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He was raised from the dead so that we all would believe…

John 11:38-44
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Jesus was once again deeply moved. He loved Lazarus, and He wanted Lazarus to live, but not for His own needs. Jesus wanted Lazarus to live so that we would believe and have the faith to trust in Jesus. He talked to the Father on our behalf.

As our Savior, Jesus took care of all the millions of requirements that are necessary to follow the Law of Moses. The idea that we could somehow qualify ourselves has been disproven time and time again throughout the annals of history. We are sinners, and as sucj, need to be saved. We were. We were brought back from death, just as Lazarus was, only our death will come later, and our eternal life spent with Him.

Lazarus being brought back to life is only temporary. He would eventually die again, this time for good. The bringing of him back to life would last but a short time compared to the grand scheme of things. The impact if the work Jesus did olin this temporary life was always meant to allow faith to grow in you, in me, in all of us. Believe. #JesusSave

Amen
DK

John 11:17-37
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus wept. I don’t pretend to know why. He was flesh and bone, perhaps He felt the weight of death for the first time. Even though He had healed the blind, the sick, and the lame, this was different. This was death, and death stings all who come close to it. Jesus loved Lazarus. That was His friend.

As Jesus was getting closer to Lazarus and his sisters, the realization of the women that Lazarus may have been saved must’ve been a very painful one. Yet they were so sweet even then. Their faith still so strong and evident ,even in this dreadfully painful hour. Jesus saw this, and loved them deeply. This show of humanity as Jesus cried is beautiful.

I have heard time and time again how much Jesus loves me. I know He does, but it’s this verse that really shows just how He loves me. When I sin, He cries for me. When I am in pain, there He stands, right next to me in support and love. His love never fails and it never gives up on me. The best is yet to come. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Jesus is the Messiah…

John 10:22-42
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’[d]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

The Pharisees are losing control of this world, but rather than surrender to Him, they are holding on to law. They grasp and claw for the seen world and forget the unseen. They are afraid to let go their own understanding. They are being fooled by their thoughts and feelings and for that reason they are unable to walk in the Spirit of God.

Once again the learned and all knowing people are trying to get rid of Jesus. They are not ready for Him. That is actually the reason that Jesus came down from Heaven in the first place. Had the Pharisees known the truth, perhaps God would never have has to come down from Heaven and send His Son to die for us on the cross. But, we can what if all day. The bottom line is, we needed Jesus then, and we need Him now.

God is in us. He is in our hearts, and walks with us. However, we walk this world completely saturated in sin. We bathe in it daily, and at many times don’t even know it. We fight and battle in a war played out over our souls focused only on the sins that we can see. We have no clue of all of the thousands of sins that we commit without even knowing it. The obvious fight is a good one. The sins we do see require repentance on our parts, as we ask God for forgiveness. However, there are many more sins that a tree numerous as the stars that we don’t even know that we commit. What about those?

Jesus took them to the cross along with the ones that you go to war with every day. Jesus was and is the Son of God. He came to earth to save us. He cried tears of blood as He begged for our forgiveness. He taught us how to love and lift others up to a place higher than ourselves. He taught us to trust and to be humble. He rebuked our wicked ways, and then took them with Him to the cross. Jesus is the Messiah! No if, ands, or buts about it. Jesus hung on the cross and died so that we would live. It is my hope that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior. He waits with open arms for you. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

He is our Shepard…

John 10:1-21
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

These verses speak to the heart of who we are. Not who the Jews are, not who the Christians are, who WE are. We are all His flock. He is OUR Shepard. To follow anyone or anything else will lead to death and destruction. To follow Him brings life and Salvation and safety. Our Shepard lays His life down for us.m…Every day.

There is no easy way in. To get into the Kolingdom of Heaven you have to believe. For many, that was and still is the battle. That is the war. To believe the message that Jesus brings to this world. His world. He was sent so that all of Man would be saved. He did this through miracles of healing, through His words as He taught, and through His death and resurrection at Calvary.

As Believers, we are given the duty…the Commandment to go out into the world and spread the Gospel. We are to be the sower of seeds. These seeds that we plant are planted by what we say and how we walk in this world. We are to walk and speak in such a way that calls upon someone to ask you, “What is up with you?” You have been called to be different. Not of this world.

Some Pharisees saw Jesus as a man of God. Some as a demon-possessed man. How do you see Him? Okay.. now go tell someone. #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK

John 9:35-41
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

The call is for us to shut our eyes to this world and look through His eyes. I can only dream of what He sees in all of us. The beauty He saw and continues to see in us must be astoinding. So beautiful that He came and gave His life for us on the cross.

Jesus came to teach and to save, not to destroy. There is way that we can walk this earth in control through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must practice His ways. We must strive to be more like Jesus every day.

Those that see will become blind. Those that are blind will see. The meek will inherit the earth. Those in first will be last. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled. The list goes on and on. It’s time to serve others and receive His blessing through giving it away to others. It will come back…7×70. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK 

John 9:13-34
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

The answer for the Pharisees was at first to claim Jesus was not from God because He healed a blind man on the Sabbath. Next they said that Jesus was not a prophet, because they believed on the Law of Moses. Lastly, they say that the man was never a man of God and was born impure and a sinner.

Grasping at straws. Seeing with their eyes rather than their heart. There must’ve been many who believed that Pharisees, but they could not admit it publicly for fear of being barred from the synagogue. Fear ruled these men. Fear doomed these men. Fear is waiting for you if you give it your attention.

Do not be like these blind men. There are many blind men that walk this earth today. They take with them not only their soils, but the souls of their house. They block the free blessing of Salvation offers to all families through the head of the house. Stop blocking your family. Stop blocking your children. Let them receive the light of Jesus Christ through you. How? Take them to Church. Teach them to pray. Buy them a Bible that they can read ND learn of Him. He will take it from there.

The choice is that you continue to ignore God’s calling on your life. Nothing good can come from that. Only distraction and fear. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

I was blind, but now I see…

John 9:1-12
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The man was blind so that the good works of God could be witnessed by others. Affliction for advancement of the kingdom of God. To be fortified and galvanized through trial. Once handed to Him, the trial becomes a blessing. Miracles happen everyday, and this blind man could now see because of his faith and belief in Jesus.

Look back on your life and spot that affliction that hit you pretty hard. If it was physical, emotional, or spiritual, remember the trial. Now remember the blessing that was produced through that blessing. Got it? Now share it. That is your testimony. 

A few weeks ago, an older coach who I have known for quite some time came by the gym. He has been fighting Leukemia for years and look downcast and beaten down. He was on his way to see his doctor and needed something. His eyes searched for healing. We prayed together in my office for healing. As he keft, he said he felt something. He felt lifted up. At hid appointment the doctor ran the tests and was dumbfounded by the results. They were the best readings he had in a long time. How? All Jesus.

Activate my friends. The power will flow through you like Living Waters. The power of the Holy Spirit is in you. Just as it was in Jesus. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

John 8:48-59
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

The revelation almost killed the them. He had just revealed to them exactly who He was and they were ready to destroy Him. In front of them stands The Messiah and they are flat out rejecting Him, calling Him a demon, a liar, and a phony.

At any moment, Jesus could have leveled the entire earth. He could have called on His divine powers and lashed out at all of them. He could’ve…but He did not. Why not? Because the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, came not to destroy, but to save. This was what the ordeal required, and He did it. He saved us.

One very important lesson in these verses is that there are times in your own walk with Christ, that you may have to turn and walk away in order to allow God’s work to be done in others. We have been called to plant seeds through our words and our actions. It is not our job to try and force growth on others. We must allow God’s Word and His Will to do the work. We are called to plant and tend, not grow the seed. That is God’s job.

Pray for Discernment. Pray to know what move to make next as you plant His seed in others. He will reveal your next move to you and move will be perfect. Be blessed in knowing that the sowing you do now, will one day reap a mighty harvest in the name of Jesus Christ. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK