I Once Was Blind

In Psalm 119:18 the psalmist prays, "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law."  It seems that God has been in the business of opening eyes for a long time.  He opened the eyes of the psalmist, He opened the eyes of the "man born blind" of John chapter nine, and He opens the eyes of a sinner who comes to faith in Jesus Christ.  Has he opened your eyes?  I pray that He has, but if He hasn't, I can assure you, He is willing to! 

Sermon on John 9

Jesus is the light of the world!

In John chapter eight Jesus declares that he is the light of the world, and that those who believe in Him will not walk in darkness.  This does not mean that we are perfect, but rather, that we confess our imperfections, our sins, and come to the Lord to receive grace and mercy.  We stand in the grace of God, and without it, we are hopelessly lost.  Jesus didn't come to condemn us, but to save us, and having been saved by His grace, it is the desire of the true believer to walk in a manner that is pleasing to God.  For more on this topic, click the link below, and listen in on this past Sunday's sermon from Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro, in Burleson, Tx.  If you like what you hear, consider joining us this Sunday, as we continue our study in John chapter eight!

Blessings,

Pastor Ken

God is Light

“Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”

Sometimes we can become so focused on the first half of this statement of Jesus, that we forget the second.  Jesus did not condemn the woman who was caught in adultery.  She had been caught red handed, dragged into the public arena, shamed before the crowds, and set before Jesus for judgement.  When the Pharisees pointed out that the Law of Moses condemned her to death, asking Jesus what He thought should be done with her, they figured they had Jesus trapped for sure!  If he condemned her, the people would likely turn against him, and He would be in trouble with the Romans who had forbidden the Jews to practice capital punishment, but had he not condemned her they could accuse Him of contradicting the Law of Moses.  This was a “no win scenario” for Jesus…or so they thought.

Jesus, writing on the ground, ignored them at first; but, when they persisted to ask Him, He rose up and said that the one among them who was without sin should cast the first stone, thereby neither condemning nor excusing her, and proceeded to go back to His writing upon the ground.  Now, we do not know for sure what Jesus was writing, but we are told that the Pharisees became convicted of their sins and left “beginning with the oldest.”  It seems likely that this conviction over their sins was in response to whatever it was that Jesus was writing.  Was it the law?  Was it their names with particular sins scribbled alongside?  Who is to say?  We don’t really know.  What we do know is that not one of them condemned her. 

After they had left, Jesus looked up, and seeing them gone asked the woman if none had condemned her.  She replied, “no one sir.”  Jesus replied, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.”    We should be reminded by this statement of John 3:17 which declares that “…God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (ISV).  What an amazing blessing it is that God does not deal with us according to our sins, but that He stands ready to forgive if only we will trust in Him! 

It is imperative however, that we also acknowledge the second part of the Lord’s statement.  He has forgiven this woman for her sin; yes, He has forgiven her, but by no means is this grace to be interpreted as a license to sin.  The forgiveness that God offers may be free to us, but it came at a very high price for Him.  It cost Him the life of His beloved Son, the only begotten of the Father.  Jesus bled, and died, to secure our salvation, and in the light of that our attitude toward sin should never be cavalier.   As believers, we are called to “walk worthy” of the calling of God in our lives.  Here are a few examples:

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Ephesians 4:1-3

“For this reason we…do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, bully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” 
Colossians 1:9-14.

“You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you , as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”  I Thessalonians 2:10-12. 

If it is our desire to “walk worthy” of the calling that God has placed upon our lives through faith in Jesus Christ, then clearly our goal should be to “go and sin no more.”  Now, even as believers, we are prone to sin, and to expect that we will never fail is unrealistic of us to be sure.  Thank God that He promises to forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness when we confess them to Him, but it should be the desire of our heart to walk free from sin, or, more as Paul says it in II Timothy 2:22 we should, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”  This should be our goal, remembering always that the Lord has not given us the liberty to sin, but that He has given us liberty from sin.  So let’s thank Him today for His mercy and grace, and then purpose in our hearts to live a life that is pleasing to Him, endeavoring to walk free from sin, and follow faithfully the one who has gone before us, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

For an audio teaching John 8:1-11 click on the link below to visit the web site of Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro, in Burleson, Tx.  

Who are you who judges?

He Gives Us Himself

Chapters 6 and 7 of John present Jesus as "The Bread of Life" and "The Giver of Rivers of Living Water."  He is the bread that has come down from Heaven, the bread that truly satisfies, and He is the one who declares, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

The bread that Jesus offered was His own body, broken for our sins, and the living water that He promises will flow from the hearts of those who believe and come thirsting, is the indwelling, overflowing Holy Spirit!  He gives us Himself!  He gives us Himself, to satisfy our hunger for righteousness, and He gives us His Holy Spirit, to satisfy our spiritual thirst for communion with Him.  What more could we ever ask for?

If you would like to hear more on these chapters, click the links below and listen in on the past two weeks sermons in the Gospel of John at Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro, in Burleson, Texas.

I am the bread of life. Chapter 6

Rivers of living water. Chapter 7

Jesus Truly Satisfies

In John chapter 6 we find Jesus and His disciples engaged in ministry beyond their physical means.  A crowd has gathered that numbers 5,000 men, and more, if you count the women and children.  They are in a desert place, and there is nowhere to get food.  The crowds will soon grow hungry, and the disciples have been tasked by their master to provide food for the multitude.  What are they to do?

"Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every on of them may have a little."  declares Philip.

"There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  offers Andrew.

The disciples are very well aware of the fact that the resources which they have available are not sufficient to meet the need that is being presented, and to tell you the truth, that isn't a bad thing.  The word tells us that His strength is made perfect in weakness according to II Corinthians 12:9.  The disciples recognized that material resources would not be enough to meet the need at hand.

Recognizing our own limitations is never a bad thing, when that recognition leads us to a greater dependence upon Jesus Christ.  The fact is, Jesus already knew what He was going to do.  He made the people sit down, took the limited resources that were available, blessed it, broke it, and distributing it to the people through His disciples, Jesus made it enough.  In fact, he made it MORE than enough.  When they gathered up the left overs, there were 12 baskets full of bread, which was a whole lot more than they had started with in the first place.

The things that the Lord asks His followers (us) to do, are often beyond the scope of their natural means.  It is only when we rely on the supernatural provision that comes only from the Lord, that we will be able to accomplish the fullness of what He intends for us to do.  So when the task at hand seems overwhelming, commit your limited resources to the Lord, and trust that according to His awesome power, he will make it more than sufficient for what He has called you to do.

For more thoughts on John chapters 5 and 6, click on the links below and enjoy the weekly messages from Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro in Burleson, Tx.

Do you want to be made well?

He will be with you in the storm.

John, Chapter 4

Continuing our study through the Gospel of John brings us to the fourth chapter, in which Jesus keeps a divine appointment with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well, instructs his disciples to pray that the lord of the harvest send workers into the field for the harvest is ready, ministers to an entire village of Samaritans who come to believe that He is the Messiah, and heals a nobleman's son from 20 miles away just by the power of His words.

From the first sign that Jesus performed we learned that salvation is through the Word, and from the sign of this miraculous healing we learn that Salvation is by faith!  Want to know more?  Listen in to the last couple weeks sermons by clicking on the lings below.

An Encounter With the Messiah

The Connection of Faith

According to John chapter 3, what are three things that "MUST" take place?  To find the answer, either read the chapter, or listen to this weeks sermon from Calvary Chapel Southwest Metro.
This weeks message from John 3