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the SEVEN #2: Healing of the Official's son

23/10/2015

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While travelling through Galilee, Jesus came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. 

There was a government official from Capernaum, whose son was very sick. When the official heard that Jesus had come, he begged Jesus to come to Capernaum – about 20 miles away - and heal his son, because he was about to die.

As the people watched Jesus said to them, ‘Unless you see miracles and signs you never believe’. But the official pleaded – 'Please come right now, before it is too late'. But Jesus told him ‘Go back home – your son will live’. And the man believed what Jesus said and started on his 20 mile journey.

When the man was part way home, some of his servants met him with the good news that his son was alive and well. He asked them when this happened, and they said ‘Yesterday at 1 o’clock’ – which was the exact moment Jesus had told him that his son would live.

He and his entire household believed in Jesus. This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did in Galilee after coming from Judea.
 
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the SEVEN #1: Water into wine

23/10/2015

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Jesus had called his very first disciples, and he was not yet well known.

The day after he called his disciples, there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were invited along to join in with the celebration.

During the festivities, while everyone was celebrating, the supply of wine ran out. This would cause great embarrassment so Jesus’ mother came to him and said “They have no more wine”. Jesus replied, “Dear woman, that’s not our problem – my time has not yet come”. But his mother knew something would happen, and told the servants “Do-whatever- he-tells-you”

Just across from where they were, were 6 large stone jars, normally used for ceremonial washing. Each of them could hold 20-30 gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water – right to the top”. So they did. And once they were filled, he told them “Dip in a cup, and take some to the Master of Ceremonies.”

The servants did what he said and the Master of ceremonies tasted it. He didn’t know where it had come from - though the servants knew exactly where it had come from! Once he had tasted it, he called the bridegroom over. He said to the bridegroom, “Normally a host serves the best wine first, and when everyone has had a lot to drink, then brings out the cheap wine. But you – you have saved the best until now!”

This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee, was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
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The Seven Signs

23/10/2015

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We are in John's Gospel for the next 7 weeks. The first half of John's gospel records a number of signs that Jesus gave, before the second half of the book looks at Jesus' journey the cross and the teaching he gave to his disciples as it approached.

John is like Luke - he is very clear about why he wrote his gospel. He writes this near the end of the book:
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Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
​John 20:30-31 NIV

So John records a number of signs - just a few of the many he could have chosen - in order to help us believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah-King.

Most people have identified seven different signs in the first half of John.  We will go through them one by one over coming weeks, and re tell them to one another as true stories, recorded to encourage us in our belief, and so that we might have life.
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Getting Real: THE BIBLE

12/10/2015

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So Living Confidently as a follower of Jesus... the Bible is key for us in this. So what can we say about it?

Having spent a number of weeks reading through Luke, individually and together, we looked at the final chapter - chapter 24. What an amazing account. Read it here.

After his resurrection, Jesus talked with two of the disciples as they walked along the road to a place called Emmaus, fed up and downcast with all that had gone on.

And on that walk, we see something of how Jesus saw the Bible - or more precisely, what we now call the Old Testament. The amazing thing is, he basically said that the whole bible is about him! Now we might expect that the New Testament is about him (which wasn't written down at that point) but he was talking about the Old Testament!

Here's what we looked at. These can be longer blog posts another time. But here's a summary.

1. Jesus' view - what did he think of the Bible?
He said it was all about him, starting from Moses and all the prophets. All of them! Everything was pointing to him as the culmination of it all. He says it is all telling one big story. We talked a lot about this conversation with the two disciples and the different parts of the Old Testament he would have been referring to. Wouldn't you love to have heard that conversation?

2. The Story - how does it hang together?
So the whole story is about him, as we read about the creation of a wonderful world; the sin and shame that came into the world and is the cause of all the brokenness; the hope of relationship and honour restored through sacrifices - and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus; the new creation of people of all nations gathered in God's kingdom one day. One overarching story, even though it was written over 1500 years by more than 40 authors, in 3 languages!

3. The Manuscripts - where do we get it all from?

There are more manuscripts, and older manuscripts than for any other ancient documents. We have Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic (the original languages) manuscripts which all demonstrate that the Bible has not been changed, and that what we hold in our hands today is reliable, and is what was first written.

