Living in light of eternity

Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ (Jn 13:31-33)   In the Upper Room, Jesus makes a bold statement, “God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately."  Certainly Christ is glorified in the upcoming events, but what did He mean that He would be glorified immediately? Following the Upper Room Discourse Jesus is arrested, suffers an ignominious trial, is brutally beaten, scourged, and crucified. The suffering and shame of the cross does not seem to be a very glorious event.  And yet it is.  At the cross Jesus demonstrates his absolute obedience to the will of the Father.  And He not only endures it, but with perfect...

The Upper Room Discourse, found in John chapters 13-16, includes four earth-shaking promises.  In verses John 14:13; 15:7-8; 15:16; and 16:23-24, we have the repeated phrase, "Whatever you ask in My name…":   "Whatever you ask in My name" “If you ask Me anything in My name," "Ask whatever you wish" "Whatever you ask of the Father in My name" "If you ask the Father for anything in My name" "Ask and you will receive The meaning is clear, and compelling.  It is as though He is issuing a blank check.  He is offering them a new kind of resource- prayer in the name of Jesus.  Up until this point, they had never prayed this way. “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name;  ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."  (Jn 16:24) Now I'm sure the disciples had prayed, just as people around the world pray.  It is common human activity.  But to pray in Jesus' name seems to be something different....

When we think of the term "repent" we may remember a bearded fellow carrying a sign which says, "Repent, the end is near."  It has somewhat of a comical connotation. However, "repentance" and "repent" are certainly terms that were frequently used by Old Testament Prophets, John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Apostles.  So, what did they mean by these terms, and how should it apply to us?  "To repent" basically means to turn.  Often the prophets exhorted the people to "turn from their wicked ways” Two classic examples are Jeremiah 25:4-6 and Hosea 10:12. The Prophets       4      “And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear,     5      saying, ‘Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefath...

There was a legend back in the late 60s and early 70s about a seeker of truth. The long-haired rebel had become disillusioned and suspicious of the modern culture and doubted whether mainstream society offered any real answers to the basic questions of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? How do I find meaning in life?  The post World War II generation had married, worked hard, secured stable lives and families. Meaning was derived from their experiences as children in the Great Depression and victors in a global struggle of good versus evil. The next generation grew up with no such definition for life. With the Cuban missile crisis they found themselves hiding under desks and in fetal positions in the hallways of their elementary schools. Even a third grader wonders how the desk will protect them from a nuclear explosion. Then there is JFK, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy- prominent icons of American life gunned down in broad daylight.  Welcome the hippie gen...

In recent days we have been hearing reports of revival springing up on Christian colleges across America.  Many are asking, "What is revival, anyway?"  It is nothing new, although it might seem new to us, because the U.S. has not seen anything like this in 50 years.  Throughout church history there have been seasons of revival that have transformed society and revived the church.  Some have been small and localized, others last many decades and spread like wildfire.  You may want to do your own research on this topic, but for now the question remains, "What is revival, and is it found in the Bible?"  In the days of Solomon, God appeared to him in a dream and gave this promise: "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven...

Who would have believed what we just heard? When was the LORD’s power revealed through him? He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow him. He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. (Isa 53:1-3, NET)   Jesus was indeed a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.   He was rejected by the people he had created.   The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him. (Jn 1:9-11, NET)   His own family did not believe in Him. So Jesus’ brothers advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your discip...

  Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dispersed the crowds. And after he sent the crowds away, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already far from land, was taking a beating from the waves because the wind was against it. As the night was ending, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them: “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.” So he said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you...