Pastor Bob B's Posts - All About GOD2024-03-29T08:12:31ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushmanhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8601874868?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.allaboutgod.net/profiles/blog/feed?user=1vp7lza0r7bsh&xn_auth=noDEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Road to The Cross “The Cross of Suffering” (Lesson #1)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-22:1383940:BlogPost:19221392021-03-22T12:27:09.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Road to The Cross</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Cross of Suffering” (Lesson #1)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692807465?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692807465?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Worth it all~~Song by Rita Springer…</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Road to The Cross</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Cross of Suffering” (Lesson #1)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692807465?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692807465?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Worth it all~~Song by Rita Springer</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/BQVmR0jV52A"><strong>https://youtu.be/BQVmR0jV52A</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>2 CORINTHIANS 4:8-18 (NLT) </u></strong></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><sup>8 </sup></strong>We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>9 </sup></strong>We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>10 </sup></strong>Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>11 </sup></strong>Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>12 </sup></strong>So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>13 </sup></strong>But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”</p>
<p><sup> </sup></p>
<p><strong><sup>14 </sup></strong>We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>15 </sup></strong>All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>16 </sup></strong>That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>17 </sup></strong>For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><sup>18 </sup></strong>So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p>We are invited to willingly take up our crosses and follow Christ daily, fully aware that the eternal gains far outweigh any earthly suffering and loss.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10-11(NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>“</sup></strong>I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,<strong><sup> </sup></strong>so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sometimes carrying one’s cross and following Christ means trials and suffering.</p>
<p>Jesus, because of the joy awaiting him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame. (Hebrews 12:2)</p>
<p>And God’s Word reminds us that there is joy even in our suffering.</p>
<p>The joy comes when we see through the suffering to what will be, just like Jesus did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>The Apostle Peter wrote 1Peter 1:6-7 (NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>6 </sup></strong>So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. </p>
<p><strong><sup>7 </sup></strong>These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.</p>
<p>So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>We are invited to willingly take up our crosses and follow Christ daily, fully aware that eternal gains far outweigh earthly suffering and loss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Illustration</u></strong></p>
<p>There was a man who had a full left-hip replacement.</p>
<p>The two or three years leading up to that surgery were not pleasant and eventually he became so miserable he absolutely had to do something.</p>
<p>He was very pleased with his surgeon and he felt he was in very competent hands.</p>
<p>However, when he woke up after the surgery, while he was relieved of one kind of pain, he experienced a whole new level of post-surgery pain.</p>
<p>Physical therapy was prescribed, which meant a series of exercises, one of which was leg lifts.</p>
<p>He was to lift his leg off the bed approximately a foot to eighteen inches, hold it to the count of ten, and let it down slowly.</p>
<p>All of the muscles on his left hip had been cut and repaired during the surgery.</p>
<p>He absolutely could not lift his left leg off the bed, so the therapist would place one hand under his heel and the other under his calf and with the therapist assistance him as he did the leg lifts.</p>
<p>It really hurt bad!</p>
<p>He thought he would never be able to do ten leg lifts.</p>
<p>But eventually he could rip off thirty leg lifts with little effort and no pain.</p>
<p>Surgery and rehab were a challenge, but he went through it, because he was making a deliberate effort to see through his suffering.</p>
<p>Yes, it hurt and yes, it took time for healing and recovery.</p>
<p>But <u>he was looking through his pain and suffering</u> to a time when he would walk a mile, climb steps, and navigate uneven terrain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was a study done of hip-replacement patients, comparing those who simply did their exercises and those who did their exercises and walked.</p>
<p>And it was found that those who did their exercises and walked, could eventually walk the way they used to walk.</p>
<p>When my grandmother fell and broke her arm in her senior years, she would not work through the pain of therapy and her arm became crippled.</p>
<p>Getting through suffering and pain is about <u>seeing through it</u> to what will be.</p>
<p>When facing suffering… <u>see through it!</u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jesus told his disciples that He would suffer many terrible things, that He would be killed, and three days later He would rise again. (Mark 8:31)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>HE WAS SEEING THE OUTCOME AND IT GAVE HIM GRACE TO ENDURE.</u></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jesus was having a conversation with his disciples as they were walking along.</p>
<p>In Mark 8:27 Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”</p>
<p>In other words, what are people saying about me?</p>
<p>And the disciples replied, “Well, some say you are John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>SO, THEN JESUS ASKED, “WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?”</u></strong></p>
<p>And Peter said, “You are the Messiah.”</p>
<p>In recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, they were grasping hold of their Messianic hope for the day when “the Messiah” would come in power.</p>
<p>How the Messiah would break the bonds of Roman oppression, and restore the fortunes of the people of Israel, along with their national pride, and prominence in the world.</p>
<p>The disciples were thinking of the fulfillment of the prophecy that we cite during the Seasons of Advent and Christmas from Isaiah 9:6-7,</p>
<p>“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders.</p>
<p>These would be the Messiah’s royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.</p>
<p>His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end.</p>
<p>He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David.”</p>
<p>So, when Jesus, “The Messiah,” starts talking of his impending suffering and death, his disciples did not take the news well.</p>
<p>They did not take it well in part because they did not hear everything Jesus said.</p>
<p>Jesus said that He as the Son of Man, would suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law.” <a href="https://biblehub.com/luke/9-22.htm">(Luke 9:22)</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE DISCIPLES HEARD JESUS SAY THAT HE WOULD BE KILLED…</u></strong></p>
<p>But they did not hear him say that three days later he would rise again.</p>
<p>Admittedly, Jesus was not at all enthusiastic about the suffering and dying stuff, but Jesus did see through it.</p>
<p>Jesus could see through the suffering, through the pain, through the dying, and through being buried, to his resurrection.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>1Peter 1:6-7 (NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_peter/1-6.htm">6</a> – “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. </p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_peter/1-7.htm">7</a> - These trials will show that your faith is genuine.</p>
<p>It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.</p>
<p>So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The disciples only saw suffering and death.</p>
<p>Jesus saw suffering, death, and RESURRECTION.</p>
<p>Jesus saw through the suffering and death to the resurrection!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>We too can choose to see through the gloom and despair of any moment, and be assured that, “All things do indeed work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father you have laid out before us a glorious future. We see a glimpse of this future in the scriptures. Help us to keep remember this during the hard times we face. It will be worth it all when we finally are in your glorious kingdom. In Jesus name we pray, amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Road to The Cross 2 “The Cross of Suffering” (Lesson #2)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-22:1383940:BlogPost:19221372021-03-22T12:24:08.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Road to The Cross</strong></p>
<p><strong>2 “The Cross of Suffering” (Lesson #2)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692804083?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692804083?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>When We ALL Get To Heaven</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/lTVIUjdGdwI">https://youtu.be/lTVIUjdGdwI</a></p>
<p><strong><u>THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE…</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Road to The Cross</strong></p>
<p><strong>2 “The Cross of Suffering” (Lesson #2)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692804083?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8692804083?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>When We ALL Get To Heaven</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/lTVIUjdGdwI">https://youtu.be/lTVIUjdGdwI</a></p>
<p><strong><u>THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM JESUS’ EXPERIENCE WITH SUFFERING.</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Mark 8:32-33 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>31 </sup></strong>Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.</p>
<p><strong><sup>32 </sup></strong>As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.</p>
<p><strong><sup>33 </sup></strong>Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Jesus talked to his disciples, they took him aside and told him that He shouldn’t be saying such things about Himself that He would be suffering and dying.</p>
<p>Jesus turned and looked at them, and said to Peter,</p>
<p>“Get away from me, Satan!”</p>
<p>“You are just seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It is true that no one wants to hear about suffering and dying.</p>
<p>In some circles today, they would correct Jesus, by telling Him that He needed to be positive! </p>
<p>You’re a winner, Jesus! So, stop with all the dooms day talk!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>First of all, who says we aren’t supposed to struggle or suffer in life?</p>
<p>Who says that there is no inherent value in the challenges of life?</p>
<p>Who says that pain and suffering are supposed to be avoidable evils?</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>REMEMBER JOB’S COMFORTERS IN THE BOOK OF JOB?</u></strong></p>
<p>Some so-called friends heard about Job’s misfortunes and personal suffering and they came to see him.</p>
<p>They watched him for seven days and finally they could contain themselves no longer…</p>
<p>The first friend blurted out in Job 4:8-9 (NLT),</p>
<p><strong><sup>8 </sup></strong>My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same.</p>
<p><strong><sup>9 </sup></strong>A breath from God destroys them. They vanish in a blast of his anger.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In other words, if you are suffering and experiencing pain and loss, you must have done something wrong, or God would not allow this to happen to you.</p>
<p>However, Job knew that this was not the case.</p>
<p>He had been a good guy and now his life was in shambles, but it wasn’t because of sin on his part.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>JAMES 1: 2-4 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/1-2.htm">2</a> - Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. </p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/1-3.htm">3</a> - For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. </p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/james/1-4.htm">4</a> - So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Apostle Paul also taught, that because of our faith, Christ has brought us into a place of highest privilege, where we now stand, and we can confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. (Romans 5:2)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>No one wants to see a friend, or a loved one, experience suffering and pain of any sort.</p>
<p>Jesus’ disciples were good men.</p>
<p>They were close friends with Jesus.</p>
<p>Yet, because of their Messianic hopes, they did not want to hear Jesus talking about suffering and dying.</p>
<p>They wanted Jesus to skip over the hardship stuff, and go straight to being the Messiah and Savior of the world.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS EXPRESSLY STATED</u></strong></p>
<p>“I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.”</p>
<p>(John 6:38)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Unfortunately for Jesus, but good for us, the will of God entailed a little detail along the way, which was the cross.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well-meaning people want the best for us, but they may not know, or understand what is best for us.</p>
<p>What is best for us, may look a lot different to other, than it does to God.</p>
<p>And Jesus perceived what his disciples were saying as a satanic attempt to dissuade Him from doing the will of God.</p>
<p>It is all about God’s call in each of our lives and it is all about God’s providential, and permissive will in each of our lives.</p>
<ul>
<li>Where we work is important to God.</li>
<li>Our marriage is important to God.</li>
<li>Our parenting is important to God.</li>
<li>Our choice of our educational tracks is important to God.</li>
<li>Our health care decisions are important to God.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>NOT ALL CHOICES ARE EQUAL</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>When we have prayed and sought God’s will…</li>
<li>When we have sought the counsel of wise and godly people…</li>
<li>When we have weighed the pros and cons…</li>
<li>When we have arrived at a peaceful place…</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>THEN WE MUST SEE THROUGH IT NO MATTER WHAT!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sometimes following Christ can be difficult, and even life threatening.</p>
<p>But when we are following God’s will and facing suffering; follow Christ example.</p>
<p>See through the current situation to what will be beyond it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>MARK 8:34-35 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>34 </sup></strong>Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. </p>
<p><strong><sup>35 </sup></strong>If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>ILLUSTRATION</u></strong></p>
<p>There was a little boy and it was his first day as a first grader.</p>
<p>He had come up through pre-school and kindergarten and now he was in first grade.</p>
<p>Accustomed to going home at noon in Kindergarten, he was getting things ready to leave when he was supposed to be going to lunch with the rest of the class.</p>
<p>The teacher noticed and asked, “Ryan, what are you doing?”</p>
<p>Ryan replied, “I’m going home.”</p>
<p>His teacher tried to explain that now that he was in first grade, he had a longer school day.</p>
<p>She said, “you’ll go to lunch with the class now, and then you will come back to the room and we will do some more school work before you go home.”</p>
<p>Ryan looked up at her in disbelief, and then seeing that she was serious, he put his hands on his hips and demanded, “Who signed me up for this program?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I wonder if we are all a little bit like Ryan in our approach, and understanding, of what it means to be a Christian, and even more so, what it means to be a devoted follower of Christ.</p>
<p>After all;</p>
<ul>
<li>What about this turning the other cheek stuff?</li>
<li>What about this business of forgiving people 70 X 7 times?</li>
<li>What about this talk of shouldering our cross and following Christ?</li>
<li>What about this talk about losing our life for following Christ?</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>Being a Christian is probably as easy here in the United States as anywhere on the planet.</p>
<p>But a quick look at The Voice of the Martyrs web site is a sobering experience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Religious intolerance is the rule, rather than the exception in much of the world today.</p>
<p>Jesus was very upfront with those who chose to become his followers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>On one occasion he told them, that when the world hates them, to remember that it hated Him before it hated them.</p>
<p>Since Jesus was persecuted, naturally they would be persecuted too.”</p>
<p>(John 15:18-20)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jesus never sugar-coated the Christian life.</p>
<p>Jesus never pulled any kind of bait and switch on his followers.</p>
<p>Being a Christian is about taking up and carrying a cross of suffering.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>BUT JESUS ALSO SAID,</u></strong></p>
<p>“If you lose your life for my sake, you will find true life.” (Mark 8:34-35)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>We need to remember that when Jesus was on trial before Pontius Pilate,</p>
<p>He said His kingdom was not of this world.</p>
<p>This has not changed; His kingdom is still not of this world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>WHEN WE SUFFER, WE HAVE TO SEE THROUGH IT, TO SEE WHAT IS TO COME!</u></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We need to see what’s on the other side of the suffering! </p>
<p> </p>
<p>One regret I have is that I never learned to play a musical instrument.</p>
<p>Of course, there is a reason I never did…</p>
<p>I do not know music because I never learned music.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>ILLISTRATION</u></strong></p>
<p>In the1990’s there was a study conducted on randomly selected children as they picked out and learned a musical instrument.</p>
<p>Some went on to become fine musicians and others did not.</p>
<p>The traits that separated those who became proficient and those who did not was not I.Q., math skills, socio-economic class or even a sense of rhythm were not determining factors.</p>
<p>The best predictor was a question asked the students before they even selected their instruments:</p>
<p>How long do you wish to play?</p>
<p>The students who wished to play a short time did not reach proficiency.</p>
<p>The students who said they wished to play for a few years had modest success.</p>
<p>But those who said in effect, “I want to become a musician and play my whole life,” soared.</p>
<p>Those who were willing to do all the lessons, practices, rehearsals, recitals, performances, and who played for the sheer joy of it, those who saw through all of that, soared because they had their eye on the prize!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is what Jesus was talking about in this text.</p>
<p>Jesus said, “Anyone who wishes to be my follower must take up his own cross, and follow me. If we try to keep our lives for ourselves, we will lose it. But if we give up our lives for His sake, we will save them. (<a href="https://biblehub.com/matthew/16-25.htm">Matthew 16:25)</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, if in this life we carry a cross of suffering, let us see through it, to what will be, we will soar!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father none of us like to think that we might go through suffering. Jesus showed us that we can look beyond the suffering right now to what will be. He willingly suffered and died for the sin of the world to redeem us back to You on our own we could not save ourselves. Dear Father we look to the day when all the suffering of this world will be over and we shall spend eternity with You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB / THE ROAD TO THE CROSS "The Cross of Temptation” (lesson # 1)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-19:1383940:BlogPost:19220372021-03-19T12:00:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8683764666?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8683764666?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Victors crown Darlene Zschech</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/m3UQ42qmiI8"><strong>https://youtu.be/m3UQ42qmiI8</strong></a></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><u>MATTHEW 4:1-11 (NIRV)</u></p>
<p>The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert.</p>
<p>There the devil tempted him.</p>
<p>After 40…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8683764666?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8683764666?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Victors crown Darlene Zschech</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/m3UQ42qmiI8"><strong>https://youtu.be/m3UQ42qmiI8</strong></a></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><u>MATTHEW 4:1-11 (NIRV)</u></p>
<p>The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert.</p>
<p>There the devil tempted him.</p>
<p>After 40 days and 40 nights of going without eating, Jesus was hungry.</p>
<p>The tempter came to him.</p>
<p>He said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”</p>
<p>Jesus answered, it is written, ‘Man must not live only on bread.</p>
<p>He must also live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’</p>
<p>Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city.</p>
<p>He had him stand on the highest point of the temple.</p>
<p>“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.</p>
<p>It is written, ‘The Lord will command his angels to take good care of you.</p>
<p>They will lift you up in their hands.</p>
<p>Then you won’t trip over a stone.’</p>
<p>Jesus answered him, “It is also written, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’</p>
<p>Finally, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain.</p>
<p>He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.</p>
<p>“If you bow down and worship me,” he said, “I will give you all this.”</p>
<p>Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan!</p>
<p>It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God.</p>
<p>He is the only one you should serve.’</p>
<p>Then the devil left Jesus.</p>
<p>Angels came and took care of him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Today we consider the “cross of temptation”.</p>
<p>When we understand the nature of temptation, we then can fully appreciate and share in the suffering of Christ.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jesus spoke to his disciples in Matthew 16:24 (NLT) and told them,</p>
<p>Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.</p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>These devotionals that I will be sharing are series of messages that will help us understand what it means to; “pick up their cross and follow me.”</p>
<p>Then beyond the idea of carrying one’s own cross is the understanding that in doing so, we may come to know Christ more.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>In Philippians 3:10-11 (NLT) The Apostle Paul writes,</u></strong></p>
<p>“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.</p>
<p>I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Temptation and the testing of our faith are very real in the life of a Christian.</p>
<p>Yet temptation is not sin in itself.</p>
<p>Temptation was real in the life of Jesus and it is real in our lives as well.</p>
<p>These temptations and these testings were very real.</p>
<p>Notice in our text, that everything that the enemy threw at Jesus, hit home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Hebrews 4:15-16 says,</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>15 </sup></strong>This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testing’s we do, yet he did not sin. </p>
<p><strong><sup>16 </sup></strong>So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.</p>
<p>There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Just as Jesus identifies with us in every aspect of our humanity, we can also identify with Him in his humanity.</p>
<p>One of the ways we may know Christ is through knowing, and identifying with his experiences.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>TEMPTATION STRIKES AT OPPORTUNE TIMES.</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong><strong><u>MATTHEW 3:17, 4:1 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup> 3:17 </sup></strong>And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”</p>
<p><strong><sup>4: 1</sup></strong> Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>You’ve heard the phase about, “striking while the iron is hot”?</p>
<p>This saying refers to the blacksmith who works with iron.</p>
<p>My son Ben does this, which is called, “forging metal”. </p>
<p>First, he heats the iron until it is red hot and soft.</p>
<p>Then he immediately hits the iron with his hammer to change its shape.</p>
<p>If he waits, the iron becomes cold and hard again, and he cannot shape it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Opportune moments are the times when we want to strike while the iron is hot.</p>
<p>By striking while the iron is hot, we mean to seize the opportunity when it comes!</p>
<p>When we have the chance to do something, we should do it immediately.</p>
<p>Otherwise, it will be too late. That’s the way temptation works.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>ILLUSTRATION</u></strong></p>
<p>There was a couple who decided to trade in their car.</p>
<p>They found what they were looking for at a dealership about an hour away.</p>
<p>They worked with the salesman over the phone, and by email, and hammered out a deal.</p>
<p>The plan was to drive down the following day and complete the transaction.</p>
<p>But before they ended their conversation the salesman said, “I need to step out, and I’ll call you right back.”</p>
<p>In a couple of minutes, the phone rang again and he explained, “I couldn’t say anything in the office, but I did overhear another salesman say he has a couple coming to look at that car this afternoon, so I can’t guarantee it will still be here tomorrow.</p>
<p>Would you give me a deposit so I can hold the car for you?”</p>
<p>In other words, “you need to strike while the iron is hot, or you might not get this great deal tomorrow.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THE ENEMY STRUCK JESUS WHILE THE IRON WAS HOT</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus was riding high.</p>
<p>The Gospel of Mark 1:9-13 gives the account of Jesus’ baptism.</p>
<p>He writes that there was a voice from heaven that said to Jesus, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>HOW GREAT IS THIS?</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, filled with God’s Spirit, and heard the voice of God himself affirming Him as the Son of God.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Temptation and testing often comes on the coattails of victories in our lives.</p>
<p>It often catches us completely off-guard.</p>
<p>Temptation will inevitably strike at a point of our vulnerability.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>THE APOSTLE JOHN WRITES IN I JOHN 2:15-17</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>15 </sup></strong>Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. </p>
<p><strong><sup>16 “</sup></strong>For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.</p>
<p>These are not from the Father, but are from this world. </p>
<p><strong><sup>17 </sup></strong>And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.</p>
<p>But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And this how the enemy deals with Jesus, and this is how he deals with us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The first area of vulnerability which is illustrated in the experience of Jesus, is the temptation to be “self-centered”.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>MATTHEW 4:2-4 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>2 </sup></strong>For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.</p>
<p><strong><sup>3 </sup></strong>During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”</p>
<p><strong><sup>4 </sup></strong>But Jesus told him, “No!</p>
<p>The Scriptures say, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”</p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>It is important that we know that this was the real deal for Jesus.</p>
<p>Having not eaten for forty days and nights, Jesus was hungry.</p>
<p>Jesus could have used his power to feed himself and could have taken a shortcut, bypassing the cross and making bread for the world…</p>
<p>Jesus could have coined Herbert Hoover’s 1928 Presidential Campaign promise of follow me and there will be a “chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father, thankyou for grace and help when we face temptation. Help us to understand that temptation is not sin. It is only when we give into it that it can lead us into sin. We see that we can endure temptation and lead lives that are pleasing to you, In Jesus name, amen!</p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB 6 Practices in the Christian Life #6 “Walk in God’s Ways” (lesson #4)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-18:1383940:BlogPost:19219802021-03-18T12:30:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>6 Practices in the Christian Life</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>#6 “Walk in God’s Ways” (lesson #4)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8679475687?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8679475687?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>"Your Love Is Life" …</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>6 Practices in the Christian Life</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>#6 “Walk in God’s Ways” (lesson #4)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8679475687?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8679475687?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>"Your Love Is Life" </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/gmJ-flMOVxM"><strong>https://youtu.be/gmJ-flMOVxM</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><sup>4 </sup>Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! </p>
<p><sup>5 </sup>Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.</p>
<p>Remember, the Lord is coming soon.</p>
<p><sup>6 </sup>Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.</p>
<p>Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. </p>
<p><sup>7 </sup>Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.</p>
<p>His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.</p>
<p><sup>8 </sup>And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.</p>
<p>Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.</p>
<p>Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. </p>
<p><sup>9 </sup>Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.</p>
<p>Then the God of peace will be with you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><u>PAUL MENTIONS FOUR COMPONENTS TO OUR FAITH (PHILIPPIANS 4:9)</u></p>
<p>(1) The intellect: “What you have learned”;</p>
<p>(2) The will: “What you received”;</p>
<p>(3) The behavioral: “What you have heard and seen, which you must practice”;</p>
<p>(4) The emotions: “The God of peace shall be with you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<ol start="4">
<li><strong><u>FINALLY LET’S LOOK AT THE EMOTIONAL COMPONENT OF FAITH</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>The result of Christian conduct is the very presence of the God of peace with us.</p>
<p>In verse 7 of our text, we see that specific, thankful prayer, results in the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p>In verse 9 of our text, we see that the practice of Christian conduct results in the God of peace being with us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You may be wondering, “I thought that God is always with us?”</p>
<p>So why does the Apostle Paul say something that’s always true, as if it were some special deal?”</p>
<p>The answer is, because it is a special deal!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yes, God is always with the believer (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).</p>
<p>But we do not always sense His presence, nor do we always know His presence is with us as the God of peace.</p>
<ul>
<li>He is the God who is never troubled by the ups and downs of life.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>He is the God who is never troubled by the storms of circumstances that swirl us around.</li>
</ul>
<p> This is because God is the eternal, sovereign, almighty God who accomplishes His purpose (Isaiah 40).</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Do we as Christians desire to have the presence of God?</p>
<p>He is the God of peace, in our lives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Moses was faced with the awesome task of leading an entire nation out of bondage in Egypt through the barren Sinai desert;</p>
<p><strong><u>Moses prayed in Exodus 33:15-16,</u></strong></p>
<p>And he said to him (God), “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. </p>
<p>For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people,</p>
<p>unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people,</p>
<p>from every people on the face of the earth.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Moses understood the value of God’s presence.</p>
<p>For forty years Moses saw the pillar of fire every night and the cloud by day which was God’s way of showing His presence was with the Children of Israel.</p>
<p>God’s presence with us touches every part of us, our minds our will, and our emotions.</p>
<p>Those who reject the emotional aspect of our faith need to spend some more time in the Scriptures.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>CONCLUSION</u></strong></p>
<p>(1) The intellect: “What you have learned”;</p>
<p>(2) The will: “What you received”;</p>
<p>(3) The behavioral: “What you have heard and seen, which you must practice”;</p>
