Witness in Words and Works

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me” (John 5:30-36).

The Teacher moved John to record everything Jesus did and said to show the world that God had come to dwell with His people… “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). In today’s scripture we see two testimonies that affirm that Jesus is both Christ (Messiah) and Son of God. One testimony comes through a man, John the Baptist… You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. The other testimony comes through the works Jesus was doing… the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me. The source of both testimonies was God… Not that the testimony that I receive is from man. Truth seekers learn here that if we are willing, God will use us to testify about Christ to the world today. We also see that true disciples witness in words and works.

How effective are you at sharing the gospel? How often to you tell others the good news? Jesus exhorted His disciples to testify about Him to the whole world. He called His disciples witnesses… “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” (Acts 1:8). A witness is one who testifies about something or someone to others. It often takes place in a court of law where the witness shares what he or she knows or has seen with a judge or jury that will render a decision or response based on the witness’ testimony. As Christ followers and disciples we are called by Jesus to be His witnesses by testifying about Him to others… “God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:40-42).

The Teacher inspired Luke to write that Old Testament prophets testified that Jesus would be the Messiah who forgave sins… “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). A prophet serves the Lord by declaring God’s revealed truth to others. Every disciple of Christ has received God’s truth… “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Luke 10:21). Every disciple has a testimony to share with the world.

Jesus exhorts us to imitate the Baptist by testifying to His truth with our words… “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). The Spirit of Truth echoes this commandment to testify about Christ with our words… “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). Jesus also exhorts us to testify to His truth through God’s work in and through us… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:12-13). As disciples of Christ, everything we say and do is a testimony of our faith in Christ.

As we grow up into Christ others will be compelled to seek and find Christ as we learn to…

Witness in Words and Works.

Son of God and Son of Man

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:25-29).

Jesus told the Jews that His Father entrusted the work of judgment to Him… “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). The Spirit inspired John to reveal here that both life and judgment were offered to sinners through Christ. The Son was the incarnation of the Word of the Father. Through His words and deeds Jesus confronts sinners with God’s truth and compels them to believe in Christ and receive eternal life in exchange for judgment… “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). Sinners may reject Christ, in which case the wrath and judgment of God remains on them… “Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). The Spirit of Truth reveals here that for both living and dead, Christ alone is the difference between life and judgment because Christ alone is both Son of God and Son of Man.

Everyone contemplates the question of life after death. It is one of the big questions that shape our worldview and impact how we live everyday life here and now. If we believe in life after death then we can hope for more than what we’ve received in this temporal world. But there is a deeper, more important question raised by this belief in an afterlife. What is it like? Is it better or worse than this life? How is it related to this life? Do we face or forget the blessings and consequences of this life’s words and actions in the afterlife? Are the injustices of this life corrected in the next life? Every person who has ever lived in every culture that ever existed has wrestled with the question about life beyond death.

The Word of God came to dwell with us to confront us with God’s truth about life and death. After healing the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda Jesus confronted the accusations of the Jews with truth that confirmed His divinity. Then he moved the crowd toward a consideration of the eternal consequences of their decision to accept or reject His claim to be the Messiah. Jesus reminded them God’s word taught the Messiah would be the Son of God… “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’”? (Hebrews 1:5), and the Son of Man… “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Daniel 7:13).

As the Son of God, Jesus could offer life to mankind because He is of the same essence as God… For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. God is life and He lives forever… “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). God desires to give the same life He has to His children… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God gives life through the Son… “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).

As the Son of Man, Jesus could execute judgment. In the flesh He became like us and lived above sin… “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). In the flesh Jesus paid for sin at Calvary… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).

As we grow up into Christ we anticipate eternal life, not judgment, because we know He is both…

Son of God and Son of Man.

The Creative and Saving Power of God

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:19-25).

The Jews wanted to know why Jesus violated their Sabbath laws when He healed the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda. His response revealed important truth about who he was. He told the Jews that He did nothing on His own. It was by the authority of God that He worked. Even more, He told them He had no choice… “The Son can do nothing of his own accord”. He could only do the work He saw His Father already doing. He pointed to specific works of healing and resurrection. He promised they would see even greater works soon. Then He told them the primary purpose of His work here among them was to reveal God’s judgment. He used this moment of confrontation to affirm His divinity. Jesus taught here that the Father and the Son are one and the Word we see both the creative and saving power of God.

The Spirit teaches that the power and glory of God are revealed clearly in all He has created… “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Our teacher reaffirms this truth through the pen of the apostle Paul… “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20). Because He is the same essence as God, Jesus reveals the glory and power of God every time He does the creative, sustaining, and redeeming work of God… “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created… all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:15-16). Because He is of the same essence as God Jesus can do only the healing, forgiving, and redeeming works that reveal and confirm that He is God… “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father” (John 10:37-38). Jesus taught the skeptical, curious Jews that the creative works he was doing confirmed that He was God dwelling with them… “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves” (John 14:11).

Then Jesus took this lesson one step further. He told the crowd that there was one special work that the Father had given to Him, the work of Judgment… The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son. The Holy Spirit moved Asaph to record that God alone is judge… “The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge” (Psalm 50:6). The Spirit also led the prophet Isaiah to reveal that God would give the work of judgment among His people to the Messiah… “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse… He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth” (Isaiah 11:1-4). The Word became flesh and dwelt with us to reveal God’s judgment to the world through His words and deeds… “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48). Jesus exhorts truth seekers to hear and believe the Word, escape God’s judgment, and receive the promise of eternal life… Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

As we grow up into Christ we learn that the words and deeds of Jesus confirm that He is God and offer us eternal life in the place of judgment because through faith in Him we experience both…

The Creative and Saving Power of God.

Christ is Always at Work in Us

So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God (John 5:10-18).

This all happened on the Sabbath. Jesus was well aware that it was the Sabbath. The diligent truth seeker will discover a divine plan here to reveal wonderful truth about Jesus Christ. He is God incarnate… “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Spirit teaches this same truth through the pen of the apostle Paul… “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:19). Here, Jesus revealed Himself to be God dwelling with people in three precious ways. The Spirit teaches us today that when we rest In Him, Christ is always at work in us.

The Jews were absolutely correct… “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed”. It is absolutely true that God rested on the first Sabbath… “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:3). It’s also true that God is still working… “My Father is working until now“. God did indeed rest from His work “done in creation”. God is no longer doing creative work, but through Jesus Christ the Son God continues doing three important types of work. Jesus continues God's governing, sustaining, and redeeming work. And God invites us to come to Christ and to rest in Him so He can do His work in us… “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

When we stop living according to the ever changing rules of the world and surrender to the authority of God as revealed in His word, we find rest… “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). When we submit to the governing work of Christ our hearts find peace because we are right with our sovereign God.

When we bring our needs to Jesus we know He will hear and answer our prayer at any time because He is always doing the sustaining work of God... “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). He wants to be the first person we run to when we are sick, hurt, oppressed, confused, or have any physical, emotional, or spiritual need. In healing the invalid by the Pool of Bethesda Jesus showed us that no matter what day of the week it is, where we are, or who’s looking on, He wants us to bring our need to Him so He can do God’s sustaining work in us, meet our need, and reveal the glory of God… “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:19-20).

Jesus did one more work in the invalid’s heart on this Sabbath. He forgave His sin… “Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you” (John 5:14). He did not care that it was the Sabbath or that the ever critical Jews were watching. Something much more important was at stake. Jesus wants us to know His forgiveness is always available to the repentant heart… “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

As we grow up into Christ we are blessed by His governing, sustaining, and forgiving work because…

Christ is Always at Work in Us.

Faith in Christ Alone

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked” (John 5:1-9).

He was lying helplessly beside the pool that held such promise. He was so close to a miracle, yet he was so far. He had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. He watched others get their miracle but there was no one to help him get his. He had been in this condition and in this place for so long it had begun to feel natural to him very long ago. This was his lot in life. This was the life he deserved. The one day Jesus came along… “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Christ came near and He was about to invite this poor invalid to see “His glory” (John 1:14). But we have to love the way Jesus approached this desperate man. He asked him a question that overstated the obvious… “Do you want to be healed?” On this special day, Jesus confronted the invalid with a question that provoked his faith and he moved from hopelessness to healing that comes through faith in Christ alone.

