Travelling On A Road Full Of Blessing
We Need The Word of The Lord On The Lord's Day. We Need The Word Of The Lord Every Day.
In Salvation And Surrender, We Find Our True Joy.
Look Beyond The Preacher. Look To The Saviour And Give All The Glory To Him.
"When The Holy Spirit Comes On You ... You Will Be My Witnesses."
"Search Me, O God ... " - And Make Me Like Jesus.
Lord, Give Us Boldness. Lord, Send Your Blessing.
Preach Christ. Pray for the Spirit's Power. Seek God's Blessing.
The Love Of God
Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, showing us His Redeeming Passion when He dies for the sins of the world on the cross at Calvary.
Blessings, In His Glorious Name Ministries Online
Jesus Christ - Risen For Us
Jesus Christ - Crucified For Us
Blessing Upon Blessings
Jesus Is Still Praying For Us.
Jesus prays for you. Jesus prays for me. We have come to faith in Him through the written Word of His apostles (20). The story of the Cross (1-5), the story of the first disciples (6-19) is an ongoing story. It continues in us. The saving effects of Christ’s death are still being felt today. The written Word of His apostles is still exerting its powerful influence on today’s world. Jesus is still praying for us (Hebrews 7:25). He prayed for His first disciples - ‘that they may be one’ (11). He prays the same prayer for us (20-23). Among His first disciples, there was Judas Iscariot, ‘the one who chose to be lost’ (12). If we are to ‘maintain the unity of the Spirit’, we must take account of ‘the Judas factor’ - ‘take notice of those who create dissensions... avoid them’ (Ephesians 4:3; Jude 4; 1 John 2:18-19; Romans 16:17-18).
Overcoming The World Through Faith In Jesus Christ
Jesus was ‘persecuted’. We will be ‘persecuted’ - ‘all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted’ (15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12). We have no guarantee that life will be easy. In all our difficulties, ‘the Spirit of truth’ directs our attention to Jesus our Saviour (15:26; 16:13-15). Whatever our problems, we draw encouragement from Jesus’ words: ‘In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’ (16:33). Here, we have realism and faith. The world is trying to squeeze us into its own mould (Romans 12:2). Sometimes, we feel like faith is slipping away. Sometimes, we feel like giving up. What are we to say to all this? ‘Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?’ - This is our faith’ (1 John 5:4-5).
A Life Of Obedience And Fruitfulness
Those who love the Lord are called to a life of obedience - keeping His ‘commandments’, keeping His ‘Word’ (21,23). We cannot live this life in our own strength. Christ must make His home in us (23). Once He has come to live in us, we are to abide in Him (4). Jesus says to us, ‘Apart from me you can do nothing’ (5). You cannot live the Christian life until Christ comes to live in you. ‘The Holy Spirit teaches us all things’ (26). Christ’s ‘words’ abide in us (7). We are called to a life of fruitfulness (15:5,15) - ‘the fruit of the Spirit’: ‘love, joy, peace...’ (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus loves us (21). He gives us His peace (27). He gives us His joy (11). Love, Joy, Peace: Let this ‘fruit’ be seen in us. Let it be shared with others. ‘Love one another... Go and bear fruit... love one another’ (15:12,16-17).
Heaven's Door
May you be blessed as you seek His face, experience His love, and come to know Him intimately. Blessings to you in Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries
Beyond Our Difficult Times, There's His Glorious Future!
Difficult times lay ahead for Jesus. He would be betrayed by Judas Iscariot (21-30). He would be denied by Peter (36-38). For Jesus, there was His departure (31-33). It would be a difficult time for His followers.
He tells them to ‘love one another’: ‘By this all men shall know that they are His disciples’ (34-35).
Jesus points them beyond the difficult times. He speaks of His glorious future. He assures them that the best is yet to be. He is preparing a place in His ‘Father’s House’ for us. He will come again to take us to Himself (1-3). He is the Way to this place, the true and living Way (6).
Now, He reveals the Father to us (9). Now, He is working in and through us (12-14). He is preparing us for His place: ‘Lord Jesus... fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there’ (Church Hymnary, 195).
Believe In Jesus And Confess Him As Your Saviour.
God's Great Plan Of Salvation
The Pharisees are developing their wicked plan. God is fulfilling His saving purpose (49-53).
The voice of ‘common sense’ is not always the voice of the Lord (4-6). There is a higher wisdom than ‘common sense’. We are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
He leads us to put Jesus at the centre of our lives. Jesus is not suggesting that the poor are unimportant. He is emphasizing that we must not lose sight of Him.
If our concern for the poor is not truly grounded in devotion to Christ, it is not the obedience of faith (8).
The Pharisees are lying in wait for Jesus. They say, ‘The world has gone after Him’ (19). They are going after Him too - in a different way!
The crucifixion draws near. God is to be ‘glorified’ in the defeat of Satan and the salvation of sinners (28,31-32). Jesus had ‘come’ for this ‘hour’ (27).
Jesus - The Resurrection And The Life
John 11:1-44
Everything is moving on towards Christ’s death and resurrection.
On His way to the Cross, Jesus performs a mighty miracle - the raising of Lazarus (43-44) - which points unmistakably to an even greater miracle - His own resurrection (Acts 2:24). Accompanying this miracle - the raising of Lazarus - , we have Jesus’ great declaration concerning Himself: ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die’ (25).
His words are immediately followed by the question: ‘Do you believe this?’ (26).
This question is put to each of us.
Jesus waits for the answer of faith: ‘Yes, Lord I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God...’(27).
This is ‘for the glory of God’ - receiving new life from ‘the Son of God...’ (4).
Victory In Jesus
"One Thing I Know ... I Was Blind, Now I See."
Empowered by God, Jesus gives sight to the blind man (3,6-7).
‘The Pharisees’ hear the man’s testimony (15). ‘Some of’ them reject the Lord (16,24).
There will always be those who refuse to believe in the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will pour scorn on those who have come to know the Lord.
The man gives his testimony: ‘One thing I know... I was blind, now I see’ (25). The Pharisees continue to fire questions at him (26).
He puts the most challenging question to them: ‘Do you too want to become His disciples?’ (27). They hurl insults at him (28).
Fools attack what they don’t understand. The more they rage, the more they show their folly.
We say, ‘Lord, I believe’, and our spiritual ‘eyes’ are opened (38; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
Don’t be ‘blind’, despising the believer and the Saviour (39-40; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
Jesus Sets Us Free.
In the face of evil unbelief and persistent opposition, Jesus spoke with tremendous assurance: ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world... you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am He’ (23-24).
‘As He spoke thus, many believed in Him (30) - Jesus spoke with power and love. Responding to Him in faith, we are set ‘free’ (32,36; Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1).
* To receive His freedom, we must recognize our need: ‘everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin’ (34).
* To grow in His freedom, we must ‘continue in His Word’ (31).
To religion without Christ (39,41), Jesus’ answer is emphatic: ‘You are of your father the devil... you do not hear God’s words because you are not of God’ (44,47).
‘I am’ (58; Exodus 3:14). God is in control - not men (59,20).
Rivers Of Living Water - From Jesus
Jesus' Words Are "Spirit And Life" - "The Words Of Eternal Life."
Jesus’ words are ‘spirit and life’. They are ‘the words of eternal life’ (63,68).
While others - including Judas Iscariot - were drawing back from following Jesus, Peter confessed his faith in Jesus: ‘You are the Holy One of God’ (66-71).
It was only a matter of time before Judas Iscariot (71) and ‘the Jews’(1) formed an unholy alliance. The ‘time’ was ‘not yet’ (6,8). Even the plans of evil men could only be fully developed in the Lord’s time. When God permitted their evil plans to proceed, then it would be His time for Jesus’ crucifixion and our salvation (Acts 2:2).
‘The Jews’ were amazed at Jesus’ teaching - ‘How is it that this man has learning when he has never studied?’ (15). They did not understand that God’s wisdom is different from man’s wisdom. Obey God. Receive wisdom (17; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
Let's Feed On Jesus Christ, "The Living Bread."
Jesus said, ‘I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’ (35).
Jesus had enemies - ‘The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, “I am the bread which comes down from heaven”’ (41).
Christ’s enemies are still with us. They ‘murmur among themselves’ (43).
How are we to respond to this situation? We must feed on Jesus Christ, ‘the Living Bread’ (51).
Whatever difficulties we may face, the Lord provides for us: ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies’ (Psalm 23:5).
We have His invitation: ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good!’ (Psalm 34:8).
With His provision and invitation, let us make our response: ‘We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread, and long to feast upon Thee still’ (Church Hymnary, 571).
Search The Scriptures - And Come To Christ!
‘Search the Scriptures’ - and make sure you ‘come to Christ and receive life’ (39-40).
From Jesus’ miracles - the feeding of the five thousand (1-13) and His walking on water (16-21) - we learn about faith in Christ.
Jesus is more than a ‘prophet’. He is ‘the Bread of God... which comes down from heaven’ (14, 33).
He is not merely a human ‘king’. He is the divine King - ‘Lord of lords and King of kings’ (15; Revelation 17:14).
When the storms of life are raging, Jesus says, ‘It is I; do not be afraid’ (20). He assures us of His final victory - ‘they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them’ (Revelation 17:14).
‘Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?... We have an anchor that keeps the soul... Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love’ (Church Hymnary, 412).