A Journey Through John – Ch 5

I. A Healing At The Pool Of Bethesda (1-17)

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 

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A Journey Through John – Ch 4

“One of the delightful facts about the Gospel of John is that many of its stories linger in the listener’s mind and generate implications for a lifetime. Such is the significance of the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4. It encourages reflection about presuppositions and prejudices, about the mission of Jesus and worship, and it offers a wonderful paradigm for considering the nature and strategy of evangelistic outreach.” Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 197.

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A Journey Through John – Ch 2-3

Chapter two begins a longer section that runs from 2.1-12.19, focused around 7 miracles or “signs”.

More so than the other gospels, John desires “to see beyond the miracles to their significance”…these are…”special actions by Jesus which reveal his glory to those who believe and which confront others with the need to decide about Jesus.” – Stott. The Message of John. p. 62.

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A Journey Through John – Ch 1

The Word and His Witness

From the beginning, “John handles issues of profound importance…Here divinity and humanity, preexistence and incarnation, revelation and sacrifice are each discussed by John with deceptive simplicity.” – Gary M. Burge. The NIV Application Commentary: John. p. 52.

From the beginning, we see John begin to explain the unique nature and mission of Jesus Christ, the god-man. These themes will continue to echo and be further explained throughout the gospel. Yet John wastes no time explaining Jesus to be the unique and perfect representation of God in the world.

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A Leader’s Wisdom

Introduction

Who might you consider to be one of the world’s greatest leaders? Why?

We see great leaders throughout church history as well. The Bible contains many stories of leaders who God used to do incredible things. We tend to glamorize leaders sometimes, but we must remember that these men and women are, like us, flawed in areas. None of us are perfect, thus none of us are perfect in leadership. Moses was one of those. Moses displayed great leadership through his service to the Lord and leading the people of Israel. However, he wasn’t perfect and needed assistance as well.

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A Test In The Wilderness

Introduction

As we enter into today’s study, I think it’s important to remember the recent events in Israel’s history.

  • God provided Moses as an instrument to release and lead His people from Egyptian captivity.
  • God demonstrated His power over the Egyptian gods in the 10 plagues.
  • God provided deliverance for his people at the Red Sea.
  • Israel followed Moses for about 3 days in the wilderness and couldn’t find water, so they began to complain. (Ex. 15:22-27)

QUES: When have you forgotten, or almost forgotten, God’s goodness because of a difficult situation in your life?

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God Frees His People

Introduction

It wasn’t long ago that our society moved from what we called a “modern” society, to a “postmodern” society. In modern society people believed in the concept of truth and authority, even though they may not live in submission to it. There was a general consensus of right and wrong. In a postmodern society, people have shied away from absolute truth and truth has become something that centers upon the individual. In other words, what’s true for you may not necessarily be true for me. We have continued in this vein of thought and now, truth is not based upon fact, but more upon emotion. Because truth now rests upon the individual, each person becomes their own authority on right and wrong.

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