Author: SFJ Bible

Acts 1

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying¹ with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with² the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.³

15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong⁴ he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

  “‘May his camp become desolate,
    and let there be no one to dwell in it’;

and

  “‘Let another take his office.’

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Footnotes

[1] 1:4 Or eating

[2] 1:5 Or in

[3] 1:14 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 15

[4] 1:18 Or swelling up

(ESV)

John 21

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

21:1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards¹ off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers² that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Footnotes

[1] 21:8 Greek two hundred cubits; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

[2] 21:23 Or brothers and sisters

(ESV)

Going Deeper

Jesus Understands Betrayal (9-27-14)

Grab your bible and let’s go deeper into John 18

Before we jump into the text, the good news we must cling to is the fact that for those in Christ, we have an Lord who not only gets what we are going through, he has been through many of the hard things we face or will face.  Things like temptation, sadness, betrayal, injustice, pain, and death.

Read: Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus took on flesh.  He came here to be our great High Priest.   His coming alone is amazing!  But he didn’t just come!

He came and took on the everyday struggles and temptations and betrayals that you and I face.   He relates!  He understands.

This is a grace we do not deserve!   For those who with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, we receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Today I want to help us look at how Jesus relates to a very sensitive subject: BETRAYAL!

Before we look to the betrayal of Jesus, what is betrayal?

Betrayal: to be unfaithful, to deliver to or side with an enemy; to violate trust or confidence once held between two parties

One of the most common phrases that people say about betrayal is, “I was stabbed in the back.”  This comes from the understanding that you don’t turn your back on your enemies. The only people you let close or stand behind you are your friends, “people who have your back.”  So, when someone you trust betrays you, they stabbed you in the back. They hurt you when you trusted them.   As a result of many years of doing counseling, I know that some of the deepest wounds many of people carry with them are related to betrayal.  That is what makes this “going deeper” so important.

The most famous betrayal of all time is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. We don’t know much about Judas or his back story.  We do know that one day Jesus hand picked him to be one of his 12 core group to spend the next 3 years living life together. That means when Jesus was preaching and teaching, Judas was there. When demons were cast out, and people were healed, Judas was there. Judas ate his meals and walked the road with Jesus for three years. Take a second and think of the last person you spent everyday with for three years.  A spouse, brother, high school best friend…do you see my point? Just because Jesus knew Judas would betray him doesn’t mean they didn’t spend solid time together and that his betrayal wasn’t incredibly hard.

Read John 18: 1-11

Can you imagine how the disciples felt in that moment?   This was a betrayal of them as well. You’re a team. You’re together. You share intense life experiences, lots of time together over the course of multiple years, and then one of you absolutely does the unthinkable?  I’m sure the disciples were just stunned.

The betrayal for Jesus gets worse because the other accounts of Jesus’ arrest conclude to say, “Then all the disciples left him and fled.”  Not only was Jesus betrayed by Judas, he was betrayed and abandoned by his entire crew!  It is likely that you too, have been abandoned by people close to you; a parent, a spouse, a brother in the club maybe. The disciples had just finished promising Jesus that they would never leave his side. Isn’t this is a testament to mankind!  This is why our ultimate hope cannot be in family, marriage, friendships, work relationships or brothers in the club.  WHY?  Because people will let you down! The best intentions of man won’t keep him from becoming unfaithful because of the flesh.  The fact is:  People in your life will let you down.

Only God is always faithful and will truly never leave us or forsake us.   His word is the one truth we have to stand on in a selfish world. Everyone else will let you down. While Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is most famous, don’t miss the fact that every one of the disciples fled and choose in the end to save themselves instead of standing up for their friend.

Jesus is then arrested and run through a series of false trials in the middle of the night. While these late night Jewish Trials were taking place under the veil of darkness, we see that Peter and one other disciple followed the arresting crowd to the house of the High Priest.  In John 18:15-16 we read that they were able to get into the house.  What a prime moment for Peter to stand up for and defend his friend.

Read John 18:17-18 & 25-27

The betrayal continues with Peter’s denial that he even knew Jesus.  There is no greater betrayal than to be so very close to someone and then not acknowledge that you even know him.

I realize that some of the betrayal you have been through is incredibly painful.  For you, nothing hurts as bad as having  one who has been close to you utterly disown you for someone or something else. 

Understand this today:  You have a God who gets this!   JESUS RELATES!

My deep prayer for you today is that you allow this news to draw you nearer to a savior that has been there.   One who can relate to us better than anyone because not only has he been there, but he knows us inside and out…and therefore is our greatest support and help!

While many of us can relate in this story to Jesus and the pain we feel when betrayed by someone we love, have you ever stopped to think about how much we relate to Judas and the disciples as well? Maybe, as you read this you realize you have been the betrayer.   As a result, you carry a huge amount of shame and regret and guilt because of your unfaithfulness.

