John 3 ~ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand

Jesus as God is fully equipped to deal with all of mankind.
Even Nicodemus.

John 3

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 

13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

And this is would be Headlines if this were the Newspaper Time and Season.
Jesus, the Local Hero, has just really upset the Sanhedrin Counsel by routing out the money baggers in the 36 acres of The Temple.

The Sanhedrin Counsel is the Ruling Class of those professing to Love God. Jesus is 'honored' someone who doubts His Sincerity and Authenticity comes sneaking over to Him at night. Not many people start out 'Truly, truly' and Jesus, being God, knows how to cut out the verbal boxing match and get straight to the exact soul and heart of the Person.

(Wouldn't we all like to cut out a lot of gibberish to reach understanding! Jesus knows the heart of all of us. A skill of Great Magnificent God.)

1 Corinthians 1:29-31

so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."

John 3:34
For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

Jesus has perfectly reached Nicodemus. Nicodemus will ask the other Sanhedrin to use their ears if they can hear to understand and judge correctly Jesus is of God. And when the night suddenly comes for the Trial of Jesus, Nicodemus will be left out of the Council to make sure Jesus is unfairly tried. Nicodemus is so sorrowful, he collects the dear body of Jesus to prepare Jesus lovingly. Bravely going past the posted Guard to care for Jesus, so terribly and unfairly killed.

16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Deuteronomy 6
4"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!"


God gave us His Son and, yet, Jesus is part of Father God. God did not send a separate individual to sacrifice, God Himself gave Sacrifice.


17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Romans 10:9
If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

19 And this is the judgment: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”



Luke, the Glorious Physician, saw the same parallel John saw, "The Darkness not overcoming the Light".

Luke 1:78-79 said:

"Because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”




22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 

28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. 

Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

God Gives Joy

31 He who comes from above is above all.

He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way.

He who comes from heaven is above all.

32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

Luke 6:19

and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Matthew 14:36

and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Luke 5:17

One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.

David also knew to grab on to Father God in times of Trouble

1 Samuel 30:6

6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.


35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.


36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.






Father God,

John's 3rd Chapter has pointed out to us. When You sacrificed Your Son, You sacrificed of Yourself completely. 

Light of God, shining in all of mankind has come to save us. Darkness will not overcome God ever. John the Baptist not only told us of Jesus, but of the Joy deep in our Souls from Jesus dwelling as Light within our Soul.

David was like the people who knew to reach out to Jesus. David grasped on to Father God.

Truthful Speech is a weapon of Righteousness in Father God. Jesus is Truth. Nicodemus understood.

How blessed were the eyes to see the Son of God. A Mighty One who will save today. 

Father God, You Rejoice over us.
Freely giving Your gift of Salvation and Righteousness. 
Father God has quieted the storm that was within us with His Love!!!

Father God to be an everlasting rock. 
You who made the earth by Your Power.  
Established the world by Your wisdom. 
Wisdom stretched out the Heavens. 
Father God will rule by His Might forever. 
Your eyes keep watch over the nations.

With You, Lord Father God, all things are possible.

We will Trust in You, Father God, 
And be strong with the Strength of Your Might.
You will make us wise in heart.

No one who has hardened himself against Father God has succeeded.

With truthful speech and the Power of Father God, these are the weapons of Righteousness.

And His outstretched arms will uphold us forever.

In the Power of His Word, In His Promises of Love, in the diligent outpouring of His Holy Spirit, in the Willing Joy of Jesus - we trust those we Love, our concerns, the People You have given us - extending to this Nation and the world filled with Jesus Christ loving believers - We will except this Peace and Rest in Your Answers with Love, Faith and Hope. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

John 2 ~ You have kept the good wine until now +++

 

Jesus is doing what we want our Savior to be doing! He is visiting His Family. Jesus is going to a Celebration of  Life, Love, Marrriage.

John 2

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus is traveling the 16.5 miles between Cana, near Nazareth and he is planning on bringing His Mother and brothers back to Capernaum for a vacation. The journey is part of the celebration and vacation.

 

2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”


David had so very many flaws. And still David is chosen, Jesus is chosen to be a Son of David. David had virtues, he had a deep and abiding faith in Father God. David was obedient to God and God saw this as part of David's faith. Jesus demonstrated all His Life, His obedience to His Father. Baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist.

Luke 2
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Mary had worked to be a seamless family, acknowledged twice in the Gospels working to be part of Nazareth. Mary in wisdom knew Jesus was obedient to Father God and prayers were miraculous.

First Century Wine Jar from Jerusalem

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 

 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 

11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.




Jesus spoke of wine 20 times in the Gospels. And Vineyards 20 times. Jesus chose His first step of His journey to be a Celebration of Life. He was not going to let His Mother down or the bride and groom. Jesus was displaying not only a fruitful, joyous life, but Love, Peace, Comfort, Encouragement, Diligence and Joy, real Joy. Life is crammed into ever aspect.

John, the disciple who lived until the 2nd Century, is telling first and foremost what John was eye witness to in the Ministry of Jesus, Son of God.


Philippians 4:5
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

John 16
Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

John 17
and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Psalm 104:15
wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.

The Gifts Jesus bring us are:
~ Gentleness and Moderation
~ Joy, a Merry Heart
~Approval from God
~A Conversation in Relationship with asking and receiving and being filled with Joy.
~Knowing Jesus has Joy in His Creation.
~Jesus in our hearts gladdens us, makes us shine, causes His Face to Shine upon us, Lifting His Face in Smile, and
~ Jesus - sustains our Hearts with His Word alone.

