Shownotes
Welcome to Day 2186 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
The Gospel of John – 40 – A Miraculous Resurrection – Daily Wisdom
Putnam Church Message – 11/20/2022The Gospel of John – Part 5: Vindication Of The Word – A Miraculous Resurrection
Today, we continue our series on the Good News according to John the Apostle. Last, we explored in detail the use of crucifixion as a means of capital punishment and John’s use of rich imagery, prophecies, and facts surrounding the crucifixion of the Messiah in a message titled Death on a Cross. Our scripture for today is John 19:38-20:10. As we begin this week, I can’t think of anything more important to be thankful for than the resurrection. We will study one of the most miraculous events in all of history in a message titled A Miraculous Resurrection. The Burial of Jesus 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. The Empty Tomb Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. We have so much to be thankful for today. Even for every breath that we take. Did you know that you take approximately 23,000 breaths daily, but when was the last time you thanked God for one of them? The process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide is a complicated respiratory task that requires physiological precision and is entirely automatic. We tend to thank God for the things that take our breath away. And that’s fine. But maybe we should thank him for every other breath, too! Thank God each day for the small miracles of life. We should proclaim the resurrection of Christ with every breath that we take. John described and defended the resurrection of Jesus against those who would deny it, but his words—inspired and preserved by the Holy Spirit—are useful for us today. Not only for the sake of correct theology, as we looked at last week, but for something more fundamental in John 19:35, “The man who saw it (John) has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.” 19:38 Ancient people weren’t as insulated from death as we are in the modern, developed nations of the twenty-first century. Certainly, the men who earned their living by putting other men to death knew when their task was complete. And, unlike today, people prepared their own dead for burial. As a result, by age thirty, almost everyone had seen dozens of corpses up close and personal. An unconscious body might fool us, but not the people of Jesus’ day. After the soldier’s spear had confirmed the death, two of Jesus’ secret disciples in the Sanhedrin requested permission to take their friend’s body. Usually, the Romans would have disposed of His remains in an unmarked grave with other state enemies. Still, Pilate probably wanted to avoid offending more Jews than he already had. According to Philo of Alexandria, extending this courtesy was not uncommon. Philo wrote: I have known instances before now of men who had been crucified when this festival and holiday was at hand, being taken down and given up to their relations, to receive the honors of sepulture, and to enjoy such observances as are due to the dead; for it used to be considered, that even the dead ought to derive some enjoyment from the natal festival of a good emperor, and also that the sacred character of the festival ought to be regarded. 19:39–42 Joseph and Nicodemus waited for the soldiers to lower the body of Jesus from the cross. Then, they would have had to flex and massage His arms to relax the rigor mortis, which had undoubtedly set in hard due to the dropping temperature and His physical exertion before death. Then, after pulling His arms down out of the V position, they would have washed His body and anointed it with oil before wrapping it in a single linen cloth. Finally, they would have tied a separate cloth under His chin and over His head to keep His mouth closed once rigor mortis ended, and His muscles relaxed. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs (40), referred to by John, who required the men to wrap the body of Jesus from head to toe in strips of linen soaked in a mixture of spiced resin. John described around 75 pounds of aromatic spices to counteract the smell of decomposition. Then they were to place His body in a burial cave, hewn from a limestone hill. After the body decomposed on a burial shelf in the tomb, Jesus’ family would make room for a subsequent burial by gathering His bones and placing them in the family ossuary, or “bone box,” along with those of His forefathers. Because the sun was setting soon, the burial party had to act quickly. The holy day began at sunset, and they were to be indoors with family for the Passover celebration. Yet, Deuteronomy 21:22–23 required the body of someone who had been executed to be buried that same day. Therefore, they undoubtedly applied only the first layers of linen and resin before hastily placing His body in the tomb, intending to return on Sunday to complete the burial process (Mark 16:1–3; Luke 23:54–24:1). Once His body was inside, a team of men rolled a massive stone over the entrance so that grave robbers and wild animals would stay out and the smell of decomposition would stay in. 20:1–2 John assumed the reader was very familiar with the Synoptic accounts of Jesus’ resurrection (Matt. 28:1–8; Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12), so his purpose was to bring something different to the story. The combined accounts reveal that several women, including Mary Magdalene, had come to the garden to complete the burial process. They arrived separately, but preplanned their arrival around the same time. Upon discovering the empty tomb, the women split up. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us what happened to the other women (Luke 24:10). At the same time, John’s record focuses on the experience of Mary Magdalene—while the other women moved in for a closer look, she immediately ran to inform Peter and John. Because we view this story with 20/20 hindsight, we mustn’t be too hard on Mary. Imagine returning to a very close friend's grave just a couple of days after the funeral. As you approach the burial site to leave flowers, you see that the dirt has been moved back from the grave, the coffin is lying open beside the hole, and the body is missing. Naturally, you would be shocked and assume the body had been exhumed for some reason. While Jesus had predicted His resurrection, His followers could only see events through natural eyes. Supernatural insight is the gift of the Holy Spirit, which did not come until Pentecost, some 50 days later. 20:3–8 The Greek language has six verbs translated “to see,” but they have different nuances and specific uses. For example, in 20:5–8, John uses three different forms—blepō (looked) (20:5), theōreō (He saw) (20:6), and eidon (He saw) (20:8)—to describe the different kinds of “seeing” that John and Peter experienced. Upon hearing Mary’s report, John and Peter raced to the tomb to investigate. John arrived first, stopped at the cave opening, and peered in. He “observed without necessarily understanding” (blepō) /the linen wrappings (20:5). Peter arrived moments later, only to push his way into the burial cave, where he “examined for the purpose of investigation” (theōreō) the curious condition of the burial wrappings (20:6). The general sense of John’s description is that the resin and linen had formed a cocoon, only hollow where the body had been. Someone stealing the body would have taken everything—or at least unwrapped the linens and thrown them aside. Furthermore, the cloth used to tie Jesus’ jaw shut had been rolled up and set aside. If this were a hoax, it was very elaborately accomplished! Finally, John entered the tomb, at which point he “perceived with understanding” (eidon) and believed (20:8). He “got it.” As we would say, “It clicked.” He put it all together and realized that Jesus had risen from the dead. 20:9–10 John explains the reason for the disciples’ slowness in comprehending the full meaning of what they saw. John 2:22, John wrote, “After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.” However, they did not understand the necessity of the Messiah’s resurrection. Certainly, prophecy alluded to His rising from the dead (Ps. 16:10–11; Hos. 6:2); however, it was more a logical necessity. By the first century, Jewish scholars struggled to understand how the Messiah could suffer and die for the sake of His nation, yet overcome their enemies, lead them to prosperity, and establish a worldwide empire. One theory suggested the messianic prophecies foretold the rise of two individuals, one who would sacrifice his life and another who would reign in his place. The seemingly conflicting prophecies remained a puzzle until. Finally, John recognized that the bodily, miraculous resurrection of the Messiah resolved everything. In more ways than one! Application: John 19:38–20:10 The Politics of Christ’s Resurrection Earlier, during His ministry in the temple, Jesus challenged Israel’s religious and governmental leaders on the issue of freedom (John 8:31–38). They were surprisingly out of touch with their current political situation, boasting, “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” (8:33). It was ironic, considering their subservience to Rome at the time. Nevertheless, this claim prompted Jesus to speak to the reality of their political and spiritual bondage. Gentile expositors usually interpret the teaching of Jesus on freedom from an exclusively spiritual standpoint, but we must remember that the Messiah is the King of the Jews. The temple officials wanted political freedom and thought they had achieved it by maintaining peaceful relations with Rome, such that Rome allowed them to worship in peace. Jesus clarified the issue, saying, “Because you are slaves to sin, you also lack political freedom.” Then He boldly declared—as their King—So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (8:36). This was an invitation to submit to Jesus as the King of Israel. The promise of freedom is both spiritual and political. And it is not for Israel only. All who believe in a living Jesus Christ may enjoy spiritual and political freedom. Let me suggest at least three reasons why the resurrection is of immense importance and what I mean by this up-to-the-minute relevance of the resurrection of Jesus. The first is this: the resurrection of Jesus assures us of God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of God’s best gifts. I remember reading of a particular psychiatrist who said, “I could dismiss half my patients tomorrow if they could be assured of their forgiveness.” The truth is that all of us have some skeleton or two in a dark cupboard at home — something we’ve done or said or thought, of which, in our best moments, we are profoundly and sadly ashamed. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we are forgiven. Second, the resurrection of Jesus assures us of God’s power. I don’t know about you, but I need more than forgiveness for the past. I need power in the present. Becoming a Christian is nothing less than a resurrection from spiritual death and the beginning of an entirely new life in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In a word, the same God of supernatural power who raised Jesus from physical death can raise us from spiritual death and make us alive and alert to spiritual things. We can know that God can raise us from that death because he raised Christ. He can change us, because he changed Christ. Third, the resurrection assures us of God’s ultimate triumph at the end of history. One of the significant differences between the different religions of the world and the different ideologists of the world also concerns their version of the future. That’s the Christian hope: that the whole creation (that is, at the moment, groaning in its bondage to decay and death) will be liberated into the freedom of the children of God. Romans 8:22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Belief in a living Christ is a crucial matter with broad ramifications and a profound impact on the world. The implications of the resurrection aren’t limited to history or philosophy. There are also three principles linked to the resurrection. To deny the resurrection is to deny Scripture. To deny Scripture is to deny the existence of God. To deny the existence of God is to deny the reality of truth and meaning. And if nothing exists beyond our short sojourn in a meaningless universe, then we shouldn’t waste our energies on such delusions as morality, love, purpose, or human worth. Even people who reject the resurrection understand this, if only on a subconscious level. As each culture drifts further away from belief in a living Christ—and therefore all the implications of His resurrection—society experiences a moral decline. Love gives way to a general disregard for one another. Public policies fail to protect those who cannot protect themselves, such as the aged, terminally ill patients, and the unborn. Violent acts of hopelessness—killing sprees that end in suicide—become commonplace. Justice gives way to the whims of dictators. Eventually, all we hold dear as civilized people vanish, leaving only anarchy or tyranny to fill the void. As Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter on April 17, 1787, “Let me add, that only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” Therefore, the question of Christ’s resurrection is a supremely practical one. Whoever does not submit to the risen Christ has no master other than self. And according to Jesus, that’s no freedom at all, as history has so amply proven. I am concerned for our nation and all nations that have cast off belief in the living Christ. But take heart, “Jesus’ resurrection is just the beginning of God’s new project, His kingdom.” His purpose is not to snatch people away from earth but to colonize earth with the “life of heaven.” That is why it is vital that we, as citizens of God’s kingdom, be about the building of God’s kingdom, not our kingdoms nor the empires of the world. So now, more than ever, Christians must proclaim the good news: HE IS RISEN! The resurrection of Jesus has up-to-the-minute relevance for you and me. If we trust him, it assures us of God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ. It assures us of his resurrection power that we can call upon in our lives. And it assures us of God’s ultimate triumph in the end, when we shall have new resurrection bodies in a new world, that Global Eden where heaven and earth are one. We ought to be able to echo a word of the apostle Peter in his first letter, when he said, in 1 Peter 1:3-4, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” This promise is certainly something we can be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. As we conclude, let me read the Psalm of Thanksgiving. Psalm 100 1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! 2Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. 3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!Transcripts
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
The Gospel of John – 40 – A Miraculous Resurrection – Daily Wisdom
/:The Gospel of John – Part 5: Vindication Of The Word – A Miraculous Resurrection
Today, we continue our series on the Good News according to John the Apostle. Last week, we explored in detail the use of crucifixion as a means of capital punishment and John’s use of rich imagery, prophecies, and facts surrounding the crucifixion of the Messiah in a message titled ‘Death on a Cross.’
r scripture for today is John:The Burial of Jesus
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[e] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
The Empty Tomb
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
We have so much to be thankful for today. Even for every breath that we take. Did you know that you take approximately 23,000 breaths daily, but when was the last time you thanked God for one of them? The process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide is a complicated respiratory task that requires physiological precision and is entirely automatic. We tend to thank God for the things that take our breath away. And that’s fine. But maybe we should thank him for every other breath, too! Thank God each day for the small miracles of life. We should proclaim the resurrection of Christ with every breath that we take.
r something more fundamental:: —:Ancient people weren’t as insulated from death as we are in the modern, developed nations of the twenty-first century. Certainly, the men who earned their living by putting other men to death knew when their task was complete. And, unlike today, people prepared their own dead for burial. As a result, by age thirty, almost everyone had seen dozens of corpses up close and personal. An unconscious body might fool us, but not the people of Jesus’ day.
After the soldier’s spear had confirmed the death, two of Jesus’ secret disciples in the Sanhedrin requested permission to take their friend’s body. Usually, the Romans would have disposed of His remains in an unmarked grave with other state enemies. Still, Pilate probably wanted to avoid offending more Jews than he already had. According to Philo of Alexandria, extending this courtesy was not uncommon.
Philo wrote: I have known instances before now of men who had been crucified when this festival and holiday was at hand, being taken down and given up to their relations, to receive the honors of sepulture, and to enjoy such observances as are due to the dead; for it used to be considered, that even the dead ought to derive some enjoyment from the natal festival of a good emperor, and also that the sacred character of the festival ought to be regarded.
—:Joseph and Nicodemus waited for the soldiers to lower the body of Jesus from the cross. Then, they would have had to flex and massage His arms to relax the rigor mortis, which had undoubtedly set in hard due to the dropping temperature and His physical exertion before death. Then, after pulling His arms down out of the V position, they would have washed His body and anointed it with oil before wrapping it in a single linen cloth. Finally, they would have tied a separate cloth under His chin and over His head to keep His mouth closed once rigor mortis ended, and His muscles relaxed.
(Bulletin Insert)
This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs (40), referred to by John, who required the men to wrap the body of Jesus from head to toe in strips of linen soaked in a mixture of spiced resin. (varnish) John described around 75 pounds of aromatic spices to counteract the smell of decomposition. Then they were to place His body in a burial cave, hewn from a limestone hill. After the body decomposed on a burial shelf in the tomb, Jesus’ family would make room for a subsequent burial by gathering His bones and placing them in the family ossuary, or “bone box,” along with those of His forefathers. (bulletin pictures)
celebration. Yet, Deuteronomy:—20:1–2—
ened to the other women (Luke:Because we view this story with 20/20 hindsight, we mustn’t be too hard on Mary. Imagine returning to a very close friend's grave just a couple of days after the funeral. As you approach the burial site to leave flowers, you see that the dirt has been moved back from the grave, the coffin is lying open beside the hole, and the body is missing. Naturally, you would be shocked and assume the body had been exhumed for some reason.
While Jesus had predicted His resurrection, His followers could only see events through natural eyes. Supernatural insight is the gift of the Holy Spirit, which did not come until Pentecost, some 50 days later.
—20:3–8—
The Greek language has six verbs translated “to see,” but they have different nuances and specific uses. For example, in 20:5–8, John uses three different forms—blepō (looked) (20:5), theōreō (He saw)(20:6), and eidon (He saw) (20:8)—to describe the different kinds of “seeing” that John and Peter experienced.
Upon hearing Mary’s report, John and Peter raced to the tomb to investigate. John arrived first, stopped at the cave opening, and peered in. He “observed without necessarily understanding” (blepō) /the linen wrappings (20:5). Peter arrived moments later, only to push his way into the burial cave, where he “examined for the purpose of investigation” (theōreō) /the curious condition of the burial wrappings (20:6). The general sense of John’s description is that the resin and linen had formed a cocoon, only hollow where the body had been. Someone stealing the body would have taken everything—or at least unwrapped the linens and thrown them aside. Furthermore, the cloth used to tie Jesus’ jaw shut had been rolled up and set aside. If this were a hoax, it was very elaborately accomplished!
Finally, John entered the tomb, at which point he “perceived with understanding” (eidon) and believed (20:8). He “got it.” As we would say, “It clicked.” He put it all together and realized that Jesus had risen from the dead.
—20:9–10—
His rising from the dead (Ps.:By the first century, Jewish scholars struggled to understand how the Messiah could suffer and die for the sake of His nation, yet overcome their enemies, lead them to prosperity, and establish a worldwide empire. One theory suggested the messianic prophecies foretold the rise of two individuals, one who would sacrifice his life and another who would reign in his place. The seemingly conflicting prophecies remained a puzzle until. Finally, John recognized that the bodily, miraculous resurrection of the Messiah resolved everything. In more ways than one!
