made it to thursday

i think i used up my average word count for the week in one night…

i was worried that last night was going to end up being a really short study, when in fact i ended up being a bit long-winded. as i posted on monday, we took a look at the “i am” statements that Jesus made in the gospel of john. we didn’t, however, look at all seven of them. good thing, too, or we would have been at it all night. we ended up taking a look at the first four statements made by Jesus. they are:

• i am the bread of life (john 6:35)

• i am the light of the world (john 8:12)

• i am the door for the sheep (john 10:7)

• i am the good shepherd (john 10:11)

i must say i don’t feel like i did any of the texts justice, but that’s up to the Lord.  i so appreciate teachers who can take any text and make you see Jesus in them.  after all, Jesus did say in john 5:39, “you search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”

i must confess i often take too much of a pharisaic approach to my reading.  i look for neat insights, helpful information, rules and regulations, instead of looking for Jesus.  i know that the purpose of the Bible is to point me to Jesus, to give me a greater understanding of Jesus, but i often miss that.  last night was a good reminder for me, though.

get out of the coffin!

i know its an unusual heading, but hopefully it will make you think.

each and every tuesday morning i meet with a group at a coffee shop in downtown redmond. currently we are going through the book of ephesians together. this morning brought us to chapter 2. we read in verse 1 that Jesus has made us alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins. isn’t that amazing? let me explain.

we all do wrong. we all make mistakes, get angry at our dog, fail to do what we know is right, think evil thoughts. its called sin. as a result, we’re dead spiritually. we may think we have life by obtaining the nice things, indulging in the temporary pleasures, but at the end of the day we know we are not made alive by these. the only way to be made alive, truly alive, is by Jesus. just as Jesus explained to nicodemus in john 3 that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God, so we also must be born again. its as easy as putting your trust, your faith, in Jesus. at that moment, you are made alive. alive in a way you have probably never experienced.

so my question is, what are you doing still in the coffin? what man do you know, having been released from prison and given absolute freedom, would choose to stay in the confines of his cell? what person, on their death bed and healed miraculously, given a second chance at life, would choose to stay in the hospital bed hooked up to a respirator and iv’s? Even the thought is absurd. what was it that brought death? trespasses and sins. realize the chains have been unlocked, the fetters loosed. you are no longer bound to sin. instead, you can be bound to Jesus and delight in working the works of righteousness (romans 6:17,18). so get out of the coffin and enjoy life, christian. Jesus has made you alive!