John part 4: Jesus says, “My peace I give you.”

Good morning, I took a long hiatus from blogging and it seems everything has changed. I’m talking about my content editor! I was used to doing some things and now my layout is completely altered! I hope to figure this out soon though.

The world seems to have had one hurt after another. As I write this, friends in the mid-western region of the United States are in a huge polar vortex, a climate state that has had their respective states ask people to turn their heat to certain (lower) degree so that they won’t run out of gas , especially needed for the vulnerable age groups. Among the recent news updates have been anger and discrimination and criticism and sorrow and heartbreak.

At this point it seems appropriate to continue with the gospel of John, especially the four chapters for today. In this block, Jesus talks about peace often and seems to spend a lot of time reassuring His disciples. This portion of Scripture is usually believed to be have taken place in the Upper Room on the night that Jesus was betrayed.

I don’t know about you, but the very fact that Jesus would take the time to reassure and encourage and build up His disciples, just before He died, shows me how much He cared. CARES. He who loved His people enough to leave them with Hope is the same one who will walk with me. He who encouraged His friends is the same one who will lift me up. And that gives me peace. And I hope you’ll find peace in Him too.

RELATED POST: John part 2: Jesus says “My time has not yet fully come.”

In chapter 13:

In an act that has become symbolic of humility in the Church nowadays, Jesus washes His disciples’ feet. To really understand why this was so different for a Rabbi(teacher) to do in Jesus’ time, we must understand the culture. In a time when people walked great distances, they would reach their destination with their feet caked in mud and grime. Usually it was a servant’s job to clean the feet of visitors, a servant low in rank. For Jesus to do so would have shocked the disciples, and it did! Simon(Peter) protested first and when Jesus said that those who were not washed by Him would have no part in Him, Peter asked to be washed completely. His hands and head as well. Jesus replied saying, “The whole body was clean of those who have taken a bath” but Jesus qualifies that statement saying, “Not everyone is clean”.

At this time Jesus is troubled in His spirit because He knows the hour of His death is approaching. He also knows the means of it and the person betraying Him. But still…. Jesus spent over three years investing into Judas Iscariot. This is testament to His grace and mercy. Anyways Jesus tells Judas to go do what he must, and when he leaves, Jesus tells His disciples that the time has come for The Son of Man to be glorified. He further tells Peter that he will disown Him three times before the rooster crows.

In chapter 14:

We see Jesus comforting His disciples by telling them not to be worried. Since they believe in Him, they should believe in the Father as well, as He is gong to His Father’s house to prepare rooms for them. He further assures them there is enough room for all of them and that He will come back for them. When Thomas tells Jesus he doesn’t know the way and where He is going, Jesus responds with another ‘I AM’ statement, this time telling them that He is The way, the truth and the life and that no one can come to the Father unless they go through Him. When Phillip asks to see the Father, Jesus replies that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father and whoever sees Jesus has seen the Father. Jesus again says that He only speaks the words of the Father and that the Father does the [miraculous] things through the Son. Jesus prophesies that His followers will do even greater things than He did and whatever they ask in His name will be given, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Jesus then tells the disciples that if they love Him, they will keep His commandments. Jesus also says that He will ask the Father to send an advocate, the Spirit of Truth, who will live with them and in them. The world will not be able to accept Him as they don’t see Him nor know Him. Jesus promises that He won’t leave His disciples as orphans, He will come back for them. Because He lives, the disciples will live as well. On that day they will realize that the Father and Jesus are one, and that Jesus lives in them as well.

Jesus reiterates again that whoever keeps His commands are the ones who love Him. Whoever is loved by Jesus will be loved by the Father as well. When Jesus says that He will show Himself to the disciples, Judas a disciple (different from Judas Iscariot) asks why Jesus doesn’t intend to show Himself to the world. Jesus again talks about His teaching. Those who love Him will live by it, those who don’t love Him will not obey Him. Jesus reminds His disciples that His words are not His own, they are from the Father. When the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth comes (after Jesus leaves), He will teach the disciples all they need to know. Jesus again reassures His disciples of their peace in Him. He gives them peace, and He tells them not to be troubled. Jesus tells them that they are sorrowful because He’s going away. He is doing what the Father asks of Him to show the prince of this world {4} that He (Jesus) loves the Father and that he (satan) has no hold over Him.

RELATED POST: John Part 3: Jesus asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?

In chapter 15:

Jesus starts by announcing that He is the true Vine, and that His Father is the gardener. He further states that the Father cuts off every branch{1} in Him that bears no fruit, but those that bear fruit, He prunes. Jesus further asks us to remain in Him, for that is the only way to bear much fruit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. When we remain In Jesus, it is to the Father’s glory , showing ourselves to be His disciples. Jesus then says that as the Father has loved Him, so He has loved us. All we have to do is keep His commands, just as He has followed the Father’s commandments. Jesus gives us this command : to love each other as He has loved us. He tells us that no one shows more love than those who sacrifice their lives for their friends. Jesus then calls His disciples (and us) His friends, for they do what He has commanded. He says we are no longer His servants because now He has told them what He is doing. Jesus further tells them that they have been chosen by Him to go and bear lasting fruit. He also says that anything asked in the Father’s name will be given to them. He reiterates again that we should love one another.

Jesus then switches gears. He says the world hates the disciples, (as in present tense), but it hated Him first. If they (and we) belonged to the world, they (and we) would be loved, but they do not belong to the world. They were chosen By God to be taken out of the world. Here He reminds the disciples that the servants are not greater than the master. If He was persecuted, they would be persecuted too. If His teaching was obeyed, they would be obeyed as well. The disciples are treated this way because the people don’t know the One who sent Him(the Father). Jesus says the world would not be guilty of their sin if He had not come into into the world, but now that He has, they have no excuse for their (continuing) sin. But because they have seen Jesus, and have hated both Jesus and the Father, they have fulfilled the law stating that “they hated [Him] without reason. {2} When the Advocate(the Holy Spirit/the Spirit of Truth) comes , whom will be sent by Jesus, from the Father, He will also testify about Jesus. Jesus further tells the disciples that they must also testify about Him, since they have been with Him since the beginning (of Jesus’ ministry).

