Today’s Word

What would you say is the purpose of life? What makes a good life? About 50 years ago, a well-known theologian named Elvis said "My philosophy of life is simple: I need someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to." The King was probably really close to the truth. The King of all Kings, made His purpose abundantly clear in John 17. This chapter is called "The High Priestly Prayer." Jesus is our High Priest - the One who goes between us (sinful man) and God (holy and righteous). In John 17:1-5, Jesus defines someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. If we pay close attention to Jesus' words, we'll find our own purpose for living. 1. Someone to Love: Jesus called Almighty God His Father five times in this chapter alone! Three times, Jesus talked about the Father's love for Him, and in verse 26, He asks the Father's love for Him to be in His followers! Wow! God's love is more than a feeling; it's an intentional action, an unconditional sacrifice given to benefit someone when they can do nothing in return. 2. Something to Do: Jesus said He brought glory to God the Father by completing the work God gave Him to do. Did you know that you can bring God glory by obeying and doing the work He gives you to do? Jesus gave us a work that isn't finished yet when He commanded us to "Go unto all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15). 3. Something to Look Forward To: Jesus prayed that His followers would be perfectly united, so much so that the whole world would know Jesus is God's Son and that God's love is for real. Then, Jesus said "I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am." That's heaven! Heaven is for real. It's where Jesus is on the throne. It's where worship, fulfillment, peace, and blessing go on forever. Do you have the good life today? Jesus said in verse three: "This is the way to have eternal life - to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one You sent to earth."

Have you ever felt mentally overloaded or overstimulated? I have times when too many tabs are open in my brain. And then, I'm flooded with all kinds of information, so much so that it feels impossible to figure out what to do next, much less what information is accurate and worth my time. Our world has more information than ever before, but we have little understanding. We have more choices than ever before, but we're scatter-brained, indecisive, and discontent. With our phones, we can see raw news in real time from around the world, but we have "fake news," AI alterations, and conspiracy theories to make up our minds about. Our world tolerates everyone's ideas but we have no idea on what's actually true. Yes, some of our minds are so open that our brains end up falling out! Are you a little stressed out yet? Take a deep breath. Because God's got it. In John 16, Jesus tells us more about the Person of the Holy Spirit. First, the Holy Spirit is the Advocate and Helper. The Greek word used here, parakletos, has a deep meaning that's hard to translate with just one word. That's why different translations use words like "Comforter," "Advocate," "Helper," and "Counselor" to translate this same word. In our world of suffering, pain, and heartache, the Holy Spirit gives us comfort, help, and strength. Jesus also promises that the Spirit will guide us into all truth and speak God's Word to us. In doing so, Jesus will be glorified. In John 14:6, Jesus says He is the truth. In John 16, Jesus says His Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. So, if we have God's Word, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit, who guides us into truth and glorifies God, then we don't have to worry about everything or be overwhelmed. We can cast our cares on the Holy Spirit in us, knowing that God the Father is watching over us, and Jesus is coming back for us. That's good news!

Years ago, I remember a popular Christian book called "Forgotten God." The title was meant to draw your attention to the fact that many Christians are clueless when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Some misunderstand who He is and what He does, but knowing what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit is truly a matter of life or death. In John 15, Jesus said He's the vine, and the Father is the gardener. No branch can bear fruit on its own; it simply must remain connected to the source of life: the Vine. In John 14, Jesus said He is the life. In John 16, He tells us that we can do nothing of lasting spiritual value ("bear fruit") apart from Him. In John 15:26, Jesus explains how bearing fruit is possible: the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Helper, the Comforter: the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is a Person. He lives in us and gives us the power to do what we cannot do. Jesus said the Spirit has one purpose: "he will testify about me." The Holy Spirit puts the spotlight on Jesus. The Holy Spirit helps us stay connected to God the Father. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in us. Our job is to crucify our flesh and allow the Spirit to make us more like Jesus.

When I was a student pastor in Georgia, I lived by a church called "Jesus is the Way Baptist Church." That's a cool name, but it sure is a mouthful! In our culture, we are under the tyranny of tolerance. You can believe anything you want, and all beliefs are treated equally. However, if you claim that Jesus is the only Way to God, you'll be canceled, ridiculed, and even persecuted. In the 1990s, daytime talk show host Oprah famously debated a Christian audience member and said "there are diverse ways of being in the world . . . and many paths to what you call God." Then she said, "There couldn't possibly be just one way." People believe there are many paths up the mountain to God - you just go your own path and we'll all get to the same destination. The problem with that "bubblegum belief" is that all of us have sinned, and our sin has separated us from God. There's no path up the mountain to God, because all the roads are washed out and all the trails are closed. That's why God came down from the mountain. Jesus, God Himself, took on humanity and lived the only perfect life that has ever been lived. Then, He died in our place and rose from the dead. That is why He is the only Way - because God, in His love, sacrificed Himself for us. The way to real living isn't a path; He's a Person. Why don't you let Him live His life through You today?

