John 12
Jesus at dinner in Bethany verse 1- 9
Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany
where Lazarus was which had been dead
whom HE raised from the dead
There they made HIM a supper – and Martha served
BUT Lazarus was one of them
that sat at the table with HIM
THEN took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard
very costly and anointed the feet of Jesus
and wiped HIS feet with her hair
and house was filled
with the odor of the ointment
THEN said one of HIS disciples
Judas Iscariot- Simon’s son
which should betray HIM
Why was not this ointment sold
for three hundred pence
and given to the poor?
This he said – Not that he cared for the poor
but because he was a thief – and had the bag
and bare what was put therein
THEN said Jesus – Let her alone
against the day of MY burying has she kept this
for the poor always you have with you
BUT ME you have not always
Much people of the Jews therefore knew that HE was there
and they came not for Jesus’ sake only
but that they might see Lazarus also
whom HE had raised from the dead
Testimony of Lazarus verse 10- 11
BUT the chief priest consulted
that they might put Lazarus also to death
BECAUSE that by reason of him
many of the Jews went away
and believed on Jesus
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem verse 12- 16
On the next day much people that were come to the feast
when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem
took branches of palm trees
and went forth to meet HIM
and cried – Hosanna
Blessed is the King of Israel that
comes in the name of the Lord
And Jesus – when HE had found a young ass – sat thereon
as it is written – Fear not – daughter of Zion
BEHOLD – your King comes
sitting on an ass’s colt
These things understood not HIS disciples at the first
BUT when Jesus was glorified
then remembered they that these things
were written of HIM
and that they had done these things
unto HIM
Pharisees complain verse 17- 19
The people therefore that was with HIM
when HE called Lazarus out of his grave
and raised him fro the dead – bare record
FOR this cause the people also met HIM
FOR that they heard that HE had done this miracle
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves
Perceive you how you prevail nothing?
BEHOLD – the world is gone after HIM
Greeks want to meet Jesus verse 20- 22
And there were certain Greeks among them
that came up to worship at the feast
the same came therefore to Philip
which was of Bethsaida of Galilee
and desired him saying
Sir – we would see Jesus
Philip come and tells Andrew
and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus
Jesus gives purpose for HIS coming verse 23- 29
And Jesus answered them
saying
The hour is come
that the Son of man should be glorified
Verily – verily I say to you
Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die
it abides alone – BUT IF it die
it brings forth much fruit
He that loves his life shall lose it
and he that hates his life
in this world shall keep it
to life eternal
IF any man serve ME – let him follow ME
and where I am
there shall also MY servant be
IF any man serve ME
him will MY Father honor
NOW is MY soul troubled – and what shall I say?
Father save ME form this hour
BUT for this cause came I unto this hour
Father glorify YOUR name
THEN came there a voice from heaven
Saying I have both glorified it and will glorify it again
The people therefore that stood by and heard it
said that it thundered
Others said – an angel spoke to HIM
Jesus explains the voice verse 30- 33
Jesus answered and said
This voice came not because of ME
but for your sakes
NOW is the judgment of this world
NOW shall the prince of this world be cast out
AND I IF I be lifted up from the earth
will draw all men unto ME
This HE said
signifying what death HE should die
People confused regarding HIS death verse 34- 36
The people answered HIM
We have heard out of the law
that Christ abides for ever
and how say YOU
The Son of man must be lifted up?
Who is this Son of man?
THEN Jesus said to them
Yet a little while is the light with you
Walk while you have the light
lest darkness come on you
FOR he that walks in darkness
knows not whither he goes
While you have light BELIEVE in the light
that you may be the children of light
These things spoke Jesus and departed
and did hide HIMSELF from them
Miracles didn’t cause all to believe verse 37- 41
But though HE had done so many miracles before them
yet they believed not on HIM
That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled
which he spoke
Lord – who has believed our report?