In chapter 16:

Jesus reminds His disciples not to fall away {3} from Him. He tells them the time is coming when people will not let the disciples worship in the synagogues, they will be killed, and the people killing them will think that God is pleased with them. Jesus is giving them this warning now as He will soon leave (to go to the One who sent Him), He didn’t warn them earlier as He was with them. Jesus comforts the grieving disciples by telling them it’s for their own good that He goes away, that way the Advocate (The Holy Spirit) will come to them.

When the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world about

• sin (because people do not believe in Jesus),
• righteousness (because Jesus is going to the Father where they can see Him no longer),
• judgement ( because the prince of the world {4} now stands condemned).

Jesus further tells them that when the Spirit (of Truth) comes, He will lead them into truth. His words will not be His own. He’ll only tell them what He has heard and about things yet to happen. The Spirit will glorify Jesus, because it is from Jesus that He will receive what He makes known to the disciples. Jesus further reiterates that everything the Father has, is His. And so whatever the Spirit tells the disciples, it has been received from Jesus.

When Jesus tells His disciples that He is going away and they will no longer see Him (in a little while), this confuses them enough to ask each other what it means. Jesus them tells them that they will grieve and mourn while the world rejoices. But just as a woman giving birth to a child forgets her pain and rejoices when the child is born, their grief will turn to joy. Jesus tells them that He will see them again and then they will rejoice and no one will take away their joy.

Jesus tells the disciples that on that day, they will no longer ask Him for anything. They will ask the Father and He will give them whatever they ask for. Jesus tells them to ask and promises that they will receive, so that their joy may be complete. Jesus tells them that they will ask the Father themselves, they will not need to ask Jesus to ask the Father, they will ask for themselves and the Father will give them what they ask. {5} This will happen because the Father loves them because they loved Jesus and believed that He came from the Father. Jesus tells them clearly that He had left the Father to enter the world, and now He will leave the world to go back to the Father. This speech makes the disciples believe that Jesus really came from the Father. Jesus them reminds them that the time will come, and in fact has already come, when they will leave Him all alone and will be scattered. Jesus ends by telling them, in this world they will have trouble, but He has overcome the world, so they should take heart and have peace.

The Bible Project’s Gospel of John.

{1} Here ‘branch’ means ‘person’. As Christians we should be rooted and established in God, by which I mean , we should find our life, our purpose, our meaning, our desires in Christ. He needs to be first in everything in our lives. He should be the reason for everything we do. We need to reflect Him in everything.  Being in Him, we derive our life from Him, as a tree has living sap flowing through it. The branches that are alive  have this same sap flowing through them. The branches that are dead, lose this sap, and so become hollow and then the branch falls off the tree and dies.

{2} Psalm 35:19 Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.

Psalm 69:4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

{3} Falling away from God can mean back-sliding among other things. It can mean being complacent about God, choosing to read His Word less, praying less, barely thinking about Him, doing things for him rather than being in His Presence. It can also mean completely renouncing Him and going the other way.

{4} Prince of this world is another name for Satan.

{5} I love that Jesus spends so much time telling and reminding and encouraging His disciples to ask. And ask the Father directly without going through Him. The very fact that Jesus mentions ‘asking’ so many times means it’s really important. To Him and the Father. Doesn’t this give you peace? To know that we can ask so that our JOY may be complete? It does to me.

This post was such a labour of love, but every minute of the last few weeks spent on this was totally worth it. Reading and re-reading these four chapters of John gave me peace every single time. I could hear Jesus’ reassurance in almost every single sentence. And I needed it.

Until next time,

Vanessa.

John part 3: Jesus asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Good morning. This generation (including me) seems to be living life at a break neck pace. We’re running here and rushing there and staying barely under the speed limit on our drive to drop off our children at school or pick them up or take them to an after school activity or practice. Throw in work and church and hobbies and electronics and social media and then it feels like we can barely breathe.

In the midst of the chaos, it sometimes feels like God is an afterthought. Until we can intentionally, make the time for Him, we will not reap the rewards. We will not grow closer to Him, nor change into who He has called us to be. We will not be able to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We will worship other things though. Money, status, reputation, sports, work, even marriage and children.

To come back to the heart of worship is to come back to the person of Jesus Christ. To worship Him is to believe in Him. To believe in Him, we need to ask ourselves several questions, starting with, “Who is Jesus to us?” Then we go on to “How can we draw nearer to Him?” and finally “How can we make Him known to those around us?”

Each of us needs to individually wrestle with Who Jesus is. Is HE Father? God? Friend? Lover? Judge? Savior? Unfair? Loving? Kind? Unjust? Strict? Vengeful? Merciful?

Once we answer that question, the rest become easier. But we can only answer that for ourselves. Sometimes it takes a lot of searching, sometimes we can accept it on faith.

In the four chapters that I’ve chosen for today, we see stories of people either believing in Him or rejecting Him. It starts with Jesus asking the blind man who had been healed if he believed in the Son of Man. Do you? Let me know in the comments below who Jesus is to you.

RELATED POST: John part 2: Jesus says “My time has not yet fully come.”

Continuing on…..

