Christian's act like who You are

John 9:1-5

Most of us who have been raised in the Christian faith would take the position that Jesus tells the truth!  But if we look at just the United States GALLUP NEWS SERVICE out of Princeton, NJ -- About one-third of the American adult population believes the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally word for word. This percentage is slightly lower than several decades ago. The majority of those Americans who don't believe that the Bible is literally true believe that it is the inspired word of God but that not everything it in should be taken literally.   And if we look at those sitting in the pews around you on Sunday, we are told that 1 out of 10 does not believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. 
That data came with no surprise to me, but what does shock me is the number of people who take that position and yet will tell you, they do not believe Jesus is God but do believe He was of the highest morals, a good man and a great teacher.  That is dumb, in fact, that is just stupid!  Can you imagine anyone telling you the following: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”   And you take the stance; I do not believe you are God, but you sure are a great teacher?  You’re not that dumb, are you?  If you are one of ten who does not believe Jesus tells the truth, and yet for some social reasons you come sit in that pew, why do you do it?  And if you believe He is God, and that He lives in you, then why are you so shy about being what He calls you in your home, neighborhood and workplace?
This is what Jesus says about all who have by faith come to Him; “You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  If you are one of the nine sitting in the pews that believes God is big, and is able to keep His promises, that the Bible is the inspired word of God, act like who you are, let Jesus’ light shine.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

It is always a Choice

John 8:48-59

In the early days of my career I worked with a young man who had hatred for Jesus in his heart, and he told me one day that Jesus was responsible for ninety percent of the problems in this world.  When I told Joe that I believed Jesus was the Son of God and that I had placed my faith in Him for my eternal future, Joe’s reply was, if he is God, I would spit in his face.  In that I was just beginning my walk with Jesus, I dropped the subject and it never came up again.  But I do recall that in that exchange, Joe told me that the Bible never claims that Jesus was God.  Many years have passed and yet I recall that day in the parking lot of 3M BPSI offices on Padre Island drive, and my inability to show Joe how often Jesus claimed to be God.

One such account is John 8:48-59, where the Jews were claiming that Jesus was a Samaritan and had a demon, and this was his reply, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.  Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.  Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”  The Jews that heard Jesus said they were now sure that He was crazy or was being controlled by a demon, and they answered that Abraham died, as did the prophets, and Jesus replied; “If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.”  Unlike my exchange with Joe in the parking lot many years ago, the Jews knew who Abraham was, so they came back with this, “Are you greater than our father Abraham who died?  And the prophets died!  Who do you make yourself out to be?” (John 8:53)

“Who do you make yourself out to be?” This may be one of the best questions ever asked?  And Jesus’ reply in verses 54 – 56, is very powerful and in verse 56, Jesus put it all on the line, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day.  He saw it and was glad.”  Can you imagine the shock of hearing this, Jesus had taken off the table being a good moral teacher, He was nuttier than a fruitcake or was He God?  This was the reply of the Jews, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham”?  Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am.”

These Jews were fully aware that Jesus’ claim was “I Am” the name God told Moses to give the people if they ask who had sent him to free them, in Exodus 3:13-15.  So, it is now your choice, is Jesus a lunatic or is He the Son of God?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Who is your daddy?

John 8:37-46

Who is your daddy? It is famous for such call – and - response verses as "What's your name? (What's your name?) /Who's your daddy? (Who's your daddy?) / (He’s rich?) Is he rich like me?"  These lyrics are from "Time of the Season" a song by The Zombies, and featured on their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle. Who's your daddy? Is a slang expression used in the song to ask a rhetorical question? A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply.  ^(Note: the information is from Wikipedia.)   It might surprise you to read that over 2000 years ago Jesus Christ ask this question to a group of Jews who were following Him.

It all began in this way, Jesus tells the crowd the following; “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (John 8:31-32)  Now we understand that Jesus was referring to Himself as being the source of all truth, but the crowd did not grasp what He had stated.  This group of Jews could follow their roots back to Abraham and their claim was that they had never been enslaved to anyone.  It’s very clear they were offended by what Jesus was saying, so He raised the level of His discourse with this statement: “I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.  I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”  (Verses, 37-38)

“They answer him, “Abraham is our father.”  Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.  You are doing what your father did.” (Verses, 39-41)  What a comparison to the church of 2012, where many in the pews claim to be followers of Jesus, but show little or no effects of abiding in His word.  These Jewish people did not know the Father; and they went on to claim we have one Father – even God.  But much like many members of today’s church they do not pass the test in John 8:31,32, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  

Jesus may not have asked the question, “who's your daddy”?  But it is very clear that He is about to tell them who their daddy is, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here.  I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.  Why do you not understand what I say?  It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar and the father of lies.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice - http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Whose Prisoner are You?

John 8:31-37

What value do you put on your freedom?  In the United States we love freedom and people from all over the world are trying to come here because we are free to speak, to travel, to worship, to fail or to succeed.  We also are number one in many things, but did you know we are number one in the number of prisoners, 2,019,234.  Number two is China 1,549,000, and Russia with 845,967, India has 313,635, Brazil has 308,304, Thailand has 213,815, Ukraine has 198,386, South Africa has 181,944, Mexico has 172,888, and Iran has 163,526, and that is only the top ten.

It is reported that on a global basic there are 8,570,051 prisoners and yet many places like Cuba report no prisoners.  That number should trouble us that our society has that many law breakers, that many people who have given up their freedom because they chose to get their needs met outside of the laws of the land.  But Jesus tells us in John 8:34, “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”  We no longer use the word sin, it not in keeping with a progressive society, but we have renamed it with phrases like they messed up, or bad to the bone, or one of my favorite is by my friend Cory Munn, “that is just wrong.”

One of my teachers was Bill Gillham, and much of what I write has some of Bill hidden in them.  Bill had this to say about the word sin: “The power of sin is what its name implies, a power to entice you into sin. It dwells in you (Rom. 7:21), yet it is not you any more than a gold tooth that dwells in your mouth is you. Sin's goal is to deceive saints into living to get their needs (though good and godly) met by sinning rather than by using the Matthew 6:33 method; that is, "seeking Christ first."  If you are one of those who has removed sin from your vocabulary you may want to visit 2 Timothy 2:20-26, verse 26, is a wrap-up of the source of sin.  “And they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

Now the rest of the story, we do not have to be taken prisoner by sin, it is a choice, and Jesus tells us how to choose in John 8:31-32, “So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.  And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”   Amplified Bible 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Apathy & Ignorance is often a Choice

John 8:21-30

In the 1970’s I worked with a young man named Joe Williams, who often would say, “Apathy and Ignorance are two things that have no equal.”  Joe was using apathy to define a person who showed no interest in the subject or was just lazy.  If you add ignorance to that person you have someone who is unaware or lacks knowledge, and who is not willing to put any effort, mental or physical energy to achieve a purpose.  Often, such a person will tell you that his mind is made up, and not let you share any facts with him.  Have you encountered such a person, if so, will you agree that Joe was on the spot with his definition?

I have no doubt that many of the Pharisees fit into Joe’s definition, but not all of them, and we should never forget that others on the peripheral are watching and listening.  Picking up the story in verse 22, “So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, “Where I am going, you cannot come’?  This is where the story becomes our story, it is no longer Jesus just talking to the Pharisees, you and I are not in the peripheral in the story, in fact we are the focus of Jesus’ words.  These are the words that Jesus is speaking to all of us; “You are from below; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”  (John 8:23, 24)

As I reread verses 23&24, it became clear that you and I who have now read these words may be asking the same question as the Pharisees; “So they said to him, “Who are you?”  Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.  I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”  They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.  So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.  And he who sent me is with me.  He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”  As he was saying these things, many believed in him.”

