Apicontent

“We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” —John 9:4–5

In these verses, our Lord Jesus is teaching us a valuable lesson on the importance and urgency of redeeming the time—for our own soul’s sake, for the souls of men, and for the glory of God. Our fleeting “day” is merely the dash placed between the year we were born and the year we shall die. Jesus tells us that our time on earth is fleeting. Each one of us is to be about the Father’s business; investing our time in His priorities.

We would do well to remember that all opportunities God allows are both golden and unrepeatable. He may give us additional chances, but once an occasion is lost, it is lost. We cannot go back in time; we do not have the luxury of a do-over.

It is not God’s intent for His disciples to remain idle. Like Jesus, we are to be about our Father’s business, approaching it with both vigor and industry. Paul gives us the following commands, emphasizing the importance of the most of each and every opportunity:

“Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is.” —Ephesians 5:15–17

“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.” —Colossians 4:5–6

Jesus was always about His Father’s business—and we, His followers are to be likewise.

Jesus’ ministry would last only three short years, during which our Lord worked with diligence, a firm resolve, and a fixed purpose. With Him, there was no dilly-dallying around. He was on a mission and everything He did was motivated by his desire to accomplish God’s will. His goal was simply to please His Father. He therefore never allowed opportunities for the demonstration of mercy to pass Him by. Jesus told His disciples:

“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work. Don’t you say, ‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?’ I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest!” —John 4:34–35

Jesus demonstrated His deep compassion and sympathy for all people, spurring and urging His disciples—both then and now—into action:

“Then Jesus went throughout all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest-ready fields.’” —Matthew 9:35–38

Become More

Paul reminds us who it is we are actually serving when we set out to help others: “Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23–24).

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, in all the places you can, as long as you can.” —John Wesley

Further Reflections

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the full in every situation that you believe to be the will of God.” —Jim Elliot

“To love God, to serve Him because we love Him, is … our highest happiness … Love makes all labor light. We serve with enthusiasm where we love with sincerity.” —Hannah More

“Then Jesus spoke out again, ‘I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” —John 8:12

For the moral and spiritual darkness which covers the earth, for the darkness plaguing humankind, Jesus declares He is the only remedy—He is the true Light that breaks the darkest and strongest chains of sin and depravity. Just as one sun is the sufficient visible light for the whole world, so too there is one Savior—and there need be no more. Isaiah prophesizes regarding our Messiah:

“The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness.” —Isaiah 9:2

In our verse for today, Jesus says that He came not only for a few but for the benefit of all. And yet sadly, some choose not to use or value His light, preferring to wallow in the darkness. Jesus had made this same point earlier in the book of John:

“Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.”—John 3:19–21

Our love of darkness stems from an innate love of what is all around us over a love for God. We worship and serve created things rather than the Creator. The darkness disguises our misplaced love, but nothing is hidden from God’s sight. We read in God’s Word:

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” —Romans 1:25

“And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” —Hebrews 4:13

It is not enough to simply marvel at the light of Jesus from a distance—the promise is for those who are willing to follow. Just as we are not swimming when we simply gaze at a pool, nor are not actually eating chocolate when we simply look at it, we are not experiencing God’s light when we are looking at Jesus. We are swimming when we jump in, the wonderful taste of chocolate comes to us when we place it in our mouths. Jesus requires of us our commitment and submission to His leading; following is the act of believing. As we follow Christ, His promise is that we will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. We will neither be left in ignorance nor grope around in uncertainty—our conscience and our understanding will be flooded with light that can never be totally quenched.

David proclaims his confidence in the Lord as being his light—and it is this confidence that takes away his fear:

“The LORD delivers and vindicates me! I fear no one! The LORD protects my life! I am afraid of no one!” —Psalm 27:1

Jesus’ provisions for His followers are salvation and strength, joy and understanding, life, and strength.

