The Word

 John 1:1-5, 12, 14

In the beginning the Word already existed.

    The Word was with God,

    and the Word was God.

2 

He existed in the beginning with God.

3 

God created everything through him,

    and nothing was created except through him.

4 
The Word gave life to everything that was created,

    and his life brought light to everyone.

5 The light shines in the darkness,

    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, 

he gave the right to become children of God.

So the Word became flesh and lived among us. 

He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. 

And we have seen his glory, 

the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

faith brings joy

Romans 5 

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, 

we have peace with God 

because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 

2 Because of our faith, 

Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege 

where we now stand, 

and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, 

for we know that they help us develop endurance. 

4 And endurance develops strength of character, 

and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 

5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. 

For we know how dearly God loves us, 

because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

6 When we were utterly helpless, 

Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 

7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, 

though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 

9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, 

he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 

10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son 

while we were still his enemies, 

we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 

11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God 

because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

the future

Jesus Speaks about the Future.

Don't read this passage with any of the preconceived ideas you may have, 

or in light of what many others have said about this, 

or anything related to end times.

Read it with no agenda - take it as it is.

And then think about it...

Luke 21

5 Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, 6 “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”

8 He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. 9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” 10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. 13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. 14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! 16 Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. 17 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish! 19 By standing firm, you will win your souls.

20 “And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. 22 For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. 23 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. 24 They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.

25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

Jesus took our punishment

Romans 3 

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him 

without keeping the requirements of the law, 

as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 

22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. 

And this is true for everyone who believes, 

no matter who we are or what we have done.

23 For everyone has sinned; 

we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 

24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. 

He did this through Christ Jesus 

when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 

25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. 

People are made right with God 

when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. 

This sacrifice shows that God was being fair 

when he held back 

and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 

26 for he was looking ahead 

and including them in what he would do in this present time. 

God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, 

for he himself is fair and just, 

and he makes sinners right in his sight 

when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? 

No, 

because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. 

It is based on faith. 

28 So we are made right with God through faith 

and not by obeying the law.

29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? 

Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? 

Of course he is. 

30 There is only one God, 

and he makes people right with himself only by faith, 

whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 

31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, 

does this mean that we can forget about the law? 

Of course not! 

In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

Zacchaeus

Luke 19 

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 

2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. 

He was the chief tax collector in the region, 

and he had become very rich. 

3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, 

but he was too short to see over the crowd. 

4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, 

for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, 

he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. 

“Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! 

I must be a guest in your home today.”

6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down 

and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 

7 But the people were displeased. 

“He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, 

“I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, 

and if I have cheated people on their taxes, 

I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, 

“Salvation has come to this home today, 

for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 FOR THE SON OF MAN CAME TO SEEK & SAVE THOSE LIKE HIM WHO ARE LOST." (dan note: those are my capitalizations.)

Once again, Jesus lets everyone know that He hasn't just come for "righteous" people, but for everyone, including, or especially, "notorious sinners."

The question is, do we, as followers of Jesus, have the same desire as Jesus to reach out & connect with people for Jesus, regardless of whether they are righteous or notoriously sinful?

Paul's opener of Romans

Romans 1 

1 This letter is from Paul, 

a slave of Christ Jesus, 

chosen by God to be an apostle 

and sent out to preach his Good News. 

2 God promised this Good News long ago 

through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 

3 The Good News is about his Son. 

In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 

4 and he was shown to be the Son of God 

when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. 

It is the power of God at work, 

saving everyone who believes;

the Jew first 

and also the Gentile. 

17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. 

This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. 

As the Scriptures say, 

“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

being a servant

 Anyone who says with a hand over the heart & in a particularly sanguine voice, 

"All I want is to be a servant of the Lord,"

has never been one.

Here's what Jesus said about being a servant...

Luke 17

7 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, 

does his master say, 

‘Come in and eat with me’? 

8 No, 

he says, 

‘Prepare my meal, 

put on your apron, 

and serve me while I eat. 

Then you can eat later.’ 

9 And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? 

Of course not. 

10 In the same way, 

when you obey me you should say, 

‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Those words tend to slow down any sense of entitlement that so many "servant of the Lord" feel they are due.

last verses of 1 John

1 John 5 

18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, 

for God’s Son holds them securely, 

and the evil one cannot touch them. 

19 We know that we are children of God 

and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come, 

and he has given us understanding 

so that we can know the true God. 

And now we live in fellowship with the true God 

because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. 

He is the only true God, 

and he is eternal life.

21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

loving

Read this slowly, & more than once. 

There is SO MUCH in these 14 verses that if you read them quickly you'll miss so many of the ENORMOUS truths within these few verses.

And these are truths that form the basis of our world's basic beliefs about huan treatment - how we should treat each other, & why.

1 John 4 

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, 

for love comes from God. 

Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 

8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, 

for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us 

by sending his one and only Son into the world 

so that we might have eternal life through him. 

10 This is real love;

not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us 

and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, 

we surely ought to love each other. 

12 No one has ever seen God. 

But if we love each other, 

God lives in us, 

and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit 

as proof that we live in him 

and he in us. 

14 Furthermore, 

we have seen with our own eyes 

and now testify 

that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 

15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, 

and they live in God. 

16 We know how much God loves us, 

and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, 

and all who live in love live in God, 

and God lives in them. 

17 And as we live in God, 

our love grows more perfect. 

So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, 

but we can face him with confidence 

because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, 

because perfect love expels all fear. 

If we are afraid, 

it is for fear of punishment, 

and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 

19 We love each other because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, 

that person is a liar; 

for if we don’t love people we can see, 

how can we love God, 

whom we cannot see? 

21 And he has given us this command: 

Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

following & loving

1 John 3 

1 See how very much our Father loves us, 

for he calls us his children, 

and that is what we are! 

But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children 

because they don’t know him. 

2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, 

but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. 

But we do know that we will be like him, 

for we will see him as he really is. 

3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, 

just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, 

for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 

5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, 

and there is no sin in him. 

6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. 

But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him 

or understand who he is.

7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: 

When people do what is right, 

it shows that they are righteous, 

even as Christ is righteous. 

8 But when people keep on sinning, 

it shows that they belong to the devil, 

who has been sinning since the beginning. 

But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 

9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, 

because God’s life is in them. 

So they can’t keep on sinning, 

because they are children of God. 

10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. 

Anyone who does not live righteously 

and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: 

We should love one another. 

12 We must not be like Cain, 

who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. 

And why did he kill him? 

Because Cain had been doing what was evil, 

and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 

13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, 

it proves that we have passed from death to life. 

But a person who has no love is still dead. 

15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. 

And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is 

because Jesus gave up his life for us. 

So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 

17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; 

let us show the truth by our actions. 

19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, 

so we will be confident when we stand before God. 

20 Even if we feel guilty, 

God is greater than our feelings, 

and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, 

we can come to God with bold confidence. 

22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask 

because we obey him 

and do the things that please him.

23 And this is his commandment: 

We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, 

and love one another, 

just as he commanded us. 

24 Those who obey God’s commandments 

remain in fellowship with him, 

and he with them. 

And we know he lives in us 

because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

obeying

1 John 2 

1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. 

But if anyone does sin, 

we have an advocate 

who pleads our case before the Father. 

He is Jesus Christ, 

the one who is truly righteous. 

2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins;

and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 

4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, 

that person is a liar 

and is not living in the truth. 

5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. 

That is how we know we are living in him. 

6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.