There are so many ways this plays out:  There are the obvious ones: cheated on a spouse, sold out a coworker, gave yourself to addiction instead of parenting your kids. These betrayals are extremely painful and real. But what about the more subtle betrayals?

– Silence can be a huge betrayal.  For instance, silence in a marriage or a relationship.  Maybe you are well practiced in not saying much of anything to your spouse. You wear a ring on your finger but you don’t really engage your spouse with the sacrificial love of Jesus and thereby you betray the intimacy and oneness God intends for you to share with your spouse.

– Laziness can be a huge betrayal.  We selfishly find ourselves taking the easy road in a work situation, or in your club duties, and thereby you betray the commitment you once made to faithfully give all you have as unto the Lord.

For those of you not convinced you relate to the betrayer, those of you thinking, “I have not done such a thing to someone I loved.  I am a faithful person.”  What about what we do to Jesus every time we sin and take what he has done for us for granted or purposely choose to deny his way and choose our own?  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23

The reality is, we have all participated in the greatest betrayal of all time. The betrayal of God’s deserved GLORY!  We betray God’s glory by trying to make our lives about ourselves.  This is the crux of our lostness, our sin, our deserved death. The reality is: There is a burden, a weight, a regret and remorse that we who have betrayed another carry with us. So, the imperative question we ask is, “What do we do with our tears of remorse?”

How did Judas feel about what he had done to betray Jesus? Well, what is good is he had great remorse, but what is tragic is he did not have repentance.   He felt bad, but he didn’t take up a new course in light of his confession.  Confession without repentance is still death.   Repentance is taking up a new path in light of the Gospel.

In contrast, Peter also betrayed Jesus by denying him three times. It says that he wept bitterly, that he was devastated, that he felt horrific about what he had done!  He too had remorse and was filled with regret. But, as soon as he heard Jesus was alive, after the resurrection, Peter ran to the empty tomb, looking for Jesus.

Read John 20:1-10

Peter wanted to see Jesus. He wanted to look Jesus in the eye. He wanted to tell Jesus that he was sorry, and he wanted to ask for forgiveness.  This is the sign of repentance.

A repentant heart is sorry for its error but doesn’t get swallowed by it.  It pursues a different path.  A new beginning.

True Repentance is surrender!  It is surrendering your current wrong path to get on the right one. True gospel repentance is huge. The grace of God through Christ’s death for our sin is the only motivation that leads you to hate the sin without hating yourself.

Later in scripture, we see that Peter did change. He was not a perfect man, but he was a changed man. Judas, on the other hand, had remorse, but not repentance.  He felt bad, but he never changed. Now, I must ask: Is this you?  You cry, and you feel bad, and you grieve the consequences, but if you don’t hate your sin, and if you don’t bring it to God and the people you’ve offended you will only know discouragement and despair.

Not dealing with your remorse is a serious thing.  I have seen it derail people for the worst.  Tear apart marriages, cause parents to walk out on their kids, lead to heavy drinking or drug use.  I have seen it cause people to retract from society and social life into their home, their bedroom, into false realities of TV, online gaming, and other false realities.   I have seen it cause faithful men in this club to walk out on the mission and brotherhood they once were so faithful to.

Rather than Judas saying he was sorry, he made a noose. Rather than making it right, he made it end. And he put a noose around his neck, and he jumped off a tree branch, and he hung himself. Acts records that his intestines burst out, and his guts came out of his body, and that’s the end of Judas Iscariot.  This is a picture of remorse, not repentance. Hear me today!   It’s not enough to just feel bad. You’ve got to bring your regret to God, and you need to be changed by the grace of God. You need to hear the Gospel today and let it change you at your core.

I have good News for you today!  If you have been betrayed, JESUS relates and he has made it possible to connect with you in such a way that he can heal and empower you to restore what is broken in the betrayals you have endured. If you have betrayed someone you love, Jesus is the only way you have the true power to repent and forgive and heal and take up a new path.   You need Jesus!

Praise God! Jesus saw his mission through to the end so that we could repent, believe and be saved!  Borrowing from the words of Joseph, Jesus can say, “My betrayers meant it for evil. God meant it for Good.”

Praise be to God.

By His grace and for His glory,

-Shepherd

Soldiers for Jesus MC

Bakersfield CA

John 20

The Resurrection

20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’¹ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,² “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,³ Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,⁴ was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Footnotes

[1] 20:7 Greek his

[2] 20:16 Or Hebrew

[3] 20:19 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time

[4] 20:24 Greek Didymus

(ESV)

John 19

Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified

19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews¹ answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic² Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.³ He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.⁴ But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

  “They divided my garments among them,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

The Death of Jesus

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus’ Side Is Pierced

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Jesus Is Buried

38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus⁵ by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds⁶ in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Footnotes

[1] 19:7 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verses 12, 14, 31, 38

[2] 19:13 Or Hebrew; also verses 17, 20

[3] 19:14 That is, about noon

[4] 19:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin

[5] 19:39 Greek him

[6] 19:39 Greek one hundred litras; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams

(ESV)