explanations of the meaning of the 153 fish. One of the more credible of these is as follows. Jesus formerly told His disciples that they would become fishers of men, an obvious metaphor (Mark 1:17). If the fish here represent the converts that Jesus would miraculously provide for His disciples to "catch," perhaps their large number represents many converts and the fact that Jesus is the one who is responsible to bring the converts in to us. Mt 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, Mt 25:32 50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The fact that the net did not break may symbolize the capability of the gospel to "catch" many people without failing. We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord They have much patience and persistence, and they will not quit. They know how to cooperate with one another, and they are skilled in using the equipment and the boat. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! We are indeed “fishers of men,” and there are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish. But the main emphasis in this account is: success cannot occur without the recognition that the power of God is needed. This is not new truth. In Psalm 127 the psalmist said, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Except the Lord guard the city, the watchman watches in vain," (Psalms 127:1 KJV). But it is very common in the church today to see people rely on strictly human methods, with no recognition of the fact that God must supply. Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today. hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32 The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.

     The coming of Messiah into the world is a prophesied event in the both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament revealed Messiah would come, both as a Suffering Servant (Psa 22:6, 12-18; Isa 50:6-7; 53:1-12; Dan 9:26; Zec 13:7), and as a reigning descendant of David, who will establish an earthly kingdom in Israel (2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:3-4, 34-37; Isa 9:6-7; 11:1-5; Jer 23:5; Dan 2:44; 7:13-14). The New Testament clearly identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah (Matt 1:1, 16; Luke 1:31-33; John 1:41-42).      At His incarnation—nearly two thousand years ago—God the Son added humanity to Himself (John 1:1, 14), walked among men and lived a righteous life, free from sin (Matt 5:17-18; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 John 3:5). At His first coming, Jesus repeatedly offered the earthly Davidic kingdom to Israel (Matt 4:17, 23; 9:35; 10:7), but His offer was rejected by the Jewish leadership and people (Matt 11:20; 12:14; 27:22-23; John 19:13-16), so the kingdom was postponed for a future time (Matt 21:43).      As the Suffering Servant, Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins (John 3:16; Rom 5:6-8; 1 Pet 3:18), was buried, and raised again on the third day (Matt 16:21; 17:22-23; Luke 24:6-7; Acts 10:38-41; 1 Cor 15:3-4). After His resurrection, over forty days, Jesus appeared to numerous persons, namely, Mary Magdalene and other women (John 20:10-18; Matt 28:8-9), two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), the disciples without Thomas (John 20:19-25), the disciples with Thomas (John 20:26-29), the disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-23), Peter, James, and more than 500 brethren at one time (1 Cor 15:5-7), and lastly, to the disciples at the Mount of Olives, before He ascended bodily into heaven (Acts 1:9-12). It is was no coincidence that Jesus ascended physically to heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12), for it is to this very mountain that Zechariah prophesied Messiah would come, saying, “In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south” (Zec 14:4). That the Mount of Olives is still in an undisturbed state makes clear that Jesus has not returned.      Jesus promised to return again (Matt 16:27; 19:28; 25:31), and this will happen after the time of Tribulation (Matt 24:21, 29-30). The return of Christ is praiseworthy news to those who are in heaven and on the earth who love Him and look forward to His coming.  However, it is bad news to those who oppose Him (2 Thess 1:3-10; Rev 19:11-21). The Second Coming is distinguished from the Rapture of the Church where Christ takes all Christians to heaven (John 14:1-3; 1 Cor 15:51-53; 1 Thess 4:13-18). The Rapture of the Church occurs just prior to the seven-year Tribulation.      The major purposes of Jesus’ Second Coming include: Fulfilling Prophecy (Psa 2:1-12; Isa 11:1-5; Dan 7:13-14; Zec 14:1-9; Matt 19:28; 24:29-30; 25:31; Acts 1:11; 2 Thess 1:6-10). Judging the world and establishing righteousness (Psa 96:13; Isa 9:6-7; Jer 23:5; Matt 19:28; 25:31-46; Rev 20:4; 11-15). Rescuing persecuted believers from the Tribulation (Matt 24:22). Bringing saved Jews into the Promised Land (Gen 12:1-3; 15:18; 17:8; Ezek; 37:21-25; Rom 11:25-26). Fulfilling the promises of the New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 34:25-27; 37:26). Judging the Antichrist and the False Prophet (Rev 19:20). Casting Satan into the Abyss for a thousand years (Rev 20:1-3). Establishing the earthly Davidic kingdom in Jerusalem (2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:3-4, 34-37; Luke 1:31-33; cf. Isa 9:6-7; Jer 23:5; Dan 7:13-14; Rev 20:1-6).

