Author: ianfrancoisdt

Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that you are Lord, mighty to save, mighty to heal – yet intimately concerned for each one of us.

” Immanuel, the name I was called when I was born – God with us shows that I was and still am so concerned for each one of you that I took on flesh and became as a servant to serve you all, to seek you out, to understand from your level the difficulties of a hostile world, to experience the pain each one of you experiences. So at this time it is so good to remember this dual role, mighty creator, powerful beyond imagination, in the form of a helpless baby – choosing to do this salvation by placing myself on a cross to bring you close and prevent you from becoming eternally separated from Me and all My goodness. May this truth be very real to you all in the next days as you celebrate it all.”

Back in John ch 10, we are reminded of the two metaphors Jesus uses to describe Himself. Firstly He calls Himself “the Gate “, which we looked at last week. Which really focusses on the exclusivity of Himself as the only way of entry into the sheep pen. This week we will focus on His role as Shepherd.

This is such a common name and metaphor for both God and Jesus in the Old and New Testament that it is perhaps easy to become used to it without appreciating the full depth of meaning. A shepherd in biblical times had a different role from what we would understand today. He literally lived with his sheep. At night he would lead them into an enclosure where they would be safe. He would usually sleep with them, lying in the gate to protect them. By day he would lead them out to whatever pasture was available. The sheep trusted him fully and followed him, while he knew each one with its quirks by name. He was so committed that a good shepherd would even be prepared to die in an effort to protect them from a lion or bear or even a robber. See David’s testimony in 1 Samuel 17:34,34 where he challenges Goliath with the words that he had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands while protecting his sheep.

In this chapter Jesus takes for granted that that would be the picture in the listeners minds as He uses this metaphor. While we understand that He cares for each one of us individually, there is also a bigger picture in His mind. The flock as a whole is His big concern – the church. Not only what those people represent v 16, but the church worldwide. “I ‘have other sheep not of this pen. I must bring them in also.”’

Three times vv 15b, 17, 18 Jesus repeats His statement that He lays down His life for His sheep. He makes it clear that His life is not taken from Him but that He voluntarily lays it down. He moves beyond the possibility to the fact. He isn’t only prepared to die He has chosen this very path. That is the extent of His commitment. In vs 18 there is an interesting twist- He is doing this in obedience to the Father’s command.

In vv 19 – 21 we see how John once again shows the people divided as to His true identity. He is calling the reader to make that decision for him/herself.

Now it is so important that we personalise these metaphors. What is the role and identity of this Shepherd to you? Can you feel, smell, taste this scene? Can you sense the security and love expressed? Not in a general way but for you personally? The knowledge that He knows you personally on the deepest level and care’s about everything in your life and that you have the privilege of knowing Him. That His care and commitment has reached its full expression in His death on the cross.

Oh what love is this that He has given His life, His all for you personally and for me? May this be the reality in your mind and heart next Wednesday as we welcome Immanuel. May you indeed meet Him in a new and deeper way this Christmas.

The enigma of our faith: the Lord of the universe, Creator of all – lying in a dirty stable as a helpless baby – on His knees washing His disciples feet – dragged, flogged, crucified – the worst form of death – blood running down His face from a crown of thorns – now a lamb, but a Lamb upon a throne crowned with many crowns – all for us – to purchase as back from the grip of eternal death – worthy, yes worthy is this Lamb, I fall on my knees and worship you Lord.

“As your eyes have been opened to see the real universe, the unseen reality of what is going on around you and in the heavenly realms you are slowly perceiving how precious I feel you are. Not only you but every bit of my creation, especially man, in all the complexity. I have created you, each one a masterpiece, treasured and loved. Recognise how much it hurts Me when people turn away from Me, disregard Me, mock Me – act as if I don’t exist. But I continue loving till the day when all will be separated and judgement comes. But you are part of My flock and will be welcomed into the new heavens and new earth.”

John, in his gospel has been revealing who Jesus is. He has been using various methods, one of which is by several metaphors to highlight different aspects of this Person, Jesus of Nazareth. So He is “the Word”, “the Light of men”,”the Lamb of God”, “the Living water”, “the Bread of Life”. Each one of these metaphors carries a meaning, a deep meaning, helping us to understand more about Him. Then in ch 9 the stark reminder that to perceive and understand all this and what has gone before we need our eyes opened, spiritually.

