And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Numbers 8:1-4

And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand. Numbers 8:3-4

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today, 8:1-4, we see the Lord give instructions to Moses to give to Aaron re: lamps of the lampstand within the tabernacle.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: The presence of the Lord should remind us that God is light - see also 1 John 1:5.  The seven lamps provided light within the tabernacle both practically and spiritually.  The materials and design of the lamp - hammered ornate gold - reflect the glory of God and how He should be treasured as the finest of all things.       
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses - vv3-4.  He was obedient in the details.  We may not see how obedience in the details matters but it does.  God sees all and so when we lack attention to detail, specifically with regards to His instruction and in anything we do, we are not using our resources wisely and according to His plan.  God wants all of our heart, not pieces of it - see also 1 Corinthians 10:31.   
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid earthly influences that have no light - too much of these influences greater sin.  Claim the promise that God is light - in Him there is no darkness and He is a lamp unto our feet. Follow the example of Aaron and so many others with obedience in the detail - this reflects our love of God with all of our heart.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves and You are Light and my Treasure - the finest of all things. Thank You for how You provide both physical and spiritual light and You save.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

 John 12:27-36

Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:30-32

I continue my study of John and today I focus on John 12:27-36, where we Jesus talking and teaching a crowd in Jerusalem during Passover.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: As the Incarnate Son of God, both fully God and fully human, Jesus experiences what all people experience, including pain and suffering - see v27 where Jesus is "troubled" as He knows the hour for His crucifixion is near.  As God, He can stop this but He does not as He shares that "for this purpose I have come to this hour."  Jesus asks God to glorify the Father's name in v28 and the Father responds yes I have and yes I will again.  Jesus was sent by the Father and we must recall from John 10:30 that God and the Father are One.  Jesus shares in v30 that the voice from Heaven was come for the sake of those listening to Him so that they can believe.  Vv31-32 shares how judgement is coming to the world and that Jesus will die and rise to Heaven and save others through their faith in Him.  We must understand Jesus' plan to seek and save the lost - that is why He came (Luke 19:10) - this believers' purpose also.  Jesus wants to save as many as possible - see vv35-36 where Jesus warns people that He will not be around very much longer (He will die, rise and be seated on right hand of the Father) and if they do not believe, they will face eternal damnation and darkness.     
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Those in the crowd listening to Jesus heard the Father speak to Jesus and believed it was thunder or an angel - v29.  This was indeed a divine moment yet most (except perhaps the disciples who were nearly always with Jesus) in attendance did not see it as the Father speaking to the Son and we will see later how the people did not believe in Him (v37). V34 demonstrates this unbelief due to their questioning of what He is teaching.    
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should avoid trusting in our own understanding but instead in wisdom and understanding that comes from God alone (Proverbs 3:5). We should claim the promise that faith in God will give us eternal life.  We should follow the example of Jesus who obeyed the will of the Father to die on the cross - we too must deny our earthly desires and instead do His will.  We should believe and walk in the light - Jesus Christ.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

