Saturday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (Collect for Purity)

Almighty God: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of my heart through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ my Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – John 5:16-32 (NLT)

So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.

“If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true.
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Morning Reflection:

God works 24/7 with eternity in mind.

Yesterday I wondered why some people are physically healed in this life, while others are not? The answer, I suggested, was to be found in the sovereignty of God who is always at work for our good, whether we recognize it or not.

In today’s reading, Jesus expands on what he and the Father are up to –

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” – John 5:24

The Father has assigned to his Son the life-giving power and authority to forgive sins and to raise us from death to life. Jesus is not indifferent to our human suffering. Indeed, he experienced suffering beyond our imagination on the cross. But healing of sickness in this life is temporary at best – we will all eventually die. And Jesus’ larger purpose is to take us across that divide – “from death into life.”

The signs and wonders of Jesus, then and now, do provide welcome relief of human pain and suffering. But their larger purpose is to invite us to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, so that we who are dead in sin, will not face the judgement we deserve, but will be made alive in him, now and forever.

I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will. – John 5:30

Questions for consideration:  God works 24/7 with eternity in mind.

+ How do you think healing the sick fits into God’s eternal purpose?

+ Can a person be physically healed and yet remain spiritually dead?

+ Why do you think some people fear death and judgement?

+ How do you respond to Jesus’ assertion – “my judgement is just?”

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Morning Prayer:

Heavenly Father: Lift our eyes off our present troubles and fix our gaze on eternity. Thank you for your saving grace through faith in your Son, Jesus Christ. Forgive our sins and deliver us from any fear of death and judgement. Have mercy on all those who are sick and suffering and lead them into a saving relationship with you through your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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“This I Believe” (The Creed) – Hillsong Worship

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen