Blog: “Discovering His Living Hope”

Psalm 36 English Standard Version

How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love

To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord.

36 Transgression speaks to the wicked
    deep in his heart;^[a]
there is no fear of God
    before his eyes.
² For he flatters himself in his own eyes
    that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
³ The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
    he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
⁴ He plots trouble while on his bed;
    he sets himself in a way that is not good;
    he does not reject evil.

⁵ Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
    your judgments are like the great deep;
    man and beast you save, O Lord.

⁷ How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light do we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
    and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
¹¹ Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
    nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² There the evildoers lie fallen;
    they are thrust down, unable to rise.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

If you do a little digging, you’ll find plenty of articles that ask the question,

“Is anyone faithful anymore?”

Usually, they refer to marriage, or friendship or business but the question is completely applicable to almost any sphere of life one can engage themselves.

When I talk to members of my congregation who work in business, for example, they often tell me of workers who appear to be very committed to the team and the mission at the beginning, but then, all of a sudden, nowhere to be found.

It is a sad but true reality in these days that loyalty to the company or the task at hand, for a whole host of diverse issues frequently dissipates very, very quickly.

It’s rare to find people known for steady devotion and consistency, who let their yes be yes and their no be no (Matthew 5:37) =and when one does find someone who makes a promise and keeps it, even when it’s difficult, it is quite striking.

The only perfect standard of faithfulness that we have—of genuine total loyalty and of absolute complete commitment to keeping a promise—is Jehovah God.

Throughout the Psalms, the host of psalmists continually reflect back upon it.

As high as we can see, here in Psalm 36 the Psalmist David tells us, exactly how far he knows, by his own personal experiences, God’s faithfulness stretches.

There are no ends to which Jehovah will not go to remain loyal to His people; there is nothing and there is no one, that will prevent Him keeping His word.

Moses continually reminded the people of Israel of God’s faithfulness:

“Know … that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

James, too, describes God’s faithfulness by saying that in Him “there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).

God’s faithfulness is one aspect of the absolute perfection of His character.

Given that every believer has staked their eternal future on Him keeping His word, this is very good news!

Other people, as well as the gods of our own creation, will inevitably let us down—be it through their flaws or faults or their frailties.

The only promise that can utterly be relied upon is that of the eternal, righteous God, who has revealed Himself in creation, who has confirmed His truthfulness in the person of His Son Jesus Christ – who is also 100-percent reliable all of the time, for all of eternity—including for all that you and I are about to face today.

In Psalm 36 David bemoans men’s wickedness before contrasting it with the loving-kindness and great goodness of God.

He laments there is no respect or reverence toward the Lord in the eyes of fallen man, whose heart is ever filled with deceit, who boasts in his own wickedness.

David grieves that sinful man has ceased to be wise and good, rather, he devises wicked plans, sets his face against that which is good, and does not abhor evil.

The sad bitterness, deeply revengeful thoughts, arrogant attitude, and angry unforgiveness of the ungodly, that so often floods the minds of sinful man, stands in stark contrast with the overflowing loving-kindness, compassionate-mercy, and unmerited gracious-pardon that streamed from the veins of the Lord Jesus, when He stretched out His arms of love to embrace whosoever will.

Psalm 36 Our Psalmist, shepherd, warrior, poet, and King David exposes the unbridgeable gulf between man’s wickedness, which is voiced in the first few verses of this psalm, and God’s unsurpassed goodness, recorded in the second section which begins, “Your lovingkindness and great mercy O LORD, extends to the heavens. Your faithfulness and unfailing love, reaches to the skies”.

There are no greater heights that man can imagine than the vast heavens above.

So, David uses the vast expanse of the unreachable skies in the firmament above in his attempt to articulate the glories of the Lord, wonders of His holy name.

The great canopy of the celestial heavens and the vast sweep of the skies above is the greatest element that David can use when comparing and contrasting the unsurpassed righteousness of God, the unsurpassed wickedness of evil men.

What comfort, rest, and reassurance wash the hearts and minds of believers when reflecting on the overwhelming love of God and the depth and height and length and breadth to which His grace extends.

“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!” the Psalmist declares, “the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings”.

While David would no doubt be reflecting on the greatness of the God of Israel, who brought His people out of bondage in Egypt, carried them on eagle’s wings, through the desert, brought them out safely into a large, well-watered land,

the sentiments he is expressing in Psalm 36 are all still equally true for all who have trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sin. 

“Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens,” is something we can all equally proclaim in Jesus’ Christ name in our own contemporary times today.

God’s steadfast mercy and immovable loving-kindness does indeed extend to the deepest depths of skies, His faithfulness does indeed stretch in the heavens.

His mercy dwarfs the mightiest mountains, for it reaches into the very highest heavens, His love plunges beyond the bottomless depths of the deepest oceans, His loving-faithfulness, righteousness, and justice plummet to the very depths of our understanding and extend into the farthest reaches of our limited grasp.

This knowledge of God is not for the unregenerate, for the wisdom of God is only foolishness to them (Psalm 14). 

Indeed, God’s foolishness is wiser than man’s wisdom, and His weakness is stronger than man’s combined strength.

But such understanding to the faith-filled, is sweetness and strength to the sanctified soul, for true knowledge of the Holy-One is spiritually discerned.

The knowledge that comes from the Lord quickens our heart, comforts our soul, informs our thoughts, inspires hands and feet and translates into joy and peace.

Today may we lift our hearts with the psalmist morning by morning and every moment of our transient lives, by raising our voices in joyful thanks and praise, for God’s loyal love reaches to the sky, His faithfulness extends far beyond the clouds, and His forgiveness, His saving grace spans for all eternal ages to come.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Jehovah God, When I read your Words, When I reflect on Who You are my Lord and God, it gives me a peep into the magnificence of Your person, Your will and Your character. Thank You, for the many reassurances that You give my fainting soul, in these precious promises about Your nature and character. Thank You for expressing Your love, faithfulness, might and justice in the Person of the Lord Jesus. Thank You for sending Him to die on the cross and to rise into newness of life, so that I may be brought into fellowship with Yourself. May I be bold in sharing the truth of Your magnificence with all You put in my path today. In my Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Psalm 77:11-13 English Standard Version

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

From the Psalmist’s heart to ours, the crucial words in these verses are I will. 

They indicate that the psalmist has caught hold of himself going to far in self.

He discerns that he is no longer the victim of his feelings, and that is the point.

The control of his life shifts from his central focus his heart to his central focus on head-his thoughts from self to God and that’s the way God intended it to be.

He discerns, he becomes aware that the only righteous place to begin is not with himself, as he has been doing, or stuck within his circumstances, but with God.

And the proper order is not with prayer and then meditation, but the reverse: to begin with reading, studying and meditating about God, which leads to petition based on an increasing Holy Spirit awareness understanding of just who God is.

That is the only way out, and it points up the trouble this man has had before.

He began his prayer with himself at the center.

We can see that in his words.

This problem that has brought him to God occupies his mind.

This man’s whole thought is, 

“What’s happening to me? Look how I cry and shout out and nothing happens!”

The result of that is always the same.

When self is at the center, then the heart takes over, and the mind is governed by the feelings.

We find ourselves limited to what the Bible calls natural thinking, or thinking on a limited narrow plane, which does not take into consideration all the facts.

Here is a picture of a man who is giving way to his feelings, allowing them to drive him into increasing distress and despair.

He finds himself in a circular pattern of attempting to first be logical, but only on this one plane of thought, related exclusively inward, exclusively to himself.

That is why he misses the point so completely.

The human heart is a powerful governing, limiting factor in human thinking.

When our heart, our emotions, and feelings get hold of us, and control our thinking, then are we discovering that we are helpless to reason properly?

But when something stops us, something like reality, someone like Nathan to King David, then the head and the will can truly assert themselves, take over.

What is wrong with beginning with myself?

The answer is obvious.

By God’s design, people are limited beings, so when we, by human design, begin with the person, our thinking is, by God’s greatest design, necessarily limited.

But when by God’s greater wisdom we start with God, we are starting with the great fact the Word of God for His wayward children includes all other Truths.

By the Word of God, through the power of the Word of God, we’ve remembered to broadened our too limited human vision to take in all aspects of God’s truth.

Someone has described that kind of thinking as cubical thinking. 

Truth is never a single level of thought; it is a cube.

It has sides, it has several other aspects, which need to be fully considered.

All truth is related to other truth.

We will discover as we relate a fact to other truths that touch it on every side of the cube, we see this fact in a different light from when you consider it by itself.

Have we begun to learn or remember to relearn, how to handle the temptations to doubt that come to us; how do we systematically, thoughtfully, and carefully begin again where God wants us to begin and rework through from that basis?

Have we risen above the limitations of our natural thinking and begun to think spiritually – to think first upon the things from above – God’s things of heaven?

Why is it so kingdom important for us to stop and just remember what “deeds” God has done in our lives?

There are many reasons why taking time to intentionally reflect and remember is vital to growing our faith and keeping us on course in our walk with God.

First, 

when we are in a low place and it seems that finding God is difficult, remembering what He has done for us in the past helps us to trust that God will meet us in our present circumstance also.

If He was faithful then, He will be faithful again.

In the low times of our lives, it can be easy to give into the worry, fear, despair, or depression that threatens to overwhelm us.

But as we steadily turn more and more towards God, surrender our worry, fear, despair, or depression to God, rest in the arms of His love, we can be reminded of faithfulness and find strength to get through the low and know that there are wonderful things which Scripture reminds us, ahead for us to look forward to.

Remembering what God has done for us in the past gives up hope.

In Isaiah 43:1-3, God says,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pas through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Remember a previous difficulty you are facing or have faced, think about how God was with you during that time and remember that He is with you now too.

Second, 

remembering what God has done for us in the past is an opportunity to offer Him praise and thanksgiving.

In Psalms 34:1, the psalmist wrote, “I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”

It’s easy to praise Him when we can remember to see His mighty works active over and over again in our lives, but when we are facing difficulty or trouble it becomes easier to remember more how to grumble and complain than to praise.

It’s always good time to remember to get alone with God and praise Him for what He’s already done for you in the past, will do in the future, acknowledge that even if you can’t see it now, you’ll recall He is at work in the present too.

Start a list of God’s mighty works in your life so when you feel you have nothing left to praise Him for, you can come back into your list and praise Him for what He’s already done for you before, as we go through life, keep adding to our list.

Third, 

remembering the works of God in our past, keeps our minds, hearts focused on Him. 

When life is going great, we can easily fall prey to claiming glory for ourselves.

Our central focus becomes all about ourselves.

It is human nature to have an “I-dependency” problem.

When the promotion comes, it’s “Look what I have achieved.”

When there’s a sizeable nest egg stored up, “Look how much money I have.”

When we have that big new home with the fancy car, it’s “Look what I own.”

Whenever our “I-dependency” problem shows up, we all need to remember

1 Chronicles 29:14, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.”

We can also remember

Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.”

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.”

Steadily remembering more of God, these verses can quickly douse our “I-dependency” problem as we realize that everything we have comes from the hand of God, that He plans our steps, and that what He decrees will happen. 

When we shift our focus to God and remember His works in our lives, our “I dependency” problem is changed into a God-dependency blessing.

Depending on God instead of ourselves, we can see His blessings in our lives, give Him the glory for it as we thank Him for how he has worked in our lives.

With a growing and ever maturing God-dependency focus, that promotion looks, sounds, feels, more like, “Thank you Lord for this new opportunity.

How can I serve in this position that you have placed me in?”

When God blesses us financially, it looks more like,

“Thank you Lord for your abundant provision. How can I gave out of this abundance to serve you and help others?”

When God blesses with a bigger home, a God-dependent focus says,

“Thank you God for this home. May you always be welcomed here and may we use this home in ways that please You.”

Fourth, 

as we remember and focus on what God has done for us in the past, it can help us avoid the trap of sin. I mean, have you ever tried to do something wrong while your mind was focusing on God and remembering what He’s done for you? 

As I write this devotional, I am reminded in the Old Testament, the Israelites were carried away into captivity by the Assyrians.

Why?

2 Kings 17:7 gives the reason: “And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God… and had feared other gods.”

Because they forgot all the mighty works God had done for them, they forgot about God – in their collective “I forgot” they turned to worshiping other gods.

Today, 

when we don’t take time to remember what God has done in our lives, we too run the risk of forgetting Him until we’re in a crisis and need God to rescue us once again! and we too will turn to worshipping other gods – tiny gods such as careers, affluence, material possessions, hobbies, money, etc. 

1 Peter 5:8-10English Standard Version

⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Satan is constantly looking for a crack in the door so he can shove his foot in, push the door wide open, and make himself at home – forgetting God is like swinging the door to your hearts and souls wide open and inviting Satan in.

Paul writes to remind the Corinthian followers; 1 Corinthians 10:3-5, “We do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raise up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.” 

Taking the time to intentionally remember the mighty works of God in our lives, slams the door shut on Satan and the temptations that he hurls at us.

Psalm 16:8 says, “I keep the Lord in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” 

Developing the habit of remembering what God has done for us, keeps our minds focused on God’s faithfulness, gives us opportunity to praise Him, help us recognize His blessings, helps us avoid sin. Take time to remember God’s works in your life. 

Remember God as God remembers You! Share any comments about something which God has done for you today or in the past. Let’s make His praise glorious!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 40 English Standard Version

My Help and My Deliverer

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
² He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie!
⁵ You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told.

⁶ In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
    but you have given me an open ear.^[a]
Burnt offering and sin offering
    you have not required.
⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
    in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
⁸ I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is within my heart.”

⁹ I have told the glad news of deliverance^[b]
    in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
    as you know, O Lord.
¹⁰ I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

¹¹ As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!
¹² For evils have encompassed me
    beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
    and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
    my heart fails me.

¹³ Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
    O Lord, make haste to help me!
¹⁴ Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
    who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!
¹⁵ Let those be appalled because of their shame
    who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

¹⁶ But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
¹⁷ As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Psalm 3 New American Standard Bible

Morning Prayer of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David, when ^[a]he fled from his son Absalom.

3 Lord, how my enemies have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
² Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

³ But You, Lord, are a shield around me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
⁴ I was crying out to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy ^[b]mountain. Selah
^5 [c]I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷ Arise, Lord; save me, my God!
For You ^[d]have struck all my enemies on the ^[e]cheek;
You ^[f]have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
^8 [g]Salvation belongs to the Lord;
May Your blessing ^[h]be upon Your people! Selah

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

There is a direct correlation between thinking properly and doing wisely.

It is as directly, decisively true in living the Christian life as it is anywhere else.

Take David in Psalm 3, for example.

First, he calls to mind truths about God:

“You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Then, out of that truth, he is “crying aloud to the LORD with my voice.”

There’s a lesson in the order of those verses: we have to know and believe the truth about God before we can call out to Him and confidently expect His help.

Sometimes, as we hear God’s word being read and taught, we might think to ourselves, as we interpret what is being taught to us through our experiences;

“I don’t need to know more stuff about God! Just tell me how to work in my office. Just tell me how to be a good wife. Just tell me how to get through my schooling.” 

But the reality is that we must still our souls to know the truth about God first.

Then, and only then, what we know about God will empower us to press on, no matter our perils, no matter our circumstances – it is truth that transforms us.

His Truth also offers us greatest place of sacred rest.

We know from the inscription of Psalm 3 (“A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son”) and from verse 1 (“O LORD, how many are my foes!”) that David was writing at a time and place of peril when he faced great trouble.

His son rebelled against him, was threatening to take the kingdom from him.

Yet, in this precipitous moment when life was upheaved, all seemed lost and the first, second temptation to despair must have been strong, David is able to say,

“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.”

