In His Service

                                      Whose Voice Is Leading Us - Part 2 John 10:22-42   The feast of Dedication or Hanakku was and is a Jewish celebration of the purging of the temple of God from the defilement by the Seleucid king, Antiochus Ephiphanes, whom Jesus may have made a reference to as a forerunner to the abomination of desolation in the end times (Matt. 24:15). Antiochus Ephiphanes ( meaning “illustrious one” or “god manifest”) sacrificed a pig on the altar of burnt offering to Zeus in the temple as well as in other cities. The Jews rebelled against him and cleansed the temple. They only found one jar of oil not defiled, and they used the one day supply of oil in a menorah. The oil lasted eight days instead of one. It was during this celebration, we find Jesus walking among Solomon’s colonnades, possibly thinking about the defilement of the temple by the world rulers and t...

                                Whose Voice Is Leading Us? John 10:1-18 There are many voices shouting with clamorous passion for people to listen and follow them, but there is only one voice, the voice of Jesus, that gives wisdom, knowledge, peace, and understanding of the words of life. There is only one way in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. So the question for all of us is, “Whose voice is leading us?”   Jesus is still in the outskirts of Jerusalem. He had met with and encouraged the man healed of blindness, and is now speaking to a group of people who are following him and his disciples. Let’s begin with the text, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own...

                            Spiritual Blindness Remains John 9:35-41 Many people believe that Jesus lived, some believe that he was a righteous man, others believe that he was a prophet, still others believe he was just a man that has become a myth. But Jesus proclaimed to be the Son of Man, sent from heaven from the Father, and the Christ, the promised One, and all evidenced by the works of God through him. Even the demons believe. (James 2:19) The question we need to ask is the same one He asked his disciples and others on several occasions, Who do you think I am? (Luke 9:18-20) Let’s begin to look at the text. “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he ...