Become More

“With every revelation there is obligation. With every blessing there is responsibility. It is not enough for us to receive the gift of salvation or to be blessed of God. We must commit our way to the Lord and heed His Word.” —Dr. Michael Youssef

Further Reflections

“Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light: He is our light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us … He, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all covenant blessings in his possession.” —C.H. Spurgeon

“The word translated ‘follow’ is from the Greek word akoloutheo meaning: “attendant on a way, road, path. The individual calling to follow Jesus involved abiding fellowship … cleaving to Him in believing trust and obedience …. following His leading and acting according to His example … hence the constant stress of the Lord Jesus on self-denial and fellowship with Himself in the cross … following Jesus therefore denotes a fellowship of faith as well as a fellowship of life, sharing in His sufferings not only inwardly, but outwardly if necessary.” —Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible New Testament Lexical Aids

“On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, “From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)” —John 7:37–39

Grabbing the attention of His hearers on the most important day of the Feast, Jesus loudly proclaims a wide and full and free invitation to all humankind—establishing with certainty the gospel as being eminently wonderful news. I am reminded of the prophet Isaiah’s words:

“Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food!” —Isaiah 55:1–2

Apart from Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, each one of us remains spiritually thirsty, anxious of soul, in need of pardon before a Holy God, and longing for a lasting peace. God’s perfect law convicts us of our sin. We are in a hopeless state. No one possesses the ability to be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law, for apart from Jesus, we all remain helpless. We will always be found wanting. Paul tells us:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23

The Jews were all too familiar with their lack of ability. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament served as a constant reminder. God had warned His people through the prophet Jeremiah that they had forsaken Him, the Spring of Living Water and had dug their own pathetic broken cisterns. They had replaced the one true God with false idols which could never satisfy nor meet their needs:

“Do so because my people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cistern for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.” —Jeremiah 2:13

When we come to the realization of our sinful state, it is then that we desire the help and relief that comes through forgiveness. This is the idea behind Jesus’ choice of the word “thirsty.” Who has not been thirsty? Who has not been parched and desirous of having their thirst quenched? What we perhaps know all too well in the physical realm, Jesus is communicating a spiritual truth. Unfortunately, we often seek to quench our spiritual thirst with almost everything but the Living Water! From money to pleasure to honor to prestige to self-indulgence—there is no limit to our chase for satisfaction or the careless handling of our own souls. We seem to go to great lengths not to pursue what ultimately satisfies. Jesus tells us:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” —Matthew 5:6

Become More

Isaiah prophesized:

“The Lord will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water.” —Isaiah 58:11

Peace is only to be truly experienced in Christ Jesus who serves as our mediator and substitute. To come to Christ is to believe in Him and to be filled with Him.

Further Reflections

“Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby! The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them.” —Isaiah 55:6–7

“To feel the sinfulness of sin and to thirst, and really to come to Christ and believe, are the two steps which lead to heaven. But they are mighty steps. Thousands are too proud and careless to take them. Few, alas, think; and still fewer believe!” —J. C. Ryle

“My teaching is not from me, but from the one who sent me. If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” —John 7:16–18

Jesus divulges the mystery of His knowledge to His audience—His teaching is not His own, but rather divine. He had no need to be taught by anyone—His teaching was not learned; it was by divine revelation. Jesus was commanded by the Father what to say and how to say it. We find these words of our Lord later in John echoing the same sentiment:

“If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day. For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.” —John 12:47–50

Many people complain regarding their ability to discover truth. In our verses for today, Jesus tells us one secret key to knowledge—obedience. And as we are obedient in the simple things, we will be taught the deeper truths. Jesus is telling us that anyone who chooses to do God’s will—responding to the Word and the Spirit—will succeed in their search for the truth. In other words, those who progressively submit to divine guidelines will progressively be given divine light. As the Spirit leads us through conviction and we are obedient to change, we grow in Christlikeness–conforming to His image. This process is called sanctification. Paul tells us:

“For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” —1 Thessalonians 4:7–8

Jesus lived a perfect life; He lived the life God calls each one of us to. We are simply incapable of following His steps apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus came to portray God to all of humanity. Those who follow our Lord, through the Holy Spirit’s leading and power, are to portray God to all of humanity as well. Jesus brought God honor through His willing obedience. Likewise, we are to bring God honor through our willing obedience. 

In Malachi we are told that God rebuked the Levite priests for their failure to listen to His Word and for their failure to honor His great Name:

“Now, you priests, this commandment is for you. If you do not listen and take seriously the need to honor my name,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will send judgment on you and turn your blessings into curses—indeed, I have already done so because you are not taking it to heart.” —Malachi 2:1–2

The priests knew they were to honor God by the reverence of their words and their actions. Their teaching and instruction were to be true, nothing false found on their lips. By walking in peace and uprightness, they would turn many from sin.

