Jesus Gives New Life – John Ch. 3

Posted on May 11, 2017 by dkoop

Do you enjoy spending time outside?  I do and enjoy hiking, camping, fishing hunting or any sport.  One hazard of being in the “great outdoors” is the possibility of being bitten by a venous snake.  Let me show you some pictures of what can happen.

As you can see from these pictures, to be bitten by a poisonous snake is bad news.  Snakebite victims need healing and a physician’s care.  Today we will see that we are all in need of healing, and a renewal to our souls.  We have been snake bitten spiritually.  We need to seek the Great Physician to bring renewal and healing to our poisoned spiritual lives.

As we continue to look at the Gospel of John we see a dialogue with Jesus and a man named Nicodemus about this very thing.

Jesus is in Jerusalem, he just had celebrated Passover the last verses of chapter 2 tell us.  While in Jerusalem Jesus does some more miracles that show his divine nature and gets a visit by a man by the name of Nicodemus.  

Nicodemus was a seeker – a person who was sincere in his quest for the kingdom of God but, nevertheless, a spiritual failure in spite of all his religious knowledge and enthusiasm. Here was a sincere man with a sincere hunger for truth who came to have a private talk with Jesus in the quietness of the night away from those who would distract. He was the original “Nick at Night” He came to Jesus at night so that he could have a private conversation concerning his own very personal needs.
Jesus had something he did not have. Nicodemus, like each of us, was seeking for that something more in life – looking, longing for spiritual bliss and truth to fill the hole that’s felt in the heart. Nicodemus was a man whose whole life was a religious exercise yet he realized that Jesus had something he did not have.
One of the messages of John 3 is just that! You may have all sorts of Spiritual activity having all the trappings of faith. You may have been to church more times than you can count, had a routine of Bible reading and praying, maybe even taught Sunday school or Vacation Bible School. But that is not enough to give you true eternal life that is born from above and felt deeply in the heart.
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.

Now, it must be said up front that Nicodemus was no ordinary citizen. He was respected. He was religious. A Pharisee who gave his life to studying and obeying the Law and traditions. He was a ruler. He had it all from an outward perspective. He was a well-respected, admired Jewish citizen that people would have considered a role model.   Nicodemus stands as a contrast to what is needed to reach heaven.

In My Quest for Spiritual Renewal know that…

  • Tradition or Heritage is not enough

Nicodemus was a Jew.  The Jewish people believed that because of their heritage, because they were children of Abraham, they were God’s people who were headed to heaven.   Jesus lets Nicodemus see that Tradition and heritage is not enough.   The same is true of you if you are depending on the faith of your parents or your citizenship.  They may be great and impressive but not enough to give you eternal life.  It would be like being at the doctor for a snake bite and saying, “but I’m an American, won’t that heal me?”

  • Position or Power is not enough

Nicodemus was one of the 70 who comprised the Sanhedrin. In essence, he was a member of the Jewish Supreme Court.  Nicodemus was a part of the religious elite. He had a distinguished religious position.

But a certain position does not save you. Being a pastor does not save you. Being a small group leader or a children’s teacher does not save you. Positions do not save or give eternal life.  Again if your at the doctor for a snake bite it does no good to say, I am a CEO of a large corporation I will not need treatment.

  • Religion or Knowledge is not enough

Nicodemus possessed great religious knowledge. As a member of the Pharisees, he knew and lived what was considered right and wrong. He was religious to the core. The Pharisees went to drastic measures to make sure they obeyed the letter of the law. They fasted and prayed and studied the Scriptures. They went to great lengths to obey not only the law but also the man-made rules of tradition that kept them from breaking the law.  They lived spiritually disciplined lives, but they were lost. He was religious and lost. The Pharisees were right in many areas of doctrine, but they made one primary mistake: they externalized religion. Outwardly, they lived above reproach.

Religion is not enough. You can come to church, tithe, go to Small Group, pray, witness, and practice spiritual disciplines and yet still be lost. You can do all the things that religious people do and be without Christ. Religion does not save. Knowledge doesn’t save you either you can read your Bible, lead a small group, even memorize the entire Bible-it is not enough.  I have heard so many people say, “I live a good life. I try to do what is right. I go to church. Etc.” It is not enough to get you to heaven.

