Thoughts From John - Day 5

                                                        Day 5

                               John 2:12-25

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

                Did you know that Jesus got mad and expressed anger? Of course you did. Everyone knows this passage and uses it as a justification for "righteous anger" in their lives. Lately we've seen it used to justify anger at the democrats for "stealing the election", the forced use of masks, vaccinations, and joining the World Health Organization. We've seen it used in association with gender neutral bathrooms and we have seen it used right back at the groups who are standing for and against everything I've just mentioned. I think it is important to look at what angers Jesus so we don't get off base.

            In my previous post I discussed the Amazon Prime movie/documentary of The Jonas Brothers entitled "Chasing Happiness". I alluded to something that happened that was a crisis situation and a watershed moment in their life that precipitated their leaving the church, their fellowship, their youth group, their purity rings, their faith and I believe their happiness. Their dad, who was pastor of an Assembly of God Church, was fired because his kids became a secular band singing about love, girls, and relationships. They were kicked out of the parsonage and were basically homeless except for a kind police chief let them live for free in a very small house. All the Dad's money had been put into the boys' band so they were broke too. All this done by "religious" people. Can I just say, this is what got Jesus angry?

              As people came to worship God at the temple over Passover, the religious leaders had turned it into a money making scam. Everyone saw it and I'm sure many were turned away from worshipping God because of it. Not only that but the "market" was set up in the Court of the Gentiles, the only place where Gentiles were allowed to worship, effectively keeping them from worship. In other passages, Jesus angrily called the Pharisees blind guides leading people into destruction and accused them of putting yokes of religion on people so heavy that it kept them from Heaven. He said that it would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the sea than to lead someone away from God. This is what got Jesus angry! Isn't it interesting that He isn't getting angry at the sinners who sin - what do you expect them to do?- but at "religious" people keeping unbelievers from coming to God.

              Are you guilty of that? I hope you/me are living a life of grace, humility, and love that is drawing people to  Christ rather than repelling them. This is a challenging yet opportunistic time to do this. Are you making Jesus smile or frown? 

Thoughts From John - Day 4

                                                        Day 4

                                  John 2:1-11

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

                 I watched a movie/documentary on Amazon Prime the other day about The Jonas Brothers called "Chasing Happiness". It was named this appropriately because it chronicles their "ascent" from three adolescents learning to play instruments and writing silly songs in the basement of their parsonage (They were PK's) to sold out concerts worldwide, 4 platinum albums, movies, TV shows, with girls screaming everywhere they went. However, somewhere in the midst of it they lost their happiness and the movie brings us to the brothers, all married, reunited after estrangement, trying to figure out where they lost happiness and if they could just reunite one more time, maybe they could find it again. It's true that like most teen idols, their fame was a flash in the pan, yet they were still worth $150 million, two of the brothers had successful recording careers, all were happily married and one had a reality show- so these things were still not supplying the happiness they longed for.

                  In the above passage, isn't it interesting that the first miracle Jesus does - the initiation of His public ministry - is Him saving a couple teenagers from social embarrassment? He kept a party from ending early, big deal! John, nearing the end of his life, after familiarizing himself with the other three gospels, realizes there are somethings not included by the others and this miracle is one of them. What does he want us to realize? Maybe it's that Jesus brings the fun to life! Often when wine is mentioned in the Old Testament, it has to do with party, celebration, and happiness The Jonas Brothers aren't the only ones looking for happiness, this could be the title of the documentary of the human race. America was founded on Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's interesting, in the movie, the time when they were happiest, they were part of a youth group at church, singing and leading worship at church, wearing purity rings with a tight knit body of believers around them. Something happens, which I will discuss in the next blog, but they distance themselves from all that while seeking fame, money, girls and lose all their happiness. Somehow they miss that leaving "Christ" behind, they left the joy behind. Jesus came to give joy. He came to start the party!

            If you polled all the people in your community who aren't in church on a given Sunday morning and aske, "Why?", many would say," it's a bore"."I've got better things to do on my day off." "I did that when I was a kid because my parents made me and I hated it." Isn't that sad? Jesus never meant for following Him to be a bore. How did it get to that? Are you bored with your faith? Maybe you are doing the religious things like washing your hands in clay pots, so to speak. Jesus did away with that. Come taste the New over flowing abundant wine of happiness that Jesus brings. Seek Him, not church. Follow Jesus, not a religion and have the time of your life!

