Jesus: The Way, the Truth, the Life

“Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God’ believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I got 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.  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.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’”-John 14:1-4 (ESV).

I have just recently read a book entitled Jesus in the Present Tense:  The ‘I Am’ Statements of Christ by Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe (Colorado Springs:  David Cook, 2011).  I highly recommend the book as a good and insightful commentary on the “I Am” declarations of our Savior, namely “I am the Bread of Life,” “I am the Good Shepherd,” I am the Light of the World,”  “I am the Door,” “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” I am the True Vine,” and the one we will consider today, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.”  The premise of the “I Am…” statements of Jesus go back to when Moses asked at the burning bush when God called him to go to Egypt and be the deliverer of the Israelites in bondage, “Whom shall I say sent me?”  and God answered Moses, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14).  When Jesus came to reveal the Father and to do the work He came to do on earth, the Lord likewise said “I am…”  He followed the statement by giving several comparisons, all of which in some way have to do with the life of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was revealing the Father in His life, His ministry and His teaching.  “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” is a statement made the night Jesus was betrayed and just before His death on the cross.  He was eating the Passover Supper with His disciples in the Upper Room and He also instituted the symbolic Lord’s Supper which Christians observe as a memorial to Him and as a time of solemn self-examination and commitment.

Jesus told the disciples He was ‘going away.’  He meant His death, and although He had already spoken of how He would die, the disciples did not clearly understand ahead of time either the severity of that death or its meaning and implications.  He wanted them to know that He would be away preparing a place for them and that later He would return to receive them unto Himself.  How comforting has been this passage.  It probably is the most-read passage at funeral and memorial services because of the promise of Jesus to return to us and take us to a place of perfect rest which will be our eternal home.  What is the way to that place Jesus is preparing?  He said that He is theWay—not a way, not one way, but THE WAY.  He is the way to the Father.  And that way leads through the cross—which Jesus bore for us in His substitutionary death.  We accept the Way by believing that Jesus did what He said He would do, that He came to the world to fulfill God’s purpose for Him as the ultimate sacrifice for sin from the foundation of the world.  The statement “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” is a three-in-one statement for each facet of it is tied together.  Jesus is the Way to the Father.  He is the Truth of the Father’s love and provision; He is the life for he conquered death to rise to a glorified life forever.  The concept bears all the wisdom of the ages and the weight of God’s love for humankind, but at the same time it can be understood well enough even by a child so that he can believe and accept the great truth.  Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life and summarized the truth in “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts. 4:12, ESV).  Please bow your head and in all sincerity thank the Father for Jesus, the Way, the Truth, the Life who has showed us the way to Him.

“Yahwe Rohi”—The Lord My Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” –Psalm 23:1.  “I am the good Shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me.  Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 (ESV).

The great I am is the Shepherd of the sheep.  In John 10, Jesus uses an illustration the Jews were familiar with to show His relationship to people who heard His voice and followed Him.  He declared, in this context, “I am the good Shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me.”.The Lord as Shepherd is a common motif in Old Testament teachings.  The Jews who heard Jesus would be familiar with this designation of God the Father.  And in John 10 Jesus revealed that because of His special relationship with the Father, He, too, is the Good Shepherd who stands at the door of the sheepfold and knows his flock, accounting for each one.  In verses 16 and 17 of John 10, Jesus tells how He has sheep “not of this flock.”  To whom does He refer?  He indicates that the message of the Good Shepherd for all to come into the safety of the sheepfold is not just for the “regular” flock (which would mean the called, chosen nation of Israel), but  includes others “not of this fold”—or the Gentiles who would hear and respond to the gospel message and be drawn into the fold.  Jesus was including us—for we are “Gentiles,” and thankfully His flock because we have entered the fold by means of the Door who is Jesus Himself.