"Jesus Bears Witness to Himself John 8:12-30" from Faith Fellowship St Pete, St Petersburg FL by Rob Harlan. Released: 2019.

From the series: "Life-Changing Encounters With the Savior" John 20:24-29 1. Jesus' resurrection proves the truthfulness of His claims about Himself (John 20:24-28). 2. Blessed are those who have not seen Jesus and yet have believed (John 20:29).

Investigating Jesus Part 31 Jesus’ Last Prayer:Jesus prays for Himself (John 17:1-5) After his final teaching on his last night before his death, Jesus now turns to prayer. Firstly, praying for Himself, then for his twelve disciples and then finally for all disciples that will follow, the church. This prayer is probably the pinnacle of revelation in John’s gospel. Here we see Jesus’ very words, revealing an unparalleled intimacy with his Father. We get a glimpse into the very heart of their relationship and see the intimate bond between them.Jesus prays for Himself (John 17:1-5) Central to this part of his prayer is glorification. That is the glorification of Himself in order that God the Father who sent Him will be glorified. Glorify is rarely used outside of church circles today. If ever it is, is usually in the context of somebody pretending to be better than they really are. Glorify means, in a biblical context, to have the person’s true nature disclosed. In effect, Jesus is saying in John 17:1: “May people see me for who I truly am, your Son. And may they also, through me, see your true nature, Father.” Praying as he does, just before he knowingly goes to his death on the cross, shows the importance of the cross. For it is through the cross that God the Father and Jesus will be glorified. Jesus’ death on the cross reveals a God of love, faithfulness and forgiveness. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. (John 17:4) reveals that it was for this purpose that he came, to complete the work given. Jesus’ entire earthly life has been one to show divine love – all for the glory of the Father. All Jesus’ works and words were completed without even a hint of hypocrisy or sinfulness. His entire life was driven by the desire to see sinful people turn to God for reconciliation and forgiveness. At the cross and through the cross alone, this is achieved. Jesus confidently prays that having laid aside his glory by taking on human form, he will return to God’s right hand, having achieved the work of redemption. The theme of eternal life runs throughout John’s Gospel (John 3:15-16; John 10:28). What is eternal life? Eternal life is knowing God personally and intimately, and that is only achieved by faith, through Jesus’ death on the cross. It is a free offer and open to all. It is the responsibility of each individual to take up this free offer from God. Once the offer is taken up, the responsibility is then to tell others of this offer. Do you know this Jesus personally? When was the last time you told somebody else about Him? Imagine what this world would be like if more Christians were obedient in this way! Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file ~ You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

The concept of rewards in the coming kingdom of heaven can be found on almost every other page in the New Testament. However, there are many who do not value this doctrine as an essential segment of their theological understanding. That is to say, this doctrine is considered insignificant in the grand scheme of God’s plan for the ages. But a careful reading of the New Testament will prove this notion to be false, and almost embarrassing that it would be discarded or discredited as nominal in any way. The doctrine of rewards finds great significance in one’s theological understanding because it allows for grace to remain grace without any inclusion of works. One of the greatest arguments against those who promote a “grace gospel” is that this “grace” is too free because it requires nothing of the individual needing salvation except that they believe the Gospel. These opponents would state that unless an expected result is required, such as a submission of one’s life, the repentance of all of their sins, or the desire to give up all that they have is present, they are not truly saved. The tension that is created between grace and works often manifests itself in contradictions. For example, A.W. Pink writes, “If it be true that no attempt to imitate Christ can obtain a sinner’s acceptance with God, it is equally true that the emulating of Him is imperatively necessary and absolutely essential in order to the saints’ preservation and final salvation.”[1] This could be understood as saying “you can’t do anything to be saved, but in order to be truly saved you must do something.” The Gospel is not about what the sinner does, but what the sinner needs.A sinner is saved by the grace of God alone, who was not obligated to supply a solution to our sin problem. From out of His profound love, the Creator God sent His only Son to die as a substitute for our sin, which paid the enormous penalty that we had incurred as sinners and made the perfect righteousness of God available to all who believe (have faith) in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It is by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone that one is saved, receiving all that he or she was lacking. This includes the complete forgiveness of all sin, a wholly new Life, relief of all guilt