<p>(4) The emotions: “The God of peace shall be with you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then the God of peace will be with us touching our hearts, provoking us to praise and worship of Him from our heart that are over flow with Joy, because of His presence that goes with us. Amen!</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER IN SONG</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>"Philippians 4"</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/o784VnVA71U"><strong>https://youtu.be/o784VnVA71U</strong></a></p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB 6 Practices in the Christian Life #6 “Walk in God’s Ways” (lesson #2)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-16:1383940:BlogPost:19219712021-03-16T12:12:54.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices in the Christian Life</strong></p>
<p><strong>#6 “Walk in God’s Ways” (lesson #2)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8672562079?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8672562079?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>"I Will Submit to God's Orchestrations in All Things"…</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices in the Christian Life</strong></p>
<p><strong>#6 “Walk in God’s Ways” (lesson #2)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8672562079?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8672562079?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>"I Will Submit to God's Orchestrations in All Things"</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/IGTE-w4-Ncw"><strong>https://youtu.be/IGTE-w4-Ncw</strong></a></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>4 </sup></strong>Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! </p>
<p><strong><sup>5 </sup></strong>Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.</p>
<p>Remember, the Lord is coming soon.</p>
<p><strong><sup>6 </sup></strong>Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.</p>
<p>Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. </p>
<p><strong><sup>7 </sup></strong>Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.</p>
<p>His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.</p>
<p><strong><sup>8 </sup></strong>And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.</p>
<p>Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.</p>
<p>Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. </p>
<p><strong><sup>9 </sup></strong>Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.</p>
<p>Then the God of peace will be with you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>PAUL MENTIONS FOUR COMPONENTS TO OUR FAITH (PHILIPPIANS 4:9)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>(1) The intellect: “What you have learned”;</strong></p>
<p><strong>(2) The will: “What you received”;</strong></p>
<p><strong>(3) The behavioral: “What you have heard and seen, which you must practice”;</strong></p>
<p><strong>(4) The emotions: “The God of peace shall be with you.”</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Yesterday we dealt with the “intellect” and its relationship to faith, today we shall consider the will and its relationship to faith.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol start="2">
<li><strong><u>THE POWER OF CHOOSING, THE DETERMINING COMPONENT OF THE WILL</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>The content of the Christian faith must also be responded to with our will.</p>
<p>Our text mentions, “the things which you have learned and received from me”. (Verse 9)</p>
<p>Paul wants them to take what they had learned from him unto themselves, especially the traditions, as delivered, and handed down from Christ to the Apostles.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>THE ETHICAL AND PROCEDURAL GUIDELINES FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING</u></strong></p>
<p>To receive the teaching concerning Christ; We must receive the Gospel, which includes the moral and ethical demands, which go along with Christ teaching.</p>
<p>This means that we are to submit our will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over every aspect of our lives, beginning with our thought life (Philippians 4:8).</p>
<p>In other words, the Gospel of Jesus always demands not just an intellectual response,</p>
<p>but it also demands a moral response, where we personally receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I have found that those who claim to have intellectual problems with the Gospel that keep them from responding to its message, in reality have moral problems that are the real reason for them not responding.</p>
<p>Every person, from the Ph.D. at the university, to the illiterate subsistence farmer in Mexico, has the same need, namely, that their sin has separated them from the Holy God.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WHAT THEY ALL NEED, IS CHRIST JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOR.</u></strong></p>
<p>Human being seems to all have the same stubborn self-will that refuses to submit to Jesus as Lord.</p>
<p>Face it we all want to run our own lives without bowing before Jesus.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>HELPING SOMEONE SEE WHAT THE REALL PROBLEM IS</u></strong></p>
<p>So, if a person tells me that they can’t believe in Christ because of intellectual problems, I will say to them, “Specifically, which problems?”</p>
<p>They may name something, such as evolution, or that they do not believe the Bible is God’s Word.</p>
<p>I respond to them by asking;</p>
<p>“If I can provide you with reasonable answers to this problem, will you then believe in Christ?”</p>
<p>I haven’t seen anyone say yes to Christ who have this mindset.</p>
<p>Instead, they will say, “Well, there are other issues, too.”</p>
<p>I respond to them by asking, “Name them”.</p>
<p>Give me the list, and if I can provide reasonable answers to each problem on your list, then will you become a follower of Christ?”</p>
<p>What I am I’m trying to do is to help the person see that the real issue isn’t an intellectual problem at all, but a moral problem.</p>
<p>They are willfully choosing their own ways over Christ.</p>
<p>The truth is they don’t want to give up their sin.</p>
<p>The content of the Christian faith must be received, by submitting our will to Christ. Amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father we acknowledge that we have a struggle with our will even as Christians. Yet we know that the best thing we can do is to submit our will to You and let You take the lead in our lives. Thank you for abundant grace that is helping us day by day to submit our wills to You, loving and wise God. In Jesus name we pray, amen.</p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB 6 Practices in our Christian life #3 “Jesus the Miracle Worker” (lesson 2)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-12:1383940:BlogPost:19220212021-03-12T13:42:17.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices in our Christian life</strong></p>
<p><strong><u>#3</u></strong> <strong><u>“</u></strong><strong><u>Jesus the Miracle Worker” (lesson 2)</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8659445866?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8659445866?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Way Maker…</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices in our Christian life</strong></p>
<p><strong><u>#3</u></strong> <strong><u>“</u></strong><strong><u>Jesus the Miracle Worker” (lesson 2)</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8659445866?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8659445866?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Way Maker</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/Pmc998o9WMw"><strong>https://youtu.be/Pmc998o9WMw</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>BELIEVE IN HIS MIRACLES</u></strong></p>
<p>Since the time of Christ, there have been many people who have denied His miracles.</p>
<p>For whatever reason, they have not believed the New Testament's account of His supernatural works.</p>
<p>The people in Jesus' day, however, had a chance to witness firsthand whether or not Jesus performed miraculous deeds.</p>
<p>They had a lot to say on the matter too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>THERE WAS A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF MIRACLES</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>First, the number of miracles Jesus performed was sufficient for honest inquirers to believe in them.</p>
<p>The four gospels record Jesus performing about 35 separate miracles.</p>
<p>Most of the miracles that Jesus performed are recorded in more than one gospel.</p>
<p>Two of His miracles, the feeding of the five thousand, and the resurrection, are found in all four gospels.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE MIRACLES OF JESUS</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus performed many more miracles than are recorded in the Gospels.</p>
<p>In addition, each of the Gospel writer says that Jesus performed many more miracles than they had recorded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Matthew wrote in</u></strong> <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/4/23/s_933023"><strong>Matthew 4:23</strong></a> <strong><u>(NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom.</p>
<p> And he healed every kind of disease and illness.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>Mark wrote in Mark 6:56 (NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p>Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces.</p>
<p>They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Luke wrote in</u></strong> <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/luke/6/19/s_979019"><strong>Luke 6:19</strong></a> <strong><u>(NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p>Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>John wrote in John 20:30 (NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p>The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br/> The vast number of miracles in which Jesus performed demonstrates that miracles were a regular part of His ministry.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol start="2">
<li><strong><u>THE MIRACLES WERE A SUFFICIENT VARIETY</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>The miracles of Jesus were also of a sufficient variety to show that He had miraculous power.</p>
<p>Of the specific miracles recorded in the four gospels we find:</p>
<ul>
<li>17 were bodily cures,</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>6 were healing of demonic possession,</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>9 were miracles of nature, and there were three occasions where He raised someone from the dead.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Of the seventeen specific healing miracles that are recorded there is a variety of different illnesses that Jesus healed.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>These include: leprosy, paralysis, fever, shriveled limbs, an amputated ear, blindness, deafness, muteness, and blood hemorrhaging.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>3 - HE HAS ULTIMATE AUTHORITY</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus also has the authority over life and death.</p>
<p>The Bible records three specific cases of Jesus resurrecting someone from the dead:</p>
<p> - Jairus' daughter who had just died (<a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/9/18-26/s_938018">Matthew 9:18-26</a>),</p>
<p> </p>
<p> - the widow of Nain's son who was in the coffin (<a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/luke/7/11-15/s_980011">Luke 7:11-15</a>),</p>
<p> </p>
<p> - and Lazarus who had been in the tomb for four days (<a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/john/11/1-57/s_1008001">John 11</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Jesus showed his control over three stages of death:</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Those who had just died,</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Those who were going to be buried,</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Those who were already in the tomb.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>4 - THE MIRACLES COVERED ALL POSSIBLE AREAS OF AUTHORITY</u></strong></p>
<p>As the Son of God, Jesus exercised authority over all realms.</p>
<p>The Gospel of Matthew, in the 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> chapter, shows many different areas over which Jesus demonstrated His authority.</p>
<p>The point of recording these various miracles is to show that Jesus is Lord of every realm imaginable - He is Lord of all!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>JESUS HEALED INCURABLE DISEASE</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>After delivering the Sermon on the Mount Jesus came down from the mountain and reached out to the most repulsive of people - a man with leprosy.</p>
<p>At this time there was no known cure for the disease.</p>
<p>Therefore, a leper was considered one who is the living dead.</p>
<p>Jesus had compassion on this particular man and healed him instantaneously.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Matthew 8:1-3 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/8-1.htm"><strong>1</strong></a> - Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. </p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/8-2.htm"><strong>2</strong></a> - Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”</p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/8-3.htm"><strong>3</strong></a> - Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here, Jesus demonstrated His authority over the realm of incurable disease.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>JESUS ALSO HEALED A MAN FROM A DISTANCE</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Jesus also had the ability to heal someone without being physically present.</p>
<p>A centurion approached Jesus on behalf of his paralyzed servant.</p>
<p>The centurion's faith was such that he believed the servant would be healed if Jesus just gave the word, there was no need for His actual presence.</p>
<p>Jesus marveled at the man's faith.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/8/10/s_937010"><strong>Matthew 8:10</strong></a><strong><u>,</u></strong><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/8/13/s_937013"><strong>13</strong></a> <strong><u>(NLT).</u></strong></p>
<p>10 - When Jesus heard this, He was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>13 - Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.' Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, Jesus exhibited power to heal when He was not present, not even near the afflicted person. This demonstrates that He is Lord of space and time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>JESUS IS THE LORD OVER NATURE</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Jesus is not only the Lord over disease, He is also the Lord over nature.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/8/25-27/s_937025"><strong>Matthew 8:25-27</strong></a><strong><u>(NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/8-25.htm">25</a> - The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”</p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/8-26.htm">26</a> - Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.</p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/8-27.htm">27</a> - The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Jesus calmed the storm, He displayed authority over nature - the realm of the visible world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>JESUS IS LORD OVER THE SUPERNATURAL REALM</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Jesus also had authority over the supernatural realm.</p>
<p>Jesus met two demon-possessed men who were terrorizing the countryside.</p>
<p>When Jesus approached, they cried out:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/8/29/s_937029"><strong>Matthew 8:29</strong></a> <strong><u>(NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p>They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God?</p>
<p>Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”<br/></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jesus cast out demons into a herd of swine and the two men returned to normal.</p>
<p>By doing this, Jesus showed authority in the area of the supernatural - the invisible realm.</p>
<p>In this one short boat trip on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus also showed His authority over both the visible and invisible realm. (Matthew 8:28-34)</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>JESUS HAS AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>In the episode of healing a paralyzed man at Capernaum, Jesus showed that His authority extended to the forgiveness of sins. (<a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/9/1-8/s_938001">Matthew 9:1-8</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>JESUS HAS AUTHORITY OVER LIFE AND DEATH</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Furthermore, <strong>Jesus demonstrated His authority was over life and death.</strong></p>
<p>While he spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, 'My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.' . . .</p>
<p>And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, he said to them, 'Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.'</p>
<p>And they laughed him to scorn.</p>
<p>But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose (<a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/9/18/s_938018">Matthew 9:18</a>,<a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/9/23-25/s_938023">23-25</a>).</p>
<p>Even death was subject to His authority.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><strong><u>JESUS HAS AUTHORITY OVER THE NATURAL AND THE SUPERNATURAL AT THE SAME TIME</u></strong></li>
</ol>
<p>The last miracle consists of a man who had problems in both the natural and supernatural realm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/matthew/9/32-34/s_938032"><strong>Matthew 9:32-34</strong></a> <strong><u>(NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/9-32.htm">32</a> - When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. </p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/9-33.htm">33</a> - So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.</p>
<p><a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/9-34.htm">34</a> - But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This man was demon-possessed and mute at the same time.</p>
<p>Jesus had no problem dealing with both realms simultaneously.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p>These varied miracles prove that Jesus is “THE LORD OF ALL”!</p>
<p>While we are waiting for his answers, let us wait in faith that He is a God that performs miracles. Amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Lord I need a miracle Today</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/7jTZ2tdDJig"><strong>https://youtu.be/7jTZ2tdDJig</strong></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><u>PRAYER</u></p>
<p>Dear Father, we rejoice that you are a miracle working God. Jesus demonstrated the power of God on the earth by the multitude of miracles He performed. We thank you that you still do miracles today. We thank you for those You have gifted with the ability to perform miracles. We stand in awe of your mighty power, in Jesus’ name, amen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB 6 Practices in our Christian life #3 “Wait for His Answers” (lesson 1)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-11:1383940:BlogPost:19218702021-03-11T13:01:37.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices in our Christian life</strong></p>
<p><strong><u>#3</u></strong> <strong><u>“Wait for His Answers</u></strong><strong><u>” (lesson 1)</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8655872276?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8655872276?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p><strong>"I Love The Lord" - Tommy Walker…</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices in our Christian life</strong></p>
<p><strong><u>#3</u></strong> <strong><u>“Wait for His Answers</u></strong><strong><u>” (lesson 1)</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8655872276?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8655872276?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><strong>"I Love The Lord" - Tommy Walker</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/2MCeGgwmmLI"><strong>https://youtu.be/2MCeGgwmmLI</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p>Have you been praying about a situation in your life?</p>
<p>Have found yourself waiting and yearning for the answer?</p>
<p>Are you wondering why the answer hasn't come yet?</p>
<p>Do you feel like God is passing you by?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br/> <br/> Sometimes we pray long and hard about for something, without receiving any answers.</p>
<p>We then go on about our business, wondering if or when God will ever send the answer.</p>
<p>God always answers prayers in one of 3 ways; YES, NO, OR WAIT.</p>
<p>But God hear our prayers.</p>
<p>He’s working out the answers even though we may not know all the details.</p>
<p>Our situation can change suddenly, and quickly, without warning!</p>
<p>But one thing is certain:</p>
<p>Before God moves suddenly, we will all wait.</p>
<p>Waiting for answers is a fact of life.</p>
<p>No one gets out of waiting.</p>
<p>So, the question is not, “if we will wait, but rather how we will wait?</p>
<p>How we spend our time waiting can also determine how long we will wait.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THERE ARE 2 TO WAIT:</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>1 - WAITING PASSIVELY</u></strong></p>
<p>A passive person hopes something good will happen and is willing to sit around waiting to see if it does.</p>
<p>But after a short time, they give up, saying, "That’s it, I've waited and waited and nothing has happened.”</p>
<p>The passive person has a lot of wishbone, but not much backbone!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>2 - WAITING EXPECTANTLY</u></strong><br/> The expectant person, on the other hand are hopeful.</p>
<p>They are believing the answer is just around the corner, that it is due to arrive at any minute.</p>
<p>Their belief is not a passive thing.</p>
<p>Their hearts are full of hope, expecting their problem to be solved at any moment.</p>
<p>They wake up every morning expecting to find His answer.</p>
<p>They may wait and wait, but suddenly what they have been waiting for happens.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>ILLUSTRATION</u></strong></p>
<p>Waiting is just like when a woman who is pregnant; it's said that she is expecting a baby.</p>
<p>She carries inside her the promise of a baby, and even though she can’t see it, she knows it's there.</p>
<p>The moment she learns of her pregnancy, she begins to plan for her baby's arrival.</p>
<p>She starts collecting items she'll need and busily gets the nursery ready.</p>
<p>She actively prepares for the arrival of the baby because she knows the promise will be fulfilled—it's just a matter of time.</p>
<p>She is expectant, and she'll wait as long as it takes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br/> <br/> <strong><u>THE WORD WAIT, MEANS "TO EXPECT" OR "TO LOOK FOR."</u></strong></p>
<p>It also means <strong>TO SERVE</strong>, just like a waiter, who waits on your table at a restaurant.</p>
<p>Our act of waiting isn’t supposed to be spent sitting around passively hoping that something will happen sometime soon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>WHILE WE WAIT, WE SERVE!</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>BE EAGER WITH FAITH</u></strong></p>
<p>Once we've asked God to answer a question, or solve a problem, we need to be eagerly awaiting His answer.</p>
<p>We need to be serving actively, aggressively, and expectantly.</p>
<p>When our hearts are eager to hear from God, He loves to rush in suddenly with His solution.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>WAITING PREPARES US FOR THE ANSWER</u></strong></p>
<p>In many cases this waiting period actually serves as a time of preparation for the answer.</p>
<p>If God answered us right away, many of us would be ill-prepared to handle His solution.</p>
<p>Sometimes we find ourselves in such horrible messes that it's hard to imagine waiting one more second.</p>
<p>But we need to keep waiting on God and trusting Him with a sweet and simple faith.</p>
<p>Then in a way we never could've figured out on our own, God moves suddenly!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN</u></strong></p>
<p>In the Bible, Paul and Silas knew about waiting, and they waited well. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/act.16">Acts 16</a><span>, Luke</span> tells the story of how Paul and Silas were attacked by a crowd, beaten and thrown in jail. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/act.16.24">Verse 24</a> says the jailer put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks.</p>
<p>These jailers were making sure that they couldn't escape.</p>
<p>But about midnight, God showed up!</p>
<p>Now it would have been nice if He'd come a little earlier, but Paul and Silas didn’t seem to mind.</p>
<ul>
<li>They had decided to start singing,</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>They began to worship the Lord,</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>They began to wait on God.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When we patiently wait, and when we expectantly wait on God in the midst of horrible circumstances, suddenly God breaks through.</p>
<p>So, don't give up!</p>
<p>Don’t stop believing!</p>
<p>Stay full of hope and expectation!</p>
<p>God's power is limitless, and He'll breakthrough for you!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I Don't Know What To Do Tommy Walker</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/LZOf7_c7oto">https://youtu.be/LZOf7_c7oto</a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father we thank you that you do all things well. This includes answering our prayers. You know how difficult it is for us to wait on You for the answers to our prayers. We thank you that you have shown us how to wait for those answers. We know You love and care for us and that we are in your everlasting care. So, we wait for you and while we wait, we will serve. In Jesus name we pray, amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB 6 Practices in Our Christian Life # 1 Trust in God’s Timing (lesson 3)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-09:1383940:BlogPost:19220172021-03-09T23:44:50.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>6 Practices in Our Christian Life</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u># 1 Trust in God’s Timing (lesson 3)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8647833893?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8647833893?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>I Need You (Live) feat. Mercy Mushaisano & Joshua Marshall…</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>6 Practices in Our Christian Life</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u># 1 Trust in God’s Timing (lesson 3)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8647833893?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8647833893?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>I Need You (Live) feat. Mercy Mushaisano & Joshua Marshall</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/9fc9WXpsiMw"><strong>https://youtu.be/9fc9WXpsiMw</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>FROM SEEDTIME TO HARVEST</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/ecc.3.1">Ecclesiastes 3:1</a> tells us: </p>
<p>“To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>We don't all live in the same season, at the same time.</p>
<p>We are all at different stages in our spiritual growth.</p>
<p>We should never be jealous of someone who is enjoying a harvest, while we are still in the planting season.</p>
<p>Remember, they had to go through a season of planting, just as you are now.</p>
<p>Seeing their results, that they are enjoying, should be an encouragement to us who aren’t there yet.</p>
<p>Understand and trust that God is doing the very best for each one of us in our present season.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>SEEDTIME REPRESENTS LEARNING THE WILL OF GOD</u></strong></p>
<p>Each time we choose God's will instead of our own, we are planting a good seed that will eventually bring a harvest into our lives.</p>
<p>If we want to be victorious, we cannot afford to get pulled into the world's system of doing what we feel like doing, instead of doing what God has instructed us to do. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/jas.1.21"><strong>James 1:21</strong></a><strong><u> tells us what we should do,</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup> “</sup></strong>So, get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It is important to understand that our “soul” is our mind, our will, and our emotions.</p>
<p>When the Word of God gets rooted in us then;</p>
<ul>
<li>The Word begins to change the way we think.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Then it will also begin to bring healing our emotions.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>The Word of God will turn our will away from self-will, and into doing the will of God.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>LIVING OUT OF ONE'S OWN SOUL, IS EQUIVALENT TO STAYING IN THE WILDERNESS.</u></strong></p>
<p>When we get to the point where we make God the ruler of our souls, then we go into the promise land.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WHAT IS THE PROMISED LAND?</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>It is knowing who we are in Christ.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>It is knowing how to fellowship with Him.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>It is enjoying His presence in our lives.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>It is having the peace of Christ, which brings contentment and joy.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>BETWEEN SEEDTIME AND HARVEST COMES A TIME OF WAITING</u></strong></p>
<p>After a seed is planted, the heat, the moisture, and pressure of the ground finally cause the outer hull of the seed to crack open.</p>
<p>Then roots shoot down, digging their way into the ground.</p>
<p>It takes time for this to happen, and it takes place in under-ground.</p>
<p>Above the ground, we can't tell anything is happening with the seed.</p>
<p>After we plant seeds of obedience, we feel like nothing is happening, but all kinds of things are happening inside where we can't see.</p>
<p>And like the seed that finally bursts through the ground, with a beautiful green shoot, our seeds of obedience will finally break forth into a beautiful manifestation of God in our lives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>IN HARVEST TIME;</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We will hear from God.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>We will enjoy His presence.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>We will be led by the Holy Spirit.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Blessings will begin to chase us down the street.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Joy and a calm delight will become our normal mood.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>HOW ABOUT YOU?</u></strong></p>
<p>Are you tired of waiting for the harvest time in your life?</p>
<p>Are you frustrated, crying out, "when, God, when?"</p>
<p>Then you need to understand that God's timing is often a mystery.</p>
<p>He doesn't do things on our timetable.</p>
<p>Yet His Word promises that He will not be late, not one single day. </p>
<p>He will not be early either.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/hab.2.3"><strong>Habakkuk 2:3</strong></a> <span><strong>(NLT)</strong></span></p>
<p>‘This vision is for a future time.</p>
<p>It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.</p>
<p>If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.</p>
<p>It will not be delayed.”</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>GOD CAUSES THINGS TO HAPPEN AT EXACTLY AT THE RIGHT TIME!</u></strong></p>
<p>Our job is not to figure out when, but to make up our minds that we won't give up until we cross the finish line and are living in the radical, outrageous blessings of God!</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>The more we trust in Jesus; the more we keep our eyes focused on Him.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>The more we trust in Jesus; the more abundant life we will experience.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Trusting God brings spiritual life to our souls.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Believing God brings rest to our souls.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, let us stop trying to figure everything out, and let us be at peace, trusting God be God in our live who bring us from seed-time to harvest.</p>
<p>Amen!</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER IN SONG</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong>Lord of the Harvest / Lindy Cofer</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/Omeea0HPxl8"><strong>https://youtu.be/Omeea0HPxl8</strong></a></p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB 6 Practices In Our Christian Life # 1 Trust in God’s Timing (lesson 2)tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-08:1383940:BlogPost:19217052021-03-08T12:30:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices In Our Christian Life</strong></p>
<p><strong># 1 Trust in God’s Timing (lesson 2)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8642748285?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8642748285?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>David Leonard-"I will wait"…</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></p>
<p><strong>6 Practices In Our Christian Life</strong></p>
<p><strong># 1 Trust in God’s Timing (lesson 2)</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8642748285?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8642748285?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>David Leonard-"I will wait"</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/jJAuF-GK0W8"><strong>https://youtu.be/jJAuF-GK0W8</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p>God has a timing for all that takes place in our lives.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of examples of those who had to wait for the right timing;</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>JOSEPH (GENESIS 37–50)</u></strong></p>
<p>The book of Genesis tells the story of Joseph, who waited many years for the fulfillment of the dream God had given him.</p>
<p>He was falsely accused and imprisoned before the time came for him to do what God had shown him, what he was to do. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE ISRAELITES (</u></strong><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/exo.13.17-18"><strong>EXODUS 13:17-18</strong></a><span><strong>)</strong></span></p>
<p>God led the Israelites the longer, harder way on their journey to the Promised Land because He knew they were not yet ready to go in.</p>
