“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
There is a lot to write about in this text, but for this article I want to put the focus on the main person in the text – Jesus. The advice is to look to Jesus, and He will enable us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” The NIV translates it: “Fix your eyes on Jesus…” Our spiritual problems multiply when we take our eyes off of Jesus. Simon Peter illustrated this for us when he was walking on water to go to Jesus and put his eyes on the wind and waves and took them off of Jesus. The text tells us why it is so important to look unto, or fix our eyes on Jesus. We should look unto Jesus before anyone or anything else because He is the “author” of our faith. The NIV translates it as He is the “founder” of our faith. Both words mean that the Christian faith came into being because Jesus gave up His heavenly home and came to earth to live a perfect life and die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. The philosopher would say that Jesus is the “prime mover,” because without Him there would not be a Christian faith. Jesus’ coming into the world was prophesied for hundreds of years before He was born in Bethlehem. The writers of the four gospels make it plain that Jesus came as the fulfillment of hundreds of years of prophecy. He was the long-expected Messiah. Revelation 13:8 puts this great truth in perspective for us: “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The Messiah was not an accident of history, but his ministry had been planned from the beginning, or even before the beginning of the world. The coming of Christ into the world was profoundly planned before one star was ever put into place. We should look unto Jesus first because He is the “finisher” of our faith. The NIV translates this as “perfecter” of our faith. Jesus not only began our faith, He finished it as well. Just before Jesus died, He uttered what in the Greek language is one word: “tetelestai.” This word means “it is finished” or we could say that it means that God’s plan of salvation from the foundation of the world was now complete. God’s plan of salvation that will draw Jews and Gentiles into the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus Christ has been perfected. Indeed, it is a perfect plan, because it comes from a perfect, infallible God. We frequently read in John’s gospel where “the hour had not come” for Jesus. The “hour” means that each step of Jesus on this earth was controlled by God’s eternal plan. When the time was right, Jesus finished God’s plan of salvation. This is stated succinctly in Galatians 4:4-5: “When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” We should look unto Jesus first because He joyfully surrendered Himself to be crucified for us. Specifically, the author wrote: “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Father.” He joyfully died in order for us to be saved and is now at the “right hand of the Father,” where He “ever lives to make intercession for us.” Wow! What a Savior we have. No wonder, we are to look to Him before we look to anyone else. He is our source of salvation; therefore, He is the source of eternal life in heaven. Let’s look to Jesus and thank HIM for all that He means to us. Amen Bro. Joe
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(This is the first of three articles on John 14:6.)
“Jesus said unto (Thomas) I am the way, the truth and the life: no one comes to the Father but by me. What did Jesus mean when He said “I am the way”? He meant that He is the way out. Jesus is the way out of what? For one thing, He is the way out of the wilderness of sin. We need to be aware that sin is the human problem. It began with Adam and Eve, continues until today and will continue until Jesus brings an end to all of it. No one could overcome sin until Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. By His blood we are forgiven and cleansed from sin. I have also discovered that Jesus is the way out of emptiness. Many people are living empty lives today, and they do not know how to live a full life. They try everything that the world offers that they know about and still come up empty. This reminds me of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. He tried everything under the sun to find fulfillment in life and still came up empty. Jesus said: “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” A full, abundant life is possible through faith in Jesus. He meant that He is the way through. Jesus is the way through the troubles of life. What do people who do not know Jesus as Savior do when they confront the many troubles that life can bring on them? This is why many people try drugs, alcohol, sex and a number of other destructive things to at least forget their troubles. Many try to make it by being religious. Falling back on religion is like putting paint on a decaying building. There is a vast difference between practicing religion and putting faith in Jesus Christ. Christians can get through the troubles of life by trusting Jesus to get them through. Jesus gives us “Peace that passes understanding.” I have also found that Jesus is the way through grief. The loss of a loved one is one of the worst things that can happen to us. When my daddy died in 1969, the first thing I thought of when I had to confront the reality of his death was what Jesus said to Martha when her brother Lazarus died: “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Jesus led me through it. What do people do at times like these if they do not have a relationship with Jesus? He meant that He is the way in. He is the way into salvation. Jesus said: “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is the only door to salvation. Jesus said: “No one comes to the Father except through me…” This is a hard fact for people to grasp today. In fact, if you say this in some company, they will tell you that you are a narrow-minded bigot. But all we have to go by here is what Jesus said. Either what He said is true, or the whole thing is untrue. One cannot have it both ways. Jesus is also the way into eternal life. This is the ultimate meaning of salvation. John wrote in John 5:11-13: “And this is the record that God hath given us eternal life; and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of Go; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Jesus’ message is clear: We receive eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ. A lot more could be written on this subject, but what has been written should suffice to show you that Jesus is, indeed, the way. I hope that you know Jesus as the way for your life. If you do, I hope that you tell others about what Jesus has done for you. Bro. Joe “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but you see me: because I live, you shall live also.”