Become More

Believers in Jesus are a royal priesthood, so termed by Peter, and called to declare His praises. Not stumbling through disobedience to the message but rather living in such a way that our lives demonstrate the peace and wisdom found in God:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” —1 Peter 2:9

Further Reflections

“My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me. He taught what was true; sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin.” —Malachi 2:5–6

“The plain things in religion are undeniably very many. Let a man honestly attend to them, and he shall be taught the deep things of God. Whatever some may say about their inability to find out truth, you will rarely find one of them who does not know better than he practices.” —J. C. Ryle

“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” —John 6:48–51

While satisfying the Israelites physical hunger, manna sent from heaven was not sufficient to truly satisfy forever. Jesus—the Word made flesh—was teaching the important truth that bread and water only sustain physical needs, yet man’s spiritual need is far greater:

“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” —Matthew 4:4

In our verses for today, Jesus reminds us the Israelites ate the God-given manna, yet died in the desert. I wonder how often that occurs in our day and age. We feast upon the temporal blessings sent from God, yet die apart from Christ in our own “deserts”—our own parched and weary lands of brokenness. Oh that we would be like King David when he cried out:

“I spread my hands out to you in prayer; my soul thirsts for you in a parched land.” —Psalm 143:6

The barren broken soul lays parched before its Maker. The great spiritual need that all mankind possesses is a hungry and thirsty heart. Jesus came to fill that need like water gushing forth in a dry desert. Jesus, the Bread of Life, comes down from heaven so that we may never die.

The true manna coming down from heaven was the all-sufficient One—Jesus himself. Jesus is the Bread of Life—He alone satisfies our soul’s hunger. A person may eat of this bread and never die; that is, he will never fall short of heaven, a world of no more tears and no more death. Here Jesus is telling His followers that they will live forever!

Just as bread must be given, broken, and taken in to sustain physical life, Jesus was given, broken, and taken up to sustain our spiritual life. His broken body heals our brokenness. His wounds make us whole. Our Savior offers us healing, reconciliation, and restoration through His broken body.

Jesus himself gives us the surety of blessing and filling as we hunger and thirst after righteousness with the diligence we use in seeking food for our physical bodies.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” —Matthew 5:6

Become More

“The gospel … should be seen as not only a message of good news for lost people to be saved from sin’s penalty, but also a message of good news for Christian people to be saved from sin’s domineering power. The goal of the gospel is not merely to forgive us, but to change us into true worshippers of God and authentic lovers of people.” —Dr. Steve Childers

Further Reflections

“He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow him. He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well; because of his wounds we have been healed.” —Isaiah 53:2–5

“Then Jesus told them, ‘I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ So they said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread all the time!’
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.’” —John 6:32–35

Similar to the Samaritan woman at the well respectfully asking Jesus for water (John 4:15), these Jewish followers of Jesus respectfully request of Him bread. However, both were desirous of the physical reality alone, missing the spiritual reality that Jesus is all we will ever need. Is that not human nature? While it is never wrong to pray for our needs, how much of our prayer life is often consumed with asking for meeting our physical needs to the exclusion of our spiritual needs, not taking into account that our bodies could better fare without food than our souls without Jesus. Most often our priorities are askew because our focus is not fixed. We choose to dwell on the temporal rather than the eternal.

Oh, that we would have the greater desire of King David to seek God’s face prior to seeking His hand. Psalm 27 gives us David’s earnest petition to the Lord:

“I have asked the LORD for one thing—this is what I desire! I want to live in the LORD’s house all the days of my life, so I can gaze at the splendor of the LORD and contemplate in his temple.” —Psalm 27:4

To dwell in the Lord’s presence is to dwell in security. In Psalm 91 we read:

“As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the Most High, and resides in the protective shadow of the Sovereign One—I say this about the LORD, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust—he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague. He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.” —Psalm 91:1–4

What we are seeking is satisfaction. Unfortunately, we all too often look for it in all the wrong places—roaming from here to there, jumping from bigger to better; seeking, striving, sweating, only to be found wanting.

