“Hearing God’s Voice”
In John 7:45 the Apostle John tells about the reaction of several 1st-century Jewish Temple guards when they overheard some of Jesus’ teaching. After being rebuked by the Jewish leadership for failing to arrest Jesus, those guards boldly responded “No one ever spoke like this man!” We can assume those guards had heard the voice of many rabbis and preachers during their day-to-day duties on Temple grounds, but they experienced something truly unique in the voice of Jesus. Whether they realized it or not, they were being convicted about his words by the power of the Holy Spirit. Their hearts told them that his words came from a higher authority. Little did they know that, in reality, what they were hearing was the voice of God.
Whatever went forth from Jesus’ lips was (and is) the living word of God. The Bible declares that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12, ESV) And that’s precisely what God’s word continues to do in the hearts of people around the world today - even among those still in search of the truth.
In this world, we are confronted by many competing voices. Sooner or later we can expect to encounter voices that reflect every part of the spiritual spectrum - from the truly holy to the utterly humanistic to the darkly satanic. Thankfully, the indwelling Holy Spirit equips every believer to discern the voice of God. In the cacophony of voices around us, there is only one we really need to listen to. Whenever your own heart is moved by the word of God, I pray your soul will echo the response of the Temple guards, “No man ever spoke like this!”
Pastor Dave Korinek
Parched?
Have you ever felt parched and really needed something to quench your thirst? It is a word that is a bit out of use now but it definitely adds an intensity to just being thirsty! I looked up the origin of parched to find it comes from the Middle English perchen which is related to perish! Sometimes you might have felt if you didn’t get water, you would perish. Other meanings of the word said to dry, roast, shrivel, be very dry! That just makes me thirsty reading them. Have you ever seen parched land? This land is so dry, it looks like shriveled puzzle pieces. Nothing can grow there until there is water again! In John 7, Jesus says something remarkable about Himself that certainly removes us from being parched spiritually.
Part of the Jewish Festival of Shelters, was a daily water ceremony that included prayer and water being poured over the altar. This was a request of God to send rain in the late autumn. The prayer sung by the Levitical priests was from Isaiah 12:3
“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
On the “great day” (last day) of the festival, the climax was the pouring of water seven times over the altar! What a perfect time for Jesus to loudly declare, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37-38
Not only the promise of salvation, but the promise of life where living water flows in and through those who believe. We know this living water is the Holy Spirit who would come to dwell permanently in believers after Jesus returned to glory. The source of this Living Water is the Lord Jesus.
“The LORD will guide you always;
He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”
Isaiah 58:11
Reflection:
Read John 7:37-38 again as you remember when you came to Jesus and drank! (If you haven’t done that, you can right now)
Read again Isaiah 58:11 and ponder how the Holy Spirit flows through you because you are “like a spring whose waters never fail.”
I Thessalonians 5:19 warns us “Do not quench the Spirit”. How can we keep from doing that so the Holy Spirit can flow out of us? Pray asking the Lord to show you!
Francie Overstreet
Believing is Seeing
“You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
In that great Christmas movie, The Santa Clause, one of the elves makes an insightful statement about the possibility that Scott Calvin might actually be Santa Claus. He says, “Believing is seeing.”
In a different, and much more profound and important way, we find Jesus saying the exact same thing. However, He is not talking about Santa. He is talking about Himself, and His words are directed to the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the Jews (vv. 32-36).
As I thought about it, it dawned on me that Jesus’ words must have been both confusing and troubling for those who heard them. I don’t see how they could have listened to Jesus and not thought of Jeremiah 29:13, which says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” I would imagine the Jews of the day believed God to be seekable and find-able. And if they did, they were right.
Which means something else is going on. Jesus is pointing out, not God’s lack of findability, but the Jew's lack of faith in the fact that He is the Messiah and that He is God. (And He has said that those who rejected Him reject the One who sent Him (Luke 10:16)). The people to whom Jesus is speaking are not seeking the LORD with all their heart because they are refusing to believe the testimony and works of Jesus. Because they are not believing, they are not seeing, and this means they will not find Jesus, or be able to join Him in heaven (John 8:21).
