1-18-2020       I Do The Works of My Father

                             

John 10:19-42

Jesus had just concluded identifying God as His Father and that He (Jesus)  is our Shepherd.  The Jews were divided and some thought He had a devil and was mad.  Others said ‘can a devil make the blind see?’ 

Jesus was on Solomon’s porch, in the temple, and a crowd gathered around Him challenging to declare plainly that He was the Messiah.

(V25-26)  Jesus replied to them “I’ve told you and you didn’t believe.  The works I do in my Father’s name bear witness of me.  Yet, you didn’t believe because you are not of My sheep.” 

 Jesus went on to tell them: I’ve already told you My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life that they don’t perish neither can anyone pluck them out of My hand.  My Father gave them to Me and He is greater than all, so no one can pluck them out of His hand.  Father and I are one.

The Jews gathered stones to stone Him and Jesus asked ”I’ve shown you many good works from My Father.  For which of these works do you want to stone me?”

And the Jews replied: We don’t stone you for any of the works, but rather that You have blasphemed and declared yourself God.  Jesus answered “Is it not written that you are gods (Psalm 82:6)? 

If God called those to whom the Word of God came gods, the scripture cannot be broken.  You declare that he, whom God has sanctified and sent into this world blasphemes because I said “I am the Son of God?”

If I don’t do My Father’s works, don’t believe Me.  But if I do them and you don’t believe, at least believe the works.  This way you might realize and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him.

Again the Jews tried to seize Him, but Jesus escaped out of their hand. 

He went to Jordan, where John baptized, and stayed there.  Many came to Him and said “John didn’t do any miracles, but everything John said of this man is true.  And there, many believed on Him.

“I do the works of My Father.”  The Jews were looking for a conquering hero, so when they asked Jesus to declare Himself, they were asking Him to overthrow Rome and free the Jews.  Jesus is showing two realities here. 

1) He is establishing our faith in Him by not immediately showing why He has come to earth.  Jesus is our conquering hero, but first He had to cleanse us from our sin and unrighteousness so we could be faithful followers. 

Many witnessed the miracles Jesus did but not all received.  Not all understood that first our heart had to be cleansed, then the miracles would follow.  Faith is what we hope for but don’t yet see.  That is, knowing that something is coming our way though we don’t yet see it as reality.  Had Jesus showed Himself the conquering hero then, where would the faith be?  People would have accepted Him as King (because He delivered them from the Romans), but their hearts would not have been changed.  They would have continued to live as before save that they would have been delivered from physical bondage (of the Romans).  Father delivered the Jews from Egypt and when the going got tough, they wanted to go back into Egypt (bondage).  Jesus knew He had to shed His blood in order to cleanse our hearts from sin.  Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). 

About thirty-five or forty years ago, Keith Green released a song titled “So You Wanna Go back to Egypt”.  When the going seems unbearable, even bondage seems better.  Consider what we are talking about here:  bondage to sin or freedom in Jesus Christ.  Bondage is falling back into sinful ways and death and eternal separation from God.  But freedom from bondage gives us the promise of eternal life and fellowship in Jesus.  There is a price to obtain freedom, giving up the ways of this world, but is it worth it?  I think so.

2)  Jesus had to redeem us, His mission on earth.  And what does He redeem us from?  As well as sin, our own hearts.  Because Adam and Eve sinned against God, all are born into sin.  Without Jesus, we are, if you will, Satan’s playthings.  He manipulates us and controls our lives (whether we admit it or not) by keeping us in world values.  I want!  I want!  I want!  Whoopeee!  An unbridled lifestyle.  Anarchy!  If I feel like doing it – so I do it!  Doubt my words?  Look around you at the world today.  People are focused on sex, getting what they want and doing what they desire – no matter what it takes, or should I say no matter who it harms.

Father says that cleansing comes through the blood.  For the Jews, it was the sacrificial lamb upon the altar.  Today, Jesus IS that sacrificial lamb and His altar is the cross – where He shed His blood (for us).

He cleanses us to we can live for Him, in Him and through Him.  And why do we live for Him?  He give us peace, safety, He meets all our needs and as we walk closer with Him.  As we walk closer with God, He gives us even our hearts desire.  Oh, and not just the hope, but the promise of eternal life with Father through Him.  Because we believe Jesus IS who He said He is.  Our belief (faith) is established in Jesus and through that faith in Jesus, we know we will be with Him forever.  We aren’t physically with Him yet but spiritually, through faith, we walk with Him.

