Day 14 of 21 Days

Today is the beginning of the big count day of the last week of our corporate time of fasting and praying. I shared with you last week to protect and prepare yourself for the attack of the enemy. And did he attack…just as the Holy Spirit shared in our service last weekend but here’s the good news we survived. After a spiritual battle our heart sometime are wounded well God knew that would need some encouragement. So, on day 14 we have before us one of the most encouraging and enlighten chapter in all of the New Testament. I pray that it will strengthen you as it did me.

I heard a story that illustrates what the disciples were probably feeling by the time we reach John chapter 14. It is about a lady at the airport who bought a Kit Kat candy bar to eat while she was waiting for her plane.

In the crowded waiting area she spied an empty seat at the end of a row. Rushing to get it, she quickly propped her hang up bag against the end of the row, sat down, and placed her purse and several small items on the table between her and a rather large man seated there, and then turned back to straighten her hang up bag.

With everything finally in order, she was ready to eat her Kit Kat candy bar. But to her surprise, as she started to reach for it, she saw the man in the next seat unwrapping her Kit Kat candy bar, and she watched in utter amazement as he broke off a section and ate it.

She thought, "Well, my goodness, I’ve never seen such gall." She glared at him, and he looked at her, but no words were exchanged.

She was so furious at what he had done that she decided that if he was going to be that brazen about it, she could be brazen, too. So she reached over to him, broke off a piece and ate it herself. Then he broke off another piece and ate it.

It became almost a duel between the two of them to see who would get the most. Quickly the candy bar was consumed, and she sat there just boiling that someone would be so rude and so presumptuous as to eat half of her candy bar.

Well, after a few minutes of silence, the man got up and left and then came back with another Kit Kat candy bar. He unwrapped it, broke off a piece and started eating. She thought, "Well, since he ate half of mine, I’m going to eat half of his." So she reached over and broke off another piece and ate it.

Once again the same scenario was repeated until the whole candy bar was gone. She sat there thinking, "This is the most ridiculous thing that has happened to me in my whole life." She continued to glare at him, and he looked at her, with neither one saying a word.

Just then, over the intercom came the announcement that her plane was ready for boarding. So she opened her purse to get her boarding pass and, to her utter embarrassment, there was her Kit Kat candy bar. She had eaten half of 2 of his candy bars, and her candy bar was still in her purse!

There are times, I suppose, when things really start to go wrong. Your whole world seems to be crumbling around you and you wonder what is going on.

That is probably about the way the apostles are feeling as we come to the 14th chapter of John. Their week had begun gloriously with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and people waving palm branches and shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" (John 12:13)

Even the Pharisees and the chief priests who had been plotting against Jesus had cried out in despair, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!" (John 12:19)

But Jesus had not come to establish an earthly kingdom, and He refused the crown. Disappointed and thwarted in their dreams of a Jewish kingdom with Jesus as their miracle working king, the fickle crowd began to change. And soon the priests were once again seeking someone to betray Jesus into their hands.

So as the 14th chapter of John opens, we see Jesus and His apostles in the upper room where they have eaten the Passover meal together. Jesus knew exactly what the next few hours would bring.

He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew about the illegal trials of the night, and how troubled the apostles would be. He knew of the cross and the borrowed tomb. And He tried to prepare the apostles for all that. So He begins to comfort them.

1. TRUST IN MY PRESENCE

First of all, Jesus tells them, “You can trust in My presence.” In Vs. 1 Jesus begins by saying, Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

You see, we have always found it easier to trust in things that we can see and touch. We have a little bit of Thomas in us, don’t we? Remember, Thomas said, "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" (John 20:25).

So Jesus shows him and he believes. “Then Jesus told him, "Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).

This is a hard lesson for us to learn, isn’t it? Yet it is an important lesson, because when we face troubles and difficulties in life, we need to remember as Christians that Jesus has promised, "I will be with you always. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Trust in My presence."

2. TRUST IN MY PROMISES

Then Jesus tells them, “You can trust in My promises.” In vs’s 2 and 3 Jesus says, In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so , would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

God gave many promises both in the Old and New Testaments. He promised the children of Israel a land where there would be milk and honey. It took a while for the promise to be fulfilled, but finally it was fulfilled.

He promised a Messiah, and that took a long time. But it, too, was fulfilled. Jesus the Savior was born.

Now God promises that He is coming back for us. Someday we’ll be with Him forever and ever. Sometimes we grow impatient, but the scripture says, "You can trust the promises of God. This promise will be fulfilled, too."

