Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: John 4
From One, Many

From One, Many

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From One, Many

But He needed to go through Samaria…The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

John 4:4&28-30

Christ is a multiplier. Give Him an earth that is ‘without form and void,’ when ‘darkness was upon the face of the deep,’ and He will create ‘all things from nothing, by the Word of His power, in the space of six days, and all very good.’ Give Him ‘five loaves, and two fish,’ and He will multiply that to feed ‘5,000 men, beside women and children.’ Give him a wayward, outcaste woman, whom the self-righteous would vote as the ‘least likely candidate for grace,’ and He will transform her and make her an instrument of His transformation of the lives of many. This is something Christ ‘needed’ to do. If He ‘needed to go through Samaria,’ and needed ‘to be about His Father’s business,’ and needed to reveal to her that, ’I who speak to you am He,’ He also ‘needed’ to transform her life and make her ‘an instrument of His Peace.’ By affecting this one person deeply, He affects an entire population. So, Christ multiplies His Work. He does so, so thoroughly, that at the end of the message He points to the keffiyeh-clad people coming out of the city to meet Him and says, ‘Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest?”  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!’ (using the imagery of the waving fields of grain, ready for reaping). So, Christ gives us the experiences we have in order to forge us, and at times re-forge us into tools which He uses for particular applications. By affecting one, He affects many. Thus, He makes us the instruments of His peace.

Our Gracious Master and our God,
We rejoice that You form and fashion us by Your Power
into the tools which You desire us to be.
We praise You that You use us for Your Glory
and for the advancement of Your Kingdom.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
‘I…Am He’

‘I…Am He’

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‘I…Am He’

But He needed to go through Samaria…Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

John 4:4&26

As we continue to consider our primary text for meditation, we add to it, today, another text which bears upon the first one. In the course of His conversation with this ‘congregation of one,’ as we put it yesterday, Christ reveals Himself to her as the Messiah. She had expressed her desire for Messiah to come when she said, ‘“I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”’ Christ responds with, ‘“I who speak to you am He.”‘  Let us consider this revelation in the light of our text. ‘He needed to go through Samaria.’ He ‘needed’ to ‘be about His Father’s business.’ He ‘needed’ to minister to this congregation of one. Now, He ‘needed’ to reveal Himself to this obscure, outcast, and unlikely candidate as, ‘the Christ.’ This is remarkable in every way. Here Christ shows Himself, not to the high and mighty, not to the ‘movers and shakers’ of society, but to a social outcast, who was merely coming to the well to draw water. This gives us hope of ever seeing more of Christ. Christ is eager for us to understand Him. He ‘needs’ to reveal Himself to us whom He has set aside for Himself, and whom the Father has given Him. Let us rejoice today that Christ is so intent upon revealing Himself to us. Let us look to Him today to show us more of Who He is. Let us rejoice that, ‘I who speak to you am He.’

Our Gracious and Loving Savior,
we praise You that You daily reveal Yourself to us
in more ways than we can immediately comprehend.
Evermore show us more of Yourself, that in our beholding of You,
we may grow to be more like You.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
A Congregation of One

A Congregation of One

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A Congregation of One

But He needed to go through Samaria…A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

John 4:4&7

God is the God of the individual. He revealed Himself to Adam at the very dawn of human history. The list of individuals to whom Christ revealed Himself, in His pre-incarnate form is long and illustrious.  Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah all received the Personal Ministry of Jesus Christ Himself.  He appeared to minister to the lowly, and did not distance Himself from them because of their low estate. Hagar was a slave, without a hope, yet Christ ministered to her. During the days of His Incarnation, Christ sought out, and ministered to congregations of one on many occasions. These include the Maniac of Gadara, Zacchaeus, and now, the woman at the well. This is the logical follow-on of the text we began to consider yesterday. According to yesterday’s text, ‘But He needed to go through Samaria.’ This means that the Sovereign Plan of God compelled Christ to go specifically to this place, to minister to this woman, at this time of her life. Christ was doing for her what He has done for countless others, that is, to single her out and to minister to her personally. It is a great comfort and encouragement to consider that Christ will seek us out as individuals to minister to us as a congregation of one. Let us rejoice today in this very Personal Savior Who condescends to us who are of low estate. He ministers to congregations of one.  We are, as individuals, such a congregation.

Our most Gracious and Kind Savior,
we praise You that You minister to us as individuals.
We rejoice that You meet with us face to face,
to show us Your way and to show us Your Glory.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
Preparing to Worship

Preparing to Worship

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9:30 am Worship Service

650 Kennedy Drive

Northglenn, CO

Scripture:  John 4:1-7

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. …

Sermon:  ‘He needed to go…’ – Tomm Tice

  1.  He needed to fulfill the plan of God, His Father.
  2. He needed to keep this Divine Appointment.
  3. He needed to reveal Himself to her as the Christ.
  4. He needed to transform her life, and thereby transform other lives.

Catechism: Westminster Shorter Catechism

Question #91

How do the sacraments become effectual means of salvation?

The sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them.

1 1 Corinthians 3:7. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:12-17. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Worship:

There is a Redeemer

Seek Ye First

Amazing Grace (Traditional)

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