Hello Advent Family,

When is the last time you were moved to tears?  Maybe it was an emotional moment in your life.  Something you were going through.  Perhaps a touching video or movie that choked you up.  Maybe it was even a moment of joy that brought tears to your eyes.  Crying is a very human and healthy thing to do.  Today I want to focus on one of the shortest verses in scripture – Jesus wept.  I’ve included a longer section for context but lets look at John 11 together today.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

To me it is incredibly comforting to know that my Creator, my God, my Savior wept.  It means that He understands the times in my life where I weep.  I have often wondered what led to Jesus weeping.  Perhaps it was seeing the pain of Mary and Martha.  Perhaps it was realizing that His friend, Lazarus had to have suffered before He died.  Perhaps He was even grieving over the necessity of death in general.  It certainly wasn’t because he thought it was permanent because He was about to bring Him forth from the dead.  Whatever the reason, Jesus understands when we experience deep emotions that lead to tears.  He experienced them himself.  Shortly after this he is even anguished to the point of sweating blood.  Whatever joy or pain or challenge you are walking through today know that you have a God who loves you, who is with you, and who understands. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Hello Advent Family,

I often wonder what it must have been like to be one of the twelve disciples.  As we read the gospels we have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story.  They were just along for the ride.  The walking on water the feeding of 5000 water to wing multiple healings. Even raising his friend Lazarus from the dead.  Today I’d like to look at that story.  Let’s look at it from the perspective of a disciple who has no idea what will happen.  

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” 8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

I wonder what they thought when Jesus heard that his good friend was sick and then stayed around a few more days before He left to do anything about it.  Look at verse 6 carefully.  Jesus waits intentionally.  He isn’t too busy to come He waits on purpose.  Then He tells the disciples that they are traveling to where people tried to stone Him recently.  I’m sure this must have frightened them so Jesus simply responds with a mysterious statement about walking in the light as opposed to walking in the darkness.  You see that’s the thing, Jesus knew exactly what He was doing.  He knew if He waited that Lazarus would be dead and He would raise Him from the dead.  He knew this would be the last straw and the religious leaders would be determined to kill Him after that.  He knew His next move would be to ride into Jerusalem like a conquering King.  Jesus always knows the plan and path to what is best for us.  We simply need to be like the disciples and follow along for the ride!

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

As Jesus continues His ministry the more He does amazing things and the more He reveals about Himself the more opposition He encounters.  Ultimately this is leading to His purpose in the first place, to die for our sins.  Let’s look at this account in John 10 when they ask Him point blank if He is the Messiah. 

Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

Jesus knows that this is not the time quite yet for His crucifixion.  It’s interesting that while He is answering His opponents He is also offering hope for those who follow Him.  He reminds us that as followers of Him we can never be taken away from our relationship with God.  We always remain in His grip.  Jesus gives us this truth at the risk of being stoned to death.  To me this is one of the most significant promises in the Bible.  Nothing can separate us from God.  It’s the one relationship in life that can never fail or let you down.  Today hold on to Jesus’ promise that when He is holding you nothing can take you away from His great loving arms.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

The other day we had a bad thunderstorm and the wind picked up and blew my fence gate open.  I didn’t realize this had happened and let my dogs out back the next thing I knew one of them was barking at the front door of my house to be let in.  Thankfully they didn’t run off although they could have because the gate wasn’t doing its job.  Gates control who gets in and who stays in.  When it comes to our faith life Jesus is our gate.  He says the way to God is through Him.  He calls Himself the gate in John 10.  Let’s look at it together today.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

The Pharisees and religious leaders thought of themselves as the gate to God.  In this passage Jesus calls Himself the gate (the ay to God) and also the Good Shepherd.  He serves as both in our lives.  He is our way to God and He is the shepherd who cares for us.  He has plans for a great and full life for us and when we follow Him that is exactly what we have.  When my gate failed my dogs didn’t run away and ran back to the house because they know who cares for them and more importantly feeds them.  Jesus is a gate that will never fail but more importantly He is our good shepherd that cares for us perfectly.  May we all run to Him for His great care for us.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever with someone who completely missed the point of a story or event?  It seems that often the Pharisees miss the point.  They are so concerned about losing power and influence to Jesus that they miss the fact that the Messiah, the Son of God is doing amazing things in their midst.  Let’s look together at their reaction right after Jesus uses mud to heal a man born blind found in John 9.

Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

The Pharisees so badly want Jesus to be wrong, to be guilty that they miss the thing that is obvious to the uneducated man who was born blind.  The blind man knows that this man obviously comes from God or He could do nothing.  Sometimes I wonder if we also can get distracted by our own agenda and what we have going on in life and miss the things that Jesus is trying to tell and show to us. My prayer for myself and for all of us is that we would have the eyes of the man born blind.  That we would recognize Jesus and how He is leading, guiding, and directing us.  We would see Him and follow Him.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever found yourself amazed at the different ways that God works in your life?  Sometimes He simply blesses us.  Sometimes He leads us through challenging times that end up working for our good and strength.  Sometimes we are pushed into situations that we would never go on our own that build us up.  Jesus does the same type of thing during His time on earth.  Sometimes He heals with a word.  Other times He has others get involved in their own healing.  Once He healed simply by being touched by a woman.  Today I’d like to look at a story of when He made mud patties to heal a man from John 9.  Let’s read the account together today.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

Whatever way Jesus chooses to work in our lives He always has a reason.  The reason is not always obvious in fact sometimes in the midst of God working it can feel like a burden.  The one thing we can trust is that God is always at work.  God may lead us in places we don’t want to go and through experiences that we never wanted.  The important thing is that HE is leading and WE are following.  When we follow where God is leading no matter what we may face we are always in the right place.  I can only imagine what this man thought when Jesus put mud on his eyes. I’m sure his thoughts changed pretty quickly when he washed off the muds and could see for the first time ever.  God may bring you through the mud in life but He always brings you through the mud to whatever waits on the other side. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever thought of your self as a slave?  A slave to your passions and desires.  The Bible uses this language often but also talks about the freedom that we can experience through Jesus.  Let’s look together at what Jesus says about this in John 9.

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Our freedom from sin according to Jesus comes from embracing the truth and from the freedom that Jesus offers us.  The problem is that while we are free sometimes we still act as though we are slaves to sin.  We are freed slaves who run right back into slavery.   Jesus reminds us in this passage that by holding onto the truth we can be set free.  The truth is that Jesus is better than anything the world can offer us.  Better than pleasure.  Better than success.  Better than wealth or fame.  Jesus is better than everything.  When we hold on to that truth and hold on to Jesus we become truly free.  I pray that we would all rest in our freedom in Jesus today and each day. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

I have always loved the story found in John 8 of the women caught in adultery.  Most Bibles explain that this story is not found in some early Biblical manuscripts.  Perhaps it is a story that was remembered later and certainly it fits the character and nature of Jesus.  Let’s take a look at it together today. 

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Of course one of everyone’s first questions is what did Jesus write in the ground.  The religious leaders who brought the woman were not interested in the law or in justice they simply wanted to test Jesus.  After all where is the man in this situation that she was caught with? Jesus seemingly ignores them and draws or writes in the sand.  When they press the issue He asks those without sin to cast the first stone.  Then He goes right back to writing in the dirt.  I think the point is that He doesn’t ignore her sin He simply extends her grace.  He offers her grace and tells her to go and leave her life of sin.  It’s the same offer He gives to us all.  That’s what Jesus does.  While sin is a serious matter to God, His grace is always bigger than our sin.  Jesus offers us His amazing grace and offers us a better way to live.  A life where we find out satisfaction in Him and not in sin.  I pray that we would all experience God’s amazing grace and live and rest in His offer of freedom from sin. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Jesus’ public ministry was met with all different kinds of reactions.  Some were amazed and believed.  Many were curious.  Some followed until things got tough.  Some were directly opposed to Him.  Let’s look at some of the different reactions as Jesus goes to the Festival of Tabernacles and teaches.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. 47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Today people still have a variety of reactions to Jesus.  Some appreciate His teaching but aren’t willing to follow Him.  Others just think He was an interesting historical figure.  Others reject Him completely.  As followers of Jesus we are called to embrace Him and His way of life fully.  Sometimes others biggest stumbling block to embracing Jesus is what they think of His followers.  This was true during Jesus’ day as well.  People were put off by the “sinners” that Jesus had around Him.  We are called to be people who love our neighbors well.  When we do that and when we live the kind of lives that Jesus calls us to people are drawn to Jesus instead of put off by Him.  I pray that by God’s grace we would live such lives of love that others would want part of the life we have in Jesus.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave