Sunday Morning Coffee: Thoughts

It’s Saturday night. I need to get this written before I forget some of the things I need to say.

I just got a message that a woman I’ve known and been friends with since 1974 has gone home to heaven sometime today. She was a couple of years older than I. She was a powerhouse for the Lord, never afraid to take a stand for what she believed was right. She was also a bold and faithful witness and soul winner. I will miss her. Many, many others will miss her; her devoted husband most of all.

The death of friends and family is something. you have to learn to expect as you grow older, but knowing that’s true doesn’t make it any easier to accept.

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I am horrified and angry over the misery in Minneapolis. It was home for me for some time, and I hate to see it having these terrible problems.

The death of George Floyd is, as far as I can see, unforgivable. I pray that justice will be served. What is happening right now is NOT justice! It is an excuse for criminal behavior, and it is appalling. A friend told me that she heard on Fox News that most who have been arrested during this free-for-all are not from Minneapolis at all. It wouldn’t be the first time “protestors” have been paid to come in and destroy a city. It makes me SO angry!

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COVID 19. Some Governors are still calling for Draconian measures. In my opinion, they have way overstepped their authority. And please, please–I will not allow this blog site to become an outlet for ugliness, so if you’re going to respond, understand that I will not post your response if it is nothing but negativity and accusation. There is very little good to say about this present situation. We just need to be close to the Lord; we need to love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, and not be a part of the hatefulness that is being stirred up even among believers. Our pastor emphasized last Sunday that we Christians need to love each other. He was right. There is no room for anger and bitterness among believers. We aren’t always going to agree, but there is no need to be disagreeable.

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Many churches will be meeting tomorrow for the first time since the lockdowns were put into place. Our church had already scheduled our first gathering for next Sunday, June 7. It is also our 51st anniversary, so that’s a very nice way to celebrate. In any event, please enjoy your liberty and don’t take it for granted. Be thankful. And don’t be critical of others who aren’t quite ready to venture out into the open yet.

All right, I’m done. Going to bed. Blessing to you all.

The Son makes us Free Indeed!

John 8:33-36.

They answered Him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest Thou, ye shall be made free?

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

The people to whom Jesus spoke did not seem to. understand Him. They objected to His statement that they needed to be freed from anything. “We are the descendants of Abraham! We’ve never been slaves to anyone!” they insisted. But their statement wasn’t accurate at all. They had been in bondage under Egypt and the Philistines; under Babylon, Persia, Syria, and, even as they spoke, they were controlled by Rome.

Why would they make such a statement? The Jews had always clung to God’s promise that some day their nation would rule the world. There were always revolts and uprisings against whatever authority held them captive. They claimed their only ruler to be God Himself. Yet they had been under bondage many times in their history, under many other rulers.

J.C. Ryle, a19th century Anglican bishop, said: “The power of self-deception in the unconverted man is infinite.” We are certainly very good at seeing ourselves in a much more generous light than is actually true!

Jesus response was simple: If you continually commit sin, then you are a servant, a slave, to that sin. You are in bondage to it (my own paraphrase). To what sin were the religious leaders in. bondage? What controlled them? I think there was far more than one, but the primary thing to me is their pride and self-righteousness.

All of us can identify with that sin!

Then Jesus explains that no servant lives forever, but the Son lives forever; and, if we abide in Him and follow His Word, we, too, can live forever and be forever free of sin.

The most important thing for me, when I enter heaven, will be to see Jesus. Second, to know complete freedom from sin. No more temptation, no more struggle to choose right over what my flesh may desire. To live in eternal righteousness always, to worship the One Who set me free.

I can hardly wait!

Truth Makes us Free

John 8:31-32. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Verse 30 tells us that many believed on Him. They were in the beginning of their belief, which is a process of growth and does not blossom instantly into full maturity. In fact, it is during the very early stages of belief that some are drawn away by different interpretations that lead them away from true biblical belief. The remedy, the practice that will keep new believers on the right path, is to continue in His Word.

If we continue to read and study God’s Word, we will grow and mature in the faith. We will know the truth; and we shall be set free by the truth.

Set free from what? Galatians 5:1. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

What we are freed from when we know and follow the truth is the chains and bondage of sin and death. We are freed here during this life, because Jesus gives us the power to overcome the bondage of destructive behaviors like addiction, abuse, anger, hatred. These things can wrap us up in chains that only the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ can break.

Following His Word makes us free from eternal death in hell, eternal separation from God. Free to look forward to eternity in heaven with Him.

The truth sets us free. Praise the Lord!

Many Believed on Him

John 8:28-30

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things.

And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.

As He spake these words, many believed on Him.

When Jesus spoke of being lifted up, He was not talking about being made King. He was talking about being lifted up on a cross of shame and execution, and that His submitting to the cross would be proof of His obedience to the Father. It is true that many did believe on Him at the cross, including a Roman soldier who said, “Surely, this is the Son of God” (Matt. 27:54). No man would willingly submit to the cross, but Jesus did, as yet another proof that what He did was in obedience to the Father.

I love the statement Jesus made: The Father hath not left Me alone.

Jesus knew what He would face. He also knew that what He did and what He would do on the cross was in accordance with the will of the Father.

I believe that His deep love of the Father and His willing submission to the task the Father had given Him touched the hearts of His listeners, and turned their hearts toward Him.

I wonder, as we face trials in our own lives, if we do so with resistance, anger, and fear; or do we say, as Jesus did, “The Father has not left me alone.”

There is a song I love called Jesus is Walking With Me.

I Am Who I said I Am

John 8:25-27.

Then said they unto Him, Who art Thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

They understood not that He spake to them of the Father.

I have many things to say and to judge of you: but He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him.

What a different response the Pharisees would have received from Jesus if they had been asking sincerely, “Who art Thou?” But their question was not sincere. It was just another attempt to get Him to say something for which they could condemn Him. It was similar to saying, “Just who do you think you are?” with a sneering countenance and sarcasm in the voice.

Jesus was not dismayed. He answered them just the way He had been answering them. “I am Who I have said I am from the beginning.” Nothing new to add, no changes to make. They still didn’t understand that He spoke with the authority of the Father.

He went on to say, “I could point out all of your misbeliefs, your self-righteousness, your hatred of the Light, your pride, hypocrisy and unbelief. It is because of all these things that you will die in your sins.

“I am telling you the truth, and He that sent Me is true. What I say to you is what I have learned from Him.” (last two paragraphs are my own paraphrase)

It is no wonder they hated Him! He was daring to tell them to their faces what He saw in their hearts. No one had ever been so bold, and they didn’t like it. Not at all.

Memorial Day: Never Forget

Sunday Morning Coffee: Memorial Day

My Facebook feed was full of wonderful Memorial Day tributes this morning. Men and women, past and present, who have sacrificed their lives for our country are being honored this weekend, as they should be. Tomorrow there will be parades, memorial services, and gatherings of family and friends to enjoy food and fellowship together.

My dad was a WWII veteran. He was in the US Navy, serving on a submarine. He didn’t talk about it much. That generation of vets didn’t get the attention a lot of them needed for what we now recognize as post-traumatic stress disorder–PTSD. It wasn’t until Viet Nam that we finally realized there was a pattern of behaviors that could develop when soldiers are severely traumatized in the course of their service. Prior to that, we called it Shell Shock or Battle Fatigue. Those were both apt names, but PTSD puts a lot of different symptoms into play. These symptoms are difficult, and soldiers need help to overcome them.

Not all wounds are external.. . . .

Are soldiers the only ones who experience PTSD? By no means. Trauma is something that happens to you that you do not want but cannot avoid. Most of us have experienced some kind of trauma, from mild to excruciating, during the course of our lives. For most of us, it is mild, and we learn to live with it and look forward instead of backward. For others, the trauma they experience can change the course of their lives completely.

There is help, and there is hope. If you will look on the right side of this page, toward the bottom, you will see “Categories.” Scroll almost to the end and you will see “Trauma.” Click on that. It’s a good starting place if you or someone you love is struggling with PTSD symptoms.

You may ask, “But, Linda, shouldn’t a believer be able to overcome PTSD just with prayer, and claiming the promises of God?”

Some can. Some have issues so deeply rooted that they need help in digging them out. In my practice, I used God’s Word as my main tool to help with PTSD. Did you know that there are 365 references in scripture that teach us to fear not, be not afraid, the spirit of fear, God is with us always–one for every day of the year. It might be a good study for all of us to locate and keep track of these verses in our daily Bible reading.

There is no shame, however, in going to someone who has the knowledge and experience in helping you to overcome the distressing symptoms of PTSD, which range all the way from mild anxiety to hallucinations and deep depression. Because of my training and experience as a therapist, I always think about these things when our soldiers are being honored. So many of them are hiding their symptoms behind a mask of stoicism, not getting the relief and help they need. Most of them think they’re the only ones who suffer, so they suffer alone and in silence.

This information is from the

2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report – VA …

http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov › docs › data-sheets › 2019_…

Veterans ages 18–34 had the highest suicide rate in 2017 (44.5 per 100,000). The suicide rate for Veterans ages 18–34 increased by 76% from 2005 to 2017. Veterans ages 55–74 had the lowest suicide rate per 100,000 in 2017. The absolute number of suicides was highest among Veterans 55–74 years old.

They feel hopeless, helpless, lonely, ashamed. They need us to do more than clap for a parade. If you know a vet, maybe you can reach out in some way to offer a listening ear and a prayer. They need us, just as we needed them.

I Am from Above

John 8:21-23.

Then said Jesus again unto them, I go My way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

 Then said the Jews, Will He kill Himself? because He saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

And He said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

Jesus knew He was setting the scene for His eventual arrest, trial, torture, death–and resurrection!Because that time had not yet come, He challenged the religious leaders over and over again with their lack of knowledge of Who He was, and of Who God is.

They worked very hard to dot every “i” and cross every “t” in their efforts to keep the Torah, their beloved Law. What they didn’t. understand was that the Law was intended to help them understand their own unworthiness before God. No one can keep the whole Law every minute of every day. That is why we need a Savior!

The Law was intended to show us our sin and direct us to the holiness of God. It was not intended to be the sole means of salvation.

Jesus, therefore, told the religious leaders that He would soon go to His own place, meaning heaven; and that they, full of pride and arrogance, could not follow Him there, but would die in their sin because of their rejection of God.

The people, hearing this strange declaration, wondered if Jesus intended to take His own life! They interpreted what He said as something that would happen immediately.

His response, another clear indication of His position as Son of God, was simple: You men come from beneath (heaven) and you are of this world. I am from above (the world), and I, unlike you, am not of this world.

Was there any hope that any of these powerful religious leaders would at some point turn to Jesus and acknowledge Who He was? I think so. We have already seen Nicodemus humble himself and seek a conversation with Jesus in which Jesus clearly stated, “Ye must be born again.” I believe there were those who stood at the foot of the cross and watched His suffering, heard His words, and were convicted in their hearts.

One of the things I love most about the gospel is that it is equally welcoming to the lowliest of all, and the highest of all. From either end of that spectrum, and everyone in between, what is needed is humility, repentance, and faith that Jesus Christ is the One Who provided salvation to all who will come to Him.

Where is Thy Father?

John 8:19-20.

Then said they unto Him, Where is Thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: if ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.

These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was not yet come.

The confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees continued. They were determined to prove He was an heretic; that He was lying knowingly, just another rabble rouser from the countryside trying to gain attention and stir up the crowd.

Jesus had just stated that He had not only His own witness of Himself, but also His Father’s testimony. So they fired back at Him, “Where is Thy Father?” Where is this person whom You claim as Your Father? How can He be a witness for You if we can’t hear and see Him?

It is clearly an insult to ask Jesus about His paternity, which had always been in question among them. It was largely believed that His birth was the result of fornication between Mary and some unknown man, and that Joseph had chosen to forgive her. So their intent in this question was double-edged, and insulting.

Jesus’ response was just as quick: : “You don’t know Me or My Father! If you knew Me, you would know My Father also!”

Jesus could just as well have said, “You are ignorant and foolish. You don’t know what you’re talking about. If you knew Who I am, you would also know Who My Father is!”

The next verse reminds us that Jesus was making these amazing claims in the most public place possible–right on the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem. Most men would have been seized and put to death for what He was saying, but–again–His hour was not yet come.

Jesus knew that nothing would happen to Him until the Father permitted it.

We, also, should have the faith to understand that nothing will happen to us that is not under God’s control. He is sovereign. He understands what we do not. Jesus trusted His Father, and so must we.

I and the Father that Sent Me

John 8:16-18.

And yet if I judge, My judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me.

It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

I am One that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me.

Jesus claimed the presence of the Father throughout the book of John, until some of His last words from the cross, when He said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” as He became sin for us.

In this passage, Jesus takes up the challenge of the Pharisees that He is judging Himself without any authority to do so. They knew that in their Law, for someone to be convicted of a crime, two witnesses who agreed in their testimony were required.

Jesus said, “But I am not alone in My testimony! I am One Who bears witness of myself; the other is the Father Who has sent Me!”

Jesus is prophesied throughout the Old Testament, in words given by God to those who recorded the prophecies.

The first is in Genesis 3:15, which is commonly referred to as the first mention of salvation in the Bible. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.”

What does that mean? God was speaking to Eve after she disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She had been deceived by Satan, who came to her in the form of a “beautiful serpent.” She had no need to fear a serpent at that point, because sin had not yet been introduced into the world. God is pronouncing Eve’s punishment in Gen. 3:15, speaking to both the woman and the serpent. First: Hatred (enmity) between the serpent and the woman. Yeah, I get that. Second: The enmity would descend to all the descendants of both the serpent and the woman. The most important Seed of the woman of Jesus Christ, against Whom Satan (the Serpent) would wage constant warfare. Eve’s Seed, Jesus, would bruise (the word here is crush) the serpent’s head, and the serpent would seem to succeed in bruising the heel of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. But Jesus would triumph over sin and death, giving us the ultimate victory over sin and death if we believe on Him.

This promise, repeated often in the scriptures, was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ. The scriptures were God’s witness of His Son; and the witness of the Son was true. Both witnesses were absolutely without sin, incapable of telling a lie.