3. TRUST IN MY PERSON!

Thirdly, Jesus is saying, “Trust in Me.” In vs’s 4-6 Jesus says, And you know the way to where I am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth, and the life. Now one comes to the Father except through me.

What a wonderful promise! He is saying, "I’m not just going to show you the way, or tell you the way, or write out the instructions on how to get there. I’m going to come and take you by the hand to My Father’s house. Then you’ll be home."

A few years ago Dave Galloway told of a soldier who returned from Viet Nam. His parents were socialites, very well to do. It was near Christmas, and they were getting ready to go out to the first of the round of parties of the Christmas season.

Just then the phone rang, and it was their son on the phone. "Mom," he said, "I’m back in the States." She said, "That’s wonderful! Where are you? Will you be home for Christmas? Can you get here in time for the parties? Everybody will just love to see you."

He answered, "Yes, I can be home for Christmas, but I want to ask you something first." "What is it?" she asked. "Well, I have a friend with me from Viet Nam. Can he come?"

"Oh, of course," she answered. "Bring him along. He’ll enjoy the parties, too." "Wait a moment, mom," he said, "I need to explain something about him. He was terribly wounded, and lost both legs and one arm. His face is disfigured, too."

There was silence on the phone for awhile. Then the mother said, "That’s all right. Bring him home for a few days." "No, mom, you don’t understand. He has nowhere to live. He has no one else. I want to bring him home and to let our home be his home."

The mother was quiet again. Then she said, "Son, that just wouldn’t do. What you’re asking would be very unfair to us. Why, it would disrupt all our lives. I’m sure there are government agencies that would be more than glad to take charge of him. Look, just you hurry home for Christmas now, and then maybe you can visit him once in a while."

"Darling, I’m sorry, but we’ve got to rush or we’ll be late for the party. Call us again as soon as you know when you’ll be home. Goodbye."

When the parents returned home from the party that night, there was an urgent message from the California police asking them to call.

They telephoned, and the officer said, "I’m very sorry to have to call you, but we have just found a young soldier dead in a motel room. His face is disfigured, and he has lost both legs and one arm. From the documents on him it would appear that he is your son."

Whatever your burdens are this morning, the solution to a troubled heart is still the same, to trust, to trust in His presence, trust in His promises and trust in His person.

• Jesus' Death Delivers Troubled Hearts, 14:1-3
• The Way to God Is By Jesus Alone, 14:4-7
• The Embodiment of God Is Jesus Himself, 14:8-14
• The Holy Spirit: Who He Is, 14:15-26
• The Source of Peace, Joy, Security, 14:27-31

Day 8 of 21 Days

During our Sunday worship I warned each of you to be on guard for attack from the enemy. To guard your heart, mind, and spirit, during this week of fasting and praying. God’s Word says in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices”.

We should BEWARE of the Devil’s devices and be ON GUARD against the “fiery darts” (Ephesians 6:16) of discouragement, pride, fear, jealousy, selfishness, doubts, negative thoughts which he hurls at us to try to hinder us! But the Enemy can’t lay a finger on us unless the Lord ALLOWS him to! And if the Lord does allow him to, it’s only for our GOOD, to make us stronger fighters, to teach us lessons or to drive us closer to Jesus!

Always remember, that as a Christian, you have nothing to fear from the Devil or his forces because JESUS is WITH you! In fact, YOU have POWER over all the devils of Hell, including Satan himself! God's Word tells us, “Greater is He (JESUS) that is in YOU, than he (the Devil) that is in the World!”

This is day 8 so let’s look briefly at John chapter 8

• Man’s Dark Sinfulness and God's Great Forgiveness, 8:1-11
• Man’s Need for The Light of the World, 8:12-20
• Man’s Futile Search for Messiah, 8:21-24
• Man’s Tragic Failure to Understand the Light, 8:25-30
• Man’s Freedom from Sin Is Conditional, 8:31-32
• Man’s Enslavement by Sin, 8:33-40
• Man’s Wickedness—Illegitimate Birth, 8:41-47
• Man’s Escape from Death, 8:48-59

Let me begin by reading John 8:1-5, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn He appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, & He sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law & the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group & said to Jesus, `Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’"

And John adds this footnote in vs. 6. He says, “This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.”