There are a lot of important doctrines in the Christian faith, but one stands out above all of the others, and that is that Jesus is alive and at work in the world. Everything else hangs on that. If Jesus had remained in the tomb, there would be no Christians and there would be no Christian churches. If you are reading this, you probably agree with me that Jesus is alive and well, living in us and among us. Is Jesus alive in you? If He is, is He should be alive in all areas of your life? Jesus is the Lord of all of our lives. There is no part of our lives that Jesus is not alive in. The question is do we live our lives with this fact in mind? Is Jesus alive in your recreation? When you do things for fun, do you consider that Jesus is a part of it? We can’t compartmentalize Jesus and make Him a part of our religious life, but not a part of our daily life. I’m afraid that a lot of people do this, and we all will if we are not careful. Sometimes we look at it like this: There is a time for Jesus and a time for fun. It all depends on what you count as fun. If Jesus can’t be a part of it, should we be doing it? Think about it! It is not my intention to make you feel guilty about what you do for fun; it is my intention to make you think about whether Jesus is really alive in that area of your life. The question is not whether Jesus is alive; the question is whether or not Jesus' living reality is present in fun times. Is Jesus alive in your family life? I don’t mean do you ask the blessing before meals, or even have family devotions. What I mean is does the living Savior figure into your plans for you and your family? For example, are you seeking to do His will in your life? When your children are talking to you about what they want to do in life, do you try to see that they know that the living Savior has something to do with what they want in life? I think that too many families, even Christian families, send their offspring off to college without grounding them in the faith and the reality of Christ in their lives. This is why we lose so many young people when they go off to school. They are not ready for what they are going to meet in classrooms and dormitories. I was twenty-one years old when I started college, and I had to deal with things that I heard from professors that I held in high esteem. I just had to remember that no one should be held in higher esteem in my life than the living Savior. Is Jesus alive in your church life? You are probably thinking that this is a no-brainer. “Of course, Jesus is alive in my church life – it is, after all church.” If this is true, why are there so many fellowship problems in churches? I’ve worked with churches for a long time, and I know that a lot of things that happen at church do not show the world that Jesus is alive and well. Ask yourself this question: If everyone in your church was like you, what kind of church would it be? Would people be devoted to serving the Lord in whatever capacity He wanted them to serve? Would people use their spiritual gifts to carry out the work of the church? Would people be involved in getting people to the living Savior and getting them into the fellowship of the church? Would people be willing to cooperate with the church’s decisions whether they agree with them or not? These, and lot of other questions, need to be asked of ourselves when we consider that Jesus is alive in our lives. I think by now that you have an idea of what I’m trying to communicate. I’m not just preaching down to you about this, for I have to deal with these things in my life just as you do. Jesus is alive and well and at work in the world. Are we joining Him in what He wants to do in the world through how we live our lives? Bro. Joe “Seeing that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the profession of our faith. 15. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
The high priest was an important person in Judaism. For example, The high priest entered the Holy of Holies each year to make atonement for the people. Since Jesus came, we do not need a human high priest, but we do have a great High Priest – Jesus Himself. One of our main teachings is “the priesthood of the believer.” The idea of this teaching is that every Christian is his or her own priest. This teaching is true, because Jesus is our High Priest. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies from believers was torn in two. At that moment, Jesus became the only high priest that we will ever need. The first important fact revealed here is that Jesus “is passed into the heavens.” When Jesus ascended to heaven, He ascended to the real Holy of Holies, not the material one. This truth is profoundly illustrated in Hebrews 9:24-26: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true: but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. 25. Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with the blood of others. 26. For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Wow! Our High Priest does not minister in an earthly sanctuary, but in the sanctuary of heaven itself. If Jesus had not passed into the heavens, He could not be our Great High Priest. The second important fact revealed here is that because of what Jesus has done, we should “hold fast the profession of our faith.” This means that we should stay faithful to Jesus, who died for our sins, arose for our justification and ascended for, among other things, our access to the throne of God. Satan is always trying to call our attention away from our dedication to Jesus. He will use anything to get us not to “hold fast.” To show you how far Satan will go, he will even use the natural love for our families to call us away from our dedication to Jesus. When we are tempted we need to remember all that Jesus has done for us. The third important fact revealed here is that Jesus paid a high price to become our High Priest. Verse 15 assures us: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” In His love and concern for us, Jesus experienced every temptation that we have to face, but, unlike us, He never sinned. He did this in order for Him to be able to die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Besides that, we have a high priest who understands what we go through in our daily temptations. He can “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Jesus knows what we are going through and, because of who He is, goes through it all with us. He is the One who gives us the power to overcome the temptations and the trials of this life. It is good to know that He understands. The bottom line here is that because of our Great High Priest, we can “therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and the grace to help in time of need.” That is a deal that should not be denied. Bro. Joe “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee, and we are informed in 4:4: “And He must needs go through Samaria.” In other words, Jesus had to go through Samaria. In His infinite mind, Jesus knew that He had an appointment with a sinful woman there, and that a whole town needed Him. Jesus met the woman at Jacob's Well, where she had come to draw water and talked with her. She was a sinful woman who had been married five times and was living with a man out of wedlock at that time. Jesus told this sinful woman that He was/is the Messiah. That’s when she went into the town and told the town’s people about Jesus, and they went out to meet Him and accepted His message as well. (You can read the whole story in John 4.) This is an incident in the New Testament where Jesus changed a desperate woman’s life, and the lives of the people in the town in which she lived. How was she changed? First, before Jesus came into her life the woman was friendless. Women usually went to the well to get water together, but she was there by herself. Since she was a sinful woman, the other women in town wouldn’t have anything to do with her. I like to think that after she told the people about Jesus, she found a new acceptance in that town. The Bible doesn’t follow up on her life, but I believe that she was a changed woman after that encounter with Jesus, and because of Jesus she found a new acceptance among her neighbors. At least they listened to her when she told them about Jesus, and they went out to meet Him and also accepted Him as Messiah. Most importantly, the woman was, no doubt, able to accept herself because of her changed life. Jesus knew this woman’s predicament, and He acted to change her life. After Jesus came to town, the woman had a new fellowship with her neighbors. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus’ acceptance of sinners. Jesus promised that He would accept all who came to Him in faith. This woman was not too sinful to be saved, nor is anyone else if they will just come to Jesus in faith. Second, before Jesus came into her life, the woman was hopeless. Not only was she an outcast in her own community, she was lost in sin, which was reflected in her lifestyle. I imagine to the people who knew her, this woman was hopeless. I think that she probably thought she was hopeless too, and she was until she encountered Jesus at the well. She was given a new lease on life that was filled with the hope of Jesus. We need to understand that no one is really hopeless where Jesus is concerned, and if they have an encounter with Jesus they will be filled with hope. Jesus came to