In ch 10 he picks up some more metaphors. He uses a Gate and a Shepherd. We will focus on just one today, “the Gate”. What it means in this context and to each one of us personally.

What is a gate or door? What does it represent? It is the (legal) way to enter an enclosure. The only legal way. So Jesus’s first point is there is an enclosure in which the legal owner keeps His sheep. The only one who has the right to enter is the Shepherd or owner. There are others however who are illegally trying to enter.

Jesus then describes the sheep. They are His sheep and know His voice. In turn He knows each one by name. He insists they will never follow someone else but rather run away.

He then in vs 7 He makes the astounding claim. He IS the gate. Anyone who enters then through Him will be saved vs 9. Much of this section is devoted to others whom He describes as thieves and robbers whose aim it is to steal and harm His sheep.

Lets apply this rich passage. Firstly Jesus’s claims exclusivity. We all know John 14:6 where Jesus says He is the Way and the only one. This passage backs that up. No one can be saved if they don’t enter the pen through Jesus the gate. Vs9
Then we see the description of His sheep who are already in the pen. They know Him and they listen to His voice. In turn He has named each one. He knows each one personally by name. This gives me a huge sense of security and belonging.
Then thirdly He says they will recognize that the voices of the thieves and robbers are false. This is aimed of course to all false teachers but immediately in context to the Pharisees who were hounding Him. This raised my eyebrows a little since many apparently sincere brothers and sisters have been led away by smooth talking false teachers over the years. Could it be that they didn’t really know His voice? Or maybe they had neglected to follow Him closely enough to be able to continuously identify it? Could there be a link to the previous chapter on spiritual blindness? Why not think this through and pray that He will give you clarity?

Next week we will look at His claim to be the Shepherd. Blessings till then.

Today I am really conscious of the fact that our God not only created us but He relentlessly pursues us to win us back into His fold. It is not a vague attitude but a powerful force of His grace in which He uses many ways, but the focus is on the goal – a lasting and loving relationship with Him.

” I would not just create a whole lot of humans that are alike and cast them out onto the earth’s soil as it were, to germinate and grow up by their only volition which is the vitality built into them like the seeds of some crop – as wonderful as that may be. No, every person on Earth is exquisitely designed and built together in their mother’s womb. Born into the circumstances that I have chosen for them. Most suited for their capabilities and for the story I have for them. However, they cannot fully participate in that story till they are born again of the Spirit. So yes, I pursue each person to win their love – because, believe it or not – each person has their own will do decide to submit to my will or not. But I always do take the initiative.”

Last time we looked at the blind man’s testimony. We pick that up again today in the last part of this important chapter on Spiritual blindness from v 35. We see in v 35 that Jesus went to look for this man again. When He meets him He challenges his faith, forcing the man to go past his healing, to help him recognize who Jesus really is and place his trust in Him. This is a a good example of God’s pursuit of every Christian.

It also shows that an encounter with only a healing is not sufficient to bring the person to faith. It is necessary for the person to meet and identify the real Jesus so that he/she can decide to put their faith in Him. The woman at the well was saved when she recognized Jesus. The new birth is a miraculous event but requires our active response. God does not force it on us.

In contrast the Pharisees were right there, face to face, with every opportunity to put their faith in Him, yet they were unable to “see” Him. What was the difference? It came down to their attitude. They had decided to prove He was an imposter and were only open to ways to prove that. In turn, as an act of judgment against them Jesus blinded them and made it impossible for them to see who He really was.

The last vs shows that this was a wilful decision by them, which made them guilty.

To summarise then; Jesus eagerly pursues us and is delighted when we respond. However hearts that are hardened for whatever reason will result in our sight being dimmed. When we prejudge or there is an active sin this can cloud anyone’s sight and experience of Jesus and how well we hear Him. It is important to get to that part of the Lord’s Prayer, ”Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven “. Not just mumbling the words but actively surrendering to the Father’s will. This remains a daily challenge to me and I trust to each one of you too.