For Jesus, it all comes down to our belief in what He says about Himself. Do we believe He is the Christ? Do we believe He is God incarnate? Do we believe He is Our sinless sacrifice? Do we believe He is the Lord of all? If you do, thank Him for enabling this belief in your heart. But if you don’t, why not pray and ask Him to give you the ability to believe so that you may see for yourself? You’ll be glad you did.
Scott Smith
Care Pastor
Divisiveness
I’m happy to be the first to welcome you back to the Daily Fill. This week in John 7:32-52, we see Jesus making some pretty big statements again, and we get some insight into how various members of the general public react. We see many responses, from people rightly saying Jesus is the Messiah to people thinking he is demon-possessed or just a prophet. They all have facts or assumptions to base their conclusions on, they vary in factual accuracy as well. Verse 43 highlights the fact that there is no small amount of disagreement, and John puts the cause solely on Jesus. (43 So there was a division among the people because of him (Jesus.)
We can have an attitude of, “Why can’t we just get along?” That might cause us to put Jesus aside so we don’t have to partake in the division Jesus causes. Said division certainly feels bad, but is it actually a bad thing? This is a pattern that will come up again and again; Jesus sometimes causes people to divide. Some will believe him, while most will not. We are to do whatever we can to bring people to Jesus, but it is not up to us whether or not they believe.
The world collectively rejected Jesus, while we have received him and call him Lord. We don’t have to feel bad about people taking issue with Jesus in fact, we can actually expect it. We must always remain in the world loving people around us and representing Jesus. Never stop praying for people to come to faith in Christ.
Jonathan Duncan
Christ, the Center
There are a couple of new safety features in our car that surprised us as we have driven on the freeways. They are part of the LFA or Lane Following Assist and they remind us to stay centered in our lane. If we get too close to the lane marker two things happen, we hear a ‘beep beep’ sound and the steering wheel gently steers back toward the center. It was a bit of a surprise at first to feel the tug of the steering wheel for a few brief moments, but now we understand what is happening. For our safety, the cameras and sensors keep us centered!
This reminded me of how we need to be centered in Christ, centered on the path He has for us. In John 5:30-45, the passage continually points to Christ. In verse 39, “the Scriptures…bear witness about Me.” In verse 46, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me for he wrote of Me.” In verse 37, “And the Father who sent Me has Himself borne witness about Me..”
Even after coming to Christ, we may center on ourselves instead of Him. Miroslav Volf says we have a “wrongly centered self that needs to be de-centered by being nailed to a cross.” It is easy to go back to the familiar, the old patterns of doing things. We must replace those old patterns with God’s words and thoughts; as we abandon ourselves, our wills, and our minds to Him, His words keep us centered in Christ. How does this happen? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8-9. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me-put it into practice.
This journey’s path is one of continual transformation because we will often have to de-center ourselves and center in Christ. We sense a ‘beep’ and realize we have moved away from the center and then return to Him being centered. But we have confidence that He will complete this work in us because He said He would.
Perhaps we could have a CCA or a Christ Centering Assist and there is one in a very familiar verse:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Meditation: Please take some time to meditate on Philippians 4:8-9. Read through it slowly several times. What word or phrase draw you? How might God use this to center Christ in you? Talk with our Father about it!
Francie Overstreet
Testify to Love
For as long as I live, I will testify to love…
Every hand that reaches out…to offer peace
Every simple act of mercy
Every step to kingdom come
All the hope in every heart will
Speak what love has done
These lyrics celebrate every hand reaching out in peace as a “testimony to love.” In reality, God didn’t offer just His “hand” as a gesture of peace but His very own Son (“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son.” Jn. 3:16). God held nothing back! Because of His sacrificial gift of love every heart on earth can have hope in eternal redemption even as we await the unfolding of God’s kingdom on earth.
In this week’s sermon, we saw how Jesus responded to an audience of cynical religious critics. Jesus testified not only that he’d been sent by the Father but also “the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me” (Jn. 5:36-37). His life-giving works clearly displayed the power to heal, to redeem and to restore a broken world; clear testimony to all who witnessed them that Jesus truly was and is who he claimed to be!