We have all been there. We have struggled with trouble for so long that it seems to have become a permanent fixture in our lives. We have exhausted all the possible remedies. We have been to all the experts. The prognosis remains bleak. Because we are Christ followers we have prayed, been prayed over, been prayed with, and we won’t stop praying. We feel alone, abandoned by friends, family, and the church. We sometimes feel even God has looked away from us. We seek deliverance from this terrible situation and place, but it might be that God has us exactly where He wants us. Remember, it is God’s ultimate desire to dwell with us. He wants us to behold His glory and enjoy intimate fellowship with Him. In the midst of our struggle with trouble God will show up and provoke us to increase our faith in Christ alone.

When Jesus showed up and asked his probing question of the invalid, He challenged him to learn the truth that trouble awakens our desire to be healed and should direct our attention to Christ. This was not the life God wanted for him. God did not want him trusting in a pool or angel, or any thing or person beside God for his healing. He was inviting the poor man to look away from the world and toward Christ to meet His need. When we allow our trouble to increase our trust Christ alone to meet our need God receives glory… “And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel” (Matthew 15:30-31).

When Christ showed up and asked his penetrating question the invalid was made aware of his loneliness. His answer revealed the truth that there was no one and nothing in the world that could help him… “I have no one to put me into the pool”. When we let our trouble direct our attention to Christ we discover anew the truth that Jesus is not of this world, but He is sovereign over it… “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

When Christ showed up and asked his provoking question the invalid was compelled to make a choice. Would he continue in the hopelessness of the 38 year old promise of the world or would He place his trust in Christ? He obeyed Christ’s command and… at once the man was healed!

As we grow up into Christ He is walking with us in triumphs and trials, provoking in us a maturing…

Faith in Christ Alone.

Saving Faith

After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. (John 4:43-54).

The Spirit of Truth describes here a short journey from Samaria to Galilee. This seems to be a rather small detail in the larger story of… “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Holy Spirit inspired John to record here a testimony uttered by Jesus Himself. The Spirit moved both Matthew and Mark to record the same testimony in its original context… “And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household’” (Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4). The Spirit brought this truth to John’s mind and moved him to insert it here to teach us that Jesus was willing to go anywhere and do anything in His search for saving faith.

When the Teacher used this expression in the synoptic Gospels, it applied to Nazareth. Here in John’s gospel the words of Christ remind us that the Jews rejected Christ and He’s probably speaking of the entire Jewish nation…  “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). John recorded the Jewish rejection of Christ… “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him” (John 7:1). John also wrote that Christ was received by the Samaritans after spending only two days with them… “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did’” (John 4:39).  Christ was also received by the Galileans, though it took longer and their reasons were suspect… So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. The Samaritans had received Christ for who He was, the Savior of the world. The Galileans received Christ for what He did, the miracles in Jerusalem.

Among the Galileans in Capernaum, Christ encountered an official whose son was ill. Jesus used this man’s desperate request for his son’s healing to teach His followers something about saving faith. He challenged this desperate father to move beyond faith in the works of Christ and to place His faith in the person of Christ… Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe. The man who came to Jesus because He did miracles was moved to ask Jesus to come in person to his dying son. Jesus did not go with the official, but He granted the healing that he requested. When this long-distance healing was confirmed, the divinity of Christ was confirmed and the official and his whole household believed. The Spirit reveals the nature of Christ here. He will go anywhere and do anything to provoke genuine, saving faith. The Spirit teaches that saving faith requires much more than believing in miracles. It requires believing that the person Jesus Christ is… “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” and “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:14, 29).

As we grow up into Christ our zeal to share His gospel with everyone grows because we know He is willing to go anywhere and do anything to find…

Saving Faith.

The Satisfying Work of Every True Believer

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor” (John 4:31-38).

The Samaritan woman came to the well thirsty. Jesus came to the well tired... “Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour” (John 4:6) and hungry… “Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’” (John 4:31). But His response revealed that Jesus had a different kind of hunger. While the disciples were concerned about the hunger for food that controlled their stomachs, Jesus was consumed with a hunger to do the will of him who sent me. This kind of hunger could only be satisfied by doing His work. Jesus defined the work that satisfied His hunger by using a metaphor of the harvest. He invited His followers to engage in the work of making disciples because it is the satisfying work of every true believer.

