John 4:43-54. How to find faith

The writer of this gospel, John, is answering the question, ‘How can I find the way to have a faith?’ He has collected a series of different stories that can lead us to trust in Jesus. Different stories help different people but together they are very convincing. This is why a good way to find faith is to read through John’s gospel and keep asking yourself, ‘Is this really true? Is John being honest?’

It is clear that the purpose of including this story about the healing of the royal official’s son is to help people believe in Jesus. John uses the word ‘believe’ or its equivalent three times in this short story.

“ . . . you will never believe.” John 4:48

“The man took Jesus at his word . . .” John 4:50

“So he and his household believed.” John 4:53

The previous story had ended,

“We no longer believe because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.” John 4:42

Jesus continued his journey up through Samaria, where the people of Sychar had believed in him, and arrived at Cana in Galilee. This was where he and his disciples had attended a wedding so it is likely that there was a family connection there.

News of his arrival in Galilee must have travelled fast because a royal official, an officer in Herod’s service who lived in Capurnaum, was desperate to see Jesus. How he heard of Jesus we are not told but it could well be through official communications as by this time Jesus was having quite an effect on society. The distance between Capurnaum and Cana is 26.5 miles so to walk between the two towns would take four to five hours, but shorter if he went on horseback or by chariot. He was certainly determined to meet Jesus for just one reason, his reputation as an effective healer must have spread widely. The official’s son was dangerously ill and he was desperate for help.

“When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.” John 5:47

A provocative statement

The response of Jesus to this request for help is striking, Jesus is addressing the attitude of the Jewish people as a whole but not that of the official. He is frustrated by the naive faith of people

“ ‘Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,’ Jesus told them, ‘you will never believe.’” John 5:48

The Greek word for ‘you’ is in the plural, so the request must have been made in a public place and Jesus was using the occasion to speak more widely. He does not want to be followed because of his healing powers but because of who he is, the very Son of God. Already Jesus was despairing of the superficiality of the people. They were ready to follow anyone so long as they are impressive. The same happens today. Earlier John had written about this problem.

“Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.” John 2:23-24

A recent example concerning how easy it is for people to believe superficially in someone concerns Alph Lukau who heads up Alleluia ministries in South Africa. He had a wide following as a healer. However when a video of him raising a dead man went viral, the fraud was exposed. A supposedly dead man was brought into the centre of a large meeting in a coffin and, after being prayed over, he sat up and stepped out of the coffin. The undertaker who sold the coffin denies any knowledge of the supposedly dead man. Even members of his ministry have accused him of fraud. At a previous meeting he had prayed for several people who were said to be wheel-chair bound and they all stood up. Another member, who has since left that ministry, admitted that this was staged. What is so incredible is that thousands of people are conned by such theatrical performances. Look at the massive following that many healing evangelists, who speak with great charisma and confidence, have obtained. People are truly gullible.

Jesus himself was able to perform remarkable miracles, the like of which have never been repeated. He raised dead people and healed the sick of conditions that we are not able to heal even with all our advances in modern science, the blind saw and the paralysed walk. However he was concerned that his fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies that would identify the Messiah would result in a shallow emotional faith and not the sort of belief in him that is necessary for salvation. Being enthralled by the spectacular is not the same as being convinced about who Jesus is.

This, the second miraculous sign John records was intended to lead people to faith in Jesus as the giver of eternal life.

Jesus repeatedly warns people not to be seduced by the spectacular.

“Watch out that no-one deceives you.” Mark 13:5

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect – if that were possible. So be on your guard.” Mark 13:22

The opening words of Jesus were,

“The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Mark 1:15

This is always the message of the true church. It is God’s eternal kingdom that is our concern. Only those who repent and turn to Christ by believing that he is God’s good news, God’s gospel, that will be saved. Healers and false teachers always emphasise health and prosperity in this life.

In Jesus’ day and ever since there have been superficial peddlers of signs and wonders ministry. Simon Magus was one example. The pseudo apostles troubling the church at Corinth were another.

Enquiries by school inspectors into Church of England schools show that most children have given up believing the gospel stories by the time they reach their early teens. There are many reasons for this but false teachers certainly do not help! However they do believe in Superman and Superwoman, Batman and Flash Gordon, almost to the extent that they think this sort of world exists. Could this be why so many are duped by the so called miracle working ministers? It says something of our age that people are more willing to believe in flying saucers than in the deity of Jesus Christ.

Joseph Smith was raised in a troubled family that were constantly looking for buried treasure to improve their lot in life. He had some links to a church but he then claimed to have come across two golden plates on a hill outside New York with hieroglyphics on them that nobody could understand. Significantly no-one was shown these plates. By chance he then comes across some angelic spectacles and, when he put these on, he could decipher the hieroglyphics which supposedly told the story about the early history of America. Needless to say there is no archeological or scientific evidence to support these stories. Yet this false prophet founded the Mormon Church, also called the Church of the Latter Day Saints and at the end of 2020 this had 16,663,663 members. Included in this group are many respectable people. The point is that people do not need much in the way of evidence to succumb to impressive rhetoric and presence.

In the real world many of us are used to reading the flashy Curriculum Vitae of job applicants. They tell of the remarkable gifts of the applicant and all that they can offer their prospective employer but the question needs to be asked why they lost their last job after only 11 months! Yet those same people can so easily be duped by people making false spiritual claims As Shakespeare wisely said in ‘The Merchant of Venice’,

“All that glisters is not gold.”

Portia is a beautiful, virtuous, wealthy woman who is being wooed by numerous suitors. She is not free to decide on her own whom she will marry because her late father stipulated in his will that she must marry the man who correctly picks the one casket (out of three) that contains her picture. One casket is gold, another is silver, and the third is made of lead. The Prince of Morocco is one in a long line of suitors who tries to win Portia's hand, and he decides that it would demean Portia to have her picture in anything other than a gold casket, and so he chooses that one. As he unlocks it, he is dismayed to find a picture, not of Portia but of Death, with a message written in its hollow eye:

"All that glisters is not gold;

Often have you heard that told.

Many a man his life hath sold

But my outside to behold.

Gilded tombs do worms enfold."

With a grieving heart the Prince takes hasty leave of Portia, who is happy to see him go, saying, "A gentle riddance."

Oh that people today would not look for outward glory, health and wealth but for peace with God. Oh for that discernment that asks,

“Do I trust this person. Does his private life support his claim to godliness?”

Our decision about Jesus and all he did and said should not depend on flashy miracles but on the deeper question,

“Do I trust this man? Is he telling me the truth?”

Jesus made such extraordinary claims. He said he is equal to God and before entering his world was with God. He said that three days after being killed he will rise from the dead. He said that he teaches God’s truth for all people and that our eternal destiny is in his hands. The big picture is neither proved nor disproved by little miracles, signs and wonders!

What is happening in our country? Jos Ackland was the father of seven. In 1982 his son, Paul, died from chronic heroine abuse. The report about what happened is scary. When he was fourteen he was approached by the drug pusher outside his school gate in Highgate. The report says,

“Every single child in secondary school will be offered drugs in the next two years, if not already.”

If Christians stood at the school gates giving out a Christian booklet explaining the claims of Christ we would be criticised, but we would be offering life. So while the church sleeps these evil people stand there offering hell and death. It took fifteen years for Paul Ackland to die! The article ends,

“One of the few things that will bring men back to their senses is a discovery of God.”

This is similar to the statement by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn when receiving the Templeton Prize when he analysed what is going wrong both in Russia and in the West,

“Men have forgotten God!”

The official is not drawn by what Jesus has said. He has a real need and knows that Jesus can help him.

“Sir, come down before my child dies.” John 4:49

This does not sound like fiction. The official doesn’t try to defend or justify himself. This is simply the desperate cry of a father really concerned for his very sick son. Few will really find God until they become desperate.

A challenging statement

The official clearly thinks that the physical presence of Jesus meeting his son is what was needed. He is in for a shock. God is not limited to space and time and Jesus wants him to understand who he really is.

“Jesus replied, ‘You may go. Your son will live.” John 4:50

Did the man think ‘he is playing with me’!. He, an official, had asked Jesus to come with him. He could have said,

“Don’t you know who I am!”

There are many today who think they are too important and special to believe Jesus. However Jesus surely means,

“You don’t need my physical presence. My spiritual presence is what is needed. I give you my word, ‘Your son will live.’”

John wrote his gospel after the resurrection, to answer people’s questions. He wanted to help those who ask,

“How can I put my trust in Jesus whom I have never met? It is so hard when I cannot talk with him, hear him speak and follow him.”

One of the reasons John must have included this story is to help those who have this concern. Jesus is saying that all we need is the word of God. Today we can meet Jesus in the Scriptures, in both the Old and New Testaments. What I need to do is to trust that word. This is why John introduces Jesus as ‘The Word of God’,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1-2

A living faith

Faith is taking Jesus at his word and living my life in obedience to what he says. Faith is going to Jesus and acknowledging his authority over me and saying to him that I will start a new life obeying him. Faith for us starts in exactly the same way that it did for the official, he made a decision and acted on it.

It was listening to what Jesus said that changed his life. Later Jesus acknowledged that it was all too easy to see Jesus and even be impressed by him but not follow what he says:

“But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.” John 6:36

The official believed what Jesus had said to him and acted on it. He went home. It was only later that he received the evidence that what Jesus said was true.

“The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” John 4:50

What a wonderful verse this is – he took Jesus at his word. That is still the way to life. It was only as he was travelling home that his servants came to meet the official with the good news.

“The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”

The seventh hour was 1pm, the heat of the day.

“Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’” John 4:52-53

Jesus says the same to each of us. “If you come to me I won’t drive you away.” So I come to Jesus believing his word to me. Christians know that, in spite of being unacceptable to God because of the way we have lived, yet in Christ, we can be accepted into God’s family and into his eternity. This is a great example of living by faith.

What a joy it must have been for that official to reach home and see his healthy son, full of beans, coming out to greet him. What would he think of Jesus then?

The faith is passed on

John now gives us a wonderful insight that is easily overlooked. It demonstrates what a real faith will result in.

“So he and his household believed.” John 4:53

Any person who has faith in Jesus will want to share the news about who he is and what he offers. The official had heard God’s word and acted on it. The result was that he had become a believer. Similarly when we take Jesus at his word we experience a new life and we also have become believers.

So this passage is,

1. A challenge to superficiality – is it what God says that really interests me?

2. A test – will I believe God’s word about my sin and my need for Christ?

3. A reminder - if I am now a believer, will I share what Jesus has done for me with my family and friends so that they also can become believers?

BVP

John 4:34-36. Jesus’s Food

Jesus had gone out of his way to talk to the Samaritan woman at Sychar. When his disciples returned from a visit to collect food from the town, they were surprised to see that Jesus was demeaning himself and was talking with a woman, and a Samaritan at that. Although they did not ask directly, they were fascinated to know why Jesus had broken the social taboos and entered into a conversation with her.

The answer came from a strange direction. The woman herself left the water jar at the well and returned urgently to the town to tell those she met that she had found someone very special, “Could this be the Christ?” she asked them. Back at the well the disciples were more interested in their stomachs and suggested that Jesus should eat. It would have been most improper for them to eat without him. It was at this point that Jesus said something very profound. He claimed he had another means of being satisfied and that was sharing the gospel of forgiveness, the gospel about himself. Jesus said,

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34

The next paragraph makes it abundantly clear what he meant by ‘God’s work’.

“Do you not say, ‘Four months and then the harvest’? I tell you open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” John 4:35-36

There is, according to Jesus, great joy to be found in bringing people into the Kingdom of God. Much hard preparatory teaching work will need to be done. The seed of the word of God needs to be planted. But at some stage the harvest needs to be brought in. People must be asked to make a decision as to what they will do with Jesus Christ. On their response hangs their eternal destiny.

We only have to look at the faces of those involved in the tough and sometimes lonely work of evangelism to realise the obvious joy they experience as people make decisions of commitment to Christ. It is a thrilling and exciting work.

Jesus clearly felt very sorry for all those who were under pressures of all kinds but saw no answers for their lives - who had no saviour. He frequently said that the main pressure we are under is because we are people living independently of our God. He used the word ‘sinners’ for this miserable state. How he longed for more people to go out to the public and explain where the answer lies.

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:35-38

Such work demands a determined mindset. It is all too easy to be knocked off our firm position that everyone needs to be in Christ. This is why the apostle Paul, a brilliant example of someone committed to this task and who had experienced many of the problems, said,

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

BVP

John 4:4-42. What is the Gospel?

Can a person know they are right with God and if so how can they be sure? There is certainly a false assurance, where people think that because they belong to a certain organisation, church or hold certain doctrines that they are safe or saved. A Barna survey in the United States revealed that 75% of those asked said they were Christians. Yet Jesus said that at the last judgment there will be many such people who will be disillusioned.

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven . . . Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!” Matthew 7:21-23

How tragic it would be to go through life thinking you are saved only to get the ‘Thumbs down’ at the final judgment.

A lady recently interviewed on the radio said,

“What I value is sacramental assurance.”

In other words she believed that because she took Christian sacraments regularly in her church she was assured of salvation. However it is possible to receive the sacraments without being personally committed to Jesus Christ. The only basis for assurance is to ‘have the Son’ which means to believe in or be committed to the Son.

John wrote his first letter to remind readers how they could be sure that their name is written in the lamb’s book of life.

“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:12-13

In his gospel John selected just seven of the many miracles Jesus performed and linked these with selected portions of his teaching in order to convince people who Jesus was.

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

This verse makes it clear that we need to be convinced of who Jesus is, so that we may put our trust in him. It is this personal relationship that results in us being given eternal life. This has been described as the ‘ABC’ of the gospel.

1. Acts of Jesus - lead us to

2. Believe in who Jesus is – leads us to

3. Conversion to Christ and the gift of eternal life

We will see this same ABC in chapter four of John’s gospel where Jesus has a remarkable private discussion with a woman of Samaria.

JESUS’ AGENDA

1. “Now he (Jesus) had to go through Samaria.” John 4:4

The reason for this was the deep-seated antagonism between the Jews and Samaritans. The Jews considered Samaritans ‘unclean’. Yet the land of Samaria separated Judah in the south from Galilee in the north. People travelling north from Judah to Galilee had one of two options. They could camp overnight in North Judea, near the border of Galilee, get up early and rush through Samaria talking to no-one. The alternative was to make a detour to the east and travel north on the eastern bank of the river Jordan, so keeping well away from Samaria.

Yet Jesus chose to defy protocol and travel openly through the land of Samaria. There he stops to speak to a woman! Why? The only possible answer was that he intended to meet with this woman. This is a major theme of the Bible. God himself seeks out individuals to belong to his kingdom.

2. “Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.” John 4:6

Jesus was very human. It was midday, and in the heat of the day he felt hot, tired and thirsty. It is important to remember that Jesus was just as human as we are, he faced all the temptations and problems that we face. Yet he always behaved as his heavenly Father wanted him to.

3. “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus says to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?” John 4:7

Here Jesus breaks with Jewish convention and speaks to an unclean person, and a woman at that! The disciples had been sent into the city to buy some food, again contrary to standard religious practice. The woman picks up on these irregularities.

4. “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans).” John 4:9

Jesus had a purpose that transcended religious protocol. Jesus longed that this woman should understand who he is, believe in him and so receive eternal life.

5. “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

The greatest gift God has given us is his Son, the Lord Jesus. He can give living water, eternal life, to whoever he wills. The woman therefore needs to understand who Jesus really is.

The recurrent problem of God’s people is that we turn away from a close walk with our heavenly Father to go our own independent way. We have our own religions that neither satisfy nor have eternal benefit. Around 600BC the prophet Jeremiah warned God’s people about this problem of relying on their religion for protection.

“My people have committed two sins; they have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13

The ‘spring of living water’ that God’s people had forsaken was God himself. The cisterns they had built were man-made religions. This message is so important. If I enter into a relationship with Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, he becomes the source of eternal life – the spring of living water.

Alan Godson loved the Lord Jesus and longed to point people of all faiths and religious groups back to Him. One day he was talking with a man who had won an Olympic Gold Medal in the mile race. After gaining the athlete’s confidence he asked a straight question,

“Are you going to spend the rest of your life running round in circles?”

“What do you mean?” the athlete replied.

This led into a discussion about the purpose of life and the importance of recognising who Jesus is from his life, death and resurrection. This gold medallist did come to believe in Jesus and consequently was given eternal life. He was later ordained so that he could spend his whole life passing on the glorious message of salvation through Christ.

The response of the woman at Samaria was strange. Was she trying to change the subject or had she completely misunderstood? She was thinking literally. How could Jesus give her holy water, magic water, if he had no bucket?

“’Sir’, the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself?’” John 4:11-12

Her question asking about Jesus’ identity is the most important question ever. “Are you greater than our father Jacob?”

Jesus explains that he is speaking spiritually. He is not talking about literal water that just temporarily satisfies a physical thirst.

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst again. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of living water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Yet still she misunderstands. She seems to think that eternal life means an easier life now.

“Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:15

There is clearly something about Jesus that makes his offer attractive, even though she has not understood. Many like the idea of eternal life but, like this lady, need to understand more.

THE WOMAN’S NEED

The next lesson she needs to learn is the horrendous implications of sin.

“Go, call your husband and come back.”

“I have no husband.”

“”You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is that you have had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” John 4:16-18

No-one can mislead God. Jesus knows all about her private life, just as he knows about the private lives of you and me. He knows exactly what we think and do. He knows what is on our conscience. This revelation clearly had a deep impact on the woman. Later she said to inhabitants of the town,

“He told me everything I ever did.” John 4:39

This is an astonishing discovery. Jesus somehow knows all about her private life. She clearly felt God’s finger pointing at her. Jesus does this to the people he confronts, even today. He reveals our primary need. Later Jesus said to Martha who was concerned that her sister Mary was sitting listening to Jesus when she was doing all the work,

“Martha, Martha, . . . you are worried and upset about many things, but only thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

Nothing is more important to God than that Jesus should be central to our lives. To the rich young ruler who was concerned about how he could inherit eternal life, Jesus said,

“One thing you lack, ‘Go, sell all you have . . . Then come follow me.” Mark 10:21

Most of us find it very hard to face up to our failings and particularly our need for God’s forgiveness. Deep down we do admire ourselves. A Mexican was arrested when standing outside a police station. He was admiring a ‘Wanted’ poster with his own picture on it.

The Samaritan woman needed to face up to her sin.

THE WOMAN’S WRONG RELIGION

The woman recognised that Jesus was a prophet but this caused some concern because she was a Samaritan.

“Sir, . . . I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place we must worship is in Jerusalem.” John 4:20

She was looking at externals. She has not understood that God wants heart centred worship but that must be based on the truth of God’s complete Word, the Bible. The Samaritans only recognised the first five books of the Bible as authoritative and even these were understood in a partisan way. Today there are many pseudo-Christian groups, such as the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons, who say that they follow the Bible but in practice their ruling authorities proscribe how the Bible is to be understood.

In today’s post-modern era, it seems strange for Jesus to be so critical of this woman’s religious beliefs. Today most radio and television programmes suggest that all faiths are equally valid because they all have a strong ethic that their people are encouraged to live by. This view that all religions have similar value is called ‘syncretism’. But Jesus totally rejects such thinking. All roads do not lead to God. He alone is the answer to our sin. There is no-one else who can give us the status of being righteous. Yet how many people today try to avoid facing up to the claims of Jesus by hiding behind their religion or denomination?

Jesus simply says that her religion is wrong.

“You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.” John 4:22

This is striking as a large part of the gospels is spent showing that orthodox Judaism, typified by the Pharisees, have also missed the point. Jesus is saying that the basis of Jewish belief, the Scriptures is the right basis; they are all God’s Word. Salvation is from the Jews. Jesus himself, the Saviour of the world is Jewish. However the Jews had failed to recognise that Jesus as God’s Messiah and they had overlooked that the whole of the Old Testament is building up to his coming. However temple worship is not the means of salvation.

“Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father, neither on this mountain not in Jerusalem. . . Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24

This teaching is so profound. The question needs to be asked why Jesus shared this vital information with a Samaritan woman whose morals were lacking. It does demonstrate that the God of the universe is concerned for and loves a wayward Samaritan woman. Jesus clearly knew that this conversation would be recorded in the Scriptures so it mattered little to whom he told these truths.

Jesus knew that the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70 AD. The temple, just like some cathedrals and churches, was concerned with majestic externals of music, dignity, liturgy, architecture and dress. Yet God says that true worship must be ‘in spirit and in truth’.

1. ‘In spirit’ means it must be based on a personal submission to God – I must repent and commit myself to trusting, following and obeying God.

2. ‘In truth’ means that God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. We only know of the character and teaching of Jesus through what his apostles have written in Scripture. These are ‘the very words of God’ (Romans 3:2. There is therefore no true worship if the Scriptures is not the sovereign overriding authority. No church authority or church leader is over Scripture.

THE WOMAN NEEDS JESUS

The kingdom of God that Jesus introduced is so named because God’s king had come to earth. Without the Lord Jesus being my king, I cannot be a member of his kingdom.

As this chapter was read through, did you notice how the woman’s understanding develops?

v. 6 Jesus is seen as just a man, tired and thirsty.

v. 9 Jesus is different from others – he speaks to a Samaritan woman.

v. 13 Jesus is an intriguing teacher

v. 19 Jesus is a prophet - ‘Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.’

v. 25 She acknowledges that a Messiah is coming

v. 26 Jesus tells her who he really is, “I who speak to you am he.” Jesus could not be clearer.

v. 39 She believes in Jesus and passes the message and evidence on.

v. 42 The Samaritans from the town spend two days listening to Jesus and they also believe.

“They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the World.”

This is the Bible’s message, salvation is for all people, whatever their nationality or religion, whatever their moral past is like. A new start is available to all. Anyone can worship the King in spirit and in truth.

The following imaginary conversation, between an early Christian living in Rome and her neighbour, demonstrates the radical difference in thinking Jesus introduced.

“Ah,” the neighbour says, “I hear you have become religious. It is a great thing to be religious. Where is your temple or holy place?”

“We do not have a temple. Jesus is our temple.”

“No temple? But where do your priests work and do their rituals?”

“We don’t have priests to mediate the presence of God. Jesus is our priest.”

“No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favour of your God?”

“We don’t need any more sacrifices. Jesus was our one and only sacrifice.”

“What kind of religion is this?” the pagan neighbour splutters.

“It’s no kind of religion at all.”

Such a conversation could occur today. People still cannot understand who Jesus is, what he achieved on that cross as our substitute for sin and that what he expects of us is a personal relationship with him as our Saviour and Lord.

Verse 39 has the same three threads of the gospel ‘ABC’ that run throughout John’s entire book about Jesus.

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ John 4:39

The woman gave her evidence concerning the Activities of Jesus, the result was that many Believed. Jesus stayed two more days and because of Jesus’ teaching many more believed. The result of their believing is Conversion to Christ with the gift of eternal life.

“Indeed the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

The main lessons we must all learn from this account are therefore,

1. We are all sinners – yet God still loves you and me, as the very best of Fathers does, and calls each of us to follow him.

2. Jesus is the only source of eternal life. This is his gift to all who turn to him and ask him to be in charge of their lives. Only a spiritual, personal, Christ-centred faith is acceptable to God. Outward religion itself does not impress the maker of the universe. There must be a spiritual link with Jesus who alone is the truth. Without this relationship with Jesus religious sacraments only give a false hope.

3. If we really believe in Jesus we will share with others the great news about him, just as this woman of Samaria did.

The lessons Jesus teaches here are very simple but also very important.

BVP

John 4:1-26. Thirsting for Life?

In June 1945 the new battleship, USS Indianapolis, was travelling from Guam to the Philippines in the preparation for the invasion of Japan. There were no escort ships as it passed through enemy infested seas. Disaster struck. She was hit by two torpedoes and sank within twelve minutes. Surprisingly nine hundred, of the total crew of twelve hundred, escaped into life boats. However after four days of drifting on the hot seas only three hundred sailors were left alive. What had killed them? The ship’s doctor, Dr. Louis Haynes, wrote in his memoirs that the biggest problem wasn’t the Japanese, wasn’t the sharks, but was thirst.

“There was nothing I could do to keep the men from drinking saltwater. When the hot sun came out, in the midst of this crystal clear water, you couldn't believe it wasn't good enough to drink. I remember striking one of the men with an oar to try and get him to stop drinking. Young ones, in hope, will drink the saltwater and then they would become more dehydrated and then they would die.”

In the remarkable discussion that Jesus has with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, he invites her, and us all, to question the water we're drinking. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah referred to the same problem.

“My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13

In Jeremiah’s day, people had forgotten the Lord who had saved them and had moved elsewhere. They had turned to other sources to try and find satisfaction. The containers that they had dug out for themselves were broken and could not satisfy. They had forgotten God.

We all have an insatiable thirst. We are surrounded by things that offer satisfaction in the short-term. Careers, power, family life, hobbies, sports, and even religious activities can satisfy us - in the short-term. These are like the crystal clear waters and can look so promising and refreshing. We imbibe them, and even worship them, but they still leave us thirsty.

David Foster Wallace, an award winning American post-war author and not a Christian, was giving a lecture to some graduates at Kenyon College. He said,

“In the day-to-day trenches of adult life there isn't such a thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping; we all worship, everyone worships. The only choice we get is what we worship. The compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of God is that pretty much everything else you worship will eat you alive.”

So it is not whether we worship but what we worship, not whether we drink but what we drink. The question is, ‘Can what we worship deliver or will it leave you thirsty?’

Life can leave us thirsty

As Jesus began to teach in Jerusalem and around Judaea, the Pharisees became jealous and Jesus felt it right to move back to Galilee in the north again. The quickest route was through Samaria, although most people preferred to take the longer route bypassing Samaria and travelling up the Jordan Valley. John adds an interesting detail,

“Now he had to go through Samaria.” John 4:4

Why was this? It could be that he feared meeting opposition on the common route but it seems more likely that he felt he had to meet this woman and have this conversation with her. God certainly does organise affairs so that people can meet Jesus. As Jesus and his disciples walked north under the hot sun, they became thirsty and hungry. They approached the town of Sychar and Jesus sent his disciples into the town to buy some food whilst he went to the well outside the town. It was midday and Jesus felt tired from the long walk.

The water was at the bottom of this deep well but help was at hand; a Samaritan woman approached on her own. She had a bucket with her so Jesus opened the conversation by asking her for a drink. The woman was shocked, it was against their social convention for a man to talk to woman in public and especially for a Jew to speak with a Samaritan, as Jews considered them to be heretics. Furthermore this woman seemed to be an outcast. The usual practice was for a group of women to come and collect water together in the cool of the day; this woman had come alone and at midday. The probable reason for her isolation is given later, she had been married five times and she was not married to her present partner.

We're not told that cause of these multiple marriage break-ups but it would seem likely that she had moved from one relationship to another looking for love, peace and security. This story reveals that she was not only physically thirsty but also spiritually thirsty. Jesus claims to be the solution to her deepest spiritual needs and said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Jesus is saying that he can give her life, love, and security in its fulness. The woman doesn't realise that Jesus is not talking about a literal well:

“‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?’” John 4:11

Jesus's reply is profound:

“‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but 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 4:13-14

Nothing else will satisfy our thirst for long. A recent article has compared life in the United Kingdom today with that of the 1950s. Now there is far more entertainment and sexual activity and yet people are unhappier. There is no comparison - people are looking for ‘life’ in the wrong place. The source of real life is God. We have the same problem that Jeremiah described. We dig our own cisterns. We take the good things in life that God has given us such as romantic relationships, career or even family, and put on them weights they cannot possibly bear.

Good things become ‘god things’, good things become our idols.

David Foster Wallace continued his profound speech.

“If you worship money and things, if that's where you tap into the real meaning of life, then you will never have enough, you will never feel you have enough. It's the truth - worship your own body and beauty and sexy allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start to show you will die a million deaths before your family even plant you into the ground. Worship power and you'll end up feeling weak and afraid, you will need ever more power over others to numb you from your own fear. Worship your intellect and being seen to be smart and you will end up feeling stupid and a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they are unconscious, they are our default setting.”

We must surely all consider what ‘good things’ we cherish so much that they become ‘god things’. What really satisfies us? If our aim is success in the realm of status, family or even experiences then we will be spiritually thirsty. As we get older we increasingly realise that what we used to value is passing away. What or who will satisfy us as we are dying or afterward that? Jesus is clear there is a judgment to come. Drinking the wrong water can be deadly.