and shame, reconciliation and full acceptance with his or her Creator, the perfect righteousness of God credited to them, and eternal life that is guaranteed beyond this present existence which can never be lost.The doctrine of rewards extinguishes the tension between faith and works. While one is saved by faith alone, there are consequences for how the believer lives in light of what he or she understands from the Scriptures. Every child of God is responsible for conducting their lives according to the truth of God’s Word. When they are faithful in what the Lord has asked of them, they receive a reward (1 Cor 3:14). But if they are unfaithful, whatever “good works” that they may have thought that they had will be burned up and the believer will suffer loss (1 Cor 3:15). Thus, there is a very real and serious consequence for believers who live unfaithfully to the Lord, but it does not infringe upon or impugn His unconditional acceptance of them in Christ Jesus.The opportunity to earn rewards is something that is wholeheartedly condoned by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 6:1, 17-18, 20; Mark 9:41; Luke 6:35). But the doctrine of rewards is not a personal “padding of the wallet” in the kingdom, for self-servitude will not be rewarded (Matt 6:2, 5). Rewards are to be done in service to the Lord Jesus Christ with “His name’s sake” as the heart’s motivator. The Christian Life is a responsibility to be stewarded, not a stage to be applauded. Many have believed that receiving a reward is only possible by an extreme act of obedience, but Jesus tells us that “whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41). Simply caring for those who are serving Christ earns one a reward.We can clearly see that the Christian Life is one of faithful stewardship in light of the teachings of Scripture. Thankfully, Jesus taught on this subject in order to reorient much of the wrong thinking that may have been present among the Jewish people, and even His disciples, in the first century. While Luke 19:11-27 is similar to the parable taught in Matthew 25:14-30, the surrounding context of Luke 19 calls for this teaching to stand on its own merit. Luke 19:11-27. The parable that Jesus taught in Luke 19:11-27 follows His interactions with Zaccheus in 19:1-10. However, this parable may be slightly connected with Zaccheus’ situation in that he may have been present when this parable was taught, and Jesus’ use of the “mina” would have been something that he could have directly related to considering his background as a tax collector. Whether these connections are legitimate or not, Luke supplies us with a two-fold reasoning for why Jesus was teaching this parable. First, Jesus was “near Jerusalem” (19:11b) which is a detail that finds its significance later in the chapter when His “triumphal entry” takes place (19:28-40). This first point must be pondered because of the events that surround it. Jesus’ entry into the city was anything but “triumphal.” For Jesus, this was a time of great grief and sorrow. While His disciples were rejoicing and shouting as the Son of Man passed by the Mount of Olives just outside of the city (19:37-38), Jesus began weeping at the sight of Jerusalem (19:41). The message of the disciples was “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (19:38), Jesus’ words capture the rejection of the Jewish people, the postponement of the kingdom of heaven on Earth, and the judgment that awaited the Jews because of their rebellion (19:42-44). Jesus knew what could have been had Israel accepted her Promised Messiah, but the leaders had spoken for the people (Matt 12:24), and though His miracles testified that the kingdom of God had come upon them (Matt 12:28), they rejected their Christ, which plunged the Jewish people into a “partial hardening” (Rom 11:25b), having the truth hidden from their eyes because of their unbelief (Luke 19:42b; Matt 13:10-17).The second reason given for Jesus teaching this parable was that “they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately” (19:11c). This would explain the joyful celebration of the disciples in 19:37-38. As one reads through this parable, it becomes very clear that the kingdom will come at a later time, and that the “nobleman” must go away to receive this kingdom and then come again, now having possession of it, in order to establish it in the country from which he left. This justifies Jesus’ sorrow in Luke 19:41b-44, seeing that the Jews did not “recognize the time of your visitation” by the Messiah (19:44). Unbelief has postponed the kingdom. Instead, the Jewish people will be disciplined for their unbelief (19:44b). Thus, Jesus’ parable will serve to dispel the notion that the kingdom was to appear at His entry into the city of Jerusalem.Starting in 19:12, Jesus speaks of a nobleman who travels to a “distant country” for the purpose of receiving a kingdom “for himself.” After receiving this kingdom, the nobleman would then return. The details here must be carefully noted, especially in light of the current-day belief that the kingdom of heaven is “already” here in a spiritual form, but “not yet” here in a physical form. Theissen notes, “Consistency of interpretation demands that we hold, not only that the nobleman must return in person, but also that he will set up his kingdom in the country from which he departed. In other words, we must insist that Christ is not now sitting on the throne of David in heaven and ruling over his people on earth from that sphere, but that He receives the kingdom in heaven, returns to earth, and then sets up the kingdom on the earth.”