Wawasee Bible Podcast Wawasee Community Bible Church

On his way to Jerusalem at the close of his third church planning (missionary) journey, the Apostle Paul is warned multiple times about what awaited him once he got there. The warnings were dire, and those accompanying Paul pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Paul's heart and mind were set, though, convinced that that's what God had for him. After making it to Jerusalem with a large financial gift from the Gentile churches, Paul was maligned and beaten by those who took issue with Gentiles Paul's ministry to them. It became so severe that Roman officials stepped in and Paul was arrested. If you choose to follow Jesus, be warned. It won't be easy, and you will suffer. When it does get hard, love those God has sent you to, even when it hurts.

After John tells us about Mary finding the empty tomb and Peter and John's foot race to it in chapter 20, he records three encounters Jesus had with people who had some doubt and confusion after his resurrection: Mary Magdalene, the Disciples, and Thomas. Sometimes we might assume doubt is the opposite of faith, but it's not—disobedience is. The key is what you do with your doubt. The good news is that God welcomes our doubts as we bring them to him. Jesus’s resurrection is often met with doubt, but he graciously meets us in it and left us strong evidence! Pastor Josh ends by listing a number of evidences worth considering as it relates to Jesus's resurrection.

Jesus is not only fully God, but became fully human. Because of this truth he understands us better than anyone else. Everyone has experienced dissatisfaction in life. It's because this life is not all there is, and it's because our lives are broken with sin. Jesus gets our dissatisfaction. He understands our wanting and longing for something more. In fact, he's the one who put those longings and desires in each of our hearts to begin with when he created us. And he knows what will truly fill them and satisfy them, because he designed them. Our desire and dissatisfaction in life is a good thing as we recognize who it's actually pointing to and pursue more of Christ.

Jesus is not only fully God, but became fully human. Because of this truth he understands us better than anyone else. One of the human experiences Jesus knows well is grief. Grief is intense emotional suffering caused by a loss. It's the painful emotion of sorrow caused not only by a loss but even an impending loss of anyone or anything that has deep meaning to you. We often associate it with death, but grief also strikes with the loss of a friendship, a job, health, and more. We all grieve in response to loss in our life, and we must all face it. No one is immune. Where there is loss, there is grief. And like an unwanted guest it comes knocking at the strangest of times. Our best response is to open the door, let it in, give it what it wants, then send it on its way until it comes knocking again. The problem arises when we either refuse to grieve (don't open the door) or when we let ourselves sit with it for too long (never sending it on its way) and begin to find our identity in our suffering. Pastor Josh wraps up this week with a metaphor of a tree, and the knots in a piece of wood. Even with the hardest grief, life does go on, and thankfully Jesus shows us the way through.

Jesus is not only fully God, but became fully human. Because of this truth he understands us better than anyone else. This week Pastor Dave opens up John 8:1-11 to see how Jesus understands guilt. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Jesus—who knew no sin—became sin for our sake so that we could be forgiven and made righteous. There's a difference between true guilt and unnecessary self-condemnation. Jesus' approach to guilt, being both gracious and truthful, is seen in his interaction with the adulterous woman, highlighting the balance between acknowledging sin and receiving forgiveness. Pastor Dave suggests practical steps for dealing with guilt including embracing grace over works, standing firm on God's verdict, and seeking reconciliation and healing through confession and prayer. Guilt came with the fall. People use guilt against each other. Jesus comes with
 grace and truth. Bring your guilt to God.

Jesus is not only fully God, but became fully human. Because of this truth he understands us better than anyone else. In his humanity Jesus experienced and understands fear and anxiety, and he models a way through it to trust and rest in God's love, grace, and control. Often anxiety boils down to just that, not having control. Thankfully God deeply loves us, is near, and is always in full control. When anxiety and fear set in, we should first pause and recognize it. Name it. Then reflect on what our root fear is and on what is actually true (i.e. God's love, control, and nearness), identifying and rooting out lies and any potential sinful causes of our anxiety. Finally we still need to live our lives, but to reengage with Jesus in the middle of everything. This will be a pattern we need to repeat continually as we seek to pursue Christ even in our anxiety. (It's also noted that for some, anxiety is flat-out debilitating and to overcome it we should seek professional biblical counseling and help.)