Day 44 :: The Upper Room

John 16:33

So That You May Have Peace

March 13, 2015

Ryan Showalter, Associate Pastor I Family Ministry

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, do you experience peace? If you are not experiencing peace, have you asked the “why?” question lately? I often find when I’m not experiencing peace that I am looking for it in all the wrong places. Streamlined calendar. Well-behaved children. Manageable circumstances. Conflict-free marriage. These are all good things of course, but they are not things God created to be our peace. Instead, we learn in John 16:33 that we are created to find peace in Jesus. We have not overcome the world, our spouses have not overcome the world, our children have not overcome the world; no, it is Jesus alone that has overcome the troubles of the world and can therefore offer us true peace.

So I’ll ask again—where are you looking for peace? When life is troublesome, and life in a broken world often is, look to Jesus! He has overcome the brokenness of the world so that you and I can experience the peace of God. What beautiful news for our troubled and weary hearts! Rather than laboring in vain to manufacture our own peace, we can rest in the finished work of Christ and experience a peace that is not dependent on our wisdom, our work, or our circumstances. This peace, this free, overcoming the troubles of the world peace, is yours in Christ. So take heart Christian, for though the world is troublesome, Jesus has overcome the world, and his peace is your peace!

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:15; Psalm 46:1

TWEET THIS: God’s peace is for you! Find it, free of charge, in Jesus! #UpperRoom

Day 43 :: The Upper Room

John16:31-32

Help My Unbelief

March 12, 2015

Tammy Priest, Executive Assistant I Senior Pastor

"Do you now believe?" Jesus asked His disciples this question the night before His death. It's hard to tell if He was relieved or exasperated. After three years of ministry, the disciples had just proclaimed in the Upper Room that they believed. But what about all their previous confessions of faith? Were the disciples' other proclamations not genuine? Of course they were. But that night, they comprehended that there was even more to Jesus than they had understood before.

We are no different. With every significant moment and season, we are brought to a place where we believe in ways we've never believed before. The disciples' faith grew deeper as they experienced Jesus in new ways, and so should ours. In truth, we should continually experience moments when we are overcome by new faith. Moments that call us out of what we thought we understood about Him, to an awakening of something more. We should desire to let go of old notions and grasp a higher and deeper understanding of our Savior and what He is calling us to do. As we are overcome by His surpassing glory, He gives us the ability to overcome the "scatterings" of life. In those moments, we discover that we are not abandoned, but instead held by One more powerful and merciful than we had believed the moment before.

Additional Scripture: Mark 9:17-27; Luke 17:5-6

TWEET THIS: Our faith grows as we better understand the person and work of Jesus Christ. #UpperRoom

Day 42 :: The Upper Room

John16:29-30

Stop, Listen, Believe

March 11, 2015

Kelli Benfield, Director | Communications

The disciples finally came to the point where they heard the words of the Lord and obeyed in bold faith. They believed without hesitation.

As a mom, I find myself directing my child by answering her many questions, especially the question: Why? Upon hearing my answer, she usually responds like I am answering by way of parables. Honestly, my frustration surfaces when I think I have communicated clear, simple instructions and she walks away in more confusion. In some ways, my response to God’s word resembles my child’s response to my answers: full of doubt and more questions. I often approach his word and commands distracted and selfishly. I believe many people in the church approach God and his word similarly.

What will it take for us to truly stop all the noise, pay attention, and seek God for clear direction? What will it take for us to believe Him at His word...the first time? Maybe we are intentionally holding our hands over our ears while yelling, “What did you say?” He is trying to clearly lead you today. Stop questioning His direction and believe Him.

TWEET THIS: Are you really paying attention to what God is telling you? Listen and believe with without hesitation. #UpperRoom

Day 41 :: The Upper Room

John16:27-28

Jesus the Eternal One

March 10, 2015

Gary Chapman, Senior Associate Pastor

The most fundamental tenet of the Christian faith is the belief that Jesus is divine. He was not simply another prophet who lived a good life, taught helpful lessons and eventually died. He is the divine Son of God who came to earth from heaven to pay the supreme penalty for our sins, so that God could forgive us and still be a just God (Phil. 2:5-11).

In John 16:27-28, Jesus makes it clear that God loves us as His children, because we have chosen to love Jesus and believe that He came from the Father. God loves all people, but only those who choose to believe in Jesus become God's children (John 3:16; 1:11-12). Nothing is more important in life than one's response to Jesus.

In verse 28, Jesus states clearly where He came from and where He is going. "I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now, I am leaving the world and going to the Father." He came into time and space as a babe in Bethlehem. He left as the crucified, risen Lord from the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. As they watched Him ascend into heaven, his disciples must have remembered his words, "I came from the Father and...I am going to the Father."

However, that is not the end of the story. The heavenly messengers said: "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Christ is coming to earth again to establish His kingdom. Until then, we must be faithful in sharing the good news of His first visit to the earth.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES: Acts 1:6-12

TWEET THIS: Jesus is eternal. If you are in Christ, you will spend eternity with him too! #UpperRoom