Thoughts From John - Day 3

                                                        John 1:38-51

    When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth,the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

             Have you ever met anyone famous? Can you remember what you said to them? Chances are it was something pretty lame and you wish you could take it back and say something profound. Imagine the author, John the apostle, after several thousand years waiting for the Messiah to come and 400 years of prophetic silence, meets the promised one who all of mankind has been waiting and for whom and by whom this Earth and mankind is created - and what were his first words? "Where are you staying?" I have to laugh because that sounds like something I would say. Did he really care where He was staying? I don't think so. I think he just didn't know what to say. I think he just lobbed the conversation ball to Jesus and Jesus took over. And that is the point.

             Jesus just says "come and see" or "follow me". We often think we have to reason people into the Kingdom of God. My dear departed Dad, when I would ask him what he thought of a message. he would reply, "Just preach Jesus!" John the Baptist earlier was asked to defend why he was baptizing or who gave him the right. He didn't argue the case for baptism from the scriptures, he just pointed them to One who was coming whose baptism was totally different. Andrew doesn't try to convince Peter of the Messiah's attributes and how Jesus fits the bill, he just brings Peter to check Jesus out for himself. Phillip doesn't get into the debate seen in John 7:52 where a prophet can't come from Galilee or from Micah 5:2 that the Messiah has to come from Bethlehem, he just tells Nathaneal, "come and meet Jesus."

          I was reading in "A Case For Faith" by Lee Strobel where in chapter 2 he interviews the top apologist in Christianity, William Lane Craig, about how he came to faith. Craig says that the virgin birth was a major stumbling block because he knew that was impossible but he was so enamored with the person of Jesus and His teachings and his historicity that he suspended his intellectual questions and received Christ. Once he was a believer, he realized that if God could speak the world into existence, forming a baby in a woman's womb was simple. What happened to Craig? He came and saw. He met Jesus and that answered the questions.

          This week as we see and meet unbelievers and look to rescue them from darkness and bring them into the wonderful light, let's not stumble on what to say or how to argue them in. Let's just invite them to meet Jesus at church. Let's ask, "Do you know Jesus?" "Who do you think Jesus is?" "Can I tell you about the day I met Jesus?" Bring them into the presence of Jesus and let Him do the miraculous, not you.

Thoughts from John - Day 2

                                                                  Day 2

                                       John 1 14-37

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leader] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”He said, “I am not.”“Are you the Prophet?”He answered, “No.”22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One."35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

             How many followers do you have? It's a big thing now. People can make a living by having a lot of followers. They become an "influencer". The influencers make posts endorsing a product and get paid. Just recently my son's father - in-law, who developed Brite beds, had an influencer sleep in one and sold 2 beds that day. My partner at work's son has over a million followers and that is his job. It's crazy! I was at a youth retreat and the guest speaker, who I guess was trying to develop a little credibility with the youth told how many followers she had and that she was an influencer.

            How many followers do you have? I bet you wish you had more. John the Baptist had followers. In fact John was becoming an influencer. People were coming from everywhere to hear him, see him, be baptized by him and even follow him. Two of these followers, John and Andrew, one day were with John the Baptist one day and when he saw Jesus he told them in so many words, "Unfollow me and follow Him. The only reason I am an influencer is so that I can introduce people to Him and then my job is done. I will go off social media." Well, not exactly what he said but you get the point. John the Baptist testifies to us that we have a mission in life and it's not for our renown but His.

         John says, " the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." He knew his purpose. Could I say," the reason I'm going to work today is to make Him know at the office."? Would you say, "The reason I'm going to school today is to make Him known at the school"? You see, we don't exist to get followers of us, we exist to add to Christ's followers. Lets think about where we have gone wrong and take steps to correct this today.

John Bible Study - Week 3

                         John Bible Study - Week 3
                              John 1:19-36, 3:22-36

1. Read the above verses focusing on John the Baptist (JTB). Give the reading a title and outline them.





2. Read each of the following prophecies about JTB and tell how they relate to him.

    A. Mal. 3:1

    B. Mal. 4:5,6

    C. Isa. 40:3

    D. Luke 1:76-79


   If John's goal was to write an account to convince people that Jesus is the Messiah (John 20:31), how does his account of JTB help him accomplish that goal?


  3.JTB calls Jesus "The Lamb of God". Read Isa. 53:7-12. What does this prophecy tell about the lamb of God?


     Read Ex. 12:4-11,22,23,46-49. How does Jesus relate to the Passover Lamb?


  4. What did JTB understand his purpose in life to be?

      How does that challenge you?

       Watch the following clip. What is Woody so upset about? How does this relate to the passage?   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UULFS0kf7_g


  5.What did JTB understand Jesus ministry to be?


      Who did he understand Jesus to be?

 6. When the Pharisees ask him basically. "What gives you the right to baptize?", how does he respond?

    

       What can we learn from that response?

Thoughts From John - Day 1

                                                          Day 1

                                   John 1:1-13

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

                     Have you ever seen the show "Undercover Boss"? The premise is that the founder of the company, the CEO, the ultimate head of the business that started it and decides whether it keeps going or not, comes in disguise to work at his business. He comes and meets his employees, the ones whose very means of existence and livelihood depend on him. Sometimes they treat him rudely but yet some don't and usually it ends with some happy ending where he, after experiencing their plight first hand, showers blessings upon some lowly worker who has received him and he reveals himself to them. I felt like I should capitalize the "He's" as I typed them because you see the obvious similarities to John 1:1-11.

                  John says that Jesus formed the universe. God spoke creation into existence and Jesus was that "Word". The creation owes its very existence to him and we, with the breath of life owe our very life to Him. However, when He came as the founder in disguise, mankind rejected Him. The parable of the vineyard says that the boss came and the usurpers of the vineyard, the hired help, decided to kill the boss and take over the vineyard. Wow, that would have made for an interesting episode! Yet we read as we continue that Jesus is so full of grace and truth that 2000 years later He is still not willing that any should perish but that all should be given a chance to repent of their sin and receive His forgiveness and His status as boss of their life. But that's not all. Because of His grace He wants to make you co-owner. WHAT!!?? That never happened on the show!

                    In this day and age where the world is seeing Christians as ungracious, may we go forth with the same grace that our boss - our Lord and master has shown to us.

John Bible Study - Week 2

                            Week 2 - John 1:1-18

1. Read the passage and give it a title and outline it









2. Why does John introduce Jesus as the "Word" or Logos?
   Let's look up where Logos appears in the New Testament and tell how that applies to Jesus.

   Luke 7:17 "news"

   Eph. 1:13

   2 Cor 5:19 "message"

   Phil 2:16

   James 1:21

   Heb 4:2

   Heb 4:12

   1 Cor 2:13

    Acts 10:36

  What is wrong with this quote by St. Francis of Assissi?  

"Do all you can to preach the gospel and if necessary use words!"


3. Read Hebrews 1:1-3.

  watch this youtube clip from Forest Gump  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSEdBNslGOk

   What does this passage and clip imply about why Jesus was called "The Word"?

4. Read John 1:1-18. List 10 things you learn about Jesus from this passage.

    A.
    B.
    C.
    D.
    E.
    F.
    G.
    H. 
    I.
    J.

5. Focusing on the 2 that were repeated, Why do you think he emphasized One and Only twice?


    What does full of grace and truth mean to you and why is this revolutionary?


6. Read Romans 10:14 and John 20:29. John is writing after the age of miracles or apostolic age was past. How might this have influenced John calling Jesus "The Word"?

John Bible Study - Week 1

                                             Week 1  Intro

1." Quickly" read through the book of John. From your memory of the other gospels, name 7 things that John omits.

     A.
     B.
     C.
     D.
     E.
     F.
     G.

2. John spells out his reason for writing this gospel in 20:31 and apologizes for what he has left out in 21:25. What is his reason for writing the gospel?


     How does that explain leaving some of the things out in question 1?


3. Name 7 things that are unique to John's gospel

    A.
    B.
    C.
    D.

4. John never comes out and says he is the author but refers to himself several times. What do we learn about him from the following passages?

    John 1:35

    John 13:21-25

     John 18:15

    John 19:26,27

    John 20:1-9

    John 21:20-24

    Mark 1:16-20

    Luke 9:51-55 and Mark 3:17

5. John was written probably 30 years after the other gospels. How do you think that plays into the things he includes or the tone of the book?

6. Name the 7 "I Am's" of John

    1.

    2.

    3.

    4.

    5.

    6.

    7.

7. Name the 7 miracles of John

    1.

    2.

    3.

    4.

    5.

    6.

    7.

8. Name the 7 witnesses of John to the deity of Christ.

    1.

    2.

    3.

    4.

    5.

    6.

    7.