 John 11:5-16

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” John 11:14-15

I continue my study of John and today I focus on John 11:5-16, where we continue the story of Lazarus, whom we know from the larger story arc is ill and dies, and that Jesus raises him from the dead.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Jesus loves His followers and here in v5 the text shares how Jesus loves Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  Yet in the very next verse we encounter what - from an earthly perspective - is not considered loving.  V6 shares that upon learning that Lazarus is ill, Jesus does not go to Lazarus but instead stays where he was for two more days.  At first glance, v5 and v6 seem incongruent - Jesus loves....it seems...but does he really is the question.  Jesus loves and seeks to save all and even when people doubt He seeks for us to have mercy on them as God might work through this to soften their hearts towards Him - see Jude 22-23.  However, we must understand that God's mercy is not unlimited in the sense that if you don't accept and believe in Him you are eternally condemned.  Text elsewhere - specifically in Malachi 3:6 help us see that God still loves Lazarus because once God loves someone (v5) He does not change.  Plus in John 10, based on text where Jesus is described as the Good Shepherd and His followers as sheep that He loves and cares for, we should not doubt that God loves Lazarus.  See also Romans 8:31-37. In vv7-10 we then see Jesus' exchange with the disciples after He shares that he wants to go to Judea and the disciples are concerned with His safety knowing that the Pharisees and others in Jewish leadership seek to arrest and kill Him.  Jesus response specifically in vv9-10 seems to encourage the disciples (and us) to see that they should be more concerned about not walking with Jesus (darkness and eternal condemnation) than going to Judea where there is no doubt that Jesus' life is at stake. The exchange with the disciples continues in vv11-15 where Jesus shares once again that Lazarus is not dead (see also v4) but asleep, and the disciples are confused.  Jesus clarifies in v14 by sharing that Lazarus is indeed dead, but by going back to v4 we can rest in Jesus' promise that Lazarus' illness will not lead to death. Vv14-15 are a reprise of v4 where Jesus shares that there is a purpose for Lazarus' illness and death and a purpose why Jesus was not present when Lazarus died.
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Jesus' exchange with the disciples shows how people often don't understand Jesus' Word - yet this is not reason to stop believing nor is it a reason to stop engaging with Jesus.  Instead we must stick with it and ask Jesus to help us understand much like the father of the child with an unclean spirit in Mark 9:24 cries out to Jesus for help with his unbelief. See also post here and reference to Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestles with God. Thomas - not likely knowing what he was saying but instead guided by the Holy Spirit who gave him the words to say - seeks to share in the suffering of Lazarus much in the way that Jesus tells us that we share in the sufferings of Christ so that others can see Jesus (The Light) working through us. See also 1 Peter 4:13. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid walking away from God and His Word when you don't understand - instead dig in and continue to abide in Him and claim the promise that if you abide in Him you will bear fruit (John 15). Walk in the day - with Jesus who is the Light of the World.  Also claim the promise that if we share in His sufferings we will also share in His power as it works through us as Jesus grace is sufficient for us as when we are weak He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9). Follow the example of Thomas on this one.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  You are the Light of the World who is control and in everything...and You have already defeated sin and death....giving salvation to me and anyone who calls on You as Lord Savior.  I am not deserving...my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

John 9:1-7

“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John  9:3-5

I continue my study of John and today I focus on John 9:1-7, where Jesus heals a man blind from birth (vv6-7).  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Sin and death entered the world after the Fall in Genesis 3  - see Romans 5:12. In John 16:33, Jesus shares that believers will have tribulation (troubles). This is part of God's plan since the Fall.  Also part of God's plan is how Jesus is the Light of the World (v5) and how it is through our weakness and brokenness that God's Light shines most bright (v3).  V4 shares a deep insight about how believers should approach difficult circumstances and tribulation - we must "work the works of him."  We are all God's work and He does not make any mistakes - when we are sick, broken, sinful, etc. this is part of God's plan to shine His Light through us.  We just need to submit and surrender to Him, and abide in Him so that we bear fruit by allowing Him to work through us.
• What do we learn from the text about people?: The text reveals a question that many ask -believers and non-believers alike - do difficult circumstances result from sin?  We have trouble understanding difficult circumstances, particularly when we perceive ourselves as undeserving of such tribulation.  The problem then becomes a false believe that we are good and we cannot make this claim.  See Romans 3:23 and 1 John 1:8 where all sin and fall short of the glory of God - not some people, but everyone. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Claim the promise that God works through us in our weakness.  Follow the example of Jesus who worked the works of the Father by submitting to His Will and allowing the Father to work through Him - ultimately by raising Jesus from the dead after His death on the cross. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves, saves and is the Light of the World who works in and through our weakness.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.

