Tag: Lord Jesus Christ
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Did You Hear That?
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The Heart of the Gospel
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The Cure for the Common Cold
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One Cup of Water
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The Power to Become
John 1:1-14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
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Love & Humility
Text: John 13:33-35
(33) Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
(34) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
(35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
God prepares you for what you will face in life by teaching you how to serve others with Love & Humility.
The Passover – The Last Supper (John 13:1–38)[1]
The disciples crowded through the door into the large upper room, eager to eat the Passover supper with Jesus.
Peter and John had arrived early to make everything ready, and the room was filled with the scent of roasted lamb, fresh-baked unleavened bread, vegetables, and vinegar. No one had eaten since noon, and now it was late evening. Everyone was hungry.
They all hurried to take their places, reclining on mats and cushions around a low table. No doubt many of them tried to sit as close to Jesus as possible. John had taken advantage of his role as organizer of the meal to ensure he was right next to Jesus.
Judas sat on the other side of Jesus. Both sat in places of honor…
However, No one made use of the large ceremonial jars full of water and the towels by the door they had just entered. Their feet were soiled with the dust, debris, and filth from the roads and streets they just walked.
There was no servant present and not one of the disciples was willing or thoughtful enough to take on that lowly role and wash the other’s feet.
When they had all gathered, Jesus said, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15–16).
Jesus broke the bread and passed it around the table, telling them this bread was His body, which was broken for them. He passed around the cup of wine, saying, “This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19–20).
The moment was solemn and holy.
Yet a low, muttered argument started up among the disciples. Perhaps those relegated to the far end of the table were casting envious glances at John, Judas and the others who had positioned themselves closest to Jesus.
The old argument was flaring up again…
Somehow, despite following the humble Jesus, there developed a debate and a point of contention among the disciples. In their pride they began to argue among themselves:
“And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest” (Luke 22:24).
Jesus took one last opportunity and turned it into a teachable moment.
At other times, Jesus had stopped them and taught them the greatest of them should be the servant of all, but His words had not reached them.
Jesus decided to send a much stronger message and without whispering a word, Jesus rose from supper, wrapped a towel around His waist, poured a basin full of water, and approached the table. He knelt at the feet of the first disciple, placed his foot into the basin, washed it clean, and then dried it with the towel around His waist.
A hush settled over the room.
Embarrassment. Confusion. Conviction.
Jesus was preaching a message more powerful than any other—one that would change the disciples’ lives forever. Actions speak louder than words.
Jesus Served His Disciples Because He Loved Them
Jesus loved His disciples enough to humble Himself and wash their feet. Jesus did not just tell His disciples He loved them; love moved Him to action.
Many people are happy to be served, but few are happy to serve.
Do you want to know if you have a heart for others?
How do you respond when you are asked to serve others?
In Jesus’ day, the lowliest servant or slave was expected to wash feet. That task was dirty and demeaning, yet Jesus willingly served because it was needed.
He saw a need and loved His disciples enough to meet that need.
Jesus loved His disciples enough to give them a powerful object lesson.
He knows that infighting will tear His church apart.
You will not be who Jesus called you to be as long as you are wrapped up in petty positional politics.
The church has no time to be weighed down with popularity contests and posturing.
Jesus loves you too much to let that be your future.
He loved His disciples too much to see them distracted by such selfish ambitions. So, He lovingly humbled Himself and intervened.
This was no surprise; Jesus had already shown humility and was about to example it even further:
Philippians 2:7–8, He “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.”
Jesus loved His disciples enough to wash their feet, and He loved you enough to die on the cross for you.
Jesus Corrected Peter’s Objections
All the other disciples seem to have submitted without protest, but when Jesus reached Simon Peter, Simon Peter asked in disbelief, “Lord, dost thou wash my feet?” (John 13:6).
The use of the honorific “Lord” is noteworthy here. Clearly, Peter was focused on the disconnect between Jesus’ status as his Lord and Jesus’ humble actions of a servant. Peter could not understand what was happening. In his typical brash way, Peter protested, “Thou shalt never wash my feet” (John 13:8).
Why do you think Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet?
Peter probably had been thinking he was going to be the greatest in the kingdom of God. Maybe he had even been arguing that exact point with the other disciples. After all, didn’t Jesus give Peter the keys to the kingdom of Heaven? (See Matthew 16:18–19.)
Yet in that moment, Peter was getting a very different picture of what leadership of the church might look like.
He was either so convicted that he felt unworthy of Jesus’ service, or he was recoiling from the idea that the greatest in the Kingdom might be expected to serve in this way.
Jesus corrected Peter: “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in me.”
Peter replied: “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”
Jesus Modeled Service and Humility
Jesus now had His disciples’ undivided attention.
His words would sink in deep.
He asked them if they knew what He had done to them. Were they self-aware enough to take the lesson to heart?
Jesus drove the lesson home:
“Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”[2]
They learned a lesson that they never forgot.
I Will Serve Others in Love and Humility as Jesus Directs Me
That lesson is just as much for us today as it was for them then.
