Reliable Truth

Do you want to be well? Do you want to be made whole? I find that there are so many people who are not well, and not healthy, and yet they are scared to death of the process that would be required to get well. I’ve seen this over the years often. I saw it with a guy that came to see me about his finances. He had pride, and he was having problems. He showed me his income, and he showed me his expenses, and I said, "This is a simple math problem. This is why you’re in trouble. You’re spending more than you are making." I told him, "This is what we need to do. You’re going to have to eliminate some things." I don’t think he liked that. He didn’t come back to see me again. He didn’t want to be financially healthy.In John 5:24 Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has crossed over from death to life." What is that worth to you? On that day? I contend that it is worth everything you’ve got.

What is your mission in life?As we continue in the book of John, in this study we see that this is the third time that we’ve seen Jesus contrast the physical with the spiritual. We saw that with Nicodemus, Jesus talks about his spiritual birth. And Nicodemus asks, "What do you mean? How do you go back in your mother’s womb and be born a second time?" He doesn’t get it. Then with the Samaritan woman Jesus starts talking about living water. She thinks He’s talking about something physical. Now as we read this, Jesus talks about having "other food." What is Jesus talking about? Jesus explains in John 4:34 that He has other food - that His food is the Will of God and accomplishing the work that God has for Him to do.Basically, Jesus is saying that we all have a window of time. We have each been given an allotted amount of time, and as we live this life, we are to do the work of God. And then Jesus says, in John 17:4, just before He’s taken, “Father, I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which You have given me to do.” Over the years, that verse has always intrigued me because it makes me wonder, was that just specific for Jesus? Does God have a work that He wants me to do?

What is the thirst of the soul?We are in John 4, discussing Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. It is a fascinating conversation. He’s focusing on the spiritual need in her life and she’s thinking about not having to come to this well to drag water back to her house every day. The thirst of the soul.I read an older sermon by Tim Keller, and he talks about the role of water in your body. He says that our body is 50% water, and that if you are deprived of water you will die of thirst and dehydration. It is a terrible way to die. Thirst is a physical deprivation because you are made of water, and therefore, you crave it, and you need it. In the same way, Jesus uses the term living water, to tell this woman, "Your soul is craving for something that you don’t have and I’m the only one who can give it to you. It comes from Me."Where are you looking to quench the thirst of your soul?

We live in a time where many people just want to emphasis God’s love. But really, how do we know that He is a God of love? Does history tell us?Over the centuries, human society has had a good understanding that he is a God of wrath, who is righteous and puts down rebellion, who holds up the law of righteousness.But who came up with this idea of a loving God, a forgiving God, a merciful God–a God who will forgive people who are terribly wicked?Where did that come from? It came from one place. It came from one person–the God of the Bible. One of my favorite words to describe what God has done for us is the word rescue. Colossians 1:13 says that He came to, “...rescue us from the domain of darkness.” and I Thessalonians 1:10 tells us to wait for "...Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come."He came to rescue us, but you have to want to be rescued. And to want to be rescued, you have to realize that your life is in peril.

Are you on a search for truth?Today we are studying John 3:1-15. In this familiar conversation that Jesus has with Nicodemus, we’re introduced to this great truth about being born again. The idea of a new birth. There is another word that Paul uses that means the same thing - regeneration. If you’ve ever read the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, it uses the words regenerate and regeneration a good bit. There are three definitions in Webster’s for regeneration: to generate and produce anew to change radically and for the better to be spiritually rebornWhat do you think of when you hear the term “born-again" Christian?Looking at our culture today, if you were to ask that same question to a random sampling of people, how do you think they would respond?Author Tim Keller said that: "The new birth means you are now able to sense the reality of things that before were nothing to you. You actually didn’t see the reality of them. The new birth is a new order of life in which you finally begin to sense the full reality of what’s out there in the Universe, and you can live and act in accordance with it." In Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Ephesus was, "God, I pray that You would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened." This is what God wants to give us through this new birth.

