<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>John 8;53-59<div><br></div><div><b>53. &nbsp;</b>(The Jews asked Jesus)&nbsp;”<b>Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! &nbsp;Who do you claim to be?”</b></div><div><b></b><b>54. &nbsp;Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God.</b></div><div><b>55. &nbsp;But you have not known him; I know him. &nbsp;If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word.</b></div><div><b>56. &nbsp;Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.”</b></div><div><b>57. &nbsp;The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, have you seen Abraham?”</b></div><div><b>58. &nbsp;Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”</b></div><div><b>59. &nbsp;So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Jesus is both true man and true God. &nbsp;He is fully man and fully God. &nbsp;All the fullness of God is&nbsp;pleased to dwell in him. (see, Colossians 2;9).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Human reason will never lead you to God. &nbsp;God reveals himself to us in Christ Jesus in such a way that we can receive him and his truth only by faith. &nbsp;The Jews were confounded by Jesus words which called God his Father and he even declared himself to actually be God, when he said, <i>“Before Abraham was, I am.”&nbsp;</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>The teaching of the two natures of Christ is beyond human reason and understanding, it is a doctrine of faith.</div><div><br></div><div>We too share in the same struggle as the Jews and our reason, intellect, and emotions rebel&nbsp;at the truth that we are not only cleansed and forgiven, but also in-dwelt by God ourselves. &nbsp;This truth requires faith. &nbsp;<i>“I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” </i>(Galatians 2:20)</div><div><br></div><div>Paul’s prayer for us is, <i>“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through the inner man, and Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and depth, and to know the love of God which surpasses knowledge, that you being filled with all the fullness of God.” &nbsp;</i>(Ephesians 3;14-19)</div><div><br></div><div>By faith we not only receive the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life, we also by faith become aware of Christ living in us, empowering us to deny ourselves, carry our cross, and&nbsp;walk in newness of Life<span>, doing the good works God has prepared for us to do.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Just as the Jews struggled to understand who Jesus was, so also we too struggle to know who we now are by virtue of our baptism into Christ. &nbsp;Only faith can answer that question.</span></div><div><br></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, strengthen and increase our faith to believe in the in-dwelling Christ. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>

John 8;53-59
53.  (The Jews asked Jesus) ”Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died!  Who do you claim to be?”54.  Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God.55.  But you have not known him; I know him.  If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word.56.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.”57.  The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, have you seen Abraham?”58.  Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”59.  So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.
Jesus is both true man and true God.  He is fully man and fully God.  All the fullness of God is pleased to dwell in him. (see, Colossians 2;9). 
Human reason will never lead you to God.  God reveals himself to us in Christ Jesus in such a way that we can receive him and his truth only by faith.  The Jews were confounded by Jesus words which called God his Father and he even declared himself to actually be God, when he said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” 
The teaching of the two natures of Christ is beyond human reason and understanding, it is a doctrine of faith.
We too share in the same struggle as the Jews and our reason, intellect, and emotions rebel at the truth that we are not only cleansed and forgiven, but also in-dwelt by God ourselves.  This truth requires faith.  “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
Paul’s prayer for us is, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through the inner man, and Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and depth, and to know the love of God which surpasses knowledge, that you being filled with all the fullness of God.”  (Ephesians 3;14-19)
By faith we not only receive the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life, we also by faith become aware of Christ living in us, empowering us to deny ourselves, carry our cross, and walk in newness of Life, doing the good works God has prepared for us to do.
Just as the Jews struggled to understand who Jesus was, so also we too struggle to know who we now are by virtue of our baptism into Christ.  Only faith can answer that question.

Prayer:  Merciful Father, strengthen and increase our faith to believe in the in-dwelling Christ.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”





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