THE STORY OF JESUS: John 11:45-53 “Better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:50) As an occupied nation, Israel was at risk whenever someone claimed to be king. The religious leaders worried that word of rebellion would bring Rome’s anger. The temple and the nation were at great risk…
Believing is seeing!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 11:38-44 “If you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) I believe God CAN raise a dead person to life. But I normally do not believe that God WILL raise a dead person. For some reason, God doesn’t go about raising dead people on a regular basis. God does…
Delighting in the Lord… through the bible!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 119:1-24 “Your statutes are my delight; they are my counsellors.” (Psalm 119:24) More than anything for David, God was his “delight and joy” (Psalm 43:4). Because he delighted in God, he also delighted in God’s revelation. He found the Torah (the books of Moses) helpful for knowing and loving God. In this song,…
Am I my brother’s keeper?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Obadiah 1 “You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune.” (Obadiah 1:12) Edom (from Esau, Jacob’s brother) and Israel (from Jacob) fought for years. Obadiah describes how Edomites took advantage of defeated Israel and her refugees. This tension makes me think of the present day tensions between Jews…
God’s Spirit on all people!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Joel 1-3 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people!” Earlier Joel had called all people to assemble for repentance (2:16-17) Their sinful rebellion had resulted in life-destroying consequences. Now Joel is predicting a time of life being revived, restored, refreshed. In Genesis 2:7 the Spirit (breath) of God gave…
With love and tears!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 11:28-37 “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) In Jesus, we see God; in Jesus’ tears, we see God’s tears. Could God or Jesus keep us from dying – technically, yes. (John 11:37) For some reason God does not just snap His fingers and fix everything. He does intervene at times, but His goal is more…
Longing for LIFE!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 11:17-27 “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) By this ‘I am’ statement Jesus equates Himself with God and with God’s LIFE. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” (1 John 5:11) Though we are physically alive, we are not fully alive, physically and spiritually. (The…
God can use me too!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 11:11-16 “Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” (John 11:11) How does Jesus know that He would ‘wake up’ Lazarus? I don’t believe that the answer is ‘because He is God’. Jesus is emptied of His God powers (Philippians 2:6-7). I believe God revealed it to Him…
Opportunities to shine for God!
THE STORY OF JESUS: John 11:1-10 “It is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4) Jesus knows Who He is, as God’s messiah sent to restore God’s kingdom. Everything happening around Him is set up by God to reveal His identity. Deep down He trusts God to use this Lazarus…
The cornerstone of my hope!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 118 “Better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” (Psalm 118:8) How confident are you in the government right now? How about the education system, or doctors, or lawyers, or the police? Is human nature or goodness a reliable source of confidence and hope? Humans are the cause…