Praying Ground

In the Christian life there is no substitute for prayer.  We can have enormous energy and enthusiasm for the Lord, but that is not a substitute for prayer.  Today’s Text is from Matt 7:7, It reads: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.   "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!   The Greek translation literally means that we should keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.  Look at the last line, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?  In the text, God wants us to ask!  We are to always pray and not faint.  

But…That seems to be a problem for many of us, we pray so many times and wonder if our prayer is ever heard. We often ask why and cry out to God “Why haven’t you answered my prayers”?  But many times it’s not because they aren’t heard, it’s because they aren’t asked for.  Prayer is not a one way conversation with God, he may not speak in an audible voice to us, but he speaks to our heart and lets us know what to do and what to pray for.  Here’s how you know you are on Praying Ground.

1.  How should we pray so that we know our prayers will be answered?  In Matt 6:7-8 it tells us how not to do it.  We don’t pray to God to impress Him or use repetitions, we don’t pray to inform God, he knows what we need, but we are to pray to invite God to work in our lives and our hearts.   Matthew 5 reads “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.   But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.   And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.   “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 2.  Why aren’t my prayers getting answered?  Is there something in my life that is hindering the answers to my prayers?  First:     One of the greatest things that obstruct prayer is sin.  When sin blocks prayer, the real problem is not that we have sinned, for we all have sinned, but that we have sinned and have not repented.  Its only un-confessed sin, deep down in our hearts that stops our prayer from getting through.  Forgiven sin does not hinder our prayers.  Forgiven sinners are welcome in God’s presence.   But the first requirement of prayer is to confess anything in our heart that is not of God.  When your sin is forgiven you can be confident that God will hear and answer your prayers.    We can’t have the privilege of prayer without the purity of heart.   Faith is the second requirement of true prayer, prayers without faith are incomplete.  God will always respond to our prayers that are in accord with his nature, his purposes and his promises.  Thirdly, Obedience is fundamental to effective prayer.  Only people who obey God have the right to go into his presence with requests.  Often when prayer fails and we receive no answers we assume the problem is with God, but the problem is with us.  Jesus reminds us that if we remain in him and his words remain in us we may ask what ever we wish and it will be given us Psalms 37:4 says  Delight yourself also in the LORD,  And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Begin a life of obedience to God.    3.  For what is it proper to pray for?   Philippians 4:6 says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  There is nothing in life outside the reach of prayer.  If it concerns you, it concerns God.  We can pray about everything both big and small.  Nothing lies outside the will of prayer except that that lies outside the will of God.  Anything we ask for will be done for you.  There is the promise in John 15:7,  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  But, once again the will of your prayer must blend with his will.  God will guide and God will direct your prayers, and you will find yourself praying in the will of God.  The greatest privilege we have is prayer.  The greatest failure that most of us have is lack of prayer.  With prayer and supplication which means we must be humble, let your prayer requests be known.  4.  Does God always give us what we ask for?  No and thank God for unanswered prayer.  Moses was feeling sorry for himself and asked God to kill him, God said NO.  Paul asked that the thorn be taken from his flesh 3 times and God said no.  Why, because he gave him something better-Grace.  How many people prayed that before Paul was a believer and he was persecuting Christians and watching them being stoned to death prayed for God to strike Paul dead?  God did not answer their prayers that way, God struck Paul ALIVE and he went on to become a great man of God.  If you have a grudge against someone God will not hear you.  Because in the Lord’s Prayer it says, Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  See, we are commanded to forgive them.  Well you might ask, can I pray for our personal needs? Sure, but we can never pray for selfish reasons.  God can also delay the answer to prayer and it is always with good reason.  Sarah’s prayers were heard, granted, and then delayed until God wanted to show them as with the birth of John the Baptis.  With God, timing is more important than time.  At times God has to line up situations and for people to do certain things where prayer can be answered and maybe he has to line you up with differing circumstances in your life so you can be the answer to someone’s prayer.  Have you ever thought about that?  When the answer doesn’t seem to come when we want it to, we grab the Bible we start to look for the answer and search and develop in our knowledge; God is on his own timetable, not ours.  God wants to pray for us more than we pray for him.  How many times are we praying for people to get better from illness than for them to be saved?  We may be praying for them to get better and Jesus is praying for them to come home and be with him.  I know that has changed the way I pray.  Your prayers may simply just have been denied because you’re not asking according to his will and he can’t give you what is not according to his will.   1 John 5:14-15 says, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. If we have sin in our heart or praying outside the will of God we won’t get our prayers answered.  He will say no.  5.  What do we do if our prayers are not answered?  Keep praying, He will hear us.  He may not always answer our prayers in the way we want him to answer it.  Sometimes, he gives us things that are much better.  6. Should we expect a miracle every time he answers prayer?  No, but sometimes it can be.  Sometimes God needs to do things to make sure he is the only one that should be exalted and that he is the only one that can get the glory.  That’s why he waited for Lazarus to be dead before he raised him up, made the blind to see, and inexplicably healed people both today and in his time.  Really, there are no other answers but God does do miracles even though others try everything to explain them away.  7.  Does God have favorites who prayers he hears?  No one is favored in giving prayer.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the preacher, you, me, your kids, anyone can pray.    Anyone who has a clean life, pure heart and loves the Lord Jesus can pray and have their prayers answered.

In closing we should remember that  not praying is a sin, look at 1 Sam 12:23  Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. In Luke 18:1 mark 14:38, it says how we can get into trouble by not praying:   Then He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”   We always seem too busy to take the time to pray.  When we ought to be praying and are not, we are just trying to control the situation our self and we can’t do it ourselves.  This is where my wife reminds “Did you pray on it?”

I CHALLENGE YOU If you are not saved, I can help you down the right.  He will forgive every sin you ever had, he will cleanse your heart and give you new power and when you die he will take you directly and immediately to heaven.  From the minute you trust Jesus, you will be instantaneously saved and your life secure if you really truly receive him as your Lord and Savior.   Pray from the heart and pray it like you mean it and you will be firmly planted on praying ground.

Are Sunday's lost?

As I was driving to deliver the message at my two churches in Milton, Pa this past Sunday, I witnessed a disturbing sight.  While not surprised, I was sorely disappointed in what I saw going on at a local softball field.  You may have guessed what it was, a bus load of little girls and their parents warming up for a tournament at about 8:30 am.  As I drove by, all I could do was think about was these little souls more than likely will not be churched today (as well as their parents).  As a disclaimer, I want to say that even my daughter has missed several Sunday services for Field Hockey camps – much to my chagrin.  But that was not to say that the sports kids and their parents didn’t attend a mid-week or a Saturday or Sunday night service to attend (if you can still find one).

In my never to be humble opinion, this is where the problem of declining church membership begins – with un-churched kids who think Sundays are just another day off like Saturdays are.  As un-churched kids grow up with no idea of what the Sabbath is they become adults with very little intention of ever going to church as well and the vicious cycle starts.  I’m thankful that I see grandparents with grandkids at their side on Sunday mornings.  I can only imagine the heartbreak over their own children’s aversion to the Sunday morning worship service but I guess they at least are letting their little ones go to church.  Again, this also happens in my extended family.  This is the point of my article where I ask for your prayers that the church will have a revival and people will find their way back to the House of the Lord. 

But I digress, as far as the early Sunday morning sports go, shame on the promoters who organize these things without regard to anyone’s religious preferences and affiliations.  Sometimes I think we should bring back those Blue Laws and keep things closed so we can have less distractions and more time to focus on what is important – Jesus Christ.  We all need to slow down, relax and reflect on the past week while thanking God for getting us through it and be in prayer for the upcoming week so that we may be a blessing to God’s love to everyone we meet.

