As Ezekiel 37:24 tells us, there is only one Shepherd King, and His name is is Jesus Christ. Thus here in John, Jesus is speaking not only to Jews, but to Gentiles with the invitation unto Salvation by God’s Divine Providence…gathering them all together into one community. That’s because, God has revealed Himself to humanity in nature and in the conscience. So in this verse, Jesus highlights His care and concern for all followers with a message of unity and belonging…for all of mankind is inherently without hope & without God… except for the sacrificial blood of Jesus, and the gift of Salvation.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Isaiah 57:21 ” There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.”
The peace of God that the righteous receive is not extended to the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22) This profound and perfect peace can only be found in Immanuel,(God with us) from Isaiah 9:6. However, wicked do not know the way of peace, thus they are constantly wrought with the consequences of their sinful behavior and great spiritual unrest. But for those whose minds are steadfast in the Lord, there is perfect peace…guarding their hearts and minds even the midst of intense trials. (Isaiah 26:3)
When we water down the meaning of sin, we water down the sacrifice which paid for it.
Beware of downplaying and deemphasizing sin and the consequences of it… for compromising the true gravity of sin in our life only jeopardizes our soul and devalues the great cost Jesus gave in our stead. In II Corinthians 5:21 it tells us that, “God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” In other words, Jesus received the punishment that we rightly deserved as He died for our sins once for all. And as I John tells us, by His sacrificial death, it satisfied the demand of judicial wrath by God…as Jesus became the Savior of the world. The old Hymn goes, “Jesus paid it all, and all to Him I owe.” …so there’s no watering down what He did for us…it cost Him everything.
“Train up a child in the way he should go – But be sure you go that way yourself.” Charles Spurgeon
It’s called a double standard when you have two sets of principles…one you preach to your kids, and one you actually do. No wonder children are confused, when their parents instruct them to follow certain fundamentals rather than imitate their own actions. The hypocrisy being, that the parents fully expect their kids to adhere to the set rules and standards that the parents are unwilling to follow themselves…only leading to unclear expectations and the idea that the kids don’t really have to follow the parent’s rules. Either way, it’s the parent’s inconsistencies that nurture deception within the house…which is never good.
Ephesians 3:20 ” Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory…”
In comparison to our very narrow vision for ourselves…God’s vision is limitless. That’s because God’s power is boundless and always carrying out His gracious and all-wise plan and purpose in our life. The Lord only wants what’s good for us, (Psalm 119:68) and if we yield our will to His, He will instill His vision in our souls…regardless of how powerless, unfit, or helpless we may feel today.
John 3:30 ” He must become greater; I must become less.”
John the Baptist knew exactly his role in ushering in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. For as Jesus’ Ministry grew…John’s Ministry would diminish, for the people could not follow him and Jesus at the same time. So as John’s disciples argued about the importance of their work, he quickly reaffirmed once again that his entire role was to prepare the way for the Messiah, not take His place. (Matthew 3:11) This again emphasized John’s humility and total recognition of his role in relation to the greater purpose. However, we love to hear our own applause! But the point of any Ministry is to not make the minister look good, but to help others in their walk with Jesus…pointing them to Him. For there is only one Savior…and we’re not Him.
Luke 7: 14-15 ” Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.”
Jesus and His disciples were entering the town of Nain, when they were met by a funeral bier proceeding out of the town with a widow walking in front of the pallet bearing her only son. Immediately, Jesus has compassion on this bereaved woman, now alone and destitute, with no one left to help her. This was the first of three miracles Jesus performed raising the dead to new life. Showing that in the Presence of the Lord of Life, death is no more final or irreversible than waking one up from sleep.
Ezra 10:1 ” While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites – men, women, and children – gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.”
The Jews had broken faith with God by marrying foreign women…but rather than exhorting the people to mourn because of their sinfulness, Ezra chose to mourn alone. But his crying out in distress for the sins of the nation did not go unnoticed. And as more and more people gathered around him lying prostrate before God, their consciences were pricked by his prayer…pleading on behalf of them and himself, acknowledging their many sins against God, and begging for mercy. It’s not strange then that as Ezra’s prayer rang out in the temple the crowd was convicted of their own sinful acts…with bitter weeping of grief, confession, and repentance showing that they truly appreciated the gravity of the situation. This was what we used to call a “Altar Call Moment” as Ezra acted as the catalyst to induce a deep spiritual reaction and response in the people.
I Corinthians 15:2 ” By this Gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the Word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”
This verse emphasizes the importance of holding on to the Message of Salvation as preached here by Paul. It’s a vivid reminder that true faith in the Gospel leads to Salvation…while only a superficial belief can result in believing in vain. Too often we take the Gospel Message lightly, forgetting the Divine wisdom and power within, and overlooking its lifegiving, life transforming impact to break the bondage of sin over our lives. That’s why Paul is stressing the need to “Hold firm to the Word”…for as we do, God’s kindness bears fruit in us. (Romans 11:22)
Ezekiel 33:7 ” Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the Word I speak and give them warning for Me.”
A watchman was appointed as a lookout for the community. Earlier in Ezekiel 3:17, God originally commissioned Ezekiel as a watchman, but the focus then was on his responsibility to declare God’s message faithfully. Now, God renewed this commission because Ezekiel’s message was being changed to one of future cleansing of the people and hope for their return home to Jerusalem after the Babylonian invasion. Ezekiel was now to tell the people that the focus had switched to their responsibility to listen and respond appropriately. In a manner of thinking, we as Christians have all been commissioned as watchmen for God…standing up and speaking, and lifting up our voices in warning for the coming days.
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