Jesus can quench our first John 4 v 10-26

Jesus said,

“‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but 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 4:13-14

The woman doesn't understand the metaphor Jesus is using. How can ‘The living water he offers well up to eternal life?’ This water is found not in place but in a relationship with our creator. It begins now and goes on for ever. Only Jesus offers this as he alone is our creator. She needs this living water, it can quench her spiritual thirst and make her spiritually clean.

At this point Jesus seems to change the subject. He says to her,

“Go, call your husband and come back.” John 4:16

This is so profound, Jesus is not trying to rub her face in her history of multiple failed relationships. Just the opposite, he wants to show her that she has a need for eternal life - just as he wants to show this to all of us.

The woman responds well, she is honest with Jesus.

“I have no husband.” John 4:17

Without an honesty before God no-one will ever find eternal life.

“You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What do you have just said is quite true.” John 4:17-18

From this insight the woman recognises that Jesus is someone special but his presence gives rise to a theological problem for her.

“I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” John 4:19

How easy it is to get into a theological dispute in order to divert a conversation. She's asking where people should go to meet God, should they go to the Samaritan mountain of Gerazim or go to Jerusalem? This was an old debate between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus is clear which side of the argument was right - in the past. The Old Testament is clear, there has been only one place to meet with God and that was in his temple in Jerusalem. However, all that was now changing because now God himself has entered his world. A relationship with Jesus is a relationship with God. He is the one person who can satisfy our spiritual thirst and wash us clean from the consequences of our sin. Rituals will be replaced by a relationship. Jesus said,

“Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet the time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:21-24

Today a church building or cathedral is not the temple of God, Jesus himself is now the temple. To be close to God, we need to live closely with Jesus. We worship not in a place but a person, it is not where we worship but who. That woman is now beginning to understand that God’s representative needs to be involved. She said,

“I know that the Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”| John 4:25

Jesus responds very simply and with absolute clarity,

“I who speak to you am he.” John 4:26

Nothing could be clearer, either for the Samaritan woman or for us. Life will leave us all thirsty but Jesus can quench this spiritual thirst.

Jesus was later to go to Jerusalem to die. Some of the last words he said on the cross are very significant,

“I am thirsty.” John 19:28

Again it would appear that Jesus is talking physically as well as spiritually. He took on himself our sin, our spiritual thirst so that we can enjoy his living water. He died that we might all be able to enjoy ‘life in its fullness’ into eternity.

The woman left her water jar

John does love to include details that have a double meaning.

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” John 4:28

That water jar symbolised that her old way of quenching her thirst was being left behind. She was now starting a new life because she has come to know Jesus.

Another consequence of knowing Jesus is that we, like this woman, will want our friends and family to come and meet Jesus too.

When we become Christians we start a new life and this is radically different. Our satisfaction is found in pleasing Jesus in all we do.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

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Based a talk given by Rev Andy Palmer at Christchurch Balham

John 3:22-36. Jesus Must Increase

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptised. 23 Now John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptised. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptising, and everyone is going to him.”

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God] gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

President Mobutu of Zaire was an arrogant man.  Every day, just before the evening news on television, he had a clip inserted showing himself descending from heaven on a cloud.

Contrast this with the sort of person God esteems.

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2

Many schools, colleges and established families have a motto that they hope will epitomise their members.  My school had the motto ‘Schola Bedfordiensis Floreat’, which means ‘The scholar of Bedford flourishes’. My college motto was more altruistic, ‘Quaerere Verum’ – ‘Seek the truth’.

Many mottos are inward looking and centre on ourselves.  Socrates great motto was, ‘Know thyself’.  Aristotle’s motto was, ‘Happiness depends upon ourselves’.  Shakespeare’s was, ‘Above all, to thine own self be true.’

However John the Baptist’s motto beats them all.

“He (Jesus) must become greater, I must become less.” John 3:30

This motto is all the more remarkable if the context is examined.

1.   THE BACKGROUND OF JEALOUSY   v. 22-26

Jesus had already attracted a large following of people.  He had started preaching and his disciples were baptising people.  At the same time John the Baptist was preaching and baptising at Salim, by the river Jordan.  He also had a strong following.  There were therefore two popular preachers, both involved in teaching and baptising.  A heated argument took place between followers of John and a certain Jew.  It was something to do with ceremonial washing.  Possibly the Jew was saying that baptism was essential for salvation and John’s disciples were saying that it was just a sign of what really mattered, repentance to God.

Whatever the cause of this argument, other deep concerns then come to the surface.  As a result some of John disciples came to John and complained about Jesus’ activities,

“Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about – well, he is baptising, and everyone is going to him.” John 3:26

We are not told how they expected John to react.  Did they expect him to arrange for a bigger and better band with more contemporary music to draw the crowds?  Should he order more posters or fliers to be taken around the towns?

In Manchester there are now two large, successful but rival football clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City.  Man. United have a great tradition of success.  Man City have also loads of money and have attracted top players.  Can you imagine Alex Ferguson of Man United saying to his players?

“They must become greater, we must become less.”

Selfishness is a fearful force within us all.  We live in a world full of jealousy and sin, yet people have such a poor understanding of what sin is.  The writer and Christian apologist, C.S.Lewis, was referring to the twentieth century when he said,

“The barrier I have met is the almost total absence from the minds of my audience of any sense of sin.”

Don Carson, an outstanding Christian teacher and theologian, was talking about the problems he found when sharing the Christian message in our universities today. He said,

“They know how to sin well enough, but they have no idea of what constitutes sin.”

John the Baptist’s response demonstrated what a clear understanding he had.  He recognised three important facts.

2.   JOHN’S PLACE IN GOD’S PLAN  v. 27-29

John was clearly a humble man. He replied to his disciples complaints by saying,

“A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.  You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him’.” John 3:27-28

John is clear that he is just a witness, a forerunner, a spotlight or the announcer of the main event.  In essence he is saying, ‘My role is just to introduce God’s Messiah, God’s chosen king.’  John then illustrates this with the analogy from a wedding.

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom.  The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens to him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.  That joy is mine and it is now complete.  He must become greater.  I must become less.” John 3:29-30

The role of the best man at a wedding is to make sure that the whole occasion goes well. He is thrilled when his friend, the bridegroom, arrives to find everything in place and the guests having an enjoyable time.  Nothing is worse than a wedding where someone upstages the bride and groom, whether the vicar, a hysterical mother or particularly the best man in his speech!

John the Baptist knows his place.  His joy comes from giving Jesus centre stage, his satisfaction comes when Jesus is honoured.

“That joy is mine and it is now complete.” John 1:29

In a similar way we all need to recognise our role in God’s world.  God has chosen us to serve him as his ambassadors, wherever we are.  The gifts we each have are gifts from God.  The opportunities we have are allowed us by God.  Even our successes are attributable to God.  It is very dangerous to believe that any success I have is due to my abilities and hard work.  Everything we have is a gift of God and, like John the Baptist, we should let ourselves be used to enhance the reputation of the Lord Jesus.

Eventually I will stand before the judgment seat of God.  How embarrassing it would be if my life had been spent putting myself in the centre and I had stolen the limelight from Jesus.  It is therefore important that we each ask ourselves,

“Is my focus more on extolling my achievements and skills than on Jesus and his love for other people?”

This is also important for us, when we feel low, insecure, eclipsed by others or feel generally useless about ourselves.  If my focus is on Jesus, and using what I have to serve him, and not on myself and my problems, then everything changes.  It is very liberating to recognise that we have all been given a place in God’s big plan.

Please don’t overlook the little word ‘must’ in verse 30,

‘Jesus must become greater, I must become less.’

This word is not optional for those who believe in Jesus – it is essential.  Jesus must receive the glory from my life.

3.   THE INCOMPARABLE GREATNESS OF JESUS CHRIST  v. 31-35

Many scholars consider that verses 31 to 36 are a commentary by John the apostle on what has gone before.

These verses describe the heart of the gospel and extol Jesus.who is so worthy of the highest honour.  Jesus came into this world from God, from heaven.  He is completely different from everything that is of this world even from John the Baptist.

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth.  The one who comes from heaven is above all.” John 3:31

We may admire deeply heroes of our day, such as David Cameron, David Beckham, Alastair Cook, Rory McIlroy, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and the like, but compared to Jesus these are insignificant.  Dust returns to dust.

Remember how John’s record of the gospel starts,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made . . .” John 1:1-3

‘The Word’ is the name given to Jesus, the second person of the Trinity.  He personifies the Godhead.  He verbalises what God wants us to know, hence he is called ‘The Word’.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. .“ John 1:14

How can people be certain about Jesus?  After all, he lived two thousand years ago.  People have claimed that crop circles are caused by UFOs and extraterrestrial beings.  What is the evidence? Jesus certainly claimed to be God.  Many people, even his enemies, confirmed that he did astounding miracles that have never been repeated.  He was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy because he claimed to be God’s Messiah.  He lived a heavenly life on earth – so much so that even his enemies could not accuse him of any sin.  He was unique. His disciples were convinced that he rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion just as he had foretold – so much so that they gave their lives in order to convince the world about Jesus.  He fulfilled the 330 prophecies in the Old Testament that give details about the Messiahs birth, lineage, life and death.  He started a church that rapidly spread throughout the known world against much opposition– without there being the miracles and the resurrection this is very hard to explain.  The content of what Jesus taught is exceptional and resonates with our spiritual instincts.  People who have followed him personally find their lives, morals and purpose changes.

Many people have been convinced about Jesus simply by reading about his life and what he said.

“For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God. . . “ John 3:34

Jesus’ whole life demonstrated the Spirit of God in its fullness.

“ . . . for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” John 3:34-35

Here we have another glimpse of the Trinity, the Father, Son and Spirit working together in perfect harmony.  Jesus has come from the Father in heaven.  He is full of the Spirit of God.  He alone teaches with the direct authority of God.  He alone acts with divine power; everything is in his hands.

No wonder John the Baptist said,

“He must become greater, I must become less.”

William Carey, the great Baptist missionary, who became the father of modern missions, said something similar,

“When I’m gone, don’t talk of William Carey, talk of William Carey’s Saviour.  I desire that Christ alone be magnified.”

At the beginning of John chapter 3 we met Nicodemus.  He first came to Jesus at night, perhaps as an enquirer, perhaps rather ashamed.  When we next meet him is clearly sympathetic.  The Chief Priests and Pharisees were angry that no soldier had dared to arrest Jesus as they had ordered.  They retorted,

“Has any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed in him? No!” John 7:48

At this point Nicodemus, who was one of their own number (a Pharisee) spoke up.

“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”  They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee too?’” John 7:51

By the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, Nicodemus’ love for Jesus is obvious.  He openly aligns himself with him. Jesus had been executed as a blasphemer and a threat to society, and yet Nicodemus, along with Joseph of Arimathea, wants to give him a proper burial (John 10:39-40).  It was Nicodemus who brought around seventy five pounds in weight of spices and the two of them wrapped up Jesus’ body, with the spices, using strips of cloth.  This was a very large amount of spices for one burial; such a weight would be used in Royal burials.

Nicodemus was willing to face the ridicule of his fellow Pharisees.  He understood,

“He must become greater and I must become less.”

All of us need to understand the necessity of this motto.  Jesus is incomparably great and true Christians desire his glory to increase so we, his servants, must become less.

ETERNITY IS AT STAKE

These are very serious matters.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36

If God loves his Son so much and has placed everything into his hands; if God’s Holy Spirit has been given to His Son without limit – then it is obvious that my relationship with God depends on how I relate to His Son, Jesus Christ.

When I was doing jury service recently one of my roles as a juror was to determine whose evidence was less that completely reliable.  It could have serious consequences if we misread someone’s testimony.  It is even more serious if we mistake Jesus for being an untruthful witness.

“He (Jesus) testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no-one accepts his testimony.” John 3:32

The reason why we reject Jesus is not because there is good evidence against him, it is because we do not like what he says.  Such wilful stupidity will be very costly indeed.

“Whoever believes the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36

God’s wrath is not arbitrary, but the righteous response of a Holy God when he sees his Holy Son, full of the holy Spirit, rejected for no good reason.

I love my wife very much indeed. Imagine that she goes round to visit a newcomer to the area on behalf of the church.  She introduces herself and is immediately shouted at, spat on, kicked, slapped and ridiculed.  Surely it would be wrong if I did not feel a righteous anger at such malicious treatment.

In a far bigger way, God sent his Son and he was rejected and murdered in a cruel way.  Mankind rejected and killed the creator of the universe.  So we are subject to God’s wrath.

The great news is that God is also a loving god, full of grace and mercy.  He introduced himself to Moses on Mount Sinai with the words,

“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished . . .” Exodus 34:6

The wonderful news is that God has promised to all who repent and live under the authority of Jesus, that our rebellion is forgotten.  The penalty we deserve has been taken by Jesus on that cross.  He took the wrath of God on himself so that we can now be free, just because we belong to Jesus.

Mark Ashton was the vicar of St Andrews the Great Church in the centre of Cambridge.  He had some trouble with his gall bladder and had a routine operation to remove it.  Horror of all horrors, they found he had inoperable cancer.  Mark was a very gifted man who had become a Christian at university, and those first five months were, he said, the best five months of his life.  Before he died he wrote a short pamphlet about his imminent death.  He titled it ‘On my way to Heaven’.  It included the following,

“Despite the very great strength of human love, it cannot destroy death.  There is only one relationship that can do that.”

It is in terms of relating to Jesus that I must understand my death.  Jesus will be the same, indeed he will be more real, more true than he has ever been before.  It is his voice that will call me into his presence and he himself will take me to be with him that I may be with him forever.

He is the first and he is the last, he is the beginning and the end.

It has been said that for the believer, the end of the world is more a person than an event.  That is certainly true at the end of my life.  My death may be the event with which this physical life on earth ends but it will also be the moment at which my relationship with Jesus becomes complete.

That relationship is the only thing that has made sense of my physical life and at my death it will be my everything.”

Mark was a man who had a real relationship with Jesus.  He knew he had been given eternal life and that had started when he first trusted in Jesus Christ.

“. . . whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” John 3:36

Christian belief is nothing less than a personal relationship with Jesus.

• Accepting the Christian Creed is not accepting Jesus

• Acknowledging Christian truths are not adoring Jesus

• We can worship religiously but not worship Jesus

• We can accept Christian morals but not acknowledge Jesus

• We can observe Christian traditions but not obey Jesus

• We can try to live a Christian life but not have a personal trust in Jesus

May no reader of this article be satisfied with creeds, truths, morals or religious observance and fail to enter a personal relationship with Jesus for ourselves, trusting that he alone can take me to glory.

Whoever rejects a personal relationship with the Son, however nice, pleasant and ethical they may be, will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.  There are just two roads,

1. Believe in Jesus, in which case Jesus must become greater and I must become less. His cause, his glory is now my purpose.

2. Magnify myself so that I become greater in this world.

We must each decide whether we will imitate Jesus, His apostles, and people like William Carey and Mark Ashton.  The apostle Paul had made that decision,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

May I ask you to decide if you will join forces with others committed to Christ. Will you help point others to the incomparable greatness of Jesus and show them how they may receive eternal life through faith in him?

BVP

John 3:16-21. Why don’t people believe?

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

When I was a medical student at The London Hospital, I had a good friend who was interested in finding answers to life’s questions. One evening we had a long discussion, going over the evidence that Jesus is God’s Messiah who entered this world to be our Saviour. At the end I asked him if he would like to commit himself to Jesus Christ. He replied,

“No. It is not that the evidence isn’t convincing but, frankly, I don’t want to believe as it will mean changing the way I live.”

He was very honest. This passage helps us understand what Nick had misunderstood and why he had chosen to reject Jesus. John 3:16 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible but few understand why it was so shocking to Nicodemus and to many religious people today.

GOD SO LOVED

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher defined God as the ‘uncaused’. His God was an immensely powerful creator. The Bible does not want people to regard God in such a limited way. He is majestically powerful but wants to be known as a loving heavenly Father. At the beginning of Genesis God has a close relationship with the people he created, Adam and Eve. Throughout the Bible, there is a repeated emphasis is on the close relationship he wants with all people.

Notice how this passage starts,

“God so loved . . .” John 3:16

A young woman aged about thirty had been on the edge of Christian activities for many years. One day she met a Christian minister who had known her years before. After talking for a while he asked her straight out,

“Please tell me, are you committed to the Lord Jesus now?”

The lady hesitated, looked down and said simply,

“No.”

“May I enquire why not?” the minister asked.

“I’m frightened.”

The minister then came up with a brilliant question,

“What is it about the Lord Jesus, from what you know of his character, that makes you frightened?”

If she had grasped the meaning of John 3:16 she couldn’t be frightened. Her heavenly Father wants the very best for her. He would never ask her to do anything that was not for her long term good. At heart this young lady did not believe that God loved her. She was following Aristotle’s idea of God. She was not following the teaching of the Bible, where God has revealed himself as a God of love.

GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

One of John’s habits is to repeat key words for emphasis. Thus the word ‘world’ is repeated.

v. 16 - ‘God so loved theworld’;

v. 17 - Jesus was sent ‘not to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”;

v. 19 – ‘ light has come into the world’

Another key word is ‘light’.

v. 19 – ‘light has come into the world but men loved darkness instead of light.’

v. 20 - ‘evil doers hate the lightand will not come into the light.”

A third key word is ‘believe’.

v. 15 – ‘that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.’

v. 16 – ‘whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’

v. 18 – ‘whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed . . .

Surely this repeated use of words is deliberate. Jesus taught that the world is in darkness, it cannot see the way it should go. The light comes through Jesus Christ, he is the way. But we must each respond personally to Jesus by believing or submitting to him. Christian belief is not just accepting a doctrine or theory, even Satan accepts those as true. The response God asks for is a personal relationship with Jesus, the Lord of the universe.

This verse would be a great shock to Nicodemus. He considered that the ‘world’ was opposed to God. He believed that when the Messiah came there would be a terrible judgment when God’s people would be saved and the world outside would be condemned. So verse 17 would come as a bombshell,

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17

In the ancient world there were many false gods and idols. These idols were graphic symbols representing man’s innermost selfish desires. In the west we have largely got rid of the symbolic symbols but the selfish internal idols are just as strong. We still worship power, sex and wealth.

Yet the message that the Bible brings is that God so loved the entire world, those who were rebels against him, that he sent his one and only Son so that the relationship with all people could be restored.

ONE AND ONLY SON

Nicodemus would undoubtedly have believed in “one God, maker of heaven and earth”. God does not tolerate any rival or a divided heart. This is why he is called a ‘jealous’ God. He will not share his world with any other ideology, power or religion. Later Nicodemus did come to understand that he had been standing in front of that God who had entered this world in the flesh. This is why our heavenly Father sent Jesus into his world – to reclaim it.

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.” John 3:17

Today there are those following differing religions and philosophies who say that Jesus is just one of many ways to God. Jesus will have none of such treacherous talk. He is not ‘a god’ but ‘the God’. Jesus said,

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

The apostles taught the same message. When Peter and John were arrested and hauled before the Sanhedrin, the same Ruling Council court that had condemned Jesus, they bravely exclaimed,

“Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

THE MEANING OF SALVATION

Jesus and his apostles divide the inhabitants of earth into just two groups, the saved and the unsaved. God has always separated the light from the dark since the earliest days of existence (Genesis 1:4). People are either sheep or goats (Matthew 25:32), foolish or wise virgins (Matthew 25:2), wise or foolish builders (Matthew 7:24), wheat or tares (Matthew 13:25), those who walk in the light or those who walk in darkness (John 3:20-21). Either we belong to God’s kingdom and we have our names written in the Lamb’s book of life or we do not.

When we make moral assessments of other people around us we often do so in terms of ‘greys’. The really nasty characters, like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and Sadaam Hussein are usually considered very dark grey. In contrast Mother Theresa and her like are very light grey. If we are honest we will usually put ourselves a little above the average, whilst those closest to us we place just a little lower than us. God does not see people in this way. He sees us either as black, unforgiven and outside his kingdom or white because our sins have been forgiven and we have Christ’s righteousness covering us. This undeserved status is a gift because we follow Jesus.

Two Roads

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught that there are just two roads, each with their own destination.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

The major road is wide and has an impressive gate or archway at its beginning. Crowds are walking along this road, busy talking with others and getting on with their own business. No-one seems to take any notice of the signpost which says ‘To Destruction’ or ‘To Hell’. The people all have large rucksacks on their backs representing the sin that they are responsible for, that is their wilful independence from God. This sin is the root cause of all the selfish sins we all commit in thought, word and deed.

Branching off at the side there is a narrow road with a less impressive gate or arch to mark its beginning. The signpost here says ‘To Life’. One person in the bustling crowd on the broad way starts to think,

“Where am I going, what is the purpose of my life? Is there no way back from my independence and sin?”

He begins to go back towards the gate on the narrow way. You can imagine friends questioning and even jeering at him. “Are you getting religion?”

He comes to the narrow gate but finds he cannot squeeze through because of the sin on his back. Then he hears someone standing nearby say to him, “I can take that off you”. The relief is great as the rucksack is lifted and the responsibility for his sin is removed. The person, who of course is Jesus, takes the load and lays it on his cross. The man can now squeeze through the narrow gate that has the name ‘Repentance’ written on it and starts to travel along the narrow road. But he is not alone; Jesus, the friend who took his sin off him, is travelling along beside him. It is not an easy path but the journey is immensely satisfying.

To be saved is to enter a new personal relationship with God as my Father through my submission to Christ. It has been well said that Christianity consists of personal pronouns. Many religious people can say ‘Jesus is Lord’. Those in God’s kingdom can say, ‘Jesus is my Lord’. Christian belief is a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. He alone is able to pay for my sin which he achieved by dying as my substitute on that cross. We all need to be saved, even the good, moral Nicodemus’ of this world because our default position is that of a rebel against God.

“ . . . whoever does not believe stands condemned already . . .” John 3:18

We all know, if we are honest with ourselves, that we have not lived as God wants, we have told lies, cheated, thought and behaved immorally, coveted and stolen other’s belongings or reputations. We are all carrying rucksacks containing the consequences of our rebellion. The great news of the Bible is that God is a loving, compassionate God who longs to forgive everyone who returns to him. This change of allegiance is called repentance. Jesus is clear that if we remain inwardly independent of God, even though we are outwardly religious, we will be rejected by God. We must all make a personal decision about the place the Lord Jesus will have in my life.

“. . . but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18

Many people try to hide behind their religion, believing that their religion will save them. When writing this article I read Jeremiah chapter seven in my morning Bible Reading. It is frightening. God’s people thought then that their religious beliefs and practices were enough to save them. Jeremiah strongly warns about the idiocy of such thinking. People were hiding behind a formal religion, and thought that this gave them protection.

“Do not trust in deceptive words and say, ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD . . . but look, you are trusting deceptive words that are worthless. . . I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen . . . I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be you God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that all may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention. . . “ Jeremiah 7:4,8,13,23

WHAT STOPS PEOPLE BECOMING CHRISTIANS?

The evidence that God has supernaturally stepped into this world in the form of Jesus is very convincing indeed. However it is rarely the reliability of Christ’s claims that is the real stumbling block. There are moral problems to believing.

“Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil.” John 3:19

It is so hard for us to accept this but the Bible repeatedly says that we are all rebels against God.

“There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one seeks God. All have turned away . . .” Romans 3:10-12 quoting the Old Testament

“All have sinned and fall short of the kingdom of God.” Romans 3:23

It is an interesting fact that people prefer to keep the company of those who have similar faults to themselves. Thieves prefer the company of other thieves. Prostitutes keep company with other prostitutes. Lazy people prefer the company of other sluggards. There may be several reasons for this but one undoubtedly is that we feel less bad when others around us are doing the same wrong things. We prefer to do wrong things out of the gaze of people we respect, in the dark.

John’s next sentence is even stronger.

“Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” John 3:20

How often do people looking at a dubious programme on the internet or television rapidly change programme when their parents or partner is approaching. We are ashamed inwardly and want to keep what we really are like in the dark.

A short while ago I lifted a paving stone in out garden. Underneath it was a beautiful ants’ nest with small channels, many eggs and hundreds of ants. As soon as the stone was lifted the ants scurried away from the light, taking their eggs with them. Within three minutes they had all disappeared into dark holes. They hated the light. Similarly we don’t want people to see what we are really like.

When we come into God’s light our wrong behaviour has to change. We are now openly walking God’s way. We now know that God is always caring for us as a loving parent. It is for our good that we become like Jesus.

When I first became a Christian I was indirectly influenced by the ‘East African Revival’. One of the great themes of this revival was the view that true Christian conversion must be accompanied by an honest confession and turning away from sin. When someone was convicted about their rebellion against God, they believed that they could be both forgiven and changed because of what Jesus had done for them. As they were coming ‘into the light’, they would openly confess their past sin and make restitution to any they had harmed. There were many stories from East Africa of new believers returning what they had stolen and confessing of racial, verbal and sexual sins. Marriages were repaired as people returned to the Lord.

What does it mean when it says that men naturally ‘hate God’? Most people seldom tirade openly against God. Yet surely it is true that we do treat him in ways that we most hate to be treated ourselves.

1. We ignore him and cut him dead, when he most wants to have a close family relationship with us. Petulant children often try to hurt their parents in similar ways. It is most hurtful to have someone we know walk straight past us at a party and deliberately refuse to even say hello. Yet we refuse to include God in our conversations and actions.

2. We use God in blatantly selfish ways.

   I once gave a lift to a young man who had been an infantry man in the Falklands war. He had been involved in the frightening battle for Mount Tumbledown, outside Port Stanley. He described how bullets were flying all around his colleagues and himself. His friend was instantly killed next to him when a bullet hit his head. He told me that everyone prayed ardently at this time.

‘Do you pray now?’ I asked.

“No, as I no longer have a need!”

Many students, even professing atheists, have prayed before they go in for exams they feel unprepared for, only to forget God soon afterwards.

1. We judge God. We talk about God as if he is at fault. We put God in the dock instead of ourselves. The Christian writer and apologist C.S.Lewis wrote,

“The greatest barrier I have met in trying to persuade people about the Christian faith is the almost total absence from the minds of my audience of any sense of sin. The ancient man approached God or even the gods as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. Man is the judge. God is in the dock. Man is quite a kindly judge. If God should have a reasonable defence for being the God who permits war, poverty and disease, man is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that man is on the bench and God is in the dock.

My problem is that I am not willing to change. I want to continue as I am, free to live independently of God, free to sin and to be judgmental of him.

Note the amazing contrast between man’s selfish approach and that of God.

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. . .”

He loves, not with self interest, but with self giving. Yet we still prefer to remain in darkness.

THE REMEDY

“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light . . .” John 3:21

What does this mean?

1. Jesus is the truth

Jesus repeatedly says,

“I tell you the truth . . .” John 3:11

Later he will say,

“I am the truth . . .” John 14:6

This is saying much more than that he existed. He claimed to be God’s Messiah who fulfilled all the 330 Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament. He repeatedly said that he would rise from the dead after being crucified. The apostles bore witness that this did happen by dedicating the rest of their lives to telling the world about Jesus and his resurrection. Jesus’ teaching does have that ‘ring of truth’ about it. It resonates with those instincts we all have about purpose, honesty, integrity and love. We acknowledge that there are higher standards than the law of the country by the way we judge others when they have wronged us.

We come into the light when we acknowledge that Jesus is the truth of God and that he entered this world to save all who will bend their knee before Him.

2. I live for myself

To enter into God’s light, into His kingdom, I must see myself as God sees me. It is painful to acknowledge how much we have lived in the dark. If we have not recognised what we are really like, we will never see our need for a Saviour. It is only when we see our need that we will see the wonder and truth in Jesus.

On one occasion Jesus was invited to dinner in the house of Simon the Pharisee. A woman ‘who had lived a sinful life’ then entered the room, poured some expensive ointment over Jesus’ feet and then wiped her tears off his feet with her hair. Simon was critical. Judas Iscariot was critical – “what a waste of money” he pronounced. But Jesus answered them,

“I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven . . . but he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Luke 7:47

If our hearts are cold towards Jesus, could it be because we still see ourselves as quite nice people?

If anyone is saying, “I can’t believe”, Jesus asks, “can’t believe or won’t believe?”