Repent and be saved

Whatever happened to repentance? You rarely hear the word mentioned in most churches today.  Many pastors seldom call for their congregations to sorrow over sin and to grieve over wounding Christ by their wickedness. Instead, the message we hear today is, "Just believe. Accept Christ, and you'll be saved.  But there is more to it.  You need to repent and to believe to be saved.  Many who claim to be saved have never rejected sin. The popular idea today is that you can continue to live in sin with no change of heart, no change of mind, no conviction, and think you’re OK.  Only if there is a change of heart and mind toward sin, then it is true saving faith! If there is no change of heart or mind...there is no salvation. Belief without repentance is only a head knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Just knowing about Jesus and wanting to go to heaven is not enough. We must understand that we, the individual, have sinned against God and we must do something about that sin. The person who sees himself as a sinner and sees that sin is rebellion against God will want to change. He sees that sin is destructive and dishonors himself and God. That is what the Gospel teaches, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save men from their sins. It teaches that one must believe, put their faith in Jesus Christ, and turn from their wicked ways in order to be saved.  We all fall into this category as wretched sinners; I am that wretch that the song refers to. Note what God says about this: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Romans 3:10-12) and Paul says in Timothy, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Think about it — what was the first message Jesus delivered, after he emerged from the temptation in the wilderness? REPENT! Scripture says, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).  Jesus called people to repent before he called them to believe! Mark writes, "…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). Christ preached, "Repent first — and believe." Elsewhere Jesus says of his mission, "…I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:13). And he told the Galileans, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).  Jesus' gospel was all about repentance! John the Baptist also preached repentance to prepare Israel for the coming of Christ. John's message to the Jews was simple and straightforward: (Matthew 3:1-2) says “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand".  People came from everywhere to hear John preach. And he told them in no uncertain terms: "The messiah is soon to appear — so; you'd better get ready to meet him! You may feel excited that he's coming. But I'm telling you, your hearts are not prepared — because you're still holding onto your sins!  So, repent, turn from your sin -- and live in a way that reflects genuine change!"

What gospel did Peter preach to the masses on the day of Pentecost when 3000 were saved, let me think…REPENT! The Bible tells us that when the people heard Peter say, "...they were pricked in their heart, and said...Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:37-38).  Peter didn't tell these people just to "believe and be saved." He didn't ask them to merely make a decision for Jesus.  No -- he told them to repent quickly, and then be baptized in obedience to Christ! Realizing this and accepting the fact that one is a sinner and needs God's forgiveness is only the first step toward salvation. What message did Paul preach to the pagans and later to King Agrippa?  REPENT!  That’s right, so do you see where I’m going with this? Paul told them very directly, REPENT!"...God...now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30) and “that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts 26:19-20).  Paul is saying, "Everywhere I've been, I've preached repentance. And genuine repentance proves itself by its actions!"  And these actions are manifest in the Fruits of Repentance.  Anybody can say they are repentant for a while, but keep watching and whatever program they think they are on, their true fruits will show through to the outside world.   These passages make clear to us that the church preached unabashedly the same gospel John and Jesus preached: "Repent for the remission of your sins!"  What Does It Mean To Repent? The most common definition of repentance is to stop what you are doing and go in the opposite direction. In other words turn around.  Metamellomia” –This means regret.  We see this in Matthew 27:3 “When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and other leaders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”  This is the Recognition of sin.  This is when we begin to realize that we are sinners. We feel the guilt of sin, but do nothing about it. We feel regret, but continue to live in sin.  Then we have “Metanoeo” – This is to think differently.  This is the confession of sin.  We begin to change our thinking about ourselves and about our sinful life. We begin to understand that we are not as good as we thought we were. We begin to want to change our behavior.  This is a stress-filled way to live because our actions do not match our beliefs.  And finally “Metanoia” – Which means reversal.  This is true repentance. Here is a sample of John’s preaching to the crowds that came for baptism: (Luke 3:7-9), “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee God’s coming judgment?  Prove by the way you live (that’s the fruits) that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God [metanoia]. The full, literal meaning of the word "repent" in the New Testament is "to feel remorse and self-reproach for one's sins against God; to be contrite, sorry; to want to change direction." The difference in meanings here rests on the word "Want." True repentance includes a desire to change! If there is no change of heart or mind - there is no saving faith and no salvation. Biblical repentance means one has a change of mind that comes by faith in accepting Jesus Christ. Godly sorrow produces repentance which forsakes sin and turns from it.  Just being sorry doesn't constitute repentance. Rather, true sorrow leads to repentance. Paul states, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).  Paul is speaking here of a sorrow that's without regrets -- one that's genuine, that "sticks" in the life of the repentant person. This kind of godly sorrow naturally produces a repentance that includes a hatred for sin, a righteous fear of God and a desire to right all wrongs. If the believer does not in repentance confess their sin, they will not turn from sin, and thus they reaped the fruit of sin which is unrest and no peace in one's heart.

