Devotion: John 20-21, Proverbs 8

As we read this testimony of the Resurrection on this Resurrection Sunday (Easter), I find a couple of things to be significant in my mind today.

• 20:8-10 is a confusing set of verses that explain the condition of our own faith. They saw the empty tomb, and they believed, yet they had not believed, because they had not yet understood the Scriptures. (These verses remind us that the Holy Spirit must open our minds and connect the dots for us to really “get it.”) Matters of faith are supernatural…and require Divine guidance.
• 20:11. Mary did not get it. She was still distraught…and notice then:
• 20:12. Two angels come and testify to her…and she still doesn’t quite get it.
• 20:14-15. Jesus appeared to her but she did not recognize Him…I believe due to her unbelief, not because He shrouded His identity from her…though the point is not strong enough to become dogmatic.
• 20:16. Jesus calls Mary by Name. He meets her at her point of disbelief…that she would come to believe. (So when people offer a theology to me that say that God is pleased to allow/cause others to be unbelieving…I wonder, “What Jesus are they talking about?” My Jesus desires all to believe and be saved.
• 20:20-21. Jesus wanted the disciples to be convinced…so He appeared to them and then commissioned them with their perpetual purpose.
• 20:31. Everything that is written and preserved her is so that we might believe…and having believed…to be sent as Jesus was sent (20:21).
• 21:10. Jesus had a fire going and breakfast cooking…but He caused the fish to be caught in the net…then instructed the disciples to bring a few fish to Him. He caught them, but He required the disciple’s cooperation in the enterprise. [Same Today!! ]
• 21:19. We often reject the idea that following Jesus can or should cause suffering, but it may…and if it does, it is suffering that brings glory to the Name of God. BIG WORD THERE TO MEDITATE ON. What Jesus demands from us…”Follow Me.”

Applied: The Resurrection without the commission is lacking. The Commission without the Resurrection is pointless. The testimony of the Resurrection affirms the testimony of Christ and is the impetus for our confident obedience to the commission. It all results in this though: The glory of God revealed as we “Follow Him.”

Are you following? In light of the claims of Christ, the Commission of Christ, and the Resurrection of Christ…should you be following?

Happy Easter!!!

Proverbs 8:13 is the takeaway today. “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate.”

Devotion: John 19:28-42, Proverbs 7

Vv.28-30 will be my text this Sunday…so I will not spend a great amount of time here…but in this final Word from the cross which is but one word in the Greek, Jesus declared the work which He came to do…to be finished. On that Good Friday, the work of God that redeems all men was completed.

The Sabbath that follows (Saturday) must have been a difficult day for the disciples. I have lost people I love…so I can only imagine that the worship on this high-holy day was such that it connected deep in their souls. My mind drifts to Job…having lost everything, tore his clothing and cried out to God, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go…blessed be the Name of the Lord!” (I have lost all that is precious to me except my God…so may His sovereign Name be blessed!)

You can tell a great deal about a person and what they believe in the valleys of life. There was no celebration on this Sabbath for the resurrection. It had not happened and was not even anticipated by those closest to Jesus…who had heard His words and the promises regarding the third day. They mourned and they worshipped and they mourned and they worshipped. The Lord whom they loved was brutally killed in a horrendous manner…as a cursed man…on a cross. So they mourned and they wept and they worshipped.

I doubt anyone ever mourned the “passover lamb.” They recognized it as the substitute but not fully. They killed it and spread its blood on the doorposts but they did not identify with it in the same way they did Jesus. It was a “type” but the Perfect One…the Lord Himself was yet to come. They did not mourn but they worshipped.

Here though…they mourned because Jesus was beloved to them. He had changed their lives and He died…in their place (though they did not fully understand this yet). They loved Him and the mourned, yet they worshipped because God is worthy of that…simply because He is God.

Come Sunday though…their worship will take on a whole new context. He who was lost to them will walk from the grave, demonstrating power over it…because He has conquered death, hell, and the grave! Soon worship will have a different context…but still they mourned and the worshipped.

I wonder if we mourn over the loss of fellowship with God we experience even now. Our sin still creates distance between us and God. Do we mourn? At the same time, do we worship…knowing in our hearts that it will all change soon. Soon we will no longer be separated and we will be with Him perfectly! Soon, we will realize that the penalty of sin has been completed settled and we will possess what we presently profess. Soon.

Proverbs 7:1 is the takeaway today. “My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you.”

Devotion: John 17-19:27, Proverbs 6

The opening chapter here records the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. I taught extensively from this several weeks back and from it…we find our Purpose/Mission Statement as a church…”To Know Him and the Make Him Known to the Ends of the Earth.” Yes we exist to KNOW Him (and the power of His forgiveness and resurrection). This is a daily and ongoing knowledge.) Further…to Make Him KNOWN. This is the ongoing mission/ministry/priority of the church and of every believer. It is the primary task. It is not one of the things we do…it is the first thing we do! (First in order and significance).

So with that as a backfrop…here is the thought that got me today…the Denial of Jesus. Peter is credited with this denial most often…because he denied Jesus 3 times; however, there were others as well. Pilate denied the inner voice of conscience that had troubled him. He delivered Jesus over for crucifixion even though he was afraid of killing an innocent man. The religious leaders, acting under the counsel of Caiaphas (18:14) denied Jesus and considered it expedient to kill Him in order to “save” their religion. [Oh...little did they know!!] The other disciples denied Him as they ran away and left Him to be accused alone. The Romans denied Him when they saw supernatural acts testifying to who He is (18:3-9). Yes…many denied Him. AND…eternal life is to know Him (17:3)…yet they denied knowing Him.

What’s worse…I think of the times we deny Him. When we have opportunity to tell others and do not. When we have opportunity to bear witness of His grace and do not. When we have opportunity to TRUST Him in obedience…and do not.

Yet He died…for deniers like us. He died for us in our place. He then forgives those who ask and receives those who come to Him as He prescribes.

We serve a good God on this Good Friday. Today we remember that we all denied Him and He died for us anyway.

Proverbs 6:16-19 is the takeaway today. “There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven things that are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”

Devotion: John 16, Proverbs 5

Reading this morning, it is important to remember that Jesus is only hours from His betrayal and arrest. It is also important to see what Jesus ACTUALLY promises His disciples…so we can compare that to the message that the world (and even the church) often HEARS in promises.

Some believe that if there is the least bit of discomfort…there can be no Jesus in it. How can that be?? The Scriptures seem to teach just the opposite. Notice:

• 16:2. They’ll kick you out of the synagogues and even kill you and think they are doing so in service to God. They do so…because they are LOST (16:3). Where is the health, wealth, and prosperity in that message? It is not there because it is never the message that Jesus proclaims. His message is that we will have GREAT difficulty in this world IF we are living for Him…because this world is in direct and dire opposition to Jesus (16:33). The hope He offers is victory over this world…and PRESENCE and POWER as we endure suffering/struggle/strife in this world.
• Where is this presence and power? 16:9…in the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit in us and in the world. Holy Spirit is active…bringing conviction, and guidance in the truth (16:13). He is constantly drawing on the hearts of people on His own initiative…not in response to the worthiness of a person. He does so…beacuse this is His role in the Trinity…to magnify Jesus by convicting all of our need for Him…DAILY!
• There is also power that comes from the hope of the PROMISE of God…the PROMISE of the resurrection. Notice 16:19-20. I will leave for a little while and come back in a little while. You will lament for a little while and then be overjoyed! Now…admittedly the disciples struggled with this meaning…but wouldn’t we also? What do you mean you are going away and coming back…and that your going away causes us to lament and mourn and weep? Then you’ll return and we will be full of joy? Then Jesus gives a great analogy of childbirth.
• 16:21-22…it is necessary for a woman to experience the pain of childbirth to experience the joy of a new child. In the same way…it is necessary for you to grieve the death of Jesus so that you can have the joy of His resurrection! [Furthermore...and I don't think this is a stretch...it is necessary to go through the tribulation of these days in the world as we serve Him without reservation...in order that we would know the joy of seeing Him face-to-face and hearing, "Well done good and faithful servant."]

Two questions as we apply this: How much tribulation/persecution do we experience? If the answer is “not much,” is that because Jesus is more readily accepted in the world…or because we are less effective as His followers? (cf: Acts 5:40-42. The disciples praised God in their suffering because they were counted worthy to suffer for the Name of Jesus).

Second…how much hope do we draw from the resurrection? If it means what it seems to…that Jesus is victorious…DEMONSTRABLY VICTORIOUS…then why would we be downcast int he midst of this momentary “light affliction” that we experience…which in comparison tot he surpassing glory of God is really nothing. After all…the thing we fear most…our own death…is but the last step before GLORY! What can the devil do to us if it really only gets better from here!!!! [Man I want to preach right now!]

