Revised Common Lectionary: Fifth Sunday in Lent

Year A

Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130:1-8; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45

We need to be changed by the Lord.

It was ‘a valley of dry bones’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything - ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’ (Ezekiel 37:5).

What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God. Fill me with life anew’ (Church Hymnary, 103).

What happens when the Spirit of the Lord breathes new life into the Church of God? - ‘The Church that seemed in slumber has now risen from its knees and dry bones are responding with the fruits of new birth’.

‘Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Let the breeze of Your presence flow that Your children here might truly know how to move in the Spirit’s flow... Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Please accomplish in us today some new work of loving grace, we pray. Unreservedly, have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome You’ (Mission Praise, 274,241).

The Lord changes us when He forgives our sin.

We are not to pray to God with superficial words that don’t mean very much to us. Our prayer is to be a real cry from the heart: ‘Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord’ (Psalm 130:1). We are to ‘cry for mercy’ with a deep awareness of how sinful we really are: ‘If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?’ (Psalm 130:3). We must come to God with deep humility - ‘My heart is not proud, O Lord’ (Psalm 131:1).

When we truly confess our sin, we receive God’s ‘unfailing love’ and ‘forgiveness’ (Psalm 130:4). ‘In the Lord’ we have ‘full redemption’ (Psalm 130:7).

It is for ‘now’- ‘The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives’. It is ‘for evermore’- ‘But purer and higher and greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see!’ ‘Praise the Lord!... Give Him the glory!’ (Psalm 131:3; Church Hymnary, 374).

The Lord changes us when He gives us His Holy Spirit.

Each of us must choose. We can ‘live according to the flesh’ or we can ‘live according to the Spirit’. We can ‘set the mind on the flesh’or we can ‘set the mind on the Spirit’ (Romans 8:5-6). The new life in the Spirit is just the beginning. God is preparing us for the greater ‘glory that will be revealed in us’ (Romans 8:18). We have ‘the first fruits of the Spirit’. The Holy Spirit is ‘the guarantee of our inheritance’. He is the starter which whets our appetite for the main course! With Him in our hearts, we long for more - ‘an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you’, ‘the redemption of our bodies’, ‘the glorious liberty of the children of God’ (Romans 8:21-23; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5). Led by the Spirit, strong in the Spirit, we press on to glory (Romans 8:14, 26, 17).

The Lord will change us when He raises us to eternal life.

Everything is moving on towards Christ’s death and resurrection. On His way to the Cross, Jesus performs a mighty miracle - the raising of Lazarus (John 11:43-44) - which points unmistakably to an even greater miracle - His own resurrection (Acts 2:24). Accompanying this miracle - the raising of Lazarus - , we have Jesus’great declaration concerning Himself: ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die’ (John 11:25). His words are immediately followed by the question: ‘Do you believe this?’ (John 11:26). This question is put to each of us. Jesus waits for the answer of faith: ‘Yes, Lord I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God...’ (John 11:27). This is ‘for the glory of God’- receiving new life from ‘the Son of God...’ (John 11:4).

___

Year B

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12 (or Psalm 119:9-16); Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33

Jesus Christ – the Way, the Truth and the Life

‘Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take’ (Jeremiah 31:21). It’s so easy to take a wrong turning. You lose your sense of direction. You get confused. You’re not sure which way to go. You are lost. You are getting more and more lost all the time. You can’t find your way back home again. You need someone who knows the way to come and be your guide. Is there someone who can get us on the right road again? Is there someone who can guide us safely home? Yes! Jesus is 'the Way, the True Way, the Living Way'. ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. That’s what Jesus said. Without the Way, there is no going, Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living’ (John 14:6; Junior Praise, 89). Let Jesus be your Guide. Let Him be your Saviour.

 

Come to Christ. Let His love reach you. Let His power make you a new person.

‘Create in me a clean heart, O God... Cast me not away from Thy presence... Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation’ (Psalm 51:10-12). These words come to us from the ancient past. They were first spoken many centuries ago. They can be the words which change your future. You can make them your words. David made a new beginning with God. You can make a new beginning with God. You have sinned. You need to be forgiven. Come to Christ. He says, ‘I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me’ (John 6:37). You need to be ‘born again’. Receive Christ as your Saviour and be ‘born again’ - ‘born of God’ (John 3:3; John 3:7; John 1:12). You feel so weak, unable to be the person God wants you to be. Let ‘the joy of the Lord be your strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10). Let His love reach you. Let His power make you a new person.

Remember what Jesus has done for you. Recommit yourself to following Him.

The way of blessing is the way of obedience (Psalm 119:1; Psalm119:9; Psalm 119:11; Psalm 119:17). Many will choose the way of disobedience - ‘influential people sit together and slander me’. We must choose the way of obedience - ‘Your servant will meditate on Your teachings’ (Psalm 119:23). Following Jesus Christ will not be easy. We see many people turning back from following Him. We are tempted to join them. We feel the pull of the world. We must not take our eyes off Jesus. We must not return to the world’s way of living. We must remember all that Jesus has done for us - ‘He loved us and gave Himself for us’ (Galatians 2:20) - and recommit ourselves to following Him: ‘I have decided to follow Jesus... The world behind me, the Cross before me... Though none go with me, I still will follow... No turning back, no turning back’ (Mission Praise, 272).

When God is speaking to you, make sure that you don’t harden your heart.

