John 4:16-22 - Debating Theology with Jesus

John 4:16-22

He said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband''; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews." 

Message: Debating Theology with Jesus

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."

 

What the Lord is Saying: Jesus has now told the Samaritan woman about living water and that this living water, when requested, He provides her something that causes her to actually never thirst again. He provides her eternal life. Interesting how eternal life is likened to living water. Water is something we need to survive each day on this earth. It sustains us. Even when we are fasting, we are drinking water. And Jesus says to take living water from Him merits eternal life. 

I also think back to Jesus' words in chapter 3 and he remarks, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Could there be a link between the two? Is the water in chapter 3:5 referring to the living water that Jesus is speaking of here? 

Next up in our study of the encounter Jesus has with the Samaritan woman is Jesus asking about her husband and she admits she does not have a husband and Jesus clarifies with this woman that she actually has had five husbands. Again, this woman, is an outcast. She most likely comes to the well by herself, not the common practice, because no one will come with her. She was rejected in her community by her sexual immorality. She's had five husbands already and the man she is with right now is not her husband. She admits this. Upon Jesus confronting her, she does not lie or hide. Before him, she admits that she has no husband. Could it be that because of the way Jesus speaks to her she has a need to be honest and admit her sin? "the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." And yet she at first tries to hide by saying she has no husband. 

Upon hearing this, though, the woman is astonished and further understands Jesus as being someone different. He's already mentioned living water. And now he know about her and her past. And yet she knows he is still speaking to her. I am reminded that this is significant because Jews were very careful about associating with anyone or anything that was deemed unclean. Surely this woman would be an example of someone unclean. And yet Jesus in these back to back passages speak to a religious leader and a social outcast and both have the same need - spiritual rebirth. 

Even though the woman is an outcast she has understanding of spiritual matters. She understands the difference between the Samaritans and the Jews. The Samaritans only worshipped here and only recognized the first 5 books of the Old Testament and other alterations. And Jesus acknowledges this but also makes me mention that the past ritual of where one should worship is not the issue of the moment - but rather the issue first and foremost is salvation and it is from the Jews (v. 22). 

Jesus makes it clear that where you worship or the surroundings will not be important. There will not be limitations to worship. Salvation will be different. In chapter 3, I saw something significant and that is the ability of a person to even see their need to believe and be born again (v.16) came about from the Spirit (v. 6,8) and in this awakening their sin is exposed (v.19).   

There is clearly something really different here. And it is like it isn't over yet and there is more to understand. 

Summary: The woman's sin of being with a man not her husband is exposed by Jesus and Jesus points to her a time when worship will be different and salvation from the Jews. 

Promise: In the Gospel, our sin is exposed and we acknowledge our estrangement from God. The Gospel does more than make life better. It improves and satisfies the condition of us. 

Prayer: Father, you are real and true and Jesus is true and Holy Spirit, you have awakened me to know You and have salvation in You. Thank you for continuing to teach me through the reading now of Your word. Keep enlightening me and others and help me to speak the truth of Your gospel to others. Expose people. Expose their sinful nature so they see you are the answer. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's. 

I Corinthians 5:1 - Restraint and Guilt

I Corinthians 5:1 - It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.

Message: Restraint and Guilt

Time: Paul spent 18 months in Corinth and this is his 2nd letter to them (the first did not survive). He penned his letter in AD 55. There was quarrelling already in this church and deep divisions. Sin needs to be confronted and he did this boldly.

What the Lord is Saying:

As was seen in the previous lesson, the law is given for all, to restrain all from sin. Now we can't help but notice that this law of God has changed significantly, even in my lifetime. I can remember very few stores being open on Sunday. Thus, Sunday was thought to be a day of rest. And even stores were not open for 24 hours very often. But, all that has changed and there is rarely a day of rest when some stores are open on Christmas day. In addition, what has been defined as acceptable behavior has broadened.    

Homosexuality, sex before marriage, pornography, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana -- were all even 40 years ago considered taboo and yet now they are celebrated as acceptable behavior and the needle continues to move as we have individuals now choosing their own biological sex. 

Yet the needle has not moved all the way and we are still centered on certain restraints, like murder, hate, theft, incest, torture, and certain aspect of sexual immorality like forcing minors to engage in sexual acts. 

In today's passage from I Corinthians 5:1 is an example of a sin that even the pagan world thought was wrong -- a sexual relationship between a man and his stepmother after his father died or divorced her. And this is a sin that was being practiced among those that call themselves followers of God. Thus, an example of how their was a law even in the pagan world of what is acceptable and unacceptable. And the Christians were those ones not rightly applying God's word. I've seen this in my lifetime. I remember my father saying that my faith would be challenged more by attending the Christian university that I did than if I were to attend a secular university. And having worked for Christian businesses as well, I found that I was treated differently than if I had been working for a business not made up of Christians. And even in the church, rather than being different, often churches are no different than the world. 

Many non-Christians are good citizens, doing good things, having good morals. They love their children and see the problem of exposure to all that the world offers and often are in very close relationships with one another. This is a good thing. And yet the words of the Bible decry an outward only manifestation of the truth of God, stating that it must be an inward change. Doing good and being Godly are very different things. None of us are perfect and all of us still are sinners and are in need of a Savior to redeem us from ourselves and bring us into God's acceptance. 

Promise: The Law of God is meant to be a restraint, and the world is watching how Christians restrain themselves. Let us seek to use the Law of God as a restraint so that others may see Christ in all His glory. 

Prayer: O God, thank you for the truth of You and the morality that you have set up in this world. You are holy and you have called your people to holiness. Thank you that our country was founded on Godly principles and this world still in many ways follows these creeds. Thank you that this country started with the right foundation and even I can remember these practices in my lifetime. Sin remains a surprise in all of its forms, and I pray that mankind would be redeemed and the law of God would be recognized again as the standard to live by. Draw people to yourself and help me to practice my faith at all times in all settings, to give you glory and be a testimony of God's love and right ways. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. 

When the Godly slump - Abraham, Friend of God, Charles Swindoll Study Guide

Genesis 12:10-20

This is a familiar passage to me. Abram leaves the land where he is at because there is a famine there and it is severe and so he goes to Egypt. Prior to entering Egypt and because he knows his wife is very beautiful, rather than entering Egypt with her as his wife and his fear that leaders will simply kill him to get to his wife, instead he tells Sarai that she should act as his sister. As they enter Egypt the people in Pharaohs court see that she is beautiful and bring her to Pharaoh and Abraham receives gifts – sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, camels. But then Pharaoh‘s house receives a disease and Pharaoh learns that Sarai is Abram’s wife, summons Abram to ask why did he say this and then tells him to leave/go. 

Failure is a part of life. It is not something we enjoy. We try to limit our mistakes. We like to always seem like we are better than this. There are certain people in life that we place on a pedestal and yet they are still human. They still make mistakes. 

I’ve noticed that society places people on pedestals and then write stories about their mistakes. WE prefer to be the one seeing a person's mistakes than on the other end. There is an idea I think that God blesses only those who are obedient and therefore when the media sees a Christian failing, people are alarmed and yet I think feel good about finding the evil because there is the feeling the Christian sees themselves as better than others. But, they do the same thing with movie stars or others we view with high regard, as if we somehow expect them to be perfect.

A divine test 

The first test Abram received was famine. In this passage we only see Abram acknowledge the famine and leave the land to go some place else. What we don’t know or see in the text is whether he prayed or consulted God. All we read is that He left. 

Life is difficult. Being a Christian still means life is difficult. Challenges like a famine test us. Right now we are tested in this life with this famine. It seems alarming to me and I too seem to think I know better that the decision makers - that maybe they have another motive. Am I really willing to trust the process or be grumpy through it? I see good outcomes from it. Don’t fight it. Live with it and continue to encourage others through it. 

Fear and sin 

Abram experiences fear and his focus is on himself. Sarai has to start living in deceit as well. She had to pretend to be something she isn’t. But the scriptures focus is Abram trying to safe his life because he fears the truth. 

Lying is not new to me unfortunately. I often in my life have lied and altered who I am ever so slightly because I don’t believe in my life as it is. Often I tried to make myself out to be better that I was. Sometimes I did things with little reason so I created a bigger reason. I often just didn't think my life as it was sounded good enough. I wanted it to look better. The problem is the lie has to be fed with more lies. 

Abram is found out

Abram's sin is discovered. This is my greatest fear: discovery of sin. Sin is a caper and we fear it’s discovery. Pharaoh found out his sin and this was a good thing for Abram as he needed to embrace the truth. In some ways Abram was fortunate. Though it hurts - once the sin is out in the open we can be restored. 

When the Godly Slump

• I remember one time in college and there is a Christian band that showed up on our campus and I was involved backstage with them and I was having a meal with some of the performers in the band and one of them was not present and was off to himself. I was bothered and I looked at his not being there is selfishness. Instead I should just accept him is different.
• God gave Jonah a task to do to preach because of the wickedness of the people. Instead Jonah ran away and by doing this others he was affected and others also experienced hardship. Once he listened to God things were not as bad as he thought. 
• My father often tells me that the reason he left the church we were at in high school and he would never return to the Christian church was the lead pastor made a comment about a patient he was seeing that was inappropriate. 
• Many pastors and leaders in the church have been exposed with having committed sexual sin outside their marriage. 

Do the right thing. It sounds simple. But that's it. But also, admit your mistakes. 

Mark 7:20-23 - Evil in Heart

Mark 7:20-23

20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

Message: Evil in Heart

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface: Jesus speaks to all the people, going beyond just the scribes, and declares clearly that when speaking of being clean, the key is what comes out of a person, not what is taken in. What is unneeded to the human body are thrown off and eliminated through waste. If the people want to know what defiles, it is what comes out of a person that matters most. Jesus is declaring this radical message over and over - the heart. We need to focus on the heart. 

Jesus is emphasizing that what comes into a man - be it drink or food, even eating with unclean hands is not what defiles a person, but rather that which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. There is a clear contrast here that he is emphasizing.The Pharisees and scribes questioned why the disciples were not maintaining the tradition of hand washing that was thought to render people clean. Ultimately, Christ explains that cleanliness is an interior matter. It is the state of one's heart that determines cleanliness for the heart is the origin of all uncleanness. Before any sinful deed can be committed, it is conceived in the heart. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts...All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. 

God and man see people differently. This, to me, further emphasizes the radical nature in which Jesus came. I Samuel 16:7 says, But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This verse reminds me of the way God has always been and therefore God sees in a way that man does not see. Naturally, we look at the outward and our prisons are set up because people have committed outward violations. The civil law is set up like this. But, God and Jesus go beyond the outward to the inner. This must be a difficult thing for society to comprehend for everywhere we are trained in the idea of the outward, but everyone God trains us on what is on the inside that matters most. 

Here sins are listed to clearly show their inner origins: fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. The first six in this list are acts that are seen outside of the flesh while the second six are attitudes behind the acts. 

First on the list is fornications. It is interesting for there is such a great power of sexual sin and sexual temptation that has been present in every culture of man. It was a problem 2,000 years ago and it is a problem today. The internet in the last 25 years has seen the proliferation of this sin. This is a sin that seeks to become more and more private.

Second is thefts. To be a thief is obviously abhorrent in society. But, for me, the acts of being a thief are changing. We most definitely grade this sin, in that taking a dollar versus $100 is seen a way different. With the advent of movies in the home came forth the issue of piracy. Even the internet and youtube made piracy of music more prevalent to the point that they had to figure out a way to make money on listening to music and now it has become the norm to listen in this manner. 

Third is murders. For me, personally, Roe v Wade in 1973 was the biggest change that occurred over the issue of murder for society accepted that murder of the fetus was warranted based upon a woman's choice. In the nineties, doctor assisted suicide started to appear as we looked at the other end of the spectrum, the elderly. Again, sin began to be disguised as warranted behavior. Society still today does not view either of these as murder. 

Fourth is adulteries. Adultery is not a new thing. It is a sexual sin practice that has been present for thousands of years. As a person that loves to watch old movies, adultery in the movies has always been present. There was a notion that if one was wealthy then they more easily could afford a mistress. The woman as an object of the man's desires crept more and more into people's thoughts and was then culminated with pornography being viewed as entertainment. 

Fifth is coveting. Coveting is a internal desire seen outwardly. Consumerism has made coveting a normal practice. The desire to have what your neighbor possesses is viewed as competition and moves us to be a strong business person. 

Sixth is wickedness. This is all kinds of wicked behavior. Thus, anything not covered previously is covered here. 

This is what we see and now Jesus focuses on what is on the inside. Deceit means lying, not telling the truth, deceptiveness, false witness. Lying can be pretending to be something we are not. Lying shows up in church all the time as people want to pretend to others that they are religious in order to get acceptance from society. 

