John 8

Jesus is the Light

John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world…”

We live a dark world. It’s a world that has been corrupted by sin. All around are people searching for truth. They are looking for something to believe and give them hope and comfort. But because they are spiritually blind, they only go farther and farther into darkness. They become trapped in lifestyles of sin that become addictions to “all the unfruitful works of darkness.” (Ephesians 5:11)

But here, in John 8 Jesus reveals Himself as the light of the world (vs. 12). Jesus entered dark human history as the light [that] shines in the darkness. (John 1:5). Jesus is “the true light, which enlightens everyone” (John 1:9). Its a great illustration of what Jesus offers. We are walking and stumbling in darkness(sin) and Jesus offers us light so that we can see. Most people, when in a completely dark place, trying to get to a specific spot would love some light to see where they are going, but that is not the case when it comes to the darkness of sin.

John 3:19 tells us “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.“ Not everybody wants to let go of their sin. They hold on to it and cling to it. They have come to love their wickedness. But, to those who repent(turn from) their sin, Jesus promises light.

God had “called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9) so that you may become “children of light, children of the day… not of the night or of the darkness.” (1 Thess. 5:5). Jesus is the light and He has called you into light. Every part of your life has been called into the light. Don’t try and hold on to any part of darkness(sin) because Jesus will shed light on it and it will become visible to all (Ephesians 5:11).

Luke 24

He Is Risen

Luke 24:4-6a “While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. [5] And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? [6] He is not here, but has risen…”

How important do you think Jesus rising from the dead is? Is it even important at all? If you take away the resurrection of Jesus, do we lose anything? In Luke 24 we see Jesus risen and walking and talking with people. We see Him explaining scripture to the men on the road to Emmaus. And we see Him appearing to His disciples. But how important is all of this?

The resurrection of Jesus is essential to our salvation. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:17 “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” If Christ did not raise from the dead than the guilt of our sin is still on us and we are not children but enemies of God. That is a pretty big deal. That separates from God and keeps us from enjoying His promises and blessings. If Jesus is not raised from the dead He can not be our savior. But that is not the only thing.

If Jesus had not raised from the dead, he would be a liar and a lunatic. If He is not raised He does not eve deserve the title of “good moral leader” that even many non Christians give Him. Why do people who do not believe that Jesus raised from the dead still think He was a good leader? This fact is secondary to the first point but it is still worth mentioning. But there is good news.

Jesus is not dead, He is risen! Jesus is our savior(to those who believe) and He is not a liar or a lunatic. Jesus is God in human form. He lived a perfect life, died a death that we deserve, and rose again defeating death and the grave. Do you believe that? If we lose the resurrection, we lose everything. But He is risen, He is risen indeed!

Luke 18

Humble Thyself

Luke 18:14 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Have you ever met someone that only talks about themselves? It’s that person that always manages to bring themselves up no matter what the conversation is about. They always have to tell a better story and it usually starts like this “oh, thats nothing, one time I…” then they go on to tell their better story. That is the guy that Jesus is referring to in the parable in Luke 18:9-14.

In the parable(a story with a message) there are 2 characters; the pharisee and the tax collector. In those days a Pharisee(religious leader) had a very high place in society. They were usually very wealthy, they always dressed nice, and they were always given the best seats wherever they went. And so, the Pharisee in this story went to the temple to pray. His pray was super arrogant and rude. He thought that He was good enough for God and that his righteousness was more than his sinfulness.

The other character was the tax collector. Tax collectors were typically despised men because they would take more money from people than was required and they would keep what was left over. They were essentially stealing from people. So this tax collector went to the temple with a humble heart and God justified the tax collector but not the pharisee. Why is that?

The issue here is heart of these men. The Pharisee was proud and the tax collector humble. What does that tell us about God? He desires humble people. Psalm 51:17 says “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” The Psalmist is telling us that God will not ignore one that recognizes their need for Him. James 4:6 also says “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Which are you? Do you thank God that you are not as bad as other people? Or, do you recognize that you are a sinner and that you have been saved by grace? Humble yourself before God and He will lift you up!

Guys Overnighter

Mark 12

Sacrificial Giving

Mark 12:44 “For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Every week at church, at some point during the service we are passed an offering bag for us to put our hard earned money in. Why do we do this? Why do we give to the church? Does God really need our money? These are valid questions and the Bible gives clear answers. Back in Leviticus 27:30 we are told that a tenth of all the land and all that the land produces(including income) are the Lord’s. This does not tell us to give 10% of our money but 10% of what is already God’s.

A problem that many Christians have today when it comes to giving is that they view the money that they have as theirs. James 1:17 says “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Everything that we have is from God. We are not owners of what we have, we are stewards. Though the bank account has your name on it, it is the Lord’s money; all of it! And all He asks for in return is that we give a percentage of it.

In this account of Jesus life, the poor woman was demonstrating more faith than any of the rich people before her. By putting in all that she had, she was trusting that God would take care of her needs. God does not need our money, like He did not need to pennies that the poor woman gave, but He does want us to trust in Him and not in our money. Who are you putting your faith in? Jesus or money? Who do you trust more?

Jesus has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised to take care of our needs. Do you believe that? We can trust Jesus in all areas of life, including finances. He will take care of us. You are not an owner but a steward of your money. Give back to the Lord what is already His and He will bless you!

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