John 20 - 3.27.26

Scripture: John 20:27-29

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Observation

Jesus was crucified on the cross and died, they wrapped His body in linen and herbs and placed Him in a tomb. He rose from the dead three days later; the stone was rolled away but the disciples couldn’t believe it. Mary Magdalene actually talked to Jesus at the tomb and went back to tell the guys. The disciples were hiding behind locked doors afraid of the Jews. Jesus came and stood in their midst and spoke “Peace be with you.” He showed them his hands and side and they believed.

Application

The disciples walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus and saw him healing, restoring and performing miracles and they still struggled with unbelief. He told them ahead of time what was going to happen, but they still didn’t believe until he showed up in their room that was locked and had them touch His side and look at His hands.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a Woman of Faith. I want to Walk by Faith and not by sight. I want to Trust God at His Word. Blessed are those who have not seen and believe. We are called “Believers” so why are we doubting?

Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Faith is an action word. When there is faith, there will be actions and your faith will be seen by what you do.

I have a couple of examples from the Bible of people that had Great Faith:

·       Noah built an ark by faith when it had never rained before.

·       Abraham left his family to obey God, even though he had no idea where he was going.

Matthew 21:21 - “Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.”

I want to live a life dedicated to Christ. I want to live a life with the 4 P’s: Peace, Purpose, Power and Pardon. I want to live a life that reflects Jesus Christ. I want to be a “Believer” that truly believes in Jesus with all my heart and soul.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to truly walk out my faith in you. To walk by faith and not by sight, to trust you in all things and KNOW that you have good plans for my life. Thank You for always forgiving me when I allow fear and doubt to creep in. Help me to be a Woman of Faith. I love you Lord! Amen

- Michelle Craig

John 19 - 3.26.26

Scripture - John 19: 28-30

“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Observation (s):

“The most beaten, broken, and bruised body of Jesus is the One most glorified.” I will never forget when my professor at PLNU said this to a class of about 20 students. The way the atmosphere shifted, the silence was holy, and the tension surrounding our viewpoint on the cross arose because we all simultaneously realized that the cross and crucifixion of Jesus was not just part of our faith and walk with Christ but it was the epicenter of it. Before this moment, I did not see the crucified Jesus as the easiest portion of the gospel story to embrace, but after personally being embraced by the beauty of His suffering in relation to ours - I have never been the same.

Jesus Christ was most glorified when He was beaten, broken, and bruised for the sake of humanity, receiving companionship in suffering, salvation, hope, restoration, healing, and a forever friend. His body going into suffering being an act of solidarity with physical suffering faced by humanity and an incredible and selfless act of servitude towards us whom God loved so much. God loving us so much that He needed to have a price paid, in order to bring us full home to Him. When Jesus Christ endured the cross, He did not endure the drastic beating and intrinsic death He did for no purpose, but rather every bruise and every nail and every lash had a purpose of giving us a confidante in suffering as well as taking on suffering that was originally destined for us. His body, broken, beaten, and bruised was the one most glorified because it was the evident image of what God desired and needed to do in order to attain relationship and proximity with His children again after sin and darkness separated us.

If people were to ask me my favorite thing to talk about in relation to the gospel, with zero hesitation, I would answer: “the detail and the intricacy of the cross.” This past week, I have been teaching the youth how the cross is not just a part of our faith, but Jesus being sent to the cross and His death, is the epicenter of our existence as Christians and followers of Him.

The climax of the moment of the cross lies in the lines “It is finished.” How loving and compassionate Jesus is to care to use his final words, his final breath, to let us know for all of eternity that the battle He had faced through the cross had not just been won, but every battle after His death, that His followers would face, is finished. Freedom from a solo fight is found in Jesus’ final words: “It is finished.” A freedom not achieved by us, but received through the cross. We are freed from fighting our battles alone as Jesus endured suffering out of compassion and desire to become our cornerstone and companion in darkness as well as freeing us from being in the place to earn victory over darkness. Because in that moment — the Messiah, fully God and fully man, declared, “It is finished”— which is when darkness didn’t just weaken - it fully lost its power.

The most beaten, broken, and bruised body of Jesus is the One most glorified, why? Because it was the image of how God would go to lengths out of desperate love to attain relationship with you and I again and show His devotion to His kids by giving us a companion in suffering as well as freedom from fighting any battle on our own. His ideal narrative being this one where He claimed victory for His children through the death and soon resurrection of His son Jesus Christ.

Application:

How do we apply this? We can honor the power of the cross by seeing what it stands in solidarity with us in, acknowledging Jesus’ companionship with us in our suffering. Take a moment to journal about the moments where you have been in darkness and pause to reflect how Jesus suffered in human form, so you would not go through human suffering alone.

Then, a prompt I have meditated on with our youth is . . .

Before the cross I was __________________.

Because of the cross I am ______________.

Pause and reflect and see what the cross brought you from and what the cross brought you into. Without the cross, we would not have the identities, hope, companionship, and life we do. But because of the cross, we have been given freedom, forgiveness, grace, and eternal hope out of God’s heart of love and radical devotion towards us. Take a moment to remember how radically devoted He has been to creating a new and better narrative in your story.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for enduring the cross. Reveal to me any ways I have been complacent to be grateful for what you endured for my sake. When I suffer and when I endure battles on this earth, remind me of your devoted companionship to me in suffering. Remind me of how you never desired for me to face anything alone, but rather with your ultimate victory and your moment to moment companionship at the forefront of your mind. Help me to think of you, the way you think of me, in every moment and every hour. Help me fixate on you and embrace your suffering as an act of servitude and love that I can never repay, but forever praise.

In Jesus name,

Amen

- Tess Schrupp

John 18 - 3.25.26

Scripture: John 18:26-27

One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Observation

Earlier that very night, Peter had assured Jesus that he would follow him, no matter the cost.

John 13:37-38 - Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

Can you imagine the overwhelming sorrow and shame that Peter felt when he heard the rooster crow? Have you felt it? We all have times when the rooster crows, when our sin is brought to our attention and on full display.

We should feel sorrow when we sin - we have grieved God. And it is normal to feel shame. Shame: a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety. But our response to that sorrow and shame matters.

Application

Forgiveness is a concept I have struggled with. Why would God forgive me when I continue to fail? I don’t deserve His forgiveness. I am not worthy. But lately I have come to realize that is the whole point. I don’t deserve forgiveness! If I was worthy or deserving, I wouldn’t need a savior. And yet He freely gives it.

Romans 3:24 - and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Peter messed up badly. He wept and grieved over his sin. But he threw himself at the mercy of Jesus. And in John 21 it says, “Jesus reinstates Peter.” Peter went on to testify to thousands of what Jesus had done.

II Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Godly sorrow brings about change. Worldly sorrow keeps us wallowing in our shame, focused only on ourselves, ineffective for God.

I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

“His power and His love for us are far greater than our sin and shame.This is the good news! This is the gospel.”

Prayer

Thank you for your great and unimaginable love for me. Thank you for reminding me that I can’t earn it and I don’t deserve it and yet you love me anyway. Thank you for not giving up on me. Continue to work on my heart. Amen

- Debbie Dunn