Sensuality shows up in our behavior and speech. It is a dirty mind. Once again, society has made having a dirty mind being completely acceptable. Its amazing to think of the TV sitcoms and their attitudes and behaviors that made having a dirty mind comedic.  

Envy is to look with hate or to look with anger. 

Slander is to have abusive speech such as blasphemy. I went and saw a movie yesterday, one I should have avoided for the slander or abusive language that occurred in the movie, all under the disguise of laughter and entertainment was incredible and the most haunting thing was to witness children in the movie laughing at themes most likely they did not understand at all, but only laughed because their parents also laughed beside them. 

Pride is the feeling of being superior to others. And then foolishness, to be unthinking or senseless.

The issue that I'm seeing more and more is the normalizing of these sins in society. We don't think of these in a serious light because we have such a thirst for entertainment that we excuse these behaviors because they have made us laugh or enjoy life. 

Summary - Jesus, in a way, concludes the utter defilement of the heart by naming a list of these sins and repeats the idea that evil comes from within. While we stare at the outward, it is what is on the inside that matters most.  

Promise: Sin and holiness are fundamentally issues of the heart. Although holiness can be faked before men, God is never fooled. 

Prayer: Lord, I want to walk in holiness. I thank you for forgiving me of my sins and I'm embarrassed of how prevalent these sins continue to be in my life. I should know better. Thank you for the reminder and continue to clean me up, not only so that my witness is better but so that I can have peace with myself in life. 

Proverbs 6:27-29 - Fire Safety

Proverbs 6:27-29
27 

27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished.

Message: Fire Safety

Time: King Solomon is the principal writer of Proverbs. Solomon's proverbs were penned around 900 B.C. In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon reveals the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations, too. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.

What the Lord is Saying:

The message in these verses is simple: "Don't play with fire; if you do, you will get burned." Verse 27 is almost a verse a humor acknowledging the ridiculous of carrying fire next to his person and yet thinking that he can do this and not get burned. We often do the same with sin. We listen to music that we know has a bad message, but I remember saying as a kid, I just ignore the words and enjoy the music. We do the same with TV shows and movies, loving parts, and saying we ignore the rest. But, it is having an affect on us.

These verses are a caution statement to the sin in our lives. Most notably here is the sin of adultery. It amazes me how much the Bible is a book about avoiding sexual sin. And yet we find ourselves living in a day and age when sexual immorality and temptations is everywhere in our world. As a man, I see that I am weak in those areas. Perhaps it was being tempted to look at a magazine when I was a young man, before the age of 10 and then again in middle school when my hormones were on high alert. And this temptation has carried with me in life, despite having a beautiful and wonderful wife who fulfills all of my needs and desires. It continues. The temptation continues despite my circumstances. The media puts out the message continually because they know it is something that people want and desire. Hugh Hefner just died and in many ways he is thought to be a revolutionary person and yet he gave permission to something that really was a taboo throughout scripture, but he helped normalize it so that the sin became acceptable behavior.

This is the danger I have seen with sin in the 21st century and post 1960's, it is the rewriting of it, to make it seem acceptable. We have focused instead on "If it feels good, do it" and even the idea of tolerance in which we respect anyone's desire to like whatever they desire. We are riding down a slippery slope and in many ways, getting further away from God as a country (USA). And many people don't care because as long as our comfort, safety, and entertainment is in check, we don't care about what is going on around us.

It's an interesting sin in society. We have so many messages that joke about it, but we still call out people that get caught in these behaviors. A famous Hollywood producer just got caught because he pressured women to be involved with him (the accusation). I don't think the act is being judged but rather what is being judged is the infringement of another person's rights. It's just so ironic when it is a message that is continually sold in society.

The message here is clear: don't go near it. Stay far from it. That's the only way to get out unscathed.

Promise: Knowing our own weaknesses, we should avoid those occasions, people, or places where we might find ourselves playing with the fire of sin. If we do not do that, we will set ourselves up for failure and compromise the holiness to which God calls us.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the truth of your word, even words written by a man that lived about 3000 years ago still resonate with us today. Despite our advances in a myriad of ways these same principles hold true to our lives. Lord, give us your power to resist these sins. Lead us not into temptation. When we do sin, deliver us from evil. Thank you for being a God of forgiveness and cleaning us from all impurity. Now, help us to walk each new day - clean.