before me – Praying Pint

15.k. “Do you want to be healed?”

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

The crippled man assumed Jesus knew how things worked at the Pool of Bethesda, and he explained to Jesus why it wasn’t possible for him to be healed. Quite naturally, the man couldn’t think of any other way for his need to be met. The man was an interesting case of hope combined with hopelessness. He had hope, or would never have come to the Pool of Bethesda. Yet once there, he had little hope to be the favored one to win the healing that day. “The invalid man does what we nearly all do. He limits God’s help to his own ideas and does not dare promise himself more that he conceives in his mind.” Jesus told the man to do what he could not do. Jesus challenged the man to believe Him for the impossible. It’s easy to imagine that the man’s first reaction was, I can’t do that – why even try? Yet something wonderful prompted the man to say, If this man tells me to do it, I will try. Jesus guided the man towards a response of faith. Do you notice that the invalid did not ask any question of Jesus? He did not say, “how am I supposed to get up and walk?” He just did what Jesus told him to do, he got up and walked. He believed in Jesus who spoke the words to him. Jesus did not touch him. It was by His word the man was healed.

There is no limit to the power of Jesus Christ. In all things, He is mightier than whatever it is we are facing. In all things Jesus is supreme. At His word all creation took place. At His word nations were defeated, lions tamed, seas calmed, the sick healed, and the dead brought back to life. It is faith in Him that we will find peace for today and hope for tomorrow.

14.r. “no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John 5:32   There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

Matthew 11:27     All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Hebrews 1:1-2     Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

1 John 4:9    In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

John said; “I myself did not know Him” “And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God”. Jesus said; “no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” “yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” God sent His Son into the world that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”

When Jesus Christ is rejected so is the testimony about Him. Think about how many times you make judgments for or against someone or something based on the testimony of one person. That person may have a bias, deceit, fraud, false pretense, etc…. and yet their word printed or spoken is taken as truth while truth and testimony of Jesus Christ recorded and proclaimed by hundreds is rejected. Why is this? “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” They choose to believe a lie and they choose to reject the truth. Testimony after testimony about Jesus Christ, the Love of God, salvation, redemption, forgiveness, eternity, eternal life, and heaven are chosen to be rejected. They have rejected the Son of God and His revelation of God’s grace, mercy, and love. It is in this choice to believe a lie over the truth of Jesus Christ they are given strong delusion to further enhance their false belief.

Imagine a person/company builds you a house and says it can never catch fire, it is fireproof. Then imagine a person coming to your house, knocking on the door to warn you that your house is on fire, and you say no it is not, I don’t believe you. Another after another comes knocking on your door and says your house is on fire you must believe me or you will surely die. Time and time again you reject what they are saying and then the fire marshal comes with a fire truck and firemen and knocks on your door and says you must get out before the fire kills you. You still maintain your house is not on fire because it is fireproof. You have a piece of paper from the builder that says you paid for and bought a fireproof house. You do not and will not believe it is possible your house will catch fire and burn. Your hopes and trust and belief had consequences. The result of this is your death. You refused to believe the truth. So it is with everyone who rejects Jesus Christ, the truth, and believes the lies, God is not real, His Son is not real, I am not that bad, God loves everyone so I am loved by God and He will not judge me or cast me into Hell, I am a good person on my own, I do not need to confess, I do not need forgiveness, I do not need redemption, my house is not burning down.

Belief in Jesus Christ means there is a reliance, trust, and clinging to Him alone. It means you have come to the knowledge of His holiness and your sinfulness. It means you come to the knowledge and understanding of there being only one way to be right with God and that is through belief in Jesus Christ. It means you have surrendered all thoughts of being self-righteousness before God and with all your heart, mind, and soul you are clinging to, relying on, and trusting in Jesus Christ alone. Because of this belief you humbly serve, honor, follow, obey, and rely on Him. Believing the truth of Jesus Christ results in eternal life. Believing in anything else is believing a lie and results in eternal death, Hell.

14.m. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Revelation 19:13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active,

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” What is this Word? We know the Word was there in the beginning with God. We know the Word was God. We know all things were made through Him. Jesus said in John 10:30 “I and My Father are one”. The Word is Jesus Christ. Jesus was with God prior to creation. Jesus is eternal. Why would the Creator take on the form of a servant and allow being rejected, despised, beaten, and crucified? There is no other reason than Love. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Out of love, He chose to redeem, forgive, and restore all of the lost souls who would believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He alone is the one and only true path/way to eternal life in heaven. Not because they are good enough or have done enough good but because they believed the opposite in and of themselves. Their minds and souls were awakened to their sinful nature and the Holiness of Jesus Christ. There is no amount of good works that can bridge this gap between sin and holiness besides Jesus Christ. In simple terms, they surrendered to this fact and wholly trusted in Jesus Christ alone. In this surrender and trust, they were forgiven, redeemed, and promised eternal life. The life they live now is, or at least should be, in humbler service, honor, obedience, and faith to the only one worthy, Jesus Christ. The Creator did not redeem us to be critical of each other but to love one another, to build one another up, to encourage one another, to help one another, to pray for one another, and to worship, glorify, and praise Jesus Christ together. There ought to be no room in our hearts, minds, and souls for anything other than our love, trust, and obedience to Jesus Christ.

13. Don’t be influenced by any of these people or listen to them.

Deuteronomy 13:6-11     “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known,  some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,  you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.  But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.  You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of egypt the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

Exodus 20:3     “You shall have no other gods before me.

Proverbs 1:10     My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

1 John 5:21     Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Ephesians 5:11     Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Ezekiel 5:11     Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity.

God knows our intents and thoughts. He examines our heart, mind, and soul. There is no place a person can hide their thoughts or actions from God. “You shall not yield to him or listen to him” is a command from God. Don’t listen to the deceits, lies, and foolishness. Don’t yield to the temptation to listen, follow, or join in. You have to know that out of over the million Israelites that crossed the Red Sea there was one who spoke first complaining about no water. Again when they were hungry there had to be that first person who spoke complaining about no food. Again when Moses went up onto the mountain and God presence was with Him for 40 days, there had to be that one person who spoke up saying “make us a god that we can worship”.

The command is given to us as a warning. A warning about our nature and a want to be joined with others for a like cause. A warning that if we do not keep a heart deep desire to honor, serve, follow, and obey God it is natural for us to seek other things to fill that void. If God is not first and only in our life, we will never be truly satisfied and will sink deeper and deeper into a lifestyle that does not honor God, and farther and farther apart from Him with a high probability we will draw others down this same path.

His word is a safe harbor and shelter from the deceptions and lies this world proudly proclaims and so easily follows after. Stay in His word. Make Him first in your life. Humbly serve Him, listen to Him, follow Him, and obey Him.

Walk in a manner worth of the Great Shepherd

Genesis 48:15  And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;

Psalms 16:8     I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Isaiah 30:21     And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

1 Kings 3:6    And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you.

Luke 1:6    And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:31    So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Thessalonians 2:12    we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Psalms 37:3    Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

“God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day”. What does a shepherd do? They guide, direct, feed, tend, keep safe, lead, and care for their flock. Not all sheep want to be led. For a shepherd the weather can be awful and the sheep seem to have a death wish. They have natural tendency to flock and when all seems well they will wonder away from the flock unaware of any danger. They truly are dependant upon a shepherd for everything even though they do not recognize it.

Scripture uses metaphors of us being like sheep. Lost and in need of a loving shepherd.

“ there is something a little disheartening about being described as a sheep. It is difficult to admit our likeness to animals that so depend on a shepherd for survival. We are much more accustomed to being shepherds in control than sheep so in need of leadership. Yet, when it comes to our relationship with God, Jesus understands our human tendencies better perhaps than we understand ourselves. When it comes to our faith, we are very much like sheep in need of a shepherd. Like sheep, we have the tendency to follow. Like sheep, we often confuse true leadership with the kind offered by hired hands (shepherds who are in it for the wrong reason). Like sheep, we are endangered by those who prey on our vulnerability, the spiritual wolves. Like sheep, we are perhaps most vulnerable to ourselves and our tendency to wander away from the care of the shepherd and the safety of the flock. We certainly need a good shepherd, like Jesus, who is willing to care and sacrifice for us. Accepting that we are indeed like sheep is the hardest part for many people. It is our human nature to want to be in control of our lives. Yet, to be a follower of Christ, we must accept our spiritual likeness to sheep and our need for a good shepherd. As we continue to ponder the great news of the resurrection, may we be ever aware that to fully experience Christ, we must allow Christ to be the shepherd of our lives.” Tracey Allred

We do well to walk worthy and by the leading of our great shepherd.

Empty Tomb

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Psalms 16:10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Hosea 13:14 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death.

Acts 2:25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

Acts 13:29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,

Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day. He was witnessed by hundred’s of people during the forty days after His resurrection and prior to His ascension. He came to redeem the lost and give hope of eternal life. The need for redemption is real. The promise of redemption is real. The penalty of rejection is real.

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

Do not fall into the trap of neglect or complacency or rejection of this great price paid for redemption.