bring hope into a seemingly hopeless world. All over the world, people are accepting Jesus as Savior. Many of them are accepting His hope in spite of the threats on their lives. There is nothing greater than the hope that we have in Jesus. This woman shows us that people can be saved and enter into the hope of Jesus, regardless of what they have done in the past. To get a clearer picture of what I have written, I would like for you to read the fourth chapter of John’s gospel. It might be that there is something in your life that an encounter with Jesus can help you with and give you a renewed hope. It can also help us see that the people we know who seem hopelessly lost can encounter Jesus as well. Like the woman in the text, it might be that we could lead someone to an encounter with Jesus. Read this chapter and think about your own life. Bro. Joe “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me…”
“What is truth?” was a question asked by Pilate when Jesus was on trial before him, and it is a question many people are asking today. Well, what does Jesus mean when He says: “I am the truth”? The more I think about it, the more I realize that there is no way to plumb the depths of this theme. I concluded that Jesus is the truth about all truth. All real truth was/is embodied in Jesus. Let me share three things that we know for sure that Jesus is the truth about. We know that Jesus is the truth about God. Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation of Himself. Hebrews 12:1-2 reveals this to us: “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom He made the worlds.” Jesus, God in the flesh, reveals to us what God is like. For example, Jesus reveals that God is the God of love. No one ever loved like Jesus. He loved all people and consorted with all sorts of people – rich and poor alike. He was criticized by the self-righteous Pharisees for consorting with “tax collectors and sinners.” Why did He do it? Because He loved, and still loves, people. Jesus is the proof that John 3:16 is correct: “For God so loved the world…” How much? “That He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Another example is that Jesus reveals that God hates sin. Two incidents prove this. First, the cleansing of the temple proves it. The dishonest transactions that took place there raised Jesus’ ire. What people were doing in the temple was sin. Jesus did not hate the people in the temple, for He would die on the cross for them too, but He sure hated what they were doing, and He cleaned the place out. Jesus revealed the wrath of God against sin by what He did. Second, Jesus showed that He hated, and still hates, the sin of self-righteousness by pronouncing woes against the scribes and Pharisees. We can also believe that Jesus is the truth about hope. The world is always looking for hope. Many dictators have led people astray by promising a hope that they could not produce. Many of our own politicians have done the same. Real, lasting hope is not found in anything in this world. I am speaking for myself when I say that without Jesus despair would be inevitable. I believe that I am speaking for you and all other people as well. There is so much hopelessness and despair in the world today, because, for the most part, people are ignoring Jesus and pursuing their hope in some other way. Some even place their hope in the belief that there is no God. There are people all around us who do not want to hear about Jesus, who could bring an end to their despair. Jesus gives us hope for this life. Though this life is fleeting, it is not unimportant. Jesus wants us to live in hope while we are here. All of us could give different ways that Jesus has made a difference in our lives, and of the hope that He gives us each day. Can you imagine living one day without the hope of Jesus? Furthermore, Jesus gives us hope for the life to come. Jesus is mankind’s hope for life after death. The only thing that awaits those without Jesus is hell. Among other things, hell is a place of despair. Read Luke 16:19-31 about the rich man and Lazarus and see what a place of despair it is. If you have read it, aren’t you glad that you heeded Jesus when He told you that He was preparing a place for you? Think of it, we will be with Jesus forever. That is something to look forward to and something to place our faith and hope in. As mentioned earlier, I know that we have not plumbed the depths of Jesus as “the truth,” but we have seen two important things that we need to share with people'. The world needs this message we should claim it and share it.. Bro. Joe “And it came to pass that, while they communed together, and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them.”
