In today’s passage we get a glimpse into one of Jesus’ most transparent prayers. Throughout the gospels the writers talk about Jesus praying, but John gives us a close up of His conversation with His Father. As Jesus talked to the Father…

• He prayed for Himself first (17:1-5) Jesus was all about bringing Glory to God. As followers of Christ, that should be our every thought and prayer. Everything we do in life should be done in order to bring Glory to God the Father.

• His apostles second (17:6-19) As leaders we should be lifting up in our prayers those we lead.

• and future believers third (17:20-26) How often do you pray for the people whom you will cross paths with today?  Ask that they may believe in Jesus because of you!

The Way, The Truth, and the Life
Guest Blogger:  Irvin Reynolds, Member Involvement Pastor

Click here to read John 14

Long Ago, Billy Graham was preaching a one week crusade in a small town in South Carolina. While looking for the local post office, he came across a boy riding his bike. He called out to the young man, “Do you know where the post office is?” The boy quipped back, “You must not be from around here, and then proceeded to give Mr. Graham directions.” The Evangelist explained to the boy that he was in town preaching at a tent meeting. He invited the young man to the crusade, telling him that he could come and find the way to heaven” The boy just stared at him as he rode off, saying, “How are you going to help me find the way to heaven when you don’t even know where the post office is!”

From this great passage of Scripture, there can be no mistaking in how to find the way to heaven. Jesus, himself, answers this question in the key verse of John chapter 14. We read in verse 6, “Jesus said to Him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” Jesus boldly revealed his identity for us in this chapter.

· Jesus revealed that only He is the source of our forgiveness: We read in verses 2-3, that He has gone to prepare a place for us. Where did He go?  Was heaven not ready? The answer to that question holds the key to heaven. Jesus went to the cross!  Without His dying on the cross there would be no forgiveness for our sins. Jesus went to the cross to prepare the way for us to live eternally with him!

· Jesus revealed His identity with God the Father: In verse 7, Jesus said, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” We will see that the third person of the Trinity is revealed by Jesus in the chapter also.

· Jesus revealed the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit: We read in verse 16, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

· Jesus revealed that He is the provider of peace as he promised that He would leave us with the gift of peace: Verse 27 tells us, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Le not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Do you realize today that without Jesus dying on the cross, you have no hope of spending eternity in Heaven? Do you realize today that as a believer, you have the Holy Spirit living in you, providing a peace that the world can never give?

The last verse of this chapter give us a great lesson to live by. The Disciples were listening to some pretty heavy words coming from the mouth of their Lord. Things were going to change.  He would be leaving them. However as we discussed, He promised the Holy Spirit would indwell them, so He completes his discourse by saying in verse 31, “Arise, let us go from here.”

Today let’s remember those words, “Let us go from here.” Don’t let Satan allow you to look back to where you came from. But rather, keep your eyes focused on Christ, living by the power of the Holy Spirit in you. This is what not only allows us, but commands us to “Arise and go from here!”

“They still would not believe in Him” (John 12:37-50)

The final crisis had arrived, and still most held back from the full commitment of faith to Jesus.  He made one last stunning statement about Himself.  In quoting Isaiah 6 John says that he implicitly claimed that Isaiah “saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him” (John 12:41).  Turning to that chapter we realize that the person Isaiah describes is Yahweh Himself, seated on a heavenly throne (6:1) and acclaimed by angels who constantly cry out:  ”Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of HIs glory” (v.3).

God Himself has come to earth, and displayed His power in miraculous signs.  Yet men were more impressed with the puny power of other men than with the glory of their God (John 12:42-43).

When we grasp the glory of our God, we will be thoroughly unimpressed with men.  Then we will acknowledge and obey Jesus Christ.

Today’s insight by David Few, High School Pastor, First Baptist Indian Trail

Click here to read John 11

When we find ourselves confronted by financial difficulty, sickness, disappointment, loneliness, delay, and even death, our only encouragement is the Word of God. We must live by faith and not by sight.

When Jesus announced that He was returning to Judea, His disciples became alarmed.  They knew how dangerous it was to return to the very area where plots to kill Jesus had been made.  Tension must have been high the response Thomas had to the situation.  “Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” (vs.16)  His faith had eluded him.  Oh let’s go with Jesus and let them kill us too.

In verses 20-28 we see Martha’s response to Jesus’ coming.  “Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (vs. 21)  She had faith that Jesus would raise Lazarus, but she was thinking in the future (at the resurrection on the last day…vs. 24).  Jesus was thinking now! She was thinking in heaven.  He was thinking on earth.

What does Jesus want to do with you and in you right now…here on earth?  Do you trust Him to do it?

Even after, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (vs. 25-26) and Martha responded, “Yes Lord, I have believed…”.  When Jesus asked for the stone to be removed Martha responded, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”  She still lacked in faith as to if Jesus could fix the situation now.

The response Jesus gave to Martha, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”, is the same thing He says to us today.  Jesus knew He could bring life back to Lazarus when no one else did.

What in your life is dead (or dying) that God wants to resurrect and bring to life?

Comparing people to a shepherd and his sheep was common in this day.  Kings and priests called themselves shepherds and their subjects sheep.  The Bible uses this analogy many times.  Many of the great men of the Old Testament were shepherds (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David).  We see in John 10 that Jesus is “the Good Shepherd.”

He brings real life, more and better life than we could ever dream (vs 10).

Jesus puts us before Himself.  He sacrifices Himself for us (vs 11).

It was Jesus’ chose to sacrifice His life for our sins.  No one did this without His permission (vs 18).

Once we believe and follow Christ, we have eternal life.  No one can snatch us out of His hand (vs.28).  - We can’t lose our salvation.  Jesus want let it happen!!

28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “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.

The tragedy here is that many of the people in Jerusalem could not see Jesus for who He was.  And they missed Him!

Are you doing the same?  Have you missed Jesus for who He is? He came, “…that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 NASB)

Where: Emerald Lake Golf Club
Entry Fee: $100 per person
Register: To register contact Melissa at the church office at melissa.smith@fbcit.org or 704-882-1005. The deadline for registration is Sunday, August 29th.

]]> http://www.theliftindiantrail.com/thelift/?feed=rss2&p=111 http://www.theliftindiantrail.com/thelift/?p=170 http://www.theliftindiantrail.com/thelift/?p=170#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:24:45 +0000 lanceb http://www.theliftindiantrail.com/thelift/?p=170 Today reading comes from John 9.

Jesus seemed to have some very specific reasons for performing miracles.  His miracles always met a persons needs, He used miracles as a way to present a message conveying spiritual truth and His miracles proved that He was indeed the Messiah. In this chapter all three happen.

I read that in the United States somebody goes blind every twenty minutes.  The man we meet today was born blind; he had never seen the beauty of God’s creation or the faces of his loved ones.  When Jesus arrived on the scene, everything changed, and the man was able to see. However, the greatest miracle was not the opening of his eyes but the opening of his heart to the Savior. You will notice it cost him to confess Jesus as the Son of God, but he did it.  The easiest way to grasp the message of this chapter is to note the stages in this man’s growing understanding of who Jesus is.

vs. 1-12 - He is healed from blindness

vs. 13-34 - The once blind man finds himself being questioned by the religious leaders about his healing.  The Pharisees did not want to believe that Jesus healed him, which is why they questioned him over and over again.  They even went as far as to bring his parents into the conversation.  I can imagine the man getting quite impatient at this point. After all, he had been blind all his life, and there was so much now to see. The leaders were sure about Moses, but they were not sure about Jesus. They did not know where He came from. He had already told them that He had come from heaven, sent by the Father (John 6:33, 38, 41–42, 50–51). They were sure that He was the natural son of Mary and Joseph, and that He was from the city of Nazareth (John 6:42; 7:41–42).  The Pharisees told the once blind man that he was born in sin (John 9:34). However, he would not die in his sins (see John 8:21, 24); because by the end of this chapter, the beggar/once blind man will come to faith in Jesus Christ. All of us are born in sin (Ps. 51:5), but we need not live in sin (Col. 3:6–7) or die in our sins. Faith in Jesus Christ redeems us from sin and gives us a life!

vs. 35-41 - The once blind man is not only healed physically, but spiritually as well.  The beggar was physically blind and spiritually blind, yet both his eyes and his heart were opened. Why? Because he listened to the Word, believed it, obeyed, and experienced the grace of God. The Pharisees had good eyesight, but they were blind spiritually. Had they listened to the Word and sincerely considered the evidence, they too would have believed on Jesus Christ and been born again. Blindness would at least be an excuse for not knowing what was going on. But they did know what was going on. Jesus had performed many miracles and the religious leaders ignored the evidence to make the right decision.

If you are not a Christ-follower, don’t be blind to who Jesus is and how He can change your life.

If you are a Christ-follower, notice what John 9:1 says. “ As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.”  Jesus could have kept going, but He focused on the needs of others.  Who in your life do you need to focus on.  Allow your relationship with Christ to spread outward to others in need.

Matthew 9

•    17 different encounters with different people…Jesus was never too busy…always had time.

Observations:
1.    Jesus went where people were hurting. (v.2, 18 and 27)
2.    Jesus always had time for people. (v.22, 32)
3.    Jesus needs others to help Him. (v.4)
4.    Jesus spent time with sinners.
5.    Jesus desires compassion above sacrifice. (v.13)
6.    Jesus inspired hope! (v.2, 18, 21, and 28)
7.    Legalism locks out love. (Jesus was going around blessing others.  All the Jews could do was make sure He was following the rules.)
8.    Evangelism is automatic when our lives are changed. (v.8, 26, 31, 33,)
9.    People don’t always understand that we are trying to help them. (v.24)
10.    Faith is essential for victory. (v.2, 18, 22, 28, 29)

Jesus teaches us three things concerning people:
1.    Jesus teaches us how to look at people.

2.    Jesus teaches us how to feel for people.

3.    Jesus teaches us how to respond to people.
•    We must realize the possibilities (v. 37)
•    We are to remember to pray for workers.
•    Respond personally to the challenge (v.10:1)
•    We are to receive power for ministry

Application:
Write down 3 names of people in your life who are hurting (Lost or saved, doesn’t matter who)
As you think about them and look at their names, ask the Lord to prepare them for your ministry…
•    Ask the Lord to make them hungry for help.
•    Ask the Lord to give them faith to receive the help.
•    Develop some relational time with them.
Ask God to prepare you for ministry to them.
•    Pray for compassion that becomes action.
•    Pray for the ability to inspire hope.
•    Pray for the willingness to take a risk.

One day a lady criticized D. L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord. Moody’s reply was “I agree with you. I don’t like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?” The lady replied, “I don’t do it.” Moody retorted, “Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

· Jesus was always focused on People:

o The Chapter opens with the Jewish “church people” of the day having a debate about who was baptizing more people.  Notice how Jesus responded in verse 3, “When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.”  Jesus’ focus was on people, not “churchy debates”.

· Jesus always was led by His Father’s will:

o Verse 4 tells us that Jesus had to go through Samaria.  Why? Normally The Jews avoided Samaria and went around it as they despised Samaritans.  The only reason to go through Samaria was to save time, approx. 1 ∏ days.  However, verse 40 tells us that those saved urged Jesus to stay and He did remain with them for 2 days.  Jesus did not go through Samaria to save time, but rather to save souls, as directed by His Father

· Jesus made a connection with those he was witnessing to:

o The woman at the well said in verse 19, “’Sir,’ the woman said,  ‘I can see that you are a prophet.’”  She was interested in what Jesus was saying to her.  This compelled her to inquire more about Him.

· Once a person repents, and accepts Christ, being a Christ follower, their priorities change:

o Why did the woman go to the well? She was going to get water, however, in verse 28 Scripture tells us that she ran into town, leaving her water pot behind.  You see, she thought she was going to the well to get water, when in fact, she went to the water to get well!

· People that are genuinely transformed by repentance and becoming a Christ Follower, want to share with others:

o In verse 29, the woman ran back to town and shared with others about Jesus, compelling them to go to Him. All this happened while the Disciples were in town buying food, and scripture doesn’t tell us about them witnessing to anyone.

· Sharing our faith is not dependent so much on what we say, as it is on people seeing Jesus in us:

o The Samaritans heard the woman’s “testimony.”  This word is where we get our English word, “Martyr” who is someone that is willing to die for what they believe.  The people saw Jesus in her.  Later on in this chapter the royal official’s son was healed after the man “took Jesus at His word.” He put his faith in what Jesus said.

Have you had an encounter with Jesus like this woman did?
If so, are you intentional about sharing your faith?

Want to read John Chapter 4?  Click here!

• We see in John 3:14-21 that the emphasis is on believing.  Salvation comes through faith (We know that because of what Eph. 2:8-9 says).  The evidence of salvation is the presence of the Spirit of God in our lives (Rom. 8:9) and the Spirit enters our lives when we believe (Acts 10:43-48 & Eph. 1:13-14).

• The religious leaders were obviously not submitting to the authority of Christ’s witness (John 3:11).  As we continue in our 21 Day Challenge, we will see the authority conflict increase.  The religious leaders claimed to believe Moses, yet they could not believe Jesus (John 5:37-47).  In fact, Jesus will later point out in John 8:39-44, that they were actually following Satan.

• John 3:14.  In Numbers 21 we are told the story of how the nation of Israel rebelled against God and had to be punished.  God sent fiery serpents that bit the people so that many died.  Moses interceded for the people and God provided a remedy.  He told Moses to make a brass serpent and lift it up on a pole for all to see.  Any person who looked at the serpent would immediately be healed.  When the people looked by faith, they were saved.  Just as the serpent was lifted up on that pole, so Jesus would be lifted up on a cross.  Why? To save us from sin and death. In the camp of Israel, the solution to death was in looking by faith at the uplifted serpent. In today’s world Romans 6:23 tells us that, “the wages of sin is death”.  But God sent His Son to die, not only for Israel, but for the world.  How can you be born again?  How can you be saved from eternal perishing?  By believing in the One (Jesus Christ) who was lifted up on the cross and by looking to Him in faith.

• The serpent in Moses’ day brought physical life to dying Jews, but Jesus Christ gives eternal life to anyone who trusts Him.

• John did not want anyone to follow him.  His ministry was to point to Jesus and to urge people to trust Him.

• “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  John 3:30

Want to read John Chapter 3?  Click here!

What did God show you?  Leave us a comment!