The Jews thought Jesus, being a mere man, was declaring Himself to be God.  Jesus goes on to declare that He and the Father are one.  Nothing can take us out of Jesus’ hand therefore nothing can take us out of the Father’s.  The apostle John tells that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1).  How’s that for unity?  John goes on to explain that the Word is the light of men and that light came to live amongst us.  in HIs walk amongst us Jesus knew what He was saying and doing!       

Jesus spoke in parables so that those who weren’t seeking a relationship with Him would be confused.  BUT those who were truly seeking a relationship with Him could come to understand and come to know His voice.

A baby knows mama from birth.  Actually from before birth, the nine months spent in the womb.  Mother and child develop a relationship of knowing each other.  As dad interacts with mom, even in the womb, baby can start a relationship with papa.  And surely, after birth, as papa interacts with the child, father and child develop a relationship.

We have to be around Jesus to develop a relationship.  That is, read the bible, pray and associate with other Christians.  Then we become as Jesus’ sheep and come to know His voice. 

Gods?  I’m sorry ‘gods’ (little g).  Satan tells Adam and Eve that God knows that knowing good and evil makes them as a god (Gen. 3:5).  Adam and Eve were created in innocence and put in the garden in Eden.  They lost that innocence when they disobeyed the only commandment God gave them (Gen. 2:16-17).  So Jesus threw it back on the Jews “Why are you condemning Me for saying I am the Son of God when God has declared us gods?”  Read Luke chapter three, especially v38.  What does it say?  The son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam …  and how does sit describe Adam? (who is the son of God (Luke 3:38).  When we let Jesus into our hearts, we all become the children of God (Gal. 3:25-29).  Jesus is the firstborn of many brothers (Rom. 8:29), those who follow God. 

Because the Jews were entrenched in legalism and they knew nothing about having a true relationship with the Father, to put it bluntly, Jesus split (left)!  He got out of their company.

Jesus healed the sick, cured diseases, caused the blind to see and he deaf to hear and, in Lazarus, He raised the dead (John 11:1-44).  John declared that Jesus, the living Word of God, was God.  Jesus says here He and the Father are one.  The apostle Matthew explains Jesus in that Isaiah (the prophet) said the child would be called “Emmanuel” – God with us (Matt. 1:18-25).

The Jews said that they didn’t condemn for the works, but because He declared Himself the Son of God.  And guess what.  Jesus is the firstborn of many brothers (collectively – Rom. 8:15-31).  The Son of God because He had come into this world in the flesh, but if you have read the hi-lited passages, He is God, Himself, come amongst us.  Jesus, as the Word, was God.

Jesus did (and still does) the works of His Father and so should we.  Jesus says we will do the works He did and greater (John 14:12).  I don’t know that we can do anything different from what Jesus did, but we can surely do more of the same works which He did.  So Jesus is still doing works today, through believers.  Jesus is the Holy Spirit, that is the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.  The Holy Spirit was with the disciples in Jesus.  Jesus has now given us His Holy Spirit so we can have the power to do as He did (Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-16).

I didn’t go into an explanation of  Romans chapter eight, but go back and read it again – and again.  We are in Christ Jesus, also children of the living God and we should do the works of our Father.  

Yes?

Amen

1-4-2020    ‘Easy’ Zeke from New Orleans

I have a guest writer for this entry.  His name is Zeke and he’s from New Orleans.  Now, being from the ‘Big Easy’ he calls himself “Easy Zeke”, y’all.  He would like to share an encounter he had.

The world was in such a mess God’s done called me to be a watchman.  What’s a watchman, you ask?  Well, God gives me a word to go and tell the people to come back to Him ‘cuz they’ve gone so far astray.  God gives me what to tell ‘em so I do.  He’s tole me that their hearts are “far from Me” an’ He wants ‘em to come back!  He tells me He’s gonna git those others for mess’n’ with them and then He tells me He’s gonna git us fer not listenin’ to Him.  Listen up to this encounter He and I had one day.