<p>There had to be time for their training, and they had to go through some very trying situations.</p>
<p>They wasted a lot of time wondering about God's timing, but God never failed to take care of them, and to show them what He wanted them to do.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE DAY OF PENTICOST</u></strong></p>
<p>As the disciples met and ate a meal together with the resurrected Christ, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem.</p>
<p>But that they had to wait for the promise that they had heard from Jesus.</p>
<p>That John baptized in water; but they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit.</p>
<p>And soon.</p>
<p>And when the Holy Spirit would come on them, they would be able to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world. (Acts 1:4-8)</p>
<p>The birth of the Church was to take place on the day of Penticost, which was a Jewish festival where people would be gathered in Jerusalem from all over the Roman Empire.</p>
<p>They did wait and they were endued with power from on high through the Holy Spirit. </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THE SAME IS TRUE IN OUR LIVES</u></strong></p>
<p>God's training period simply requires us to do what He tells us to do, when He tells us to do it, without questioning, or trying to figure everything out on our own.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>WE NEED TO LEARN TO RELY ON GOD!</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/pro.16.9"><strong>Proverbs 16:9</strong></a><strong><u> says, </u></strong></p>
<p>A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/pro.20.24"><strong>Proverbs 20:24</strong></a><strong><u> says, </u></strong></p>
<p>Man's steps are ordered by the Lord. How then can a man understand his way? </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>SOME TIMES WE DON’T UNDERSTAND HIS LEADINGS</u></strong></p>
<p>When God directs our paths, He sometimes leads us in ways that don't make sense to us.</p>
<p>So, we're not going to always understand His leadings.</p>
<p>If we try to reason out everything, we will experience frustration, confusion and misery.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THERE IS A BETTER WAY TO LIVE!</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/pro.3.5-6"><strong>Proverbs 3:5-6</strong></a><strong><u> AMP</u></strong></p>
<p>Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.</p>
<p>In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>TRUSTING OUR LIVES TO HIS CARE</u></strong></p>
<p>This sounds so simple, yet too many times we make the mistake of trying to figure everything out by ourselves.</p>
<p>Most of us have spent our lives trying to take care of ourselves, but when we accept Christ as our Savior, we must learn to trust our lives to His care.</p>
<p>This is what it means to make him Lord of our lives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When we do make Him Lord, we can say with the psalmist, </p>
<p>“I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, you are my God.</p>
<p>My times are in Your hands” (<a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/psa.31.14-15">Psalm 31:14-15</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Proverbs 3:34 says,</u></strong></p>
<p>God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>HUMILITY</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Jesus said in</u></strong> <a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/jhn.15.5"><strong>John 15:5</strong></a><span><strong>,</strong></span></p>
<p>“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.</p>
<p>Those who remain in me, and I in them,</p>
<p>Will produce much fruit.</p>
<p>For apart from me you can do nothing”</p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>“Humility” is a covering that draws the help of God into our lives to protect and help us.</p>
<p>When we humble ourselves and say<em>,</em> "God, I don't know what to do, but I'm trusting You,"</p>
<p>then God gets in gear to help us.</p>
<p>When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, in due time, He will exalt us</p>
<p> (<a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/1pe.5.6">1 Peter 5:6</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Due time" is God's time, this is when God knows we're ready, not when we think we're ready.</p>
<p>The sooner we understand and accept this, the sooner God can work His plan out in our lives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>I Will Wait (Live) - David Leonard</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/N6IdvER0Bfo"><strong>https://youtu.be/N6IdvER0Bfo</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Lord, we thank You that You will answer our prayers in Your perfect timing. Help us to pray by faith consistently and long-term to believe, wait, and then move forward in Your timing. Help us to be patient in prayer, and not give up. Help us to trust You even during moments when we feel negative emotions. Help us not to take matters in my own hands. We choose to be faithful in prayer. We choose to hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess. We thank You that You have all wisdom and will answer our prayers in the perfect way, at the perfect time. </p>
<p>In Jesus’ name, amen.</p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB 6 practices in Our Christian Life (lesson 1) “Trust in God’s Timing”tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-07:1383940:BlogPost:19218662021-03-07T13:01:14.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 practices in Our Christian Life (lesson 1)</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Trust in God’s Timing”</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8639983457?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8639983457?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WHILE I'M WAITING - JOHN WALLER …</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>6 practices in Our Christian Life (lesson 1)</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Trust in God’s Timing”</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8639983457?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8639983457?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WHILE I'M WAITING - JOHN WALLER </u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/o9DTwLOxzhE"><strong>https://youtu.be/o9DTwLOxzhE</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.</p>
<p>A time to be born and a time to die.</p>
<p>A time to plant and a time to harvest.</p>
<p>A time to kill and a time to heal. </p>
<p>A time to tear down and a time to build up.</p>
<p>A time to cry and a time to laugh.</p>
<p>A time to grieve and a time to dance.</p>
<p>A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.</p>
<p>A time to embrace and a time to turn away.</p>
<p>A time to search and a time to quit searching.</p>
<p>A time to keep and a time to throw away.</p>
<p>A time to tear and a time to mend.</p>
<p>A time to be quiet and a time to speak.</p>
<p>A time to love and a time to hate.</p>
<p>A time for war and a time for peace.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p>The truth is that we all want good things to happen in our lives, but all too often we want it right now and not later.</p>
<p>When things don’t happen that way we want, we are tempted to ask,</p>
<p>"When, God, When?"</p>
<p>Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God, instead of focusing on the "when" question.</p>
<p>If we are lacking joy and peace, it could mean that we are not trusting God.</p>
<p>If our minds feel worn out all the time, it could mean that we are not trusting God.</p>
<p>The tendency to want to know about, and control everything that's going on can be detrimental to our Christian walk.</p>
<p>Sometimes knowing an outcome of a situation, can be uncomfortable and can even hurt us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I spent a large part of my life being impatient, frustrated and disappointed, because I did not know what the outcome would be in situations that I was going through.</p>
<p>God had to teach me to leave things alone, and to stop feeling that I needed to know the outcome of everything.</p>
<p>I finally learned to trust in God, the One who knows all things, and came to accept that some questions may never be answered.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>WE PROVE THAT WE TRUST GOD WHEN WE REFUSE TO WORRY</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Worry only drains the life out of us.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Worrying does nothing to help our situation.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>God is calling us OUT of a life of worry and frustration, and into a life of trust.</p>
<p>It's difficult to exercise trust if we are always trying to figure everything out on our own.</p>
<p><u>But when we are willing to say,</u></p>
<p>"God, I can't figure out how this situation is going to turn out, so, I'm going to trust you with the outcome.”</p>
<p>Then we can rest in trust, even when we don’t know the outcome.</p>
<p>Trusting God often requires not knowing how God is going to accomplish what needs to be done, and not knowing when He will do it.</p>
<p>We often say God is never late, but generally He isn't early either.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Because He uses these times of waiting to stretch and grow our faith in Him, and to bring about change and growth in our lives.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>WAIT WITH PATIENCE</u></strong></p>
<p>We spend a lot of time in our lives waiting because change is a process.</p>
<p>Many people want change, but they don't want to go through the waiting process.</p>
<p>But the truth is, waiting is a given, we are going to have times of waiting.</p>
<p>God meets us on the journey, it is where we come to know and trust him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE QUESTION IS, ARE WE GOING TO WAIT THE WRONG WAY OR RIGHT WAY?</u></strong></p>
<p>If we wait the wrong way, we'll be miserable!</p>
<p>But if we decide to wait God's way, we can become patient, and learn to enjoy the wait.</p>
<p>It takes practice, but as we let God help us in each situation, we will develop patience,</p>
<p>which is one of the most important Christian virtues.</p>
<p>Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, which is a character quality of Jesus (<a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/8/gal.5.22">Galatians 5:22</a>).</p>
<p>Patience develops only under trial, so we must not run from difficult situations.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JAMES THE LORD’S BROTHER WROTE IN JAMES 1:4,</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup> </sup></strong>But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As patience grows, we will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD INVOLVES PROGRESSIVE CHANGES</u></strong></p>
<p>My relationship with God is so much different now, than it was in the early days of my Christian experience.</p>
<p>It is not nearly as emotionally exciting... but yet it is better.</p>
<p>Every change I've gone through has made me more mature, solid and well-grounded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>WE LEARN TO TRUST GOD BY GOING THROUGH MANY EXPERIENCES THAT REQUIRE TRUST.</u></strong></p>
<p>By seeing God's faithfulness over and over, we will begin to let go of trusting in ourselves, and gradually we place our trust in God.</p>
<p>It is easy to see how timing plays an important part in learning to trust God.</p>
<p>If God did everything, we asked for immediately, we would never grow and develop trust.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>REMEMBER, TIMING AND TRUST WORK SIDE BY SIDE.</u></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>ACCEPT GOD'S TIMING</u></strong></p>
<p>God gives us hopes and dreams for certain things to happen in our lives.</p>
<p>But He doesn't always allow us to see the exact timing of His plan.</p>
<p>Although frustrating, not knowing the exact timing is often what keeps us in the program.</p>
<p>We might give up if we knew how long it was going to take.</p>
<p>But when we accept God's timing, we can learn to live in hope, enjoying our lives while God is working on our problems.</p>
<p>We know that God's plan for our lives is good, and when we entrust ourselves to Him, we can experience total peace and happiness.</p>
<p>We will continue to discuss some more aspects of “Trust in God’s Timing” tomorrow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>I WILL WAIT FOR YOU (PSALM 130) SHANE & SHANE</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/8C3WQ1G1Uso"><strong>HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/8C3WQ1G1USO</strong></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father, You are teaching us that our timing isn’t always Your timing. You are never late, but you aren’t early either. Father work Your perfect will out in our lives, and help us to be patient, In Jesus name, amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Gospel of John Chapter 21 “The Restoration of Peter”tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-06:1383940:BlogPost:19220102021-03-06T13:26:29.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 21</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Restoration of Peter”</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8637387052?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8637387052?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 21 - "Feed Your Sheep"…</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 21</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Restoration of Peter”</strong></p>
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<p><strong>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 21 - "Feed Your Sheep"</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/32imymUT2Hs"><strong>https://youtu.be/32imymUT2Hs</strong></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JOHN 21:12-17 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>12 </sup></strong>Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” </p>
<p>None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?”</p>
<p>They knew it was the Lord. </p>
<p><strong><sup>13 </sup></strong>Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. </p>
<p><strong><sup>14 </sup></strong>This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.</p>
<p><strong><sup>15 </sup></strong>When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”</p>
<p>Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”</p>
<p><strong><sup>16 </sup></strong>Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”</p>
<p>He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”</p>
<p>Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”</p>
<p><strong><sup>17 </sup></strong>The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”</p>
<p>Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”</p>
<p>Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>CAN WE FORGIVE OURSELVES?</u></strong></p>
<p>There are no verses in the Bible telling us that we need to forgive ourselves.</p>
<p>Sure, there is the second great commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which implies some self-love and self-care.</p>
<p>And yet the whole of the biblical message seems to be to deny yourself, to focus on God and others and to practice humility—not by thinking less of yourself, but by thinking of yourself, less.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>ISN’T IT TRUE THAT WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH SELF FORGIVENESS?</u></strong></p>
<p>We’ve all had those moments when we’ve absolutely cringed over what we said or did, or didn’t say or didn’t do.</p>
<ul>
<li>We know what we did was wrong.</li>
<li>We have talked to God about it.</li>
<li>We have admitted it was wrong,</li>
<li>We have confessed it,</li>
<li>We have received God’s forgiveness.</li>
</ul>
<p>And yet something still lingers in our conscience, casting blame deep down inside, telling us we are worthless, that we no longer matter to God, that He really hasn’t forgiven us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>WE KNOW WE’RE FORGIVEN, BUT WE STILL PUNISH OURSELVES</u></strong></p>
<p>So, how will we ever find freedom from this condemnation?</p>
<p>As we bask in God’s loving forgiveness, we will be able to let go of those regrets and persistent doubts, and finally accept ourselves again, as creatures who are flawed, but still precious in God’s sight.</p>
<p>In John chapter 21, we discover the second half of Peter’s story of betrayal and forgiveness.</p>
<p>The story begins right after Jesus’ arrest.</p>
<p>Peter follows at a distance and finds himself at the outer courtyard of the Jewish high priest.</p>
<p>After all his bravado earlier, with comments like, “I’ll stay with you to the death!”</p>
<p>Peter found himself doing exactly what Jesus predicted he would do.</p>
<p>When asked if he knows this Jesus who is on trial, Peter takes the safe way out and denies knowing his Lord, not once, not twice, but three times.</p>
<p>And then the cock crows, and Peter catches Jesus’ glance from across the courtyard, and Peter remembers.</p>
<p>His failure must have overwhelmed him, as he contemplates how he just like Judas has betrayed his Lord.</p>
<p>We don’t see much of Peter in scripture for the next couple of days.</p>
<p>He is conspicuously absent at the cross, along with most of the other disciples.</p>
<p> Only the Apostle John and Mary the mother of Jesus and some other women stay by Jesus’ side.</p>
<p>On Sunday morning, that first Easter, Peter is back, along with John, racing to the tomb after Mary Magdalene announces it empty.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>NOW FAST FORWARD A WEEK LATER</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus has appeared to the disciples, but not to Peter individually.</p>
<p>Now Jesus shows up as a stranger on the coastline throwing out some unsolicited advice to expert fishermen.</p>
<p>His guidance leads to an enormous catch.</p>
<p>John said they caught 153 large fish!</p>
<p>John identifies the stranger as Jesus, at which point the always impulsive Peter dives in and swims to shore.</p>
<p>After breakfast Peter and Jesus has a 1-on-1 time with Peter where Jesus questions his devotion to Him and Peter answers in the affirmative.</p>
<p>Someone has described this interchange as both gut-wrenching, and soul-redeeming, a story of God’s graciousness, and Jesus’s loving forgiveness.</p>
<p>It is Jesus who sets the stage: three denials before, and now three questions of Peter’s love and devotion.</p>
<p>He has brought Peter right back to the setting of the betrayal, but this time with an important twist.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>TRUE LOVE ACTS, TRUE LOVE SERVES!</u></strong></p>
<p>As Peter affirms his love, and then Jesus challenges him to serve.</p>
<p>The message to Peter is unmistakable!</p>
<p>“Not only do I forgive you,” Jesus says, “but I have important work for you to do.</p>
<p>Jesus is saying, “The time for pity parties is over.”</p>
<p>“Get off the bench and back in the game!”</p>
<p>Jesus restores Peter to his team, and then puts him back in the game again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>SO HOW CAN WE FORGIVE OURSELVES?</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We can let Jesus’ forgiveness wash over us until we finally believe it!</li>
<li>We can let Jesus’ forgiveness wash over us until it sinks in!</li>
<li>We can let Jesus’ forgiveness wash over us until we know without a doubt that Jesus forgives us, and even gives us new ways to serve him.</li>
</ul>
<p>Think about this,</p>
<ul>
<li>if we have honestly brought all our sin to the foot of the cross</li>
<li>if we have given it to Jesus, and repented of it</li>
<li>if we have turned in the other direction vowing with God’s help to do it no more.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>If we have done all this, then where do we think those messages of guilt and condemnation are coming from?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It is not coming from God! (<a href="https://biblehub.com/romans/8-1.htm">Romans 8:1</a>, <a href="https://biblehub.com/romans/8-34.htm">Romans 8:34</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A20&version=ESV">1 John 3:20</a>)</p>
<p>He promises to throw our sin into the deepest ocean, to remove it from us as far as the east is from the west, to choose to remember it no more! (Psalm 103:12, <a href="https://biblehub.com/hebrews/9-26.htm">Hebrews 9:26</a>)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>OUR CONDEMNATION IS NOT FROM GOD.</u></strong></p>
<p>It comes from the evil one, who would love to see us wallow about helplessly in our guilt and shame, thus robbing us of joy and rendering our testimony worthless.</p>
<p>So, stop listening to the big lie!</p>
<p>Once we confess and repent of our sin, God says you are forgiven! (1John 1:9)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>DOES THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SIN REMAIN AFTER WE’RE FORGIVEN?</u></strong></p>
<p>The answer is yes.</p>
<p>Even though God forgives us, he doesn’t necessarily remove all the consequences.</p>
<p>If you have done criminal acts, you still will suffer the consequences.</p>
<p>As forgiven person, you can be guilty, but you are also blameless in God’s sight.</p>
<p>He forgave Adam and Eve, but still made them leave the garden, work hard, start aging, and have babies in pain.</p>
<p>Sometimes our sin might damage a relationship, or remove an opportunity, or ruin our health.</p>
<p>As for Peter, he had to live with his story recorded in scripture, most likely with his humble consent.</p>
<p>It must have been embarrassing for all to know how quickly he turned to self-preservation mode.</p>
<p>But his story is important because we can identify with him.</p>
<p>We also seek self-preservation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PETER’S STORY GIVES US HOPE OF FORGIVENESS</u></strong></p>
<p>It gives us hope of recovery from guilt and shame, and a healthy shift to serving God by serving others.</p>
<p>Peter could have been like Judas, you know.</p>
<p>He could have allowed himself to be so full of sorrow and remorse that he went out and committed suicide.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Even when he was full of shame, Peter kept coming back to Jesus.</p>
<p>And that’s what we need to do, when we’re overwhelmed with guilt and shame.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>ALWAYS COME BACK TO JESUS</u></strong></p>
<p>Peter is kind of like that Prodigal Son.</p>
<p>Even though he knew he didn’t deserve it, he came home to ask for a hired hand position.</p>
<p>But what did the father do in that story?</p>
<ul>
<li>He rushed out and ran to meet his son…</li>
<li>His father gave him a big bear-hug</li>
<li>Then he put a ring on his finger</li>
<li>A robe on his shoulders,</li>
<li>And sandals on his feet.</li>
<li>The father then threw a big barbeque for his former prodigal son,</li>
</ul>
<p>Why did the father do all this?</p>
<p>It was because that son was lost, but now he is found, he was dead, but now he’s alive.</p>
<p>This is how God receives a repentant sinner.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>FOLLOW ME</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus’ last words to Peter in today’s story are simply, “Follow me!”</p>
<p>And Peter did follow Jesus, all the way to an eventual death on the cross himself.</p>
<p>This Scripture points to that manner of death, when Jesus talks of Peter spreading out his arms when he is old. (John 21:18)</p>
<p>Peter followed Jesus to the end of this earthly life and into Heaven itself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WHAT ABOUT US?</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Are we ready to follow Jesus, regardless of the price?</li>
<li>Are we ready to be accepted by the One who recognizes us as flawed, but precious?</li>
<li>Are you ready for him to forgive all our sin and put us back into service?</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Heavenly Father, we are humbled by Peter’s story. We find ourselves in it, as we contemplate the failures in our own lives. Yet, you are a God who consistently uses flawed people to do your work, from angry Moses, to prideful Joseph, to scared Esther, to timid Gideon, to us today. Father, you used them all, despite their flaws. Use us, Lord. Forgive us as we bring our sin to you, and help us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are forgiven, and called to serve out of our brokenness, relying on your Holy Spirit power, in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.</p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Gospel of John Chapter 20 “The Grave Clothes a Sign of Triumph”tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-04:1383940:BlogPost:19219442021-03-04T13:04:19.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 20</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Grave Clothes</strong> <strong>a Sign of Triumph”</strong></p>
<p><strong><u> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8630913466?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8630913466?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Evidence of the Resurrection: The Grave Clothes…</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 20</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Grave Clothes</strong> <strong>a Sign of Triumph”</strong></p>
<p><strong><u> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8630913466?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8630913466?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Evidence of the Resurrection: The Grave Clothes</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/coIrUt04ftM"><strong>https://youtu.be/coIrUt04ftM</strong></a></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>John 20:1-10 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><sup>1</sup> Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. </p>
<p><sup>2 </sup>She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved.</p>
<p>She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”</p>
<p><sup>3 </sup>Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. </p>
<p><sup>4 </sup>They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. </p>
<p><sup>5 </sup>He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. </p>
<p><sup>6-7 </sup>Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. </p>
<p><sup>8-9 </sup>Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. </p>
<p><sup>10 </sup>Then they went home.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>1 - MARY VIEWED THE GRAVE CLOTHES AS A TRAGEDY</u></strong></p>
<p>Mary had seen more than her fair share of tragedy during the previous few days and her task that first Easter morning was a grim reminder of it.</p>
<p>It was early, before daybreak and Mary Magdalene was headed for a place she would rather not be going to.</p>
<p>Mary was going out to the place where they had buried Jesus just a few days before.</p>
<p>She was going to perform a gruesome task.</p>
<p>The burial of Jesus had been rushed because of the approaching sabbath at night fall.</p>
<p>The anointing of Jesus’ body had not been finished and now Mary was going out to complete the task.</p>
<p>It was something she had prepared herself for, but as she neared the tomb something was wrong.</p>
<p>But the stone had been rolled away and the body of Jesus was gone!</p>
<p>This seemed to be just one more tragedy to add to the growing list for Mary.</p>
<ul>
<li>Mary had watched as Jesus was given a mockery of a trial.</li>
<li>Mary had watched as Jesus was flogged by Roman soldiers.</li>
<li>Mary had watched as Jesus was led away to be crucified.</li>
<li>Mary had watched as Jesus was nailed to the cross.</li>
<li>Mary had watched as the soldier rammed the spear into Jesus side.</li>
<li>Mary had helped as Jesus was buried.</li>
<li>Mary had watched as the stone was rolled into place.</li>
</ul>
<p>Mary sees the tomb open and then runs to tell Peter and John.</p>
<p>As she reaches them, notice the words that she uses to describe what has happened.</p>
<p>"They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!"</p>
<p>The words ooze with tragedy.</p>
<p>They hang in the air and reveal the depth of her pain.</p>
<p>These words show the reality of tragic events continuing to unfold.</p>
<p>Mary saw the grave clothes as a tragedy that left her with a broken heart.</p>
<p>Mary’s logic does make sense at this point.</p>
<p>Jesus was dead and the hopes of His kingdom seemed to die with Him.</p>
<p>The hopes of the Messiah had been wrapped in the grave clothes right along with Jesus and laid behind the stone.</p>
<p>Now, the body of Jesus was gone and was nowhere to be found.</p>
<p>The body had been presumed stolen, with no way of being able to find it where it was.</p>
<p>For Mary this was just another tragedy to add to her list.</p>
<p>We can all relate to Mary, because we have seen our fair share of tragedy as well.</p>
<ul>
<li>We have felt the sting of tragedy, when our spouse calls it quits.</li>
<li>We have felt the pain of tragedy, when we found out about a personal illness.</li>
<li>We have felt the power of tragedy when a loved one passed away.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>2 - PETER VIEWED THE GRAVE CLOTHES AS A TRUTH</u></strong></p>
<p>When Peter and John heard the news that Jesus’ body was gone, they immediately ran to the tomb to investigate for themselves.</p>
<p>As Peter enters the tomb, he makes an incredible discovery, the body of Jesus was indeed gone, but there was a problem…</p>
<p>The grave clothes were undisturbed making it impossible for the body to have been stolen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE GRAVE COTHES</u></strong></p>
<p>The grave clothes were divided into two parts for the burial of Jesus.</p>
<ul>
<li>The first section were the strips of linen that would have been used to wrap the body, much like that of a mummy.</li>
<li>The second part was the burial cloth that was used to cover the head.</li>
<li>The grave clothes were empty as if the body were removed by passing through them.</li>
<li>The burial cloth was folded upon itself; this means that it formed a kind of shell.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PETER’S RESPONCE</u></strong></p>
<p>How Peter responds to the grave clothes is interesting.</p>
<p>Peter sees the facts of the resurrection in front of his eyes, with no way to deny the reality of it.</p>
<ul>
<li>Peter saw that the stone was rolled away.</li>
<li>He saw that the tomb was empty and not ransacked.</li>
<li>Peter saw the facts, but left the tomb without a conclusion of what took place.</li>
<li>Peter goes home shaking his head in wonder and makes no response to the facts that were right in in front of him.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>Maybe some of us are like Peter, who approaches situations by just looking at the facts.</p>
<ul>
<li>Maybe we look at life through lenses of being hurt one too many times.</li>
<li>Maybe we look at life through lenses that we have been given a raw deal over and over.</li>
<li>Maybe we look at life through the fact that sometimes life is beyond our control.</li>
<li>Peter had not been restored yet from his denial of Jesus, which could have hindered Him from responding to the facts that he saw.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>3 - JOHN SAW THE GRAVE CLOTHES AS A TRIUMPH</u></strong></p>
<p>John was there with Peter at the tomb that first Easter morning and he saw everything that Peter saw, but John’s response to it was much different than peters.</p>
<ul>
<li>John saw the stone, he saw the empty tomb, and he saw the grave clothes for what they were, a sign of the resurrection.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>John responded to the facts in front of him, not with more questions, but instead he saw it with faith.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>John saw the grave clothes at a distance and he was already trying to understand what had happened.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>When John takes that step into the tomb that day, he was not just looking for answers, he was looking for truth.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>As John saw the facts unfold in front of him.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>He saw the grave clothes not as a sign of tragedy or just part of the tomb.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>He saw them all as a sign of triumph.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>The grave clothes in the empty tomb communicate a powerful message; Jesus is alive!</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jesus left the grave clothes in the tomb as a sign, that He had defeated death, and that the power of the resurrection was indeed a realty.</p>
<ul>
<li>The symbol of death, had become a sign of life.</li>
<li>The symbol of despair, had become a sign of hope.</li>
<li>The symbol of a bitter end, had become the sign of a new beginning.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE PROOF THAT JESUS WAS ALIVE</u></strong></p>
<p>The grave clothes that were the evidence of death, became the evidence that Jesus was now alive.</p>
<p>The grave clothes proves that Jesus can take the greatest tragedies of life, and give us the greatest triumph.</p>
<p>The grave clothes prove that Jesus can move us from just person of facts, to someone with a genuine faith.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The tragedy of the grave clothes, blended with the facts of the empty tomb, reveal the triumph of the resurrection.</p>
<p>Amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Phil Wickham ~ Christ Is Risen</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/vMX9CNgRJCM">https://youtu.be/vMX9CNgRJCM</a></p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Gospel of John Chapter 19 “The Wonder of the Cross”tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-03:1383940:BlogPost:19216792021-03-03T12:12:25.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 19</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Wonder of the Cross”</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8626323255?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8626323255?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 19 - "The Cross"…</strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 19</strong></p>
<p><strong>“The Wonder of the Cross”</strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8626323255?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8626323255?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 19 - "The Cross"</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/DhUWzAwJhnw"><strong>https://youtu.be/DhUWzAwJhnw</strong></a></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>JOHN 19:16-18, 28-30 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>16 </sup></strong>Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.</p>
<p>So, they took Jesus away. </p>
<p><strong><sup>17 </sup></strong>Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, <em>Golgotha</em>). </p>
<p><strong><sup>18 </sup></strong>There they nailed him to the cross.</p>
<p>Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. </p>
<p><strong><sup>28 </sup></strong>Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”</p>
