Come to Jesus!

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

David Woods preached on the above text Sunday. We are starting a new sermon series titled, "The Heart of Life." It is going to deal with topics such as exhaustion, aging, lust, and a few others. Sunday was the first and this text is the one David started with. The text was about sharing your heart's loaded life with Jesus is the way to finding rest. I wanted to share a very specific section of the sermon with you.

"Reading the verses leading up to this text today, there is a love of unrest going on around Jesus! His cousin, John the Baptist is in prison and is in there because he stood his ground on a moral and spiritual issue with King Herod. Jesus is also surrounded by a generation of people that he describes as whiners, complainers, and dissatisfied continually about somethings! Not that we sound like that today...in Matthew 11:17 it reads, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' The adult generation, he says are acting like children! They were a generation of people that were never pleased, never content. The cities around the vicinity had witnessed the miracles of Jesus and were not convicted of their unholy ways, refusing to repent!

Around verse 25 of Matthew 11, it seems to me that Jesus takes a deep breath PAUSE as he observes the issues all around and prays thankfully to God! The essence of Jesus' prayer is that he is thankful that God set up life to operate by a system of humility! It is not the obstinate or the loud voices of demand that get it! It is not the knowledgeable and wise that get it. It is not the wealthy and famous that get it. The relationship with God is only through becoming humble. This is the only means Jesus is willing to come into a person's heart and reveal the heart of God to people.

And it is from this backdrop that Jesus offers this invitation to find rest from the maddening, dysfunctional lifestyle of the world and to come to Him for rest!

How David phrased these words spoke to me. The humility to live a life in Jesus is to be a humble person. I am thankful for the reminder!!! You know I love ya, Don

Gospel According to John

“By far the most important development in recent studies on the fourth gospel is the application of various forms of literary criticism, social-scientific analysis, and post-modern readings...The tendency in all of these approaches is to treat the text synchronously, that is, to treat the text as a finished product and to ask virtually no questions about its historical development or its referents.” There are benefits and losses in this type of modern study. A benefit is a refreshing look at the text while removing traditions that hinder the study. The loss is the study looses it look into the beginnings or the historical accuracy.

John is historically accurate in the it has a focus on the dynamics of presenting a witness of the Son of God in Jesus. John seeks to answer the social-textual questioning of “what happened.” In a modern sense, we must not loose sight of the intentional testimony of John to “write down these things so that the reader might believe Jesus is the Messiah.”

The Gospel of John is worth taking a good look at. I strongly suggest it. As it is read the words bring to life how Jesus is the Messiah.

"This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." John 21:24-25 NASB.

You know I love ya, Don

The "rule"

The New Testament text was passed along or copied by eager converts to have the written words of their teachers. The autographs were lost because of the organic materials the words were written on (Parchment). Thus, documents were then copied and the texts were spreading through out the region very quickly. As the church grew there was a need to establish a “canon” or group of texts that have authority or the ability to rule over the others. Thus, the books were reviewed by church leaders and given authority by specific criteria. Some of the criteria was asking the authority of the author, eyewitness or to be heard directly from an eyewitness, and the application to the Christian life. As more and more Gentiles were converted, the community of believers became more and more pluralistic and a need arose to condemn minor variations. These debates and declarations truly helped the church clarify its doctrines, it also point out serious threats, such as Gnosticism.

There would be many more threats to the New Testament and the the church, but over the first two-three hundred years the New Testament Canon (Rule) of books was established through a set criteria. This criteria would also face opposition at times and even today there are variations on the “rule” of the books. Yet, in all the threats, the scripture emerged and has an authority so that the reader can be confident it is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Critical thought of the scriptures has always been present among believers. Political changes often affected the spreading of the texts and how the texts were often translated to Latin in response the Roman world and its leadership. As Christianity became culturally desirable, leadership among the groups of believers rose. The leadership started to gather on occasions and these gatherings were labeled as councils. During the councils the leadership would discuss and interpret conflict with in the texts, such as the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.

I am in a Graduate Class at Johnson University discussing an Introduction to the New Testament. The professor is Carl Bridges. I am enjoying the research and work. The question of the day is, "do you read the rule?" or maybe another way of stating it is, "Do you (& me) allow the rule of the scriptures to rule in our lives?"

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.- Colossians 3:15-16

You know I love ya, Don

Friday Funny - You mean to tell me...

We have not had a Friday Funny in awhile...I thought I would share this one from the sermon last Sunday...

"The photographer for a National Magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene was too thick to get any good shots, so he frantically called his home office to hire a plane. "It will be waiting for you at the airport!" he was assured by his editor.

As soon as he got to the small, rural airport, sure enough, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled "Let's go Let's go!" The pilot swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air.

"Fly over the North side of the fire," said the photographer, "and make three or four low level passes." "Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I'm going to take pictures! I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures!" said the photographer with great exasperation and impatience.

After a long pause the pilot said, "You mean you're not the instructor?"

Happy Friday and have a great weekend! Don

I want to KNOW!

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'.” John 8:31-32

The results of hold on to the truth is learning and knowing Jesus. Knowing the Truth comes as we hold on to the teachings of Jesus. The definition of knowing is to perceive directly. It is to grasp with the mind clarity and certainty. Knowing is experience and awareness.

We know Jesus when He becomes real in our lives, in our hearts, and in the holding on to His teachings. As we stay the course and are suspended over the cliffs and valleys of life... knowing what is holding us and what we are holding on to becomes much more real. It is the truth that gives us life...when we GROW in Jesus and GROW in His teachings that awareness only enhances our knowledge of Him...that knowledge then sets us free from the bondage of this world and we have peace with abundant life.

Let me ask you...do you know Jesus? Is He real in your life? Do you have an awareness of Jesus that permeates the very fibers of your being?

How does Jesus become real? When a believer holds, abides in, and cherishes Jesus' teachings. Paul writes it this way in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

Looking to KNOW Jesus more, Don

Holding on as if my life depends on it!

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'.” John 8:31-32

What was Jesus teaching?

1. Love God – Jesus was asked, “What was the greatest commandment?” He tells us that the greatest commandment is to Love God. Jesus teaches us that salvation comes from faith in God and living out that faith. If you love God, study His scriptures, pray to Him and listen to His Spirit within you...then you are loving God and He loves us in return. Loving God is a relationship.

2. Love Each Other – He turned to them and said the second command is to love each other. Jesus taught we are to give to each other on a regular basis. We are to help a person in need. Helping may simply holding a door or taking a meal to a neighbor. Helping and loving others could be offering to watch a person's children, teaching a Sunday School class, or offering to pay for a person's meal. Loving each other is leaving a bigger tip for a waiter or waitress. Loving others is to pray for others, to visit the elderly and care for children.

3. Jesus then taught us that all the other laws can be summed up in the first two.

Let me ask you...do you hold on to Jesus' teachings? I am striving to hold so tightly to Jesus' teaching that you will see the grip marks in the hands of my life.

Hebrews 10:23 records it this way: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Holding tightly, Don

Where my help comes from!

“A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 NIV