You and I are part of the world Jesus refers to, so now the ball is in your court, do not be apathetic and ignorant, but look and examine the information; Jesus is Creator God, or he is at best a liar, and I’ve made my choice to place my trust, my life in Him as my Lord and my God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Absolute

John 8:12-20

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I was wondering if you consider the statement above an absolute?  It seems that Jesus had strong feelings about who He was, and His value to anyone who follows him.  The declaration of being the light of the world seems to come from someone with total power and authority, and who has unconditional ownership of that title.  If a person was going to make a statement that was that conclusive, what are the possibilities that somebody is going to want them to back up that statement with evidence of proof, and that is precisely what the Pharisees did to Jesus?

So who were the Pharisees; a group of very religious men who claimed that they   received the backing and goodwill of the common people, apparently in contrast to the more elite Sadducees. Pharisees claimed prophetic or Mosaic authority for their interpretation of Jewish law, while the Sadducees represented the authority of the priestly privileges and prerogatives established since the days of Solomon, when Zadok, their ancestor, officiated as High Priest. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia with my input)  Yes, the Pharisees saw themselves as set apart, and as the keepers of the Law of Moses, but they also were the ones who added laws to what Moses had given them.  These are the guys who confronted Jesus on His statement above.

Picking up the story in verse 13, “So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.  In your Law it is written that the testimony of two men is true.  I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”  (Verses 13-18)

Jesus tells that group of Pharisees, “for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.”  What a message you and I need today, why, because we live in a society with no understanding of where it has come from or where it is going.  The average person on the street has little or no understanding of our history or our Constitution and it seven articles and 26 amendments, and I’m including this writer in that group to some degree.  So if we are uneducated about the documents that allow us life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the freedom of speech, and worship, of travel, the freedom to fail or to succeed were the Pharisees that different from us? 

You see they like many of us had a strong belief system, but much like our politicians they believed the law were for their constituents but did not apply to them.  If they only knew Jesus then they would have know His Father!  One of Jesus disciples, Philip ask the very same question that these Pharisees ask of Jesus in John 14:8, “Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?  Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?  My dear reader, it hinges on this; do you believe Jesus tells the truth?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Breaking News - Jesus has not Condemed You

John 7:53-8:11

As I read these verses I wondered, what would it have been like walking with Jesus on planet earth in His physical body?  The people have gone home from the feast of Booths and it is the next morning and as it is His practice, Jesus gets up early and goes to the Mount of Olives to hang out with His Father.  It is still early morning and Jesus is back at the temple and the people come to Him and sit down and He teaches them. 

Now picking up the story in John 8:3-5, “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.  Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such woman.  So what do you say?”  Well what can He say, it’s in the Law and they have every right to kill her for her act of adultery, but it is not about the Law of Moses, and it is not about adultery, they are looking for an opportunity to bring charges against Jesus. It is reported that Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.  Verses 7-11 of John 8, gives this account; “And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” “And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.  But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”  She said, “No one, Lord.”  And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”  Did you see what happen to this woman who was caught in the act of adultery; her life was changed, she went from adultery to placing her faith in Jesus, that day He became her Lord.

Many who teach or preach on this wonder aloud, what did Jesus write, but I wonder what happen to the so-called listeners of Jesus, why did they leave?  Being good Jews who had come to temple early in the morning, many of them were there most of last week and would have been, you would think, followers of the Law of Moses, just like the scribes and Pharisees.  It’s important to understand that the crowd was listeners of Jesus, most had not put their trust in Him as Messiah, but they were believers in the Law of Moses.  There is a similarity to the church of today; church members, small groups members, listeners, but not trusting Jesus to do it all for you, to be your life.  Many read and even put to memory Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

Jesus had this to say about our tradition and His commandments, to a group of religious folks in Jerusalem in Matthew 15:7-9, “⁷You pretenders (hypocrites)! Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said:  These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me.  Uselessly do they worship Me, for they teach as doctrines the commands of men.^” (Amplified Bible)  Two thoughts come to mind, would I have been one of the pretenders in that group of listeners?  And are the words of Isaiah true about my life today?

From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice