“God intentionally puts us in a world jam packed with glory…Every created glory is meant by God to function as a spiritual GPS that points us to the only glory that will ever satisfy our hearts, the Glory of God.
~ Paul David Tripp
It’s the start of a new month and since we have finished out the book of Colossians, here we go on another adventure in God’s Word. Starting today, and continuing for the next several weeks, we are going to be in the Book of John. Written by John, one of Jesus’ closest followers, it is one of the 4 Gospels in the New Testament. It seems he has written this a bit later in his life and is reflecting on seven miracles of Jesus. John uses the term signs. Between the other Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, 40 miracles are noted. John, however, narrows it down to seven. Some of these miracles, or signs, were in front of crowds, others witnessed by just a few others, like John. We will be getting to the seven signs in the coming weeks, but for today, we will begin with an introduction.The main text we’ll start with is from John 20 verses 30-31, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31) But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
MONDAY:
John is going to tell us why he wrote the Book of John (which is actually starting with the end). Let’s read John 20:30 , “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.” What is a sign? A simple definition is something that points us in a direction. We’ve probably all prayed at some point in our life, “God will you just give me a sign?” A little bit wishful and a little bit uncertain. We are needing an answer or a direction. So the sign John is referring to points where? John 20:31, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Even though the people of that time were living with Jesus among them, they weren’t necessarily convinced. It’s hard for us to imagine that, and yet, here we are at times, ourselves, needing to be convinced. God does not shame us in our doubt.
Are you needing a sign from Jesus today? Have you found yourself praying “God will you just give me a sign?” Take some time to meditate on John 20:31 and consider God’s personal message to you through this series, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (Here’s a little spoiler, John shares that these 7 signs point out that Jesus is THE Messiah).
TUESDAY:
Today let’s do a little name study. Some Bible translations use the word Christ instead of Messiah. However, the names are interchangeable, they mean the same thing. And Christ is not Jesus last name, it’s a title-Christ or Messiah=The Anointed One. All through the Bible we read about people being anointed for special purposes. Anointing is recorded 39+ times in the Old Testament-kings, priests, prophets. These men were chosen and empowered by God. To be clear, none of these carried the title of Savior, Lord or THE Messiah. We know that it was prophesied that the ultimate Messiah would come from David (Jeremiah 23:5).Jesus, The Messiah would be the: Prophet-speaks from God; Priest- connects God/people; King-rule/protect. And the people waited for this coming Messiah. This Messiah Who would end oppression and bring salvation. They waited a VERY LONG TIME.
Messiah-The Anointed One. Here are some verses to look up and meditate on about The Messiah.
Matthew 16:15-16
Luke 2:11
Acts 5:42
John 1:41
WEDNESDAY:
Have you prayed for a sign, maybe feel like you got one, but you are SURE it is the wrong one? What do you think the people thought about Jesus being THE Messiah? Jesus is not what they were expecting. In the meantime there is oppression, abuse, Hebrew people enslaved and moved under different rulers. But one day, THE Messiah would come. In looking at David , they think the Messiah will be even greater and really the people were looking for the “wrong signs” all along. We read in Isaiah 35:5-6 “And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6) The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.” Isaiah had given them clues so long ago. Jesus did miracles for people in need, these were the signs that John uses to refer back to these prophecies. Jesus IS The Messiah!
Take some time to read Isaiah 35:5-6. It’s incredible to think that John selected 7 signs that would point back to Scripture. He wanted people to make the connection. The Gospel ALWAYS points to Jesus. To the Messiah.
THURSDAY:
Are you a little curious what seven signs John chose? Here is a little sneak peek:
Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding.
Jesus heals the government official’s son-long distance.
Jesus feeds 1000’s with a single, small lunch.
Jesus walks on the water.
Jesus heals a man born blind.
Jesus raises a friend from the dead..
This takes us to the beginning of the Gospel of John. John 1:1 to be exact: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And then John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The word “glory” can be another one of those Bible words that is just beyond our grasp of complete understanding. John uses it several times because it is a key concept for him in talking about The Messiah. As Pastor Adam said, “God’s glory is His presence, power and authority.”Glory is His identity, His presence. Everything was created for God’s glory, because of sin we fall short (Romans 3:23). Through salvation and In loving God and loving others, that is our best effort to reflecting His glory.
Paul David Tripp writes: “God intentionally puts us in a world jam packed with glory. For trees to flowers to mountains; from mashed potatoes to steak and lemonade; from thunderstorms to sunsets, to snowfalls - all of these things were designed by God to tingle our glory sensors. Every created glory is meant by God to function as a spiritual gps that points us to the only glory that will ever satisfy our hearts, the Glory of God. The glory of God in creation is a sign directing you to the source.”
How do you define God’s glory? Just like the example that Pastor Adam used, think about who, for you, if they walked in the room and sat down behind you in the service, that you would just be beside yourself to look at and talk to and let everyone know. In light of God’s glory, does it leave you feeling unsure? Confused? Unworthy? Read John 1:1 and 1:14 and let those two verses speak to your heart about the glory of God.
FRIDAY:
A quick look back to Moses in the Old Testament and we see a time when Moses was pleading with God to show him (Moses) His glory. In Exodus 33:12-17, Moses and God are talking. Moses is asking God for some clarity and maybe even a sign from God because God has asked Moses to lead His people. (12-13). God assures Moses that He will send His presence with Him (14). Moses lays it out and asks that God not send him if He (God) isn’t going to be with him. He feels that the people would not accept what he has to say just on his own merit. Verses 17 and 18 are so powerful. “And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18) Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
Do you believe that God knows you by name?
Meditate on the two sentences below and then answer the question:
He KNOWS you by name!
He knows YOU by name!
What does that mean to you?
SATURDAY:
Moses has asked God to show him His glory. The Lord gives Moses some very detailed instructions (Exodus 33:20-23). It is important to note that God’s glory is “too much” for Moses to physically witness. In Exodus 34:6-7 We read, “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7) maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” The tension between the grace of God and sin. Moses heard, but John saw. Jesus meets people in the messes. Big ones and small ones. These seven signs we will be looking at over the next few weeks remind us that God’s glory is amazing and He is The Messiah. Through the Book of John, we see he is pointing out that Jesus is inviting us to trust Him.
Take some time to ask God to open your heart to all that He wants to do through this series over the next several weeks. Re-read Scripture references and even look up Scripture about the signs John writes about and the glory of God.