"The Passover"

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

John 2:13 ESV

John let’s his readers know in this verse that Jesus was truly faithful to all things Jewish. Jesus participated in all of the feast days along with the rest of faithful Israel. Passover is the most significant of those days, representing the exodus from Egypt and God’s provision for His people. Passover was celebrated as a remembrance, so that none would forget God’s deliverance from captivity and death. Participation in the first passover meal kept death from the door of those that participated.

The significance we take from this verse as we see Jesus approaching Jerusalem, is that He is THE PASSOVER LAMB that will be sacrificed once for all for the sins of the world. “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:12 ESV As we partake of the Lord’s supper every week we remember that sacrifice that delivered us from our captivity to sin and death.

John had let it be known earlier in his Gospel who Jesus was; “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 ESV John sets up the theme of salvation early on in his Gospel to let the reader know Jesus purpose in coming. He came to save us from ourselves. While the people of Israel were looking for a Messiah to rescue them from the Romans, God sent Jesus to rescue them from the grave.

Today we can look at this verse with hindsight and see what God’s plan was for our salvation. That is because God used ordinary men to write His story down so that we can read and understand the sacrifice that was Jesus. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb, He gave His life for ours. We must never forget that He has died for our sins, so that we don’t have to.

So today, let’s remember the love that sent Jesus to the cross. Let’s remember that without His sacrifice we would be lost eternally. Let’s introduce someone to Jesus today.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"The First of His Signs"

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. John 2:11 ESV

photo  ©2008  Coyote Grafix, Flickr

John is speaking about Jesus turning water into wine in this verse. The first recorded sign (miracle) of Jesus. After seeing this sign His disciples believed in HIm. No one had ever done such a thing before. Witnessing something like this would certainly get someone’s attention. Obviously it had a profound effect on the disciples.

They had seen the glory of God in the miracle. Turning water into wine is not possible in the natural world. For such a thing to occur would be supernatural. Only God the creator of all things could possibly do something like this. After all, God created all of the elements and He can transform them into anything He chooses. So, when the disciples saw this they knew they were witnessing the work of God.

In that moment they were convinced that Jesus was sent from God and believed in Him and His mission. This miracle took place at a wedding. A wedding is a beginning, it is when two lives become one. This is the context in which Jesus performed His first miracle for the world to see. How appropriate, as this couple is beginning their life together Jesus begins to show the world who He is.

This miracle speaks to the transforming power of Jesus. Just like He transformed water into wine, His sacrifice transforms sinners into saints. And day by day we are transformed into His likeness. “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” 1 Cor. 15:49 ESV God has seen fit through Jesus to change us into something far greater than we could imagine.

So today, let’s let the change in us show for all the world to see.

© 2013 leo J.Woodman

"We have found the Messiah!"

One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus  was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). John 1:40,41 ESV

photo  ©2012  Sharon, Flickr

“We have found the Messiah”, what a proclamation! Andrew realized who it was that He was following. He was witnessing the arrival of the promised Messiah. He went to his brother with this great news before anyone else. He wanted his brother to be in on it from the beginning.

Think of the joy Andrew had in realizing who Jesus was. He couldn’t contain himself and he wanted his brother to share in that joy. The Christ, the anointed one was walking among them. God’s chosen deliverer had arrived to save His people.

I’m sure Andrew wasn’t really aware of all that this meant to him and the world, but he was aware that salvation was on the horizon. Imagine the anticipation that the twelve that followed Jesus experienced as they saw His ministry unfold before their eyes. What excitement there was as they began to follow the Messiah.

We should be just as excited today, that we have discovered the Messiah. We should be just as excited to share with those around us that we have found the Messiah. John shared this in his Gospel so that we would know that Jesus coming had been prophesied and fulfilled as God said it would be. This was shared so that those that read the gospel would know that God had planned to call mankind back to Himself through His Son.

Let’s get excited about finding the Messiah and proclaim Him to the world. Let them know their Savior has come to set them free. Salvation is on the horizon for them if they will come and see.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

Yesterday's sermon

Yesterday's sermon "What are We Focused on?"

Can be found at the bottom of the page.

"The Lamb of God"

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" John 1:35,36 ESV

photo  ©2010  Roger Davies, Flickr

“Behold, the Lamb of God”, is not just a passing statement. John is proclaiming the one that will be sacrificed for the sins of the world. This isn’t just an ordinary lamb from the flock, but the lamb that was hand picked by God to be the perfect sacrifice.

The only way for humanity to be redeemed was through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ. Jesus had to be sacrificed to pay the price for our sins. Although Jesus walked among us he was not contaminated by the world. He never sinned and was completely obedient to His heavenly Father. That is why He was proclaimed the Lamb of God. He was the only one pure enough to atone for all that we have done.

