Pastor Guy's Blog

Working By the Light

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 6/3/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife, and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So, the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. “But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. So, Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

                                                                                  John 11:1–16 (NASB95)

At the close of chapter 10 in John’s gospel account, Jesus and the disciples leave Jerusalem and move “beyond the Jordan.” Jesus left Jerusalem because the Jewish religious leaders had picked up stones in an attempt to silence Him. As we learned in last week’s message, the confrontation with the Jewish religious leaders was a bit different this time – there was a sense that these leaders were “circling in on” Jesus with undertones of threats. Even still, we find that many believed in Him there.

We are given no indication of how much time has passed since Jesus left Jerusalem, but as chapter 11 opens, Jesus and the disciples remain beyond the Jordan. In the New Testament there are two Bethany’s mentioned – the first is where we find Jesus and the disciples currently involved in some ministry, The second is the Bethany where Lazarus and his sisters, Martha, and Mary, live and from which a message has arrived telling Jesus that Lazarus has taken ill. In a move that concerns the disciples, Jesus decides to return to Judea, for this Bethany is located close to Jerusalem. He assures the disciples that while Working By the Light they have no need to fear, for they will not stumble.

Yeshua receives a message that Lazarus is sick but declares this sickness will not end in death. Yeshua decides to return to Judea, though the disciples are concerned about the Jewish leaders. Yeshua reminds the disciples there are twelve hours in a day and Working By the Light, they will not stumble. Though Lazarus is dead, the disciples will see a result that will lead them to believe.

As Christ followers, we have all been called to some sort of ministry. Though our ministry is meant to glorify the Father and the Son, there will be times when we encounter delays in praying for our ministry. However, when Working By the Light, we can be assured our faith will be awakened and strengthened to a deeper belief, even in circumstances that shake our faith.

In this message we seek to answer the question, “What can we expect when we are Working By the Light?”

As Christ followers, when we are Working By the Light, we can expect to find roadblocks, delays, opposition, and a God who works to awaken our faith.

1). The first thing we can expect when we are Working By the Light is to see a result that will glorify the Father and the Son.

There are no circumstances that surprise our great God – no delay, or even death, can keep Him from receiving glory.

Here, at the beginning of chapter 11, we are introduced to Lazarus, whose name means “God will help.” Lazarus is from Bethany, which means something like “House” or “Place of the Poor.” This is important because Jesus visits both Bethany’s often; both are part of a network established by the Essenes to care for the traveler and the poor. The Essenes were a religious sect made up entirely of men who had never married. Throughout the Scriptures we see that Jesus would often use this network. One such case is mentioned in Luke 22 where Jesus tells those He sent to prepare the room for the Passover, to look for the man carrying the water pitcher. Because the Essenes were all men, they were assigned tasks that a wife or female servant might carryout.

Life and light are two major themes in John’s gospel account. In chapters 9 and 11 they are especially prominent as seen by the healing of the man born blind, who receives the light of the world, and in chapter 11 when Lazarus is raised from the dead and is given the life of the world. This directly echoes John’s prologue in 1:4-5, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of all men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” In these two events, Jesus, in a very real sense, is the Light and Life shining in the darkness, seen in the Jewish religious leaders, who seek to silence Him and His message.

The sisters of Lazarus send a message to Jesus, telling Him that Lazarus, the one “whom You love is sick,” but before the message even arrives, Jesus knows that Lazarus has died. When Jesus reads the message He tells the disciples what HAS happened, and what WILL happen. What HAS happened is that Lazarus has died. What WILL happen is that both the Father and the Son will be glorified through this death. Jesus then does something quite unexpected – He remains where He is for another two days.

John adds a comment to let us know there is more going on than we can see, for the next verse tells us that Jesus stayed where He was for two days. Why did John include this comment? John wants us to know that Jesus did, in fact, love Lazarus and his sisters. Therefore, Jesus did not delay because of a lack of love, but because He was constrained by the Father’s timing. Jesus has to “be late” in arriving so the Father and the Son will be glorified, and to further disclose the true identity of Jesus. We must remember that everything Jesus did was in the Father’s timing.

After Jesus tells the disciples it is time to return to Judea, the disciples express their concern that the Jews have tried to stone Him. Verses 9-10 seem to be somewhat of an oddity. Yeshua asks a strange question in reply to the disciple’s expression of concern. “Are there not twelve hours in a day?” seems to be a question out of place. It appears to have no immediate connection with the concerns just expressed by the disciples. Or does it?

The disciple’s fear is limited to the sphere of human effort. They are worried, and rightly so, what the Jewish leadership might do when Jesus returns to Judea. But Jesus points to an unlimited sphere – the sovereignty of God the Father. Jesus obeyed the Father will; He obeyed the Father’s timing; and He obeyed the Father’s purpose. Jesus had work to do, and the limited number of human hours would not keep Him from His mission. In the sovereignty of God, it is not His time to die, and the Father will see to the safety of His Son.

How does this apply to the Christ follower today? Yeshua refers to daylight and sunshine when referring to walking without stumbling. Obviously one cannot work, let alone walk, without stumbling in the darkness. But there is something more than just the obvious happening here. Yeshua uses the phrase “light of the world,” to refer to His presence when among His people. While Yeshua is with them, He is their light. As long as they worked in the light of His presence, they would not stumble.

In the same way, as they are working in the light of His presence, they are being obedient to God the Father. When Yeshua sends His people, He is doing so in obedient to the Father’s will, thus His people are being obedient to the Father’s will. When Yesha delays sending His people or in giving an answer to prayer, He is being obedient to the Father’s timing, thus, His people are being obedient to the Father’s timing. When Yeshua calls His people, or answers His people, He is being obedient to the Father’s purpose, thus His people are being obedient to the Father’s purpose – even when that purpose may not be immediately or easily seen. This happens for the Christ follower through the power of the Holy Spirit. We work in the light of His presence because He has given us the Helper, the Holy Spirit.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

The disciples experienced fear at the thought of returning to Judea with Jesus. What has Jesus asked you to do recently that caused you to experience fear?

As Christ followers, we often try to do things in our own strength and with our own limited human resources. In what area are you currently struggling because you are trying to work with limited human resources and effort?

What evidence do you have that you are being obedient to the will, timing, and purpose of God the Father?

As Christ followers, when we are Working By the Light, we can expect to find roadblocks, delays, opposition, and a God who works to awaken our faith.

2). The second thing we can expect to see when we are Working By the Light is to see a result that will awaken and strengthen our faith to a deeper belief.

Though what we see in the physical world may be discouraging, God works in ways we cannot see or understand.

Jesus tells the disciples that Lazarus has fallen asleep, and He must go and awaken him, but the disciples miss the euphemism about his death. The Greek word used for “asleep” is the word from which we get the word “coma.” So, Jesus has just told the disciples that Lazarus has fallen into a coma, and He must go and release him from this “coma.” When the disciples still do not grasp what Jesus is saying, He tells them plainly that Lazarus has died. Jesus then tells the disciples He is glad He was not there for their benefit! Why would He say such a thing? So that the disciples may believe.

Lazarus has died so that Jesus can demonstrate His power over death to His disciples, to the sisters of Lazarus, and to those who have gathered to mourn. Jesus not only has the power to raise His life from the grave, He also has the power to raise others from the grave. In the death of Lazarus, we see the power of Christ over death – we see His power to GIVE life! Jesus wants His disciples – including His disciples today – to know and understand that death is our “sleep.” This death was meant to stir up faith – to awaken the faith and strengthen the faith – of those who witnessed it and those who would read about it.

Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, even staying with them on occasion. This means the disciples also knew Lazarus and his sisters. In fact, Jesus said to the disciples, “our friend Lazarus,” indicating that the disciples knew Lazarus as a friend, and they all continued to know Lazarus as a friend in death. Jesus knew the pain the disciples and the sisters were experiencing, yet He did not respond immediately. God’s timing, especially His delays, may cause us to doubt that God will answer, or cause us to think that God did not hear us, or make us fear God will not answer us the way we want Him to answer.

But God will meet our needs according to His perfect timing and purpose. How many times have you prayed only to find the situation has gotten worse? Perhaps you even started to doubt or feel despair. But delays build patience, and our patience improves as we trust in God’s perfect timing and purpose. In fact, God does place some miracles in human history, simply to prove His providence and His sovereignty – even in His delays and our doubt.

Lazarus was close to Yeshua, yet he became deathly ill. Maybe the disciples asked a question similar to the one asked in chapter 9, “Who sinned?”  In this case it might be something like, “What did Lazarus to wrong?” But Yeshua has pointed out that this is for their benefit – that Lazarus died so Yeshua could demonstrate His power over death to bring glory to the Father and the Son, but more importantly, that they, the disciples, may believe!

The disciples have spent nearly three years with Yeshua as He has traveled and ministered to others. Let us not forget that the events we examine in John are the events that John as chosen to emphasize. Matthew, Mark, and Luke include more events in the life of Yeshua as He travels with the disciples, and still, He seeks to awaken and strengthen their faith that they may believe. How much more does this apply to us today? We live in a world that grows increasingly dark and more violent – those who do not have the light of Christ within them will stumble in the darkness. If ever there is a time we need to see the Father and the Son glorified, to awaken and strengthen our faith, it is now!

Questions for discussion/reflection:

The disciples misunderstood what Jesus said about the death of Lazarus. In their confusion they thought Jesus meant literal sleep. What are you hearing from Jesus that is leaving you confused or that you might have misunderstood?

Jesus demonstrates His power over death as the Life of the world. In what area of your life is Jesus demonstrating His power to overcome?

How is Jesus “giving you life” today?

As Christ followers, when we are Working By the Light, we can expect to find roadblocks, delays, opposition, and a God who works to awaken our faith.

No one is exempt from pain, suffering, or death. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, just as He loved His disciples, yet He did not rush to comfort them. The presence of pain and suffering in the Christ follower’s life proves they share the same life experiences of those who do not follow Christ. Christ followers do not have a different life than those who do not follow Christ, rather they experience life differently.

Hope in Christ does not isolate us from the storms and difficulties of life, but it does provide a way through those storms and difficulties and beyond them. God can and does use our difficult experiences to make us more compassionate people as we minister to others, while at the same time awakening and strengthening our faith to a deeper belief. There is nothing we experience in life that can keep God from receiving glory as the Light and Life of the world.

Both the man born blind, and the death of Lazarus were opportunities to glorify the Father and the Son. Miracles that remove human suffering often bring God greater glory than the everyday blessing we experience. In the healing of the man born blind, the Father and the Son are glorified as the LIGHT of the world. In the death of Lazarus, the Father and the Son will be glorified as the LIFE of the world. Both events also served to awaken and strengthen the faith of the disciples – including today’s disciples.

Finally, we see two more lessons that are meant to awaken and strengthen our faith as they glorify the Father and the Son. First, there is the love of Christ. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. It is important for us to note that each member is mentioned by name – Lazarus, Martha, and Mary – because each member of the family had different needs. Each member needed and received help from Jesus in God’s perfect timing and purpose. Secondly, there is the need to wait on God in our crises. When Jesus delayed His return, Martha and Mary were learning to wait on God. In the case of severe illness or death, all we can do is pray and wait on God – even if God delays, He knows the exact moment we will need His help and how He can best help us!

We do all things for the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 11:17-29

Works of the Father

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 5/27/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

Therefore, they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.” Many believed in Him there.”

                                                                                John 10:22–42 (NASB95)

In our last message in John chapter 10, Jesus lays out His strongest argument in claiming to be the Messiah. Set against the backdrop of Ezekiel 34, Jesus claims to be the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He is unlike the hired hand who only cares for the sheep because he draws a wage and benefits for caring for the sheep. However, Jesus owns the sheep and is fully committed to the sheep, up to and including laying down His life. Jesus argues that this is the reason the Father loves the Son – He is willing to die for the sheep.

In our final passage of John chapter 10, we find Jesus, walking in the Temple area, under Solomon’s Colonnade, because John tells us, it is winter. Jesus is in Jerusalem attending the Feast of Dedication, or Feast of Lights, in the month of December on our calendar. This feast is better known as Hanukkah, which means dedication. The portion of the Temple Jesus walks in is named after the man who built the first Temple because it is believed this portion of the Temple lay on part of the original Temple. It was common practice for teachers to use the covered porches of the Colonnades to protect against the cold of winter. It has been four months since Jesus was in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and now, once again, we find the Jews confronting Jesus. This time the Jews seek a clear statement to His identity but Jesus only points to The Works of the Father.

While at the Feast of Dedication, the Jews confront Jesus, demanding He tell them if He is the Christ. Jesus states the works He does in the Fathers name testify that He is one with the Father. These Jews have seen His works, yet they accuse Him of blasphemy. However, many more believe in Him because they know He does The Works of the Father and that all they have been told about Him is true.

As Christ followers, many people we meet will not believe the plain truth that Yeshua is the Savior of the world, even though they may believe in God the Father. Sadly, hearing the truth does not always lead to believing. Though the evidence can be clearly seen, many will not see that Yeshua has been set apart to do The Works of the Father. Sadly, even seeing the available evidence does not always lead to believing.

In this message we seek to answer the question, “How do The Works of the Father point to Yeshua as the Christ?”

The Works of the Father point to Yeshua as the Christ because the truth has been spoken about Yeshua and the works testify about Yeshua.

1). The first way The Works of the Father point to Yeshua as the Christ, is that the works testify to the truth about Yeshua.

Because people are being deceived with lies and deception, hearing the truth will not always lead to believing.

