John 15:1-11 The illustration of the vine and the branches which Jesus uses in John 15 gives us several truths which we need to take to heart. Too often we are like the adulterous woman (Proverbs 30:20) who commits her wicked deed and then goes on her way claiming she has done nothing wrong. We can read a text or hear a sermon and then go on our way without being affected by what we read or hear. I encourage you to read and study this text in depth on your own. First we note there is an expectation of fruit bearing by Jesus’ disciples. In fact, Jesus uses the expressions of “more fruit” and “much fruit.” The indication is that by bearing much fruit a person will “prove” to be a disciple of Jesus. What is this fruit? Scripture shows this fruit to be of two types. One is the inner transformation of character exhibited by the fruit of the Spirit. The disciple’s demeanor grows to become like that of His Master. The other is an out growth of this previous one in which the disciple would be filled with good works of all sorts including sowing the seed of the gospel. As a branch of the vine, a disciple will in fact be “pruned” by the Father so that more fruit will be produced. Pruning would indicate teaching, correcting and disciplining in order to remove whatever was hindering the fruit bearing. This would include false beliefs, harmful habits and attractions to the world, and sin. Such pruning is often painful but necessary. A branch that does not bear fruit is eventually thrown away, dries up and is burned. Jesus provides the key truth for each one of us to bear much fruit: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” How does one abide or live in Jesus? The short answer is to keep Jesus’ commandments which means to order the whole of our lives by His words. This is no reference to of a couple of “five finger exercises” but to the entire scope of Jesus’ teaching. In doing this we will stay attached to the vine (Christ), bear much fruit and be full of joy.

Psalm 90:1-2 One of the greatest blessings which we have in our God (often unrecognized) is that He is the same God who has been around since the beginning. In fact, He was here “from everlasting” before the beginning. (Still can’t get my mind around that one.) And He has not changed (Malachi 3:6). So when we read the scriptures we can be assured that we today still serve the very same God ... ...who talked with Cain about ruling over sin ...with whom Enoch walked ...who instructed Noah to build an ark ...who made great promises to Abram ...who heard Sarah laugh ...who found Rebekah for Isaac ...who gave twelve sons to Jacob ...who blessed Joseph in Egypt ...who called to Moses from the burning bush ...who parted the Sea so Israel could cross on dry ground ...who fed the people with manna in the wilderness ...who thundered on Sinai ...who brought down the walls of Jericho ...who helped Gideon subdue the Midianites ...who answered Hannah’s prayer for a son ...who helped David bring down Goliath ...who sent the fire to burn up Elijah’s sacrifice ...who caused Nebuchadnezzar to eat grass ...who dispatched Gabriel to both Zacharias and Mary ...to whom Jesus prayed in the garden ...who raised Jesus from the dead ...who - PUT IN YOUR OWN THOUGHT! How reassuring to know that when we seek God in prayer He is the very same God who did all these things and more. Amazing!

1 Corinthians 2:2 The apostle Paul goes to great lengths in the first two chapters of his first letter to the church at Corinth to begin bringing that congregation back together as a unified body. They had become a divided church by favoring certain preachers of the gospel over others (1:12). Whether the choosing of favorites had to do with styles of preaching, personality, interpretations or something else, it was wrong because it broke the unity which there is in Christ. It made the messenger more important than the One who sent him! Paul’s rhetorical question in verse 13 of chapter one anticipates a terribly sobering truth. “Has Christ been divided?” Christ is not divided! In fact, Christ cannot be divided. When we start to “divide” Christ, as these Corinthians saints were doing, then we really no longer have Christ but bits and pieces of Him. Paul then writes: “Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Of course, the answer to both of these questions is “No.” The implication is that only Christ matters as the foundation for faith and salvation. To establish “camps” among the faithful is to elevate men (i.e. in their own minds) to the status of Christ Himself! Paul reminds them that he came proclaiming the gospel of Christ (1:17) in its own simplicity and power. He did not use persuasive words of human wisdom, but presented the awesome, heart rending and mind challenging message of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” This is the message that saves. It is the gospel. It has power enough and is its own power to save (Romans 1:16). Any embellishments of human wisdom are unnecessary. Today, the Christian world is lined up behind various men (just like in Corinth): Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, the pope, Wesley, et al. People tend to take their word as “gospel truth.” Yet, they don’t all say the same thing! Still today we must carefully heed Paul’s words: “Has Christ been divided?” What do you think? Hmmm?

Mark 7:37 Christianity stands or falls upon the person of Jesus Christ. If He is a fraud, so is the entire faith. (This concept holds true for any religion. If any part of a faith system is found to be untrue or fraudulent, the whole system is called into question. Similarly, any religion based solely on claims and assertions with no evidence to support those claims is without legitimate foundation.) Jesus taught a message which was without equal. He spoke of love, compassion and forgiveness. He told His hearers to be morally upright and to keep their word. He said to take care what we think and say. Everywhere people were astonished at what He taught (Matthew 7:28-29). No man could refute His powerful truths. Jesus lived a life of holiness and compassion. He ministered to all sorts of people: rich and poor, healthy and sick, young and aged, outcasts and the “in” crowd, even the dead! He always told the truth, coveted no person’s property and observed the commandments of the Law. He was able to confidently challenge His detractors at one point whether they could find any sin in His life (John 8:46). In His ministry, Jesus was empowered to perform all sorts of miracles. He healed every manner of disease, walked on water, fed thousands with five barley loaves and a couple of fish, and even raised the dead. Multitudes were witnesses (John 6:14). Finally, He was arrested by fearful and jealous religious leaders of the Jews who brought pressure upon the Roman governor to have Him executed. Pilate agreed to their wishes, and Jesus was crucified. But the tomb would not be His resting place nor death His end, for God raised Him up from the dead. And there were plenty of eye witnesses to the resurrected Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The evidence that Jesus is the Son of God is diverse and plentiful. Those who observed His life remarked that He had done all things well (Mark 7:37). To believe in Jesus does not require a leap into the dark but only a look into the empty tomb.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8 If I can speak most eloquently and am able to captivate crowds with marvelous stories and have not love, I am nothing but a wind chime. If I have such great command of the English language so as to present irrefutable arguments and be able to powerfully persuade men yet do not have love, I am a loud, noisy muffler. If I have great insight into biblical prophecies and understand their various interpretations but don’t have love, I am a big, fat zero. If I have faith which is unflinching in the face of great adversities and am able to overcome huge obstacles but lack love, I am worthless. If I am a generous giver and always donate to clothes closets, soup kitchens and every request for help which comes to my attention but am void of love, it does me absolutely no good. If I deny myself all pleasure in life and work tirelessly night and day to spread the gospel even in the most difficult circumstance with threats to my life and limb but am empty of love, it adds nothing to my account. Love is most patient. Whether it’s waiting for you to get ready or for you to arrive, love bides its time. If it’s waiting for you to grow and mature, love will see you through to the end. Love is kindness in action. It does those little things (some big ones, too) which make the day so much more tolerable. A cup of coffee, a friendly word, a surprise gift - love is considerate of you. Love is not jealous when you get that new job or car or house or grandchild or whatever - it rejoices with you! Love doesn’t talk about itself but wants to know about you. Love never acts stupidly or out of character. Love is not out to get whatever it can get; does not “lose it” when things go south; doesn’t keep track of every time it gets hurt. Love finds no joy in any evil, only in what is true and good. Love bears burdens, believes with an open heart, anticipates the best, perseveres through the greatest hardships. Love never quits, never gives up, never is exhausted.

At the dedication of the temple. Solomon gave a powerful benediction. He praised the Lord God for His having kept His promises to Israel, but asked that the Lord continue to be with them. He acknowledged that it was God who would have to “incline” their hearts toward Him to walk in “all His ways” and that He would be the one to “maintain” their cause. But all of this had a purpose which went far beyond the well-being of Israel. That purpose? - “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else.” In other words, it wasn’t about Israel receiving blessings, but about their being a blessing to the world as a witness to the existence and the goodness of the Lord God. The nations around them needed to see not only the blessings that came from serving the Lord, but the kind of people that serving the Lord caused them to be. There is a complementary passage in the New Testament (Matthew 5:13-16) which teaches much the same for the followers of Jesus. In being “the salt of the earth,” Jesus’ disciples give help in difficult times, comfort in the midst of sorrow, relief in the throes of pain, hope when there is despair. In addition, Jesus calls His people “the light of the world.” This would be light for a dark world, one which is lying in the shadows of deceptions and wickedness. It is a world filled with greed, theft, murder, lies, broken promises and crushed lives. It is a world which feeds on itself perpetuating its own ways. In contrast, Christians exhibit a very different way of living. It is a way of trust, truthfulness, loyalty, hard work, kindness, respect, honor, compassion and love. The joy and peace found in Christ’s followers are a “light” to all the world that there is a better way. But that light is a light which is not generated by the Christian himself, but by Someone else. It is the light of Christ, the light of the Holy Spirit which shines through the man or woman of God to bring glory to the Father and witness to the world of a better way to live.

