“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.’” John 6:68-69
This declaration by Peter follows one of the hardest teachings Jesus ever gave the people: that of eating His flesh and drinking His blood (referring to partaking in His death, appropriating it by faith). Many people stopped following Jesus because of this. They had been comfortable with Him up until this point, but now He was starting to challenge them on a very fundamental level. They were followers, but not disciples. They had not committed themselves to Him. And Jesus knew this.
Can you imagine carrying on in life without Jesus? I can’t. He means everything to me. There is no substitute for Him in my life. Wealth, possessions, family, a successful career – none of these can give me peace and eternal security. But Jesus can, and more. Only He has conquered death and opened the gate for us to follow. He is indeed the Holy One of God.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Partaking
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51
Many people struggle to understand this verse. Indeed, they struggled back in Jesus’ day, saying, ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?’ (John 6:52). At face value, Jesus is asking us to cannibalise Him. The Roman Catholics invented the doctrine of transubstantiation (that the communion elements literally become the physical body and blood of Christ) to try and make this verse make sense. But there is a more correct interpretation of what Jesus is saying here.
Jesus says we must eat, or partake, of His body and blood. Thus, we partake in His sacrificial death on the cross. To partake is to take part. This partaking is by faith, not by physical actions (eating and drinking). When we take part in Him, He becomes part of us unto salvation. This is the extended metaphor Jesus uses from v51-58. When we eat physical food, it goes inside us and is then absorbed by our body to become part of us. So too when we believe on the Lord, He comes and indwells us. As we digest His Word, He becomes part of us, inseparable. We live with Him forever because He is part of us and we are part of Him, by faith.
Many people struggle to understand this verse. Indeed, they struggled back in Jesus’ day, saying, ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?’ (John 6:52). At face value, Jesus is asking us to cannibalise Him. The Roman Catholics invented the doctrine of transubstantiation (that the communion elements literally become the physical body and blood of Christ) to try and make this verse make sense. But there is a more correct interpretation of what Jesus is saying here.
Jesus says we must eat, or partake, of His body and blood. Thus, we partake in His sacrificial death on the cross. To partake is to take part. This partaking is by faith, not by physical actions (eating and drinking). When we take part in Him, He becomes part of us unto salvation. This is the extended metaphor Jesus uses from v51-58. When we eat physical food, it goes inside us and is then absorbed by our body to become part of us. So too when we believe on the Lord, He comes and indwells us. As we digest His Word, He becomes part of us, inseparable. We live with Him forever because He is part of us and we are part of Him, by faith.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Everlasting life
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” John 6:47
We can have a view of eternal life as being an infinite period of time (a la the lyric in Amazing Grace: ‘When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, Than when we first begun’). But in reality, eternity is much different. Infinite time has its down sides – you can’t relive the past. Eternal life, rather, is a constant state of being more alive than ever before.
What’s even more amazing about this verse is that Jesus says if we believe in Him, we already have this eternal life – not ‘will have’ it, but ‘has’ it right now. Because eternity has no time, we are in heaven right now with Him.
This may be a difficult concept to grasp, and I’m leaning very heavily on my childlike faith of just accepting this truth because Jesus said it is so. But we won’t have to wait very long, and it’ll all make sense.
We can have a view of eternal life as being an infinite period of time (a la the lyric in Amazing Grace: ‘When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, Than when we first begun’). But in reality, eternity is much different. Infinite time has its down sides – you can’t relive the past. Eternal life, rather, is a constant state of being more alive than ever before.
What’s even more amazing about this verse is that Jesus says if we believe in Him, we already have this eternal life – not ‘will have’ it, but ‘has’ it right now. Because eternity has no time, we are in heaven right now with Him.
This may be a difficult concept to grasp, and I’m leaning very heavily on my childlike faith of just accepting this truth because Jesus said it is so. But we won’t have to wait very long, and it’ll all make sense.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
No fear
“But He said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’” John 6:20
This verse comes from the account of Jesus walking on the water. He had sent the disciples on ahead to cross the Sea of Galilee in the boat, but they were struggling. As He walked on the water towards them, they saw Him and were terrified (Greek phobeo, from which we get ‘phobia’). But He calms them by saying, ‘Don’t be afraid’ (phobeo, again).
Jesus’ presence with us is enough to drive out any fear we have. For the disciples, it was fear of the unknown – they didn’t know who or what was walking towards them on the water. We can become afraid of the direction that circumstances are taking in our life. But we don’t have to be, because God is in control of our circumstances. He is with us, even though we might not recognise Him at first.
It is said (although I haven’t been able to confirm this) that there are 365 passages in the Bible that say ‘fear not’ or ‘don’t be afraid’, one for each day of the year. Every day we can remind ourselves that we don’t need to be afraid.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). As we are made more perfect in God’s love, we will have less fear. Rest in the presence of God, for He is love.
This verse comes from the account of Jesus walking on the water. He had sent the disciples on ahead to cross the Sea of Galilee in the boat, but they were struggling. As He walked on the water towards them, they saw Him and were terrified (Greek phobeo, from which we get ‘phobia’). But He calms them by saying, ‘Don’t be afraid’ (phobeo, again).
Jesus’ presence with us is enough to drive out any fear we have. For the disciples, it was fear of the unknown – they didn’t know who or what was walking towards them on the water. We can become afraid of the direction that circumstances are taking in our life. But we don’t have to be, because God is in control of our circumstances. He is with us, even though we might not recognise Him at first.
It is said (although I haven’t been able to confirm this) that there are 365 passages in the Bible that say ‘fear not’ or ‘don’t be afraid’, one for each day of the year. Every day we can remind ourselves that we don’t need to be afraid.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). As we are made more perfect in God’s love, we will have less fear. Rest in the presence of God, for He is love.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Deception
“I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.” (John 5:43)
I find this verse really interesting. Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and rebuking them for not accepting Him as their Messiah, because although He healed a lame man, He did it on the Sabbath. The ‘someone else’ He refers to is the man whom we commonly call the Antichrist. The Greek word here, translated ‘another’, is allos. It means one completely different (as opposed to heteros, which means another of the same kind – used for example in John 14:16 referring to the Holy Spirit as ‘another Counsellor’).
This is a tragic thing: these very religious people missed the Christ and yet will embrace the Antichrist. They traded the Son of God for a man empowered by Satan. John tells us that “the spirit of antichrist... is already in the world” (1 John 4:3). Indeed, Matt. 24:5 is seen happening all over the world: “Many will come in My name, claiming ‘I am the Christ’ [i.e. ‘I am the anointed one’] and will deceive many.” How many times have we heard someone say, particularly on TV, “Don’t touch the Lord’s anointed” – referring to themselves?
Deception is a primary characteristic of the last days. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, and He will protect you from it.
I find this verse really interesting. Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and rebuking them for not accepting Him as their Messiah, because although He healed a lame man, He did it on the Sabbath. The ‘someone else’ He refers to is the man whom we commonly call the Antichrist. The Greek word here, translated ‘another’, is allos. It means one completely different (as opposed to heteros, which means another of the same kind – used for example in John 14:16 referring to the Holy Spirit as ‘another Counsellor’).
This is a tragic thing: these very religious people missed the Christ and yet will embrace the Antichrist. They traded the Son of God for a man empowered by Satan. John tells us that “the spirit of antichrist... is already in the world” (1 John 4:3). Indeed, Matt. 24:5 is seen happening all over the world: “Many will come in My name, claiming ‘I am the Christ’ [i.e. ‘I am the anointed one’] and will deceive many.” How many times have we heard someone say, particularly on TV, “Don’t touch the Lord’s anointed” – referring to themselves?
Deception is a primary characteristic of the last days. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, and He will protect you from it.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Giving life
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it.” (John 5:21)
God is able to give life to dead bodies – we see numerous accounts of this in the Scripture (Adam, the widow at Zarephath’s son, the Shunammite woman’s son, Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, Lazarus, Eutychus). This strikes us as an amazing thing, probably because scientists haven’t figured out how to make life from non-life. However, the greater miracle is not the dead being physically raised, but the concept of being spiritually raised from the dead. We will not all experience the first, but the second is open to all.
When each person is born into this world, their spirit is dead because of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:12). We cannot rectify the situation on our own. In fact, we make it worse, because we add our own sin to the condemnation we deserve. We need to ask for spiritual life in order to receive it. And God is pleased to give it to us, because He delights – or is pleased – to show mercy (Mic. 7:18).
God is able to give life to dead bodies – we see numerous accounts of this in the Scripture (Adam, the widow at Zarephath’s son, the Shunammite woman’s son, Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, Lazarus, Eutychus). This strikes us as an amazing thing, probably because scientists haven’t figured out how to make life from non-life. However, the greater miracle is not the dead being physically raised, but the concept of being spiritually raised from the dead. We will not all experience the first, but the second is open to all.
When each person is born into this world, their spirit is dead because of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:12). We cannot rectify the situation on our own. In fact, we make it worse, because we add our own sin to the condemnation we deserve. We need to ask for spiritual life in order to receive it. And God is pleased to give it to us, because He delights – or is pleased – to show mercy (Mic. 7:18).
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Persecution from within
“So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted Him.” (John 5:16)
We find this verse immediately after the account of Jesus healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. The Pharisees saw the healed man walking around carrying his mat. When he told them that Jesus had told him to do so, they then came looking for Him. (It’s worth noting that whenever John uses the words “the Jews”, he is always referring to the religious establishment, namely the Sanhedrin.)
The point is this: Persecution can often come from within the religious establishment. Jesus was not breaking the Sabbath by healing the man, although He had broken the rules they had made about the Sabbath. Similarly we can expect backlash from the legalists when we break their man-made rules: wearing make-up in church, owning a television, and so on.
It is a great shame when Christians attack other Christians over man-made rules. Jesus had the bigger picture in view here, and I’ve experienced a few occasions where I’ve been blindsided by someone for some particular thing I’ve done when I’ve only had the bigger picture in mind. What to do in those situations? Check that what you’re doing is indeed okay with the Bible. Stay rational with the person. But if they won’t listen, it is better to move on and avoid confrontation. Jesus did this – He relocated to Galilee. Chances are, God is still teaching them, and they have a way to go on the road before they get to the place where you are now.
We find this verse immediately after the account of Jesus healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. The Pharisees saw the healed man walking around carrying his mat. When he told them that Jesus had told him to do so, they then came looking for Him. (It’s worth noting that whenever John uses the words “the Jews”, he is always referring to the religious establishment, namely the Sanhedrin.)
The point is this: Persecution can often come from within the religious establishment. Jesus was not breaking the Sabbath by healing the man, although He had broken the rules they had made about the Sabbath. Similarly we can expect backlash from the legalists when we break their man-made rules: wearing make-up in church, owning a television, and so on.
It is a great shame when Christians attack other Christians over man-made rules. Jesus had the bigger picture in view here, and I’ve experienced a few occasions where I’ve been blindsided by someone for some particular thing I’ve done when I’ve only had the bigger picture in mind. What to do in those situations? Check that what you’re doing is indeed okay with the Bible. Stay rational with the person. But if they won’t listen, it is better to move on and avoid confrontation. Jesus did this – He relocated to Galilee. Chances are, God is still teaching them, and they have a way to go on the road before they get to the place where you are now.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Worshipping in spirit
“God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
The word ‘worship’ is one that has lost its meaning for most people in the modern-day church. It’s used synonymously with ‘slow’ when referring to ‘worship songs’, and when it comes to verses like this one we think it means some mystical thing to ‘worship God in spirit’.
What Jesus is really saying here is that worship is a spiritual act, not a physical one. You can close your eyes, lift your hands, kneel, or fall face down in a church service, but if your heart is not in a position of respect and awe of God, then you’re not worshipping Him in spirit. The word ‘truth’ here is aletheia, which means to have nothing hidden. To worship God in truth, is to worship Him in openness of heart, without pretense.
Now the verse starts to make sense. God is spirit, and He sees our hearts. The Pharisees lost the plot because they thought their worship of God was only about their outward actions – how fastidiously they washed their hands in the ceremonial manner, etc. What God really wants is for us to lay our hearts bare before Him, and acknowledge how great and awesome He is. That is the true meaning of worship.
The word ‘worship’ is one that has lost its meaning for most people in the modern-day church. It’s used synonymously with ‘slow’ when referring to ‘worship songs’, and when it comes to verses like this one we think it means some mystical thing to ‘worship God in spirit’.