BVP

John 3:16 God’s message

How we desperately need to understand God’s message to us today. Theology is the name given to the science or understanding of God.   In all our old universities theology used to be the most senior of all studies and all university courses would start with this subject. Theology used to be called the Queen of Sciences as it was considered that every discipline was dependent on this. This is no longer practised and today the study of God is widely regarded as being irrelevant.

But it is only God who can give essential elements to our lives, he gives a purpose for life, he gives the reason why all should behave with integrity. However for us to understand God, he has to reveal himself in a form we can comprehend.

The following very famous verse summarises the Christian message.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

This verse teaches that we can be put right with God but only because God has made this possible. This summary is accepted, at least in theory, by all mainline churches.   However, in practice, very few who call themselves Christians believe what this verse says today.  This may seem to be a shocking statement but an investigation of what the verse says confirms that this is generally true.

1.  All men are perishing

This verse states that people are perishing.  This is a recurrent theme in the teaching of Jesus and of his apostles. The Bible teaches that naturally we all want to live independently of God, that there is no-one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:11). In the sermon on the Mount Jesus said,

“For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Our verse in John makes it clear that God does not want people to perish. He went to extreme lengths so that we could avoid this wretched state.  Why else would he send his Son into this world if he didn't have a deep love for the lost? To perish is a strong word, it means much more than suffering severe financial loss, it means much more than physical suffering - it means to lose one's soul eternally. This message cannot be eradicated from the New Testament. The writer C.S. Lewis, who had been an atheist, said,

“Don't blame Paul, don't blame the early apostles, the origin of the teaching about hell comes from the lips of Jesus Christ and nobody else.”

The speaker at a family service produced a giant Bryant and May match box.  Their matchboxes have an ark printed on them and the ark is labelled ‘Security’. Both Bryant and May were Christians. The speaker told his hearers what the New Testament says about Noah and his ark.

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear build an ark to save his family.” Hebrews 11:7

Holy fear!  Even my computer could not recognise this concept. It wrote ‘Holy beer’. How do we bring back a holy fear of God into our society? How do we bring it back into our churches? Noah was widely thought to be an idiot to spend 100 years building the ark at God’s command. Yet he did it to save himself and his family. He believed God when told that there was a judgement coming and acted accordingly.

Do people believe that this verse is true and that there is still a hell ahead where many will perish?

2.  Jesus is God’s one and only Son, the one Saviour of the world

The uniqueness of Jesus is a persistent theme in the whole Bible. There is no one else like him. His teaching was unique. He stressed that God looks at the heart and not at our outward actions. Most people today think that ‘worship’ involves going to a church, a temple or some other religious venue. But in the New Testament worship is moved from the temple or synagogue to people's hearts. The way we live shows the God we worship. True worship occurs seven days a week and my thinking shows what God means to me;  ‘worthship' is ‘worship’, it reflects what I most value.

Since Victorian times many have said that there may be one God but there are many roads to him. Jesus was utterly opposed to such a view.

From the beginning of his gospel, John has stressed this point.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“No-one has ever seen God, but God is the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.” John 1:18

Nearly all religions recognise that Jesus was an exceptional man. They usually say he was a prophet. The New Testament rejects this completely. It repeatedly states that he is God’s ‘one and only son’ and because of this he alone can save us. Jesus himself said,

“I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father is well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6-7

Does our society accept that Jesus is the one and only way to God? - never!  Do all our churches still teach this vital truth - unfortunately no!

3.  God loves the world

Before Christ, the Jews did not believe that God loved the world.  They thought that when the Messiah came he would lead his people to victory and would judge the nations.  This was a prominent feature of Judaism.  Yet Jesus clearly opposed this view.  The next verse empathises that God has come to save us, not to condemn.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17

There is however a further twist to this.  In John’s gospel, the ‘world’ is always ‘worldly’ and in rebellion against God.  Later Jesus said to his disciples,

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” John 15:18

The world God loves is not a charming, attractive world, it is one that has already decided to turn its back on God.  This outright rebellion against God is in stark contrast to the character of the God of the Bible.  When he revealed himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, he described his nature.  It is a very good description of Jesus!

“And he (God) passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.” Exodus 34:6

The God of the Bible is not a weak, sentimental God, but one who is very slow to react against our rebellion.  He longs for us to return to him and he allows us time to do so, but there is a limit to his patience.

The striking fact is that most do not want to enter God’s kingdom.  We are like ants that live in the dark under a stone in the garden.  If the stone is lifted those ants hate the light and scurry about for a couple of minutes, then there are few, if any, to be seen.  The next few verses state that people are just like this when the light of the gospel is presented to them.  We shy away from it because it reveals that we are all worldly, sinful people and we don’t want, what we really are, to be seen.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, But men loved darkness instead of light because there deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” John 3:19-20

Hope is only for true believers

The Bible’s analysis of our plight may seem dismal but there is hope and this hope is in God's Son, the Lord Jesus.

I had a patient with terminal cancer who committed her life to Christ.  I went to visit her in the hospice and wanted to remind her that her salvation depended not on her actions but on what the Lord Jesus had done for her.  To make the point, I wrote her name on a piece of paper and said,

“This paper with your name on it represents you.  Let this Bible represent the Lord Jesus.  You have now committed yourself to him so, to represent this, let us put you inside the pages of Scripture, that is ‘in Him’.  Now when God looks at you, he no longer sees your sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.  You are secure because you are now in him.  Furthermore, the Lord Jesus has gone ahead of you to heaven to prepare a place there for you.  Because you are in him, your future is assured.”

To reinforce this we then read the following passage,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

Our hope lies in what God has done for us, but we must respond as our verse emphasises,

“. . . that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The word ‘believe’ has changed its meaning in English.  It is derived from the Old English word ‘leiben’  which meant ‘to love’.  ‘Leiben’ still means ‘to love’ in German.  Prior to the nineteenth century ‘to believe’ meant to be committed to a person and to follow them.  Today it tends to mean just the acceptance of an idea.  Biblical belief is very much a commitment, a commitment to God and his Son.  It is this commitment, or faith, that opens the door to salvation.  Biblical ‘belief’ is analogous to marriage, indeed the church is repeatedly described as being the ‘bride of Christ’. The Bible stresses that without a turning from living for ourselves to living as Jesus our Saviour wants, we have no part in him, we do not have eternal life.  This is what repentance means, a complete permanent ‘rethink’ of the direction of our life.  We have to make a decision to turn and live a new life with Jesus in control.  John calls this change ‘living by the truth’.

“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:21

So the gospel divides us into two groups, the forgiven and those who refuse to be forgiven, the saved and the unsaved.

Our verse, John 3:16, makes it abundantly clear who is a Christian.  Those who are in Christ are eternally secure because Christ has taken the penalty for our sin.  A business man heard a talk on this passage and said to the minister on leaving,

“I'm glad I came to church today. I know now that I'm not a believer.”

In contrast, an obituary was published in the Times about a twenty four year old man,

“A dearly loved nephew, cousin and friend but especially a beautiful child of God and follower of Jesus; in his arms he is safe.”

This passage reminds us of the great privilege we have if we are in Christ. In contrast there will be a great price to pay for those who insist in living without Christ.

BVP

John 3:1-15. Born Again?

When Bradley Wiggins had won his cycling gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics, people were desperate to see him and even touch him. It must have been similar with Jesus. He had performed many miraculous signs in Jerusalem and was the talk of the town.

“Many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and ‘believed’.” John 2:23

But Jesus didn’t trust them. He knew there was a form of superficial belief that was not what God required. In Western churches today there are many who have a form of religion but other than that their lives are little different from others in their social group. There seems to be little fire for Christ, they don’t talk about him.

I had a patient who was the church warden of her local Anglican church. After we had sorted the medical issues I asked her how the church was going?

“It is getting difficult. We are getting smaller and older.”

“Oh dear, but tell me, do members of the church talk about the Lord Jesus with others in the village?”

“Good gracious me, no! We don’t even talk about him amongst ourselves.”

Nicodemus, was clearly keen to understand Jesus at a deeper level. Who is Jesus? What is his message? He longed for a private interview.

Nicodemus himself was no ordinary person. He was a member of the seventy strong Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. He was also the Regius Professor of Theology in Jerusalem. Jesus describes him as ‘the teacher of Israel’. He clearly had a great reputation. Like many Pharisees, he was a highly moral, respected leader of society. Yet he still had important questions he wanted answered by Jesus.

So Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Presumably this was when the crowds had dispersed. The phrase ‘at night’ was also an allusion to the fact that, in spite of Nicodemus being a moral upright leader of Israel, he was still ‘in the dark’. As a religious Jew, he would have had every qualification outwardly but, in spite of this, Jesus says he was not yet a member of God’s kingdom.

Everyone needs to understand this today. Outward rituals such as being baptised, confirmed, even ordained, do not give a person the right of admission into God’s kingdom, into heaven. Understanding and accepting Christian doctrine does not save people for heaven. Many people say they accept that they are sinners before God and that they believe that Jesus died for their sin. Nicodemus had such a religious faith, he accepted the need for a sacrifice for the forgiveness of his sin, but Jesus says that he did not have a saving faith. He knew nothing of the work of the Holy Spirit to change his heart.

It is interesting that the great Nicodemus calls Jesus ‘Rabbi’, when he had no official right to that title. Indeed Jesus had no formal religious qualifications we know of, but clearly there was something about Jesus that made people sit up and think.

Nicodemus needed to be taught three truths by Jesus, and these same truths are relevant for all of us.

1. THE NECESSITY OF THE NEW BIRTH v. 1-10

“Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” John 3:3

Jesus repeats this three times to make the point absolutely clear.

“I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5

“You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’. John 3:7

Notice the emphasis Jesus gives. ‘I tell you the truth’ is a phrase Jesus used when he wanted to emphasise something strongly. ‘Must’ leaves no room for doubt - even good religious people ‘must’ be born again to enter God’s kingdom.

What is this ‘kingdom of God’? It is a phrase commonly used by the writers of the first three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke but seldom by John. John speaks more of ‘eternal life’. A kingdom speaks of the rule of a king. It is a dynamic relationship. God’s kingdom is entered when we become subjects of King Jesus, but will be complete later when the king returns. Matthew, Mark and Luke look forwards to this fulfilment a lot. John emphasises what God gives to his people now – eternal life when they become followers of the King.

Here Jesus speaks to Nicodemus in terms of God’s kingdom. If he wants to see the kingdom of God – then he must be born again and accept the king, yes, even a man such as Nicodemus must submit. The king has arrived, his kingdom has now begun, and he is still not a member of it.

Nicodemus is puzzled even though Jesus is using Old Testament language. In Ezekiel, God describes the new beginning that God will give to his people.

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” Ezekiel 36:25

Jesus is repeating Ezekiel’s message. God will cleanse his people from all their sin and furthermore, he will give us his Spirit so that we will want to live for God.

I recently attended a conference of a missionary society. One of its striking features was the way many of these missionaries were so content and satisfied, even though they were working in very tough areas with little or no public recognition. Their ambitions were different to those of many religious people, they really wanted to live for God and not themselves.

A minister asked a young boy in his church this profound question,

“What do you have to do to go to heaven?”

He thought for a moment before replying,

“You’ve got to die.”

How true this reply was. Clearly no-one can experience heaven until we have died physically. However to be admitted to God’s kingdom we have to die to self now. Paul understood this,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God (Jesus) who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Nicodemus, for you to be admitted to God’s Kingdom you must die to self and be born again.

It is a popular misconception that if we are pleasant, moral, religious people then God will look favourably on us when the judgment comes. This is not true. Nicodemus had to learn this.

The message of all religions of the world on how people can satisfy God all begin with the same three letters.

M E R . .

The vast majority teach that people are accepted by God because of the good way they live, that is through

M E R I T

Jesus’ message is utterly different. His message is that people can only be accepted by God through

M E R C Y

He says that his mercy is given to everyone who truly trusts in God’s Son, Jesus.

Nicodemus still couldn’t quite understand this. So Jesus used the analogy of a gust of wind.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

So it is with the Holy Spirit. We cannot understand everything about God, but we can experience the life-changing effect He has on people. We have all seen this change in some Christians. When I was a student, it was one of the first things that made me renew my interest in Jesus, the effect he has on others. It is God’s Spirit that stirs us to be concerned about our relationship with God. We cannot understand it, but the effect is real.

So Nicodemus, great as you are in human terms,

“You must be born again.”

This idea is often mocked today but Jesus taught it emphatically. Each of us must respond individually and allow God’s Spirit to work in us so that we die to self and live a new life for Christ.

Bishop Taylor-Smith was a corpulent Chaplain General to the Forces. One Sunday morning he was preaching in Salisbury Cathedral on this passage. In order to emphasise this necessity of the new birth he said,

“My dear people do not substitute anything for the new birth. You may be a member of a church, but church membership is not new birth. Jesus said, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’.”

On his left sat the Archdeacon in his stall. Pointing directly at him the Bishop said,

“You might even be an Archdeacon, like my friend in his stall, and not be born again. Remember, ‘Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’.

A day or two later he received a message from the Archdeacon.

“My dear bishop, you have found me out. I have been a clergyman for over thirty years, but I have never known anything of the joy that Christians speak of. I never could understand. Mine has been a hard legal service. I did not know what the matter was with me, but when you pointed directly at me and said,

“You might even be an Archdeacon and not be born again; I knew in a moment what the trouble was. I had never known anything of the new birth.”

Next day the Archdeacon and the bishop met up and they went through the Bible together. Then the Archdeacon knelt before his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and took his place as a sinner who desperately needed Christ’s MERCY and he desperately needed the gift of God’s Spirit.

George Whitfield was an eighteenth century evangelist who often preached on this same verse? Someone complained to him,

“Why do you preach on this text so often?”

He answered,

“You must be born again!”

2. THE ORIGIN OF CHRIST’S MESSAGE v. 11-13

Jesus claimed to be the Lord God who had come down from heaven to earth in order to take men from earth to heaven.

“I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.” John 3:11

What Jesus teaches is God’s word or message to us. We cannot pick and choose those bits of the Bible we like and reject those bits we dislike such as judgment and hell.

“You don’t believe me when I have told you about things on this earth, how can you believe if I speak of heavenly things.” John 3:12

Today there are many people who are uncertain whether what the Bible teaches and what Jesus says are really from God. Yet this is exactly what the church has believed since Jesus’ time. John wrote his gospel to convince people that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh. He gave compelling evidence about the life and teaching of Jesus. His aim was that as people investigate the evidence, they should believe in Jesus. This was vital as personal commitment to Jesus Christ results in individuals being given eternal life. John summarised this,

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples that are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

The lesson is clear. If anyone wants to know the way to heaven we must become followers of the one and only person who is ‘the way’ – ‘the one who came from heaven’ (John 3:13).

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST’S DEATH v. 14-15

Jesus again uses a story from the Old Testament that Nicodemus would have known well. In Numbers chapter twenty one a frightening incident is described. The Israelites were in the wilderness, hoping to find a way into the Promised Land, just as we hope to gain admission to heaven. The people became impatient, they seemed to be going nowhere and life was far from easy. They started to grumble against both their leader, Moses, and against God. They moaned, complained and as often happens exaggerated their problems – they said they had no bread and no water, yet they were still alive enough to complain!

But God is never to be trifled with. He sent them some poisonous snakes that should have reminded them of what happened to Adam and Eve. Many people died from the snake-bites.

As often happens, problems can bring people to their senses. They learned that it is a fearful thing to oppose God, to moan, disagree and not trust God’s promises.

They said in desperation,

“We have sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you.”

Then the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole so that everyone could see it.

“Anyone who is bitten can look on it and live.” Numbers 21:8

This story that Jesus refers to reminds us all that God’s judgment will come to all who rebel against him, but it also a reminder that he is a merciful God who also provides the way of salvation.

The British Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) uses the picture of the snake on a pole in their regimental badge. They see themselves as the hope for people injured in battle, just as the gospel is the hope for those damaged by sin.

In the Bodleian library in Oxford there is a Medieval Manuscript containing a remarkable picture. This depicts a prominent Moses on the left, looking at the brass snake on the pole. Around him are several people, each signifying a message.

1. One man is asleep on the ground. He doesn’t think there is much to worry about. The bite of sin is only a little thing. A serpent is even whispering in his ear, probably saying, ‘There is no need to worry’. Yet he is dying.

2. In the top left a man is fighting ferociously with a serpent. Apparently he thinks that salvation will come through his own antagonism against evil. He has not grasped that the only solution is to look at the brass snake.

3. Another man is busy dressing the wounds of a friend, but neither are looking at the brass snake. It is as if the artist is saying about him, ‘Surely if I am kind and helpful, I will be cared for by God’. This is not true, the bite of the snake kills all.

4. Another man is kneeling and looking at Moses. He thinks that his religion will save him. However religion has never saved anybody.

5. But there is another man behind Moses who has a calm peaceful look on his face. He is looking at the serpent of brass, and not at the snakes, at Moses or at himself. He stands for the man who believes God’s word and lives.

God’s message to all of us is the same. We can react in different ways to the salvation that God offers to all who will look to his Son, who was also ‘lifted up’ on our behalf. Jesus longed for Nicodemus to understand the prophetic meaning of the story of the serpent on the pole.

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14-15

Why did God tell Moses to make a brass serpent, when a serpent represents sin, instead of a lamb representing purity? Surely this is significant. It is to teach that salvation of mankind was to be obtained by someone who would become sin for us.

“God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

As Jesus hung there on that cross, lifted high, he became sin for me. He took my sin on himself. The analogy is precise. Just as the Israelites had to look and trust when the snakes troubled them, so for us to be saved, we must look to and trust in the Lord Jesus who became sin for us. He became our substitute. He is the King, who rules the Kingdom of God, but he came to die to take men and women from earth to heaven.

4. LESSONS JESUS WANTS ALL TO UNDERSTAND

1. I need to be ‘born again’.

Just as the respectable Nicodemus needed to be ‘born again’ so do all of us. Jesus says that this involves accepting two facts.

a. I must trust that Jesus is telling us God’s truths.

“I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.” John 3:11

There is no new birth for those who reject what Jesus teaches.

b.. I must commit myself to Jesus

“. . . that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14-15

To believe in Jesus means to trust him personally. It is all too easy to have an intellectual believe that is not personal.

A vicar overheard his young son praying one Sunday night at bedtime.

“Lord, please help the faith of daddy to drop a foot”

“What do you mean?” his father inquired.

“Well, we learnt in Sunday School today that God doesn’t just want us to believe in our heads but in our hearts.”

At my preparatory school, if the winter was very cold, the headmaster, Mr. R.J. Mowll, would take us down to the big lake when it was frozen over. First he would walk on the ice, then he would allow the senior boys on and finally, if all was well, he would invite the rest of us all onto the ice. Some went boldly, others timidly. What mattered however was not the confidence or faith of the boys, but the reliability of the object of our faith, in that case the strength of the ice. We all have different personalities, some throw themselves into something new with gusto, others hesitantly, what matters however is that we take that step and have faith.

If any reader is still keeping Jesus at arm’s length, like the Archdeacon, what is there to prevent you taking that step of faith by telling the Lord Jesus that you will trust him from now on? We know that Nicodemus did make that commitment to Christ. After Jesus crucifixion he and Joseph of Arimathea showed their commitment to Christ by publicly collecting Jesus’ body for burial.

2. The New Birth is the most important happening of anyone’s life.

Being ‘born again’, my conversion to Christ, may be a gradual event or we may be able to remember the day when we invited the Lord Jesus into our lives. This acceptance by God is more important than our career decisions, our marriage or any spiritual experiences. We should not chase experiences. The real ‘second blessing’ comes when we die and see Jesus face to face. Till then our conversion is the most important feature of a person’s life.

On 28th April 1789 Fletcher Christian, the second in command of HMS Bounty led a mutiny against Captain Bligh. Eventually the mutineers arrived at Pitcairn Island, an isolated island in the middle of the Pacific ocean. At first this seemed like paradise to them. But the mutineers began to mistreat the local Tahitans and one of the Tahitan wives was stolen, resulting in a rebellion. Within four years all the Tahitan men and all but four of the mutineers had been killed. One of the four learned to distil alcohol and soon the men were drunk most of the time. One of the men killed himself by falling off a cliff, and then there were three. Another man became so dangerous he had to be executed. Then there were just two. They came to their senses and the still was destroyed. At this stage they found a Bible. One of the two, named Young, was seriously ill with tuberculosis but he could read and he took it on himself to teach the final mutineer, Alexander Smith to read also. Young died in 1801 but Smith kept reading this Bible. He took its message to heart and he turned to Christ for salvation. He was ‘born again’. The evidence for this was the change in lifestyle. Alexander Smith taught the children and their mothers to read the Bible and encouraged them all to live by what it taught. They prayed together and studied the Bible together. In 1808 the island was discovered and they found thirty-five lovely English speaking Polynesians who were living for the Lord Jesus. The evidence of being ‘born again’, for starting a new life, is such a permanent change.

This teaching of Jesus is wonderful. It means anyone can be ‘born again’ of the Spirit because Jesus died on our behalf. We are ‘born again’ when we accept the Lord Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. We look to him, trust him and as a consequence we are given eternal life.

BVP

John 2:12-25. What is God Really Like?

What is God really like? C.S.Lewis in his book, ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ touches on this subject. Lucy and Edmund come to a large grassy expanse but in the centre is a whiter spot. At first this is difficult to see but as they approach it they see that the white spot is really a lamb. This lamb, that looks so white and pure, is cooking a fish breakfast! This is an obvious allusion to Jesus, the lamb of God who cooked a fish breakfast for his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. The two sit down and have a delicious breakfast with this Christ figure. A conversation follows on how to get to the land of Aslan. The Lamb eloquently begins an explanation on how to get there,

“There is a way into my country from all the worlds," . . . but as he spoke his snowy white flushed into tawny gold and his size changed and he was Aslan himself, towering above them and scattering light from his mane.”

What a wonderful picture, the Lamb is the Lion. In the Bible the gentle ‘Lamb who takes away the sin of the word’ is also the awesome, powerful ‘Lion of Judah’. Those lamblike qualities, the meekness and gentleness are combined with the might and power of the Lion.

The Bible speaks of the wrath of the Lamb. In John’s gospel he recounts the beautiful story of a family wedding in Cana in Galilee where wine ran out but he changed water into wine in both a real physical way but also symbolically – it was the first sign as to who Jesus really is. Jesus later described his meek nature,

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

But Jesus also had a very different side to his character. A man with a paralysed hand was presented to him in a synagogue one sabbath. Some there were looking for ways to accuse him and now they thought they had him - for healing a man on a sabbath.

“He looked around at them in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand” he stretched it out, and his hand was completely healed. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” Mark 3:5-6

He was not gentle when he said about Herod,

“Go, tell that fox . . .” Luke 13:32

There was nothing gentle when he said to Peter,

“Get behind me Satan . . .” Mark 8:33

Neither was there anything gentle about him when he said to some Pharisees such phrases as,

“You hypocrites, you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” Matthew 23:27

“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34

The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. When the Lord introduced himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, he described his character. Love is the prominent feature, but he will not be rejected or trifled with for ever.

“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

The Bible describes God’s attitude toward sin. He has strong feelings of hostility, disgust, and utter dislike. For example, sin is described as putrefying sores (Isaiah 1:6, NKJV), a heavy burden (Psalm 38:4), defiling filth (Titus 1:15; 2 Corinthians 7:1), a binding debt (Matthew 6:12-15), darkness (1 John 1:6) and a scarlet stain (Isaiah 1:18). God hates sin for the simple reason that sin separates us from Him: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2; see also Isaiah 13:11; Jeremiah 5:25).

The cleansing of the Temple

This next scene in the life of Jesus demonstrates his righteous anger. He was as much God in this scene as he was as he hang, seemingly helplessly, on that cross. Here his passionate love for honesty and integrity comes to the fore.

True love is always associated with hatred. If we love the poor and suffering we will naturally hate what caused this. All great men have been determined, passionate people and Jesus was greatest of all. In Jesus we have the perfect window into the mind of the Almighty and we see that he shows his passion and indignation for the house of God.

Jesus sees the misuse of the temple for business purposes and it makes him justly angry. He made a cord or whip out of the rushes that were under the animals for that is what the Greek word implies. With this instrument he drives people from the temple who were making exorbitant profits and drives the animals with them. John gives us a telling detail that reveals this was an eye-witness account. Jesus didn’t release the doves but said to their owners,

“Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”

If the birds had been released they would have flown away and been lost.

What was worse was that the high Priest, Annas, and his family were behind all this. They sold franchises to the stall owners. The Gentile Court was even nick-named ‘The Bazaars of Annas.’

This was hardly the best way to win friends and influence people but it confirms that Jesus was not a passive idealised figure who walked about with a sheep on his shoulders, with flowers and children around.

This angry side of Jesus is not talked about enough. God does get angry when he is sidelined, rejected or ridiculed. He, like Aslan, is not to be scoffed at. The Psalms keep reminding people of this fact, for example,

“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Psalm 2:10-12

“We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. . . Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you.” Psalm 90:7

Isaac Watts’ famous hymn, ‘O God our help in ages past’ is a paraphrase of Psalm 90 but it misses the point. He omits the horror of our having to face God’s anger. The hymn says,

“Time like an ever rolling stream bore its sons away”

This gives the picture of people gently riding in a boat along a beautiful flowing stream! The psalmist is speaking more of a flood that is sweeping men to their deaths, rather like a tsunami.

Many people seem brainwashed into accepting ‘Jesus, meek and mild’ and forgetting to remember the awful judgments of God. John, following the example of the Old Testament prophets does not neglect to remind us of both sides of God’s nature. In John’s book, ‘Revelation,’ he likens the judgment day to the coming of the ‘crucified Lamb in glory’. Everyone will see the Lamb on his throne and will ask God to let rocks fall on them and hide them because they feel so ashamed and exposed. People won’t be able to face the wrath of the Lamb.

When the late J.B Phillips wrote his excellent modern translation of the New Testament epistles that he called ‘Letters to the Churches’, he asked C.S.Lewis to write a preface. In this preface, which became very famous he said,

“A most astonishing misconception has long dominated the modern mind on the subject of St Paul. It is to this effect: that Jesus preached a kindly and simple religion (found in the Gospels) and that St Paul afterwards corrupted it into a cruel and complicated religion (found in the Epistles). This is really quite untenable. All the most terrifying texts come from the mouth of Our Lord . . .”

This is true, the most terrifying words about judgment and hell come from Jesus’ own lips. Those who don’t respect his authority, who break his heart and who ruin his world, will be judged.

A false god is rejected

In the 1970’s there was a movement of some churchmen and theologians called ‘God is dead’. The aftermath of this teaching is still hanging around in some churches where the focus has become on social care and not on Jesus and what he taught. This is one of many false gods now being followed. Jeremiah warned us about serving other gods,

“Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under heaven.’” Jeremiah 10:11

Who today worships the gods of their day, Marduk or Baal? - they have already perished. However what some of the ancient gods personified are still being hankered after today, sexual immorality (personified in Venus, Eros, Aphrodite), power (Cratos), trickery and guile (Dolus), travel and trade (Hermes), wine drunkenness and lechery (Dionysius). Augustine in his books, ‘Confessions’ and ‘City of God,’ highlights the moral depravity of the ancient Greek and Roman gods who he considered to be bloodthirsty, lustful and depraved, and their practices were being followed.

The ‘God who is dead’ movement illustrated this. The God who died was the god of the enlightenment, the god that the Victorians came to believe in. It was Nietzsche who recognised that this would happen and that this god must die. This god had no spine or principle. Justice and anger had been removed, leaving only mercy and pity. This god became so distant that he allowed people to live much as they wanted with impunity . This god didn’t interfere with people’s lives. This god was just there at birth and to give reassurance at death but largely irrelevant in between.

Consequently radical theologians looked at the cruel world around us and threw out the God they had been brought up to believe in because this god had nothing to say to the cruel, violent and unjust modern world. However they threw out a false god.

Many people lost their faith during WW2. Why was this so common? Mostly they rejected the god of nursery rhymes and Sunday School who was certainly incompatible with the horrors of war. The unfair atrocities were real, so the fictional god had to go. The benevolent, kind, Father Christmas kind of god was not real and had to go. Unfortunately people threw out the baby with the bathwater.

The God revealed in the Bible and by Jesus is very different

The real God, revealed in the Bible and in Jesus, is nothing like that false Father Christmas sort of God. Yet this false god is still being taught. Clergymen, who follow this god, will often say at the funerals of even the most unprincipled people,

“He/she has gone to a better place, into the arms of a loving Saviour!’