[2] Having a general understanding of what Scripture tells us about the Messiah and the promise of His future return to establish His Kingdom, it is not hard to connect the dots and see that Jesus is this nobleman, the “distant country” would be during the interadvent age between His ascension and return when Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:33; 5:31; 7:55-56), preparing a place for all believers (John 14:2-3) while making intercession for the saints (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25). Before Jesus Christ returns to the Earth, He will have received the kingdom of heaven and His return will mark the establishment of that kingdom on Earth. What is interesting about this parable is that its contents were not hard to relate to by those in the audience, considering that the successor to Herod had done the same thing. Robertson explains, “Apparently this parable has the historical basis of Archelaus who actually went from Jerusalem to Rome on this very errand to get a kingdom in Palestine and to come back to it. This happened while Jesus was a boy in Nazareth and it was a matter of common knowledge.”[3] As we will see in 19:14, the “citizens” did not want the nobleman to rule over them, just as it was with the Jews and their response to Archelaus assuming command. While Jesus is not speaking of Archelaus, the concept would be familiar to those living in the first century.Luke 19:13 shows the nobleman calling ten of his slaves (“servants”) together before he leaves with each one being entrusted with a must “mina.” A mina is “a Greek monetary unit worth one hundred denarii.”[4] A “denarii” (also known in some cases as a “drachma”) is the equivalent of 100 days wages. With this, he gives them specific instructions: “Do business with this until I come back” (19:13b). Hodges explains, “Here lay the central point of the parable. The interadvent period which the parable proclaimed could be used to advantage. It was a time for investment. More than that, it was a time for investment directly related to the coming kingdom of God. Therefore, Zacchaeus needed to hear the parable at this crucial moment in his life. But so did everyone else in the audience as well.”[5] This speaks to the stewardship of the nobleman’s resources, which he entrusted to his slaves with the expectation that they would be faithful with what was entrusted to them.This “principled story-telling” has a vital application for us today. While our Master is away receiving the kingdom, we His servants are to be engaged in His business with His resources while He is away. We are to be faithful and wise with what He has entrusted to us, keeping in mind that it is ultimately His and that there will be a day in which He will return and settle accounts with His servants, receiving unto Himself the return that was earned while He was away.In Luke 19:14 we have the introduction of a group of people whom Jesus has not mentioned yet, the “citizens.” This group is said to have hated the nobleman, raising a protest against His rulership over them through a “delegation.” No doubt the citizens are the Jewish people and the “delegation” would be the Pharisees who were leading the charge against their Messiah in verbalizing the nation’s anti-belief (Matt 12:24). For the time being, the citizens are placed in the background of the parable while Jesus explains the events surrounding the nobleman’s return (Luke 19:15). The timing of this event is precise, with Jesus noting that the man had received the kingdom. This comment places this moment after Jesus has assumed the right to reign, but before He has brought His servants to account at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 19:6-10). The nobleman is ready to inquire of his servants regarding the business that they conducted while he was away and the return that they had received with the money that he had entrusted to them. While there are ten slaves that were given one mina each (19:13), we have only three that are brought to account, with each demonstrating a different level of return with what they were entrusted. With the first slave, we find that he was able to make an investment that gave a 1,000% return! The nobleman commends this servant, saying “Well done, good slave” (19:17a). This slave’s faithfulness over the small amount that he had been given was then greatly rewarded by the nobleman who set the slave over ten cities in his kingdom (19:17b).The second slave comes before the nobleman and presents a 500% return (19:18) to which the master replies by granting this servant rulership over five cities (19:19). One cannot help but to notice that the public commendation of “Well done, good slave” is absent from this scenario. This slave, who earned half the return that the first slave earned, does not get the privilege of hearing these words from the nobleman’s mouth.At this point, it should be clear that those who are faithful in this life, being about his Master’s business until He comes to bring us all to Himself (John 14:2-3) will receive rewards and reigning responsibilities that are much greater in magnitude than what we were entrusted with while on Earth. Thiessen cites Godet in explaining this: “In Luke the one point in question is to settle the position of the servants in the economy of glory which is opening, and consequently to determine the proportion of faithfulness displayed during the time of labor and probation which has just closed.”