Tag: John

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Journey Through John – Chapter 20-21

The resurrection of Christ is the most pivotal moment in all of history. It is the climactic event our faith in Christ as Redeemer is validated and the moment which all of our Christian faith relies upon. In this session we see John’s portrait of the resurrected Christ.

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Cor. 15.14).

In short, I didn’t become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take. – Lee Strobel

The truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of gospel truth. The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which none of the other truths would much matter. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be so much wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation. – John MacArthur

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Journey Through John – Chapter 15

I Am the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

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Journey Through John – Chapter 13

Introduction

After my wife and I dated for a bit, I knew she was my lobster. When I finally scraped up enough money to afford an engagement ring, I concocted a plan and set things in motion to perform a proposal that could not be rejected. I must admit that I am not fond of the pressure of a proposal (Especially today. There’s the added stress of a proposal photograph session and/or arranging all your and your wife-to-be’s friends to be present and some exotic local, waiting to celebrate her affirmation to your request.) I planned an evening at the beach followed by a nice dinner in PCB. The evening was to conclude with a candlelit room where I would wash her feet, give her a speech about love and pop the question.

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Journey Through John – Chapter 11

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Peter 5:7. It reads, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” I like it because it tells us that God is concerned about us. Our problems, no matter how large or how small do not go unnoticed by God’s sovereign hand. It gives me comfort. It gives me hope.

All of us have different problems. Some things that really bother one person may not be a concern for another. Some people seem to sail through life trial-free, while others seem to always draw the short straw. Difficulties come in a rainbow of colors with great variance in severity.

However, there is one problem that we all face. It is our biggest problem. Death. 1 Cor. 15:26 describes death as our enemy – An enemy defeated by Christ.

“The victorious Christ is the greatest disruption, the striking off of shackles from a fettered world. He liberates us from the cruel facts of our existence in this present world. He is the end of death itself.” – Joshua John Mackin. www.firstthings.com. “Death, Our Enemy”. 

John 11 gives us a picture of Jesus’ power over the enemy of death.

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Journey Through John – John 10

I write the following statement knowing that it is overly general and could and should be said about the entirety of scripture…but…

John 10 provides rich theological and devotional thought concerning the nature and mission of Jesus Christ. These verses provide deep water for us as we swim in the implications and the personal application of these verses.

John 10 contains some of the most well known self-references of Jesus. The door of the sheep. The good shepherd. I and the Father are one.

Let’s dive in.

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Journey Through John – Ch 9

JESUS HEALS A MAN BORN BLIND

Unlike many chapters in the gospels, which may include a variety of events, John 9 centers upon one event, where Jesus heals a man born blind. Throughout the chapter, we see a number of “blind spots” if you will from those who respond to this miracle.

This is the sixth sign in the gospel of John.

Bruce Milne, says that this chapter is one of the most unified in the entire gospel because it revolves around one miracle and it maintains a continued focus on light  throughout the entire pericope (Milne, The Message of John. 136, 137).

In summary (yes, before we even begin!), we see two results of Jesus being the light of the world (John 9.39):

  1. He brings salvation to “those who do not see.”
  2. He brings judgment to those who believe they see, but are really blind.

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Journey Through John – Ch8

I. (7.53-8.11) The Woman Caught In Adultery

Then they all went home, 1 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Of interesting note, your Bible probably has some sort of editorial note concerning this pericope. The oldest manuscripts of John we have discovered do not contain these verses. So, what do we do with this narrative?

Should we consider it as valid, authoritative and applicable to our lives?

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Journey Through John – Ch 7

Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles (7.1-52)

In large part, chapter 7 seeks to investigate the questions, Who is Jesus and how should I respond? It takes place during one of Israels 3 major feasts.

  • Passover – the beginning of the grain harvest in spring
  • Pentecost – 7 weeks later, at the end of the spring grain harvest
  • Tabernacles – an autumn harvest celebrating the tree and vine harvest

Since the Feast of Tabernacles sets our context for us, let’s briefly look at the importance of this celebration before we jump into chapter 7.

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Journey Through John – Ch 6

I. Fish Frying (1-15)

6 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. 

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A Journey Through John – Ch 5

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

5 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 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?” 7 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.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 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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