Acts 4:17…

Can the Gospel be silenced?

This has always been – and will always be – the attempt of Satan and his demonic forces.

Those who represent the prohibition of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in any way, shape, or form represent the spirit of antichrist.

Since only good can come from the presentation of the Gospel, anyone who would prohibit its spread is advancing evil.

The Holy Spirit will always help those who are representing Jesus to recognize the forces of evil in preventing them from speaking.

The Holy Spirit in Peter and John has helped them to realize the attempt of the powerful Sanhedrin to shut them up is just that – an attempt. Even though the Sanhedrin has all the power over practicing Jews in the nation of Israel at that time, their rule has ended in the lives of those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation – as Peter and John have.

Power is only granted to those who have won the hearts of the people. The Sanhedrin has done everything possible to negate their influence over the people by forgetting the very basis of what power can accomplish – if wielded in the proper way. Power is meant to be employed on behalf of the people, to serve their needs, and never to dominate them.

For over 100 years, the Sanhedrin, once established as a force for good, has backslid into the rot of corruption - and its present form of existence only furthers the purpose of Satan. Jesus said they have chosen not to enter heaven, and they have made those they proselyte into their form of Judaism, “twice as much a son of hell as themselves.” (Matt 23:15)

Now, is the Holy Spirit in Peter and John likely to cause them to follow Satan’s command to shut up about Jesus?

Not on their lives.

Pastor Bill

Resurrection Day…

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have [d]fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

On that Sunday morning, the ladies seemingly had no idea what they were about to find as they went to the tomb where Jesus’ dead bo had been placed. Their only thought was if they could somehow move the massive stone away from the doorway of the tomb, they would further anoint Jesus’ dead body as was their custom. They wanted to demonstrate their great love and respect for Jesus, even though His death had left them confused and seemingly alone in the world.

We can only imagine their surprise in finding the stone rolled away, the soldiers fled, and two angels asking why they sought the living among the dead?!

This would all be inexplicable to them. How could this be? How could Jesus - whom they KNEW to be dead - possibly be alive?

This is the question each of us must answer for ourselves every time we are likewise confronted by the empty tomb Jesus had been placed in upon His death.

It cannot be explained away. There is only one answer: Jesus, though dead, was raised to life on the third day following His death – just as He had said He would be.

It was difficult for any of Jesus’ followers to literally believe what He had told them. (Even though He Himself had raised the son of the widow at Nain from the dead and then followed that amazing miracle by raising Jairus’ daughter, and then His friend Lazarus from the dead.)

Resurrection was plainly NOT on their minds as they approached the tomb.

Maybe it wasn’t on yours either. It is so far out of the realm of what is possible in human experience most people still try to explain it away. But it cannot be.

HE IS RISEN! And we who believe shall be as well!

Pastor Bill

Palm Sunday…

It was an extraordinary day.

Israel had been waiting for their promised Messiah for 14 generations, (since David.)

That’s a long time to become settled in your ways. Lethargic. Brittle. Unyielding.

This was especially true of those who were the so-called leaders of the Jews. It had been hundreds of years since they had born any Spiritual fruit. Legalism had become the dominant theme of how they chose to represent God. The Law of Moses was held over the people like the blade of a guillotine.

Much as in our day, there was a class of ruling ‘elites’ who determined what was right for the people to do. And just as in our day, since the ruling ‘elites,’ since they wielded all the power, became totally corrupt because there was no one to stop them. Once corruption begins, and once corruption is at the very center of the seat of power, it is very difficult for anyone to change the course of that corrupting influence.

Jesus was the only One capable of overturning the religious system that had been imposed upon the Jewish people since the Hasmonean dynasty 150 years earlier. The roots of dead legalism had been planted even earlier than that, when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from 70 years of exile in Babylon.

It had been during that very period when Judah was exiled to Babylon for their idolatry and their refusal to keep the seventh year Sabbath of the land when God spoke through the angel Gabriel to Daniel the prophet about THIS day – when Messiah would not only enter Jerusalem, but allow Himself to be recognized AS the Messiah, and to be worshiped as the King of the Jews.

Zechariah prophesied Messiah would enter on the colt of a donkey, in humility. A sign of peace.

Of course this would upset the ruling class. It was meant to.

Even if they could have silenced the people on THIS day in human history, (which they couldn’t,) the rocks would have cried out. Praise for Jesus was perfected in the mouths of the babes, and not the rulers.

After 2000 years since Jesus entered Jerusalem, not much has changed. The Church Jesus gave birth to has once again become either stiff and unyielding in its power, or wildly unbiblical in its practice. Only a remnant remains.

A faithful remnant that longs for His return.  

Pastor Bill

Acts 4:5…

Imagine being arrested for performing a miracle. For doing good…

Then having to spend the night in prison, awaiting your fate before the same Sanhedrin that sentenced Jesus to death – and then followed through with the Roman governor to make sure Jesus was crucified.

There is plenty of reason to be nervous about what will take place as a result of bringing attention to yourselves and raising the ire of the governing body of the Jews. There is plenty of reason to suspect if they killed Jesus for performing the miracles He performed, they will also be more than willing to make sure you are killed as well.

The only thing that prevented Peter and John from being hauled before the Sanhedrin immediately on the previous day was because it was too late in the day for them to create a judgment panel to assess Peter and John, and what they had done.