4. The History - is it accurate and true?
Old manuscripts don't mean its true though. Does it fit with history? Yes it does. Many many archaeological discoveries confirm the times and events written about in the Bible. Sometimes there are events that people do not know about, and sceptics say it must have been made up - but it is not unusual to then find archaeological support in later times. For example, people were sceptical about the existence of Pontius Pilate (the governor who presided over the trial of Jesus Christ) until they found something with his name on. Likewise, Belshazzar, the king in the book of Daniel. But then stones unearthed referred to him, even explaining how he was co-regent with his father Nabonidus, who was often away, giving light to why Daniel was honoured in the 'third highest' position in the land.

5. The Message - does it have the 'ring of truth' about it?
This sounds subjective, but the question is - is this written as fiction? It is not how people wrote fiction in those days. 'Real life' style fiction is a modern development. It is clear the writers intended what they wrote to be understood as fact. And it's worth asking - would anyone have made this up? The odd details. The counter-intuitive reasoning. The way all its heroes are shown warts and all - only one standing out; Christ. And his path was to suffer and die. Who would make this up? Who could make it up? And who could then make the whole thing hang together as one story?

More on these things another time.

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Getting Real: JESUS

3/10/2015

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We're getting real! Learning to live confidently as followers of Jesus Christ.

As we have spent the last month in Luke's gospel, we have seen how Luke (doctor and historian) was deliberately setting out to report all the facts, so that people like us, as well as his first readers, could have confidence in what we believe.

We then thought about the importance of prayer, in the life of Jesus, and how his disciples were driven to ask him to teach them to pray - this is a huge part of living confidently as Jesus-followers.

And last week we looked across the gospel at many passages which simply leave us amazed at who Jesus was and is - things that make us go WOW!

People talked about the amazing things he did, like the miracles, but a lot of us noticed the profound answers he gave to difficult questions - especially when people were trying to trap him. We saw the way he was straight with people about life, and how people were struck time and time again by his authority - he spoke in a way which assumed he had the right to be acknowledged as supreme. In anyone else we would think it was madness. And yet in his case people saw that his life backed up his words.

Jesus knew there was lots of debate going on, so by the time we get to our focus passage, Luke 9 v18-27, he gathered his disciples, having withdrawn to pray (again), and asked them "who do the crowds say I am?"
They replied "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life"
"But what about you?" he asked, "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered "God's Messiah"

It is noticeable that none of the crowd thought he was an 'ordinary Joe'! They all knew that he was something more than normal, even resorting to ideas of ancient prophets coming back from the dead. But Peter saw it - he was the long awaited Messiah - God's man to come and rule.

They didn't understand all this would mean at that time, which is why in the following verses Jesus tells them not to tell anyone, and explains that this means going the path of suffering, death, and resurrection.

He then also tells them what it means for them. That those who would be his disciples must deny themselves, turning from their selfish ways as they take up their cross daily and follow him. In other words, be prepared to go the road less travelled; to suffer; to go as Jesus went. To give up your claim to run your life by your own rules, and have Jesus Christ truly lead you, in his ways.

A big ask. Is this a crazy dictator? Or is this the most loving, pure, compelling, wise, impressive, awesome, slightly scary, powerful, insightful, and caring person ever - saying that going his way is the right way?

Getting real about who Jesus is, helps us get clear about a load of stuff.

Three areas we talked about from Luke 9, as well as the other things we had read:  


IDENTITY - MISSION - DISCIPLESHIP

IDENTITY: Because we ARE followers of Jesus. That is who we are at the bottom line. We can get caught up in all kinds of institutional religious historical or factional confusion as people try and define what Christianity is or isn't. But the bottom line is, we are followers of Jesus Christ. That is who we are. (v23)

MISSION: We seek to love others as we love God, but we often get ourselves mixed up trying to figure out what the 'message' is. Well, again, bottom line - the message is HIM. It's Jesus. Its all about who he is. The gospel of Jesus Christ - the good news of Jesus Christ. He is God's Messiah (v20)

DISCIPLESHIP: If we are followers of Jesus, what does that mean? It means giving everything to him. Every part of life. Losing your rights to run your own life in order that you will find the true life that you were made for. Because the thing is, this is who we were always made to be - to be fully human is to live connected to our maker and Lord, and to flourish as we live life HIS way (v23-26)

When we walk this way, what we find is this: It is the best way.

Read the passage from
Luke's gospel online here.

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