Death could not hold Him

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. – Acts 2.22-24

Peter’s message went right to the point. Peter tells the Jews that though Jesus, according to God’s purpose and will and knowledge, delivered Himself to the Jews. They took Him with their ‘lawless’ hands and crucified and killed Him. He laid the guilt on them.

But that wasn’t the end. God raised Him up and loosed the the pains of death because death could not hold Jesus.

Death was, as we hear in a modern hymn, crushed to death. Death had no victory and no sting because Jesus defeated death. It had no power. Death, the greatest power on earth, had no power over of Jesus.

Because death could not hold Him, when we receive eternal life in Him death has no power over us. We all fear death. Even Christians who approach death can have doubts and trepidation. But we need not fear. Death is nothing more than a transition from the physical to the eternal. It is only a release from this broken and cursed world to the perfect and peaceful world of eternal life.

Death is beaten. Eternal life has the victory. Thanks be to God for the victory He has given us in Christ.

In one accord

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. – Acts 1.12-14

There is not a whole lot here it seems, but I think it is an interesting note to see what the beleivers were doing after Jesus left and before the Holy Spirit came.

We find about 120 believers meeting together for a prayer meeting.  The disciples were there. There were some of the women there. Jesus’ mother Mary was there as were His brothers.

As they went there were with one mind. They were unified. They were praying and humbly seeking the Lord for direction.

I think that is a great picture of what a church should be doing while they are waiting for God to show them the way.

They came together for encouragement and edification and they prayed. They also carried out business as they chose a repalcement for Judas to bring the number of apostles back to twelve.

And they were unified. They were one. That is the most important picture of all. Trouble drove them together and not apart. We today must also be ‘in one accord’ as we wait for Jesus to come again.

Why are you standing there?

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” – Acts 1.10-11

I have a hard time being critical of the disciples who stood their, probably mouths agape, as they watching Jesus disappear into the clouds. I am pretty sure I would have done the same, if I hadn’t passed out in shock or something.

But it was time to get down to business. The angel standing there said ‘why are are you standing there looking? Jesus is going to come back the same way He left.’

The problem for us today is that many of us are still standing here looking. We are looking up to heaven waiting for Jesus to come back and at the same time not doing the things he called us to do.

We might well ask ourselves ‘why are we standing here watching?’ We have so much to do and so many unreached and yet I am content to just go about my daily worldy affairs.

Why am I still standing here watching? It is high time to start redeeming the time for the days are surel evil.

You shall be witnesses

And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1.7-8

As we move from the accounts of Jesus life and earthly ministry to the beginning of the church we see that the focus for the church ends the same way that the gospels ended. Luke tells us that what he is giving us is simply an account of what happens after Jesus leaves and His disicples remain.

Acts starts with one more address from Jesus. His farewell address gives us his final charge to the disciples and to us. When the Holy Spirit comes you will have power, that destroys our arguement that we can’t do it, and we will be witnesses from the nearest place to the furthest.

How much power do we have? Jesus already answered that. He said that ALL power was given to Him and that He will go with us as we have go into the world. With Jesus by my side how can I claim to be powerless? We indeed can’t do anything without Him, but with Him we can be His witnesses.

The world could not tell

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. – John 21.25

As John closed his book he wrote these intriguing words. He says that Jesus did a lot more that he could write about. The whole world could not contain all the books that could be written about what Jesus said and did and taught.

What a day it will be when we get to heaven when we get to see all that He said and did and all the miracles He performed. We think we have seen it now, but we realy don’t have a clue.

One day we will see it all and it will all make sense. We will know all the things we don’t know now. What we already know is amazing, but I’m the kind of person who would love to know more. One day we will be able to see Jesus’ earthly ministry in all its glory.

What a day that will be.

What about him?

This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” 
Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”   – John 21.19-22

The two words are so simple on the surface. After restoring Peter to fellowship and service Jesus told him the same thing He first told him – ‘follow Me.’

But Peter still didn’t really get it. When he saw John he said ‘what about him?’

Jesus replied ‘don’t worry about him. What is it to you? You follow Me.’

Peter still was a flawed human being. He had just been re-established as a flower of Christ, but the first thing he does is to be more concerned about somebody else and what they are going to have to do or not do. Peter was afraid that he might be called on to do more than John was. If John didn’t have to do it why should He.

But Jesus was unrelenting. He repeats the words ‘follow me.’

Sure, we need to care about others and their spiritual walk. We need to lovingly admonish and challenge and edify each other. That is part of what the church is all about.

At the end of the day though the one thing we can and should focus on is whether or not we are following Jesus. I am the only one I can sort out. If the whole world stopped following Jesus that would be no excuse for me to stop. If I am following Him alone at work or at school or even in my family He still wants me to follow Him.

As I start my day today my focus should be on whether or not I will follow Jesus. We sing ‘I have decided to follow Jesus.’ Do our lives match up with the words of that song?

Written down

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. – John 20.30-31

John lets us now towards the end of his book that we don’t see everything Jesus has done. But he did write the book and here he tells us exactly why he wrote it. Not everything is written done, but what is written down has a purpose – ‘that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life through His name.’

There are a lot of good things about the Bible. There are great lessons on living and great stories and great teaching, but there is one great purpose – that we believe in Jesus and hence we can have eternal life.

Thank God for those written words because we can trace those written words back nearly 2000 years. I’ve seen manuscripts from the early second century century. Being written down they endure. From written manuscripts to typeset to the printing press to being on our electronic devices God’s written words endure that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ and by believing we may have life.

Believing without seeing

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20.29

I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to be among the disciples in those early days after Jesus rose from the dead. There must have been some skepticism. We know that there was at least one serious case of it because one of the Twelve just did not really believe that it could possibly be true.

Thomas, the man whose name is almost universally used as an idiom for a doubter, just couldn’t accept it. The very first ‘Doubting Thomas’ just had to have some proof. ’I won’t believe it unless I can touch the wounds and see for myself.’ Jesus called Thomas to His side and said ‘here, don’t just look but put your fingers in the wounds.’

After all that Thomas said ‘Lord, now I believe.’

‘Jesus replied ‘you have believed Me because you have seen.’ That was great, at least Thomas believed.’ But Jesus continued ‘blessed are those who have not seen and still believed.’

Its that believing without seeing that is the tricky part. Its hard to believe what you can’t see. I have a couple of things in my life that I cant see the answer too, and yet the Bible says God will take care of, but I want to see the answer. I want to see.

Lord give me the strength to believe even when I cannot see.

So send I you

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, so send I  you.” – John 20.21

After the resurrection Jesus had to make sure that His followers realised what they had to do. He was leaving and there was still a lot to be done. Their divine commission had to be delineated.

‘Just like the Father sent Me I am sending you.’

Talk about a divine commission! Our charge to go into all the world and preach the gospel is not one we can take lightly. It was serious enough for God the Father to send His Son to earth to die for our sins. It was serious enough for Jesus to veil His deity and take on the shape of a man in the from of a servant and be obedient all the way to the cross. It was serious enough for God the Holy Spirit to come to earth ti indwell and comfort and help and encourage believers.

That’s how big a deal this is. Our call to go involves all that Jesus. It involves serving and laying aside our own wills and our won desires to share the gospel with the world. It involves obedience to the point of death if that is what God calls us to do. It means that is what drives us. It means that is the ultimate goal of all we say and do. As Jesus laid aside His majesty we lay aside all of our own self-glory. As His love drove Him to sacrifice His life so our love should drive us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

How seriously do we take our call?

It is finished

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. – John 19.28-30

We often read about the last words of famous people. Many times they are powerful, thoughtful, provocative words.

But one set of last words are the most powerful and important ever spoken – ‘it is finished!’

But what was finished? What was done? What was accomplished?

Everything that mattered. All that was needed to accomplish the work of eternal salvation was done. The price was paid. The work was accomplished. The gift of salvation was accomplished.

That means that there is nothing I can do to accomplish the work of salvation. Jesus paid it all. There is no ‘do’ in salvation. It is all done. The door of salvation was opened. The way is clear, the truth is proclaimed, and eternal life is on offer.

Jesus said ‘it is finished,’ He gave up the ghost, and all that had to be done was done. Our way of salvation was made clear.

I pray for them

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. – John 17.20-23

While Jesus is praying for His disciple before He leaves the world we find one of the most amazing things I have ever read. As He prays here He says ‘I am not just praying for these here, but for all who are going to believe through theirs words.

Did you get that? First of all it is clear that people are going to believe through the words of His followers. That is how the gospel is going to spread. It was and is up to those who follow Jesus.

But think about it. When Jesus prayed here He prayed for us! Way back then Jesus prayed for everyone who would be saved as His message spread, including you and me!

That ought to be of such great comfort to us. When we struggle with the world, the flesh, and the devil today we can do so in the comfort that Jesus is praying for us. It’s great to have others praying for us, but what an amazing blessing to know that we are in His prayers!

So rest assured – the One who prays in the perfect will of God prays for you and me.

In the world, not of it

But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. – John 17.13-15

No matter what, no matter how much we maynot like it, no matter how much we wish it were not so, we have to live in this world. We have to live here from the cradle to the grave.

Jesus doesn’t pray that we would be taken out of this world. He knows that we must be a part of it. If we were taken out of the world, or if we withdraw ourself from the world, we will never be able to reach it. If we were not here who would reach the world with the gospel?

Jesus prays instead that His disciples we would be protected from the evil one while we are here. We have a great enemy opposing us. We need protection from him while we are here lest we be consumed by the world we live in.

What a comfort to know that while we live our day to day lives and while the devil roams the earth seeking whom He may devour Jesus is praying for us.

Verse 16 goes on to say that Jesus prays that we would not be a part of the world. In the world but not of the world. Like a scuba diver who is in the water, but not of it. Like that diver would die if he were of the world we would die spiritually die if we were part of the this world.

God’s people ought to be different from this world. We must be in this world, but we better not be of it.

One

And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. – John 17.10-11

The trinity of God, or His Tri-unity is a great mystery. 1+1+1=1. That doesn’t make sense to our human analytical minds.

Okay, that’s hard enough. But imagine this. Jesus goes on to pray that His followers may be one as He and the Father are one and that as one we are kept through His word.

If we are one no one can be separated out. Not only that we see that we are not kept by our worthiness or by our works – we are kept by His word. His perfect word. There are very few things in the Bible that give me more confidence than to see that we are one and that we are only kept through His word.

That certainly doesn’t give me licence to do whatever I want. It gives me liberty to serve in gratitude. It give me the assurance that I can, because we are one with him, do what I am expected to do. I can live a righteous life. I can overcome. I can honour Christ. Because I am kept by the power of God. What joy it is to be one with each other and one with Him.

Be of good cheer

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16.33

‘In this world you will have tribulation.’ That’s not very encouraging, is it? Jesus tells His disciples that they, and by implication we, will have struggles in this world.

We can all understand that I am sure. We are all fully aware of what it means to have tribulation and trials. I dare say that everyone reading this is going through their own struggle at the moment.

But Jesus says here that His people, us, can be of good cheer. No matter what the tribulation or trial we are going through we can do it with ‘good cheer’ because we have His peace, the peace that passes all understanding to keep our hearts and minds.

Why? Because Jesus has already overcome the world. We already have have the victory. We are going to win our one day. What a day that will be. We don’t have to be anxious about the outcome. It is like watching a replay of the Ireland-NZ rugby match in Chicago today. It might be exciting and nerve wracking but Irish fans alread know how the match turns out. We already know who won.

And that is how we have peace in our troubles. We can get up and go get a cup of tea during the match because the result is determined. God has this. It is going to be tough, it is going to be a struggle, it won’t be easy – but the result is determined because Jesus has already overcome the world.

That your joy may be full

And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. – John 16.23-24

Prayer is one of the great mysteries of the faith. I must have read a couple of dozen books on prayer over the years. Any yet, I still don’t really understand to mechanics of prayer. How does it work? What a happens when two Christians pray for opposite things on the same matter? Is a prayer wasted if you find out that a situation was resolved before you prayed about it?

The wonderful thing is that we don’t have to get it, all we have to do is to do it. God has given us access to Him and all we need to do is to go to Him with confidence that we are being heard. We can have that confidence because if He is abiding in us and we abide in Him we ought to be praying in His will. It doesn’t mean that we always are going to get whatever we ask for. It means that since we are praying in His name and in His will God will answer our prayer. Prayer is to bring us into line with God’s will.