It wasn’t so much that they had performed a miracle – that may actually work in their favor. It would be because the miracle they performed in the name of Jesus Christ drew a crowd – and then Peter boldly proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to that crowd.

And the crowd listened. But more importantly, the crowd responded.

This was a threat to the authority of the Sanhedrin over the lives of the people – just as Jesus had been perceived to be a threat.  

Imagine the impact of their public arrest, in the midst of the crowd that had just witnessed this amazing first miracle performed by Peter and John – and then listened as Peter declared that the name of Jesus, in fact, was the power which permitted this lame man since birth to stand and walk and leap for joy praising God – and entering the Temple for the first time in his life! (Those who were not ‘whole’ were not permitted to enter the Temple courts.)

So this is what Peter and John faced on the next day. Would they remain faithful in the face of a possible death sentence? What had changed in Peter’s life since the night he denied knowing Jesus at all?

Pastor Bill

Acts 3:1…

Jesus has a way of drawing crowds around those who are faithful to serve Him.

As Peter and John approached the Beautiful Gate of the Temple at the hour of prayer, they came across a man familiar to all who passed through that gate. He was a man born lame from his mother’s womb that had remained in that condition 40 years.
 
In those days, the best way to gather alms for your personal need was to situate yourself by one of the gates of the Temple, and appeal to the charitable hearts of those passing through those gates seeking the favor of God upon their lives.

What better way to earn God’s favor than to be charitable to someone in need as you make your approach?

Peter and John’s problem was they didn’t have any money. The lame man’s appeal to them was about to fall on deaf ears. But Peter recognized this as a divine appointment, and instead he instructed the man to fix his eyes upon them.

What happened next was the first divine miracle of physical healing of the Church Age, following the pouring out of the Holy Spirit baptism on the Day of Pentecost.

Overcoming 40 years of muscular atrophy and whatever disjointedness of the bones which caused the man to be lame, Peter, filled by the faith the Holy Spirit provided to risk everything, grabbed the man by the right hand and commanded him to rise and walk, and immediately, he did.

Of course, this also immediately drew a crowd as the man began leaping and walking and praising God. For all those familiar with this man from his routine of positioning himself by this gate to gather funds – this was the most amazing thing they had ever seen! A true miracle, inexplicable by any reasonable explanation. The people all ran to Peter and John to see what kind of men had done this for the lame man.

Peter, recognizing Who had performed this mighty work, and knowing better than anyone it had not been himself, immediately deflected all the attention to the Lord Jesus Christ. He also recognized the opportunity this amazing miracle provided and launched immediately into his second Gospel message since being baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit.

The true need of the lame man was not to walk, but to be saved from eternal death. The same was true for all those gathered, no matter what they perceived their ‘need’ to be on that day.

Pastor Bill

Acts 2:22…

After explaining to the large crowd gathered because of the sound of the rushing wind and the appearing of tongues of fire – and then hearing of the wonderful works of God in each of their native tongues – about what was happening in their midst, (citing Joel 2:28-32,) Peter goes on to preach his first message.

What a message it was!

It is not a lengthy message, but it is a masterpiece of expository preaching. Peter provides the NEED to be saved, why there is a necessity to BEING saved, and then HOW to be saved. The entire message lasts maybe ten minutes. I’m certain it was delivered with the kind of passion Peter was well-known for, and it produced stunning results.

Peter began by reminding them of the wonderful works of Jesus they had all seen for themselves. Given this proof Jesus was in fact their long-promised Messiah, why had they refused to believe Jesus WAS the Messiah?

Peter then goes on to reveal everyone is guilty of Jesus’ death by their unbelief in Who Jesus was.

This is called CONVICTION.

Peter informs them every single one of them who chose NOT to believe Jesus is Messiah is guilty of His death. That was true on the Day of Pentecost, and it remains true today. If you choose not to believe Jesus is Messiah, despite all the undeniable proofs Jesus IS Messiah, you put Him to death in your mind.

Rest assured The Father does not take kindly to anyone who takes to death of His Son lightly.

Before even beginning his message, Peter had provided relief from this extreme degree of guilt everyone in his audience bore. The last line of the passage of Joel 2:28-32 provided that needed relief:
“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  
 
The question is, why should they call on the name of the Lord?

Peter goes on to provide a masterful explanation, employing the prophetic words penned by David, in two ways.

1.David spoke of the resurrection, which could not possibly have applied to himself, since his body remained in the tomb to that day. David had to have been speaking of Jesus, whom you all know has been raised from the dead.
2.David calls Messiah his Lord. How could a son of David be his Lord? No one in their culture would ever call a son of their lineage their Lord, unless, of course, he was.

Peter’s message pointedly reminded them they are without excuse – as is everyone today who refuses to believe Jesus IS the Christ.

Pastor Bill

Acts 2:1…

The apostles and disciples had been gathered together in one accord for ten days since Jesus’ ascension.

They had no real idea what would come next.

Jesus had commanded them to wait for the promise of the Father, which He had told them about.

Sometimes, (perhaps all the time,) waiting is the hardest part. Jesus had told them the Holy Spirit would come upon them, which Jesus called ‘the baptism with the Holy Spirit.’

For those who were already born again - as all of the approximately 120 gathered together were – this may have been a trying time. But Jesus told them to wait, and so they did.