<p><strong><sup> 29 </sup></strong>A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. </p>
<p><strong><sup>30 </sup></strong>When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” </p>
<p>Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As we approach Easter in just a few weeks, we turn our attention to the cross.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS IN THE CENTER</u></strong></p>
<p>This was literally true; of the three crosses, Jesus was in the middle.</p>
<p>Yet as a concept, there are many ways that it could be said that Jesus is the center.</p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS WAS CENTERED AMONG ALL HUMANITY.</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus never distanced Himself from common people, and freely interacted with those thought to be great men.</p>
<p>From His birth, through His whole life, He lived as one of us.</p>
<p>Jesus died among men and women, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor.</p>
<p>He died among the high class and no class, the educated and the uneducated.</p>
<p>Jesus died among the religious and the secular, the guilty and the innocent.</p>
<p>He died among the weepers and the mockers, those deeply moved and those indifferent, those who hated Him and those who loved Him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS WAS CENTERED AMONG SINFUL HUMANITY.</u></strong></p>
<p>His enemies thought this would make His sufferings worse.</p>
<p>They thought it would bother Him more to see the low company He died with.</p>
<p>In His death, the religious people mocked Him and His disciples forsook Him.</p>
<p>Yet Jesus was centered among sinners to the end.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS WAS CENTERED AMONG CONFUSION.</u></strong> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/preSearch.cfm?Criteria=Matthew+27.46-49&t=NKJV">Matthew 27:46-49</a> tells us that when Jesus cried out in agony to His Father, that the people around Him didn’t understand and some even felt it was amusing, and mocked Him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS WAS CENTERED BETWEEN THE BELIEVING AND THE REJECTING.</u></strong> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/preSearch.cfm?Criteria=Matthew+27.44&t=NKJV">Matthew 27:44</a> told us that both of the men on the other crosses mocked Him, but <a href="https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/preSearch.cfm?Criteria=Luke+23.39-41&t=NKJV">Luke 23:39-41</a> tells us of a change that took place in one of the criminals.</p>
<p>The last human voice testifying to Jesus was a criminal on a cross converted right before his death.</p>
<p>The disciples were gone…</p>
<p>All the people Jesus healed and taught were nowhere to be found…</p>
<p>The religious leaders mocked Him and spit upon Him…</p>
<p>Even the faithful women who followed Jesus to Golgotha with Mary His mother, and John were silenced by their grief.</p>
<p>Yet there was one lone human voice that told the truth about Jesus when all others were silent. (The repentant man on the cross beside Him)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS WAS CENTERED BETWEEN THE SAVED AND THE PERISHING.</u></strong></p>
<p>The thief on the cross was the last companion of Jesus on this earth before His death – and Jesus brought Him to salvation.</p>
<p>This was perhaps the only comfort to Jesus on the cross.</p>
<p>Still, one thief was saved, but one was lost, and Jesus was in the center between them.</p>
<p>God want all to be saved and His sacrifice upon the cross made it possible for all to be saved.</p>
<p>Yet all will not be saved because God will not force salvation on anyone.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS WAS CENTERED BETWEEN GOD AND HUMANITY.</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus on the cross took ALL the punishment our sin deserved.</p>
<p>During the O.T. times the priest would bring the sacrifice</p>
<p>At the cross Jesus was both the priest and the sacrifice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS WAS CENTERED IN ALL OF GOD’S WORK THROUGHOUT HISTORY.</u></strong></p>
<p>We do not look at Jesus on the center cross with pity, as if we should all feel sorry for poor Jesus.</p>
<p>He was the winner at the cross.</p>
<p>This was the greatest victory of all time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p>We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>KNOWING THAT ALL THINGS WERE NOW ACCOMPLISHED</u></strong><u>:</u></p>
<p>Jesus knew that His great work, His life and death work on the cross was fulfilled.</p>
<p>He then made preparation to yield His life and die, having finished the work.</p>
<p>Jesus says, it is finished! </p>
<p>His final word was the cry of a winner.</p>
<p>Jesus had finished the eternal purpose of the cross.</p>
<p>What Jesus accomplished still stands today as a finished work, the foundation of all Christian peace, and faith.</p>
<p>The payment in full for the debt we righteously owed to God.</p>
<p>Then making peace between God for all those who believe and receive the gift.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER IN SONG</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>Thank You for The Cross / Graham Kendrick</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/_3apPPzCdh0"><strong>https://youtu.be/_3apPPzCdh0</strong></a></p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Gospel of John Chapter 17 "Make Us One"tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-03-02:1383940:BlogPost:19207912021-03-02T13:17:26.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 17</strong></p>
<p><strong>"Make Us One"</strong></p>
<p> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8619808459?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8619808459?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 17 - "Make Us One"</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/Y---gjIBdjA">https://youtu.be/Y---gjIBdjA</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>John 17:20-26…</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 17</strong></p>
<p><strong>"Make Us One"</strong></p>
<p> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8619808459?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8619808459?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 17 - "Make Us One"</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/Y---gjIBdjA">https://youtu.be/Y---gjIBdjA</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>John 17:20-26 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>20 </sup></strong>“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. </p>
<p><strong><sup>21 </sup></strong>I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.</p>
<p><strong><sup>22 </sup></strong>“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. </p>
<p><strong><sup>23 </sup></strong>I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. </p>
<p><strong><sup>24 </sup></strong>Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!</p>
<p><strong><sup>25 </sup></strong>“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. </p>
<p><strong><sup>26 </sup></strong>I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>John 17 is the prayer of Jesus prior to his death and is often called his High Priestly Prayer.</p>
<p>This was because he intercedes with God on behalf of the disciples, present and future.</p>
<p>John 17 prayer is also Jesus’ Last Will and Testament, because it represents his provision for the disciples’ needs on the eve of his death.</p>
<p>This prayer could be full of despair because the disciples have proven disappointing.</p>
<p>Even though Jesus has tried to prepare them for his coming death and resurrection, they have failed to understand.</p>
<p>They did not understand that Jesus kingdom was not of this world.</p>
<p>They thought Jesus was going to be the new king of Israel, like King David.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the disciples were ordinary men and there were not very many of them.</p>
<p>No CEO would entrust an important project to such an undistinguished group, but Jesus is leaving the future of God’s work in their hands.</p>
<p>Jesus is leaving the disciples, but he is not leaving them alone.</p>
<p>The Holy Spirit will accompany them as their helper and will strengthen them and guide them.</p>
<p>Jesus prays, that they will all be one, just as He and the Father are one, so that the world will believe that the Father sent Jesus.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE UNION OF THE DISCIPLES WITH FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.</u></strong></p>
<p>This tiny band of ordinary people will turn the world upside down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE LOVE OF JESUS FOR HIS DISCIPLES</u></strong></p>
<p>The disciples are about to experience a great trauma as Jesus is crucified upon a Roman cross.</p>
<p>This prayer gives us a glimpse of Jesus heart for His disciples, as he prepares to leave them.</p>
<ul>
<li>The passion of this prayer brings to mind a dying mother pleading for the child for whom she can no longer care.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>It brings to mind a father saying goodbye to a son who is going off to war.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>It is the cry-of-the-heart of perfect love, and it is the prayer of perfect faith.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Jesus knows these disciples’ weaknesses, but he also knows that God will take care of them.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAY FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus prayed for the disciples, then he widens the circle to include those who will follow.</p>
<p>Jesus is optimistic in His prayer as He assumes that the witness of these disciples will be effective.</p>
<p>This prayer of Jesus is also for us today.</p>
<p>I believe that Jesus prays for both the individual and the corporate body.</p>
<p>“That they may all be one” (verse 21a).</p>
<p>This is a prayer for the unity of believers. </p>
<p>The enemy works to divide us. Christ works to unite us.</p>
<p>Unity multiplies the effectiveness of our witness.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>A DIVIDED CHURCH LOSES ITS PERSUASIVE FORCE</u></strong></p>
<p>Advocates of the ecumenical movement cite these verses to justify their work.</p>
<p>However, their work is valid only as it adheres to true faith and practice, which isn’t always the case.</p>
<p>It is clear that Jesus’ prayer for the unity of believers has not yet been fully answered.</p>
<p>We desperately need to repent, and to hear Jesus’ prayer again and again.</p>
<p>However, we also need to recognize that Jesus’ prayer has been answered, at least in part.</p>
<p>“There is neither Jew or Greek, there is neither slave or free man, there is neither male and female; for all of you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).</p>
<p>We tend to forget how revolutionary Paul’s words to the Galatians were for the time, twenty centuries ago, when they were first written.</p>
<p>If we are sorry for the disunities that plague us, let us also be glad for the unity that blesses us.</p>
<p>The glory and love that Jesus gives to the disciples is the same glory and love that He received from the Father.</p>
<p>In this Gospel, Christ’s glory is made fully manifest in his death, resurrection, and ascension (thought of as one continuous action in this Gospel).</p>
<p>It is through the cross and open tomb that Jesus returns to the glory that he enjoyed with the Father before the creation of the world (John17:5).</p>
<p>It is by taking up their crosses and following Jesus that his disciples share in His glory (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The glory which the Father gives the Son results ultimately in the exaltation of Jesus, who is given “the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth” (Philippians 2:9-10).</p>
<p>The pathway to that exaltation involves the Son emptying himself, “taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.</p>
<p>And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The love with which the father loves the Son leads ultimately to a throne, but only by way of a cross.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>UNITY IS POSSIBLE ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD.</u></strong></p>
<p>The disciples argued over who was greatest (Mark 9:34).</p>
<p>James and John requested, “Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left hand, in your glory” (Mark 10:37).</p>
<p>The early church experienced doctrinal controversy and other conflict (Acts 15).</p>
<p>But the grace of God will also enable them to work together to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>It was their spiritual unity that made the proclamation of the Gospel highly successful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father, we give thanks to You for all You have done for us. Thank you for this glimpse into the prayer life of Jesus. We desire to have communion with you also. Jesus stressed the importance of unity among your people. Make us one in our days so we can be affective witnesses to the lost. Everyday help us to come and build up our relationship with you so we will have your heart for one another. In Jesus name we pray, amen!</p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Gospel of John chapter 16 (lesson 2) "May Your Peace Rest Upon Us"tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-28:1383940:BlogPost:19191622021-02-28T23:19:29.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John chapter 16 (lesson 2)</strong></p>
<p><strong>"May Your Peace Rest Upon Us"</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8612682052?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8612682052?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 16 - "May Your Peace Be Released"…</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John chapter 16 (lesson 2)</strong></p>
<p><strong>"May Your Peace Rest Upon Us"</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8612682052?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8612682052?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 16 - "May Your Peace Be Released"</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/s0jDKFffg20">https://youtu.be/s0jDKFffg20</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>John 16:33 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p>“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.</p>
<p>Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows.</p>
<p>But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>John 14:27 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p>“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.</p>
<p>And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.</p>
<p>So, don’t be troubled or afraid.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br/> <a href="https://biblehub.com/philippians/4-7.htm"><strong>Philippians 4:7</strong></a> <strong><u>(NLT)</u></strong><br/> “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.</p>
<p>His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS REASSURE THE DISCIPLES</u></strong></p>
<p>The comforting words of Jesus are designed to help us to trust in the wonderful promises of God as we journey through this life.</p>
<p>This was true for the disciples too.</p>
<p>As the shadow of the cross grew closer, the disciples became fearful of the hateful attitudes of the Jewish religious leaders towards Jesus, which grew stronger every day.</p>
<p>Jesus took time to reassure the disciples that His perfect peace would flood their heart and souls;</p>
<ul>
<li>if they would trust in the words that He had spoken to them.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>And believe the things He had taught them.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>These disciples had to know that they would also face tribulations.</p>
<p>There would be people who would be antagonistic towards them too, just as they were towards Jesus.</p>
<p>Jesus told them and us to take courage, to be confident, be filled with joy, because He has overcome the world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS NEVER FAILS</u></strong></p>
<p>I want you to know that the loving Lord of eternity never deserts His children, who call out to Him day and night. (Luke 18:7)</p>
<p>God understands the fears and the doubts that flood our minds when everything that seemed to be safe, secure, and stable, is flung into disarray and disorder.</p>
<p>Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.</p>
<p>Peace comes from Jesus who never fails us.</p>
<p>These were reassuring words for His disciples and for us.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>A PROMISE OF PEACE</u></strong></p>
<p>His promise of peace is given to all those who hear and believe His Word.</p>
<p>His blessed peace rests in the heart of all who abide in His love.</p>
<p>Jesus offers us His perfect peace which can only be found in Him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Jesus said in John 14:1(NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p> “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me”</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>We will find His peace as we look to Him.</li>
<li>We will gain His peace as we trust His Word.</li>
<li>We will discover His peace as we believe His promises and take them to heart.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>“I HAVE TOLD YOU ALL THIS SO THAT YOU MAY HAVE PEACE IN ME”.</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>We are POSITIONALLY in Christ through faith.</li>
<li>We must also be PRACTICALLY in Christ, moment by moment.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>We will never gain that peace which passes understanding unless we are;</p>
<ul>
<li>Living in fellowship with Him daily.</li>
<li>Resting in His promises, that He has taught us in His Word.</li>
</ul>
<p>It is as we rest in Him and abide in His love that the peace of God, which passes human comprehension, will flood our hearts and quiet our minds.</p>
<p>Jesus has given to us a very clear message, that He has gained the victory over Satan and this world system.</p>
<p>He gave us a glimpse into the wonderful things that God has prepared for those that love Him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THE COMFORTING WORDS OF JESUS WERE GIVEN FOR A REASON</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>to sustain us in times of doubt, to strengthen us in times of weakness,</li>
<li>to support us in times of suffering,</li>
<li>to light up this gloomy world in times of darkness</li>
<li>and to raise us up when we falter and fall.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>Realize that it was before Jesus was led to Pilate and then crucified on a wooden cross, that He made a most astounding claim; "I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD."</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>HE HAS OVERCOME</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus not only overcame sin by living a sinless life, He overcame sin on behalf of ALL who would trust in His sacrificial offering on the cross.</p>
<p>Jesus not only overcame death when He rose from the dead, He overcame death on behalf of ALL those who are born from above and are clothed in His righteousness.</p>
<p>Because HE overcame, we too are overcomers through faith in Him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>SAFE IN HIS LOVE AND CARE</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and to us, to give a warning that many tribulations and trials that we will face as His followers.</p>
<p>It is knowing that Christ has won the victory on our account, so that no matter what may happen, we are safe in His love and care.</p>
<p>Jesus was saying,</p>
<p>“I have triumphed over everything that could cause you pain and distress.</p>
<p>In Me you will have the peace that passes human understanding.</p>
<p>"In this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Still / P E A C E - Hillsong Worship</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/GpRPzlNdMIk">https://youtu.be/GpRPzlNdMIk</a></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u>PRAYER</u></p>
<p>Father, we thank you are our peace. We know that wherever we go, we can be at peace. No matter what happens in our lives, we can have peace. We recall the words of Jesus, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. We thank you for this wonderful gift that sustains us on our way. In Jesus name we pray, amen!</p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Gospel of John Chapter 15 (Lesson 2) “Love One Another”tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-26:1383940:BlogPost:19164122021-02-26T13:30:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p></p>
<p><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 15 (Lesson 2)</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Love One Another”</strong></p>
<p> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8601868483?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8601868483?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Love One Another"</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/reQOzkCs9_w">https://youtu.be/reQOzkCs9_w</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>John 15:9-17…</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 15 (Lesson 2)</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Love One Another”</strong></p>
<p> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8601868483?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8601868483?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Love One Another"</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/reQOzkCs9_w">https://youtu.be/reQOzkCs9_w</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>John 15:9-17 (NLT)</p>
<p><strong><sup>9 </sup></strong>“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. </p>
<p><strong><sup>10 </sup></strong>When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. </p>
<p><strong><sup>11 </sup></strong>I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! </p>
<p><strong><sup>12 </sup></strong>This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. </p>
<p><strong><sup>13 </sup></strong>There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. </p>
<p><strong><sup>14 </sup></strong>You are my friends if you do what I command. </p>
<p><strong><sup>15 </sup></strong>I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves.</p>
<p>Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. </p>
<p><strong><sup>16 </sup></strong>You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. </p>
<p><strong><sup>17 </sup></strong>This is my command: Love each other.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Apostle John speak a lot about loving one another (1 John 4:7-21), as Christ has loved us.</p>
<p><u>In John 13:34 (NLT), Jesus said,</u></p>
<p>“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”</p>
<p>When we think about what it really means to love, we may have to admit that we could never love others to the full extent that Jesus loves us.”</p>
<p>Is it really possible for anyone to actually fulfill this commandment?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jesus was firmly rooted in the love of God as God.</p>
<p>Jesus was firmly established in an intimate living fellowship within the Godhead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>His actions and teachings had their life-source in God’s love.</p>
<p>The secret of the life of Jesus was his connectedness with God.</p>
<p>He withdrew regularly into a solitary place to meet and have fellowship with God.</p>
<p>Jesus was always abiding in God.</p>
<p>In our day we find it hard to withdraw from our busy schedules to be with God. </p>
<p>We are hard pressed for time to listen to His voice of love and grace.</p>
<p>When we take the time to speak to God, we are often are not patient enough to wait on Him and listen to His voice.</p>
<p>We hear the invitation of Jesus to; “Remain in my Love”,</p>
<p>Jesus is saying, “don’t go in and out of His love”.</p>
<p>But, Remain! Abide! Stay! Listen…</p>
<p>Verse 9 of our text says, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love”. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>SO HOW EXACTLY, DID JESUS EXPERIENCE HIS FATHER’S LOVE?</u></strong></p>
<p>What did Jesus get from God in exchange for his obedience?</p>
<p>Well, we know for a fact that God never gave his son a fancy car to drive around town, or even a horse and chariot, which would have been more appropriate in his time.</p>
<p>But we know also that the heavenly Father gave his son Jesus an infinite sense of belonging and being rooted in his love.</p>
<p>God said, “You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).</p>
<p>We hear the blessing spoken from the Father at the time of Jesus baptism.</p>
<p>God gave Jesus a firm foundation; the conviction of His presence, His counsel and His faithfulness, in times of trial and temptation.</p>
<p>Jesus received from His Heavenly Father a peace that far transcends the restlessness of this world.</p>
<p>The Father’s love assured Jesus of a sense of security and safety in a harsh world.</p>
<p>That is the affirmation that we too can experience the love of God through Jesus.</p>
<p>“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you…”</p>
<p>As we experience the love of Jesus, we are the recipients of a love that goes far beyond material things.</p>
<ul>
<li>It is a love that transcends human comprehension…</li>
<li>It is a love that cannot be earned…</li>
<li>A love that knows no boundaries…</li>
<li>A love that we couldn’t get if we chose it…</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Love Each Other, Graham Kendrick </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/2MblrWZDpPQ">https://youtu.be/2MblrWZDpPQ</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><u>PRAYER</u></p>
<p>Dear Father we are so very thankful for how you love us. We are at times overcome by the extent you went to prove your love for us. You sent Jesus to die in our place, so in His resurrection we too would be resurrected to new life. We pray that your love will shine forth from our lives to a lost and hurting world who needs the hope that Jesus brings to all who believe. We bring our prayer with praise and thanksgiving, In Jesus name we pray, amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<p></p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Gospel of John Chapter 15 “Remain in Me”tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-25:1383940:BlogPost:19153472021-02-25T13:30:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p></p>
<p><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 15</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Remain in Me”</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8596426475?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8596426475?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 15 - "Remain"…</u></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 15</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Remain in Me”</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8596426475?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8596426475?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 15 - "Remain"</u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/G1LiqjGKfzo">https://youtu.be/G1LiqjGKfzo</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>Jesus said in John 15:1-8 (NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p><strong> <sup>1</sup></strong> “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. </p>
<p><strong><sup>2 </sup></strong>He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. </p>
<p><strong><sup>3 </sup></strong>You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. </p>
<p><strong><sup>4<u> </u></sup></strong><u>Remain in me,</u> and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.</p>
<p><strong><sup>5 </sup></strong>“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who <u>remain in me</u>, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.</p>
<p><strong><sup>6 </sup></strong>If you do not <u>remain in me</u>, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. </p>
<p><strong><sup>7 </sup></strong>If you <u>remain in me</u> and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. </p>
<p><strong><sup>8 </sup></strong>This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS DECLARES THAT HE IS “I AM”</u></strong></p>
<p>Throughout the Gospels you will notice that Jesus is slowing revealing His deity by saying, “I AM”.</p>
<ol>
<li>“I Am the Bread of Life.” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+6%3A35%2C+41%2C+48%2C+51&version=NKJV">John 6:35, 41, 48, 51</a>)</li>
<li>“I Am the Light of the World.” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A12&version=NKJV">John 8:12</a>)</li>
<li>“I Am the Door of the Sheep.” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A7%2C9&version=NKJV">John 10:7,9</a>)</li>
<li>“I Am the Resurrection and The Life.” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11%3A25&version=NKJV">John 11:25</a>)</li>
<li>“I Am the Good Shepherd.” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A11%2C+14&version=NKJV">John 10:11, 14</a>)</li>
<li>“I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A6&version=NKJV">John 14:6</a>)</li>
<li>“I Am the True Vine.” (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A1%2C+5&version=NKJV">John 15:1, 5</a>)</li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<p>John 15:1-8 is an allegory (a work in which the characters represent other things, and symbolically express a deeper meaning). </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THERE ARE FOUR ACTORS IN THIS LITTLE DRAMA</u></strong></p>
<p>1 - Jesus Identifies himself as “The True Vine”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2 - God the Father is identified as the “Gardener.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>3 - The followers of Jesus are identified as the “Abiding Branches.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4 - There are also the branches that is thrown away and wither, which are unbelievers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE GARDENERS</u></strong><br/> Vineyards were familiar to everyone during the time of Jesus. </p>
<p>People pass vineyards as they walk from place to place. </p>
<p>Some owned their own vineyard or work in a vineyard. </p>
<p>These vinedressers as they were called were able to discern fruitful branches, from those that were only draining the vine’s energy. </p>
<p>These gardeners would trim unfruitful branches away, all the while feeling good about the surgical purpose of their work. </p>
<p>The pruning might appear cruel, but the process renews the vine’s vitality. </p>
<p>These useless vines drain a plant’s strength. </p>
<p>To leave them in place serves no purpose and reduces the value of the vineyard. </p>
<p>The gardener cuts away unfruitful branches, and then finding them unusable, burns them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS IS THE VINE WHO BRINGS SPIRITUAL LIFE TO US.</u></strong></p>
<p>Through his death upon the cross, Jesus has brought life to us.</p>
<p>Saving us from our sin and grafting us into the True vine (Romans 11:17)</p>
<p>As the “Vine”, Jesus brings to us The Living Water (The Holy Spirit).</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Jesus said in John 7:38 (NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p>“Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!</p>
<p>For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.</p>
<p>When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.</p>
<p>But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.”</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Jesus said in John 4:14 (NLT),</u></strong></p>
<p>“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.</p>
<p>It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>GOD THE FATHER IS A HEAVENLY GARNER IN OUR LIVES.</u></strong></p>
<p>God the Father is the Gardener who prunes away those things in our live that are keeping us from abiding in the Vine (Jesus).</p>
<p>Just like cholesterol can clog up our arteries, restricting blood flow, so can un-repentant, un-confessed sin, they restrict the flow of the Spirit in our life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>1John 1:8-10 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>8 </sup></strong>If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. </p>
<p><strong><sup>9 </sup></strong>But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. </p>
<p><strong><sup>10 </sup></strong>If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>JESUS SAYS 4 TIME “REMAIN IN ME”</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus is declaring that it is through Him that life flows.</p>
<p>He is saying that it is important to remain connected with Him if we want that life giving flow.</p>
<p>Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.</p>
<p>No one can come to the Father except through me.</p>
<p>This is why it is so important to remain connected with Jesus the life giver.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Father we are so grateful for the work of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) that are at work in our lives. We are in awe of your wonderful works that you have done on our behalf. May we every day of our lives find ourselves abiding and remaining in Christ the True Vine, where light and life come from. Amen!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The gospel of John 14 (lesson 2) “The work of the Holy Spirit”tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-24:1383940:BlogPost:19141392021-02-24T13:00:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Gospel of John 14 (lesson 2)</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>“The work of the Holy Spirit”…</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591946472?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591946472?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Gospel of John 14 (lesson 2)</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>“The work of the Holy Spirit”</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591946472?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591946472?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Book of John in Song - Chapter 14 - "In My Father’s House"</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><u><a href="https://youtu.be/zGc3Cs5vNRA">https://youtu.be/zGc3Cs5vNRA</a></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>John 14:15-21(NLT)</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>15 </sup></strong>“If you love me, obey my commandments. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>16 </sup></strong>And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>17 </sup></strong>He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>18 </sup></strong>No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>19 </sup></strong>Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>20 </sup></strong>When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>21 </sup></strong>Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And because they love me, my Father will love them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>In verse15, Jesus says,</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“If you love me, obey my commandments.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Obedience to the commandments of Jesus is evidence and proves that we love Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Understand that the commands of Jesus do not dismiss any of the Old Testament commandments.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The commandments of Jesus do reject a legalistic, letter-of-the-law approach, by</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">fulfilling the spirit of the entire law through faith.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>In verse 16, Jesus says, </u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Greek word for “Advocate” means; Intercessor, Consoler, Comforter, Helper.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It also has a broader meaning of someone called to our side to help us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is a legal term for a trial lawyer who advocates for someone.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>THIS MEANS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ON OUR SIDE, DEFENDING US.</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Holy Spirit is also called “The Spirit of Truth.” (verse 17)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It should be no surprise that our best arguments often fail, because the world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We need to simply trust that the Holy Spirit will do His job.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“He will guide us into all truth” (John 16:13)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>Jesus said in John 14:18,</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We are not orphans. He is with us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus is God, as is the Holy Spirit is God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>Jesus goes on to say in verse 19,</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Because I live, you will live also.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus is speaking about eternal life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He declares that, “Because I live, you will live also.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Because He lives, we are partakers of that life now, and forever.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This is saying that our eternal life is dependent directly on Jesus giving it to us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>In verse 20, Jesus says,</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This mystical personal relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit is what the resurrection life is all about.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus' words “keep My commandments” includes the mutual indwelling of Father, Son and Holy Spirit with us through faith.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus promises that He will love us, and manifest Himself to us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We don’t need to be a part of an exclusive church to be loved by God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Holy Spirit has come to confirm God’s love for us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Church is any place where Jesus dwells through the Holy Spirit.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Church is where His love lives in people.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is hard to understand the Trinity, God, three in one, yet they have distinctive functions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>RIGHT NOW, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS SHINING THE LIGHT ON JESUS</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He is directing us to Jesus, to the cross, to forgiveness, through faith in His name.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Holy Spirit will help us to live lives that please God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This enables us to fulfil the Commandments of Jesus to love God and to love others.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Holy Spirit pours God’s love in our hearts. (Romans 5:5)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This can take place because of the sacrifice of Jesus, who cleansed us from sin and made us expectable before God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Father we are caught up in the mystery of all you are. Jesus has become our advocate, who has made us acceptable to come boldly to the throne of grace through the cross. We are in awe of the gift of the Holy Spirit who is working in us to make us like Christ. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Three in One, God. We rejoice in all that you do for your children, in Jesus name we pray, amen!</span></p>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB The Book of John chapter 14 (lesson 1) "In Our Father’s House"tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-24:1383940:BlogPost:19141362021-02-24T13:00:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Book of John chapter 14 (lesson 1)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"In Our Father’s House"</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> …<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591926880?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591926880?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Book of John chapter 14 (lesson 1)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"In Our Father’s House"</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591926880?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8591926880?profile=RESIZE_710x"/></a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Book of John in Song - Chapter 14 - "In Our Father’s House"</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://youtu.be/zGc3Cs5vNRA">https://youtu.be/zGc3Cs5vNRA</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><u> </u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><u> </u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><u>John 14:1-6 (NLT)</u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>1</sup></strong> “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>2 </sup></strong>There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>3 </sup></strong>When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>4 </sup></strong>And you know the way to where I am going.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>5 </sup></strong>“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><sup>6 </sup></strong>Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u> </u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>1 - WE ARE NOT OVERWHELMED BY OUR TROUBLES BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN GOD.</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus said, “Don’t let your heart (thoughts & feelings) be troubled”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">How did you do with that this past year?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I have been troubled, I have been upset, I have been worried about a great many things.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In our Scripture today Jesus gives us a reason not to allow our hearts to be troubled.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We are not overwhelmed by our troubles because we believe in God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul writes, “we are not a people without hope.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We could be grieved by what we see happening in the world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We could be disappointed by the changes we see happening in our country.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But these things do not overwhelm us because we believe in an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God who is in charge of all things.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>Daniel 2:21(NLT)</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He controls the course of world events; He removes kings and sets up other kings.</span><br/> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We are not like unbelievers who have no hope.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We believe in a God who raises up leaders and tears down others.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Nothing is beyond His strength and power!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In Esther 4:14b (NLT), Mordecai asks his niece, who is now queen,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">God knew everything that was going on with the plot to destroy His people.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He placed Esther where He wanted her to be, because He was going to use her to save the Jews.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Every person in all history has been placed in the time they were in because of God’s sovereign plan.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He knew Daniel could handle the lion’s den.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He knew David could handle Goliath.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He knew Esther could handle Haman.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He knew Peter could handle persecution.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He also knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He created them specifically for it!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose you to parent the generation that is facing the huge challenges.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do about this mess of a world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Himself known all over the earth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God has placed on them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u> </u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>2 - WE ARE NOT OVERWHELMED BY OUR TROUBLES BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN JESUS.</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In response to their concerns Jesus tells His disciples, “Trust in God, and trust also in me.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The disciples had been with Jesus for more than 3 years by this time.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had every reason in the world to believe in Him.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had seen Him do some amazing things.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had seen Him cast out demons, and walk on water.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had seen Him heal the sick, and stop storms.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had been with Him when He healed the woman who touched the hem of His garment.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had been with Him when he told them to let the children come to Him.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had been with Him when he had saved the life of the woman caught in adultery.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had seen Him cast the demon out of the Canaanite woman’s daughter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had seen Him feed thousands, fearing they would collapse on the way home from weakness, so they had seen His compassion.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had seen Him heal the daughter of the synagogue leader after folks had said she was dead.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had seen Him delay for several days before He went and raised Lazarus from the dead, so they had seen His timing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had been with Him and seen Him do these extraordinary things and much more.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Now Jesus tells them, you have seen my power.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You have seen my compassion.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You have seen my timing and my love.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Now he is asking them to trust in Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>He is saying to them;</u></strong></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You may not understand what is going to happen in the days ahead.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You may not understand why things are going the way they are.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You may not understand why I am going to die, but trust Me, none of this is a surprise to me.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Nothing in the days ahead is beyond My ability to deal with.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All of this was planned out before the foundation of the world.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Believe in God, believe also in Me.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If He expected them to believe in Him, how much more should He expect us to do the same.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We are this side of the resurrection.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They thought the world was about to end, but we, we know He was crucified, but we also know He was raised!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>3 - WE ARE NOT OVERWHELMED BY OUR TROUBLES BECAUSE THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I must admit that I have spent way too much time fretting over what is going on in the world and especially in our country.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I grieve over what I see taking place, but my friends, nations rise and nations fall, and as Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes, it’s all vanity, it’s all futility.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We serve and vote as citizens, but this is all temporary.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Bible tells us that one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">That everything we are building and working on and worrying about right now, will one day pass away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus is preparing a place for us. There is a place prepared for us called Heaven.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus says He is going to prepare a place.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Heaven is not a state of mind.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is not some cosmic spiritual condition.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is a real place!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And notice, He says there are many rooms, or many dwelling places, or many mansions, depending on the translation you are reading.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But also notice, He is preparing each of those places for us individually.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you were going to prepare a room for your small son, you might put things in there like model planes, or pictures of cars, or if he is older perhaps things for hunting or fishing.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you were going to prepare a place for your daughter, it might have some frilly drapes, and a lacey comforter and pillow cases.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If your mother was going to move in with you, you might prepare a room for her with a lot of pictures, to help her revisit those old memories, and maybe some of her favorite books, and maybe a puzzle.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But each of those rooms would be individually prepared with the person in mind you were preparing it for, taking his or her likes into consideration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus says, I my Father’s house are many rooms, many mansions, and I am going to prepare one for you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus says, I know you’re coming, I’m getting your room ready for you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Can you imagine?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dear Father, thank you for this new day. We have come to understand that our trust is in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus came to show us that You are trustworthy. You always keep your promises and supply us with all we need to live lives that are pleasing to you. Thank you, Holy Spirit for teaching us and helping us to be everything God desires for us to be. In Jesus name, amen!</span></p>Devotions with Pastor Bob / John Chapter 13tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-22:1383940:BlogPost:19115952021-02-22T13:25:01.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>The Gospel of John Chapter 13</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>“Make Me a Servant”</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8584006291?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8584006291?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Book of John in Song / Chapter 13 / “Make Me A Servant"…</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>The Gospel of John Chapter 13</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>“Make Me a Servant”</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8584006291?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8584006291?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Book of John in Song / Chapter 13 / “Make Me A Servant"</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/0Y7XDF-916Y">https://youtu.be/0Y7XDF-916Y</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>JOHN 13:1-5, 14-17 (NIRV)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>1</sup></strong> It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world. It was time for him to go to the Father. Jesus loved his disciples who were in the world. So, he now loved them to the very end.</p>
<p><strong><sup>2 </sup></strong>They were having their evening meal. The devil had already tempted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. He had urged Judas to hand Jesus over to his enemies. </p>
<p><strong><sup>3 </sup></strong>Jesus knew that the Father had put everything under his power. He also knew he had come from God and was returning to God. </p>
<p><strong><sup>4 </sup></strong>So he got up from the meal and took off his outer clothes. He wrapped a towel around his waist. </p>
<p><strong><sup>5 </sup></strong>After that, he poured water into a large bowl. Then he began to wash his disciples’ feet. He dried them with the towel that was wrapped around him.</p>
<p><strong><sup>14 </sup></strong>I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet.</p>
<p>So, you also should wash one another’s feet. </p>
<p><strong><sup>15 </sup></strong>I have given you an example. You should do as I have done for you. </p>
<p><strong><sup>16 </sup></strong>What I’m about to tell you is true. A slave is not more important than his master.</p>
<p>And a messenger is not more important than the one who sends him. </p>
<p><strong><sup>17 </sup></strong>Now you know these things. So, you will be blessed if you do them.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THE WAY OF A SERVANT</u></strong></p>
<p>This incident of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet, foreshadows, and gives to us a physical picture of the way that Jesus serves us; when he washes our sin away, by taking it upon the cross.</p>
<p>Jesus is also providing a model for us, by setting an example, of what it means to lay down our lives for others.</p>
<p>This is Jesus, who is most deserving of honor as the King of all kings and the Lord of lord’s,</p>
<p>Yet in washing the disciple’s feet, He humbles himself to the task reserved for a slave.</p>
<p>Jesus doesn’t just take a detour from his higher task, to do this humble act.</p>
<p>This kind of service is a central part of His divine work, that He has given to each of us.</p>
<p>Servanthood is the true way to greatness, and the way to real honor and status.</p>
<p>Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, and then explains to them about why he did it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>BEING GREAT IN GOD’S EYES</u></strong></p>
<p>This story paints a picture of Jesus, who gives a new model for what it means to be great in God’s eyes.</p>
<p>It’s a model of humbly laying our lives down for others.</p>
<p>It’s the true mark of someone who is worthy of honor in God’s eyes.</p>
<p>Jesus very directly says that he’s setting a pattern for us as, “The Servant King”<strong>.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>THE ACT OF WASHING SOMEONES FEET</u></strong></p>
<p>To fully understand Jesus’ example, it helps to examine the act of washing someone’s feet.</p>
<p>People walked everywhere back in the time of Jesus, and they all wore sandals.</p>
<p> People would have really dusty, dirty feet.</p>
<p>If the idea of touching someone’s feet grosses you out now, imagine doing so back then!</p>
<p>Needless to say, foot washing was a dirty job, most often left for slaves to do.</p>
<p>Yet Jesus takes this task upon himself.</p>
<p>He was giving a physical demonstration of the way that He was going to wash the world with his own blood.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>BUT THERE IS ALSO MORE GOING ON HERE</u></strong></p>
<p>The point here is not that he humbled himself and washed the disciple’s feet despite the fact that he came from the Father, and would soon be glorified and return to the Father.</p>
<p>No, Jesus washed their feet BECAUSE he came from the right hand of God.</p>
<p>He is a perfect example of greatness, and worthy of the highest honor.</p>
<p>He is the supreme master of the universe, and yet he doesn’t just take on the task of a slave, HIS ACT OF SERVICE IS HIS TASK.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>HUMBLE SERVICE</u></strong></p>
<p>Jesus gives us a new definition of greatness: “HUMBLE SERVICE”.</p>
<p>Humble service isn’t just how we become great, or how we gain honor or status,</p>
<p>IT’S WHAT WE DO IF WE ARE GREAT.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>SERVING OTHERS LIKE JESUS SERVES</u></strong></p>
<p>If our honor comes from being united to the most honorable One, the King above all kings, Jesus Christ, then we will serve others just like Jesus served the world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>SANTIFICATION</u></strong></p>
<p>Peter had a really hard time understanding this, when Jesus attempted to wash his feet. (Verses 6-10)</p>
<p>Jesus gives us a beautiful illustration of what sanctification is, which is the process of becoming more like Jesus in His conversation with Peter.</p>
<p>Peter was shocked by what Jesus was doing.</p>
<p>He asks, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”</p>
<p>He even tells Jesus that He would never wash his feet.</p>
<p>Jesus points out that He has already washed us, when He becomes our Savior, and washes us in the waters of spiritual baptism.</p>
<p>But we still need continual cleansing from the effects of living in the flesh, and in a sin filled world.</p>
<p>The continual washing of sanctification is done by the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, through the “washing of water by the Word” (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Eph%205.26">Ephesians 5:26</a>), given to us to equip us for every good work (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Tim%203.16%E2%80%9317">2 Timothy 3:16–17</a>).</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>HUMBLE SERVICE DISTINGUISHES US AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS</u></strong></p>
<p>So humble service is an expression of the Gospel, to the watching world.</p>
<p>It is a way to test our own submission to Jesus’ example.</p>
<p>For Jesus, it was His display of humility and servanthood.</p>
<p>For the disciples, the washing of their feet was in direct contrast to the heart attitudes at that time among the people.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>FOR US, WASHING FEET IS SYMBOLIC OF OUR ROLE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.</u></strong></p>
<p> The disciples must have been stunned by this act of humility and condescension, that Christ, their Lord and Master, should wash their feet, when it was their proper work to have washed His feet.</p>
<p> Jesus’ attitude of servanthood was in direct contrast to that of the disciples, who had recently been arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Luke%2022.24">Luke 22:24</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Since there was no servant present to wash their feet, it would never have occurred to them to wash one another’s feet.</p>
<p>When the Lord Himself stooped to this lowly task, they were stunned into silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>APPLICATIONS</u></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>When we come to Christ for the washing of our sins, we can be sure that it is permanent and complete.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>No act can cleanse us further from our sin, as our sin has been exchanged for the perfect righteousness of Christ on the cross.</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><u><a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Cor%205.21">2 Corinthians 5:21</a> (NIRV),</u></p>
<p><strong><sup> </sup></strong>Christ didn’t have any sin. But God made him become sin for us.</p>
<p>So, we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As followers of Jesus, we are to emulate Him, serving one another in lowliness of heart and mind, seeking to build one another up in humility and love.</p>
<p>In verse 17 of our text, Jesus gives a promise,</p>
<p>“Now you know these things. So, you will be blessed if you do them.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></p>
<p>Dear Heavenly Father you have revealed yourself to the world through Jesus Christ our Lord. He demonstrated to the world the character qualities of the Kingdom of God. One of those character qualities was “servanthood”. Jesus truly showed Himself to be the Servant King who came among us to redeem us, to restore us, and make us sons and daughters of Yours. Teach us that greatness is obtained through servant hood, in Jesus name we pray, amen. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Devotions with Pastor Bob / John Chapter 12tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-21:1383940:BlogPost:19106492021-02-21T13:46:53.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 12</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Our Best Praise”</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8580977295?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8580977295?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>JOHN 12:1-8 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>1</sup></strong> Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of…</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 12</strong></p>
<p><strong>“Our Best Praise”</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8580977295?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8580977295?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>JOHN 12:1-8 (NLT)</u></strong></p>
<p><strong><sup>1</sup></strong> Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. </p>
<p><strong><sup>2 </sup></strong>A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. </p>
<p><strong><sup>3 </sup></strong>Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair.</p>
<p>The house was filled with the fragrance.</p>
<p><strong><sup>4-5</sup></strong> But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “that perfume was worth a year’s wages. </p>
<p>It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” </p>
<p><strong><sup>6 </sup></strong>Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.</p>
<p><strong><sup>7 </sup></strong>Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. <strong><sup>8 </sup></strong>You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>PREPARATION TO HONOUR JESUS</u></strong></p>
<p>This message today features four characters, though there likely were many other guests at the dinner table that day.</p>
<p>Here in John chapter 12, once again, we find ourselves back in the town of Bethany where Jesus is the guest of honor at a dinner.</p>
<p>In essence it is a worship service of thanksgiving to honor Jesus.</p>
<p>Our four key players in this story had come to an agreement that they were going to put on a dinner to honor Jesus with expressions of personal gratitude.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WHO ARE THESE FOUR WORSHIP PLANNERS?</u></strong></p>
<p>We are introduced to three of them early in the story.</p>
<p>They are Lazarus, and his 2 sisters, Mary & Martha.</p>
<p>In the Gospel of Matthew 26:6-7, we are told that this dinner took place at the home of Simon a man that had been healed from <span>leprosy</span><strong>.</strong></p>
<p>Now you won’t be able to find the story of Simon being healed by Jesus of his leprosy in the gospels.</p>
<p>For some reason it is not recorded, at least his name is not recorded.</p>
<p>But obviously, Simon the Leper is no longer a leper and was healed.</p>
<p>Mark 1, Matthew 8 and Luke 5 each record a story of Jesus healing a leper.</p>
<p>And it’s possible that the leper in those stories was this Simon.</p>
<p>Simon was also from Bethany.</p>
<p>Just like Martha, Mary and Lazarus he had a very good reasons to say “thank You” to Jesus.</p>
<p>Thus, the decision to host a dinner in His honor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>WHY DID THEY PLAN THE DINNER AT SIMON’S HOUSE AND NOT LAZARUS?</u></strong></p>
<p>Now, given that there was a warrant out for the arrest of Jesus, it’s possible that having this dinner at Simon’s home would draw less attention, particularly with the popularity that Lazarus now had after Jesus raised him from the dead.</p>
<p>Prior to Jesus returning to Bethany, He had been in seclusion with His disciples near Ephraim.</p>
<p>The event of this dinner in Bethany begins the final march to the cross for Jesus.</p>
<p>How appropriate, therefore, that some of the most grateful followers of Jesus put on an event to honor the One who heals the sick, and brings the dead back to life.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>ANOTHER DINNER</u></strong></p>
<p>You may be familiar with another time that Jesus was in Bethany and Martha was all busy straightening up her house and fixing a meal for Jesus.</p>
<p>That event provides us with a very valuable comparison that helps us see things we may otherwise miss.</p>
<p>Educators often use near identical pictures to help their students discover the difference between them, and thus sharpen their observation skills.</p>
<p>That same teaching tool can be used with our story for today.</p>
<p>Placing our text right alongside Luke’s account help us to see something different, that something has changed.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>Luke 10:38-41 (NIV)</u></strong></p>
<p>As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman</p>
<p>named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the</p>
<p>Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations</p>
<p>that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister</p>
<p>has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>MARTHA’S HEART WAS CHANGED</u></strong></p>
<p>A profound difference in these two stories is the absence of complaining by Martha.</p>
<p>Something has happened to Martha. She’s a changed woman.</p>
<p>We can trace the change back to the events of John chapter 11.</p>
<p>It is true that Jesus had rebuked Martha for allowing herself to get all discombobulated</p>
<p>over her preparations as His hostess, and likely she took to heart His admonishment.</p>
<p>But, her interactions with Jesus surrounding His raising her brother from the dead offer</p>
<p>an even greater clue, as to the change that took place in Martha’s heart.</p>
<p>Martha had come to realize who Jesus was, and she had come to see Jesus as more important than everything else.</p>
<p>That the miracles she had witnessed, were simply signs pointing to the greater reality that Jesus changes lives from within.</p>
<p>Just like Martha, Jesus effectively unites Himself with a person and transforms them.</p>
<p>Though her offering of love was still her service, and her making excellent preparations</p>
<p>and delicious dinners, but now her focus was on offering a heart of thanksgiving to</p>
<p>Jesus.</p>
<p>She was no longer preoccupied with complaining about what her sister was or was not doing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>WHAT UNITED THIS FOURSOME WAS THEIR COMMON LOVE & INDEBTEDNESS TO JESUS.</u></strong></p>
<p>Thus, they planned to honor their Lord with this dinner.</p>
<p>This dinner was a worship service that was being given to express deep gratitude.</p>
<p>This gratitude was born out of a deep and abiding love in their hearts.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THE EXPENSIVE PURFUME</u></strong></p>
<p>The Apostle John makes much to do about the expensive perfume that Mary pours on the feet of Jesus.</p>
<p>I think it should be noted that Martha is also giving Jesus a fragrant offering.</p>
<p>Without a doubt, Simon’s house was filled with the aroma of the food cooking.</p>
<p>So, let’s not miss the fragrant offering that Martha is making as her part of this worship service.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>AND, WHAT ABOUT LAZARUS?</u></strong></p>
<p>He too was giving honor to His Lord in his conversation while reclining at the table.</p>
<p>His purpose was to direct attention to Jesus.</p>
<p>Though he was receiving lots of attention and notoriety himself.</p>
<p>As part of the planning team for this event of honor for Jesus, his desire was to point</p>
<p>others to Jesus while he himself lived in gratitude to Jesus.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>SIMON THE FORMER LEPER’S PART</u></strong></p>
<p>Not only did he provide the place for this meal, we can imagine that he joined in with Lazarus in making Jesus the topic of conversation.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WORSHIP IS NEVER ABOUT US</u></strong></p>
<p>Worship is about the Lord our God, who He is, and what He has done.</p>
<p>It’s about offering thanks to the One who truly deserving it.</p>
<p>So, John, after telling us that Martha served a meal,</p>
<p>And Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Jesus, he then tells us about Mary’s act of worship.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>MARY’S ACT OF WORSHIP</u></strong></p>
<p>She takes a bottle of perfume and pours it on Jesus.</p>
<p>But this wasn’t any ordinary perfume.</p>
<ul>
<li>It was very expensive perfume, about was worth year’s wages.</li>
<li>It was reserved for this occasion.</li>
<li>It was very pleasantly fragrant, especially to Jesus.</li>
</ul>
<p>But, even more profound, I believe, that this act of worship <u>WAS PLANNED</u>.</p>
<p>Someone doesn’t just carry around in her purse a special perfume worth nearly a year’s wages.</p>
<p>Plus, this event was not at Mary’s house, so she needed to have come prepared to offer this perfume.</p>
<p>Thus, we also see that this act of worship was a sacrifice, a premeditated sacrifice.</p>
<p>For how long Mary had been planning this, we don’t know.</p>
<p>But she probably was aware of the worshipful act by the sinful woman whom Jesus</p>
<p>had forgiven, how she had washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.</p>
<p>And, she probably recalled the joy of sitting at Jesus’ feet on a previous visit and she</p>