John notes that the Jews have “gathered around Him.” We miss something in the translation from Greek to English here because this is a very ominous gathering. The Greek word used here is the same Greek word used in Luke 21 when Jesus describes the Roman army surrounding Jerusalem before it is destroyed. The sense here is the Jews are “circling in on” Jesus. There is an under tone of threats here. The Jews are looking for a plain answer from Yeshua here – they want Him to say, in plain language, He is the Messiah or He is not the Messiah. Yeshua will not give them such an answer because the term Messiah or Christ was understood to be a military or political leader who would liberate Israel from Rome. This is not the kind of Messiah found in Yeshua.

Instead, Yeshua reminds the religious leaders of Jerusalem, He has already told them, and they did not believe Him. So, He turns to the works He does in His Father’s name – these testify about Yeshua. Once again, Jesus tells them they do not believe because they are not His sheep and do not know His voice. Only His sheep will know Him and will hear His voice and know the sound of His voice and follow Him freely. The sheep are given eternal life, they will never perish, and no one will be able to snatch them from His hand. The sheep Yeshua calls His own have been given to Him by the Father, the greatest of all and no one can snatch them from the hand of the Father either.

Jesus points to the works He has done, not to impress people or raise religious fervor, but because He does His works in His Father’s name. These are works the Father has appointed Him to do as His earthly representative, the only One who has been sent by the Father. These works are done to point to Jesus as Messiah. John the Baptist, while in prison, sent messengers to Jesus asking if He were the One they expected. John the Baptist had his moments of doubt too, but Jesus pointed to the very works He has performed – the lame are healed; the blind can see; and the captives are set free. Which is the cause for John the Baptists doubts – he still sat in prison while others were freed. But there were other works as well, works that Jesus had pointed out to these very same Pharisees.

In this very chapter alone, Yeshua has healed a man born blind, something no one had ever done, but, because the miracle took place on the Sabbath the Judean Jewish religious leaders take exception to this miracle and level the charge of Sabbath breaker against Yeshua. Yeshua has also claimed to be the Good Shepherd, taking direct aim at the religious leaders and teachers of Israel – the implication being they then, are the evil shepherd. As the Good Shepherd, Yeshua knows His sheep, individually and personally, and He, in turn, is known by His sheep. They both know Him, and they know the sound of His voice. They will simply flee from any strange voice because it is a different sound and different words than their Shepherd.

The works of Jesus also prove that He is “one” with the Father. We must understand the implications of the Greek word used for “one.” In the Greek, when referring to God, the masculine form of a word is used – meaning man, men, him, or he. However, in our context, the Greek word for “one” is in the neuter, meaning neither masculine nor feminine – it indicates a “thing.” In our context, “one” is used to indicate “substance.” Thus, Jesus has been sent by the Father as the very same substance as the Father – meaning Jesus is God. Because He is God, the works He has done, have been done in the very same substance as God – Jesus has performed His works as God the Father would have performed His works.

Because He is “one” with the Father, He has been able to do something as “simple” as turning water to wine, a miracle witnessed by the disciples, the waiters, the headwaiter, and the bride and groom thus, turning a potential social disaster into an event to remember. As the same substance as the Father, Jesus healed the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, where superstitious belief was put to rest under the power of Messiah. Because He is “one” with the Father, Jesus fed 5,000 men – plus women and children – right before the astonished eyes of His disciples. In addition to His works, there are the “words” of Jesus. His teachings have captivated those at the Temple time and again. No one has spoken with the authority of Jesus.

Question for discussion/reflection:

The religious leaders and teachers in Jerusalem refused to believe what they have seen and heard about Jesus. What has Jesus shown you or spoken to you, that you are struggling to believe?

John the Baptist has his moments of doubt, even sending messengers to Yeshua to ask if He were the One they expected. In what ways has doubt crept into your faith in recent days or weeks?

Those who heard Jesus teach in the Temple were astonished at the authority of His teachings. What is Jesus teaching you, during this season of life, that you have found astonishing?

The Works of the Father point to Yeshua as the Christ because the truth has been spoken about Yeshua and the works testify about Yeshua.

2). The second way The Works of the Father point to Yeshua as the Christ, is that the works prove that Yeshua has been set apart to do the works in the Fathers name.

Because people are walking in darkness they do not see clearly, thus, seeing the evidence does not always lead to believing.

This conversation has taken a turn the religious leaders simply cannot allow, so they pick up stones, intending to stone Jesus. However, Jesus puts a halt to their latest attempt to silence Him by asking them for which good work He is being stoned. The religious leaders slip up here, they acknowledge His good works are acceptable, meaning they know exactly what His true identity is, they simply refuse to accept it. Which n=makes the reason they seek to stone Him even more confusing. They seek to stone Him for blasphemy because He is a man making Himself out to be God.

Because they will not accept the truth about Jesus and because they do not believe in Him, these religious leaders simply cannot get past seeing Jesus as just a man. But if these leaders think they are dealing with just another man, Jesus proves once again He is no ordinary man. Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6, a passage that refers to leaders and rulers as gods. If the Scriptures refer to these religious leaders as gods, how much more can Jesus be called the Son of God? Every time these religious leaders think they have Jesus cornered, He opens up the Scriptures to refuter and rebuke their puny, self-serving attempts to silence Him.

The Scriptures these religious leaders claim to know so well and teach to others, have come from God, and now they stand with stones in their hands, ready to condemn the very One He has set apart and sent into the world. Yeshua turns right back to the works for which they have already said they do not condemn Him. The works they do not condemn are the very works that prove Yeshua has been set apart to do the works He has done. If He is not doing the works of His Father, “Don’t believe Me,” says Yeshua, but if he does them and they do not believe Him, then they must believe the works they have witnessed. The works He has performed have been in His Father’s name, not of His own initiative or His own will. These works distance Yeshua from other human beings – he is the One sent by the Father.

Yeshua also says the works He has done prove the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. Even those who have witnessed the works of Yeshua have stated that no man could do these works if God were not with Him. They speak of the indwelling presence of the Father in the Son and the indwelling presence of the Son in the Father. Earlier in our series, Yeshua claimed that the Father never left Him and, in fact, witnessed to Yeshua. Witnessed to what? That Yeshua is the Son of God, the Messiah. All of this is further proof that Yeshua has been set apart to do the works of the Father.

Throughout the gospel account of John, we have learned that Jesus came to do the Father’s will. Jesus has been sent to do the Fathers will. Jesus has been very clear about this. He does nothing on His own. What the Father has told Him to do – Jesus has done. In chapter 4 we learned that Jesus “had to” go through Samaria. “Had to” means “to feel compelled,” thus Jesus felt compelled to go through Samaria. Why? Because the Father’s will was for Jesus to go through Samaria. Which is the second thing Jesus was clear about – He went where the Father sent Him. Finally, Jesus only spoke the words the Father gave Him to speak. In John 7:16, Jesus clearly states, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” Jesus spoke the words of the Father.

Yeshua always and only sought to do the Father’s will and likewise, He sought always to bring glory to the Father. In all the controversy over His works, Yeshua continually reflects back to His Father. Yeshua was doing what He saw the Father doing. Yeshua healed so that the works of the Father might be seen. He brought glory to the Father through His obedience and because of His obedience the Father loved the Son fully and completely. In fact, Yeshua never withheld any glory from the Father – only the Father glorified the Son.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

The Jewish religious leaders had an issue looking past the fact that Jesus was a man. Which do you have more difficulty accepting, the deity of Jesus (that He was fully God), or the humanity of Jesus (that He was fully human)? Why is your choice difficult?

Yeshua used Psalm 82:6 to clarify and justify calling Himself the Son of God, even though the religious leaders remained stubborn in unbelief. What Scripture has given you a new perspective, or brought clarity to you, about Yeshua?

Jesus could not do the works He showed unless God was with Him – living inside of Him. What evidence have you seen recently of Christ living in you?

The Works of the Father point to Yeshua as the Christ because the truth has been spoken about Yeshua and the works testify about Yeshua.

This passage represents the final public disclosure of who Yeshua truly is and it is the ultimate disclosure of His complete identity. It is the character of His life, His words, and His miracles – all done in the Father’s name – that indicate His true identity. These things are now to be seen in the life of the Christ follower. As His sheep, you are to know the voice of your Shepherd. He knows you personally and individually, and He calls you by name. Christ follower, know your Shepherd.

We must not deny the unity of the Father and the Son, nor should we doubt the unity of the Son and His followers. The Son lived to bring glory and honor to the Father and was sent into the world to the Fathers will. Yeshua did this up to and including death – death on a cross. We are now “sent” into the world in unity with the Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. He has come to guide us and lead us into the will of God the Father. His purpose is to help us live a life of obedience to the glory of God the Father. This may even include, one day, obedience to the point of death. And the Holy Spirit has come that we might know our Shepherd to the point we become like Him. Christ follower, know your Shepherd.

Finally, this chapter has been about Yeshua as the Good Shepherd, the One who lays down His life for His sheep. He has come that we might find safety and security in His hands. Once there, no one can steal us away from Him. He has come that we might have abundant life- not our best life now, but life that finds its fullness in Him, our Good Shepherd. He has also come that we might have eternal life, spent in the fullness of His presence. But none of this can happen unless we stay close to our Good Shepherd. Christ follower, know your Shepherd.

Not everyone we meet, not everyone that we know, will believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times, the name of Jesus is the most divisive name ever spoken. At the mention of His name, countries, states, cities, and towns, and even families are divided. We cannot change people’s hearts. That is NOT our responsibility. What is our responsibility then? To live a life of obedience in Christ before the world and to do so unashamedly and boldly. We plant the seed, however long that may take, and then get out of the way and let God do the rest. We are to live as an example of the power of Christ to change the most wretched of souls. Christ follower, know your Shepherd.

We do all things to the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 11:1-16

The Good Shepherd

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 5/20/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. “For this reason, the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

                                                                                 John 10:11–21 (NASB95)

In our last message on John chapter 10, Jesus stirred up the “hornets’ nest” by describing the Pharisees as thieves and robbers who enter the sheepfold by climbing over the wall. They have come to kill, steal, and robber the sheep owner, entering the sheepfold through unauthorized means. By contrast, Jesus offers Himself as the true Shepherd who enters through the sheep door because He has been recognized by the doorkeeper and has authority to enter the sheepfold. Once in the sheepfold, He calls His sheep because they know His voice but flee from the sound of a stranger’s voice.

In this week’s message, Jesus continues to build His case as The Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep, unlike the hired hand who seeks only his own benefit at the expense of the sheep. Jesus has been given authority over His life, He can lay it down and He can take it up again. At this statement, there is once again a divide among the people, some saying he has a demon and is insane. Still others see that Jesus speaks words of sanity and grace, something that an insane demon-possessed person would not be able to do.

Jesus states that the hired hand is not a shepherd, for he flees when he sees the wolf coming. However, The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. His sheep know Him; He is known by the Owner, His Father, who has given Him full authority to lay down His life and to take it up again. For this reason, the Jews were divided once again – some saying He had a demon.

As Christ followers, we must stay close to The Good Shepherd, for our enemy seeks to steal us away from Him. He has been given full authority to give His life away, and to take it back up again. Because of this, many will be divided over one man giving His life to save many.

In this message, we seek to answer the question, “Why must the Christ follower remain close to The Good Shepherd?”

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

1). The first reason the Christ follower must remain close to the good shepherd is because The Good Shepherd is a true shepherd.

He lays down His life for the sheep, He is known by His sheep, and He has been given full authority by His Father.

As Jesus lays claim to being the Good Shepherd, He is clear as to WHY He is the Good Shepherd – the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The ‘good’ shepherd show himself as the Good Shepherd because of His care for the sheep, not His own. A shepherd’s life was dangerous at times – wild animals were common in the countryside of Israel – lions, bears, and wolves all wandered freely, seeking their next meal. Thus, the Good Shepherd may indeed need to risk His life for His sheep.

The major difference between Yeshua and those who came before Him is that Yeshua owns the sheep, and the others came as “hired hands” to care for the sheep – they are only shepherds because they draw an income and gain benefits as they care for the sheep. The hired hand who does the job because he is paid, does not have an investment in the sheep as does the true shepherd. When danger comes, the hired hand will flee!

The hired hand is not evil, as the thief or the robber, yet the hired hand has no personal connection or concern for the sheep. He does his duty well in the “normal” course of the day, but should danger arise, he looks after himself first. The Good Shepherd has been born to be shepherd, the sheep belong to Him, and He, in turn, belongs to the sheep. By contrast, the hired hand is a false shepherd – he is unfaithful and irresponsible – who has no sense of responsibility to or for the sheep.

Yeshua, as the Good Shepherd, is set apart from the hired hand because He enters at the door. Yeshua can enter at the door because He is recognized by the doorkeeper, who allows Him to enter. As the Good Shepherd, the sheep recognize His voice and freely follow Him. As the Good Shepherd, Yeshua is willing to lay down His life for the sheep. The Good Shepherd faces danger while the hired hand flees in the face of danger. The Good Shepherd defends the sheep while the hired hand seeks after his own safety. Finally, the Good Shepherd has genuine care and concern for the sheep while the hired hand seeks only for his own welfare.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

Beyond your salvation, how has Yeshua laid down His life for you during this season of life?

As the Good Shepherd, what “danger” has Yeshua defended against for you recently?

How have you felt the care and concern of the Good Shepherd this week?

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

2). The second reason the Christ follower must remain close to the good shepherd is because The Good Shepherd is a known Shepherd.

He is known by His sheep, He is known by the Owner, and He is known by sheep He will bring into the fold.

As Yeshua continues to build His case as the Good Shepherd, He points out that He knows the sheep, and more importantly, He is known by the sheep. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep by name, individually and personally. He knows their joy and sorrow, their trials, and blessings. The Good Shepherd knows the wanderings and stumbling’s of His sheep as well as the needs and lack of His sheep. But the Good Shepherd is also known by His sheep. The sheep know His love and care; they know His companionship and leadership. The sheep know His experience and knowledge; they know His concern and guidance.

