You’ve probably heard the saying, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.”
That saying is not exactly scripture, but the truth is that man sins, and God forgives.
So, when it comes to the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well, you see the Lord’s divine nature as He confronts her sin, then discusses worship while calling her and her entire community to faith. In that series of events, we see the Lord’s commitment to salvation, His divine knowledge, and His declaration that He is the Christ.
The interesting thing about this account in scripture is Jesus “must needs go through Samaria (John 4:4).” The fact that the Lord not only went through Samaria, but that He had an intense purpose for going through Samaria bucked every convention of that day.
When traveling between Judea and Galilee, most Jews crossed the Jordan river and traveled on the East Side of the river to avoid the Samaritans. There was a deep divide between the Samaritans and Jews that was as much ethnical as it was cultural. This division dated back to the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, as the Israelites were returning to the Holy Land following the Babylonian captivity.
But, Jesus “must needs go through Samaria.” He needed to go. He was compelled to go.
When He meets the woman at the well, we find out why. He was there because there were lost souls in Samaria, completely written off by the Jewish society at the time, who were seeking salvation.
In His desire to go to Samaria, we see the Lord’s commitment to salvation.
Then, we see His divine knowledge. He knew the woman would be there. He knew everything about her. Further, He knew that this visit would lead to the salvation of many souls in Samaria.
Then, the Lord declared plainly to the woman that He was the Christ. When the woman said, “I know that when Messiah comes He will tell us all things,” Jesus replied, “I that speak to thee am He.”
While most sermons focus on the lost condition of the woman and her journey to faith, in this episode of Ancient Scrolling, we examine how this divinely appointed meeting demonstrates the deity of Christ.
The Pharisees were raised to believe that when the Christ came, He would go to the righteous, bless them, condemn the wicked, and defeat Israel’s enemies. At the time Christ came, the main enemy was the Roman Empire.
So, the Pharisees were looking for a messiah who would be a great military commander, a conquering hero, and one who observed the religion the same way they did.
However, Jesus defied those expectations. He didn’t come as a conquering hero, but yet a humble servant, a compassionate man committed to redeeming the lost people of Israel, and one who spoke God’s truth, which often ran contrary to the Pharisees’ traditions.
Jesus was the Only Begotten Son, the divine God in flesh, Who came to fulfill God’s promises of redemption. However, He didn’t fit the mold that the Pharisees wanted Him to fill, so they rejected Him.
But, there was still Nicodemus. Nicodemus saw the miracles and signs Jesus performed, but struggled to reconcile Jesus as being Christ with the preconceived notions of Who Christ would be. Unlike HIs fellow Pharisees, however, Nicodemus had the wisdom to inquire and learn.
So, he met with Jesus by night. And the Lord told him about the new birth, about salvation, and about the crucifixion and resurrection. In this episode of Ancient Scrolling, we look at that epic meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus, and we learn the Lord’s truth from it.
The Apostle John is setting out to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was the only Begotten Son of God, and thus was the Christ, the Savior of mankind. In order to do that, he had to prove the divine nature of Christ, that He was God in flesh.
John wrote his account of the Gospel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish that goal. He opened his Gospel by demonstrating that Jesus was with God in the beginning, was God, and created all things. He referenced the ministry and testimony of John the Baptist to prove that point.
And then, in chapter 2, John records the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. This was something that could only be accomplished by one who was in control of the elements, Who could only be the creator of the elements in the first place.
While the miracle of the water into wine was not a public miracle, it did demonstrate the divine power of Christ. And those who were privy to the miracle not only witnessed the power of God firsthand, but also became believers.
Jesus would go on to turn the tables over in the Temple in Jerusalem, and perform many mighty miracles there. Those miracles captured the attention of one Nicodemus, who would meet with Jesus at night, setting the stage for the most consequential theological discussion in human history. Check out this episode of “Ancient Scrolling” to learn more.
Thirty years after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, many different theories and teachings on the nature and identity of Jesus surfaced. Most of these were wrong, and some were blasphemous.
For the Apostle John, these false doctrines being promoted about Jesus were personal. John knew the Lord personally, witnessed the miracles and earthly ministry of Jesus, and was at the foot of the cross while our Lord gave His life to pay the debt for our sin.
John was “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” So, it should come as no surprise that John took on the task of setting the record straight about Who Jesus of Nazareth was, that He was indeed the Christ, the only Begotten Son of God Who would take away the sin of the world.
In John 1, the Apostle John is laying out the case that Jesus of Nazareth was the divine Son of God Who created all things, was all powerful, Who was the Light of the world. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
He tells us that He became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father.