What a joy it is to pray for something and see the prayer answered His way. He is not going to give us bad things, but good. We can rejoice even when we don’t get what we think was best because he gives us what He knows is best.

To guide and glorify

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. – John 16.13-14

The Holy Spirit, humanly speaking, has a lot to do. Of course, being God, He is well able for it.

Sometimes people are tempted to elevate the Holy Spirit above the rest of the Trinity. Some groups focus all or most of their worship on Him. Some even say that those who disagree with them don’t even believe in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is very clear on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We have seen His comforting and helping and teaching roles.  Here Jesus says that in addition the Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth and He will glorify the Son.

We have a guide through the mindfield that is our world today. Where do we go? What do we do next? What do I do today? How do I handle the situation at work or t home? How are we going to fix the marriage?

The Holy Spirit is there to guide us through and show us what to do next. He has given us His word. The problem is that too many times we don’t really want to hear it.

And the wonderful truth that He will glorify Jesus. The Holy Spirit never seeks glory for Himself. He seeks to glory Christ in our lives and He does that by His guidance.

We all have a spiritual GPS to follow. The question is whether or not we will follow Him or our own senses.

Conviction

And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. – John 16.8-11

Here is a minsitry of the Holy Spirit that we don’t think about. In theology it is referred to as the restraining power of the Holy Spirit. When He came we read that He ‘convicts the world of sin and  righteousness and judgement.’ He convicts the world of sin because they do not believe in Him.

If the convicting power of the Holy Spirit were not with mankind they would sin without restraint. Men and women would do what ever crossed their minds with no sense of right and wrong. If we think things are bad now imagine a day with no restraint.

But the Holy Spirit still works in the world to convince it of sin. It protects us from ourselves and it shows man his need of salvation. If not for His convicting Spirit no one would ever come to Christ. The Holy Spirit’s impact convinces men of sin and makes them aware that judgement is coming.

I think that why the world fights so hard. They are like Paul kicking against to goads. Instead of acknowledging sin and judgement they fight against and harden their hearts.

Sadly, far too many fight His convicting power until it is too late.

If the world hates Me...

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. – John 15.18-19

It seems like the world’s hatred of Christians is growing almost day by day. Our thougths and views and opinions are no longer accepted by the world, in fact that are becoming abhorrent. We are quickly becoming public enemies simply because we live and preach Biblical truth.

The world does not like it and is not going to like it. No one like to be told their lives and their choices are wrong. No one like to be told that they are sinners in need of God so they don’t even want to hear about God.

So they turn on us. They learn to hate God and His people.

Now, I have to say that sometimes they can be almost justified. A lot of folks don’t offend through their relationship with Christ, they offend because they are jerks.

But if we do right. If we insist for example that an unborn child has the right to live, we are seen as full of hate and the world hates us in response.

Jesus told us that this was all to be expected tough. If the world hates His and we dwell in Him and He in us the world is sure to hate us too. If we don’t live like the world and go along with them we are sure to be despised. I heard a preacher say last week that his first response to the gospel and being told he was a sinner was to stab the Christian. Now, that may be extreme, but it does tell us how much people the being told they are sinners.

Sure, the world is going to hate us, but the reward will surely be worth it.

My friends

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. – John 15.13-15

Friends are so important. Friends are always there. True friends are there no matter what and friendship endures. Friends love enough to not excuse flaws and faults. They tell us we have done something stupid or our clothes don’t work or the new haircut is ugly. They want what is best for us.

Normally friendships are based on some kind of commonality. We grow up in the same neighbourhood. We go to the same school. We belong to the same church. There are exceptions of course but normally we would be from the roughly the same socio-economic group. It’s just normal.

But here we have a most unusual friendship – a friendship between a perfect holy and sinless righteous God and a sinner. That hardly makes any kind of sense. How could we be friends? How could I be God’s friend?

Jesus said that the greatest love is a love that lays down it life for a friend. We prove we are His friends by doing what He commands us to do.

