DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE CROW OF THE ROOSTER

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE CROW OF THE ROOSTER

"Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, 'You are not also one of His disciples, are you?' He denied it and said, 'I am not!' One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, 'Did I not see you in the garden with Him?' Peter then denied again; and immediate a rooster crowed." (John 18:25-27)

When Peter heard the crow of the rooster, it caused an arrow to shoot through his heart. I know the feeling very well. That pang in the conscience when I know that I've blown it. I knew the right thing to do and then I ended up doing the very opposite. I'm like the Apostle Paul who wrote in Romans chapter 7: "What I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but that which I hate, that I do. For the things that I will to do, that I do not do. But the evil I will not to do, that I do." Peter knew exactly what he should do. Not long before that, he declared that he would never deny the Lord, that he would lay down his life for Jesus. He was full of bluster, but mostly, he was just a bunch of hot air.

I don't want to be too hard on Peter, because he was in a terrible place, warming his hand by the fire of the enemies of Jesus, afraid that his own life might be sacrificed by his allegiance to the Master. That's a problem right there – warming himself by the enemies' fire.   In that setting, he denied that he knew Jesus. He probably felt as guilty as all get out. Jesus had predicted that Peter would forsake him. And now the rooster crowed, just as Jesus had said.

John did not record this in his account, but Matthew tells us some pertinent information, when he wrote that just after Peter had cursed and swore, he heard the rooster crow. Then he remembered the words of Jesus, and he went out and wept bitterly. It was after three failures, that Peter heard the rooster crow. His spirit was so crushed that he went out and wept in sorrow.

Luke also records that the Lord Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Oh, how that look must have stung Peter's soul. Scripture does not tell us what that look entailed, but I don't think it was a look of condemnation. Knowing the heart of Jesus, I think it was a look of sadness and compassion.

I have to ask myself, how many times does it take for me to fail before I hear the rooster crow and weep bitterly over my sin? I can make all kinds of excuses and reasons for my failures, but that does not keep the rooster from crowing.

When Jesus looks at me, what does He see? A person who has failed again, or someone whom He loves in spite of my weakness? I can't help but believe that it is a tender look, a look that says, "I know you failed, but the Father has plans for you in the future." That look should cause me to weep, not just because of my own personal weakness, but because I have failed the Lord Jesus.

This is not the end of the story. Jesus eventually welcomed Peter back and gave him a mission for life in chapter 21. Oh, the grace of the Lord Jesus. He loves me in spite of my failures. But still, I listen for the rooster to crow.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE POWER OF JESUS' WORDS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE POWER OF JESUS' WORDS

"Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, 'I am He,,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (John 18, 23-6)

There is power in the words of Jesus. All He had to say was "I am He" and the soldiers fell to the ground.

The words, "I am He," are the translation of the Greek "ego emi" which is simply translated "I am." The word He is added by the translators. "I AM" is the name that God used for Himself when He revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus. When Moses asked His name, God answered, "I am Who I am. Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent Me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14). Jesus was identifying Himself as the "I AM," that is, as God.

This was not the first time that Jesus claimed to be the "I AM." When Jesus was speaking to the woman at the well, He claimed to be the Messiah when He said, "I who speak to you am He" (John 3:26). And in a dialogue with the Jewish leaders, He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58).

When God – the I AM – speaks, things happen. When He spoke the words, the heavens and the earth were created. When He spoke, the storms were stilled. When He spoke, the lame were healed and the blind could see. When He spoke, the demons trembled. At His voice, Lazarus came back to life.

His word is still powerful today. He does speak. He speaks to us through the Scriptures and through the Holy Spirit. There is power in His Word.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SOMEONE IS PRAYING FOR YOU

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – SOMEONE IS PRAYING FOR YOU

" 'I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word." (John 17:20)

John Chapter 17 has been called the High Priestly prayer of Jesus. On the night before His betrayal and crucifixion, He prayed for His disciples that God had given Him. He prayed that God would keep them, that none of them would be lost, that God would keep them from the evil one, that God would sanctify them in the truth, and that they would be one, united in their faith.

But He prayed for more disciples than were present with Him on that night. He prayed for everyone who would believe in Him through their witness. That includes you and me in the 21^st Century.

There is a Gospel song that says, "Someone is praying for you." I have questioned this message. I know that there have been people in my past who prayed for me. My parents, I'm sure. And then there was Sister Blatchley. When I was in my first pastorate, this dear prayer saint from my home congregation encouraged me by telling me that she prayed for me.

But I don't know if anyone in this world is praying for me now. As I consider the message of this song, I do know that Someone is praying for me. He not only prayed for me in His High Priestly prayer, but He is praying for me now. Scripture teaches us that as our Great High Priest, He ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).

Not only that, but the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, and His prayers are effective because He intercedes according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).

So I think I'll change the words of the song. "Jesus is praying for me" Thank God, Someone, with a capital "S," is praying for me.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE GREAT ADVANTAGE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE GREAT ADVANTAGE

" 'Nevertheless I tell you the truth, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will Not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you....However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.' " (John 16:7, 13-14)

Sometimes I think it would be so wonderful if I could have been one of the disciples of the Lord Jesus while He was here in an earthly body. How wonderful it would have been to hear Him speak such great things, and perform such wonderful miracles. But in reality, as believers in the Lord Jesus in the 21^st century, we have a great advantage over the Old Testament Saints, and even the disciples who were alive when Jesus walked on this earth.

