Devotional Thoughts

John 19:38-40    "And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.  (39)  And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.  (40)  Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury." Joseph and Nicodemus were following the normal procedure for preparing the body for burial. In this case, they had to do it quickly because it was the time of Passover. There was no physical labor that could be done after the beginning of the sabbath. This was a particularly important one because it was the celebration of God's great deliverance of the people of Israel from Egyptian bondage. They quickly wrapped the body with the spice...

John 19:25-27    "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.  (26)  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  (27)  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother." These words strike a very dear place in my heart. At the lowest point in Jesus' life, Mary stood by Him. When His disciples forsook Him and fled away, Mary stood by Him. When false accusations were hurled at Him, Mary stood by Him. When His deity was denied by the "church folk", Mary stoody by Him.  Though her heart was breaking, Mary stood by Him.  I wonder if the words of Simeon came back to her at this moment. When Joseph and Mary had taken the baby Jesus to the temple "to present Him to the Lord,...

John 19:9-11    "And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.  (10)  Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?  (11)  Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." "Jesus gave him no answer." It is amazing, isn't it?  I go back to the thoughts concerning the power of the voice of Jesus Christ. His voice had cleansed the leper, raised Lazarus from the dead, and just a short time before today's passage, Jesus had spoken, "I am He." To which, the Roman soldiers went backwards and fell to the ground.  In Matthew's account, we read Jesus speaking to His disciples and those who had come to arrest Him:  "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall pres...

John 15:9 – As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. Some times it is easy to return to our old routines and the ways of the world.  Stop now before it is too late! Remember the hope and joy you have experienced in Christ’s service.  Consider the sense of peace and righteousness given by the Holy Ghost to those that revere Him. Meditate upon these things continually and above all dwell in the love of God that can neither be lost or taken away. Remember Christ did not die for a chance of saving His people.  From the cross He said, “It is finished.” He accomplished fully the atonement required to deliver His children from damnation and nothing can undo this act of love.  Truly, nothing can now utterly separate us from the love of God. The chain of God’s grace cannot be broken. Thus it comes as no surprise that Christ desires for us to continue in this love.  This does not mean the love of God is conditional upon our efforts. Instea...

John 19:5-7    "Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!  (6)  When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.  (7)  The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." "Behold the man!"  What was it about this man that caused these people to hold such hatred and disdain toward Him? What had He done to stir such anger within them? When you look at His life, you find nothing but love and compassion toward others. Even from His birth, He lived under the guidelines of the law, which law by the way they were holding to be their assurance.  If these Scribes and Pharisees had listened to any of the people whose lives had been touched by Jesus, surely they knew He was so much differen...

John 18:37-38    "Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.  (38)  Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all." "What is truth?"  Isn't it amazing that everyone seems to have their slant on what is truth?  I hope through the years, I have gained more knowledge of truth than when I was young. Although as a teenager, I felt I knew it all.  Even as a young preacher, I felt I knew it all.  I surely hope I have grown in knowledge of truth in the past 35 years of study and trying to proclaim God's Word.  But I confess to you that I still have much to learn.  But if the Word of God declares something, I can assure you that it i...

John 18:33-36    "Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?  (34)  Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?  (35)  Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?  (36)  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." It is interesting to me that the first words out of Pilate's mouth were in the form of a question. "Art thou the King of the Jews?"  It is not mentioned that the accusers had said anything about Jesus being a king; yet this is the first question asked by Pilate. Where would he get such an idea?  The phrase "King of the Jews" is mentioned only once before this time. Remember what the wise...

John 18:28    "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover." Isn't it amazing what people will do to justify their actions to themselves? Isn't it amazing what we will do to justify our actions to ourselves? Isn't it amazing what I will do to justify my actions to myself?  I am not discounting these actions toward Jesus are all part of God's plan of redemption. I am not discounting that God ordained certain things to be done in order for this plan to be carried out. We see throughout Scripture, especially concerning the life of Jesus, when something was done "that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled." (John 18:32)   Yet, it strikes me to the heart that human nature is such that we do what we want to do, accusing or excusing, according to our own nature. These men had taken Jesus to Annas, fath...

Philippians 2:2 – Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. No matter where we travel or how far we roam from home, Christ’s church is present.  How so? God has a people in every nation and kindred and tongue. Borders do not limit the Holy Spirit. We have differences of course.  Aside from language and cultural heritage, different congregations vary in worship and even some beliefs.  What all true Christians share is a love of Christ Jesus, the Son of God, born in Bethlehem who lived and died and rose again the third day. This love we share is the source of our strength and unity.  To fulfill his joyful desire, the Apostle Paul wanted the Philippians to excel in loving service to Christ as one.  Those who love one another find common ground and common purpose. Marriages, families and churches and even nations benefit from this likeminded unity founded upon the love of Christ. Find common ground today with th...

John 18:18    "And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself." "Peter stood with them, and warmed himself."  The verses previous to this one describes one of the disciples going into the palace of the high priest with Jesus.  We aren't told which disciple went inside, but following the pattern of John's writing I feel pretty safe in assuming this was John. He would not mention himself by name throughout this book. He was known of the priest and was allowed to go inside with Jesus.  He went back to the door to bring Peter inside. As they were going inside, a young lady asked Peter if he was not also one of Jesus' disciples. It was here that Peter first denied knowing Jesus.   He evidently decided he would have to answer more questions if he went inside, so he stayed outside with those who were warming themselves by the fire.  At that ...

John 18:12-14    "Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,  (13)  And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.  (14)  Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people." They "bound Him."  Why would this group of soldiers feel the need to bind Jesus?  Let's look back at John 18:3,  "Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons."  A band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees.  In a quick study this morning, a band of soldiers would consist of 300-600 men, plus there were officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. Surely they did not send this many men to arrest Jesus.  Another suggestion was probably 10-60 soldiers in a detachment that ...

John 18:7-11    "Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.  (8)  Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:  (9)  That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.  (10)  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.  (11)  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" A lot is said and done in these few moments while being confronted by the Roman soldiers.  Let us go back into the upper room for a moment. We hear the disciples saying as they were leaving the room, "Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough." (Luke 22:38)  Do you think Jesus was concerned as to how many weapons the men were carrying wi...

John 18:4-6    "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?  (5)  They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.  (6)  As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground." In these verses, we can truly see Jesus is the Sovereign Lord.  He knew everything that was about to take place. He showed His power even through His voice.  Let's focus on His voice for a moment. The Psalmist declared, "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty." (Psalm 29:4)  Just how powerful is that voice? Let's think about some of His sayings. In Creation: (Genesis 1:3)    "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."  When He sent Abram to Canaan: (Genesis 12:1)    "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of t...

John 18:1    "When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples." "Jesus went over the brook Cedron."  This brook, Cedron, is the same as the Old Testament brook Kidron.  If you do a quick search of the word, Kidron, you will quickly see it was a stream of water outside the city of Jerusalem that was used for cleansing.  The type cleansing that was done in this brook came about during times of revival in Jerusalem.  When the Lord would convict them of their sins, they would tear down their idols and cut down their groves where they tried to hide their idolatrous worship.  They would grind them into ashes and carry it to the stream and there their acts of sinfulness would be washed downstream.  Hezekiah's first action as king was to reopen the temple. The priests went into the temple to literally sweep out the dust from the temple which had no...

John 17:24-26    "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.  (25)  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.  (26)  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." I love the hymn of praise, "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" by Stuart Townend.  Here is the first verse: How deep the Father's love for us How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure Have you ever stopped to think about how deep God's love truly is for us?  Jesus tells us in these verses and even yet, I cannot truly fathom just how deep His love is for me.   Listen to the conversation that occurs between Father and...

Song 2:10 – My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. The Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs, if you please) is full of vivid images and declarations of love.  This poem shows the sweetness and beauty of love between a man and a woman. As a biblical text, it is a great metaphor for the love of Christ and the Church, His fair one. As we go through life, I hope we continue in the loving embrace of Christ.  He is the church’s foundation and hope. His devotion sees past our faults and shortcomings.  His care is undaunted and unlimited. Let us rise up and come away from the world with Christ.  His delights surpass any the world may offer. So when the temptations grow too great, remember the words of the Song, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”  Follow Jesus to peace, joy, and righteousness.

John 17:22-23    "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:  (23)  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Revelation 1:5    "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" 2 Peter 1:16    "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." 1 John 5:10    "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself" In reading these three additional passages, I do not want us to lose connection with our text for today, so I will copy them back here.  "And the glory which thou gavest me I ha...

John 17:15-17    "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  (16)  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  (17)  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Have you ever felt like running away from everything?   My Daddy always wanted to find a cabin back in the woods somewhere and just live there.  I think most of us have those feelings from time to time. Even Jesus had a moment when He said to His disciples,  "... Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." (Mark 6:31) But when you read all the account of Mark where Jesus took His disciples to that quiet place, there came a multitude to them. What did Jesus do?  He healed them, He taught them, and He fed them. He made a difference in their lives. Now Jesus is praying to the Father, "Do not...

John 17:12-13    "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.  (13)  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." I confess to each of you that from the beginning of the study of the book of John, I have dreaded this particular verse of Scripture.  Why have I dreaded it?  For centuries, people have argued about Judas. Was he a child of God? Was he not a child of God?  I admit in earlier years, I participated in the debate. I have my thoughts, but I'm not going to share them here.  I will just issue a warning concerning this debate?  How did you arrive at your conclusion whatever your conclusion may be?   The only evidence either side can produce is based upon works. If you feel he was not a child of God, then the only t...

John 17:9-11    "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.  (10)  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.  (11)  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." Prayer is such a marvelous gift from our Heavenly Father.  On this night when Jesus knew He would be betrayed into the hands of the Roman soldiers, He took these last moments with His disciples to pray for them.  We often ask for prayer from our church family and friends when we feel ourselves to be in a struggle that seems to be overcoming us. But in this time when Jesus would soon sweat great drops of blood, He bent His knees and prayed for His disciples.  I'm made to think of the Old Testament saint, named Job. We are told in Job 42:10,  "And the ...

Luke 21:19 – In your patience possess ye your souls. Patience is one of the characteristics of the fruit of the spirit, but how can we get it?  I know of only one way, handling tribulation in a godly manner.  Tribulation or trouble teaches disciples of Christ how to deal with the issues of life in a Christ-like manner.  By patient labor waiting upon the Lord’s will and grace, we gain experience.  Without patience, life can be miserable.  Being unable to tolerate the problems and troubles of life makes everything an irritation like rocks in your shoes. Pearl oysters deal with sand by coating the grain with pearlescence making something irritating into something beautiful.  With patience, we too can endure what cannot be changed creating a hopeful future. As the Apostle Paul’s admonished the Romans, tribulation works patience, patience leads to experience, and experience leads to hope.  We cannot always escape tribulations, but by patience we enjoy bless...

John 17:4-5    "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.  (5)  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." In these two verses, Jesus recapped His life by telling us that He is the eternal Son of God.  He acknowledged His existence even before the world was created.  There are so many passages in the Old Testament that refer to Jesus. There are even passages where He is speaking through the prophets. Isaiah 50:6 is one such passage:  "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting."  Though this was written some 700 years before Jesus' birth, it is written in past tense. Jesus knew what was going to take place when He came to this earth; yet He did it willingly. And in doing so, He glorified the Father by submitting Himself to this shame for our sakes. A...

John 17:3    "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." "And this is life eternal."  There is an often asked question concerning life after death. Is there life after death? What happens when we die? There is a mysterious veil that shrouds the subject. Jesus answers the very basic question in telling us there is "life eternal". We know there is life after death for Jesus has already entered into that veil and then showed us there is a resurrection from the dead.  He left the promise that "because He lives, we shall live also."   So now the next question is this, when did "life eternal" begin?  If there is no end to it, when did it begin?  Or will it begin when we die? I'm a stickler for word definitions. A synonym for "eternal" is everlasting. So let's take that word and see where it takes us. First, we must understand our natural bodies are not et...

John 17:1-2    "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:  (2)  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." This scene has always struck me as being most beautiful.  Jesus had opened His heart to His disciples and now He prays for them and for us.  I picture Him as going to His knees for this prayer.  "Father, the hour is come."  If you remember during this trip through the book of John, there had been times when those who hated Jesus had tried to kill Him.  We read, more than once, that His hour had not yet come.  We must see the Sovereignty of God in our study of the life of Jesus.  "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son..." (Galatians 4:4)  Jesus was born according to God's time schedule and now He will lay down His life on...

John 16:33    "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." I often wonder how much time was spent in this upper room. Jesus had much to say to His disciples. He left them words of encouragement, peace, joy, and instructions in righteousness.  He opened His heart to them. He was joyfully anticipating His return to the Father's House.  He knew the pain He would have to endure; yet He looked beyond that to the moment when He would resume His rightful place at the Father's side. Today's text contains the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples in that upper room.  When we look at chapter 17, we will see His last action in that upper room was to pray for them (and for us).   I have often thought that it would be so nice to be able to go through life without any problems or troubles.  But as I look at those thoughts, I realize I'm thinking th...