This is not what the prophets, the apostles or even what Jesus taught. They affirm that there really is a judgment to come because the real God hates the sin and rebellion in us. They all teach that the only way to avoid this is to have a real Saviour take over the responsibility for my sin.

He is terrifying

The God of the Bible is sometimes terrifying. He brought the horrors of the Babylonian invasion in order to destroy Israel. He brings judgment even in such horrors as war. War, famine and Covid-19 are all under his control. The God of the Bible reluctantly sends terror to bring people back to him.

On one of his visits to Jerusalem, Jesus was confronted with a double tragedy that had great political implications. A group of Galileans had come down to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the temple but for some reason they had upset the Roman authorities and Pilate had them killed. The political storm can only be imagined. When Jesus was told about this he could easily have entered into a political discussion about the rights and wrongs of what had happened and where the faults lay. Instead he used the tragedy to help people think about something much more important, their own relationship with God. Jesus answered

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:2-3

Jesus was willing to use a very raw political situation to remind people of what really matters, their relationship with God. The other desperate problem was the collapse of the Tower of Siloam in South West Jerusalem. Eighteen were killed. Today there would be a public enquiry into the actions of the architect, the town planners, the builders and the building inspectors but Jesus avoids all this to get to what God sees as so important – an individual’s relationship with God. Jesus continued,

“Do you think they were more guilty than others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:4-5

Jesus is talking about that eternal separation from God that those who refuse to repent will inevitably face.

He is righteously indignant

Is a person complete if there is no capacity for righteous indignation? Is it right to hear of massacres and not care. When Isis or other groups kill innocent bystanders to publicise their cause is it not right to feel angry?

There is within all of us this capacity for righteous indignation. We have this, the Bible teaches, because we have all been created in the image of God. In us this is tarnished by our tempers and biases but in God it is perfectly under control. He is, as Moses was told on Mount Sinai,

‘The LORD, the LORD, compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished . . .” Exodus 34:6-7

What is it that makes God most angry? It is when his people, his church, has lost its holiness and its commitment to living for him. The world and worldliness have indeed entered churches of all denominations. In the temple of Jerusalem the leaders were making money out of selling animals for sacrifices. Such things anger God and should anger us.

The Jewish hierarchy did have some sort of belief and they even thought this was in accord with Scripture. They had all the outward appearances of being religious but their hearts were not in tune with the Lord. They had disregarded Joel, a prophet in the Old Testament, who had repeatedly said,

“‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your hearts . . . Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows, he may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing.” Joel 2:12-13

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had all the trappings, the dress, the liturgies, the authority, the pomp and ceremony of being religious but they had completely missed the point that God wants our hearts and this again made God angry.

In John’s book of Revelation there are seven letters to churches in Asia Minor. The church at Ephesus has some good points, they had high ethical standards but Jesus was critical because they had lost their first love for him. He says that if they don’t change direction and repent,

“I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:5

God requires holiness in his people, a devotion to his service above everything else and he is even willing to let a church die out than compromise on this. He will not allow his holy name to be tarnished indefinitely.

The church at Pergamon compromised both in financial matters and in sexual immorality even though they could not tolerate the Nicolaitans, a heretical sect that compromised with pagan worshippers. God demands,

“Repent therefore, otherwise I will come to you and will fight against them . . . “ Revelation 2:16

Now all these churches are almost extinct, having been destroyed by Islamic occupation.

Sin within God’s church is what concerns God above everything else, even more than sin in those belonging to the world. Peter wrote,

“For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God.” 1 Peter 4:17

Jesus died to defeat sin so how can we compromise in this area?

He is also angry with the world. There is certainly no comfort for those who have rejected God’s rule and determined to live their own way. We all need to remember what the Bible teaches,

“Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28

In this account of Jesus’ throwing the money-changers out from the temple, he is giving us a true picture of what he has come into the world to do, to save and to judge. Judgment of ungodliness is inevitable.

John chapter two gives us a picture of what God is really like. It gives us an astonishing balance. Jesus loved to be involved in everyday family life. He went as a private guest to a wedding of ordinary, people and met their need, saving them from embarrassment, and bringing joy and happiness. Then on a great public occasion he acts as the indignant judge who is consumed with a zeal for his Father’s house. All Jerusalem noticed this.

The godly Bishop J.C. Ryle was concerned that people of his day were inventing their own gods,

“Beware of manufacturing a God of your own: a God who is all mercy, but not just; a God who is all love, but not holy; a God who has a heaven for every body, but a hell for none; a God who can allow good and bad to be side by side in time, but will make no distinction between good and broad in eternity. Such a God is an idol of your own, as truly an idol as any snake or crocodile in an Egyptian temple. The hands of your own fancy and sentimentality have made him. He is not the God of the Bible, and beside the God of the Bible there is no God at all.”

Real Christianity

This is real, Biblical, Christ-centred Christianity. We need to get away from an imaginary, over sentimentalised Christ and discover the real Christ of the Bible. The apostles knew the real Christ and committed their lives to following him and sharing the gospel with all they could, even at great personal costs to themselves. They knew that if people did not change their ways and turn to Christ for forgiveness, their eternal fate would be even worse that any temporary suffering or discomforts they were facing. Bishop J.C.Ryle wrote,

“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough - a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice-which costs nothing, and is worth nothing.”

When the Spirit of Jesus is at work in his people, although they will face the normal problems and sufferings of life, a deep joy is also experienced. In our church was a lovely elderly Christian man, Alan, who knew he was terminally ill. He had great peace and great joy even though he was dying. His concern was that his wider family should all know what really matters in life.

A feature of a spirit-filled church will be that it contains men and women who are passionately concerned for holiness amongst God’s people. They want people to know what the true God is really like. Zeal for God and his cause is a common feature of holiness. Zeal can upset those who dislike such a faith.

John Wesley, a young ordained Anglican minister, full of zeal, was invited to preach in my old church, St. Helen’s Bishopsgate. He gave a wonderful sermon, full of passion and called for holiness in the church and repentance. In his Journal he recalls the reaction of a church warden,

“Sir, you must preach here no more!”

All but four churches in the city followed this ban even though it was his message, the message of the Bible, that they needed.

Comfortable churches never want to hear this message. They are like the Laodicean church in John’s book of Revelation who thought they were fine, but did not realise that they were really,

“. . . wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire,, so that you can become rich . . .” Revelation 3:18

Jesus did not want to judge them harshly but longed that they should repent and return to allow him to be central to their lives.

It was only later that the disciples remembered a prophecy written in the book of Psalms about the Messiah,

“Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:17 and Psalm 69:9

O that more Christians would have such zeal for Christ’s business so that building up their local churches for the honour of Jesus becomes their greatest priority.

The Jewish authorities were angry about the actions and popularity of Jesus. They demanded of him,

“What miraculous sign can you show us to prove the authority to do all this.” John 2:18

It is a very good question. We should all be asking what authority Jesus has, to demand of us that we commit our lives to him. He doesn’t answer directly by saying, ‘I am your God, your Messiah’ but instead he gave a veiled answer that they would only understand later.

“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” John 2:19

As so often happened, the Jews did not understand what he was saying. They could only think he was talking about Herod’s temple, that had taken 46 years to build. But as so often, there was a much deeper meaning. ‘Three days’ was a symbolic phrase to mean a short time. They did not think in precise scientific terms as we do today. It was only later, after Jesus rose from the dead, that the disciples recalled this conversation and realised what Jesus was talking about – his is own resurrection from death.

“Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus has spoken.” John 2:22

Scripture, the Word of God, was put alongside Jesus, who was also called the Word of God. How Scripture has been demoted in significance today in many Christians’ eyes. People may say the creed, acknowledging that they belong to ‘a holy, universal, apostolic church’ but they are not that bothered about being holy. Nor do they take the apostolic Scriptures for their authority on how they should think and behave.

Pseudo-belief

In spite of the antagonism of the Jewish leaders many people at this time came to accept the claims of Jesus. At the Passover feast up to two million visitors would pour into Jerusalem. The news about Jesus must have travelled like wild-fire, particularly as he continued to perform ‘miraculous signs’. John adds,

“Many saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.” John 2:23

However John again emphasises that what God is looking for is a real belief, a real understanding of who Jesus is, and a commitment to follow him and his rule for life. Shallow nominal faith that costs nothing is not what God is looking for. Jesus knew that a superficial faith where people followed the crowd was all to prevalent. Popularity is not what he was after, he only wants genuine disciples.

“But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” John 2:24-25

Jesus knows precisely where our hearts lie. He really cares for us but he will not be trifled with. In ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’ C.S.Lewis said of Aslan, representing Jesus,

“Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh" said Susan. ‘I'd thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? . . .’Safe?’ said Mr Beaver . . .’Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

BVP

John 2:1-11. Transforming Power

I used to be puzzled why John starts his description of Jesus’ public ministry with the story about a wedding and the turning of water into wine? John only includes seven miraculous signs when presenting the evidence about Jesus being God’s Messiah, so why did he start with this one and not some earth-shattering miracle performed in front of thousands of people? Instead he tells of a miracle performed in front of his disciples and some waiters. There must surely be something else going on here.

In the previous passage Nathanael had concluded that Jesus is indeed the ‘Son of God’ but Jesus replied calling himself the ‘Son of Man’. The Jews were expecting an all triumphant, conquering Messiah, God’s chosen king. Jesus is about to reveal that God’s Messiah is a humble man who is concerned about our everyday lives. John the Baptist was an ascetic, but in contrast Jesus went to weddings, dined out and mixed with the lowest of society to show them himself as ‘The Way’ to God. He is the perfect ‘Son of Man’, God’s Messiah.

Jewish Weddings

Part of the difficulty we have in the west is that we do not understand how the Jews regarded weddings. They were the triumphant highlight of their lives.

The wedding took place in Cana in Galilee, the birthplace of Nathanael, who had recently become a follower of Jesus. It raises an interesting question as to why Jesus, five of his disciples and his mother were invited. Was this the wedding of someone in the family? If so, it shows that the thirty year old Jesus recognised that family responsibilities were very important.

Marriage meant much more than just merriment.1 Sincere Jews would fast before a wedding, confessing their sins. It was almost a sacrament and was thought to offer forgiveness of sins. The Bible and rabbinic writings are full of the idea that the husband and wife relationship reflected that between Jehovah and his people. The bridal pair reminded people of the union of God himself.

After a formal betrothal or engagement, the couple were regarded, in law, as being married. On the evening of the marriage the bride was led by her bridesmaids to the home of her husband accompanied by much music, wine and nibbles. Branches, lit torches and flowers were waved, with everyone clapping as the bridal party passed. There was great rejoicing. The bridegroom and bride were actually called and were treated as ‘King and Queen’ for that week.

In the bridegroom’s home a formal agreement was then signed in which the groom promised ‘to work for her, to keep, honour and care for her’ as well as give her some money. Then, after the proscribed washing of the hands and a prayer, the marriage supper began. This party could continue for over a day.

The six large stone jars, each of which contained seventeen to twenty-five gallons, were used for the ritual ceremonial washing of both the hands, the crockery and cutlery. This was strictly regulated by rabbinic law. It is significant that Jesus often denounced the unreality and hypocrisy of such elaborate religious rules.

It was during the partying that Mary whispered to Jesus that ‘the wine has failed’. How John loves to have double meanings throughout his gospel. Although Mary probably intended to say that they had drunk all the available wine, this also had a much deeper meaning. The wine that had run out symbolised Judaism – it was the legalism of Judaism that had failed. Legalism always does fail, whether it is in Christianity, Islam or political ideologies. This was the occasion that Jesus revealed himself more widely. People needed to know that he was the Messiah, the hope of the world, and so much greater than the petty rituals of Judaism. In Jesus a permanent joy can be found, so much greater than the transient celebration of a wedding.

What Jesus was about to do was to give a sign, but only a sign, of who he really was. He was not a paltry Jewish miracle-monger, he was the Son of God and at this stage he wanted his disciples to understand this.

My time has not yet come

Mary recognised that the eldest Son was very capable. As there is no mention of her husband Joseph, it is likely that he had already died and that Jesus as the eldest son, had to take a leading role in the family.

“Mary said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” John 2:5

Jesus could have suggested that servants rush round to the local wine-merchant. However he has already selected at least some of his disciples who were also at the wedding. Jesus knew the difficulties he would face if his Messiahship broke too early – people would misunderstand what he had come for.

“Dear woman, why do you involve me. My time has not yet come.” John 2:4

There was nothing derogatory about the use of the word, ‘woman’. Jesus used the same word when speaking to his mother from the cross. Its use may indicate a change in their relationship. His public ministry was now beginning. Later, when he was told that his mother and brothers were waiting outside and he replied,

“‘Who is my mother and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” Matthew 12:48-50

‘My time has not yet come,’ and similar cryptic expressions are scattered throughout this gospel (such as John 7:6, 8, 30 and 8:20). When Jesus spoke of ‘his time’ he referred to his coming crucifixion to pay for the sins of many. Mary knew who Jesus was. The angel Gabriel had explained this to her at the Annunciation. As a twelve year old they had found Jesus in the temple debating with Jewish scholars, and he had said to them,

“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 3:49

The miracle

Jesus told the servants to fill the jars, used for religious purification, to the brim with water. Then he said,

“Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.” John 2:8-9

There have been several ludicrous attempts to explain away this miracle. Thus Leslie Weatherhead wrote in ‘It happened in Palestine’,

“The wine runs out. Water is served. Why? That’s the best joke of all. They lift their wine cups as we do, in fun, when we shout ‘Adam’s ale’ is best of all.’ The bridegroom is congratulated by the Master of Ceremonies who carries the joke farther still, ‘Why you’ve kept the best wine until now!’ It only requires a servant going through to the kitchen for a wonderful rumour to start.”

Such explanations are puerile. John tells us that only the servants were present, the guests did not know of the miracle. Would John have bothered to include this story, right at the beginning of his account of Jesus’ ministry, if it was a lie? John checked his sources. He and the other disciples were there. They all knew this miracle really happened. John included it, not just because it demonstrated the power of Jesus, but because it explained the meaning of Jesus’ ministry.

The comment of the Master of Ceremonies to the bridegroom is significant. It indicates that the miracle was not known to the wedding party but only to the servants and Jesus’ disciples. He said,

“Everyone brings out the choice wine first, then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” John 2:10

A glorious sign with much meaning

1. God’s joy is best

Whatever Jesus does it is ‘the best’. This story is based on the joy of a wedding. But such happiness is transient. What Jesus desires is for all people to experience the deep, deep joy he offers us all.

Wine was very significant to Jewish life. The rabbis had a saying,

“Without wine, there is no joy.”

How ridiculous it is to be offended by this story on temperance grounds. Mary’s statement, ‘They have no wine!’ is a poetic condensation of human experience without Christ. There are many Old Testament references to the fact that those who are spiritually thirsty, and have no resources can receive the joy that God has to offer them.

“ . . wine that gladdens the heart of man.” Psalm 104:15

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine . . .” Isaiah 55:1

There are many biographies of people who have chased every possible experience in life only to find that they have nothing substantial. Ernest Hemingway was such a man. He had experienced heady times in Europe before getting involved in the Spanish Civil War. He had been friends with many famous people and had been involved in outrageous exploits in World War 2 but in the end he committed suicide by shooting himself. The statement, ‘All that glistens is not gold’ is very old, probably Aesop knew of it and it is repeatedly found in ancient writings. It was popularised by William Shakespeare in his play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’. Inside Portia’s golden casket her suitor found the telling words,

“All that glisters is not gold—

Often have you heard that told.

Many a man his life hath sold

But my outside to behold.

Gilded tombs do worms enfold.”

What appears to be real may just have the appearances of reality. There is nothing wrong with the natural joys of life but the time will come to all of us when these will no longer satisfy. Solomon discovered,

“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 1:14

Real peace and joy are only to be found in a relationship with God and that is what Jesus offers. Jesus gives us real joy,

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, . . .” Galatians 5:22

Hours before his death, Jesus had said to his disciples,

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11

Joy, resulting from the relationship with God, is a key feature in the Bible. The word is used 242 times! Even as we suffer from the problems of age this joy remains,

“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The
LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” Psalm 92:14

Just as the context of this joy was a wedding, so joy comes to us through being betrothed to Christ.

It is surely no coincidence that the first miracle of Jesus was at a joyful wedding and the final picture in John’s book of Revelation is a description of the wedding of the Lamb. The church is described as ‘a bride beautifully dressed for her husband’ (Revelation 21:2). Then God and his people will live together,

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:3

John even refers to the drink of life that God will supply, this drink also starts as water!

“To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Revelation 21:6

The church is described as pure, shining like jewels, and is built on the teaching of Christ given through his apostles,

“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. . . It shone with the glory of God.” Revelation 21:9

“The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:14

People of all nations are able to come and be part of and enjoy this ideal wedding. Indeed the message of the bride, that is the church, to everyone is the message of God,

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty let him take of the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17

The reality of the wedding feast and the invitation to be part of it is the beginning and end of John’s gospel and book of Revelation just as it is the beginning and end of the Christian message.

2. Jesus meets our need

It is striking that most people become Christians when they face a personal need. In this opening story, Jesus steps in at a point of need. John deliberately begins his account of Jesus’ public ministry with a private need, not with a riveting sermon on the temple steps. The new creation has nothing to do with church services, religious buildings, or priests but with our turning to the only person who can help. To many people, Christianity is understood in terms of church buildings and clergy. Jesus wants us to know that the only true religion is a personal relationship with himself.

In this story, Jewish purification jars were used to produce the new wine. Religion is not man’s need – it is Christ himself. The theologian F.F.Bruce has said,

“Christ has changed the water of Jewish purification into wine of the new age.”

The next story that John recounts emphasises that religion, symbolised by the temple and its sacrifices, are misleading people. It is Christ who must be pivotal, not religion.

3. Jesus reverses the natural order

John includes the comment that it is usual for the best wine to be given first and for the second rate wine to come later, when people are somewhat befuddled. In the tennis world the great players, such as John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer can only stay at the top for a limited time. Everything has a natural decline which eventually results in death. Jesus reverses this. He was later to say

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

Everything in life is downhill, but Jesus reverses this order. He makes water into wine, death becomes life. A friend of mine who had become a Christian later in life was dying in the local hospice. He said,

“I have no fear of dying. I know the Lord Jesus and have great confidence in him. He will bring me to the new life.”

What a joy the Christian message is. Jesus said later,

“The thief comes only to to steal and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

What a silly idea it is that if a person becomes a Christian it will spoil his life. The truth is the opposite. It is sin that destroys people’s lives not obedience to Jesus Christ. When Christ comes as a guest he brings us abundant gladness and joy. Christians are not exempt from fear and the problems of life but Jesus brings a joy that the world cannot give.

4. Jesus gives a new creation

The result of the disciples witnessing this miracle was earth-changing.

“He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” John 10:11

This is an interesting statement proving it to be a first hand account and not written in the second century. The first chapter of John has claimed that the disciples already believed. Anyone trying to fabricate a story would surely say, ‘After this miracle everyone was immensely impressed and many outsiders believed.’ However John records that only a few knew what really happened, only the stewards and Jesus’ disciples ‘manifest his glory’.

Jesus is teaching his disciples to trust him more and more. Jesus says that spiritual life is what really matters. The church has always understood that faith in Jesus is God’s message.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

What a disaster it is when today’s church focuses on meeting people’s physical needs and not on their spiritual needs. Jesus did both but for him teaching about the kingdom of God was his priority. In a national newspaper Valerie Pitt eloquently pleaded that churches should stand up for the rights of the poor. A senior church leader replied. He didn’t disagree but added,

“ . . . but this is not the only argument. What I hear church’s critics saying is that it (the church) is going the world’s way and concentrating on material poverty and hence, by implication, on economic salvation rather than on spiritual poverty. Yesterday’s church took it for granted that the purpose of the church was spiritual development – to find one’s way to heaven was every person’s first duty. Today these priorities have been reversed and the church allows itself to be heard echoing materialistic and incidentally Marxist assumptions, when it pleads for economic justice.

Meanwhile todays Lazarus2, in Europe anyway, is not likely to be nursing an empty belly so much as an empty soul, dying, that is, for want of anything worth living for. Unless the church in our society can give young people a diet which feeds this hunger, they will eat from the scraps that fall from the rich man’s table or TV set, sex and violence, punk and anarchy, with cannabis and glue for sweetness. The evidence of hunger is plain to see. In a Coventry bookshop the shelves marked ‘Religion’ contain only a third of Christian books and another third on world religions . . . What should concern the church is that a further third of the shelves are filled with books on astrology, palmistry, black magic, Tarot cards and all the flotsam and jetsam of curiosity and superstition, that swirls around in every age where living faith has ebbed.”

This is a striking critique of some churches. In Christ we have someone who slakes the thirst of men and women. Churches must focus on obeying Jesus; he told us what our focus must be,

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them everything I have commended you. And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

John puts this beautifully, by saying that the jars of ritual purification are only filled with water but God wants people to drink of the wine that Jesus alone can give them.

Who is Jesus most concerned about?

The only people who knew about this miracle were the disciples and the servants. Early in Jesus’ ministry he often urged those he had healed not to speak about it. He surely did this so that he had time to continue teaching and training his disciples for their life’s ministry. This priority helps us understand much of what Jesus emphasised and why he repeatedly took his disciples away to teach them after a public ministry.

BVP

1Alfred Edersheim, ‘The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah’ Pickering and Inglis, Book 1 p. 351-357

2This refers to the Jesus’ parable of Dives and Lazarus told in Luke 16:19-31

John 1:43-51. Faith Comes to an Honest Doubter

Jesus decided to leave the crowds in Judea and move up to Galilee. We are not told the reason for this but we are told, simply,

“Finding Philip, he said to him ‘Follow me’.” John 1:43

Jesus took the initiative with Philip, just as he does with each of us. The Greek tense used is a continuous imperative, it means, ‘Keep on following me’.

To believe in Jesus must mean to follow him for life. Following Jesus is a key idea in both Matthew and John’s gospels. (See Matthew 4:19, 8:19, 8:22, 16:24, 19:27 and John 1:37, 1:38, 1:43, 10:4, 10:27, 12:26, 21:19) It is striking that one of the first things Jesus said to Peter was:

“Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:19

At Peter’s final meeting with Jesus, after the resurrection, Jesus again said to him,

“Follow me.” John 21:19

The last words Jesus said to Peter emphasised this:

“You must follow me.” John 21:22

I was talking this week to a person who had been baptised as a teenager but had given up following Christ. That is not what Christ calls us to do. He has called his people to be a perpetual burning torch or light for him.

The point of discipleship

‘Lights’ in those days brought fire to anything inflammable. Christians are now the ‘light of the world’ so that others can catch fire with the light of Christ. This is what happened to Philip when he met the ‘light of the world’ - he immediately becomes a source of burning light to his friend.

“Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘we have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:45

Some churches speak a lot about discipleship but too few explain why people should be disciples and how to become a genuine follower of Christ.

This chapter opens with Jesus living in eternity but then he enters this world becoming described as ‘the Word’ – he is the means by which God communicates with every man. John the Baptist is then introduced as as a witness who testified about ‘the light of God’. The first 18 verses are full of the truth that Jesus brought into the world; it does not stop at revelation but with application. Everyone must act on this information. The question is whether we will obey God and become a disciple of God’s Son or not. The message God wants everyone to grasp is then stressed,

“Yet to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

In the past there used to be some who revelled in being perpetual students, such as Richard Grimsdyke, the permanent medical student in ‘Doctor in the House’ - always giving the appearance of learning but never achieving much. Some in our theological colleges spend their lives studying and debating but never come to being the sort of disciples God requires. There are also, unfortunately, some in our churches who love attending services, hearing sermon after sermon, attending Bible Study after Bible Study and church meeting after church meeting, but whose only friends are within the church. Such people are consequently at risk of being ineffective in showing Christ to those who most need him in our society. The Plymouth Brethren got into this rut with their exclusivity and inward looking character - and they have largely disappeared. We should instead be children of God who, like Jesus, are burning lights to those all around us, whatever their nationality or creed.

In this account Philip, Nathanuel, Andrew and Peter all become followers of Jesus – that is the focus we are meant to see. In the Bible the word ‘knowledge’ is both an intellectual or academic understanding of the truth but also a personal knowledge, a coming to know and live for someone. This personal dynamic relationship with Jesus is the only means of being saved. and everyone should be encouraged to ask whether they really have this personal relationship.

The way Philip introduces Jesus to his friend is interesting, he refers to the prophecies in the Old Testament Scriptures.

“We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:45

This must mean that Nathanael was fairly well versed in these Scriptures and in all likelihood the two had discussed questions about the Messiah previously. Note that he talked about Jesus as a person. He didn’t philosophise about God, as some clergymen of television do today. God had entered this world as Jesus, the Christ – God’s chosen king.

The road to discipleship is normally another person

Most of us became Christians because we were introduced to Jesus by another person. In this account Jesus finds Philip but immediately Philip goes to find Nathanael. Just as the previous paragraph was all about Peter and how he came to faith, so this paragraph is all about Nathanael. Both Peter and Nathanael were found by a friend. This is the normal way God shares the gospel but it is not the only way. There are occasional stories of God speaking directly to people through dreams or through picking up a Bible, or having a spiritual instinct stirred by something that happens, but even then God nearly always involves another person to teach the gospel. This is important because all Christians are called to become members of God’s team, his church. Isolated Christians are not what he is looking for.

A friend can introduce us to Jesus in various ways. They may bring us to church, chat with us or lend us a book but what is infectious is that gentle enthusiasm which says ‘I’ve discovered the answer to life and long for you to know him too.’ This story is how a Jew becomes a Christian. This is significant, as although the early church consisted mainly of Jews it quickly opened up to Gentiles who became equal members of God’s kingdom. John is thought to have written this towards the end of his life. In his gospel, when he uses the word Jew, it is usually in a hostile context; Jews in authority disliked Jesus and what he taught. It is therefore all the more striking that at the beginning of his gospel he introduces us to a Jew who is a sincere and genuine person. Nathanael is at least willing to meet Jesus. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching he said to those around him,

“Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” John 1:47

Jesus called out this man’s character before they had met, so demonstrating his divine omniscience. The use of the word Israelite is striking. The Jewish patriarch, Jacob, had his name changed to ‘Israel’ when he met with God. He had been a conniving scoundrel. One translator of this passage put it like this,

“Behold an Israelite in whom there’s no Jacob.”

Nathanael was like the elderly priest Simeon who went to find the baby Jesus when he was brought to the Temple to be consecrated to the Lord. We read of this good man,

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Luke 2:25

The reason that Nathanael was not a Christian was not because he was insincere or determined to be worldly but because no-one had previously explained the truth to him. When he was told, he addressed his initial doubts and then became a follower of Jesus and ‘The Way’. It wasn’t a bolt from heaven, or a voice in the night or a sudden experience but because Philip came, with an excited grin on his face, and said,

“We have found the Messiah! Come and see!” John 1:45

It is not easy to win friends for Christ but it is so encouraging to know that God can use each of us. For myself a day seldom goes by without speaking to someone about the Lord Jesus, it is not difficult if you are motivated and practice. What is fascinating is to see how many people are eager to talk. This week a man visited our house and he started to talk about the lack of morality in business today. It was easy to ask whether he had a faith that was the basis for this way of thinking. He explained that he had gone to church as a child and had even been baptised as a teenager but had lost his old vibrant faith and no longer went to church. We had a thrilling discussion and as he left I gave him an article entitled, ‘Who will be saved?’ and he promised to get hold of a copy of the book ‘Cure for Life’. Who knows whether this will encourage him back to Christ. Subsequently an e-mail was sent encouraging him to keep in touch. My job is now to pray for him.

It has been calculated that if everyone of us found one person for Christ each year the whole world would be converted within 15 years!

Too often people think of evangelism in terms of mass crusades but crusades don’t work without ordinary Christians sharing their faith in Jesus with friends, family and neighbours. In Acts 8, Philip was told to leave a very successful evangelistic campaign in Samaria to go down through the desert in southern Judea. There he seemingly met by chance the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ethiopia who was reading the Bible as he travelled slowly in his chariot and who, when approached, asked Philip, ‘What does this mean?’ Philip led him to Christ there and then.