The Author of the scriptures, the Holy Spirit masterfully nestled this discourse right in the middle of John’s description of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman and her response to His invitation to believe in Him as the Messiah… “The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.’  Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he’” (John 4:25-26). The Spirit inspired John to record that many of the Samaritan woman’s neighbors believed in Christ because of her testimony… “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony” (John 4:39). The Spirit also led John to note that she led many other neighbors directly to Jesus to hear and believe His words in person… “We have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). Truth seekers discover in the transformed life of the Samaritan woman a primary characteristic of genuine discipleship. Evidence of the new life in Christ is a hunger to share the good news with others because the love of Christ has taken control of the new believer’s heart… “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;  and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

The Spirit clearly reveals here that although He was tired and hungry, Jesus was consumed with doing the work of God. He also shows us here that the work of God is sharing the gospel and making disciples. Jesus revealed at another time that He shares His joy with the angels in heaven over the salvation of souls… “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Jesus wanted His disciples to know the same satisfaction and fulfillment that He and the angels experienced when a lost sinner repents and believes in Him. That’s why He gave the work of sharing the gospel and reconciling sinners with God to His disciples… “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). That’s why he began His earthly ministry with an invitation to His followers to earnestly do the work of God by making disciples, and He ended His earthly ministry with a commission to make disciples… “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

As we grow up into Christ our hunger to share the gospel and make disciples grows because it’s…

The Satisfying Work of Every True Believer.

A Great Exchange

Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him…

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:27-30… 39-42).

She came to the well thirsty. She came carrying a heavy water jar. She came bearing a heavy heart overflowing with guilt and shame. She came from a town inhabited by outcasts, but it was her town and they were her people. She met “the Messiah” (see John 4:25-26). He gave her “living water” (John 4:10). Immediately everything changed. Her thirst for water was replaced by a compulsion to tell her people about the Christ. She was so driven that she left her water jar and went away into town. Her report of the encounter with Jesus was so compelling that Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony. During the next two days many more of her neighbors believed after hearing His words in person. The Holy Spirit inspired John to record the conversion of this Samaritan woman in great detail in order to reveal a precious truth about salvation. When a sinner is saved something marvelous happens. We might call it a great exchange.

The Spirit of Truth paints a wonderful picture here of the exchange that occurs when a sinner becomes a saint. Can you recall your conversion? Some of us had a dramatic encounter with Christ that resulted in immediate and obvious changes in our lives. Others grew up in a Christian home and when we personalized our faith in Christ there was little outward change because we were already immersed in a holy lifestyle by loving Christian parents. Either way, there was a change. We stopped living for self and started living for Christ. The Spirit inspired John to call this exchange the new birth. John wrote that when we receive Christ by faith we are born of God… “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). When the Samaritan villagers heard and believed the words of Jesus in person they experienced the same transformation that the woman at the well experienced. Jesus taught that this exchange is like passing from death to life… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

The Spirit teaches that in order to make room for the new life in Christ, the old life of self must end. He moved Paul to teach that before we are baptized, or immersed in the new life of Christ we must be crucified, or put to death through Christ… “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). The Spirit of Truth also teaches through Paul that when the old life of self is passed away we are free to become a new creation… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Spirit compels Christ followers to imitate the Samaritan woman by exchanging old life of self for new life in Christ. Paul described this exchange… “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Every day we are challenged to replace the cares and concerns of this world with increasing faith and maturing life in Christ.

As we grow up into Christ we no longer live for self, but we live for Him because we’ve experienced…

A Great Exchange.

God is Seeking

 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he” (John 4:16-26).

Today our Teacher shows us that Jesus, God in the flesh (see John 1:14), went very intentionally to a foreign land filled with despised people looking for someone He could reveal Himself as Messiah to. He met with a Samaritan woman who came seeking water and He offered her much more… “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). The Jesus went to work confronting her with truth that moved her to call Him a prophet. Jesus wanted her to confess the sinful condition of her heart so He could deliver her from the stronghold of brokenness and rejection that held her prisoner. When she focused the conversation on religious matters Jesus was persistent and confronted her again with the truth that God was seeking her out. God was pursuing this woman because He knew her heart could be healed if she would heed His call to worship Him in spirit and truth. Truth seekers are encouraged today to become the kind of worshipers that God is seeking.

Sometimes the Spirit reveals a truth that compels us to say, WOW! Today He teaches that God is looking for a particular kind of people. Could God be looking for you? Wouldn't it be encouraging knowing that you are the object of God’s interest and longing? What kind of people is God seeking? What happens when God connects with someone that He has been seeking?

God is BIG… “Thus says the LORD: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool’ (Isaiah 66:1). God is EVERYWHERE… “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD? Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD?” (Jeremiah 23:24). God is BUSY… “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). And today we learn that God is looking for someone special… “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). We notice that what God is seeking is a matter of the heart. The Spirit echoes the truth here that God does not look at the exterior of men and women. God looks into the heart… “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

God is not looking for the wise, powerful, or famous… “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27). God is seeking a particular kind of heart, and our heart is revealed in our worship… “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). God seeks worship that reveals a heart fully surrendered to His Spirit… “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). God seeks worship that reveals a heart immersed in and set apart by His truth… “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

As we grow up into Christ worshiping in spirit and truth, we become the kind of worshipers that…

God is Seeking.

Fountain of Living Water

 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water” (John 4:7-15).

Jesus showed that He was not to be controlled by the cultural prejudices of His day. Although He was a male and a Jew while she was a female and a Samaritan, Jesus spoke to her despite the political incorrectness of the day, For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. The incarnation of God’s Word humbly sought a drink from a woman of Samaria. The Spirit revealed the full humanity of Christ here as in Christ God was thirsty. At the same time, the Spirit revealed the full divinity of Christ as Jesus shared precious spiritual truth with this despised woman. Jesus showed this precious Samaritan woman that He was the gift of God, that if she trusted Him she would never be thirsty again, and that He wanted to be her fountain of living water.

The Spirit of Truth teaches that Jesus Christ is the gift of God. God is good... “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5). God is generous… “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). Because He is good and generous, God gives good gifts… “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).  Jesus Christ affirms the truth that God gives good gifts to His children… “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11). And Jesus presented Himself as the good and perfect gift that this poor Samaritan woman needed. The Spirit inspired Paul to affirm Jesus as the great gift of God… “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

The Spirit of Truth teaches that Jesus Christ meets every need. This woman traveled far, seeking water that would quench her physical thirst. She encountered a stranger who offered a solution to a deeper spiritual need that she was not even thinking about at the moment. The Spirit gives us another glimpse into the divinity of Christ here by showing us His omniscience and compassion. Jesus knew and exposed this woman’s real need. Then through Christ, God offered to meet her deepest need… “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

The Spirit of Truth teaches that Jesus Christ offers believers living water. Not long after drinking water from Jacob’s well this Samaritan woman would thirst again. She would return to her same old difficult life. But she had just met Christ, the incarnation of God, whom the prophet Jeremiah identified as the fountain of living water… “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 17:13). In Christ, the Word offered this needy woman a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Christ makes the same life transforming and sustaining offer to all who will believe in Him… “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38).

As we grow up into Christ we are filled to overflowing with new eternal life because He is our…

Fountain of Living Water.

Christ Followers or Disciples

 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria.  So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour (John 4:1-6).

The Teacher provides more evidence here that in Christ, God came to dwell with His children as we journey through this temporal world. God lived and journeyed with the Old Testament children of promise… “For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys” (Exodus 40:38). The Spirit inspired Paul to teach that Christ followers are New Testament children of promise… “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise” (Galatians 4:28). Today we discover that the Spirit moved John to record that in Christ, God came to dwell and journey with Christ followers as we make our way through the wilderness of this temporal world toward heaven, our land of promise… “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Today the Teacher reveals truth about the work He wants to accomplish in and through us and He asks if we are Christ followers or disciples.

Today the Holy Spirit shows us that making disciples of His followers was a priority for Christ. The whole community knew that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John. They talked so much about it that news got all the way back to the hallowed halls of the Pharisees. The Teacher reveals the truth that not every Christ follower was a disciple of Christ. People followed Jesus for many different reasons. Some needed or wanted to see the miracles. Some wanted to learn the latest philosophy. Some wanted or needed to belong to the crowd. Some wanted to trap and embarrass Him. Jesus loved and embraced them all and He never stopped challenging them to mature from follower into disciple.

