Category: Devotions

Hated without a Reason

Part 2: 5 things I have learnt about being hated

John 15 v18-25

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

The caveat is that this is not giving reason to antagonise and by your own stupidity become disliked or not accepted.

But if we are hated then realise:

1. You’re not the first person this has happened to (and you won’t be the last) v18.

You may be a martyr but don’t develop a martyr complex. You’ll get through this.

 

2. It gives you the confidence to be yourself, v19. (You don’t belong to those who are against you. He has chosen you out of that world)

People-pleasing will drain you from the person you really are.

 

3. It can be expected, v20. The encouragement that Jesus gives to us is that we are not immune on our journey from the things that he had to go through on his. Jesus knew suffering and he knew success and so will we.

The successful always have a thread of hate replies to their social media posts. It’s the path of greatness as you become like your master Jesus. Those who become great on God’s path also suffer.

 

4. It gives you the opportunity to align yourself with Jesus, v21.

Keep him in mind, organise and direct your thinking on him.

Jesus is saying as we copy him then what happened to him will be copied to us.

 

5. You can rest knowing there are times where there are no reasons for the hate and you don’t have to work it all out, v25.

Stop trying to justify someone’s hate.

Hated without a Reason

Part 1: 5 things I have learnt about hating

John 15 v18-25

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

 

The hater:

1. The hater believes they have good reason to do so even though there may be none, v18 (They believed Jesus was a blasphemer but of course there was no reason to believe so. They followed the theory that the best line of defence is attack.)

 

2. The hater hates because you do not fit into their world, v19. (Haters are afraid of another person’s opinion or not having everyone view them as being right, their authoritative position is threatened; in Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare has Charmian saying to Cleopatra, “In time we hate that which we often fear” though I prefer the modern version of this – “We come to hate that which controls us.”)

 

3. The hater is ignorant and unenlightened, v21 (The hater usually doesn’t know you, in fact they can often be heard saying “who does he think he is”, they are usually the person who sees you walk on water and say it is because you cannot swim.)

 

4. The hater is a seeker of justice, v22-24. (Jesus uses the justice term of guilt; they charged him as guilty but we reap what we sow, we can carry around a sense of injustice and long for a person to be brought down, in the end it turns to hate and it is the hater that is held guilty.)

 

5. The hater focuses on what you do but it is who you are they really hate, they won’t say it because they can’t put their finger on it,v21,23,24 (Look at the times Jesus refers to who is behind him, his DNA. Tribalism has created so many wars full of hatred not because of what anyone has done but who they are; people fight because generationally that’s what they have always done to that other tribe or family; not knowing the backstory leads to prejudice and hate.)

How to be a friend and the results of being one, part 4

 

Over the few days we have explored these verses in John 15 v9-17 focusing on friendship and love, with an action and a result to consider. Here is the final part.

 

Some people never reach their dreams because they are not generous with others. In God’s economy, the surest way to limit your success is to hold tightly to what you have. In His economy, you only get more by giving more.

Once you learn the joy of serving others, you won’t want to live any other way. Generous living becomes a breeze. It enlarges your spirit; it empowers and multiplies other people’s dreams.

It’s a biblical pattern that sometimes you need to support someone else’s dream before your dream bears fruit. By giving your time and energy to them, you give God an opportunity to build character in you so that one day your dream will explode into being. A good example of this is Joseph from the book of Genesis.

Joseph was stuck in a prison for years, unable to follow his own dream. While there, he worked diligently to make the prison run well. He supported Pharaoh’s dream with his best ideas and energy. Then one day Joseph interpreted a dream for a fellow inmate, a butler who went on to be released and given a position of power. Later that butler remembered Joseph and soon Joseph became the second – in – command in Egypt.

If that seems like a roundabout way to get your dream fulfilled, it is. But that’s how God often works. While you’re trying to get your dream established, help someone else fulfil their dream, either by serving them directly or being generous. Join a ministry; give your time and energy to someone else.

