Month: December 2017

[audioplayer file=”http://thegatheringcommunity.in/wp-content/uploads/christmas-message.mp3″]

Everyone around the world is celebrating Christmas and so are we. Christmas brings a special feeling to all of us. It’s the decorations, the lights, the energy, the celebration, the ambiance, Santa Claus, the jingle bell song, good food, friends & families getting together etc.

But it is also about the hype created by the media & the politicians to get attention, offers created by the business world to sell their products and services, people getting drunk and creating ruckus, loud noise disturbing the old and sick people, rich people lavishly spending money in self-indulgence flaunting their wealth, poor people suffering and struggling to find their identity in this loud and noisy celebration.

In all this hype and drama most people either don’t know what exactly Christmas is, but like to go with the flow and have a good time. Or there are people who sit on the other side criticizing and complaining.

And therefore my job today is to share the True Purpose of Christmas.

Mind you, it is not my perspective on Christmas, it is the ultimate truth about Christmas that is recorded in history & experienced by millions whose life has been changed and transformed.

I don’t have to hype it up like the media and the politicians because there is nothing that I am trying to achieve from it. I don’t have to make it sound attractive with my well-crafted words because I’m not trying to sell anything to you.

I’m doing it because I have personally seen and experienced the transforming power of this Christmas message in mine and in my family’s life.

Even though I was born in a Christian family, till the age of 17 I never understood this truth. It was at the age of 17 when an old uncle took me to a park and shared this amazing story of God’s love with me, that I so treasure till this day and am even willing to die for it.

Since then, I’ve been thoroughly blessed, not just with the material things of this world but blessed with this amazing peace in my heart, a joy beyond measure, a fulfilling life that every man on this earth desires.

And unless I’m selfish, why would I want to keep this transformative truth to just myself and my family.

It is truly my joy and pleasure to be able to share this truth with all of you this evening.

So, here we go…

The True Purpose of Christmas is to remind ourselves the reason behind the birth of a man called Jesus about whom a great French general, politician and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once said

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”

The famous scientist Albert Einstein said

“I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of Jesus. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful¨. “No man can read the story of Jesus without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. Theseus and other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.”

Have you ever wondered what makes Jesus and his birth so special?
Why is he such a hero to the world?

Compared to the standards and norms of our system…

– He wasn’t rich – In fact he was born as the son of a carpenter called Joseph
– He wasn’t a businessman – As he never founded any organization
– He wasn’t a politician – As he never formed a party or rallied around
– He wasn’t a thug – As he never stole or cheated anyone

Here are some facts about Jesus while he was on this earth…

Fact#1

Jesus was born of a virgin birth: He was not born because of the sexual relationship between Joseph and Mary. Mary conceived Jesus before she got married to Joseph. The bible says she was conceived by the Holy Spirit. An angel came to her and gave her the good news.

Fact #2

Jesus lived a 100% righteous life – There was no one who could put any kind of blame on him while he walked on the earth. And it is a known fact that you will hear even from the intellectuals of this generation speak about. Jesus was not hanged on the cross for any criminal activity.

Fact #3

Jesus, while he walked on this earth healed people of their sickness, he made the deaf hear, a blind see, a leper walk free, raised the dead and many more miracles no man has ever experienced, because of which multitude of people would follow and gather around him.

Fact #4

Jesus was crucified on the cross because of the false allegation put on him and was buried in a tomb. And three days after his burial he rose again from the dead and was taken up in heaven in the presence of multitudes of people. His empty tomb in Jerusalem still stands as a witness to that incident.

Fact#5

Even today, in his name people receive healing and freedom from their oppression.

So… Who is this Jesus? What does all this mean? and What is the purpose of Jesus’s Life?

3000 years before Jesus was born his birth was predicted in the Vedas (The Vedic Literature), specifically the Bhavishya Purana which states about the appearance of Isha Putra (the son of God), born of an unmarried woman.

