John 14:6–Except Through Jesus...

John 14:6–"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

This is a pretty bold statement for Jesus to make.  He is making an absolute statement.  It is unequivocal, unambiguous–there's no mistaking what Jesus means.  He is stating a theological proposition, that the only way to God is through Him.  Quite a statement.

There are really only three ways to consider this statement.  Either Jesus is out of His mind.  Or He's an absolute liar.  Or He is telling the truth.

So what do you think?

John 3:16–God So Loved The World

John 3:16–"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shat have eternal life."

Without a doubt this is one of the most famous verses in all of Scripture.  It is so well-renowned and frequently quoted that perhaps some of us may have even forgotten what it means.  But consider, for a moment, the reality of what this verse is saying.  God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.  Love.

Spend some time today pondering on this verse, perhaps thinking on it in a way you have never done.

John 11:25-26–Do We Believe This?

John 11:25-26–"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?'"

This provocative statement by Jesus concludes with a simple, direct question: do you believe this?

It goes without saying that the heart of this passage is Jesus' assertion that He is the resurrection and the life.  And there's no doubt that the the idea of receiving this life through belief is of vital importance for the believer.  However, the real thrust of this statement, the true challenge comes to us like this:

Do you believe?

John 10:28-30–Securely in the Father through Christ

John 10:28-30–"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  I and the Father are One."

It is no little comfort to know that our salvation is made secure through Christ Jesus.  We are held tightly in His divine grasp and because Jesus is who He is–One with the Father–it is something worth celebrating, worth cherishing, and, ultimately, should prompt us to praise His glorious name.  The Easter weekend may have come and gone but that is no reason for us not to still ring out exaltations to the King for the great and grace-filled gift of eternal life that He secures for believers.

John 14:9–Know The Father Through Christ

John 14:9–"Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."

Even Jesus' disciples struggled with some of what He was trying to teach them.  Most of them did not understand the real gravity and depth of who Christ was until after His ascension when the Holy Spirit finally came upon them.  This, I believe, is one of those instances in which the block-headed disciples had trouble grasping the reality of who Jesus was.

But don't some of us still struggle with the same things?  Sure, we may recognize Jesus' distinctiveness as the Son of God but do we truly recognize Him in His oneness with the Father?

This is precisely the point that Jesus is trying to make with this statement.  He wants us to know without ambiguity that to know Him is to know God, to see the Son is to see the Father, and to love Christ is to love God.  This is the essence of Jesus: God.  This is the essence of the Son: the Father.  It is for this reason that Jesus can say that whoever has seen Him as seen the Father.

John 14:10-11–Father & Son are One

John 14:10-11–"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."

This is one passage among many in John's gospel that highlight the unique and distinct relationship between Jesus the Son and the Father.  The connection between the Son and the Father is a specific one of role and rank, not of a difference in deity or value.  The Son is submissive to the will of the Father.

Jesus says as much in John 5: "the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.  For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise...I can do nothing on my own...I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent me. (vv. 19, 30)"

The very core of this theology is that Jesus is one with the Father but submissive to the Father's will. But this theology does not end there as Christ is compelling us to this same sort of relationship, that we would be submissive to the Father's will and that, ultimately, our authority and presence will be based solely upon the powerful works of the Heavenly Father.

To be sure, there is so much more to say on this topic alone.  Reams of paper could be expired upon this subject.  But we will live it here, understanding that Jesus would wish that we too would submit to the Father's will and claim no authority as our own save the Father's.

John 4:24–God is Spirit, So Worship Him in Spirit

John 4:24–"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

I would like to begin by stating what this text is not:

• It is not the singular text of Scripture of how worship is to be done.  In some ways, the whole of Scripture is concerned primarily with the task of worshiping God.
• It is not about how not to worship (sorry for the double negative).
• It is not a verse primarily about God's person (although to say that God is spirit certainly concerns the constitution of God, i.e that He is spirit).

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the positive:

• It is about the difference between worship under the Old Covenant and how worship will be under the New Covenant in Christ.
• It is about how the Temple will no longer be the primary place of worship for the believers in God.
• This assertion comes as the emphasis of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, indicating that, at the very least, that this new type of worship under the New Covenant will be for all people not just the Jews.
• Also of interest is that this seems to be of importance to John as it is included so early in his gospel account.

To be sure, this has been the most cursory exposition of this oft-quoted text but I hope it is enough to get you interpreting more accurately for yourselves.

For the whole thing see John 4:1-42.

John 21:14-17–Do You Love Me, Peter?

This  passage, after Jesus' resurrection, chronicles Jesus addressing Peter directly.  He asks Peter, the one who denied Jesus three times, if Peter loves Him.  I find it telling that of all the things to say to Peter, Jesus chose this.  He asked Him quite simply: do you love me?  As if this were the most important qualification for Peter to possess.  And, in truth, it was.

I think it is telling that Jesus was so concerned with Peter's heart, just as He is primarily concerned with our hearts.  It is as if Jesus is asking us, ones who have denied Him like Peter, if we love Him.  This proves to be one of the most honest and profoundly revealing questions we can ask ourselves as Christians.

So, do you love Him?

John 8:31-32–Abiding in His Word

John 8:31-32–"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and your will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John, one of the primary authors of the New Testament, has much to say about the importance of abiding.  It is one of the major themes of all of his writings, that Christians would abide in Christ, abide in His Word, and abide in the Spirit.  At the very least, we can recognize that to 'abide' means that we would be compelled and urged on my the leading of God.

Needless to say, there is more in this verse than just addressing the concept of abiding, but I will save all that for another time.  For now, it will suffice to think about whether or not we are abiding in God, and to adjust ourselves in alignment into the appropriate direction of abiding.

Matthew 5:14–You Are the Light of the World

Matthew 5:14–"You are the light of the world."

This statement by Christ is about identity.  In a real way, He is defining His believers as the light of the world.  But how can this be, considering that John calls Jesus the light of the world (John 1:9-10)? Luckily, Jesus answers this question for us.

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12)."

The point is that Christians become the light of the world through Christ.  It is by God's indwelling presence that we are transformed from people of darkness into people of the light.  Let us claim this transformed identity and live like creatures of the light in Christ!

John 16:33–He Has Overcome the World

John 16:33–"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world."

This statement comes right after Jesus has again prophesied His impending death.  Understanding this context adds a certain amount of girth to Jesus' assertion.  The heart of His affirmation is that there is a peace that He offers, a definitive and otherworldly peace.  But this peace is based on what Jesus has done, or more accurately to this verse, this peace is based upon what He is about to do.  But there is so much application here for us too.  There is so much comfort to be found here for us, that whenever we would we would face trial and tribulation that may come from evil, we know that we too can find comfort in Christ and peace in what He has done.

Praise be to God!

John 14:1–Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled: Believe

John 14:1–"Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me."

This begins Jesus' final message to His disciples in John, culminating in the High Priestly Prayer (John 17).  It comes at the beginning of this long discourse that Jesus, after prophesying His death again, comforts His disciples with this.  In this statement, Jesus desires to console His disciples–and us too!–indicating that overcoming trouble and trepidation is not a matter of trying harder or feeling better: it is about believing in God and also in Jesus.  Think about this as we prepare for 2014.

Luke 1:67-70–Zechariah's Song!

Luke 1:67-70–"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of old,"

This is only a portion of one of the beautiful praises in all of Scripture.  We read that an angel of the Lord came to an elderly couple who had been without child and prophesied that a son would be born, a prophet who would herald in the coming of the Messiah.  Zechariah, having been informed by the angel, doesn't believe in the prophecy that he and his wife would be blessed with a son.  As a result of this doubt, Zechariah is ridden with muteness, unable to speak until his son, John, is born.  But as soon as John is born and named Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and utters this beautiful and profound song of prophecy and praise.  It is this utterance that I point you to today.  Consider the great adoration that Zechariah heaps upon the Lord!

John 14:6–I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

John 14:6–"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

This is one of those foundational verses that that is more polemic and assertive.  Jesus is, in the very least, asserting a stiff statement about who He is and His position in relation to God.  Additionally, He is consciously objecting any system of philosophy that would claim to have an 'in' with the divine apart from through Him.  To be sure, this statement is both unequivocal and unambiguous, leaving no question as towards what Jesus knew to be the road to God the Father and salvation on the whole. Additionally, Jesus doesn't make this claim lightly, understanding fully the ramifications of such an outlandish assertion.  But it is upon this claim that rests the whole of Christianity.  Therefore, let us consider it and let us make it foundational for our framework for life and everything it includes.

John 11:25-26–Do You Believe This?

John 11:25-26–"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he will die, yet shall he live, and everyone who live and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?'"

To be quite honest, while anyone who has read my writing knows that I am more than willing to preach on about Scripture at a moment's notice, however, this passage in many ways speaks for itself.  As a result, I will only repeat the last phrase and ask that you would consider it prayerfully:

Do You Believe This?

John 10:14-15–Jesus Knows Who are His

John 10:14-15–"I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, just as my Father knows me and I know my Father and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep."

The very essence of Christianity could reduced to a single resounding question:

Do you know Jesus?  Do you know Jesus?

This is the crux of the issue in Christianity and it is on this simple question that I will leave this blog post.

Do you have a real relationship with the God of Holy Scripture, with Christ Jesus?

1 John 2:15–Do Not Love the World

1 John 2:15–"Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

For John, and by extension the Holy Spirit, there is a sharp distinction, a distinct dichotomy between that which is of God and that which is not.  In fact, it could be said that throughout the scope of Scripture this is a major theme that continues to develop as the contrast becomes both more clear while also being more subtle and nuanced.  Because of this, it is of vital importance that we as Christians keep our focus fixed on Christ and not be swayed to the left or the right.

There is a story of Secret Service Agents who are trained in recognizing counterfeit bills.  Instead of spending their time learning the intricacies of the false bills.  No, they become so well acquainted with the real thing that they can instantly tell whether a bill is true or counterfeit.  Similarly, Christians need to become so well familiar with the things of God that there would never be a question about whether something was of God or not; we would just know.

This is our call as Christians: that we would know God so intimately in the depth of our beings so that we could always choose Him over any counterfeit impostor the world could offer!

John 3:21–To Be Seen Doing What Is True

John 3:21–"But whoever does what is true comes into the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out by God."

There is something to this verse, that not only would we do what is true but also that we would do it in the open so that our works may be weighed for worth.  It is not that we do what is true for the purpose of being seen.  Rather, it is that we would do the will of God for the purpose of glorifying God and to prove His goodness and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit working through us.  This is what John is talking about.  He is exhorting us to live out the truth in such a way that brings glory to God by the way we live.  Let us then strive to live life in this way so as to praise God fully.

John 14:23–If...

John 14:23–"Jesus answered them, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'"

There are many conditional statements in the Scripture, statements made that indicate the distinct and certain responsibility that God has placed upon humans to believe and to obey.  This is one of those statements.  In simple and candid words, Jesus is telling us to love Him and to keep His Word.

In reality, this is a direct assertion, a clear statement about what God desires from us.  We would do well to listen to Jesus' prescription.

John 6:28-29–What do we do?

John 6:28-29–"Then they asked Him, 'what must we do, to be doing the works of God?'  Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you would believe in the He whom He has sent.'"

It's so simple.  Jesus lays it out for us, defines what God asks for us in such straightforward and unequivocal terms: God desires for us to believe in the man that He has sent.  This statement, however, carries with it a secondary connotation.  To be sure, primarily it is referring to the Son, that we would believe in the Christ, Jesus of Nazarene.  Yet there is another sense in which Jesus makes this direct assertion.  We should not forget that He is also speaking of those people whom God has called and will call to speak His truth and to carry the message of Christ throughout history.  In this way not only is the work of God about believing in Jesus but it also infers that we would believe those in whom Jesus has imparted His Holy Spirit, aka. Christians.  So, in the end, our task is simple but it is also a challenge that we would commit to trust in Christ and the ones whom He has sent to preach the message of God!