John knew this as he watched Jesus walk by and proclaimed it to his disciples. He wanted them to know that He was the one that they needed to follow now. Today Jesus is still the one that we need to follow. There are no others worthy of our lives and love. Jesus gave Himself so that we can live. We need to be His disciples.

So today, let’s look at Jesus and know He is the one for us. The one that we need to give our lives over to and follow Him, wherever He leads us. Because; “He is the way, the truth and the life”. He is the only way to God.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"The Word Became Flesh"

photo  ©2012  Walid, Flickr

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV

The word became flesh, what a profound thought. The spoken, written word of God became a living being. The word was no longer just something to be heard, but to be experienced. The word was to be experienced in the person of Jesus the Christ. Jesus made the word of God tangible. He brought the word to life!

The word of God lived among us. He wasn’t just a face in the crowd, but the one that moved the crowd. The Glory of God walking the streets and interacting with people of all walks of life. God’s Son showing the Father to the world. Touching, hearing, speaking and loving God’s people as one of them.

The word of God demonstrating God’s grace towards man and sharing God’s truth with them. Through His direct contact with humanity Jesus showed the world what God is really like and how He wants all of us to live. We no longer have to simply obey a list of commands, we must simply follow the example of God’s WORD Jesus.

So today, those of us who have come to know God’s word through Jesus are without excuse. We must live as He did. We must let the word show in our lives. Let’s make contact with others, so they can experience the word of God too.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"Children of God"

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12,13 ESV

photo  ©2010  David Woo, Flickr

“The right to become children of God”. If we believe in Jesus as He has been presented to us in the Gospels and we obey Him we are given the “right” to become children of God. This right is given because it is God’s will, no one else’s. It’s His will that we would become His children.

We as humans have the ability to determine whether or not to have children. We can make a free will choice. If we chose to have children we claim them as ours. God has done the same thing. He has chosen us,to be His. He has given us the right to be His, if we believe in the work that He has done through His Son. 

John is sharing the driving force behind the Good News. It was God’s will to send His Son to bring us back to Himself. We as believers are blessed in Jesus because it is God’s will for us to be.

So today, let’s count our greatest blessing first in our lengthy list of blessing and know that as believers we are His children. We have been elevated to the status of “children of God”. As the song says; “this world is not my home, I’m just a passin' through”. We’re on our way home. Let’s see how many we can take with us. Share the GOOD NEWS!

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

Today's sermon

Today's sermon

"What the Word of God will do for you"

At the bottom of the page

"The World Did Not Know Him"

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own,  and his own people  did not receive him.

John 1:9-11 ESV

Let's be humble before HIM 

The creator of everyone and everything came to His creation and was not recognized or accepted. This passage speaks volumes about the condition of the human heart that has been affected by sin. It doesn't even recognize its creator. This is why God sent John first to preach repentance. Peoples hearts and minds needed to be ready to accept His presence in their lives.

The reason so many people in Jesus day and today don’t recognize the Lord is because they have unrepentant hearts. They still refuse to see the Lord as their creator and savior. They refuse to see a need for any influence in their lives other than their own thoughts and philosophies. This goes for religious as well as irreligious people.

When Jesus went to His own people (the Jews), as religious as they were they did not recognize the object of their worship. Religion stood in the way of them seeing the one their religion was based on. The irreligious didn’t recognize Him because they worshipped in the cult of self. Things have not changed. Humanity still needs to be enlightened as to who Jesus is and what He has done for them.

So today, we are to be the witnesses of the Light to the world around us. We must witness to the religious and irreligious alike. Everyone needs to see Jesus for what He is.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 ESV

God has allowed the world to go on as long as He has, because there are still those that will turn and repent. Let’s bring the Light to them so they may reach repentance.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"Sent from God"

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

John 1:6-9 ESV

photo  ©2008  Ryan Latta, Flickr

Jesus didn’t just suddenly appear on the scene. John the baptist was sent ahead of Him to be a witness to testify to the fact that God was sending His light into the world. God has always sent a witness to let His people know when He was getting ready to act. John was one of many men that God has used to get His message out. John  like the prophets before him spoke as God led him to. His job was to tell God’s people that things were about to change in a very significant way.

John was sent to let God's People know that His light was coming into the world. When we think of light we think of illumination. Jesus was coming to shed light on God’s people. God’s people had been living in darkness for about 400 years. They had not had any communication from God since the prophet Malachi. For 400 years they had been left to their own devices. That long time of silence provided time for man to step in and mix things up. By the time John and Jesus came to Israel, divisions had set in. Two major divisions we read about in the gospels are the Pharisees and the Sadducees. There were others as well.