APPLICATION: JOHN:The Politics of Christ’s Resurrection
Earlier, during His ministry in the temple, Jesus challenged Israel’s religious and governmental leaders on the issue of freedom (John 8:31–38). They were surprisingly out of touch with their current political situation, boasting, “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” (8:33). It was ironic, considering their subservience to Rome at the time. Nevertheless, this claim prompted Jesus to speak to the reality of their political and spiritual bondage.
Gentile expositors usually interpret the teaching of Jesus on freedom from an exclusively spiritual standpoint, but we must remember that the Messiah is the King of the Jews. The temple officials wanted political freedom and thought they had achieved it by maintaining peaceful relations with Rome, such that Rome allowed them to worship in peace. Jesus clarified the issue, saying, “Because you are slaves to sin, you also lack political freedom.” Then He boldly declared—as their King—So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (8:36). This was an invitation to submit to Jesus as the King of Israel. The promise of freedom is both spiritual and political. And it is not for Israel only. All who believe in a living Jesus Christ may enjoy spiritual and political freedom.
(Bulletin Insert)
Let me suggest at least three reasons why the resurrection is of immense importance and what I mean by this up-to-the-minute relevance of the resurrection of Jesus. The first is this: the resurrection of Jesus assures us of God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of God’s best gifts. I remember reading of a particular psychiatrist who said, “I could dismiss half my patients tomorrow if they could be assured of their forgiveness.” The truth is that all of us have some skeleton or two in a dark cupboard at home — something we’ve done or said or thought, of which, in our best moments, we are profoundly and sadly ashamed. It is through the resurrection of Christ that we are forgiven.
Second, the resurrection of Jesus assures us of God’s power. I don’t know about you, but I need more than forgiveness for the past. I need power in the present. Becoming a Christian is nothing less than a resurrection from spiritual death and the beginning of an entirely new life in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In a word, the same God of supernatural power who raised Jesus from physical death can raise us from spiritual death and make us alive and alert to spiritual things. We can know that God can raise us from that death because he raised Christ. He can change us, because he changed Christ.
Third, the resurrection assures us of God’s ultimate triumph at the end of history. One of the significant differences between the different religions of the world and the different ideologists of the world also concerns their version of the future. That’s the Christian hope: that the whole creation (that is, at the moment, groaning in its bondage to decay and death) will be liberated into the freedom of the children of God. Romans 8:22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
Belief in a living Christ is a crucial matter with broad ramifications and a profound impact on the world. The implications of the resurrection aren’t limited to history or philosophy. There are also three principles linked to the resurrection. (Bulletin) To deny the resurrection is to deny Scripture. To deny Scripture is to deny the existence of God. To deny the existence of God is to deny the reality of truth and meaning. And if nothing exists beyond our short sojourn in a meaningless universe, then we shouldn’t waste our energies on such delusions as morality, love, purpose, or human worth.
,:Therefore, the question of Christ’s resurrection is a supremely practical one. Whoever does not submit to the risen Christ has no master other than self. And according to Jesus, that’s no freedom at all, as history has so amply proven.
I am concerned for our nation and all nations that have cast off belief in the living Christ. But take heart, “Jesus’ resurrection is just the beginning of God’s new project, His kingdom.” His purpose is not to snatch people away from earth but to colonize earth with the “life of heaven.” That is why it is vital that we, as citizens of God’s kingdom, be about the building of God’s kingdom, not our kingdoms nor the empires of the world. So now, more than ever, Christians must proclaim the good news: HE IS RISEN! (Bulletin)
The resurrection of Jesus has up-to-the-minute relevance for you and me. If we trust him, it assures us of God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ./ It assures us of his resurrection power that we can call upon in our lives./ And it assures us of God’s ultimate triumph in the end, when we shall have new resurrection bodies in a new world, that Global Eden where heaven and earth are one. We ought to be able to echo a word of the apostle Peter in his first letter, when he said, in 1 Peter 1:3-4 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. This promise is certainly something we can be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. As we conclude, let me read the Psalm of Thanksgiving.
Psalm 100
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.[a]
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
We only have three more messages in the book of John, but since Advent begins next Sunday, we will take a break until the new year and focus on celebrating this blessed season that started the kingdom of God on earth, and that is Christ’s birth. Over the next five messages, we will focus on the characters of Christmas, starting next week with Joseph - The Unsung Hero of Christmas, so please read Matthew 1:18-25 in preparation for next week.