Do people have a genuine conviction for sin? Are people being offered salvation who haven't actually repented -- who haven't sorrowed over their trespasses, who haven't seen the exceeding sinfulness of their sins, who have sought faith so they could merely be seen as doing the right thing? Appearing outwardly moral - yet be living in sin. Those people never experience the deep work of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they never repent, never sorrow over their sins -- and never truly believe. Tragically, they are looking for something Jesus himself never offered -- salvation without repentance! After salvation a believer can still be tempted to sin but he does not want to sin. He knows it is wrong and destructive and is repulsed by it. Even a true Christian can enjoy sin for a moment; however, it will not be the same as before. When he sins, there is conviction for his sin.  We cannot take the feeling out of conviction. Think about it -- you hardly ever see tears on the cheeks of those who are being saved anymore. Of course, tears don't save anyone. But God made us all human, with very real feelings. And any sinner who has been moved upon by the Holy Spirit naturally feels a profound sorrow over the ways he or she has grieved the Lord. Sin bothers a true believer...but it does not bother the lost. The Christian knows sin as the destructive thing it is. He knows it will destroy his life and his testimony before others and bring shame on the Lord Jesus. Repenting is like looking in God's mirror, revealing every hidden, secret thing. You see, repentance isn't a one-time experience. It's not some hurricane that strikes once and then is gone forever. Nor do we experience repentance only in a moment of crisis, and then merely talk about it the rest of our lives. No -- sorrow for sin should be our constant teacher!  When was the last time you were moved to repent and got down on your face to cry out to God for forgiveness?

Repentance – vital change, as Spurgeon calls it, is a requirement for salvation.  "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9). Jesus says to us,"…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).  Jesus promises that your godly sorrow, your repentant heart and your renewed love for him will lead you to everlasting life. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth.  So, pray to him right now: "Lord, give me a truly repentant heart. Take me back to who I was when I was first in love with you. Yet, this time take me farther, deeper in you, than I've ever been before!"  As you repent, God's Spirit will begin to produce in you a new revelation of the glory of Christ. And he'll make it known to everyone around you, again, this is the fruits!  Every blessing comes through repentance and remember repentance is the funnel through which all grace flows.   Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see. 

Is lying about your military record a sin?

Recently, I read a disturbing article about a local pastor caught in the middle of one big lie.  I think the thing that bothers me the most is the fact that this pastor was caught in a lie about his (or lack of) a heroic military background.

Just after Osama bin Laden was killed in a raid by US Navy SEALS the Patriot News reached out to former SEAL members to get their opinion on what had transpired.  Unfortunately, Pastor Jim Moats of Cumberland Country responded to the call and weighed in with his opinion, as a former SEAL, on the mission.  The story he told was quite accurate and was gobbled up by the eager reporter.  Who’d think that a well respected pastor was a fraud?  Nobody at the Christian Bible Fellowship Church in Newville thought that he was any different than what he said he was.

So what makes a man of the cloth break into a full fledge lie that can be easily checked on (and it was)?  Certainly there are several things going on here and stroking his ego was a big part of it.  I know that it feels good to be a part of something bigger, but a pastor has to be above this kind of stuff.  Let’s stick to preaching the Word of God and check our egos at the church door.  I know for a fact that it is easy to exaggerate our military record, because it is done all the time.  Saying you served in Viet Nam (when your duty was stateside) denigrates everyone who ever stepped foot in the Republic of Viet Nam.  I am a veteran of the Persian Gulf era with the key word being era…I never left US soil. 

With that being said, what should the congregation of the Christian Bible Fellowship Church doing with a pastor that told boldface lies?  Is this a small problem that could turn into a bigger one or was just an isolated incident?  One phrase that doesn’t come to mind often is “Church Discipline”.  Should some be exercised on Pastor Moats…only the church board and congregation knows the answer to that.

Come and dine with me

In the northern shores of Galilee, there is the land called Naphtali. After the resurrection, Jesus’ first command was to tell the disciples to go to Galilee and meet Him there. They didn’t leave though. They stayed through the whole Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was the Day after the Feast that Jesus appeared to the disciples the second time to convince Thomas as we saw last week. (It seems that the disciples were fearful of leaving, even after Jesus appeared to them and pronounced the shalom of God upon them. Jesus would only be around for 40 days, and they were wasting it hiding in Jerusalem. I think Jesus was eager for them to get it together and eventually get to Galilee. He longed to share with His friends what He had accomplished on their behalf. He wanted to show them the scars of His love for them and commission them to take the good news to the world. Finally, they obeyed and returned to their favorite, familiar surroundings. This may have been the very area where Jesus met the men (Simon, James, and John) mending their nets and called them to be fishers of men as we saw in (Luke 5:10).

It was three years since that first miraculous catch. So much had happened. The things they had seen! The many times their hearts were overwhelmed! There were the fears, the joys, the lessons, the mysteries, and then what seemed to be the end of all only to find out it was more wonderful than ever. Now they are back where their lives were changed, but He didn’t appear. The first verse tells us Jesus is going to appear again. Some translations use the word “manifest”. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words tell us: to be manifested is to be revealed in one's true character. Keep in mind this is what is about to happen. We’re about to see again the true character of Jesus as we saw Him when He washed the feet of the disciples seen in (John 13:3-5).  Seven of the disciples grew impatient waiting. The four others had probably gone to visit family since they were from the area. Peter, James and John had been partners before in the fishing business, so they decided to make a little money while waiting for Jesus. ³ "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.  The time to fish on Galilee with shallow nets is in the night when the fish come up to the surface and can’t see the net. By fishing at night, you could avoid the heat of the day and bring fresh fish to the morning market. They cast the nets over and over and over again, but didn’t catch a single fish.

⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. ⁵ He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered.  Jesus was again incognito. It seems He is only recognized when He wants to be recognized. It may have been the dim light of early morning combined with the distance that caused them not to know, or it may be He didn’t want them to know yet. He knows what is about to happen. They think He’s just looking to buy some fish so they answered and said NO. Jesus is about to do a wonderful thing. You see, three years earlier He approached Peter on that same shore. Peter let Jesus use his boat as a pulpit. Then Jesus had Peter push out onto the lake to fish, to reimburse him for the use of the boat. Peter complained that he’d fished all night and caught nothing, “But alright, whatever You say.” The nets were suddenly bulging with fish. They had to get another boat to come help. Suddenly, Peter was overwhelmed with a sense of his sinfulness in the presence of Jesus’ holiness. He fell to his knees before Jesus and asked Jesus to go away from him. (Luke 5:8) says ⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"  That was when Jesus called him to be a disciple. We are about to see history repeat itself in a most profound way.

⁶ He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.  And as the great Yogi Barra would say “It was déjà vu all over again”. They couldn’t get the net in the boat, so they would have to drag it to shore. Can you imagine the rush of thoughts that must have flooded their minds? “It has to be Jesus. He came just like He said He would and He is doing what He did when He called us. It can’t be a coincidence!” ⁷ Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. Now I don’t know if John is hinting that Peter is a little slow to catch on to things, or if Peter was just so involved in dealing with the net, but when his mind caught up with the fact that it was Jesus, he threw his outer cloak on and dove in the water. A fisherman would take their outer garment off to fish, as it would get in the way. Jews wore two layers as we saw when Jesus’ clothing was divided.  Peter couldn’t wait and realized he really didn’t care about the fish anymore. To take the cloak meant he was ready to go with Jesus even if the others didn't make it back in time, otherwise he would have left it in the boat, as it was easier to swim without it. Jesus was on the shore! The last time this happened, Peter wanted to get away from Jesus. You’d think that after the betrayal, he’d be reluctant to be alone with Him, but then maybe he wanted to ask for forgiveness. He certainly had more faith in the grace and mercy of Jesus after seeing Him deal with what his world called “sinners”. He just wanted above all else to be with Him. (John 12:26) reads ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.  Do you desire to serve Him?

I wonder if our relationship with Jesus has moved forward to the point that we have the same passionate desire that Peter had. Or are you still like Peter was after the first catch? Do you want Him to leave or are you running to Him because you know He is gracious and loving? The last time you sensed Him drawing near to you, did you get busy to avoid the encounter, or get still to hear His heart?  How do we do that? In (Psalm 46:10) it says ¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God."  The other disciples, “the friends” as Jesus called them, towed the net full of fish the hundred yards to the shore. ⁹ When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.  This type of fire only appeared one other place in John; it was the fire around which Peter stood when he betrayed Jesus in (John 18:18).  John noticed the coincidence and mentioned the word to take us back to that memory for what follows in next week’s message. Where did Jesus get those fish? He must have called them to the shore just as He called them into the net. And where did He get the bread? Maybe He turned the stones into bread. It would have been against God to do it at Satan’s command, but now, to feed His disciples at His Father’s direction, it is obedience. I bet there was never a better tasting loaf of bread in the entire world. It should have brought their minds to the bread of the Presence in the Holy Place.  There sat Jesus, the bread that came down from heaven for the life of the world.  God is with us, our spiritual sustenance.  ¹² Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. The invitation He gave when He first met them was an invitation to dinner, "Come and you will see". This last meal with them was breakfast. They had the Last Supper with Jesus a few weeks before, and now they are having the Last Breakfast. This was Jesus’ third appearance to them as a group.

Did it ever seem strange to you that Jesus would bother to cook a meal after His resurrection? To dine together was to spend time in fellowship, talking about life, sharing your hearts. Have you been dining with Jesus? The risen Lord wants to fellowship with you! I know it’s hard to believe, probably as hard as it was for the disciples. You might want to ask just as they wanted to, “Lord, do You really want to spend time with me?  Is it really You, the Lord of all creation?” He has prepared a table for you. We need to come and dine. King David found the table prepared by the Lord in the presence of his enemies. It’s all about love a love relationship between Jesus and us. That is where this was all heading. What were they doing out on the lake? Were they going back to an old love? Were they trusting in their ability to once again provide for themselves? Perhaps the miracle said something to them about God’s ability to provide their needs if they abandoned themselves to obey Jesus. What God leads you to do, He will provide for you to do, what ever it may be. The nets won’t break and there will be fish on the coals. One thing Peter and the disciples just learned is that provision comes from God. Provision is not the issue; a love relationship with the Giver of all good things is what we are seeing in this chapter. We never again read about Peter going fishing. Peter had a much greater calling than just fishing. God was calling him to move on. Is there a distraction in your life that God is calling you to move past so that you can be all God called you to be?

Whatever you do, however God provides for you, your calling is much more than the physical work you do. You are where God has placed you to show people what Jesus is like. The income we earn is not the main thing. To so many people, the income is what their job is all about. How sad! How meaningless! Peter laid down his nets and followed Jesus. We are all a bit like those disciples. We know the Lord has risen. We know He has said He will meet us, but sometimes we grow tired of waiting. We get impatient looking for the big revelations. We are like the children of Israel, tired of their daily manna, and wanting meat, not in God’s good time, but right now! (I’ve said this often before, to God timing is more important than time).  Just doing what we know Scripture commands isn’t exciting enough for us. But wait a minute! Isn’t Jesus the Word made flesh? Isn’t He meeting us each time we read the Word?  We want something that thrills our flesh; Jesus wants a daily time of dining together. We want a feast, and Jesus has another healthy fish sandwich (or a daily supply of manna). We want excitement, which is a sign of spiritual immaturity, and Jesus wants faith that believes without seeing. (Hebrews 11:6) tells us ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Maybe the problem is that we haven’t let Him be the spice in every day. Life without the spice of Jesus can get pretty bland, so we want a fix of excitement. Is Jesus without the thrills enough for you?

