Tag: philip

18.j. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do”

John 14:4   And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

 “Thus we notice how they speak to him with a natural, easy familiarity; and he talks to them in full sympathy with their weakness, teaching them little by little as they are able to learn. They ask just such questions as a boy might ask of his father. Often they show their ignorance but never do they seem timid in his presence, or ashamed to let him see how shallow and hard of understanding they are.” (Spurgeon)

Jesus didn’t say that He would show us a way; He said that He is the way. He didn’t promise to teach us the truth; He said that He is the truth. Jesus didn’t offer us the secrets to life; He said that He is the life. (Guzik)

“Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth in which thou must believe; the life for which thou must hope.” (a’ Kempis, cited by Bruce)

Jesus explained why He was the only way to God; because He was and is the perfect representation of God. To know Jesus is to know God. (Guzik)

Thomas asked a simple but deep theological question and Philip made a deep theological request.  How can we know the way? And Show us the Father.  They had both been with Jesus for over 3 years.  They had witnessed miracles, wonders, and signs.  They heard the words of truth He spoke, and yet, it is as though the dots were not connecting.  Do you ever wonder if we are any different?  How many prayers have been answered and yet we still harbor room for doubt?  How many blessings have been graciously given and we leave room for unthankfulness?  How many times have we been protected from Satan’s attacks and yet we leave room for the question, is Jesus near?  

I usually say to make sure you stay in His Word every day, but I am consciously thinking that it is understood you must believe (rely on, cling too, and trust in) Jesus and you must exercise heart, mind, and soul-deep faith in line with what you are reading.   We can believe in what we read but if it has no root in our heart then it is meaningless to our soul.  Just imagine what impact God’s Word would have on and in our lives if we truly desired it to change our lives every single day.

17.s. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

John 12:20   Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

 Isaiah 49:5-6   And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength—  he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

 Isaiah 53:10-12    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.

 Luke 9:23-24     And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Jesus’s thought of the cross just a few days away, His main concern was that God was glorified.  His purpose on earth was to redeem, save, and demonstrate God’s love for mankind.  It is hard for me to come close to understanding the commitment and longing and desire of Jesus to honor and glorify God, knowing what just a few days away would yield great physical and emotional pain.  He knew what He was facing.  He knew His purpose and was willing to die on the cross for it to honor and glorify God and redeem mankind.  

I can wrap my mind around taking a bullet, fast death, for someone you love, but willing to be tortured, beaten, whipped, and nailed to a cross for the sins of every human being is an act of love so humble, pure, and holy it seems beyond understanding. What a Savior we have in Jesus Christ.  In light of this, how should we live our lives?  The writer of Hebrews said: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

14.t. “How do you know me?”

John 1:43  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus found Philip.  Would this indicate that Jesus was looking for him, or that Jesus came upon him, or that Jesus tracked him down?  This is Jesus the Son of God and I am sure He knew exactly where Philip was.  Philip, like Andrew, followed and told someone else.  Philip tells Nathanael “we have found Him” and then tells him who they have found, “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”.  The one who Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote.  It would appear that Nathanael is a bit of a cynic.  “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Note that Philip did not argue with Nathanael, he just said come and see.  A good point for us to remember is that it is Jesus who will soften the heart and open the eyes not us.  We share but at no time is a person coming to Christ a result of us, it is all of God and His calling.  The fact that we shared is actually the direct result of the Holy Spirit of God working through us.  Never us, never about us, and never to be claimed by us.

Somewhere in this calling, softening, and eye-opening a person either responds to the Gospel or rejects it.  I can tell you this is a mystery to me.  I had heard the gospel for over a year but never had an understanding in my heart or have my eyes opened.  Then, one special day a neighbor across the street who we hardly knew invited us (my wife and I) to hear an evangelist speak. It was a Thursday night 22 March 1979.  On that day my heart understood the need for forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.  My eyes were wide open and when the offer to come to meet Jesus at the altar was given.  I could not say no.  There was no way to say no.  No, was not even a thought.  It was as if I had no choice. I did not even have to think about it.  It was more like having a severe cut to your jugular vein and a doctor being present and asking if you want to be saved.  You don’t give any thought to saying no.  The urgency in responding yes to be saved left no room for that thought at all.

I am sure there are those who Jesus has softened their heart to understand and has opened their eyes but they do choose to not believe the urgency of their impending eternal death and separation from God.  This is a big mystery to me.  I could not have said no and yet there are others who easily say it.  I am not sure how many times a person will be allowed to reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Could it be once or 1,000 times?  Some hearts are softened and other hardened – this I do not understand. I am sure the more times the offer of salvation is rejected the easier it is to reject the offer the next time.  I guess this is why Jesus said narrow is the path the eternal life and broad is the highway to hell.

It is up to us to share the Gospel.  It is up to us to speak of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, and repentance.  It is up to us to live and speak in such a way that people see Jesus.  It is up to us to honor, glorify, worship, follow, trust, and obey Jesus.  Be a willing servant to be used and led by Jesus and allow Him to do the work of softening or hardening.  Our task is to say “Come see Jesus”

4.b. “Do you understand what you are reading?” 

Nehemiah 8:1  And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

Luke 24:27    And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Acts 17:2-3    And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Acts 28:23    When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.

Acts 8:30-35   So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

I wonder what caused the people to seek the word of God to be read and explained to them.  Was it because they had seen God working and giving them the ability and strength to rebuild the wall?  Was it because of Ezra calling out their sin?  Was it because of how Nehemiah walked faithfully in the power and strength of God?  Was it because they saw the hand of God keeping their enemies at bay?  It could be any one of these that brought them to a place of hunger for God’s word and a desire to live in obedience to it.  They came together and asked that God’s word be read and then dispersed among the people were Levites who helped them understand what was being read to them and how to apply it into their lives.

There is so much busyness in our lives.  So much distraction. So much time-consuming activity that this type of desire and seeking get pushed underwater so far that no spark of God’s word touches our soul and if it does the potential ignition spark is put out.

When was the last time you sought God’s word for the single purpose of wanting to honor and glorify Jesus Christ through humble obedience to its leading?  In order to get into this frame of thought, there must be an awareness of self and of Jesus Christ, worldly and Godly, and of sin and holiness.  In this awareness, a spark of desire knocks at our heart and mind.  It is with this spark a consuming flame captures our heart, mind, and soul.  It is with this consuming flame we begin our searching with a humble desire to be obedient followers of Jesus Christ.

158. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit

1 Kings 18:1  After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; and he will kill me.” And Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Ezekiel 3:12-14     Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the LORD from its place!”  It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake.  The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong upon me.

Ezekiel 8:3   He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.

Acts 8:39    And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Ezekiel 37:1    The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley;

2 Corinthians 12:2-3     I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.  And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—

Ezekiel 11:24     And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me.

John 3:8  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

I like what Obadiah said to Elijah; “And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where.” You can hear Obadiah speak out of frustration concerning how the Spirit of God just up and takes Elijah away.  You are here and then you are gone.

Having visions or being carried away happened but that does not mean they happen to everyone.  It is not as though we can put our self into a trance and will this to happen.  It is of the Spirit of God.  However, we can be used by, moved by, spoke to by, and lead by the Holy Spirit of God.  Our thought ought not to be carried away physically or by vision but rather to be used by the Holy Spirit.  When we have our heart, mind, and soul fixed on humbly serving, honoring, following, trusting, and obeying God then we are in the right footing to be moved, lead, spoken to, and used by the Holy Spirit.

It seems as though our culture of easy access to information has led us down a path where we do not have to put in the time of learning all of the ins and outs of some tasks because we can just google it or find step by step on youtube.  We don’t really have to memorize maps and how to get somewhere because we have the directions at our fingertips and spoken to us as we drive.  I think this leads many into thinking that we can take a short cut to God’s word.  Scriptures say to write His word on our heart, mind, door posts, and speak of it in the morning, during the day, and in the evening.  Yet, somehow I think we fall into the trap of thinking we can just Google it.  When something happens I will just type it into Google and find the scripture, then claim it and move on.  Just because we can type it in and find it does not mean there is a foundation for being led by the Spirit of God in this.  Where is the discipline, commitment, setting aside time, seeking, and desiring God’s Spirit to lead you so that your honor and glorify Him?   Where is the time set aside to be with God’s word?  Where is the denying self, other “Stuff” that occupies time so that we can be disciplined in His Word?

Do you want to know what I fear?  I fear that my life will be seen by others as an example of what it means to follow God with my whole heart, mind, and soul and I know that is not true.  I allow other things to occupy my time and can go hours without giving thought to God. If they pattern after my example will they even come close to catching a glimpse of God and the love of Jesus Christ?  Oh, Holy Spirit fill, lead, guide, and speak into my life for the honor and glory of God through Jesus Christ.

“Whom shall I send”

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”

Exodus 3:4  When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “ Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Genesis 22:1     After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Genesis 22:11     But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Genesis 46:2     And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.”

1 Samuel 3:4    Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”

1 Samuel 3:10    And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Acts 9:4    And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Acts 10:3    About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”

Isaiah 6:8     And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Mat 4:18  While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Immediately they left their nets and followed him.  And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.  Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Matthew 9:9     As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Mark 2:14    And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

John 1:43  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”

There was a Call from God and the reply was “here am I”.  There is a call from Jesus was “come follow me” and the response was “they followed”.  These calls came as these men were in their normal everyday activities.  Their responses would indicate a willingness and even possibly wanting to hear from God.  I am not so sure any of them were sitting around and had a conscious thought “if God calls to me I am going to say here am I”.  I think they were more inclined to believe there was a living God and they had reverence in their heart for Him in such a way that their ears, eyes, heart,  mind, and soul were open.

Here I am – I don’t know what you want but I want you to know I am listening.

Here I am – I know you are God or from God

Here I am – I want to hear what you say

Here I am – I am willing to do what you ask

Here I am – I am willing to go where you send me

Here I am – I want to do what you ask of me

Here I am – lead me, I want to follow you

Here I am – use me

I wonder if our ears are able to hear God calling.  I wonder if we are seeking to hear God speak into our life.  I wonder if we are willing to be led.  I wonder if we would follow.  I wonder if we want to be used by God for His glory and honor.

It is so easy to get caught up so tight in life and things of this world that we have closed our ears and are deaf to God’s calling.  Is our heart so hardened that His call and love falls on a heart of stone and deaf ears?

Many, me included, had hearts hard as stone and were not giving a single conscious thought about God when His word broke through the heart of stone and brought understanding and knowledge of the need for forgiveness and salvation.  What we see many times as a heart of stone no man could change, God, in a moment, softens their heart to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we think there is no possible way fora lost sinner’s  soul to respond “here am I,, save me” God does the impossible work in their heart and mind so that they see the need.  They are changed in that moment of confession and trust in Jesus Christ.  Never to be the same again.  At least we hope not.

It is an intentional walk with God each day to have our ears open to hear His word come alive into our life.  It is an intentional heart and mind that seeks and desires to hear and be lead by God.

Be intentional in reverence, listening, following, and obeying His call into your life each day.

The Betrayer

“ and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

John 6:70  Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.”  He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

John 13:18    I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’

John 17:12    While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Matthew 10:1  And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.  The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;  Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

1 John 3:8    Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Betraying Christ is nothing any of us want to do.  It would be the farthest thing from our mind.  It is not something we give much thought.  Yet I still wonder about us betraying service to Him.  Do we honor Him  with our life  Do we commit to this with all our heart, mind and soul?  Are our days filled with this thought of serving Him?  Do we follow and obey Him? Are we seeking to hear Him speak into our lives through His word each day?  Are our heart and mind  open to hear His leading?  Are we betraying Him by not giving Him our all everyday?  Obviously there is room for us to grow in our service to Him.  We need a heart deep desired commitment infused into our mind and soul.  Losing sight of the thing of this world and keeping focus on Him and the world to come.