<p>began to ask herself, how can I say “thank You” to Him?</p>
<p>And the clincher came when Jesus raised her brother from the dead.</p>
<p>Nothing would be spared to express her love and deep gratitude to Jesus.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>HER ACT OF WORSHIP IS CRITICIZED</u></strong></p>
<p>Sadly, in the midst of this beautiful banquet to honor Jesus, a complaint is registered, an act of worship is criticized. </p>
<p>Can you imagine how it must have felt to be Mary?</p>
<p>To have come with this special love offering, and to be criticized for it, it must have wounded her soul.</p>
<p>John makes the point that Judas Iscariot, a thief who cared nothing for the poor, was the ringmaster for this complaint.</p>
<p>The other gospels indicate that some or several of the disciples joined with Judas in this complaint. (Matthew 26:8-9, Mark 14:4-5)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>CRITICISM IS CONTAGIOUS</u></strong></p>
<p>It spreads like wildfire and even good intentioned persons can get caught up in it.</p>
<p>But it also has the potential of stifling worship.</p>
<p>And it does exactly that for the complainers.</p>
<p>Criticism is like poison that can be used by the devil to kill genuine worship.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>NOTICE, JESUS DID NOT REMAIN SILENT</u></strong></p>
<p>Though He was the honored guest, He took charge of the situation and issues a rebuke.</p>
<p>He even gives special meaning to her act of worship, a meaning that she very possibly did not have in mind until He said it.</p>
<p>“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied.</p>
<p>“It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of My burial.</p>
<p>In her defense, Jesus makes a remarkable statement, a statement that is either full of</p>
<p>arrogance, or one that can only be said by someone who is God.</p>
<p>“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You see, it makes all the difference in the world who the guest of honor is in our lives.</p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u> </u></strong></p>
<p><strong><u>WORSHIP IS RESERVED FOR GOD.</u></strong></p>
<p>That’s why this dinner of thanksgiving was more than just a meal to say “thanks.”</p>
<p>It was a worship service with Jesus being the focus of their worship.</p>
<p>So, what can we take from this story for a personal application?</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>FIRST, WE MUST PUT OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST</u></strong></p>
<p>He is the source of life and transformation.</p>
<p>He alone can forgive sins.</p>
<p>He alone can take us who are dead in our trespasses and sins and make us alive by His Spirit.</p>
<p>The basis for our gratitude starts with our awareness of our indebtedness to Jesus.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><strong><u>SECONDLY, WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR WORSHIP</u></strong></p>
<p>We need to reserve some time where we can review God’s goodness, and make plans what our offering will be.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><u>THIRDLY, WE NEED TO OFFER SOMETHING OF VALUE WHEN WE WORSHIP</u></strong></p>
<p>We need to understand what impresses God.</p>
<p>The Old Testament frequently speaks of burnt offerings as being a fragrant and pleasing aroma to God.</p>
<p>He wants us to offer up our lives to Him.</p>
<p>We are the perfume.</p>
<p>To Him we are the valuable offering.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><u>PHILIPPIANS 3:7-11</u></strong></p>
<p>I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him<em>.</em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>BROKEN & SPILLED OUT FOR LOVE OF YOU JESUS</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/B1tUvtfuxAI">https://youtu.be/B1tUvtfuxAI</a></p>THE GOSPEL OF JOHN CHAPTER 11tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-20:1383940:BlogPost:19093512021-02-20T12:30:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 11</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>“Lazarus Come Forth”</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> …<a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8578067893?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8578067893?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Gospel of John Chapter 11</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>“Lazarus Come Forth”</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8578067893?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8578067893?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-center"/></a></strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 11 - "Lazarus Come Forth"</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u><a href="https://youtu.be/hOuYRjkkT50">https://youtu.be/hOuYRjkkT50</a></u></strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>JOHN 11:1, 17, 21-27, 43-44 (NIRV)</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> 1 A man named Lazarus was very sick.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">17 When Jesus arrived, he found out that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">21-27 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “I wish you had been here!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Then my brother would not have died. <sup> </sup></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But I know that even now God will give you anything you ask for.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Martha answered, “I know he will rise again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This will happen when people are raised from the dead on the last day.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><sup> </sup>“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I believe that you are the one who is supposed to come into the world.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">43 -44 Then Jesus called in a loud voice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He said, “Lazarus, come out!” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The dead man came out.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A cloth was around his face.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus said to them, “take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u> </u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u> </u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>IT WAS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mary & Martha’s brother Lazarus was very ill. They had done everything they knew to help him. So, they sent for Jesus. They knew that if Jesus laid His hand upon their brother, that he would be made well again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>JESUS THE MIRACLE WORKER</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They had this confidence because they had seen Jesus heal others in miraculous ways.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A leper had been made clean and were healed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A man crippled for 38 years had been healed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A man born blind received his sight.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yes, they knew that Jesus is a wonderful healer!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus also had a very close relationship with Lazarus and their family.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sometimes, Jesus would come to their home to share a meal with them and to teach them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So, when Lazarus grew ill, they called upon Jesus, certain that help was on the way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>LAZARUS DIES</u></strong></span><br/> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">But their certainty soon turned to despair.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lazarus died, and they laid him in his tomb–and there was still no sign of Jesus.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The sisters had been so sure that Jesus would come.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Confusion mixed with disappointment overwhelmed them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Why had Jesus ignored their need?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>GOD ANSWERS PRAYER</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Wasn’t He the one who said, “Ask and you shall receive?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Well, they had asked?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Does God really hear and answer our prayer?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yes, God answers prayer, but the answer may not always be what we expect, or when we expect it!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>JESUS SHOWS UP</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus did show up eventually.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">By then, Lazarus had been entombed for 4 days.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They thought; there would be no bringing Lazarus back now.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u> </u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>WHY HAD JESUS WAITED SO LONG TO COME?</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In a way, the sisters were being selfish in expecting Jesus to come.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">After all, it was a dangerous thing for Jesus to return to Judea.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It had only been a short time before Lazarus became ill, that there were those who had tried to stone Jesus to death, because He had told them that He and the Father were one.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But, despite the danger, Jesus did come, and many of His followers came with Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It was brave of them all to make the journey, especially since Jesus told them that Lazarus was already dead.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><u> </u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>BUT JESUS HAD SAID THAT LAZARUS’ ILLNESS WAS TO BRING GOD GLORY</u></strong><u>.</u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus always did what He knew would give glory to God and taught His followers to do the same.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus had made it clear to them that He was indeed, coming to Judea despite the threats.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One of the disciples, Thomas, said to the others,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Those who truly loved the Lord were willing to die in order to follow Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE JESUS!</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">By the time Jesus arrived, the sisters were deep in mourning.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Friends and members of the community in Jerusalem had come to the house to comfort Martha and Mary and to share their grief.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She went to Him and said what was in both their hearts,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> “Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Those words came out of her grief, but they also were a statement of faith.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Martha continued to have faith, even though Jesus had disappointed her by not saving Lazarus from death the way she thought he would.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Martha said to Jesus, “but even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of Him.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>SOMETIMES, IT’S HARD TO REMAIN FAITHFUL WHEN YOU’RE HURT AND ANGRY.</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But Martha held on to her belief in the Lord, despite her sorrow and broken heart.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She responds, “well, we all knew that.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Most Jews believed that they would be resurrected on the last day, and Martha told Him she knew that.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>BUT THEN JESUS TOLD HER SOMETHING SHE DIDN’T YET KNOW.</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He said,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“I am the resurrection and the life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Those who believe in me, even though they die,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And then, He asked Martha, <strong>“Do you believe this?”</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Martha answered by telling Jesus what she did know about Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>JESUS WAS THE “ONE”</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I think for Martha; it was enough to know that Jesus was the One God had promised to send.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Even if some of what Jesus said was a mystery, she knew that she could trust what He said, because she knew who He was, and who had sent Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">After that, Martha came back to the house and told Mary that Jesus had come and that He was looking for her.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>MARY HURRIED OUT TO MEET JESUS</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">When Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she knelt at His feet, overcome by emotion; and, like her sister.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>JESUS WEEPS</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus looked at her and at those who had followed her; and when He saw how they were crying out in their distress;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>He became very disturbed.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He was moved by their pain and asked where we had laid Lazarus’ body.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They told Him, <em>“Lord, come and see.”</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And then, <strong>Jesus began to weep.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some of the crowd assumed that He was mourning Lazarus, and they said,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>“See how he loved him!”</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of a blind man have kept this man from dying?”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They mourners cry aloud for their loss.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It was the way they were taught.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some said that the more a person was loved, the louder the mourning of the people.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some people even hired people to come and moan and wail over the deceased to show that the person was loved.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>BUT JESUS’ TEARS WERE DIFFERENT</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He cried softly, almost to Himself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I don’t think He was crying for Lazarus alone;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I think He was crying for all of us, for the terrible pain of death itself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">God’s children were not created for death.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But for life, that we might give glory to God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The terrible power of death disturbed Him, and He wept.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>AT THE TOMB OF LAZARUS</u></strong></span> <br/> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">When they got to the tomb, Jesus asked that the stone that secured the tomb be pushed out of the way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Martha was quick to protest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em>“Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.”</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Martha, Martha, always worried and distracted by many things (Luke 10:41).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Lord is about to answer her prayers, and give glory to God, and she’s worried that things won’t have that clean, fresh scent.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Can you believe it? </span><br/> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Well, OK, maybe it’s not so hard to believe.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Actually, maybe we all are a little like Martha sometimes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I mean, how many times have I asked God to do something and then tried to take back control because there might be something unpleasant.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE PROCESS</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">How often do we feel the panic that comes with realizing that the fulfillment of our prayers may mean having to face what just plain stinks?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">People pray for peace of mind for those who struggle with addiction, and then say, “I don’t want a halfway house in my back yard.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We declare that something should be done for the homeless, but we pretend we don’t see them when we pass them on the way into our places of work each day.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We want Jesus to work miracles as long as there’s nothing to offend our senses or sensibilities. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>BUT JESUS KNEW THAT SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO BELIEVE BEYOND THE FEAR</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And He reminded Martha of His promise that her faith would be rewarded and that she would see the glory of God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So, they moved the stone away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus prayed aloud for the benefit of those who had gathered.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And He added that He knew the Father always heard Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But that He wanted those present to believe that the Father had sent Him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>And then, He shouted, <em>“Lazarus, come out!”</em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And Lazarus walked out of the tomb, still covered by the cloth strips with which they’d bound him before placing him in the tomb.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus then said, “Unbind him and let him go.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It was a miracle! Jesus had brought life to Lazarus.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As others witnessed the new life in Lazarus, they came to believe in Jesus!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><br/> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>NOW, I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AT TODAY, BUT I’M WILLING TO BELIEVE THAT THERE’S SOMETHING IN THIS STORY FOR ALL OF US.</u></strong></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Maybe like Martha or Mary, you’ve asked Jesus to help you, and you’re sure why He hasn’t heard.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Remember, Jesus won’t always answer when or how we expect, but that doesn’t mean our requests are unheard.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus will find a way to use even the most painful situations to bring glory to God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Or maybe you’re at a place like Martha, where you feel confused by something Jesus said.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Perhaps you’re struggling with the Word of God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Remember that there are some lessons we may not fully understand.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We can still trust in Jesus, because we know who He is and we know who sent Him;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And sometimes if we just keep faith and continue to walk with Jesus, He will take us to a place where all becomes clear.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Or maybe, like Martha, you have turned to Christ for help, but fear that the answer will be messy in some way.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus knows about our doubt, but wants us to keep faith so that we too, will see the glory of God.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Or maybe you are like Lazarus, and you feel as though the life has gone out of you or perhaps that life has passed you by.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Maybe you’re feeling soul-less and wrapped up in things that won’t let you go.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>JESUS OFFERS US A NEW LIFE</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He will call you by your name, and loose that which binds you.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And then, as others witness the change that Jesus makes in your life, they too will come to believe and will find new life in Christ.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">That is how it has always been.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Those who answer Christ’s call to new life will find a teacher and a friend for whom they are willing to die for.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But, of course, it is Jesus who died for us that we might have eternal life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I started out with, “It was a matter of life and death.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But the truth is that, with Jesus, “It’s really a matter of life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><u>PRAYER</u></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dear Father, this story of how Jesus brought Lazarus back to like after 4 days in the tomb is amazing. There is so much that He reveal to us about prayer, about how God cares about hurting people. When Jesus began to shed tears as He saw the heart break that death brings, our hearts are encouraged because we know you care about us and what we go through. Thank you, God f</span>or your lovingkindness, in Jesus name we pray, amen!</p>Devotions with Pastor Bob / John Chapter 10tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2021-02-19:1383940:BlogPost:19086042021-02-19T22:24:18.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Gospel of John Chapter 10</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“The Good Shepard”…</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><img alt="May be an image of sky and text that says 'Lord THE Shepherd MY IS Psalm 23'" height="271" src="https://scontent-bos3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/152037435_10225710771253472_5509366684868504313_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=yX80gCIalMoAX9EM3KR&_nc_ht=scontent-bos3-1.xx&oh=96f66a3b4ddaa38f1a566d50ff3a90a4&oe=60565FE2" width="404"></img></span></div>
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<div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>DEVOTIONS WITH PASTOR BOB</strong></span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Gospel of John Chapter 10</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“The Good Shepard”</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><img src="https://scontent-bos3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/152037435_10225710771253472_5509366684868504313_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=yX80gCIalMoAX9EM3KR&_nc_ht=scontent-bos3-1.xx&oh=96f66a3b4ddaa38f1a566d50ff3a90a4&oe=60565FE2" alt="May be an image of sky and text that says 'Lord THE Shepherd MY IS Psalm 23'" width="404" height="271"/></span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>The Book of John in Song - Chapter 10</strong></span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://youtu.be/r0tOk5xWJFU?fbclid=IwAR1p-XPN8N8AdZLFi3AhYEdEspwH7KWHsyXOpWfpgdfhw37T-S0otgcP1dE" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/r0tOk5xWJFU</a></span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>John 10:2-5,14-15, 27-28 (NLT)</strong></span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">14 - 15 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So, I sacrifice my life for the sheep.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">No one can snatch them away from me,</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus said, "I am the GOOD shepherd.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The word that is used here for "good" is kalos in the GK, which means good in a wholistic sort of way.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>GOOD DOCTOR</strong></span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In his commentary on the Gospel of John, William Barclay likens the</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">phrase, "good shepherd," to the phrase, "the good doctor."</span></div>
</div>
<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We don’t hear “good doctor” much anymore.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It was because of the personal attention that doctors gave in those days.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They made house calls—often after the sun had gone down.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They carried a black leather bag with a stethoscope and other doctor-tools.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They carried medications too.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They would take your temperature and listen to your heart and lungs and</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">tell you what to do. They made you feel better.</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We have good doctors today too, but not many of them make house calls.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But the good doctors of today have healing power far beyond that of the good doctor who used to make house calls.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The good doctor of today can use all the new technology of CAT-scans and MRI's, a laptop, and a host of other tools and tests to figure out what is wrong with us.</span></div>
</div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But there are different kinds of good doctors, but they all have one thing in common.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Good doctors are devoted to those who need their help.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They give themselves to the care of their patients.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dr. Adele O'Sullivan practiced medicine in a clinic for the homeless in Phoenix, Arizona.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But lots of homeless people never visited her clinic, so she went to soup kitchens and shelters to treat them.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I should mention that she is also a nun.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Her love for the needy came from her love for Jesus.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This good doctor, learned her craft at the feet of the Good Shepherd.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I wasn't surprised to read about this part of her life.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus has a special place in His heart for the down and outers, the poor, the needy, and He calls us to love them too.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There are not too many of us who personally know a shepherd today.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Even fewer of us have ever tried to raise sheep.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In some parts of our world today you will see hundreds of sheep just roaming on 1,000's of acres on commercial sheep ranches.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Of course, sheep are easy to love from a distance.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They aren't big enough to be threatening.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They look as cute as a button with their fuzzy wool coats.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Warm, fuzzy, and friendly—now that's a sheep for you!</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But sheep can also be maddening as well.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dumb as dirt, that's a sheep according to some!</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sheep always seem to be able to find the hole in the fence to get out, but never can get back in again.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The whole flock plays a deadly game of follow the leader, even over a cliff.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It isn't quite as easy to love sheep when you must deal with them day by day.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you get close to sheep and if it’s raining at the time, let me tell you, there is nothing smellier than wet sheep.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Jesus is the Good Doctor. He loves us even when we smell bad.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He loves us even when we make silly or stupid mistakes.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In our text in verse 27, Jesus is speaking directly to his disciples and assured them and us, " My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">No ifs or buts. No exceptions. No escape or disclaimer clauses.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you belong to Jesus as a child of God, then you are one of His sheep.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Now the relationship between sheep and shepherd is one that's foreign to most of us.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But that was not the case for Jesus' original audience.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They were well aware that many flocks of sheep with their own shepherds.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">These flocks would be brought together to stay in the safety of a common sheepfold at night.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In the morning, each shepherd would return and call his sheep to come away with him to graze the fields.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Even though the sheep in the sheepfold would hear many other shepherds' voices throughout the early hours of the morning, they were trained only to respond to the voice of their one true shepherd.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">When they heard that singular, undeniable voice of their true shepherd;</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- it didn't matter if they were light or dark colored,</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- from a different breed,</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- young or old,</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- wide, slender,</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- high end or budget rack,</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All that mattered in that moment was that they were his sheep.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All that mattered was who they belonged to!</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Now being with a shepherd could also be dangerous.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The sheep might look like a warm, fuzzy pet to us.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But they looked like dinner to a hungry lions or bears.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Old Testament, we meet David, who was first introduced as a shepherd-boy.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It tells of him killing a lion that was trying to get his sheep.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It tells of him killing a bear that was trying to get his sheep.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Most of us don't know much more about lions and bears than we do about sheep.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I'm just as happy to study and appreciate them as God's creatures from afar.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There's something about lions and bears that are intimidating and unpredictable.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">When David was still a young shepherd-boy, he stood his ground when faced with a lion </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">and when faced with a bear. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He fought them both to the death.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As it turned out, he was the one left standing when the battles were finished, but it could have gone either way.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The point is David risked his life for his sheep and was victorious.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But Jesus, The Good Shepherd did even more.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He said, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">his life for the sheep."</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus came to die, but he also came to conquer death in the resurrection.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">His death would have been totally meaningless, without His resurrection.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus came to die on the cross, so that He might break the bonds of death, and power of sin for us.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Could God have found some simpler way to save us? Probably!</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But God chose the way of the cross and the open tomb, because he knew that nothing would get or compel our attention like the death of his Son, and nothing would give us more hope than the open tomb.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">THE KIND OF LIFE THAT HE CALLS US TO LIVE</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">God also chose the way of the cross to show us the kind of life that he calls us to live.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he says:</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.</span></div>
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<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death on the cross" (Philippians 2:5-8)</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Paul concludes his words about Jesus by saying:</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"Therefore, God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow" (Philippians 2:9-10a).</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Let us remember always that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gave his life for us.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jesus is the Good Doctor, the Great Physician who is devoted to our care and heals us of all our afflictions, mind, body, and spirit.</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And yes! He still makes house calls.</span></div>
