There Ahead of Us

“Verily, verily, I say unto you; before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58

The other day I spoke of what church goers say to annoy their pastor. Today we will look at what the world says to annoy me. “Well, pastor,” they smirk, “after all, Jesus never said He was God.” They have just lit my fuse. When they say this I am always reminded of the Jews who were falsely accusing Jesus. These modern scoffers are the same sons of the devil as they were.

In Exodus chapter three, when Moses was telling God why he couldn’t obey God’s call, God told Him by what Name He would be known. God would be known by the Name, “I AM”. That is why the Jews tried to stone Jesus for even using that name. It belonged exclusively to God. It did and it does. So, when Jesus uses it He is asserting that He is God. Some cults even remove this verse from their Bible. Those who come to Christ must believe that He is the Son of God, for no one else could take away our sins.

Dear Father, Thank You for sending Your only begotten Son to die on the cross for my sins. Let me never be deceived by the devil that Jesus is other than who He said He was. Amen.   

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

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Bad Parentage

“You are of your father, the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because no truth is in him.”      John 8:44

What an indictment! Satan is a murderer. Satan has no truth in him. Satan is a liar. That isn’t just the indictment against the devil. Jesus applied it to those who rejected Him. In my book Deceived, I show how an entire segment of the professing Christian community is under this strong judgment of God. We shouldn’t just read the Bible to find out how awful everyone else is; we should be looking for ourselves on every page.

Are we truthful? The devil isn’t; he’s the father of lies. Are we loving? He is a murderer. Are we honest? He is a thief. Do we love God’s law? He hates God’s law. Do we love the fellowship of the saints? He wants to keep us from the fellowship of the saints. It wouldn’t hurt us to honestly assess our “devil quotient”. We are to let our light so shine that others see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Do others see our light, or do they see our “devil quotient”?

Dear Father, Help me to let Your light truly shine through me each day. Amen.

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Good Parentage

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” John 8:39

While this verse might seem to apply only to the Jews; it really applies to all who claim faith in Abraham’s God. The Jews rejected Abraham’s God by rejecting Jesus as the Christ. The Muslims have rejected Abraham’s God by denying that Jesus is the Son of God. Many Christians have rejected Abraham’s God by denying the true divinity of Christ. That is the major idea of the context of this verse. But it has another one as well.

The Jews wanted to kill Jesus. Would Abraham have wanted to kill Him? He had a chance, you know. When Jesus came to Abraham to warn him of the destruction of Sodom, what did Abraham do? He killed the fatted calf to honor Jesus. He bowed down before Him. He prayed to Him. He believed Him. He loved Him and obeyed Him. Those were the works of Abraham. Galatians tells us that all who come to Christ by faith are sons of Abraham. These are the works that should be evident in our lives as well.

Dear Father, I want to act like a child of Abraham each day and give You the proper honor and devotion that you deserve. Amen.

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It's Free

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

“I can’t wait to get out of this house and live on my own and make my own rules!” Parents have heard that sad song for generations, maybe even since Adam. Teens often feel that they are just a slave in their homes. It is not a justified feeling; it is a rebellious human feeling. It was the feeling of Adam and Eve in the Garden. They wanted to be like God and make their own rules. They didn’t want a children’s role anymore.

All people of all ages have felt the same. I want to be in control. Jesus pointed out that that idea was slavery. Adam and Eve had become slaves of sin as soon as they ate the fruit. The Jews had rebelled against God and been conquered by the Babylonians and then the Romans. Their sin had brought them into subjection to foreign rulers. Even in such a state of bondage they still rejected God’s provision for freedom. It was to be freedom from the real cause of slavery. They could be free from sin and so can we. It can only be done through Jesus Christ. He died for our sin that we might become free of its curse and be restored as children of God. Rebellious pride led to the downfall of Israel. It still leads today to the eternal downfall of millions. Only through Jesus Christ can we be freed from slavery to sonship with God.

Dear Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to make me free to be Your child. Help me walk obediently in that freedom each day. Amen.

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Merry Christmas

"For unto us a Child is  born." Isaiah 9:6

          

          It’s Christmas morning and many people may have already gone to the Christmas tree and opened their presents. If there are small children in the house, many adults might have even been awakened early to get this done. Well there was an early awakening on that first Christmas morn.

Babies don’t come into this world quietly. Mary had labor pains the same as any mother. Her pains brought about the same screams of any mother. And then, in that lowly stable, the greatest Christmas present ever was delivered. There wasn’t much sleep for mom or dad that night. But the excitement didn’t just occur in the stable.

Out on the hillside there were shepherds watching their flocks. Angels appeared and announced the promised birth of the child, a seven-hundred-year-old promise, and they were told where to find the present. Off they scooted to see the present they had long awaited. There wasn’t much sleep that night for the shepherds either.

Far, far away there were some wise men looking at the night sky. Then one of them shouted, “Look at that! We’ve been waiting for that star since we were told about it by Daniel five hundred years ago! Unto us a King is born!” In their excitement they may have started to plan their trip right away. They had a long way to go. They didn’t get much sleep either.

The mother and father gave their Child the gift of love that night. The shepherds gave the Child the gift of worship that night. The wise men planned what great gifts they would bring to the Child King. But most importantly, that night God gave to mankind the greatest gift of all. “For unto us a Child is born, a Son is given, and His name shall be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Almighty God”, the “Everlasting Father”, the “Prince of Peace”. May the Wonderful Son of God bring you the gift of peace this Christmas. 

The True Light of Christmas

“I am the Light of the World. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

How do we know how to live? Do we, like politicians, take a poll to see which way to go? Do we seek advice from the prophets of this age? Do we rightly go to God’s word and seek it there? Psalm 119 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” We remember from John 1:1 that Jesus Christ is God’s Word. Jesus said in John 7:16, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” Jesus lived and taught the enduring Word of God.

How do we know how to live for God we never read the Word of God? How do we know if we seldom hear it? If we went to school one day out of every seven and then test day came, how would we likely do? Jesus said quite clearly, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness.” He didn’t say that he who gives lip service to Him would not walk in darkness, but that he who follows Him wouldn’t. This is why we read in Timothy, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” Let us follow in His Light and clearly see our way in the darkness of this world.

Dear Father, Thank You for Jesus and Your written word. Help me daily to learn them better and follow them more closely. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

For quality inspirational, educational, and fictional Christian books visit www.davidccraig.net  

In Christ There Is No Condemnation

“Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more’.” John 8:11

The adulterous woman had been caught and judged. Before her sentence was carried out her judges brought her to Jesus. That is where every guilty sinner needs to be brought. After a little bit her judges all left her and she was alone with Jesus. These next words are so important. “Neither to I condemn you; go and sin no more.” She had been judged by the law, the righteous Law of God. Jesus had mercy on her. That is the Gospel. Jesus told her to go and sin no more. That is the practical use of the law to guide our steps.

God’s righteous Law applies to all men, past and present. It was not a time sensitive set of rules, but His lasting expectation for the behavior of men. All men break that law, and that is called sin. We break it every day. God, in His mercy, has given His Son to forgive us our sin, but not ours alone. We must bring sinners to Jesus for His mercy on them as well. He is ready to forgive all who will kneel before Him and claim Him, the Son of God, as their Savior.

Dear Father, Thank You for forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Help me to keep your Law and confess when I break it. Help me to bring others to find forgiveness in Christ. Amen.

For quality inspirational, educational, and fictional Christian books visit www.davidccraig.net