Christ comes to live in our hearts via the Spirit of Christ… “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6). But are we a Christ follower or a disciple of Christ? The heart is the seat of our emotions. It is the heart that moves us to action. We don’t often act on what we know but we do often act on what we believe. The Spirit teaches us to carefully guard our heart because what we believe in our hearts guides the direction of our lives… “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus taught that our words and actions are a revelation of what’s in control of our hearts… “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). So, if Christ the Living Word of God fills our hearts and we guard and keep Him there like a treasure, our words and deeds will be a reflection Christ to others… “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16). A disciple of Christ is a reflection of Christ.

The Greek word translated disciples here is mathētēs and it means learner, student, or pupil. Not every Christ follower was a genuine learner or student. Jesus challenged His followers to become disciples by immersing themselves in the truth of His word… “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). Jesus taught that His followers could know and be known as His disciples only by their love for each other… “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus also challenged His followers to become and prove to the world that they were His disciples by bearing the kind of fruit that glorifies God… “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8).

As we grow up into Christ our faith grows every time we choose correctly between being…

Christ Followers or Disciples.

Life in the Son

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:31-36).

Some scholars believe that these are the words of John the Baptist, a part of his conversation continued from the previous verses. Others believe according to the grammar of the text that these are the words of the apostle John. Christ followers know these are the words of God, breathed by the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth and wisdom of God to truth seekers… “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Spirit confronts us here with a clear choice. He presents an invitation to believe and obey Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He tells us why we should choose the Son and He tells us about the daily blessings living life in the Son.

The Teacher compels us today to remember and reflect on the most important decision we make in this temporal life. When we responded to the grace of God and believed in Christ our lives were changed completely. Our eternal destiny was transformed from death to life… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). The way we experience and live life here in the temporal world should be transformed by the same faith we experienced at our new birth… “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7). The Spirit of Truth challenges us today to consider whether we are living a life that reflects belief in He who comes from above or he who is of the earth. Through today’s text the Spirit exhorts Christ followers to “walk in Him” every day by revealing three blessings of living out our faith in Christ.

First there is the blessing of knowing and walking in God’s truth. The Spirit inspired John to teach that whoever receives Christ discovers that God is true. God is pleased by those who walk with Christ because they walk in truth… “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).

Second there is the blessing of knowing and understanding God’s word. The Spirit teaches here that Jesus Christ utters the words of God. We will not hear and understand the word of God from anyone who does not have the Word of God living in them… “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’” (John 6:68).

Third there is the blessing of receiving and living life in the Holy Spirit. The Teacher reveals the truth that Christ gives His Spirit without measure to those who strive to walk with Him in this sinful world… “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

These three blessings combine to grant us a glimpse of eternal life. When we live according to our faith in He who comes from above we experience victory over sin, life above temptation, and the kind of eternal perspective that sees beyond every day trials. When we walk in Him there is no room in our lives for the wrath of God and we experience the real, eternal life God wants for us because… “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).

As we grow up into Christ our saving faith becomes living faith and we enjoy the daily blessings of

Life in the Son.

More of Christ and Less of Me

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison).

Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:16-21).

Some of John the Baptist’s disciples noticed that their numbers were dwindling. They reported to John that everyone was crossing over the Jordan River to follow Jesus Christ. They remembered Jesus was the one the Baptist had identified as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Our Teacher included this event in John’s gospel to provide us a revelation of the condition of the hearts of some of John’s disciples. Why were they concerned about the increasing number of Christ’s disciples? What was the motivation behind bringing this report to the Baptist? Were they comparing the success of Jesus’ ministry with their own shrinking ministry? Why had they not gone over to follow Jesus? John’s response to their report was humble and joyful. His answer revealed the condition of his heart and the position of his life in Christ. He remained committed to being the messenger of the Messiah, and he rejoiced as others came to Christ, even those who left him. The Baptist acknowledged that Christ must increase, but I must decrease. John’s personal joy increased as the work of Christ increased. As truth seekers read today’s scripture the Holy Spirit guides us to the precious truth that our hearts will be filled with real fulfillment and joy when there is more of Christ and less of me.

What is it that brings joy to your heart? How much time, attention, and energy do you spend pursuing that person or thing that brings you joy? How long does that kind of joy last? How much does that joy depend upon the success of your own efforts? Whatever it is that brings you great joy can become a priority in your life. It can be a person, a place, or a thing. It can be a job, a position, or even a ministry. It can consume your thoughts, your time, and your money. It can take over your life and become the one great thing that you are living for. The problem is that because nothing that brings joy in this life lasts forever, there is nothing in this temporal world worth living an eternal life for.

When we become a Christ follower we stop living for our self and to start living for Christ… “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’” (Matthew 16:24). When we are born again we surrender our former self-centered life and begin a new life in Christ… “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). The Spirit of Truth challenges Christ followers to imitate David as we mature in the faith to let go of everything and everybody that we depend on for joy and look to the Lord alone as our source of strength and joy… “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26). The Spirit moved Paul to teach this truth by his own personal example… “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). When we die to self and live for Christ a marvelous transformation takes place in our heart and our joy increases as His work in and through us increases… “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

As we grow up into Christ our joy and fulfillment increases as in our hearts are filled with…

More of Christ and Less of Me.

The Love and Light of God

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God” (John 3:16-21).

These words of Jesus are among the most familiar words from the Bible… For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. We see and hear these words quoted often. They even appear on signs at football games and other sporting events. Many Christ followers believe the words spoken here by Jesus to the wise and learned teacher of Israel Nicodemus are a concise summary of the truth of the gospel. Nicodemus had asked a penetrating question… “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). Jesus answered that spiritual truth is revealed through revelation by God’s grace and He included in His response the amazing truth that God sent His only Son into the world that we might know the love and light of God.

When you give a gift to someone and you want to show how much you love them, don’t you give your best? Don’t you want the value of the gift to reflect the value of your love? When our Father wanted us to know how much He loved us He sent His only Son. He did not send another creature, another human being, or even an adopted son. God gave His only Son because only the Son could reveal the intensity of God’s love to us and provoke the kind of response that God longed for.

Imagine how intense God’s love is. The Spirit moved John to write God so loved the world. The Spirit inspired Paul to teach that God loves sinners… “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). The Spirit inspired John to write that God loves Christ followers, His adopted children… “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). Indeed, God loves the whole world with an intense love that moved Him to send His Son Jesus to give His life that we might receive life from Him.

The Spirit plainly teaches that all people are sinners… “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). What sets God’s adopted children apart from the rest of the world’s sinners? It’s all about our response to the love and light of God revealed in Christ. Jesus Christ was the love of God but He was also the light of God that came into the world He created… “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). When sinners approach the light of God something amazing happens. The condition of our heart is illuminated by the true light. Those who love the darkness of their evil ways are repelled by God’s light… everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, while genuine truth seekers are drawn to God’s light… whoever does what is true comes to the light. When truth seekers who have been drawn to the true light respond in faith to receive Christ, they are born again as children of God… “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Children of God are promised eternal life and all the blessings that come from walking daily with Christ in His glorious light… “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

As we grow up into Christ we become more like Him as we walk daily in…

The Love and Light of God.

Born Again

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.  Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”  Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:1-15).

The Holy Spirit reveals important truth about a central doctrine of the Christian faith here through the record of the apostle John. Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council came to Jesus one night seeking truth about the kingdom of God that was being revealed through the work of “The Word (that) became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Nicodemus was among those who saw Jesus turn water into wine and cleanse the temple. The words and works of Christ prompted an earnest desire in his heart to learn more about the kingdom of God. He was the teacher of Israel yet this learned man was stumped by Jesus’ declaration that “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again”.

Do you remember when you first believed in Christ? Did you understand what it means to be born again? Someone probably told you how to become a Christian. You probably followed their instruction to pray a sinner’s prayer where you admitted that you were a sinner, believed that Jesus Christ paid for your sin in His death on the cross, and confessed Him as your Savior and Lord. Did you pray this prayer because you fully understood all of its truth? If you did not fully grasp the truth of the gospel when you prayed, perhaps it was at your baptism or at some other time when you were challenged to publicly declare or take a stand for what you believed about Christ. The Spirit of Truth teaches today that your belief in the spiritual truth about Christ is evidence that you are born again.