Proverbs 5:22 is the takeaway today. “His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin.” [Often times we are trapped by the consequences of our own actions. The devil did not overtake us...we yielded to his temptation and arrested ourselves.]

Devotion: John 15, Proverbs 4

I was drawn to John 15 this AM. I have always found it to be productive to simply meditate on this chapter from time to time. In the analogy of the vine, Jesus teaches us (as His disciples) much about our relationship, purpose, and product as believers.

• v.1, Jesus is the vine. There is not other life source but Him. No other pathway provides us with eternal life. None.
• v.2. The Father dresses the branches (that’s us). He prunes the productive ones so that they will be more productive. Those that are not productive (do not bear fruit), He takes away.
• v.5. “Bearing fruit” is both a PURPOSE and a PROMISE. We should desire it and we can discern our relationship by looking for it. If there is no fruit in our lives, then there is no relationship to the Vine. The branch (that’s you or me) that does not bear fruit but claims to be connected to the Vine (that’s Jesus)…has some explaining to do. It is unnatural for a branch not to produce. Yes, some produce more than others…but all produce or else we determine them dead or useless.

What kind of fruit is in mind? Certainly the image of Fruit of the Spirit comes to mind. There should be a quantifiable and observable change in our lives as we walk with Jesus. We should speak differently, act differently, love differently, bear with one another differently…and so forth. This should be an ongoing and progressive work as the Father PRUNES us.

One thing to not about pruning…is that the Pruner removes both good and bad growth. He may remove damaged and diseased branches from the plant in order to protect it. He also removes GOOD growth (suckers…is what someone called them) [that new growth that would not bear fruit for quite some time and only prevented nutrients from getting to the main "fruit producing branches."] By removing the “suckers” the Pruner insured maximum fruit production. NOW THAT IS A GOOD WORD IF YOU’LL MEDITATE ON IT.

The fruit is not only internal (like the fruit of the Spirit); it is also external…as in fulfillment of purpose. Kingdom growth/expansion/making disciples is part of the production that glorifies God. [I am constantly amazed at how many Christians are NOT involved in discipling someone, sharing their faith, or who are not leading others into a relationship with Jesus...yet they assert strongly how spiritually mature they are. REALLY? Where does that come from?] Jesus commissioned us to make disciples (Mt 28:18-20; Jn 15:16). We do that through proclamation of the gospel (Mk 16:15). He empowers us to be effective (Acts 1:8). He supports us and channels His love through us (Jn 15:1,5,7,10, et. al.) To define maturity in Christ in a manner that doesn’t acknowledge that making disciples is NORMAL…boggles the mind and does violence to the gospel.

APPLIED: If we are not producing fruit that glorifies God…we should determine to do it and ask God to make it so. Take away from me that which does not produce. If my softball league (a good thing) doesn’t produce good fruit…prune it. If I am diseased (with sin/unfaithfulness/complacency)  PRUNE IT! Why? Because I desire the greatness of GLORIFYING God with every element of my being (Jn 15:8).

Proverbs 4:18 is the takeaway today. “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.”

Ni90: Matthew 11-12, Proverbs 11

Ch 11 opens with the question from John the baptizer to Jesus…”Are you the Messiah, or should we expect another.” Yes…this is the same John who declared the identity of Jesus…who was His cousin…who knew His identity. So you may ask, “Why the question?” It may be that John wanted his disciples to hear it directly from Jesus. I tend to believe though that this is a glimpse into the humanity of the great bible figures. John was in prison…about to be beheaded for being a prophet…and he wonders in his spirit, “Did I miss something?”

We all find ourselves at a place of questioning from time to time. It is true for everyone I know. (Now…we don’t like to admit to it in church circles for fear that people may see our faith for what it is…something less than perfect).

Two other observations:

First is the commentary of Jesus on the condition of the hearers of His message (11:16-19). They were unable to be pleased. They did not function according to biblical discernment. They went with what they knew…so they were in essence…their own gods. “You rejected John because he was weird, and you reject me because I am too normal. You don’t know what you want or what you’re looking for. Reject if you will but ultimately the truth will be revealed!”

As we progress through the rest of the chapter and into 12, we see the emphasis on religious practice. The religious rulers focused on the religious practices that were required by religion. They did so to the point that the conversation had moved away from WHY we did what we did (prayer, fasting, honoring the Sabbath) to HOW well we did it. [Honestly...it reminds me of many of the conversations in churches today...some I have been guilty of myself.] We say…you must tithe! But the real issue is not the tithe but trusting God and honoring Him by obedience because He is God. Tithing is a faith issue not a financial issue.

We say, you should “go to church,” but the real issue is not attendance but appetite. When I am hungry no one say to me, you should go to the fridge. I just go. It is where my hunger is satisfied. The deeper question than attendance is “why is there no appetite?” Again the question is a faith one.

Friend…if the heart issue is addressed…the outward actions fall inline. They just do. But if the focus is only on the exterior…people can be conditioned to fake that. They can be conditioned to sit obediently in church or write a check but their heart be far from God.

So, should we not care about the tithe or attendance (two churchy examples that I pulled at random.)? Of course we should! They are indicators of the heart. If a man had a 104 degree fever but said he felt fine…we’d say he was delirious and rush him to the doctor. If a man did not eat for days on end and said he wasn’t hungry…we’d swear he was sick. The outward is a symptom of the inward.

So…how is your OUTWARD? Does it truly reflect the INWARD?

Proverbs 11:3 is the takeaway today. “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.”

Ni90: John 19-21, Proverbs 7

I love these chapters and have turned to them many times over the years (though I realize I say “I love these chapters” about a lot of chapters). Perhaps what has drawn me so often to these chapters is the reality of the weakness of the faith of men and the heart of God to restore…particularly in the account with Peter.

My key thoughts today as I read are three:

19:15, the decision of the Jews “we have no king but Caesar” stung today. I realize that this is the decision every person comes to in their lives. There is no middle ground. Either Jesus is King and Lord and Savior…(all or nothing)…or someone/something else is king/lord/functional savior. A functional savior is that which we rely on or find our worth in. For some it is power…for others family…for other money…for others control. It is that thing that if you took it away…they would lose their identity and their hope.

The point is…no middle ground. You can’t have a functional savior…and truly claim Jesus is King. Not possible. For Him to be King you must forsake everything else…tradition, control, power, self-empowerment…everything.

The second observation involves the restoration of Peter (21:7-17). Peter was distanced from Jesus from the time of his third denial (18:27) until now. It gnawed at him and it grieved the heart of God…which is why Jesus restored him. Peter was not deserving… God is simply gracious. When John announced that Jesus was on the shore…Peter jumped in the water…abandoning his task, his profession, his boat, his friends, his dignity, his everything. Nothing mattered as much as Jesus. Still…there needed to be a “come to Jesus” meeting where Peter faced his own weakness and Christ restored.

Nothing about Peter’s failure surprised Jesus. He announced it in advance. Jesus knew…and knows. Period. Jesus needed Peter to recognize his own weakness so that he would humble himself and receive his strength from the Lord. [It is an aside here...but it struck me how many people think it is their place to "humble a man." They think that God gave them a responsibility to fix a man...to make him come to terms with his own weaknesses. WHile this effort is often couched in religiousity and piety...it is almost always misplaced and usually is born from less honorable motives. As someone said, "hurting people hurt people." ]

Third observation: After Peter’s restoration, he still needed focusing. His attention and mind was drawn to inquire about John. Jesus “matter-of-factly” addressed this (21:22). To put it in common speech, “None of your business. You follow Me.”

Others are not our business…unless God has given us the responsibility of shepherding…as in parent-child, leader-subjects, or pastor-people. Our focus is on following Jesus and allowing Jesus to be in charge of everyone.

[I wonder what we could accomplish if we simply followed Him and quit worrying about what was going on with others?]

Proverbs 7:22 is the takeaway today. (having yielded to the relentless persuasions of the temptress), “Suddenly he follows her as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool.” [The situation is not sudden, but the consequences often catch us by surprise.]

Ni90: John 16-18, Proverbs 6

The discourse we are reading actually began in the previous chapter. John 15-17 is a single unit. So, context is “king” here. In CH 15, Jesus expressed that the disciples were branches on the vine and that those branches which did not bear fruit would be removed while those that did bear fruit…would be pruned so that they would bear more fruit (15:1-11). Jesus then tells the disciples that difficulties will come but that they should remain faithful to God.