If Jesus had not died, rose again, and returned to Heaven, He would still be here in His physical body. That means that He would be limited to one place at one time. That is why it was so important that He should return to the Father – so He could send the Holy Spirit. We have His presence in the Person of the Holy Spirit. He is not limited by time or space.

It also means that Christ Jesus, by His Spirit, can dwell within us, which would be impossible if He was still in His earthly body. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and He lives within us. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus, and to illuminate the thing of Jesus to our hearts.

We do have a great advantage. We can glory in the Presence of the Lord Jesus in us. His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the Paraclete, the Helper, the Comforter. How blessed we are.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- TROUBLED IN SPIRIT

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – TROUBLED IN SPIRIT

"When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.' " (John 13:21)

In this short verse, we get a glimpse into the humanity of Jesus. He was troubled in His spirit. To be troubled is to be agitated, to have inward unrest, to be stirred up, like boiling water. We all know what it feels like to be troubled.

This feeling of being troubled in his spirit was not a new experience for Jesus. Just a short time earlier, Jesus had visited the tomb of his dear departed friend, Lazarus. He saw the grieving of the remaining loved ones. "Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled" (John 10:33).

Just knowing that the cross was the Father's plan for our salvation, nor the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 13:2), did not mitigate His abhorrence of the physical and emotional pain He would suffer. He did not want to go through that suffering and He had previously told His disciples, " 'Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour' " (John 12:27).

Now, in the upper room, He had just told His disciples "He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me" (vs. 18). Now He tells them plainly, " 'One of you will betray me.' " How difficult that must have been for the Master, who had poured His life into his disciples whom He loved – that one of His close associates would betray Him to death. If you have ever been betrayed by a close friend, then you might understand some of the turmoil Jesus was feeling.

Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before He was arrested, He was struggling with this, when He said to His disciples, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death," and prayed, "Father, let this cup pass from Me" (Matthew 26:38-39). It was bad enough that He knew that He was going to be beaten, humiliated, and crucified, and on top of that to bear the sins of the world. Add to this the knowledge that He was about to be betrayed by one of His disciples. That is heaping pain upon pain.

Scripture says that the Lord Jesus was tested in all points just as we are. He knows what it means to have agony of spirit. When we are troubled in our spirits, we can go to Him. He is there and we can commit it to Him.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself." (John 13:3-4)

Jesus had a supreme knowledge of Who He was. He knew that He had come from God and would shortly be returning to God. It was not a pride thing with Jesus. He simply had a keen awareness of His role in God's great plan of Salvation. He knew that the Father had given all things into His hands.

It was this settled knowledge of Who He was that allowed Himself to take up a towel to wash His disciples' feet – to take the role of a servant. People cannot be servants unless their self-identify is secure. If they don't have that sense of self, they have to keep proving themselves. Anything that would demean them – such as being a servant – must be avoided. This was not an issue with Jesus. He did not have to prove anything. He could even wash His betrayer's feet.

When we look at relationships in our world, we see the games people play to make themselves look better. "One-up-man-ship" is the normal way of life for many people, whether in family, in business, in politics, and sadly, even in church. If I can put someone else down to make me look higher or better, then that is what I must do to protect my self-esteem.

The person who is secure in his own self-image – who understands who he is and why he is here – does not have to play these games. But here's the rub. Our self-esteem or self-awareness cannot come by comparing ourselves with other people. It must come from our position in God.

Knowing that I am accepted by God, that I am a child of God, that God loved me so much that Jesus gave His life for me, and that He has a great plan for my life, helps me know who I truly am. There is no greater calling, so I don't have to put down other people down in order to "look" better. As the Apostle Paul said, "I am what I am by the grace of God" (I Corinthians 15:10).

If God has accepted me in the Beloved, then I need to accept myself as His child because of His great mercy and grace. There is no higher calling. I am what I am in Christ.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE PRAISE OF GOD

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE PRAISE OF GOD

"Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:42-43)

There were some people of political and religious stature who believe in Jesus, but because of fear of being banned from the synagogue, they were reluctant to be public with their faith. It is not always easy to go against the crowd and confess our faith in the Lord Jesus. There is a lot of pressure to conform to the norms of the unbelievers who are antagonistic to Jesus. We don't want to be "put out of the synagogue" – that is to be relegated to the place of an outsider. It is so much easier to just keep quiet.

We have to make the decision: Are we more concerned about what people think of us than about pleasing God? Sometimes, there is no middle ground. Either we curry the favor of unbelievers or we desire the praise of God.

It is a sobering thought, but Jesus said, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).

The praise of men is so transient. It often does not last very long. The praise of God is eternal. It will last while the praise of men withers. Being accepted by God is of greater value than being accepted by people. But somewhere along the line, we have to declare our faith publicly, even if it does not make us popular with the crowd.

Love, Dad