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<div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">PRAYER IN SONG</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD / PSALM 23 / KEITH GREEN</span></div>
<div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://youtu.be/G0-TvV4JTsA?fbclid=IwAR02hpFvVR4smyQjlW1RpvbpLitW9zkYIMmmY-1oohyAGGOZMTmMbu9oGZ8" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/G0-TvV4JTsA</a></span></div>
</div>Understand what the Lord’s will is in 2014tag:www.allaboutgod.net,2014-01-08:1383940:BlogPost:15334172014-01-08T22:32:39.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p align="center"><b><u>Understand what the Lord’s will is in 2014</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Pastor Bob Bushman</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>01-05-14</u></b></p>
<p align="center">Text: Ephesians 5:15 17</p>
<p>Most of us seem to be very busy. We’re always in a hurry. We walk fast, talk fast, & eat fast. And after we eat, all too often, we stand up & say, "Excuse me, I’ve gotta run."<br></br> <br></br> So here we are, at the first Sunday of 2014.</p>
<p>I wonder how we’ll do…</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Understand what the Lord’s will is in 2014</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Pastor Bob Bushman</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>01-05-14</u></b></p>
<p align="center">Text: Ephesians 5:15 17</p>
<p>Most of us seem to be very busy. We’re always in a hurry. We walk fast, talk fast, & eat fast. And after we eat, all too often, we stand up & say, "Excuse me, I’ve gotta run."<br/> <br/> So here we are, at the first Sunday of 2014.</p>
<p>I wonder how we’ll do this year?</p>
<p>Will we be as busy?</p>
<p>Will we make any better use of our time?</p>
<p>When this year is over, will we be looking back with joy, or with regret?</p>
<p>Will we be looking at the future with anticipation, or with dread?<br/> <br/> There is a passage of Scripture that I believe can be of help to us as we look forward to 2014.</p>
<p>In Ephesians 5:15-20 Paul writes<b><sup>,</sup></b> “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. </p>
<p>Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. </p>
<p>Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. </p>
<p>Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life.</p>
<p>Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.</p>
<p><b><sup> </sup></b>And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.</p>
<p><br/> I think that in this passage the Apostle Paul presents some important lessons that we need to consider.</p>
<p><b><u>I. OUR TIME ON THIS EARTH IS LIMITED</u></b><br/> <br/> First of all, we must be very careful how we live because our time on this earth is limited. <br/> <br/> The Psalmist wrote, "Show me, O Lord, my life’s end & the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life" (Psalm 39:4).</p>
<p>And again, "The length of our days is 70 years or 80, if we have the strength...they quickly pass, & we fly away" (Psalm 90:10).</p>
<p><br/> Now, I realize that for some of you younger folk, 70 or 80 years sounds like a long, long time.</p>
<p>In fact, I can remember when I thought anyone over 40 was ancient.</p>
<p><br/> <b><u>The Psalmist also tells us to number our days so that we will develop a heart of wisdom.</u></b> <br/> <br/> Neither you nor I have a guarantee of even one day more to live. <br/> <br/> In fact the Bible tells us not to count on tomorrow because tomorrow may not come for you or for me.</p>
<p>All we have is right now. So our time on this earth is valuable because it is very limited.</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <b>Secondly,</b> Paul tells us that we must make "the most of every opportunity." And he gives a reason, "because the days are evil."<br/> <br/> Jesus said that Satan is a robber & a thief, John 10:10 & one of the things he tries to rob from us is our time because time is a very precious possession.<br/> <br/> Jesus went to the home of Mary & Martha & Lazarus. He sat down to teach, & Mary was sitting at His feet just soaking in every word. Meanwhile, Martha was out in the kitchen preparing dinner.</p>
<p>Now, you know the story. It is found in Luke 10. Martha gets upset because Mary is not in the kitchen, too.</p>
<p>So she complains to Jesus, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" <br/> <br/> "Martha, Martha," Jesus answered, "You are worried & upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, & it will not be taken away from her" [Luke 10:40 42].<br/> <br/> Now was Martha committing a sin by fixing a meal in the kitchen? No, of course not! But here’s the problem.</p>
<p>She was so preoccupied with what she was doing that she didn’t realize that God was in her living room. <br/> <br/> That’s the same mistake you and I make almost every day.</p>
<p>We get so caught up in the here and now that we fail to deal with the eternal, the things that will last forever & ever.<br/> <br/> Richard Swenson, a medical doctor, wrote a book in which he discusses one of the major maladies of our time anxiety and stress. He calls it "overload," and says that people are just plain overloaded.<br/> <br/> <b><u>1. We’re overloaded with commitments.</u></b></p>
<p>We’ve committed ourselves to go here & there, to take part in this activity & that social function.</p>
<p>As a result we soon begin meeting ourselves coming & going because we have overloaded ourselves in the area of commitments.<br/> <u><br/> <b>2. We’re also overloaded with possessions,</b></u> he says. Our closets are full, and our garages are overflowing.</p>
<p>We’ve gone into debt to pay for all of these things that we "simply must have." And now we’re so afraid that someone will steal them. We are overloaded in the area of possessions.<br/> <br/> <b><u>3. Thirdly, we have an overload in the area of work.</u></b></p>
<p>We get up early, fight traffic, and experience intolerable working conditions because we have to if we’re going to pay for all those possessions that we’ve accumulated.<br/> <u><br/> <b>4. There is also an information overload.</b></u></p>
<p>He said that as a doctor he has to read 220 articles a month just to keep up with all the changes in his profession.</p>
<p>And now with the internet there’s an information super highway. But the problem is that we can’t possibly absorb it all. So we feel an overload in this area, too.<br/> <br/> Well, I could go on and on, but you get the picture.</p>
<p>There are so many demands on our time, so many good things that need to be done.</p>
<p> But there are just 8,760 hours in this year. We do want to make the most of every opportunity, so what are we to do?</p>
<p><b><u>UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS</u></b> <br/> Well, to answer that, Paul tells us, "...do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."<br/> <br/> Now, what do you think God’s will is for you in this new year?</p>
<p>Do you think He wants your mind so saturated with worries and anxieties that you can’t think spiritual thoughts?</p>
<p>Do you think He wants your calendar so crowded that you don’t have time for the important things?</p>
<p>What do you think God’s will is for you this year? <br/> <br/> Let me make a couple of suggestions for you to consider as you face this new year.</p>
<p><b><u>First of all, I will establish my priorities.</u></b> <br/> I’m assuming that since you’re in church this morning that you believe God should be a part of your life.</p>
<p>But when you begin to establish priorities, you have to decide just where He stands in your life.</p>
<p>So ask yourself, "Who or what is most important in my life?" <br/> <br/> And I’m hoping that your answer will be, "My relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is most important to me.</p>
<p>“If so, then put that at the top of your list of priorities, & say, "This will affect my decisions, my scheduling, my relationship with others, & my whole outlook on life."<br/> <br/> I’ll worship the Lord and nothing will interfere with that."</p>
<p><b><u>2 - I will develop margin in my life</u></b><br/> Margin is "the space that once existed between ourselves and our limits." When we reach the limits of our resources and abilities, we are out of margin.</p>
<p><b><br/> 3 – I will need to schedule some definite time each day to pray & to read His Word.</b></p>
<p>Spending time with God each day will build your faith and strengthen your relationship with Him.</p>
<p>Pray for yourself & for your family & for people around you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>4. We must also spend time with your family.</b> <br/> <br/> Spend time with your family; no one ever says I wish I had spent more time at work on their death bed.</p>
<p>Make sure you are spending time with your family building strong family bond. This is so important in bringing up our children. They need to know that they are important enough to you that you make quality time for them.</p>
<p><b>5. Now most of us have to work.</b></p>
<p>And I think Christians ought to be good workers. When someone hires a Christian they ought to know they’re getting someone who will give them an honest day’s work.</p>
<p>Because we’re Christians we have a responsibility to the Lord to honor Him even in the marketplace.<br/> <br/> So first of all, we need to establish our priorities and then, then we need to learn how to live for today.</p>
<p><u> </u></p>
<p><u>The two greatest enemies of time are regrets for things we did in the past, and anxiety about what will happen to us in the future.</u></p>
<p>Many of us are living either in the past or in the future. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><br/> In fact, many of us are engaged in the little game of, "I wish it were." "I wish it were next week," or "I wish it were next month," or some such thing. Kids go to school & say, "Boy, I wish this day were over."<br/> <br/> Gary Freeman tells about a girl who went to college and just hated it.</p>
<p>But she told herself, "If I can ever get out of college, get married & have children, I know I’ll finally be able to enjoy life." <br/> <br/> So she stuck with it. She went to classes every day and finally graduated from college.</p>
<p>Then she got married, had children, and discovered that children are a lot of work.</p>
<p>So she told herself, "If I can just get these kids raised, then I’ll be able to relax and really enjoy life."<br/> <br/> But about the time the kids were entering high school her husband said, "Guess what? We don’t have enough money to send our kids to college.</p>
<p>I guess you’ll have to get a job."<br/> <br/> Well, she didn’t want to, but she knew he was right and they needed the money, so she went to work.</p>
<p>And she hated it. But she told herself, "If I can just get these kids out of college, get all of the bills paid, then I can quit work & really enjoy life."<br/> <br/> Finally, the last child graduated from college, all the bills were paid. So she walked into her employer’s office & said, "I quit." He said, "Oh, you don’t want to quit now. If you stay with us just another 8 years you’ll have a pension for the rest of your life."<br/> <u><br/></u> She thought, "Well, I don’t want to work another 8 years, but there’s all that money there, and I really can’t turn down the opportunity."</p>
<p>So she worked for another 8 years. Finally, she and her husband retired at the same time. They sold their home & bought a little retirement cottage.<u> </u><u><br/></u> <br/> Then they sat down on the swing on their front porch & looked at the family picture album and dreamed about the good old days.<br/> <br/> <b>Someone said, "Life is what happens to you while you’re making plans to do something else."</b><br/> <br/> True, isn’t it? Another year has come and gone.</p>
<p>A new year stretches before us. Our prayer should be; “Help us Lord, to redeem the time.”</p>
<p><b>Prayer</b></p>
<p>Dear Father help us to use our time wisely in the coming year realizing that time is a gift from you. Help us to set priorities that are pleasing to you, bless us with wisdom and grace to be good time managers in all our affairs, in Jesus name amen.</p>
<p><br/> <b><u>Commission and blessing</u></b><br/> And during the New Year may you have: <br/> enough happiness to keep you sweet - enough trials to keep you strong, <br/> enough sorrow to keep you human - enough hope to keep you happy, <br/> enough failure to keep you humble - enough success to keep you eager, <br/> enough friends to give you comfort - enough wealth to meet your needs, <br/> enough enthusiasm to make you look forward to tomorrow, <br/> & enough determination to make each day better than the day before.<br/> Lord, please help us to use the 8,760 hours of this year the wisest way we can for you, & for your glory.</p>Sermon - ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALLtag:www.allaboutgod.net,2013-11-12:1383940:BlogPost:15171542013-11-12T13:27:45.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><span>Sermon - ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL </span><br></br><span>11-10-13</span><br></br><span>Pastor Bob Bushman</span><br></br><span>Text: Ephesians 4:1-6</span><br></br><span>I, a prisoner in the Lord, encourage you to live the kind of life which proves that God has called you. </span><br></br><span>Be humble and gentle in every way. </span><br></br><span>Be patient with each other and lovingly accept each other. </span><br></br><span>Through the peace that ties you together, do your best to maintain the unity that…</span></p>
<p><span>Sermon - ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL </span><br/><span>11-10-13</span><br/><span>Pastor Bob Bushman</span><br/><span>Text: Ephesians 4:1-6</span><br/><span>I, a prisoner in the Lord, encourage you to live the kind of life which proves that God has called you. </span><br/><span>Be humble and gentle in every way. </span><br/><span>Be patient with each other and lovingly accept each other. </span><br/><span>Through the peace that ties you together, do your best to maintain the unity that the Spirit gives. </span><br/><span>There is o</span><span class="text_exposed_show">ne body and one Spirit. In the same way you were called to share one hope. <br/>There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over everything, through everything, and in everything.<br/><br/>Intro: <br/>In our world, especially here in America where everyone seems to be so individualistic, how can we maintain unity? <br/>Many of you are familiar with the book by Alexander Dumas entitled “The Three Musketeers”. <br/>The heroes of that story had as their motto “All for one and one for all”. <br/>This meant that each member of that group of men would fight for the group or for any of the others that were in thier group. <br/>In other words, they were vowing to stand together in their common fight. <br/>“All For One and One for All.” <br/>As I thought about this passage of Scripture, I realize that this is what the Apostle Paul is trying to get the Ephesians church to adopt as their motto. <br/>I will take it a step farther than that; I believe that God wants The East Middlebury United Methodist Church to adopt as its motto also, “All for one and one for all!”<br/>This unity of which Paul wrote about is not something which the Christian needs to conjure up or create, but in Christ it already exists and must be diligently preserved. <br/>Verse 3 says; “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”<br/>These verses tell us that unity is not just a possibility; it is a divine requirement if we are to be everything God wants us to be as a church. <br/>Benjamin Franklin<br/>As an American inventor and diplomat Benjamin Franklin played a key role in the struggle for independence. <br/>He is the only person to sign all four documents on which the United States was founded: the Declaration of Independence, the alliance treaty with France, the peace treaty with England, and the Constitution.<br/>As he and other leaders prepared to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Franklin joked, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we will all hang separately.”<br/><br/>His humor had a serious message--without unity, they could not hope to defeat the military might of England. <br/>Paul had a similar message in today’s reading. <br/>Unity can and must characterize the church if we are to be effective spiritually.<br/>Here are a few ways we can actively build unity.<br/>1 - Spend more time considering the evidences of grace in others than you do pondering their sins and weaknesses. It is much easier to see and focus on the weaknesses of others than to see and focus on their strength. It is as if we use a magnifying glass when looking for weakness and a telescope when looking for grace. “Sin is darkness, grace is light; sin is hell, grace is heaven; and what madness is it to look more at darkness than at light.<br/>2 - Consider that spiritual safety comes through spiritual unity. Christians united together are difficult to separate, difficult to break, difficult to pick off and destroy. It is when you isolate yourself by disrupting or denying unity that you are most at risk. <br/>3 - Meditate on God’s many commands demanding that we love one another. When you feel your heart begin to turn against another Christian, this is the time to turn to the many commands to love one another.<br/>Allow God’s Word to convict you of love’s necessity.<br/>4 - Spend more time considering areas of agreement than disagreement. The doctrines that you share with other true believers are the foundational doctrines; Styles and preferences are usually the contentious elements that separate individuals.<br/>5 - Consider your peaceful God. God is the God of peace, Christ is Prince of peace and the Spirit is the Spirit of peace. Having made peace with God, having bowed before Christ, having been indwelled by the Spirit whose fruit is love, joy, peace…, you now have the ability, and ought to have the desire, to be at true, deep and lasting peace with other Christians.<br/><br/>6 - Renew in your mind and heart to what it means to be at peace with God. Preach the gospel to yourself, because as you consider who you are in light of God’s perfect goodness, holiness and peace, your heart will soften toward others.<br/>7- Meditate on the unique relationship between Christians. Psalm 133:1 proclaims the goodness and pleasantness of dwelling together in unity; there are some things in the world that are good but not pleasant and others that are pleasant but not good. <br/>But to live in peace is both pleasant and good. Consider what it means to be bound together in God’s family with fellow travelers who are on that same pilgrimage to that very same destination as yourself.<br/>8 - Count the cost of disunity. When relationships break down, disagreement inevitably follows, and every disagreement between Christians is a triumph of Satan. If you descend into disunity, you hand Satan a victory. Maintain peace and deny him the triumph!<br/>9 - Be the first to seek peace and reconciliation. You are a Christian today only because God was the first to seek peace with you. <br/>You are now called and equipped to be the first to seek after peace and to attempt to pursue and maintain unity. <br/>As you do this you have the high honor of acting as an imitator of God.<br/><br/>10 - Walk and work together with other Christians as far as possible, making the Word the only judge of your actions. It is God’s loss and your loss, and it is Satan’s gain, when you will not walk in love with other Christians, when you will not work arm-in-arm together, with those with whom you have so much in common. <br/>There is so much more of the Lord’s work we accomplish together than apart.<br/>11- Judge yourself more than you judge others. <br/>If you were to spend more time considering your own faults, and less time considering the faults of others, you would never be so quick to judge and to separate yourself from other believers. <br/>12 - Pursue humility. Humility generates peace among Christians. <br/>Humility will prepare you to serve instead of being served, to overlook an offense, to pursue every kind of unity, to see others succeed where you fail, and to respond with joy and grace to every other possible source of disunity.<br/>So when seeking unity:<br/>We need to look at our own hearts and our own minds and compare them to Jesus and the Scripture. <br/>We need to recognize that we have differences of opinions and worship styles and that that is okay. <br/>We need to lift each other up and be united in Christ so we can accomplish that work that we as the body of Christ are call to accomplish.<br/>Dear Father, <br/>You have called us to be humble and gentle. <br/>You have called us to be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. <br/>Help us to make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Holy Spirit, binding ourselves together with peace.<br/>For there is one body of Christ and one Spirit that indwells us, and we have all been called to one glorious hope for the future. <br/>As we have been unified with you Holy Father, so we seek to be unified with each other here in this church. <br/>Bind us together in Christian love so that we can accomplish your purpose in this fellowship. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen</span></p>ANANIAS OF DAMASCUS AN UNSUNG HEROtag:www.allaboutgod.net,2012-03-05:1383940:BlogPost:12795992012-03-05T14:00:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
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<p align="center"> </p>
<p align="center"><b><u>ANANIAS OF DAMASCUS AN UNSUNG HERO</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>By Rev. Robert Bushman</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>2-12</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Introduction</u></b></p>
<p><b><u>What Is A Hero?</u></b></p>
<p>There are many athletes, celebrities, & politicians in…</p>
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<p align="center"> </p>
<p align="center"><b><u>ANANIAS OF DAMASCUS AN UNSUNG HERO</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>By Rev. Robert Bushman</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>2-12</u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Introduction</u></b></p>
<p><b><u>What Is A Hero?</u></b></p>
<p>There are many athletes, celebrities, & politicians in today’s society whom we consider heroes.</p>
<p>But rarely do we recognize the unsung heroes of today or days gone by. Those are the ones that many times do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.</p>
<p align="center"><b><u> </u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u> </u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u> </u></b></p>
<p>An unsung hero is someone who does great deeds, but receives little or no recognition for them.</p>
<p>He is a person who is not honored or praised;</p>
<p>He is uncelebrated. </p>
<p>He is a person who makes a substantive yet unrecognized contribution</p>
<p> In Hebrews chapter 11 we read the praises of great men and woman of faith, then we get down to verses 36-38 and read; .</p>
<p>Other believers were brutally tortured but refused to be released so that they might gain eternal life.</p>
<p>Some were made fun of and whipped, and some were chained and put in prison.</p>
<p>Some were stoned to death, sawed in half, and killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. Some were poor, abused, and mistreated.</p>
<p>The world didn't deserve these good people. Some wandered around in deserts and mountains and lived in caves and holes in the ground.</p>
<p>Hebrews 11:36-38</p>
<p>I want to take a few minutes and speak about an unsung hero from the New Testament,</p>
<p>His name is <b>Ananias</b> a Christian from Damascus;</p>
<p>This is not the same Ananias, who had a wife named Sapphira.</p>
<p><b><u> </u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Text; Acts 9:10-19</u></b></p>
<p>10- Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”</p>
<p><b>11-</b> And the Lord <i>said</i> to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,</p>
<p><b>12-</b> And he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.”</p>
<p><b>13-</b> But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to your saints at Jerusalem;</p>
<p><b>14-</b> And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”</p>
<p><b>15-</b> But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;</p>
<p><b>16</b>- For I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”</p>
<p><b>17</b>-So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”</p>
<p><b>18</b>- And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight and he got up and was baptized;</p>
<p><b>19</b>- And he took food and was strengthened.</p>
<ol>
<li><b>1. </b> <b>In verse 10 we are told that Ananias of Damascus was a</b> <b><u>disciple.</u></b></li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<p>The word disciple comes from a Latin word meaning <b><u>"learner"</u></b></p>
<p>A disciple is therefore a learner; who is a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle that they require, growing literally, into a true Christ-follower.</p>
<p>So Ananias of Damascus was indeed a Christ follower.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ol>
<li><b>2. </b> <b>The Lord spoke to him through a</b> <b><u>vision</u></b> <b>(verse 10)</b></li>
</ol>
<p>What does it mean that God spoke to him in a vision?</p>
<p>Strong’s concordance says he had a “<b>Spiritual seeing”</b> (with inward spiritual perception).</p>
<p>When Pastor Bill was speaking on prayer recently; he told us that prayer isn’t communion with God if it is just you giving God your list of wants and desires.</p>
<p>Communion is 2 way, we speak to God and He speaks to us. There has to be a two way interaction to have <u>communion</u>. This disciple Ananias had communion with God, and God was able to speak to him through this inward spiritual perception.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ol>
<li><b>3. </b> <b>Ananias of Damascus had a proper response when God spoke to him,</b></li>
</ol>
<p><b>His response was,</b> <b><u>“here I am”.</u></b></p>
<p>As we seek God’s guidance, we sometimes think it would be nice if we could hear Him clearly. </p>
<p>We find ourselves hoping for our own “burning bush experience” to point us in the right direction. </p>
<p>Does God still speak to us today? The answer is a resounding, “Yes! </p>
<p>God does speak to us!” But sometimes we don’t hear because we are listening for the wrong thing. </p>
<p>It isn’t always clear and easy to understand when God speaks to us.</p>
<p>Most of us will never actually “hear” God’s voice with our ears. </p>
<p>But he speaks to us daily through <b><u>our prayers</u></b>, <b><u>through</u></b> <b><u>Scripture</u></b>, through <b><u>our consciences</u></b> and through <b><u>the events</u></b> He orchestrates to teach us and help us to grow spiritually.</p>
<p><em>Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”</em> <i><em>(Jeremiah 33:3)</em></i></p>
<p>If we are cultivating our relationship with the Lord <b><u>on a regular basis</u></b>, then we will be ready to hear as Ananias was, when God spoke to him.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ol>
<li><b>4. </b> <b>At times God will ask us to do some things that seems</b> <b><u>unreasonable</u></b> <b>to our natural common sense.</b></li>
</ol>
<p>(Verse 13-14) But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”</p>
<p>Even though Ananias was a fully devoted follower of Jesus, and he was in communion with God; he still had to deal with fear and doubts.</p>
<p>At times we all deal with fear and doubt in this Christian journey.</p>
<p>And just because we have to work through some doubt and fear, it does not disqualify us from doing God’s will.</p>
<p>Ananias worked through his doubts and fear; He honestly shared with God his struggle that he was dealing with in his mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>C. S. Lewis wrote;</p>
<p>We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. <br/><b><br/><br/></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>A Wise Bird</u></b></p>
<p>A wise bird knows that a scarecrow is simply an advertisement.</p>
<p>It announces that some very juicy and delicious fruit is to be had for the picking.</p>
<p>There are scarecrows in all the best gardens... If I am wise, I too shall treat the scarecrow as though it were an invitation.</p>
<p>Every giant in the way which makes me feel like a grasshopper is only a scarecrow beckoning me to God's richest blessings.</p>
<p>Faith is a bird which loves to perch on scarecrows. All our fears are groundless.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>5- God did not rebuke Ananias; but He just re-assured him of his mission to go and be a part of a great miracle that God had ordained.</b></p>
<p> <br/><b>15-</b> But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;</p>
<p> </p>
<p>God had orchestrated a unique situation that involved Ananias. God wanted to use him as a conduit to do a miracle in Saul’s life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We know that it was Jesus Christ himself , God the Son who appeared to Saul, and that He was involved in working this miracle, remember Jesus told Saul that he was persecuting Him.</p>
<p>Acts 9:5<b> </b> and he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He <i>said,</i> “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting”…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In this story of the persecutor Saul’s salvation experience , we are privileged to see how God transforms him from the inside out, changing his name, and making him into the beloved Paul.</p>
<p>God has His reasons for changing people names, starting even in the Old Testament.</p>
<p>For instance; Sarai to Sarah, Abram to Abraham, Simon (His disciple) to Peter, and of course Saul to Paul. God did huge life changes in each of their lives with the changing of their names.</p>
<p>This was the turning point in his life from being a persecutor to an advocate.</p>
<p>Many of us can recall times in our lives when God has invited us to be a tool to bring this life changing experience to others.</p>
<p>I could tell you about my Ananias that God used to transform my life; his name is David Peterson who is now the Pastor of a church in Schroon Lake NY. He was only 17 years old, but was used by God to disciple me, a 15 year old messed up kid.</p>
<p>God wants us all to be in a relationship with him where he can at any time be able to use us to bring the miracle of salvation to the lost.</p>
<p>Blessed the man and woman who is able to serve cheerfully <u>in the second rank</u>... a big test. Mary Slessor</p>
<p>There are those who are waiting for a hero to come to them, to bring to them the healing touch of God so that their eyes would be opened to the truth, that they might be filled with The Holy Spirit, but if we are not in communion with Him we won’t be able to hear the still small voice telling us to go.</p>
<p>I thank God for Roberto Cabrera who was able to hear the voice of God one Sunday during a church service a few years ago and told him we were to go to my brother Bo house because he was suicidal. We went and a week later Bo was gloriously saved. I watched God transform an atheist into a believer. He had a lot to deal with last August as he was preparing to meet the Lord face to face at only 52 years old, but he had a peace about his relationship with the Lord. His peace was a testimony to his whole family.</p>
<p><b>Verse 17</b>- So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”</p>
<p><b><u> </u></b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Conclusion</u></b></p>
<p>Mordecai Ham was Billy Graham’s Ananias</p>
<p> Edward Kimball was D. L. Moody’s Ananias</p>
<p>I think that God is saying to us that we need to have a kind of relationship with God that he could use us like Ananias was used. It must have been a joy to his heart to see how God transform Saul into Paul.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p>Alan Redpath said, “If you look up into His face and say, "Yes, Lord, whatever it costs," at that moment He'll flood your Life with His presence and power.”</p>
<p>Ask yourself; “am <u>a committed to-the-death, fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ</u>.</p>
<p>I do not want to be a mere 'fan' who will walk away when I don't like what he asks me to do, or when my 'self' disagrees with his solution to a problem in my life.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The soul that waits upon the Lord is the soul that is entirely surrendered to Him, and that trusts Him perfectly.</p>
<p>Therefore we might name our wings the wings of Surrender and of Trust.</p>
<p>If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust Him perfectly, We shall find our souls "mounting up with wings as eagles" to the "heavenly places" in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows have no power to disturb us.” Hannah Whitall Smith</p>
<p>He has right to interrupt your life.</p>
<p>He is Lord.</p>
<p>When we accept Him as Lord, we gave Him the right to help Himself to our lives anytime He wants.</p>
<p><b><u> </u></b></p>
<p><b><u>Prayer</u></b></p>
<p>Dear God please help each of us to have communion with you, not just to bring our list of wants to you and call that prayer.</p>
<p>Help us to be willing and ready when you call us to go.</p>
<p>Help us to give you our fears and apprehensions as Ananias did,</p>
<p>Then allow us to be the conduit that you work through even when we fade into the background as an unsung hero of the faith. In Jesus name amen</p>EASY WAY OF SHARING OUR PERSONAL TESTIMONIES ABOUT HOW WE GOT JESUStag:www.allaboutgod.net,2012-02-17:1383940:BlogPost:12723792012-02-17T22:42:25.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><b>SHARING OUR PERSONAL TESTIMONIES ABOUT HOW WE GOT JESUS</b><br></br><br></br>One of the most exciting and interesting ways to share Jesus is to give a personal testimony.<br></br><br></br><b>Your testimony is the basis of your witness.</b> It is your story, your firsthand account of what God through Christ has done in your life.<br></br><br></br><b>Your testimony has authority.</b> There may be many questions about the Bible that you may not be able to answer, but you are the authority on your…</p>