700 years before Jesus was born on this earth a man called Isaiah prophesied about him and said

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Immanuel means God with us)

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

A couple of years later a man called Daniel predicted the coming of Jesus and said

“There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven . . . He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

There is no man who can exhibit the qualities and abilities like Jesus did simply because Jesus is God himself. The bible talks about a triune God – God the Father, God the Son & God the Spirit.

Jesus is the son who came down to this earth.

Jesus himself claimed he was God..

In John 10:30 Jesus said “I and the Father are one”
In John 14:9 Jesus said “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”

Jesus is the son who came down to this earth to rescue us from our own foolishness, sin, lack of purpose and eternal death.

Look at the world today, I don’t know if you are looking carefully. But look at it. It’s a chaos.
The earth is dying, everything in it is perishing. Our selfish desires to gain money, power and freedom have made us animals.

– We don’t think twice before killing someone just like us.
– We don’t care about the people just like us suffering because of poverty and lack of basic necessities.
– We are destroying our natural resources, the trees that give us oxygen, the minerals that sustain our ecosystem.
– All of this leading us to Global warming and end of everything. Just because we are selfish and our hearts hardened.

The scientists and researchers say that if this continues then it is not too late that we will be extinct. Everything we value in our lifetime, everything we treasure for our children, they will be gone.

But how did all this happen?

When God created the first man and women, he wanted them to flourish and multiply. He wanted them to inhabit this earth and enjoy the beautiful, resourceful earth that he created.

But instead of living righteously and living in God’s terms, the man became disobedient, unrighteous and ungodly. And we continue to be so even to this day.

Because of our sinfulness, the bible says

“For the wrath (anger) of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!”

The bible says that every single man is sinful. We all are born sinful and the only way to relate with God is through a sacrifice.

The Vedas reveal this truth…

“Yagne Sarvam Pratishthitam” – “It is sacrifice that bestows all things”.
“Yagnovai Sutarmanowh”- “Sacrifice is the bark (boat) that enables one to live well”.
“Yagnena Va Deva Divangatah” – “Only by means of sacrifice, the gods attained heaven”
“Rutasyanah Pathanaya Ati Viswani Durita”- “Deliverance through sacrifice”

For years men continued to offer sacrifices to God for the forgiveness of their sins, even today in some cultures they still offer sacrifices in various forms. The only norm is that the sacrifice needs to be perfect and blameless.

Jesus, who is God himself, even though he was a man he was not born of man, came to this earth, lived a perfect and blameless life, to deliver us from the wrath of the Father and from eternal death by offering himself as the perfect sacrifice that will suffice every requirement for us to enjoy a perfect relationship back with our Creator God and live eternally with him in the heavenly places.

Jesus did not come to establish a religion; in fact, he spoke against and criticized the religious people of his time. He is above and beyond all our man-made cultural and traditional myths that only leads us to deep bondage and frustration.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he sent his only son Jesus to die for us as a perfect sacrifice, and whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life”

After suffering a terrible death for our sake, Jesus, because he was God, rose again from the dead and was taken up in the heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. And the Bible tells us that one day he will return back and judge the world. Those who are his will be taken up with him and rest will be thrown into hell and eternal death.

You may ask after God sent his son Jesus to die for us and for sinfulness what does he expect from us to receive him and become part of his great big family?

All God requires from us is to believe and put our faith in Jesus’s finished work on the cross. And how do we do that?

We simply turning away from our sinful ways and put our faith in Christ. Trust me, you too will experience this transformative power that most of us have already experienced in this room.

This is the message of Christmas and if you want to experience the joy of knowing your creator God then you need to put your faith in Christ and his work on the cross. Or else this Christmas would mean nothing to you.

I hope and pray that you receive your savior today and see your life transformed forever.

[audioplayer file=”http://thegatheringcommunity.in/wp-content/uploads/saju-10-december-new.mp3″]

Our current preaching series is from the Gospel of Mark and the today’s passage is Mark 1:35-45.

Read Mark 1:35-45 (Link)

Jesus wakes up early in the morning while it is still dark and goes to a desolate place to pray. Simon and some others come searching for him because there were people looking for him to get their needs met.

Instead, Jesus replies saying “Let us go to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came”. And then he went to throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

When a leper comes to him, he is moved with compassion and heals him but also tells him not to go out and tell people about it. But the leper does the opposite and goes out telling everyone about Jesus and the healing he performed because of which Jesus is unable to enter the town and had to stay outside in a deserted place.

The Main purpose of the passage

Since it is important to understand the passage in its original context we need to pay attention to what the author is trying to communicate to us.

If you pay close attention you will understand that in this passage what Mark is trying to say is that Jesus was determined and focused to preach the message of the Kingdom of God more than just meeting the needs and wants of the people by performing healing & miracles.

How do we know that?

1. His reply to Simon

When Simon came and told him that there were people waiting for him, and we all know the number the people who’d gather around Jesus, they might have been in hundreds or thousands.

Jesus instead of attending to their needs goes to the neighboring villages to preach in their synagogues saying “that is what he came to do”.

2. The reason why he asked the leper not to speak

The reason Jesus told the leper not to go and talk about the miracle is because he knew there would be more people gathering around him for the wrong reasons, which is what eventually happens when the leper goes around proclaiming.

Because of which Jesus couldn’t enter the town and had to stay in a deserted place where people came to him.

Jesus’s expectation from the people was not just to come to him for healing and miracles but more so that they listen to his preaching of the Kingdom of God.

What was Jesus preaching?

In Matthew 4:17 we see Jesus was preaching “Repent because the Kingdom of heaven has come near”

Jesus wanted the people to know that the fulfillment of the old testament prophesies about the Messiah is happening.

That he was the one whom God the Father sent for the redemption of mankind.

Jesus wanted them to know that He is the only way, truth, and life and that no one can go to the Father except through him, through his sacrifice on the cross.

He wanted to know the Father’s love for them, so much so that he sent his only son to die for their sake, in their place, and anyone who believes in him are the only ones who will enjoy eternal life in heaven.

He wanted them to know the TRUTH that will set them free from their bondage, curses, and infirmities.

He wanted them to know that the way to restore their relationship back with God was only through him.

But instead, people were flocking to him just to meet their temporary needs and wants. And we see that Jesus would withdraw himself from them.

What does it teach us?

It teaches us that every time we go to Jesus with our concerns about life for the sake of a healing or a miracle or a financial breakthrough. Jesus’s concern for us whether we’ve know him – the true source of all joy and fulfillment.

Jesus’s concern is whether we’ve understood the message of the Kingdom of heaven. Whether we are consistently aligning our lives, our goals, our affections, our dreams, our pursuits to towards the Kingdom and for the sake of God’s glory.

Sadly, we all know that is not the picture of our lives. Isn’t it!

Every day when we get up in the morning our minds and hearts and filled with worries & anxiousness about our circumstances. We are perplexed and confused all the time because we don’t know what to do and where to go to fulfill our needs and wants.

We want to hang out with Jesus only to receive his blessings and to see our prayers answered. We go to church to get something out of it.

What if I told you that there is a possibility that Jesus might not meet your need and that he has bigger agenda for your life then to just meet your needs and wants.

Would you still like to hang out with him?

You might say doesn’t God care about the situation I’m going through.

Of course, he cares about us but he cares more about His glory been manifested in and through our lives when we walk in obedience to his word.

Jesus wants us to see him and know him.

When we look at the story of Job – after he’s gone through all the sufferings and trails and accusations from his friends. When God speaks to him and reveals himself to him Job speaks to God and says in 42:5-6 “I had heard of you by hearing of the ear, but now my eyes sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

But that’s not the end

In Job 42:10 we see God restores everything back to Job in double measure.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be added to you.”

