Over the course of lent, I purposely used multiple teachers, leaders, and artists to lead us on a journey - being emptied of self and filled with the Person, Spirit, Truth of Jesus - to recognize more deeply the heart and intentions of Jesus and
Each voice, each heart, reflected, personally, a unique, distinct view of Jesus and His word, a facet of His heart as reflected by the one commissioned with their task
Skitch, aka Alex - do you know, have you heard
Aaron - it is not enough to know, but to understand, here is the meaning…
Alex - be quiet, be present, move slowly, hear His whisper and the whisper of the heart before you…
Jeff - our Father wants to hear you, He wants to bless, He wants to respond – come, pray in the name of Jesus
Jason – remain in me and I will remain in you: so remain, abide, speak, yes, but even more, listen - remain in me, my words, says Jesus – you will bear much fruit
Rachel - we are on a journey, there is a river that flows through us, on which we are being led… new life in Christ, Jesus
Anita - see, touch, feel and know, more - “10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead”
Matt - lifting Jesus high, that we might see and believe - as the work that God requires is that we believe in the one that He sent
Wednesday night fellowship – and the sharing of Jesus impact on our lives…
And what’s to come…
John 3:11- We speak of… and yet… who has believed our message?
Isaiah 53:1; John 12:38 “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Like a Son, looking to His Father, bewildered at what He sees, so the suffering servant would be grieved for at the lack of belief, the lack of faith among His own and wept over Jerusalem (Mat 23:37-39; Luke 19:41), yet equally astonished, amazed, at the faith of a gentile… (Matt 8:10; Lu 7:9)
John 1:11 - He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
John 3:11 - Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
John12:38/Isaiah 53:1 - “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Not as expected, not understood, but to those who would see and hear and believe and receive - He enters in, in peace, granting the right to become children of God to all who would believe
John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—born of God.
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!”
They did not understand… See, He comes on a donkey, a foal, entering into the city, the hearts of those who would receive - peace, He comes in peace: John 12:12-15; Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44
Parable of the soils - receives with joy, but, the cares of this world choke it out
The soil that is ready…
These are the ones who have believed the message - that God so loved the world that He would send His one and only Son…
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:17)
I have told you these things so that you will have peace (Jo 15:25), I go to the Father, but I will come back for you - Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. (Jo 14:12,17,28; 16:10,17,22)
In the meantime, I will not leave you as orphans, but will send the Spirit who will guide you into all truth… (Jo 14:18; 16:13) because In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, be at peace, for I have overcome this world… (Jo 16:33)
So, remain in my love as I have remained in my Father’s love - do that by abiding in me, with my Father, by the Spirit of truth and my words. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (Jo 15:7-11)
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John 17: The hope of oneness with God and one another
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you e known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
The prequel to the upper room: John 12:12-19
Where have we been, where are we going?
John 12-13
one last presentation to Judas of the kingdom’s heart - humility, servitude, love of God, and God’s Son - here is the bread, go, do quickly what you must do
Jesus shows the extent of His love - washing the feet of the disciples - even Judas, the offer of grace to all, even if they remain hard and reject
Jesus is present with His disciples - engaging each one, expressing His love
John 14 - the rest who remain, are clean, and having been cleansed by God’s word, their hearts being purified and shown as faithful to Jesus, Jesus goes on to express to them the Father’s intentions
It is to those who remain faithful, who are here, that will receive the Holy Spirit - the peace of Christ
John 15 - as you are in my love, Jesus says, abiding in Jesus, kept - tended to, care for, pruned by the Father, to maximize fruitfulness, remain in my love - abiding in Jesus and His word, His commands, His love - abiding in
Jesus - person, character, and nature - love and loving truth expressed in mercy and grace
Striding with the Spirit - which is the nature of God in us(Galatians 5)
Remain in Jesus - His word
Walk in/by/with/under the influence of the Spirit by that word
John 16 - you are filled with grief, but you will see me, and then your grief will be turned to joy, and that joy, a joy that cannot be taken away - there is so much I would love to tell you, but you can not bear it now - but when the comforter comes - He will guide you into all truth \
Advocate
Comforter
Encourager
Indwelling Spirit
John 17 - Jesus prays, that we would be one, and being one with God in Christ, we are now, not only to be one in and with Him but with one another - as we are the body of Christ (Eph 5; 1Peter 2) -
What is it that Jesus had come to do? How was it misunderstood? How would Jesus make it clear to those who “would receive it?” (John 1; 3; 14)
Easter
As Jesus builds His church, we “go, and make disciples
As it is that God, so loved the world… He sent
Jesus sends us, as He was sent, He sends, to so love our God, that we would go in and with and by His love -