The mark of a good shepherd is knowing his sheep and being known by his sheep. But Yeshua also knows the Owner – God the Father – and is known by the Owner, again, God the Father. The Greek word used here is in the present tense of ginosko, meaning “a timeless force,” – this is a complete and absolute understanding on part of both the Father and the Son. This knowledge, which the Father and the Son share in the eternal order, is extended to those whom the Son calls, “My own.” Thus, Yeshua knows the Father and the Father knows Yeshua, the son, in a perfect intimate knowledge and relationship. Yeshua has been sent by the Father, from the very heart of the Father.

Finally, Yeshua as the Good Shepherd, knows and is known by other sheep He will bring into the fold. As a way of reminder, we must remember when studying John 10, to view it through the context of Ezekiel 34 – a condemnation of the shepherds of Israel. In this context, the other sheep refers, first, to the nation of Israel. This means the northern kingdom, known as the House of Israel, or as the “Lost Tribes of Israel,” and the southern kingdom, known as the House of Judah, must be reconciled, and become one. By extension then, this would also refer to the unity of Israel and the nations as established in John 3:16-17.

These are the sheep that Yeshua, the Good Shepherd, lays down His life for. He fights for them and protects them. It is His calling and His purpose to stand ready to face the enemy of His sheep. As the Good Shepherd, Yeshua laid down His life only to take it up again. This speaks of the death and resurrection – that He died for the Jew and Christ follower alike, to have life and life eternal. He faced our enemy on the cross and defeated him, that we might be free from his influence, free from sin, free from death, and free from the grave.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

As the Good Shepherd, Yeshua knows His sheep. He knows them individually and personally, calling them by name. To what have you heard Yeshua calling you by name this week?

Yeshua has a complete and absolute understanding of the Father. What has Yeshua given you clarity of understanding about the Father recently?

It is the calling and purpose of Yeshua to stand ready to face the enemies of His sheep. How do you sense Yeshua “standing ready” to fight your enemies?

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

3). The third reason the Christ follower must remain close to The Good Shepherd is because He has been given full authority by the Father.

He has authority to lay down His life, to take His life up again, and His authority causes division among people.

That the Father loves the Son goes without question, yet Jesus says the Father loves Him because He laid down His life, so that He can “take it up again.” Thus, the Father loves the Son because of His selfless devotion and adoration to the will of the Father – even when it means laying down His life. The Father loves the Son because He willingly laid down His life for the sheep – Yeshua could not have done a greater good for the sheep – and this greatly pleased the Owner of the sheep, thus the Owner of the sheep – God the Father – gave Yeshua full authority over His life.

Jesus makes the point that no one is taking His life, His is laying it down on His own initiative. The Father loves the Son for His willingness to die in order to save the lives of those who place their faith and trust in Him. Jesus lays down His life on His own and on His own he will also take up His life again. Jesus is claiming authority to control His life – to control His death and beyond. He would die on the cross willingly, of His own initiative, and at the resurrection, He would take His life up again – on His own initiative. This authority, Jesus says, comes from His Father!

Once again, the people are divided over Yeshua, and, once again, the charges of demon-possession and insanity are leveled. However, there are still those present in the crowd who question such charges, stating a demon could not perform such works. To be demon-possessed and insane would be to act under the control of a demon. Those who are thus possessed would express the mind and consciousness of the demon or demons that are indwelling them. However, there are those who realize that Yeshua speaks words of sanity and grace – these are certainly not compatible with demon-possession.

For the Christ follower, it is at the resurrection, when Jesus took up His life again, that He gifted us freedom from death and the grave. He removed our sin to replace it with His righteousness. He willingly died, sacrificing Himself in our place – all under His own initiative – with full authority from the Father. He did this to show His love and adoration for the Father, and in obedience to His Father, thus honoring the Father through His death. His first and ultimate purpose is to glorify the Father – and we are the recipients of His love and obedience to the Father – eternal life through the Son.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

How are you “laying down your life” for the gospel message of Jesus?

Yeshua has been given full authority by the Father – authority in heaven and on earth. How are you experiencing the authority of Yeshua in your life this week?

Yeshua willingly sacrificed His life for the salvation of the Christ follower. How are you living a sacrificial life for the kingdom of God?

The Christ follower must stay close to The Good Shepherd to be protected and known by Him, and to remain under His authority.

The Good Shepherd gave His life for His sheep. What is pictured here is the Shepherd fighting predators – lions, bears, and wolves – to save the lives of His sheep. At His death on the cross, this became a spiritual battle – a spiritual battle the Christ follower must face and fight daily. But, once again, the Good Shepherd has already won the battle for those who have placed their faith and trust in Him. His resurrection defeated our enemy, Satan, described as a “roaring lion;” the war is over, even though the battle continues.

The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. The hired hand does his job simply to get paid but flees at the first sign of danger. Our Good Shepherd, Yeshua, stands in the face of danger because He is committed to His sheep. He is committed to our safety and security. He is committed to our daily needs of “food and water,” as well as shelter and other daily necessities. He is committed to leading and guiding us daily as we seek to grow and mature in faith. The Good Shepherd is committed to giving us life – abundant life that leads to eternal life in His care and concern, for our Good Shepherd is committed to His sheep.

However, no amount of commitment will keep us safe, secure, and fully cared for if we do not stay close to our Good Shepherd. If we chase after things of the world, things that promise an abundant life in the here and now but forfeit our eternal life, we place ourselves in danger, for the isolated sheep, separated from the flock, is easy pickings for the enemy. We must surround ourselves with other sheep, for the daily battles we face in the world will surely grind us down and discourage us. If we try to fight these spiritual battles on our own we will fail, it is that simple. We need other sheep but most importantly, we need our Good Shepherd.

No matter how hard we try and explain who Jesus is and why He came, there will always be a division among the people. Some will simply not believe He is the only way to heaven or to God the Father. Others will not believe He is the Son of God. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for many is that One Man has claimed to give His life for all people. That is just too much for some. And yet, the offer is made until the person simply stops listening to the offer and rejects it for the last time. Time is short, the world is growing darker by the hour, or at least it seems that way. We must be bold in our faith and loving in our words, for there is still time for those who hear the sound of His voice but have not yet come to know His voice.

We do all things for the glory of God through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 10:22-42

Entering Through the Sheep Door

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 5/13/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. So, Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

                                                                                  John 10:1–10 (NASB95)

We have been following the controversy of the man born blind who has been blessed by God with a miracle restoring his sight. Having had clay applied to his eyes by Jesus, he is told to go wash in the pool of Siloam and as he does, his sight is restored. You would think that all is well with the man but there is one small issue, an issue the religious leaders, the Pharisees, object to strenuously. This miracle has been performed on the Sabbath.

The man faced questioning that was overwhelming, questioning that even included his parents, but he held his own against the enraged Pharisees who sought to discredit Jesus. In their anger, the Pharisees had been blind to the Scriptures that speak directly to the fact that Messiah will bring sight to the blind. As the chaos and controversy surrounding the miracle continue to grow, the formerly blind man finds Jesus, the true shepherd of Israel, and Entering Through the Sheep Door, he finds peace, safety, and acceptance.

Jesus states that only by Entering Through the Sheep Door can anyone claim to be the shepherd of the sheep. The shepherd’s sheep will follow him because they know his voice but flee from the voice of a stranger. Jesus claims to be the door of the sheep and all others came to steal, kill, and destroy, while He offers an abundant life to those sheep who enter the sheepfold through Him.

If we are to be true Christ followers, we must know the voice of Christ, that we might follow Him when He calls our name. All other voices seek to lead us astray, causing harm or destruction. It is only by Entering Through the Sheep Door that we can follow our shepherd to a life of abundance and security.

In this message we seek to answer the question, “How does the Christ follower know they are Entering Through the Sheep Door?”

The Christ follower will know they are Entering Through the Sheep Door when they can recognize the voice of Christ, who says “I am the door of the sheep.”

(When reading and studying John 10, it is best to understand this chapter in the context of Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel 34 is a condemnation of Israel’s religious leaders for not properly caring for God’s sheep.)

1). The first way the Christ follower will know they are Entering Through the Sheep Door is when they know the voice of our Shepherd as He calls our name.

We must learn to flee from the strange voices we do not know – voices that belong to thieves and robbers.

The conversation recorded by John in chapter 10 is a continuation of the conversation following the miracle healing of the man born blind. Jesus continues the conversation by describing a thief and a robber climbing into a sheepfold. The thief and the robber do not enter through the door of the sheepfold, as does the True Shepherd. The sheepfold, in this conversation, is an enclosure to keep the sheep safe, especially at night. The enclosure may be eight to then feet high and topped with thorns to keep the predators from climbing over the top. There was a single entrance, used by the sheep and the shepherd, to enter into or come out of the sheepfold. This single entrance made it much easier to protect the sheep.

The Pharisees, the religious leaders of Israel, no doubt claimed to be the shepherds of God’s sheep. However, we have just witnessed, through the Scriptures, a man who had been born blind, cured, and then rejected by those same “shepherds,” while the man sought care a shepherd would surely have provided. In fact, these “shepherds” removed the man from the very flock they claimed to shepherd. In this context, these Pharisees, the religious leaders of Israel, are nothing more than thieves and robbers. The formerly blind man has found the True Shepherd in Yeshua, the shepherd who entered through the door of the sheepfold – thus, the religious leaders have tried to enter the sheepfold through unauthorized means.

It was a well-known fact at the time that the best way to hurt a sheep owner economically was to scatter the flock by night – this would be a time-consuming task the shepherd would have to undertake to gather the sheep into the sheepfold. After all, the thief can only steal what he can carry after killing or binding the sheep. However, because Jesus has entered through the door, He has been recognized and permitted entry by the doorkeeper. This means that Yeshua is the rightful leader who entered through the only appointed means of entry, thus He is God’s shepherd, and He has authority to lead the sheep.

Because Jesus has been recognized by the doorkeeper and entered through the door, the sheep will know the voice of their shepherd. The voice of the shepherd is clear, strong, sure, and decisive. The words spoken by the shepherd are words of care and tenderness; they are words of warning and safety; and they are words of truth and security. The sheep must discern the shepherds who enter by the door, but they must also be aware of those who climb over the wall. Should a stranger call out to the sheep, they would not recognize the voice, in fact, they would flee from the voice because they would not recognize the sound – it is weak and frail, uncertain and unclear – the sound and the words are different from the True Shepherd.

How does this apply to the Christ follower today? Let’s start with the “doorkeeper.” The True Shepherd is known by the “doorkeeper,” for the Christ follower this is God the Father or the Holy Spirit. The “doorkeeper” only opens the door for the True Shepherd – He alone has been appointed to use the door. One of the biggest points of contention with the Pharisees is that Jesus claims to have been sent by God – He has been sent by His Father and He seek only to do the will of His Father. The True Shepherd knows where the door is, and He uses it. His purpose – to do the will of the sheep owner, in our context, God the Father.

Now let’s take a look at the “door.” The “door” represents the position of Messiah – only the True Shepherd has the right to enter the sheepfold and call His own sheep to follow Him. As the “door” for the sheep, Jesus represents the way to eternal life and the way into the kingdom of God. True Christ followers, as sheep belonging to the True Shepherd, would never follow someone pretending to be their shepherd.

Question for discussion/reflection:

Those who are “thieves” and “robbers” only seek to lead astray and cause harm or destruction. Who or what are the “thieves” and “robbers” you are facing during this season of life?

What other “voices” are making it hard to hear the “voice” of the True Shepherd?

The sheepfold is meant to be a place of protection, safety, and acceptance. How are those who would be “thieves” and “robbers” trying to scatter you from the sheepfold?

The Christ follower will know they are Entering Through the Sheep Door when they can recognize the voice of Christ, who says “I am the door of the sheep.”

2). The second way the Christ follower will know they are Entering Through the Sheep Door is when we have followed our Shepherd to a life of abundance and security.

All others seek to lead us astray to cause harm or destruction.

At night, in the desert, the sheep are herded into the sheepfold. This enclosure might have been a natural defensive feature such as the face of a cliff or the edge of a canyon. The walls were topped with thorns to protect from predators climbing over the wall, and there was one small opening through which the sheep and the shepherd would enter. However, when the shepherd called the sheep out of the sheepfold, the only protection they had was what was provided by the shepherd. While in pasture, there is another enclosure for the sheep. Here the shepherd literally becomes the door.

The shepherd would sit or lie across the opening, thus anyone who would come in or go out, must go through the “door.” The sheep can go out to pasture or stay in the sheepfold – to go out or to come in means to pass before the watchful care of the shepherd. What is pictured here is the sheep recognizing the voice of the shepherd and they have followed Him out to pasture. The True Shepherd leads the sheep, and the sheep willingly follow the shepherd. The sheep follow because the shepherd feeds the sheep; he guides the sheep; he seeks and saves the sheep; he protects the sheep; he restores the sheep; and he rewards the sheep for obedience and faithfulness.  

Those Jews who believed in Jesus heard His voice and followed Him as the true Shepherd. True sheep do not listen to false teachers, false leaders, or false messiahs, because true sheep recognize the voice of the authentic shepherd. Believing Jews recognized His voice and followed Him. The Pharisees, the religious leaders of Israel, do not hear His words, do not accept His works, ad do not recognize His voice because they seek to discredit Yeshua as a false messiah, when in reality, they are the evil shepherds of Israel.

As “thieves” and “robbers” the Pharisees claim to know the right way; to have the newest and best ideas and teachings. They claim the greatest religion, works, maturity, and claim to have the best inheritance found in Moses. They claim to be the “door” to God’s kingdom and thus, they drive the people to follow them. Jesus offers a contrast to the ways of the Pharisees – as the True Shepherd, the sheep recognize His voice and He will LEAD them out – NOT DRIVE them, for His sheep will flee from a voice they do not recognize.