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Therefore they could not believe because that Isaiah said again
HE hash blinded their eyes and hardened their heart
that they should not see with their eyes
nor understand with their heart
and be converted and I should heal them
These things said Isaiah
when he saw HIS glory and spoke of HIM
Praise of men vs. praise of God verse 42- 43
Nevertheless among the chief rulers
also many believed on HIM
BUT because of the Pharisees
they did not confess HIM
LEST they should be
put out of the synagogue
FOR they loved the praise of men
more than the praise of God
Jesus sent by Father with message of salvation verse 44- 50
Jesus cried and said
He that believes on ME – believes not on ME
BUT on HIM that sent ME
And he that sees ME sees HIM
that sent ME
I am come a light into the world
that whosoever believes
on ME should not abide in darkness
And IF any man hear MY words and believe not
I judge him not FOR I came not to judge the world
BUT to save the world
He that rejects ME and receives not MY words
has one that judges him the word that I have spoken
the same shall judge him in the last day
FOR I have not spoken of MYSELF
BUT the Father which sent ME
HE gave ME a commandment what I should say
and what I should speak
And I know that HIS commandment is life everlasting
whatsoever I speak therefore even as the Father
said unto ME so I speak
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. (2812 “thief” [kleptes] means an embezzler, pilferer, a criminal who typically relies on stealth to take property belonging to someone else, or a person who steals)
DEVOTION: Motives are always important when we have a reaction to a given situation. Sometimes people can see our motives but at other times we can hide our motives from most people.
Judas seemed to be able to hide his real motives most of the time. Here we find the Apostle telling Judas’ real motives after the fact. The other eleven disciples seemed to think that Judas was one of them. He would do everything with them. He was trusted by them because he was made the treasurer of the group. Whenever someone supported the ministry of Jesus he was the one they gave the money too. He paid any bills that they had.
On this occasion Mary came with a precious ointment to wash the feet of Jesus. She would wipe HIS feet with her hair. On a side note, her hair had to be long for her to be able to do it. Long hair is good for all women.
Now we go back to the account of her using the precious ointment on Jesus feet. Judas told them that the ointment could have been sold and used to help the poor. The problem was that he didn’t really care about the poor. He just wanted to get his hands on the money. One of his gods was money.
Today we have many believers that seem to worship money over worshiping God. Giving has been reduced from ten percent down to about two percent by most of those who call themselves Christians. God wants us to honor HIM with our money, so that, HE can bless us. If we are selfish we have to confess that before HE can bless us.
CHALLENGE: If we are complaining that the LORD is not blessing us the way we think HE should maybe we need to check our motives in the area of given to HIM.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. (4434 “poor” [ptochos] means beggar, destitute of wealth, of little value, be humble, relatively worthless, inferior, or powerless to enrich)
DEVOTION: The LORD made a statement that seems to go against our present thinking. There are those who think that if we spend enough money to help the poor there will be no more poor people in our world.
Jesus seems to state that it is not possible to live in our present world without there being poor people. Is HE right? The answer has to be YES because HE is God.
Part of the problem of those who are poor is that many of them don’t really want to work to earn money. They want the money given to them. Even today we find some members of one family who are industrious and others who will sit and watch them work.
Jesus makes a statement that the mouth of the ox doing work should not be muzzled. The ox should be able to eat some of what he was plowing up. HE also makes the statement that anyone who is not willing to work should not eat. It is HIS principle.
If those who are believers are not willing to work to see the church move forward for the LORD they will not receive the blessings the LORD has in store for them. We are to all work for the LORD first in the church and then in other places.
I have told some people that their profession is Christian which means that is their vocation. Their other job is their avocation. If we put Christ first in our life HE can bless us.
CHALLENGE: Work until there is not a day we cannot work. Use your resources to help others. The LORD will bless us for our effort.
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: 10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death (1011 “consulted” [bouleuo] means be minded, purpose, determined, take counsel, resolve, to reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation, or planned)
DEVOTION: It seems like when anything good happens in a church or in a community of believers there are always those around who want to see if they can diminish it bringing glory to God.
The religious leaders knew that there was a change coming. They didn’t want the change. They thought if they caused the death of Lazarus people would move back to their side and leave Jesus. They were plotting to kill Lazarus, so that, they could benefit. They didn’t care that he was brought back to life. They were only concerned with what would make them more popular.
The Pharisees wanted all the praise and didn’t want to share it with others, especially Jesus. Remember that they did everything for outward show. Their insides were not religious. It was all show for power and personal worship.
Could this happen today in our world? The answer is YES!! We could want people to look up to us instead of looking up to Jesus. We need to make sure that we are motivated to cause everyone around us to worship Jesus alone.
Pride has to be put on the back burner, so that, God can get all the glory. If people move away from following us it is not a bad thing. They should be following Jesus first and foremost at all times. We need to get out of the way.
CHALLENGE: Remember what John the Baptist said “He must increase and I must decrease.”
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (1391 “praise” [doxa] means splendor, brightness, glory dignity, honor, radiance or worship)
DEVOTION: Who are we in good standing with? There were people who followed Jesus that didn’t want anyone to know that they were followers. They wanted to keep it a secret. They didn’t want those around them to know what was going on inside them. They wanted to stay in good standing with their friends. They wanted the honor that went along with being a religious leader. The status was very important to them.
The followers of Jesus have a choice to make daily. The Pharisees that made a secret choice to follow Jesus were afraid of being put out of the synagogue. Remember that there were funerals given for people who left the faith. To be put out of the synagogue meant that no one could speak with you or do business with you. It was a huge thing to be an outcast. These men wanted to be in good standing with their human friends rather than God.
Can we be people pleasers rather than God pleasers? This is a question we have to ask regarding all of our earthly relationships. When it is time to stand up for the LORD, do we do it? Or do we want to be liked by our friends? The choice is ours to make.
The people in Jesus’ day would rather have the honor of their human friends over honor from the LORD.
Our belief can be kept a secret from those we work with on a daily basis. Our belief can be kept a secret from our families. Our belief can be kept a secret from our friends.
We will miss the many blessings because of our choice. One thing to remember is that some people who want to keep their belief a secret may have never have really chosen to follow the LORD. These Pharisees who were secretive about their belief have to answer to the LORD for this choice. What are we choosing? Are we choosing to share our faith with all those around us or not to share our faith? Remember that it is a daily choice.
CHALLENGE: Pray about your courage regarding standing up for the LORD wherever you are. We don’t have to be offensive but we can be courageous.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Jesus prays to Father verse 28
Father responds to HIS prayer verse 28
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Passover verse 1, 12, 20
Hosanna verse 13
Worship verse 20
Synagogue verse 42
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
It is written verse 14
Written of HIM verse 16
Law verse 34
Isaiah verse 38- 41
Word spoken shall judge verse 48
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Comes in the name of the Lord verse 13
Father verse 26- 28, 49, 50
Father honor verse 26
Father glorify your name verse 28
Father speaks from heaven verse 28
Father sent Son verse 44, 45, 49
Father speaks thru Christ verse 49, 50
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Jesus verse 1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 21, 23, 30, 35, 36, 44
Blessed verse 13
King of Israel verse 13
King verse 15
Glorified verse 16, 23
Miracle verse 18, 37
Son of man verse 23, 34
Troubled verse 27
Judgment of this world verse 31
Crucified verse 32, 34
Christ verse 34
Light verse 35- 36, 46
Arm of the Lord verse 38
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Lord verse 38
God verse 43
Praise of God verse 43
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Prince of this world verse 31
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
World verse 19, 46, 47
Greeks verse 20
All men verse 32
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Betray verse 4
Thief verse 6
Murder verse 10
Hate verse 25
Walk in darkness verse 35
Believed not verse 37, 47
Blinded eyes verse 40
Hardened heart verse 40
Not confess Jesus verse 42
Praise of men verse 43
Reject Christ verse 48
Not receive words of Christ verse 48
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Believed verse 11, 36, 28,43, 44,46 47
Blessed verse 13
Fear not verse 15
Understood later verse 16
Bear record verse 17
Worship verse 20
Love verse 25
Serve verse 26
Follow verse 26
Honor verse 26
Troubled verse 27
Glorify God verse 28
Walk in the light verse 35
Children of light verse 36
See with spiritual eyes verse 40
Understand with heart verse 40
Converted verse 40
Healed [from sin] verse 40
Confess verse 42
Praise of God verse 43
Not abide in darkness verse 46
Hear my words verse 47
Save verse 47
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Bethany verse 1
Lazarus verse 1, 2, 9, 10, 17
Martha verse 2
Mary verse 3
Disciple (Judas) verse 4
Judas Iscariot (Simon’s son) verse 4- 6
Jews verse 9, 11
Chief priests verse 10
Jerusalem (Zion) verse 12, 15
Pharisees verse 19, 42
Bethsaida of Galilee verse 21
Isaiah verse 38- 41
Chief rulers verse 42
Church (New Testament people of God)
Disciples verse 16
Philip verse 21, 22
Andrew verse 22
Last Things (Future Events)
Day of Jesus burial verse 7
Grave verse 17
Raised from the dead verse 17
Life eternal verse 25
Christ abides forever verse 34
Last Day verse 48
Life everlasting verse 50
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
Some honour was done to Christ by these rulers: for they believed on him, were convinced that he was sent of God, and received his doctrine as divine; but they did not do him honour enough, for they had not courage to own their faith in him. Many professed more kindness for Christ than really they had; these had more kindness for him than they were willing to profess. See here what a struggle was in these rulers between their convictions and their corruptions.