In sharing gospel truth with the learned teacher Nicodemus, Jesus used the earthly term born again to communicate the heavenly truth about seeing and entering the kingdom of God. Why couldn’t this teacher of Israel recognize the kingdom of God after learning and teaching Biblical truth all of his life? Why must we be born again to see and respond to gospel truth? The Spirit of Truth teaches that because of sin we are all spiritually dead… “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:1-2). A dead person cannot see, hear, or respond to anything, including gospel truth. Jesus taught Nicodemus that God’s grace gives life to those who look to Christ in the same way that God’s grace gave life to the snake-bitten Israelites that looked to the serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness… And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (Read about it here… Numbers 21:9) The Teacher echoes this truth through the pen of the apostle Paul… “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

As we grow up into Christ we appreciate the grace of God that gave us life so we could understand and believe the truth of His gospel and know that we have been…

Born Again.

More than a Sign

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man  (John 2:23-25).

Our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, inspired John to record that many who saw the signs Jesus was doing believed in his name. John wrote near the end of this gospel that the Spirit moved him to record the signs and miracles of Christ so that truth seekers in every age would believe in Him… “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). So far John recorded only two of the signs of Jesus; turning water into wine and cleansing the temple. Apparently these were enough to provoke belief in the hearts of many. However, their belief did not provoke a similar belief in the heart of Christ. He did not entrust himself to them. What kept Jesus from eagerly receiving and trusting in these new believers and welcoming them into His circle of disciples? The Spirit does not answer this question directly but does show us here that Christ knew that to really follow Him, believers need much more than a sign.

Are you a Christ follower? How long have you been following Him? Do you remember what it was that provoked you to believe in Him? Was it something special He did for you? Was it a miracle or sign of some sort? What happened next? Did you find yourself drawn to His word? To other believers? To His Church? What happened to your faith as you studied His word and discovered His truth? Was your life changed as your faith matured?

People are often drawn to Christ by a miracle or sign… “A large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick” (John 6:2). But if we try to follow Him because of something He did or something we hope He will do for us, we are too easily swept away by the schemes of our adversary in the Great War… “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus warned His followers that Satan and his followers can and will perform miracles and signs too… “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). But the Spirit reveals the key to discerning and resisting the deceptive work of the devil through the pen of the apostle Paul… “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). Those who refused to love the truth are vulnerable to the deceptive work of the adversary. Following Christ requires much more than belief in and anticipation of miracles and signs. Following Christ requires believing and loving His truth more than anything else.

The Spirit moved the apostle Paul to teach that belief in Christ is a serious matter of the heart… “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:10). And because Jesus is “The Word (that) became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), He alone knows our heart. Jesus distinguished His true followers from other believers by their love for His word and His truth… “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32). When He looks into the heart of Christ followers He is looking for a genuine love of His truth… “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4).

As we grow up into Christ our hunger and love for His truth grows and draws us closer and closer into intimate fellowship with Him as we learn that following Christ is secured by truth, which is much…

More than a Sign.

He Came to Purify His House

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken (John 2:13-22).

Jesus was Jewish, so He followed the prescribed laws of Judaism. He went to the Temple to celebrate Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread… “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast” (Exodus 12:14). God commanded the children of promise to celebrate this feast annually with a sacrifice at the future temple in Jerusalem… “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you” (Deuteronomy 16:16-17). But Jesus was also “The Word (that) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus’ appearance at the temple was God coming to His house, and He came to purify His house.

The Spirit of Truth moved the prophet Malachi to describe this event hundreds of years before it occurred… “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1). The Spirit-inspired prophet revealed the truth that Christ’s appearance at His temple would produce some drama. When the Word and glory of God entered the temple there would be a refining and cleansing of the house of God… “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap” (Malachi 3:2). The Lord’s cleansing would purify the temple and even more important, the Lord would refine and purify the hearts of the priests who served in the temple… “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD” (Malachi 3:3). The offerings made on behalf of the people would no longer be the products of buying and selling in the temple’s courts, but after this cleansing of both the temple and the hearts of the priests, their offerings would be considered righteous and pleasing to the Lord… “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years” (Malachi 3:4).

The Word entered and cleansed the temple to illustrate the truth that Christ desires to enter our hearts to cleanse us and make us righteous and pleasing to God. The Spirit teaches the truth that Christ followers are the temple of God today… “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). As we mature in the faith the presence of Christ in our hearts convicts and compels us to live above and apart from the sin of this temporal world… “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16).

As we grow up into Christ and yield to His cleansing work we get increasing victory over sin because…

He Came to Purify His House.