Today we're studying John chapter 2. It’s a quick read, and full of interesting details about Jesus. He spent 30 years of His life in a small, obscure village called Nazareth. The people in Nazareth didn’t even think much of Him, yet even at age 12, Jesus really had a good grasp of who He was and why He was there. He grew in wisdom and knowledge, and in favor with God and man.Hebrews 5 tells us that, "although Jesus was Son of God, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.” So, we learn that He suffered, and He learned obedience from all that He suffered. What do we know about His suffering?

When my oldest son was about nine, out of the blue he asked me, “Dad, why do you believe in God?” And I gave him all kinds of reasons. I said there are a lot of very good, rational, logical reasons to believe in God. Then I said, but, for me, ultimately, I believe in God because of Jesus. The Word becoming Flesh and dwelling among us.What is the reason for life?Author Tim Keller said, “The Designer has punched a hole in the roof of the world, and He has descended down into it in the person of Christ…You were built, all of us, not to just follow some philosophical principle or follow some law. You were built to know and love this divine person, Jesus. And when you know Him, and you serve Him, and you love Him, when you find out what He built you for, and you comply with it, and you submit yourself to Him, that’s when you find out who you really are, and you become the person you were meant to be.” Go back to John chapter 1, and substitute the word “reason” every time the verse says “the Word” when you read it.“In the beginning was the reason for life, and the reason for life was with God, and the reason for life was God, and the reason for life became Flesh and dwelt among us.” I think Paul says it best in Colossians 2:9-10, where he says, “for in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him, you have been made complete.”John is telling us that Jesus is the reason for life, and, in Him, we are made complete.

Richard joins Dr. Michael Easley to discuss Richard’s book Reflections on The Existence of God and the importance of evidence-based belief.Why is it important to have evidence to believe in?In this episode we'll look at these questions many of us have: How should we think about evil in a culture that loves evil?  What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose in living? What is the psychology of belief and unbelief? How is the person and work of Jesus Christ apologetic evidence?There are a lot of strong arguments for the existence of God, but two of the most compelling are the fine tuning of the universe and the person of Christ as the Son of God. We should each examine the evidence out there and strive to believe responsibly. What evidence have you found for the existence of God?Find out more about Richard's book Reflections on the Existence of God - ⁠Read Chapter 1 for free⁠.Dr. Easley’s experience in ministry spans four decades as a gifted Bible teacher and church leader. He was the 8th president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois  He shares a passion for ministry, a heart for people, and love of God.Michael Easley inContext wants to help you understand how God’s Word applies to the context of your life through interviews with subject matter experts, and men and women striving to obey Christ and His Word. This episode originally aired on Michael Easley inContext here.

Guest Paul Walker discusses four different people from the gospel of John, including seekers Nicodemus and an adulterous woman, and believers Thomas and Peter. They all share the desire to be in the 'inner ring'. The podcast explores the concept of the inner ring, the need for acceptance and love without condemnation, and the importance of being born again and having faith in Jesus. Love, forgiveness, doubt, and failure are also explored in relation to receiving love and grace from God.

All of us have certain pictures in our minds and in our hearts of how we want life to be. Our pictures are made up of people and circumstances.As long as reality and our pictures are somewhat in conformity, then life is good! Everything is going well! The problem arises when there's a gap between my picture and reality. And the greater the gap, the greater the pain and disappointment, the hurt, and just the craziness that comes into our lives. Sometimes our pictures just blow up. How do we respond to the storms when life blows up? The content for today's episode comes from a seminar I attended by Christian counselor and author Julie Sparkman. Check out her book Unhitching from the Crazy Train: https://www.amazon.com/Unhitching-Crazy-Train-Finding-Control/dp/1625915365/I greatly appreciate Julie's teaching on this subject. As I have used and applied these principles in my own life, God has impacted me in a deep way.