In chapter 9: Jesus heals a man who was born blind and gives him his sight. {1} Jesus declares Himself to be The light of the world with another powerful “I AM” statement. After the man is thrown out of the synagogue, Jesus finds him and asks him if he believes in the Son of Man. The man says, “Show me who He is and I will believe”. Jesus tells him to which the response is “Lord I believe” and he worships God.

 

In chapter 10 : In this chapter Jesus utters two more ” I AM ” statements which I’ve combined for simplicity’s sake, here. Jesus says He is the Gate, the One who protects us from evil, no one can get through us without going through Him first. He is also the The Good Shepherd, the One who leads us and guides us and protects us and restores us and feeds us. Jesus mentions that He knows His sheep (His people) and they know Him (v 15) just as the Father knows me and I know the Father and recognize His voice. Jesus also says that He’ll lay down His life willingly for His people and He has the authority to take it up again.

Jesus is further questioned over His claims by the Jews in the Temple courts. Jesus reiterates that He and the Father are One. He says they are not of His flock and so they don’t believe in Him. Those who do (believe) receive eternal life from Him and they will never be snatched from His hand. The Jews try to stone Him for His blasphemy but Jesus replies that His works testify that He comes from the Father and does the Father’s work. He escapes their grasp and goes back across the Jordan. While He is in that place many people believed in Him.

RELATED POST: John Part 1: Jesus is the Giver of grace upon grace.

In chapter 11: In this chapter Lazarus {2} dies but Jesus tarries where He is for two more days before coming to Bethany. Jesus tells His disciples that He is glad He didn’t go right before Lazarus died, so that they can see what He does now and believe.  Jesus again tells them that He can do the works He is supposed to while it is daytime{3}. When He does go back to Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Martha, his sister comes out to meet Jesus while the other sister, Mary stays at home. Martha tells Jesus she knows God will give Him anything He asks. She believes Lazarus will rise on the last day.

Jesus tells her that ‘HE IS the resurrection and life’ and those who believe in Him will live even though they die, and those who live by believing in Him will never die. He then asks her if she believes this. To which she replies (v 27) “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” and then she tells her sister Mary that The Teacher is asking for her. Mary goes to Jesus (because He hadn’t entered the village yet) and the Jews who had come to comfort the family follow her. Mary is sorrowful and Jesus seeing her grief and those of the people who followed her, weeps{4}. Jesus thanks His Father for hearing His prayer and then in loud voice calls out to Lazarus to come out. He does. Jesus instructs the people to help free Lazarus from the grave clothes binding Him.

Because of what Jesus did, many people believed in Him, though some did go and tell the Jewish leaders what Jesus had done. The leaders are concerned over the influence Jesus has over the people, but Caiphas the high priest wants to kill Jesus. The Bible notes in (v 51-52)  he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. We see the prophecies of the Old Testament coming to pass. Jesus then moves about privately so not to attract the notice of the leaders.

In this chapter as in chapter 9, we see that the tragic event that happened in the family, was intentional, so that through what God did, people would believe. In Jesus’ words (v 4), it[Lazarus’ illness and subsequent death] is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’

 

In chapter 12: Six days before the Passover, Jesus goes to Bethany again. This time Martha serves without complaining, and Mary in an act of worship, pours half a liter of pure nard{5} over Jesus’ feet and wipes it off with her hair. The house is filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Judas Iscariot complains about the waste, but Jesus admonishes them to leave her alone, Mary had saved the perfume for the day of His burial. Many Jews came over to see Jesus as well as Lazarus because he had been raised from the dead. Because of Lazarus , many people believed in Jesus, and so the authorities made plans to kill him as well.

The next day when the people hear that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, they take palm branches and go out to meet Him with rejoicing, shouting, “Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord“. There are Greeks at the Festival who want to meet Jesus, they go to Phillip who takes them to Andrew{6}, and together they take them to Jesus.  Jesus now says “It is the hour for the Son of Man to be glorified”. While troubled in His Spirit at the thought of the suffering He must endure, He cries out, “Father Glorify your name”. Then a voice from heaven thunders,  “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again”. The people hear and believe it to be a voice of an angel, but Jesus says the Voice was for their benefit, not His. When He is lifted up (His death), He will draw all people to Him.

Even after the many signs that Jesus performed many people did not believe in Him as Isaiah had prophesied. Yet at the same time, many did. Even among the leaders, there were people who believed in Jesus, though not openly, since they did not want to be put out of the synagogue. Jesus begs the people to believe in Him, as those who believe , don’t just believe in Him, but also in the One who sent Him, His Father. Jesus further says that He did not come to judge the world but to save it, but there is a Judge for the ones who choose not to believe. They will be condemned at the last day. Jesus tells them that He has come as a light to the world so that those who believe will stop walking in the darkness.

 

{1} Jesus’ disciples asked Him if the man had sinned or his parents. They wanted to know if there was a reason for the man to be born blind. Jesus replied neither, it was so that the works of God would be manifested in his life. Jesus said He will do the things He is supposed to while it is still day as no one can do works during the night. Jesus makes mud using His spit and puts it on the blind man’s eyes and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man obeys and comes back seeing. This miracle as had often happened with Jesus in the past takes place on a Sabbath. The Jewish leaders are skeptical of the man’s healing. They don’t believe the man had been born blind until they send for his parents and confirm that. They are also looking for a reason to discredit Jesus and so constantly ask the man to repeat his version of the healing. This incident ends with the man thrown out of the synagogue. I’ve written a comparison between this miracle and the one in John 5, here.

{2} Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha. There are a couple other occasions where they are mentioned, but in everyone of those, the author takes care to mention that Jesus loved this family. They were His faithful followers and by His reaction, also good friends.