If you are at all acquainted with the New Testament, you probably guessed from the title what this article is about. After His resurrection, Jesus encountered two of His followers on the road to Emmaus, and they communed, or walked and talked with Him. They were not aware who Jesus was until they had eaten a meal with Him. Then we are told that their eyes were opened and they knew who He was. (You can read the whole story in Luke 24:13-35) Their walk with Jesus can tell us what it means to “take a walk with Jesus.” When we take a walk with Jesus, we have a new level of biblical knowledge. While they were on the road, Jesus explained the Old Testament scriptures concerning Himself. Verse 27: "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.” If we want to understand the Bible, and understand the ministry of Jesus, we need to spend time with Him in His word. He promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth, but that guidance will not take place if we are not in close fellowship with Jesus. Jesus wants us to know His word, and He wants to teach it to us through the Spirit. We cannot separate our fellowship with Jesus, from reading, studying and digesting His word. When we take a walk with Jesus, we have a new level of spiritual fervor. We learn this from what the men said after Jesus expounded the scriptures concerning Himself to them and after they recognized Him: “And they said to one another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures.” I have often wished as I read this that I could have had Bible study with Jesus while He was still on earth. Imagine the thrill in the hearts of these men when they realized that God Incarnate Himself had explained His mission from His scriptures. If we do not spend time in fellowship with Jesus in prayer and Bible study, we will not know the meaning of having “our hearts burn within us.” Too many people are spiritually dead because they spend more time reading things other than the Bible. They wonder why they don’t have spiritual victory. It is because they have not taken a walk with Jesus – so to speak. I can think back on periods in my ministry sojourn over the last sixty years, and remember that I was not spiritually “burning” because I was neglecting walking with Jesus through prayer and His word. There, you have my confession, now make yours and draw closer to Him. When we take a walk with Jesus, we have an obligation to tell others what we have experienced. In fact, people will know that you have walked with Jesus, and will want to know about it because it will make a difference in your life. Verses 33-35 tell us: “And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34. Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon. 35. And they told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in breaking of bread.” They were quick to tell about their walk with Jesus. When we walk with Jesus, there will always be a compulsion to tell others about Him. When you read this, consider your own walk with Jesus and walk with Him. It will change and enrich your life! Bro. Joe “And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look thereon. 5. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
The context of Revelation 5:4-6 is the occasion of the opening of the seven seals. John was shown a book, or a scroll, that was sealed with seven seals. He wanted to see what was in it, but no one was able to open it. Then one of the twelve elders told him who could open the scroll. “The lion of the tribe of Judah,” is a designation for Jesus Christ, who was born into the family of David. But when the Lion came to open the book and to break open the seals, he had become “a Lamb as it had been slain.” This is what I want to settle on in this article: Jesus, described as “the lion of the tribe of Judah,” was then described as “a lamb as it had been slain.” This is an interesting depiction of Jesus. He is, indeed,“the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” but thank God, He is also a slain lamb. The Bible describes Jesus as the “Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.” He was/is the mighty Messiah, who came to earth, born of a virgin and lived a perfect life. Jesus showed throughout His ministry that he had power over death, disease and nature. He raised dead people to life, healed people of all sorts of illnesses, and walked on water. When Jesus spoke, most people listened and marveled because “He spoke as one who has authority.” In many ways in His life on earth, Jesus revealed Himself as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” While Jesus lived His whole life in humble service, He became the “lamb slain” when He surrendered Himself to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. Paul wrote about Him: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul wrote: “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” It was all-important for us that the Lion become a Lamb, for he had to die as a sacrificial lamb in order for us to be saved. If we have any righteousness, it is righteousness imputed, given to us, by Christ. It is important for you to see that the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” became “a Lamb as it had been slain” for you. It is a personal thing. We come to the One who humbly gave His life on the cross to save us from sin and discover that He is also the Lion who brings His power into our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the way God does things. Jesus did not become our savior just because He was “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” but because He was the “Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.” In seeming weakness, God showed His great strength. If you do not know Him as your savior, receive Him by faith today. If you do know Jesus as your Savior, come to a greater appreciation of what Jesus has done for you by saving you and working in your life to make it more abundant. Thank Him today for who and what He is in your life. Be grateful that the lion became a lamb. Bro. Joe He (Jesus) was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. 11. He came unto His own, and the world knew Him not. 12. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name.”
