John 15: 9-17, I John 5:1-6   Jesus in John 15 talks about the love passed down from the Father to him and from him to the disciples. This love has been passed down to us spoken of in I John 5 as us being the children of God. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. God then is our loving parent who had love passed down to Christ the Son and passes this parental love to those who believe. Jesus is our example of carrying out this love by keeping the Father’s commandments. If we, like the disciples, keep Jesus commandments we will abide in Jesus’ love. Jesus found joy in this love and tells of it so that his joy maybe in them. That their joy may be complete. The Greek word translated “complete” here means to fill up and to cram like in a net. This joy from God is crammed into our souls – filling them up. God commanded Jesus to become human and die on the cross for our sins. He truly laid his life down for us. So, what is the commandment Jesus...

  John 15:1-8, I John 4:13-21 In John 15, Jesus says another “I am” metaphor statements. Here he says that he is the vine while God is the vine grower. We then are the branches growing out of Christ. By abiding in the vine – Christ, we can bear much fruit but apart from Christ we can do nothing. By abiding in him we glorify the Father and bear much fruit becoming Jesus’ disciples. One of these fruits is told of in I John 4. It is to love our brothers and sisters. We have another “I am” but this refers to God. It says God is Love. Abiding in love then is abiding in God. More powerful is that the God of love will abide in us. This is the only way to have love perfected in us. This love gives us boldness and casts out – drives out all fear. It says whoever fears has not reached this perfection in love. In this love we follow God’s commandment of loving our brothers and sister, bearing fruit on our branch. Unfortunately, so much religion has based itself on fear. Fear of Hell, fi...

John 10:11-18, I John 3:16-24   In John 10, Jesus tells about himself using the metaphor of being the Good Shepherd. He compares himself with a mere hired hand in the way that the Good Shepherd will actually lay his life down for his sheep. He uses this metaphor to say how he will on his own accord lay his life down for the sheep when he endures crucifixion and death in order to bring us salvation. Christ followed the command from the Father and though he could have refused to do it, he did so for his love of us – as the metaphor says for the love of his sheep. In the book of I John the writer brings this act of love home to us. We are to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. How? By helping someone in need. He goes on to say let’s not just do it in word or speech but live it – in deed and truth. Don’t just say it- show it! Where does this self-giving spring from? He tells us that if our hearts don’t condemn us we can have boldness before God. This comes from obeying...

  Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18 Throughout the ministry of Jesus on earth he told his disciples that he must die but would rise again in three days. Peter in his sermon in Acts tells about how all the prophets testified about him and the salvation he would bring. Yet at the Sunday after the crucifixion his disciples and Mary seem to forget this or never really got it shown by how Mary goes to the tomb to anoint Christ’s body and is surprised to see the stone rolled away. She tells the disciples so Peter and John run to the grave and discover that Christ’s body is no longer there. Instead of this confirming Christ’s words of a resurrection after three days, Mary thinks someone has moved the body and asks, whom she thinks is the gardener, where they have laid Him. This is no gardener but the resurrected Christ – brought back to life but not quite ascended to the Father as He tells Mary not to touch Him. Mary then becomes the first witness of the resurrection and the first messenger...

  Mark 11:1-11, Philippians 2:5-11 In the time of Jesus the Romans ruled and when one of their emperors rode into a town there was quite a royal fanfare. They rode on golden chariots with beautiful white horses. However, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem in the Mark passage, which is now celebrated as Palm Sunday, he chose to ride on a humble donkey. Jesus who is said in the Philippians passage to exist in the form of God – the ruler of the universe did not regard this equality with God as he rode into Jerusalem on a humble donkey. Jesus’ humility is stressed in Philippians 2 which tells how Christ emptied himself taking the form of a slave and became human. This humility continues as he became obedient to the point of death. Not any old death but a humiliating one on a cross. In his entry into Jerusalem – no red carpet was laid out. The everyday people took what they had to lay a path for him – palms and their own cloaks spread out before him. They shout “hosanna” which means “...

Hebrews 5:5-10; Jeremiah 31:31-34 The book of Hebrews talks about Jesus being appointed a high priest. In order to do so was because of his reverent submission to God and the plan for salvation which was to bring great suffering to him. It is said he learned obedience through what he suffered. Being made perfect in this way, he became the source of salvation for all who obey him. This being made perfect through persevering in obedience in the face of suffering is a theme the disciples will take up in following the example of Christ. Due to Christ’s reverent submission to his work on the cross, a new covenant has been brought in. This was predicted in Jeremiah 31 that tells how the law will be put within them and written on their hearts. They will know God due to Christ’s sacrifice. Because of it God will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. The term submission indicates obeying someone and their wishes. It is defined as accepting or yielding to the will or autho...

  Psalm 19:7-11; I Corinthians 1:18-25   Psalm 19 goes on about the characteristics of God’s wisdom shown in God’s laws, decrees, precepts, and commandments. The words perfect, reviving the soul, sure, making wise the simple, right, clear, enlightening, pure, and true are used. They are said to be more desired – wanted than fine gold and sweeter than the honeycomb. Paul on the other hand in Corinthians talks about the foolishness of the cross to those who are perishing. God in this act of love, bringing Christ on earth to die for our sins, made foolish the wisdom of the world. He calls out the scholar and the debater. He tells how the Jews looked for a sign and the Greeks – the Gentiles looked to human wisdom. But as Paul points out, God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. The proclamation of Christ crucified is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. But God used this foolishness to save those who believe – those who put aside human wisdom a...