How does this apply to the modern Christ follower? The sheepfold is a place of safety. For the Christ follower this is a place of acceptance by God; it is a place of safety and security in the presence of God. For the Christ follower, it is the position of salvation; the position of being accepted by God because we have approached God through His Son, Yeshua – He is the only acceptable way into the presence, safety, security, and acceptance of God.

Yeshua leads His sheep into pasture that can satisfy the soul; a pasture that can restore the soul; a pasture that can give life and life eternal. It is a pasture that can feed the sheep with knowledge, understanding, and truth. Thus, Yeshua is the “door” to salvation; the “door” to a relationship with God; and the “door” to eternal life. Said another way, Yeshua is the “way” to salvation; the “way’ to a relationship with God; the “way” to eternal life. Following Yeshua as our Shepherd brings safety and security, peace, and tranquility. Because Yeshua is the “door,” the sheep can come in and go out – in Jewish thought, to come in and go out is to be without difficulty or danger.  

Questions for discussion/reflection:

Jesus knows His sheep and he calls them by name; the sheep know the sound of His voice and follow Him. Where is Jesus calling you to follow Him during this season of life?

False shepherds seek only to drive the sheep for their own benefit. As the True Shepherd, Yeshua LEADS the sheep. How are you experiencing Yeshua as He leads you in your faith journey?

What has been your most common experience with Jesus as the True Shepherd recently? Has it been peace, security, tranquility, or acceptance? Perhaps you have had a different experience than those listed?

The Christ follower will know they are Entering Through the Sheep Door when they can recognize the voice of Christ, who says “I am the door of the sheep.”

The image presented in this passage is one of sheep in a threatening desert – food and water are scarce, and predators roam about everywhere. Yeshua, as the True Shepherd, offers a picture of well-fed sheep, led to pasture, and water daily. The sheep are given safe haven at night in the strong walls of the sheepfold. As the “door” Yeshua alone is the sentry – the “doorkeeper.” Yeshua is also the genuine Messiah, and because He is Messiah, the sheep can enter through Him to find salvation, freedom, and eternal life. This is a picture of the abundant life.

The abundant life speaks of depth of living in the here and now, while, at the same time, speaking to length of time in eternity. This is not just a life as good as it can get here, but also life beyond anything we can imagine. Yeshua gave this life to the formerly blind man; one whose parents abandoned him, and his church and religious leaders rejected. The life that is presented here is, clearly, not a life that denies problems and pain. Instead, this is a life that faces problems and pain and makes use of them.

As we will soon see in this gospel, Yeshua told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation,” thus, removing any last hopes of a life guaranteed comfort and success. But it is the words that follow in which we attach our hope, “but take courage; I have overcome the world.” So, rather than allowing is to focus on life’s ups and downs, Yeshua takes us deep into life itself, where there is a peaceful center, even in the middle of the storm. No matter what you may be facing; no matter what the circumstances; no matter the chaos found in the storms of life – may you find Christ in the center to bring peace, tranquility, safety, and security.

As the True Shepherd, Yeshua is the only One who can bring such to the sheep of His pasture.

We do all things for the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week” John 10:11-18

Choosing Willful Blindness

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 5/6/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So, they put him out.

Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

                                                                                  John 9:28–41 (NASB95)

I would venture to say that we have all known someone, or at least met a person, who simply will not listen to other people. It doesn’t matter if it will save them from hardship, pain, or even save them money – they simply will not listen. This is especially true with toddlers and younger children – we like to say they have “selective hearing.” In other words, they can hear clearly, they just choose not to, and this leads to countless mishaps, hurts, and in some cases, tears.

In our passage today, we meet a group of adult men, leaders in fact, who are having issues with another of the five senses – seeing, eyesight, vision. These men are respected authorities of religious law in Israel. They are teachers of the Law of Moses and are expected to see the signs of the coming Messiah. Sadly, it is a miracle, the miracle of a man born blind given sight, performed on the Sabbath, that is causing these leaders to suffer from blurred vision. In fact, in Choosing Willful Blindness, they completely miss the true identity of the “man named Jesus.”

The Pharisees are willfully blind to the true identity of Jesus, claiming they are disciples of Moses. The formerly blind man is amazed at the rejection of Jesus, especially after he opened the eyes of a man born blind. The Pharisees now reject the man who as his eyes opened a second time, this time to the true identity of Jesus – he now believes and worship. However, because the Pharisees are Choosing Willful Blindness, they remain in sin.

Many people in the world will reject Yeshua because they do not know His true identity or want to hear the truth about Him. In Choosing Willful Blindness, people will reject our testimony, claiming to be better informed than someone who has no proof of what they believe; yet the Christ follower will have perfect vision while those who claim to be informed will remain in darkness.

In this message we seek to answer the question, “What are the dangers of Choosing Willful Blindness?”

In Choosing Willful Blindness people will face the danger of rejecting Jesus and remaining in sin.

1). The first danger of Choosing Willful Blindness people will face is missing the true identity of Yeshua.

Knowing the true identity of Yeshua allows a person to have their eyes opened and to gain the ability to hear the truth.

The questioning the formerly blind man faced was overwhelming, but this man has held his own, and in fact, fired back at the line of questioning. The man is not trained as these leaders are, so he should not be asked such questions! The Pharisees, for their part, do not appreciate the man’s irony, as it is apparent the man has seen through their effort to trip him up – so they respond harshly. John says plainly, they “reviled him.” The Greek word for “reviled” here means to abuse.

First, they verbally abuse him by pronouncing a curse on the man who has just been blessed by God with sight, by saying they did not know where “this man Jesus” comes from or under whose authority He gave the man sight. Who would want to be the disciple of someone whose origins were unknown and whose authority has been disavowed by those in a position to judge such a matter?! The Pharisees go on to argue that no one could doubt that God has spoken to Moses, he was, after all, the pre-eminent disciple of the Lord – to be his disciple is a claim worth making!

The formerly blind man has professed Yeshua as a prophet – the man knew the works of Yeshua were proof He came from God. So, the Pharisees use the phrase “this man” as a derogatory statement – it is as if Jesus were just another person without credentials. The miracle of giving sight to a man born blind must be recognized as an answer to prayer – thus, the man who received this answer to prayer must be no ordinary man! Putting two and two together, the man who first acknowledged Yeshua as a prophet, now says He must have come from God.

The formerly blind man has used their own argument against them, angering the Pharisees who now accuse the man of insubordination. The angry reply by the Pharisees shows they know they are losing this argument – so, in their final act of abuse, they put him out. In context, the Pharisees did not just push him out of the place where this interrogation took place, but they also expelled him from membership in the synagogue. This condemnation by the formerly blind man of the irrational rejection of Jesus is too much for the Pharisees, so they put him out of the synagogue.

We’ve all heard the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” and it can easily be said this is very true in our day and age. We have more resources and access to those resources; we have more evidence and access to that evidence; and we have more knowledge and access to that knowledge than, arguably, any time in history, and still people miss the true identity of Yeshua and remain willfully blind. How is it that so many can miss the truth about Christ? Of course, we all know very well the enemy does a wonderful job of telling lies and deceiving people – and this is the number one reason so many miss the identity of Yeshua, they still listen to and believe the lies and deception spread by Satan – the father of lies.

Because they listen to and believe the lies and deceptions, they refuse to hear the truth and reject the witness – you and me – of those who have experienced life in Christ. Thus, those who refuse to hear the truth but listen to and believe the lies and deception, make no effort, or at least very little effort, to understand Yeshua. Which leads us to the evidence that soon, we too, will be reviled. How will we be reviled? Those who believe the lies and deceptions of Satan, will begin to see us as the problem, that we stand in the way of real progress. They will speak evil of us and tell lies and deceive others about us. Many will make threats against us, up to and including bodily harm. They will resort to slander and name calling – all in an effort to silence us.

Those who are true Christ followers will begin to experience persecution from those who call themselves “Christians.” They will begin to reject anyone who speaks out against the accepted teachings of the church, something I am experiencing right now, as we attempt to correct years of false teaching in the church. They will put labels on those who follow the biblical Christ, labels such as “legalist,” or “Torah followers,” or “Judaizers.” They will call us un-Christian and un-Christlike, reviled to the point they will seek to remove any who hold a position in the church or even push them out of the church completely.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

How are you growing as a disciple of Yeshua? If you are not, why?

What has Yeshua “opened your eyes” to recently? (A new teaching, understanding of a difficult passage, an answer to prayer)

Where are you beginning to feel “reviled” or “persecuted,” in your walk with Christ?

In Choosing Willful Blindness people will face the danger of rejecting Jesus and remaining in sin.

2). The second danger of Choosing Willful Blindness people will face is remaining in darkness.

Yeshua is the Light of the world and the only One who can give perfect vision.

Yeshua finds the formerly blind man after the Pharisees have put him out and asks him a simple question, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The theology of the Son of Man was already well developed in Judaism through both biblical and non-biblical text. To ask the man if he believed in the Son of Man as to ask if he believed in the Messiah. When the man expressed his desire to believe immediately – to believe is not an intellectual recognition but a wholehearted trust – Yeshua opened his eyes a second time to reveal that He, Yeshua, was the Son of Man.

The words “you have both seen” have a double impact here – the man could now physically see Yeshua, and he understood spiritually that Yeshua was the Messiah. The man acted in his belief and worshiped. Yeshua now reveals to the man His purpose for coming into the world – to judge the world. By judgment, Yeshua means His mission was to pronounce all people guilty before God. His purpose was to make people understand their lost condition, their spiritual blindness – to cause them to recognize they were condemned before God.

Thus, the presence and activity of Yeshua in the world constituted judgment as they compelled people to declare for or against Him. So, Yeshua “judges” or separates those who claim to have great spiritual knowledge, when they are, in fact, truly blind, from those who humbly seek to follow God and thus, find a Savior. They will have their eyes opened and see the Light of the world. Our friends the Pharisees expected to be exempt from judgment but the response they get from Yeshua is far from what they thought they would hear, it is, in fact, quite shocking.

The Pharisees expected to hear that their learning, their reputation, and their high standing would keep them from being counted among the blind, but what they are about to hear is unexpected, and in their minds, undeserved. The blindness of the Pharisees is an excuse – had they been truly blind they would have been excused, for they would have been acting in ignorance, not knowing what they were doing. But they knew the law of God; they knew about spiritual things; they claimed to see and yet, they did not recognize God’s Son.

Thus, the Pharisees are guilty and were judged to be condemned. They were more guilty than those who have no knowledge of God or His word. In contrast to the formerly blind man, the Pharisees had sight, but they had no light. They were spiritually blind, though they claimed to see. Those who admitted blindness could receive the light and see, but those who “saw” would remain in darkness. Even with all the resources we have at hand in today’s world, many people still remain in the darkness.

How are people kept in darkness today? We no longer call sin, sin – rather we place any number of labels on our wrongdoing. Our country has gone out of its way to normalize sin, generations have been taught that sin is okay. This is even true in the church where “everybody’s sin is worse than mine.” We are taught that we are a “good person” because man is the ultimate and highest being. We are told that all roads lead to God, and in the end, God will take everyone to heaven. Saddest of all is the belief that God simply does not exist.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

Though we have never seen Yeshua physically, we can, in a sense, see Him spiritually. How are you “seeing” Yeshua in this season of life?

How are you “declaring” to be for Yeshua as you live your life before others? If you are not, how can you change this?

What are you doing to be “kept from being counted among the blind?” If nothing, why?

In Choosing Willful Blindness people will face the danger of rejecting Jesus and remaining in sin.

The Pharisees are absolutely shocked that Yeshua would consider them among the blind. Yeshua countered that it can only be blindness that could explain their irrational rejection of Him and their stubborn behavior. Jesus had done the unprecedented, not the unpredicted. In their zeal to discredit Yeshua, the Pharisees we blind to the Scriptures that specifically described the Messiah bringing sight to the blind. Passage such as Isaiah 29:18, Isaiah 35:5 and Isaiah 42:7. “Those who do not see” are those who know their need for a Savior and have humbled themselves and came to Yeshua for salvation.

To those who have remained open and recognize their sin has blinded them from knowing the truth, Jesus gives spiritual understanding and insight. They will see! Those who say they “do see” are those who are self-righteous, thinking they have all the answers and have no need for a Savior. Sadly, many in the church have rejected Jesus and they have no clue this has happened. They have become blind because they have rejected the “Light of the world.”

In His first coming, Yeshua did not come to execute judgment. As the Light of the world, Yeshua sees and reveals the innermost thoughts and deepest motivations of all people – this is the lesson we must learn from the Pharisees. So, the verdict is this: all people are guilty before God. The evidence is found in the fact that many people continue to walk in darkness – they walk in sin – because of spiritual blindness. Spiritual darkness then describes the absolute worst form of judgment. However, Yeshua, the Light of the world, give people a glimmer of hope.

John 1:9 tells us that Yeshua is the true light that came into the world to enlighten all men – to give some light to all people, therefore we must all follow the Light that has been given to us – otherwise we have nothing left but our blind judgment and self-darkening opinions. We have been called to be light and salt to the world. The light we, as Christ followers have, is a reflection of the Light of Yeshua. I pray that as the spiritual darkness in our country continues to grow, your light will be a beacon of hope to the hopeless, a taste of the love of Christ to those deemed unlovable, and bring a sense of peace where there is chaos.

We do all things for the glory of God, through Christ our Lord.

Amen and amen. Next Week: John 10:1-10

Eyes That Are Blind

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 4/2/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore, some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. So, they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”

“His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason. his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So, a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” So, they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”

                                                                              John 9:13–27 (NASB95)

The Pharisees are divided over Jesus because He has healed a man on the Sabbath. They refuse to believe the formerly blind man because he confessed Jesus as a prophet. The parents fear the Pharisees because they threaten to put people out of the synagogue who confess Jesus to be Christ. Because they have Eyes That Are Blind they question the man again, until he asks if they want to be disciples of Jesus.