Pride and the desire for higher position is just as much an issue in the church today as it was among the disciples in the first century AD.
If we are not careful, we can engage in hero worship, putting leaders on a pedestal only Jesus should occupy.
And if leaders are not careful, they can begin to think they belong there.
Jesus’ example brings us back to the reality He taught His disciples another time when they were disputing about who should be the greatest. “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).
Never forget that the greatest among us is to be the servant of all.
The most important person in the Church is not at the top, but at bottom, humbly serving everyone out of love.
Your greatness in God’s Kingdom is directly related to how many people you love and serve; not how many people love and serve you.
Jesus Prepares Us
Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples of what was coming.
He even tried to brace them for another great shock.
One of those sitting around the table, who had just eaten the Passover supper with Him and whose feet He had just washed was going to betray Him.
Someone in the room—someone in Jesus’ small circle of disciples—was a traitor.
Jesus told them to brace them and to prove His deity and foreknowledge: “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.”[3]
Here again is one of Jesus’ numerous “I AM” statements sown throughout the Book of John, the Gospel that heavily focuses on Jesus’ deity.
Jesus knew Judas’s betrayal would shake the other disciples, but it may also increase their faith, understanding He had a plan all along.
Finally, Jesus dipped a piece of bread into the wine vinegar and handed it to Judas. Immediately, Satan entered into Judas, and Jesus told him, “That thou doest, do quickly.”
Judas left immediately, and Scripture records it was night. Judas stepped out of light into darkness, literally and figuratively.
Jesus Gave a New Command to Love One Another as He Loved Us
Even as hatred and greed drove Judas into darkness, in the upper room Jesus was talking about love.
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).
It seems strange that Jesus mentioned a new commandment, considering how much He had already taught about love.
Love the Lord thy God.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love your enemies.
But this was the first time Jesus specifically told the disciples to love one another.
Perhaps, in light of their earlier arguing over position, He felt it was necessary to spell it out.
He did not simply say, “Love one another,” but He added, “as I have loved you.”
The love we are to show one another is a humble, self-sacrificing love. This kind of love would impel Jesus to wash the disciples’ feet and die for them.
The kind of love we are supposed to have for each other is both challenging and inspiring.
Of all the proofs of discipleship, selfless love for one another is the one Jesus points to above all others.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
No wonder I Corinthians 13 says no matter how eloquent and spiritually gifted we are, without love we are nothing.
If we give all we have to the poor or even our bodies to be burned, without love we are nothing.
A life of humble, loving, self-sacrifice is the most eloquent proof of discipleship.
Just as Jesus Prepared the Disciples,
He Prepares Us for What We Will Face
Jesus knew He was giving His disciples a seemingly impossible mission.
Soon He would be gone, leaving them with the task of spreading the gospel across the world and establishing God’s kingdom on earth.
But Jesus did not leave them unprepared. He lived His life as an example in front of them. They saw how He was moved with compassion and healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead.
They saw how He pitied the crowds and fed them with bread and fish.
They saw how He took authority over demonic spirits. Even they had gone out two by two, preaching, healing, and casting out demons. They had seen how Jesus humbly ministered to the simplest needs.
Jesus walked in supernatural power and served in menial tasks.
Then Jesus gave them hope by promising that He would rise again on the third day as a convincing testimony to His deity.
He promised them the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost would teach them all things and bring all things He had spoken to them to their remembrance (John 14:26).
The Holy Ghost would give them power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Through the power of the Holy Ghost, the early church would turn their world upside down.
Just as Jesus prepared His disciples, He also prepares us.
We have His life of love as an example through the pages of Scripture. We can experience His authority and also feel the calling to meet the simplest needs of those around us through humble service.
And we too can receive the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit living in us, speaking through us, and empowering us to change our world.
Amy Carmichael, “One can give without loving but cannot love without giving.”
Bishop Edwin S. Harper, “Jesus didn’t give His apostles scepters, but He gave them towels because He commissioned them to serve, not to be a Lord over God’s heritage.”
[1] SOURCE: UPCI Quarterly. Fall 2024. Lesson 1.4
[2] John 13:13–15
[3] John 13:19
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The Battle for the House
Psalms 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
God desires to dwell in the midst of His people.
David – “…when kings go to battle…”
- 2 Samuel 11:1-18
- Put the Ammonite king’s crown on his head
- Pride of life
- Ammonite king, numbered the people not the fighting men
- Human spirit
- 70,000 people dead
- 1 Chronicles 20:1
- Uriah
- Bathsheba
- Lust of the flesh
- 2 people die
- Sword never leaves the house of Davud
- Amnon
- Civil war
1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
- Stedfast – firm, settled
- Unmoveable – not to be moved from its place. Firmly persistent.
- Always abounding – at all times, to be in excess, exceed, excel.
“…In the work of the Lord…” – “Except the Lord build the house”
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The Joyful Sound
Apostolic Life Cathedral | July 28, 2024 | 6:30 PM
Text: Psalms 89:15-17, “(15) Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. (16) In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. (17) For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.”
Psalms 1:1-6, “(1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (4) The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (6) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
Blessed = “Happy”[1] is the condition.[2]
Go deeper = “to be straight, level, right, to go forward, be honest, prosper.”[3]
The joyful sound is the call to celebrate, to rejoice, to continually delight in:
- The Name of the Lord
- The Righteousness of the Lord
Tonight, the Holy Ghost is calling you to respond with a joyful sound for all that Jesus did for you and all that His name brings to bear in your life.
Rejoice in all that God did for you to walk a straight, level, righteousness path of prosperity and purpose.
The Samaritans knew about that joy: “(5) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. (6) And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (7) For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. (8) And there was great joy in that city.”
“There was great joy in that city.”
How many here tonight want to see that same great joy in Huntington and the Tri-State Region?
It is God’s Will for the The Joyful Sound to echo along the riverbanks, valleys, and hillsides of our community:
We have heard the joyful sound:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around:
Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to ev’ry land,
Climb the steeps and cross the waves;
Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command;
Jesus saves! Jesus saves![4]
The Joyful Sound – Jesus Saves!
Every day, Jesus Saves!
God is calling for repentance…to be part of the joyful sound.
Paul was in Athens on Mars’ hill when he saw the altar written TO THE UNKNOWN GOD and he began to tell them of the one that they, in their superstition, were ignorantly worshipping.
Saying, “that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
Repentance, led by true godly sorrow, will bring the joyful sound.
The fruit of mercy is restoration. The fruit of grace is maturity.
Unfortunately, life has a way of causing you to lose sight of what originally created the happy condition…the joyful sound.
What was once exciting and revealing, full of life and rewarding, has now become mundane and lost its vitality.
The daily life is at war with the joyful sound: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalms 68:19).
We should come daily to His storehouse of blessing.
The problem is we have become so busy doing the work we forget the relationship with the God of the work.
Oftentimes, people fail because they have their spiritual life, their prayer life, their relationship with Jesus on autopilot.
Like a pilot in a plane, or a driver in a car, you are content to sit disengaged and apathetic.
What once drove your passion has now become drudgery.
The work that inspired is now nothing more than perspiration.
The hope that enlarged your heart and gave you faith is now a vague memory, like the beauty of nature you miss will cruising by unbothered by what is just outside your window.
You have become trapped with the thought that you just need to get the job done.
You have stopped hearing the joyful sound.
This is why you are to become renewed daily in the spirit of your mind.
Turn off the of auto pilot, disengage the cruise control,
Look around you and see all the beauty, blessing, and opportunity!
The need and possibility around you
Paul wrote, “I have fought a good fight…I have kept the faith,” but he did not stop fighting.
It is time to recapture that joy that originally caught you:
- Is. 12:3, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
- Is. 55:12, “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
- 1 Peter 1:7-9, “(7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (8) Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (9) Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
- Is. 9:3, “…they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.”
- Acts2:1-4
You are going to have to press into it. To reach for it. To recapture the joyful sound: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
To press means you will have to disengage the cruise control.
Revelation 19:6-7, “(6) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”
[1] Strong’s. H835.
[2] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Psalm 89:15.
[3] Strong’s. H833.
[4] Priscilla J. Owens. (1882). We Have Heard the Joyful Sound.
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Your Season of Refreshing
Apostolic Life Cathedral| July 21, 2024 | 10:00 AM
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “(1) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (2) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; (3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
The Invitation: Matthew 11:28-30
(28) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
A Refreshing Invitation:[1]
- Come to Me.
- Attach yourself to Jesus
- A call to intimacy
- Experience His
- Tender love for us
- Delight in us
- Longing to be with us
- The “with Jesus” principle – they took note of them that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
- Experience His
- Take My yoke.
- Transformational learning-by-example
- Two oxen harnessed togetherEnter the yoke = submission to the Master
- It’s not about your brilliance, but willingness to submit to the yoke
- Learn from Me.
- Training a new young ox = custom fitted yoke
- Emphasis on learning from someone, not independent study
- Study, prayer, solitude, fasting, service
- Grace is a teacher, and it is not cheap:
- “Grace is the treasure hidden in the field…a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price…a man will sell all his goods to obtain it. It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Grace calls us us to follow Jesus Christ, and to willingly yoke ourselves to Him. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.”[2]
- You were bought with a price
- You will find rest.
- First time “rest” is mentioned is in Genesis 2:1-3, “(1) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. (2) And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” God rested because He delighted in the goodness of His creation: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Gen. 1:31).
- Our rest today is not about our weariness, tiredness and exhaustion, but to delight in His goodness and provision.
- The rest of the Holy Ghost – “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear” (Isa 28:11-12)”
- “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” (Act 3:19).
Today, right now, is Your Season of Refreshing
[1] Tom Nelson. (2021). The Flourishing Pastor. Paraphrased
[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Paraphrased.
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 