1 Peter 1:22-25 If you would, work with me on this. Get your Bible. I’ll wait. OK. Now just open it up and page through it, and as you do consider that the words on those pages are meant as a message for you from God. There is much that He wants you to know. Within the pages of His book, God tells you about the beginnings of this world and about how you began. He relates the origins of your problem with unbelief and rebellion, and then unfolds the beautiful story of His own efforts to bring you back to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Throughout the book, we read of the heroic efforts and also the weaknesses and failings of the men and women He called to His work. In all of it the Lord God shines forth in the splendor of His holiness and the beauty of His grace. Some of the words which you are reading in these holy scriptures began to be faithfully copied from generation to generation some 3500 years ago. God has seen to it that His word has been preserved so that even today you can read and know the things which He desires for you to know. God testifies through His own book that the words in it are life and truth, and that if we do not hear and follow them you will forever be lost, your soul forfeit. He affirms that there are no other writings equal to it nor necessary in order to be saved and to live a life pleasing to Him. It is through His word that people are born again, and God’s word will remain forever. Let me ask you this. Have you read God’s book? All of it? Every word? More than once? He wrote it for you! If you don’t read it all, how will you know whether or not you are missing something crucial? How will you know if you are living righteously? If you are saved and in Christ? If you have missed the whole point of life? Now look through your Bible again. Jesus said that by His words all people would be judged (John 12:48). Do you intend to stand before God on the last Day without having read His book?

James 1:16-17 If you were to ask the average person sitting in the pew whether or not they believed in God, the reply would no doubt be something like this: “Of course I do! Why else do you think I’m here?” However, if you were to ask the same person whether God was a part of their daily life, the answer might not be so positive. When a person “goes to church” on Sunday and leaves the Lord out of the rest of the week, he/she is engaging in practical atheism. Practical atheism is a world view in which God is irrelevant to one’s day-to-day affairs. Such belief is demonstrated by the absence of God from one’s daily life. The Lord is never thought about during the course of the day. He is not consulted (prayer, the Word) about courses of action to take nor sought out for strength to do what needs to be done. He is not acknowledged in conversation. God is never thanked for the blessings that come, nor is He praised for the beauties of creation nor the goodness of life. He is, for all practical purposes, non-existent in the routine ebb and flow of life. Practical atheism has no support in Scripture. James reminds us that every good thing comes from God. This would include every blessing which comes on Monday through Saturday: a new day, life itself, sunrise, your morning coffee, your spouse, your children, your job, your health, lunch, supper, your comfortable bed - there is no stopping place! And James precedes his thought with a warning: “Do not be deceived...” To take all of life’s goodness for granted and leave God out of the day is self-deception and an affront to our heavenly Father. To think that we can live even one day without Him is not only being ignorant but also being arrogant. Paul challenged the very “fleshly” church at Corinth (1:4:7), “What do you have that you did not receive?” Of course, the answer to that is nothing! By omitting God from daily living we engage in a subtle form of boasting in which we are saying, “I do not need God.” Beware. “Do not be deceived.”

The journey had taken forty days, but it seemed longer than that. The desert had been harsh, and the sun hot. The climb up the mountain was arduous. But the inner turmoil was the worst. Jezebel had sworn to take his life, and Elijah knew her power over the king. He was also quite aware of her passion for Baal and her hatred of him. Before a great multitude, he had shown her god to be a fraud, and then personally slaughtered four hundred fifty of Baal’s prophets. Jezebel’s hunger for vengeance would be insatiable. Added to all of that was his knowing that all of Israel had forsaken the covenant of the Lord God. From the Jordan to the Great Sea, the people bowed to Baal and kissed him. Being very zealous for the Lord, the prophet was heartbroken over all of this. The cave on Horeb brought welcome relief. It was cool, and quiet. He felt safe there on God’s mountain far away from the long arm of Jezebel’s wrath and the prying eyes of her agents. It was a place to hide out. And rest. Perhaps a place to die. But it was the word of the Lord which most stirred him that evening. “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Take some time and read the rest of the narrative. Elijah offered his reasons for being there, but they all turned into weak excuses as God demonstrated His great power on the mountain. They were indeed the facts surrounding the situation, but where God is concerned, the facts are often not impressive. The Almighty had everything already worked out! After all, He is the LORD God! Elijah had taken his eye off of the Lord and allowed the problems encircling him to get bigger in his heart than God. And so he had run. We have all done the same. And when you run away, God will come to bring you back. He will stand at the entrance to your hiding place and whisper: “What are you doing here?” Pray that you will listen.

John 21:15-19 Lovers are a unique breed. Have you observed two lovers recently? Did you notice how they dote on one another? They search for one another in a crowd. They “devour” each other with their eyes. They hold hands. They hug. They smile at one another. They talk softly together. They enjoy one another’s company. Lovers find opportunities and even make excuses to be together and do things together. Lovers never want to hurt one another and will go to great lengths to avoid anything injurious. They truly care about one another. God (Romans 5:8) and Christians (1 John 5:2-3) are lovers. Yes, I know it’s not in a romantic sense - IT’S IN A DEEPER AND GREATER SPIRITUAL SENSE! Isn’t God’s main concern on the earth the saving of the lost and the building up of His people? Doesn’t God speak to us through His word and by answering prayers? Doesn’t even His Holy Spirit dwell within us? Doesn’t God shower us with every good thing? Does He not chastise those whom He loves? Didn’t our heavenly Father send His only Son to become one of us and to provide a way for all people to have life eternal with Him? Is this not love? Don’t Christians read and study the Word of God to learn more about their God? Don’t disciples talk with God (pray) all the time? Don’t Christians strive hard to avoid sins which hurt their heavenly Father? Aren’t the saints diligent in trying to please the Father in all things? Don’t Christians anticipate the return of their Savior so they can go and be with Him? Is this not love? After His resurrection, Jesus confronted Simon Peter on the shores of Lake Galilee. Peter had denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion, and now Jesus needed to know something. Three times He asks Simon, “Do you love Me?” It would seem that Peter’s sin was not so much a denial of faith as it was a betrayal of love. If Jesus asked you, Do you love Me?, what would you answer?

This past Lord’s day (as I write this), I was battling through some nasty sinus trouble and a bad head cold. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to teach, but the Lord blessed me and provided the strength and health to be able to do so. I’m sure everything wasn’t up to the usual standards, but the Lord was gracious to help us present the lessons. Afterwards, when everyone was filing out there were several who offered “well wishes” that I would get better. “Hope you get better.” “Get well soon.” “Be well.” And other sentiments were expressed which were very kind, and I was thankful that so many were concerned about me as to say something. But as I reflected on all of this, it struck me that not one person said that they would pray for me. (Others with whom I had prior conversation had expressed they would pray for me.) This is not about me and my wanting prayers such as when Paul wrote to the church at Philippi about their supporting him in the gospel (4:17). He wanted them to be fruitful in good works and so increase their “account” before God. We need to be fruitful in every good work. Sentiments are nice, but they are just that - sentiments. What reason would there be why Christians would not offer to pray for another Christian? I would suggest three things. First, we may not be in the habit of praying very much. It’s not what we do. We are too much like the world in just expressing well wishes. “Have a good trip.” “Be safe.” “Have a nice day.” Nice sentiments, but no substance nor power. In the second place, we may not think that prayer will do any good. Now, you say, “But we’re Christians!.” And then I say, “Then why don’t you offer to pray?” Hmmm? Third, to say that we will pray for someone puts us under obligation to keep our word. That means we must remember to pray and then take time to do it. Are we unwilling to do this? These are some of my thoughts. Love to hear from you.

Matthew 14:22-23 Do you wonder about things, and ask questions about the why and how of what happens? I do a lot of that. Recently, one of my previous questions came to mind again when we had to cancel our Sunday assemblies due to weather conditions. We’ve had to do this before, and other congregations have done the same. But here’s my question: If the Lord’s Day assembly around His table is so important, why does God allow bad weather and other circumstances to keep His people from getting together? Ever thought of that? Is it a test? Should we try to make it no matter how severe the weather? Do we jettison the common sense and wisdom which the Lord gave us and sally forth in dangerous conditions? And what is considered “dangerous”? For elderly folks and those who live out on county/township roads and those who don’t own all-wheel drive vehicles and those with infants, etc., the definition is different. So is God unconcerned about the Lord’s Day when the storm howls, or is He perhaps doing something else? I had these thoughts when our Sunday services were cancelled. Shirley and I had our “assembly” at the dining room table. It was very personal, intimate and uplifting. Jesus was there with us. While eating lunch, we watched out the back door as the ice crystals danced in the air reflecting the much-appreciated sun. It was quite a show. And we marveled at the quiet. Hardly anything moving - people, vehicles. God had shut things down. It was time to stop, reflect and be in awe. In our text, we find one of the instances in which Jesus wanted to be alone as well. He sent away the crowds. He compelled His disciples to get in a boat and cross the lake. He went up on the mountain to pray - He and His Father alone. We all need this time with our God alone. Even the very vital Lord’s Day assembly does not provide us time alone with our Lord. When God “shuts everything down,” He is giving us a different worship opportunity. “Be still, and know that I am God.”