God as Shepherd is used in the Old Testament in other places other than in that great Shepherd hymn, Psalm 23.  In Genesis 48:15-16, Jacob (now called Israel) was in Egypt seeing Joseph, his son, and his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessing them.  He said:  “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth”  Other Psalms express the idea of God as shepherd.  Another, attributed to David as is Psalm 23, is Psalm 28.  The prayer in verses 8-9 reads:  “The Lord is the strength of His people; He is the saving refuge of His anointed.  Oh, save Your people and bless Your heritage!  Be their Shepherd and carry them forever.”  The song in Psalm 80 attributed to “Asaph” (perhaps a choirmaster in Temple worship) pleads:  “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock…stir up Your might and come to save us.  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!” (verses 1, 2b, 3).  And Psalm 95:7 declares:  “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”Psalm 100:3 reinforces the belief of God as our shepherd:  “Know that the Lord, He is God!  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”  The idea of the Lord as Shepherd culminates in that wonderful reward that awaits all the faithful in heaven as expressed in Revelation 7:17:  “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes.”

Do you sometimes feel alone, perplexed, unsure of the way to go, troubled?  Just quietly go apart, or even as you lie sleepless on your bed at night, and quote to yourself the reassuring message of Psalm 23.  Know assuredly in your heart  that  “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

The True Foundation for Building a Life

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been found on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell , and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.  And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His teachings, for He was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes.” –Matthew 7:24-29 (ESV).

In completing the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a memorable parable of building on the right foundation to tell His hearers that those who heard and heeded His words would have a firm base for living a good and righteous life.  The evidence of whether one is truly a believer is the way he practices the teachings of Jesus.  The bedrock on which to build a life is the teachings of the Lord.  To illustrate and draw His point to a memorable close, Jesus gave the parable of the wise man building a house on a rock.  Whatever came to buffet that house, it still stood because it was erected on a solid foundation.  But if the building is not on a solid foundation, if it is built upon the sand, it will shift about and fall in the storms.  If a believer follows unsound doctrine and does not build on solid foundations, he cannot stand when pounded about by various “isms” and faulty religious beliefs.

The sandy soil around the Sea of Galilee was solid on the surface, but it was not good for building upon unless the builder dug down until he struck bedrock to set his foundation.  Only then could he erect a building that would withstand the strong winds and storm squalls that came erratically across the waters and beat upon whatever was built upon the land.  Likewise, in building a framework for our belief system, we must not build upon superficial pretense and unstable religious foundations.  Only the bedrock of truth will suffice to weather our faith through all sorts of stormy life situations.  Again we are reminded of Jesus’ firm statement: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through me”  (John 14:6).  When some who had been following Jesus turned away and followed Him no longer, He asked the twelve, “Will you also go away?”  Peter said:  “”Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69). 

Notice something unusual as we end our thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount.  As he began this teaching, Jesus took his disciples apart from the crowds and began to teach them (we assume, the twelve).  But recorded here as He ends the discourse, Matthew tells us that as He concludes these sayings, “the crowds were astonished for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”  Evidently others, “crowds,” joined that inner circle as Jesus continued through His teachings that we call the “Sermon on the Mount.”  Is that not indicative of how the truth of the gospel attracts people?  And as we live out the gospel in our own lives, as our foundation is established firmly and we build our own lives upon it, people are attracted to what we have as our stabilizing influence and they will ask us what we have.  We can then say:  “Come to Jesus and learn of Him.  What He has given to me, He wants to give to you, likewise.”

The Narrow Gate

“Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:12-14 (ESV).

In Luke’s account of the “narrow door” we read:  “He (Jesus) went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.  And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’  And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door.  For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’  Then you will begin to say. ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets.  But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from.  Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’  In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves cast out.  And people will come from east and west and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.  And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:22-30).

“Do you want to go to heaven when you die?”  It would seem that any who have heard of heaven and its glory would answer yes to that question.  But Jesus taught that “the gate is narrow…the way is hard” that leads to (eternal) life and ‘those who find it are few.”  Jesus also taught, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:8).  Our modern day of errant teaching has not been the only time when people sought a different way to heaven than through faith in the one and only way, Jesus Christ.  We have only to consider how many religious systems have been and are taught and practiced to see why Jesus would give this teaching on the narrow gate.  The way to eternal life is narrow in that it is through Jesus Christ and Jesus alone.  Peter in his powerful sermon on the day of Pentecost stated: “”This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which became the cornerstone.  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 11:11-12). 

How do we find the “narrow” gate to life abundant here and life everlasting after death?  We find the way by turning to God, turning away from our sin (an action which we call repentance, genuine sorrow for our sin), believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as the revelation of God and the only way to personal salvation.  Following this deliberate choice on our part, we have then entered through what Jesus called the “narrow gate,”  the way to God and His forgiveness and His restoration of us to His favor.  We are then ready to launch upon the way of growth in godliness and holiness. We will want to take on the characteristics of Jesus and walk in this life as He taught us to do.  We do not create salvation by our actions, nor do good works save us.  But our actions and way of life reflect the change that has come in our life because we know and love Jesus and want to follow Him.  We might say that salvation is past, present and future.  The Christian has been saved from the penalty of sin (death and separation from God), is being saved from the power of sin (by living a victorious Christ-led life in the present), and we will be saved (completed, glorified) when God calls us to be forever with Him.  This is God’s plan of salvation, and it is available for anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Way.

The Holy Spirit Comes

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” –Acts 2:1-4 (ESV).

The prophecy in Joel 2:28 came to pass on the day of Pentecost: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions (ESV). John the Baptist also told of the coming of the Spirit: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11, ESV). Jesus promised the Spirit when He was still among the disciples, teaching them: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17, ESV). As He was ascending into Heaven, Jesus again told His disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon youk, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV).

And now that day had arrived! The day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day after Passover, counting from the second day of the feast (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the NT, 1996, p. 465). The coming of the Holy Spirit was audible, visible, and powerful. The Spirit was audible in the sound of a mighty rushing wind; visible as divided tongues of fire; and powerful in that He filled each one of those who had been waiting and praying. They began to do amazing things, one of which was to speak in and understand languages not native to them and which they had not studied. The speaking at the time of the coming of the Spirit may also have been in ecstatic spiritual utterances as well. They had been waiting for and praying for the Holy Spirit. They didn’t have to wonder, when He came; He demonstrated His presence. The mighty wind showed the power and energy of the Spirit. Fire in the Old Testament indicated the presence of God; the disciples would have known this and the Spirit was demonstrating it. The fire represented God’s holiness and the burning away of impurities. Dr. Vance Havner, commenting on the coming of the Holy Spirit, wrote: “We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by the combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.” (Quoted in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, 2007, p. 325). The Spirit had “combusted” the hearts of the followers on the day of Pentecost. This was the baptism by or the coming of the Holy Spirit to them as promised. Christ had pledged to the disciples that when the Spirit came upon them they would be able to accomplish great deeds. Indeed, that promise was fulfilled. Now the third person of the Trinity lived and moved among believers.

Daniel Iverson (1890-1977) penned the words of the chorus: “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me; Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.” My husband and I spent a month in the Holy Land in 1978. While there, we visited the upper room believed to be where the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples. I was amazed when I had our pictures developed and two of those I took in that room had a reflection of light that looked like tongues of fire. It was sobering and humbling to have stood in the reputed place where the Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. As each individual is willing, the Spirit enters and fills the waiting heart. May our prayer be: “Breathe on me breath of God, Till I am wholly Thine, Till all this earthly part of me Glows with Thy fire divine.” (Edwin Hatch (1835-1889).

Wait for the Promise of the Father

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many
proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”-Acts 1:1-4 (ESV).

The book of the Acts of the Apostles has as its purpose to give a selective history of the early church and the spread of the gospel following Jesus resurrection. Its theme is the witness of those who received the Holy Spirit and were compelled to share the good news of Jesus Christ to all, beginning in Jerusalem. In the introduction, the “I” is belived by scholars to be Luke, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. Both the Gospel of Luke and Acts are addressed to Theophilus, a name which means “friend of God.” Speculation about the unknown Theophilus holds that he might have been one who was in high political standing and was a benefactor of the apostles and the early church; other scholars hold that Theophilus was a generic term meaning, as the name implies, any who are friends of God.