God’s people really needed the light, because they were wandering blindly in darkness. Division had caused people to choose between one group and another. Sound familiar? Just like in the first century there is religious and philosophical division amongst God fearing people today. We need people to bear witness to the light which is Jesus the Christ. God fearing people everywhere need to look to Jesus for the guiding light to show them how to live right, before God. Man made philosophies and divisions will not accomplish this, only the teachings of Jesus and His apostles can light the way to true obedience to God and His ways.

So today, let’s understand that the apostle John was sharing the significance of a good witness for the light. John the baptist prepared the way for Jesus to come and teach His people, the things they had been missing. Today we are the witnesses to that light, let’s let it shine for the world to see. Let’s teach only what Jesus and His apostles taught. Nothing more, nothing less.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"The Life"

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4,5 ESV

photo  ©2012  Patrick Nouhailler, Flickr

In referring to Jesus, John calls Him life. Jesus is life we were created through Him and we are recreated through Him. This life that is in Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness of the world we live in. The life and light of Jesus cannot be overcome by the world. Because He has overcome the world. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 ESV Jesus is the light that continues to shine in the darkness.

Light is a major theme in the apostle John’s writings. He uses references to the Light in all of his writings. John seems to be the apostle that really focuses on the illuminating love of God and His presence in our lives through Jesus. I love reading Johns writings. As the last surviving and youngest of all the apostles he seemed to grasp what God’s love toward man was all about.

His writings come at the close of the first century, the church had grown and become the body that God had intended and John is the last to address the church on all that God has done and will do for those that love him. His writings really are love letters from God to His children. His writings speak of life, light, love and that Jesus is the source of all of those. What words of encouragement he left us.

So today, know that the life, light and love you enjoy in Christ is a gift from our heavenly Father who chose to send Jesus so we could revel in those things. We are blessed beyond measure through Jesus life, death, burial and His resurrection. For we too will be where He is someday. Meanwhile, let’s keep walking in the LIGHT.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

Today's sermon

The Great Golden Text of God's Word!

go to the bottom this page to hear today's lesson.

"THE CREATOR"

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3 ESV

photo  ©2011  DSLRManu, Flickr

In verse three John introduces Jesus as Creator. He say that “all things” were made through Him. There is nothing in all of creation that does not bear His fingerprint.

The creator of everything came to save His creation. We as creative beings can relate to Jesus as creator. Any of us that have made anything with our hands understands the need to preserve what we have created.

Imagine the love God has for His children. He created man in His own image. Man is the apex of God’s creation. Everything He created was for His children. Before Eve and Adam sinned God walked in the garden with them. He was present with the ones He loved. But, due to their disobedience He had to separate Himself from them. They could no longer be in His presence.

The disobedience of His children became so bad the He even had to destroy the world He created for them.

God loves His children so much that He came to earth, lived as one of us and died for us to bring us back into relationship with Himself.

So today, let’s revel in the fact that God has that kind of love for us. He sent Jesus to take care of the problem our sins created. He has reconciled us to Himself.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"The Word"

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

John 1:1,2 ESV

The Word, Jesus has always been. John wants his readers to know that Jesus is eternal, just as God is. He was, He was with God, He was God. He has been since the beginning.

John establishes the deity of Jesus right at the start of his Gospel. This leaves the reader no doubt, concerning the deity of Christ.

As he begins to tell his story about the Good News, John wants it known that Jesus left heaven and came to earth. That He was God in the flesh.

One knows right away that Jesus has always been a part of God and His plan to redeem man. God sent His Word in the flesh to enlighten mankind.

So today, as we read the Gospel according to John we know that the Jesus we read about is God Himself. God took care of the sins of the world Himself. That is the kind of God we serve. Let’s tell the world about Him.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"Be Imitators"

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Cor. 11:1 ESV

This is quite a confident statement for Paul to make. How many of us could be this confident as a disciple of Christ. To know that we are following Jesus close enough to tell other to be imitators of us. I think most of us would feel that we were being arrogant to say such a thing. But, would we?

If we were to truly follow in Jesus footsteps in our own walk we should be able to have the confidence to know that we are doing our Father’s will. But the truth of the matter is we fall short of Jesus example. We don’t always do the Father’s will in our lives. We let our own will take over at times.

While this is true about us feeble humans, we must never forget that we have forgiveness in Christ. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us. If we are forgiven we are walking in the light as He is in the light and we can have confidence that we are imitating Christ in our lives. This doesn’t mean that we can do just as we please and claim to be imitating Christ. It means when we stumble He is there to help us back up.

photo  ©2011  PhotoAtelier, Flickr

Satan would love nothing more than to shake our faith and confidence in our walk with God. We must realize that our shortcomings are covered in Christ. We are being remade in the image of Christ, who is the exact representation of the Father. If we continue to imitate Christ and continue to ask forgiveness when we fall short we do have a faith worthy of imitation.

So today, be confident in the Lord and do not let satan get a foothold in your life. Be imitators!

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman