Sermon nuggets Tues Sept 2
Theme Love Talk
Verse John 13:31-32 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.
32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
Love Begins with God
There is the glory of the Father and the Son. God the Father is glorified in the Son and God will glorify the Son in himself. We notice in these verses the importance of the glory of God and of His son, Jesus Christ. The very purpose for which we exist is to give glory to God. God’s glory is wrapped up in His attributes-His love, mercy, grace, wisdom, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence reflect and declare the glory of God. And at the cross the attributes of God was manifest as it had never been before. The power of God was made visible on the cross.
The kings ofthe earth and rulers of the earth took counsel together against God and against Christ. The sin nailed Jesus to a cross. The hatred of Satan put forth his best effort. The world, Satan and every demon threw all the power they had a Christ and he overcame it all. In death He broke every bond and every power of Satan forever. Love, mercy, grace, and wisdom as well is best demonstrated at the cross.
Before Jesus leaves He has this love talk. But the amazing story of Jesus is the He shows love has always been initiated by God. We love because He first loved us. The relationship has been personal because Jesus initiated. He looks on these men as his little children. The wonderful truth is notonly are we children of God but also those born into his family by faith are considered brothers and sisters because we have the same father.
I think of those days when I called my boys “my little children”. I haven’t called them that for years for they are bigger than I am. There was a time when I was the delight of their preschool life. They couldn’t wait for me to come home and protested when I left. Ah….those were the days.
But just like time came for me to leave home and grow independent of my folks, so it is with “my little children.” But when do we become independent of our Lord? Never. We delight in His presence. We would despair to see Him go. Jesus will be leaving his little children. Upon Him they so desperately depend.
The disciples have grown to love Jesus and wanted to be around Him wherever He goes. He is preparing them for His departure and tells them they cannot follow him now, but He'll be back and then will take them with Him.
Perhaps Jesus is speaking ofhis death. Perhaps he is referring to the ascension and the place of being with his Father and leaving them behind for now. I vote for the later, but knowing this separation will bring grief, He wants them to know they are and always will be family.
John 1:12 says, “For as many as received him He gave the right to become sons of God even to those who believe on his name." We are made into Jesus family by faith. It is by the seed of the Holy Spirit We are made alive and this new pure love is granted to us and in us.
The story is told often of King James V of Scotland who would roam among his subjects in disguise. On one such journey through the Highlands he came with a friend to an inn. He sat at the common dining table and ate with other travelers. As he and his companion went upstairs to their room, a man who had sat at the table questioned the innkeeper. "Who is the taller of those two men gone upstairs?" the innkeeper replied, "Father John of Ballengeuch".
The man replied,"Father John nothing, I know him, my eyes deceive me not, he is Royal James."
Jesus was disguise, but now He is being revealed to His family in a whole new way.
Eph 5:2 "Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children andlive a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for usas a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Pastor Dale