Luke himself is not mentioned either in his gospel or in Acts, but we learn about him in the three places Paul names him in his writings (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 24). He was present with Paul on occasion and he was a physician. The name Luke is Greek, and he wrote both his gospel and Acts in excellent Greek. The date usually accepted for the writing of Acts is about 70 to 80 AD. Luke’s knowledge of the Old Testament as often reflected in his writings. This shows that he was well acquainted with the Hebrew writings of the law, the prophets and the wisdom literature, and that he may have been first, before becoming a Christian, a Gentile convert to Judaism who regularly worshiped in a synagogue. Or, through study, he could have gained this knowledge after he became a Christian. Dr. John B. Polhill who wrote the study helps for Acts in the English Standard Version Study Bible (Crossways, 2008, p. 2077) states: “The book of Acts is a small anthology of individual literary genres. The list includes hero story, adventure story, travel story, conversion story, and miracle story. Drama also figures prominently; there are 32 speeches in Acts.” He notes that a common pattern is repeated throughout the Acts account of early church beginnings: (1) Christian leaders preach the gospel; (2) listeners hear, are converted, and are added to the church; (3) opponents begin to persecute Christians; (4) God intervenes to rescue leaders or to protect the church (Polhill, p. 2077). Acts is an exciting account of God’s work. It is fitting that, after the introduction, Luke tells of how the apostles are to “wait in Jerusalem for the projmise of the Father.” Note name change from disciples (learners) to apostles (those who had been with Jesus and were sent on a mission).

The “promise of the Father” for which the apostles were to wait was the Holy Spirit. They were to be “baptized” with the Spirit soon. Jesus had promised the disciples on many occasions that the Holy Spirit would come upon them and be with them. One of the notable promises is found in John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” In his post-resurrection appearances, and especially at his ascension, Jesus promised His disciples again that the Holy Spirit would come upon them. I can imagine the anticipation, the eagerness, with which the disciples awaited the “baptism” by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had announced it (see Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16 and John 1:33).

It is significant that they waited for the promise of the Father, the imbuement of power by the Holy Spirit. To be “baptized” by the Spirit can be interpreted as being completely immersed by the Spirit, to have one’s life directed by Him and propelled forward by Him in the work God intends. The disciples did not have long to wait. On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit would descend in their midst as Jesus had promised. In the meantime, there was the period of preparation, of expectantly waiting, and of prayer.

The Helper Promised and Present

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” -John 14:16 (NKJV) These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” –John 14: 25-16 (NKJV). “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth…He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” -John 16:7-8; 13-14 (NKJV).

Jesus knew his earthly time with his disciples was drawing to a close, that his death was imminent. Within the fifth discourse of Jesus given in the Gospel of John, Jesus draws his disciples aside and teaches them many things, reinforcing some He had previously taught, and giving them new promises. In this intimate discourse, Jesus assured the disciples that He was praying to the Father that He would send a Helper to them, One that would be with them forever. This presence was paraclete, the Greek word for “one Who walks beside,” the Comforter, the Helper. This third person of the Trinity has the power to indwell each believer and to make possible spiritual work of the highest magnitude in and through believers. The Spirit will be Teacher, helping the believer to study and understand the Word of God. The Spirit will stir up the gift of remembrance in the believer, so that when words for witnessing or teaching are needed, they will be brought to the mind of the believer. The Spirit will be Convictor, showing the world the condemnation of sin, and stirring those who will respond to turn to righteousness. He will guide believers into truth. But always He will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Helper is the third person of the Trinity, the Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that without the Spirit present in believers, they would not be able to function as His followers in a world gone awry with sin. We are to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), worship in the Sprit (Philippians 3:3), and witness in the Sprit (Acts 1:8). These references teach us a very important doctrine about the Holy Spirit. He works through believers in whom He lives. A very important true illustration of the Spirit at work is on the Day of Pentecost when Peter was empowered to preach and over 3,000 people were convicted of sin and accepted the new and glorious Truth of salvation through faith in Christ. One of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit is to enlighten us with God’s Truth. He is Teacher, but He is also Comforter, Helper, and Friend. He empowers us to do the work Jesus left for his followers to do.

“I will not leave you comfortless,” Jesus promised us in John 14:18. That Comforter comes in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is hard to explain and much mystery surrounds it still. Although we can grasp in part the concept of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, one in Three, yet One God, monotheistic, because the persons of the Trinity are in complete harmony working to bring the highest of God’s created order to a restored relationship with God in whose image we are made. May we take time to consider the wonder, majesty and power of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and open anew our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit to convict, to judge, to empower, to comfort and to motivate.

