MEDITATION ON JOHN’S GOSPEL # 1 & 2

John 1:1–18

The Prologue

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Carefully read the passage of Scripture. Reread it.
6. From memory, determine the central points.
7. John the Apostle, brother of James, father Zebedee, mother Salome, who may be the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, writes about 95 CE a “Gospel” aimed at the Graeco-Roman world. John is an evangelist, pastor, and teacher, all at once. His name John means “the one whom Yahweh loves.”
8. The prologue begins with a quote from Genesis 1:1 and announces that the Logos (Word), who is God, was at the very beginning (of creation), and is in fellowship with God.
9. The Word was and is, for that is the intent of the Greek verb of being, “‘nv”, was. Impossible that God could be and then not be.
10. The Stoics and the Gnostics, both popular philosophical schools at the point in time, employed the term Logos (Word) to refer to an ultimate, hidden, truth, wisdom, and reason. John announces that this Logos is no longer hidden.
11. Salvation was then, and now is, the only great thing, and this comes to us in the person of the Logos. Indeed, salvation is only by means of the Logos, through believing in the Logos.
12. The great event is that in Jesus, the Logos has become flesh, even dwelling among people in the real world. The Logos is the only Son of the Father. “Only Son” monogenous in Greek, refers to that which is utterly unique in that there is none other like Him. This Son is full of “grace and truth.”
13. Tying the Logos to the Hebrew Bible, John the Apostle quotes John the Baptist, thus the weight of this witness who tied the Jewish Scripture to Jesus Himself.
14. Jesus makes the God who has not been seen known.

GOSPEL MEDITATION

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, part 2

Matthew 3:11; 28:19–20; John 20:21; Acts 4:23–31

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. John the Baptist, from day one of Jesus’ public ministry declares that Jesus will baptize “in” the Holy Spirit.
8. John baptized in water, Jesus will baptize in the Spirit. And most commentators say this means being placed into water and thus into the Holy Spirit. This is an indwelling but also an empowering.
9. Jesus’ directions for His followers is that we are to “Go” and make disciples per Matthew 28:19–20.
10. Disciple making involves both evangelism and teaching. The “new born” is to be cared for, taught, that he or she might grow up into the stature of the fullness of Christ—a life long process.
11. In John 20:21, Jesus states that just as He was sent by the Father, so He sends us out into the world also. In a very real sense then all of us are to be apostolic, sent ones to preach that the kingdom has arrived.
12. And so that we might be equipped to do this work, and to do it boldly, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
13. After Peter and John were released by the Temple authorities, though warned to stop preaching about Jesus, they continued nevertheless.
14. Meeting with that first congregation, Acts 4:23–31, Peter and John reported what they had experienced. After a prayer, the room they were in was shaken and they received a second Pentecost, they were again filled with the Spirit. Spirit#2

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 17

The Paradox of the Lord’s Supper

John 6:41–59 (also see Exodus chapters 16 & 17)

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. As recorded in John 6:35 we find Jesus saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” This, one of the seven “I am” statements in John’s Gospel, sets the tone for this meditation.
8. The leaders of Israel “grumbled” when they heard Jesus’ statement. Just as the Jewish leaders grumbled about the manna and the water from the rock as found in Exodus 16 and 17.
9. Jesus, this young man from Galilee, plainly states that He alone is the savior who has been sent down from heaven just as the manna was sent down from heaven during the Exodus.
10. For a second time Jesus states that He is the bread that came down form heaven. At the time of the Exodus, the “fathers” ate the manna yet died.
11. In stark contrast however, Jesus is the bread that came down from heaven, which bread when received brings everlasting life.
12. Jesus says to His listeners, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
13. This powerful metaphor, and of course not to be taken literally as cannibalism was anathema to Jews, points to the crucifixion of Jesus where His body is killed and His blood is shed.

Paradoxes of the Bible # 15

The Paradox of Striving and Resting

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians is focused on the resurrection. Paul reminds the Church at Corinth about the gospel he preached to them, which is says is saving them but warns them to “hold fast.”
8. Here is the paradox then, we are fully and completely safe in Christ yet we are to hold fast, strive and rest at the same time.
9. Paul then goes on to remind the Corinthian brothers and sisters of what he proclaimed to them. First that Jesus died for our sin, was buried, was raised from the dead, then appeared to them, and even to Paul himself.
10. Though “least” among Jesus’ followers, he received a complete welcome into the Church of God.
11. It was all of grace, complete salvation; Paul did not save himself.
12. The result of Paul’s salvation was that he “worked harder than any of them.” He did not work in order to achieve salvation, that was a done deal. No, the grace he experienced spurred him on to be the evangelical missionary he was.
13. Even the hard work that characterized Paul’s life, this too was all due to the grace of God, a gift given.
14. There is no greater gift, after salvation, than to be able to strive for all we are for the cause of Jesus.
15. By this time Paul had experienced much opposition from those who hated Jesus. Paul, undeterred, pushes on despite it all.
16. Every Christian can have this testimony to leave behind.

