Who Is Our Father?

John 8:42-44 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

There is only one of two families that we belong to. We are either the children of God or the children of the devil. If we have truly called upon, and trusted, Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we are children of God. If we have not, then we are children of the devil. Sadly, there are many children of God who are still behaving like they are still children of the devil. 2 Corinthians 5 tells us that we are new creatures in Christ when we accept Him as Savior. We no longer view God or man as we used to. This means that as new creatures there must be a change in our thinking and our mindset. Our changed, or renewed, thinking should lead to a change in our behavior and how we live. It was pretty evident, by the way these Jews treated the adulterous woman, and the way they spoke to Jesus, that they did not know God, and did not belong to Him. Jesus put it in simple terms for them. If God were truly their Father, they would love Jesus and would understand His words. Does our life give evidence that God is truly our Father? Is our love for Jesus more than just lip service? Do we prove our love for Jesus by how we obey His commandments? Do we love God and love our neighbor by what we do, and not just by what we say? If we do love God, then we need to live a life of truth...God's truth.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Ignorant Slaves

John 8:33-34 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 

How ignorant these Jews were about how enslaved they really were. They claimed to be free, while in the midst of being oppressed by the Romans. They also neglected to admit that in the past Israel had been under the oppression of other nations because of their sins and rebellion against God. Here, they failed to see that they were not only enslaved physically, but they were also spiritually enslaved to sin and the Law. The church today is no different. Far too many Christians are blind to their own sins, but like these religious men, are always ready to cast the first stone at others for their sins. Jesus warned us about removing the plank from our own eye, before attempting to remove the splinter from someone else's eye. Sadly, this same attitude is seen even amongst Christian leaders. The Pharisees held on to the fact that they were descendants of Abraham, and that they had the Law, and held that to higher esteem than the spiritual truth and true freedom Jesus was offering. Part of the problem that has created this mindset is that too many Christians have categorized sins from "not so bad" to "bad" to "worse" to "unacceptable". Therefore, it is fine to condemn people for the "unacceptable" sins, such as rape, adultery, and murder, but we can give a pass to the "not so bad" sins of gluttony, gossip, and causing division; just to name a few. The bottom line is that our religiosity will not set us free. Our church attendance, or ability to memorize and quote Scripture, will not set us free. True freedom comes from Jesus, and Him alone. There are far too many of us who are walking around like we are free, and do not realize that we are actually still enslaved to our own hypocrisy and sins. We have chosen to become ignorant slaves.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Boundaries of Freedom

John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

How much time do we dedicate to God's Word? Jesus made it clear that His disciples abide (continually remain) in His Word. We hunger and thirst for the truth contained in the Scriptures. This is the same truth that sets us free from sin, guilt, fear, and condemnation. Jesus had just set the adulterous woman free from the judgment and condemnation of those Pharisees who did not have the right to judge or condemn her. Jesus is the Truth who breaks the chains of bondage in our lives. Hebrews 2:14-15 clearly tells us that Jesus has destroyed him who had the power of death, the devil, and released us from the fear of death that held us hostage. The Lord has freed us from self, the world, and from those things that have kept us from being truly free to love Him and serve Him. We cannot claim to be His disciples and yet not have a desire to read, study, and live out His truth. The enemy wants us to believe that God wants to keep us from enjoying life here on earth, and feel imprisoned. On the contrary, the boundaries found in God's Word are actually boundaries of freedom that allow us to live this life with true freedom; a freedom that brings joy, peace, and the ability to live a life that is honoring to God and most profitable for the Kingdom.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Our Ever Present Protector and Guide

John 8:12-13 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”