I. See the power of the word in the convictions that many of them were under, who did not wilfully shut their eyes against the light. They believed on him as Nicodemus, received him as a teacher come from God. Note, The truth of the gospel has perhaps a better interest in the consciences of men than we are aware of. Many cannot but approve of that in their hearts which yet outwardly they are shy of. Perhaps these chief rulers were true believers, though very weak, and their faith like smoking flax. Note, It may be, there are more good people than we think there are. Elijah thought he was left alone, when God had seven thousand faithful worshippers in Israel. Some are really better than they seem to be. Their faults are known, but their repentance is not; a man’s goodness may be concealed by a culpable yet pardonable weakness, which he himself truly repents of. The kingdom of God comes not in all with a like observation; nor have all who are good the same faculty of appearing to be so.
II. See the power of the world in the smothering of these convictions. They believed in Christ, but because of the Pharisees, who had it in their power to do them a diskindness, they durst not confess him for fear of being excommunicated. Observe here, 1. Wherein they failed and were defective; They did not confess Christ. Note, There is cause to question the sincerity of that faith which is either afraid or ashamed to show itself; for those who believe with the heart ought to confess with the mouth, Rom. 10:9. 2. What they feared: being put out of the synagogue, which they thought would be a disgrace and damage to them; as if it would do them any harm to be expelled from a synagogue that had made itself a synagogue of Satan, and from which God was departing. 3. What was at the bottom of this fear: They loved the praise of men, chose it as a more valuable good, and pursued it as a more desirable end, than the praise of God; which was an implicit idolatry, like that (Rom. 1:25) of worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator. They set these two in the scale one against the other, and, having weighed them, they proceeded accordingly. (1.) They set the praise of men in one scale, and considered how good it was to give praise to men, and to pay a deference to the opinion of the Pharisees, and receive praise from men, to be commended by the chief priests and applauded by the people as good sons of the church, the Jewish church; and they would not confess Christ, lest they should thereby derogate from the reputation of the Pharisees, and forfeit their own, and thus hinder their own preferment. And, besides, the followers of Christ were put into an ill name, and were looked upon with contempt, which those who had been used to honour could not bear. Yet perhaps if they had known one another’s minds they would have had more courage; but each one thought that if he should declare himself in favour of Christ he should stand alone, and have nobody to back him; whereas, if any one had had resolution to break the ice, he would have had more seconds than he thought of. (2.) They put the praise of God in the other scale. They were sensible that by confessing Christ they should both give praise to God, and have praise from God, that he would be pleased with them, and say, Well done; but, (3.) They gave the preference to the praise of men, and this turned the scale; sense prevailed above faith, and represented it as more desirable to stand right in the opinion of the Pharisees than to be accepted of God. Note, Love of the praise of men is a very great prejudice to the power and practice of religion and godliness. Many come short of the glory of God by having a regard to the applause of men, and a value for that. Love of the praise of men, as a by-end in that which is good, will make a man a hypocrite when religion is in fashion and credit is to be got by it; and love of the praise of men, as a base principle in that which is evil, will make a man an apostate when religion is in disgrace, and credit is to be lost for it, as here. See Rom. 2:29. (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (pp. 2003–2004). Peabody: Hendrickson.)