{3} Jesus makes a point of mentioning that He can do the works He is supposed to, only during the day. This ties in with Him saying “I AM the light of the world”. He says this in several other chapters, that when the Light goes away, no one can do anything. When He ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit came to live in us, we became and are the light of the world. Through the Spirit in us, people are able to see in ‘darkness’ and we become a guiding light to them. It isn’t anything we do, but with the Spirit, we are able to give a reason for our hope. We are able to bring peace and joy to the world. As much as the world is going downhill now, once all the Christians are removed from the world, darkness and evil and satan will have a free rein, and none of the works that glorify God will be done then.

{4} In John 11: 35 we see that Jesus wept. He intentionally stayed away so that His disciples would see a miracle and believe in Him. He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. But…… Jesus saw the grief of the people and of Mary and He was troubled in His Spirit and He wept. What a comfort to know that our God sees us and joins us in our grief. When we hurt, He hurts too. When we mourn, He mourns with us. I have no greater comfort to know that the King of all the universe joins me in my sorrow. I am not unseen, unknown or of too little importance. He cares for me.

{5} Pure nard was extremely expensive and in today’s economy we estimate the cost to be between $12,000-$50,000. Judas objected with the statement that if the perfume had been sold, the money could have been given to the poor. Here John gives us a key insight into the character of Judas. He was the keeper of the money bag and would help himself to the money collected. He did not care for the poor.

{6} Andrew was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus. He brought his brother Peter to Jesus, and Jesus commissioned Peter to build His Church. Andrew later brings a little boy and His lunch to Jesus. Jesus uses the boy’s lunch to feed upwards of 5000 people and in so doing, many people believe in Him. Now Andrew brings people of a different nationality to Jesus and they worship God. I love Andrew’s heart. He’s obedient to God and content to stay in the background while some others receive acclaim, but always, always making connections between seeking people and the God they seek.

 

In John, Jesus’ Divinity is heavily emphasized. Throughout the gospel belief (or unbelief) in Jesus and Jesus being the light of the world is mentioned often. I want to leave you with this question, Do you believe in this Son of Man/Jesus?

 How we answer this question determines if we live in and are walking in the light. In John part 3: Jesus asks, ” Do you believe in the Son of Man?” Do you? Let us purpose to live in Him and for Him and together be a light to the world. click to tweet!

If you enjoyed reading this post, would you let me know in the comments below? Thank you.

Until next time,

Your fellow sojourner,

Vanessa.

 

 

John part 2: Jesus says “My time has not yet fully come.”

Good morning. As I write this greeting I can’t help remember the time that my son woke me up in the middle of the night. Sometimes he has a hard time sleeping and frequently wants one of us to stay up with him. Usually it’s me. He’s also learning greeting a person as part of his therapy. His therapists are constantly getting him to say “Hi” and “Bye”. So when he woke me up at 3 in the morning, the first thing he said to me was, “Say Hi!” and I sleepy and groggy as I was, did! I was sleepy but I was excited that what his therapists are working on at his center, seem to be staying with him when he comes home 🙂 So Good Morning!

It’s been a long time since I wrote a Bible post and I decided to go back to it to restart my blogging after my summer break. We’ll continue with the Gospel of John, the first part you can find here. Here’s the next part.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John (the brother of James and one of the three of Jesus’ inner circle, Peter, James and John). In other gospels we learn that he is the son of Zebedee. He and his brother James were most likely business partners with Peter and Andrew. Those four are often mentioned together. His mother asked Jesus to let one of her sons sit on His right hand and the other on His left, to which Jesus replied that those positions were for His Father to fill. This request angered the rest of the disciples, causing Jesus to talk to them of humility. John and James were nicknamed ‘Sons of Thunder” for their temperaments and for wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan town that refused to believe in Jesus. At Jesus’ death on the cross, He gave charge of His mother, Mary, to John to care for and to provide for her for the rest of her life.

In this gospel, John refers to himself as “The disciple that God loved” and not by his name. “This title occurs in five passages:

1. John 13:23: “One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.”
2. John 19:26: “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son.’”
3. John 20:2: “So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’”
4. John 21:7: “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’”
5. John 21:20: “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.” These five verses were taken from Zondervan Academic, Who wrote the gospel of John?

It is believed that John was the only disciple who died of old age, all other disciples were killed and died as martyrs. When he was older, he was the leader of the church in Ephesus and was called the Elder. It is also believed that he wrote the letters of First, Second and Third John as well as the book of Revelation.

As I wrote earlier, the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called synoptic gospels, because they follow a similar timeline of events. At least ninety percent of John is different from the other gospels and was written much later than the other three. “For John, Jesus’s miracles are not simply wonders to astonish onlookers, but signs pointing to his glory that come from the presence of God within him.” (The Gospel of John Summary from Spark Notes).

RELATED POST: John Part 1: Jesus is the Giver of grace upon grace.

In chapter 5: Jesus heals a man who had been lame for thirty eight years by the pool of Bethesda. As had happened many times before, the healing takes place on a Sabbath. The Jewish leaders adhering to the letter of the law and not the spirit of it, forbid the healed man from carrying his mat. He replies that the man who healed him and whose name he doesn’t know asked him to do so. Jesus finds him later at the Temple and tells him to stop sinning. Promptly the man tells the Jewish leaders about Jesus. Jesus’ authority is questioned by the Jewish leaders and when Jesus tells them that He does what He does because of the Father’s instructions and example, He is persecuted. Jesus replies with remarkable insight in John 5: 17-30. Jesus also tells them that The Father testifies on His behalf as did John the Baptist. While Jesus does not need human testimony, He mentions it to them so that they will accept it and believe in Him. He warns them to seek only the glory that comes from God. He also warns them that their accuser before The Father will be Moses if they continue to disbelieve.