Such stories are unusual, but if we all prayed to be led to a sincere person who is a seeker after God who is waiting for someone to point out the way. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each us us set ourselves to pray every day for such opportunities. Don’t forget, if you are now a Christian, that undoubtedly someone put themselves out in order to share the gospel with you.

Was something else happening in Nathanael’s mind?

Nathanael asks Jesus,

“How do you know me?” John 1:48

Jesus doesn’t go into the fact that God knows everything about all of us, our thoughts, temptations and interests. Instead he makes a cryptic statement that at first seems strange.

“I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” John 1:49

The obvious question is, “What was Nathanael doing under that fig tree?” We are not told any more but it was clearly something special to Nathanael. Had he had some spiritual experience? Had he been thinking about Jacob’s ladder? Had he been thinking about being baptised by John? Had he been praying that the Messiah, whom John the Baptist had talked so much about would reveal himself? Nathanael was obviously all on his own under that tree yet God knew of the experience he had had. No-one else knew, but Jesus did! God really is omniscient. He really is the one John the Baptist had talked about when he said,

“Among you there stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:27

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29

“I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God.” John 1:34

Something like this must be the explanation for the rapid response, his public declaration about Jesus,

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” John 1:49

Jesus commented on this,

“You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” John 1:50

Jesus then switched from speaking just to Nathanael, using the singular, to using the plural.

“He then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” John 1:51

This again is a reference to Jacob, the original Israelite. In Genesis 28 the story is told how the scheming Jacob had stolen the birthright from his older twin Esau by beguiling his elderly blind Father and was then fleeing for his life. That day he had travelled over 40 miles across the wilderness and he stopped in a deserted valley for the night. He took a stone for a pillow and laid down to sleep in the open air. It was there that God comforted him with a dramatic vision,

“ . . . he saw a stairway (or ladder) resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said,: ‘I am the LORD, the God of you father Abraham and the God of Isaac . . .” Genesis 28:12

It is significant that when Jesus recounted this story he changes one of the words. The angels are now ascending and descending not on a staircase or ladder but on Jesus himself. The connection between the Lord God in heaven and man on earth is Jesus himself. We all need to understand what Jesus is claiming so early in his ministry. There is no doubt about what he is saying. Jacob learned that although he was running away, the Lord God still loved him and cared for him although life was tough – all he had was a stone to lie on!

Angels

The reference to angels is important. Jacob was told about angels to reassure him. The New Testament reassures us that there are these spiritual beings that are usually invisible but who do protect us.

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14

Nathanael and ourselves are being reminded that God is closest to us when life is hard and even when friends, family and even God seem a long way off.

Over a hundred years ago a Scottish missionary, John G. Paton and his wife were working in the New Hebrides and they found themselves in a village that was surrounded by cannibals and savages who were intent on killing them. The couple fell to their knees in their hut and prayed that God would protect them. They spent an awful night, repeatedly hearing the screams of the tribesmen outside. However, when the sun rose in the morning, all was quiet and they were unharmed. The natives had retreated back into the forest. Naturally the missionaries were amazed but thrilled and they spent the day rejoicing. A year later the chieftain of the savages was wonderfully converted to Christ. The Paton’s then asked him why they hadn’t been killed that night. The Chieftain replied in surprise,

“Who were all those men who were with you?”

“There were no men with us, just my wife and myself”

The chief became irritated.

“But there were hundreds of tall men in shining garments with drawn swords circling around your place so we couldn’t attack you.”

Such stories are uncommon but the Paton’s had no doubt that that night their guardian angels had shown themselves.

When Israel was at war with Aram, God gave Elisha insights into the movement of the enemy troops, giving the Israelites a distinct advantage. Spies discovered that Elisha was staying in the city of Dothan, so the king of Aram surrounded that city. Panic must have been everywhere, Elisha’s servant asked

“Oh, my Lord, what shall we do?” “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more that those who are with them.” 2 Kings 6:16

Elisha prayed,

“‘O Lord, open his eyes so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:17

When the enemy advanced, Elisha prayed that they would be blinded and that is what happened! He was able to lead the enemy into the city of Samaria where the troop’s eyes were opened. The point is that our God is also a real God who cares passionately for his people.

We will encounter prejudice

In looking to win people for Christ, we mustn’t be surprised when we encounter prejudice.

“‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked.” John 1:46

John delights to confront us with the difficulties we will face as soon as we open our mouths for Christ. A little later he again reminds us that this will happen.

“‘How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?’ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.” John 7:41-42

Undoubtedly these Jews had been taught something about the Messiah at the synagogue schools. From the account of the wise men visiting King Herod the Great, when they were looking for the newborn child who was the Messiah, we know that the Messiah’s birth place was widely recognised. When Herod asked ‘where the Christ was to be born,’ the chief priests and teachers of the law immediately replied,

“In Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah; out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” Matthew 2:5-6

No wonder Nathanael was dubious about what he was told. Nazareth was a dump of a village up in Galilee. Nathanael knew this as he came from nearby Bethsaida. The likely site for Cana was just a few miles north-east of Nazareth. What he did not know was that although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, his family moved back to Nazareth where he was raised.

The majority of the difficult conundrums some people put forward are just a smoke screens to try and hide a refusal to take God or Jesus seriously but for some doubts are the road to a real faith. If the gospel is true then there will be answers to the big questions. Nathanael was such a sincere man with genuine questions that needed to be answered. The problem Philip had was that he didn’t know the answers. So he gives a classic answer, and this is perhaps a hint by John as to how we should face up to questions that stump us. He simply said,

“Come and see.” John 1:46

When Nathanael meets Jesus he can ask him all his questions directly. What a lesson this is for us. When difficult questions are hurled our way, such as, ‘Do you believe in hell?’ ‘Is homosexuality a sin? ‘Is it always wrong to lie?’ or ‘How can a man be God?’ the wise person will not give their opinion but will ‘Blame Jesus’, and refer everything back to him. Then the argument will no longer be with us but with Jesus himself. We must learn to introduce people to Jesus.

Many people in our secular societies have many questions and it is reasonable for them to seek out answers. Many people will attend a Bible teaching church or Bible Study group for considerable periods before finally committing themselves to Jesus. People today wonder how anything in the Bible can be relevant to life in the twenty-first century, when it was written many thousands of years ago. The best answer still is, ‘Come and see!’ The pages of the Bible do give us real answers to the deepest questions about life. For many ‘Religious Education’ at school was a complete bore and totally irrelevant to us, but one of the remarkable changes that occur when we become Christians is that the Bible becomes alive and God speaks to us through it. ‘Come and see!’

Sincerity is rewarded by discovery

Nathanael had prejudices that undoubtedly came from the way he had been taught but there was nothing false about him. He was willing to investigate the claims of Christ, despite his reluctance to accept these claims at first sight. His initial reaction was that this claim was rubbish, ‘It couldn’t be true, it must be wrong!’ but because of the genuineness of Philip and what he had heard of Jesus, he was willing to investigate even though not yet persuaded. It is thrilling to meet people who are in similar positions, they are not sure but are willing to investigate. We regularly hold Exploring Christianity groups, usually with a supper before, and it is so encouraging to see all sorts of people coming to enquire. Sincere doubt should be a road to faith, it is not the opposite of faith. Books and Christian literature can help many find that the answer to their deepest need is to be found in the person of Jesus.

Pat and his wife appeared one day in our local church. Not recognising them I went to sit next to them. After the service they were invited to come for coffee in the adjoining church hall. As we left the church he explained that he had come to our church as a result of attending an evangelistic evening we had held the previous evening in a local school. We started to chat after the service,

“Well, its great to see you here. But do you mind if I ask you a question, are you a convinced Christian yourself or are you unsure about these things?’

“Hmm,” he replied, “I would describe myself more as being a convinced churchman, but my wife Kathleen is a convinced Christian.”

“Would you like to sort this all out? Why don’t you come and join us at a Christian Basics group we are starting this week, with a supper before hand.”

“I would like that,” came the surprising reply.

Pat and his wife did join that group and there his many questions were answered. He began a personal relationship with Christ that lasted for the rest of his life. He had previously been on a local church Parish Church Council for many years but unfortunately he had never learned the difference between being a churchman and being a personal follower of Jesus Christ – he was now Christ’s-man, a Christian.

For Nathanael meeting Jesus seems to have answered his prejudices. Jesus not only reveals the heart of God to man but also reveals the heart of man to himself. As we follow him we learn so much about ourselves and our selfish ways, as well as a kind side that needs fostering.

His immediate reaction was to confess his newfound allegiance to Christ in front of others.

“Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” John 1:49

One of our great problems today is believing what we believe. However what is vital is that we can say with Nathanael,

“Jesus, you are the Son of God, you are my king and my Saviour.”

More to come

The initial road to faith is to recognise who Jesus is, but that is just the beginning of an exciting life of faith centred on living with and for him. Nathanael was brought to faith because Jesus answered whatever went on under that fig tree.

“Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.’ he then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”

Nathanael had concluded that Jesus was ‘the Son of God’ but Jesus’ first testimony about himself was to call himself ‘the Son of Man’. He was emphasising his voluntary humanity and the humiliation this involved. Jesus is both the ‘Son of God’ and the supreme ‘Son of Man’. Nathanael had much more to learn about Jesus and every Christian discovers more and more about Jesus as we live closely with him.

BVP

John 1:35-42. The Effect of Meeting Jesus

We have already seen in this chapter that John the Baptist exemplifies a person who is committed to promoting Jesus Christ. In this section we can see the effect of meeting Jesus in two of John’s disciples. This account is surely included as an example of the way Jesus affected the other disciples.

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God.’” John 1:35-36

The previous day John had made that majestic statement about who Jesus is and what he would achieve,

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

John the Baptist pointed his disciples to Jesus and directed them to follow Jesus. It is one thing to say ‘Jesus is everything’ but to pass on your own disciples is much more difficult. John ‘walked the talk.’

The two that he pointed to Jesus were Andrew and another disciple who was almost certainly the apostle John himself. After hearing John the Baptist, ‘they followed Jesus.’ It would seem that they did this rather hesitantly. It was Jesus himself who sensed their presence and who initiated the conversation.

“Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’” John 1:38

It is not clear whether Andrew and John knew what they wanted. Their reply, “Where are you staying?” may have just been something to say. However Jesus’ reply was so welcoming and demonstrated the sort of response all Christians should emulate when talking with strangers.

“Come, and you will see.” John 1:39

Jesus loved to have double meanings in what he said and John often picks up on this. Was Jesus just saying that they could see the tent or house he was staying in, or was he really saying, “You will come to see who I really am, the Messiah, the answer to all men’s needs!”

They meet with Jesus

The two followed Jesus, arriving at 4pm, ‘the tenth hour’, and probably spent the whole evening talking with him. The book of John was written when John was an old man, possibly 60 to 70 years after this event, yet he clearly remembered exactly the details of what occurred and when this happened. This is surely no surprise as that was the greatest day of his life – the day when he came to know and follow God’s Son, God’s Messiah.

They would never forget such a conversation. Their lives began on that day, that spring afternoon in Galilee in 30AD at 4pm. We can only speculate about what they talked about but it is probable that Jesus explained to them what the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures, were all about. This was a favourite topic for Jesus. On the day of his resurrection, Jesus joined Cleopas and his companion as they walked the seven miles to Emmaus. They started explaining how Jesus had been crucified, as if Jesus didn’t know, adding that some women had seen the empty tomb and had had a vision of angels telling them that Jesus was alive and that some of the disciples had confirmed that the tomb was empty. Then Jesus intervened,

“ ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:25-27

Later that same day, Jesus joined his disciples as they were hiding in the locked upper room. After eating some fish he said to them,

“ ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written : the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations . . .’” Luke 24:44-47

Jesus longed that his followers should understand the Scriptures and today this remains the prime purpose of his church – to teach the Scriptures and encourage all people to live according to them.

What a great privilege it must have been for these two disciples of John to have heard Jesus explain what matters in life. They must have been so excited and felt so privileged. They learned something that evening that remained with them for the rest of their lives. Jesus was willing to go out of his way to win others for the Kingdom of God.

They were also being shown how to do personal evangelism. Jesus had befriended them, welcomed them to share his life and then he had shared with them what he knew to be important.

They long to share Jesus

The effect on Andrew was immediate.

“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” John 1:41-42

Such enthusiasm is the natural effect that meeting Jesus has on people. When Kent Hughes was just 13 years old he went to a Christian camp where he was taught the gospel. He realised, for the first time, that he was a sinner before God and he approached the camp leader saying,

“I don’t think I know Jesus. I don’t think I have him in my heart.”

His leader explained how Jesus was waiting to be invited into our lives. He put his arm on Kent’s shoulder and they prayed. Kent asked the Lord Jesus to come into his life, forgive his sin and direct his life. He left that room with a great burden removed from his shoulders. He had been marvellously saved. He couldn’t wait to share the news with the other lads in his group at the camp. He wanted everyone to know.

This was Andrew’s experience too. He couldn’t help himself as he had been enthused.

Andrew continued to be earnest in introducing people to Jesus. Every time he is mentioned in the gospels he is bringing people to meet Jesus, because he knew who he was. On one occasion Jesus saw thousands of people approaching and he said to Philip to test him,

“Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” John 6:5

It was Andrew who then brought a young lad to Jesus and said,

“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish.” John 6:9

Some Greeks asked Philip, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Philip then went to tell Andrew and they took the Greeks to Jesus. Both Mark and Matthew tell the story about how both Andrew and his brother Peter were formally called to become disciples of Jesus and as disciples they were to be evangelists.

“As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” Mark 1:16-18

Richard C. H. Lenski was a New Testament scholar and he thinks the Greek for , ‘He first found his brother’ should be understood as meaning that John was also looking for his brother James to introduce him to Christ but Andrew found Peter first.

This natural longing to introduce others to Jesus was a feature of the disciples. Jesus found Philip and called him to be one of his disciples, saying ‘Follow me.’ His immediate reaction was natural,

“Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:44

This desire to introduce people to Jesus continued throughout their lives. Those early Christians were both enthusiastic and habitual in this work.

Just 24 hours before, John the Baptist had been a voice ‘crying in the wilderness’. Then two of his followers, Andrew and John, responded and turned to follow Jesus. Each of these then brought another to Christ, Andrew brought Peter and John brought his brother James.

Dawson Trotman, an evangelist and founder of ‘the Navigators’, wrote in his little book, “Born to Reproduce’, that there are some interesting mathematics here. If I win one person for Christ and in 6 months he in turn wins another and this rate of replication continues, by two years there would be 16 new Christians. By three years there would be 64, by 5 years 1048 and by 15½ years there would be 2 billion, 176 million, the number of people in all of Europe!

What Jesus wants is for our churches to be full of people with the desire Andrew had, to introduce others to Jesus. We do need some able people who are able to teach the Bible well but our greatest need today is for all Christians to become personal evangelists. It is so satisfying to see a member of your family, your neighbours and friends coming to know Jesus.

The experience Jesus gives

Our English word ‘enthusiasm’ comes from two Greek words, ‘en’ meaning ‘into’ and ‘theos’ meaning ‘God’. When a person enters into a genuine relationship with God there will inevitably be some form of enthusiasm showing, the nature of which depends on the personality.

We must be careful not to expect everyone to behave in the same way – enthusiasm will have different effects in different people but one thing is sure, when someone meets with Jesus they will long to share him with others.

Many years later the other person who met Jesus that day, John the apostle, wrote of the effect that same experience had on him,

“That which was from the beginning, which we have seen and heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. . . . We write this to make our joy complete” 1 John 1:1-3

There are many ways to proclaim Jesus, including writing about him. There is also much joy to be experienced when we share the news about Jesus with others. Joyful enthusiasm is a mark of those in the Christian faith. We have been invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb where there will be much joy. When Christians arrive in heaven, we will be full of worship and joy.

Another warning needs to be given – not all enthusiasm comes from the truth. I remember a fellow medical student who kept failing his exams. He had become involved with Maharishi Yogi and took to meditation in a big way. He couldn’t stop talking about the calm and other effects this had on his life. The downside was that he didn’t bother to do much work either and he kept failing. Some preachers enthusiastically advocate a prosperity gospel, that God longs to bless his people materially in this life. Such ministers may get rich through their enthusiastic preaching but their message is not that of Jesus Christ. Television advertisements are usually full of enthusiasm for their product but this enthusiasm doesn’t mean the product is the best buy.

When Jesus considered the fate of those who rejected him, he was very emotional.

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.” Luke 19:41

One of the most effective evangelists this country has known was C.H.Spurgeon. He was not afraid to show his emotions and would often weep as he begged people to repent and turn to Christ.

Andrew is usually known for being the brother of Simon Peter, which is not very flattering. Many know about the self-confidant Peter, who was indeed a great man. Andrew didn’t have his personality but undoubtedly, in God’s eyes, he is highly valued. He was not only enthusiastic; habitual in his concerns but he was also humble.

Andrew wasn’t in the inner circle of the disciples but he was the first Christian. It is likely that the greatest crowns will be awarded in heaven to those we have not heard of. An elderly irreligious builder became a Christian when someone told him the gospel. He then invited his daughter to come to a carol service and she subsequently turned to Christ. She then invited an older couple to come to an Exploring Christianity group. They both became Christians and they have now brought their neighbour regularly to church. Such is the work of God’s people – it is much more important than being the person up front.

Each of us is in a unique situation in our families and in society. There are people around us with similar experiences, ages, handicaps and the like. Each of us is uniquely placed to find ways to share the gospel with those around us. Some will respond, ‘But I’m not theologically trained!’ Neither were Andrew or John. All they said is that they had found the Messiah. Peter was won by an enthusiastic brother who put his arm around him and said simply ,

“I want you to meet the person who has changed my life.”

When Peter was introduced to Jesus we read, ‘Jesus looked at him.’ God could see into the heart of the self-confident Peter and said these words,

“ ‘You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas,’ (which, when translated, is Peter).” John 1:42

Peter means ‘rock’. Jesus was being prophetic in saying there would be a character change in Peter’s life – he would become a stable rock. He was a strong-willed, self-confidant, vain, impulsive, irresolute, unstable and selfish man who was to deny his association with Jesus to save himself. Yet Peter was later to be the man to lead the early church and gave that first sermon on the Day of Pentecost that resulted in about 3000 people, mainly Jews, putting their faith in Jesus. He then risked imprisonment and persecution and eventually was executed because of his love for Jesus. It was Peter who bravely said to the Sanhedrin when ‘commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus’,

“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20

Jesus certainly transformed Peter into a rock, a man God could use.

The sculptor, Michelangelo (1475 - 1564) was working on a huge, shapeless piece of rock. A visitor naively asked him,

“What are you doing?’

A great answer was given,

“I am releasing the angel that is imprisoned in this stone.”

He saw what was there and spent months releasing the angel.

When we are brought face to face with Jesus he sees both what we are and what we can become. His word changes us. He wants not just to forgive us our sin but to give us his Holy Spirit to change us to be of use and to be a light for him in a dark world. He chisels us into people he can use. This is what the apostles did in their day and this is what God empowers us to do today. What a state God’s churches have got into when the vast majority of Christians have never helped someone else become a Christian and, what is worse, seem to have little desire to be equipped for this task. Can we not see what a joy it will be to stand before the Lord Jesus in glory? This joy is well described in one of the Psalms of Ascent,

“When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:1

Those who keep going with Christ will be given a white stone with our new names written on it,

“To him who overcomes . . . I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it . . .” Revelation 2:17

What a thrill it will be to hear him say to us,

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” Matthew 25:21

The important message is that we can all change because God gives us the power of his Spirit to do just this.

God longs for more Andrew’s, whose enthusiasm for Jesus doesn’t dwindle, but becomes a habitual overflowing to others. At the same time there must be a humility if we are to be used. Christians are not here on earth for ourselves, for our own interests, but to be ambitious for Jesus Christ, that he should be glorified through us.

God does not want us to be passive Christians, who turn up at church when convenient, and are satisfied with just believing orthodox doctrines. Jesus calls us all to be ‘sold out to him’ and his service. We should decide what our ministry should be and then make that our ministry for the Lord Jesus.

Henry Martyn was a brilliant Cambridge undergraduate who was the top mathematician (Senior Wrangler) of all students in 1801. He was also a brilliant linguist. He heard a sermon by Charles Simeon about the influence William Carey had as a missionary to India and he felt that God wanted him to be a missionary also. On his voyage to India in 1806 he saw the ravages of the war to conquer South Africa for the British Empire. He had a deep passion that others should hear and understand the gospel and wrote at this time,

“I prayed that…England whilst she sent the thunder of her arms to distant regions of the globe, might not remain proud and ungodly at home; but might show herself great indeed, by sending forth the ministers of her church to diffuse the gospel of peace.”

He realised that the great need in these undeveloped countries was for a translation of the Scriptures into their own languages and this he set about to do. He translated the whole of the New Testament into Urdu, Persian and Judaeo-Persic. He also translated the Psalms into Persian. An indication of his zeal for the gospel was his statement.

“Let me burn out for God.”

He died in 1812 when still only thirty one years old, committed to the service of his Lord. He recognised that this concern for the salvation of others was from the Holy Spirit, saying,

“The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.”

BVP

John 1:29-34. John the Baptist’s Gospel

This passage has been an eye-opener for me. The apostle John loves to include in his book stories about how different people reacted to Jesus. This article describes what John the Baptist understood about Jesus.

The language he uses is that of a court of law; John is imagining that he is in the witness box giving evidence.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” John 1:29-34

A reliable witness

Before a witness in a court of law gives his evidence he has to take the oath,

“I swear that the evidence that I shall give, shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”

It is striking that in the whole section about John the Baptist the word ‘witness’ or ‘testify’ comes again and again. The same basic Greek word, marturia, from which we have obtained our word ‘martyr’, someone who suffers because they have been a witness to their faith, is used repeatedly. This is clearly deliberate. The truth of this evidence is vital. We see it in the following verses,

“ . . . John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light. John 1:7

“He himself was not that light, he came only as a witness to the light.” John 1:8

“John testified concerning him . . .” John 1:15

“Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.” John 1:19

“Then John gave this testimony . . .” John 1:32

“I have seen and testify that this is God’s Chosen One. John 1:34

The discussion with the Jewish leaders makes it clear that, right from the beginning, there was a question whether John the Baptist might be the Messiah. John the Baptist, however, points to Jesus and says clearly that it is Jesus who is the Messiah, God’s Chosen One.

In the past some have suggested that John’s gospel is more interested in teaching spiritual ideas than factual truths. The evidence suggests the contrary; John includes many specific details strongly suggesting that eye witness accounts have been recorded.

“All this happened at Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan where John was baptising.” John 1:28

“The next day . . .” John 1:29

“ . . . John saw Jesus coming towards him . . .” John 1:29

“Then John gave this testimony, ‘I saw . . .’” John 1:32

A self-effacing witness

The character of a witness affects whether they are likely to be believed. Arrogant, self-opinionated, proud people who are full of themselves are not trusted as much as a self-effacing witness. Furthermore a witness who has nothing to gain and all to lose by their evidence is likely to be reliable.

John the Baptist refuses to take centre stage, preferring to promote Jesus all the time. Although he was a famous, popular, national figure he said,

“A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” John 1:30

He disclaims any special powers or perception,

“I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” John 1:31

“And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘the man on whom you see . . .’ John 1:33

John the Baptist is saying that he had no special insight, that he didn’t understand, and then all he did was teach and offer water baptism.

It is significant that false teachers tend to to be self-centred and pretentious. They often claim that they have been given special gifts or revelation by God. Too often they influence people largely by their magnetic personalities that seem to mesmerise the crowds to follow them unthinkingly. Such ‘prophets’ have troubled the church since the earliest times. In contrast John does not want people to see him but wants them to recognise Jesus for who he really is.

In the last century there have been many sect leaders who have drawn people to their movement by warning people that the end of the world is fast approaching and tell them ‘to flee from the wrath to come’ by joining their group. They often point out as evidence ‘the wars and rumours of wars’ that abound today. It is worrying that such leaders do attract a following when Jesus himself warned of this problem and taught the opposite.

“Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen. Nation will rise against nation . . .” Mark 13:6-8

We must all learn from John the Baptist to always point people to Jesus and not to ourselves.

A clear witness

One of the reasons many people today find it hard to talk about Jesus is that they do not know what to say. Many preachers could learn from the emphasis of John the Baptist. Everything he said centred on Jesus. It is Jesus that matters to him. But please note what he says Jesus can do for us. It is difficult to find two better sentences to summarise the gospel than the two that John the Baptist uses.

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29

“He is the one who will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” John 1:32

“This is the Son of God.” John 1:34

This is the Christian gospel in a nutshell. Jesus, who was sent to this earth by his heavenly Father, came to forgive our sin and to empower us to live a new godly life.

a. Sin is our greatest problem

The greatest work of God was to send his son to repair the broken relationship between us and himself, a relationship that has been broken because of our natural rebellion against him, our sin. This rebellion, called sin, results in many different symptoms called sins. These include selfishness, pride, lying, stealing, promiscuity and the like. In the Old Testament this rupture was symbolically repaired by the offering of animal sacrifices. A lamb would take responsibility for the sin of a people or family and would then be killed as their substitute. This reminded people that sin, rebellion against the one true God, was the most serious of all their failings but that a final remedy was coming in the form of God’s Messiah. This is a problem that we are all born with.

“There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one seeks God.” Romans 3:10-11

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2

b. The only remedy is Jesus the Christ

John the Baptist introduces Jesus as God’s own son who has come as the remedy for the problem of our sin. John the Baptist concluded,

“I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” John 1:34

When saying how he was to be the remedy, he is surely alluding to the great prophecy in Isaiah that depicts what the Messiah, God’s suffering servant, would enter this world to do.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:4-9

If Jesus is not the God who created us and has entered his world in the flesh, then his death cannot atone for our sin. Only the person sinned against can forgive.

Jesus said to a paralysed man, just before healing him,

“Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5

The teachers of the law who were present recognised the significance of what Jesus had said, saying,

“Why does this fellow talk like that. He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone.” Mark 2:7

The greatest need we all have is to be forgiven before it is too late, before we come face to face with our maker in judgment. Jesus alone has the authority to forgive us because of who he is. It is vital therefore to know for certain whether the penalty for our sin has been taken from us. To say, ‘I hope so,” suggests that a person is unsure and therefore at great risk. However, if Jesus has become the focus of our life and has taken control, he has given us the promise that we have been forgiven because he has already paid the price for our sin on his cross. John the apostle wants us all to be certain. At the end of his gospel John explained why he had written his gospel, he wants people to be certain they have been forgiven and reminds us how this comes about,

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31

Jesus came ‘to take away the sin of the world’. Yet how many today pass by Jesus and his cross although this is their only hope.

c. Jesus empowers his people

The same divine Jesus, who takes responsibility for our sin, then drenches us in the life of God, he baptises us with the Holy Spirit. It is important to note that the two works of God in us come simultaneously. The ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ is not a second blessing. The work of Christ is both to forgive our sins and to baptise us with the Holy Spirit. When I come to Christ to be forgiven my sin, he gives me the gift of the Holy Spirit as evidence that I have been forgiven. No-one is yet forgiven if the life of the Holy Spirit is not developing in them. The apostle Paul wrote emphatically,

“If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

Forgiveness and empowerment go together. Although we call John, ‘John the Baptist’, it is in reality Jesus who is the Baptist. John only baptised symbolically with water, whereas Jesus gives us the reality, the power of God to live new godly lives for him.

There is much confusion about what the Bible teaches about the work of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of his presence, so an addendum to this article of this subject has been added at the end.

d. Jesus is for all

The apostle John has already made it clear who the message about Jesus is for,

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” John 1:9

It is clear throughout the Bible that this message about Jesus being the ‘Saviour of the World’ is for people of all nations and for all classes of society.

How do people receive these gifts of forgiveness and empowering? The answer is simple, by entering into a personal relationship with Jesus, asking him to be both your Saviour and Lord. His empowering then enables us to live this new life with him in control. The apostle explains this,

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

This new life as a member of God’s kingdom begins with an individual coming to Christ, recognising their sin.

The tragedy is that most people do not know of this because we have not shared it with them.

People may have received water baptism, perhaps as a baby, but are uncertain whether they have been forgiven, and are not being changed by the Holy Spirit into becoming like Jesus, with his character and ambitions. It is irrelevant whether we carry an Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist or other label, these groups cannot save us, only a personal relationship with Jesus can do that.

God has given us his Holy Spirit so that our lives will be on fire for him. Isn’t this why, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down on the whole church as ‘tongues of fire’?

There are some who have asked Jesus into their life but have not noticed a great change. Many years ago, a short man called Mr Falconer was working as a missionary to the sailors at Port Chalmers in New Zealand. He had just finished a short service for the seamen, which was held in a large loft used to store the ship’s sails. A young sailor, Frank Bullen, stayed behind to talk. Frank explained that he did believe and had prayed a prayer of commitment to Jesus as his Saviour and Lord, but no obvious change had occurred. He felt no assurance that he had been accepted by God. Mr Falconer read him one of the important sayings of Jesus:

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

‘Ah, I see how it is,’ exclaimed Mr Falconer, ‘you are waiting for the witness of your feelings to the truth of him who is himself the Truth. You dare not take him at his word unless your feelings, which are subject to a thousand changes a day, corroborate it. You must believe him in spite of your feelings and act accordingly.’

Frank Bullen recorded many years later:

’In a moment the hidden mystery was made clear to me, and I said quietly, “I see, sir; it is the credibility of God against the witness of my feelings. Then I believe God!”

’Let us thank God,’ answered the little missionary and they knelt down and prayed. Little more was said. There was no extravagant joy, or effervescent enthusiasm, but just a quiet satisfaction of having ’found one’s way after a long groping in darkness and misery’.

The real proof that the Holy Spirit is active is the presence of a new priority—a desire to live for and with Jesus! If anyone is unsure about how they stand with God, start again and open or reopen your life to God. He wants you to know that your sin has been forgiven, that you have been obviously given the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that you can go out confidently into God’s world to live for him.

BVP

Who has the Spirit of God?

A lady in her early thirties, covered with tattoos, developed an aggressive breast cancer. She had a wide excision of the tumour, clearance of some involved axillary nodes and had subsequently chemotherapy and radiotherapy. During her treatment I asked her if she had any faith to help her cope with all this or whether she wasn’t sure about such things. She gave an interesting reply.

“I wish I still had. During my early twenties I started to go to a Pentecostal church and got carried away with all they did. One day I asked an elder of the church how I could know if God had accepted me, whether I really was a Christian. He asked to hear me speak in tongues, which I was able to do for him as I had heard others in the church do this. He reassured me that if I can speak in tongues I must have the Spirit of God in me. However I short time later I stopped going to any church and have not been back for many years.”

She then determined to discover what life was for and whether God could forgive her for the life she had led and the way she had treated him. She joined us at a ‘Christianity Explored’ Group and for the first time understood the gospel. She understood who Jesus was and what he had done by dying for her on the cross. She did commit her life to Christ and her life changed markedly. She came to love him, was thrilled at being forgiven by God and started to live for him, joining a church.

This gives rise to two important questions,

1. When does a person receive the Holy Spirit?

2. What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence?

1. When does a person receive the Holy Spirit?

I committed my life to Christ in my first year at university and became very involved in the Christian Union, attended an excellent Bible teaching church and began to grow as a Christian. I then decided to formalise my commitment to Christ by getting confirmed. During the confirmation service the Bishop of Ely told us that he was about to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. I was aghast and nearly walked out as I knew that the Spirit of God was already changing me. It was only that I did want to be formally confirmed that kept me in my seat! This issue led me back to the Bible to see what it teaches about when people receive the Holy Spirit.

“And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." Romans 8:9-10

Clearly the apostles taught that to have the Spirit was the same as being a Christian. This is not just a doctrinal belief. Surely it is eminently practical. If a person does not demonstrate something of the character and love of Christ, showing his Spirit, then we should question whether we really have faith in Him.

In his letter to the Galatians Paul is concerned that the church is compromising with Jewish practices, even to the point of suggesting that they are essential for Christians. He reminds them that they now belong to Christ and now everything in the church should centre on living for and obeying him.

“Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort.” Galatians 3:2-3

Paul is here emphasising that we begin the Christian life when we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. That happens when we first put our trust in him.

There has been some confusion over the names given to this third person of the Trinity. Should he be called ’Holy Spirit’ or ‘Holy Ghost’? In Old English the word used for ‘spirit’ was ‘gast’, which became ‘ghost’. The equivalent word in German is ‘geist’ where it still has the broader sense of the word. Thus they speak of ‘zeitgeist’, which means ‘spirit of the times’. Nearly all modern translations use the modern English word, ‘Spirit’.

When we become Christians we receive the full privileges of being Sons of God, a title previously reserved for the Jewish people, and Paul repeats that this includes the gift of His Holy Spirit.

“God sent his Son . . . that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’” Galatians 4:4-6

The letter to the Ephesians teaches the same message.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

It is clear that because we are in Christ we have everything God wants to give us and this includes the Spirit of Christ. So lack nothing in the spiritual world.

“Having believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, . . .” Ephesians 1:13-14

This is written to all Christians – we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God in us that assures us of our future with God in heaven.

Being saved and being given the gift of the Holy Spirit are the same in apostolic thought.

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Titus 3:5-6

Yet the presence of the Holy Spirit in us does not mean that we are the finished article! How we need to grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of God.

“I keep asking that the God of our lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17

Paul brings these two ideas, of having everything in the spiritual realm yet being incomplete, together.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3:16-17

1. What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence?

Quite soon after I had committed my life to Christ, fellow Christians in my college suggested to me that now I needed a second blessing from God which would be associated with the gift of power, and evidenced by ‘speaking in tongues’. How I longed to experience such power. I was told that some are given the power to heal, others to raise the dead, others will be given supernatural gifts of knowledge. Although |I longed to be a more effective powerful Christian and would love to have one of those supernatural gifts, something worried me about this teaching. I noticed that many of my friends who talked in this way were not warmer Christians than those who didn’t. I did not notice that they demonstrated any gifts that differed from other Christian friends. Their emphasis seemed on this ‘gift of speaking in tongues’. However even this was problematic. When God first baptized his church with the Holy Spirit at the beginning of Acts, this was not just an emotional experience, it was associated with a strong wind and the appearance of fire that divided and rested on all the Christians. They then spoke the gospel to visitors in Jerusalem in their own languages, which they had not learned. This was clearly a miracle indeed. It seemed so different to what I was told to expect. And when I heard their ‘speaking in tongues’ it appeared to me to be just meaningful gibberish and not a real language at all.

When I started to get to know the New Testament, I noticed that the gift of tongues and miracles is not mentioned in any of the epistles other than the one to the very troubled church at Corinth. Even here Paul emphasized that the Corinthians were lacking the real evidence of the Spirit, a practical love for others.

“If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move all mountains, but have not love, I have nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-2

Jesus himself taught that the exhibition of spiritual gifts guarantees nothing. At the last judgment some religious leaders will find themselves excluded from heaven even though they demonstrated spiritual gifts.

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you, depart from me, you evil doers.’” Matthew 7:22-23

If our spiritual gifts or activities are no guarantee of salvation, what is? I love to ask people, ‘What is the evidence that a person has the Holy Spirit?’ This is not a difficult question. If we have the Spirit of Jesus we are beginning to turn from thinking and behaving as the world does to exhibit aspects of Jesus’ character.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

The presence of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated by very different features; he is especially seen in our relationships with other people.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. . . Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24

The prophet Isaiah knew that when the Messiah came to this earth he would give his people the Spirit of God.

“ . . . till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. . . The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence for ever.” Isaiah 32:15-17

What a shame it is when Christians do not live in this ‘peace of God.’ Many are stressed and anxious about so many things. When we have been forgiven and know that we are loved by the creator of the universe because we belong to his Son, we should be thrilled. How we also need this Spirit to change our lands that are too often like spiritual deserts, into a vibrant forest of justice and righteousness.

BVP

John 1:29-34. Chosen to Witness

“In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering.”

This famous statement made by the American preacher, Howard Hendricks could be applied to Christians today and was certainly true two thousand years ago. There had been no prophets for 400 years. It was then that God acted.

Zechariah was a godly priest but he and his wife Elizabeth could not have children. One day he was selected by lot, out of thousands of priests, to be the one who was allowed to enter the Holy Place in the temple in Jerusalem and there burn incense. When undertaking this duty and privilege he had the fright of his life. There, standing on the right side of the altar, was someone else. Zechariah was ‘gripped with fear’ but the angel Gabriel reassured him,

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.” Luke 1:13

Gabriel went on to say that the boy would be a delight to them and to many other people because,

“. . . he will be great in the eyes of the Lord.” Luke 1:14

He was to be raised as a lifelong Nazirite, abstaining from all alcohol, just as Samson and Samuel, earlier prophets, had been before him. Gabriel continued,

“. . . and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” Luke 1:15

The effect of this filling would be clear, he would have a public ministry, to prepare people for the coming of their Lord, in the spirit and manner of Elijah.

“Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:16-17

Zechariah was struck dumb at this news so he couldn’t explain the details of this conversation to his family and friends.

When Elizabeth was five months pregnant the same angel, Gabriel appeared to Mary, Elizabeth’s young cousin, and explained to her that she was also going to have a child, even though she was unmarried and celibate. Mary rushed to see Elizabeth who lived in the high country, and share the news. That must have been some conversation!

The baby in Elizabeth leapt and Elizabeth exclaimed,

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so highly favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me. . . Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” Luke 1:42-45

Note what it is that makes someone blessed by God, it is to believe what he has said.

In response Mary said, she didn’t sing, what we now call the ‘Magnificat’ which included the words,

“His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” Luke 1:50

Mary addresses her Lord as ‘my Saviour’ because she knew that she was a sinner just as much as everyone else and that she too needed to be saved. She was therefore not the result of an ‘immaculate conception’ as some churches have taught, she was an ordinary godly person who God had chosen for his purposes. She was special in that she submitted to doing what God wants.

John was born E and eight days later, the ritual of circumcision was performed. Many people were there to celebrate. It was expected that the child would be named after his Father but Elizabeth spoke up for her mute husband and said,

“No! He is to be called John.” Luke 1:60

They then turn to Zechariah and gave him a tablet covered with wax for him to share his thoughts, and to everyone’s amazement he wrote,

“His name is John.” Luke 1:63

At this point Zechariah found he could speak again and note what he immediately does,

“He praises God.” Luke 1:64

Throughout the hill country of Judea, where Zechariah lived, people were talking about these extraordinary happenings and were naturally asking,

“What then is this child going to be?” Luke 1:66

The name John, in Hebrew, means ‘The Lord is gracious.” God was indeed graciously about to step into the history of the world. It is no coincidence that throughout these early accounts the word joy keeps appearing (e.g. Luke 1:14, I:44, 1:58, 6:23, 8:24, 10:17).

There never was anyone quite like John. As he grew and matured, he must learned much about his Lord by studying the Old Testament because, when he started teaching, his message was to bring people back to its basics. He had great understanding of what the Bible emphasises. He became an exemplary witness to the person who was to come after him but who, in every other respect was before him.

John’s commitment

To be an effective witness for Jesus Christ requires that our whole lives are dedicated to serving him. Too often, becoming important can go to people’s heads, even amongst God’s people. But that didn’t happen to John, he knew his place! He had been preaching for about 18 months, reminding people that what God requires is not outward religion but a heartfelt devotion to him. He taught that all people must recognise how far short they have fallen from God’s standards and turn back to him in repentance, asking for his mercy. Repentance literally means a ‘rethink’ of the direction of my life, a ‘re-pensing.’ We still have the English word ‘pensive’ that reflects this meaning.

The sincerity and deep enthusiasm for Jesus makes John very attractive. T.H. Huxley, a well-known agnostic, was with a group of men at a weekend house party. On Sunday morning, while most of them were preparing to go to church, he approached a man known for his Christian character and said,

“Suppose you stay at home and tell my why you are a Christian.”

The man, knowing he couldn't match wits with Huxley, hesitated. But the agnostic said gently,

“I don't want to argue with you. I just want you to tell me simply what this Christ means to you.”

The man did just that, and when he finished, there were tears in Huxley's eyes as he said,

“I would give my right hand if only I could believe that!”

John talked about the person he had come to be a fore-runner for, someone who will baptise his people with the Holy Spirit. He warned his hearers that God’s judgment that will certainly come to those who reject God’s Messiah, saying,

“His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12

‘Who are you, John’?

After John had been preaching for about six weeks a delegation came from the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on a fact-finding mission. They wanted to know what was going on and asked several questions.

The first question was, ‘Who are you?’ They were wondering whether John could be the long promised Messiah who would come to lead God’s people to peace and freedom.

“I am not the Christ,” was his clear reply John 1:20

If he had been ambiguous, doubtless the old Maccabean flags of independence would have been unfurled and war against Rome could have commenced. John uses the word ‘Christ’ which is an adjective derived from the Greek word ‘chrio’ which means ‘to anoint’. This makes the word ‘Christ’ the equivalent of the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ which also means ‘God’s anointed one’. The wording John uses also emphasises the need for God’s people to be open about their faith.

“He did not fail to confess but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Christ.’” John 1:20

The obvious follow-up question, if John were not the Messiah, was, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’ He did, after all, wear the uniform of a prophet,

“John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt round his waist . . .” Mark 1:6

In the Old Testament, prophets used to wear a uniform to identify themselves. Elijah identified himself in this way,

“He was a man with a garment of hair, and a leather belt round his waist.” 1 Kings 1:8

The delegation knew the prophecy of Malachi that said,

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and terrible day of the LORD comes.” Malachi 4:5

In fifth century BC, false prophets used to dress up using a prophets cloak of camel’s hair, much as Elijah had worn, to give them credibility. Yet a later prophet said that on the ‘day of the LORD’ such false prophets would feel guilty and hide. He exclaimed,

“On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his prophetic vision. He will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive. He will say ‘I am not a prophet.’” Zechariah 13:4-5

It is likely that John also knew this prophecy and did not want to be misunderstood and be thought of as a false prophet with its possible dire consequences. It is equally possible that John did not recognise the significance of his own ministry. Later Jesus did identify John the Baptist with the promised Elijah. When honouring John, Jesus said,

“Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist . . . he is the Elijah who was to come.” Matthew 11:11-14

There was nothing false about John’s message. Like Elijah, he implored his listeners to acknowledge their innate rebellion against God. Many Jews came to accept John’s warning, they decided to live a new life with God in charge and were publicly baptised to confirm this decision to repent.

The third question was, ‘Are you the prophet?’

This again referred to an Old Testament prophecy. Moses had said,

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers . . .” Deuteronomy 18:15

John was Jewish, he was one of ‘your brothers’, so would qualify on that score, unlike Mohammed, but he answered,

“No.” John 1:21

John was so self effacing – he wanted all the glory to go the Jesus.

The delegation keep pestering him, ‘Who are you then?”

“John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’.’” John 1:23

Joh’s response to being tested was to take his answers from the Bible, the Word of God. John answers who he is by what he was doing, his job was to warn people to get ready for God’s Messiah coming into their world, just as Isaiah had done. He is just a voice, he is simply here to communicate to others what God has said. He wanted to point people to Jesus, saying,

“He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:27

The day after this meeting with the Jerusalem delegation, John sees Jesus approaching and explains to those around,

“Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” John 1:29-30

His priorities

Jesus said that there was no other person in the world who was greater that John the Baptist. If ever there had been a man who was tempted to talk about himself, surely this was he. He had been prepared for this role since before his birth. He had had a supernatural birth, been brought up as a Nazirite, had never drunk alcohol, never touched a dead body, was clearly very disciplined, living in the desert and eating locusts, yet his whole emphasis was on Jesus.

“The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens to him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegrooms voice. That joy is mine, and is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”John 3:29-30

Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809) was an English-born American political activist and revolutionary. He wrote ‘Common Sense’ (1776) and ‘The American Crisis’ (1776–1783), two most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and he encouraged the Americans to make a declaration of independence from Great Britain in 1776. He wrote ‘The Age of Reason’ in which he described the substitutionary death of Christ as ‘an invention’. He claimed his book would replace the reading of the Bible, yet who today has read it? Egotism is not a godly characteristic.

Egotism can all too easily influence church leaders. They can so easily continue in ministry for their own sakes, for another house or another plane or simply for kudos. We have just been watching the film series entitled ‘ Greenleaf’ which is about such a religious dynasty who are primarily in ministry for themselves – how ugly that is.

Such lifestyles are completely removed from those of John the Baptist and of Jesus’ apostles. Paul wrote,

“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. . . wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

The great conductor, Toscanini, performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony one evening. His performance and that of his orchestra were fantastic. At the end the audience went wild, they clapped and clapped and clapped enthusiastically. Some began to whistle the tune of the symphony and stamped their feet. Toscanini bowed, bowed again and again and still the applause kept coming. So he bowed more and acknowledged the orchestra again and again. Toscanini was almost out of control. When the noise subsided a little he then turned to the orchestra and said,

“Gentlemen, ”

The members of the orchestra leaned forwards to hear the great man,

“Gentlemen, I am nothing, you are nothing - I know you have heard this many times. But Beethoven, he is everything, everything , everything.”

Such is the attitude all Christians need in the relationship bteween the Lord Jesus and ourselves. We should all be able to say,

“I am nothing, you are nothing, Jesus is everything.”

Such is the mark of a true messenger – he is a devoted servant of his Lord.

His message

Just as his lifestyle centred on Jesus, so did his message.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ . . . Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” John 1:9-34

How John loved to talk about and point people to Jesus.

Talking about religion is not the same. In a monastery in Madrid the painting by El Greco showing Peter holding the keys to God’s kingdom stands prominently displayed. For many this is the centrepiece. However one visitor took more notice of a small walnut coloured picture on the opposite wall where a small, very old painting (1525) hang. This shows a lamb and round its head, barely perceptible, was a halo. The lambs feet were tied, the lamb was lying on the beam of a cross. The tile was ‘Agnus Dei’ - ‘The Lamb of God.’ The guard supervising the area could not understand why someone would be more interested in the death of the Lamb than in Peter!

John also wanted people to see that Jesus is the ultimate sacrificial lamb who, takes away the sin of the world. The unfortunate thing is that people can know the theory but not have the experience of that deep and permanent joy that comes from a deep involvement with Jesus. It is a dependance on Jesus that gives us the experience of knowing we are safe, of having God’s Spirit, Christ’s Spirit, in us. It is because we have the Spirit of Jesus that we confidently share the news about Jesus, the lamb of God, just as John the Baptist did.

BVP

John 1:14-18. Jesus Christ is Everything

When C.S.Lewis wrote his space trilogy for adults, he wanted people to discover the message behind the stories. In ‘Perelandra’ he fantastically recreates a whole new world on Venus. The sky is a golden canopy, the sea is emerald green. There were ‘bubble trees’ that burst as you walk underneath them, releasing a beautiful and indescribable refreshment. The animals were fascinating, the porpoises could be ridden on, and there were little dragons with red and green scales that could be turned over to have their tummies rubbed. It was all very inviting and entertaining but also very instructive. It is meant to represent the ideal world, the new world, life without sin.

In the Bible, Adam and Eve were the prototype of perfection, a man and a woman who lived in a perfect world in close harmony with God their creator. Everything around them was good, as the beginning of the book of Genesis repeatedly makes clear. There was social perfection. Eve was taken from the Adam’s side, from his flesh, to depict the close intimacy God intends in marriage. The Garden of Eden is meant to be an inviting, ideal scenario that people long to belong to.

However all that was lost when Adam and Eve decided to turn their backs on God and go their own way. Social disharmony then appeared. After they decided to go their own way, God asked Adam,

“Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”

The reply Adam gave, blaming his wife, was a certain way to produce marital discord,

“The woman you put here with me – she gave me some of the fruit and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12

From then on, man’s relationship with God and other people was damaged. We are never satisfied, we now grow old and will die.

When Alexander Solzhenitsyn gave his Templeton Prize address he said that the tragedy of the modern world was, ‘You have forgotten God’. In a subsequent interview with Bernard Levin, published in the Times, he explained that he now considered that the goal of man is ‘not happiness but spiritual growth’. He had learned this from Jesus.

Solomon understood that this is man’s greatest problem. Near the beginning of the book of Proverbs he said,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7

A little later he explains that everyone has made a decision on this matter,

“Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.” Proverbs 1:29

The widespread dissatisfaction is a common symptom that comes from this refusal to allow God to hold his proper place in our lives.

The glory of Jesus

This is what John wants everyone to grasp - how magnificent this good news about Jesus is.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14

Jesus, out of his love for humanity, left his home with his Father and entered his world to be with us and to save us. In the Old testament God’s presence with his people was symbolised by the ark of the covenant that was housed in the Holy of Holies within the tabernacle. The tabernacle was where God was understood to dwell with his people. The word John uses here is significant, literally it reads,

“ . . . the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” John 1:14

This is God’s grace reaching down to sinful, rebellious man. God literally came to live amongst us. This verse continues,

“We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Rules and discipline have their place but are certainly not so attractive as a person exemplified by grace and truth. That combination is dynamic. John continues,

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

This is why religion in all its guises cannot compete with the person of Jesus. What our creator longs for is that we all enter into a personal relationship with him through Jesus his chosen King.

Full of grace

Grace is God reaching out to us in our sin whereas mercy is God reaching out to us in our misery. We cannot see or comprehend the full glory of God. John partially describes something of this in the book of Revelation, chapters 4 and 5. Here John stresses that what they saw most of God’s glory was the grace and truth seen in Jesus.

Grace is an attribute of God, where he gives himself to help others. It is what makes some people so attractive. It is a major reason why Jesus is so attractive. In Iran today, many people are turning to Christ because they have seen something of this grace of God both in Jesus and in his people. This contrasts with the lack of grace seen in the Islamic rulers. It is this love that lifts us up. John continues,

“From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” John 1:16

In the original Greek this is worded ‘grace upon grace’. This grace of God keeps flowing. Jesus is the fountain through which God’s grace pours out upon us. This is only possible because of who he is. Paul wrote,

“For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:9

The glory of God is seen in the grace of Jesus, the embodiment of God. This is why a prime feature of Christ’s people must be the same overflowing grace. God shows this grace to both unbelievers and believers and we must emulate him.

God’s grace gives us everything we need.

In 1725 a ship’s captain had a son but his mother, who taught him the Bible died of tuberculosis when he was just six years old. When eleven he went to sea with his father. However he was later press ganged into service as a midshipman with the Royal Navy. He tried to desert but was caught, publicly flogged with 96 lashes and reduced to the rank of a common seaman. Later he transferred to a slave ship but was unpopular with the crew and was left in West Africa with a slave dealer where he was as badly treated as the slaves. In 1748, after three years of misery, he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked to search for his son by his retired father. However on the return trip, the ship he was on was caught in a severe storm off the coast of Donegal, Ireland. The young man was terrified, had he been rescued from slavery just to die? He prayed to God for mercy on March 10th 1748 and from then on his life changed. He began to want to live as God wanted him to. He started to study the Bible which confirmed to him that God was indeed a God who is full of grace and would even accept a wretch like him. His life gradually changed, he no longer swore, gambled or drank alcohol and he came to understand how deep the grace of God for him was. For a further six years he continued to sail, trading in slaves and merchandise, but then he gave up the sea and began to study. He was later ordained and eventually became an influential minister for Christ in London. His name was John Newton. In 1772 when he was a curate in Olney, Bedfordshire he wrote the words of his famous hymn,

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

Shout, shout for glory,
Shout, shout aloud for glory;
Brother, sister, mourner,
All shout glory hallelujah

John Newton loved to talk about the amazing sufficiency of God’s grace. He knew that there was no-one who was beyond the power of this grace. This grace is only available for those who recognise that they cannot become the people God wants without receiving God’s grace. This is freely available to all who come to God on his terms. The lifebelt has been thrown to the drowning person, all they have to do is to grasp it and hold on. The Bible teaches,

“Christ died for the ungodly . .” Romans 5:6

God’s grace enables us to face every difficulty in life.

Grace is not only sufficient to save us, it also brings beauty and meaning to life. Adam and Eve, before they fell from grace, enjoyed God’s presence. It is this grace that gives us the promise of eternal life.

The prospect of death loses its fear for those who are in Christ. The great 19th century evangelist, D.L.Moody once said, with reference to the promise of eternal life,

“You may read in the paper one day that D.L.Moody is dead. Don’t you believe it.”

One day we will be physically perfect, we won’t tire and we will enjoy God’s creation more than we thought possible. All hang-ups and social inhibitions will be gone. Our future with God will be bliss. John had a vision of this wonderful new world with life in all its richness,

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing down form the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. . . . and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night.” Revelation 22:1-5

God’s grace changes people.

John Newton, after a life of debauchery, philandering and alcohol, married a lovely lady and they enjoyed a marriage that was a glorious example to people around them. Relationships are transformed by Christ. Even our decaying bodies will be transformed. Our physical bodies are immortal and when we are resurrected we will be transformed gloriously, that will be the work of the grace of God - how immense is the privilege of being united to Christ. Paul wrote,

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fulness in Christ . . .” Colossians 2:9

When the grace of God enters our lives and is allowed to take over, everything changes. Our lives become rich and overflowing and we begin to live as we were meant to live. Grace had a remarkable effect on a Levite from Cyprus called Joseph. The apostles gave him the nickname, Barnabus which means ‘Son of Encouragement’. Joseph had become generous and a pleasure to be with (Acts 4:36-37).

The 16th century church reformer, Martin Luther wrote,

“This grace is inexhaustible. It is full of grace and truth from God. It never loses anything, no matter how much we draw, but remains an infinite fountain of all grace and truth. The more you draw from it, the more abundantly it gives of the water that springs up into eternal life. Just as the sun is not darkened by the whole world enjoying its light and could indeed light up ten worlds, just as ten thousand lights can be lit from one light and not detract from it, just as a learned man is able to make a thousand others learn it, the more he gives, the more he has. So it is with our Lord Jesus Christ, an infinite source of grace, so that the whole world can draw on his grace and it wouldn’t be depleted at all”.

The grace of God enables us to see reality

We can see where faults are ours and stop blaming others. A girl got into a fight with her young brother. Her mother heard the noise and, entering the room, said to her daughter,

“Why did you let the devil put it into your mind to pull your brothers hair and kick him in the shins?”

The girl thought for a second and replied,

“Maybe the devil put it into my heart to pull his hair, but kicking his shins was my idea.”

Grace is not just for salvation, it continues to give us purpose and power to become more like Jesus until we eventually meet him face to face. Isaiah understood the glory that is to come and Paul quotes from Isaiah when writing to the troubled church at Corinth that were beset with false leaders and false priorities.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” Isaiah 64:4 and I Corinthians 2:9

Our eternal destiny is only ours because of God’s grace.

Why do we not experience this grace more? When we become Christians we are shown something of God’s grace in his forgiving us and accepting us into his kingdom. But that is just the beginning. We need to learn to receive ‘grace upon grace’. To be sold out in out devotion to Jesus and longing to please him, is the way to more joy and more outpouring of His Spirit on us.

Full of truth

A little boy had repeatedly been told by his mother that he must always tell the truth. One day they were travelling on a bus and standing next to them was a grossly overweight lady. The little boy blurted out loudly and truthfully,

“You’re fat.”

His embarrassed mother realised that her boy needed to learn another lesson fast, grace must have precedence over expressing the truth.

Grace and truth should not be in opposition but should be two sides of the same coin. Truth is essential. Unfortunately, most decisions that people make are primarily based on our emotions. What sort of car shall we get – oh, a blue one. Career choices are so often based on memories of someone we liked or even on advertisements. In the United Kingdom in 2019 over 22 billion pounds was spent on advertising!

Yet in deciding on the major issues of life, rational decisions are vital. ‘Who should I marry?’ is best decided, not just on looks but on a wide range of features, and in this friends and family can often see more clearly than those whose thinking is clouded by the veneer of being ‘in love’. Similarly when deciding what the basis of my whole life will be, it is vital to look beyond selfish emotions, about what I like, to what is true. Jesus stands at the crossroads of life and points us to God’s way, on the basis of his grace and the fact that his way is true. Jesus said,

“I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

The case for Christ is so strong. Science cannot explain how our world began, how all the constants of the universe are so precisely right for the universe and man to exist, how the language of DNA developed and how the code that defines the resulting organism has been altered in such short times for new species to appear. Science can only give us the laws by which the world works, it cannot create anything. The evidence for Jesus being extraordinary is immense. He convinced his disciples that he was God and they sacrificed their lives on this conviction. Were they all deluded? Did Jesus rise from the dead after being publicly crucified? Over five hundred people later saw him alive on just one occasion and his disciples, who saw the risen Christ on several occasions, were certainly convinced. There are over 330 prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah – they all point to Jesus. He was a direct descendant of king David, he was born in Bethlehem, he did perform extraordinary miracles. He still reigns. On top of that his teaching is sublime. If anyone has not read through John’s Gospel to think through what Jesus taught it is likely that they really do not want to know the truth.