Thank you Lord for reminding me again this morning of these huge and magnificent truths which are too vast to truly grasp and internalise. That You, for Your own purposes and glory decided to create a universe so huge and complex down to the smallest detail. That in the centre of that purpose you placed man – “what is man that you are mindful of him?” That you did not stand from afar operating us like puppets but came to earth to become intimately involved with us. Taking the lowliest form and experiencing rejection, judgement and pain – to make it possible for us to have an intimate relationship with You. What is man that you are mindful of him to show him such love?

” Live in those thoughts, renew them continually and appreciate all that they mean as you tread the way to glory. The ultimate glory in Me and experience your own glorification in the new heavens and the new earth. The great awakening, the great reveal when you get there is going to astound you, blow your mind. I am waiting with countless others to welcome you and your readers who are on their way here.”

We are still in John ch 9, listening to what Jesus is saying to us. Devoting a whole chapter to the subject of spiritual blindness, introduced by a miraculous healing. The main subject in the background is still the question of who Jesus really is.

The elephant in the room is still the disbelief of the Pharisees. John uses them skilfully as a sounding-board to highlight the true identity of Jesus. They have prejudged Jesus which makes it impossible for them to understand who He really is. Now here is an interesting question, how often does it happen to me, to us that we prejudge a teaching, a biblical understanding or a real life situation? Having made up our minds beforehand we are no longer open to the possibility that we may be wrong and the real truth something different.

The healing happened on the Sabbath, surely by Jesus’s intention. This gives them a reason to make a fuss. Publicity for Jesus’s cause? A large part of the following text is devoted to the blind man’s testimony. By putting immense pressure on him with the threat of excommunication they try and force him to say what they want him to. He remains firm however and sticks to the facts.

This is a genuine example of a real testimony. They try to get him to denounce Jesus as a sinner. He strongly refutes that vss 25,33. He remains strong in repeating what happened to him. “One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see”.

Let us stand back and consider this testimony. Do you realise this is the true and basic testimony of every Christian believer. That is the miracle that each Christian experiences as the first step to faith. Is that true for you? You cannot manufacture a testimony if you do not have one. Each true Christian at some stage has their eyes opened to understand who Jesus is. Not in an intellectual way but leading to a personal meeting with Him.

If you testify in court you are asked to tell the facts of the case as you saw and experienced them. That is our powerful testimony. The Christian testimony however extends further. The result of the meeting with Jesus is demonstrated in a changed life.

My mother became a Christian at the age of 78. Emily and I had been saved a few years earlier. I had plied her with books attempting to get her saved. A few years later she one day said to me, “I read all those books you gave me, but do you know what really persuaded me that Christianity is real? It was the way Emily’s life changed after she was saved.”

Each of us who have met Jesus has a unique testimony and we should be ready to give it whenever the opportunity arises. We cannot continually fall back on our original testimony however. Our testimony is as fresh and real every day arising from our ongoing interaction with Jesus. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Do you have a testimony? How fresh and real is it? How has your life changed? Can people experience it when they meet you? What is your conversation like? Do you join the “ain’t it awful” club when people start complaining and grumbling around you? People’s eyes and ears are on us all the time.

So friends keep your relationship fresh with Jesus and be ready at any time to answer “I was blind but now I see.” God bless till next week.

I stand at the foot of the cross looking past it up into the heavens, overawed by the might and wisdom and variety of creation, pointing to an amazing Creator. The story revealed in the Bible shows His commitment to restoring everything as it was in tended to be, the story of the cross as it unfolds to reveal the wonderful and intricate plan our Creator is busy unfolding and I am, we all are part of that!

”It is good that you can look at creation and look past it to what and Who it points to. The One who is behind everything, making everything come about, sustaining and maintaining it all. And, yes I have made it ultimately for My glory and for each one of you and your readers. The presence of man in the midst of My creation attests to the fact that you are central to that place and I seek My glory through you as you grow in grace and are ultimately glorified. There we will be joined together in a glory which you can’t even begin to imagine. So persevere – continue to persevere I am holding you all in My grace and love – working to bring all things together for My glory.”

Chapter 9 of John’s Gospel is strategically placed to teach and emphasise a truth which is repeated in many places in God’s word. That truth is that we are all spiritually blind and unable to see and experience His spiritual activities and to meet Him without Him giving us sight. John devotes a whole chapter to the healing of a blind man and an explanation of the spiritual significance of this act. It is placed more or less in the middle of the gospel after a long revelation of who Jesus is. He has been inviting the reader to decide who this Man is by taking us into that world to experience the story for him/herself. Now he makes the important point. No-one can understand all that without Jesus’s supernatural help.

The chapter has one main message but we will deal with it over two weeks. Today we will look at the actual healing and restoration of sight to a man born blind and hear Jesus speak through that.

The first question is,”why did Jesus choose this man? There were probably plenty of blind people in Palestine at the time. Why him?” This is an important question for each of us. We are all praying for some “miracle”. Someone to be healed, someone to be saved, a relationship restored etc. We see miraculous answers to other’s prayers and we ask ourselves, “What am I doing wrong? How can I pray otherwise to get the answer. Maybe there is something I must do or stop doing.” You get the drift?

A large part of the answer to that question lies wrapped up here. We are all invited to come to Jesus in prayer. To bring whatever is on our minds to Him. He promises and can be trusted to hear every word we call out to Him. Here is the crunch. It is His prerogative how and when He will answer. Each of us is unique and on a personal journey with Him and He is handling each plea in a way unique to us and our personality and needs. He hears the loud shouts of joy and of pain with absolute compassion. The quality of our lives belies His grace. He hears even the feeblest whimper of the smoking flax.

One thing He desires from us is humble surrender to Him and a desire to obey His will, as imperfect or weak as that may be. This is hugely liberating. It takes all the pressure off us. We can be our natural selves with Him at all times.

There is no explanation why Jesus put mud on his eyes and told him to wash publicly. Very likely He wanted him to be seen to provoke a response from the Jews. It was certainly not necessary for the healing. He did many other miracles without touching and even from a distance.

The other theme that becomes apparent is even the religious leaders were unable to accept and understand the miracle, even despite its obviousness. This is what sin and unbelief do. True blindness in the face of real sight.

We will pick up this story again next week. I would love to hear your experience of prayer and how God answers in the most unusual and unexpected ways. May He bless each one of you as you discover more about your relationship with Him.

I am supremely conscious this morning of the fact that I am here because Jesus has invited me. I am conscious of the very fact that Jesus has taken every initiative in our relationship, that He wants to meet with me and appreciates my response. Yet that response is so important – I cannot just be a passive spectator. After his invitation in Matthew 11:28 to come to Him He then instructs the listeners, “take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and light”. I am to become part of his team as he draws alongside me.

”It is My pleasure to experience and see My beloved one’s responding to my call and coming to Me, seeking a continued and deeper relationship. Yes and it starts in the quiet where we can just be together – where I can speak to you and you can listen and respond, but it goes on through the whole day all the time I am there walking with you as you negotiate the many ups and downs of your life, helping you many times without you even being aware of it. Drawing you closer and helping to build your faith as you see and experience Me more clearly. It is a joy to Me to have this relationship with you, especially as you respond to Me “.

As we continue in John 8 from vs 48, we are still among those who are walking the dusty roads of Palestine following the path of this One who appears to be so unique. John, calling us all the time to decide from the evidence who He is. This journey almost reaches a climax in this passage as the Jews call out derisively, “Who do you think you are?” (v53b). The power and significance of Jesus’s reply in vs 56 cannot be overestimated.

It is clear that the Jews have recognised that Jesus is exercising supernatural power in His miracles. However they refuse to accept that He is from God the Father and seek an alternative explanation. They conclude that it must be by a Satanic power that He is performing miracles. To add to the insult they call Him a Samaritan for which there is no evidence at all. Then the derisive challenge, “Who do you think you are?” v53

Much of Jesus’s dialogue that follows is aimed at pointing out to them that by suggesting these things they were not only insulting Him but they were also insulting the Father which was much more serious. He points out that it is actually the Father who is doing the miracles through Him and He is doing them to demonstrate His own glory in Jesus. As they sought to call on Abraham as a witness Jesus points out to them that even Abraham had foreseen the day that He would arrive on earth, but actually He was around long before Abraham appeared on the scene.