Paradoxes of the Bible # 15

The Paradox of Striving and Resting

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians is focused on the resurrection. Paul reminds the Church at Corinth about the gospel he preached to them, which is says is saving them but warns them to “hold fast.”
8. Here is the paradox then, we are fully and completely safe in Christ yet we are to hold fast, strive and rest at the same time.
9. Paul then goes on to remind the Corinthian brothers and sisters of what he proclaimed to them. First that Jesus died for our sin, was buried, was raised from the dead, then appeared to them, and even to Paul himself.
10. Though “least” among Jesus’ followers, he received a complete welcome into the Church of God.
11. It was all of grace, complete salvation; Paul did not save himself.
12. The result of Paul’s salvation was that he “worked harder than any of them.” He did not work in order to achieve salvation, that was a done deal. No, the grace he experienced spurred him on to be the evangelical missionary he was.
13. Even the hard work that characterized Paul’s life, this too was all due to the grace of God, a gift given.
14. There is no greater gift, after salvation, than to be able to strive for all we are for the cause of Jesus.
15. By this time Paul had experienced much opposition from those who hated Jesus. Paul, undeterred, pushes on despite it all.
16. Every Christian can have this testimony to leave behind.

Paradoxes of the Bible # 14

The Paradox of Prayer

Matthew 6:5–8; Romans 8:26–27; Philippians 4:4–7;

Hebrews 4:14–16; 1 John 1:1–4.

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. In Genesis we find the first humans in fellowship with their Creator. Face to face in the garden then all was lost and the direct connection was severed.
8. Then followed untold millennia with only commands and attention to the details of sacrifice at the temple with priests as intermediaries. Still no personal fellowship.
9. When the right time arrived, Jesus, by means of His person and work, made it possible to have a direct and personal connection with God. So personal that God the Holy Spirit actually indwelt those sons and daughters.
10. We find then that God knows our needs before we ask Him while at the same time we are called to ask in any case.
11. We also find that the Holy Spirit, living and abiding in each follower of Jesus, also prays for that follower with groans or words that are inexpressible. Truly incredible.
12. We will ask however, why would the Creator God desire to have intimate fellowship with those who sin against Him? This drives us to the mystery of the love of God, yet we are told, “For God so loved the world.” And it is here that we find the call to prayer.
13. Lovers most enjoy being able to be in close fellowship with each other, to talk at the deepest levels, to reveal all that can be revealed.
14. So then, by means of prayer we have personal fellowship with our God. And this is but the beginning. At the end of the age, we will be in face to face communion once again.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit # 1

The Empowering

Matthew 3:11 and Acts 1:8

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. As born anew followers of Jesus we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the very moment of conversion.
8. It is so that we are never alone, Jesus is with us through every event of our lives.
9. This is what was prophesied by Jeremiah in 31:31-34 and Joel in 2:28-29.
10. John the Baptist indeed baptized in water, but the One he proclaimed as coming after him would baptize with, or in, the Holy Spirit. We see this in Matthew chapter 3.
11. Upon conversion, it is biblical and normative then to be baptized in water, that is, to be immersed in water. It is an ordinance that announces our conversion, the dying to sin and self and rising to be followers of Jesus.
12. The Baptism in or with the Holy Spirit, or to put it another way, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, may occur at conversion but also at another point in time. This baptism is to give the Christian power to be evangelical. There may be many such.
13. This baptism is not for the purpose of being above sin or being enabled to speak in tongues—an understanding that prevails yet today. God gives us spiritual gifts, certainly, but the baptism of the Spirit is something different.
14. It is very clear in Scripture that the Spirit of God empowers us to be a witness, to be an evangel, to bold proclaim the full Gospel of Jesus Christ.
15. Are Christians to seek this? Yes indeed we are that we might do the work we have been called to.

Paradoxes of the Bible #12

The Two Messiahs

Messiah Son of David and Messiah Son of Joseph

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Two Messiahs are described in the Scripture, that is, two different roles for the Anointed One, that is the meaning of the Hebrew word, messiah. And one comes before the other.
8. First is the arrival of the “suffering servant of Israel” or Messiah Son of Joseph. Joseph because of the eleventh son of Jacob is Joseph. This Joseph was his father’s favorite and thus his brothers despised him, sold him into slavery in Egypt. Then Joseph is falsely accused and thrown into prison. Miraculously he is delivered from prison, becomes second only to the Pharaoh in authority, and ends up saving God’s people from starvation.
9. We see this “suffering servant” very clearly in Psalm 22 and Isaiah chapters 52 and 53.
10. Jesus perfectly fulfills the Hebrew Bible’s depiction of the Anointed One by His rejection by His people, His death, burial, and resurrection.
11. Messiah Son of David—so named from King David—the great king of Israel, the model for the messiah who is to come.
12. We see this second messiah described in Isaiah 9:6–7. The child’s name to be born will be “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
13. The prophet Jeremiah, chapter 23:5, states, “Behold, the days are coming…when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king.”
14. Messiah Son of Joseph has come, and will one day return as Messiah Son of David, the conquering champion of God.

