Women of Firm Faith

Lazarus, who was the brother of Mary and Martha was sick and was going to die. Verses 3-4, “Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, 'Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.' When Jesus heard that, He said, 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.' ”   Jesus did not go immediately, but delayed His departure, asserting God's will and timing into the situation.  Verses 5-10, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again.' The disciples said to Him, 'Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?' Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because th...

Verses 7-10, “Then Jesus said to them again, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.' ”   The leaders of the day were known as shepherds, but Jesus is making the distinction here that not all shepherds are trueshepherds. Jesus' purpose for coming was to lay down His life for others, not like our enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy.  There will be thieves among us in the church, vessels of our enemy, who seek to destroy the good works of God.  Acts 20:28-31, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shephe...

As Jesus and His disciples passed by a man that was born blind, the disciples wanted to know whether the man or his parents were sinners resulting in his blindness.  Verses 3-5, “Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' ”  When people experience success and blessing, we can come to the conclusion that God is pleased with them and they are doing things righteously, and those who are being persecuted and suffer are out of God's will and being punished.  Job was a righteous man who was very blessed, but when his life took a turn for the worse, his friends would not believe that he had not sinned somehow to deserve the punishment. It's at times like these when you see who your true friends are too.  You cannot judge a ch...

Verses 3-5, “Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?' ”  The Pharisees and scribes were trying to test Jesus, and very well could have set up this whole scenario. In order to put one to death for adultery, there would have to be two to three witnesses, which is unlikely, considering the offense is something typically performed in private. The absence of the man, the other party in this same act and equally guilty, might make you wonder if he was in cahoots with the scribes and Pharisees too.  But Jesus knew their deeds and thoughts, and perceived that He was being tested. He didn't even answer them, yet they persisted in asking as not to let this opportunity go to waste.  Verses 7-9, “So when they continued ...

Verses 1-9, “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, 'Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.' For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.' When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.”  Jesus did not want to go to Judea because the Jews wanted to kill Him, and look at what His brothers advice to Him is...go to ...

Jesus instructed the disciples to feed the multitude of people, and asked Philip where they could buy bread to feed them.  He already knew how He would feed the multitude, but wanted the disciples to consider the situation in order to grasp what was about to happen.  Verses 8-9, “One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 'There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?' ”   Anyone could have seen the impossibility of the situation, and that was likely what Jesus wanted. They needed a miracle...and this type of situation allowed them to see exactly where their faith was at.  God can and will multiply what He has provided, and we need to trust that He can.  2 Corinthians 9:10-11, “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enric...

Verses 5-9, “ Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that  condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?' The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.' Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.'  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. ”   The man wanted to be healed, but he could only think of one way to achieve that goal.  Because he had no one to put him into the pool, he assumed it was not possible.  In Luke 18:27, Jesus said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”  So often we limit God's ability in our mind when the situation we find ourselves in is beyond our control and the solution is out of our reach....

When Jesus knew that word of Him was increasing (the Pharisees heard that He had made and baptized me disciples than John), He decided to leave Judea.  He left for Galilee going right through Samaria, a place that was often avoided by the Jews because they were a group of half-Jews who had intermarried after most of the Jews were taken captive to Babylon.  Verse 4, “But He needed to go through Samaria.”   Jesus had a reason to take this route...He had a divine appointment. Verses 5-9, “So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink.' For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, 'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink fr...

Verses 1-3, “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' ”   No matter what situation you are born into, it does not determine your eternity and where you'll spend it.  Having Jewish heritage and being a leader among the Jews did not give Nicodemus any special standing with God. Neither does being part of a religious movement or obtaining a church leadership position or success. Notice that he even professed Jesus as being from God...but that alone was not enough. There is only one way to see the kingdom of God, and that is to be born again.  Verses 4-8, “Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he ente...

Verses 1-5, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.' Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.' ”  Jesus wasn't speaking to Mary as a son, but rather as the Christ Savior.  Mary had faith that Jesus could perform a miracle, but it had to be in God's will and timing.  She still continued in faith by telling the servants to do whatever He said.  You can see that her faith was not discouraged by His first response, though.  We also need to be willing to do whatever He tells us to do.  When we don't get the response that we expect or desire, our faith also needs to remain in tact, submitting to the Father's will just as Jesus said...

The book of John testifies to who Jesus is based on a first-hand account. He was not merely a man, or just a prophet, but God in the flesh. Verses 1-5 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  The Word existed before time began, as did Jesus...and God. The Word was God in that you can know everything about God the Father through God the Son.  Colossians 2:9, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;" Colossians 1:16, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."  Jesus is the living fulfill...

Verses 1-3, "Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."  Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany went to see the tomb in which Jesus was laid, but when they arrived, they encountered an angel who had rolled the stone from the door and sat on it. Matthew 28:3-7, "His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men."  Verses 5-9, "Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, ...

Verses 1-2, "Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, 'We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.' ”   The reality is they had no good reason to want to kill Jesus, so they tried to make Him out to be an enemy of the Roman government to get Pilate to carry out their dirty work. We know from Chapter 20  that He did not forbid paying taxes to Caesar, but rather said in Verse 25, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”   There real problem for them was that Jesus claimed to be God and was guilty in their minds of blasphemy, but they had to make Him a threat to the government to get their will accomplished. As a born again Christian, you too are being made out to be a threat to your government. The world is under the control of Satan and th...

Verses 1-6, "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude."  Although Judas betrayed Jesus, He had a bigger enemy working against Him.  Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."  Judas was among the 12 disciples and did not appear any different than the rest.  Verses 21-23, " 'But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And t...

This chapter teaches us the concept of sacrificial giving (giving that costs us something) through a widow.  It's not the only place is that giving in poverty is mentioned.  Also in 2 Corinthians 8:1-7, "Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us— see that yo...

Verses 1-8, Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him  and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?” But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it  was from. And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” The chief priests, scribes, and elders question Jesus' authority by...