[6] Christ desires to share the regal responsibilities of His kingdom with His companions, but they must be faithful stewards who have proven themselves. One would not in clear conscience entrust their estate to a slothful and wayward child, for the outcome of such unbridled wealth in the hands of an irresponsible soul would be guaranteed devastation. Though related by blood, and though greatly loved, they would not be worthy of possessing such an opportunity. Their life’s record has shown them to be unworthy. What is the “mina” in the life of the one who is a disciple of Christ? There are many who have considered the “sharing of the Gospel” as the focus of what has been entrusted to the slave and that “doing business” (19:13b) would be evangelism, but we must conclude that this is not the only way that one can be faithful to that which God has entrusted to us. Believers have a responsibility to love one another (John 13:34-35), forgive one another (Eph 4:32), build up one another in love (Eph 4:15-16) and encourage one another daily (Heb 3:13). While there is so much more that would be considered in the realm of Christian faithfulness, the point is clear that the believer in Christ is not just a missionary to the world, but is also a minister to the Body of Christ. The first two accounts show that diligence and faithfulness should be the attitudes of all who would hope to reign alongside Jesus Christ in His coming kingdom. In Luke 19:20, a third servant approaches the nobleman but his response is entirely different than that of the first two slaves. Coming before the master, the third slave returns the exact same mina that was entrusted to him before the nobleman left to receive his kingdom. The slave reveals that he had hid it away in a handkerchief. The third slave then divulges the reason for his negligence in not “doing business” with the nobleman’s mina, citing “fear” of the nobleman “because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow” (Luke 19:21b). The word “exacting” is the Greek word austēros meaning “harsh, rough, rigid,”[7] which has led to the transliteration of “austere” in the KJV. The charge is that the third slave did not want to risk losing what he had been given because he understood the nobleman to be harsh and rigid, taking those things which are not his and plundering the goods of others others for personal gain. Having returned the same mina that he had been given, the thought may have been “Well, at least I didn’t lose it!”At this point, a few questions need to be answered. First, has there been anything in the telling of this parable that would lead one to believe that the nobleman was a short-tempered tyrant who plundered the goods of others? No.Second, throughout this parable have we not seen that the nobleman’s actions are in direct relation to that which the Lord Jesus will do in leaving to receive a kingdom for Himself and then returning again to establish it at the place from whence He left? Yes.Would we conclude that the Lord Jesus Christ is a short-tempered tyrant who plundered the goods of others? I don’t think so either.In fact, what we see is that the third slave’s description of the nobleman is completely off base from who he really was. What we find out when listening to the third slave’s explanation is that he did not know his master very well at all and proceeded to live his life on a false presumption of his master that kept him from experiencing great things when his master returned. This is a tragic result! Being ignorant of his master’s character, the slave lived in fear, complacency, and slothfulness. Had he known his master more intimately, he would have served him with joy knowing that “He who promised is faithful” (Heb 10:23). Again, Godet (as quoted by Thiessen) has captured the third slave’s situation with clarity noting that he is a “believer who has not found the state of grace offered by Jesus so brilliant as he hoped,—a legal Christian, who has not tasted grace, and knows nothing of the Gospel but its severe morality.”[8]The nobleman responds to this excuse by calling the man a “worthless slave” (19:22a), which is probably better translated as a “wicked” or “evil slave.” While one may be quick to conclude that the declaration that this slave is “worthless/evil/wicked” would communicate that he was obviously “unsaved,” our attention must be drawn to the fact that this slave was as much a part of the nobleman’s house as the other two who were brought to account for the business that they had done. Not only that, but this third slave was also entrusted with the same amount as the other two. This remark against the slave is the conclusion that the nobleman makes due to his inactivity and unfounded excuses for slothfulness. Simply put, he did not know his master intimately, and because of this his assumed misrepresentation of his master’ character caused him to do nothing with what he was given.That the third slave’s description is a solid misrepresentation of the nobleman’s character can be seen in the master’s response in Luke 19:22b, which is posed in the form of a question: “Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?” It is as if the nobleman