While the provision of our earthly needs provided by the Father is profitable, it pales in comparison to the provision sent for our spiritual needs. Just as God rained down the manna from heaven, sending it to temporarily fill the stomachs of the wanderers, He sent His Son—the true Bread—to save all who would believe—permanently.

Become More

Jesus responds to His hearers in our verses for today by giving them the first of many “I am” statements presented in John. “I AM” was the way God described himself to Moses. Jewish hearers would have known when Jesus used those same words to describe himself that He was equating himself with God. He is our satisfaction in all things.

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Jesus is our sustenance, our sufficiency.

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Jesus is our guidance, our direction.

“I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:7). Jesus is our access to the Father.

“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). Jesus is our caring protector, our total safety.

“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus is our surety.

“I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus is our eternal counselor.

“I am the true vine” (John 15:1). Jesus is our source of strength, our power.

Further Reflections

“The hand of God being my chief provision and storehouse, is it not a shame to be anxiously careful for anything? Has the Lord all things in his hand? Then surely I shall receive what he has for me; none will be able to withhold it. Faith has always a free access to the treasures of God, who is never wanting. Christians have their chests and treasures in such a high place, even in God, that no thief can rob them, and they are sure to have enough in God; and though the Lord should try them with want a little while, yet he relieves them in due time: their bread must rain from heaven, rather than they should be left without. If this does not comfort and strengthen us, nothing else will.” —K.H. Von Bogatzky

“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but Thou art mighty, Hold me with Thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more; Feed me till I want no more.” —William Williams

“So then they said to him, ‘What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent.’” —John 6:28–29

These verses illustrate the willingness of the crowd to know and to do their duty regarding the requirements of God. They were totally convinced the “food that endures” that Jesus had spoken of (verse 27) would be theirs at the completion of such works. They presented both a serious and humble question in response to Jesus’ words; willing to do the work, they now sought to know what the work was.

I can so relate to their inquiry! We live in a works-oriented culture. Ever pushing ourselves to do more and more—get up earlier, stay up later; push, push, push, work, work, work, do, do, do. We even come back from our vacations needing rest! Sometimes I wonder what underlying factors propel our motivation toward this frenzied lifestyle—pride, insecurity, a continual desire for more, greed, power, selfishness, a desire to blend, a desire to stand out—you fill in the blank. I know what it definitely is not—it is not God’s requirement for our salvation. Scripture tells us:

“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8–9

Our works will never be good enough because flawed people do flawed works. Simply put, we lack. This is why we need a Savior; we simply cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23

“For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 6:23

Jesus gives the people an answer quite contrary to their works-oriented thinking.

It is God who does the work of faith; the one thing necessary for us is that we believe or trust in the One He has sent. Jesus, sent from the Father, full of grace and truth, came to seek and to save that which was lost—which is everyone:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” —Luke 19:10

Become More

While grace is lavishly and freely poured out to those who believe, it came as a great cost to God. The cross of Christ was the price of grace. Sometimes I think we, as modern-day believers, have the gift of grace down so well we are trampling upon it. Grace is not a license for licentious living, rather it is the ultimate response given in the law of love by our Lord. It calls every believer to a higher calling through His power. This love is found in the hearts of those who believe, transformed by the power of the precious indwelling Holy Spirit.

“By this we know that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him. By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love. We love because he loved us first.” —1 John 4:13–19

Further Reflections

“Love Him totally who gave Himself totally for your love.” —Claire of Assisi

“It is impossible to get from preoccupation with behavior to the gospel. The gospel is not a message about doing things. It is a message about being a new creature. It speaks to people as broken, fallen sinners who are in need of a new heart. God has given His Son to make us new creatures. God does open-heart surgery, not a face-lift. He produces change from inside out. He rejects the man who fasts twice a week and accepts the sinner who cries for mercy.” —Ted Tripp

“I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.” —John 5:25–27

Jesus can call the dead to life both physically and spiritually—this is a solemn truth. I am reminded of Jesus’ response to John the Baptist’s question found in Matthew asking if Jesus was indeed the One to come. Perhaps John was discouraged sitting in his prison cell, perhaps he was confused. He who had once recognized Jesus to be the Messiah now needed the truth to be reaffirmed in his soul. It is so easy to get discouraged in the midst of our circumstances and then become bewildered!