Sleep in itself is a gift—God “gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2, emphasis added) -but to sleep when we are faced with an insurrection led by a member of our own family—that is a phenomenal testament to God’s comforting grace.

David felt like doing tens of million things in an attempt to remedy his trouble.

Nevertheless, he found truest rest because he knew God would watch over him.

By long personal experience He knew the truth that ultimately, regardless of how dire his circumstances seemed, “salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8).

Likewise, whatever our array of perilous circumstances, the very same truth of God’s sovereignty, that transformed David, and gave him rest, is all ours today.

Hebrews 4:12 New American Standard Bible

¹² For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to ^[a]judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Will we read it today?

Will we study it today?

2 Timothy 2:14-15 New American Standard Bible

An Unashamed Worker

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and solemnly exhort them in the presence of God not to dispute about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the listeners. ¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who ^[a]does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Will we believe it?

2 Timothy 3:14-17 New American Standard Bible

¹⁴ You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is ^[a] inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for ^[b]rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷ so that the man or woman of God may be ^[c]fully capable, equipped for every good work.

Will we believe this day the truth: The Word of God for the Children of God?

Acts 5:27-32 New American Standard Bible

²⁷ When they had brought them, they had them stand ^[a]before the Council. The high priest interrogated them, ²⁸ saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and ^[b]yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on ^[c]a cross. ³¹  He is the one whom God exalted ^[d]to His right hand as a ^[e]Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are witnesses ^[f]of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

For it is in our knowing and our declaring that the Lord saves and sustains you that we will find peace in the midst of life’s storms, that we will find ourselves able to live, rest even on the hardest of day – we can sleep because He does not!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 English Standard Version

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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John 7:37-39 GOD’S WORD Translation

³⁷ On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus was standing ⌞in the temple courtyard⌟. He said loudly, “Whoever is thirsty must come to me to drink. ³⁸ As Scripture says, ‘Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.’ ” ³⁹ Jesus said this about the Spirit, whom his believers would receive. The Spirit was not yet evident, as it would be after Jesus had been glorified.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Christianity, though under constant attack, has steadily flourished over the last 2,000 years since it began soon after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the center point of the Christian creed, and it is in Jesus that Christians have confessed with their lips, bent their knees, sacrificed everything, put all of their faith and all of their hope for that eternal salvation which awaits them all.

1. Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
through eternal ages let his praises ring;
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

4. Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.
(Refrain)

While Jesus walked this earth, His whole ministry, His whole mission involved urging people to “come to Him” “come to believe, to faith and to follow Him.”

John 7:37-39 The Message

^37-39 On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

As we now contemplate the state of our Christianity, is this invitation still at the heart of the Gospel and becoming a Christian – to believe in Jesus, follow Him?

By what measure and degree do we believe and follow Jesus because it was He who has done what no other has done, that He died to save the world, He invites us to believe, faith, He invites us to follow, and He is the only way to the Father?

Do We Still Ask Ourselves and Others – Who Is Jesus?

To understand why we should still ask ourselves, even us “mature Christians,” why we believe and follow Jesus, its vital to understand who 1st Century Jesus is.

From the Bible, we know that Jesus walked this earth around 2,000 years ago.

He was from a small town called Nazareth, He was born to a virgin named Mary.

He was an itinerant Rabbi who had 12 disciples who walked away from the lives they were living to follow Him – they came to believe that He was the Messiah.

We know that during three years of ministry and mission throughout His home regions, occupied and governed by the Roman Empire – he performed miracles.

We know that after three years of ministry, Jesus was repeatedly tested by the Temple Authorities, plotted against, arrested, wrongly accused, and sentenced to death – He was publicly beaten, publicly nailed to a cross upon which he died.

It is not simply this information about Jesus that has captivated generations of faithful people, but rather, it is also what this Jesus has claimed about Himself, along with His miraculous resurrection, that propelled millions and millions of people, believers and nonbelievers around the world to believe and follow Jesus.

John 1:1-14 GOD’S WORD Translation

The Word Becomes Human

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was already with God in the beginning.

³ Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.

⁴ He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.

⁵ The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.

⁶ God sent a man named John to be his messenger. ⁷ John came to declare the truth about the light so that everyone would become believers through his message. ⁸  John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.

⁹ The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He went to his own people, and his own people didn’t accept him. ¹² However, he gave the right to become God’s children to everyone who believed in him. ¹³ These people didn’t become God’s children in a physical way—from a human impulse or from a husband’s desire ⌞to have a child⌟. They were born from God.

¹⁴ The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness ^[a] and truth.

Scripture declares with boldness the truth that Jesus is God.

He was sent by the Father to take away the sins of the world (see John 1:29).

John 1:29 GOD’S WORD Translation

John Identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God

²⁹ John saw Jesus coming toward him the next day and said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, foretold by the prophets, who resurrected from the grave to conquer sin and death.

Through Jesus all was created and through Him the only way to the Father is found – John declared Jesus brought salvation, redemption, and eternal life.

Then John immediately humbled himself, his humanity, against that divinity.

John 1:30-34 GOD’S WORD Translation

³⁰ He is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘A man who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.’ ³¹ I didn’t know who he was. However, I came to baptize with water to show him to the people of Israel.”

³² John said, “I saw the Spirit come down as a dove from heaven and stay on him. ³³ I didn’t know who he was. But God, who sent me to baptize with water, had told me, ‘When you see the Spirit come down and stay on someone, you’ll know that person is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen this and have declared that this is the Son of God.”

God Sent His Only Son, Jesus Came to Save the World

John 3:16-18 The Message

^16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

Christians will believe and Christians will follow because by Faith Christians believe with their hearts Jesus was sent by God the Father to save the world.

Each of the four Gospel narratives teach that Jesus ministered for three years, walked everywhere, preached everywhere and taught, sent out His disciples, transformed lives through conversations, healings, and miracles performed.

God’s great love for humanity was shown through Jesus, who came to save the world from death – He did not come for His own glory, nor to live a comfortable life in royal palaces, nor be served – instead, Jesus came to love, humbly serve, and save the world through a gruesome death on the cross and resurrection.

By His resurrection, Jesus defeated evil and sin and crushed death, and these no longer have any grip on those who confess and believe, put 1000% faith in Him.

Even in these times when the message of Christianity is under vigorous attack, the message of Jesus Christ, the empty tomb, the resurrection, still remains the very best Good News that inspires people to give their hearts and lives to Him.

In These Perilous Times-We Are Yet Invited to Believe

Mark 1:14-15 GOD’S WORD Translation

Calling of the First Disciples

¹⁴ After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and told people the Good News of God. ¹⁵ He said, “The time has come, and God’s kingdom is near. Change the way you think and act, and believe the Good News.”

In Peace or Perilousness, Christians believe because Jesus invites us to believe.

Jesus’ heart and hope is for people recognize the time is now to come, repent, and to believe that He is the Son of God bringing the good news of salvation.

This was His continuous message for three years on His way to the cross before He finally surrendered and laid down His life to die for the sins of all humanity.

Jesus began with an invitation to come and believe in Him.

Jesus longs for as many people as possible to have a saving belief in Him.

Before He departed from the earth, before He ascended to the right hand of His Father in Heaven, He covenanted His disciples with the Great Commission.

They were to go into all nations, telling people about Him and making more disciples, and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

Jesus began the work of helping people to believe, come to faith in Him and passed on the torch of this important mission to His disciples, all Christians.

In These Perilous Times, Jesus Invites Us to Follow

Luke 9:23-26 GOD’S WORD Translation

What It Means to Follow Jesus

²³ He said to all of them, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me. ²⁴ Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will save them. ²⁵ What good does it do for people to win the whole world but lose their lives by destroying them? ²⁶ If people are ashamed of me and what I say, the Son of Man will be ashamed of those people when he comes in the glory that he shares with the Father and the holy angels.

Christians follow because Jesus invites us to follow.

Jesus did not just invite people to believe, but also to follow Him.

With faith in Jesus comes empowerment through the Holy Spirit to live the righteous ways of Jesus and partner with Him in furthering His kingdom.

Following Jesus means denying ourselves and living for His glory instead.

Following Jesus will be hard, there will be a cost, but through Him is eternal life.

Jesus gives humanity hope, light, and peace to those who follow Him.

Jesus loves humanity profoundly; so much so that He went to the cross and laid down His life.

Jesus did the unimaginable so that humanity would know the unimaginable God and have the perfect opportunity, chance to believe, follow, enjoy eternal life.

In All Times this Jesus Is The Only Way to The Father

John 14:6-7 GOD’S WORD Translation

⁶ Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you have known me, you will also know my Father. From now on you know him ⌞through me⌟ and have seen him ⌞in me⌟.”

Christians believe and follow because Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Some believe there are many paths or religions that all lead to the one true God.

However, from the mouth of Jesus we learn that this is not true.

There is only one way to the real God and that is through Jesus Christ.

He alone is the way, truth, and life.

We cannot save ourselves. False gods or other religions cannot save anyone.

Only Jesus has given up His life, satisfied the debt of sin, and overcame death so that all who believe in Him will have eternal life.

God did not want humanity to simply perish and be eternally apart from Him.

He made the only way, through the death, resurrection of Jesus, for humanity to be forever saved – as a result, all have that opportunity to believe, follow Jesus.

In These Perilous Times – It’s Still Good News for All

Romans 15:4-6 GOD’S WORD Translation

God Gives Us Unity

⁴ Everything written long ago was written to teach us so that we would have confidence through the endurance and encouragement which the Scriptures give us. ⁵ May God, who gives you this endurance and encouragement, allow you to live in harmony with each other by following the example of Christ Jesus. ⁶  Then, having the same goal, you will praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It cannot be understated, it can never be preached or never taught enough that even in these perilous days when Christianity is being twisted and turned, our our biblical understanding who this 1st Century Jesus is, makes complete sense of why millions and millions of Christians throughout hundreds of generations until this day, and generations to follow have chosen to believe and follow Him.

Christians across the globe, underground, in freedom of worship, throughout history faithfully believe and follow Jesus because He has invited them to do so.

It was Jesus who gave up everything, saved the world by His death on a cross and made it 100% known that He alone is the way to the Father and eternal life.

Jesus spent His final years sharing the Good News of salvation through Him.

His ministry 1000% testified to who He was and the love He had for humanity.

It is the Good News faithfully shared that moves people to believe, follow Jesus.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 24 New King James Version

The King of Glory and His Kingdom

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
² For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the ^[a]waters.

³ Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
⁵ He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶ This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah

⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Psalm 51:10-12 Authorized (King James) Version

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
¹² Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Several years ago, while I was preparing to preach a sermon on this psalm, I received an anonymous letter from someone in my congregation saying that he was a Christian but was involved in a very serious and continuing moral failure.

The letter was truly an attempt to be honest and tell me the trouble in their life.

I didn’t have any idea if that person would be in the service the next Sunday or not, but I fervently hoped for Holy Spirit intercession and they would be there.

I decided to refer to the letter in my sermon for two reasons: first, because it was anonymous, and I could do it without betraying a confidence; and second, because the problem was of such a serious nature I wanted to help the person.

The writer had acknowledged that they knew the action was wrong but finally excused themselves from following through on the basis that God had not yet touched their heart not spoken to them” given them the power to break away.

That was misinformation, that was a vulnerable soul in need of intercession.

The truth is that God has given us the power to break away from these things.

In their state of vulnerability, in our state of vulnerability there is a place, there is a person we can turn to, a person we are invited to engage with, connect to.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 (AKJV)

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Apostle Peter clearly declares: His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4 AKJV).

³ according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: ⁴ whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The very possession of the precious promises of life of Jesus Christ in us is the power that it takes for we who are vulnerable, to break away from habits of sin.

No one will ever be free from the awful grip of sin and evil upon their lives until they come to the place and time and moment they understand that they already have from Father God all that it takes to be free, if they will but step out upon it.

Throughout Psalm 51 Shepherd, Poet Warrior King David is also asking for help – “Lord, uphold, give me this willing spirit” he says, and God immediately gives it.

Then upon God giving it and us prayerfully receiving it, it must now be acted on.

That is one of the most important points of the Psalm the vulnerable King David makes by causing words to be heard and scribes putting all words to parchment.

Through these words of David, by God causing them to be included in the canon of our bibles, we don’t have to wait for “feeling” to come know we are forgiven.

God by His Love, through the Resurrection of Jesus, has said “we are forgiven.”

Beloved friends, Do not wait for a feeling of resurrection power to possess you.

God has declared He has already given you the power.

As we each come to believe Him and in Him (and that is what faith is), we each can do what we need to do, what God wants all of us to do – speak with Jehovah.

That is what happened with David, and as I found out, that is what happened eventually with the anonymous letter writer.

After preaching that sermon, I found out the person had been in that service, because they later wrote a second anonymous letter which was in the offering.

This time they shared how God had used that message to deliver him, uplift him from the grip of the deep sin of a criminal relationship he had described before.

Listening to “Nathan” Beginning Our Breakthroughs: Stepping Away from ‘Self’, Starting Our Day with God.

Psalm 51:10-12 Authorized (King James) Version

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
¹² Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Most of us get out of bed each morning and jump right into the daily routine and responsibilities ahead.

Sometimes, we may give little thought to how we should start our day.

But as Children of God, it can be life-changing, spiritually renewing, to create the habit to start our day with God – we actually find this concept in Scripture.

Psalm 5:1-3 English Standard Version

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my groaning.
² Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
³ O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you^[a] and watch.

David wrote starting your day with God simply means spending time with Him.

We can do this in various ways, but however you do it, the most important thing is to intentionally start the process of cultivating this sacred rhythm in our life.

There is no better way to start ours day than to start it by connecting with God.

7 Reasons to Start Your Day with God

Before the day takes off and you begin to tackle your to-do list and tasks, as a believer, it is spiritual edifying and beneficial to start your day with God.

This will make a powerful impact on how you go about your day.

There is an account in the Gospel where Jesus even got away in the early hours to spend time with God (see Mark 1:35).

The life of Jesus has set such a wonderful example for Children of God to follow.

Here are seven reasons to begin your day in fellowship with God.

1. God Desires Relationship with You

God loves humanity.

God loves you.

He wants a relationship with you in which you spend time with Him in prayer, Scripture, and worship.

God delights in His children, He notices when we wake and go about our day.

God has always been intimately involved in each person’s life.

We find in Scripture stories of God drawing people into relationship with Him.

Start your day of spiritual refreshment and renewal connecting and conversing with God, He longs to hear from you, be in a connectional relationship with you.

2. You Were Made for Fellowship with God

God is our Creator.

He knit and weaved each person together in their mother’s womb. (Psalm 139)

We were made to be in a right relationship with God.

Just as God desires a relationship with you, He made you to be in fellowship with Him.

We were not made to do life alone or apart from God.

We are innately being drawn to God and want to know Him.

Starting our day with God satisfies the deepest thirsts we have for connection and belonging.

3. You Can Ask God to Guide Your Day

When you start your day with God, you can ask the Lord to help you through struggles you will encounter, through challenges you know are ahead, for help in a specific situation, and for overall help to guide you through the day.

If we are genuine, God can be a source of strength for hard times, wisdom for decisions that need to be made, and protection as you come and go – start your day off with God because you can commit your day to Him and ask for His help.

4. You Will Feel at Peace

Jesus gives His followers peace over all things (Philippians 4:7).

If we start our day with worries and concerns, feelings over fear and anxiety will surely, inevitably plague the day ahead.

However, when we start our day with God, we will take hold of and enter into ultimate place of the ultimate peace God has set aside for each and everyone.

His ultimate place of His ultimate Peace is a precious gift from God that we can have from the very exact moment when we wake up by spending time with Him.

5. You Can Give Thanks

When we, like David in Psalm 51 intentionally approach God, we can come to Him with grateful hearts no matter what is going on in our lives because the goodness and faithfulness of our Jesus endures through life’s ups and downs.

There is always something for which we can give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

By starting your day with God, instead of hiccups and hang-ups, we give soul the chance to give thanks to the Lord and reflect on His grace and love for us.

6. It Can Help You Have a Right Perspective

We are prone to put ourselves first, or worry, or think that we’re in control.

However, when we start our day with God, it will give us a right perspective and mindset (see Colossians 3:1-2 ESV).

Put On the New Self

3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

This practice will serve as a recognition that Jesus is in control and has good plans for you.

We need to remember that God is God and we are not.

This will help us to surrender our day to the Lord and approach each person, task, or circumstance with more of His grace, wisdom and understanding.

Having His right perspective can make big differences in all the right ways.

7. It Will Transform Your Heart

The habits we practice shape who we become.

Implementing this type of routine to start your day with God will absolutely transform your heart for the Lord.

We will seek God, we will grow in love for the Lord, and we will recognize more and more of our absolute need for the sovereignty of our Savior Jesus Christ.

When we intentionally spend time with God each day, our hearts become more like His.

When we start our day with God, we are allowing the Spirit to work in us and through us.

Tips to Start Your Day with God

If we are feeling even .01% more excited and inspired to start our days with God, here are some more tips I fervently pray will help to make that happen.

Starting this spiritual practice may come to feel intimidating or challenging, but the best thing you can do is to ask for the Holy Spirit to enable you and to help you to utilize some of these tips to begin starting each day with God.

1. Pray about It

Any new practice takes time and is more likely to take root in your life if you don’t overwhelm yourself.

So pray about it and see how God is leading you to start your day with Him.

Maybe it’ll be small changes at first, and that’s OK -just starting is the first and most important “baby sized” step to beginning your day in such a blessed way.

2. Make a Plan

When you plan something, it is more likely that it will happen.

Plan ahead the night before how you will start your day with God.

Perhaps you will wake up a bit earlier to spend time with God, or plan to have worship music playing while you make breakfast.

Whatever it will be for each day, intentionally planning ahead is a great tip to make it more likely to start connecting yourself and your whole day with God.

3. Set Your Mind on Jesus

Sometimes, starting a new habit or practice can feel overwhelming.

You want to, but perhaps aren’t sure where to start or how to fit it into your already busy life.

For some, simply beginning with setting your first thought on God can be a good way to start your day with God.

Wake up and simply say hello to the Lord and thank Him for a new day.

Let your mind go to Jesus first as you open your eyes, and this will start impacting and renewing , refresh and training your heart to start with God.

4. Spend Time in Prayer

As you get ready in the morning, brush your teeth, or make breakfast, you can use this time to talk to Jesus.

This is a fairly easy and simplified way to start your day with God by being in prayer as you complete these daily tasks – God is already there with you, so start the day off by praying and talking to Him as you go about your routine.

5. Read Scripture

In the morning, before you check out what’s happening in the world of social media, you can head over to a Bible app or website to read a chapter instead.

Perhaps read one psalm every morning, or a chapter in one of the Gospels.

By reading and connecting with Scripture, you are starting your day with God, letting the power of His word give you peace and perspective. (Hebrews 4:12)

6. Listen to an Audio Bible

If you prefer listening to the Bible instead, turn on the audio Bible while you get dressed, exercise, or eat breakfast.

You can even listen to the audio Bible on your way to work or school, or while you take your morning walk.

Listening to Scripture is an easy way to help you start your day with God, and you will be filled with the sovereign power of His truth and His coming hope.

7. Meditate on a Verse

Oftentimes, a quick way to start your day with God is to sign up for an email list for a verse of the day email.

As you start your day, you can check your email and have a verse to think about or memorize for the day.

This is a great way to start your day with the Lord and set your mind on Him.

8. Worship

Putting on worship music can be an easy way to start your day with God.

Instead of turning on the TV, a podcast, or talk radio, begin with some worship songs on in the background as you begin your day.

This will give you sacred moments to praise the Lord and spend time with Him through worship.

Psalm 51 teaches we are never alone when it comes to drawing closer to God.

Isaiah 41:8-10 English Standard Version

⁸ But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
⁹ you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
¹⁰ fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

God always has His arms open to us, to renew us, to refresh us, to uphold us, as the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf and empowers us to be more like Christ.

As we connectionally, intentionally, prayerfully discern how to start our days off with God, consider these reasons and tips to make this happen in your life.

It will be a critical way that you can get closer to God and to deepen our faith.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 32 English Standard Version

Blessed Are the Forgiven

A Maskil^[a] of David.

32 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up^[b] as by the heat of summer. Selah

⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.
⁷ You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
⁹ Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    or it will not stay near you.

¹⁰ Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
    but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Romans 4:9-12 GOD’S WORD Translation

⁹ Are only the circumcised people blessed, or are uncircumcised people blessed as well? We say, “Abraham’s faith was regarded as the basis of God’s approval.” ¹⁰ How was his faith regarded as the basis of God’s approval? Was he circumcised or was he uncircumcised at that time? He had not been circumcised. ¹¹ Abraham’s faith was the basis of his approval by God while he was still uncircumcised. The mark of circumcision is the seal of that approval. Therefore, he is the father of every believer who is not circumcised, and their faith, too, is regarded as the basis of their approval by God. ¹² He is also the father of those who not only are circumcised but also are following in the footsteps of his faith. Our father Abraham had that faith before he was circumcised.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Paul’s letter to the followers at Rome gives each reader a step by step logical sequence to show that salvation is by grace only through faith in Christ Jesus.

It tells us that there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus (to those that are born again), because they are positioned in Christ, imputed with His righteousness, baptized into the Body of Christ (which is the Church) and accepted in the Beloved – and it is all strictly by grace through faith in Him.

Paul uses the great historical figures of Abraham and David to demonstrate that it is not through righteous living or good works that we are declared righteous, but that it is by faith in the Son of God Who died for the sin of the whole world.

And it is not by being born a Jew or by being circumcised on the 8th day as the Law required, that qualifies sinners to be declared righteousness – but by faith alone in the Son of Man Who came to earth, loved us and gave Himself for us.

As a Hebrew of the Hebrews and a highly educated Pharisee who held the most advantageous Jewish pedigree, Paul took pains to emphasize that although the Jewish nation was God’s chosen people, they do not hold a monopoly on God’s justification and redemption, for justification and redemption is only by grace alone strictly through faith in Savior Christ Jesus to both Jew and Gentile alike.

To continuously hammer this truth home, Paul the Pharisee of all Pharisees, reminds all those who seek to elevate their physical genealogy of Jewish people to their forefather Abraham above the rest the nations and to magnify their importance in God’s redemptive program, that they are all badly misguided.

Paul reminds them that Abraham was an uncircumcised Gentile when God called him out of the Ur of the Chaldees, and Abraham believed God and was therefore credited with righteousness, due to his faith in God’s promise.

It was by grace though faith in the coming Messiah that Abraham and David were credited with their righteousness, and it is by grace through faith in the finished work of the Messiah that you and I are credited with righteousness.

Praise God that He is no respecter of persons and all He requires of you and me is to unequivocally trust in His Word and also believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Should we not, even in these most faithless of times seek to only glorify His holy name in all we say and do, for without Him we would have remained dead in our trespasses and separated from God forever, but ultimately IN Christ we are imputed with His righteousness – by God’s grace through faith in Him.

Romans 4 is Paul’s proof that faith has always been the means for justification.

Paul reflects back to the Old Testament patriarchs who were justified by faith, not works, to illustrate his theological point.

Paul uses this ancient illustration from Genesis, an illustration very familiar to every Jew, to prove all the Gentiles were part of this promise given to Abraham.