16:1-4 is a reiteration of the difficulties of the Christian life. Notice how strong the language is. You will be outcasts. They will kill you (supposedly) as an offering to God. I tell you this so that WHEN (not if) it happens, you will not be surprised but encouraged.

Jesus then explains that His departure will initiate the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers…a new development for them (16:5-15).

Ch 17 contains the High Priestly Prayer of jesus. I could say MUCH…but will hold it since the next four weeks is a series of messages based on this prayer of Christ. Ch.18 recounts the betrayal, arrest, and trial of Jesus. (Note…the other gospels- which we’ll read next together- give far more detail on this.)

Here is what stands out. Peter…claimed absolute allegiance to Jesus …but Jesus knew he would deny Him (13:38). In 18:17-27, we find the fulfillment of Jesus’ statement in the three-time denial of Christ. The balance of the chapter is the pronouncement of a non-finding of guilt by Pilate…even though Caiphas and the elders had handed Jesus over. Their argument…”we would not hand over an innocent man…so pronounce Him guilty already (18:30).

In every way humanly reasonable…everyone and every thing failed Jesus. His disciples abandoned Him. His nation turned Him over to the Romans (whom they hated). The religious leaders loved their jobs and system more than the God who provided them. The civil authorities failed to dispense justice. SOME take this to mean that Jesus is the ultimate victim. NOT JESUS! He is the victor…not as a military or political conqueror, but as the sacrifice that satisfied the sin debt of all who betrayed Him. WOW! Go back and re-read 16:16-22. Jesus said, I go away and I come back. You are going to be sad, then you’ll greatly rejoice with unspeakable joy. You will feel left alone, but I will send One who will be within you (16:5-15). This is ALL the will of God and is for the benefit of all the world (18:11).

WHat we could not do, God did. Peter failed in his strength to be faithful even though it was his desire and claim. Yet, after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, He becomes the faithful and powerful proclaimer of God’s Salvation, the reality of the Kingdom and the power of the Resurrected Christ.

APPLIED: What you cannot do, God has already done. The Power to live faithfully, joyfully, bountifully, and in a manner that glorifies God…has already been provided. All that remains is the daily intentional yielding to His control in your life…trusting in Him for the results.

Proverbs 6:20 is the takeaway today. “My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother…”

Ni90: John 13-15, Proverbs 5

Two thoughts stood out for me today. The first from 14:9…”He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Jesus, in responding to Philip…says that to behold Jesus is to behold the Father. Jesus so perfectly manifested the Father to men…that to look at Him was to see God. [Now there are other implications about His deity and statements that He affirmed His deity here...but the point that struck me is a bit different.]

-When people see me…do they see the Father? Are the characteristics people see and remember about me such that they have a clear understanding of who God is and what God is like and God’s heart? Do they say, “I know what love is because I see love in Chris?” Do they say, “I know what justice/truth/righteousness/judgment/grace is because I see it in Chris and I now know these things about God.”

Now there is certainly some distance between me (a man) and Jesus (the God-Man). He perfectly manifested God to the world…because He is God. Yet…that should not be an excuse of sorts that excuses me from living in such a way that people know God by knowing and observing me.

Second idea…there is a clear connection between “loving God” and “obeying the commands of God.” Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (14:15). The idea is restated in 14:21, 14:23-24, and the example in 14:31. The point being…we sometimes reduce “love” to some emotional or feeling word. We shrink it from its intended definition to something that is less action than was intended.

To restate the biblical point plainly: If you love God, you live according to His instruction. If you do not live according to God’s instruction, you do not love God. You love/not love position is known by what you do with the commandments of God.

Now this is a hard word if you are bent toward thinking that you can pray a prayer, say you love God, have affectionate/emotive responses to the image of Him in your mind…but live apart from any instruction in your life. If you live as you want…you can do that  but you cannot say that you love God. The two are incompatible.

So…which commandment is Jesus talking about? Surely not all of them. Surely I can love God and not forgive. NOPE. Surely I can love God and “rob God- Malachi 3:8-10″ of tithes and offerings. NOPE. Surely I can love God and not bear witness of Him (Acts 1:8). Surely I can love God and not make disciples (MT 28:18-20). Nope and Nope.

We could go on…but the point is…we cannot KNOW of God’s instruction in any area of life, choose to reject it for ourselves, and call that love. When we choose to reject it, we reject also our loving God…and we resist the LOVE of God.

Now…some would say…I cannot love God perfectly. I mess up. YES! That is why God gives us grace to empower us to obey Him, love Him, worship Him, and serve Him. His grace though…is SUFFICIENT for us to love Him as we ought. To say that He gives grace but we just can’t do ____ in obedience to His command is a direct contradiction in terms.

Will we blow it and will God forgive? Yes and Yes. Notice 13:34-38. Peter would blow it. Big time. a super-sin jacked up on steroids. Huge! (Ok…really it is the same size sin as all of ours but it feels huge in the text.) Jesus knew Peter would blow it and that Peter would come back. Jesus said, “when you return, strengthen your brothers with the grace God gave you while you were failing…the grace that brought you back (Luke 22:31-32).

Again…the point is…we cannot lie to ourselves and claim to love God while at the same time intentionally rebelling against commands we know to be commands. The two statements are incompatible. We strive to be obedient…relying on the grace of God…and when we blow it, we draw on the grace of God which is sufficient to restore and restart us…and we get stronger…and we strengthen others.

Proverbs 5:14 is the takeaway today. “I was almost in utter ruin in the midst of the assembly and congregation.” [So close...and yet so far.]

Ni90: John 10-12, Proverbs 4

Yesterday, I keyed in on the fact that Jesus came to bring judgment into the world (8:39) and that wherever He went, there was a “fuss” over His nature and identity. A verse in our text today helps us keep this in perspective. In 12:47, Jesus says that He did not come into the world to “judge the world” but to save it. So…we see the contrast here and we reconcile the two statements in this way: The world stands condemned already…under the judgment of God for its sin and rebellion…and Jesus came to present Salvation…which requires judgment. He came not to judge (since the world is judged already); but to bring the world to a point of decision (to accept God’s unilateral act of Salvation…or to continue to act in rebellion and being self-condemned).

This is a difficult concept in our “I’m okay you’re okay” world. We want to think we are “basically good people” who just need a little religious “fine tuning.” We want to think that our (Buddhist, agnostic, Hindu, Muslim, secular, etc.) neighbors are also fine and that they will fare okay even if we don’t share Christ. The problem is…these things are not so. We were desperately lost and unable to fix it. All those who do not follow Christ are desperately lost and unable to fix it. We can dispute that, rail against it, deny it, soften it, or proclaim it…it is still true regardless of what we do with it. So with this truth we see that Jesus brought judgment into the world. The world must choose.

Who will choose and who has chosen? The opening “I AM” picture in Ch 10 helps us. Jesus said, :”I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11) and that His sheep follow Him because they recognize His voice. Those that do not follow, do not recognize His voice and therefore do not follow. Jesus demonstrated Himself to be God (we know because they were trying to kill Him for it by stoning Him) and declared that He (alone) was the gate by which everyone must enter (10:7-9). Through Him, one gains abundant Life. Only through Him.

Was this popular then? Nope. Most rejected the message…especially the religious smart people. They wanted a different Way. They wanted a different Messiah. They decided that the best way to stop the defection to Jesus was simply to eliminate Him from the equation. Problem was…you cannot “unring” a bell. Once judgment entered the world…it was done. Period. Now all must choose.

The enemy works the same today as then. He thinks that by eliminating Jesus from the equation, then people will never choose to defect from their default circumstance (judgment due to rebellion against God).So…he tries to take Jesus out of the conversation, remove Him from the culture, and make conversations about Him…TABOO. But just as then…we are the instruments of God’s counter-attack (an analogy used for illustrative purposes). You can kill Jesus but that just makes Salvation possible. You can try to marginalize Him in the religious conversation…but then WE are His witnesses. You can’t stop the Story. You cannot UNRING the bell! Salvation has sounded. His people have been saved. They follow Him and they proclaim His Salvation to the ends of the earth. Yes…One Man did die…but He rose again…and those who follow Him tell His Story to the Ends of the Earth! What was intended to be His demise…becmae the means by which we are made righteous with God…according to God’s Sovereign and Just Plan (11:51-53). Further, according to this Plan…we are to proclaim early, often, and always…that He is Risen, satan is defeated, Salvation is accomplished, and the Invitation is open.Jesus is the Resurrection and all those who believe (act according to their faith in Him) experience His resurrection (11:25-26)…in this life and in the one to come for eternity. [Makes me want to break out with a chorus of Victory in Jesus!!]

Proverbs 4:25-26 is the takeaway today. “Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.”