 

Action: Focus on what will be produced.

 

Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—”v16.

Keep the fruit in mind. It isn’t the quantity but the quality. I love apples and I have my favourites but I wouldn’t say I am a lover of apple trees. I don’t think much about them. It is all about the fruit for me.

Think a minute of the people who have had the greatest influence on your life. Who were they?

What about some of the most amazing inventions? Who were the inventors? We all know who Tim Berners-Lee is yeah? We should do for we use his invention every day of our lives!

Amongst the disciples hearing Jesus was Andrew. Amazing things came from his actions but we don’t often think of him but his brother, Peter. But it was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus; he brought the boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus; and he brought the Greeks into the presence of Jesus after Lazarus had been resurrected.

Andrew was prepared to take second place to the people who he had influenced because the fruit is the most important thing. The fruit. The work. The gospel. The kingdom. However you word it. Not the person but what God is doing through the person. However, it all stems because you are thinking less of yourself and are committed to friendship and love.

 

Result: You will be walking with God in His plans for your life.

 

“and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” v16

It’s quite an incredible promise isn’t it? Knowing the plans of God, asking in His name, understanding His will, seeing God do it.

You may have lost everything but as long as you have God’s means of revelation, His Word and His Spirit then you still have all you need.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

What a friend we have in Jesus …

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

How you treat others will affect the revelation you gain from heaven.

And to wrap this up let me leave you with the command of Jesus in v17,

“This is my command: Love each other.”

How to be a friend and the results of being one, part 3

 

Over a few days I am exploring these verses in John 15 v9-17 focusing on friendship and love, with an action and a result to consider.

 

People are never convenient. If you wait till you feel like it, you will never have genuine fellowship, nor if you wait for things to be perfect. There can be a fantasy of what community should be like.
“He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter … If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we keep complaining that everything is paltry and petty, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow.” Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who was martyred for resisting the Nazis.

 

Action: Do it unselfishly.

What must be one of the most beautiful things Jesus said in v13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” A total act of self-denial. Being unselfish means you are probably going to be the one who gets hurt for the sake of friendship and to demonstrate love.

Only the kind know the disappointment of harshness.
Only the gracious are shocked at the response of selfishness.
Only the hospitable get taken for granted.
Only the givers stand out amongst the takers.
Only the generous see the greedy.
Only the Christlike are like Christ.
Sometimes it hurts.
But the alternative was not an option.
To do nothing was to turn out your light.
To ignore was to ignore who you are.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ”.
Colossians 3;23-24.

 

Result: Revelation of heaven.

Jesus said that as friends of Jesus, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. “v15.

A friend knows things that an acquaintance doesn’t. The closer you get the more you know.

God told Abraham things that He hadn’t told anyone else. Genesis 18 v17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”

As we walk in love for others Jesus says we will be his friends. As that happens heaven will open and we will see and hear what others don’t.

We will see what God wants to show us. We will view the possession, the inheritance that is ours in Christ. We will see people who Christ died for.

We will weep. We will become like Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.” (9 v1) Oh that those who want to prophesy at the moment will be quiet and just weep. Yes God will bring good from the covid pandemic but today as we lay our lives down we understand what Jesus did for us. We can see the sacrifice and we can see his tears. It is the revelation from heaven. Those tears lead to further love for people and to befriend them.

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How to be a friend and the results of being one, part 2

Over a few days I am exploring these verses in John 15 v9-17 focusing on friendship and love, with an action and a result to consider.

 

A recent study of those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder found that 88.3 percent of those who participated in group therapy no longer exhibited PTSD symptoms, versus just 31.3 percent of those who received minimal one-on-one interaction.

There is also evidence that the act of confessing one’s faults to a few safe people—enshrined in AA’s fifth step—helps in changing addictive patterns. According to researchers, “Revealing one’s deepest flaws and hearing others do likewise forces a person to confront the terrible consequences of their alcoholism—something that is very difficult to do alone.”