I love the way Jesus responds to John’s question:

“Now when John heard in prison about the deeds Christ had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go tell John what you hear and see: The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them—and blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me!’” —Matthew 11:2–6

Jesus refused to give a yes or no answer to the question, choosing to cite His works and let them speak for themselves. The coming Messiah’s actions had been prophesized by the prophet Isaiah and Jesus clearly demonstrated He was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words:

“Then blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear. Then the lame will leap like a deer, the mute tongue will shout for joy; for water will burst forth in the wilderness, streams in the arid rift valley.” —Isaiah 35:5–6

“I, the Lord, officially commission you; I take hold of your hand. I protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people, and a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to release prisoners from dungeons, those who live in darkness from prisons.” —Isaiah 42:6-7

Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise to Israel and also as a Light to the Gentiles. Spiritually unredeemed Israel and Gentiles alike are blind captives living in darkness—spiritually dead in their sins—yet Jesus says that those who hear will live! 

God’s gracious offer of reconciliation by righteousness through faith is held out to all. Sadly, many do not accept this Good News. Many fail to respond. It is a very sad and discouraging thing to the message bearer of God’s Word for the Word not to be embraced. It is even sadder for those who turn a deaf ear to the truth.

Become More

God tells us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. The writer of Hebrews says:

“Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can people do to me?’” —Hebrews 13:5–6

Jesus promises us the same through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit:

“Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you. I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you. In a little while the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.” —John 14:16–21

Further Reflections

“I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” —John Newton

“From God, great and small, rich and poor, draw living water from a living spring, and those who serve Him freely and gladly will receive grace answering to grace.” —Thomas a Kempis

“But a time is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” —John 4:23–24

Jesus tells us the old has gone and the new has now come. Paul puts it this way:

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” —2 Corinthians 5:17

No longer bound to worship in the ceremonial way of the Mosaic Law, Jesus shows us what is essential and necessary: to worship God in both spirit and truth. The stress is placed on our minds and our hearts. I am reminded of a time when God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to His people in regard to trusting in their place of worship rather than in Him. At that time in history, the Jews mistakenly thought they were safe to do all sorts of detestable practices because they worshipped in the temple of the Lord—practicing a form of outward religion, with no inward change:

“The LORD said to Jeremiah: ‘Stand in the gate of the LORD’s temple and proclaim this message: “Listen to the LORD’s message, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the LORD. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, ‘We are safe! The temple of the LORD is here!’” —Jeremiah 7:1–4

Jesus tells us we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. We are to depend on God’s Holy Spirit for strength and assistance, worshiping with sincerity of heart and bringing glory to the One we worship because we believe Him to be true. Paul says:

“For we are … the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials.” —Philippians 3:3

This true form of worship begins by setting our hearts and minds on things above—earnestly seeking to bring heavenly direction to our earthly duties by fixing our attention on the eternal rather than the temporal. We are told in Colossians:

“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him.” —Colossians 3:1–4

Become More

Simply put, the more we know Him the more we love Him. The more we love Him the more we desire to worship Him. The more we worship Him the more we desire to serve Him. Our worship of Him mirrors the condition of our hearts. The true worship which God desires from His children works from the inside out. Our worship of Him should result in personal transformation.

Further Reflections

“As a contrite heart is the most pleasing temple of God; so speaking with God in words of our own, as a child does with his father, is the best book of prayer. The most cunning method, by which Satan deceives many now, is the mistaking of an extensive knowledge and assurance of their own making, not witnessed by the Spirit, for true faith; or trusting on some outward form of worship, or having communion with others, or pretending to gospel experience and liberty, and thereby claiming the office of building up souls, though a true change was never wrought in their own hearts. For what can all our reading, prayers, going to church and sacrament, profit us, without this? Before all this shall be acceptable to the Lord, we must be renewed in our minds, and prove by our words and deeds that we are the living temples of God.” —K. H. Von Bogatzky

“Jesus showed us what God really wants to cleanse and purify–our hearts. Christ’s transforming work on the cross helps us to break free from desires that hold us in bondage. As we submit to God, we become like Christ, no longer wanting to offend God. Out of gratitude we obey Him from the inside out.” —Tremper Longman