Peace: Jesus’ Legacy to Believers

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” –John 14:27 (ESV).

Yesterday we considered “Peace Is Possible” based on the marvelous prophecy of peace of which Isaiah wrote so convincingly in Isaiah 26:3-4. Move forward centuries and see a small group of eleven disciples gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. Judas had already departed from the group to go to the authorities to make arrangements to betray Jesus. Then in his discourse our Lord gave this amazing declaration—His statement of a legacy of peace. He wanted them to know He was making arrangements to leave His peace with them. This was a fulfillment of the promised peace Isaiah made long ago. Amidst major unrest and trouble Jesus gave the promise. Is it any wonder the disciples puzzled at His words, were concerned by the roiling, belligerent atmosphere of the religious leaders who sought to trap Jesus on every hand? There in that upper room Jesus told them (and us; here I paraphrase): “I have something very important to leave with you. I am going away, ut a new kind of peace will always be with you. It is My peace, and t is a kind of peace that passes all understanding. It will ermeate your hearts, dwell in them, be present with you to dispel ear, give you hope when despair wants to overtake you. My peace I leave with you, give to you. Don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid”

An important aspect of the peace of Jesus is that it is a gift. “My peace I give to you!” How many times in the years to come, after Jesus had returned to the Father, would the disciples have to rely on the gift of peace to see them through persecution? Starting the church of the living Lord was not an easy task in first century Christendom. Neither has it always been easy since then. Its history is paved with the blood of martyrs. Even today, those who oppose the peace that Jesus offers want to put serious restrictions on freedom of religion and the spread of the gospel of peace. We need to hear afresh and anew Jesus’s genuine promise of peace and rejoice in the legacy of peace He left to believers.

The words of the spiritual express this gift:
“I’ve got peace like a river,
I’ve got peace like a river,
I’ve got peace like a river in my soul!”

The peace of Jesus surrounds me,
A shield from life’s darkest storms;
His gift embedded in my heart
Gives hope, permeates and warms.

If fears creep in I surely know
That I’m not exercising His gift;
For His peace deep within my heart
Will empower, give purpose, lift.

(EDJ)

Prayer: In the Fellowship of God

“O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You, my soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips, when I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me.” -Psalm 63:1-8 (ESV).

I awoke this morning with the words of an old hymn going through my mind:

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.

There are many scriptures I could have chosen for the title of today’s devotional, “Prayer: In Fellowship with God.” I took my Bible concordance and traced several references on prayer, reading how saints of old prayed, and how our Lord went aside often in His earthly ministry to seek God, be refreshed and renewed and enjoy fellowship with the Father. And then I thought I came to a good understanding of why the words of the James Montgomery hymn had been in my mind when I awoke. “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire.” Sometimes it is unuttered; sometimes it is expressed. Always it is “the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast.” I must admit I was disappointed that I could not find the hymn and its beautiful words in a current hymnbook, and because most of my “old” hymnbooks are still in the “house in the mountains,” I had to go online to satisfy my curiosity about the beautiful words James Montgomery (1771-1854) wrote so long ago and set to the “Camp Meeting” melody harmonized by Robert G. McCutchan.

Psalm 63 is David’s prayer as he was hiding out in the wilderness of Judah, seeking to escape Saul, jealous and vengeful, who wanted the life of the one anointed to be the next king of Israel. Someone has aptly stated that when we have no other way to turn, we turn to God in prayer. Prayer should not be just a “last-ditch effort” for any of us, although God welcomes and hears even our desperate pleas. Even though Psalm 63 is a Psalm of Lamentation, it is still rich in expressing the heart of prayer which is fellowship with God. The one who prays seeks God, thirsts for fellowship with Him, longs to be in His presence, and is rewarded by seeing God and beholding His power and glory. The one who prays embraces God’s love and recognizes it as strong, steadfast, enduring. Fellowship with God satisfies as a needed meal satisfies a hungry body. It is wonderful to remember God when upon one’s bed and to experience the protection of His mighty wings. Prayer develops a special relationship between God and the one who frequently and constantly turns to Him in prayer: “My soul clings to God; God's right hand upholds me!” Christians are very familiar with the Lord’s instructions that we ask in His name (John 14:13-14). James Montgomery ended his wonderful hymn with these words:

“O Thou, by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the way:
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray!”