<p><b>SHARING OUR PERSONAL TESTIMONIES ABOUT HOW WE GOT JESUS</b><br/><br/>One of the most exciting and interesting ways to share Jesus is to give a personal testimony.<br/><br/><b>Your testimony is the basis of your witness.</b> It is your story, your firsthand account of what God through Christ has done in your life.<br/><br/><b>Your testimony has authority.</b> There may be many questions about the Bible that you may not be able to answer, but you are the authority on your testimony.<br/><br/>Writing out your testimony will help you be ready to tell your story about Jesus to anyone who asks.<br/><br/><b>Your testimony is important.</b> If it is important to you, it will become important to other people.<br/><br/>As you prepare your testimony, seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Because you will have a very brief encounter with each person, it is necessary for you to seek the Holy Spirit's leadership in preparing to share your testimony.<br/><br/><b>God honors preparation.</b> Carefully prepare your testimony so you can effectively share Jesus Christ.<br/><br/><b>Use short, simple phrases.</b> Keep your testimony to the point. Remember, you are not describing the theology of how to be saved. You are simply sharing what Christ has done in your life.<br/><br/><b>A person might criticize,</b> "Preparing your testimony is mechanical." Actually, as you share your testimony and relive the experience, God through the Holy Spirit can give your testimony a new thrust, a new dynamic and a new meaning, refreshing your heart and life.<br/><br/><b>God showed me the following way to share a testimony, It is really simple, all you need to do is fill in the answers and then share it with others.</b><br/><br/><br/><b>How to Set your testimony up as an interview with questions and answers</b><br/><br/><b>Opening statement.</b><br/><br/><br/>In the book of John chapter 3 and verse 16, <i>it says that God loved the world so much that He gave his only begotten son Jesus to die in our place. So that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.<br/><br/>Jesus said he was the way the truth and the life. He also said that no one could come unto the Father but through him. ( John 14:6 )</i><br/><br/>A scripture verse in the book of John chapter 17 verse three says; <i>This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.</i><br/><br/>My prayer is that you will turn your life over to God also and receive the free gift of salvation he has provided for you.<br/><br/><b>The following might be some questions you might ask me about my faith.</b><br/><br/><u><b>Question 1</b></u> - Before you became a follower of Jesus Christ; What was your life like? What was your mindset?<br/><br/><b>Answer</b>- My life was... My mindset was...<br/><br/><br/><u><b>Question 2</b></u> - What caused you to begin considering God? How did you come to the conclusion that Christ was the solution to your needs? What finally motivated you to actually come to God for forgiveness and to accept Christ as your Lord and savior?<br/><br/><b>Answer</b> – It was because I ...<br/><br/><br/><u><b>Question 3</b></u> – Tell me what took place, and tell me how did you receive Christ?<br/>Did you go to church? Did you read the Bible? Did some one tell you how to do it?<br/><br/><b>Answer</b> - I received Christ...<br/><br/><br/><u><b>Question 4</b></u> – After you received Christ and became born again; What are some of the changes that have taken place in your life?<br/><br/><b>Answer</b> – some of the changes that have taken place are...<br/><br/><br/><br/><u><b>Question 5</b></u> Do you have a favorite verse which is important in explaining your Faith Story?<br/><br/><br/><b>Answer</b> – My favorite scripture is...<br/><br/><br/><u><b>Question 6</b></u> I want to have what you have, please tell me what I must do to be saved?<br/><br/><br/><b>Answer</b> – This is what you must do to be saved ...<br/><br/><br/>God wants us to be creative in sharing our faith. We are all so different, and the Holy Spirit will instruct us in how we can best share our testimonies to reach a lost world.<br/>MY TESTAMONY</p>High and Lifted uptag:www.allaboutgod.net,2011-04-30:1383940:BlogPost:9555472011-04-30T21:56:24.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
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<p align="center"><font size="4"><b>High and Lifted up</b></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="4"><b>Rev. Robert J. Bushman</b></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="4"><b>5-1-11</b></font></p>
<p align="center"><br></br> <font size="3"><b>Isaiah 6:1-8 (AKJV)…</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><br></br><br></br></p>
<p align="justify"></p>
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<p align="center"><font size="4"><b>High and Lifted up</b></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="4"><b>Rev. Robert J. Bushman</b></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="4"><b>5-1-11</b></font></p>
<p align="center"><br/> <font size="3"><b>Isaiah 6:1-8 (AKJV)</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><br/><br/></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-1.htm">1</a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting on a throne,</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="4"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span><span>high and lifted up,</span></span></font></font> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span><span>and his train filled the temple.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-2.htm">2</a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-3.htm">3</a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>And one cried to another, and said,</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-4.htm">4</a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-5.htm">5</a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips:</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-6.htm">6</a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-7.htm"><font color="#000000"><span><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><b>7</b></span></font></font></span></font></a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>And he laid it on my mouth, and said, See, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://bible.cc/isaiah/6-8.htm">8</a> <font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">Then said I, Here am I; send me.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><br/><br/></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u><b>Introduction</b></u></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">King Uzziah was one of the most successful Kings of the Southern Kingdom (Judah).</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">His name literally means “Jehovah is strength” and his life illustrates the meaning of his name.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Uzziah became Judah’s eleventh King at age 16 and held the second longest tenure as Judah’s monarchy (52 years)</font> (783 – 742 BC)</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He is also one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He was a vigorous and able ruler, in the earlier part of his reign, under the influence of a prophet named Zechariah, he was faithful to God, and "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD"</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped <u>until he became powerful.</u></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Tragically his biography does not end on the note of success but of failure.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u><b>2Chronicles 26:17-19</b></u></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000080"><span><u><b>16</b></u></span></font> <font color="#001320">But when he (</font>king Uzziah) <font color="#001320">became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><a href="http://bible.cc/2_chronicles/26-17.htm" target="_top"><font color="#000080"><span><b>17</b></span></font></a> <font color="#001320">Then Azariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the LORD, valiant men.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><a href="http://bible.cc/2_chronicles/26-18.htm" target="_top"><font color="#000080"><span><b>18</b></span></font></a> <font color="#001320">They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the</font></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">LORD God.”</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><a href="http://bible.cc/2_chronicles/26-19.htm" target="_top"><font color="#000080"><span><b>19</b></span></font></a> <font color="#001320">But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged;</font></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#001320">and while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the altar of incense.</font></font></font></font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u><b>The great historian Josephus wrote;</b></u></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">In the mean time a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king's face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span><span>Instead of being buried in the sepulcher of the Kings in Jerusalem, he was buried in a field outside of the city.</span></span></font></font> <font color="#000000"><span><span>(2 Kings 15:7; 2 Chr. 26:23).</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">That lonely grave would eloquently testify to coming generations that all earthly monarchy must bow before the the King of all kings, the one who is High and lifted up, and that no interference could be tolerated with that unfolding of His purposes.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It was a critical time in Judah - the year that King Uzziah died. He had reigned for 52 years and under his rule the kingdom had prospered, extended its borders and for most of that time been at peace with Israel (the Northern kingdom) and together they had been strong enough to keep enemies at bay.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It is this ironic twist in Uzziah’s career. One would expect a marvelous accolade to be chiseled into the grave marker of Uzziah. However, the eulogy is stated with four simple words, “He is a leper.”</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b>1-In verse one of our text it says;</b> <u>“In the year that King Uzziah died,”</u></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">It seems that the time, and occurrence was of importance to Isaiah.</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Here he is at this cross road, a place of sorrow, wondering what the future would hold for him and for Judah. Things were going to be changing with the rise of a new king.</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">We all find ourselves at these difficult crossroad moments at different times during our lives, maybe at the death of a parent, our a spouse, and our world has come crashing down on us.</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><span>Isaiah said it was at this time he had something wonderful took place.</span></font> </font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#001320"><span>He said; “</span></font><font color="#000000"><span>I saw also the LORD sitting on a throne,</span></font> <font color="#000000"><span><u>high</u></span></font> <font color="#000000"><span>and</span></font> <font color="#000000"><span><u>lifted up,</u></span></font> <font color="#000000"><span>and his train filled the temple.'</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><span>We don’t know where Isaiah was when he had this vision of the Lord, though some have surmised that he might have actually been in the temple worshiping with all of the people at this time.</span></font> </font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Isaiah’s vision of the Lord doesn’t seem to be a vision of the Lord seated on a throne in the Holy of Holies of the temple, but rather a vision perhaps of the heavenly temple of which the temple on earth was a type or a symbol.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The mighty kings of the earth would sit on a throne that were lifted up high, and in fact Solomon’s throne was said to be higher than that of any of the other kings in the world.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><b><font color="#000000">He wrote; “I saw the Lord seated on a throne,</font> <u>high</u> and lifted up<u>,</u> and <u>the train of his robe filled the temple.”</u></b></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The train of the Lord’s robe was so large that it filled the temple.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">In this vision, the temple is thrown open to view, even to the most holy place. The prophet, standing outside the temple, sees the Divine Presence seated on the throne and the Divine glory filled the whole temple.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Isaiah stood entranced at the farthest possible distance from Him that sat upon the throne, namely, under the door of the heavenly palace or temple.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#001320">What he still further felt and saw, he proceeds to relate in verse 4; “</font>And the posts of the door moved (it shook) at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">"Now Isaiah sees high-ranking angels called seraphs near God’s throne.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">"Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><i>Seraph</i></font> <font color="#000000"><span>(means</span></font> <font color="#000000"><span>a fiery being)</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">What an awesome and yet terrifying sight!</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">We don’t know much about Seraphs, since this is the only reference specifically to them.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">But it is the actions of these heavenly beings that are more important than any speculation about their position among the other angels.</font></font></font></p>
<p></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">We can only imagine the might of creatures such as these seraphim who when they declare to each other the holiness of the Lord that the foundations of the temple shakes.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">As they hover above the throne, they cover their faces and feet. They demonstrate great reverence for the One on the throne and great humility in his presence.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">They call to one another in a great and powerful hymn of praise.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">T<font color="#001320"><span>hey cried to each other in alternate responses. One cried 'holy;' the second repeated it; then the third; and then they probably united in the grand chorus, 'Full is all the earth of his glory</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000">‘</font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span>Holy’ is the attribute of the Lord which most separates Him from all of the rest of creation.</span></font></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><u><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Holy means;</font></font></u> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">set apart, for a special purpose, in this case the Lord is holy and set apart from all others, worthy of the praise of Heaven and Earth.</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><span>It has also been surmised by the church throughout the ages that the threefold declaration of the Lord’s holiness reveals the fact that the Lord is a Triune God, comprised of three distinct persons, who are yet one in essence.</span></font></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="3">The whole earth is full of his glory.” in other words; the earth reeks with the glory of God.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>In John 12:41, John wrote; “</span></span></font></font></font><font color="#001320"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2"><span><span>These things said Isaiah, because he saw his glory; and he spake of him.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>In Christ Jesus, God is seated on a</span></span></font></font></font> <font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><u><span>throne of grace;</span></u></span></font></font></font> <font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>and through him the way into the holiest is</span></span></font></font></font> <font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><u><span>laid open</span></u></span></font></font></font><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>. He is not only the High a high and exalted king, he is the lifted up messiah.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">John 3:14</font></font><font color="#000080"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">,</font></font> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">“And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the</font> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u>Son of Man must be lifted up,”</u></font></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">John 8:29,” So Jesus said, <u>"When you lift up the Son of Man, t</u>hen you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">God's temple is the church and His people on earth are filled with his glory and His train, the skirts of his robes, filled the temple which is the whole world, for it is all God's temple.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><u>Verse 5<span>-Isaiah' s response;</span></u></font></font></p>
<p>“<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Blue lights are nice.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">But when they are flashing in your rear view mirror, your heart races and your mind reacts,</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333">“<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Woe is me! I am ruined!</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Speeding ticket… points on my license… increase in insurance…”</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">When face to face with one who could punish, fear takes over.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Isaiah’ s reaction was no different when he was confronted, not with a speeding ticket, but a vision of the Lord, seated on his throne with his robe filling the temple.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Three times the word “Holy” resonates in the vision.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Smoke filled the room.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Isaiah' s first reaction when faced with the power and holiness of the Almighty God was the exclamation, “Woe to me! I am ruined!”</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">What Isaiah sees is more than he can handle.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He is completely overwhelmed by the holiness of God.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">In this moment, Isaiah is faced with the reality of who he is – a sinner; a sinner who is now standing in the presence of a holy and righteous God.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><span>You can almost feel the desperation as he cries out, “Woe to me! I am ruined!”</span></font> <font color="#000000"><span>There is nothing quite like a fresh encounter with the holiness of God, to bring us to our knees and to remind us of who we are.</span></font> </font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Psalm 103:14 says “He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust”, but sometimes we need a little reminder, that apart from God, apart from His Spirit within us, we are nothing.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><span>Standing in the presence of the LORD that day, Isaiah knew that he was nothing.</span></font> </font></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#001320"><span>Woe is me! - That is, I am filled with overwhelming convictions of my own unworthiness, with alarm that I have seen Yahweh.</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#001320"><span>He cries out,</span></font> <font color="#001320"><font size="4"><i>“I am a man of unclean lips;</i></font></font> <font color="#001320"><span>I cannot say, Holy, holy, holy! which the seraphs exclaim.” They are holy; I am not so holy: they see God, and live; I have seen him, and must die, because I am unholy.</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320">“<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span>Only the pure in heart shall see God; and only the pure in heart can live in his presence for ever.”</span></font> (<font color="#001320"><span>Matthew 5:8 )</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">When we see the Lord in all his glory it is like looking into a mirror and we see the true state of our hearts and we like Isaiah confess our sin as the only proper response to seeing a Holy God.</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>When Jesus revealed a little bit of his glory to Peter, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"</span></span></font></font></font> <font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span>(</span></font></font><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>Luke 5:8)</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span>John in Revelations 1:17 wrote; “(</span></font></font><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>When I saw The Holy Lord),</span></span></font></font></font> <font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><i><span>I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,</span></i></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Isaiah was aware of having ‘unclean lips’, and James pointed out in James 3:2 that if you can master what comes out of your mouth you can master your whole body.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>Back to our text Isaiah 6: 6</u></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span>6-</span></font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar</span></span></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4">7-With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Notice how <u>God initiates the cleansing of Isaiah soul.</u> Out of the mouth the heart speaks.</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The beauty of this passage is that our loving Father does not leave Isaiah despairing because of his sin.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He sends the seraph to him to cleanse him, and to restore him.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He takes away his guilt and provides atonement for his sin.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><span>God reaches out to Isaiah and offers him grace and forgiveness at a time when Isaiah couldn’t have felt any more undeserving.</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">What do you think Isaiah felt as the burning coal was being brought to his lips?</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Was it punishment? His ruin?</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He soon experienced the unexpected. With the coal the Lord purified Isaiah.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He did not punish him as his sins deserved.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Isaiah was told, <i>“Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”</i></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">The altar where the coal burned must have been the brazen altar where the animal sacrifices were burned, and the fire of a coal from the altar burned the sin away from the life of Isaiah.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">This is the great reality of the LORD Almighty. He has every right to punish us for our sin,</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">but his love brings not the coal of judgment, but the coal of purification.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#333333"><span>Because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he assures us</span></font> <font color="#333333"><font size="4"><i>“your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”</i></font></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#001320"><font size="4"><i>Thine iniquity is taken away</i></font></font> <font color="#001320"><span>- That is, whatever obstacle arising from your own consciousness of unworthiness, is taken away.</span></font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"> </p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The Jews expected pardon in no other mode than by sacrifice; and the offering on their altar pointed to the great sacrifice which was to be made on the cross for the sins of human beings.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="justify"> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font color="#001320"><span>A great doctrine is presented that it is only by sacrifice that sin can be pardoned; and the Messiah, the sacrifice himself, is exhibited as issuing the commission to Isaiah to go and declare his message to people.</span></font> </font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">What relief! What joy!</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Like the joy and relief you would feel if the officer did the unexpected when he came to your car window and said, “While I clocked you 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, I will pay your fine. Your record is clear.”</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><u><font color="#333333"><span>Isaiah would declare that;</span></font></u></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#001320">“<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="4"><span><span>But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. <br/><br/>All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”</span></span></font></font></font> <font color="#001320"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span><span>Isaiah 53:5-6<br/></span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">No man or woman is ready to serve the Lord until he or she first realizes the sinfulness of his own heart, and how unrighteousness he or she truly is.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><span><span>God does not call the righteous, but rather sinners. But sinners are soon turned into saints by His touch, and saints are turned into ambassadors for the King of all kings, He who is high and lifted up.</span></span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><font size="4"><span>Isaiah 6;8- “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”</span></font> </font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Isaiah was not pressed into service.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He did not go against His will.</font></font></font></p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He did not go feeling that someone was twisting his arm behind him.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">He freely volunteered to go, and he did so knowing the state of the people and thus how rough of a road it would be that he would have to travel as God’s representative to His people.</font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">No wonder Isaiah then answered the Lord’s call, <i>“Here am I Send me!”</i></font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"> </p>
<p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">The fact that the angel touched the lips of Isaiah, the lips which Isaiah had just confessed to be ‘unclean’, indicates that the Lord had sanctified those lips and that now Isaiah would speak from the throne of the Lord Almighty Himself, for Isaiah was being called to the prophetic office.</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">May our response to God’s unexpected grace be the same!</font></font></font></p>
<p align="left"> </p>
<p align="left"><font color="#333333">“<font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span>Send me! I will live for you!”</span></font></font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">When God is high and lifted up in our hearts we to can answer God's call to go.</font></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="4"><u>Conclusion</u></font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="3">High and Lifted Up</font></p>
<p><font size="3">Author: Dianne Wilkinson<br/>Copyright: Homeward Bound Music (BMI). Used by permission.<br/>Album: High and Lifted Up (1993)</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="3">Jesus said, “If I be lifted up,<br/>“I will surely draw all men unto me”</font></p>
<p><font size="3">So as Moses raised the serpent in the wilderness<br/>So high and lifted up must Jesus be<br/></font></p>
<p><font size="3">See Him on the cross, His eyes of love<br/>Looking down on all who stood and watched His shame<br/>As they mocked Him, and they scourged Him, God turned His eyes away<br/></font></p>
<p><font size="3">While high and lifted up, He took the blame</font></p>
<p><font size="3">High and lifted up, a loving Savior<br/>High and lifted up for all to see<br/>Reconciling God and man forever<br/>High and lifted up on Calvary</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="3">Jesus said, “I’ll surely come again<br/>“That where I may be you will be near”<br/>So I’m looking toward the Heavens, up to the Eastern Sky<br/>Where high and lifted up He shall appear<br/></font></p>
<p><font size="3">There to meet a Bride adorned and waiting<br/>As all of Heaven’s angels start to sing<br/>Never more to be a lowly man of Galilee<br/>As high and lifted up we see the King, the King</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="3">High and lifted up in all His glory<br/>High and lifted up in robes of white<br/>Coming back to rule and reign forever<br/><br/>He is high and lifted up on clouds of light<br/>High and lifted up is Jesus Christ</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><font size="4"><b><a href="http://youtu.be/XPnoHptzyTg">http://youtu.be/XPnoHptzyTg</a></b></font></p>
<p> </p>
<h1 class="western"><a name="eow-title" id="eow-title"></a><a name="watch-headline-title" id="watch-headline-title"></a><a name="watch-headline-show-title" id="watch-headline-show-title"></a> <font color="#000000"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><font size="3"><span><b><span>Hallelujah - Soul Survivor 07 /</span></b></span></font></font></font> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/artist?a=GxdCwVVULXdYHofQyGoYghzIJDyCX2Tc&feature=watch_video_title"><font color="#000000"><span><font face="arial, sans-serif"><font size="3"><span><b><span>Ben Cantelon</span></b></span></font></font></span></font></a></h1>
<p> </p>When Everything Cangestag:www.allaboutgod.net,2010-12-21:1383940:BlogPost:8325112010-12-21T12:30:08.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/71765931?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/71765931?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p><strong>If you know me very well you would discover that I do not like changes much. I like things to stay the same, but it is unrealistic. We are going down the road of life that has many bends to go around, hills to climb, bumps to go over, and obstacles to avoid.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Maybe you like me are facing yet another Christmas after loosing a loved…</strong></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/71765931?profile=original"><img class="align-center" width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/71765931?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p><strong>If you know me very well you would discover that I do not like changes much. I like things to stay the same, but it is unrealistic. We are going down the road of life that has many bends to go around, hills to climb, bumps to go over, and obstacles to avoid.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Maybe you like me are facing yet another Christmas after loosing a loved one, maybe you have gone through a divorce, or your children are grown and gone off to live their own live many miles away and won't be with you this year. The changes do not have to be negative either.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>For me it is a new bride, with a whole new extended family. I feel so blessed by all the changes that have happened to me in the last year.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Even though I do not like the idea of change, I know changes, good and bad will come my way and I also know that with the changes that came I have some promises from God's word.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Romans 8: 28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to <em>His</em> purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined <em>to become</em> conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>James 1:2.Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4.And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.</strong></p>
<p><strong>12.Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><strong>Father God you already know that changes can make or break us as human being. Help us to know you are with us no matter what we are facing right now. Help us to have faith that you are using all the things we encounter on this journey to conform us to the moral character of Jesus Christ. We get frustrated during the journey because we can not see how you can cause all things to work for the good. So Father God will you help us all to put our trust in you and to trust That The Holy Spirit will be our guide and help in all the changes. In Jesus name amen.</strong></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>When Everything Changestag:www.allaboutgod.net,2010-12-17:1383940:BlogPost:8294432010-12-17T11:00:00.000ZPastor Bob Bhttp://www.allaboutgod.net/profile/BobBushman
<p><strong>If you know me very well you would discover that I do not like changes much. I like things to stay the same, but it is unrealistic. We are going down the road of life that has many bends to go around, hills to climb, bumps to go over, and obstacles to avoid.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Maybe you like me are facing yet another Christmas after loosing a loved one, maybe you have gone through a divorce, or your children are grown and gone off to live their own live many miles away…</strong></p>
<p><strong>If you know me very well you would discover that I do not like changes much. I like things to stay the same, but it is unrealistic. We are going down the road of life that has many bends to go around, hills to climb, bumps to go over, and obstacles to avoid.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Maybe you like me are facing yet another Christmas after loosing a loved one, maybe you have gone through a divorce, or your children are grown and gone off to live their own live many miles away and won't be with you this year. The changes do not have to be negative either.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>For me it is a new bride, with a whole new extended family. I feel so blessed by all the changes that have happened to me in the last year.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Even though I do not like the idea of change, I know changes, good and bad will come my way and I also know that with the changes that came I have some promises from God's word.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Romans 8: 28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to <em>His</em> purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined <em>to become</em> conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>James 1:2.Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4.And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.</strong></p>
<p><strong>12.Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><strong>Father God you already know that changes can make or break us as human being. Help us to know you are with us no matter what we are facing right now. Help us to have faith that you are using all the things we encounter on this journey to conform us to the moral character of Jesus Christ. We get frustrated during the journey because we can not see how you can cause all things to work for the good. So Father God will you help us all to put our trust in you and to trust That The Holy Spirit will be our guide and help in all the changes. In Jesus name amen.</strong></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIrvLnbn4fw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIrvLnbn4fw</a><br/></strong></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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