11 April 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Exod. 14:5-22; 1 Joh 1:1-7; John 14:1-7

They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians”? Really, is that what they said? That sounds very much like some of my thoughts when God answers my prayers. Sometimes He answers in ways that don’t look like what I either wanted or expected and the current situation looks worse than the situation out of which I cried for deliverance. The Israelites have plenty to fear but Moses is right, they have only to stand firm. The Lord’s response to Moses is interesting, simply telling him to lead forward, then telling him how they will overcome the immovable object in front of them, then sending the cloud around to the rear to go between them and the irresistible object behind them. The time has come for even greater glory to the Lord.

Jesus makes it simple. I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by me is as clear as it gets that there are not many roads leading to salvation. There is but one way and that is Jesus, that is known as the scandal of particularity. Why would anyone want another way? It is a clear rejection of the sacrifice of Jesus to even ask for some other way to the Father. When Jesus speaks of preparing a place for us, he is speaking the language of a groom. The groom prepared a place for his bride as an addition onto his father’s house and it was not until that work had been completed to the satisfaction of the father that the wedding was actually scheduled. Jesus’ love for us is such as that between a groom and his intended, do any of the other proposed ways to the Father have such love?

John keeps it simple, if you have fellowship with Jesus, you have fellowship with the Father. Jesus is the truth, the truth that was from beginning. The word of life is Jesus, if we have Him then we walk in light and His blood cleanses us from sin. John is writing to a congregation who is trying to make it difficult. It seems this congregation has been infiltrated by those who would say that Jesus wasn’t really a man, He just seemed to be and the basis for salvation is superior knowledge. To this, John says no, I saw and touched Jesus, He was real and it isn’t superior knowledge that saves, it is simply knowing Jesus and believing in Him. We prefer complicated but rarely is God’s answer complicated.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever,
Praise the LORD!