 

 



 





12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

 
 
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 


The Temple was 36 acres.
From entrance to the very back, the Roman Stola, the building Herod built, to accommodate the money changers and the tradesmen. John is clearly telling us Jesus is not a meek and mild pleaser of mankind. Jesus is King. Jesus has Authority. He drove these people out of 36 acres. Usually a residential block is 3 acres. A man with a whip, with Temple Guards, a force to be reckoned with, is not going to do this. There is a Force of God at Work.

John is telling us this about Jesus in the first Chapters of John's Gospel.


14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen.

And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.”

17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

The Disciples say zeal. Fervor. This Temple belongs to Jesus King of Kings. Was always built for Jesus.

This is the first Generation to Know the Name of Jesus.

Isaiah 30 

Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;
his lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
 
28 his breath is like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.

29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones.



We learn about this Act and Wonder of Jesus as God.
The Name of God wondered even in Numbers 6, the Blessing of Aaron is know Known.

Jesus is burning with anger, and perhaps the Cloud that filled the Temple was at work with Jesus.
Something this Generation understands from the Photos of the Hubble Telescope.

Jesus spoke Fury. This Tongue caused the heart to reveal the Devouring Fire of God.
Jesus Spoke from His Breath an overflowing stream.
His Words have impact to the wrong doers like hair upon their neck reveals Truth.
Jesus is capable to sift all the Nations of Israel to Rome about destruction, they knew.

Jesus is singing. Probably that the Lord God of Israel is One. Jesus has joy seeing the wrong doers flee.
He is as strong as Mount Sinai, yielding the Law of God. Jesus is as Strong as Mount Moriah the Rock of Israel, Holding up the Foundations of the Temple.

God has made the Voice of Jesus the Lord so strong He is Loud as the Trumpets the Children of Israel say are deafening. The Loudest Sound they had ever heard in their world.  The Blow of His arm is Strong and Yet the WORD OF GOD  Reigns. 

Amen.

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.



Matthew 7
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.





22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

2 million people flooded into Time Square when World War II was won.

Josephus recorded the food Passover required and the sacrifices - the total of People pouring in for Passover equals between 2.5 million and 3 million people. These people knew Jesus. Knew Jesus someday recorded in the Sanhedrin Counsel records still available and housed in Scotland. This Judea was controlled by Romans, a suburb of Syria. These are not uneducated people. And Jesus is shown to be King of the Jews. The History of the Works of God is available.

My generation was told the Census of Augustus was a myth. Pontius Pilate was a myth. This Generation has unfolded astonishing, profound, moving proof that millenniums later, God Almighty is still showing us in His Deeds God's Word is fully accurate.  This generation is the recipient of these archaeological proofs:

Pontius Pilate evidence is found twice in Israel and in the records of Rome.
The Census of Augustus is discovered.

The entire Hittite Empire was said to be a myth. The Hittite Library was found intact and completely parallel the Scriptures God tells us He is Truth.

A pottery shard in the hometown of Goliath tells of the battle between David and Goliath. Perfect time dating.

The Palace of King David is found by a second generation Professor of Archaeology in Israel, from reading the description from Scripture. In the jail of David, according to Jeremiah being there with Baruch helping him, the seal of Baruch is found from being lost in 597 B.C.

The Babylonian Chronicles were ordered by Nebuchadnezzar II, the Exiles wrote of their days. The History of the Bible entirely parallels that of God's Word to us. Many, many people gave their lives that we might have the Bible in our hand today. They believed in faith God called and charged them to Journey with Father God.

The History Channel did an hour long television program on the Exodus and the evidence of the Plagues found. The Ipuwer Document, found at the base of a huge pyramid, even tells of the slaves being asked to leave loaded with Egyptian gold and crossing over the Red Sea by unexplained Weather that kills the pharaoh and his army. Thutmose III records in his tax records Joseph, Yahweh's servant and the creation of Goshen. Joseph is carved in the base of his huge statue. God could have flown the Children of Israel to Israel by His Word alone. Today and always - God is interested in what we do with - the journey. Just exactly as Jesus traveling by foot 16 miles to a wedding and another 16 miles with his family and Mother to vacation by the Sea of Galilee in beautiful, adult hometown of Jesus, Capernaum.

You have kept the good wine until now
All of these finds happened in our life time. Telling us God is revealing Himself to us.







Father God,

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in You, Father God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.

By faith, we see the world called into existence by Your Word.

Belief continues to catch our notice.


Noah became intimate with You, God. By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result caused his family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world.


By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to Your God call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.

By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said.


People of Faith, saw way off in the distance, People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true Home. We see why You, God, are so proud of them, and has a Kingdom waiting for them.

By an act of faith, Isaac reached into the future as he blessed Jacob and Esau.

By an act of faith, Jacob blessed all of his sons on his deathbed and blessed each of Joseph’s sons in turn, blessing them with God’s blessing, not his own—as he bowed worshipfully upon his staff.

By an act of faith, Joseph, while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel, and made arrangements for his own burial.


By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn’t touch them.

By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned.

By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat.

There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.


Father God, bless those we Love with the diligence of Your Steadfast Love this Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Gentleness will fill lives and souls. Bless the people You have given us. We ask for this Love to Reawaken the Joy of this Nation in You and this Light and Glory increase as Elisha to all the People of the World calling in Faith upon Jesus the Christ. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †