Luke 10:25-11:28

We have a couple events to read today, so let's break them down:

1)  Choose Jesus.  Martha and Mary hosted Jesus.  While it is important to be good hosts and offer hospitality, don't let your duty overwhelm you.  A lot of times we get so busy making sure everything is right, trying to make a good impression, that we miss the point of the get-together - to get together.  Don't lose out on the fellowship!

2) The Lord's Prayer is a model of prayer:

• Hallowed Be Your Name: Glorify God
• Your Kingdom Come: looking at the spread of the gospel & the second coming
• Daily Bread:  a believer's physical needs
• Forgive Us Our Sins: confession of sin
• Forgive Everyone Who is Indebted:  forgive others
• Lead Us Not into Temptation:  God doesn't tempt us, rather this means "allow us to be spared from difficult situations that would tempt us to sin.

When we pray, believe that God is listening, because He is.  When we ask, knock, seek - the Lord will be there.  He will give us the Holy Spirit to guide us.  This is a much greater gift than any material blessing.

3)  Jesus cast out a demon.  Some people, in an effort to deny that Jesus is the Son of God, attributed this miracle to the devil.  Jesus basically says, why would the devil work against himself?  No, this miracle was performed by One greater than Satan.

4)  It's not enough to get clean, you need a relationship with God.  Simply getting clean - from whatever issue or addiction you have - isn't enough.  You need to fill that hole with a relationship with God.  Otherwise you are just leaving yourself open to fall.

Luke 10:1-24

Jesus sends out 72 of His believers on a mission of healing and gospel proclamation.  As He sends them out, He gives them some instructions:

1)  Don't take anything with you.  These missionaries are trusting God to provide.
2)  Don't greet anyone on the way.  Greetings were lengthy and time-consuming.  This does not mean they were to be rude.  They simply had a job to do & weren't to get into long conversations on their way.
3)  Stay in the home of one believer, don't jump around from house to house.
4)  Eat & drink whatever they give you
5)  If no one invites you to stay with them, go into the streets (a public place) and shake off the dust (a symbolic act of judgment.)

When the 72 returned, they were excited by what they had experienced.  Even the demons are subject!    Jesus responds that He has given the believers great authority in His name, but the most important thing they have been given is eternal life.  Jesus then rejoices that these believers have faith.

Jesus rejoices when you come to faith too.  Isn't that awesome?

John 8:31-59

This teaching follows Jesus' proclamation that He is the light of the world, the Son of God.  He now speaks to the Jews who believed:

1)  Abide in Jesus' word.  Abide means to live, to stay.  So, if we continue to believe, if we live in His teachings & obey them, then we will find freedom.  Not earthly freedom, but spiritual freedom.  Freedom from the bondage of sin.  Why do we have to obey to be free?  Isn't that a little harsh?  No.  Look -  Obeying Jesus is simply listening to His Word - which is all about how to stay away from sin.  You're not following a bunch of rules to prove you are worthy, you are following a set of guidelines that will keep you out of trouble.  If Jesus created us, He knows what's best for us.  If He knows what's best for us, then we should listen to His teachings.  Or, we can go on listening to our own advice and the advice of other screwed up people.  How's that working for you?

2)  Get rid of your pride in your lineage.  So they are descendants of Abraham.  Having his blood flowing through there veins doesn't save them.  Birthright does not make you immune from sin.  Yet these people, and a lot of us think "I come from a good family.  I'm part of the flock so hey that's good enough."  Yet we run around making all sorts of stupid decisions.  It's not about your lineage, it's about your choices. Who are you listening to now? Abraham was righteous because he believed.  He had a relationship with God.  The people who are talking with Jesus are claiming Abraham's relationship for themselves without actually having their own relationship.  "Abraham was righteous, I'm his descendant; therefore, I am righteous too".  It doesn't work that way - you yourself have to believe. 

3)  & now the crowd turns.  They (and we) don't like to be told the truth.  They get offended & defensive.  I am really good at this.  I don't like what I hear.  I'm not ready to face the truth.  I want to go on pretending that I am good, fine just the way I am.  I don't want my faults addressed & I definitely don't want to work one them.  So, I'll fire back.  I'll deny what I previously said.  I'll try to hurt you, to point out your faults, to take the focus off me.  I will willfully refuse to listen to reason & I will purposely misunderstand your words, twisting them to make my point.  Oh, nothing is new under the sun.  People have reacted this way since God created us - look at Adam and Eve in the garden.  But notice that Jesus does not get riled up.  He doesn't start biting back.  He simply continues to tell the truth.  He meets their caustically thrown words with truth.  Instead of seeing the truth in front of their eyes, rather than listening & growing, the people turn murderous.  So Jesus departs. 

Life is so simple, yet so hard.  To grow, to believe, to trust requires self-examination.  It requires the ability to say, "I am wrong.  God, you are right.  I need to change.  And with your help I can."  Jesus is God and He knows what is best for you.  Are you ready to listen?  Are you ready to abide?

John 8:21-30

This seems a little cryptic doesn't it?  What is Jesus talking about?

Basically, He's telling the people that:
1)  He is the Messiah - I AM he
2)  He will die for their sins, be lifted up on the cross, and rule with His Father in Heaven
3)  Unless you believe these two previous statements, you will not be able to follow Him.
4)  Everything Jesus does, He does it according to God's will & with His approval

So, do you believe?  Is Jesus your Messiah?

John 8:12-20

I Am the Light of the World

I am the light of the world is a fulfillment of the promise of the coming light of salvation.  (Exodus 25:37, Leviticus 24:2).  Of course, the religious leaders didn't like this.  They don't want Jesus to be the Messiah so they continue their argument from John 5:31-47.  The last time the religious leaders used this argument, Jesus reminded them that John the Baptist testified about Him.  Also, God Himself testified about Jesus when Jesus was baptized. 

Jesus tells them that they are judging according to the flesh - according to their own understanding and prejudices.  Jesus doesn't work that way.  Jesus is here as the Messiah, not our judge.  That comes later when He returns in the Second Coming.  When Jesus does judge, it's not with human understanding, but with the perfect understanding of God the Father. 

How do you see Jesus?  According to Scripture or according to who you want Him to be?  Are you willing to get to know Him through a true relationship with Him?  Or do you just want Him to tell you what you want to hear?  Do it all for you, never let anything go wrong, but never call you on your stuff?  Sorry, that's not Jesus.  He is the light of the world.  The one who brings light to your life - light that illuminates problems and sins, but also brings help and solutions.  Light that helps you see solutions, light that improves your attitude, light that lifts your darkness and brings you joy.

He truely is our Savior.  Get to know Him!

John 7:32-52

The Pharisees attempt to have Jesus arrested.  These officers are temple officers.  In order to arrest Jesus, they need to accuse Him of a crime, yet they have nothing of which to accuse Him.  Then Jesus tells them that He will be with them a little longer, then He will go back to the one who sent Him.  He is speaking of His resurrection.  However, the Jews misunderstand and think He is planning to leave Judea and head into the Roman Empire to spread His message to the scattered Jewish people (the Diaspora). 

Later on the last day of the feast, Jesus stands up and gives an invitation.  Let's break it down:

 - Thirsts - desires a relationship with God
 - come to Me & drink - you will find it by believing & trusting in Jesus. 
 - out of your heart will flow living water - The result of this relationship bring about an inward working of God that will be a blessing to others.

Well, of course the people react.  Some think He must be the Prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy 18:15-18.  They believe incorrectly that the Prophet and the Messiah are different people.  Jesus is both.

Some say correctly that He is the Messiah.  Their ears were open and their spirit responded to His words.  How about you?  Have you made a commitment to Jesus?  Have your ears and eyes been opened to His majesty?  Have you entered into a relationship with Him?

Others questioned how Jesus could be the Messiah for they did not think He fulfilled prophecy.  However, these people simply did not know His background.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem and is in the lineage of David.  Why didn't they know?  We are to believe & trust in Jesus through a relationship with Him, not because He can prove on paper who He is.  Faith is about trust.  Besides, I can lay down statistics, archaeological proof, and fulfilled prophecy concerning the Bible and the existence of God and Jesus.  However, until your heart, mind, and spirit commit to a relationship, all that "head" knowledge isn't going to make a difference.  You can know something is right in your head, but that doesn't mean you are going to follow it with your heart.  Look at the religious leaders, they knew the prophecies, they had Jesus investigated.  They knew where He was born, grew up and His lineage, yet they still refused to believe that He was the Messiah. 

So, the officers didn't arrest Jesus.  Why not?  They were in awed by His words and they found no fault in Him.  Even Nicodemus stood up for Him.  Shouldn't He be given a fair trial?  But the chief priest and Pharisees have made up their minds.  This man has to go.  Besides, no one important can come from Galilee - that poor, uneducated region.  These men are still holding onto their prejudices and preconceived ideas.  Pray that you don't fall into that trap.  To rely on yourself and your knowledge is to lead to selfish ambition and blindness.  You will miss out on all that God has to offer you if you refuse to open your eyes and ears & really see Him.