We are born with Eyes That Are Blind until we confess Yeshua is more than a great man, a great teacher, or a great prophet. Because Yeshua is the Son of God, it will cause division among all people groups and nations, even within individual families. While we speak the truth, people will glorify their own gods, until they are able to hear the truth and become disciples of Yeshua.

In this message we seek to answer the question, “What are the implications of being born with Eyes That Are Blind”?

We must recognize that we are born with Eyes That Are Blind and in need of Yeshua, the only One who can give us sight.

1). The first implication of being born with Eyes That Are Blind is that we do not know the true identity of Yeshua.

We must come to know that Yeshua is more than a great man, a great teachers, or a great prophet – He is the Christ, the Messiah.

The local synagogue was equivalent to what we would call a small claims court. If a formal charge had been made it would have gone to the Sanhedrin, the high court. Several things are possible here; first, it is possible the people went to the Pharisees because they realized that Jesus had performed another miracle on the Sabbath and the Pharisees would want to know. Second, the people may have gone to the Pharisees because there is a religious issue here and the Pharisees are respected as authorities on the law and interpretation. Finally, the people could have gone to the Pharisees because the Pharisaic movement was a grassroots movement and less connected with the Temple establishment, even though by the time Yeshua walked the earth the priesthood had been taken over in many ways by the Pharisees.

There were few areas of life which had no religious bearing, so it was natural to consult legal experts rather than medical men in this strange healing. This particular healing was news because it was unusual – the healing of a man born blind. Because of the unusual nature of this healing, two sides of opposing views are beginning to form. However, not all of the Pharisees are against Jesus, so we cannot assume that the investigation would only turn up negative impressions. It appears that there are two parties within the Pharisees debating one another and they come up with very different views regarding the power of Yeshua.  The first view took the stance that a man who breaks the Sabbath is not from God. So, Jesus has broken the Sabbath law, thus, the conclusion is Yeshua is not from God. During this time, many held Yeshua as a prophet, however, because of this conclusion, Yeshua was a Sabbath-breaker, this could not be true.

The second view held that anyone who cures a man of blindness – especially a man born blind – is a man from God. They argued that Yeshua had not performed a sign randomly – it was a work of mercy, a work of healing, and such work is completely within the character of God. So, Jesus healed a blind man – a man born blind – thus Jesus is a man from God. Those who rejected the divine calling of Yeshua, also reject His miracles because, they argued, that Israel’s God would not empower one He did not approve with miracle-working power. The healing is not the true issue here, in fact, it is not even that Jesus opened the man’s eyes. The real issue is something more powerful: Jesus has opened the eyes of a man BORN BLIND. The conclusion here would be simple but one they were unwilling to consider: Jesus is God for only God could heal one born blind.

The formerly blind man gave his opinion about the man who healed him – but for the Pharisees, it was too simple. The side that disapproved of Jesus was more powerful, so the dominant reaction was, of course, negative. The questioning of the formerly blind man was overwhelming – we cannot forget that these Pharisees are part of the Judean Jews who strongly oppose Jesus. When the Pharisees questioning was inconclusive they called in more witnesses. The Pharisees call for witnesses that will verify their suspicions of a hoax or partial healing – something that was very common in ancient Israel. They called for the man’s parents.

While each of us are unique in our coming to Yeshua, we have, nonetheless, had some shared experiences in coming to Christ. We have all felt the call of God on our lives and each has responded. We have all had a “face-to-face moment” with Yeshua. We have all progressed and continue to progress in our faith and understanding of Yeshua. Finally, we have all come to know Yeshua as something different over the course of our growing faith. We have moved from simply seeing Yeshua as a man, to seeing Him as a great prophet to knowing Him as the Son of God and finally to Lord and Savior. This may not be your direct path but each of us has come to the understanding we currently have over the course of our time walking with God.

The biggest challenge we, as Christ followers, face today, is getting people to recognize exactly who Yeshua is; we must find a way to get around the lies and deceptions about the true identity of Yeshua. We must overcome the lie that Yeshua is just a great man; that Yeshua was a great teacher; that Yeshua was a great prophet and get to the heart of the matter – Yeshua is the Son of God, the Messiah. This is not something that will happen “overnight.” People need time to process the information we will pass on, either in relating the Bible to people or our own personal experiences – it will all take time to sink in and be processed.  

Questions for discussion/reflection:

What area of your life is not being directly influenced by Jesus?

How are you struggling with the identity of Yeshua in your life during this season of life?

What area of your life do you still seem to be blind to the power of Yeshua?

We must recognize that we are born with Eyes That Are Blind and in need of Yeshua, the only One who can give us sight.

2). The second implication of being born with Eyes That Are Blind is that we cannot hear the truth.

Those who hear the truth will become disciples of Yeshua and be made free.

Because they could not reach a quick agreement on this case, the Pharisees have called in more witnesses. They have called in the parents of the formerly blind man to review the facts once again. The only witnesses who could testify acceptably whether this man was born blind or not, were his parents. The parents answered only about what they knew – they knew he was their son, and they knew he was born blind. What they did not know was how he had been given sight, nor did they know who had given their son sight. The answers are short and direct. He is our son; he was born blind; we do not know how he sees or who healed him. The parents did not deny their son’s story but neither did they support his claims. This greatly upsets the Pharisees – the parents confirm their son had been born blind and had received his sight – a miracle has been performed.

 Persecution of those who followed Jesus had already begun – the primary persecution came in the form of being “put out of the synagogue.” Being “put out of the synagogue” would be similar to being excommunicated. Jewish regulations stipulated two kinds of excommunication. The first being a thirty-day punishment until the offender could be reconciled. The second was a permanent “ban” accompanied by a curse. The synagogue was a mini-Jewish community center organized around travel hospitality and caring for the power – not like our churches are organized around Bible study and worship. So, to be “banned” would lead to severe isolation and separation from the community and the family. This was the fear of the parents.

While it is true that the Pharisees sought to protect their own power, position, and prestige, they also sought to prevent political unrest should the people try to force Jesus to be their king. This would force Rome to act and suppress any revolt that may begin to form. Thus, the harsh punishment of being “put out of the synagogue.” Not to defend the Pharisees, but there is always another side of the coin we need to be aware of, nonetheless, these Pharisees are frustrated that neither claim by this man can be refuted. When the Pharisees return to the formerly blind man they told him what the acceptable answer would be – they told him to “Give glory to God.” The statement “Give glory to God” means “admit the truth.” What they are saying to the formerly blind man is, “Own up!” meaning that “Whatever you say, we know this man Jesus is a sinner, and therefore, cannot perform such a miracle as healing as you pretend. Tell the truth, what have you to hide?” This is an attempt to “free” the man to “confess his wrong” in proclaiming Jesus as a prophet, and then to call Him a sinner.

However, the formerly blind man fires back at the persistent Pharisees; he is not trained as they are, therefore, he should not be asked such questions; he only knew that he was blind and now he sees. Now the formerly blind man can see Jesus as more than “a man named Jesus,” but could not say exactly who He was. This man does not know the theological terms or how to explain the nature of Yeshua, but he knew one thing – he was blind and now he sees. Jesus had saved him and delivered him from the darkness, from blindness! The man could not answer the theological questions thrust at him, but he could answer to one thing – he could speak to what Jesus has done for him. Now this formerly blind man can see – he can see the hand pf God in his life; he can see the hand of God in the touch of Jesus, and he could feel the hand of God at work in his heart.

The testimony of this man has been repeated many time throughout history by men and women – those who have come to Christ – telling their personal story and experience of coming out of darkness to walk in the Light of the world – the Light of Yeshua; “I was blind but now I see.” The real problem here is that the Pharisees could not, nor did they want to, hear the truth about Jesus. This is clearly evident in the line of questioning and the grasping at straws to discredit Yeshua. These Pharisees were not willing to hear the truth because their eyes are blind to the true identity of Yeshua.

Let me share a personal experience that perhaps you can identify with. I wear glasses, I have since the fifth grade. As I have grown older, naturally my eyesight has gotten a little worse over the years. When I am in bed at night and hear a sound that is foreign to my ears, my eyes pop open and immediately I reach for my glasses. Why? Because when my eyesight is sharp and focused, I am able to focus on the area I heard the noise coming from. When my eyesight is sharp, I can listen more intently because my vision is clear. These Pharisees could hear better if their vision was clear!

Questions for discussion/reflection:

What truth about Yeshua are you having trouble “hearing?”

In what area of your life do you need clear, and focused vision on Yeshua?

What is your “I was…but now I…,” story in Christ? How can you share this with others? Questions for discussion/reflection:

We must recognize that we are born with Eyes That Are Blind and in need of Yeshua, the only One who can give us sight.

The Pharisees had no intention of believing the formerly blind man. They wanted to disqualify Yeshua, so they avoided the truth looking for a loophole. We will meet many people who will look for the loophole to discredit Jesus. They will mask their rejection in endless questions and doubts about Jesus, the Bible, or faith. People will not want to give up what they already have – people believe they have worked hard, and many have, to get to a place of comfort and be unwilling to consider change. This is one thing that is clear about meeting Jesus, you will be changed.

Believers do not have to have all the answers before sharing Christ. All you must truly know is that Yeshua has changed your life and how those changes have affected you in this world. We should be telling people about what Jesus has done for us – from there we trust God to use our words to draw others to Him. Our personal description of Yeshua to others will make an impact. We too were born with Eyes That Are Blind – we were blind to our separation from God; we were blind to our own need; we were blind to the work of God in our lives, and we were blinded by the world around us. Yeshua has changed all of that and delivered us from darkness to walk in His Light.

When we come to Yeshua, the more we know about Him the clearer our vision will become.

We do all things for the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 9:28-41

Light of the World

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 4/22/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So, he went away and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore, the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” So, they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so, I went away and washed, and I received sight.” They said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.” 

                                                                                     John 9:1–12 (NASB95)

In John chapter 7, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, a seven-day Feast to commemorate the desert wanderings of the Hebrew people. Prior to leaving for the Feast, Jesus has a discussion with His brothers who seek to have Him show Himself to the world as Messiah. Jesus tells them to go to the Feast for it is not yet His time. It is only then that Jesus and the disciples arrive, as if in secret. It is during this Feast that Jesus first makes the claim to be living water and offering this water to all who believe in Him. Near the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, a large candelabra is lit producing enough light that it can be seen throughout the city.

It is against this backdrop that Jesus claims to be the Light of the World. As we begin chapter 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man born blind, and while the disciples focus on the cause of this man’s blindness, Jesus will seek to redirect their focus to the purpose of the blindness. One of the marks of the coming Messianic age was the restoration of sight to the blind. Jesus has made an explicit claim by stating, “I am the Light of the world.” This man who has been born blind is about to leave the darkness of the world behind and enter into the true Light that has come into the world to enlighten all people.

The disciples assume sin is the cause of a man born blind, but Jesus says this is for the works of God to be displayed. As Light of the World, Jesus covered His eyes in clay and sent him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. When he returned seeing the people now appear blind, some not able to recognize him as the beggar they knew. The man confesses Jesus that has opened his eyes.

As Light of the World, Yeshua has been sent to step into the darkness of the world, offering to open the spiritual eyes of those who are willing to be obedient. Though we are sent to proclaim His healing power, those we know may not accept or believe our witness, but we must continue to share with others the power of Yeshua to open our eyes.

In this message we seek to answer the question, How should the Christ follower respond to Yeshua as Light of the World?”

As Christ followers, we must respond to Yeshua as Light of the World, by working the works of the Father, while it is still day.

1). Our first response as Christ followers who recognize Yeshua as Light of the World, is to be willing to be obedient to His commands.

Yeshua has been sent to bring healing to the world, we must be obedient when sent to share His message.

Jewish belief held that God foresaw a person’s sin, thus a person was born in sin and punished. It was also common for disciples to ask a trusted teacher questions that would attempt to make sense of biblical teachings known by the disciples and the reality of what surrounded them. The man that Jesus meets has been blind since birth, this prompts the disciples to ask a question concerning the origin of this man’s suffering. They assume there is a connection between sin and suffering and thus, they want to know who is responsible, the man or his parents.

The disciples are busy thinking about the cause of this man’s suffering, what has caused the blindness, but Yeshua will shift their focus from the cause to the purpose – Yeshua has been sent into the world to do the works of God, that includes God’s power to heal this man. Now, this does not mean that God heartlessly inflicted blindness on this man. No, it simply means that God allowed nature to run its course so that the man would ultimately bring glory to God through the reception of both physical and spiritual sight.

The reason for this man’s blindness is not rooted in sin at all, through the suffering of the blind man, the glory of God would, in the end, be manifested. In fact, this man’s blindness from birth symbolized the desperate and deeply flawed condition of the people of Israel. Therefore, giving light to the man born blind was a prophetic sign of giving light to all of Israel. What happens next might be a bit much for us to wrap our heads around. Yeshua spits on the ground to make clay. It may be difficult for some in the western church to think about Yeshua spitting on the ground, in fact, it just might stun us as we hear the words spoken. But there should be nothing stunning about this.

Prophets were known to speak not only with their words but also through symbolic actions, and this is exactly what Jesus has done here. By making clay, Yeshua wants those nearby to make a connection with the story of the creation of man. God created man out of the dust of the ground and Jesus make clay from the dust of the ground, by spitting and kneading the mud into clay, thus the healing is a redemptive act of restoration – this is not just a healing, this is the creation of a new man! Also note here that kneading the mud into clay would constitute working on the Sabbath and undoubtedly upset the Pharisees. Then Yeshua sent the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam. This is the second time in John’s account that Jesus has used a pool in healing someone.

