God was here in the beginning and is with us now

Verses: John 8 : 48 - 59

My thoughts about the verses:

The first thing that must be understood when looking at this passage is the relationship between the average Jewish person and the Samaritan.  The Samaritan's were Jewish individuals from the North. They had a sibling rivalry with the Jewish individuals in the south.  There were always these feeling by both sides that they were better than the other.  At the time of this story Jesus is in the southern area of Israel and the leaders were mocking him by saying he was no better than a Samaritan.

It is quite ironic that Jesus did a lot of things that show that the Samaritan's were loyal to God.  Jesus was thought to be a heretic because he was willing to talk to the Samaritan's and even used them in his parables.  Jesus did not think that they were filled with demons or less important.  The Samaritan's end up being a people that Jesus was able to go to and teach the word because of his positivity toward them.

The next part of the story that you have to understand is the importance of Abraham to Israel.  Abraham is the father of the entire nation.  The Jewish nation places Abraham on a very high pedestal and using their oral history have been able to follow their lineage back to Abraham.  The problem was is that Abraham had been dead for a long time.  Jesus was stating that he was there with Abraham in the beginning.  This infuriates the leaders how could this young person even dare to say that he knew Abraham.  This proved he was a liar, at least in their eye.

What they missed is that Jesus was with Abraham.  That Jesus was the human presence of God.  The only way for man to be saved from their own falls into sin there must have been a sacrifice.  That sacrifice had to be through the body and blood of Jesus who had not committed any sin.  Think about the story with Abraham in which he takes his beloved son Isaac to the mount to be sacrificed.  God was testing the faith of Abraham.  When he gets to the mount he provides a worthy sacrifice.  Jesus death was a fulfillment of that early sacrifice of the ram to finish the new covenant.

The problem was at this moment and time it was not the time for the sacrifice.  Therefore even though they thought him a liar he was innocent and God hid him in the crowd.  Jesus was able to blend in as the crowd picked up stones and was able to leave the temple.  For it was not through stones that he was to die.  Yet, the stone is important because a larger one was used to block the body of Jesus which is the new covenant.  When that stone is rolled the purification is complete.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for everything that you have done for us.  Thank you for allowing Jesus to come to take our place in death.  Thank you for the living bread and the cleansing blood.  Help us fully understand the gift that has been given.  Help us share it with others.  We ask that you keep us from hiding when we need to talk.  We also ask for protection and comfort during our hard times.  In your holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Do you understand the connection with Abraham and Jesus?  Do you accept that Christ was able to be there then and present with us now.  Are you helping others understand the sacrifice?  Are you opening up your arms to help others that need to have Christ in their life?

Freedom from the Slavery of Sin

Verses: John 8 : 31 - 47

My thoughts about the verses:

This is something hard for many of us to understand.  We do not live in a time of slavery so it is hard to grasp the full concept.  Yet, there is a way to compare things that happen today with that of slavery.  I ask that you bear with me on this because to understand the concept I will have to make a giant leap. See one of the things that we are slaved to is money.

Think about this just one second is you not dependent on money for many things in life.  Let's look at this closely do we not need money for food, water, housing, and clothing.  Therefor we are enslaved by the need of money.  What makes things much worse is that the way to get money usually involves doing whatever we can physically and legally to make it.  So for many of this we work jobs that we do not like or feel fit us perfectly.  We are afraid that if we lose the jobs we have that we will lose everything that we need to survive.  Then this crazy thing happen your job starts coming between your services to God.  Yet, you justify working on Sunday's or missing family or church events because you need the money to survive.  This is similar to the enslavement of sin.

Sin often starts as small things but over time our enslavement grows and grows.  This reminds me of a story many of us have heard as a child.  The little boy who yelled wolf shows how one lie, sin, can lead to much destruction.   The people got to the point that they did not believe him because of his lies and they suffered when the actual wolf showed up.  Isn't that what happens with sin in general.  We think it is okay to do little things that are against the law but those things get bigger and bigger until we end up hurting ourselves or others in some way.

This in itself is enslavement to sin.  What Jesus did was sacrifice his innocent life so that our sins could no longer enslave us.  We are freed from the bondage of slavery so that we can live freely.  The new covenant fulfills the promises of the old covenant.  We have the opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to live within us so that we can live abundantly.

The problem that we have and the people of the time have is that we struggle with sin every day.  We constantly struggle between doing well and sinning.  Jesus cleanses us through the blood of the new promise so that we do not have to be afraid of this struggle.  We are naturally inclined to do bad because that is human nature.  Yet, with the invitation of Christ into our life we have chosen the side we want to work for.  We have chosen to put God first and to create a special bond that no one can break.

Therefor the only thing that we must do to free us from slavery of sin is to believe in Christ.  If we are not willing to do this then we are choosing to live in sin.  Jesus sacrifice breaks the bonds that tie us to slavery of sin yet we must accept it.  This freedom will allow us to blossom and help us deal with things through a different set of values.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for offering Jesus for atonement of our sins.  We thank you for providing the innocent so that we may be freed from our bondage of slavery.  We ask that you fill our life with the gift of love.  Help us share the gift to others in need.  Help us overcome our fears and accept Jesus in our lives.

Questions:

Have you been freed from the bonds of sin slavery?  Are you hesitant on allowing God in your life? Are you like the little boy that kept calling wolf and put up road blocks between God and those lives you touch daily?  What can you do to help others come closer to God?

Time to Stop Picking and Choosing the Laws to Follow

Verses: John 8 : 21 - 30

My thoughts about the verses:

Amazingly the people still were questioning where Jesus had come from.  When he said he was going someplace they could not go they even thought he was going to kill himself.  They did not understand that his death would be a sacrifice to allow them the opportunity to go to Heaven.  

To understand totally what was happening you have to understand some of the rules of Jewish law.  We often hear about these when people want to point out a group that they do not believe are justified to call themselves Christian.  Yet, some of the laws we break every day and if we had to live by Leviticus law as what was expected at this time we would never make it.  

Below is a group of the laws that many of us have probably broken in the last few days or weeks.  They come from the book of Leviticus chapter and verses are listed after each example.

• Eating fat (3:17)
• Eating an animal which doesn’t both chew cud and has a divided hoof(11:4-7)
• Eating – or touching the carcass of – any seafood without fins or scales(11:10-12) 
• Lying (19:11)
• Mixing fabrics in clothing (19:19)
• Trimming your beard (19:27)
• Working on the Sabbath (23:3)

Simple question have you broken any of these laws?  Would you be able to live within these laws all the time.  I know that I have broken several of these and I am glad that the new covenant is now in place.  The new covenant established two basic laws.  That are much easier to follow and you can remember without having to look up each and every action that you do each day.  

• To Love God with all of your heart and soul ( Matthew 22:37)
• To love your neighbors the same as you love yourself (Matthew 22:38)

Now that we understand the basics of the old and new laws the story is easier to follow. Simply what Jesus was saying is that you are so concentrated on fulfilling all the old laws that you are missing what is right in front of your face.  you have expectations of a great King that will sweep in and destroy your enemy.  That you will be free from the rule of the Romans and you will reclaim Jerusalem.  When in all actuality the Messiah came to take away your sins so that you could live free from the old law.  The Savior came to free you from the sins that you commit each day so that you could reclaim your connection with God.

See it is impossible to live every day without breaking some rule.  There are many that try to stay within those boundaries.  Yet, when they break the rules they have to admit they have failed and ask for forgiveness.  This can occur several times in the same day.  When you accept the new covenant Jesus frees you from the bondage of sin.  

Does this mean you can sin freely?  Do you understand what happens when sins comes into your life? God passes over you.  The gift is everlasting life and love.  This changes the temperament of God. In the Hebrew scriptures God was a vengeful and demanding God.  One in which you must obey or face consequences.  This was to help the people grow and to survive in the conditions that they faced.  The new covenant brings forth a God of love and peace.  We have to understand that we have A God that forgives us and welcomes us no matter where we are.  The sacrifice of Jesus frees us from the burden that had been placed for the Jewish people to survive.  