John 8:12-8:20

You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. John 8:15-16

I continue my study of John and today I focus on John 8:12-8:20, where Jesus continues to teach in the temple in Jerusalem after the Feast of Booths, and he is once again challenged by the Pharisees.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Jesus is the light of the world - v12.  Light allows one to find what they are looking for, and in contrast without light (darkness), we are limited in our ability to find what we seek, and we are trapped. Light is also hope.  When challenged by the Pharisees (that His testimony is false), Jesus issues His own challenge to them by sharing that He was sent by the Father so both He and the Father bear witness to Him (vv17-18), and by standards set in the Old Testament (see Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15, and Numbers 35:30), Jesus is who He says He is. Jesus also challenges the Pharisees that they judge by the flesh and He does not judge by Himself, but with the Father and their judgement is true (of course because they are all knowing).  We also know that from scripture elsewhere that Jesus judges the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  In v20 Jesus responds to the Pharisees - who ask Him where His Father is (v19) - by challenging them about their lack of knowledge of both Him and the Father - which is quite damning (literally) because if they truly knew the law they would see Him as the Promised Messiah. Once again, we see how nothing can stop God's plan because even though He is in the temple and the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees sought to arrest and kill Jesus, they were unsuccessful because "his hour had not yet come" (v20). 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: The Pharisees do what people often do, they judge without taking the time to understand - this is in contrast to Nicodemus (who was one of them) - see also John 7:50-51.  
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid judging - this is God's role - seek to understand one's heart condition.  Claim the promise that if we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  Follow Nicodemus' example to get to know God - go to God daily in study and prayer.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  You are the light of the world and Your Word is lamp to my feet - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save and for the light You provide. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

I continue my preparation for leading Sunday school 15SEP, where our focus will be 1 John 1:5-10 and DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book video series for 1 John.  To provide another angle on my preparation, today I lean on the commentary to 1, 2, 3 John from The Christ-Centered Exposition Series, specifically, as it describes this text with the following divisions:

1. The World Must Know What God Says about Himself (v5): 1 John 1:1-4 describe Jesus Christ as "from the beginning" (v1), "the Word of life" (v1), "the eternal life" (v2), the Father's Son (v3), the source of fellowship (v3), and the source of joy (v4). "This is God’s witness concerning His Son and our Savior. This is what He thinks about Jesus Christ. Having met this Savior in repentance and faith, we have a divine assignment that involves the proclamation of a specific gospel with a universal scope (2:2). This message is for the whole world....[This] is an abiding and permanent mandate to get it to the nations, to all 16,500 people groups in the world, with 6,900 still unreached (JoshuaProject.net, as of Feb. 10, 2014)....That “God is light” is an embedded aspect of faithful gospel proclamation. It highlights the contrast between who God is and who we are without Him. The word “light” occurs in some form over 275 times in the Bible (95 times in the New Testament). It is a popular theme throughout the Scriptures....An essential component of faithful gospel proclamation is an understanding of the nature and character of God.  This is a theme that John will raise several times. For example, he teaches us that God is light (1:5), God is love (4:8,16), and God is true (5:20)....[T]he image of light...sometimes it points to God’s holiness, moral purity, and goodness. Other times the focus is on truth and revelation. It is certainly possible John wished to communicate all these ideas here....In the light of God is the fullness of the life of God, and there is no lack of life in Him at all. This is a non-negotiable tenet in faithful theology and faithful gospel proclamation. This is a message we must be passionate to share with the world."    
   
2. The World Must Know What God Says about Sin (vv6-10): "If we say we have fellowship with God—that God is our intimate friend, known in light and life—yet we walk in darkness—in death and all that accompanies spiritual death and darkness (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3)—we lie and do not practice or live out the truth. The verb “walk” is in the present tense and speaks of a continuous and consistent pattern of life. In essence, we say to others, “I know God,” but our beliefs and behavior contradict our words. By denying that Jesus is God in the flesh and downplaying the seriousness of sin, we lie to others about who we are....Those who live in death and darkness do not just lie to others, saying one thing while believing and living another. Eventually they lie to themselves, becoming self-deceived....It should be noted that the apostle John does not deny our need to be seen as sinless. He simply notes that we cannot find it in ourselves. We need an advocate. We need an atonement. We need another....John says...[if you] lie to others (1:6) and lie to yourself (1:8), and soon you will lie about God. In fact you will actually call God a liar....Someone else’s word says we have no sin problem. But God says we are sinners and need a Savior."

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good!  You give me the breath of life, amazing grace and mercies every day that never cease and You give me my salvation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.