And Jesus did just that! He gave us the Lord’s Prayer. Will you pray it sincerely now?

A Different Kind of Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:27 (ESV)

Recall with me the context in which Jesus gave this wonderful promise of peace to His disciples—and to us. All the disciples were gathered with Jesus in an upper room in Jerusalem. It was the night of the last supper when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, or Memorial Supper. Judas had already been dismissed by the Lord with the words, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 14:27). Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion were immanent. He was giving his disciples very important information They knew something extremely important was impending, but they could not fathom what it was. Imagine the feelings of dread and fear the disciples were experiencing. Jesus told them he would go away from them “for a little while.” Amidst the tension, Jesus’ voice was forceful, firm and comforting. He gave them important concepts that would help them later to live through a most difficult time and regain hope: “Let not your hearts be toubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me…(John 14:2). “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

Peace surely must have seemed a distant condition for the troubled disciples. Roman rule was obeyed to the letter. Even though the Jews were allowed to worship in the Temple and in their synagogues, the exacting government spared no cruelties in keeping in bondage a people longing to be free. Peace? Absence of war? Oh! But listen to Jesus’ promise: “not as the world gives give I to you. The peace Jesus promised them was a different kind of peace. It was not dependent on political conditions, humanitarian laws, or even freedom from want. “My peace I give to you.

The peace Jesus offered His disciples that night in the upper room was infinite, consistent, unconditional. It was a peace that emanated from the heart of God the Father and was transferred by the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be kept alive in the hearts of believers through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. A faithful saint of the Lord, 93 years of age, and his wife had morning devotional time together. That morning, he pulled out from their daily scripture card box the verse from John 14:27. He read it, and he and his wife joined hands and thanked the Lord for the peace that passes understanding which Jesus gave them in their hearts. He moved from the table to his recliner. A little later, when his daughter and wife tried to rouse him from his sleep to go with them to the shopping mall, he could not be roused. He had fallen into the deep sleep of death and peace. He had gone to meet the Lord in person. A. B. Simpson writes, “So precious indeed is peace that it was a legacy left us by our departing Lord.” Whatever situation you or I face now is not too big for our Master and Lord. Hear Him: “My peace I give to you…Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.”

Jesus, the Way to the Father

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” -John 14:6. (KJV)

We live in a day when many seek to proclaim that there are more ways than Jesus Christ to restore relationship with God the Father. We must be constantly aware of insidious claims to untruths that would negate personal faith in and acceptance of Christ as the way back to the Father.

The context of this powerful verse declaring Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the only way to the Father gives us powerful insight into the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. He faced imminent and close death. He had held his last supper with His disciples, and Judas, the disciple who betrayed Him, had already departed from the upper room. Christ was in the midst of His great discourse in which He stated, “Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3, KJV).

This talk of going away, of a mansion awaiting, and of Christ coming to take the disciples to that prepared place was too much for Thomas to comprehend. He interrupted the Lord’s discourse to declare that he didn’t know where Jesus was going, and therefore how could he possibly know the way. And in His answer to Thomas, the Lord gave not only Thomas but believers through all generations since, that marvelous affirmation and way to the Father: “I am the Way! I am the Truth! I am the Life!” (John 14:6). And in that same context, Jesus promised the Comforter—the Holy Spirit—Who would dwell in believers, comfort them, teach them bring to remembrance what they need to remember. Thomas, at the time he asked this question, was limited in his concept of Christ, because he saw the Messiah as one who would establish an earthly kingdom and make the Jewish nation strong again. But to Thomas’s credit, later when he saw the wounds in Christ’s side and hands, he declared, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) The questions and doubts Thomas had help us to see ourselves, for we too often question and wonder about the great truths Jesus wanted us to understand. Then and now and into the future, Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever: He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the only Way to the Father.

A companion verse to John 14:6 is Acts 4:12. It is part of Peter’s masterful testimony before Caiaphas and Ananias, high priests, as he boldly proclaimed: "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”

Jesus gave to His followers at the time of His ascension into heaven a very important commission. The same is part of each Christian’s assignment, even today and until His return: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8, KJV). No people, no places, no times are excluded from the message of the only way to the Father.