I was discussing with a group of hospital consultants how ‘truth’ should be defined. They had great difficulty. One suggested that truth must be ‘consensus’ but the others ridiculed this as consensus can so easily change or be manipulated, as many politicians have found. Plato realised that truth has to have an absolute dimension. God alone knows exactly what has happened and how the world works, we are trying to discover the truth by investigation. This is so in the law courts, in medicine and in science. Instinctively we know there is a truth out there and we are trying to discover this by what is called a dialectic process. This simply means holding to one position until a stronger rival overtakes it. Truth must be defined as a concept compatible with God. Jesus puts himself in the centre and says,

“I am the truth!” John 14:6

There is certainly a place for emphasising all the evidence for the claims of Jesus but arguments seldom win people for God if there is no personal need. Too many young Christians think they can argue people into accepting the Christian position. Without God preparing people and without grace in the speaker, convincing people with arguments seems to be relatively ineffective.

‘Grace and truth’, however, are the two main means by which people are drawn back into a relationship with our creator.

John the Baptists’ message

John the Baptist’s message was the same as that of the church today,

“(John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, ‘This is he of whom I said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me”’) John 1:15

John’s message was about Jesus and the church must also tell people about Jesus. How we need to ‘cry out’ to our world and tell people that God has entered this world to save us. Our message must be the same as the apostle John, who when talking about Jesus said,

“No-one has ever seen God, but God, the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” John 1:18

What a wonderful message the church has – Paul recognised this,

“All this is from God, who reconciled the world to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” 1 Corinthians 5:18-19

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John 4:43-54 Believing without Seeing

A young man said,

“I would love to have your faith but it is just not happening.”

John’s gospel is all about helping people find faith in Jesus, becoming ‘believers’ in him. That this is the purpose of his book is clear from the number of times the word ‘believe’ is used. John the Baptist came teaching people with this specific end in sight,

“He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light . . . ” John 1:7

When Jesus himself came to his people they largely rejected him, but the Messiah was for people of all nations who become his followers,

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

To help people believe, the apostle John brought together in his book a number of different accounts of people who came to put their trust in Jesus.

The first miracle that Jesus performed was at Cana in Galilee where he turned the water in six large water jars into top quality wine. The result of this was,

“ . . . and his disciples believed in him.” John 2:11

The next story John selected concerns an eminent Jewish scholar, Nicodemus, who was on the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. Jesus explained to him how he could make a new start in life by accepting himself as his Lord and Saviour. The moral and religious behaviour of Nicodemus could never give him eternal life. It was what Jesus taught him that led to his becoming a believer. The good news about who Jesus is and how, by becoming his followers, people can be saved for eternity, is the recurrent theme of this book.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The vital importance of having this faith is then spelt out,

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned alreadybecause they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18

John then tells the story of a Samaritan woman whose life left much to be desired, she had had five husbands and she was not even married to her present partner. Jesus explained to her that he alone could give her the living water she needs for eternal life. They had a discussion about how people must worship God, which leads to the question of the Messiah. Jesus explained,

“I, the one speaking to you, I am he.” John 4:26

She returned to the town and invited her friends to come and hear what Jesus had to say.

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” John 4:39

They came to listen to Jesus,

“And because of his words many more became believers.” John 4:41

The Samaritans from Sychar then told the woman what had led them to believe that Jesus was God’s one and only Messiah,

“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.” John 4:42

The differing stories that John recounts appeal in different ways to different people but the goal is always the same, that individuals should become believers in Jesus as God’s Messiah through what they hear.

The next story is striking.

​Jesus heals an official’s son

43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48 ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’

49 The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’

50 ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he enquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’

53 Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed.

54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee. John 4:43-54

The scene shifts back to Cana in Galilee, Jesus had returned there, possibly because he had family in that area. Whilst there he is approached by a royal official who has travelled the 16.5 miles from his home in Capernaum in order to talk urgently with Jesus. The time was around one o’clock in the afternoon. He had come out of concern for his son who was so ill that he was close to death and he asked Jesus to heal his son. The purpose of including this account is clear; it is again about how people come to believe in Jesus. Verse 50 reveals that the royal official ‘took Jesus at his word’ and the episode ends with the glorious statement,

“So he and his whole household believed.” John 4:53

The fascinating point is that the official had to believe before he saw the miracle he had heard that Jesus had done for others and that he longed to see heal his son.

A Warning

Immediately after the royal official makes his request, Jesus says something revealing a deep concern that Jesus has. He is not speaking personally to the official as the word ‘you’ is in the plural, he is speaking of people in general,

“‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told them, ‘you will never believe.’”

Jesus is clearly despairing of the people who are following him. Their motives are wrong. They enjoy seeing the miracles but not the implications of what the miracles imply. The miracles were to confirm who Jesus is, as John confirms at the end of his book.

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

John realises that too much focus on the miracles can distract from true faith. Belief in Jesus is the object of his book. Religious excitement, through a fascination with miracles, is not the goal, people must become true disciples of Jesus, that is believers who follow and obey him.

Jesus is certainly not advocating that his followers should adopt a ‘signs and wonders ministry’ to help people to become his adherents. The New Testament repeatedly speaks against that sort of advertising to appeal for followers.

“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:2

But equally there was no reluctance by Jesus and his disciples to give enough evidence to confirm his credentials to be God’s Messiah, his one and only Son and chosen king, who had entered this world as a human being.

This story is the second of seven ‘miraculous signs’ that John describes to give us enough evidence about Jesus.

The term ‘signs and wonders’ is used despairingly in the four gospels about the ministry of false teachers who emphasise signs and not the nature and teaching of Jesus. People are incredibly gullible and will follow anything. So often this is how sects develop. Elsewhere Jesus warned that even Christians can be seduced by such ministries. It did not take long for such superficial pedlars of a ‘signs and wonders ministry’ to start travelling around Asia Minor and Israel. Such pedlars still exist today, seducing people to give them money in exchange for their prayers.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he’ and will deceive many.” Mark 13:5

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard . . .” Mark 13:22-23

History teaches us that people of every nation will believe anything so long as it is attractively packaged and is impressive outwardly.

An enquiry by School Inspectors into Church of England schools revealed that most children, by their early teens, have given up believing the gospel stories but they still believe in ‘Batman’ and ‘Flash Gordon’ almost to the extent that they think that kind of world exists. They are typical of this age where people find it easier to believe in flying saucers, the Lock Ness Monster and Father Christmas than in the deity of Jesus Christ. It is as if evidence has no relevance to what people believe in today. However the Bible stresses that a true faith must both be evidence based and change the way we live.

Joseph Smith was a young lad in a troubled family that had a hobby of treasure seeking. Joseph even professed conversion to Christ. One day he claimed that, on a hill outside New York, he had come across two golden plates. These apparently had strange hieroglyphics written on them which were incomprehensible to him. But then, by chance, he came across a very large pair of angelic spectacles and, by putting these on his nose, he was able to decipher the hieroglyphics which Joseph called ‘Reformed Egyptian’. This text, he claimed, revealed the ancient history of America. He showed no-one the golden plates but he claimed to have copied the text. Professor Charles Anthon, a noted linguist was shown this copy and made the following comment,

“A very brief investigation convinced me that it was a mere hoax, and a very clumsy one too. The characters were arranged in columns like the Chinese mode of writing, and presented the most singular medley I have ever beheld. Greek, Hebrew, and all sorts of letters more or less distorted, either through unskilfulness or from actual design, were intermingled with sundry delineations of half-moons, stars and other natural objects, and the whole ended in a crude representation of the Mexican zodiac.”

An analysis of the content of the book reveals similar fantasies. Genetic studies have shown that Red Indians are not related to the lost ten tribes of Israel but have a Mongolian origin. There is no evidence whatsoever that a people called the Nephites ever existed. So much more could be said, yet in 2012 there were an estimated 14.8 million Mormons, with roughly 57 percent living outside the United States. How can they believe this teaching? Many Mormons are upright well dressed citizens but the fact is that they have been deceived because they have not paid enough attention to evidence.

A similar critique can be made of the origin of Islam. There are no copies of the Qur'an and no quotes from it before about 693AD. Yet Muhammed, the soldier, was born in 571AD. The earliest mosques do not point to Mecca as the Qur'an dictates, but to Petra, the Nabotian capital. It is only after 725AD that mosques all point towards Mecca. Many stories in the Qur’an are taken from apocryphal Jewish writings. Such evidence strongly suggests that the religion of Islam was invented around 693AD and that it is not an ‘evidence based’ faith.

Other religious faiths such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Theosophy, Christian Science and Scientology similarly fall when their founding credentials are examined. This is not to say that there is not much of great value in different faiths; most advocate honesty, love and integrity, just as Jesus does. There may be some similarity in moral values but the question is whether following that creed can make us acceptable to Almighty God. In this, Jesus is unique because he alone is God. By believing in and following him, he gives his people his righteousness. Righteousness is the only ticket to heaven.

When interviewing people for employment posts, a wise interviewer looks behind the flashy C.V.’s that tell of all the benefits applicants say they offer, into seeing how long they stayed in past posts and how they relate to others and what a range of referees say about them. A wise man looks beyond flashy ‘signs and wonders’ and thinks, ‘Do I trust this person?’ Would I trust them to lead this group, would I want people to be like them? Similarly when looking for a life partner similar questions should be asked, just looking at the outward appearance can be a recipe for disaster.

Jesus stands there, with his honesty, integrity, gentleness and winsomeness. There is so much to support his claims. The decision to follow him should not be based on just the miracles but on, ‘Do I trust him?’ He makes such tremendous claims about himself. He says he is equal with His heavenly Father and should be similarly worshipped. He repeatedly foretold that he would be executed but would rise again, just as the Old Testament prophecies foretold, and he kept his word. Jesus’ claims are not substantiated just by his miracles but by everything else about him.

The Official’s Real Faith

The Royal official has clearly done his homework. He wouldn’t travel so far on just a whim. He simply asks Jesus,

“Sir, come down before my child dies.” John 4:49

He doesn’t question Jesus or debate with him, he is begging Jesus, whom he knows can change his life, to help him. He had a real need.

Paul Ackland, son of the actor Joss Ackland, died of a heroin overdose in 1982, aged 29. He started to experiment with drugs, when he was just 14 years old, after meeting a pusher outside his school gates in Highgate. His life became a mess, although drugs had promised much. If only he had investigated before getting involved and addicted. His father, Paul, made a worrying statement,

“Every single child in secondary school will be offered drugs in the next two years, if not already.”

It took fifteen years for his son to die. At the end of the article were these telling words,

“One of the few things that will bring men back to their senses is a discovery of God.”

Wouldn’t it be better, for our nation’s children, if our churches gave them all information about Jesus, who can really change their lives for the better. Some would oppose such a proposition as they want to live in a godless society where they can behave as they like. David Foster Wallace, an award winning post war author was giving a speech to a gathering of Kenyon College graduates in the United States. He is not a Christian, but he said,

“In the day to day trenches of adult life there isn’t such a thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping, we all worship, everyone worships. The only choice we get is what we worship. The compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of God is that pretty much everything else you worship will eat you alive.”

It is not whether we worship but who we worship! Most people worship themselves.

The Royal Official was not debating theories, he knew he needed help and he recognised that Jesus was uniquely able to help him. Why else would he travel so far to meet him? It is a truism that few turn to God without a real need being apparent to them. A faith based just on rationality and upbringing leads to theorising Christians who love to argue their case, whereas those who have had a real need met by Jesus will overflow with their love for him and that love is contagious.

The Word of Jesus is Enough

The official had asked Jesus to go with him but Jesus replied,

“Go, your son will live.” John 4:50

He could have argued his case, and said,

“I need more proof. Don’t you know who I am?”

The reality was that he recognised who Jesus was and consequently he did as Jesus said,

“The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” John 4:51

The word of a man of honour is enough and the official recognised this. He probably stayed listening to Jesus and it was then too late to travel back at night, so he started his return journey early in the next morning.

John wrote his book some time after the resurrection of Jesus and he wanted to answer enquirers’ questions. Here he is answering a question that remains a question for many today,

“How can I put my trust in Jesus without seeing him?”

Yet people put their trust in many things without seeing them or understanding them. Why do we trust our lives to a surgeon? Why do we travel by aeroplane? We are very happy to do these things because of the evidence so why are so many not happy to trust Jesus when his credentials are so impressive. In particular what he says, his word, resonates with all we are as human beings.

Faith in Christ means taking Christ at his word, just as the official in this story does. What we need is the ‘Word of God’ and this we have in Scripture. Faith is listening to Jesus and then living as he requires. We commence a life of faith when we say to Jesus,

‘Thank you for what you have done for me, take over my life so that, from now on, I live for you as you have taught in your Word.’

Jesus has given us many promises that we can depend on:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

We can depend on these promises of God.

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I have told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.’” John 6:35

Here again Jesus repeats his promise, people have seen him but this did not lead therm to faith. But Jesus gave his word to this official and that was sufficient for him, as it is for all Christians. He was told that when he got home his son would be well. The evidence only came later, he acted on faith just as we must. It does not matter how we have messed up in the past, he will always accept those of us who come to him on his terms. Jesus continued,

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37

This is the Christian good news. We all know that we are unacceptable to God, because we have all been rebels against him, yet we have been accepted because we now belong to the Lord Jesus. Doesn’t that thrill you? The response of all of us must be,

“I come to you, believing these promises that Christ has made.”

Faith at Work

Can you imagine what the royal official was thinking as he travelled the long journey home. I suspect he was full of excitement. Jesus has promised so all will work out alright. Can you not see the joy on his face when his servants come to meet him with the good news that God’s promise had been fulfilled. There must have been a dramatic improvement for them to come with such dramatic news.

Can you imagine the conversation he had with his servants? ‘At what time did my son get better?’

“Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” John 4:52

“Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘You son will live.’ John 4:53

Our Lord gives us abundant evidence that we can trust his word, but that evidence nearly always comes after we have taken a step of faith. Can you not feel the excitement when he reached home and hugged his beloved son and can you imagine the conversation as the official told his family about Jesus? The man’s faith was contagious. The verse continues,

“So he and his whole household believed.” John 4:53

A person with convictions about Jesus, and what he does for us, will inevitably want to share the news with those around him. He had proved that God’s word gives life and he had become a believer. Whenever we take Jesus at his word we experience a new dimension to life and a longing to live it out faithfully.

So this short passage contains clear teaching for us all,

1. It challenges a naive, superficial faith that just wants excitements or to debate issues.

2. We are tested whether we are willing to live by the Word of Jesus. We must make a decision.

3. We will need to get to know the Bible well by reading it ourselves, meeting up with friends to study it and being disciplined in regularly attending a Bible teaching church that prioritises the teaching of the Bible. Discipline becomes the mark of a disciple.

4. Believers have the responsibility, as well as the joy, of sharing the news of new life in Christ with others around us.

Jesus has great sympathy with those who genuinely would like to believe. A little later in John’s book he explains the solution.

“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” John 7:16-17

Again the emphasis is on the word of God. Jesus claims that he is giving us God’s message. Any person who makes the decision to live as Jesus teaches will quickly realise that these are the very words of God. The problem lies in that commitment to obey what God has said, not with the truth of those words.

We must listen to what Jesus says. Our biggest problem is that we do not listen to understand, we listen to reply. Biblical belief is to hear, accept and obey.

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John 4:1-26. Thirsting for Life?

In June 1945 the new battleship, USS Indianapolis, was traveling from Guam to the Philippines in the preparation for the invasion of Japan. There were no escort ships as it passed through enemy infested seas. Disaster struck. She was hit by two torpedoes and sank within twelve minutes. Surprisingly nine hundred, of the total crew of twelve hundred, escaped into life boats. However after four days of drifting on the hot seas only three hundred sailors were left alive. What had killed them? The ship’s doctor, Dr. Louis Haynes, wrote in his memoirs that the biggest problem wasn’t the Japanese, wasn’t the sharks, but was thirst.

“There was nothing I could do to keep the men from drinking saltwater. When the hot sun came out, in the midst of this crystal clear water, you couldn't believe it wasn't good enough to drink. I remember striking one of the men with an oar to try and get him to stop drinking. Young ones, in hope, will drink the saltwater and then they would become more dehydrated and then they would die.”

In the remarkable discussion that Jesus has with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, he invites her, and us all, to question the water we're drinking. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah referred to the same problem.

“My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13

In Jeremiah’s day, people had forgotten the Lord who had saved them and had moved elsewhere. They had turned to other sources to try and find satisfaction. The containers that they had dug out for themselves were broken and could not satisfy. They had forgotten God.

We all have an insatiable thirst. We are surrounded by things that offer satisfaction in the short-term. Careers, power, family life, hobbies, sports, and even religious activities can satisfy us - in the short-term. These are like the crystal clear waters and can look so promising and refreshing. We imbibe them, and even worship them, but they still leave us thirsty.

David Foster Wallace, an award winning American post-war author and not a Christian, was giving a lecture to some graduates at Kenyon College. He said,

“In the day-to-day trenches of adult life there isn't such a thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping; we all worship, everyone worships. The only choice we get is what we worship. The compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of God is that pretty much everything else you worship will eat you alive.”

So it is not whether we worship but what we worship, not whether we drink but what we drink. The question is, ‘Can what we worship deliver or will it leave you thirsty?’

Life can leave us thirsty

As Jesus began to teach in Jerusalem and around Judaea, the Pharisees became jealous and Jesus felt it right to move back to Galilee in the north again. The quickest route was through Samaria, although most people preferred to take the longer route bypassing Samaria and travelling up the Jordan Valley. John adds an interesting detail,

“Now he had to go through Samaria.” John 4:4

Why was this? It could be that he feared meeting opposition on the common route but it seems more likely that he felt he had to meet this woman and have this conversation with her. God certainly does organise affairs so that people can meet Jesus. As Jesus and his disciples walked north under the hot sun, they became thirsty and hungry. They approached the town of Sychar and Jesus sent his disciples into the town to buy some food whilst he went to the well outside the town. It was midday and Jesus felt tired from the long walk.

The water was at the bottom of this deep well but help was at hand; a Samaritan woman approached on her own. She had a bucket with her so Jesus opened the conversation by asking her for a drink. The woman was shocked, it was against their social convention for a man to talk to woman in public and especially for a Jew to speak with a Samaritan, as Jews considered them to be heretics. Furthermore this woman seemed to be an outcast. The usual practice was for a group of women to come and collect water together in the cool of the day; this woman had come alone and at midday. The probable reason for her isolation is given later, she had been married five times and she was not married to her present partner.

We're not told that cause of these multiple marriage break-ups but it would seem likely that she had moved from one relationship to another looking for love, peace and security. This story reveals that she was not only physically thirsty but also spiritually thirsty. Jesus claims to be the solution to her deepest spiritual needs and said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Jesus is saying that he can give her life, love, and security in its fulness. The woman doesn't realise that Jesus is not talking about a literal well:

“‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?’” John 4:11

Jesus's reply is profound:

“‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but 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 4:13-14

Nothing else will satisfy our thirst for long. A recent article has compared life in the United Kingdom today with that of the 1950s. Now there is far more entertainment and sexual activity and yet people are unhappier. There is no comparison - people are looking for ‘life’ in the wrong place. The source of real life is God. We have the same problem that Jeremiah described. We dig our own cisterns. We take the good things in life that God has given us such as romantic relationships, career or even family, and put on them weights they cannot possibly bear.

Good things become ‘god things’, good things become our idols.

David Foster Wallace continued his profound speech.

“If you worship money and things, if that's where you tap into the real meaning of life, then you will never have enough, you will never feel you have enough. It's the truth - worship your own body and beauty and sexy allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start to show you will die a million deaths before your family even plant you into the ground. Worship power and you'll end up feeling weak and afraid, you will need ever more power over others to numb you from your own fear. Worship your intellect and being seen to be smart and you will end up feeling stupid and a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they are unconscious, they are our default setting.”

We must surely all consider what ‘good things’ we cherish so much that they become ‘god things’. What really satisfies us? If our aim is success in the realm of status, family or even experiences then we will be spiritually thirsty. As we get older we increasingly realise that what we used to value is passing away. What or who will satisfy us as we are dying or afterward that? Jesus is clear there is a judgment to come. Drinking the wrong water can be deadly.

Jesus can quench our first John 4 v. 10-26

Jesus said,

“‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but 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 4:13-14

The woman doesn't understand the metaphor Jesus is using. How can ‘The living water he offers well up to eternal life?’ This water is found not in place but in a relationship with our creator. It begins now and goes on for ever. Only Jesus offers this as he alone is our creator. She needs this living water, it can quench her spiritual thirst and make her spiritually clean.

At this point Jesus seems to change the subject. He says to her,

“Go, call your husband and come back.” John 4:16

This is so profound, Jesus is not trying to rub her face in her history of multiple failed relationships. Just the opposite, he wants to show her that she has a need for eternal life - just as he wants to show this to all of us.

The woman responds well, she is honest with Jesus.

“I have no husband.” John 4:17

Without an honesty before God no-one will ever find eternal life.

“You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What do you have just said is quite true.” John 4:17-18

From this insight the woman recognises that Jesus is someone special but his presence gives rise to a theological problem for her.

“I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” John 4:19

How easy it is to get into a theological dispute in order to divert a conversation. She's asking where people should go to meet God, should they go to the Samaritan mountain of Gerazim or go to Jerusalem? This was an old debate between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus is clear which side of the argument was right in the past. The Old Testament is clear, there has been only one place to meet with God and that was in his temple in Jerusalem. However, all that was now changing because now God himself has entered his world. A relationship with Jesus is a relationship with God. He is the one person who can satisfy our spiritual thirst and wash us clean from the consequences of our sin. Rituals will be replaced by a relationship. Jesus said,

“Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet the time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:21-24

Today a church building or cathedral is not the temple of God, Jesus himself is now the temple. To be close to God, we need to live closely with Jesus. We worship not in a place but a person, it is not where we worship but who. That woman is now beginning to understand that God’s representative needs to be involved. She said,

“I know that the Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”| John 4:25

Jesus responds very simply and with absolute clarity,

“I who speak to you am he.” John 4:26

Nothing could be clearer, either for the Samaritan woman or for us. Life will leave us all thirsty but Jesus can quench this spiritual thirst.

Jesus was later to go to Jerusalem to die. Some of the last words he said on the cross are very significant,

“I am thirsty.” John 19:28

Again it would appear that Jesus is talking physically as well as spiritually. He took on himself our sin, our spiritual thirst so that we can enjoy his living water. He died that we might all be able to enjoy ‘life in its fullness’ into eternity.

The woman left her water jar

John does love to include details that have a double meaning.

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” John 4:28

That water jar symbolised that her old way of quenching her thirst was being left behind. She was now starting a new life because she has come to know Jesus.

Another consequence of knowing Jesus is that we, like this woman, will want our friends and family to come and meet Jesus too.

When we become Christians we start a new life and this is radically different. Our satisfaction is found in pleasing Jesus in all we do.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

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Based a talk given by Rev Andy Palmer at Christchurch Balham

John 6:1-15 Pseudo – Belief

The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that is recorded in all four gospels. It clearly had a great impact on the twelve disciples at the time. It is a disaster for some teachers to suggest that this was really just a ‘miracle of human kindness’. They have suggested that the people responded to Jesus’ teaching about ‘loving their neighbour’ and consequently they shared what food they had with others. Others have tried to explain this event away by suggesting the story was inspired by an account in Homer’s Odyssey where Telemachus and Athena found a crowd of 4,500 who say down in groups of 500. Such views completely undermine the clear intent of the text, the effect this had on the disciples as well as the subsequent teaching that Jesus based on this miracle – that he is the ‘Bread of Life’ that is given to a needy humanity. The Lord fed his people when they were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt so it should be no surprise that the same Lord fed his people when he came to earth.

1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

The whole point of John’s gospel is to convince his readers that Jesus is indeed the Lord of the universe and he unashamedly records a selection of his very impressive ‘miraculous signs’ to convince people. He would have no time for any who try to explain these signs away.

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

The main reason for this miracle being recorded to to confirm who Jesus is – the Messiah, the only Son of God, who gives life to his people. It is clearly a historical account. It occurred on the ‘far shore of the Sea of Galilee’. It occurred when ‘the Jewish Passover was near’ that is in early spring. To some extend this was all planned by Jesus.

“ . . . he had already in mind what he was going to do.” John 6:6

Specific details such as the ‘five small barley loaves and two small fish’, the role of Philip and the full ‘twelve baskets’ all help to substantiate this as a factual miracle. A great crowd witnessed the event and some would still be alive when John’s gospel was publicised. Even Jesus’ opponents recognised that he ‘could perform miraculous signs’.

The problem is that then, as now, people can follow him for the wrong reasons.

The Effect of the Miracle

The effect of this miracle was dramatic.

“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” John 6:14

Did they think that he was to be a Saviour in the way the Maccabees had freed Israel form the oppressive regime of Antiochus Epiphanes and his Seleucid empire and founded the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled from 167 BC to 37 BC? Did they want him to lead a revolt against Rome and tread on Rome’s hated Eagle. Independence gives the opportunity for both material and political progress. They could live in a fairer society. Jesus had the ability to attract people to his side. He’s a winner. The text seems to infer this:

“Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” John 6:15

Clearly to be a worldly king was not Jesus’ intention. He withdrew to be alone. However he remained God’s king, God’s Messiah, but he is just not the sort of king the crowd wanted. This is striking. Jesus was willing to turn his back on masses of people if they are not wanting to follow him in his way. Yet, in spite of his refusal to follow the crowd, he wants his disciples to be clear that he is God’s eternal King. Surely this is why, that same evening, he walks on water to come to his troubled disciples in their boat, and using the divine name, says to them,

“It is I; don’t be afraid.” John 6:20

He is saying, I am still God’s king!

However the crowds were not to be put off. They went ‘in search of Jesus’. However it appears that their motives were selfish. It is understandable to some extent as the poor could spend 70-80% of their income on food. The following verse is very significant, Jesus answered the crowd following him,

“I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” John 6:26-27

The crowd were not so interested in the significance of the miraculous signs as in the material benefits for them in this life. Jesus longs for them to receive eternal life that can only be found through faith in him.

The term ‘Rice Christians’ has been coined because, in poorer societies, people can be drawn to missionaries because of the benefits they offer, whether food, education or jobs. They may formally turn and call themselves Christians but unfortunately this does not mean that their hearts are really committed to living and dying for the Messiah. Some mission groups can actively encourage such techniques. The group that offers better schools, a better education, better buildings, better jobs will prosper whereas christian groups who encourage people to become self-supporting will be less attractive, even if the teaching is better. One missionary wrote of such a competing mission:

“They use their money to buy people. It puts us in an unpleasant situation. It is almost impossible to explain to Christians why we do not hand out things.”

The opposite can also be true. Those who have much material wealth can aslo drift away from a close walk with the Lord Jesus. It is the mindset that matters.

Job

The story of Job comes from the earliest of times, possibly around the time of Abraham. He was a very rich but a wonderful God-fearing man with great integrity. He would regularly offer sacrifices to God in case his children had dishonoured the Lord. The Lord said of him,

“There is no-one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear god for nothing?” Job 1:8-9

In other words Satan was suggesting that Job was only into faith because of what he has got out of it. The only reason he serves God is for the material benefits. So God responds,

“Very well then, everything he has is in your hands but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Job 1:12

John 1:1-5 Jesus is God!

When John wrote this summary of the meaning of Jesus’ life, he was addressing a church whose faith was being undermined. He wrote this towards the end of the first century, probably when he was the Senior Elder of the church inEphesus. The times were far from easy, there was persecution from both some inside the church and from outside. He wrote with the knowledge that the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke were already widely distributed throughout the young churches. He therefore carefully selected his stories to fit in with his stated purpose that he mentions at the end of the book.

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

John wants people to be convinced about who Jesus is. His aim was not to give people a fuzzy emotional experience butto understand that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the only Son of God. Only by recognising who Jesus is will people be given ‘life in his name’. Belief in Jesus means his taking over all aspects of our lives. John is writing to convince people about Jesus by sharing the truths about what Jesus did and taught.