Jesus stands on the periphery of our life and calls, “Hey little one, don’t have anything for Me, do you?” You’ve fished all night and don’t have anything. You’ve labored all your life and don’t have anything that would impress Him. In fact, you wonder if you aren’t in for a rebuke because of the ways you’ve denied Him, but then you remember how gracious He was to Peter, and Mary Magdalene, to that wayward teen, to that criminal, even to that tax collector, name Zacheus, and you know He’ll be the same with you. It’s His nature!  You don’t have anything to give Him. That’s the point. He is the One who has the miraculous breakfast for you. This is the true nature of Jesus, a servant. He, again, revealed His servant nature that we are to take upon ourselves. (John 13:14-15) says ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  He invites you to come and dine.  It can be a whole new day with a whole new direction and meaning in life. What are you going to do? Sail off or jump in the water ready to go wherever He leads? I’m divin’ in, cloak and all, ready to go! You can tow in the fish or sail off, but Jesus is here, and I don’t want to be anywhere else but by His side. Ordinary fish never tasted so good, for the One that serves them is so wonderful. He serves them up every day if your eyes are open to see, and your heart is open to receive.

Life after the Resurrection John 20:19-31 5/1/11

Jesus had paid the penalty for the sin of mankind, conquered death, and rose to physical life again so we could be justified. That means we can be assured that we are right with God. (1 John 3:14) says ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.  That sounds like a foreign concept in today’s world, so let me put it in terms we can easily understand. Just think about it like this - We were on our way to an eternal prison camp where we would suffer forever. Why? It’s because God is just. We have rebelled against His goodness and He should judge us.

When we stand before the righteous judge, every selfish thought, every idle word, every time we looked at something we shouldn’t have, and even every God given opportunity to do good that we did not do will be brought to light. But even worse, the way we rejected the invitation of the Holy Spirit will be judged. Every time He came to us in love and we ignored Him and went on our own selfish way will be made known. So do you still think you are innocent? (Romans 3:10-12) reminds us ¹⁰ As it is written:  "There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ¹² All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."  The more righteous and holy the judge is, the more severe the penalty.  So, the fact that God physically resurrected the body of Jesus is a sign that should cause all who accept Him as the solution to our sin problem to breathe a big sigh of relief! It also invites us to partake in the power that raised Jesus from the dead. If our sins were dealt with on the cross, we should not hesitate to apply the power of resurrection to our own lives.

Now the disciples didn’t understand all of these things that were going on, they were still trying to figure out what was really happening. The body was gone. One woman talked of seeing Jesus. The others told of them of the angelic announcement that He had risen. The two men from the road to Emmaus said He met them in disguise and then revealed Himself when He broke bread.  They were trying to take it all in and figure out just what was happening and struggling to believe that Jesus’ words had actually come to pass.  ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  If anyone ever had an overload of their senses, it was the ten disciples. Their doubts were overcome…”Suddenly there He was. “Peace be with you!”  He said.

^20a After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. It was those marks that bought our peace with God, for the wrath of God upon our sins fell on Him so that we could be free. I’ve always looked at this as the proof He was indeed Jesus of Nazareth who has risen from the dead. It was like saying, “Look! See how much I love you! This is the price I paid so that we could be together forever.” When Satan tempts you to doubt God’s love, just look at His hands and His side and be reassured - He loves you that much. ^20bThe disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Their friend was back! They weren’t leaderless and their hope had returned. ^21a Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you!  Maybe it was because they were too shocked to hear it the first time. Or maybe it was because He had just presented the evidence for the reason we should have peace because of His wounds. It is still the common greeting in Israel, but the double peace is for those who know what those wounds can mean to them.  ^21b “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."  This is the disciples’ commission. It is ours as well. How did the Father send Jesus? We’ve seen over and over again that Jesus was totally dependent on God’s direction. (John 5:19) says ¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  We’ve seen that He only did and said what He saw and heard from the Father. (John 12:49) says ⁴⁹ For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.  He was sent as a light in the darkness. He was humble and meek but firm and clear. He trained others, gave witness to the truth and laid down His life for His sheep. (John 15:13) reminds us ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.   When you are in God’s will, you walk into life’s situations with the amazing peace of God. That gets attention and influences lives! Will you receive your commissioning? ^21b “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." This is not just an assignment but it is also a way of life. Not my will but yours!