Therefore those that accept Jesus in their life have accepted the new covenant.  No longer will there be a need for other sacrifices to clean us from our sins.  The ultimate sacrifice took place.  Jesus knew that he was returning to Heaven and those that believed in his fulfilling of the law would join him.  Jesus knew that these groups were not ready to accept that death because it had not yet occurred.  Yet, he was teaching the truth that would soon come to pass.  There were many that believed he was the Messiah that day because his teachings were a relief to the burden of the law.  Others did not follow that day, but would soon see that the sacrifice and fulfillment of the old covenant.  

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for the sacrifice of your most beloved.  We thank you so much for the precious blood that cleanses us from our sins.  We ask that you help us live within the laws of the new covenant.  May we love you with all of our hearts.  May we treat our neighbors with love and respect.  May we put the needs of others before our own needs. Dear God we just offer up praises to you for giving us salvation from the sins we commit so that we may be in full connection with you.  In your Holy Name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Are you still trying to live within the Leviticus laws?  Do you pick and choose which laws you will obey?  Are you trying to save yourself by following the law have you missed what is right in front of your face?  Is it time to ask Jesus in your heart?  Have you fully given God all of your cares and allowed God to work through you?  Are you being a stumbling block or are you helping lead others to the saving grace of the new covenant?

Following the Light so Not to Live in Darkness

Verses: John 8 : 12 - 20

My thoughts about the verses:

This is hard for us in modern days of electricity to understand just how important the light of day was. We are so use to being able to flip a switch and light to fill the room.  Yet, in the times of Jesus this was not an option.  The people had to use lamps sparingly to fill their nights with light.  The moon and stars were often all the light the people had to see by.  Understanding this part of history we can understand the significance of Jesus calling him the light of the world.

Jesus was letting the people know that by trusting him the darkness that they lived in would be filled with everlasting light.  The darkness was symbolic of the divide that exists between humankind and God.  The fact is that we start our lives in a shadow of the past.  Yet, over time our own hearts begin to fill with darkness.  The only way to break that darkness is to allow the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  When we choose that gift we are giving a light that never fades.

Jesus also used the law to further explain what we did not fully understand.  Jesus was accused of speaking of himself in a way no other person did.  He reminded the leaders that he was not the only one that was teaching this.  That their own stories had talked about his arrival.  That God was the witness of the salvation that would come through his sacrifice.  The fact is that the leaders did not fully understand that Jesus was the Messiah that they had prayed for.

See the leaders were expecting someone that would come into the land and free them from the rulers over them.  They did not understand that Jesus was talking about freeing them from their own deeds. Jesus was not the great warrior that they had always thought would come and reestablish the great Jerusalem.  In fact, what they missed is that Jesus was the lamb being sacrificed so that they could live forever.

They did not understand what Jesus pointed out to them that they did not even know God.  You can imagine that it infuriated them.  How could this man say that they did not know God?  Yet, the truth was that they believed in the law, but did not truly understand it.  The law was preparing the way for the new covenant.  By living in the old covenant they had to spend all their time living a certain way.  They also spent a lot of time judging others.  What Jesus wanted them to see is that you must accept the new covenant into your life to truly connect with God.  In all reality it is impossible to live within all the law all the time.  We were destined to fail because we are not perfect.  So the necessity came for a new light to break through our hearts.

The thing about light is that it must be shared.  So once you have the light inside you the gift must not be blocked from others.  In the days of Jesus when the earth was basked with light everyone worked. Therefor having the light in you drives you to share your experience.  This is a way of helping others accept the light in their heart.

Like the song says you cannot hide your light under a basket.  You must let it shine.  By letting it shine you will spread it to others.  This means that Jesus will fill many hearts and break the world from darkness.  For the gift isn't just for us, but for everyone.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for the light of the world.  We thank you for breaking through the darkness in our life so that we may be freed from our own sins.  Help us accept the light into our life.  We ask that you help us spread the light to others and not keep it to our self.  Dear God we know that you came for everyone we ask that you open our hearts and souls to those in need.  May we truly be the people that know who you are.  In the holiest of holy names we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the light into your heart?  Are there dark spots that you allow to creep up in your heart?  What must you put aside so that the light can shine brightly?  Are you sharing the gift that you have been given?  Have you become a stumbling block or are you a beacon of hope?

