Nicodemus' Deed (Shine, Part 4)

One bible verse which many people have heard, some the words of this verse and others just the reference, is John 3:16, but I don't know that such a lot of people know much about the words which are surrounding this verse.

These words fall amongst others which are in a response Jesus gives to Nicodemus. Have you heard of Nicodemus? He was a Pharisee back in the day, a high up religious top notch haughty positioned bloke. Anyway, none of the pharisee's liked Jesus because he was no one special like them but was teaching the people things which weren't written in the books they'd studied AND even worse, the people were actually listening to him when they should have been listening to them. Pharisees loved their position of power. Anyway, instead of just rivalling Jesus and trying to get him to trap himself Nicodemus actually admits that Jesus is a teacher from God! WOW! That is huge for a pharisee to even admit such a thing. And Nicodemus than continues to question Jesus about who He IS, like he wants to know, to understand. You see, Nicodemus was who the pharisees should have been, rather than who they had become.

And so these words come amidst this response from Jesus to Nicodemus*.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. - John 3:16-17

But it is the words which follow these which I would like to focus on today. Jesus continues...

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. - John 3:18-21

Who is the light? If you don't know the answer to this and you can't tell from this passage than you really should read some of my older blogs in this series but to give you the heads up for now, the light is Jesus!

And what is darkness? It is things of this world, or rather to put it simply for you, things of Satan, of The Devil. What are these things you might ask? Well, basically, anything which is not of God - that's a lot!

The passage which influenced me in naming this blog was from Matthew which also ties in quite well with this passage as it talks about light and works and I would really like to draw the same thing out of both passages.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5: 14-16

The thing is that people quite often mis-interpret these passages or miss the basics that they already know. Like we know that Jesus is the light. But these passages are often misinterpreted to say that our good works are the light to others. WRONG! And doing bad deeds does not mean that we are without light either. The light, Our light, is and always will be Jesus.

What these verses are saying is that by following Jesus, by truly following Him, He will shine His lights on your works that they may be seen if they are good or bad. If we are doing bad deeds we don't want them to be shone to be bad but would rather stay in the shadows, perhaps of denial. But if we know Jesus, He will actively begin to change us from the inside out and His light will shine through us showing our good deeds as a product of what He is doing in us that He may be glorified.

So, Let's let our light shine - whether it be that is show our good deeds or our bad deeds. Only once we let Him be our light, accept Him over the darkness can He really work us from the inside out, actively changing us to become more and more like Him. Praise be to God.

*These two verses may not be Jesus actual words but possibly John's kind of commentary throughout this gospel. Either way, this message as outlined here for you today, does not change.

Q: What do you think would have been a 'normal' pharisees response to hearing Jesus say those things?

Coming Up: Shine, Part 5

God Bless

Praise To God (Jude, Part 6)

So, last time in Take Action, we looked at what our response is to look like, just how we are to take action against these people, these frauds. This action is both within ourselves and our relationship with our Father as well as our response towards them. So, it now seems that Jude has said all that there is to say on this topic – he’s raised the issue, presented the history, given examples, explained why it’s an issue, and instructed on how to respond – what is there left to say, you might wonder. Well, there is one thing left, and it is the most important, and that is praise to God.

Praise to God is an honest acknowledgement of who he is, what he has done. The following verses I think can speak for themselves. Think about each line and just how it is true of God. And then think about it all together – just what kind of picture does this paint of God?

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, 

And to present you faultless

Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

To God our Saviour,

Who alone is wise,

Be glory and majesty,

Dominion and power,

Both now and forever.

Amen.

- Jude 24-25

When you pray, how do you praise God – or do you just get caught up in requests?

Coming Up: Shine

God Bless

New Year

tick. 3. tick. 2. tick. 1. tick...

It is but a moment yet it can mean so much. What were you doing as midnight ticked over this New Years Eve to herald in the year of 2011? Perhaps you were asleep insistant that it is just another day. Perhaps you were out with friends enjoying the chance to celebrate. Perhaps you were at home with family. Perhaps you were on your own.

I do not know how your year has begun but this I can say.. how my year began! A lot has happened throughout 2010 and there is a lot to look forward to in 2011.. a lot that I know of, and even more that I do not know. More than anything in each coming year the thing I look forward to the most is what God has in store for me, what it is that he will teach me, and how through that I will come closer to him yet still.

This year as it began I was travelling, on my own, towards a celebration with friends. While it was slightly disheartening not to be there that little bit earlier I would not change it for the world. As it was getting closer to that moment in time I was reflecting on all that had happened, all that I had learnt in that year, and as that moment in time passed I was in prayer.

For all that has been since the beginning of time, for all that God has done, for the year just been, and the yera to come, for those around me, those whom are close and those not quite so much - and those whom I am yet to meet, for all the bad times and the good times, and in everything I am thankful and in everything I asked that it would be for Him, and through Him, with Him as our guide that we may stand and move forward to embrace the unknown of the year ahead and what it has in store for us all.

I know some people who try to give each year a label at the beginning.. the year of fulfillment, the year of fun, the year of negativity, the year of continued pretended normality. Well following this I thought I would give this year a label.

2011.. the year of PRAISE amidst many CHANGES.

Relief

Have not got much to say today.
You know that feeling when you feel like a weight has been lifted off of you, like you have just shed your winter coat and everything feels so much lighter, but you never realised how heavy that weight was before it was gone, that is was even there? Gee, is not that a great feeling.. Praise the Lord.
And something else. You know when something goes right, like what is above, and you get caught up in thanking whoever it is that has caused these things to happen, has alleviated you from that weight? That is all very well, but so often we get caught up in thanking them and forget to thank the real provider of all good things, our Father in Heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us shout with joy and sing with praise that we may credit all these things to Him.. Praise the Lord!
That is All.