Then He makes the climactic statement in v58. “Before Abraham was born, I AM”. This is clearly a reminder of the name God called Himself when he met with Moses in the desert. So in the mysterious way of the Trinity Jesus is in fact claiming to be God Himself. This is a mind boggling claim which deserves our full surrender and worship.

Woven into the passage John has included two statements which continue to demonstrate how to become a full disciple of Jesus. Throughout his gospel John has repeatedly said that the key ingredient to inheriting eternal life is faith. Here He rounds this out with two further statements. Firstly in v51b, “if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death “. Then the proof of true discipleship is “knowing God”. v 55

Drawing this all together the fundamental way to grow in faith is getting to know Jesus better and better. These passages in John should be helping us all to grow in knowledge and understanding of Him, helping our faith to grow in leaps and bounds. May you be blessed as these wonderful truths strike home. Till next week then.

As I sing the song, “He touched me” memories come flooding in – a moment when my general sense that God is out there and somehow Jesus died – in that moment changed to a supreme conviction that He is real and in fact I felt He was standing right there next to me. That moment heralded a total new life path which was launched and on which I walk today with extreme gratefulness, thanksgiving and joy.

”Yes Ian I do seek that intimate relationship with every person who responds to my call. I am there ready, not only to touch you into real life – to give you a new birth, but to continue building that moment into a lifetime of friendship and worship. Although many may not realise it, I am as close to them every moment of the day, as I seemed so close at special times, it simply requires you to be conscious of that, to accept it and enjoy it by faith. Each one of you is supremely precious to Me and I long to touch you and walk with you every day. My love and grace overflows to you all”.

As we return to John 8: 31 I want to revisit the passage and look at something which is going on in the background of this story. There is a play on the concept of fatherhood and sonship which is quite revealing.

As the passage opens there seems some confusion as to the genuineness of the faith that was expressed in verse 30. Despite the Jews being described as having put their faith in Jesus, there is real doubt that they have become true disciples. Jesus uses the words “Son” and “setting free” to provoke a response in them. Their claim to sonship is based on their descent from Abraham. Jesus moves the conversation to demonstrate that real disciple ship requires a recognition and acceptance of their true Father, God.

However he wants them to realise that they do you not really qualify as true sons of Yahweh because words are not sufficient and their actions demonstrate the contrary. The fact that they are planning to kill him shows that God is not really their father. There is only one alternative to God being their father and that is that the devil is in fact their real father.

This brought me to a consideration of the understanding of our relationship with God as Father. In the Old Testament God is seldom called Father and when He is He is usually called the Father. The idea of fatherhood under the Old Covenant was generally regarded as being Father of the whole nation of Israel. Few people in that era had an intimate relationship with him.

When Jesus appears on the scene introducing the New Covenant we see that He often calls Himself the Son. Obviously this indicates a close personal relationship with the Father. As we read this passage it is a prelude to the eventual revelation that once we are “in Jesus” we have an equally close relationship with the Father through Him. This was not possible under the Old Covenant. Reading Romans 8:15 again I was struck by the incredible privilege that we have of being able to call Yahweh “ABBA” the most intimate name for father and we have the full privileges of sonship because we have been adopted into His family.

A few things arise out of this. Firstly it is not good enough to speak words of relationship and following. Our whole lives must demonstrate this new relationship. Words are easy to say but their genuineness is only proved by putting them into practice. We are not saved by works but works flowing from our salvation is a demonstration of the genuineness of that faith.

Secondly something was triggered in me recently by words spoken by Brian during his sermon about fatherhood. I was again reminded of what the genuine Fatherhood of God means to me personally. We tend to measure our concept of fatherhood from our experience of our earthly fathers. No earthly father can demonstrate true fatherhood as God himself does and this has enormous consequences for each one of our faith.

So wallow in the pleasant thought that God, the Creator of everything has chosen to call you and enjoy you as a real son or daughter until next week.

Precious love – flowing like a river – washing sinners – me/you clean in its blood stained water. What a privilege to benefit from this grace.

”Yes, My love is like a river – more like a raging torrent – carrying everything before it, washing all the dross away and lifting you up into My very Presence where you can meet with Me. Remember the picture of Peter – walking on the water when he saw Me coming across the waves – till he doubted and when he did and started sinking I lifted him up again. So, I am also inviting you all to step out of the boat onto the storm tossed waters of this life and to walk to Me, to walk with Me into the future. The waves as fearsome as they may seem to be represent My love for you and the world – ready to wash clean and then to take you forward in power into My new kingdom. My invitation to you is to join Me in the great venture – building My new kingdom of which you are now an honoured member, invited by grace through My blood which washed you clean.”