Conversely, some research studies have shown how friendships can also lead us to adopt negative behaviours. For instance, a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that a person is 50 percent more likely to be a heavy drinker if a friend or relative is a heavy drinker. Also, a study concluded that a person’s odds of becoming obese increase by 71 percent if he or she has a same-sex friend who is also obese.

So all that leads to this. Being a friend means work. Whether that means becoming vulnerable or being accountable. We have to work at it for friendship to survive.

 

Action: work at it.

 

It’s not easy. It doesn’t come naturally to us. People are odd including us. Some are difficult to love and almost impossible to befriend. So we must work at it. We are all very different. Your attitude towards people is one of the most important choices you will have.

Our thinking can be like this:

When the other person takes a long time, he’s slow.

When I take a long time, I’m thorough.

When the other person doesn’t do it, he’s lazy.

When I don’t do it, I’m busy.

When the other person does something without being told, he’s overstepping his boundaries.

When I do it, that’s initiative.

When the other person overlooks a rule of etiquette, he’s rude.

When I skip a few rules, I’m original.

When the other person gets ahead, he’s very lucky.

When I manage to get ahead, that’s just the reward for hard work.

 

Jesus said in v12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Can you imagine the work needed to be a friend of the disciples?! Can you imagine trying to love them?!

A true friend is one who walks in when everyone else walks out on you.

 

Result: the friendship of Jesus

“You are my friends if you do what I command” v14.

A Roman emperor sought to discover humanity’s original language – thinking it might be Hebrew, Greek or Latin. So he experimented by isolating a few infants. The nurses involved were sworn to absolute silence, and no one ever spoke to or in the presence of the children. The babies heard not a word, not a single sound from a human voice. Tragically, within several months. they all died. A lamentable result of a bizarre search for knowledge gone awry, the emperor never learned the original language of humankind – but he did prove one thing: people cannot survive without relationships. And we cannot survive without the friendship of Jesus.

Whatever it is we are going through, whether Covid or some other crisis we do it as a friend of Jesus.

A mainland Chinese pastor who had been placed in a detention camp during the Cultural Revolution. Each day he was lowered into a pit filled with human faeces and ordered to start shovelling. He was able to endure this horrific indignity, he reported, by singing over and over again the words to “I Come to the Garden Alone.” He was refusing, he said, to allow his captors to define his reality for him. He chose to see himself as enjoying the presence of his Saviour.

I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses, And the voice I hear falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses…

And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other, has ever, known!

He speaks and the sound of His voice, Is so sweet the birds hush their singing, And the melody that he gave to me, Within my heart is ringing . . .

And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other, has ever, known!

And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other, has ever, known!

There can be no greater result than being a friend of Jesus!

 

How to be a friend and the results of being one, part 1

Over the next few days I want to explore these verses in John 15 v9-17 especially focusing on friendship and love. Hopefully, each day there will be an action and a result to consider.

December 2010 was a particularly bad winter, icy cold and snow continually falling meant that as a Pastor I had to make those difficult decisions to close the Church building down from services. We were in lockdown. Apart from a group who rented the building. They were the SAS of all groups. The Alcoholics Anonymous group met 3 times a week in our building and had never dropped a week and it continued throughout that lockdown. What an extraordinary organisation the AA are?! It was in June 1935, at the heart of the Great Depression, Bill Wilson, a failed stockbroker founded the organisation after meeting God in a hospital room. Since then much has been discovered in terms of psychology, neurology and human behaviour and yet contemporary medicine has arguably not managed to come up with a better alternative than the AA’s 12 steps which are centred on a small group of like-minded friends who provide support, honesty, and accountability.

 

On the night of Jesus’ death he speaks to his disciples about the most important command. It was his command to them that he had spoken of many times in the journey. That is of course, love and friendship.

In this lockdown season it seems that everything is coming to the surface. The good and the bad side of humanity. There are continually amazing stories of friendship, community and love. But there are also the despicable things that go on because for some they choose to never change even when the opportunity is given to do so. I really hope that post-lockdown when our churches gather back into their buildings that a new chapter of love and friendship will have noticeably already have begun.