Who Shall Cast the First Stone

Verses: John 7 : 53 - 8 : 11

My thoughts about the verses:

This is a story that many people have heard about.  How Jesus writes in the sand and tells the accusers to throw the stone if they had no sin.  This was not what the leaders had expected and one by one they left the scene.  Then Jesus looks at the woman caught in sin and says who judged you.  She stated no one.  Then Jesus sends her on saying I do not judge you either but do not sin again.

There are several lessons that come out of this story.  The one that most people talk about when they come to this story is not to judge others.  The only one that can truly judge us is God.  That humankind has all sinned and therefore the right is not theirs.  Though this is one of the lessons being taught there are several more.

The first people to leave are the older men.  They leave because they realized that they were sinners. They were setting example for those that were younger than them.  The fact is they understood that they were not innocent.  They knew that sometime in the past they had also broken the law given to Moses. They left because of the guilt they felt for what they had done.  The young men then followed their lead. Therefore another lesson being taught is that elders should teach the young to follow the Savior. It also teaches young people to follow the example of their elders when they do the right thing.

The last lesson has to do with the weight of sin in our life.  The stoning process involved using not pebbles but stones that would be large enough to torture the individual until death.  Yet, the stone was not to be so big that the first one tossed would kill the person. The stones represent the sins of the accused.   This act was an act of purification.  So by throwing the stones they were cleaning their community of the act that had been performed.

There is only one person that was able to carry that much weight on their shoulder and that was Christ.
Jesus did not die by stones.  Yet, his punishment was much larger.  He carried his own cross to a hillside in which he would be put to death.  Not for his own crimes but for the sins of the world.  Then the purification took place when Jesus was taken from the cross and placed in the tomb.  The largest stone that could be rolled was placed between us and Jesus.  Then three days later God rolled the stone and Jesus arose in when led to the purification of the people.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for giving us the greatest purification.  Thanks for freeing us from the grips of sin. We ask that you help us grasp the sacrifice that was given freely for us.  May we understand the weight that was carried that day to the mountainside.  Dear God we ask that you help us roll the stones away from our hearts so that you may enter.  Help us understand that we place the barriers and you desire to free us from our sins.  In your Holy Name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Can you throw the first stone?  Do you understand the power that has been placed in your hand?  Are you willing to show others the life that they can have through the saving power of Christ?  Have you placed barriers between you and God?  Is it time to allow God to roll those stones away so that you can live freely?

Being Humble in the Face of Hard Times

Verses: John 7 : 40 - 52

My thoughts about the verses:

The Pharisees were very upset that Jesus was not arrested.  They believed that the people had been corrupted.  The thought was that the people were being tricked by Jesus.  That their lack of understanding the law had made it possible for Jesus to fool them with what he was teaching.

In reality, it was the Pharisees that did not understand what Jesus was teaching.  They were so convinced that the law was the end all of all holy words that they missed what we’re happening around them.  They actually put the law before their trust in God.  They missed the point that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem.  All they saw was a man from Galilee that was acting as a prophet.

It was felt that nothing good would ever come from Galilee.  The people of Galilee had not lived fully within the law.  Because of that the Pharisees did not feel that they were as devout as they were.  See the Pharisees spent all of the time obeying the laws given to Moses.  They were so busy following the law to the Tee that they missed the things right around them.  So the fact that they knew of Jesus connection with Galilee they saw him as being less faithful than they were.

Nicodemus reminded them that they were not to judge until they had talked to Jesus.  They then turned on him because he must not know the law if he was willing to be open minded.  The law dictated everything and they told him to go back and read the scripture.  How could he suggest such a thing if he truly understood the same law they believed.  He must be no better than those from Galilee.  They placed themselves in a higher status than others.

Yet, if you truly believe in God you will understand that we are to be humble.  We are to love all people.  We are not to judge others because that is only God's right.  The law has been replaced by the new covenant.  The fact that the Pharisees believed that they were the only ones that understood and followed the law they were actually breaking the new covenant.