Sadly, Jesus’ critics suffered from severe spiritual blindness. They had “head knowledge” of God’s Word but didn’t truly hold it in their hearts. Jesus informed them that the real problem was their faithless hearts. Their rejection of his words and his works was proof that even though they studied God’s Word, they did not abide in the Word, and neither did the truth of God’s Word abide within their stoney hearts. To paraphrase his assessment of these critics, Jesus was saying “If you really believed in the One who sent me, you could discern the Father’s voice in my words, see God’s spirit present in my works, and sense His presence in bodily form here before you.”
I pray that no reader of the Daily Fill will ever be counted among those with “head knowledge” of God’s Word but a vacuum of truth in their heart and soul. May your whole spirit, mind, and soul rejoice in the testimony of God’s love displayed in the life and works of His only begotten Son!
Pastor Dave Korinek
A Rejoicing Lamp
"He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light”
John 5:35.
Jesus declares a beautiful truth about John the Baptist’s life—He was a lamp. It’s important to clarify that a lamp bears the light, but it is not the light itself. This distinction is significant because there are lamps that are not burning or shining. Believers have the capacity to burn and shine; but can often hide their lamp under a basket, instead of placing it on a stand for all to benefit from the light (Matt 5:14-16).
Believers are not called to live in a bubble; protecting themselves from contact with anything secular. A bubble-wrapped Christian chooses to live safely among other Christians; avoiding contact with the world. This bubble over time can quench a person’s passion to be actively involved in Christ’s mission.; they choose to hide out from the culture instead of standing out!
John was the kind of lamp that shone brightly. He was a witness who told people where they could see, hear and know the light; John was a true witness to Christ because he lived out what he believed.
My husband and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, choosing to renew our vows in our home with friends and family surrounding us. Though some in our home were not believers; we did not hide our faith. A dear friend began the ceremony in prayer and led us in worship. Then another close friend, who is a pastor from the seminary we work at, shared richly from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 along with talking about the significance of Aquila and Priscilla’s ministry. Perhaps the rejoicing moment came after we said our vows and passed around the sparkling cider for a toast. We sang Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude” and there was not a person in the room not singing “Hallelujah”! Our lamps were shining and pointing to the One who deserves all the praise; and even those who did not know Him rejoiced for a while in the light.
Too often we keep our faith hidden, and in doing so we create a compartmentalized life and a fragmented faith. A robust and healthy Christian worldview offers us the freedom to be who we are out in public and in private.
It’s time to pop the bubble. More than ever before, the world needs to see authentic Christianity. To live biblically, doesn’t mean we beat people over the head with our Bible. The call is to make Christ known in the world, find ways to build bridges in understanding the culture and share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Margy Hill
A Strong Family Likeness
“If I alone bear witness about Myself, My testimony is not true” John 5:31
Jesus is still defending His equality with God to a hostile crowd, so He brings forth three very trustworthy witnesses. John the Baptist, His works, and His Father.
This made me think about my own witness; who do others see in me? It is very possible to live a life steeped in Christian culture, to get so wrapped up in what a Christian is supposed to look like, talk like, and act like, that we never really encounter Christ Himself. He isn’t seen in us, the light of the Holy Spirit isn’t detectable, and, if we try to convince a hostile crowd of Christ’s deity, it falls on deaf ears.
So, how do I witness the love of God in my life? I don’t have John the Baptist pointing others to me and I haven’t performed any miracles. But I do have Jesus, how can He be my witness?
Oswald Chambers preached these words over 100 years ago, and they are now more relevant than ever.
“The great need today, among those of us who profess sanctification, is the patience and ability to work out the holiness of God in every detail of our lives…to have a strong family likeness to Jesus”
That’s what I want, for others to see Jesus in me. I shouldn’t have to tell anyone I am a follower of Christ, there should be something different about me, a ‘family likeness’ that draws others in, opens doors, and opens hearts.
How to ‘work out the holiness of God’ and have the heart and mind of Christ is the question. Here are a few thoughts:
Love those who are unloveable, John 4:19 ‘We love, because He first loved us’.You can sing it if you want! But He did love us first, Romans 5:8, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If we are walking with God, we should be demonstrating that ‘agape’ love to everyone, not just those who are easy to love. If we show a love that is sacrificial, unconditional, freely given, even to those who we think don’t deserve it, people will see Jesus.
