I Am the Resurrection and the Life
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
I read this during my time with the Lord this morning and wanted to share it. I hope that it will bless you!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Ecumenical?
The following is a quote from Spurgeon.
To pursue union at the expense of truth is treason to the Lord Jesus. If we are prepared to enter into solemn league and covenant for the defense of the crown-rights of King Jesus, we cannot give up the crown-jewels of his gospel for the sake of a larger charity. He is our Master and Lord, and we will keep his words: to tamper with his doctrine would be to be traitors to himself.
Todays Church is striving for unity with others. I say amen to Mr Spurgeon!
To pursue union at the expense of truth is treason to the Lord Jesus. If we are prepared to enter into solemn league and covenant for the defense of the crown-rights of King Jesus, we cannot give up the crown-jewels of his gospel for the sake of a larger charity. He is our Master and Lord, and we will keep his words: to tamper with his doctrine would be to be traitors to himself.
Todays Church is striving for unity with others. I say amen to Mr Spurgeon!
Friday, October 31, 2008
ESV Study Bible
I was waiting anxiously the other day for a package to arrive in the mail. I'm not very good at waiting sometimes! I just get so excited! You should see me on Christmas eve, just like a little kid. I am always the first one up. Well, this particular package was important to me because it contained 2 ESV study bibles. One for me and the other for my son Tyler. Upon receiving the above mentioned treasures I realized that they were the largest study bibles I had ever encountered in all of my 34 years. Something akin to the family bible that has been passed down from generation to generation. Secretly, I was happy to see the mass of this bible! Now when I walk into church I can hold my head high because I know that a big bible means big spirituality! Admit it! You have thought it too!
Seriously though. I love this study bible! Admittedly I have very little experience reading ESV, but so far it is a joy to read. The commentary is outstanding, the layout is nice, plenty of room for notes, there are even blank pages in the back for additional notes! There is also a ton of other info spread out in the different sections of scripture and a large section in the rear that talks about systematic theology! Another feature that I am really enjoying is the online version. A very useful tool! The Reformed and Calvinist leaning is also very appreciated!
It has been a blessing working with this bible with my son. This is his first study bible and I am enjoying the process of teaching him how to use this powerful tool! I pray that we would both grow closer to our God as we spend time in His eternal Word together!
All this for under 45 bucks! I would highly recommend this bible to anyone in the market!
Seriously though. I love this study bible! Admittedly I have very little experience reading ESV, but so far it is a joy to read. The commentary is outstanding, the layout is nice, plenty of room for notes, there are even blank pages in the back for additional notes! There is also a ton of other info spread out in the different sections of scripture and a large section in the rear that talks about systematic theology! Another feature that I am really enjoying is the online version. A very useful tool! The Reformed and Calvinist leaning is also very appreciated!
It has been a blessing working with this bible with my son. This is his first study bible and I am enjoying the process of teaching him how to use this powerful tool! I pray that we would both grow closer to our God as we spend time in His eternal Word together!
All this for under 45 bucks! I would highly recommend this bible to anyone in the market!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sinner to sinner
How terrible is my sin? How awful is your sin? How sinful was the sin of Adam? How wretched is original sin? What about a white lie? What about the "little" sins that we may commit every day? Any ONE of those sins put Christ, God's son, the creator of all, eternal, son of the Most High Sovereign God, on the cross.
How Great is God? How great is His Son?
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven. Jesus Christ had to be sacrificed in order for our sin to be forgiven!
How terrible is my sin? So terrible that the Son of God HAD to be sacrificed in order that my sin can be forgiven. So awful that a Just God allowed his Son to be killed so that we can be justified.
How awful my sin!!!!
How great is the love of our God!
Praise be to God!!!!
How Great is God? How great is His Son?
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven. Jesus Christ had to be sacrificed in order for our sin to be forgiven!
How terrible is my sin? So terrible that the Son of God HAD to be sacrificed in order that my sin can be forgiven. So awful that a Just God allowed his Son to be killed so that we can be justified.
How awful my sin!!!!
How great is the love of our God!
Praise be to God!!!!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thankful
I just recently finished reading a book called the Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent. It's a book that talks about how important it is for all Christians to live in the Gospel. We can never know it too well! It is awesome to think that our just God looks as us as Christians as righteous through the blood of His perfect Son. I rejoice in the fact that it is not by my works that I am saved but because of Him who came to save me. There is nothing I can do to better my position with God. When I sin, I know that I am being disobedient to my Heavenly Father but He continues to love me and look at me through His Son because I am washed in the blood.
This morning at church we looked at scripture from 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus is sufficient. God is sufficient. Gods word is sufficient.
Believe it of not I still sin! I am so thankful that my God does not hold that against me! Thank you for defending me Jesus Christ, the Righteous One!
This morning at church we looked at scripture from 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus is sufficient. God is sufficient. Gods word is sufficient.
Believe it of not I still sin! I am so thankful that my God does not hold that against me! Thank you for defending me Jesus Christ, the Righteous One!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sight seeing
This morning I was reading in The Gospel According to John chapter 9. It is the story of the man blind from birth who receives his sight from Christ of the Sabbath.
While reading this it still amazes me that the Pharisees are so stubborn and skeptical of Jesus. They are so prideful and arrogent, refusing to believe in Christ because of there own self righteousness. I need to be careful here because I know that were it not for God's grace in my life, for Jesus calling me to himself, for my election to be a son of God, if I were not adopted (we as Christians are adopted! What a great truth!) there is a very good chance that I would not be any different then the Pharisees. Praise God for His calling!
Simple faith and obedience is all it takes! Jesus spit in the sand, made mud, put it on the mans eyes, and told him to go wash. He did. He was healed.
Verse 25 says, He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Thank you Father for my vision that you have given me! Thank you for my salvation. Please help me never to forget or soften your Gospel.
While reading this it still amazes me that the Pharisees are so stubborn and skeptical of Jesus. They are so prideful and arrogent, refusing to believe in Christ because of there own self righteousness. I need to be careful here because I know that were it not for God's grace in my life, for Jesus calling me to himself, for my election to be a son of God, if I were not adopted (we as Christians are adopted! What a great truth!) there is a very good chance that I would not be any different then the Pharisees. Praise God for His calling!
Simple faith and obedience is all it takes! Jesus spit in the sand, made mud, put it on the mans eyes, and told him to go wash. He did. He was healed.
Verse 25 says, He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Thank you Father for my vision that you have given me! Thank you for my salvation. Please help me never to forget or soften your Gospel.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Soft Gospel
It is a sad thing today that we soften the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ just to get more people in the door! We don't want to offend anyone! Pastor Ed talked some about that this past Sunday. I came across another scripture this morning in John that lets us know what Christ thinks about a "soft gospel". It is when Jesus is talking about how He is the Bread of Life. John 6:25-66.
Jesus the Bread of Life
25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
30So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Jesus himself taught boldly, spoke hard words, and offended people! He was not afraid to turn people away because of truth. We need to speak that truth too. That truth is that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Don't soften it! Speak truth!
Jesus the Bread of Life
25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
30So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Jesus himself taught boldly, spoke hard words, and offended people! He was not afraid to turn people away because of truth. We need to speak that truth too. That truth is that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Don't soften it! Speak truth!
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