 

In chapter 6: Jesus feeds the 5000 (if you open the link you will see this miracle compared in all four gospels). Each gospel account mentions this miracle. Each author focused on something different. In John, he focuses on Jesus’ divinity and so he presents this miracle as one of the signs that Jesus is truly God. He mentions that Jesus wanted to test Philip and so asked him where they would find food for all the people, ( I’ve mentioned before that the 5000 were men counted, there were women and children present as well so that final count would be closer to 20,000 people). John also mentions that it was Andrew who found the boy who had the five loaves of bread and two fish. {1} That evening His disciples get into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. Jesus walks on the water to them. They are terrified at first but when He says “It is I, don’t be afraid.” they are willing to take him into the boat and immediately the boat reaches the other shore.

Then Jesus proclaims Himself to be the  Bread of life. This is the first of the “I AM” statements that John records that Jesus said. Jesus tells the people to believe in the One whom (The Father) has sent. Jesus further tells them :

• That no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them.
• Whoever comes to Jesus will be raised up on the last day.
• Whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.
• Whoever receives Him will never be hungry or thirsty again.
• That He will never lose anyone who comes to Him.
• Whoever eats (of Him) will live for ever.
• His flesh is the Bread which He gives for the life of the world.

This is such a hard thing for many disciples to hear and understand that they turn back and stop following Jesus. Jesus then asked His twelve disciples if they want to leave as well and Simon Peter answers,  ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’ After this Jesus warns them that one of the chosen twelve disciples will betray Him.

 

In chapter 7: Jesus chooses to go to Galilee and teach since He is being persecuted in Judea. Jesus’ brothers mock him(as they had not yet believed in Him) when He doesn’t want to be known publicly. Jesus mentions His time has not yet fully come (for Him to be revealed), for the world any time will do. The brothers go to Judea for the Festival of the Tabernacles and Jesus goes up privately. Not until halfway through the Festival does Jesus teach in the Temple courts. The crowds are amazed at His learning even without Him receiving formal education. Jesus replies that His teaching is not His own. It comes from the Father who’s ent Him. Anyone who does the will of God will know that the teaching comes from God. He reiterates again that healing a whole man on the Sabbath is lawful and does not break any commandments.

The people are divided over Jesus, some people believe He is the Messiah, others don’t because they believe they know His origins. Jesus says He is not here on earth by His own authority but he has come because the One who sent Him is true. Some people tried to seize Jesus because of His blasphemy but no one could lay a hand on Him because His time had not yet come. Jesus hints that when He leaves the people, they will not be able to follow Him. On the last day of the Festival, Jesus reminds the people that Whoever believes in [Him], as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’(John 7:38) by which He meant that the Spirit would indwell in them when He comes. The guards sent by the Jewish leaders to apprehend Jesus return to them empty handed because they are won over by the way that Jesus teaches. The leaders do not believe in Jesus and are furious but here we see Nicodemus, one of their own number, trying to mediate between them and Jesus.

 

In chapter 8: The teachers of the law bring a woman caught in a adultery to Jesus, in order to trick Him with the dictates of the law. {2}Jesus instead writes something on the ground, no one mentions what, but it is enough to convict the people of their own sin first over the woman’s and so they leave, the older ones before the others, until they is no one left to stone the woman. Jesus straightened up and then tells the woman to go and leave her life of sin.

Jesus then utters the second “I AM” statement and here calls Himself The light of the world. He further says that those who follow Him will never walk in darkness. He is questioned about being His own witness, but Jesus replies that He testifies for Himself as does the Father. His testimony on His behalf is valid because He knows where He comes from and where He will go. While what He said angered the leaders, no one seized Him because His hour had not yet come. Jesus furthers tells them that they will die in their sins if they don’t believe in Him. Where He is going they cannot follow unless they believe in Him. Jesus also says that He is never alone for The one who sent [Him] is with [Him]; he has not left [Him] alone, for [He] always does what pleases him.’ (John 8:29)

Jesus and the Jewish leaders dispute over their parentage. When Jesus tells them He only does what the Father tells Him to do and those that hold to His teachings will know the truth and the truth will set them free, they are incensed. They believe that they have always been free and never slaves to anyone{3} They reiterate that their only father is God and that they are Abraham’s descendants. Jesus tells them that if God was their Father they would love Him, believe in Him and do what He tells them. Since they aren’t, they are doing the works of their father, the devil, who is a liar and was a murderer from the beginning. Jesus further tells them that Abraham saw the day of Jesus(life and ministry on earth) and seeing that , rejoiced. They scoff because of Jesus’ young age. Jesus says, before Abraham ever was, He existed. At which the people try to stone Him, but he slips away.

{1} This is the second time that Andrew has brought someone to Jesus. The first time was when he brought his brother Simon who was later renamed Peter to Jesus and Peter is given authority to build the Church of God. Here Andrew brings an unnamed little boy and his lunch to Jesus, and Jesus performs a miracle with the little the boy had. We will see later that Andrew brings other people to Jesus as well.

{2} In the old testament, the law requires that both partners caught in an act of adultery to be stoned to death. Not only do the leaders not bring in the man , but they are trying to trick Jesus. They know Jesus has infinite compassion towards the downtrodden classes and has ‘violated’ several commandments (to them at least), so here they want to see if He’ll adhere to the law(stoning the woman) or set her free.

{3} In the old testament, during various periods (see the book of Judges especially) of disobedience and rebellion towards God, God allowed several nations to conquer Israel and Jerusalem. During which time the Israelites were not free and definitely were slaves to the conquering nation. At the time of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth, Jerusalem was conquered by Rome.

RELATED POST: My hour has not yet come, but it will.

Several times in these four chapters, something did not happen and John records it as being “not Jesus’ time”. Jesus was God the Son ,and as such, knew the time that the Father had decreed for Him. The time to heal and teach and interact with people was during His lifetime. The time to save would be at His death and resurrection. The time to worship Him would be at His ascension. The time for Jesus to be righteously angry would be in the week leading up to His death. So we see Jesus holding back from blistering the Jewish leaders and we see God holding back the people from killing Him before His time.

Until next time,

Vanessa.

 

 

 

 

 

Back to school. Back to writing.

Hello! Hope you’ve been well and enjoyed a fun and restful summer. For most of you, your children will be back in school and you may be too! Things have been changing(in a good way) for our family. I finished my course over the summer and am now certified, but we decided that I would take a break from studying and working.

While I was attending classes, because of the schedule, my husband did quite a bit. We had a babysitter who watched the kids when I left and stayed with them till he came home and then she left. She stayed anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half. I made dinner for the family before leaving and he made dinner for my son when he came home, fed both kids and put them to bed. I often came home after 9 PM.

This was hard on my husband and my daughter hated it, but it was pure misery for my son. He went to pieces, he woke up often(4-6 times a week) and stayed up all night. He became attached to me, more than he was, almost like he was nursing(he’s not!! he’s six now 🙂 ) I couldn’t leave a room without him following me, if I was out of sight for more than 30 seconds, he became distraught and needed me. And the waking up? He only wanted me, he would put on the lights and keeping checking my face repeatedly, especially if I covered it with the comforter. I hope to be able to work sometime but have made peace with it not being now. My mentor reminds me often that this is just a season.

We also moved! Hopefully for the last time. We are finally homeowners, and as I write this, we had our housewarming with worship and prayer and our pastor speaking and a lot of friends over. My family from Ohio came as well and we were excited to be able to spend some time with each other. I am beyond thrilled to let people into our home for fellowship and prayer, and to use it for His Glory 🙂 (ask me how that’s going in a couple of months!)

My daughter was enrolled in a new school because of the move and it was rough on her for a few weeks but she’s started to make friends and speak to the others in her class. She’s enjoying herself with all the people and the kids who come over and is looking forward to all the school fun activities.  My son is in a therapy center, one he joined in March, and is doing well. My family has seen much improvement in him. Enough that it’s like night and day. To know more about the behind the scenes work that goes on in his life, please read the post I wrote for Carole Sparks’ blog a little time ago.

I took a long break from blogging and made time to rest and learn. My back acted up and I needed PT and medicines and I had to do things slowly. I told my daughter more times than I could count that I needed to do something she asked me to later, it came to such a point that she started praying for me to be healed! I am better now and don’t need the PT anymore, but it meant that I did not do many of the things that I had planned to do with my daughter. Sometimes I feel guilty over it and I’m learning to go easy on myself and not beat myself down.

This past summer was a learning kinda summer(and I don’t mean academically!) Through a series of events and consequences and circumstances, God showed me who He is, who I am in Him, and what His will is for me(at least I know what I’m meant to do for the next few months).

I had to re-learn my identity in Christ and stand firm on those promises. I had to learn to forgive and ask for forgiveness. I had to learn to let go of my expectations and remember that I have been created in advance for the good work that He has prepared for me.

Sometimes, most of the time, He breaks me and takes me out from situations in order to prepare me for some thing else. Sometimes, most of the time, I don’t want to leave. I’ve become familiar with the particular situation and I know my strengths and weaknesses and I don’t want to start from the beginning somewhere else. He who sees me, has shown me that He walks with me every step of the way. He who sees my future knows the way I must go and He leads me tenderly and gently like The Good Shepherd He is.

I have a ton of ideas to continue writing and I’m going to post several articles on word studies that I’ve done this summer, soon. This was part of my learning experience. I studied on being Loved by God, Chosen by Him, Worthy of the calling I’ve been given, Forgiven by Him, Redeemed and Ransomed by Him, and being His Child.

 

 

For now I will rest in Him. And walk with Him, slowly for my part, but always with Him. He’s in control and He knows what He is doing.

Until next time,

Vanessa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A psalm or two (4).

Good morning. These past few weeks have been crazy, I feel like I say that all the  time. One child had a stomach bug and then recovered and then her school ended so she’s home with me, and wants to do math worksheets. The other one still wakes up in the night often, seeking reassurance from me, and as I write this, is home with me because he had the stomach bug as well. Oh well!

We need to know and remember our identity in Christ in times like these. We need a refuge, a stronghold, a safe place , when life throws us off to keep us steady. What’s your favorite verse to remember in times of unsteadiness? Mine is Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted in the heavens, I will be exalted on the earth.” Share your favorite with me in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.

For those who have been praying for me , especially in regards to my back, thank you! My pain is a lot reduced, I’m still taking medications and going to PT though( not this week since I have both kiddos!!!).

Before I start with this week’s psalms, here’s a shout-out to Matthew Winters from The Comeback Pastor who’s writing a guest post on psalm 34 which will go up here soon. As always let me know which psalm you would like featured here.

                  Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither –
    whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

 

This psalm has no superscription telling us who the author is, but this first psalm is a favorite with many and is extremely well-known. This contrasts the life of the wicked with the life of the righteous person. The righteous person delights in the law of the Lord (the Holy Word, the Scriptures, the Bible) and meditates on it day and night( reads it, thinks about them throughout the day, lives by the Scriptures). He/She chooses not to associate intimately with sinners and mockers and the wicked. He/She chooses his/her companions carefully. He/She is an enduring person, steady like a tree and is extremely fruitful (for the kingdom of God). He/She prospers in everything he does.

This person is contrasted with the wicked, who is blown all over the place like the wind. He/She is unsteady. His/Her way of wickedness leads to his/her destruction.

 

                 Psalm 2

¹ Why do the nations conspire^[a]
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ ‘Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.’

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ ‘I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.’

                         ⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, ‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron^[b];
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

 

This is an equally well known and loved psalm. There is no indication of its author as well. While different from the first psalm, this one has many similarities and contrasts that it is worthwhile studying them together. This psalm contrasts the nations that rebel against the Lord’s leadership and the nation that follows the Lord wholeheartedly.

The rebel nations are trying to throw off , what they assume, is the Lord’s yoke and are trying to rule themselves. The nation that follows the Lord has made the Lord their Father and have become His children. He is pleased to give them the other nations as their inheritance and He promises His nation that they will rule the others.

There is a warning in this psalm. We are not to turn away from Him and seek our own will. It will lead to destruction and sorrow. Instead we are to humble ourselves before Him and choose Him now, while we still have time. Before His wrath and anger fall on us. We are blessed when we find our refuge in Him.

Until next time,

Vanessa 

 

 

 

A Psalm or two. (3)

Hello! I decided to write another post on the Psalms. Someone told me that she likes that I add a song to the Psalms posts, I replied that I generally have a soundtrack playing in my mind when I read a Psalm and so I share them here. I hope you will share your favorite Psalms with me in the comments and also the ones you would like me to feature here on vanessa-samuel.org. I pray that you will see the beauty of God all around you this week and know fullness of joy in His Presence and know that He delights in you! 

Psalm 16

A miktam^[a] of David.

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.’
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    ‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful^[b] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

 

The author actively seeks the Presence of the LORD. He knows that is where his security and safety lie. He knows he has no good thing apart from the LORD. He delights in the fellowship of those who worship God. He praises the LORD for the counsel and wisdom and discretion given to him (By God- The Holy Spirit, The Third Person in the Trinity is also called Our Counsellor). He ends this psalm by saying that in God’s Presence he has found complete joy.

Psalm 18^[a]

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

                           ¹ I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield^[b] and the horn^[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came before him, into his ears.
⁷ The earth trembled and quaked,
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
⁹ He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds were under his feet.
¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him –
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
¹³ The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²² All his laws are before me;
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³ I have been blameless before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶ to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
²⁷ You save the humble
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
²⁸ You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.
²⁹ With your help I can advance against a troop;^[e]
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect:
    the Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
³⁶ You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I crushed them so that they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
³⁹ You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them –
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.
⁴² I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
    I trampled them^[f] like mud in the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁴     foreigners cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵ They all lose heart;
    they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be God my Saviour!
⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me,
    who subdues nations under me,
⁴⁸     who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.

⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
    to David and to his descendants for ever.

This psalm is filled with all the chaos and trouble one can imagine. In its midst the author acknowledges that he is safe only in the Lord. He uses several words to make the point and then drive it home, “my strength”, “my rock”, “my fortress”, “my stronghold “, “my refuge”, “my horn”, “my shield”, “my delivever” all in the first few verses and this sets the stage for the rest of the song. He declares how the LORD has rescued and delivered him, all because HE delights in him. He tells the LORD that he has been righteous and blameless before HIM. Towards the end of the psalm the author again enumerates the ways in which The LORD has saved him and praises Him.

 

These two psalms have become some of my favorites in the last year. What about you? What’s your favorite psalm?

Until next time,

Vanessa

The desert will rejoice and live again.

Hello! There have been so many changes in our family in the last few months. Our little boy has been going to a therapy center for two months now and is finally adjusting. He wanted to come home initially and now loves it there and when he comes home, wants to cuddle all the time. This mama’s heart is full!

My little girl is getting so mature and sees! She sees a need or a hurting heart and rushes to fill it , with whatever is in her hand at that time. She saw a friend of my son who was sad because his father was late(mine gets upset when I’m late to pick him up too!) and so she gave the little boy some of her modeling clay that she had with her. Another time at her speech class, she let her friend win at a game because she hadn’t won in awhile. This she does on a daily basis with no prompting whatsoever. This mama’s heart is overflowing!

My husband and I are learning to stay connected to each other and stay the path God has us on( learning because this married life is always a learning curve!), this wife’s heart is secure and joyful! (Many of the things we’ve learnt and are learning are private. Sometimes we share with select godly friends and mentors, but most of the time it’s between us. When my husband feels like it’s something I can share, I do so on the blog. Thank you for your understanding.)

I. I have started classes at the University and am having so much fun! I’m studying and preparing for quizzes and finishing homework and I’m having the time of my life. There have been other things I’ve had to work out( We have a baby sitter for 30 minutes to an hour on those evenings and she’s with them till my husband comes back. He puts them to bed and I come back late in the night. I cook for the whole week on the weekend and it’s in the fridge so that it’s easier on my husband. He stills needs to make different food for my son though.) It has been 9 years since I graduated from medical school and it’s unlikely that I had so much fun studying! but this time around I am 🙂 On the flip side I’ve done something to my back and have been in near constant pain for the last few weeks and so I’m on painkillers, muscle relaxants and am going to start physical therapy. If you remember me, I would appreciate prayers for my back. Thank you 🙂

 

So why did I finally decide to pop in? Because my pastor this past Sunday shared this beautiful and very timely message from Isaiah 35. This passage only 10 verses long talks about revival, refreshing, renewal, growth, beauty, peace, strength, courage, holiness and JOY in the desert. You read that right.

 Joy and rejoicing and gladness in the desert. 

 

He talked about revival in our state( and how he’s seen God’s faithfulness in the 21 years he’s ministered here), and renewal in our marriages, and rejoicing in our relationships. Our pastor talked about the desert living again and everlasting joy on our heads and sorrow and sighing fleeing away.

He gave six marks of revival that we can see from this passage. Like I said the revival could be in the Christian Church, our marriages, those difficult relationships that we can’t get out of, our wayward or lost children, our broken hearts, our sorrow-filled circumstances, our pain, our anguish, our grief.

Any of these places that you feel like it’s a desert.

Dry, dead, cracked, parched, barren.

These are the places that GOD WILL RESTORE.

He will bring healing.

He will bring life again.

He will make it grow and it will become verdant and fertile again.

He will produce beauty there, enough and more that others around you can see it.

He will bring back the joy.

He will give us everlasting gladness.

He will take our sorrows away.

 

I’m going to add those marks of revival to this post. I’ve also created images for each verse in this chapter. Feel free to share all or some of them with those you know who could use a reminder.

 

  Marks of Revival

1.JOY

Some other words that are used in this very chapter are gladness, rejoicing, everlasting joy.

Other verses that talk about joy and gladness and rejoicing:

    You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy. Psalm 45:7

 

 Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours. Isaiah 61:7

 

You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11 

 

2. GLORY OF GOD

The glory of God is the tangible and manifest Presence of God.

 

 

Other verses that talk about the Glory of God or the Presence of God are:

 The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’  Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. Exodus 33:14-15 

 Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’  And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Exodus 33:18-20

 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3: 18

 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

 

3. SALVATION

The salvation of those who are far from God is a true mark of revival. The lost begin to get saved. As in Gideon’s story in the Bible, God can deliver a city or a nation by many or by a few people.

 

 

Other verses to mediate on which talk about salvation are:

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’ Luke 19:10 

 

4.HOLINESS

In this chapter the highway is called a ‘Holy Highway, Highway of Holiness or The King’s Highway’ in various translations of the Bible. But one thing remains clear, the unclean, the unjust, the unrighteous, the immoral will NOT be able to walk on it. This path will be only for the holy people. God is the only one who makes us Holy.

 

 

Other verses to mediate on holiness are :

1 Peter 1:15-16  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’          

 to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  Ephesians 5:26-27 

5. WORSHIP

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know that I absolutely love to write on worship and am making worship a part of my daily life in the season I am in right now. Some time in the future I will do a word study on worship, but for now I’ll leave you with my pastor’s words.

 

 

Other verses to mediate on worship are:

 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. John 4:23

6. HEALING

One of the most noticeable change of revival is the healing seen in the people. Our LORD and Healer loves to restore people, but He knows that day and time and method.

For more on healing see Remember it forgiven ( A post based on Jehovah Rapha) and Luke part 2 : Jesus the healer. ( A post detailing some of the miracles that Jesus performed).

 

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

With gratitude and until next time,

Vanessa.

(PS The song below is called the Holy Highway and perfectly describes this chapter in Isaiah).

 

 

 

Links to the books of the Bible posts in one place.

In a recent post I added the links to all the other books of the Bible posts I’ve written so far and I realized(after hitting publish!) that the post was way too link-heavy! (I took off those links later!!!) There were probably upward of twenty links in that post. I assure you I have no intention of doing that again!!!!!!

I also wanted you to be able to go through and read and re-read the posts at your leisure, without having to search all over the site for it. This will be a kind of revolving post where I’ll add the links to new posts and update as and when I add/write them. (This will only contain links to the summaries of the books of the Bible that I’ve written or shared from guest bloggers, not the other faith or worship posts that are also featured here on Vanessa-Samuel).

As always Thank You Dear Reader for continuing to read posts that I write/share. You make me continue doing so. I hope you find reading the Bible as enjoyable as I do. I pray that you will go deeper and deeper in your faith as you get to know the LORD more and more.

 

GENESIS:

• Genesis Part 1: What God did in the beginning.
• Genesis Part 2:God chooses a people.
• Genesis Part 3:God of new chances.
• What you should know about Genesis.

 

EXODUS: 

• Exodus part 1: A God who speaks.
• Exodus part 2: The God who dwells among us.
• What you need to know about Exodus.

 

LEVITICUS:

• Leviticus : Be holy for I AM HOLY.
• The outer court of the Tabernacle.
• The altar of Incense. (Leviticus)
• The Significance of the names of the sons of Israel.
• The OT sacrificial system and why we need to understand it.
• The Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies.
• The sacrifices and offerings ( in Leviticus).
• The brass laver for cleansing (Leviticus)
• The golden lamp stand. (Leviticus)
• The Tabernacle (overview)
• The Priesthood.

 

NUMBERS:

• The Book of Numbers. Part 1.
• Numbers Part 2
• Rhythms in (the book of) Numbers and in our lives.

 

PSALMS:

• A Psalm or two. (1) (Psalm 27 and Psalm 46)
• A Psalm or two. (2) (Psalm 3 and Psalm 8)
• A Psalm or two. (3) (Psalm 16 and Psalm 18)
• A psalm or two (4). (Psalm 1 and Psalm 2)

 

ISAIAH: 

• The desert will rejoice and live again. (Isaiah 35)

 

MATTHEW: 

• Matthew Part 1: He is the Son that pleases the Father.
• Matthew part 2: The Living God.
• What you should know about Matthew.

 

MARK:

• Mark part 1: The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
• Mark part 2: The suffering- servant- King was and is the Son of God.
• What you should know about Mark.

 

LUKE:

• Luke part 1 : Jesus is willing.
• Luke part 2 : Jesus the healer.
• Luke part 3 : Jesus the Teacher.
• Luke part 4 : With Jesus nothing is impossible.
• Luke part 5: Jesus’ words will never pass away.

 

JOHN:

• My hour has not yet come, but it will.
• LOVE is: A tale of two miracles. (Comparison of John chapter 5 and John chapter 9)
• John Part 1: Jesus is the Giver of grace upon grace. 
• John part 2: Jesus says “My time has not yet fully come.”