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12:42–43. In spite of massive national unbelief, the situation was not hopeless. God always has a remnant. Many individuals in high places did believe in Jesus, but for fear of being put out of the synagogue they did not openly confess Him. They feared men’s opinions and loved men’s praise … more than God’s praise. (Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 319). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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12:42, 43 Rulers refers to members of the council. Because the rulers did not confess Him, some claim that their faith was not genuine. The text, however, says that they believed in Him, a construction in Greek that typically indicates saving faith (8:30). Moreover, the word nevertheless marks a stark contrast between these believers and the unbelief spoken of in vv. 37–41. These men were genuine believers. Their problem was that they feared the opinions of their fellow leaders. Such believers will be ashamed at Christ’s return (1 John 2:28). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1344). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 43. For they loved the praise of men, &c.] To be in the esteem of men, to have their applause, and receive honour from them: more than the praise of God; than either to receive honour from him, and be praised by him, or to praise and glorify him. By confessing Christ they knew they should run the risk of losing their places of honour and profit, and of falling under the disgrace and contempt of men; and therefore they chose rather not to confess Christ, than by so doing to glorify God, and please him, and be praised by him, as all the faithful professors of Christ wilt be at the last day; for then every such an one will have praise of God, and it will be said, well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 44). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READINGS
James 2 True Christian love will not discriminate against the poor.
INSIGHT
“Birds of a feather flock together.” Trite as that may sound, it’s one of the fundamental laws of social interaction. We are more at home with those who are like us than with those who are not. There is nothing wrong with this tendency. It is built-in and there is little value in denying it. But if that tendency prompts us to act unlovingly, the action is wrong. A tendency cannot be avoided; unloving actions can. James specifically warns us about discriminating against the poor, though it is also wrong to discriminate against anyone because of wealth, creed, race, age, or national origin. The royal law is to love your neighbor as yourself regardless of who the neighbor is. (Quiet Walk)
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THREE FRUITS OF REBIRTH
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 1 John 5:1
The first fruit of the rebirth is that I believe that “Jesus is the Christ.” And obviously, believing that is not something intellectual or something I only do with my mind. If I believe, I commit my whole life to Him. If I believe, I know I am delivered because Christ has done that for me. I see that apart from Him I am lost and undone and doomed. This is a profound action; it is a commitment; it is a banking of one’s everything upon that fact.
The second fruit of rebirth is love for God. John’s way of putting it is: “every one that loveth him that begat…” Christians see that they are hell-deserving sinners and that they would have arrived in hell were it not for His great love in sending His Son. They realize the love of God for them, and therefore they love God; they realize they owe everything to Him. It seems to me that this again is one of those fundamental things about Christian men and women.
However good a life they may be living now as saints, they still feel that they are hell-deserving sinners in and of themselves, and that they owe everything to the grace of God; it is God’s love alone that has made them what they are. They lose their sense of fear and a sense of enmity against God and are filled with a sense of profound gratitude to Him.
And the final thing is, of course, that we love our brethren—“Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” We look at other believers, and we see in them the same disposition as in ourselves. We realize that they owe everything to the grace of God, just as we do. We realize that in spite of their sinfulness God sent His Son to die for them, exactly as He did for us; and we are aware of this bond. Though there are many things about them we do not like, we say, “That is my brother, my sister.”
A Thought to Ponder: We realize that in spite of their sinfulness God sent His Son to die for them, exactly as He did for us.
(From Life I God, pp. 19-20, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Giving and Receiving
“Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.” (Philippians 4:15)
As Paul went on his missionary journeys, he never asked for money for himself from the people to whom he preached. He later wrote to the Thessalonians, “Because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:9). He did stress the teaching of Christ that “the labourer is worthy of his reward” (1 Timothy 5:18; Luke 10:7) and that “even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). But he himself said: “I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me” (1 Corinthians 9:15).
Thus, he was especially moved when the impoverished Christians at Philippi, without being asked, “sent once and again unto my necessity” (Philippians 4:16), and they were the only ones who did! This act of generous concern came about, Paul recognized, because they “first gave their own selves to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). As a result, Paul could assure them: “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Not only their material need, but every need.
They had learned a wonderful truth that every Christian needs to learn. As Paul told the Ephesian elders: “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Therefore, let each of us give in His name, “not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100:4-5
“Thanksgiving is a time of quiet reflection upon the past and an annual reminder that God has, again, been ever so faithful. The solid and simple things of life are brought into clear focus, so much that everything else fades into insignificance. May you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving as you reflect on all of God’s goodness in your lives!” Chuck Swindall
Unfortunately, our fall was busy with numerous doctor visits again. Pastor had a couple hospital visits due to pain, infection, and dehydration. The follow-up tests revealed: gall stones present, kidneys are ok, cardio good and oncology is following a possible cancer hot spot on the 4th vertebrae. He has a three-month follow-up scheduled to reevaluate.
Pastor’s heart is still full of love for the Lord and his will to serve never weakens. He is dedicated to his devotions and enjoys visitation. He has a heart for shut-ins. We were able to visit our former choir director, from our third church before our trip to visit family. We are grateful for our time together, as she passed away while we were out of town. As she rejoices with Jesus, we reflect on her impact on others, through her music and puppet ministry. We give thanks to the Lord for allowing Pastor to be able to continue to serve.
As we prepped for our fall trip, we give praise to God for still being able to visit friends, family, and board members. God graciously supplies all our needs. We drove to Rick’s in Illinois. We were able to rest before flying from St. Louis to Seattle. While in Seattle, we were able to visit Pastor’s cousin and family. We’ve also been praying for their daughter in Germany that is battling melanoma. We were also able to visit a young military friend who is stationed there. Her family has been on our prayer list as they found new cancer lesions. Please continue to lift her, her parents, her husband, and small children up in prayer.
Speaking of children, of course we enjoyed our visit with our son Brian and his family. Currently, we are back at Rick’s in Illinois. We were able to enjoy Thanksgiving and family activities. We’ve been able to continuously travel to be engaged with all our grandchildren in four different states. We are blessed beyond measure. We praise God our kids all love the Lord, as well as their spouses. Although it’s difficult seeing our grandchildren growing-up, we see them following the Lord and impacting others. Our family still has its dysfunctional moments (we’re not perfect), but we love the Lord and His unconditional love is our saving grace.
In summary, this Thanksgiving as we reflect on our ministry, visitation, devotions, pulpit supply, friends, family, and gatherings; we are reminded of the greatest gift of all. “Only one black Friday offers eternal savings! On the darkest “Black Friday”, death was defeated, the most stunning “door buster” was when the stone was rolled away. The greatest gift the world has ever known was Jesus! He is the reason for the season!”
We ask that you continue to pray for us and others, as we reflect on this joyous Season.
Richard S. Sharpe Jr.
Director, Small Church Ministries
This is what one of the board members wrote for this Newsletter:
“Your Spiritual Heart Check-up”
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matthew 22:37
In this verse above, the direction is clear … “Love the Lord with all your heart.” In today’s society, it’s even more important for us as Christians to stay true to God’s word as our standard. Our culture today is trying to remove God and His standards from all aspects of our lives. From government, schools, public court rooms, and even religious groups are being asked to tolerate. As Christ honoring Christians, we have a responsibility to love the sinner, hate the sin. Our hearts need to be so full of Christ’s love, that we can exemplify how we are to walk the talk. We need to gently demonstrate how God has these standards for our good. He’s all knowing. He knows how the love of money and self traps us. The only true freedom is in Him. If we dwell on the Lord and remain faithful, “seek ye first the kingdom of God”, Matthew 6:33, He will guide us to greater things than this world has to offer.
Focus on God, don’t let the little good things, distract us from God’s great things!
CHALLENGE: As you pray today, do a spiritual heart check.
What is your heart rate?
Is it true?
Is it honest?
Is it just?
Is it pure?
Is it lovely?
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8