Tag Archives: words of Jesus

Big brother gives commands (John 8:25-26), February 22, 2017

Today’s Podcast

Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Did your mom ever send your brother or sister to tell you to do something? How did you like it? That just how some people felt when Jesus came around.
Scripture
1. John 8:25-26

“Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

Devotional
1. My daughter doesn’t do it very often, but every once in awhile, she sends her oldest child to tell her younger ones to do something. “Jonathon, go tell Grayson to put on her shoes so we can go.”
  1. Doesn’t do it often because of the backlash
  2. Youngest doesn’t like to be told by the oldest
  3. Both are her children
  4. Grayson feels like an equal
  5. Doesn’t want to hear from anyone but her mother
  6. Certainly doesn’t think Jonathon should tell her what to do
2. Many of those who heard Jesus looked at Him the same way
  1. He’s just a man
  2. He’s the same as us
  3. Born of a woman, eats and drinks and breathes like us
  4. Who does He think He is telling us what to do
3. Just like Jonathon gets yelled at by his sister when he passes on a command from his mother, Jesus wasn’t liked by those with whom He shared the Father’s commands
  1. He only passed on what the Father told Him to share
  2. His words were those of the Father and His commands were those of the Father
  3. Until people believed He truly was the Son of God, He was just another man trying to tell them what to do and they didn’t want to listen anymore than a younger child wants to listen to what an older child passes on from his mother
4. We can begin to see some of the danger involved in the dynamics that played out around Jesus during His time on earth as we put ourselves back in His time and in that place. We can be obstinate and raise the hackles on the back of our neck and refuse to believe the Father spoke through Him. We can refuse to believe Jesus is God incarnate who gave Himself for us. We can refuse to trust Him and so suffer the wrath of the Father because of our disobedience. Or we can be obedient children and understand that God sent His Son, Jesus to tell save us from ourselves.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

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What if it’s all a sham? (John 8:21-24), February 21, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
What if all this Christianity stuff is just a sham? Some of those early listeners thought it was. Many people today think it is? How do we know it is real?
Scripture
1. John 8:21, 23-24
2. Jesus: Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

Devotional
1. We in the Christian community sometimes scoff at those outside the Christian community and wonder why others can’t see things the way we do. We just don’t understand why something so clear to us is so foreign to everyone else. But we forget that we live on this side of the cross and we have God’s spirit living in us to guide us and teach us His truth.
  1. Perception is real in the mind of those who perceive it
  2. How do we know we are right and others are wrong
  3. Can we trust what Jesus says is true?
  4. What is His word isn’t true and we’re just chasing the wind?
2. Many have raised that argument over the centuries
  1. God isn’t real
  2. He can’t be seen so how can we know He is there
  3. What makes us think there is a divine being interested in our eternal well being?
  4. Why should we follow His command and His teachings?
3. Take a look at Jesus’ words and how they fit into history
  1. Same story of man’s salvation handed down from the time of the first sin
  2. Everything pointed toward Jesus
  3. Nothing since the crucifixion and resurrection has refuted His act of salvation
  4. God’s word has stood the test of time
    1. No other book transcribed and translated through centuries without change like God’s word
    2. No other book preserved like God’s word
    3. No other book treasured like God’s word
  5. Testimony of thousands attest to the truth of what He says
4. What happens if we follow His word as truth and it is not?
  1. We treat each other well
  2. Communities thrive
  3. We live peacefully with other
  4. Conscience clear
  5. Die happier and more content than most people around the world
5. What happens if we don’t follow His word as truth and it is?
  1. We live only for ourselves
  2. We are at war with others trying to gain things for ourselves
  3. We sin against others and against God
  4. We stand in judgment at the end of life
  5. We suffer eternal judgment apart from Him
6. It doesn’t take much faith to realize His word is truth
  1. Takes much more faith to think it is not and live apart from Him
  2. If He is the final judge we need to listen to Him since He will determine our final destiny
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Are you part of an accountability group? (John 8:19), February 20, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Are you part of an accountability group? Do you have anyone that really knows you and challenges you in your daily journey? How do you find someone like that in your life? One group of men I heard did just that.
