Rebuked and Restored

John 13:36-38 WEB

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards.” [37] Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” [38] Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Most certainly I tell you, the rooster won’t crow until you have denied me three times.

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Peter was deluded. He thought he had the faith to die for Jesus, but instead, he denied Jesus at his most difficult time. Jesus understood Peter. Jesus knew by revelation that Peter was going to betray him. But Jesus also knew Peter. He understood that Peter was impulsive and emotional. So, he reassures Peter that he will follow him later. Even in the face of his imminent trial, Jesus begins to restore Peter. Previously Jesus said Peter was a rock and the gates of hell would not prevail against him (Mt 18:15). But right now, Jesus tells Peter he is going to deny him.

Jesus also tells Peter he will follow him later. At that moment Peter did not understand that Jesus was going to the cross. Peter did not realize the severity of the moment. He is being his impulsive self and bragging that he will never leave Jesus. But as always, pride goes before a fall (Pr 16:18). So, with Peter, his arrogant boasting is prideful and leads to his downfall. When the critical moment comes, Peter denies the Lord.

Yet he was not kicked out of the Kingdom of God. He was lovingly rebuked and later he is lovingly restored.  After the resurrection, the Lord revealed himself to his disciples. He came several times and told them about himself from the Word (John 21). On one of those occasions, Peter and some of the disciples were fishing. The Lord called from shore about their catch and Peter immediately realized it was the Lord. When they got to shore Jesus was roasting fish over a fire. Jesus fed the disciples and then asked Peter 3 very difficult questions. He asks Peter if he loved him (John 21:15-17). In fact, he asked 3 times, the same number of times Peter denied the Lord. Jesus goes on to tell Peter to feed his sheep. Jesus not only restores him, but he also gives Peter purpose.

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Lord, please forgive me for sin in my life. When my personality and character yield to the temptation to be ungodly, forgive me and restore me. Help me walk with you and honor you, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jesus’ Message

John 10:25-28 WEB

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. [26] But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. [27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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Do you ever have trouble believing Jesus? Do you ever have questions about God’s word? The Bible says Jesus is the word. No, he is not the ink or the pages of the Bible, but he is found in the message of the Bible. To trust the Bible is to trust Jesus. Likewise, to not believe the Bible is to not believe Jesus. Those who believe Jesus are his sheep.

You can tell if you are a sheep. Do you love the Bible? Again, not the pages or the ink, but the message it contains. In the Bible is Jesus’ message and thereby Jesus. When we follow the Bible, we are behaving like the Lord’s sheep. However, if we do not read the Bible, we are rejecting Jesus. How can you ever obey someone you won’t listen to? When you read the Bible, you are listening to Jesus.

It’s not enough to read the Bible. Even demons do that. It is obedience to the Bible’s entire message that reveals a true sheep. We are not saved by reading the Bible, we are saved by grace through Jesus. However, a symptom of salvation is a hunger for God’s whole message. If you are a sheep and you are not hungry for God’s word, then your conscience may be seared. To remedy a seared conscience, you must repent and ask God, persistently, to give you a hunger and thirst for His Word.

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Lord, please forgive my disbelief and help me trust you more. Give me a thirst and hunger for your Word and give me an understanding of what I read. Help me activate the Word of God in my life and become obedient to its full message. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Seek Ye First

John 10:16-18 WEB

I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. [17] Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. [18] No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

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Did you know, like Jesus, we have the power to lay our lives down and the power to pick our lives back up? On the cross, Jesus paid the full penalty for humanity’s sin. When the payment was complete, he gave up life and died. Ironically, Jesus had control over his journey to the cross. Jesus went to the cross fully capable of avoiding the horrific experience.

But he did not avoid the shame and suffering. He embraced it as God’s will. He gave his life up willingly (Heb 12:2). After his death, he took his life back up by the power of resurrection that dwelt in Him (John 11:25). The word says the spirit of resurrection that was in Christ raised him from the dead. Jesus laid his life down and he took his life back up. It was good for us that Jesus was able to take his life back, it meant victory for the whole world (John 19:30).

When we choose to lay our lives down, we are emulating Christ. We do not lay our lives down in vain, we lay our lives down for the good of those being saved (1 John 3:16). Likewise, after we have been humbled by the Lord, we can take our lives back up. The word says that if we seek after righteousness, we will have abundant blessings (Mat 6:33). We lay our lives down for and allow the Father to purify us. After this process has done its work, the Father lets us pick our lives back up. We are meant to love others more than ourselves and we are also meant to walk in victory (1 Cor 15:54-57).

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Lord, I want to walk in holiness and righteousness so that I can be used by you. And after a season of being humbled, I know I will have the desires of my heart. Please do your work and take away my worldly appetites. Then, when the time is right, lead me into victory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Good Shepherds

John 10:11-15 WEB

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [12] He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. [13] The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep. [14] I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; [15] even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

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What makes Jesus a good shepherd? Is it because he is fast and strong and can defeat all our foes? Is it what he does for us that makes him a good shepherd? Or is it because of what he is doing inside of us that makes him the Good Shepherd? Do our victories prove to us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd? No, neither of these things make Jesus the Good Shepherd. We do not love him because he protects us and blesses us. Those are benefits of being in Christ, but they are not the fullness of Christ (John 1:16).

We love the blessings, but we must look further to see why Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In the text, it says Jesus lays his life down for the sheep. More, the hired hand does not care for the sheep. In other words, the hired hand does not love the sheep. Jesus loves the sheep. Jesus knows the Father and understands what being a shepherd entails. It is not always easy to be a good shepherd.

Being a good steward of God’s sheep means loving the sheep more than we love our own lives. Those preachers that only dwell on the promises but never teach the warnings and general exhortations do not love the sheep. They love attention and popularity. They love having a big ministry. But unless they will give up all that makes them beautiful in the world, they will never be good shepherds (Mat 6:24). They are the ones that preach to the lustful (2 Tim 4:2-5). Jesus calls those believers goats (Mat 25:46). The goats will not follow the Good Shepherd.

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Lord, help me listen to those who teach me the entire Bible including the promises, the warnings, and the exhortations. I know you laid down your life for me because you love me. Help me love those around me by emulating you, Lord. Teach me to carry my cross and lay my life down for others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

God’s Audible Voice

John 10:1-6 WEB

“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. [2] But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. [3] The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. [4] Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. [5] They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.” [6] Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

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Have you ever heard God speaking audibly? No one can hear the audible voice of God.  So, how can we recognize Jesus’ voice? In part, we listen to the small still whisper in our hearts. Yet, this is problematic because if Satan is deceiving us, we may hear our own sin-sick longings and think it is God. The Bible says the heart is desperately wicked, no man can know it.

Even So, God has always spoken to his people in a variety of ways. He sent angels to Abraham and prophets to kings. He speaks to our hearts with his gentle voice; a voice we must learn to trust without becoming excessively confident. This is because all these methods can be perverted by sin. Only in the Bible do we have full confidence.

The only thing in which we can be entirely confident is the Bible. The Bible says Jesus is the word. This gives us our answer; the only way we can have full confidence is to know God’s word. The Bible is speaking, audibly, for God.

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Lord, teach me to take everything I believe you are telling me and compare it to the teaching of the Bible. Help me trust without becoming excessively confident so that I will rely on your word and give no opportunity to Satan. Teach me discernment and humility as I press into hearing from you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Humble Obedience

John 6:1-2 WEB

After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias. [2] A great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he did on those who were sick.

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We are sheep. We love to follow. We love to follow those everyone is following. We love to follow the rich, the beautiful, the talented. Jesus was talented. He could lay hands on people and heal their diseases. Everyone wanted to see a miracle. Both the sick and the well wanted to see a miracle, so they followed him.  

They did not follow him because they desired to do God’s will. They did not follow him because they realized he was the messiah. They did not follow him to humble themselves to his authority. They came to receive.

They came for selfish reasons, not because they wanted to come into obedience to Christ. Not because they desired to do God’s will. Many of the sick came to Jesus in the hope of being made well so they could rejoin society. And Jesus does not seem to mind.

However, I suspect Jesus dislikes when we try to coax people into the Kingdom by promising blessings without teaching the responsibilities of being a Christian. Promising goodies appeals to people’s selfishness, which is the opposite of Christianity.

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Lord Jesus, please forgive my selfish behaviors and attitudes. Teach me to walk in humble obedience, submitting myself joyfully to your will. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.   