is responding by saying, “is this who you really think that I am?” He then reasons with the third slave that if this was the presumption by which he was operating, “why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest” (Luke 19:23)? The least that this man could have done was invest it at the lowest level possible so that even the smallest amount of interest would have been gained. However, he did not. This tells us that either the man was lying in his reasonings with the nobleman and was actually lethargic and slothful, not caring about the responsibility entrusted to him, nor in serving his master, or that his unfounded mischaracterization of his master had paralyzed him from making the least of wise decisions that would secure gain for the nobleman.Regardless of the reason, his mina was confiscated and given to the most profitable slave (19:24). The “bystanders” (19:24a) are astonished at this act, seeing that the first slave already has ten minas. The nobleman explains that those who “have” will be given more, and those that have not will lose even those things that they have (19:26). The failure of the third slave to be diligent in his responsibilities has led him to a moment of shame before his master. One cannot help but to reflect on Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:15 which state, “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Finishing this parable, the nobleman speaks of his “enemies” (Luke 19:27) and clarifies their identity as those “who did not want me to reign over them,” speaking of the “citizens” in Luke 19:14. As identified earlier, this is (by and large) the nation of Israel who had rejected their Messiah, leading to a postponement of the kingdom of heaven. These enemies are brought before the nobleman and slaughtered for their rejection of him. This should not be surprising, considering that much is said in the Old Testament regarding the judgment that will befall the Jews because of their rejection of God and which occurs right before the establishment of the kingdom on Earth (Jer 30:4-9; Ezek 20:33-38). On a broader scale, Jesus’ return will bring about the slaughter of all who have rejected Him as can be clearly seen in Revelation 19:15-21. We are told that Jesus will “strike down the nations” (Rev 19:15), that the birds will gorge themselves on the flesh of kings and mighty men who had rebelled against Messiah (Rev 19:17-19), and that the rest “were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him” (Rev 19:21). All who reject Christ and are rebellious of His reign over them will be put to death. These are unbelievers who will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment (Rev 20:11-15). However, the servants/slaves are wholly different than the “citizens/enemies” in this parable, with Jesus drawing the necessary distinctions. This is most notable in that the servants are judged first (representative of the Judgment Seat of Christ) and the “citizens/enemies” are judged later (representative of the Great White Throne judgment). To sum up the eternal destinies of the parties involved in this parable, Wilkin writes, “Good servants will rule with Christ fully. Half-hearted servants will rule with Him in a more limited way. Wicked servants won’t rule with Christ at all, though they will be with Him forever. Unbelievers will experience the second death and will spend eternity in the lake of fire.”[9] With the third slave’s misunderstanding of his master, we could conclude that the more that you are intimately acquainted with Jesus, the more that you will faithfully serve Him with joy, knowing that He desires to reward you richly for the service that you have rendered (Rev 22:12). This third servant, having full rights and equal responsibility within the house of the master, was declared “wicked” because of his sloth and negligence. Therefore, he suffered loss, for even what he thought he had was taken away.The application is clear.The Lord Jesus Christ has entrusted His work to His people. While He is away receiving the kingdom for Himself, we are to be doing business: loving one another, praying, studying His holy Word, living His holy Word, forgiving one another, encouraging one another, structuring our lives to be led in holiness and faithfulness to wherever He may lead us, and making disciples of all nations. Thiessen commissions us writing, “Let us also ‘carry on business’ till He come, in order that we may hear His ‘well done,’ and receive a reward when He comes!”[10] How will your conversation with the Master go when He returns and settles accounts? [1] Arthur Walkington Pink, Eternal Security (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2005), p. 75.[2] Henry Clarence Thiessen, “The Parable of the Nobleman and the Earthly Kingdom (Luke 19:11-27),” Bibliotheca Sacra, vol 91 (1934): 184.[3] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Lk 19:12.[4] Louw and Nida, p. 62.[5] Zane C. Hodges, A Free Grace Primer: The Hungry Inherit, The Gospel Under Siege, Grace in Eclipse, ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2011), p. 335.[6] Thiessen, “The Parable of the Nobleman”: 188.[7] Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon, p. 84.[8] Thiessen, “The Parable of the Nobleman”: 190.[9] Robert N. Wilkin, “Two Judgments and Four Types of People (Luke 19:11–27),” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 25, no. 48 (2012): 20.[10] Ibid.

Investigating Jesus Part 8 Witnesses to Jesus In our last episode, we looked at the witness of John the Baptist, as to the true identity of Jesus Christ. Today we continue by looking at 2 more witnesses: God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.   Witness 2 & 3 Jesus presents Himself John for baptism. John at first refuses to do it (Matthew 3:13-15). Why so? Because John knew that Jesus was the perfect Son of God, and as such had no need to repent of sin. Through his baptism, he identified with all sinners that he came to save. We have seen already that it is the start of his public ministry (Acts 1:21-22, 10:37-38). But why did Jesus get baptized? In replying to John’s initial refusal to baptize him, Jesus said: “…it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). This looks forward Jesus’ death on the cross, because it is only through the baptism of suffering that Jesus endured on the cross, that God can fulfil all righteousness. The “us” referred to means Father, Son and Spirit. When Jesus came up from the water, God the Father spoke from heaven and identified Him as the beloved Son of God, and the Spirit visibly came upon Jesus in the form of a dove.Witnesses as to who Jesus was from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. So, who was this Jesus? What was so special about him, that he would go on to be the person we are studying today, some 2000 years after his death? As Christians, we think that Jesus was not only fully human but is also fully God – the God-man. Jesus - Son of God "the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God." (Luke 3:38). The first man, Adam, had come into the world bearing the true image of a son of God, but, when Adam actively disobeyed God, that image was marred and scarred due to sin entering the world. All of humanity that is, except for Jesus Christ. The voice from God the Father ratified Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus was not a son of God as some may claim, but the one and only Son of God. This genealogy recorded by Luke, points to the unbroken relationship between Jesus and God Himself. Jesus is, as Adam was, before Adam’s disobedience against his maker & creator, God. Jesus - Son of Man (Matthew 3:23-38) The genealogy here reminds us that the Son of God was also the Son of Man, born into the world, identifying with the needs and problems of mankind. Through the genealogy, we see down through the generations Jesus’ link to Adam and ultimately God. The phrase “the son of” generally means any remotely connected descendant or ancestor. It is a reminder that Jesus, being Joseph’s legal son was part of a human family, tribe, race and nation. Jesus’ line goes back through the Old Testament from Joseph to King David to Judah, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham, to Methuselah to Noah and Adam. The genealogy, with its link to David, shows Jesus’ right to ascend to David’s throne (Luke 1:32-33). The genealogy also shows Jesus’ total human-ness, and because he is linked to Adam, identifies with all humanity and not just the ancient nation of Israel. But there is one difference between Jesus and all other humans. In that Luke, doesn’t stop the genealogy at Adam, as he would have for all other humans, Luke ultimately leads and links Jesus to being God’s Son. We investigate that in the next podcast of this series.   Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file ~ You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

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"That They May Be One" John 17 #33 in a series on John: "That You May Believe" Introduction John 17:1-5 Jesus Prays for Himself John 17:6-19 Jesus Prays for His Disciples John 17:20-21 Jesus Prays for the World John 17:22-26...

WWJD is a good motto for everything, including how to share our faith. Jesus provides His disciples, then and now, with a model for reaching and teaching people about Himself (John 4:1-42).