The Real Valentine’s Day

I do not remember ever liking Valentine’s Day. And as time goes on, I have liked it less and less. And why do I say this?

As a kid in elementary school in Portland, Oregon, it was a contest to see who got the most cards. Usually I did not fare well in this. The result was I felt left out. Then in high school, it was worse. Since I was a ‘homely’ kid, I rarely saw any cards.

Over the decades then, the mere sight of Valentine Day displays in the stores has brought me down, and an old sadness creeps over me. Wish I could get past this, but I seem unable to do so.

Then as a pastor, I tend to worry about all those in the congregation, as well as others who are not thrilled with the day. Even at this moment I think of those who may feel unloved, or uncared for, and the same old sadness comes around.

his year, however, I must admit to some progress, due largely to working on a sermon I will preach this coming Sunday, February 17, at Miller Avenue Church. It has to do with the paradox of faith. On the one hand, we are elect and called by God who gives us the gift of faith. On the other hand, we are told to believe in Jesus in order to have salvation.

So, which is it? Is it election, and nothing to do with us, or must we believe in Jesus also? I am convinced it is both at once. This is the ultimate paradox, and it is unavoidable. Let me illustrate this with two passages. First:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Right, the most quoted passage in the Bible, John 3:16. What does Jesus mean here? God loves the world, and world in the Greek is cosmos, meaning God loves all of His creation and we are part of it. And yes, the word love in the Greek is agape. Then, Jesus states, “whoever believes in him” meaning that faith/belief (they are the same word in the Greek) is necessary—we must believe. Then second:

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30)

My point on this Valentine’s Day is that God loves us. He loves us and wants us to believe in His Son Jesus, who died in our place so that our sin may be forgiven and we would be in His presence forever. As the Apostle John said, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

(Propitiation means that Jesus died in our place.)

All loves are either fleeting or they end all together. But not so with the love God has for us. This love is solid and lasts forever.

Here, my dear friends, is my valentine message to each of you.

Kent Philpott

February 14, 2019

Paradoxes of the Bible #11

The Paradox of Faith

John 6:28-29

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. A study of Scripture reveals there is a paradox at the heart of the doctrine of salvation or conversion.
8. On the one hand we see that the saved have been predestined or elected to this salvation. We see it in Romans 8:30 whereby we are predestined, called, justified, and glorified. God elects us from eternity, then calls us, that is we have an interest in Jesus, then utterly saves us, forgiving us of all sin, and finally glorifies us, that is, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
9. However, we also must note the command to believe in Jesus, believe in His name. To believe in His name is to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed Messiah, is the Word become flesh, fully God and fully man, and that in His death on the cross, He took all of our sins upon Himself, dying in our place.
10. Indeed, it is the work of God to believe in Jesus. In John 6 is found one of the “I Am” sayings of Jesus. Here He states that He is the Bread of Life, that Bread we must eat or we die.
11. Those who heard Jesus speak that day asked Him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Here is His answer: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29).
12. We then are called to present both sides of this paradox though they seem to us to be diametrically opposed to each other. This is surely beyond our understanding!

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 9

The Paradoxes of the Bible— Perfect-Sinners

Colossians 2:6-15 & 1 John 1:8-2:2

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. That we are sinners, that is, we have broken God’s commandments, is plain enough to nearly everyone.
8. Reading our passage in Colossians 2, we find that though we had been “dead in our trespasses,” God “made us alive.” The entire record of our sinning has been cancelled. These “he set aside nailing it to the cross.”
9. No good work can cancel sin; only the Holy God can do so. And He does so all at once, in a moment; every single transgression, trespass, and sinful act gone forgotten, buried. As Jesus was buried, along with Him, all our sin was buried too. We humans will never, on the planet at any rate, ever comprehend this awesome truth fully.
10. We live in time and space; the Triune God does not. We experience our sinfulness daily and thus need, and for our good health, both physical and spiritual, to have the refreshing that comes with confession and forgiveness.
11. John, the aged apostle, knew this to the core and gave us the wonderful words found in his first letter. 1 John 1:8-10 presents the fact that we sin though having been totally forgiven already. We do not hide the fact that we are yet sinners, but we confess it, to ourselves, others, and to God.
12. John writes that his readers do not sin. “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” The “If” is a third class condition meaning that we most likely will sin.
13. But we do not despair. We have no righteousness of our own. It is Jesus who is righteous, and as our lawyer, advocate, counselor, we are in Him and totally forgiven.