Divinely Human

John 4:4-6 WEB

He needed to pass through Samaria. [5] So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. [6] Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Jesus was a human with the same frailties all people have. In this passage, he is so exhausted he stops at the well while his disciples go on to get food. It is common for ministers and laypeople alike to frame Jesus as fully God and fail to give expression to his humanity. This is inaccurate and it causes the truth to be warped. We cannot bring a message of Jesus’ time on the earth and not discuss both his divinity and humanity. If we make him all human and only human, it is an error. However, if we make him all divine and only divine, this is also an error. It warps the text into something other than what it is. In the above text Jesus is about to introduce Samaritans to the gospel. In his weakness, his humanity, he experienced a circumstance that forces him to stop. At the same time, he is divine and is about to encounter a true sheep and then bring that person into the true fold (John 10:16).

We as believers are also human and divine in a sense. This is because Christ has made his home inside of each one of us. We can hear his voice (John 10:27). In our humanity we are frail. There are times when we will not be able to continue. We may need to rest by stopping and refreshing ourselves. However, the divine is alive within us and is almost certainly going to call us into service even in our rest. We are like Jesus when he was on earth. We are fully human and have the fulness of divinity living within us. To preach any message about Jesus that does not account for both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus is to make his works beyond ourselves. Jesus clearly taught that we would do greater things than he did (John 14:2). If we warp the message of the gospel by making Jesus so divine there is no humanity left, we disempower people from following his example.

Lord Jesus, please reveal the fullness of both your humanity and divinity so that I can share truthfully about your time on earth. I do not want to misuse your example. Please forgive me for excusing myself from things you taught and showed by ignoring the truth of your humanity. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Wise yet Harmless

John 4:1-3 WEB

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John [2] (although Jesus himself didn’t baptize, but his disciples), [3] he left Judea, and departed into Galilee.

Jesus epitomized the scripture that says, “Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 WEB) When he learned he had attracted the attention of the Pharisees he departed Judea and went to Galilee. In chapter 3 of John, John the Baptist pronounced Jesus as the way to heaven. John as much as declared Jesus the messiah. Jesus’ response to this was to pack up and leave the area.

Jesus understood the Pharisees hated him. While professing zeal for God, they demonstrated with their behaviors that they actually despised God. What they liked was the glory of standing before the people. Jesus was threatening their glory.

Have you ever heard a minister preaching compromise? Why would they do this? The exact demonstration of hatred for God may have changed, but the root cause of the sin is the same. Namely, a desire for people to glorify themselves rather than God. Preaching the untainted gospel has with it the risk of people rejecting the messenger.

Jesus was often scorned and rejected by those to whom he ministered, On the other hand, many were saved as well. This is important to notice. Jesus experienced both rejection and acceptance. He told his disciples to shake the dust from their feet when they were rejected. Literally, to pronounce condemnation on those who rejected their message.

Can you imagine a modern-day preacher declaring condemnation for rejection of the gospel? They would be heckled and counted as a hypocrite for such preaching. People still have little tolerance for the untainted message of the gospel. That message is that Christ alone saves those whom he will and rejects the disobedient. Telling people that Jesus will save them is not too hard. On the other hand, telling people they must be obedient to the whole Bible or face eternal torment is not accepted by most people.

People want salvation to be a democratic affair. As if we can choose which passages are relevant while declaring others irrelevant. Some of this has been caused by modern-day zealots. Ministers who teach a heartless gospel of condemnation drive the lost away from God. They preach to a mouth-foaming crowd that wants confirmation that they are better than everyone else. But the word of God does not counsel this. Rather, it says to be wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove.

As Christians, we have to learn to declare the truth from a place of love for the world. The Father desires the world to be saved (John 3:16). We can declare condemnation for the lost in love. We can plead with the lost to turn their hearts fully to the Father through the grace of Jesus Christ. We can demonstrate obedience thereby duplicating it in those who are new in the Lord.

Lord, please help me walk wisely while remaining harmless to those with whom I share the gospel. Please forgive me for being immature and heartless. I’m sorry for withholding love from the lost. Please forgive me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Pointing to Jesus

John 1:35-37 WEB

Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, [36] and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” [37] The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

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John the Baptist showed his humility by pointing to Jesus. Pride often masquerades as humility. But pride is easy to discern. Pride wants attention, glory, and praise. Ministers struggling with pride draw the attention of the sheep to themselves rather than to Jesus.

Many ministers make themselves so visible the love of the sheep goes to them rather than Jesus. We have all seen the minister that says the most profound and amazing things. The chatter around them goes along the lines of “profound, amazing, brilliant.” You don’t hear much about Jesus from the sheep, rather, you hear about the minister.

Lord, please give me the grace to point others to you and to avoid drawing your glory to myself. In Jesus’ name, amen.