What would you do if you knew you had only one more day to live? There once was a great theologian named Tim McGraw who told us exactly what he’d do: skydiving, Rocky Mountain climbing, and going 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! If I knew it was my last day, I suppose I would go get 7Brew, spend time with my wife and kids, and grill a nice filet mignon. Hey — I’m just keeping it real! The truth is, none of us knows what day will be our last. But the Bible says that Jesus knew exactly when his last day would be. Guess what he did? He washed feet. In those days, they didn't have plumbing, so people would often pour their sewage into the streets. You can imagine how dirty and nasty feet would get. The Son of God, Jesus, who created all things and formed man and woman from dust, chose to take on flesh and walk in the dirt with us. Not only did He walk, but He also washed. After setting the example, Jesus taught His disciples the lesson. Verses twelve to fifteen say, "After washing their feet, He put on His robe again and sat down and asked, 'Do you understand what I was doing? You call Me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am. And since I, Your Lord and Teacher, have washed Your feet, You ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you." Whose feet can you wash today?

These few verses introduce a major theme for the rest of the New Testament: salvation was and is not just for the Jewish people, but for everyone else too! If the Greeks from Jerusalem traveled from Greece, they came a long way - the journey is over 600 miles! But salvation was near to them. These Greeks wanted to see Jesus, so Philip and Andrew introduced them. Jesus told Philip, Andrew, and the Greeks the essence of discipleship: giving your life away to Jesus and following Him, focusing on heavenly things and eternity, and bringing glory to God by serving Jesus every day. Jesus said, "My servants must be where I am." In John 14, Jesus told His disciples that He was going away to prepare a place for them, and that He would come again so that they (and we) can be where He is! Heaven is for real and anyone can receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus! Side note: from the very beginning of Andrew's following of Jesus to the very end, any time Andrew is mentioned in the Bible, he is found introducing other people to Jesus. Let's be like Andrew and introduce people to Jesus today!

In December 2019, a 34-year-old woman named Audrey Schuman was hiking in the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains with her husband. She developed extreme hypothermia and went into cardiac arrest. Her condition got worse and worse while she waited for help to arrive. Her body got as low as 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Her husband said, "I was trying to feel a pulse... I couldn't feel a breath. I couldn't feel a heartbeat." When she arrived at the hospital, her heart had stopped beating for six hours. There were no vital signs. Miraculously, doctors were able to revive her. In John 10, Jesus encountered a man who had been dead for four days, his friend Lazarus. Some Jewish rabbis taught the superstition that a person's spirit hovered over their body for four days after they died, in case they were to come back to life. After the fourth day, the spirit was said to leave the body. Of course that isn't true, but it shows that Lazarus was really dead. There was no hope for reviving him. That's when Jesus showed his humanity. He wept. He wept not because he did not have the power over death, but because he had passion and love for his friend. Then Jesus showed that he was God. He called Lazarus to come forth from the dead - and Lazarus walked right out of the grave. Jesus tells us, just like He told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who lives and believes in Me will never die." Is anything impossible for Him in your life today?

I'll never forget visiting an elderly couple in our church. Behind their house was a small pond with a ton of Canadian Geese. The couple said the same geese come back every year because they know they can eat through the several fifty-pound bags of deer corn the couple provides for them. I watched the wild geese come up to them like pets; but they stayed far away from me. They told me, "They come running when they hear us. They know our voice, and they come to us." Pretty cool! In Jesus' time, there were public sheep pens that held many different flocks belonging to different shepherds. A large circle of rocks kept the sheep inside, and there was one gate (or door) in the circle. At night, the doorkeeper would lie across the gate so that the sheep couldn't get out and thieves couldn't get in. Jesus makes it plain: He is the door. Those who know Him (who are saved) hear His voice and follow Him, just as sheep follow their shepherd. Not only is Jesus the door, but He is also the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for His sheep (us). As the Door, He's the only way into God's salvation - that brings us peace, protection, and promise of life. As the Good Shepherd, He is our guide through life and death and into eternal life, because He lived, died, and rose again to live forever.