Now, God fetched me up in the spirit.  Now I didn’t go there in my body.  It was like a vision or sumpthin’, but nonetheless, I went there.  God took me to this big ole valley.  It was full of bones, as far as the eye could see.  Dried old bones.  Bleached by the sun old bones.  Obviously they’d been layin’ their fer a spell.  A long spell, an’ they wuz scattered all over the place.  Nuthin’ connected to anythin’ else.

He had me walk in, around and all through that valley.  Now I didn’t step on any of dem ole bones so’s I wouldn’t break none (twarn’t easy). 

Then God asked me a question.   “Son of man, can these bones live?” 

Say what!  I done tole you already that these ole bones were so far dead that even the birds’ve quit pickin’ on ‘em.  But, I ain’t no dummy.  After all, God created everythih’ just by speakin’ it, didn’t He?  So I gave the smartest answer I could think of “O Lord God, You know.”  (didn’t want Him to zap me fer bein’ stupid).  So God tells me what to say.  He wanted ME to speak FOR HIM.  An’ this is what He sez

“Dry bones, listen to the Word of the Lord.  The Lord God tells you bones that I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live.  I will bring sinews upon you and cover you with flesh and breath into you and you shall live and you will know that I AM the Lord.

So I sez what He tole me and I heard a noise an’ there wuz a shakin’.  And guess what!   All dem bones started comin’ together, bone bone, right where they wuz supposed to be!  An’ sinews connected them ole bones an’ they were covered with muscle an’ all that was covered with skin, but they had no breath.  Them ole bodies wuz equipped to anythin’ they wuz supposed to, but they just lay there, doin’ nuthin’.  So I wonder to myself ‘why don’ they stand up,  where’s the breath?’

Then God says to me “Son of man, tell the breath that the Lord God says to come from the four winds and breathe upon these who are slain that they might live.” 

Now, I wuz already amazed that those ole bones had now become bodies and I sez to myself “wow!).  So I did what God commanded me to do.  An’ you now what?  breath came into those bodies and they lived and they all stood up on their feet.  Wow!  They wuz a huge army of people.

Wow!  First God done made those ole bones into bodies so they could do sumpin’ and now He’s given dem breath.  They’s a livin’!  well, at least they’s standin’ up and movin’ about.  Ain’t nuthin’ like this never befo’!  Lawd Almighty!

But whoa!  Listen to dem!  They ain’t doin nuthihn’ but complainin’!  God done give ‘em a body then He give e’m life and listen to ‘em “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, we are cut off for our parts.”  Say what!  Instead of thankin’ God fer puttin’ their bodies back together and givin’ ‘em life, they just standin’ around bitc… (cain’t put that word  here).   Those dummies STILL got one foot in the grave!  They have life but they ain’t let go of dat grave! 

So God sez dto me “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel and they cry out that their bones are dried, they are lost and cut off for their parts.  Tell them, the Lord God says ‘ behold, My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of those graves and bring you into the land of Israel.  And you will know that I am the Lord who opened your graves and brought you up out of your graves. 

I shall put My Spirit in you and you shall live and I will put you in your own land.  Then you shall realize that I, the Lord, have said it and did it.  Thus says the Lord.”

So, we been long-time dead so God gives us bodies so we kin do what He has called us to do.  He then gives us life so we kin put those bodies into motion and do what He’s asked.  Then He puts His Spirit in us so we can fully trust Him for whatever He asks of us. 

We can do it and we can do it for Him.  An’ He gives US the ability to do it while we’s still here in this world!  Say what!  I don’t have ta git to heaven to do things?  I kin do ‘em here and now!  Haleluhjah!

Lissen up folks!  When we walk in God’s love, we become one with Jesus.  When we walk in the love of Christ, He pertects us and guides us (when we listen to Him).  When we love Jesus, we walk in Jesus and when we walk in Jesus, the Father is indeed with us.  That, my friends, is what brings heaven to earth an’ we walk in God’s pertection and guidance.  Do ya hear what I’m a sayin?

An’ through the Holy Ghost, Father gives us the power to do all things (in Christ Jesus).  Unnerstand?

Git yore act t’gether.  God’s a ready to move.  Are you with us?

This is Easy Zeke, from the Big Easy, signin’ off.  Later ‘gator.