This is one of those texts that we read, and the power and majesty might escape us. I want to attempt to bring out the majesty and power of it in this article. The majesty of it was that Jesus, the Son of God, was in the world. In the first three verses of his gospel, John points out who this person is: He is the eternal Son of God who came into the world to save the world from its greatest problem - sin. Look around you and you see the harvest of sin in the world. We might even look into our own hearts and lives and see how sinister and destructive sin is. Jesus was in the world, and is still at work in the world, for the same purpose of saving people from sin. Don’t let this go over your head. Grasp it and see the majesty of it. The tragedy was, and is, that “the world knew Him not…” The world that Jesus created rejected Him. How sad these words are: “knew Him not.” This is still true. Most people do not see the majesty because they are blinded to what sin is doing to their lives. Many, maybe most, of them are not what we would call “bad” people. They just do not see a need for the One who came into the world to save them. You might be one of those people. Do not reject the One who can give you eternal life. You need to be able to say that He who was in the world, is in my life. Which brings us to the power: “But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons (or children) of God.” How? The answer is: “Even to them that believe on His Name.” Trust Jesus today, and He will give you the power, the right, the authority, to become a child of God. If you are a believer, thank and worship Jesus, and thank Him that He saved you from your sins. I hope and pray that I have shone the light of Jesus on this text, and that you will rejoice that it is still true, that by believing in Jesus, people can become children of God. Bro. Joe “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. 19. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how much He has had mercy on you. 20. So the man went away and began to tell in Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”
I am assuming that you know something about the incident that took place between Jesus and the Gadarene demoniac. I will share a little background that led up to the three verses of our text. Jesus was in a place called Gadara, where He saw a man literally running around necked among the tombs. He was possessed by at least one-thousand demons. Obviously the man was a social outcast. In fact, he was dangerous. The gist of the incident is that Jesus cast the demons out of the man and he was immediately sane. This incident tells us some things about Jesus that we need to know Jesus saw the man and immediately went to him in order to help him. Keep in mind that everyone else passed by the demon-possessed man . Let’s not be too hard on them, because the man was dangerous. The point is that the man whom everyone else shunned, ignored or simply ran away from was loved by Jesus, and Jesus did something to change him. This is how Jesus was in His earthly life, and this is how He is today as He reaches out to us from the right hand of the throne of the Father. Jesus is intensely interested in every aspect of our lives, and He will not pass by us. When we reach out to Jesus, we find Him reaching out to us. When we call out to Jesus, we find that He is ready to hear us and to help us. We are His representatives on earth, and we are to love people as He did. We need to love the “down and out” as much as we do the “up and in.” Through Faith in Jesus, we can have a lot of good things happen in our lives, and through that same faith, we can help other people to have good things happen in their lives. I’m not suggesting that you go out looking demoniacs, I am telling you to love people enough to reach out to them with your faith and love. Jesus knew what the man’s problem was before He encountered him. He did not go to the tombs by accident. In the first place, a naked man running around among the tombs would be well-known. That is not to say that the man was popular, but he would have inevitably been well-known. In fact, if you will read the text, you will find the demons that possessed the man knew who Jesus was. They knew what Jesus could do and begged Jesus not to send them into the abyss (the pit of hell) but into the pigs that were nearby. The point is that the problem that the man had was demon-possession and Jesus rid him of the demons. Jesus will do the same in our lives. Whatever our besetting sins and problems are, Jesus knows about them and He can rid of us them. We must want to be as tired of our besetting sins as much as the demoniac must have wanted to get rid of the demons. We do not have one problem, whether caused by sin or not, that Jesus does not know about and that He cannot help is with. We need to surrender to Jesus and reach out to Him in faith. Jesus did not heal the man of his demons and then just walk off and leave him. Instead, Jesus gave the man a challenge. The demoniac wanted to become a follower of Jesus, but Jesus had another plan for his life. Jesus told him to go home and tell the people who had known him as a demoniac about what Jesus had done for him. He did this and the people were in wonder over what Jesus did for the man. Just as Jesus did for the demoniac, He will do for us. He will give us a greater purpose than we have ever known. He wants us to go out and tell people about what He has done for us. It is quite possible that people will be in wonder over what Jesus has done for you. Keep this in mind: Jesus has a purpose for your life. Put your faith in Jesus, release yourself to His will, and see what He will use you to do. The same Jesus that we saw in this text is alive and at work today. I pray that Jesus is alive and at work in your life. Bro. Joe |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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