What Jesus is really saying here is that worship is a spiritual act, not a physical one. You can close your eyes, lift your hands, kneel, or fall face down in a church service, but if your heart is not in a position of respect and awe of God, then you’re not worshipping Him in spirit. The word ‘truth’ here is aletheia, which means to have nothing hidden. To worship God in truth, is to worship Him in openness of heart, without pretense.
Now the verse starts to make sense. God is spirit, and He sees our hearts. The Pharisees lost the plot because they thought their worship of God was only about their outward actions – how fastidiously they washed their hands in the ceremonial manner, etc. What God really wants is for us to lay our hearts bare before Him, and acknowledge how great and awesome He is. That is the true meaning of worship.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Living water
“Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14
Jesus, in speaking with the Samaritan woman, uses a metaphor of water to represent spiritual things. He offers her grace that leads to salvation and eternal life, through the indwelling of the Spirit. The same offer is available to us. If we will take it in, we will never thirst for meaning in life again. Instead, that grace and the indwelling of the Spirit will continue to bubble up like a fountain, “new every morning” (Lam. 3:23). That initial taste of grace, becomes over time a fountain of the Spirit’s work in our lives. The fruit it produces is eternal life.
Every person has a spiritual thirst. Some try to meet it with material wealth and possessions, others through having a large network of friends. Others seek fame, others party hard. Others engross themselves in their work, or think that creating a family will bring them fulfilment. But pursuing all these things apart from the Lord will inevitably leave you dry and thirsting for something else to fill that void.
Come to Jesus. He alone has the living water that will satisfy your soul.
Jesus, in speaking with the Samaritan woman, uses a metaphor of water to represent spiritual things. He offers her grace that leads to salvation and eternal life, through the indwelling of the Spirit. The same offer is available to us. If we will take it in, we will never thirst for meaning in life again. Instead, that grace and the indwelling of the Spirit will continue to bubble up like a fountain, “new every morning” (Lam. 3:23). That initial taste of grace, becomes over time a fountain of the Spirit’s work in our lives. The fruit it produces is eternal life.
Every person has a spiritual thirst. Some try to meet it with material wealth and possessions, others through having a large network of friends. Others seek fame, others party hard. Others engross themselves in their work, or think that creating a family will bring them fulfilment. But pursuing all these things apart from the Lord will inevitably leave you dry and thirsting for something else to fill that void.
Come to Jesus. He alone has the living water that will satisfy your soul.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Rest
“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.” Psalm 62:1
A restful soul is a priceless thing. Regardless of what’s going on around us, in God we can find rest and perfect peace. After all, He is much bigger than we are, and so all the problems that we as humans may come across during our lives, are trivial to Him. But there’s more to this verse than just God being a place where we can find this rest – He is the only place we can find it. He is the only source of salvation (John 14:6).
David’s life was full of trials – hiding in the wilderness when Saul and later his own son Absalom were seeking to kill him, having enemies attacking him from outside the country and from within the circle of his closest friends. Yet despite this, he found rest in God. He was able to trust in God to take care of him. So can we. It is a conscious decision to trust: to give Him the reins of our life and allow Him to direct proceedings. Sometimes it’s hard not to try to take them back, when we think He’s taking us the wrong way. But if we would just trust Him, and enjoy the ride, we will find rest.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)
A restful soul is a priceless thing. Regardless of what’s going on around us, in God we can find rest and perfect peace. After all, He is much bigger than we are, and so all the problems that we as humans may come across during our lives, are trivial to Him. But there’s more to this verse than just God being a place where we can find this rest – He is the only place we can find it. He is the only source of salvation (John 14:6).
David’s life was full of trials – hiding in the wilderness when Saul and later his own son Absalom were seeking to kill him, having enemies attacking him from outside the country and from within the circle of his closest friends. Yet despite this, he found rest in God. He was able to trust in God to take care of him. So can we. It is a conscious decision to trust: to give Him the reins of our life and allow Him to direct proceedings. Sometimes it’s hard not to try to take them back, when we think He’s taking us the wrong way. But if we would just trust Him, and enjoy the ride, we will find rest.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)
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