So because of Him laying down His life for us we can be friends of God. Friends of God. Think about it. You and I can be friends with Him. No longer servants, but friends.

My joy will remain

“There things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. – John 15.11

Joylessness is a terrible way of life. You can see it in the faces of so many people on the street. I meet so many people when I am out walking who are downcast and look like their dog just died.

Sadly, there are a lot of Christians who live the same kind of Sad Sack lives. No matter what happens they never seem to be able to muster up the energy for a smile. No news seems to be good enough for them. Sadness reigns supreme. They seems like Jesus has only made their lives worse. It is no. wonder when we see folks like that that people don’t really want to hear about our Jesus.

But Jesus says we can claim the Old Testament promise that ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength’ when He tells us ‘My joy can remain with you.’ Our joy is not based on our circumstances. Our joy is based on His joy. And because it is based on the joy of Jesus our joy can be full no matter what we face today.

What does that mean?

It means that our trials today are only temporary. It means that the trials of today are not to be compared to the glories of eternity. It means that we can be joyful because we know the end result. We can live this life with joy because we know what is coming.

Now if we can only believe and act on it.

Abide in my love

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. – John 15.9-10

Jesus was not quite finished talking about abiding. We abide in Him, His word abides in us, and we bear fruit.

Next He makes it a little more personal. He further explains this concept of abiding as He says ‘Abide in My love.’ But before He even says that He describes the standard for our love. We are to abide in His love and in His Father’s love. That means that it is impossible to love too much. God so loved the world and that is the kind of love that we need to rest in.

If we abide His love His love will dominate and define us. If we abide in His love we won’t be able to help but to love others. Abiding in His love me I am contastantly aware that He loves me and because He loves me I can trust Him to do what is best for me.

Do I live in the light of the love of Christ? Does my life show the the world His love?

Abiding

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. – John 15.5-8

This is an amazing section of scripture that is worth a lot more time than I am going to give it. All this about Jesus being the Vine and us being branches and about how we can’t do anything without Him is amazing. We can’t do anything without Him – just think about that for a minute – nothing. That means that everything I do is because of Him.

But I want to look at a little later in the passage. ‘If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will get what you desire and it will be done. My Father is glorified so that we can bear much fruit.’

If you abide in Me
If My words abide in You

What does that mean? I like the word abide here. It is not just to reside, but to settle in and reallt take root and be at home.

The question whether or not we do that. Where do we abide? Are we more comfortable in the world or are we more comfortable in Christ? Which is our home?

The we need to ask ourselves if the word of God is truly settled and at home in our hearts. What do you and I allow the abide in our hearts? Does the world and its ways abide in our lives? If so that is what guides us. If the word of God abides there then that is what guides and controls us.

Do we constantly abide in Him?
Does His word constantly abide in us?

To bear more fruit

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. – John 15.1-2

There are certain passages of scripture that God uses at certain times to teach ou certain things that mark milestones in our spiritual lives. This is one of those passages for me.

Almost 27 years ago we were in a mission’s conference at our church in Alabama. Mary and I were praying about what God wanted us to do. We were still devestated and hurt by the closing of the school we had been teaching in. We thought we were there for life.

But as Ron Brooks was preaching he pointed out theat there are times when God prunes back fruit-bearing branches to allow them to bring forth more fruit. I felt like had been bearing fruit in the school ministry so why did God cut that off from us?

After more than 25 years I think I know. Though our work in Ireland may not seem to many like ‘more fruit’ God has been working in our lives and hopefully in the lives of people we meet. We have learned to live lives of deep reliance on Him. We have seen a few lives changed and a handful of people be saved and baptised and living for the Lord in this dark and spiritually barren land.

The pruning was tough on us. We are still being pruned as we speak, but we are striving to trust God with His promise to allow us to bear more fruit.

My peace I leave

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. – John 14.27

Every single day I check my news feed and try to catch up on the news and I watch BBC News in the morning. I fear that I am a bit of a news freak and if I am not careful I could watch it all day.

The bad thing is that most news we see theses days I find very troubling. There is not much to feel good about with all of the natural disasters and crime and corrupt politics and scandals and human tragedy and warfare it is hard to even imagine a world of peace or a world at peace. Peace is the last thing we will find whether it is Sky or RTE or BBC or CNN or Fox. Peace doesn’t sell for one thing and there isnt a whole lot of it for another. There have been loads of promises – but they have always fallen through.

Jesus knows our desire for peace. The world cries out ‘peace, peace’ but there is no peace. We can’t find it on our own, so He says ‘My peace I leave with you. It is not like the world’s peace, it is My peace.’

In the midst of turmoil Jesus leaves peace to His followers. It is the peace that passes all understanding.

How then do we live lives full of inner turmoil and doubts and fears? We have that peace available as we learn to truly rely in Him instead of our circumstances.We know the world fails – so we must learn to trust Him. We can’t have lives full of cares, but instead bring our requests to Him with thanksgiving in our hearts so that peace that passes all understanding can preserve our hearts and minds in Christ.

My Teacher

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. – John 14.25-26

This whole section on the ministry of the Holy Spirit is special. It is a comfort because it was going to be hard to see Jesus go and they must have been afraid. What were they going to do without Him. They often called Jesus ‘Teacher’ but who would teach them now?

Teaching is special to me. I think that among all the human relationships the teacher-student relationship is among the most special. I realise that a lot of people think that is passé and that today teachers are often see as co-learners with their students and that we are on life voyage of learning together and all that. I agree with some of that but at the end of the day people need teachers no matter what we are doing. We can be the most self-taught of all but there is all a need for instruction and guidance.

So we have teachers. I am biased, but I think that teaching is the most important role that we can play.

So it makes sense that Jesus would make sure that the disciples would not be teacherless.

The Holy Spirit, the helper will teach you and help you remember My words.

We don’t have to go through this life like the Ethiopian eunuch searching for the truth and waiting for a teacher to come along. Every moment of every day we have our own personal tutor walking within us to costantly teach us the word of God and to give us those timely reminders of what Jesus has said and what He is doing for us.

That’s why we are told later on not to quench the spirit of God or to neglect Him or to resist Him.

True teachers love their students. There can be no truer teacher than the Holy Spirit of God. I make mistakes as a teacher. I can give bad advice. I can guide poorly despite my best efforts, but He will never fail as my teacher

Another Helper

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. – John 14.16-17

Jews were not unaware of the Spirit of God. We see the Holy Spirit popping up in the Old Testament in a variety of ways and a situation. He seems to come on the scene on special occassions and when there are special needs.  He fills people at times and empowers them to do special tasks.

But now He is about to take on a whole new ministry. When Jesus leaves the world the Holy Spirit is going to come on the scene on a full time basis.

Jesus said that He was leaving, but that He was going to leave the Holy Spirit behind as a Helper and a Comforter.

Because He left the Comforter behind even today we can rest in and depend on His ability for comfort and help and courage in the days of our trouble. I can’t even begin to number the times in the forty some years of my salvation that I have known the comfort of the Holy Spirit. He comforts through His inspired written word. He  brings it to life as I read it and He reminds me of it when I need it. In times of struggle and turmoil His word comes to me to comfortably and encourage me. He is my Helper and thank God for His always help.

The Way, the Truth, the Life

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. – John 14.6

Man has always tried to find a way to appease his various perceptions of deity. It seems that man has always known that there is more than just this earthly life.

So man has tried all kinds of ways to get to God. All kinds of rituals, all kinds of religion, all kinds of sacrifices, and all kinds of giving have been used to try and appease God.

On the other hand we also have those who simply say that as long as you practice your religion they all lead to heaven.

But Jesus has a whole different viewpoint. He stated it clearly and succinctly. He says it without equivocation.

I am the way
I am the truth
I am the life
No one goes to the Father but by me

That’s it – there is no doubt and no room for argument. If Jesus said all of this and He is none of them than He is not worth following. If Jesus said all this and it is not true He is a liar and a deceiver. If He said all of this and it is not true He surely is not worth following.

But He can say it because He is he way, the truth, and the life. He can say it because no one can get to the Father except though His sacrifice on the cross. Only He has the power to forgive sin. Only He was the power to advocate for us. Only He has the ability to mediate between God and man.

No one else can do it because no one else is God.

To prepare a place

 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” – John 14.1-4

It must have been obvious, even to the disciples who could be so thick sometimes, that something big was about to happen. Jesus was talking a lot about leaving and how they couldn’t go with Him and such. Jesus knew they were anxious and so gave them some great words of comfort.

Let not your heart be troubled…I go to prepare a place for you…I will come again for you.

And in that lies our hope and our comfort. We still await His return. The disciples and beleivers since then have gone to the place that Jesus has prepared. We earnestly away His coming.

But we can all rest assured though in the words that there is a place after this prepared for us. This broken world does not give us much hope. There is no rest and not much comfort here. Our hope is in the world to come when we have finished our travail in this old world.

As we get older the reality of that place becomes more precious. Thank God for that hope.

Love each other

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13.34-35

The Law was full of rules and commandments. Tucked away in there were the words that we ought to love God and love others. The legalistic Jews though chose to stress the do thises and the don’t do that’s.

Several times in His ministry Jesus shows them a new focus. He tells them the answer is pretty basic – love each other. His standard His high though because He says that the standard was that they, and we, are to love each other the same way that He loves.

In fact, this is so important that Jesus says that this is the test of whether or not we are His disciples. It is the test by which people are going to know the reality of our faith. Do we love each other? Do people know that we love each other? Are people drawn to Jesus by the way we love each other?

And yet how often do we as believers manifest fightings and divisions and bightings and devourings among beleivers? We seem to find the smallest and silliest things to divide over. The world watches us fight over music choices and worship styles and how we dress for church and issues like that and now we do it right out in the open on social media.

I’m not saying that we ought to compromise on essentials, but surely there is room for a lot of improvement in how we love each other.

Feet washing

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” – John 13.1-6

There have been some awful jobs through history. There was guy (gong farmer) who had to stir up human waste in medieval castle to release the ammonia that would kill the bugs in the clothes hung over the toilets. There were leech collectors. There were tanners and fullers who worked with urine all day everyday. There was the guy in Naas who 100 years ago would pass through homes real close to here to gather up the chamber pots to be dumped in his wagon.

And before all that there was the servant in Jesus’ day whose job it was to wash the feet of the guests. It was a dirty, filthy, stinky job. It was the job the lowest of the servants normally had to do. There was dust and mud and sweat and stick and even worse, but custom said that it had to be done.

But when Jesus and the disciples and Jesus got to the hired room for supper there were no servants. They couldn't eat with dirty feet, so they either had to wash their own feet or someone had to do it. I can see them all waiting uncomfortably.

Then, I am sure to their surprise, Jesus got up, filled a pitcher, grabbed a basin and a towel, and started washing their feet! And, except for Peter’s protest, they let Him do it!

Jesus took His servant role talked about is Philippians seriously. He proved in a very real way that service was what He and His people should do.

How about you and me? How many of us would jump at the chance to wash others’ feet? I’m not talking about a church ordinance, but how many of us would kneel down and wash the dirty feet of someone who walked dirt streets in the heat and a road where animal waste was rampant?

Jesus is talking here simply about serving each other. A lot of folks won’t even make everyone a cup of tea or clean the church toilet or set up chairs or mop the floor.

How about a simple question for out self examination. When is the last time that you or I really took the chance to serve?

The praise of men

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God – John 12.42-43

Here is a verse I can identify with. As bad as it is, I find myself just like the ‘chief rulers’ described here who had believed in Jesus, been saved in our words today, but did not confess Him openly.

When I think about the fact about how little and how seldom I ‘confess Him’ before others I am ashamed. I am especially ashamed because I think at the root of ot my problem is the same as theirs – I love the praise of men more than I love the praise of God. What man thinks of me is more important than what God thinks of me.

That’s a terrible thing isn’t it?

After what Jesus did for me how can I care more about what others think than I do what He thinks?

So often these things come down to one thing – my own stinking pride. I really don’t want people to dislike me or think poorly of me. I like to be liked and I like people to talk kindly about me. I don’t want people to consider me some kind of religious freak. I don’t them to dislike me because of my faith.

So I love their praise more than God’s. Sadly, I fear that I am not the only one who is in that situation.

May God forgive us and give us strength to speak openly of Him.