In His Service

         The Full Extent of His Love - Part 1 John 13:1-5 In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he alluded to the full extent of Christ’s love for those who believe in Christ.   “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17b-19)   Let’s begin with the first part of the text, “Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and he showed them the full extent of his love.” Jesus knows that he has a matter of a few days before he would face death in this world and return to the Father. He had lived with his disciples for nearly three years now, and he had shown his ...

         “Lord, who has believed...” John 12:37-50 Jesus knows the time of his death is nearing, and he has done everything the Father has commanded and said. All that is left is for the people to believe. Let’s begin with the first part of our text, “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”  Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” Jesus has spent three years teaching, preaching,  healing, comforting, freeing the oppressed and possessed, and training his disciples. Yet many wouldn’t truly believ...

                            Coming to the End John 12:23-36 Have you ever had a thought and asked a question in your mind, only to find your answer through reexamining the question and listening to God for the answer. Example: many have had family or friends with prolonged deaths, and asked in their hearts and minds, why let them suffer so long? Only through death does the answer come for their understanding. God's ways are definitely higher and wiser than ours. “ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways ,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways .” Isa. 55:8-9 Now, there were two gentiles who had asked to talk to Jesus, but no discourse or any question was written down. It is thought that Jesus, knowing the hearts of the gentiles, gave them an answer to the thoughts of their heart and mind and revealed the truth to all. Let’s look at the beginning ...

        The Voices Are Raised John 12:12-22 Many times in our days, people congregate without truly understanding the ramifications of all that is happening or the effects their voices and meetings will have on their lives and those of all who live. We believe we are being proactive, thinking we know the consequences and the predicted outcomes of our actions and words, but  in the end we become reactive like the rest of the world. Only God knows what He wills and desires for his creation, and all the effects of our actions and words will have on us and others will only fulfill his purpose. This is the story of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Only a few knew what was to transpire during the feasts and festivals, that this feast wouldn’t be like any other that ever took place since the first feast with Moses and the newly freed Israelites from Egypt.  Let’s begin with the first part of our text, “The next day the great crowd that had com...