Walking in the Light: Getting a Tan or Getting Sweaty? - 1 John 1:7

"But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

There's a saying we use quite often in religious circles to describe one's spiritual transformation. We say "I've seen the light."

In this verse the Apostle John clarifies that being a disciple of Jesus is a matter of walking in the light not just seeing the light.

Is John saying we have to act in a certain way to earn our salvation? Absolutely not!

Fruit or Foliage? - John 15:1-2,5

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit...I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me."

These verses contain the last of seven "I am" declarations made by Jesus in John's Gospel.  "I am" is an allusion to God's name by which God identified Himself to the Israelites: "God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14).

Here's the analogy Jesus makes in these verses: Picture a vineyard. Jesus is like all the grapevines in the vineyard. His followers are like all the individual shoots attached to the vines. And God the Father is the vineyard keeper, the viticulturalist.

God's X-Ray Vision - 2 Chronicles 16:9

"For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His."

These words were spoken by a prophet named Hanani to Asa, king of Judah and Solomon's great grandson, when he rebuked the king for forming an alliance with King Ben-Hadad of Damascus.

Israel's King Baasha was at war with Judah and was beginning to fortify the town of Ramah, near the border of Israel and Judah, to block access to Jerusalem. Additionally, Baasha had formed an alliance with Ben-Hadad, king of Aram (Syria).

But King Asa emptied the treasuries of the temple in Jerusalem in order to bribe Ben-Hadad to break his treaty with King Baasha of Israel.

So Ben-Hadad attacked several cities in Israel and forced King Baasha to stop his work on Ramah. King Asa then disassembled Ramah and used the materials from the city to fortify his own towns to protect Jerusalem.

Straight Talk - 2 Chronicles 13:18

"The Israelites were subdued at that time. The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the Lord, the God of their ancestors."

We spend a lot of effort trying to understand what God is saying to us through His Word, the Bible. And then sometimes the Bible makes it real easy for us to understand what it is saying and how to apply it to our lives.

That's certainly the case with this verse.

The context of this verse is that Israel had split into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south, and they were at war with  each other. Judah was the smaller of the two and maintained an army about half the size of Israel's army.

The kingdom of Israel had fallen into apostasy and formed it's own idolatrous religion. But Judah's king, Abijah, was King David's great grandson and the heir of God's covenant with David. And when the armies faced one another in battle, Abijah stood on a mountaintop and proclaimed these facts for everyone to hear (vs. 4-12).

God's Anger = God's Mercy - John 11:33-35

"When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry in His spirit and deeply moved. 'Where have you put him?' He asked. 'Lord,' they told Him, 'come and see.' Jesus wept."

These verses come from the well-known story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

When Jesus arrived in Bethany after Lazarus had died, He encountered family and friends mourning over the death of Lazarus.

These verses describe a wide range of emotions that Jesus exhibited as He shared in the sorrow of Lazarus' death felt by family and friends.

Just Let Him Die - John 11:5-7

"Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after that, He said to the disciples, 'Let's go to Judea again.'"

Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick and so He stayed where He was two more days...

What?

These verses are, of course, from the familiar story of the raising of Lazarus. But at first glance, Jesus' behavior in response to the news of Lazarus' terminal illness is somewhat puzzling, even enigmatic.

You would expect the story to go something like this: Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters so when He heard the news that Lazarus was very sick, He stopped what He was doing and rushed to Lazarus' side to heal him.

Instead, Jesus stayed where he was and let Lazarus die!

That's right. He just let him die!

A Cheerful Giver - 1 Chronicles 29:5-6,9

"Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the Lord today? Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king's work gave willingly...Then the people rejoiced because of their leaders' willingness to give, for they had given to the Lord with a whole heart. King David also rejoiced greatly."

In preparation for building the temple, King David accumulated precious metals and stones and wood for its construction. In addition to all the materials he accumulated as King, he gave a substantial amount of gold and silver from his personal wealth.

Then he asked the leaders of Israel what they would give!

And what's interesting is the way King David asked them to give.

What Makes God Happy - Ezekiel 18:23

"'Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?' This is the declaration of the Lord God. 'Instead, don't I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?'"

Sometimes people think that God is somehow out to get them.

In Chapter 18 the prophet Ezekiel provides a highly detailed explanation to refute the notion that God punishes the innocent for the sins of others. Ezekiel clarifies that each individual bears personal responsibility for his or her own sin (see also 33:7-20).

But God's desire for human beings is that they repent of their sin. 

Doing Right Things Right - I Chronicles 17

"Now when David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, 'Look, I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the Lord's covenant is under tent curtains'" (vs. 1).

Doesn't building the temple of God seem like the right thing for a man of God like David to do?

David had built himself a permanent home, a king's palace, and the ark of God still resided in a tent, a tabernacle. So David thought the right thing to do was build a permanent home, a temple, for the ark of God.

And Nathan, the prophet of God, even endorsed the plan because he knew David wanted to do what was right (vs. 2).

Neither David nor Nathan consulted God about the construction plan and God had a different plan in mind (vs 3-4). God's plan was not for David to build the temple, but for David's son, Solomon, to build the temple (vs. 11-12).

In the end, both Nathan and David listened to God and did the right thing (vs. 15-27).

But God expects His people not only to do the right thing, but to do the right thing right!

What Is God Up To? - John 5:17, 19

"But Jesus responded to them, 'My Father is still working, and I am working also' ... 'I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way.;"
 
This somewhat cryptic response to the Jewish religious leaders was given by Jesus as a defense for healing a man on the Sabbath who had been sick for 38 years.

So why did Jesus answer their accusations in this way?

First, Jesus meant that God is always at work in this world, 365/24/7.

God is perpetually at work in His created order!

God is omnificent. He has unlimited powers of creation.

God, who created the universe, sustains it by His creative power and energy.
     God, who created the universe, is still at work in His creation.

Sometimes we think God is up in heaven watching over His creation like an unconcerned observer. Jesus affirms that is not the case, that God is an active participant in His creation.