The whole world was blessed through Abraham because he chose to believe God rather than the high stressors of his present ever changing circumstances and, because of this “circumcision,” his faith was credited to him as righteousness.

Our Baptism: Our Own Sign for Our Today’s Like Our Father Abraham’s Sign of Circumcision for His Days

Romans 4:9-12 New International Version

⁹ Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. ¹⁰  Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

The water of baptism is a physical “sign” that points us symbolically to the washing away of sin, death to sin, through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

It is also a spiritual “sign” of the renewing work of God’s Spirit in all our lives.

So in the way we live, think, speak, and act it should be clear that, only but by the grace of God, we are different, set apart (“holy”) – as a song puts it clearly, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love”—of our Father God and all people.

Water baptism, then, is really important.

The sacrament of baptism is public and experiential, and it awakens, it engages our imaginations.

When an adult or baby is baptized, the congregation is asked to make promises to nurture that person in the faith, to help them as they follow God’s calling.

Making these vows and seeing the ritual reminds us of the promises that were made over us at our own baptism, and the entire sacrament reminds us of the ancient covenant promises of God going all of the way back to the Patriarchs.

Abraham’s circumcision, our Baptism, all road signs of the day, something that points the participant beyond “self” to a destination, guiding all those who see.

Baptism is like that, life lived beyond baptism, pointing the community of faith to the reality of God’s grace found in the saving work of Christ for us – It guides us ever forward in the life of faith until the day Jesus returns to renew all things.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Our Heavenly Father, thank You that You are no respecter of persons, and that You stooped down to save the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike, from our sins, by grace through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank You for all of the wonderful examples throughout Your Word, that repeatedly demonstrate that salvation is through faith in the death and Resurrection of Christ, and that I am imputed with His righteousness and indwelt by His Spirit, by grace through faith. May the new resurrection life of Christ in me glorify You, in thought, word, and deed. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me

Song by CityAlight

Lyrics

What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to His
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing, “All is mine”
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed

To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley He will lead
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven
The future sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave

To this I hold, my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh the chains are released, I can sing, “I am free”
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

With every breath I long to follow Jesus
For He has said that He will bring me home
And day by day I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Michael Farren / Rich Thompson / Jonny Robinson

Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me lyrics © Farren Love And War Publishing, Integrity’s Alleluia! Music, Cityalight Music

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Colossians 2:20-23 Christian Standard Bible

²⁰ If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: ²¹ “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? ²² All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. ²³ Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.^[a]

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Have we ever come to that place in our “Christian walk” and wondered about our salvation; about just whether or not we are going to heaven when we die?

Some questions we might have in such a moment are,

“What am I supposed to do in order to gain God’s acceptance and love?”

“Do I have to read the Bible all the way through?”

“Do I have to knock on a million doors?”

Allow me to begin enlightening our understanding by sharing an illustration:

Think about a small lake frozen over in the dead of winter. A young boy walks out on a boat dock over the ice, but suddenly his sister calls from the shore. As he turns around to see her, he loses his balance, one of his feet lands on the ice, and he crashes into the icy water. You see, as long as both his feet were solidly planted on the wooden dock, the boy stood securely. But as soon as he shifted one foot onto the ice, even though by mistake, he toppled into the water.

As long as we keep our trust totally on Christ’s finished work on the cross, we stand assured of God’s promise of eternal life.

But as soon as we rest any burden or weight on the thin ice of our own efforts, we will stumble and topple ourselves into the icy waters of our own insecurity.

Some of us might think we have to do many different things to gain God’s love, but there is only one requirement, and that is to know Jesus Christ as our Lord.

If we put any weight on the thin ice of our own efforts, we will surely drown in sin and never make it to heaven; but, if we stand upon the promise of the cross, then we will be firmly secure in our salvation and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today we are going to try to see how the apostle Paul addressed the issue of our salvation in Jesus.

In our passage of Scripture, Paul encountered some believers who thought they had to continuously do more to gain their salvation, than just believe in Christ.

So let’s see what Paul revealed about our salvation.

Walk in Jesus, and Be Rooted in Him (Colossians vv. 2:6-7)

6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Paul said in verse 6, that we need to walk in Christ.

Walking in Christ will keep us from being deceived by the world; for when we are deceived by the world we begin doubting our salvation in Jesus.

Believers can avoid being deceived by maintaining a strong stand, and by moving forward with steady progress.

“When we stop going forward, we stall; [and] when we stall, we can fall.”

When we accept Jesus into our heart (Romans 10:9-13) we can’t just simply stop there and then instantly expect all our life to be perfect from that point onward.

We have to continue growing into our relationship with our Jesus by studying the Scripture, by spending time with God in prayer, and by intentionally putting our time and resources into practicing what we are taught by the Holy Spirit.

We have to walk forward in our Savior Christ; not stand still in the world.

Paul said in verse 7, that we must be rooted in Christ, be built up in Christ, be established in Christ, and then be abounding or overflowing in thanksgiving.

We see here a steady progression that we are to have in our Christian walk, or our growth process.

Steady progress is [only] possible when we are grounded or rooted.

Christians are not to be tumbleweeds with no roots, blown about by every wind of doctrine.

We avoid this when we are firmly rooted in Jesus Christ.

Roots don’t exist for themselves: they exist to give the plant strength and help the plant grow – we are to be deeply rooted, then built up and strengthened.

So how are we to grow?

We are to grow in the “faith [we] were taught,” as Paul said.

We have no need to seek any other kind of knowledge besides what is revealed by Jesus and the Bible.

We are to grow in knowledge of the truth already revealed in Christ . . . [and] Paul wants us overflowing with thankfulness.

This comes when we recognize that we are complete in Christ.

By accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have everything needed to gain eternal life.

Sometimes we fail to realize this truth, and so we try to do other things to gain God’s acceptance.

Right now, let’s look at some of the things Paul identified as ways that we try to gain God’s approval.

We Are Already Complete in Jesus (Colossians vv. 2:8-10)

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

When we fail to realize that everything needed for eternal life and God’s acceptance is found in Jesus, we can be cheated of our freedom through philosophies and the traditions of men.

In the New International Version, Colossians verse 8 reads, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy.”

The word “captive” here means ‘to carry away’ or ‘kidnap.’

Here it refers to someone being carried away from the truth in Christ into the slavery of error . . . The hardcore bondage attached to the hollow and deceptive philosophy of the false teachers which promises much but delivers nothing.

We need to realize “Jesus Christ is completely God, we are complete in Him.

We just need to grow [in Him].

A tree gains strength and nourishment from its roots, and the Christian always grows stronger by “root” nutrition (or feeding on God’s Word) not from leaves.

We cannot do anything extra, or add anything to our life that will make God favor us more.

You see, it’s not about Jesus plus; it’s about Christ alone.

We need to realize that we have all we will ever need in God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:20-23 GOD’S WORD Translation

²⁰ If you have died with Christ to the world’s way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live? It’s as though you were still under the world’s influence. ²¹ People will tell you, “Don’t handle this! Don’t taste or touch that!” ²² All of these things deal with objects that are only used up anyway.  ²³  These things look like wisdom with their self-imposed worship, ⌞false⌟ humility, and harsh treatment of the body. But they have no value for holding back the constant desires of your corrupt nature.

Every member of the human race is connected to Adam by birth. 

All are imputed with a sin nature, and the wages of sin is death.

As members of the first fallen creation, we are all irrevocably identified with Adam and the eternal consequences of his rebellious fall.

However, through spiritual rebirth, we are immutably connected to Christ and imputed with His perfect righteousness.

Our sins have been forgiven by faith, and our eternal citizenship is secured for us in heaven.

The moment we were saved, we were transferred into the Body of Christ and became members of a new creation in Him.

Today, we are permanently identified with all that Christ alone is and all that He alone has done, through time and into eternity.

As members of His Body, we are to steadfastly and immovably hold fast to our only Savior Christ, our living Head, draw all the strength we need from Him.

His grace is sufficient for every eventuality we may face.

As individual members of His Body, every believer is identified with His death, for Jesus went to the Cross on our behalf.

His death became our death and His resurrected life became our everlasting and abundant life.

His Resurrection from the dead imputes His resurrected life into those that are His; for His eternal life is a free gift of God’s grace, through faith in Him.

By faith we are forgiven of our sins, identified with His perfect righteousness. 

By faith we were transformed, then transferred our allegiance from Satan, our citizenship of this fallen world system, and the eternal punishment that surely follows, into, unto, the kingdom of God and the glorious future we have in Him.

But the hardcore truth is this; the hardcore influence of the world is very strong and hardcore religious formality resides deep inside the heart of all humanity.

Participation in man-made rules and regulations and adherence to legalistic practices combine with men’s imputed sin nature, causing many believers to be too easily pulled back into worldly deeply rooted ways and reverted to the basic rudiments of this world’s adherence to the all too ritualistic religious systems.

But Paul scolds such shallow resolve in our Christian commitment: 

“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why are you living like the world? Why do you submit to regulations such as, ‘do not handle, do not taste, do not touch’ in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?”

Paul is pointing out because we are born again and ‘in-Christ’: “We are dead to prideful principles, man-made customs, and religious practices of the world.”

Psalm 139:23-24 English Standard Version

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!^[a]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!^[b]

We are called to examine our lives and ask,

“WHY am I living as though I am still part of the world?”

“WHY am I still behaving as if I am a member of this world’s system?”

“Why am I continuing to adhere to worldly practices and religious ordinances?”

Religion, its rituals, are the false gospel the world has adopted to save itself.

Religion is man’s attempt to save himself without being accountable to God.

It is strict adherence to man-made rules and regulations and traditions, but faith in Christ, Christ alone, is the only way that God ordained for man to live.

Ephesians 2:8-10 GOD’S WORD Translation

⁸ God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. ⁹ It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it. ¹⁰ God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.

As God’s Children, As baptized members of Christ’s Body in the world, it is by His grace we are saved, through faith in Him, and it is also by grace through faith in Him that we are all to continue to live our lives – may each we live each day through faith in the Person and work of Christ Jesus, our God and Savior.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, help us, we who are Your Body of Christ in the world to reject the basic principles and religious practices of the world that are rooted so deeply and so strongly in the sinful hearts of fallen man. Thank You for reminding us once again, that by faith alone I died with Christ, and my life is hid with Christ alone. May we never again come to forget that we are no longer part of this fallen world system, but we are citizens of heaven and identified with Christ’s righteousness. May we live in a way that genuinely demonstrates that we are part of the new creation in Christ, and One with Him alone in thought, word, and deed. This we ask in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Ephesians 5:11-16 GOD’S WORD Translation

¹¹ Have nothing to do with the useless works that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. ¹² It is shameful to talk about what some people do in secret. ¹³ Light exposes the true character of everything ¹⁴ because light makes everything easy to see. That’s why it says:

“Wake up, sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.” ^[a]

¹⁵ So then, be very careful how you live. Don’t live like foolish people but like wise people. ¹⁶ Make the most of your opportunities because these are evil days.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

This life is marked by a single choice: who or what or where or when or why we will we center our lives around really the one thing in our worlds that matters?

This choice takes each of us down either a wide a path or a narrow of decisions that shape who we are, what we feel, who or what we value, and what we will have accomplished at the end of our days.

To make the choice to exclusively center our lives only around ourselves or the things of this world leads only to the widest possible paths of our destruction.

But, to center our lives around meeting with God fills each moment with the glorious abundance of God’s love, provision, and transcendent peace.

I pray that just today, may your life be marked by union with your Creator as we explore what it means to intentionally centering our lives around meeting God.

Ephesians 5:15-16 warns us, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” 

Our time is of the utmost importance here on earth.

We can never get back the days we spend frivolously pursuing the things of the world.

We will never get back the time we spent outside of God’s purposes of receiving God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness and giving and sharing in that perfect love.

Our time here is too limited and too important to spend on burdens, stresses, sin, and worldly pursuits.

If we’re going to make the most of this life, we must learn to center our time around the eternal value of meeting with God.

It’s for this reason James 4:13-15 says,

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

“Search me O’ God and know my heart, and see if there is any evil way in me” Exclusively seeking God, not self, looking at all the ways in which we spend our time is one of the best ways to assess the posture and the priorities of our heart.

If we spend all our time working for and thinking about the things of the world, we know we haven’t yet come into a right revelation of God’s purposes for us.

If we spend the majority of our time simply getting through our days trying to find “happiness” rather than seeking the face of our heavenly Father that we might receive sustaining, transcendent joy, we can know that we have yet to surrender ourselves to God’s searching our souls and our lives fully to our King. 

The great thing about the nature of time is that it is completely ours to do with what we will.

We can, right now, decide to make the best use of our time according to the purposes of God as revealed to us through Scripture.

We can, right now, decide to stop wasting precious minutes on that which is fleeting and temporal and instead invest our days in the lasting, eternal, and fruitful purposes of our heavenly Father.

Psalm 90:12 , “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” 

God longs to teach us how to use our days wisely.

He longs to give us a heart of wisdom that we might center our lives around meeting with him.

You and I have God himself dwelling within us, ready to guide us into a lifestyle of intentional and purposeful living.

I pray we will choose today to more fully open our hearts and minds to the Teacher, the very Spirit of God, and live according to his will – may we find peace, joy, and purpose in the ways in which we will invest our time today.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of using your time wisely.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any ways in which you’ve been using your time unwisely. 

Know that he is not a God who takes away all the things you enjoy.

He’s not anti-entertainment, friends, and parties.

He’s a fun God who truly loves you.

Don’t mix religion and the heart of your heavenly Father.

Trust that whatever he leads you to change will result in the absolute most fun, fruitful, and satisfying way you can live.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” James 4:13-15

3. Ask God to help you spend your time wisely today. Ask him to help you follow his direction as you go about the day set before you.

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7           

You can trust that God has the absolute best plan for your time. 

Matthew 6:8 promises, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” 

He has every one of your needs sorted out.

He will provide for you perfectly.

We can trust him with our complete life, we can know our jobs, family’s, and circumstances are better in the capable, loving hands of our heavenly Father.

Pray today we can choose to devote our time, job, money, and relationships to Him who is our Savior Jesus that they might be filled with the blessing of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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John 14:1-6Authorized (King James) Version

14 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ² 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. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. ⁴ And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

⁵ Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? ⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ⁷ If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Many of us are familiar with John 14, where Jesus tells His disciples that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

But what did that saying really mean for them, and what does it mean for us?

This short conversation happens on the last night before the crucifixion, during the Passover meal. 

Before this, Jesus had washed all of the disciple’s feet, predicted his betrayal by Judas, predicted his denial by Peter, and told each of the disciples he would soon be going away (John 13) absent his specifying where exactly he was going to go. 

All of this naturally prompted some direct questions from the disciples about where Jesus was going, and why it was that they could not follow with him:

John 14:1-7 Revised Standard Version

Jesus the Way to the Father

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe ^[a] in God, believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ^[b] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can 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 by me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.”

By him using this phrase, Jesus is establishing that knowing Him is not only the ultimate meaning and the ultimate fulfillment of life on earth, but it is the only way to really know the Father in heaven.

“I Am the Way”

As Jesus tells his disciples that he is the way, there are multiple meanings involved. 

First off, he directly and decisively addresses our very human instinct to know where we are going before we start a journey. 

The disciples wanted to know the next step, the next turn, the ultimate destination of where this journey in faith would lead them. 

When we have a long trip ahead of us, we want to turn on our GPS and get an idea of how long it will take and the roads we will travel on to get there. 

We determine the best, fastest routes and then start our journey. 

Thomas was looking for the same kind of information.

However, Jesus makes it clear that they (or we) won’t know the defined way we are supposed to travel in life. 