Now that we know that Jesus’s focus is on our spiritual well-being and not just meeting our needs, and we also know that the problem with us is that we are constantly distracted with our needs and wants, our painful circumstances, with our desires for the things of the world.

What do we do to stay focused on the main thing?

The answer I believe is right there in the passage itself.

“We do what Jesus did”

Jesus, when he was surrounded by people trying to gain his attention and distract him from doing God’s will, he withdrew himself and went out to spend time with God in prayer all alone.

And that was Jesus’s regular pattern, he would often withdraw himself from the chaos around him to pray and re-align his thoughts and mind to focus on the main thing.

And what did he pray?

Look at the pray model Jesus gave us.

He asked us to pray that God would let his Kingdom come and let his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus himself in the most painful time when he was about to be crucified prayed if God could take the cup of suffering away from him but then he says but not my will but your will be done.

What are some of the distractions in our generation that we need to get rid so we can chase after the real thing?

1. Mobiles & Social Media Sites

Number one on my list is our mobile phones. I’m sure you didn’t see that coming.

Yes, it is!

Researchers have found that the mere presence of a handset is distracting – even if it is not your own. And the devices are likely to sidetrack you, even if they are not ringing or ‘pinging’ with text messages. (Read more)

In today’s generation, mobile phones are the number one distraction for us to spend time with God and his word. Our minds are constantly been bombarded with unwanted information and irrelevant thoughts all because of the easy access through our mobile phones.

If you think your mobile is a distraction for you to pursuing God for the right reasons then it’s time we act upon it and withdraw from it as far as possible. Use it only when it is needed.

Don’t let the phone dictate what you need to do and when you need to do. Instead, use it on your own terms.

My way of getting rid of the phone is to switch off all my notifications and keep it on silent all the time. I don’t take immediate calls cause I’m away from it most of the time. I only check my phone a couple of times during the day.

It’s a weird thing to do especially when you are into business, I get to hear that all the time.

But I’ve made my choice. This is how I want to stay focused on what God has called me to do. Do keep me in prayer.

2. Demands of Life

The other distraction could be the daily demands of our life.

Rushing to go to work in the morning, rushing to doing the work assigned to us, rushing to catch the train, the bus, the rickshaw.

The day goes by just attending to the immediate demands and we totally forget that we need strength to go on, we need hope to press on, we need guidance to stay on course.

It’s time that we realize how the demands of life are stealing our time with God which leads us in totally different directions, away from God.

3. TV/Entertainment

For some its entertainment that’s distracting them from spending time with God

4. Family/Children/Friends

Sometimes, it could also be our family, children, friends that can be a distraction for us to be able to spend time in devotion.

… the list goes on.

You need to identify what’s the distraction in your life that keeps you away from growing spiritually and mature in your faith.

Remember, Jesus is interested in your spiritual maturity and not just meet your needs and wants. It happens when you spend time in prayer and meditate on his word day and night.

Psalms 1 promises that when we meditate on his word day and night we will be like the tree planted by the streams of water whose leaves will never wither and will be fruitful all the time.

And in the end of our lives we will find greater satisfaction when we live for God and for his purposes, more than the satisfaction we receive when our temporary needs are met.

So, lets gear up and chase after the main thing in life.

Let’s pray!

[audioplayer file=”http://thegatheringcommunity.in/wp-content/uploads/knowing-jesus-through-biblical-expectations.mp3″]

Good morning church! We have been going through a series titled “The Gospel of Mark: the story of Jesus”. I’ve personally being encouraged by this study of the gospel. A couple of weeks back we read on the passage that spoke about the “Calling of the First disciples” (READ). We learnt how following Jesus meant more than just having new religious ideas. A heart transformation needs to take place. And the three signs of transformation are:

1. Exchange of Affections: Greater affections for Christ rather than family, friends or things
2. Exchange of Dreams: Greater dreams for Christ’s mission rather than our personal professional ambitions
3. Exchange of Pursuits: Greater pursuits for Christ and His glory rather than pursuing our own goals.

