Women of Firm Faith

Verses 1-6, “Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  The mere thought of Jesus leaving would be troubling, but He tells them not to be troubled...which requires faith.  Jesus went before them to prepare a place for them and promises to come again to receive them that they may be with Him for eternity.  The best part about heaven is getting to be with Jesus, who is the narrow gate by which we enter.  Luke 13:24, “Strive to enter thro...

Verse 1,  “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”   Jesus knew all things including that His time had come to finish His earthly ministry.  He loved His own to the end, despite knowing that they would betray Him.  Jesus loves us the same way, and goes to the cross for us even though we are sinners and betray Him.   Romans 5:6-11, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much...

Six days before the Passover, Jesus and His disciples attended a supper in Bethany with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.  Verses 3-8,  “Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”   Mary spent her time at the feet of Jesus worshiping Him which seemed to anger Judas. Although he blames it on her being wasteful and lacking concern for the poor, we know his heart was evil.   Matthew 20:15, “Is...

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 ...

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 true shepherds. 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 shepherd th...

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 in some way to deserve the punishment. It's at times like these when you see who your true friends are too.  You cannot judge a...

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 as...

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 He knew that the Jews wanted to kill Him, and look at what His brothers advice is to Him...go to J...

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 enriched in...

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 that 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. If we want to w...

When Jesus knew that word of Him was increasing (the Pharisees heard that He had made and baptized more 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 from me, a Samarit...

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 enter a seco...

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 sai...

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...