For Spiritual Renewal I Need to Seek Jesus

2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Nicodemus is a seeker; he had deep respect and interest in Jesus. He was right in seeking Jesus for his answers.  This is the best place to start in your seeking of spiritual truth.  His designation of Jesus as Rabbi shows great admiration for Jesus. To address Jesus with the title “Teacher” reveals Nicodemus’ deep admiration for Jesus. Nicodemus makes Jesus an equal.

He even recognizes Jesus’ ministry as blessed by God. “No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him,” he asserts. He acknowledges the divine blessing of God upon Jesus. Nicodemus falls into the category of the believers described at the end of chapter 2, he believes in Jesus, but strictly because of the miracles. He is an admirer but not a genuine believer.   There are many like that today.  Let me ask you

Do I only admire Jesus?  

We must move from admiration to action.  Jesus moves the conversation in this direction.  Have you ever been in a conversation where you were talking about one thing, and when you stopped to hear the response from the other person, they began talking about a totally different subject? It’s kind of aggravating because it gives you the impression that they either were not listening or do not consider what you had to say worthy of a reply. I don’t know what kind of response Nicodemus expected from Jesus, but he was shocked by what he heard.   We may at times be shocked by what Jesus says, but we need to listen carefully.

I Need to Listen Carefully to Jesus

Of course, Jesus knows Nicodemus’ heart so he cuts straight to the heart of the matter.   Jesus knows why Nicodemus is really there, so he immediately challenges him.

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“Born again” – back in 1976, Jimmy Carter was running against President Gerald Ford and you might recall that Jimmy Carter caused a bit of a sensation. Because during his campaign, Jimmy Carter said publicly that he was a “Born again Christian.”  It caused a stir, and it was a term that was used about him over and over again.  To say you are “born-again” has become somewhat trite. It is a familiar term.

But what Jesus is talking about here is a supernatural event. It could also be translated born “from above.” It is a spiritual new birth, a divine regeneration, a spiritual transformation. To be born again is to be made new by the Spirit of God.

Such language and teaching confuses Nicodemus. Predominant religious thought in that day affirmed that all Jews would be admitted to God’s kingdom.  But here Jesus is telling Nicodemus, a respected scholar, that he cannot enter God’s kingdom unless he is born again.

Nicodemus responds,

4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

The very words “born again or born from above” tell us volumes about the process involved in becoming one of God’s children.  Think about the first birth you went through, or what you know about it. First off, you were conceived.  And it is obviously not anything you did that brings that about. So it is with our Spiritual conception–God, by the power of His Spirit, brings it about.

Our first birth is the same.  It was the work of your mother, not you.   There may be some help of course. Help from doctors and nurses who assist the mother in the case of our physical birth.  Or help from spiritual midwives, from friends, from evangelists, from neighbors, and those who have been praying for our salvation in the case of our spiritual birth.   In fact, the only thing we have to do on our own is do what our new bodies want us to do–all we have to do is breath.   Breath the air of life, breath the Spirit—which in Hebrew is translated wind or breath.   How can a person be born again?

All it takes is wanting to breath the breathe of God.  Be willing to trust the Holy Spirit.  Being born again involves surrendering.  Being willing to be pushed out of the darkness, and into God’s light.
In the next post we will continue to see what Jesus says about how to have new life.

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

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Jesus Meets Needs – John Ch. 2, part 2

Posted on May 4, 2017 by dkoop

Did you ever think that once you become a follower of Christ that your life would be free of problems and that joy would always be present?  “I’m here, Jesus, Now, give me what I ask for!” In order to experience joy and Jesus’ presence, you have to listen for what He tells you, and then, you must do it. The servants had to be willing to be obedient. Obedience made the possibility of joy and a miracle a reality.  How do I fill the empty spots in my life?  Thirdly,