²² And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. This was a powerfully symbolic and prophetic act. The first time that God breathed into man, he became a living soul as we see in Genesis.  More than animal, man had the awareness of himself, the ability to be creative, and a will that could decide things other than just survival. That life of the first Adam has come down through the generations to these disciples, to you and to me, but this life we have received is corrupted with the fallen and sinful nature of Adam.    Jesus breathed on the disciples and invited them to receive the Holy Spirit. This is more than the breath of life. This is the very life of God in us. This is rebirth, a restoring of the image of God in the soul. The first breath of God gave us physical life. The second breath of God gives us spiritual life. However, the disciples would not actually receive the Holy Spirit until Pentecost. Jesus will tell them to wait in Jerusalem until this second breath fills them. Jesus insisted the Holy Spirit was the power needed to fulfill this commission, and yet many attempt to be a witness in their own power. Our witness must be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit if it is to bear fruit that remains. ²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."  Now this is a difficult passage because other Scripture indicates that only God can forgive sin. We can't forgive people for sins against God, but we can forgive those who sin against us. God grants us the power to forgive. (Matthew 6:14) reads ¹⁴ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. The world doesn't seem to be able to do this in the age of “get even-ism”. I think Jesus is saying that in the case of believers, the sins of those who sin against us will not be held to their account if we forgive them. That doesn't mean that the sins against God will be forgiven. How important it is for us to be like Jesus and forgive!

²⁴ Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ^25a So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"  Now the disciples get to see in Thomas what they were like to Mary and Cleopas. It is not unusual for God to turn the tables on us to show us what we are like to Him. Just as Mary and Cleopas had tried to convince the doubting disciples, now the disciples are trying to convince Thomas, But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."   He had to see it for himself. Now we know that faith pleases God, but that doesn’t mean that God will not answer the sincere heart that needs to see to believe.  ²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Jesus came again, with the same greeting. More than just the custom, I believe Jesus is really trying to drive home the peace that we should have because of the resurrection.

²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."  How did Jesus know what Thomas was thinking? Simply, because He knows everything. He knows your doubts and He knows mine and He can meet us in unique ways and convince us so that we can say with Thomas, ²⁸ "My Lord and my God!"   What a command, Stop doubting and believe ! I believe every life hears this command in their heart at some time. Once Thomas was convinced of resurrection, he took it step further and believed that Jesus is God. This is the first clear-cut declaration by a disciple that Jesus is God. John declared the same in the prologue to this Gospel when he wrote that the word was with God and the word was God.

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."  In this age, we can know that Jesus is in our life even though we cannot see His physical presence. Jesus says we receive a much greater blessing by doing so. (1Peter 1:8) says; ⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy; (2Corinthians 5:7) reads ⁷ We live by faith, not by sight.  Faith pleases God. God will meet us in a real way to convince us, but usually in a non-visible way. God wants us to have a greater heavenly reward, so He stretches our faith.  ³⁰ Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. We set out studying this Gospel showing you that John intentionally told us what the other Gospel writers left out. And we know this because the love and faithfulness of God would make sure of that.  ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John intentionally selected the stories in his gospel that would bring you to belief. He didn’t just set out to tell the story as the other Gospel writers did. He set out to tell of the stories that would help you believe and that by believing you would have life in Jesus’ name. Do you believe? Are you experiencing resurrection life in the authority of Jesus?

You can have that peace today. In (Matthew 11:28-30) Jesus says ²⁸ "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Come to the One whose scars remain to give you peace and know His resurrection life is at work in you.

Pastor R.B. Hickox - (570-412-9202)