Scripture
1. John 8:19
2. Jesus: You don’t know the Father or Me. If you knew Me, then you would also know the Father.
Devotional
1. A few days ago I was listening to a vignette about a men’s group that decided they wanted to become accountable to each other. The short video didn’t explain how the men met or tell much about any common interests that brought them together.
  1. Might have been a Sunday School Class
  2. Might have been a Men’s Bible Study
  3. Might have been neighbors at the time
  4. Might have been co-workers, but probably not
  5. Came several areas of business, some entrepreneurs, some blue collar
  6. Made a commitment to met for support and accountability to each other for the next 20 years
2. During those twenty years…
  1. One plead guilty to felony charges and spent time in prison
  2. Two lost a child
  3. One when through rehab for drug and alcohol addiction
  4. Three went through divorce
  5. All had major crises in life
  6. All supported each other and helped them through those crises
3. Seventeen years later
  1. They know each other
  2. No secrets
  3. Nothing off limits in their accountability circle
  4. Grow in their spiritual journey together
  5. Challenge each other in all areas of life
  6. Still committed to life of integrity
4. Jesus said we don’t know Him or the Father
  1. Maybe it was because they didn’t spend any time with Him
  2. Maybe they thought a superficial relationship would do
  3. How are you, what’s happening, good to see you, kind of relationship
  4. He wants us to commit like these ten men committed to each other
  5. Spend time with Him, get to know Him and make nothing off limits in discussion with Him. He knows anyway.
5. When we spend time with Him we will get to know Him and when we know Him we will know the Father because they are One. How? I don’t need to understand it, I just need to believe it.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The importance of the right criteria (John 8:14-18), February 19, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
How important is the criteria you use to make decisions, to complete projects, or to make judgments? I hope you said pretty important. If you don’t think so, just listen.
Scripture
1. John 8:14-18
2. Jesus: Even if I am making bold claims about Myself—who I am, what I have come to do—I am speaking the truth. You see, I know where I came from and where I will go when I am done here. You know neither where I come from nor where I will go. You spend your time judging by the wrong criteria, by human standards; but I am not here to judge anyone. If I were to judge, then My judgment would be based on truth; but I would not judge anyone alone. I act in harmony with the One who sent Me. Your law states that if the testimonies of two witnesses agree, their testimony is true. Well, I testify about Myself, and so does the Father who sent Me here.
Devotional
1. Have you ever gone through a bunch of papers or files or closets or drawers looking for something only to find out you were looking for the wrong thing. I have to admit, I’ve done that more than once in my lifetime. In fact, I seem to do it a lot more often that I like. What a waste of time, right?
  1. Look for the receipt from a particular company only to find out it’s the wrong company
  2. Look for an address only to find it’s the wrong person
  3. Look for a tool only to find out it’s the wrong tool for the job
2. Justice system is sometimes like that
  1. Every crime has a number of elements that must be proven to find a person guilty of that crime.
  2. Unless all are proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the jury must find not guilty
  3. Doesn’t mean innocent, but doesn’t meet the criteria for guilty verdict
  4. We get frustrated or angry at verdicts we think are unjust, but those are the criteria we have established to try to keep innocent people from being incarcerated
3. Jesus’ judgments are perfect
  1. Not based on man’s laws
  2. Based on God’s perfect love
  3. Excludes all evil from the Father’s presence maintains His holiness
  4. Perfect judge, perfect accuser, perfect advocate
  5. He made the rules
  6. We perverted them
  7. He judges with grace, mercy, and love
  8. We judge with vengeance, revenge, and at best justice
4. Time to follow the perfect One who will judge us at the end of time; He didn’t come to condemn but to save
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The light that shines through the cosmos (John 8:12), February 18, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
In the 1950s and 60s, just about every boy I knew thought of being an astronaut at one time or anothers. We were in a space race with the Soviet Union and rushed to land a man on the moon. Everyone around me dreamed of being that person.
Scripture
1. John 8:12
2. Jesus: I am the light that shines through the cosmos; if you walk with Me, you will thrive in the nourishing light that gives life and will not know darkness.
Devotional
1. As one of my electives as an undergraduate I took astronomy. I got interested in astronomy in Junior High during the height of the space race and our race to the moon. Space and the complexity of the universe fascinated me. I think a great many young men of that time dreamed of screaming away on the back of a Saturn rocket and visiting the stars.
  1. Astronomy class tried to take away some of the wonder
  2. Explained universe and just happenstance of gravity wells pulling on matter and causing the reactions in the stars and formation of planets
  3. Left God out of the equation
  4. Never explained how the Big Bang might have occurred in the first place or who created the dense material from which the Big Bang sprang
2. Still awed by the universe
  1. Distances are mind-boggling
  2. 32 billion light years to the farthest known galaxy (eight minutes and twenty seconds for light to reach us from the sun, 5.3 hours to reach Pluto)
  3. Billions of galaxies in the known universe
  4. Each galaxy made of millions or billions of stars
  5. Many of those stars have planets
  6. We are only beginning to discover the real scope of the universe over the last 200 years
3. Think about Jesus 2,000 years ago describing Himself as the light of the cosmos
  1. Pierces through the darkness
  2. Created all the universe in all its vastness
  3. Brings life and sustains it
  4. Set in motion all the rules that lets us exist on this tiny world
4. That Man, the God/Man, invites us to walk with Him
  1. We will thrive in the nourishing light that gives life
  2. We will not know darkness the thing that brings fear to men
  3. All we have to do is believe in Him for forgiveness and walk in His ways
  4. He will be beside us all the way
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Show grace or condemnation to those who wrong us, which will it be? (John 8:11), February 17, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
We have a choice to condemn or show grace when someone wrongs us. Which will you do?
Scripture
1. John 8:11
2. Jesus: Well, I do not condemn you either; all I ask is that you go and from now on avoid the sins that plague you.
Devotional
1. The doctor asks, “Does it hurt when you move your arm like this?” You reply, “Yes, it does.” His expert treatment. “Then don’t move it that way.”
  1. We would think the doctor is a little crazy wouldn’t we?
  2. Sometimes he’s right.
  3. Humans are the only animal that do things the body isn’t built to do.
  4. Try to build safety gadgets instead.
  5. Bone structure built to withstand hitting something at the speed you can run
  6. Cheetah, dog, elephant, human
  7. We wear ride motorcycles at 90 mph and wear helmets and leather jackets for protection
2. Critics dismissed by asking the one without sin to cast the first stone.
  1. Caught in the act, witnesses to attest to crime
  2. The law said she should be stoned for her adulterous actions
  3. But wait, where was the guy?
  4. Doesn’t it take two?
  5. If she was caught in the act, wasn’t he caught in the act also?
  6. Didn’t the law apply to both? Why, yes it did!
3. Jesus wrote in the sand
  1. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what He wrote?
  2. Maybe a list of everyone’s secret sins
  3. Maybe He began to put names to the violations of God’s laws
  4. We’ll never know what Jesus wrote in the sand that day, but no one threw a stone
4. Then Jesus taught us something we should all remember
  1. He told us He came to extend grace and forgiveness to all those who believed in Him
  2. He also told us to show grace and forgiveness to those who wrong us
  3. He demonstrated it in more ways that we ever could
  4. Jesus gave His life as a demonstration of that grace and forgiveness
5. When I’m quick to judge or condemn others for their actions, maybe I need to stop and remember this scene in the streets of Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t condemn but asked that the woman caught in adultery avoid sinning again. He extend grace and forgiveness to her. I expect He changed her life forever just like He can change mine and yours. All we have to do is ask and then let Him empower us to live the way He wants us to live.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Did I really say that? (John 8:7), February 16, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
When is the last time you criticized or made some cutting remark to about someone. Some rules are coming that might help you think twice about that before you do it again.
Scripture
1. John 8:7
2. Jesus: Let the first stone be thrown by the one among you who has not sinned.
Devotional
1. In 1976, we still had those white-glove inspections in the Army. As a platoon leader, my platoon sergeant and I would go through the barracks and make inspections of the rooms to make sure everything was clean, neat, and orderly. We’d make sure the soldiers in the barracks had nothing there that wasn’t supposed to be there, like liquor or pets or anything else on the long list of things that soldiers couldn’t have in their rooms at the time.
  1. Wall lockers
  2. Cleanliness of room
  3. Inventory of furnishings and equipment
2. Then I came home
  1. Shoes lined up, but next to the door, not in the closet
  2. Why is the car so dirty?
  3. Can’t find anything in the closet, so disorganized
3. Hard to do those inspections knowing what my house looked like
  1. Let the first stone be thrown by the one among you who has not sinned.
  2. Hygiene, health of the command
  3. Order and discipline within the command
  4. Hypocritical
4. How often do we criticize someone for the very thing we are guilty of doing?
  1. Psychiatrists and psychologists tell us we are quickest to criticize in the areas where we struggle most in our own lives
  2. Can be both hurtful to others, but helpful to us when we recognize when we are about to criticize someone
5. Stop and ask seven questions before saying something critical to someone. I’m plagiarizing from a social media post that has made the circuit a few times, so I can’t tell you the author. Here they are.
  1. Do you have the pertinent facts?
  2. Does it need to be said?
  3. Why do I need to say this?
  4. Can I say it in a way that represents Christ?
  5. How could I be misunderstood?
  6. What motivates me for saying it?
  7. Can I wait until tomorrow to say it?
  8. After answering all these questions, you’ll probably find that you don’t need to say anything at all.
6. One more thing to consider before we criticize or blame or accuse. Jesus said to all of us, “Let the first stone be cast by the one among you who has not sinned.” Any of us fit that category? I don’t think so.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Rivers of living water (John 7:37-38), February 15, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Water is one of those things none of us can do without. It is one of those basic needs that without it, we die. Food, water, shelter. Those things mean life. Without them we cannot survive. And water is first on the list. A week without water and the body shuts down. Jesus understood the necessity of water, too, but He had a different solution to our needs.
Scripture
1. John 7:37-38
2. Jesus: If any of you is thirsty, come to Me and drink. If you believe in Me, the Hebrew Scriptures say that rivers of living water will flow from within you.
Devotional
1. When the rest of the country was suffering an economic downturn a few years ago, Texas was still creating jobs. In fact, when the nation created 300,000 jobs overall one year, Texas created 400,000 within its borders. That means the rest of the country lost 100,000 jobs.
  1. What attracts people to Texas?
  2. Weather
  3. Taxes
  4. Corporate laws
2. Texas has one big problem when it comes to business
  1. Water
  2. Cities are growing faster than the water supply
  3. Buying water from other states
  4. Research for desalinization and other means of purification of seawater aren’t keeping up with the demand
3. Middle east has similar problems
  1. Water seems more scarce than oil
  2. Dig deep for wells
  3. Often require purification even when found
  4. Protect at all costs
4. Jesus promises water than never ends
  1. Living water – running water from springs that remain clean and pure
  2. Never dries up regardless of weather
  3. Quenches thirst unlike some of the water with minerals (salts) in them
  4. Not just a little trickle of water, but rivers of living water
  5. No pockets of brackish water either
5. Where do you find this kind of water?
  1. Come to Jesus
  2. Believe in Him
  3. For who He is and what He did for you
  4. Ask for forgiveness
  5. Follow the commands He gives you
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Eureka! I think I’ve got it! (John 7:33-34), February 14, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
I’ve always liked logic puzzles. Like this one, for instance. There are three boxes. One is labeled “APPLES” another is labeled “ORANGES”. The last one is labeled “APPLES AND ORANGES”. You know that each is labeled incorrectly. You may ask me to pick one fruit from one box which you choose. How can you label the boxes correctly?
Scripture
1. John 7:33-34
2. Jesus: I am going to be with you for a little while longer; then I will return to the One who sent Me. You will look for Me, but you will not be able to find Me. Where I am, you are unable to come.
Devotional
1. If you’re like me, you haven’t heard anything since I gave you the puzzle because you’ve been thinking about how to label those boxes. The answer isn’t too difficult since you know all the labels are wrong.
  1. Pick a fruit from the box labelled Apples and Oranges. The box will be full of only one kind of fruit since the label is incorrect. So if you pick an orange, label the box, Oranges.
  2. Then you know that the box labelled Apples and Oranges must contain only apples since that label is also wrong. So label that box Apples.
  3. Finally, the only box left with the wrong label must have the apples in it, so change the box labelled Oranges to Apples and Oranges.
  4. And there’s the answer.
2. Why give you a logic puzzle to start the podcast and associate it with Jesus’ words today? Because I’m sure those who heard His words were just as puzzled as we can get when we hear those logic puzzles
  1. I’ll be with you
  2. But only for a little while
  3. Then I’ll return to the One who sent Me
  4. You’ll look for Me, like hide-and-seek
  5. You won’t find Me
  6. You can’t go where I’m going
3. What does all this mean?
  1. The disciples were confused
  2. First part was easy
  3. Second part not too hard, maybe He was going on a trip by Himself
  4. Third got a little more difficult, but not unlike returning to the country that issued His diplomatic credentials
  5. Fourth, if they knew where He was going or that He was returning to a specific place, why would they spend time looking for Him
  6. Why wouldn’t they be able to find Him, this didn’t make sense
  7. Why couldn’t they go to the same place He went, what special pass did He have that they didn’t have? Did they need some special password and how could they get it?
4. We stand on this side of the cross and the answer is easy
  1. Like the puzzle at the beginning. If you didn’t think of the answer right away, you probably slapped your forehead and said, “Duh! Why didn’t I think of that!”
  2. Looking back, it’s so simple.
  3. Looking back in time, Jesus’ words are so simple, too.
  4. So are His words, “Follow Me.” So why do we have so much trouble understanding and doing those?
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Emissary or ambassador, do you know which you are? (John 7:28-29), February 13, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Do you know the difference between an emissary and an ambassador? Jesus calls us His emissaries and Paul identifies himself as an emissary in most of His letters. So what’s the difference?
Scripture
1. John 7:28-29
2. Jesus (speaking aloud as He teaches on the temple’s porch): You think you know Me and where I have come from, but I have not come here on My own. I have been sent by the One who embodies truth. You do not know Him. I know Him because I came from Him. He has sent Me.
Devotional
1. So what is the difference between an ambassador and an emissary?
  1. Our government uses both as do most governments.
  2. Ambassador is an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country
  3. Emissary is a person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative
  4. Did you notice the difference?
  5. General representative for a country versus a person sent on a special mission
2. Emissary
  1. Can act like an ambassador when on a diplomatic mission in a foreign country
  2. Always given a specific mission to complete
    1. Message to carry
    2. Negotiation to broker or attend
    3. Expert representative on behalf of sender for meetings or project
  3. Carry the authority of the person who sends them
3. Jesus sent the twelve out into towns and villages as His emissaries
  1. Specific tasks from Matt 10, Go … to find and heal the lost sheep of Israel. 7 …, preach this message: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse those who have leprosy. Drive out demons from the possessed.
  2. In the verses just before this, Matthew says Jesus endowed them with the power to do these things
  3. Jesus gave them the authority and responsibility to carry out the tasks He gave them to do
4. We are His emissaries. He gave each of us the same command
  1. Go
  2. Make disciples
  3. Baptize them
  4. Teach them His practices
  5. Teach them to follow His commands
  6. Gives each of us tools, gifts to accomplish the tasks He gives us to do
5. Didn’t make us ambassadors with no specific thing to do or mission to accomplish; made us emissaries with specific purpose and mission in mind
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”