Now let’s continue to listen to Jesus from John 8:31. Jesus is addressing the Jews who had believed in him, verse 31. Referring back to the previous verse. Yet as we read this passage it appears that they still do not understand the true requirements of discipleship. They have still not been set free, because they did not even understand what it was all about. They still believed that to be a true Jew you simply needed to be descended from Abraham. They believed that they had been set free from slavery when Moses took them out of Egypt. Therefore they were surely not slaves any more.

In reality they were slaves to the law and to sin. Jesus starts by telling them that a real disciple would be one that would hold to His teaching. If they did this then they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. But what did he mean by the Truth? We see the answer to that in verse 36 for it is the Son that is the one who sets us free and is the embodiment of Truth in a person. Once they had been set free they would be true sons not of Abraham but of the Father himself.

The proof that they were not yet true sons of the Father is the fact that they were planning to kill Him. We will revisit the whole question of fatherhood and who we belong to next week as we complete the piece up to verse 47. Please read through this passage and contemplate it and if you have any questions please place them on the blog.

Let’s gather our thoughts together now about what Jesus has said to us in this passage. The first question I found myself grappling with is whether I am in fact living in true freedom. In Galatians 5:1 Paul tells the reader: it is for freedom that they have been set free. He then tells them that although they have been set free they had moved back into a slavery to the law. The question I ask myself is, “Am I living in true freedom?” “Do I truly accept the full liberation Jesus offers me daily?” “How does that show in my life?”

I am also reminded again of the slow process that people seem to go through to gain understanding of biblical teaching. In a way it is discouraging because as I teach the Bible I know that many are not really grasping what I am trying to teach. Yet it is also in a way encouraging because many of these folk would eventually come to full faith and understanding of what it means to be a disciple and would become true followers of Jesus. Jesus’s timing is often so different to ours. Maybe our greatest need here is patience. As we consider these things it should encourage us to continue praying for people who we may have been praying for for many years already without any response because there is always a possibility that they may still come to faith in Jesus‘s time.

This teaching is so important and dense that I am going to leave it there till next week. May Our dear Lord be close to you and bless you all.

“My heart is steadfast oh Lord, I will sing and make music with all my soul, I will awaken at the dawn and praise you oh Lord….(Psalm 108:1). Thank you Lord for the gift of music which lifts our hearts and enables us to express our love for you Lord and to recognise and receive your love for us as you make the events of the past really come alive to us. “As I look at the cross your Grace takes a hold of me.”

“My whole creation is like a vast eternal song, with poetic lines which extends into eternity and you know what? You are part of that song. A vital note to make the whole complete – that is why I have said in Ephesians 2:10 that you are my “workmanship” – the exact word is you are my poem – part of the whole. That is why I call everyone of My people to be the special note I have made them to be so that the song will be perfect in the end.”

We continue today in John 8 from vs 21 – 29 as we listen to Jesus’s revelation of who He is. “Who are you? “ is the central question in vs 25. So we think to ourselves, “have they not been listening?” But we should not be too hard on them. They were being faced with concepts and ideas that would have stretched any mind. Just as Jesus has been speaking about His own testimony and His Father’s testimony backing that up, He now tells them that He is about to go away and what is worse, they are going to die in there sin verse 21.

So confusing. A reminder that He is not of this world and that they cannot go with Him when He goes and then He follows that up with, “ you are going to die in your sins.” But then comes the proviso: “if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be”. That is bracketed by his statement that they will die in their sins verse 24. But who is He claiming to be?

By now we should be used to that word which John has been emphasising right from the beginning of his gospel. BELIEVE. The problem that has been becoming more obvious as we read through this Gospel is, what were the people are supposed to believe? Who is this they are expected to believe in? And what was preventing them from seeing that?

So it becomes apparent that Jesus’s identity was slowly being revealed and the people that met Him would have had an incomplete understanding of who He was. In this passage He mentions for the first time that He has to go away which is a prediction of his death. Later on in the passage in verse 28 he refers to that again as He speaks about being lifted up. He has already use that phrase in chapter 3, however it was far from clear as to what exactly He meant. It is easy for us to look back after the whole story has been told and to recognise these revelations He was giving. Yet those people would have had little point of reference to understand it.

At the end of the passage in vs 30 we see that many put their faith in Him. However we know that later on most of those people deserted Him. The problem was that they were putting their faith in a person without completely understanding who He was and what He had come to do.

As I contemplated this passage I realised that each one of us goes through a similar growing revelation and understanding of who Jesus is even after we have put our faith in Him. In fact we continue to grow in knowledge and understanding of Him and His ways and expectations all our lives. It is important that we realize how we need to grow in this area so that our faith will be continually strengthened.

One of the problems with some modern day preaching is that an image of Jesus is presented which is shallow and incomplete and people are asked to accept him without understanding who He really is and what He went through to save us. This accounts for many who set off on a Christian trajectory and end drifting away.

We also need to understand how we should give an answer for the hope we have to those who ask us.

Well dear friends enjoy every day this week as one that the Lord has made and given to us.

As I sit at Jesus‘s feet this morning – looking up at His face – waves of love flow over me, yet I remind myself I cannot rely on my emotions because emotions are volatile, I must rely on a choice I make daily, even more often a choice I make regularly through the day – to love God, through Jesus with all my heart, body, soul and mind and to let that choice determine my actions, attitudes and words – praise the Lord hallelujah!

”You are coming to understand the statement in 1 John – “God is love”. If you see Me as Love personified you will experience every part of your relationship with Me as My expression of love to you. This will make it easier for you to respond in love to Me. Even as the high point of the demonstration of that fact was My death upon the cross, it continues to flow into every part of society, into every heart that responds, calling the many who are lost to come and drink of the Living Water from the Eternal Fountain. Yes make a decision to respond to Me in love and I will promise to overwhelm you with every aspect of My love for you”.

Now to John 8:12 – 20. We need to remind ourselves that Jesus has been speaking at the temple during the feast of Tabernacles. One of the traditional customs at that feast was to light a strong light in the temple to remind the people of the pillar of Fire which God used to guide His people through the desert on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. Here Jesus identifies Himself as the reality of that light to show once again His fulfilment of a picture from the Old Covenant.

This is also one of the “ I Am” statements in John’s Gospel, which show that Jesus is identifying himself with the name that God gave to Moses when He met him. Remember: “I am who I am.” The other things to note in that sentence in verse 12: “Who ever follows me will never walk in the darkness…” are firstly that in the Greek the word never is a double negative which actually reads, “never, no never will you walk in the darkness. Then the Greek word which is translated as follow has a much stronger sense about it than the English. It involves more than just walking behind a person but denotes embracing the values of the one whom you are following and actively participating in his purpose.

From vs 13 to 18, the focus is very much on Jesus‘s identity. The Pharisees challenge him saying that He has no standing to testify about Himself as to who He is, so Jesus calls as His second witness his Father. The passage does not identify how the Father is the second witness but he is probably calling on the supernatural signs that He has been performing as the witness of His Father to prove His identity

What is important is His statement in verse 19 where He challenges them, suggesting that the reason they don’t accept His identity is because they actually don’t know the Father. Later in his gospel John is going to expand on how important this concept is. It is actually impossible to fully grasp the identity of Jesus without coming to know God as Father. This is the great barrier that prevents the Pharisees from understanding who Jesus is and how His own testimony points to His identity.

Once again we see the interesting reference in the last verse to the appropriate timing of Jesus‘s life on Earth. It is easily possible for us to think that it is only Jesus’s life which was appropriately timed, where in actual fact everyone of us has a time schedule with God which is hugely comforting.

So as we wrap this up I ask myself the question who do I really think Jesus is and I’m I truly following him according to the biblical concept? I am hugely comforted by Jesus’ promise that I will never walk in the dark again. I am also challenged as to my relationship with the Father because knowing God is a privilege we have through Jesus and that relationship with Jesus and the Father is the basis of our lives with Him which constantly needs to be practised and refreshed.

May you all experience God’s closeness and love till next week.