And these are key to understanding what it means to be a believer. So even though we’ve already read through it last time, I’d encourage you to be reminded every single day, every week, every year of what it means to follow Jesus. When you believed and trusted in Christ’s work for you on the cross, you declared that you were exchanging your affections, dreams and pursuits for greater, glorious and life-giving purposes of Christ.

Today’s passage is the start of Jesus’ ministry along with his first 4 disciples. You can imagine what it must’ve been for them to start with their new life and their new mission! Think along with me what they would’ve thought and expected from Jesus. The context of the Gospel of Mark is that Israelites for hundreds of years have been waiting for the coming of the Messiah. All of them had expectations. Who is he going to be? What is he going to be like? What will he be wearing? Where is he going to stay? How many people will be around him? Let’s read Mark 1:21 on-wards to find out.

Mark 1:21-34: [21] And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. [22] And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. [23] And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, [24] “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” [25] But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” [26] And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. [27] And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” [28] And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee. [29] And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. [30] Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. [31] And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. [32] That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. [33] And the whole city was gathered together at the door. [34] And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Wow! This is a powerful passage. The whole passage talks about Jesus revealing his identity. He does it in three ways:

1. Jesus’ authority in teaching

Mark 1: [21] And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. [22] And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

The very first thing that Jesus does is that he goes to a synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath and begins teaching. The synagogue was a Jewish assembly where Jews gathered to offer prayers and listen to the reading and expositions of OT Scriptures.

Jesus enters and he begins teaching the Scriptures! As Jesus shares about the fulfillment of the OT prophecies, as He preaches about the coming of the kingdom of God, as He talks about the good news and how they need to repent and believe in the good news – they are astonished and blown away. The reason for that is because they were able to recognize authority in His teaching. In contrast to this was the teaching of the scribes.

Now these scribes were the Scripture experts of that day. They were approached for difficult issues or decisions with respect to the Mosaic law. No doubt these were very smart people but there was no authority in their teaching. Do note that the writer didn’t focus on the style of teaching or on Jesus’ eloquence.

He focused on His authority. Jesus taught with authority not only because He knew what He was talking about but because He was the author of Life and truth! I always wonder what that might have looked like to have the Creator of the universe, the pre-existent God, the One who sustains the universe to teach people and explain the Scriptures to them! Wasn’t that an amazing privilege? At the same time I realize that all of written Scripture that we have with us is talking about Jesus and is communicating his words to us (John 5:39).

[39] You study[c] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.

Whenever we read the Bible or hear it being preached in its context and according to the original intent and apply it to our lives, we should realize that the Word is coming to us with the same weight and authority that it had when Jesus spoke these words. We have an amazing privilege!

2. Jesus’ power over demons

Mark 1: [23] And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, [24] “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” [25] But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” [26] And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. [27] And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” [28] And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

While Jesus was teaching, a man with a demonic spirit cries out. Obviously, this is disturbing and distracting people from what Jesus was teaching. Jesus rebukes the spirit and casts it out of the man! Just imagine if this were happening at the Gathering right now. Wouldn’t you be frightened to witness this happen in front of you? The people knew they couldn’t control the man with a demon spirit.

In fact this demonic spirit affected the man so violently that in v26 it says it “convulsed him” or it tore him apart. And Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of the man…and it did! They realize that Jesus isn’t an ordinary person. He not only teaches with authority but He commands the demonic spirits and they obey him. We aren’t just seeing authority in His teaching but also authority over the spiritual realm!

How great and powerful must He be?

3. Jesus’ cure for sicknesses

Mark 1: [29] And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. [30] Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. [31] And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. [32] That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. [33] And the whole city was gathered together at the door. [34] And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Just after the amazing story at the synagogue, the focus shifts to Peter and Andrews home where Peter’s mother in law is ill and is lying on the bed. Jesus comes to her, picks her hand and immediately the fever leaves her! She becomes physically fit instantly, so much so that she begins to serve them.

Probably prepare a meal for them. In the evening, all people who were sick with various diseases and oppressed by demons are brought to Jesus and He instantly and miraculously restores them. The whole city gathered outside at the door.

Imagine being one of the onlookers trying to look inside and see how lepers, blind, lame, deaf are being healed. Who is this man who has the power to renew our physical bodies? These miracles are definitely witnessing to the Messianic age but also reveal the identity of our Savior who has the power to heal us because He himself fashioned us in our mother’s womb!

But in this whole passage there is one thing that messes with my mind. It’s v34 where it says “Jesus would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.” What? Why would Jesus do that? When we see the man with the demonic spirit in v24 – the demonic spirit actually utters the correct identity of Jesus – He is Jesus of Nazareth and He is the Holy One of God! And Jesus tells him to “be silent”. It doesn’t make sense! Why would Jesus miss on this opportunity to reveal who He was? In today’s marketing and PR strategy, this would’ve been a major mistake.

There is a phrase in media that says – any publicity is good publicity. Why can’t Jesus allow the demons to speak? Wouldn’t this help Jesus’ name to grow quicker and wider? The reason why Jesus didn’t want to reveal his identity yet is due to people’s wrong expectations from the Messiah.

They were experiencing oppression under the Roman rule and wanted a military king to come and remove the Roman emperor from his throne and have this descendant of David sit upon the throne! That’s why Jesus didn’t permit the demons to reveal His identity because that expectation was totally opposite to who He was and why He came into the world.

However, Jesus still revealed who was through His actions – his authority in teaching, his power over demons and his cure for sicknesses.

If we were totally honest, what would we say are our expectations from Jesus? Our expectations and perceptions about Jesus form an important part of our faith. It’s the lens through which we see Jesus, approach Him and even talk about Him.

Are we really prepared to receive Jesus for who He is? Most of the time Jesus’ identity doesn’t match our natural expectations. Why? Because our expectations from Him are self-centered and temporary. But Jesus’ desire is to reveal the glory of God for our complete joy in Christ.

• Sometimes we think – If God gave me this job, then I would be more devoted to him
• If God gives me this person to marry, then I will love Him more
• If God frees me from this sin struggle, then I will be more obedient to him
• If God gives me this role or position in the church, then I will be a stronger believer
• If God makes my life more comfortable and convenient, then I will spend more time with him
• If God reduces the troubles in my life, then I will be able to trust Him more
• Also, sometimes we end up being selective in our reading of Scripture also. We love reading the feel-good verses again and again: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But let me not read and obey the verses that say – If anyone wants to follow me, let him die to himself daily, pick up his cross and follow me.

Do you see the issues with this type of expectations from Christ?

1. It’s not true of who Christ is. This resembles a god that looks more like us and not like our Savior Jesus. It’s deeply self-centered
2. We see Christ as only the Gift-giver rather than the Gift Himself
3. Jesus Christ wants to give us so much more, but we want to settle with the least. By more I’m not talking about prosperity but I’m talking about knowing, loving and becoming like our Savior and Master – Jesus.

So how does this passage, provide us with hope?

Even though we’ve got all our expectations misplaced due to our sin, the encouragement is that Christ came to us and revealed the true picture of himself. He possesses all authority and is full of power! He is way beyond what our minds can comprehend and yet He chooses to show Himself to us.

Most importantly, He opened our eyes to see who He is through His sacrifice on the cross in our place. And He invites us to know him more intimately as we fellowship with him through the Word, prayer and his church.

So let’s throw off every idea or belief or lifestyle that is based on wrong expectations of Christ. And let’s receive and embrace and treasure this Jesus as He reveals in Scripture. We embrace Jesus by loving, obeying and praising Him.