What would happen next no one but Jesus could have possibly predicted. It was now the Day of Pentecost, and hundreds of thousands of Jews were gathered in Jerusalem for the days of the feast, described in Leviticus 23.

We well remember in John 7, when on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the priests poured the water from the Pool of Siloam on the ground, signifying God had always provided water during the days of the desert wanderings - and that those days were now completed - that Jesus stood up the midst of the quiet reverence of that moment as the thousands were gathered in thanksgiving to God, and declared in strong voice so everyone gathered could hear, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Now, at the Feast of Pentecost, all those who had listened carefully would come to understand the meaning of what Jesus said on that high day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Holy Spirit, the ‘Living Water,’ was indeed poured out, and in a very powerful way so as to gather a crowd of worshiping Jews from the known world. There was suddenly the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and the appearance of tongues of fire rested upon each of the disciples gathered in the upper room.

And there was spontaneous praise lifted to the Father by each one of those born-again disciples in the native tongue of the crowd come to see what was going on.

Now all those who had waited patiently for this outpouring - without knowing exactly what they were waiting for - knew why Jesus had told them to wait - and what He had told them to wait for.

Out of their hearts poured forth torrents of living water, and The Church Age was begun.
 
Pastor Bill

Acts 1:12…

They had all just witnessed the most amazing thing human eyes have ever seen. Jesus, before their very eyes, had given them His final instructions and then been taken up into heaven from whence He had come.

Before now, they had thought Jesus was born into this world as they had had been. But now, His pre-existence – which He had spoken of – was proven. Who but God in flesh could be taken up into heaven before their very eyes? (Of course we remember Elijah taken up in chariots of fire, but only Elisha was permitted to have the view of that taking place – as proof he would be the continuation of Elijah’s ministry.)

Jesus’ ascension, we learn here in Acts 1, took place 40 days after His resurrection. We do not know much about all Jesus did during those 40 days, as little is recorded. We know Jesus appeared to Peter along with 6 other disciples at the Sea of Galilee. We know Jesus appeared to over 500 people at once, as recorded later by Paul, and we know Jesus appeared to His half-brother James. Of course we remember Jesus’ first resurrection appearance in the upper room with His disciples on the evening of His resurrection.

Luke also tells us Jesus took them all through a Bible study, employing the entirety of the Old Testament to reveal to them exactly how He fulfilled Old Testament scripture, which they had completely misunderstood pertaining to when the Kingdom Age would begin. It would NOT begin now…

But when Jesus was ascended into the shekinah glory of God, and had disappeared from their sight, two men in white, (believed to be angels,) declared to them Jesus WOULD return to rule the earth exactly as He had departed, and THAT’S when the Kingdom Age would begin. Their’s was not to know when that would be – as Jesus had instructed them in Matthew 24 – only that it would happen in God’s timing.

We should all be living with this expectation.

In all probability, as excited as they were to witness Jesus ascend into the cloud from the Mount of Olives, there was most likely an emotional letdown unlike anything they had ever experienced. The most joyous, miraculous, informative, loving, caring, time of their lives had ended.

As trying as it must have been to them for Jesus to no longer be constantly with them during the 40 days following His resurrection - as He only appeared to them now and then - the idea He was gone for good must have been especially difficult for them to bear.

In essence, the two angels told them to, “stop looking up, and to get busy doing what Jesus had told them to do.”

Of course the FIRST THING Jesus commanded them to do was to WAIT, for the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which they were to receive not many days from the day of His ascension.
 
Pastor Bill

Acts 1:9…

We can only imagine what Jesus’ departure would have meant to His disciples.

He had evidently been preparing them for His departure by basically leaving them alone for stretches of time following His resurrection, and then suddenly showing up.

We do not know much about this 40-day period of time except what Luke relates to us here.

Jesus provided them final instruction and then He was taken up. Of course, Jesus had promised them He would return, but there was no way of knowing when that would be. In fact, Jesus had told them no one would know the day or the hour when He would return, except His Father.

Instead, the known promise was He would come to them in the person of the Holy Spirit, “not many days from now.”  

But how many days – and how would that work? That was left completely unknown.

And just like that, Jesus was gone.

Again, we can only imagine how spectacular Jesus’ ascension must have been. Of all the supernatural events in God’s Word, this may rank at the top of events witnessed by human eyes.

Luke’s description of this amazing event is very spare, as if to emphasize the point it was time to move on.

Two angels were present to encourage them to do exactly that. In effect, they said, “This is not the time to be gazing with eyes transfixed into the sky. It is time to get busy and do what Jesus told you to do.”

Additionally, there was a promise: “He will come again in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

This is the promise we are all anxiously waiting for today. It remains in effect.
 
Pastor Bill

Acts 1:1…

The Book of Acts was authored by Luke, a physician who traveled with the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys. He was most likely led to be a born-again Christian by Paul, and from then on Luke was closely associated with Paul’s ministry.

 While Paul wrote most of the books contained in the New Testament, Luke actually wrote the most words.

Luke, as a physician, was a man who paid great attention to detail. This is on full display through his extensive interviews with those who witnessed the ministry of Jesus Christ which produced the Gospel of Luke.

The Gospel of Luke was addressed to a man named Theophilus, who was possibly the man who had purchased Luke to be his personal physician – and then set him free to travel with Paul once Luke had been saved.

The Book of Acts is likewise addressed to Theophilus and covers the birth of The Church and the first 30 years of Church history, with the same attention to detail he exhibited in the Gospel of Luke. The Book of Acts picks up right where the Gospel of Luke left off and is basically a continuation of Luke’s Gospel account.

Now that Jesus has been raised from the dead, we learn here He spent 40 additional days on earth before His ascension to heaven. During those 40 days He made many appearances, and in one of those appearances Jesus instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they had received, “the Promise of the Father,” which He had told them about.

Jesus went on to describe this ‘Promise of the Father’ as the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

By this instruction we understand Jesus thought it a requirement they receive this further baptism before doing anything in the realm of ministry service. They were faithful to Jesus’ command.

We are left to wonder why the modern Church now seems to argue against the necessity of or even the existence of this subsequent baptism with the Holy Spirit Jesus commanded His apostles – already indwelt by the Holy Spirit for salvation previously – to wait for before they did anything in Jesus’ name.
 
Pastor Bill

John 21:1…

We come to the final chapter of the Gospel of John.

This chapter is known for the redemption of Peter, who had already been redeemed by Jesus spiritually, but now will be redeemed in his own mind and heart for his ministry calling by Jesus.

What had Peter done to lower his expectation of himself? (This is a common experience in all of our lives – making this chapter very important to each one of us personally.)

Who among us would say they have never sensed they had disappointed Jesus at any time? How wonderful it is therefore to see Peter restored so gently by Jesus from the failure Peter had considered himself to be.

From Peter’s perspective, his denial of Jesus when Jesus needed Peter most was a complete shock to himself. It was not as if Peter could have done ANYTHING to prevent Jesus’ crucifixion, but in Peter’s mind I believe he thought the least he could do was to stand with Jesus through the process.

This explains why Peter followed Jesus to High Priest Annas’ house after Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Even though Jesus commanded them NOT to follow Him.)

Peter even came into the inner court of Annas' house, in hopes of seeing the proceedings.

This became the sight of one of the greatest disasters of his spiritual life. Three times Peter denied he was a follower of Jesus, and worse - Peter denied vehemently - with a curse – that he even knew Jesus!

When you’ve had the experience of hearing words come out of your own mouth you didn’t know were possible for you to say – words you thought yourself incapable of saying – then you have some sense of the great shame and disappointment Peter had in himself.

Peter probably thought himself disqualified from ministry.

But could he go back to his previous life as a fisherman?

Jesus said, “No way!”
 
Pastor Bill

John 20:1…

On the third day Jesus rose from the dead.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Jesus’ resurrection is the most important event in human history. It is not just Biblical history, as many people outside the Church presume, it is also a historical event recorded by Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, and Chrysostom, among others.

For centuries people have sought to disprove the resurrection of Christ, without success.

More recently, people have asserted Jesus was not killed on the cross. They say Jesus merely ‘swooned,’ and when He was placed in the cool of the tomb He reawakened. This is an absurd theory which denies the professionalism of the Roman execution team who routinely put to death those convicted of crimes against the Roman empire. They knew a dead body when they saw one.

Had the executioners failed in their mission to kill the one they were assigned to put to death, they would have been put to death themselves.

Another theory – pertaining to the empty tomb – which remains empty to this day – is that Jesus’ disciples came in the night and stole His body away. This theory is also absurd, as a Roman guard had been placed at the tomb at the request of the Chief Priests and elders, and the tomb had been sealed. Of this ridiculous assertion we remember when the Roman guard reported to the Jewish leaders Jesus was gone, they provided this cover story they were to tell everyone, and they were bribed to make sure this was the story they would spread far and wide. The religious leaders told them they would square this story with Pilate.

Can you imagine the eleven disciples overcoming a Roman guard? Can you imagine an entire contingent of Roman guard falling asleep? Again, if those charged to guard Jesus’ body had failed, Roman Law would call for them to be put to death themselves for their failure.

Some of the greatest proof we have for the resurrection of Christ is the witness of His disciples following His ascension. Each one of the remaining eleven except John died a martyr’s death, proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and refusing to deny His resurrection. It is inconceivable any man would die for what he knows to be a lie. These men died because they refused to deny the truth.

But the greatest proof of all is what we see here today. The existence of the Church is inexplicable apart from Christ’s resurrection. That eleven men could turn the world upside down would have been impossible had they not been telling the truth.    

On the third day Jesus rose from the dead.
 
Pastor Bill

John 19:1…

As the trial of Jesus before Pilate continues, we find Jesus in the midst of a great public storm, orchestrated by the religious leaders…

The assembled crowd is not the same crowd that welcomed Jesus the previous Sunday. That crowd hailed Jesus riding on the colt of a donkey as the long-promised Messiah – The King of the Jews.

“Hosanna!” they had cried with one voice. “Save now!”

This crowd, rising in the early morning hours of the day Jesus was crucified – before Jesus’ followers had been awakened – had a totally different desire. This crowd, manipulated by the religious leaders, wanted Jesus crucified because the religious leaders wanted Jesus crucified.

The only thing standing in the way of their desire to see Jesus crucified was their sworn enemy, the Roman governor Pilate. As yet Pilate remained unconvinced by the Jewish leaders or the crowd Jesus deserved to be put to death. Pilate declared Jesus innocent of anything worthy of death three times.

Not knowing this crowd had been assembled by the religious leaders specifically to support their cause of having Jesus put to death, Pilate appealed to the crowd hoping they might overrule the religious leaders. Instead, he found himself overruled.

If a prisoner was to be released it must be Barabbas – not Jesus! They were very emphatic about it.

Pilate now realized he had stepped into a trap he could not escape from. Even having Jesus scourged could not satisfy their Satanically-inspired blood lust. Pilate – already in trouble with Rome for the difficulty he had in keeping the peace in Israel – faced a career-saving choice: either kill an innocent man or potentially kill his career.

He chose to save himself, as most men would. Jesus on the other hand – chose to save the world, allowing Himself to be made sin - that even men such as Pilate could be made righteous if only they would.
 
Pastor Bill

John 18:19…

We have already established Jesus is in full control of all the events pertaining to His crucifixion.

Having submitted Himself to being bound and arrested, Jesus now willingly submits Himself to a series of trials by sinful men seeking to ‘judge’ Jesus for His ‘crime’ of perfection.

The irony is almost too much to bear.

We can only imagine how the heavenly host responded as they looked on at the Lamb slain since the foundation of the world completing the mission He had been sent by The Father to accomplish.

In order to prosecute Jesus for His perfection four separate trials took place, two trials by the Jews in a sham arrangement of the Sanhedrin, and two trials under the auspices of Rome.

In each trial, Jesus was found not guilty of any crime against either the Jews or Rome. It didn’t matter, and it didn’t dissuade either party from deterring the Jews in their intent of killing of killing their long-promised Messiah.

First Jesus appeared before Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest emeritus, having been replaced by Rome by his son-in-law Caiaphas, but who still was held in great regard by the Jewish leaders. Having passed through that entry gate to His death, Jesus was then taken to appear before Caiaphas, who WAS the High Priest at that time.  

Jesus was found ‘guilty’ of claiming to be the Son of God, which they regarded as blasphemy. (Of course we know Jesus spoke only truth - Jesus was indeed the Son of God.) But no matter, He must be killed. Not for blasphemy – that was their excuse to kill Him – but for upsetting their money-making machinery which made them all egregiously wealthy.

Carried to Pilate, Jesus remained silent as a Lamb before His shearers. Pilate, sensing Jesus had been brought before him out of jealousy and not for any crime, sought to escape judging Jesus, and hearing he was a Galilean, sent Jesus to appear before Herod who was anxious to see Jesus since Herod had heard of his miracles. Jesus remained silent, and was returned to Pilate, who again sought to wiggle off the hook of judging Jesus, but found himself too weak in the face of the Jews to do so.

Jesus must be killed. Not because the Jews or the Romans desired it, but because God had ordained it to be so before the foundation of the world.
 
Pastor Bill

John 18:1…

And so now that Jesus has given them His final instructions and prayed to His Father for Himself, for His remaining disciples, and for us, (those who would become His Church through the ages,) Jesus leads them out into the darkness to the Garden of Gethsemane.

It was a secluded spot where Jesus often met with His disciples when they were in Jerusalem.

We remember the Sanhedrin desired to put Jesus to death because they perceived His threat to their religious establishment. But they were hesitant to do so during the feast of Passover because so many of the people rightly considered Jesus to be a prophet. They knew their popularity with the people may be affected if they were seen to be brutal in their handling of Jesus.

But suddenly an opportunity was dropped into their lap. Judas Iscariot came to them and proposed to reveal to them where Jesus was, and how he could be arrested. Since Jesus was now in a secluded spot, the Sanhedrin saw their opportunity to have Jesus arrested and brought to them away from the eyes of the people. Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver and dispatched to accomplish Jesus’ arrest with a cadre of the Temple guard.

Judas led them to the Garden where he knew Jesus would most likely be found. They came with torches and clubs prepared for some kind of violent response. Jesus was there, and He responded, “I AM,” when they made the query about which one of them was Jesus, even though Judas identified Jesus with a kiss.

Jesus would make sure the reason they arrested Him would be because He said He was God, and for no other reason. Your Bibles may say Jesus responded, “I am He,” but you will note the ‘He’ is italicized, which means it was added by the Bible translators to make it more readable for those reading in the English language.

Jesus said, “I AM,” and they all fell out before Him.

Now, Who is really in control here?

Pastor Bill

John 17:6…

We remember in His final instruction to His disciples Jesus had told them, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Then He tuned to His Father in prayer, and He allowed them to hear His prayer, in order to assure them Who was in control of events – even in the midst of any and all the tribulation this world brings.

Tribulation is inevitable because sin exists in this world because mankind lives in a fallen state. His disciples don’t know it yet, but the sin condition of the world is about to be defeated by Jesus overcoming sin when nailed to the cross.

With eternal life assured for His disciples and all His future followers, the world has indeed been overcome and can have no power ultimately over any born-again follower of Christ. The worst anyone can do to any true follower of Christ is to kill them – as Jesus is about to be killed. His resurrection will prove death no longer has power over Jesus, and it no longer has power over His followers.

This is the understanding Jesus prays for His disciples – and eventually His Church - to possess. The fact He allows them to hear Jesus pray the Father for them in this regard is meant to instill the kind of spiritual confidence which will be necessary for them to accomplish the call of God in Christ for their lives.

It is HIS WORD which will hold them in place once Jesus has ascended into heaven, and He desires they understand that as well. It is His WORD which has brought them, it is HIS WORD which has informed them, and it is HIS WORD that will sustain them always through thick and thin.

The same is true for us, as revealed by Jesus’ prayer for those who will believe in Christ because of THEIR WORD.

Pastor Bill

Jesus is Coming Part 2...

Imagine a time when 400 years of silence from the Lord has been broken, and now not only is the Lord speaking, but prophecies spoken both hundreds of years ago and in these immediate moments are coming true fast and furious and right before their eyes. It must have been head-spinning and heart-rending.

Mary, who is now pregnant - conceived of the Holy Spirit – leaves for the hill country of Judea to visit her relative Elizabeth, who may have been her cousin or her aunt. (Either way, this informs us John the Baptist and Jesus are related.)

It appears Mary and Elizabeth had a very close relationship, the kind of relationship that exists between those who are true lovers of God, despite vast age differences. (Luke informs us Elizabeth is elderly, pregnant, even though well beyond child-bearing age, and Mary is very young, a virgin, unmarried, and now pregnant as well.)

Mary’s unwed pregnancy would have been very problematic in the eyes of the world in that day, and so we find Mary escaping Nazareth for the shelter and love she may find at Zacharias’ and Elizabeth’s home. She probably sought refuge here because Gabriel had told Mary Elizabeth was also pregnant, even though Mary would have known Elizabeth was too old to have a child. Not only that, but Mary also knew Elizabeth was thought to be barren. It was a condition people either felt sorry for Elizabeth about or they judged her by.

Mary had only great fondness for Elizabeth and Elizabeth felt likewise about Mary, and so their meeting was a blessing of great grace to each of them.

There were two other people involved in this special meeting as well – John and Jesus. They made their presence known as well. Gabriel had prophesied to Zacharias John would be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, even from his mother’s womb.

We get amazing proof of what Gabriel prophesied here. Even as Mary and Elizabeth greeted one another, the babe John leapt, (for joy,) in her womb - in the very presence of the One he alone was given life by God to introduce to a lost and dying world. This is their first meeting, but it wouldn’t be their last.

Pastor Bill

Jesus is Coming…

In an example of the lack of sovereignty Israel held over their own affairs in those days, Joseph and Mary were compelled to travel approximately ninety miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered in the Roman census as required by decree of governor Quininius, who ruled over the Roman region known of as Syria.

This would have been an unimaginably difficult journey for Joseph and Mary, given that Mary was in the ninth month of her pregnancy. Even though Israel may have lacked sovereignty over their affairs, God did not lack sovereignty over the affairs of all men. God moved Quirinius to require a census at the exact time in Mary’s pregnancy when Jesus was to be born – in order to fulfill God’s prophecy through Micah, (contained in Micah 5:2,) Messiah would be born at Bethlehem.

Upon arriving at Bethlehem, the difficulties faced by Joseph and Mary were only magnified. The Bible tells us there was no room for them in the inn. They were forced to seek shelter in a stable with the animals. It was about as lowly a place for Jesus to be born as anyone could possibly imagine.

And then Jesus was born. God now entered the world of His creation in the humblest of circumstances – exactly as prophesied He would. The circumstances of His birth are barely mentioned - other than He was wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a manger. We have no idea how long Mary labored in childbirth, or how difficult her labor was.

The scene immediately shifted to shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem watching over their flocks by night. It is incredible to think these men were the first to receive the announcement of the birth of the long-promised Jewish Messiah into the world, but they were.

And what a spectacular announcement it was! An angel surrounded by the glory of the Lord first astounded them and brought them to full attention. And then the angel declared to them the greatest birth announcement in the history of the world – then telling them where they could find this child, and the circumstances He could found in. The lowliness of these men matched the lowliness of the birth of their King. It seemed assumed they would rush to see Him!

But if there was any doubt about their desire to bear witness to this monumental event, suddenly there appeared a multitude of the heavenly host declaring the glory of God in the highest and God’s desire to bring peace on earth in the hearts of mankind through this divine birth.

Fully convinced by this spectacular announcement, the shepherds then hurried to see the Babe worthy of such spectacle. The stable would have been very familiar territory for these men – but they would have never conceived of finding such glory and majesty there.

Pastor Bill

John 17:1…

Having concluded His final instructions to His disciples, Jesus turns to His Father in prayer.

This prayer of Jesus is the true Lord’s Prayer, because it is the Lord praying. (What we commonly refer to as ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ (Matthew 6:10-13,) is actually His disciples’ prayer – which Jesus taught them when they noticed Jesus praying and asked Him to teach them to pray.)

In Jesus’ prayer to His Father, (which John, by the Holy Spirit, has recorded for us,) Jesus prayed for Himself – knowing all He was about to experience, and He prayed for His disciples – knowing all they were about to experience, and then He prayed for us – (those who would become His disciples.)

Sometimes people think it selfish to pray for themselves, but Jesus dispels that notion here. He prays for Himself first, understanding His desire to glorify His Father through all He was about to go through in human flesh. He would subject Himself to all the pain and agony and suffering the world would dish out upon Himself in the morning hours that lay before Him. Worst of all, Jesus knew, as the sin of the whole world was placed upon Himself, there would be a necessary separation from His Father in heaven as He was made sin.  

Jesus’ sacrifice would be the culmination of the all the sacrificial offerings of bulls and goats typified in the Old Testament Law. Jesus would allow Himself to be offered a willing sacrifice for the sin of all mankind, past, present, and future. It would be a terrible day. But above all, it would be a day in which His Father would be glorified, as His loving plan for all mankind would finally be revealed. (Even if the sinners looking on did not immediately recognize what was happening – they would see His glory soon enough.)

And Jesus knew all His disciples were about to experience would be as terrifying to them emotionally as everything Jesus was about to experience physically. He knew He had successfully given them The Father’s Word, and that His doctrine could and would sustain them to the end. Of those The Father had given Him He had lost none except Judas, and this we read here was according to scripture.

The final ones Jesus prays for are those of us gathered here today. If you’ve ever wondered what Jesus prays at the right hand of The Father, constantly making intercession for each one of us, we have it here.

How wonderful to realize the Father will always answer the prayers of The Son, because His prayers are Divine.

Pastor Bill

John 16:16…

Jesus was very sensitive to the emotions His disciples were going through on the evening of that Passover.

It was THE Passover all of scripture had pointed to, and none of them recognized that fact except Jesus.

He knew.

On that evening when thousands of Passover lambs were sacrificed and consumed throughout Jerusalem, they were being led by the Lamb slain since the foundation of the world to His own slaughter.

They didn’t know it then, but within hours their Master would be tried by the Sanhedrin, beaten beyond recognition, and nailed to a cross. He would die, just as the thousands of Passover lambs in and around Jerusalem would.

When God gave Moses the instruction for how the Passover which would release Israel from bondage would take place, none of them had any idea what that instruction was pointing to.

All His disciples knew now was something was unfolding they had not anticipated. While Jesus had told them on at least three occasions He was going up to Jerusalem to suffer and die, they had refused to mentally grasp this was even possible.

And yet, here again, on this last night gathered with them, Jesus again told them He was going away – and that where He was going, they could not come. They were so upset by this news none even thought to ask Him where He was going.

Even when Jesus told them He was leaving them to go to His Father in heaven, it did not settle their hearts. That was well beyond their ability grasp. How could that be possible – and how could it be preferrable to all they enjoyed with Jesus presently?

In His final words of instruction to His disciples, Jesus sought to settle their hearts for what they were about to experience, not only on this night – but also in the difficult future each of them was heading into all while separated from the One Who had loved each of them so well.

Pastor Bill

John 16:1…

In John 14:18, Jesus had said, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

We remember this is the night before Jesus was arrested and crucified and buried.

Upon His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, His disciples were indeed separated from Jesus. Orphaned.

This would have been extremely traumatic for each one of them, as they had been walking with Jesus for over three years, and their lives were completely wrapped up in His life. How much comfort do you think it was to them that Jesus told them He would not leave them orphans – and that He would come to them?

Then, as they were all gathered to Him 40 days later, He ascended to heaven. This seeming more permanent separation from Jesus must have been unbearable.

Had it not been for His promise that He would not leave them orphans.

We also remember Jesus had spoken to them of the Holy Spirit on the night before He died, in John 14:17.

Of His Holy Spirit, Jesus had said, “He dwells WITH you, and will be IN you.”

In describing these abiding relationships with His Holy Spirit, Jesus was also describing exactly how it is He would not leave them orphans. He would never leave them alone. He would always be with them – only in Spirit.

Now Jesus tells them this ongoing relationship He will have with them - and all born-again believers for that matter - is to their advantage. How so? Because in His physical body Jesus could only be in one place at one time. In His Holy Spirit - born again in every heart - Jesus could greatly expand the scope and power and presence of His ministry. His ministry would no longer be limited to locale.

He tells them they should indeed be thankful He is going away, that this may take place. As puzzling as this must have been for them to appreciate it when Jesus said it, I am certain they did come to understand and appreciate greatly what Jesus said later – once Jesus had been crucified for their sin, resurrected from the dead, and met with them again in the upper room. When Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” they did - and then they knew what all born again believers have come to know.

He has not left us orphans. He has come to us in Spirit. Soon and very soon He will come to us again to bring us to heaven, where we will count down seven years of tribulation on the earth, awaiting our time to return with Jesus to rule and reign for a thousand years. Once we are born again, we shall never be separated from Jesus again.

Pastor Bill

John 15:1…

Moving on from the upper room on the night before Jesus died, Jesus continues to instill in His disciples the things they will need to know and to practice in order to found His Church.

These are His final instructions to those men who have been faithfully following Him for over three years, with the exception of Judas, who has left them to betray Jesus. (Judas correctly anticipated they were headed to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus woiuld be arrested.)

There is reason to believe as they passed by the gates of the Temple, Jesus used the ornamentation on the gates as another example to employ to teach His guys. (It is known the gates were decorated with bronze grape vines, which are symbolic of the nation of Israel.)

This possibly explains why Jesus suddenly employed the metaphor of a grape vine in this very important and illustrative teaching.

He begins with the declarative statement, “I AM the true vine.”

The reason He would say this is because Israel was intended to be God’s vineyard, but they had failed miserably in the task they had been called to by replacing their relationship with God, which began so well, with the thinking the keeping of rituals and religious practices equaled fruitful relationship with God.

Jesus here tells us here athat is not the case. It was not the case then – and it is not the case now.

Israel had been intended by God to reach the world for God, as they exhibited the blessings of God to a lost world. The intent of God was to save the world through Israel. But instead of being a fruitful vineyard, they had long since become a disappointing vineyard. No good fruit was being produced because they had become completely disconnected from God.