 

How can I be a friend who loves?

 

Action: Find the common ground.

30 years before Bill Wilson saw the light, in 1905, a Boston physician named Joseph Pratt organized weekly meetings for patients with tuberculosis. He was simply trying to teach them better health habits; surprisingly, he discovered that the groups also excelled at providing emotional support. He concluded that by sharing about their “common disease” they developed a “common bond.”

V9-11 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

The common ground for the Church is the love found in God.

 

Result: Joy!

 

Jesus said in v11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Some people say you can have joy without being happy, but it usually those who are not smiling. Some people say their joy is deep down inside, but what good is a light that doesn’t shine?

Jesus spoke those words shortly before his dark Gethsemane and then accusation, slander and torture of Calvary. He spoke of ‘my joy’. He has joy remaining with Him at the time of his greatest trial and testing and Jesus wants you, whatever your trial or circumstance to have His joy in your life. It is not temporary, it is permanent based on His relationship with you. The greatest sign of God’s presence is joy and it comes through your love for others.

Nothing satisfies, renews and re-energises like the joy of the Lord!

How can we fight the battles of the Lord if we are downbeat?

How can we be a light to the world if we do not shine?

How can we set the world on fire if we are cold and dry?

We need joy in our hearts.

We cannot have a relationship with God without Him giving us joy. In Psalm 16 we are told that in Gods presence there is fullness of joy.

A joyless life is an un-revived life.

Am I heartless to talk about joy when the world suffers? No, I have found the church with the most joy is the church that is suffering. I have wept with Christians in many despicable places of the world only to see their smile return because God is with them. I always come away being moved by their joy more than their suffering. Joy conquers suffering.

We have a resurrection that conquers death and we have a joy in God that conquers the darkness of this world. And it all is birthed from loving others.

A building-less Church could become a better Church when we finally get back to our buildings.

John 15 v1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

 

Most nations have national symbols for example, a dragon, lion or a unicorn! Israel has the Menorah and 2 olive branches but the national symbols are also the fig tree and the vine. There was a golden statue of a vine on the altar of their 2^nd Temple. Even their coins were inscribed with a vine. The vine was all around them. Jesus says the vine needs to be in them. It wasn’t strange that Jesus on walking from their Passover meal through the Kidron valley to the garden that he would talk about the vine. At their meal there had been a traditional blessing on their 3^rd cup of wine:

Blessed are You O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

What was strange was that the vine was never spoken of referring to an individual, but only as a nation. Plus when it was used it was always in terms of God’s judgment on His people.

Isaiah pictures Israel as a vine that has run wild, they are not what God intended. Jeremiah pictures Israel as a vine that is in a degenerate, unhealthy state. Hosea pictures Israel as a vine which is empty, it bears fruit only for themselves, not for God.

The vine, Israel and their God was the same as people who when talking of Church would think of people, a building and their God.

What Jesus says is this: I am the true vine. Not you. Me. Remain in me. Then you will bear fruit. The world will see you as my disciples and the Father will be glorified. Relationship with me not empty rituals is the key.

We have always maintained the Church is not the building but sometimes our practices and programmes haven’t suggested it to be so. Now that we cannot get to our buildings we have been reminded as we look at our computer screens that the Church is definitely not the building. Can you imagine for a crazy moment if we were in some kind of lockdown from our buildings for a year? For 5 years? Awful thought. But just say a length of time enough for a new norm to have emerged for the Church, which didn’t involve a building. (This is not a hate your building campaign. I love buildings!) Now imagine if God used this time to prune the Church back?

Can you imagine for a crazy moment if what became the priority was our relationship with a) Jesus; b) each other; and c) the world around us?

Can you imagine Christians depending more on their own worship life to grow? Worship songs sung at home in throughout the day devotional times?