Siloam is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Shiloah, meaning “Sent.” The Pool of Siloam was built by King Hezekiah. His workers built an underground tunnel from the Spring of Gihon in the Kidron Valley. This tunnel channeled the water inside of the city walls and was the only source for spring water inside the city. This pool was the source of water in the Tabernacle ceremonies and had religious, ceremonial value. Remember Jesus promised living water to those who believed in Him and if Jesus is the source of the Feast of Tabernacles water, this man has just experienced such water in a profound way.  Also note here that Yeshua has been described as the One “sent” by God. This man has been “sent” to the Pool named “Sent” by the One “sent” by God. The man was obedient and washed in the pool and came back seeing.

There is a contrast between the pools Jesus used in His healings as well. In the first healing at Bethesda, Jesus did not tell the man to wash in the pool as He did here, why? The Pool of Bethesda was a pagan facility while the Pool of Siloam is a Jewish facility associated with the Jerusalem Temple. As the source of the water for the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus is the source of the healing, not the pool. The man’s obedience has played a part in His healing as well. Had he not been obedient and gone to the pool, it is highly likely this healing might not have happened. Like this man, we too have had such an encounter with Yeshua. At some point in time Jesus saw you in your suffering and began drawing you to Him through the Holy Spirit. You had a choice to make, respond to the calling in obedience or reject the offer of healing coming from the Son of God. In your obedience you were brought out of the darkness and into the Light of Messiah, the Light of the World.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

How has your view of suffering and sin changed knowing that, at times, our suffering is for the glory of God?

How might the power of Yeshua in your life be a “symbolic action” to those who know you best?

How are you feeling “sent” by God during this season of life? If you are not, why might this be?

As Christ followers, we must respond to Yeshua as Light of the World, by working the works of the Father, while it is still day.

2). Our second response as Christ followers who recognize Yeshua as Light of the World, is to confess that Yeshua has opened our eyes.

Our lives must be a witness to those who know us, and to those we meet, of the power of Yeshua in our lives.

God sent Yeshua into the world with a purpose – to do the works of God. We can see four of those works in this passage: first, Yeshua came seeking people. God seeks people and it appears that Yeshua took the initiative with this man – Yeshua does the “seeing” of this man. Second, Yeshua came caring for people. God cares about people and their hurts, needs, pain, and suffering. Thirdly, Yeshua came loving and having compassion on people. God loves people, it is His desire that none should perish but all should come to eternal life in His Son. In fact, God loves people so much He sent His Son to die that we might find reconciliation with the Father. Finally, Yeshua came healing people. In this particular passage the healing is blindness and the giving of sight.

The man came home seeing and immediately there is controversy and questioning. The neighbors interrogate the man and in disbelief work to verify that he is, indeed, the man they knew as a beggar. There are three reactions to the miracle this formerly blind man must now face from his neighbors. The first reaction came from those who thought he might be the man they knew as a beggar. They said he certainly looks like the same man, but they could not be sure. There were others who had no doubt about the identity of this man and positively identified him as the man who was born blind and begged in the neighborhood. Finally, there are those who objected to the identity of this man saying he only looked like the same man who was born blind. Yet, through it all, the man continually states plainly, “it’s me!”

The crowds wanted to identify and track down the one who healed this man. But the blind man does not know where his healer went as he washed in the Pool of Siloam. They do not reject the miracle, but they look to the Pharisees, the established religious and theological leaders of the synagogue, for clarity and counsel. So, they have brought the man to the Pharisees to help aid in understanding this astonishing miracle. From this point forward, the man begins to see more clearly who Jesus is, while the Pharisees become more spiritually blind – while sin did not cause the man to be blind, it did cause the Pharisees blindness. The blind man received a blessing from Jesus even though he did not have a full understanding of who Jesus was. The important part to grasp and understand is that his heart was right with Jesus – it was soft and pliable, open, and willing to receive instruction, and then his heart was ready to be obedient to what he heard.

This is the first step of gaining spiritual sight – seeing Yeshua as a man. This is the only thing the formerly blind man knew – a man named Jesus commanded him to do certain things, he did as commanded and received his sight. This man’s encounter with Yeshua is a fairly common experience when coming to Christ. The formerly blind man was confronted by Jesus – each of us has had some kind of confrontation with Yeshua. The formerly blind man was commanded to do certain things – each of us, at some point, were commanded to do certain things. The formerly blind man was obedient to the commands of Jesus – each of us has been obedient to the commands of Yeshua. Finally, the formerly blind man was delivered from darkness and received sight – each of us has been brought out of spiritual darkness and given spiritual sight to walk in the Light of Yeshua.

We must first learn about Yeshua before we can know Him personally, but a person cannot stay at this stage, they must grow and mature in Christ, and thus, come to know Christ personally. There are many in the world like this formerly blind man – they know about Yeshua, but they do not know Him personally. They have little understanding of His teachings and claims; His presence and strength’ His love and care; or His power and promises. This is where we as Christ followers come in – we must be willing to share our story in Christ. We must confess – witness – that Yeshua is the One who opened our eyes to see clearly exactly who He is, the Son of God, sent to bring healing and salvation to the world.

I am sure that most of us have had the experience of having people question our story or the changes they have seen in us and our lifestyle. It will always be those who know you the best who will doubt you the most, but when they begin to clearly see the power and presence of Christ in your life, that doubt will begin to change to cautious curiosity. For those who are hurting, have unmet needs, are in pain, or suffering, they may have been searching for a period of time, but had no idea of who or what to search for; your life lived in obedience to Christ may have the answer they have been seeking. Understand, it is NOT that you are perfect, no one is, but the fact that you exhibit something different than what they find in the world is enough to make them ask questions, even if they sound as if they do not believe your story. Don’t stop. People need to hear the truth about who Yeshua is and only those who have experienced Yeshua in a profound way can explain Him to those who continue to seek Him.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

God has sent Yeshua into the world with a purpose, likewise, Yeshua has sent you into the world with a purpose. For what purpose has Yeshua sent you into the world?

Now that you have spiritual sight, how might you help those who remain in spiritual darkness?

How does your life “exhibit” something different from what is offered by the world?

As Christ followers, we must respond to Yeshua as Light of the World, by working the works of the Father, while it is still day.

We can only make sense of a dark world by believing in the One who came to be the Light of the world. If people want to be delivered from darkness, they must come to Yeshua, for He alone is the One who gives spiritual sight to all who come to Him. Jesus spoke of Himself and His disciples – that includes you and I – as coworkers; He wanted them, and us, to learn from Him because they would continue His work as “sent ones.” The disciples would continue to do the works of God after His death and resurrection. That work now falls on us, we are the “sent ones” who must continue the works of God.

The disciples believed that a disability such as blindness was a punishment for sin. Many people around the world still believe that suffering results from sin. People tend to believe that displeasing God leads to punishment, therefore, they assume that whenever a person appears to be undergoing punishment, there is reason to suspect wrongdoing. The Bible allows a general relationship between suffering and sin, due to the fall of man, but it refuses to permit the principle to be individualized in every case. Sin produced a suffering world, but an individual personal suffering is not always attributed to personal sin.

The existence of human suffering and blindness is a call to work, not simply to reflect. Yeshua, therefore, links His disciples with Himself, in referring to His work. For disciples of every age, there is an urgency to be reckoned with – time is short – and there is much work to be done. This is the reason Yeshua spoke of working while it is “day.” The “day” was the time allotted for Yeshua to perform His work on earth. The night came when Yeshua died on the cross and was no longer in the world in the physical sense. Now it is our time, the disciples of Christ in this age, to respond to the shortness of time, and continue to do the works of God. Instead of worrying about the cause of our problems, we should instead find out how God can use our problems to demonstrate His power, then we can share this with a world that continues to live in darkness.

We do all things for the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 9:13-27

Speaking the Truth

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 4/15/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason, you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”

The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So, the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore, they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

                                                                                   John 8:43–59 (NASB95)

In John 8:21-30, the Jews who follow Jesus are confused when He states that He will “go away” and they will seek Him and die in their sins, because where He is going they “cannot come.” This only seems to confuse the Jews more, causing them to think He is going to kill Himself. These Jews do not understand the true identity of Jesus and they miss the fact that He has come as a representative of God the Father. They also miss the fact that Jesus identifies Himself as “I am.” The same name given to Moses as he is sent into Egypt. Like the Jews then, people today do not understand that Yeshua has come as God’s Spokesman and Judge, thus God has Spoken to the World through His Son.

In John 8:31-42, we learned that the True Disciples of Christ will know the truth and the truth will make them free. Jesus is aware that not everyone in the crowds oppose Him, so He begins speaking to those who believe in Him. The Jews are, again, confused, thinking that Jesus says they are slaves to another people group, but in reality, Jesus was talking about being a slave to sin – for everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. Those who continue, meaning to adhere to, in the teachings of Jesus will direct their life by these teachings. But the Jews immediately claim Abraham as their father. However, these Jews are Abraham’s children in the physical sense only – they thought this guaranteed them a permanent place in the family and household of God. But because they seek to kill Jesus, they are not spiritual children of Abraham – they are thus linked to another father, the devil. This leads us to the final section of John 8 where Jesus continues in His conversation with the crowds. As He continues Speaking the Truth, the Jews continue to do the desires of their father, the devil.

As those in the crowds who oppose Jesus continue to do the desires of their father the devil, they cannot hear the words of God, because they are not of God. The Jews claim Abraham as their father and think Jesus insane for saying those who keep His word shall never see death. Jesus adds to their fury by saying before Abraham was born, I am! And though He is Speaking the Truth they pick up stones to throw at Him.

As Christ followers, we will encounter those who are not standing in the truth, thus we must continue Speaking the Truth to those who are not of God. Because we hold to the words and teachings of Yeshua, we may be accused of having lost our minds or of having a closed mind. However, we must remember this world is being deceived by the father of lies – a liar and murderer from the beginning. But we serve Yeshua, the Eternal King of the Universe.

In this message we seek to answer the following question, “What are the implications of Speaking the Truth?”

In Speaking the Truth, we will face those who are being deceived by the father of lies – the devil cannot stand in the truth!

This section opens with a very simply question, “If I am telling you the truth, why do you not believe Me?” Seems like a straightforward question deserving of a straightforward answer. They do not believe the truth because the truth goes against all they are trying to save – their power, their position, and their prestige. When they testify against Yeshua, they are simply acting as is their nature and the nature of their father – they lie because their father is the father of lies. The Judean Jews in the crowds do not believe because they have already made up their minds about Yeshua, thus they cannot hear and accept what Yeshua has to say.

What we must grasp is that understanding is not the problem – being willing to hear and accept it as truth is the barrier. Jesus talks to those who believe Him about spiritual death, and yet, the religious leaders misunderstood, thinking He was speaking of physical death – yet even this will one day be overcome! Jesus says those who keep His word will never see death. To keep His word means to hear and obey them. To keep His word includes relying on the character, ability, strength, and truth of all He has promised. Those who have the same Father as Yeshua will understand His teachings and hear His words and open their hearts to what Yeshua teaches.

Satan and those under his control cannot stand in the truth – in fact, they reject the truth outright. It is the nature of Satan and those under his control to lie and deceive. They speak out of their nature – they are at ease and comfortable with lying. Lying comes naturally – you do not need to teach someone to lie. How do we know that Jesus was telling the truth? Because no one was able to prove any wrongdoing, they found no sin – He was sinless! Since He is sinless, why do people not believe Him? The Jews are convinced that only someone who is insane, has a demon, would make such a claim, that someone would never see death. So, they accuse Him of being a Samaritan.

Being accused to being a Samaritan may imply that Jesus was full of heresy, not worshiping the true God but following the false worship of the Samaritans, but one thing is for certain, this is a tit-for-tat accusation after Yeshua accused them of not being true descendants of Abraham. To say He has a demon is to imply He is empowered by an evil spirit that is out to destroy others and true worship of God. These religious leaders dishonor Yeshua who has come only to honor and bring glory to the Father. Jesus was not seeking His own glory but to glorify God and turn people back to the Father. The Father Himself will bring glory to the Son and judgment to those who dishonor Him.

Those who oppose Yeshua really have no excuse. Many will take issue with the sinless nature of Yeshua, and yet, no one, throughout history, including those who walked, talked, and ate with Him, have ever been able to prove any wrongdoing. People behave this way because they cannot hear the words of God. They do not accept them as truth and make no effort to apply them to their lives. People do not believe because they do not hear the word of God. Those who do not believe Yeshua are not of God, they are children of the devil – a liar and the father of lies. It is our task as Christ followers to show those who do not believe and cannot hear God’s words, to be a living example of the power of God’s words and the love of Yeshua for all people.

There will be a time, a soon coming time, when people will seek the Lord, but He will not be found. That means only those who are already sealed by God will be able to pray and be heard by the Father, only those who have already placed their trust in Christ will be kept safe during the coming trials of the end times, only those who have called on the name of the Lord will be saved from sin, death, and the grave.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

What are you doing to show those who do not believe Yeshua, the power of His words in your life? If you are not, why?

What barriers do you think are keeping others from believing Yeshua? How can you correct this?

How are you dishonoring Yeshua in your life during this season of life? What steps need to be taken to correct this?

In Speaking the Truth, we will face those who are being deceived by the father of lies – the devil cannot stand in the truth!

2). The second implication of Speaking the Truth is that we will find opposition from those who are not of God.

We must be simple minded to believe in an eternal God who only grants eternal life to a select few.

Those who hated Yeshua and wanted Him dead, continue to watch His every move, yet they are unable to find anything wrong. They are simply grasping at straws trying to make Him anything, anyone, but what He claims to be. Jesus was speaking the truth, He has proven He is God in the flesh, and yet people still refuse to believe Him. Yes, there are some in the crowds who have already believed Him, they have heard and believed, but many in the crowds remain deaf because they have hardened their hearts against Him. They simply refuse to hear, or obey, the words of God because they are not children of God. As difficult as this is to hear, it is a truth we must grasp. The fact is, these Jews, and many in the world today, do not know the Father who has sent Yeshua, even though some of them may claim to know Him.

Since these Judean Jews have claimed Abraham as their father, Jesus refers to Abraham as their ancestor – in the physical sense. Abraham, like all people, had come into existence at some point in time. But Yeshua has no beginning – He is eternal, and He is God, hence the statement, “I am.” But there is something else here at play that we must understand. A person’s actions reveal what is in their heart. The intent to kill comes from the devil – he was the instigator of Jesus’ murder and the perpetrator behind the lies the Jews believed about Jesus. The attitude and actions of these Jewish leaders clearly identify them as followers of Satan, even though they may not be aware of this. Their hatred of truth, their lies, and their intention to kill Jesus, indicates how much control the devil had over them.

They are Satan’s tool to carry out his plans – they spoke the very same language of lies. Satan continues to use people, even today, to obstruct the work of God. Human sin and evil are due to the nature of an evil spiritual father – Satan, the devil. People sin because they are in the likeness of their father, their nature is sinful. It is people’s works that reveal their father. People’s sinful behaviors and evil works prove that their father is not the Father of Yeshua. Sinful behavior and evil deeds are not from the Father in heaven – they are from the father in hell.

Jesus did not have an evil spirit, though the Judean Jews have accused Him of such a thing; this would imply that Jesus as been empowered by an evil spirit, but in sharp contrast to this accusation, Jesus says He has come to bring glory and honor to God the Father. It is here that Jesus tells these religious leaders that it is they, not Him, who do evil to God – they have just dishonored the Son of God. Why do I mention this again? Because this is further proof that these religious leaders do not belong to the One they claim as their God. Jesus knows God personally and He refuses to lie and say He does not know God, for this would make Him just like these leaders – a liar. Jesus kept God’s word which meant He had to tell the truth, thus proving that Yeshua belongs to God the Father.  

This section of John has some very difficult truths to hear but they are truths that we must be aware of and face head-on. They are true, first, to those in the crowds pressing around Yeshua, but then they are true, by extension, to us today. Sometimes it gets a little fuzzy in knowing exactly who Yeshua is addressing. Those who commit sin are by nature sinful. This included us at one point in time. But here is the good news we can share with others. We are no longer included in that group, not because of something we have done, but something that has been done for us – the death of Christ and the forgiveness of sin He has offered to all people.

The difference in those who continue to live a sinful lifestyle and us, who commit sin, is that we have turned to Christ and acknowledge sin in our own lives. He has been the One to break the power and grip of sin in our lives, not us, we simply turned to the One who has the power to set us free from sin. Even still, at times, the enemy exerts pressure on us and influences our thoughts and actions – he is still the prince of the power of the air and the ruler of this world, for a short time at least. But those who have continued in a sinful lifestyle are still under the control of Satan. Until they can hear the words of God and accept them as truth, they will remain under Satan’s control.

Fortunately, we still have the greatest news of all time, and those who will hear our story in Christ, can be set free from the power and grip of sin. I still firmly believe the best witness is not your words alone, but the power of the evidence of a life lived in obedience to Christ and His teachings. People can and will try to refute the Bible, but it is much more difficult to refute your story, it is etched in history, and you have been called and changed by the power of Christ and His work on the cross.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

How do you sense people trying to “kill” Christ today? What can you do to change this mindset?

How do you sense Satan trying to use you as a “tool” to carry out his plans? What can you do to keep this from happening?

How does your life “refute” objections, to the Bible or Christ, presented by those around you? If it does not, what steps do you need to change this?

In Speaking the Truth, we will face those who are being deceived by the father of lies – the devil cannot stand in the truth!

As I was studying this passage, I found that there were many Christian commentators who, like the Judeans Jews, do not understand what Jesus meant when He said Abraham met Him and rejoiced. Most tried to find the “Christianese” answer and make it a spiritual meeting or tried to find the appropriate spiritual answer to the statement. But this is what I have come to understand, Yeshua and Abraham literally met. In Genesis 18:1-33 it is recorded that three visitors came to Abraham. Two of those visitors were angels, the third was the Lord, Yeshua Himself, for verse one says, “the Lord appeared to Abraham.”

Yes, we could easily make this a spiritual meeting or a vision, but these three visitors truly came to Abraham. And there are other occasions when God would appear in human form to man, Jacob wrestling with God immediately comes to mind. The point is this, God really did come in human form to the world He created, not just one but several times. We can build on this for those who do not believe Yeshua and cannot hear the words of God. We must do all we can to keep people from shutting their hearts to the teachings of Christ, for once a person has shut their heart to the teachings of Yeshua, they show they have a different father than the Father of Yeshua. Those who keep the words of Yeshua will never see death.

This means they must hear and obey the teachings of Yeshua. This is, of course, speaking of spiritual death – those who hear and obey the teachings of Yeshua will never be spiritually separated from Him. Because Jesus personally knew God, He had to proclaim the word of God to the world. And now we must do the same. We must proclaim the word of God to the world, first through our lives lived in obedience to Yeshua, and then through the telling of our story in Christ. We only need to speak the truth and allow the Holy Spirit to work with the seeds of truth we have planted.

We do all things for the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 9:1-12

True Disciples of Christ

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 4/8/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“So, Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. “So, if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore, you also do the things which you heard from your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”

                                                                                   John 8:31–42 (NASB95)

It is often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Whether it be an athlete, a movie star, or a family member, we all want to be like, and often emulate, those we look up to. We generally do this by doing what we have seen them doing. There have been many an actor or comedian who has made a career out of imitating successful people in the entertainment industry. Closer to home, sons often imitate their fathers and daughters often imitate their mothers. So, it seems there is some truth in the statement that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

However, in our passage today that does not seem to be the case with the religious leaders of Israel found mixed into the crowds following Jesus. They claim to be children of Abraham, but they are far from it as witnessed by their desire to kill Jesus. True Disciples of Christ know the truth and recognize Him as Messiah. They have been made free from the power and grip of sin because they have received the truth through the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus tells the Jews who believe in Him that to be True Disciples of Christ they must remain in His word to know the truth and to be made free. Though they are not slaves to another person, those who commit sin are slaves to sin. As children of Abraham, they must do the deeds of Abraham, but they do not, thus they do not love Jesus or His word.

As Christ followers, to be True Disciples of Christ, we must know the truth, be made free in the truth, remember we have been sent by God, and love others in God. This will happen as we continue in His word, that His word might have a place in our lives.

In this message we seek to answer the question, “What makes the Christ follower True Disciples of Christ?”

To be True Disciples of Christ, the Christ follower must remain in the word, be set free in the truth, and do the deeds of our Father.

1). To be True Disciples of Christ, the Christ follower must know the truth and be set free in the truth.

We know the truth by continuing in His word and making a place for it in our lives.

Jesus is fully aware that not all of the Judean Jews in the crowd oppose Him, this is a mixed crowd that includes many who believe in Him. So, Jesus addresses those who are aspiring disciples, encouraging them to continue in their new path by holding on to His teachings. Every human being is enslaved by sin and its consequences. Because people cannot keep from sinning, thus, they bear the consequences of sin: guilt, shame, hurt, pain, death, and eventually, judgment. People need to be freed from sin, set loose, and delivered from sins grip. Jesus now speaks to those who have already believed in Him.

In John 3:15, in His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus states that those who believe in Him will have eternal life. This is the first step in being made free from sins grip. Next, those who believe must “continue” in His word. To “continue” or to “abide” in His word is to dwell, or live, in His word. This is the same sense as someone dwelling or living in their home. It is to take up residence in His word. Unless the Christ follower is continuing, dwelling, or living in the word, they will never be able to gain victory over sin. That Jesus claims to make them free has a negative implication for these Jews, that they have been or are in bondage.

Jesus, therefore, clarifies the nature of their bondage. It is bondage to sin which only Jesus, as the eternal Son of God, is qualified to break. They desire Jesus’ gift of life as an additional adornment to the moral and spiritual status afforded in their Jewish heritage. They also claim that the righteousness of Abraham guarantees their righteousness. In fact, their spiritual superiority made them blind to their real slavery to sin. Thus, the Jews thought their needing freedom devalued their unique position with God. So, Jesus reminds them there is another kind of bondage – other than social or economic slavery – sin is a slave-master and those who commit sin are enslaved by sin. Jesus points out their need to be made free because everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, and it is entirely possible for those who think of themselves as free to be enslaved by sin.

The Greek word for “commits” indicates a continuous action, it is our nature to commit sin, thus, we cannot keep from sinning – we are slaves to sin. The word “slave” has in mind the bond-slave, one who has been bought and bound to the one who bought them. The idea is that sinful humanity has been bought by sin. As a slave we have no permanent place in the home of the master. The son, however, is always a part of the family and he has full authority to free, or set loose, the slave. Jesus is the liberator of all who sin. As the Son of God, He has full authority to grant forgiveness to set us free from the grip and power of sin. Yeshua is the Savior only of the desperate, to those who have nowhere else to turn and no other to call on.

As Christ followers, we need to count the cost of following Yeshua. We abide in Christ when we place ourselves in Christ and continue there, drawing life from His word. A true and obedient disciple will know the truth by knowing the One who is the truth, Yeshua Himself. This knowledge frees us from our bondage to sin. When Yeshua spoke of “knowing” or to “know the truth,” He was speaking of knowing God’s revelation to all people. This revelation is embodied in Yeshua, the Word, therefore, to know the truth is to know Yeshua.

This truth is not political freedom or intellectual knowledge. Knowing the truth means accepting it, obeying it, and regarding it above all earthly opinions. Doing so offers the Christ follower true spiritual freedom from sin and death. Christ followers become truly free because they are free to do God’s will, and thus fulfill God’s ultimate purpose in their lives. Once the Christ follower has learned the truth about sin, acknowledged sin in their own life, then through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Christ follower is made free from sin’s grip and power over their life – they are made free! Christ is the answer to setting people, and their world, free from the power and grip of sin.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

How are you “continuing” is His word during this season of life? If not, why?

How or where do you find you are still being held as a slave to sin? If not, what steps have you taken to ensure that you are not?

Where do you sense you need Jesus to make you free today?

To be True Disciples of Christ, the Christ follower must remain in the word, be set free in the truth, and do the deeds of our Father.

2). To be True Disciples of Christ, the Christ follower must remember they are sent by God and must love as God loves.

We must do the deeds of God our Father.

To continue in the word is to adhere to the teachings of Jesus – to direct one’s life by it. The teacher’s instruction becomes the disciple’s rule of faith and practice. What Jesus taught is truth, as His disciples, by paying attention to and doing what he teaches, we are receiving truth. We either see the truth for what it is, or we do not. These Jews had a false sense of security because they claimed to be Abraham’s children – and thus thought this guaranteed a permanent place in God’s family and household. However, these Jews were Abraham’s children only in the physical sense, not spiritually or morally, because they sought to kill Jesus.

They were not Abraham’s spiritual children, for if they were, they would recognize Jesus as Messiah. So, Jesus points to their evil nature by stating, “You do what you have heard from your father.” In being ready kill Jesus, they are linked to another father – the devil. These religious leaders were hereditary children of Abraham and therefore claimed to be children of God, but their actions showed them to be true children of Satan, for they lived under Satan’s guidance. Church membership and/or family connections will not make people true children of God – only rebirth can do that.

Sons copy their fathers, but the Jewish leaders did not behave like the One they claimed as father. These Jewish religious leaders could not claim Abraham as father while seeking to kill Jesus – the One who brought them truth from God the Father. When the Jews claim they are not “illegitimate children,” this could be a reference to the Samaritans who were not considered purebred by the Jews. They are, in fact, offended that their ancestry does not automatically place them in a more privileged standing with God.

All people are enslaved to sin, many will deny this truth, but it does not change the fact that it is indeed true. The Jews misunderstood Jesus because He called them slaves. They were thinking only in the physical world and being slaves to another nation or people group. But they have failed to recognize their own sinfulness and have been blinded to the One who has been sent to bring them truth that will make them free from the grip and consequences of sin. They have missed the Spokesman and Judge sent by God, from the very side and household of God the Father, claiming they are the true spokesman of God. As the teachers and leaders of Israel they should be able to recognize the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah as He stand before them – but they do not because they remain in their sin.

As Christ followers, we must remember that we have been called and sent by God to proclaim His Son and the message of salvation in Christ. We can only do this if we know the truth in our own lives and can show that to be true to those around us. We will face people who will be unwilling to accept the truth because our society today refuses to acknowledge sin, instead we call them anything but sin. Greed is called ambition; lust is called a healthy appetite – whether food or sexual in nature, we find a way to justify it; selfish behavior is now called being self-driven to succeed. I could go on, but the point is clear, our society refuses to acknowledge sin. These things, in and of themselves, are not evil but become sin when we allow them to replace God, His will, and His way.

We have been called to be spokespeople for the One who has redeemed us and granted our eternal life. We have been loved much and we must now love much in return. We are reminded that we love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19), this is seen by the fact that God loved us and sent His Son (1 John 4:10). In John 15:12 Yeshua gives His followers a new commandment, to love one another as He has loved them. So, we are called now to love others, especially those who do not know Yeshua as Lord and Savior. Our task, boiled down to its most simple form is to love others as if the end is near.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

How are you adhering to the teachings of Yeshua during this season of life? If not, why?

As a son or daughter of God the Father, how are you copying Him today? If not, what steps need to be taken to change this?

How are you showing others, through your life, that you are called and sent by God? If you are not, what needs to change to make this happen?

To be True Disciples of Christ, the Christ follower must remain in the word, be set free in the truth, and do the deeds of our Father.

Sin has a way of enslaving us, dominating us, and dictating our actions. Sin manifests itself in many ways, including self-centeredness, rebelliousness, possessiveness, and addictive behaviors. Yeshua can save us from this slavery and the consequences that prevent us from becoming the people that God has created us to be. Even if sin has mastered and enslaved a person, Yeshua can break the power and grip over our lives. Yeshua is the truth that makes us free, He is the source of truth, and the perfect standard of what is right. Yeshua frees us from the consequences of sin, He saves us from self-deception, and from the deception of Satan. Yeshua shows us the way to eternal life – He alone provides a clear path to the Father.

Many today continue to take “the truth will make you free” out of context and in the wrong way. For many “to know the truth” means personal autonomy, creativity, and freedom from oppression and ignorance. Colleges and universities press the value of knowledge to promote academic knowledge. But Yeshua did not die to guarantee personal freedoms or personal freedom of expression. The error comes in thinking that truth is nothing more than a concept, rather than God Himself, which is how Yeshua uses the term. By interchanging “truth” and “Son,” Yeshua implies that granting freedom is God’s work. That freedom begins when we acknowledge our bondage to sin. This is done by remaining in the word.

There is a dual meaning or application of the “word” here. The first is, obviously, the written word, the Bible. We must be in the word daily to hide the word in our hearts and our minds. The other sense of being in the “word,” is Yeshua. We must stay close to our Lord daily. This means we must spend time, not only in the written word, but also in communication with Yeshua through prayer and meditation of the written word. By remaining in the word, by living in the word, we will know the truth and it is the truth that will make us free. It will first make us free to understand how God sees sin, not how the world regards sin. Then it will make us free to know the truth about sin in our own lives. No one can overcome sin unless they are first able to acknowledge sin in their own life.

The world may refuse to acknowledge sin, to call some acts sinful, they in fact, are now going so far as to call good evil and evil good, but by knowing the truth we are made free from the power, grip, and consequences of sin in our lives. Only God can make us free through His forgiveness, which He made possible through the death of Yeshua on the cross. Yeshua took our place, He took our sin, He took our punishment, upon Himself to make us free from sin, not free to “do our own thing,” but free from doing our own thing that we might be free to serve God. Thus, Yeshua did not make us free to do what we want, but free to follow God. It is in seeking to follow God that Yeshua’s perfect truth has made us free to be all that God has created us to be.

We do all things to the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 8: 43-59

My apologies for being absent the past two weeks. I have been fighting a bad head/chest cold forcing me to cancel my message for two weeks (in which I found myself without a voice for three of those days). I am glad to say I am feeling much better and have posted my message below. May the Lord bless you all.

Spoken to the World

Life & Light Community Church

Message from 4/1/2023

Life & Light Community Church began in the early months of 2020. What began as an opportunity for me, my wife and step-kids to continue to worship together, has now evolved into a ministry that has expanded to include close friends, family, and those who are simply hungry for the word of God. You can find us on Facebook, so please, feel free to reach out and join us.

“Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” So, the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. “Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” So, they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. So, Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.”

                                                                                  John 8:21–30 (NASB95)

Many people remember the early 1980’s commercial set in a crowded social gathering with everyone talking at the same time – and of course, the topic of conversation is money. Eventually, the camera settles on the one person in the room who is not trying to talk over others, the last person talking looks at the one who is not talking and asks a seemingly simple question, “What does your broker say?” The person clears their throat and responds, “Well, my broker is E.F. Hutton, and E.F. Hutton says…” and the room goes silent. The company slogan, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen,” comes on the screen and the commercial ends.

The implication of the commercial was that E.F. Hutton had all the right answers when it came to making money. In the 1980’s with a rebounding economy, everyone wanted to make more money! Eventually, E.F. Hutton faltered and was acquired by Shearson Lehman Brothers before the name fell out of use in 1993. As much as we would like to feel a sense of security in our man-made institutions, eventually they will fail, and their advice become nothing more than dust in the wind. E.F. Hutton may have spoken to the financial world of the 1980’s but for many years they fell silent and are but a shadow of what they once were. In our passage today, there is another One who has Spoken to the World, but this One will not be silenced. God the Father has spoken through His Son, Yeshua, but His words will stand forever.

The Jews mistakenly think Jesus will kill Himself when He speaks of going where they cannot come. He is not of this world, and they will die in their sins unless they believe in Him. Through Jesus, the Father has Spoken to the World, and only when they lift up the Son of Man will they realize He is I Am, the one who did nothing on His own but only what pleased the Father.

Many will die in their sins because they have rejected Yeshua. Thought they will seek Him; He will not be found. He was sent by the Father, who never left Him, to speak what He heard the Father say and do what the Father taught. Thus, God has Spoken to the World through Yeshua and the world will know Him as “I Am.”

In this message we seek to answer the question, “What are the implications of rejecting Yeshua after He has Spoken to the World?”

Yeshua has come from above, sent by the Father, to do the Father’s will, thus, Yeshua has Spoken to the World what He has heard from the Father.

1). The first implication of rejecting Yeshua after He has Spoken to the World is dying in your sins.

There will be a time when people will seek Yeshua, but He will not be found.

The opening statement made by Yeshua is one that confuses those who are around Yeshua as He speaks. In fact, they are so confused they think He is going to kill Himself. Yeshua says He is going away and where He is going, they cannot come. He continues by telling them they will seek Him but will not be able to find Him, thus they will die in their sin. There are some interesting dynamics going on here. We know, of course, Yeshua is talking about His death and returning to His Father after His resurrection.

The first dynamic is properly identifying Yeshua, which they are not. Identifying Yeshua as the Son of Man is crucial, in fact, Yeshua will use this exact title in verse 28. The religious leaders claim spiritual authority as the ones representing God – Yeshua stands before them, in fact, we might say He is “in their face,” so they truly have no excuses. Yeshua is exposing them as hypocrites and frauds. The second dynamic comes in verse 23 when Yeshua says, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” We know that Yeshua is referring to His coming from the Father – coming down from heaven. And yet there is more to this statement than meets the eye. There is evidence that Yeshua actually spoke Hebrew during this conversation instead of Aramaic; if He did speak the Hebrew language He used words like Lemala (up) and Lemata (down) which literally mean “high” and “low.”

So, why would this be important? When we read of Yeshua traveling to Jerusalem, it is said He “went up” to Jerusalem. Going to Jerusalem was, and still is, a physical ascent to higher ground. Yeshua arrives from Galilee, the lower country to Judea; He comes to Jerusalem, the higher country and this is where Yeshua turns things upside down. The Pharisees believe they are the “higher ups” because they are in Jerusalem, while Yeshua is just a carpenter from the “lower country” in Galilee. In essence, Yeshua says to them, “You think you are higher up because you are in Jerusalem? No! You are actually from below because you belong to this world, I am from the world above.”

The final dynamic we find is in verse 24. This verse has a general application to those who are present with Yeshua and then, by extension, to the rest of humanity. In particular are those who seek to hold onto their power as they oppose Yeshua as the Son of God. Yeshua is the Word of God, and they refuse to stop opposing Him, thus they will die in their sins. Here is the dynamic I want you to be aware of – in verse 21 Yeshua tells the people they will die in their sin – in the singular. In verse 24 He says they will die in their sins – in the plural. Why? Yeshua has moved from the singular sin of rejecting Him in verse 21, to the plural sins to reflect their ongoing sinful acts. Yeshua gives ample warning to people – reject Me and you will die in your sin. Sinful acts will confirm those who reject Yeshua are sinners by nature.

For the Christ follower today, it is less a question about how exactly Yeshua’s full humanity and divinity fit together and more about how we feed the poor and take care of the needy and oppressed around us. Those who are earthly are born of the flesh – they are incapable of understanding heavenly and spiritual realities. This is where we come in.

We must make Christ known. People will die in their sin because they refuse to believe in Christ as the Great “I Am” – the Savior and Redeemer. People will continue to search for someone or something to save them, having rejected the One who has come for this very purpose – to save the world. Refusing to acknowledge Yeshua as the Son of God, people commit spiritual suicide – dying without repenting of a sinful lifestyle. It is our task to make Yeshua known.

Questions for reflection/discussion:

How have you experienced Yeshua as “I Am” or “I Am who I Am?” If you do not think you have, why?

How has Yeshua’s coming down from heaven impacted your life? If it has not, why?

If you were asked to provide a reason for following Yeshua, what reason would you provide? If you cannot, why do you think that is?

Yeshua has come from above, sent by the Father, to do the Father’s will, thus, Yeshua has Spoken to the World what He has heard from the Father.

2). The second implication of rejecting Yeshua after He has Spoken to the World is realizing Yeshua actually is “I Am.”

Yeshua does nothing on His own and only does what pleases the Father.

Perhaps the first open and honest question asked of Yeshua, by the Pharisees and the crowds who follow Him, is found in verse 25 – “Who are you?” Yeshua, however, did not want to provide an answer that would only serve to create an endless debate, for in seeking an explanation on His identity, Yeshua knows they are simply heaping judgment on themselves. However, in verse 24, Yeshua uses words in the Greek language, “ego eimi,” meaning “I Am” or “I Am He.” This would bring to mind the name God gave Moses in Exodus 3:13-14, but Yeshua also uses many passages in Isaiah, especially chapters 40-55, to identify Himself. For example, Isaiah 41:4 (NASB95); “Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’” Or in Isaiah 48:12 (NASB95) “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.” There are others but the point is clear, Yeshua identifies Himself as “I Am.” Other passages include 43:10; 43:13; 43:25; 46:4.

There seems to be a shift here as the religious leaders now seem to be portrayed as ignorant sheep and not a vicious enemy. These religious leaders do not understand that Yeshua has come as God’s Spokesman and Judge when He speaks to them of the Father’s judgment – in fact, they completely miss the reference. Part of Yeshua’s function as Spokesman for God is that of Judge – He has a duty that includes judgment. His first mission is to proclaim the message of salvation; His second mission will be to judge all people, but that mission remains future.

Many people, then and now, do not understand Yeshua came as Gods’ Spokesman and Judge. He came with God’s message, words He heard directly from the Father, to reveal God to all people. Yeshua came from God, sent to the world, with a message to the world – the only true message the world will receive. The other dynamic at play here is the statement “when you lift up the Son of Man.” This is, of course, a reference to the cross and crucifixion, and the Jews of Yeshua’s day knew the expression “lifted up” signified crucifixion. But recognition does not mean believing in Him.

Yeshua, as the Son of God, is the Great “I Am.” He has been sent by the Father and the Father has remained with Him. The Father never abandoned Yeshua – everything He said and did was always the message of God. Yeshua only did what was pleasing to the Father. The crucifixion and resurrection would prove the claims of Yeshua – in the end He would be “lifted up” as Lord of all. Even though the Pharisees and all those in the crowd were missing the point of His future exaltation, His submission to the authority of His Father, produced a great miracle – many believed in Him.

As Christ followers it is our task to make Yeshua known as the Great “I Am.” He has come to save the world and until His return, we must proclaim the gospel message of salvation in Christ – He alone can grant eternal life to those who call on His name. We must be in His word that we too might hear the words of the Father as He speaks to the world. Our words must be a repeat of the Fathers words – we do not add or take away from these words – we are not the ones who save or convict people, this comes from the power of God’s word and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Questions for discussion/reflection:

Perhaps the first open and honest question asked of Yeshua was “Who are you?” Who is Yeshua to you during this season in life?

As God’s Spokesman, Yeshua speaks God’s words to the world. What words do you hear Yeshua speaking to you? If none, why do you think this might be?

The Father never abandoned Yeshua and Yeshua has promised to be with us to the end of the age. How are you feeling the presence of Yeshua during this season of life? If not, why might this be?

Yeshua has come from above, sent by the Father, to do the Father’s will, thus, Yeshua has Spoken to the World what He has heard from the Father.

As Christ followers, we must make Christ known. We must be witnesses to Christ as the Great “I Am.” The best witness we can have is a life lived in obedience to Christ, the One who came to save the world. Yes, there will be resistance from those who know you, but the truth is, they know the old you – the new you has been made alive by the Son of God Himself. No longer do you walk in the darkness of sin or your need for forgiveness.

We must also make Yeshua known as God’s Spokesman and Judge. Far too many people, including some Christ followers, dwell on Christ the Judge as a bad thing, or worse yet, they only see God as love. We must remember God is both love and a righteous judge, thus it is our very difficult task to bring some balance to the picture. We have all experienced the love of God. Each morning we wake up to His mercies renewed. Each hour we breath freely, we move and act without thinking, we are clothed, fed, and have a home.

Conversely, none of us have ever truly felt the judgment of God. What we have felt is His rebuke – the correction and discipline of a Father who loves us far deeper than we can know or understand in this lifetime. It is true that we are seeing signs of coming judgment, but that day has not arrived yet. God the Father corrects and disciplines those He loves, just as any loving father or mother would do for their child in this world. The Father has only what is best in mind for us, the difficulty lies in the fact that people just do not like correction and discipline.

Which leads us to the final point. We must gently and lovingly correct sin when we see it. This is especially true in the household of faith. We must learn to be accountable to one another, to understand that the removal of sin is for our benefit. God the Father does not take pleasure in seeing anyone suffer or remain separated from Him, in fact, it is His wish that all would come to eternal life through Christ. But too many people are looking for a “savior” in someone or something who is known to them – someone or something they can see, feel, and hear. That Christ is the image of the invisible God will not make a bit of difference if people cannot see the image of the invisible Christ in us. Again, a life lived in obedience to Christ can bring about the same great miracle we see in our passage – many will come to believe in Him.

We do all things for the glory of God, through Christ our Lord,

Amen and amen.

Next Week: John 8:31-42