It was obvious that the Pharisees understood exactly what Jesus was claiming when He made the statement that He is the Light of the world. He was in the Temple area where the candles were lit and burning; a symbol of how God appeared and led Israel out of Egypt, as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In Exodus 13 we read the account of how God showed Israel that He was present with them, and how He was protecting them and guiding them. It was evident by the Pharisees' response that they knew that this was the reference Jesus was making, and that in saying what He said, He was claiming to be God Himself, and their Messiah. Yet, they chose to reject Him. Today, Jesus is still the Light who is ever present with those of us who have trusted Him, called upon His Name, and accepted Him as Savior and Lord. He has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). He is our Protector. Just as He stood between Israel and the Egyptians in the wilderness; today He stands between us and the world, and reminds us that when tribulations come, we have His peace, and in Him we can overcome, as He has already overcome the world and its challenges and persecutions. God has also given us His Holy Word to be a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path, so that we do not stumble in darkness. Jesus is the Light who dispels the darkness and the fear associated with it. God has also given us the Holy Spirit to seal us and make our bodies His temple and dwelling place here on earth. The Light of the world wants to shine His light brightly through us so that we can be the light and salt He has called us to be; while at the same time He reminds us that He is always present, always protecting us, and always available to guide us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Children of the Devil or God?

John 8:15, 23 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

The Pharisees debated with Jesus about who He claimed to be. In that exchange Jesus said something that sadly rings true of how some of us behave towards one another. We judge each other according to the flesh, being judgmental and condemning. Jesus made it clear to these Pharisees that He did not come to judge. However, He also made it clear that when He judges, His judgment is fair. He warned them of the danger they were facing of being eternally lost, and made it clear that they were of this world. In other words, they were the sons of the devil. Let us keep in mind that this passage is in the context of their attempts to trap Him with their hypocritical judgment of the adulterous woman. This should put us on notice that when we are judgmental toward one another, and show a lack of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness toward one another, we are behaving like those who do not know Jesus. When we exhibit this type of behavior toward one another, we are behaving like the sons of the devil. This should never be the case for the child of God, since Jesus made it clear that the love we have, and demonstrate, toward one another is evidence to the world that we belong to Him. The choice is ultimately ours. We will either behave toward one another as children of the devil, and bring dishonor to the Lord's Holy Name, or as children of God, and bring honor and glory to His Holy Name.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Surrender to the Light

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the Light of life.”

Jesus made this statement right after dealing with the scribes and the Pharisees and their hypocrisy; and after showing mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness to the adulterous woman. Just as light exposes what is hidden in darkness, Jesus, the Light of this world, exposes what is hidden in the darkest depths of who we are. He brings to light the sin and wickedness that has been planted in our minds and exposes the wiles and schemes of the enemy. However, none of this is possible for us to see or comprehend unless we first call upon Him, accept Him as Savior and Lord, and then intentionally choose to surrender and follow Him. It is only when we walk in the light of Jesus that we are able to see the hypocrisy of the world and its ways, but more importantly, it is the only way we will see and recognize our own hypocrisy in dealing with others. It is only in the light of Jesus that we see how we should respond to others in a manner that demonstrates that Jesus is increasing in our lives, so that people see more of Him and less of us. There is much darkness in this world, and much darkness that dwells within each of us. It is only when we surrender our lives to Jesus that we will be able to see what needs to be exposed and given up to Him, so that we can truly be the light and salt we are called to be. Only then will He be able to use us to lead others to Himself, and only then will He be able to truly use us to encourage one another in a world that is filled with sin and darkness. Let us be the light we are commanded to be by surrendering our lives to the Light of this world, Jesus our Savior and Lord.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Restoration, Not Condemnation

John 8:10-11 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

The woman's accusers dispersed after Jesus exposed them for their hypocrisy. What is interesting about this incident is that Jesus spent more time dealing with the accusers than He did dealing with the accused. When the Lord finally turns His attention the this woman, He turns to her with love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. However, He also holds her accountable when He tells her to go and sin no more. Although He was the only One who was truly in a place to judge her, He chose mercy, grace, and restoration. The ones who were just as guilty of sin as she was, were ready to have her judged, condemned, and stoned. Sadly, this is still the case far too often today. Instead of showing the same grace and mercy that we are shown every single day, by God Himself; we often choose to be judge and jury, and pronounce condemnation. In the process, we miss an opportunity to do what is most often in the heart of God when it comes to dealing with those who stumble and find themselves entangled in sin. Instead of helping them to be loosed and restored, we condemn and cause further pain by rubbing salt in the wound. Jesus made it clear that He came not to judge, but to seek and save those who are lost. Do not get me wrong; a day is coming when the Savior will return, not with mercy and grace, but with power and judgment. Nonetheless, for the time being, let us be more like Jesus, by holding each other accountable, but for the purpose of restoration, not condemnation.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).