Jesus is the way, the truth and the life

 S - John 14:1-6  (NASB)

 “Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 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. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

O -  Jesus was talking to the disciples because even though they had been with Jesus through all of His ministry and seen the many miracles, they were seeing and hearing the condemnation of the Pharisees and probably were worried about how they would overcome the leadership of their people.   This is perhaps understandable because maybe they were expecting the messiah to come and take a commanding leadership over God's people,  He was to be King.   But Jesus sensing their worries comforts them with a truth that endures to us today.  Believe in Jesus and build a relationship with Him , and you will have a relationship with the Father and a place in Heaven with Him.  

A - The application for me is to remember that I need not worry about the troubles of this world but build my relationship with Jesus,   take comfort that He is the way to the kingdom of Heaven,  and that He is with me (and the Holy Spirit) to navigate the troubles of this world.   Each and every day I face challenges and I simply need to remember that Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life".  It is by Him that I can come to God the Father for strength, guidance, and protection.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.   I pray Lord that you would continue to develop a relationship with me so that I may know you better each and every day,  and not wander from your protection and guidance.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Receiving those Jesus sends

 S - John 11:   (NASB)
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

O - Jesus is telling this to His disciples as they are in the upper room getting ready to celebrate the passover.  He has washed their feet in an act to show them how they are to serve one another.   And so He tells them this, whomever Jesus sends to them, they are to receive them as if it was Jesus, just as they have accepted Jesus who was sent by God.  This seems to be related to Jesus later calling people into ministry after His death and resurrection, of course the most famous of those called and sent to the disciples was Paul. 

A - The application for me is to be open to the people that Jesus sends into my life, receive them as Jesus.  For me in the past it has been people like Rod and Rich.  For the present it is men like Sam Miller.   I am to keep a look out for men of God in my life that God is sending and be ready to receive them like Jesus received me.

P - Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's lesson may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would make clear to me the men of God you are sending into my life so I might receive them with Joy and acceptance.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

Jesus our King forever

 S - John 12:12-   (NASB)

12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”

O - Matthew Henry:  They heartily wish well to his kingdom, which is the meaning of hosanna; let the king of Israel prosper, as when Solomon was crowned they cried, God save king Solomon, 1 Ki. 1:39. In crying hosanna they prayed for three things:-

• First, That his kingdom might come, in the light and knowledge of it, and in the power and efficacy of it. God speed the gospel plough.
• Secondly, That it might conquer, and be victorious over all opposition, Rev. 6:2.
• Thirdly, That it might continue. Hosanna is, Let the king live for ever; though his kingdom may be disturbed, let it never be destroyed, Ps. 72:17.

A - The application for me is to recognize the King Jesus, especially the one that meets the peoples third meaning of the proclamation of Hosanna... that His Kingdom reign for ever.   Jesus came and was victorious over sin by His death on the cross, He paid our toll and thus made a way for us into the Kingdom of Heaven.  He defeated the leadership at the time in Jerusalem as he led the beginning of the Church to its early formation through the Apostles and all who followed Him and believed.  And lastly He rose to take His place at the right hand of God where He reigns over us spiritually.  This recognition that I have a King who is in heaven, advocating on my behalf and watching over me, a king who I can talk to daily, even moment to moment, means I am lucky to have a mentor, guide, and boss who I can trust in to lead me in the right direction.  I need only to seek and follow Him.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's message, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you lead in guide me here on earth, that I might be the man you created me to be, that I might follow your lead on where I am to go and what I am to do.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

The Good Shepherd

 S - John 10:27-30 (NASB)

 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 [d]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are [e]one.”

O - I love this description of our good shepherd, Jesus.  We know His voice, it is familiar and comforts us.  He gives eternal life with Him and guarantees no one will take us away from Him.   He is one with God and loves us and in the end is victorious over sin and death.

A - The application for me is to take great comfort that I am His and He is my good shepherd.  I will walk through valleys and climb mountains and can trust he will guide me and protect me in this life, and lead me into the next.   I can trust Him because He is one with God and no one is above God.  

P -  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's promise, may my confidence in you as my Good Shepherd be cemented to my heart and may I walk in peace and resolve that you are with me and I need only to follow your voice.   I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Freedom from the wages of sin

S-  John  8:31-36 (NASB)

 “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 

O - Jesus is teaching the Pharisee's how they are to be freed by the truth of who He is.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.   He explains to them all are enslaved as a consequence of their sin, they only need to see that they have sinned (which proves difficult for many) and that He is the way to freedom from the affects of sin.

A -  The application for me is to remember I am still susceptible to sin, and must do my utmost to avoid it, but when I do sin, I must be quick to repent and seek Christ.  

P - Jesus,  I pray that you would help me avoid sin completely.   I know that your grace is sufficient for the times I fall short, but still my heart felt desire is to stay aligned to you and God the Father, and not suffer short term consequences of sin.    I pray all this in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

Following Jesus daily

S -  John 5:19-23   (NASB)

19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever [e]the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

O - The picture Jesus gives us with his relationship with the Father, is the relationship he is offering us.  We can't do anything on our own, but if we stay connected to Jesus we can see what he is doing and participate in His ministry.  This is Jesus' love for us, that we don't need to figure it all out, but simply trust in Him and follow.  As long as we continue to follow and Honor Jesus, who is from God the Father,  we will live according to His will and not our own.

A -  The application for me is a reminder to daily cultivate a close relationship with Jesus, so I can get to know Him and follow Him where ever He leads.   I know the good plans I have had that have failed,  but now I know the plans He has for me, not for my failure but for my victory.   When I daily align to His will I am able to partake in the ministry 

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord you would show me where you are working and help me to come along side and participate in the ministry  you are doing.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name.

A message of Salvation and Grace

S -  John 3:16-21    (NASB)

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [e]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the [f]only begotten Son of God. 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

O - Jesus spoke this to Nicodemus,  a Pharisee who came to Jesus acknowledging he is from God, but trying to understand Jesus' teaching.  Jesus softly rebukes him for wanting to learn more heavenly things, when he can't even understand the earthly things he has seen from Jesus.  After this rebuke he reveals to Nicodmemus (and to the world through this passage) the salvation of mankind from their sins.  The only thing man has to do is believe in Jesus for Jesus came to be the light to the world, but if men still love the darkness more than the light they will be judged for this. 

A -  This message was not intended to condemn people but rather describe a truth.   God is light, and Jesus is the light of the world.   He has been revealed to the world and yet many still choose not to follow the light, and there are consequences for that ( a life in darkness).   God is telling us there is a way, but He is also telling us the one true way - through Jesus, we can find our way out of darkness and into a life full of light.   This can be a tough message for non-believers to hear because they don't like a God that would judge them, but what they don't realize is how merciful God's judgement is,   that you only need to believe in the Son that he sent to save, and forgiveness and life in Christ will be everlasting.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would help me in teaching the Gospel to those that do not know you, especially with my sister, whom I think is ready to receive you, but just needs the right person and the right words to convince you.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.