Now here is the scene. Jerusalem is crowded. It is a festive time, with some obviously engaging in drinking, drunkenness and immorality - a time to get caught in the act of adultery. And that’s exactly what happened. So here comes a crowd, bringing this woman who has been caught in the act of adultery, and they make her stand before Jesus. She’s guilty, there’s no question about that. But notice what Jesus does.

It says in the last part of vs. 6, “Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.” I wonder what He wrote? [I hear a generation of preacher I grew up hearing using their sanctified imaginations] but it doesn’t say, so we just don’t know. But it doesn’t matter nearly as much what Jesus wrote as what He was doing. Jesus was giving them an opportunity to reconsider, to think about what they’re doing. He’s giving them an opportunity to drop the stones they are holding. But they don’t do it.

Then Verse 7-9 tells us, “And as they continued to ask him, he stood up an said to them, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

Now let me suggest that this is one of those precious moments in scripture when a sinner and the Savior stand face to face. He doesn’t condone her sin, but He doesn’t condemn her. He condemns her sin, but He doesn’t condemn her.

Here they are, just the two of them, and He asks, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one Lord. And Jesus said Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more.

There are many lessons here, and the reason I think this story is important is because I’m convinced that we’re in this picture, too. Our list of sins may be different, but we’re in the same boat she’s in. We stand condemned before the Savior just as she was.

But it’s so easy for us to be just like the scribes and Pharisees, pointing their long bony fingers, stones in hand, ready to condemn. They were trying to trap Jesus. But He turned the tables on them, and the crowd slinked away.

The only one there who had a right to throw stones was Jesus Christ, AND HE DOESN’T WANT TO THROW STONES. Hallelujah!!! Verse 12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Enjoy your study & will see you on day 9!

God Is Watching Over You

Let me first start by giving a GREAT BIG shoot-out to Greater Bethel Church for a awesome Pastor’s Support Annual Day. Your love and support was uplifting as well as encouraging to Janice & I. Many times people who sit in the pew Sunday after Sunday being encourage never think that the person who stand in the pulpit Sunday after Sunday need encouragement too. Special thanks to the PAC lead by the very vocal & outspoken Ms. Jerrion Cooper “Love you with all my heart.” Finally, to my little/big brother Rev. Ray E. Owens, Pastor of the Macedonia Church of South Bend, Indiana (you can follow him on twitter, blog or church website http://macedoniapastor.blogspot.com/ http://www.macedoniahelps.org/ ) I’m always amazed to watch the growth of a preacher/pastor enormous leap, he was already a passionate & powerful preacher but God took him to another level “proud of you”. Macedonia you have a special gift cherish it, protect it, love it & surround it with prayer.

This has been a very hectic few weeks with final papers due and studying for final grades. Sometime life hits so hard that it causes you to feel down and sometimes even depressed. There are times when life simply doesn’t make sense. During the holiday season with Christmas music, shopping, gifts, & trees, many people aren’t happy. So no matter what you are facing be sure to remember that God’s Got You! God is the Master over winds & waves, sickness & suffering, fear & frustration, pain & problem, troubles & tragedies, disappointments, difficulties, depression, debt, disease, demons & even death.

I want to share one of my favorite passages, Psalm 91:10–11 says "No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."

Don’t you just sense your Father’s love in these words? Like a mother hen that spreads her wings over her chicks to protect them, God will “cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge”. (Psalm 91:4) So don’t be fearful of accidents, attacks, pains, predicaments, failures, falls, hell-raisers or haters because your heavenly Father loves you and watches over you.

One of the ways He does this is with His angels. God has declared that no evil, plague or accident will befall you or even come near your dwelling “for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways”. When He says “no”, He means “no-thing”! And if He tells His angels to “keep you in all your ways”, it means 24/7 divine protection for you!

My friends, your heavenly Father is watching over you. That is why no evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your dwelling. And He has a host of angels to keep you in all your ways!

Thank God For His Grace

Usain Bolt was disqualified after breaking the NO false start rule in the World Championships which robs the world of watching the fastest man in the world run the 100 meters. The World Championship organization needs to learn a new word called "Grace!"

Grace can be defined as God's unmerited favor. It is God's free action for the benefit of His people. God's grace can be compared to the pardon that a governor of a state can give to a guilty prisoner who is facing execution (the punishment of death) for something that he or she did. Without this pardon, without this grace, they will be given what they deserve.

I'm thankful that God doesn't disqualify US when we mess up, but give us a ANOTHER CHANCE to do what we were born to do. #ShoutingBecauseOfHisGrace