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This page was last updated 05/05/08
Week of: April 6, 2008
Title: The Anointing of the Spirit
Series: Study of John - Part 14
Scripture: John 8: 29-47
1. How many of us always want to know the truth? It depends doesn’t it? Sometimes I tell people I’d rather not know, especially if it is none of my business.
2. However, as a minister, I am pronged to hear both sides of the story so to speak and I honestly, at times, don’t know whom to believe. Usually I try to give the benefit of doubt to the person who has been the most truthful in times past, but unless you are dealing with a chronic liar, it is hard to know because anybody can lie and some people can even slip up and tell the truth from time to time.
3. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is in a hard fought battle for the truth. In fact, you might say that whole Bible is a hard fought battle for the truth, and at stake is the integrity of God and the salvation of the world.
4. It starts out in verse 30 as Jesus turns to the people who were putting their faith in Him or as verse 31 says, “who had believed him,” and telling them to “hold to my teachings…then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Every truth in life is measured by a standard or by yet another accepted truth.
5. You cannot know what the truth is unless you have something to compare it to. These standards of truth become a foundation for other truths, which in turn build upon still other truths and so on. Jesus says “my teachings, that I have received from God are the truth; they are the standard by which you can be set free.”
6. “Free from what?” the world asks. Free from sin, free from hate, from bigotry, from envy, jealously, prejudice, pride, selfishness, lust, addiction, free from anything that seeks to enslave us according to Jesus.
7. Jesus is telling us that the truth will set us free, but lies will enslave you every time.
8. In fact, the Gospels are very clear about the seriousness of lying. He tells His listeners in verse 44 “you belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”
9. In short, lies kill, destroy, and enslave people, but the truth of God sets us free to be the person you need to be. Young people, do you know how not to lie? Simple, try your best to obey Jesus’ teachings and do nothing in which you are put in a position to be tempted to lie. Because there’s not too many of us, when faced with severe enough consequences, are not tempted to lie. So don’t cheat and you won’t be tempted to lie. Don’t talk about people behind their back and you won’t be tempted to lie. Don’t steal or break the law. You won’t have to lie to keep from going to jail. But then, hopefully, you begin to learn that lying is a slippery slope to self-destruction, and that your integrity, your honesty before God and your fellow Christians means too much to forfeit.
10. But have you ever lied to yourself? Told yourself something that you believed was true that deep down inside you knew wasn’t true. You want to know how the world really looks at Christians—they see us as people who are being lied to by the Bible, by the church, and by ourselves. They look at us and say you’re deceiving yourselves with all this religious mumbo jumbo.
11. The world said essentially the same thing about Jesus. They couldn’t doubt Jesus was sincere so they said he was either insane or demon possessed. In fact, even His family thought He was crazy and wished He just go away.
12. Jesus countered by saying: “The reason you think I am crazy, demon-possessed, or just so confusing that you cannot understand what I am saying is that ‘You belong to the devil.’” The devil has blinded you, deceived you, and you wouldn’t know the truth if it rose up and bit you.
13. Oh! Man, what does a body do then? The world on one side telling us that we are deceiving ourselves with all of this stuff about following Jesus, and Jesus on the other side saying if you don’t believe what I am saying “You belong to the devil.”
14. You better believe in Jesus, right? I tell you this; if anyone took the time and made the effort to study the teachings of Jesus objectively, they would see the wisdom and the goodness of what He said and did.
15. However, one might be thinking what about heaven, hell, salvation, Jesus being God, denying oneself, and all that kind of stuff? I imagine that’s where the doubts start creeping in, and where we begin to say: “Is all this going just a little too far? Am I fooling myself? Are all these Christian people deceiving themselves?”
16. No!!! We are not, but how do we know the truth? We want to know the truth. Well, faith by definition means that there is always going to be a nagging “what if.” But “what ifs” come in every area of our lives, don’t they? What if it rains tomorrow? What if I get sick? What if I get cancer? What if I fall and have an accident? What if I die tomorrow or today for that matter? What if the world comes to an end? What if all of this religious stuff is not true? Granted, some “what ifs” are more likely than others, but literally people drive themselves crazy with “what ifs.”
17. But God understands this and He has not left us without help or a witness in our faith. The help or the witness is the Holy Spirit. Let me briefly explain how this works.
18. When Jesus died upon the cross, his death meant that we were to receive a helper—the Holy Spirit. The Greek word in the Bible is “paraclete.” It means a helper, counselor, guide, and revealer.
Literally, as we’ve said before, the Holy Spirit is the “one who comes along side of us and helps us” live the Christian life. It is our belief that this helper, revealer, helps us understand the truth, helps us know the truth, and to be receptive to the truth.
19. Let’s turn quickly in our Bibles to 1 John 2: 18-27. This is an interesting passage of scripture in reference to the truth. He starts out by saying that there has been a group of the church that has left. They’ve left because they disagree on a matter of doctrine. He calls the group that left antichrists, folks that according to him didn’t believe Jesus was the Christ.
20. This group’s departure from the church creates quite uproar. They are unnerved, second-guessing themselves, and second-guessing even their most cherished doctrines. John writes this little letter to calm them down and assure them that what they know to be true is indeed the truth.
21. He says in verse 20: “…you have an anointing of the Holy one….” To anoint means to “pour or smear oil on a person’s body or some sacred object in worship.” So, anointing was performed on persons or objects that were to perform a special function in Israel’s faith. The ceremony of anointing was viewed as the symbolic coming of God’s Spirit on that person or on that particular object.
22. When people today in our community speak of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they usually mean speaking in tongues or healing. But notice here, the meaning is the discerning and understanding of truth. Look at verse 20: “…you have an anointing…all of you know the truth.” Verse 27, “As for you the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real…remain in Him.”
23. Look, the Bible is the text book, church is the class, and the Holy Spirit is the teacher. The Preacher, if he does his job, is just the teacher’s aid—nothing more, sometimes less.
24. Every time you learn something about Jesus and the Bible, about faith and God, you are experiencing the anointing of the Holy Spirit. You may or may not speaking in tongues, but you at least will know the truth. And the truth is something that the Holy Spirit teaches you.
25. And every time that light bulb goes on in your head and you’re experiencing the truth, you need to say, “Thank you Jesus for the anointing of the Holy Spirit.” Because, by the grace of God you are building a foundation of truth for tomorrow that you can base you life and your eternal life upon.
Week of: April 13, 2008
Title: “I am”
Series: Study of John – Part 15
Scripture: John 8:21-30; 48-59
1. “He’s Everything to Me,” Hymn 463 in 1975 Baptist Hymnal
2. This hymn expresses well what the Christian declaration through the ages is—that: “Jesus is everything to us.”
3. The Gospel of John starts this declaration in a series of statements that Jesus makes about himself that is called the “I am” sayings. In our scripture today, Jesus makes a really outrageous declaration of about Himself when He says: “I’ll tell you the truth, but you won’t like it, before Abraham ever existed, I am.”
4. And cheered Him on, right? No, they tried to stone him.
5. Why such a statement? Why such a reaction?
6. Turn to Exodus 3: 10-14. In that passage Moses is standing before God, who is in the form of a burning bush. He is standing on Holy ground and God is telling him that He is going to be sending Moses to the Israelites to bring them out of 400 years in slavery in Egypt. Moses says, “Who am I that I should go to that mean-ole-Pharaoh and tell him to let go of 2 million Jewish slaves who are the work force behind building all those wonderful buildings and pyramids that he loves so much?” God responds: “I am with you…” The important issue in life is not who are we, but is God with us.
7. Moses says: “Suppose I can go to the Israelites and do as you say for me to do. But who shall I tell them has sent me.” God said to Moses, “I am who I am… Tell them that “I am” has sent you to them.” Why so cryptic and mysterious?
8. Well, think about it with me for a moment. What is a name and what is the function of a name? A name identifies us and, then in indentifying us, it sets us apart from each other. It enables us to say this is Mike, this is Charlie, this is Blake, and Suzie and Jimmie and they are all different in some way or an other.
9. Who does God say that He is? What sets Him apart from other gods? Nothing and everything, because there is no other god, but our God and creator. And what is there to compare Him to? No one. So how do you identify and talk about Him? It isn’t that easy for a human being to wrap their minds around who and what God is. So God simply says, “I am who I am.” There is only one like me.
10. Turn with me and read Isaiah 45:18-23. Notice that there is no name higher by which God can swear other than His name. When we take an oath in court we swear “to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God.” What is God to do? He promises that by His name every word He has spoken will come true.