The key to good fruit, as Jesus reminds us here, is to be connected to God in Christ.

In this easily understood metaphor, Jesus is the true vine, and we are the branches. The branches can only acquire the sustenance to produce fruit when connected to the root. No connection, no fruit. Connection, fruit – and good fruit that lasts.

Do you get the connection?

Pastor Bill

John 14:1…

Is Biblical Christianity exclusive?

This is the criticism the world often hurls at Bible-believing Christians. Can anyone who is NOT a born-again believer in Jesus Christ enter heaven?

 The thing we need to do is think about this from God’s perspective. In the first case, He is God, and we are not.

God has created everything, including ourselves, and He gets to decide everything about who will spend eternity in heaven with Himself.

The second thing we need to do is rejoice in the fact God HAS provided a plan by which we MAY enter heaven.

Given the volume of our sin and impurity, it should be inconceivable to anyone we are deserving of anything other than hell.

We recognize God has made a way in Himself. He has earned that way for us by coming to the earth of His creation and making Himself a willing sacrifice for the sin of ALL mankind.

Given that God - by His own design - has made a way of salvation that is effective for ALL mankind, how can we say Christianity is exclusive?

Who is sinful man to question God’s plan of salvation? Instead we should rejoice there IS a plan of salvation – not question it.

God has excluded our works as being part of the equation. He knows our frame, that we are a prideful people, and that all our ‘good’ works are at least in part self-motivated – perhaps entirely self-motivated. Part of God’s plan therefore is that we must die to ourselves and our selfish motivations. What work could be considered truly ‘good’ other than God’s work of salvation wrought in human flesh – accomplished by His willing sacrifice of Himself to cover the sin of all mankind?

In fact, the only thing ‘exclusive’ about Christianity is any man’s unwillingness to place his faith in God’s plan.

Man either includes or excludes himself by his own willingness to believe in Jesus Christ and be born again.  

Pastor Bill

John 13:1…

Jesus makes Himself the ultimate example of humility.

He did not consider it robbery to make Himself equal with God. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Now, on the evening prior to His crucifixion - which was intended to be as inglorious a death as possible - He takes His disciples into a private place to demonstrate one last object lesson.

Jesus removes His outer garments and takes up a basin and a towel, and He begins to wash His disciples’ feet.

The modern Church has sort of glorified Jesus’ actions here, fashioning ‘foot-washing’ services to commemorate what Jesus did. It never comes close to what Jesus was actually demonstrating.

It is difficult for us to replicate God incarnate taking the position of the lowest house slave – which is what Jesus did. His actions were not necessarily meant to be copied, (although the symbolism can be powerful in the right circumstances with hearts aligned properly.) His actions were meant to pre-figure the humility of the degradation He would submit Himself to on the very next morning, and what would be accomplished by it.

From our side of the equation – that we CAN accomplish – is to allow Jesus to wash our feet, which Peter initially resisted. Peter thought it was shameful for the Lord to wash his feet. Again, Jesus was making an important point: His followers will be ‘clean’ even as they continue to walk in this world. But, the physical parts that do come into ‘contact’ with the world will need to be cleansed by Jesus regularly. Those who refuse His ‘cleansing’ as being beneath His dignity have completely misunderstood all Jesus has come to accomplish in His followers’ lives.

It is a prideful thing to resist the work of Christ which He desires to accomplish to remove the ingredients of the world from His followers’ ‘feet.’

We also see here it is an unnecessary and perhaps even boastful thing to sense the need to be washed entirely again once we have been ‘washed’ by His finished work on the cross.

And - we see Jesus says WE are to do likewise to what He has done here. We are to be constantly washing each other’s feet from their contact with the world by His Word, and by prayer. To accomplish this we must be close enough to one another to be aware of whatever need may exist in each of our lives.

Pastor Bill

John 12:20…

If you want to see Jesus, serve Jesus.

The personal relationship Jesus invites us into is meant for each of us to be part of expanding His kingdom on earth.

Jesus knows He will be crucified in four days’ time. In 44 days He will ascend into the kingdom of Heaven, leaving His disciples behind to build His Church.

In doing so, His promise to them and to us is we will never be alone, or apart from Him, when we are serving Him.

This is not some compulsion to do good works for Jesus; it is the certain knowledge He is with us when we do.

If you want to see Jesus, serve Jesus…

There were certain Greeks among those who came to this Passover Feast at Jerusalem, perhaps because they had heard the news of Jesus and His teaching and His miracles. Having traveled so far, they did not want to miss the possibility of a personal audience with Jesus. (We are not told if these were Herodians, (Greek Jews,) or if they were Gentiles.)

It seems a very good opportunity for Jesus to interact with those in the primarily Gentile regions, but Jesus answers their request to see Him in a different way than we may have expected. Jesus IS answering their request for a private audience, but His answer is for those in ALL the ages who will choose to follow Him.

If you want to see Jesus, serve Jesus.

Time now is short for Jesus and He knows it. There is nothing to prevent these Greek potential proselytes from joining the people Jesus is sharing with in His last days prior to His crucifixion. His time for private audiences has passed. What Jesus says in response to their request is not off-putting but inviting. Come follow Me and be a part of those who also follow Me.  

You will see Me when you serve Me. What a wonderful promise and encouragement that is – not just for these traveling Greeks – but for all of us and for all time.  

Pastor Bill