United In Love and Faith (Page 27)

John 13:18b (The Message) “The one who ate bread at my table turned on his heel against me.” The ancient prophesy of Psalm 41:9 would come to pass through Judas. “The progress of evil within Judas is traceable in the successive allusions to him (John 6:70-71 – [Judas] was even then getting ready to betray Him). John called him a “thief” (12:4-6). The devil is said to have put into his heart the idea of betraying Jesus (13:2); and in…

John 13:21 (The Message) After (Jesus) said these things, Jesus became visibly upset (troubled in spirit, KJV), and then He told them why. “One of you is going to betray me.” The expression “troubled in spirit” described the pain which Judas’ defection would cause Jesus. On two other occasions Jesus used similar words that expressed His deep concern: at the grave of Lazarus (11:33) where He was “deeply troubled” over how death had invaded and impacted mankind, and when the…

John 13:8b (NIV) “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Love cleanses. Peter protested. Jesus’ response disclosed a spiritual significance that Peter did not yet understand. Later he would understand. Through the cross Jesus would provide a cleansing from sin for all those who accepted it. God saved us…through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-7). Yet a constant cleansing is also necessary “to remove the incidental defilement resulting from the casual…

John 13:4a  (NIV) So (Jesus) got up from the supper table… Jesus had an active love. “Twice it is stated that the supper was interrupted (v. 2 and v. 4). The disciples, as they filed into the room, had looked for someone to wash their feet, but no servant was present. Rather than humiliate themselves, they were reclining with unwashed feet. Jesus, after waiting in vain for one of them to take the place of a servant, finally assumed the…

John 13:8 (NLT) “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” According to the custom of that day, a household servant washed the feet of guests who had come through the dust and filth of the street. “Since the last supper was held in a private home, and probably as a secret meeting, it is understandable why no servant was present to fulfill this task. Furthermore, the disciples’ minds were preoccupied with dreams of elevation to office in…

John 13:3-4a (The Message) Jesus knew that the Father had put Him in complete charge of everything, that He came from God and was on His way back to God. So He got up…. Christ’s love was tendered in the full consciousness of His own exalted powers. “He deliberately subjected Himself to the needs of His disciples, and sacrificed Himself for them by submitting to an authority which was beneath Him. He told Pilate, you would have no power over…

John 13:4-5 (NLT) So (Jesus) got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet… The devil had already put into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. Think of it: Jesus offered His service in spite of His full knowledge of Judas’ coming betrayal and the coming denial by Peter. “Notwithstanding treachery and cowardice on the part of men and…

John 13:1 (NIV) It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.   The emphasis of John’s account of the Last Supper is on Jesus’ personal love for His disciples. “The significance is not that He loved them to the last of His life, but…

Luke 15:10 (NIV) (Jesus told them) there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. All heaven cheers when we turn toward God and begin the journey of following Jesus. Suddenly, wholeness becomes possible. Spiritual healing can begin. A path to transformation opens to us because we have placed our faith in a supernatural God who supplies us with supernatural ability and that makes all things possible. Chains to the past are broken.…

I Chronicles 15:1b  (NIV) (David) prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. The Ark of the Covenant was a holy piece of furniture in Israel’s tabernacle. It represented the visible presence of God and was to be treated with honor and respect (though not worshiped). An enemy country had raided Israel and carried it off as a trophy of war; now David had recaptured it and brought it home. He would make sure…

Genesis 3:8b (NIV) …and (Adam and Eve) hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Some people prefer to hide from God rather than engage in honest conversations with Him. It is easy to hide. We fill our schedules with both work and play. We turn up the music and drown out the still small voice that calls to us. We feed our addictions and sit in front of the big screen to engage in someone else’s…

Luke 11:9b (NIV) …seek and you will find… To seek after God requires intentionality, setting aside one action for another. God promise is firm: seek me and you will find me when you seek with all your heart. That’s determined pursuit. Life holds so many distractions and disappointments that capture our hearts and hold our attentions. We must break loose of them to pursue God. We put years of study into educational and business pursuits. Shouldn’t we be even more…

Colossians 1:9b (NLT) …We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.   We are to increase in our knowledge of God because there is always more to discover about Him. The Bible is replete with Old Testament examples of His demand for justice in a fallen world where mankind yields to the basest of behaviors; but the New Testament focuses on His love and mercy and His deep desire…

John 17:3 (NLT) And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.   Most people who believe in God recognize that He revealed Himself in special ways to select people in history (Abraham, Moses, David).  But many don’t realize that God wants a relationship with them also. What does that mean? It can be a bit frightening. They wonder: what would He expect from me?…

John 12:9-11 (NLT) Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of Him but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in Him. The paparazzi quickly learned about Mary and Martha’s dinner and pressed into the outskirts of…

John 12:8  (NLT) You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. “These words of defense on Mary’s behalf did not mean that the disciples should ignore the needs of the poor. The poor exist in every society and it is part of our social responsibility to help them. But Mary’s anointing took precedence at this moment (Tenney).” Mary knew how to worship well. Never underestimate the importance of taking time to worship Jesus…

John 12:4 (NIV) But one of (Jesus’) disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected…   Judas’ response to Mary’s act of worship gave voice to the sentiments of many. John paints Judas as a restless, dissatisfied, mercenary and a thief who helped himself to the disciples’ moneybag. “Was he frustrated with Jesus’ refusal to claim royal titles for Himself when He did miracles?  Did he wonder why Jesus didn’t address the political issues or stage a coup…

John 12:3 (NIV) Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair.  For a woman to uncover her hair in public in the presence of men was a disgrace in that culture. The shock of what the men had seen must have caused a brief, embarrassed silence that finally found expression in Judas’ harsh comment. Of course, Mary knew the risk of her action…

John 12:3 (The Message) The fragrance of the oils filled the house.   Mary and Martha gave a dinner in Jesus’ honor. It would provide Mary an opportunity to express her deep gratitude to Jesus for resurrecting Lazarus, her brother. While everyone else celebrated, Mary “wasted” her precious perfume on His feet. “The fragrance of the oils”—did it linger on Christ’s clothing in the difficult days to come? Fragrance can trigger memories of wonderful (or terrible) events. The Old Testament…

John 11:53 (The Message) So from that day on they plotted to take (Jesus’) life. Jesus’ miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead intensified the hostility of Jewish officials toward Him to the point of murder. From a human viewpoint, things would end in disaster; but from the divine viewpoint, things would lead to the crowning event: Jesus giving His life to atone for the sins of the whole world thus making it possible for humanity to inherit eternal life.…

John 11: 43 (NLT) Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” This was the voice of command. It was the same voice that told the wind and waves: Peace, be still (Mark 4:39). It was the voice that said “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3; John 1:3). It is the voice that speaks to our hearts today. “Don’t be afraid. I am with you.” Do you hear it? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…

John 11:34-35 (NLT) “Where have you put him?” (Jesus) asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.   The people interpreted Jesus’ tears as an expression of compassionate grief. In reality His distress was with death itself. He was indignant more than sorrowful. “As He looked upon the cemetery, a silent memorial to the devastation that death had wrought on the human race, He was angered against man’s great enemy. Death to Him was not an…

John 11:25  (NLT) Jesus told (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha? Jesus pressed for a statement of faith. “Yes, Lord. I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” This is the anchor truth, the breakthrough revelation…

John 11:21 (NLT) Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When a crisis hits, our conversation fills with “if only’s.” If only I had not said that. If only I had taken a different route. If only I had been more attentive. When we finally quiet our hearts we can finally hear Jesus saying, “Believe in me.” Have you had a moment when your world fell apart and in the…

John 11:14-15 (The Message) Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died… You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.” Jesus had barely escaped a stoning in Bethany, Lazarus’ hometown. It was a dangerous place for Jesus. His disciples reminded Him of this (v. 8). But Jesus is always going into dangerous territory. It doesn’t intimidate Him. He has a firm resolve to do the Father’s will in spite of danger. There is no fear in…

At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. Are you listening to this? Really listening? Matthew 13:36-43 (The Message) God sees and knows peoples’ hearts. We are tempted to believe that God is overlooking our heartache and ignoring our pain, but this parable teaches us an important truth about patiently waiting for God’s justice. A time will come when righteousness will prevail and followers of Jesus will no longer suffer but “shine…