As he continues to make his case in John 1 that Jesus was the Christ, he incorporates the ministry of John the Baptist to prove the divinity and identity of Christ.
Not only did John the Baptist plainly declare that Jesus was the Christ, he proclaimed that Jesus had come to take away the sins of the world.
The Baptist’s statement, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world,” may not have a profound meaning to us without some theological training, for the people of John’s day, it was a bold statement.
“The Lamb of God” was a reference to the Old Testament practice of sacrificing lambs as a show of the forgiveness of sin that God offers. In pointing to Jesus as the Lamb of God, John proclaimed that the Lord would sacrifice Himself to take sin from the world once and for all. This, of course, was a prophecy about the coming crucifixion of Christ.
In this episode, we examine the ministry of John the Baptist, and how his ministry support’s the Apostle John’s position that Jesus of Nazareth was the divine Son of God, who would redeem His people by paying for the sins of the world with His very life.
The second season of “Ancient Scrolling” is kicking off with an in-depth exploration of the Gospel according to John.
In AD 65, some three decades after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, many in the Christian faith began to drift theologically. Several theories and doctrines about the identity of Christ surfaced, with many being wrong and others being outright blasphemous.
The Apostle John took this theological drift personally, as he not only knew Jesus personally, but was “The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.”
So, John endeavored to set the record straight. His efforts, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and thus being scripture and the word of God, are what we now know as “The Gospel according to John,” and “1st, 2nd, and 3rd John.”
In Episode 1, John sets out to establish the identity of Christ, and to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he stated that now is the judgment come, and now is the prince of this world cast out.
In essence, Jesus was saying that now is the moment, and this was Israel’s time. Time to see their Christ and Deliverer, time to turn to the Lord. However, they didn’t.
The reason Israel missed their moment is that, while they were looking for a messiah, they weren’t looking for God. In fact, they didn’t want God. They wanted their own kingdom.
Often, we make the same mistake. We miss heavenly opportunities because we don’t desire God. Rather, we desire our own kingdoms, and we desire God to bless our kingdoms.
Listen to today’s message as Pastor Leland Acker calls us to faith, and calls us to lay it all on the line for our Lord.
During an annual meeting of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, Pastor Bobby Sparks of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Greenville, Tex., preached that the glory of Christ is in the cross.
That statement drew dozens of “amens” from the congregation of pastors, deacons and church representatives, but it also prompted me (Leland) to study what glory is, and how the Gospel glorifies Christ.
The word “Glory” is translated from the Greek word, Doxa, which means to make renown, to cause to be well-known and well though-of, to magnify and to be great.
In this message, I discuss how the cross (and the Gospel as a whole) brings glory to the name of Christ, and how it should bring us glory as well.
Many Christians mistakenly define faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” That definition, which is a quote of Hebrews 11:1, doesn’t really tell you what faith is, rather it tells you what faith does.
Faith is a deep-rooted trust in the Lord and a deeply held conviction of His truth. Faith means having a belief that cannot be deterred by circumstance, blessing or curse.
When you hold this level of faith in the Lord, the intangible things of God no longer cause you to question His existence or goodness.
That’s why Hebrews 11:1, which kicks off an entire chapter demonstrating faith through the lives of the Old Testament saints, states that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Because we strongly believe in the Lord, He is real to us.
It’s not that faith can create a being and alter reality, but rather, because of our faith, we can see the unseen God move. We can see His work. And because we see His work and the effects of His working, we see further evidence of His existence, power and goodness.
It’s like Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:8, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
We don’t see the wind, but we know it exists because we feel its presence and we see the effects of its movements. Likewise, because we believe in God, we can feel His presence and see the effects of His movements.
This faith, in turn, shapes our worldview, which then influences our actions and our choices. It’s this faith that pleases God and guides us to where He wants us to be and what He wants us to do.
It’s this faith that gives substance (tangibility) to the things that we hope for, like Heaven, healing and peace. It’s this faith that shows us the proof (evidence) of the things of God that we do not see. And it’s this faith that helps us understand that God created all things by His word (Hebrews 11:3).
And it’s this faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:2, 6) and brings us salvation (John 3:16, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:8-9).
Do you trust the Lord? Do you have this level of faith?
John 12 records the powerful moment that Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with the expensive spikenard ointment, which John records was worth about 300 pence, approximately a year’s wage for a laborer.
Why would Mary pour such an expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet? That was the question posed by Judas, who noted that the ointment could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. While John notes that Judas was being dishonest about his intentions, Jesus answers the question.
“Against the day of my burying has she done this.”
This is Mary, the same Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus as He taught, while her sister Martha served dinner. This is Mary, who fell at the feet of Jesus when Lazarus died. And here is Mary, anointing the feet of Jesus.
It seems that every time we see Mary in the scripture, she is at the feet of Jesus. And why wouldn’t she be?
Jesus had given her hope. Jesus had given her redemption. Jesus had lifted her from a life of want, hopelessness and despair to a life of hope, fulness and meaning. Mary was truly living now that she met Jesus, even though her social and financial situation hadn’t changed.
So, since Jesus gave Mary everything that was dear to her, and since He became everything she was about, it makes sense that she worshipped Him with everything that she was, and everything that she had.
Do we see Jesus the same way that Mary does? And do we look to Him for hope, fulfillment and meaning? Or are we still looking to ourselves?
Check out Pastor Leland Acker’s sermon, posted above via YouTube, or below via Soundcloud, and reflect on whether you have the love and faith toward Jesus that Mary had, or whether you are looking for something for this world like Judas was.
Here’s a challenge for you… go to any Bible study, Sunday School class, or online Bible forum, and ask the question, “What is faith?”
You will get a variety of answers. One common answer is, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, thge evidence of things not seen.” That answer is a quotation of Hebrews 11:1. Your next step is to ask, “What does that mean?”
The tragedy of modern Western Christianity is that salvation comes by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but most don’t even know what faith is.
If we don’t know what faith is, how can we be saved? If we don’t understand faith, can we truly experience redemption and reconciliation?
In John 3, Jesus is approached by Nicodemus, who recognizes that Jesus was sent by God, but the Lord’s radical teaching of repentance and faith did not always line up with the religious traditions that Nicodemus followed.
Nicodemus, unlike his fellow Pharisees, wanted the truth. Recognizing that Jesus came from God, and that what Nicodemus believed didn’t line up with what Jesus taught, Nicodemus came to Jesus to reconcile his personal belief system with what God actually wanted.
Jesus knew this, which is why Jesus said that a man “must be born again” in order to be saved.
The rest of the conversation in John 3 is about how to be born again, that is, how to be saved, or how to be redeemed and reconciled to God. John 3 is one of the most important passages of scripture, because it is here that Jesus, the only Begotten Son of God who went to the cross to pay for our sins, tells us how to be saved.
These instructions on how to be saved are as valid and true to us today as they were to Nicodemus. Nothing has been added or changed since, for if it were, this passage would not have been recorded in scripture.
In John 3, telling us how to be born again, Jesus tells us that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” And just in case we confuse ourselves on what it means to believe, Jesus tells us (and Nicodemus) and Old Testament Bible story.
In John 3:14, Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
In this verse, Jesus references an incident from the book of Numbers, where Israel complained and rebelled against God. Because of the severity of their rebellion, the LORD sent what the King James Version refers to as “fiery serpents” into the camp. Fiery serpents were more than likely poisonous snakes, as the scripture described how they bit the people, and the people began dying.
As they died, they cried out to Moses for help. Moses prayed to God, and God told Moses to make a bronze serpent, place it on a pole, and set it up in the middle of camp. If anyone is bitten, they can look at that bronze serpent and live.
Being saved from the snake bites in Numbers was as simple as looking to that serpent on the pole. No sacrifices, no offerings, no religious works. Just a simple look.
In John 3, Jesus said in the same way, He was to be lifted up on the cross. And in the same way, if people look to Him on the cross, they will be saved. Looking to Jesus on the cross constitutes belief, because that is what you are depending on for your forgiveness and salvation. Because Jesus went to the cross, you know you have been redeemed and reconciled to God.
Belief in Jesus is as simple as looking to Jesus and remembering that He redeemed you through His death on the cross. And that belief is the ONLY condition that must be met in order to be saved.
Faith and belief are used interchangeably in the New Testament. They are both translated from the same Greek word. So, with that in mind, we conclude that faith simply means a belief, a trust in the Lord. We have faith because we believe that Jesus will receive us into Heaven, because He paid for our sins on the cross. That’s faith. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Faith is not a religious system. Faith is not an expression of religious works (on the contrary, your works reveal whether or not you have faith.) Faith is belief.
Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that He died on the cross for your sins? Can you look to Him on that cross and know that because of His death and resurrection, you are going to Heaven? If you can, and if you have done that, you have been saved, and you have become a Christian.
While that faith will change the way you live and think, please know and be assured that it is the faith that has saved you.
The Point... 