‘Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts’. These words from Hebrews 3:7; Hebrews 3:15, are repeated in Hebrews 4:7. Make sure that you don’t miss the point! These are words that we need to keep on hearing - again and again. None of us ever reaches a stage where we no longer need to hear and heed God’s words of warning. Reading God’s Word can be a very uncomfortable experience: ‘God’s Word is living and active... God’s Word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions. No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for Him to see. We must answer to Him’ (Hebrews 4:12-13). This may not be the kind of thing we like to hear. It’s what we need to hear. We will only pray for ‘mercy’and ‘grace’ when we see how sinful we really are. Then - and only then - will we come to Christ for ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 4:15-16; Hebrews 5:9).

Listen to the voice of the Lord. Put Jesus at the centre of your life.

The Pharisees are developing their wicked plan. God is fulfilling His saving purpose (John 11:49-53). The voice of ‘common sense’ s not always the voice of the Lord (John 12:4-6). There is a higher wisdom than ‘common sense’. We are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He leads us to put Jesus at the centre of our lives. Jesus is not suggesting that the poor are unimportant. He is emphasising that we must not lose sight of Him. If our concern for the poor is not truly grounded in devotion to Christ, it is not the obedience of faith (John 12:8). The Pharisees are lying in wait for Jesus. They say, ‘The world has gone after Him’ (John 12:19). They are going after Him too - in a different way! The crucifixion draws near. God is to be ‘glorified’ n the defeat of Satan and the salvation of sinners (John 12:28; John 12:31-32). Jesus had ‘come’ for this ‘hour’ (John 12:27).
___

Year C

Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126:1-6; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8

The Name of Jesus is the Name of our salvation.

‘I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour... I am the Lord, apart from Me there is no saviour’(Isaiah 43:3,11). Isaiah’s words turn our thoughts towards Jesus our Saviour. The Name of Jesus is the Name of our salvation: ‘Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’(Acts 4:12). ‘How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear’; ‘There is a Name I love to hear... It tells me of a Saviour’s love, who died to set me free; it tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea. O how I love the Saviour’s Name, the sweetest Name on earth’; ‘Name of all majesty... See now what God has done, sending His only Son, Christ the beloved One, Jesus is Lord!’(Church Hymnary, 376; Mission Praise, 672,481).

Build on Jesus Christ, the Solid Rock.

‘Those who trust in the Lord... cannot be moved...’. When we put our trust in the Lord, we are like the ‘wise man who built his house on the rock’. His house ‘did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock’. When we do not put our trust in the Lord, we are like the’foolish man who built his house on sand’. His house ‘fell with a great crash’. ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain’(Psalm  125:1; Psalm 127:1; Matthew 7:24-27). ‘Jesus Christ’ is the ‘sure Foundation’upon which our faith is built. He is ‘the solid Rock’, our ‘mighty Rock of spiritual refreshment’(1 Corinthians 3:11; 10:3-4; Church Hymnary, 10,411). ‘Christ died for our sins... He was raised on the third day’. Let us rejoice in Him: ‘The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy’(Psalm 126:3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

We do not save ourselves. We are saved by the Lord.

God’s command - ‘Work out your own salvation’ - must never be separated from His promise - ‘God is at work in you’(Philippians 2:12-13). We do not save ourselves - We ‘put no confidence in the flesh’. We are saved by the Lord - We ‘glory in Christ Jesus’(Philippians 3:3). We are to ‘shine as lights in the world’, directing attention away from ourselves to Him who is ‘the Light of the world’ - our Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:15; John 8:12). We have this testimony: “I have ‘no righteousness of my own’. ‘Through faith in Christ’, I have received ‘this righteousness from God’”(Philippians 3:9). We are living in difficult times. This is ‘a crooked and perverse generation’(Philippians 2:15). We are called to ‘hold fast the Word of life’(Philippians 2:16). It will not be easy. We will face many difficulties. We must take encouragement from this: ‘God is at work in you’(Philippians 2:13).

‘Christ Jesus has made me His own’(Philippians 3:12).
In Paul`s words, we hear an echo of Jesus` words, ‘You did not choose Me... I chose you’(John 15:16). Christ has claimed us for Himself. He has laid claim to every part of our life. We are to ‘rejoice in the Lord always’(Philippians 4:4). We are to bring ‘everything’ to Him in prayer (6). We are to be ‘content in all circumstances’(Philippians 4:11-12). We are to face every challenge with confidence in His strength - ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’(Philippians 4:13). We are to trust Him to ‘supply’our ‘every need’(Philippians 4:19). In every situation, we can come to the Lord, trusting in His promise: ‘the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’(Philippians 4:7). Whatever is happening, take it to the Lord in prayer and let Him give you His peace.

Keep on listening to Jesus. Keep on looking to Him. Keep on loving Him.

The Pharisees are developing their wicked plan. God is fulfilling His saving purpose (John 11:49-53). The voice of ‘common sense’ is not always the voice of the Lord (John 12:4-6). There is a higher wisdom than ‘common sense’. We are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He leads us to put Jesus at the centre of our lives. Jesus is not suggesting that the poor are unimportant. He is emphasising that we must not lose sight of Him. If our concern for the poor is not truly grounded in devotion to Christ, it is not the obedience of faith (John 12:8). The Pharisees are lying in wait for Jesus. They say, ‘The world has gone after Him’(John 12:19). They are going after Him too - in a different way! The crucifixion draws near. God is to be ‘glorified’ in the defeat of Satan and the salvation of sinners (John 12:28,31-32). Jesus had ‘come’ for this ‘hour’(John 12:27).