This is what all churches should teach. It is relevant to Christians, to seekers and to honest sceptics. John emphasises that God knows what is going on in the hearts of all people, God knows the real reasons that lie behind our reactions to Jesus; all have made a decision about him.

John insists that what he says about Jesus is the absolute truth. Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna at the beginning of the second century had known John when he was younger. He described a scene in Ephesus when John was seen rushing out of one of central public baths in Ephesus shouting out,

“Let’s flee, lest the bath house falls down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of truth, is within.”

John didn’t want to be killed if the building collapsed under the righteous judgment of God! This strong reaction was because Cerinthus was one of the gospel’s chief opponents at that time. Cerinthus taught that Jesus was not divine but was the natural child of Mary and Joseph.

People were asking then, just as they continue to ask today;

1. Why did only a minority of Jews become Jesus’ followers?

2. Why are the majority of Jesus’ followers from among the less sophisticated and less educated people?

Both the newspapers and broadcasters today keep hinting at the same questions. A new survey from the MORI Social Research Institute found that sixty per cent of Britons say they believe in God. This reveals a small drop over the past five years, down from sixty four per cent in 1998. Eighteen per cent say they are a practising member of an organised religion, and a quarter, a non-practising member. A further quarter (24%) are spiritually inclined but 'do not really belong to an organised religion', whilst 14% are agnostic and 12% are atheist.

John wants to make it abundantly clear at the outset what he is aiming to prove. He introduces us to Jesus as nothing less than the all powerful, omniscient, creator God of the universe.

In the introductory ‘Prologue’ of John (1:1-18), Jesus is described in divine terms. He is the ‘Pre-existent Word’ (1:1-5), the ‘Light of the World’ (1:6-13) and the ‘Incarnate Son of God’ (1:14-18). In this article we will focus on the first five verses where Jesus is portrayed as the ‘Pre-existent Word’. Mark starts in a similar way, his opening line says what his book later will substantiate and he starts by saying,

“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1

Jesus is the Eternal ‘Pre-existent Word’

John says Jesus existed before time and creation began. Athanasius put it this way,

“There never was, when he was not.”

Why did John introduce Jesus as ‘the Word’? Words communicate and share ideas and Jesus, being the incarnation of God, certainly has communicated to mankind what God wants us to understand. The word ‘logos’ would mean much to both Jews. and Gentiles.

Jesus is our Creator

Jews would remember the beginning of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

There was a beginning, ‘in the beginning’ - ‘en arche’ in Greek. It doesn’t say when or what mechanisms were used but the instigation for the coming of this world and this universe was ‘’the word’ of God. This doctrine is emphasised in Psalm 33,

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.. . . . For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” Psalm 33:6,9

It is striking that the origin of this word is a person,

“For the word of the LORD is right and true. He is faithful in all he does.” Psalm 33:4

The Bible emphasises that this word was spoken by the ‘pre-existent word’, the Son of God. The Bible teaches that the universe and everything in it, was created by Jesus, the Son of God,

“God . . .has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3

Greek mythology also taught that the world was created by the ‘logos’, but for them this was force was impersonal. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus appears to be the first to have used the word ‘logos’ to refer to a rational divine intelligence, which today is sometimes referred to in scientific discourse as the "mind of God." The early Greek philosophical tradition known as Stoicism, which held that every human participates in a universal and divinely ordained community, used the ‘Logos’ doctrine as a principle for human law and morality. So when John starts his ‘good news’ he used a phrase that was universally understood.

When the wise men came from the East, following a star, they came to worship a baby who was just over a year old. This baby was the incarnation of the creator of the universe and of the star they had followed. The three gifts had a significant spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of his kingship, frankincense (an incense) as indication of his deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of his death. Origen of Alexandria (c.184 – c.253 AD) in his book ‘Against Celsus’ wrote:

"Gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and incense, as to a God."

There are many around who consider that the Christian message is essentially ‘be kind, be good’ but how far from the truth this is. The church’s message is about Jesus who was God come in the flesh, who came to teach us and then die for us so that all people could have their relationship with God restored. The Christian message is not trivial, it is the most important message any one can hear, that God loves us enough to send his Son into his world.

Jesus is a real person

John starts his gospel by telling us that Jesus, ‘The Word’ was a real person who pre-existed with God,

“. . . the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1-2

Thomas Whitelaw, a nineteenth century Christian commentator wrote,

“The theme of the evangelist’s discourse was not a metaphysical abstraction or a political personification but a veritable person.”

John wants us all to know that the Christian message is not a philosophical idea or poetry dressed up as mythology. He is claiming that what he writes about the man Jesus really happened and has eternal significance.

When John began his first letter he stresses these same facts. He again uses the phrase that Jesus was ‘en arche’, ‘from the beginning’, yet he was also a real human being who could be seen, heard and touched.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” 1 John 1:1

John must be either completely deluded or he’s lying or he’s telling the truth. He wrote this book, to help people know that he is telling the absolute truth about Jesus. John will later go on to explain why this is important, people must believe in Jesus to receive eternal life,

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

Towards the end of this book John confirms why the stories he has selectively written about Jesus are so important.

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31

This brings a challenge to all people. If people are determined not to know the truth they will never investigate and sift the evidence. We can at least give John the opportunity of giving us the evidence he gives us. Imagine him to be a witness in a court case. Remember that if John is right, then God is real and it is God who is very keen to convince us of this truth. Why don’t people ask God to make himself known to them? Perhaps its because of the obvious consequences. Such a prayer to God should naturally end,

“If you convince me about Jesus, I will follow you for the rest of my life.”

There are religious groups, such as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Unitarians who admire some of what Jesus taught but reject this fundamental claim both of Jesus and of the apostles that Jesus was none other than the eternal God who entered his world to save us. The difficulty these sects have is that if Jesus is not God, his sacrifice of himself on that cross cannot be the eternal sacrifice that can take away the sin of all who turn to him for forgiveness. Jesus never gave up his ‘godness’ when he took on our humanity. As he faced his imminent horrifying death whilst praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, he looked forwards to returning to be with the other two members in the godhead,

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” John 17:5

Again the question poses itself, ‘Is Jesus telling the truth, is he deluded or is he a liar?’

When Jesus told the ‘parable of the prodigal son’, he must have empathised with the son who longed to go home to live with his Father again.

Jesus is God

John affirms,

“The Word was God.” John 1:1

This is the heart of the Christian message. The missionary and Bible scholar, Martin Goldsmith, has said,

“If … we deny the deity of Christ as the second person of the Trinity, his incarnation, his divine-human person, his redeeming work on the cross, his resurrection and ascension, then … we are no longer talking of the truth revealed in the Bible nor of the faith of the Church throughout Christian history. However we may call our new religious concoction “Christianity,” it actually has little relationship to the Christian faith. We have in fact invented a new religion which has changed or denied every major point in the Christian faith.”1

Some ask philosophical or theological questions that they think prevents them from addressing the one vital question, ‘Who is Jesus?’. They may have issues about the possibility of a virgin birth, about the possibility of miracles, about the possibility of the resurrection or have questions about how God will judge those who die at birth. However, when the question ‘Who is Jesus?’ has been answered, then the possibility of miracles is resolved. Miracles are possible and furthermore God, who will be our judge, knows the answer to these and other tough questions. Science proclaims that our very existence is a miracle, so why shouldn’t God be able to perform occasional miracles for a particular purpose?

‘Who is Jesus?’ is not just a theoretical point. John continues,

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1:4

What does ‘In him was life’ mean? It must be more than biological life. In view of how the verse continues ‘life’ means ‘life’ for mankind. Later in this prologue we can see that to have life has a spiritual meaning, it means to be a ‘child of God’.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

Jesus frequently taught people in such terms. He said,

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

To believe in Jesus is to be committed to him not just for this life but for eternity. The light not only shows us the way we should live but enables us to see what life is all about. In summary, Jesus is the only way for us, selfish people, to obtain a relationship with God. Jesus said to his disciples,

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6

Jesus is the Son of God

There is sometimes confusion over what this means. A Hindu, who became a Christian, had no difficulty explaining this:

“The son of a lion is a lion, the son of a monkey is a monkey, the Son of God is God.”

In the Old Testament, the son of God is distinguished from but equal to God.

In Psalm 2, God is angry with those people and nations who reject his sovereignty, but he equates his son with himself,

“The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his anointed one.” Psalm 2:2

The term ‘anointed one’ means the Messiah, God’s chosen king who will rule eternally.

“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying, ‘I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.’” Psalm 2:6

Later the Psalm explains the relationship the Messiah will have with the Lord,

“He said to me, ‘You are my Son’ . . . Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession. . . Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way.’ . . . Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Psalm 2:7-12

It is clear that our relationship with the Son of God, his Messiah, must be the same as that with God himself

Daniel also foresaw that God’s Messiah would be a man who has the same authority as God himself, he is worshipped as only God can be worshipped and his rule is eternal – a staggering prophecy:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14

Another prophet in the Old Testament is seeking to know the God who controls the winds and seas and land of the earth:

“Who has established the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!” Proverbs 30:4

We do know his name now - his name is Jesus Christ. The word ‘Christ’ is a Greek word that means the same as the Hebrew ‘Messiah’- both mean ‘God’s chosen king’. Jesus is God’s eternal king who all people must worship if they are to be at peace with God.

Jesus stands out

The life and character of Jesus is so much brighter and significant than that of anyone else who has ever lived. The following are some quotes by notable people about Jesus the person but unfortunately many of these have failed to recognise who he really is - the Son of God.2

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” Napoleon, military and political leader

“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very centre of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.” H.G. Wells, author

“Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.” Philip Schaff, theologian and historian

“Jesus Christ is to me the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything he ever said or did has value for us today and that is something you can say of no other man, dead or alive. There is no easy middle ground to stroll upon. You either accept Jesus or reject him.” Sholem Asch, Jewish writer

“It is evidence of His importance, of the effect that He has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of His being that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of literature among so many people and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount. As the centuries pass by, the evidence is accumulating that measured by its effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. The influence appears to be mounting. No other life lived on this planet has so widely and deeply affected mankind. Kenneth Scott Latourette, former President of American Historic Society

“The character of Jesus has not only been the highest pattern of virtue, but the strongest incentive in its practice, and has exerted so deep an influence, that it may be truly said that the simple record of three years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind that all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists.” W. E. H. Lecky, historian and political theorist

“I find the name of Jesus Christ written on the top of every page of modern history..” George Bancroft, historian

“All that is best in the civilization of today, is the fruit of Christ’s appearance among men.” Daniel Webster, politician

“All history is incomprehensible without Christ.” Ernest Renan, historian, religious scholar and linguist

“Jesus is not one of the group of world’s great. Talk about Alexander the Great and Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great if you will…Jesus is apart. He is not the Great – He is the only.” Carnegie Simpson, historian

“No one else holds or has held the place in the heart of the world which Jesus holds. Other gods have been as devoutly worshipped; no other man has been so devoutly loved.” John Knox, theologian

“Even those who have renounced Christianity and attack it, in their inmost being still follow the Christian ideal, for hitherto neither their subtlety nor the ardour of their hearts has been able to create a higher ideal of man and of virtue than the ideal given by Christ of old.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, author

“A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.” Mahatma Gandhi, leader

“As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” Albert Einstein, scientist

“Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.” H.G. Wells, author

“You will find that He is divinely human. It is no mean joy to us of the house of Israel to recognize, to honour and to cherish among our brethren, Jesus the Jew, who has influenced the world more than any other man.” Stephen Wise, rabbi

“If all the illustrious men of history were gathered together and Shakespeare should enter their presence, they would rise to do him honour; but if Jesus Christ should come in, they would fall down and worship Him.” Charles Lamb, author/poet

“It is interesting and significant that a historian, without any theological bias whatever, should find that he cannot portray the progress of humanity honestly without giving a foremost place to a penniless teacher from Nazareth. A historian like myself, who does not even call himself a Christian, finds the picture centring irresistibly around the life and character of this most significant man.” H.G. Wells, historian

“The historical result of [Jesus Christ's] activities was more momentous even from a strictly secular standpoint, than the deeds of any other character of history. A new era, recognized by the chief civilizations of the world, dates from his birth.” The Historians’ History of the World

“If ever the Divine appeared on earth, it was in the Person of Christ...the human mind no matter how far it may advance in every other department, will never transcend the height and moral culture of Christianity as it shines and glows in the Gospels.” Goethe, writer

“The name of Jesus is not so much written as ploughed into the history of the world.” R. W. Emerson, writer

“It would require much exotic calculation...to deny that the single most powerful figure - not merely in these two millennium but in all human history - has been Jesus of Nazareth.” Reynolds Price, writer

“The ages have come and gone and this Man stands out from among all others. There was a purity within His life that changed men who came in contact with Him. And it has changed others since then, as well. Men discovering Him have gladly lived and laid down their lives for Him - and this often by cruel deaths. But it has mattered not, because of that which He did within their lives. Just now, take a few minutes to read what others have said about Him - the most amazing Man in all recorded time. They want to introduce you to the only Man in history who can radically lift you - and change you - for the better.” Vance Ferrell, writer

“Jesus was the greatest religious genius that ever lived. His beauty is eternal and his reign will never end. He is in every respect unique and nothing can be compared with him.” Ernest Renan, author/historian.

“Will Jesus ever be surpassed? Nineteen hundred years have passed, and his equal has not risen. This is not true of the world's other great ones. Every generation produces geniuses worthy to be compared with those who have gone before. It can be said of no one man, 'He stands alone; he has no rival; no equal; no superior.' But this is true of Jesus. Nineteen hundred years, instead of diminishing His greatness, have accentuated it.” Editor, The Los Angeles Times.

“The life of Christ, the holiest among the mighty and the mightiest among the holy, has lifted with its pierced hands empires off their hinges and turned the stream of centuries out of their channel, and still governs the ages." Jean Paul Richter, writer

“Christ is the great central fact of the world’s history. To him everything looks forward or backward. All lines of history converge upon him. All the great purposes of God culminate in him. The greatest and most momentous fact which the history of the world records is the fact of his birth.” C. H. Spurgeon, pastor

“His character forbids possible classification with men.” Horace Bushnell, minister

“There is no one else seriously bidding for the heart of the world except Jesus Christ. There is no one else in the field.” Brahmo-Samajist to missionary E. Stanley Jones

“Christ's system of morals and religion as He left them to us is the best the world has seen or is likely to see.” Benjamin Franklin

“Jesus Christ cannot be adequately understood in terms of any category applicable to man...He is a category by himself.” George MacDonald, author

“Everything that is really worth while in the morality of today has come to the world through Christ. Dismiss his standards of right and wrong and try to draw up your own ethical code, and see where you will be!” G. Campbell Morgan, preacher

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, author

C.S.Lewis, the author of the Narnia stories, had been an atheist but, because of the evidence reluctantly became a theist when aged 31. He became a Christian, when 33 years old, following a long discussion about the Christian faith with J.R.R. Tolkien, another Oxford academic and writer of the Hobbit books. Lewis concluded,

“In a civilisation like ours, I feel that everyone has to come to terms with the claims of Jesus Christ upon his life, or else be guilty of inattention or of evading the question.”

I was thinking of finishing this article with an illustration of someone who realised how much they needed Jesus and how they turned to him, but decided to ask some questions instead.

1. If you are a Christian, can you explain why and how you turned to Christ.

2. If you are not yet a Christian, can you explain what is preventing you turning to Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord?

BVP

1Martin Goldsmith, ‘What About Other Faiths?’ (1989; repr., London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2008), https://books.google.com/books?id=C0Y5AgAAQBAJ.

2http://www.glenarmbaptistchurch.co.uk/quotes-jesus-influence-on-history/471

John 1:6-13 The Light Shines in the Darkness

With liberty comes laxity. In the fourth century AD, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The threat of persecution was reduced but another major danger replaced it. The church became powerful, prosperous and political. A deadly formalism and corruption crept in. The church, like traditional Judaism was becoming darkened.

John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom was determined to oppose this decadence and darkness. He was born in Antioch in Syria to a Greek family in AD 347. John was given a good education and learned rhetoric – the skill to speak effectively in public. After a reckless youth he turned to Christ in his twenties and he took his new commitment seriously. He became a monk, living such an austere lifestyle for several years that it affected his health. Of greater long-term benefit were his efforts to memorise the entire Bible. John moved from the monastic life for the church and was ordained as a presbyter in 386 AD. For twelve years he remained in Antioch, preaching frequently and drawing large crowds. John was more than just a clever speaker. He spoke clearly to ordinary people with messages that were simple and practical and used illustrations from everyday life. John constantly appealed to the Bible as God-given authority. It is claimed that his eyes shone ‘like burning torches’.

John Chrysostom had intended to stay in Antioch but the Emperor felt that Constantinople, the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, needed someone of quality to occupy the pulpit. The result was that John was kidnapped in 398, taken to Constantinople and persuaded to be bishop. It was not a happy appointment! The authorities wanted a superstar preacher; instead they got a man of God. Standing on the authority of the Bible, John sought to reform both the church and his society. Rejecting all attempts to pressure or limit him, he attacked extravagance and immorality and did all he could to deal with corruption within the church. He preached against excessive wealth: ‘It is foolishness and a public madness to fill the cupboards with clothing and allow men who are created in God’s image and likeness to stand naked and trembling with the cold so that they can hardly hold themselves upright.’ He practised what he preached. He sold off some of the art in the Bishop’s palace, refused to give lavish dinner parties, and criticised anything that involved excessive wealth and spending. Straightening out a corrupt financial system, John saved enough on his expenses in his first year to build a hospital for the poor. His attacks, not just against excessive wealth but against a whole range of social ills, gained him the friendship of the downtrodden and the hostility of the powerful. He refused to play politics and so it is hardly surprising that after five years he found himself banished from Constantinople to the edge of the Black Sea. There, in exile, he died in 407 and his last words were,

‘Glory be to God in all things. Amen.’

John Chrysostom was a model evangelist. He had fire in his belly and logic in his brain; he preached Christ with urgency and life in a language that all could understand. There was an extraordinary urgency to his message. As he said,

‘There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not seek to save others.’

He was also an evangelist with vision. In marked contrast to most of his contemporaries he saw beyond his own city and community, sending out church planters into the Danube Valley and eastwards to what is now Iran.

John was a man who preached that right beliefs had to be matched with right actions. He wanted to see his society and his church cleaned up.

John was a Biblical man. He took his stand on Scripture and taught that it had supreme authority. He encouraged his hearers to read the Bible too.

John proclaimed a simple lifestyle. He consistently opposed excess wealth and self-indulgent luxury.

John Chrysostom is an awesome figure. In troubled times he spoke out for an authentic Christianity; a faith centred on Christ, guided by the Bible and utterly independent of every pressure of culture. John was indeed a ‘golden mouth’ for the gospel: our age needs more men and women like him today.1

The Light is rejected

Looking back at the history of the church, it appears that God regularly raises up people who will oppose the staid ritualistic church and point people back to its foundation, the Lord Jesus. Men such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, John Calvin, George Whitfield, John Wesley and many others have courageously brought people back to the Biblical gospel. The apostle John wrote his gospel to do just this – he wanted everyone to know that Christianity is based on a relationship with the man who was God, Jesus Christ. This is how he summarised his message,

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:5

This statement is so simple, yet so profound. ‘Light’ for the scientist means ‘energy’, to the philosopher it means ‘wisdom’ and to the theologian it means ‘purity and perfection’. Surely John has all these concepts in mind. He has just reminded us that Jesus embodied all these characteristics. He had:

Energy - ‘Through him all things were made.’ John 1:3

Wisdom - ‘In the beginning was the word.’ John 1:1

Purity and perfection - ‘We have seen the glory, the glory of the one and only.’ John 1:14

The verb ‘understood’ that comes at the end of this verse has a double meaning. In the King James Version it is translated as ‘comprehend it’ whereas in the NIV it is translated ‘overcome it’. Surely both are intended. Those who are in the dark cannot ‘comprehend’ the gospel of Christ but at the same time it can also mean that the darkness cannot defeat or overcome the gospel.

In English we also have several words that also have double meanings. ‘Grasp’ can either mean to grasp with the mind or understand or it can mean to grasp in order to capture and destroy. The same Greek word is used of the boy Jesus healed who appears to have had epilepsy - he was grasped by these attacks,

“Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid.” Mark 9:18

All the early translations and commentaries use this meaning, that ‘darkness cannot seize or overcome the truth.’ This assumes that there is a spiritual war going on. This is so true, the darkness does attack but we are assured that it cannot seize or destroy God’s truth. In the parable of ‘the Four Soils’, commonly called ‘the parable of the Sower,’ Jesus describes this spiritual battle when the bird, representing Satan swoops down and seizes the seed or word of God from an individual to prevent it germinating. When Jesus first preached in the synagogue, a man with an evil Spirit called out, ‘Who are you?’ There is a spiritual war going on that all of us are involved in. John is telling us that whenever the light shines, whenever the gospel is proclaimed, darkness will attempt to snuff it out. We have all experienced this. When people first hear the gospel and are thinking it through, so often someone will come along and try to dissuade them. ‘Thinking of joining the God Squad’ are you?’ The battle is then raging in an occult way, in both meanings of the word! The voice of Satan may snuff out an initial interest in getting right with God, but in the wider picture God’s church will never be snuffed out, the darkness will not prevail. When we are tempted a battle rages within us.

The other meaning used by many modern commentaries is ‘to understand.’ To really understand a subject we have to grasp the opportunity to grasp its meaning. Paul used this word to encourage the Corinthians to grasp the spiritual prize being offered to them,

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets (or grasps) the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

The gospel has to be grasped for the prize of eternal life to be won. There is no place for a laid back, casual, lazy approach where the gospel is concerned. It must be seized in the same way that Paul and Chrysostom seized it.

The English word ‘master’ has a similar double meaning. Our verse could be translated,

“Light shines in the darkness but darkness has not mastered it’ John 1:5

In a recent Cricket Test series, the English fast bowlers were trying to master the opposing batsmen, just as Satan is trying to master us. In South Sudan, Ethiopia and Nigeria and in many places of the world Satan is trying to outwit the churches, often by violence. But John, as God’s mouthpiece, tells us that the darkness did not and cannot master God’s truth.

However the word ‘to master’ can also mean ‘to understand.’ I have recently been trying to master ‘OBS’, a computer programme that enables church services to be broadcast on YouTube but I haven’t ‘mastered’ it or fully understood it yet. When we were medical students we used to take ward services in the London Hospital once a month. Patients enjoyed coming but it was obvious that most hadn’t the foggiest idea what the Christian message was about.

Surely what John is saying is that if I don’t take the opportunity to grasp, seize and understand the gospel I will have no share of its benefits. In fact I will inevitably be in the opposing camp and will even try to destroy it. This is the sad news that John writes about at the start of his gospel.

John the Baptist

The opening phrase about John the Baptist is striking,

“There came a man who was sent from God . . .” John 1:6

Our free will clearly does not determine everything! God arranged for the Baptist to come as a fore-runner to the Messiah.

Jesus describes John as being the greatest of men. He acted as the ‘best man’ of Jesus (John 3:29). What made him so great?

“He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that, through him, all men might believe.” John 1:7

This teaching has been so underplayed in Western churches, Christians must learn how to testify concerning Jesus to those around them. Furthermore we must learn to testify in such a way that people put their faith in Jesus. It is unfortunately possible to speak of Jesus in such a way that we can put people off Jesus!

There are some Christians whose message seems to focus more on them and their experience than on Jesus. John was not like that.

“He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” John 1:8

In John chapter 3, the apostle John tells us a bit more about what John the Baptist was trying to do. Clearly his aim was to ‘testify’ about and point people to Jesus. He said,

“The one who is from above is above all . . . The one who comes from heaven is above all . . For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God . . .” John 3:31-34

John the Baptist’s message was the same as that of Christians today,

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36

No wonder Jesus considered him to be the greatest of men. There was no compromise in the clarity of his message!

Jesus, the Light of the World

Let us look on at how the apostle John continues in John 1:9-12

a. “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John 1:9

The gospel is unique, there are not versions of it – the definitive article is used. It is true, and this truth is for every person in the world. It is God’s light to our lives. We instinctively know that what Jesus represents and taught is true and the facts about his death and resurrection and the reliability of the gospel records can be substantiated. Yet only a minority of people want to recognise this light.

b. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.” John 1:10

What a tragedy it is that the creator of this world is rejected. This teaching that Jesus is our creator is a repeated theme in Scripture:

“. . . all things were created by him and for him.” Colossians 1:16

“. . . he (God) has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2

The refusal to recognise Jesus is deliberate. We don’t want him to be our creator, as that would necessitate our living under his authority. Instead people make up excuses, such as suggesting that ‘evolution’ removes from them the necessity of considering Christ’s claims. However the laws of nature have no power to create anything, they can only describe the rules that the creator has used in his creation. Nature is often personified and even given a mind, with people foolishly saying ‘nature decided that . . .’. It is a tragedy that people try to hide behind such shallow thinking, They are empty excuses. The light has shone into people’s lives but people refuse to investigate whether Jesus’ claim to be God is valid. He is supported by the prophecies about the coming Messiah in the old Jewish Scriptures and the evidence that he did rise from the dead as both Jesus and the Scriptures had foretold. Were those disciples all duped somehow or were they all telling the truth?

c. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” John 1:11

The Messiah came to his own people, the Jews. He gave them every opportunity to investigate his claims. But just as the Jews had rejected the prophets God had sent to warn them in previous generations, now they rejected their own Messiah - ‘his own did not receive him’.

However there is now good news - a gospel to share,

d. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God . . .” John 1:12

To ‘receive Jesus’ means to believe in him. Our word ‘believe’ comes from an Old English word ‘lieben’ - to love. It has remained the same in modern German. To ‘be-lieve’ is to be personally committed to a person. It was in Victorian times that the meaning of ‘believe’ changed into accepting an idea or concept. However the ‘belief’ that God demands is much more than intellectual acceptance – it is a commitment to the person of Jesus, to love him, to follow him and to obey him. The book of Hebrews says:

“He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:9

Paul reminds the Romans, both at the beginning of his letter and again at the end that without obedience there is no saving faith:

“We received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” Romans 1:5

“ . . . so that all nations might believe and obey him.” Romans 16:26

What is the Christian Gospel?

Can we all explain the gospel if asked?

The gospel is the message about Jesus, who he is and what he has done to save us. He is the Messiah, God’s chosen king, who entered his world to give his life as the once for all time sacrifice for our sin. To become a member of God’s kingdom, individuals must repent of our old life, lived without God, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. The Light needs to be understood and grasped if it is to be of benefit. Jesus’ message to all people is to repent - to change direction,

“The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel.” Mark 1:15

Jesus is the King of this kingdom. Men are opposed to God because of our sin, and God is opposed to us because of his holiness. The separation is wide but was resolved by what Jesus did for us.

In the last book of the Bible there is a good illustration of what it means to receive Jesus Christ. Jesus is talking to a comfortable church of people who are not committed to living for him. It is a salutary warning that it is possible to be in a church but not to be a converted person, not to be ‘born again.’ These church people were ‘poor, blind and naked’ spiritually. Jesus tells them that they must respond to his warning – his love is not like cotton wool, it apprehends, shakes us up and wakes us up. Jesus says,

“So be earnest and repent.” Revelation 3:19

No-one should be casual and insincere about their relationship with God, we must be in earnest. How does a person start this relationship? Jesus says,

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me” Revelation 3:20

Jesus is knocking on the door of their lives. They may be Jews, God-fearers or complete outsiders but the opportunity for a relationship is there for all who change direction, who repent, and allow God to have his rightful place in controlling how they live. The thrill is that Jesus then starts a new relationship with us which is highly enjoyable. This is illustrated by him enjoying a meal with us.

Some who read this article will realise that they have previously kept Jesus outside of their life but realise that Jesus is knocking. We can either let the light in or reject him, in this latter case darkness will have engulfed us.

When the gospel is taught, there are those who are reluctant to respond. They prefer to remain in the dark. If that door is kept shut by them it is extremely hard to open it later in life. This is why the Bible teaches, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament,

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts . . .” Hebrews 3:7

All of us must decide whether we are going to seize the light and take Jesus to heart. It we don’t respond we will return to the darkness and we will forget that the light has shone into the world.

BVP

26 September 2020

1Taken from ‘Heroes of the Faith’, a blog by Canon J.John