Forgiveness is a difficult thing to extend. To forgive those who have hurt or betrayed us, to show grace and compassion to those who are a thorn in our side, is a powerful witness of what Christ can do in a heart.
Life is hard, but the joy we have is from being forgiven and free in Christ. Being joyful in all circumstances, to live a “life abundant" John 10:10,in the good and the bad times shows that we know He is in control and we trust Him, no matter what is going on in our lives.
Let our words be filled with life, healing, and love, not pride & self-righteousness. Patience, self-control, humility, and understanding, are what make a person lovely and someone others want to get to know.
So I promise to strive to ‘work out the holiness of God in the way I live my life. The next time I am with that one person, we all have at least one, who I think isn’t deserving of His love, who I can’t see presented perfect in Christ, I will remember who I want as my witness. I would love for you to join me in this so that we all bear that strong family likeness to Jesus.
Cyndie Evans
“I Seek Not My Own Will”
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:30).
While Jesus’ words here are probably meant to make several theological points clear to the Jews about his identity, they are embedded with a deeply practical lesson as well. Jesus is emphasizing just how intertwined his role and the Father’s are, and how their wills are united. The point he’s making is not meant to allow his hearers to entertain the idea that he could have a different desire than the Father (“I seek not my own will”–as if Jesus’ will could somehow be different!), but to demonstrate just how deeply he loves his Father. Jesus has such reverence for Him, that he wishes to do nothing apart from Him.
Here’s the practical part; be reminded of Ephesians 5:1-2: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Jesus’ work on the cross was another instance of Jesus embracing the Father’s will to free us from sin, because he loves us, just as the Father does. Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice to the Father so we could be saved and have life eternal and abundant; their wills regarding our freedom from death and sin were one and the same.
Now, what does the beginning of Ephesians 5 say again? “Be imitators of God… and walk in love, as Christ loved us… a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
In other words, one of the many ways we can imitate Christ, if we love him, is to “seek not [our] own will.” Now, unlike for Jesus, this is actually quite difficult for us. We love to make the world revolve around us, rather than realizing everything does and should revolve around our Creator and Savior. However, not only will listening to Him direct us appropriately in all we do so our “judgment is just,” it will also allow us to walk in love, because that is the heart of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What’s incredible is that by imitating Jesus by dying to ourselves and offering ourselves up to God as a living sacrifice, we can unite with Him and his Spirit in doing the supernatural: bringing dead things back to life.
Ashley Carr
All at Once
On Monday, I had the chance to meet with a woman who goes to our church. During our time together, she shared with me that she has been raising Monarch butterflies. She raises them in cages indoors so that the flies don’t get them while they’re in their caterpillar phase, and she has different cages where the butterflies are at different phases of their development. Some are caterpillars, some are in the chrysalis phase, and some have fully turned into butterflies. As I met with this woman, I started to think about the ways that development mirrors our spiritual journey.
We are all on a journey of transformation, but so often we can only see a limited portion of that journey. Sometimes we imagine that we will forever be in the phase we’re currently in. How cool would it be to be able to see all phases of transformation at the same time? How great would it be to not only be able to celebrate where we are but to clearly see where we are going? That’s exactly what Jesus was able to do, and it’s the truth he shared with his followers.
In John 5:21 Jesus said, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” Jesus’ claim was that he had the capacity to awaken people to live - spiritual life. He was referring to “zoe” life, the kind of life that not only allows you to breathe but makes you grateful that you’re alive. However, that was only one phase of the journey. That was akin to the caterpillar phase of the Monarch. He also declared, “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life.” (John 5:28b-29a) We might view that as the butterfly phase.
Jesus was able to see all of those phases of transformation at the same time. He boldly declared that he was awakening people to life, and he spoke prophetically about the way he would one day raise people from the dead. The life Jesus made available to his followers while he walked with them was a foretaste of the resurrection he promises to provide.
As we walk with Jesus and experience his life and joy today, it’s a reminder for us that the life promised is eternal. He can be trusted because he sees all phases of life at one time. The question in front of each of us is, will we trust him for life?
Ryan Paulson