The Messiah had actually come for them also.  The Pharisees had a hard time believing all this because they were looking for a ruler to come in and save them from the Roman rule.  They were seeking a savior much like Moses.  They were searching for a savior who would reestablish the Hebrew Kingdom.  The fact that Jesus was not fulfilling their thoughts they believed he could not be the Messiah they had waited for.

Yet, if you look at the other individuals they had mixed emotions.  Some believed that he was the Messiah because of the miracles he had performed.  Some people thought that he was more like a prophet sent to prepare for the coming savior of the land.  While there were others that believed like the Pharisees that he was nothing more than a trouble maker.  For what he was teaching was not only different from the law but also different from Roman law.  The most fascinating thing is that they did not arrest him.  They had a chance but because of the fact that they could not come to agreement on who he was they decided it was best to not arrest him.

Prayer:

Dear Savior we thank you for the new covenant.  We praise you for establishing a covenant that was formed by the shedding of your own blood on the cross.  We thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to live within us.  Dear God we thank you for choosing to save anyone that would accept you in their life.  Dear God help us show love to the whole world.  Help us study the word and make it a  part of our life.  Dear God we ask you these things in your holy name.  Amen

Questions:

Who are you most like in this story?  Are you like the Pharisees that believe that they are better and more faithful than others?  Are you like Nicodemus willing to give people a chance?  Are you like the people that believed in Christ because they had experienced a miracle?  Are you like those that thought that the teachings were good but the Messiah would do bigger things?  Are you like those that didn't believe in Jesus?

Which one of these individuals would you want to be most like?  What do you need to do to be like that person?

Drink the Everlasting Water

Verses: John 7 : 37 - 39

My thoughts about the verses:

If you have ever watched a survival show you will see that people can make it with little food.  Yet, the same is not true when it comes to water.  Water is needed for life to be sustained.  Everything in nature needs water to survive.  I love watching these shows because they show just how much people will do to keep their thirst quenched.

Think back to natural disasters that have occurred.  What is the first thing brought in?  Water is always the first thing because of its value.  Watching the news you can see the caravans of water coming into sites.  People do need medical supplies and food.  Yet, those that do not get to water will run into problems quickly.

There are a lot of programs that have taken place throughout the world to bring water to those that need it.  Not just any water, but clean fresh water.  For these individuals they would truly understand the term living water.  Water that sets and does not move will become stagnant and disease can start.  Yet, if the water is flowing it has less chance of carrying disease.  Therefor it is living and bringing refreshment and life to all.

Those of us that have water every day from the tap do not fully understand the significance of water. Only when the water is turned off do we appreciate the need that many in the world fully understand. Several years ago the water was turned off in our neighborhood for several days because of a line break.  I can remember running to the store and getting as much water as I could carry.  It wasn't until then did I understand how much I took it for granted.

Knowing that your water isn't safe for consumption gives you a brief glimpse of surviving without the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was sharing this metaphor with this group of people because they understand the significance of water in their life.  Having the Holy Spirit in your life quenches the thirst and longing that exists in our hearts.  It allows us to enjoy life and live with true freedom.

We do not have to search any longer for the gift lives within us.  In this moment and time Jesus was preparing the people for the future.  You can see their looks of surprise in their eyes at this.  How could believing in Jesus fill our hearts with a never ending supply of water?  Basically the water is salvation. It brings down all the barriers that we have placed between Jesus and yourself.  If we came to Christ asking for the salvation God freely gives it to us.  Yet, if we ask for it God will fill us with the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Dear God Thank you for everything that you have sacrificed for us.  Thank you for giving us everlasting life.  Thank you for blessing us with the living water of the Holy Spirit.  Help us understand the true blessing of the Holy Spirit.  Help us Dear savior lead others to you.  Help us break down any barriers that we have built between you and us so that we can enjoy your everlasting gift of life.

Questions:

Does the Holy Spirit live within you?  Have you chosen to drink of the everlasting water?  Are you sharing your gifts with others?  What one thing do you need to do today to help someone understand the sacrifice God has made for them?