3.     Do What Jesus Tells Me

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions

To those servants on that day, Mary said, “Do whatever He tells you to do.” At that moment, Jesus ceased to be a guest and became the one who was in control of the whole wedding celebration. And at that moment, a miracle began to happen. People are perfectly willing to have Jesus as a guest in their lives. But they are not willing to turn over control and “do whatever He tells” them, and so they never have their lives changed by a miracle.
The Bible records that there were 6 stone pots there. Their purpose was to hold water that the Jews could use for purification. They would come to the pots and let water run over their hands. It was more ceremony than sanitary, it was required by the Jewish law. It became an outward show. An outward show, then or now, has never been able to produce joy. Simply coming to church, saying the prayers or even reading your Bible will not produce joy in you. They will put you in the place where you can find joy and put you around the people who will help to enhance your joy. But if you come to church and never put into practice the things that you hear there, you will become even more miserable than you were to begin with. If you say the prayers but refuse to listen to and obey God’s Spirit as He speaks to you, then your prayers will only produce emotional and spiritual conflict in your life. And if you read the Bible with no intention of getting rid of the sin that is exposed by the commands that you read there, then you will only provoke guilt within yourself and send yourself into depression.

The servants heard Jesus speak, and they responded in obedience. They began the process of filling the stone jars with water. Each of these jars held between 20 and 30 gallons of water, and there were 6 jars. That’s 180 gallons of water. It would have taken a lot of time and energy to accomplish this task. Trip after trip to the well to draw water and pour it into the jars. And we don’t know how far it was to the well. It would have been tempting to do a half-hearted and half-completed job. After all, Jesus only said to “fill” the jars with water. He didn’t say how far to fill them. And “fill” is a word that can be interpreted in many ways depending on how hot it is and how late in the workday it is. Anything over half way is full, isn’t it? That’s what potato chip companies seem to think. But these men didn’t think so. When Jesus told them to fill the jars, they took Jesus’ words quite literally, and they filled them all the way to the brim, just shy of overflowing.
I would say that most everyone here would admit to wanting joy. And in order to receive that joy you might even be willing to be obedient to God – to a certain extent. But are you willing for your obedience to reach all the way to the brim even when the obedience that Jesus asks for doesn’t make sense to you? Or when it requires more work than you had originally intended on giving? Or when it forces you to rearrange your priorities and your schedule like these servants had to do? You see, the amount of joy that you experience is in direct proportion to the amount of obedience that you give. The greater your obedience, the greater your supply of joy will be. When Jesus tells you to do something, never do it halfway because Jesus wants to give you joy to the full.

The bottom line is that if you and I do whatever Jesus tell us, we will see miracles happen in our lives. Some of us are going through marriage problems, financial problems, relationship problems. And we need to ask ourselves, ’In order to get victory over this particular area of my life, am I willing to do whatever Jesus tells me? Even if it makes me uncomfortable, even if it’s hard work, even if it’s inconvenient, even if it’s something I’ve never done before?’   The next way to fill the empty spots in my life:

  1. Know that with Jesus: the Best is Yet to Come

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” 

Notice also the quality of the wine. Jesus didn’t turn the water into Mad Dog 20/20. He provided the best wine that was ever made! And he saved the best for last! The point is that for those of us who have invited Jesus into our marriages and into our lives, God is saving the best things in life for last! Maybe all things considered, you think that your life is pretty good right now. Well, you ain’t seen nothing yet!  Jesus always saves the best till last. The world puts its best up front and things go downhill from there. But when God shows up things go from good to best.  The best that the world has to offer now is only a hint of what is yet to be. The difference will be as different as water is to wine.

  • Jesus Gives Not Just Enough but More than Enough

6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.

There were six jars containing between 20 and 30 gallons apiece.   So, at the very least, the jars contained 120 gallons of wine, and as much as 180 gallons. That is a lot of wine. There is no way the guests could have consumed that much wine. Why did Jesus give so much wine? Because he is an extravagant giver. He never gives just enough; he always gives more than enough. This is the same thing Jesus did when he fed the multitude. He multiplied five loaves and two fish so that 5,000 men and their families were fed. And when everyone had eaten their fill, there were twelve baskets of bread and fish left over. He gave them more than they could possibly eat. But that is the way God gives. There is no limit to his grace. What Jesus gives is never just enough, it is always more than enough, with plenty left over. He did not give just enough trees; he gave more than enough. He did not create just enough mountains; he created more than enough. He did not give just enough ocean; he gave more than enough. He did not give just enough life and joy; he gave more than enough. When Niki and I went to Big Bend National Park several years ago, I saw beauty in the most unexpected places. I saw flowers blooming on just 8 inches of rain a year, plants growing out of rocks. I saw blossoms that were so intricate and beautiful it was breath taking.  In the depths of the ocean where no one has ever been, God paints his creatures with exotic color and beauty. Below the ground, where no one has yet gone, God places gold and precious stones. He is extravagant. In very ordinary places he creates extraordinary beauty.  Let Jesus touch you, and see if your life is not filled with new beauty and wonder — new flavor and fragrance.