11. God is unique and there is no one like Him except… Jesus!
12. And that is the reason the Jews wanted to stone Him; because he dared say that He was God. Jesus, by saying that He was before Abraham, the great “I am,” He was saying in the broadest sense of the word that He was God.
13. But then in John, there are other “I am” sayings. These are the “I am” sayings with the predicate. What is a predicate in a sentence? Well, I am not noted for my grammar skills so I asked Sharon to explain it to me. It seems every sentence, in order to be a sentence, must have a subject and a predicate that make up the sentence. According to Sharon, they teach it like this in Kindergarten: “Everyone, please hold up your left hand; this is the subject (what the sentence is about) and then your right hand; this is the predicate (that is everything to describe and tell what the subject is about or doing). When you put them together you have a sentence.”
14. So, in the Gospel of John, there are seven “I am” saying that have a predicate that make up the truth of who Jesus is. They are in verses: a. 6:35 “I am the bread of Life.”
b. 8:12 “I am the light of the world.”
c. 10:7 “I am the gate for the sheep.”
d. 10:11 “I am the good shepherd.”
e. 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life.”
f. 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
g. 15:1 “I am the true vine.”
15. According to John, these are the ways in which Jesus gives us salvation. His is the bread of life, and whoever eats of Him shall never grow spiritual hungry.
16. He is (God) the light of the world, and whoever sees things from His perspective shall never be in spiritual darkness.
17. He is (God) the gate for the sheep, and everyone who comes into the safety of the Kingdom of God comes through Him.
18. He is (God) the good shepherd that looks after His sheep.
19. He is (God) the resurrection and the eternal life, and because of Him one day when we die we shall live again and have eternal life.
20. He is (God) the way, and the truth, and the life. If you are looking for truth and meaning in your life, Jesus is the answer.
21. He is (God) the true vine, from which every blessing will flow. We cannot live and bear spiritual fruit (love, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control) without Jesus. In fact, we cannot exist without Jesus.
22. Jesus, literally and figuratively, is everything thing to us.
23. Now, these are outrageous claims. Anyone who does not recognize this simply just does not understand what Jesus is saying. What does a body do? Pretty much what the people did in Jesus’ day? Accept them or reject them, accept Him or reject Him.
24. Some believed in Him and followed Him. Some wanted Him dead, and plotted to kill Him. Some thought He was crazy and was embarrassed by Him and, therefore, just wanted Him to go away. And some simply ignored Him to their own detriment.
25. You can do all these things, except kill Him. Literally, no one can touch Jesus.
26. But everything Jesus does and says calls you to live your life like “Jesus is everything to you.”
Week of: April 20, 2008
Title: “So Hard To See”
Series: Study of John – Part 16
Scripture: John 9 – 10:21
1. How many of you have or have had cataracts? For the enlightenment of those of us who haven’t had them, what are cataracts?
2. If I am not mistaken, a cataract is clouding over the lens of the eye. This clouding or film causes a loss of transparency into the eye and therefore distorts ones vision. There is no pain and the loss of vision is so gradual that some people don’t even realize just how much sight they have lost until the cataracts are surgically removed.
3. Well, just as there are cataracts that can develop over our eyes, there are spiritual cataracts that develop in our minds eye keeping us from seeing the truth. Truth for some people that is veiled in this cloud of unknowing and they just cannot see what they so desperately need to see.
4. Someone might hear me say these things and think that this is rather condescending—after all, what is the truth? The truth to one person is not always the truth to another.
5. But haven’t you ever seen someone who you wanted to yell at and say, “Can’t you see what you are doing to yourself? Your family? Your children? Can’t you see?”
6. The truth is they cannot see. Many people cannot see the truth even when someone else has their best interests in mind.
7. In our scripture today, Jesus has just healed a real blind man. It seems this ordeal began with a question that Jesus’ disciples asked about the man. “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was blind?” In Jesus’ day, people believed that sickness, injuries, birth defects, any tragedy could be, and usually was because of sin. We are still tempted to think that because we might ask ourselves and God: “What have I done to deserve all these bad things that happen to me and my family?” That’s another sermon for another day, but be it sufficient to say for right now that Jesus believed that this man was blind “so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” In other words, Jesus is saying that this man’s birth, if anything, was to show that the healing of the man might be done for the glory of God. You might say that anything and everything that Jesus did was about bringing glory to God. It should be that way with us as well.
8. Anyway, Jesus healed the man in verses 6 & 7 and the rest of the chapter is about the investigation of the healing by the Pharisees so that they could accuse and discredit Jesus for healing the man on the Sabbath.
9. The Pharisees began their investigation by going straight to the man who was healed and asked how he received his sight. The response of the healed man was: “I don’t know. He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.”
10. Of course, being the spiritually blind people that they were, they were not satisfied with this simple explanation so they went to the man’s parents and asked them: “Is this your son? Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
11. The parents, in my opinion, were not very good people. After all, what parent worth their salt would, at the first sign of trouble, sick the dogs so to speak on their children. The natural inclination of a parent is to protect their children no matter how old especially when they are trying to do what is right. Look at verses 20-22!
12. They were scared that they might get kicked out of church for telling the truth. They were spiritually blinded by fear.
13. So again, they summoned the healed man to synagogue for questioning. This time the man is “a little miffed” about being questioned again and he gets rather smart with them. I like the man. There are always people who want to stick their noises in other people’s business and (not because they care) but just because they feel like they can. Look in verses 26 & 27 and following, notice his response: “I have already told you and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciple too?” That is absolutely hilarious.
14. But they are so mad at him for saying this that they start insulting him. In verse 30, he does something that no one other than Jesus does in the entire four Gospels—he lectures them about God, which makes them even madder. So they insult him even more and throw him out of the synagogue.
15. Jesus hears about this, seeks the man out and asked him: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” His sincere response is: “Who is he, sir? Tell me so that I may believe in Him.”
16. The man ends up believing and worshiping Jesus on the spot. What begins as a blind man receiving his sight ends up with a spiritually blind man receiving his spiritual eye sight.
17. It is doubtful if the other people ever understood what Jesus wanted to do for them. In fact, Jesus kindly put a damper on the whole situation by saying: “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
18. The hardest people in the world to help are the people who believe that they don’t need help. A broken and desperate person, who has been brought to their knees, can always be helped because they are ready to receive anything that they can to help them out of their situation.
19. The bottom line is, haven’t you known people who were literally ruining their life and just too blind to see it or too stubborn to admit what they are doing to themselves and others? It is frustrating, isn’t it?
20. Imagine how frustrated God gets with us. I think I read it correctly when I read frustration, sadness, and sorrow in Jesus’ voice when folks could not see what Jesus was saying. I think that was one reason Jesus sought out this man, because He knew that he was beginning to see.
21. Look, everything Jesus says and does is to get people to see. He heals the blind man and the man not only literally sees but spiritually sees the greatness of Jesus.
22. Sure, Jesus wanted to help people out in the way that you or I might want to help them out. Sure, He wanted the blind to see, the crippled to walk, but He also wanted to help them to spiritually see. He wanted to be a spiritual surgeon to remove the spiritual cataracts from their eyes, but in many cases they would not open their eyes to let the surgeon work.
23. But how do we really know whether we are spiritually blind or not? If you’ll listen, then God will tell you. If you pray, then God will open your eyes so that you can see. If you read the Word of God, things that you never dreamed of will be revealed to you. And if you still cannot see your hand before your face, listen to a trustful, wise, spiritual friend who you can talk to and whom will pray for you.
Week of April 27, 2008
Title: What would it take you to believe?
Series: Study of John - Part 17 Scripture: John 10:22 - 11:16
1. Have you ever prayed: “Lord, Please give me a sign that I might believe or at least know you are there?” Or, “Lord, Please give me a sign that I might know what you want me to do?”
2. I think we all have from time to time. In fact, I believe that we need a continual witness of the fact that God is in our lives. We all need something from time to time that gives our faith and our spiritual lives a boost.
3. But having to have proof, miracles, or signs is often seen as a weaker faith in the Bible. In fact, in John, there are different levels of faith. The lowest level of faith being those who believed because they saw the signs that Jesus did.
4. The disciples began at that level, look at John 2:11, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” But, at the same time, Jesus would not give himself to those in Jerusalem who believed when they saw the signs that he did (2: 23-24).
5. Well, is it bad to have to have a sign to believe in Jesus? No, not necessarily, but for all those people who must have proof to believe in Him, I believe Jesus says to them what He said to Thomas (John 20:28-29): “Because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
6. If you recall, Thomas was the one who made that rather famous remark, which no doubt, he would rather have back (John 20:25): “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
7. To which Jesus responded (John 20:27 paraphrased): “Put your finger in my side and stop doubting and believe.” Some people just have to have more proof, no…not proof, but just more evidence and persuasion to believe.
8. The second level of belief in John is represented by those who come to Jesus because of what they hear in His words. Jesus is the Word made flesh that reveals who God is, and those who receive His words as the truth, are drawn to Him in faith.
9. Some people respond to Jesus by completely misunderstanding Him. According to John, Nicodemus was so dense he couldn’t understand the earthly things that Jesus spoke of, let alone the spiritual things (see John 3).
10. Others, as we’ve seen in our study of John, thought that Jesus was crazy and wanted to have Him put away, or thought He was so dangerous to Israel they wanted to kill Him.
11. Jesus’ words, to some people, were very frightening while to others, like the Samaritan woman at the well, His words were exciting. Remember she told her neighbors (John 4:29): “Come, see a man who told me everything that I ever did.”
12. According to John her neighbors “believed because of His word” (4:41) and declared themselves: “We have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world”(4:42).
13. So some saw signs and believed, while others saw the same signs and refused to believe. Some heard Jesus’ words and were drawn to Him by them, while others were pushed further away by what Jesus said.
14. Well, what does it take for people to believe? What does it take to deepen the faith of those who say they already believe? What would it take for you to do the same?
15. How about a sign from heaven similar to what people in Jesus’ day wanted? A great and glorious miracle in which no could doubt that Jesus was the Son of God. Maybe, but then in Jesus day they saw so much and many just didn’t believe. And maybe we would become miracle junkies on the lookout for the next great miracle, if Jesus went around doing signs all day long.
16. I know if you and I could just see Jesus that would make the big difference in your life (that would be impressive to me). If you could just see Him face to face and question Him, asking all those burning questions you want answers to, maybe that would make the big difference that you are looking for.
17. I’ve often thought it would be nice to have a time machine and travel back in time to meet Jesus. But yet so many did meet Him and so many did question Him, but chose not to believe in Him. Would you or I be any different?
18. Who knows! However, I am glad that by the grace of God I am one of those who do believe without having to see, no matter how weak my faith may be. Remember what Jesus said to Thomas? “Blessed are those who have not seen but believe.” You and I are blessed because we choose to believe.
19. Yet how do we, as 21st Century human beings, believe and deepen our belief in something that occurred two thousand years ago? First off, we’ve got to realize that the times of miracles and signs are not over. Sure, I haven’t seen anyone walk on water lately, but I do believe that God is still in the miracle business. There are lives being healed and changed every day that represent a sign or a miracle of God’s grace.
20. Second, we got to take the Bible more seriously. As Christians, we do not worship the Bible but we use the Bible as a guide to understand and worship the God we love. It is the acts, the words, and the teachings of our God and the saints of God that have gone before us, and while we don’t always understand it hopefully we do prayerfully and sincerely try to apply it to our lives. The Word of God is the means by which the Words of Jesus are conveyed to those who are not eyewitnesses to the original things that Jesus said and did. You cannot believe and grow as a Christian in faith without a strong interest in the Word of God.
21. In addition, it is hard to believe in God without some communication with God. In John 10:28, Jesus says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” It is hard to follow Jesus if you don’t try to listen to Him in prayer. The more you pray, the easier it is to believe and follow Jesus. The less you pray the more distant that He seems to be.
22. Lastly, it is easier to believe when you are around other believers. You cannot expect to grow in your faith if you neglect the fellowship of other Christians. Most Christians who neglect the fellowship of other Christians are asking for the impossible. They’re asking for an alive and vibrant faith without the positive influence of other believers. Only the strongest in faith, can survive without the help, encouragement, and guidance of other people who believe. No one is meant to be a spiritual island. I certainly am not; I need you and the wonderful fellowship of other Christians who believe similar to me, for my faith to grow.
23. In short what you are looking for is the truth. Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” You are looking for a biblical understanding of Jesus in everything that you hear, say, read, and do. You are looking to breathe in Jesus, you looking to breathe in the Spirit of God, and Jesus comes to you in those moments that you say, “Yea that’s right, I understand! That makes sense, it is the truth! Why haven’t seen that before? Why did I waste so much time, not believing, not following Jesus?”
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