Last night I led a Bible study on ZOOM (the latest word that everyone knows which doesn’t now mean’ fast’ depending on wifi signals!) and in the breakout room the members of my group were saying how even more connected they felt at this time. They were carrying one another’s burdens like never before. Can you imagine a Church being recognised by its love?

Again yesterday I saw one of my ministers on social media out and about his neighbourhood with a loud speaker playing ‘Amazing Grace’ inviting people to join him in the hymn at the doors or windows. Can you imagine the fruit coming from this pruning being a new desire to connect to the world around us?

It will be great when we gather together again in buildings. But can you imagine what kind of Church will gather there after this season we are going through?!

Helped, Hugged and at Home in times of social distancing

We are certainly in days when helping one another has become thankfully one of the most important things we now do. To live selfishly seems pointless. We need each other as we are enforced to stay at home. One friend said to me the other day that they couldn’t wait for social distancing to end so that they can be hugged again. Today’s reading from John chapter 14 has good news for us, v15-31. On the night of his journey to the cross he tells his disciples and us some great news.

For those who follow Jesus he has a promise (v15 ‘If you love me, keep my commands.”)

The promise is the Spirit of truth, v17.

He is a person, (v17 The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him)

Paraclete is a hard word to translate and so we have various attempts of meaning which end up being inspiring to us:

He is your helper. He helps you to live for God. He gives you the ability and the energy to do what you have to do today. It is not true that you have no one to assist you nor anyone beside you. You have the other helper. The disciples had Jesus who stilled the storm when they were afraid and who fed the crowds when they had nothing. So whatever you need today there is a helper right by your side, the Spirit of truth.

He is your advocate, (v16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever) Just as Jesus was an advocate the Spirit is also. Jesus has in mind the court of heaven where the Spirit pleads on the behalf of his followers just as an advocate on earth defends the cause in the court of law. The advocate will do what Jesus did. When you don’t know who God is or what the Bible is really saying or even when people are against you, you have an advocate who will defend you. (v26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.)

He is your Comforter. He cheers you up. After social distancing we will hug again. It doesn’t take the pain away but it does help you get through the day when you have a friend who supports you.

He is your Peace. (v27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.) A peace that remains. It doesn’t change or die because of the circumstance.

What an incredible person the Spirit is! And where is he?

He is at home in you. (v17 But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you … v23 My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.) We! Where the Spirit is so is God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit at home in you! For some today sadly home is a dream. In lockdown domestic abuse has risen and there are concerns for children at risk. It is unthinkable isn’t it? There is a home which is not a house with decorations. The home of the heart. The home in you. Your sense of well-being. Right now as a follower of Jesus the fullness of God dwells in you and is at home in you!

Why is this so important? Well the last point especially shows us we do live in a dangerous world. Today people will sadly die. Many will leave their homes with some anxiety of what they are about to face.

Jesus said this:

V17 “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him … V19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” We live in a world which cannot see and doesn’t know who is living inside of you.

V30 “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me” For Jesus he could be referring to Caesar whose soldiers put Jesus on the cross. Or it could have been the high priest. It could also mean the enemy of our soul, Satan, who is behind the Caesars, the false priests and the betrayers of this world.

V31 “but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave.”

Though we live in a dangerous world and though it is difficult to serve God. Jesus says the prince of this world only serves the purposes of God for it. His call to come and leave with him shows the intention of Jesus that no one was going to take his life but he would offer it to the world that the world may be saved.

So this lockdown, the social distancing and the evils of this world may produce circumstances that are dangerous to us but we are not alone. We have another who lives alongside us, at home in us, giving us a big hug today!

Elvis has left the building

John 14 v5-14

“Elvis has left the building” used to be announced at the end of Elvis Presley’s concerts to encourage his hysterical fans to accept that there would be no further encores and to go home. The first known use of ‘Elvis has left the building’ was printed in the DETROIT TIMES, 23/11/56:

“Presley gave his guitar a final bang, flung it from his shoulder and fled the stage seconds ahead of the mob. Outside, a car waited, with door open and motor running. By this time, his press agent, Oscar Davis, was on the stage. He grabbed the microphone and yelled:

“Elvis has left the building. Hold it. Hold it. Elvis is gone.”

The Kelsey Grammer sitcom ‘Frasier’ used a play on the line at the end of each show – “Frasier has left the building.”

Elvis, Frasier and THE CHURCH HAS NOW LEFT THE BUILDING!

John writes his gospel to communicate that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Temple. He still is. The Temple will fall. Jesus predicts that. The glory of God is in Jesus not the Temple. Jesus is the presence of God and the centre for all activity under heaven and on earth.

Jesus announces he is leaving them. He is only a young man but it is time to go. Jesus will leave the building soon.

Thomas thinks geographically, v5 ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ ⁶ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’

Philip is thinking supernaturally, v8-14 Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

The answer to Philip is you have what you want but you cannot see.

The world calls to the Church, ‘Show us your God’ and then tries to fit the God they want into their own frame of thinking.

The Church cries to God, ‘Show us your glory’ and then does the same.

Don’t you know? Haven’t you seen? Will you not believe?

The Church has left the building for the first time since anyone can remember.

What does the world see?

Jesus says it has to be two things: His words and works that bring people to know God.

May our words not be our own, v10

May we dwell in God and He in us, v11

May our works be His works, v12

Isn’t that amazing?

Then we read something even better than that. We can ask for anything and He will do it! But we know that’s not strictly true. Because not only has Elvis left the building but our loved ones have too. Our friend, spouse, parent and child, we asked but they didn’t stay. That ask wasn’t just anything it was something really special, very important. Easter Sunday has just gone, it can be a very difficult day to rejoice in the Resurrection when the loved one died. Why didn’t they stay in the building? Why did they have to leave? It is because when we ask we ‘ask in my name’, v14.

Jesus would ask that very night in the garden of Gethsemane. ‘I don’t want to go’.

In my name means according to His will, not ours; His word, not ours; His glory; not ours. Asking God for something can in fact be the most submissive and painful thing to ever do! Only the brave ask God in His name.

Jesus tells his disciples they will do even greater things. How is that possible to do anything greater than even just one of the miracles of Jesus?

Well Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God in Judea and Galilee and his disciples would go to the ends of the earth; Jesus had hundreds of followers when he left the building but within 40 days they would be gathering thousands; in a few years the gospel would end up in Rome of all places but 2,000 years later it is now all over the world.

What Jesus is saying is this, when I leave this building, it isn’t over, go further.

Elvis has left the building. Jesus has left the building and maybe you’re loved one has too.

We don’t all leave at the same time though we would want to. One day someone will mourn you leaving the building too.

In lockdown the CHURCH has left the building and the message is the same. It isn’t over!

We carry on, we go further, we have more experiences, we carry the words and the works until the day comes and we too leave the building.

Meditation on the Positive

Retracing our steps because of Holy week we commence again back in chapter 14.

John 14 v5-6 “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The one person who can settle the agitated and distressed soul is Jesus.

During this difficult season we are on we must discipline our minds to meditate on what is good.

To the person who is trying hard, you feel drained from fighting, one step forward and two steps back. You are striving to succeed, afraid you might not make it.

Be still. Let these words fall on your mind today:

Do not let your hearts be troubled (v1) Mediate on these words I AM THE WAY.

To the person who has been questioning why something happened, you may have felt deceived and God has been unfair. You are confused. You have a mountain of questions.

Be still. Let these words fall on your mind today:

Do not let your hearts be troubled (v1) Mediate on these words I AM THE TRUTH.

To the person whose physical sickness has damaged them more than their physical health; they are drained of energy in their very being. To the one who doubts whether they will be in heaven when they die. To those who have suffered the death of a loved one and is dying inside because of it.

Be still. Let these words fall on your mind today:

Do not let your hearts be troubled (v1) Mediate on these words I AM THE LIFE.