  • Jesus Changes Everything

Jesus is in the business of turning water into wine, sinners into saints, fear into courage, sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, despair into hope and death into life!

Jesus often preached a sermon after performing a miracle. He didn’t do it here, but if He had, I think He would have made at least three points:

• My first miracle took place at a wedding, not at a funeral; in a home, not in church. Please invite me into your relationships and into your families. I value social interaction and friendships and have sanctified marriage by my presence. Don’t compartmentalize me by thinking of me only when you’re in church.

• I am the bridegroom and those of you who know me are my bride. Please keep yourself pure and be ready when I come for you so that we can sit down together at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and experience never-ending joy.

• If your joy has run out, let me give you the kind of joy that is new every day and let me satisfy you completely. Give me the ordinary and let me do the extraordinary. Put your faith in me just like my disciples did. When you do, I’ll transform your life from the inside out. I’ll change you just like I did the water.

Let me ask you: Has your life been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ? Have you invited him into YOUR life and into YOUR marriage? Have you tasted the new wine of the gospel? Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Don’t take my word for it Taste and see for yourself. Invite Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior. Do whatever he tells you. And he will perform miracles in your life.

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

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Jesus Meets Needs – John Ch. 2

Posted on May 3, 2017 by dkoop

The setting of our passage today is a wedding.  I recently did a wedding. During the wedding rehearsal, the groom pulled me aside and made me an offer He said “Look, I’ll give you $100 if you’ll change the wedding vows. When you get to me and the part where I’m to promise to ’be faithful til death,’  I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave that part out.” He gave me a $100 bill and walked away.

The day of the wedding the bride and groom were in front of me and we were to that part of the ceremony where the vows are exchanged. When it came time for the groom’s vows, I looked the young man and said:
“Will you promise to obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?”

The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, “Yes.” Then He leaned in and asked “what happened I thought we had a deal.”
So I gave him his $100 dollars back and told him that she had made a better offer!

Weddings are fun they are times of celebration. But anybody that has planned a wedding knows about all the work involved. Everything has to be done and as it is a memorable day we want everything to go just right. The bride spends the whole day getting ready the groom spends just 10 minutes, which is actually longer than it takes him to get ready for anything else. Through all of the preparation, through all of the planning, most weddings will have one glitch, one or two things that were not perfect.

Over the years of ministry I’ve seen some mistakes at weddings, I’ve seen members of the wedding party show up late, the song that was sung be a total disaster, ring bearers and flower girls not cooperate, with outside weddings I’ve seen the wind blow the decorations down, I have seen the minister fall down stairs, Fortunately the bride broke my fall.

When Niki and I got married we went to light the unity candle and it just would not light. Now that does not mean that we are not married it just means that there is no flame in our lives. I’m kidding the candle lit fine.

When these kind of issues happen we are a little embarrassed but we usually just laugh a bit and move on – because the really important part of a wedding – the love and the promise that make the covenant – is in the hearts of the bride and groom. Still we want this day to be special.

Jesus first miracle happened because Jesus’ mother Mary was concerned about a large potential embarrassment at a wedding.

My guess is that if you’ve been going to church for a while, you don’t really think of Jesus as someone who liked to have a good time. The picture in many of our minds is of someone who avoided such normal human pleasures as social activities and parties. When we read through the gospels, we discover that Jesus loved to go to banquets, parties, and receptions — He was a much sought-after dinner guest. Even the religious leaders disdainfully referred to Jesus as a “glutton and a drunk” Matthew 11:19 also says, “The son of man came eating and drinking…” Jesus always chose to spend time with ordinary people rather than mixing it up with the religious crowd.

The wedding took place in a town called Cana of Gallilee.  Cana was a little town outside of Nazareth.

Weddings in Israel at that time were long celebrations usually lasting a week. Instead of getting married and going off by themselves, they were surrounded by their friends and family for the first week of their married life. How would you like to have your mother-in-law watching your every move after having just gotten married? During that week, they had a huge celebration. It was a week-long feast. The groom and the parents of the groom were responsible for providing all the food and drink that would be needed for the celebration.  The drink was wine and it was very important, to run out of wine at a wedding would be like McDonalds running out of hamburgers!  Besides being the staple drink of celebrations, wine is also very symbolic.  Wine symbolized the gospel, (“new wine in new wine skins”) the blood of Christ, (communion) it was also symbolic of joy. To the Jewish people, wine symbolized joy.

I can imagine that that bride, if she even knew about the shortage, might have been getting pretty anxious. I can hear her saying to her mother, “My wedding day is not supposed to be like this! I’m supposed to be filled with joy. But instead, I’m worrying about what everyone is going to say about us when they discover that we have run out of wine.”
Maybe you have had similar thoughts. Marriage is not supposed to be the horror that you are experiencing. Parenting isn’t supposed to be filled with so much sorrow. Christianity is not supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to be overflowing with joy – or so I’ve heard – but nothing seems to be happening. My joy is gone.
For some of you, your joy is running low. You thought that you had enough to make it through whatever period of your life you’re going through, but you were wrong. You are running on empty.
You may not even know where your joy went. You just woke up one morning, and the supply had been drained. Some things have come along that you didn’t anticipate that have stolen your joy. Maybe some people have come into your life, and they, by their attitudes or actions, have drained you dry. An even more common reason that people lose their joy is because of sin in their lives.

LIFE HAS ITS EMPTY SPOTS

How Do I Deal with the Empty Spots in My Life?

The question that confronts us all today is how do we deal with those empty spots in our lives? How do we deal with failing and faulty finances, bankrupt relationships, broken homes and hopes?  How do we go on spiritually when our joy is gone?

Our text is a shows us how to deal with emptiness.

1.     Check My Invitation List

2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.

 The text clearly states that Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. This stresses the fact that if things are to start off right and get even better Jesus must be invited. In those areas where we find emptiness in our lives we should check the invitation list and see if Jesus is there. It is Jesus that transforms houses into homes, weddings into marriages, males to men, and females to women. Without Jesus our brightest day is still dark, our happiest moment is shallow, our lives are shells of what they could be. We need to check the invitation list and see if we have invited Jesus in those empty and lonely areas. Many of you have invited Ronald McDonald, Mickey Mouse, Victoria’s Secret, the Dallas Cowboys and everyone else but Jesus into our homes and relationships. Then we wonder why we are empty.  We need to check the invitation list and evaluate who has access in our lives. I suggest that we need to restrict some people and things and extend a VIP invitation for JESUS. He wants to come into your situation, but He will not break in; He stands at the door of our hearts and seeks access. Often we invite everything but the right things into our lives. Today I want to challenge us from the start, to check where you are empty and then invitation list of our lives and make sure Jesus is there.

2.     Face My Dilemma and Consult Jesus

3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

Mary, says to Jesus they have no wine, translation, it’s all gone, we are in trouble, we are all out. I have said it, and you have said it “I am up the creek without a paddle”, or I am empty.” Mary understood the urgency of the moment and so she comes to Jesus and says, “Son, we’ve got a problem here, and we need your help. The groom’s family is running out of wine.” The fact that Mary came to Jesus with such a problem is a portrait of what we need to do when we are running out emotionally, and running out of patience. This helps us to know how to respond to empty situations. Mary goes to Jesus and tells him all about it. She has a little talk with Jesus. Mary says when we are empty we should not hesitate, or cover up.  Don’t deny it and don’t hide it. Mary wants us to all know that if we are serious about our search for solution to emptiness we must face our dilemma. This is the beginning to the manifestation of God’s power; he requires that before He will show up, we must be willing to face up to our situation.  After we face our dilemma we must consult Jesus.

When Mary realized that there was a problem, she correctly took the problem to Jesus. This family may not have exhibited a great deal of wisdom in how they planned for the wedding celebration, but the wisest thing that they could have ever done was to invite Jesus. The very presence of Jesus at this wedding opened the possibility to a miracle.
In case you weren’t aware of it, Jesus is present with us in this place today. The very fact that Jesus is here means that there is enough power to resolve whatever problem you may be facing.
When Mary came to Jesus and communicated the problem to Him, You may think His response toward her seems a little cold and hard.  Verse 4 -“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”  And there are times when we bring our requests to God for what we think are important to our lives that God’s response seems cold and hard. It seems like the windows of heaven are shut up. But the response that Jesus gave to Mary was to let her know that she was no longer in control. He was no longer under obligation to do what she wanted when she wanted it. He was under obligation to fully obey His heavenly Father not His earthly mother.
When it comes to asking God to do certain things in our lives, God is under no obligation to do things our way or in our time. God knows better than we ever could what is best for our lives and when is the most beneficial time for Him to answer our requests. God does miracles and He answers prayers, but He does it in His time and in His way.
There is one prayer that Jesus will always answer with a “yes” as soon as that prayer is offered up to Him. That is the prayer for forgiveness. If you are empty because you’re living a life that is contrary to what God says, then bring that sin to Jesus. He will work the miracle of forgiveness.

In the next post we’ll look at two more ways that Jesus can fill the empty spots in our lives.

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

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Jesus’ Divinity – John Ch 1 – Part 2

Posted on April 28, 2017 by dkoop

Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish theologian of another century, tells the story of a prince who was running an errand for his father one day in the local village. As he did so, he passed through a very poor section of the town. Looking through the window of his carriage, he saw a beautiful young peasant girl walking along the street. He could not get her off his heart. He continued to come to the town, day after day, just to see her and to feel as though he was near her. His heart yearned for her, but there was a problem. How could he develop a relationship with her? He could order her to marry him. It was in his power to do so. But he wanted this girl to love him from the heart, willingly. He could put on his royal garments and impress her with his regal entourage, and drive up to her front door with soldiers and a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the girl loved him or was simply overwhelmed with his power, position and wealth. The prince came up with another solution. As you may have guessed, he gave up his kingly robe and symbols of power and privilege. He moved into the village dressed only as a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time, the young peasant girl grew to know him, and then to love him.

This is what Jesus has done for us. The Word became flesh. The King of heaven put aside his heavenly robes. He came to us as one of us. He lived among us; ate with us; drank with us; felt with us — all to win our love. He could have forced us. He could have overwhelmed us, but he chose to romance us. He stands here today with the smile of love and arms extended. He is the God who became real so that we could experience his transforming love. Jesus is not only a truth to believe in, he is a person to be accepted.

How Does Jesus’ Divinity Affect Me?

  1. I Should Believe in Jesus and Accept Him

11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 

To “accept him” means to welcome a visitor into your home. It’s what happens when someone knocks at your door and you open the door and invite him or her to come in. To “accept” Christ means to welcome him as an honored guest and to have him make your heart his home. In a real sense, if you have never invited Jesus into your life, He is still on the outside.

John 1:13 teaches us that salvation does not run automatically from one generation to another:

13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:10-13

You aren’t a Christian just because your parents are. And you won’t get brownie points with God just because you come from a good family and have a fine education. You can’t save yourself by human effort so don’t bother trying. “Born of God ” means it is from Him and it’s a free gift.  It takes each individual believing Jesus and Accepting Him.  All who welcome Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives are reborn spiritually, receiving new life from God. Through faith in Christ, this new birth changes us from the inside out — rearranging our attitudes, desires, and motives. Being born makes you physically alive and places you in your parents’ family Being born of God makes you spiritually alive and puts you in God’s family Have you asked Christ to make you a new person? This fresh start in life is available to all who believe in Christ.

  1. I Should Honor Jesus with My Life

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. John 1:14

16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.  John 1:16-17

Notice the words “unfailing love” and “faithfulness.”  That is Jesus.  We should honor, adore and worship him because of who he is.  If Jesus did not care, he would never have come. He certainly would not have allowed himself to be abused and crucified if he did not love you enormously. It just wouldn’t have happened. The eternal God stepped into time and space to allow you to know him, be forgiven and inherit the kingdom of heaven. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. This is the faithfulness of God.

How can we continue to live selfish, self-centered and sinful lives when God has done all he can do to demonstrate his love for us? How can we hold onto our sin when Jesus gave up everything for us. Mary Magdalene was more than ready to leave her old life behind when she was transformed by the amazing love of Jesus. Likewise, Peter, Paul, James and John and countless others left their former life in order to embrace a new life in Christ. Countless people through the ages, up to the present moment, have given up everything in order to follow Jesus. They personally experienced his love and faithfulness. I honor Jesus with my life by following him and living for him instead of myself.  Are you willing to honor Jesus with your life?

John shows us in chapter 1 a great example of one who honored Jesus: John the Baptist, His life was about honoring Jesus pointing others to Him.  Even when pressed by the Pharisees John says, “This is not about me. It is not about the rite of baptism. It is not about by whose authority I baptize. It is all about Jesus.” He said things like, “ he must increase and I must decrease” “I am not worthy to untie his sandals” to loose another’s sandal was the most menial of tasks. Only the lowest slaves would loosen sandals. Even disciples were not asked to loosen the sandals of their teachers, yet John says, “I am unworthy to do the single most humbling task, to loosen His sandals.”

To those of us who have believed, accepted Christ, one of the greatest ways to honor him is to Point others to him.  I use the word point, not force.

God created everyone with a free will to choose Christ or reject him. No where in the gospels is there any example of Jesus trying to force a person to go against their individual will. All Christians have the responsibility to present the facts of Christ and His gospel to their neighbors. Yet, the choice to decide for or against Christ’s offer of forgiveness is left with each person. Many believers become overly concerned about why people act the way they do and make the decision to reject Christ.  Jesus taught the disciples that each one is responsible for their own decisions.  Great worry can be lifted off of our shoulders when we truly embrace the truth and consequences of individual free will.  Having said that we still need to point others to Jesus SO they can make their decision.  Today could be their day to decide for Christ! Today could be your day.

  1. I Should Point Others to Him

A little preschooler came home from her first time at Sunday School. Mom wanted to know how things had gone and what the little girl thought about the experience. Mom hoped she would like it and want to keep going. “How was it?” mom asked.  “Oh, it was fine and it was fun. But I think my teacher was Jesus’ grandma!”   “What makes you think that?” asked the surprised mom.
The little girl answered without hesitation, “Because she kept showing us pictures of  Jesus. And he’s all she talked about!”

Imagine what an impact we might have if people thought we were related to  Jesus’ because we talk about him so freely.  .  This is exactly what John the Baptist did, John is called “the Baptist” because he was immersing so many people in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. “Someone is coming a whole lot more important that me,” he told any who would listen. When Jesus showed up, he said, “Behold the lamb of God.” He soon faded into the background so all of the attention could be given to Jesus.

36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”  37 When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. John 1:36-37

Andrew was one of the first to follow Jesus. Once convinced that Jesus was the one he had been waiting for, he immediately found his brother Peter and brought him to Jesus. Andrew would never be the bright light that his brother would be among the Apostles, but Peter might never have known Jesus if his brother hadn’t insisted on talking about Jesus.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus.  41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). John 1:40-41

This brings us to Philip. Jesus invites him to join him on his road trip to Galilee. But note what Philip does first. He finds his friend (some Bible scholars think he was a cousin, perhaps even a brother) Nathaniel and tells him about Jesus.

45 Philip went to look for Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” John 1:45

Think about Philip for a minute. He was a brand new disciple. He may not even have half understood what he believed yet. But he knew Jesus was the best thing he had ever heard of. Jesus was simply too good to keep to himself. He couldn’t help himself. He had to talk about him. He had to tell his friend.  You don’t have to know or understand everything to point people to Jesus.

It is my prayer that if you are a Christ follower that we would be people like Philip and Andrew. What a difference it would make in this world if more people were so impressed with Jesus that they couldn’t help talking about him. We need men and women and teenagers who love their friends and family so much that they want more than anything to bring them to Jesus. It doesn’t take a lot of learning, education, or experience. The only real requirements are a love for Jesus, a love for our friends, and the kind of faith that believes no one is beyond the reach of God’s love.

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

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