We are instead tasked with simply knowing and trusting in Jesus daily, and walking in faith that HE is, in immutable truth and undeniable fact, the way. 

When we abide in him, we will not know a defined course, but we can rest in the comfort of faith – he will lead us exactly where we need to go as we walk in him.

This leads to the second meaning. 

In John 10, Jesus compared himself to a good shepherd:

John 10:1-9 New American Standard Bible

Parable of the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. ² But the one who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus told them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them ^[a]meant.

⁷ So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Jesus is comparing himself to a shepherd and us to his sheep.

Sheep do not choose their own path to safety and protection, but rely on the shepherd to guard and care for them. 

In order to be safe, we have to trust the shepherd, and not wander off on our own adventures and try to find out own way. 

That will lead us to danger and pain. 

But when we follow Jesus, he leads us to exactly where we need to be.

Finally, he is making clear he is the way to the Father, by extension, to heaven.

He further says he goes ahead to prepare a place for us, and this suggests after we have completed the journey of this life, he would have already gone ahead, prepared that place, we’ll find ourselves in a place of rest where the Father is.

“I Am the Truth”

What is truth?

And how can we know truth?

After Jesus had been arrested, He found Himself standing before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea.

He had been accused of blasphemy, of stirring up the people to revolution, and it was rumored He called Himself a King.

In speaking to Him, Pilate found no evidence of any crime worthy of death, but was fascinated by His bold talk of a Kingdom “not of this world” (John 18:36). 

Pushing back on the idea of whether this lowly carpenter from Galilee truly considered Himself to be some kind of King, Jesus replies, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate’s response comes in the form of a question, the exact same question that humanity has been asking for centuries, the same response to Jesus that keeps so many from faith: “Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?'” (John 18:38)

Jesus answered this question in John 14 with only the disciples present when he tells them “I am the truth”. 

Jesus can testify to the truth, teach the truth because he himself is that truth. 

In him there is nothing false, there is nothing misleading, and there is nothing even remotely fake or even remotely uncertain. 

Each and every single of us are capable of knowing truth, but none of us can claim to actually be truth. 

There are too many things we don’t know, too many things we will never come to understand and by far, too many things we get wrong throughout our lives.

Yet here, Jesus claims to be truth, and in doing so claims to be One with God. 

The words of John 1:1 set the stage for this very fact: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

In this one sentence, John is proclaiming Jesus as ‘the Word’, which would have suggested that Jesus is the beginning and culmination of all that has been true throughout eternity, and that to seek the truth ultimately leads us to seek him.

When asking God to “search our hearts”(Psalm 139:23) we seek to figure out just what is the truth, what is a lie, we can then try to measure it against the words of Jesus, who himself is the truth – “to lead us in the way everlasting” (139:24).

“I Am the Life”

This saying also draws us back to the shepherd analogy of John 10:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. … “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me– just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (emphasis added)

Here Jesus is not only painting a picture of how he leads, guides, defends and knows his sheep, but also foreshadowing his coming brutal death on the cross.

But if this is true, why do Christians still continue to struggle so much in life? 

Why do we still endure pain and heartache?

Because, ultimately, this life is not the point. 

This life is not our ultimate goal, doesn’t encompass the entirety of who we are.

This life is a mere drop in the ocean of eternity and serves as the starting block on the marathon that leads us to our ultimate goal of our eternal life with God.

We can try to slow it down, we can spend time money and energy working to fight tooth and nail against it, but we cannot stop it from marching forward. 

Jesus is ultimately teaching us what we are to really be ultimately concerned with is not this life, but with eternal life. 

Scriptures speak frequently and often of the life to come after our life on this earth, and as we seek after the Truth, following the voice of our shepherd, we can grasp what that “ONLY Way” to eternal life, is in the here and the now.

We can live this life in such a way that we are not chasing things that don’t last but chasing the things that ultimately do last and will have eternal significance.

This type of life has eternal impact not only for us but untold others around us.

When Jesus refers to himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, he is giving us an infinitely better way to ultimately live our lives penultimately through him.

He is showing us that through following him daily in faith, he will lead us to a fuller, better, richer, more meaningful life than we could ever find on our own.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 61 English Standard Version

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
² from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
³ for you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy.

⁴ Let me dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
⁵ For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

⁶ Prolong the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
⁷ May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

⁸ So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I perform my vows day after day.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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John 14:1-6 English Standard Version

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;^[a] believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?^[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”^[c] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can 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 except through me.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The question is always asked: Why did God provide only one way to heaven?

Wouldn’t it have been more “user-friendly” to create many individualized narrow paths for God’s individualized children leading to eternity with Him?

In an honest attempt to illustrate God’s perfect plan, I picture a kingdom on a mountain – there is one well walked, well surveyed road to the summit, leading right to the kingdom’s front gates – a free map is offered to anyone who asks.

Yet, most people do not follow the map.

Yet most people will want to trod down their own paths figuring them to be well tamped down with those experiences successfully getting them into their gates.

Wide roads are so much easier for people to walk on because there are probably uncountable numbers of people struggling for their own individual space on the road-nobody want to bump into anyone else, no one wants to trip over another.

Wide roads hold more cars, sport utility vehicles and trucks and busses and motorcycles and God knows what else, their drivers and all their passengers.

Traffic Gridlock: Everyone is trying to get to their own destinations all at once.

For the road to the kingdom is narrow, gridlocked not always easy to navigate.

Instead, the travelers choose other roads.

Wide and easy, relaxed smooth driving, with beautiful scenery on the way, they convince themselves, the road they’re on must genuinely lead to the kingdom!

However, those winding individualized paths never truly reach the summit.

Inevitably, at some highway off ramp, they either take a detour or get off at the wrong exit, getting lost and cannot find their way back or they simply dead end.

As people continue to trek up, down and all around the mountain, I picture the Savior calling to all travelers, “Come, this is the way. Follow Me.” Yet, many go their own way, forging other paths and avoiding the One True Road at all cost.

So as those twelve disciples are all sitting together in that Upper Room, Jesus says the Way, the Truth and the Life – His way is sure and His path is open to all.

All twelve of these disciples will each walk out of that Upper Room on different paths in their coming ministries and missions on earth – and Jesus is #1 focus!

Acts 2:43-47 English Standard Version

⁴³ And awe^[a] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 8:4-8 English Standard Version

Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria

⁴ Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. ⁵ Philip went down to the city^[a] of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. ⁶ And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. ⁷ For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. ⁸ So there was much joy in that city.

So many children of God each individually commissioned by their Savior Jesus.

Acts 1:8 English Standard Version

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Different, individualized ministries and missions-yea unto all ends of the earth.

To all of those so many points of the globe a simple compass carries their feet.

Isaiah 52:6-8 English Standard Version

⁶ Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

⁷ How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
⁸ The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
    together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
    the return of the Lord to Zion.

So much good to be done, much grace, forgiveness and love of One God to share.

But One Message on Earth to reach literally all ends of earth – “Our God Reigns!

Only One Way for each of us to reach our promised heavenly homes –

John 14:6 English Standard Version

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

“Turn right and Go Straight!”

What a divine blessing to be given the exact directions to eternity!

There is no guesswork!

There is no “re-calculating” the journey.

Only Jesus paved the only way once and for all without mistake.

God didn’t send His Son to provide only one way to heaven out of a sense of arrogance or control, as some might believe.

He lovingly and painfully carved out the only path that would reach.

Across the impassable chasm of man’s sin and straight on up to the top of the mountain of our individual life’s journey, God gave His Son—the perfect Way.

Every other road, every other highway man travels will fall short of His glory.

It will dead-end.

But, there is One who calls… “Come and follow Me.”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16The Message

16 ^1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
    I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
    Without you, nothing makes sense.

³ And these God-chosen lives all around—
    what splendid friends they make!

⁴ Don’t just go shopping for a god.
    Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
    like brand-names.

^5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

^7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

^9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that’s not my destination!

¹¹ Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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