You Mean This is True

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Recap of 12/23/12 (Matthew 1:1-17):

1.  Beginning with Genesis 3:14,15 God promised that One would come who would crush Satan and in so doing reverse the effects of the Fall.

2.  Matthew links Jesus with both the Abrahamic covenant(Genesis 12,15,22) and the  Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16).  This is important because in the Abrahamic covenant God promised that all the world would be blessed through Abraham’s seed (Paul relates this promise of a “seed” to Jesus in Galatians 3:16,22,24).  Secondly, in the Davidic covenant God promises that one of the line of David would reign forever on David’s throne.

3.  Matthew’s genealogy carefully demonstrates that Jesus is of the royal line and has a legal right to the throne of David.

4.  Matthew’s genealogy also clearly demonstrates that Jesus is virgin-born in verse 16.  Matthew does not say “Joseph, the father of” but rather he changes the expression used in the rest of the genealogy to “Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom (in Greek, a feminine relative pronoun) was born Jesus. . .”  This is essential to God’s saving purpose.

5.  As with the human ancestors of God’s Son, though we are weak, sinful and often unfaithful, God deals with us in grace.

The Promised Holy Spirit

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Recap of 12/16/12 (John 14:17):

1.  “Christ recognized the weakness of these men [His disciples] and their inability to fulfill the ministry of revealing the Father that was entrusted to them.  Hence He said, ‘I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counselor’ (vs. 16).”  (Source unknown)

2. The work of the Holy Spirit in salvation includes (each of the following happen instantaneously at the moment of salvation and are true whatever a Christian’s spiritual condition:

-Regeneration (Titus 3:5; John 3), the giving of or imparting of eternal life to the one who believes. 92 Corinthians 5:17)

-Indwelling (1 Corinthians 6:19,20), the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer which is the evidence of salvation (Romans 8:9)

-Baptizing (1 Corinthians 12:13), the act of the Holy Spirit placing the believer into the Body of Christ, the Church.  All believers are baptized by the Spirit at the moment of salvation.

-Sealing (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22), The Holy Spirit is placed as a seal upon the believer’s life, giving them security.  This seal can never be broken.

3.  The work of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of the believer:

-The Holy Spirit gives gifts (1 Peter 4:10,11), a spiritual gift is an ability for service given by the Holy Spirit to every believer for the purpose of serving the church.  It is not given for personal edification (I Corinthians 12:7-11).

-The Holy Spirit fills the believer (Ephesians 5:18), as believers deal with sin and yield to the Spirit they are controlled by the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit is produced in their lives (Galatians 5).  The filling relates to control.

-The Holy Spirit teaches (John 16:12-15); guides (Romans 8:14); gives assurance of salvation (Romans 8:16); and the Holy Spirit prays (Romans 8:26)

Thr Promise Of Peace

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Recap of 12/9/12 (John 14:17):

“During Jesus’ life on earth, He was His disciples’ ally, advocate, counselor, strengthener, and supporter.  When Jesus returned to the Father, He sent the Spirit to fill those roles (John 14:16).  The Spirit:

-reveals to us who Jesus is and what He wants us to know;

-convicts believers and unbelievers of guilt;

-unites us to Jesus in rebirth so that we are lims of His Body and sharers in His Kingdom;

-assures believers that we are God’s children and heirs;

-mediates our intimate sharing with the Father and the son, our first installment and guarantee of Heaven’s life;

-transforms us progressively through prayer and conflict with sin into Christ’s moral and spiritual likeness’—He gives us the power to love, to have joy and peace, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23);

-gives gifts (abilities to witness and serve) to build up Christ’s Body;

-prays in and for us when we feel unable;

-enables us to know what to say when others ask about Christ;

-enables missionary action, pastoral decisions, and leadership.”

(see John 14:15-27; 15:26-16:16; 20:19-23; Romans 8:1-27; 1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40)

(from A Compact Guide to the Christian Life by K.C. Hinckley)

Promises for the Troubled(part 4)

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December 9, 2012

Recap of 12/2/12 (John 14:16-17):

Five truths about the Holy Spirit from John 14:16,17:

1.  The Holy Spirit’s spiritual presence would replace Jesus’ physical presence with His disciples. He would be “another” Counselor for them.  Jesus would be taken from them in His crucifixion and subsequent ascension but they would not be left alone.

2.  The Holy Spirit presence with a believer is forever.  He is not an occasional helper but a permanent present.  He cannot be withdrawn from the believer in the church age as He was in the Old Testament.

3.  The Holy Spirit is characterized by truth.  He is literally the “Spirit of the Truth.” This is crucial since He will testify about Jesus (John 15:26), and guide the disciples into truth (John 16:13).

4.  The Holy Spirit is invisible, though real and active.  The Holy Spirit “cannot be seen by sight or comprehended by reason.”  The unbeliever has no spiritual life so they cannot know or see Him.  The are not “tuned in.”

5.  The Holy Spirit would indwell them in the future.  He would not only be “with” them but He would be “in” them. He would individually indwell believers.  This teaching about the Holy Spirit anticipates the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts. 2). They were concerned that Jesus was leaving them, but the Holy Spirit would not only be with them but would live in them to reproduce the life of Jesus in their lives. 

6.  “How are you listening to God’s Spirit?  How are you making yourself available to His guidance and direction in your choices and relationships?  Reading Scripture is an important way to tune your heart to His voice.”  (NLT One-Year Study Bible)

Technical Problems

To everyone who reads our recaps and attempts to watch the sermons each week, we apologize that the links have not been working! We are trying to fix it ASAP! If you would like a CD copy of the sermon from any of the weeks please e-mail us at Office@delriobiblechurch.com or Call Lauren at 830-768-1438. They are free!

Thank you for your patience!

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Promises for the Troubled Part 3

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Recap of 11/25/12 (John 14:15-16):

1. Jesus links love for Him with obedience to His commands. 

2.  “What is the measure of your love for Christ?  It is measured by your obedience to His Word.  Obedience is the true test of love.  If I say I love the Savior and you see in my life nothing but disobedience, then I’m only mouthing words…The foundation of spiritual power and spiritual experience is obedience. (John G. Mitchell)

3.  In the context of the Upper Room Discourse the specific command which Jesus has in mind is the command to love one another (13:34; 15:12,17).  If I love others as Jesus commands, I will: serve them, give myself for them, be forbearing, be forgiving, and will not return a wrong for a wrong.

4.  The result of obedience to Jesus’ commands is intimate fellowship with Him (John 14:21,23).  If I sense the lack of intimacy with Jesus there may be an issue of obedience in my life.

5. In the first of several mentions of the Holy Spirit in this discourse, Jesus promises His disciples another counselor to be with them in His absence to Heaven. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Paraclete (a transliteration of the Greek word), Comforter (KJV),  Counselor (NIV), Helper (NASB).  He would be their advocate.  The term means “one who is called to the side of another to give help.”  The Holy Spirit would counsel them, direct them, comfort them, strengthen them.  “The Holy Spirit takes away our inadequacies and enables us to cope with life.  [He] substitutes victorious for defeated living” (William Barclay).

 

Promises for the Troubled Part 2

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Recap of 11/18/12 (John 14:7-14):

1. John 14:5-11 is one of greatest biblical statements of the person of Jesus Christ.  He alone is the way to God the Father (vs. 5,6); to know Jesus is to know the Father (vs. 7); to see Jesus is to see the Gather (vs. 9); Jesus’ words are the Father’s words (vs. 10); Jesus’ miracles are the Father’s works (vs. 11).

2.  Jesus tells the disciples that they would do even greater things than He had done, not meaning greater miracles (for though they did similar miracles, they didn’t do greater ones) but rather meaning greater in scope.  Through their ministry the gospel would reach the known world of the day while Jesus never traveled outside of Palestine.  They would reach greater territory and greater numbers of people.

3.  “It is marvelous that God speaks to us [John 14:10]- life-giving, world-creating words.  This marvel is matched by another—that He listens to us.  His listening gives all our words significance and makes all our prayer personal.”  (Eugene Peterson)

4.  Five observations about prayer.  Prayer must be:

-“in Jesus name” (praying in union with Him on the basis of His authority)

-in accordance with His will (1 John 5:14,15; 3:21,22) (is it something Jesus would ask?)

-bold (Hebrew 4:14-16)

-following Jesus example of consistent submission to the Father’s will.

-have as its goal bringing glory to God the Father.  “In prayer we call on Him to work out His purpose, not simply to gratify our whims.” (Dr. Merrill C. Tenney)

 

Promises For The Troubled

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Recap of 11/11/12 (John 14:6):

1. Christianity is not a religion or philosophy but a relationship. The answer to life and death issues is not a formula or a philosophy but a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life.”

2.  The way to Heaven, the way to a relationship with God the Father is to follow Jesus.  He takes us there.  Jesus does not just know the way, He is the way.

3.  Jesus is the truth.  He didn’t just know truth-He embodied it.

4.  “No teacher has ever embodied the truth he taught—except Jesus.  Many a man could say: ‘I have taught you the truth.’  Only Jesus could say: ‘I am the Truth.’” (William Barclay)

5.  Jesus is also the “life.”  Jesus brings life worth living.  All other things we live for must ultimately disappoint and leave us dissatisfied or grasping for more and more, things such as pleasure, power, money, material, etc.

6.  Jesus claimed to be the only way to God, not one of many ways but the only way.  This truth is taught through-out the Scripture (see Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5).

What To Do For Heart Trouble

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Recap of 11/4/12 (John 14:1-5):

1. The disciples were troubled, perplexed by the events that Jesus had announced to them including His death, and their defection from Him.  It challenged their faith.

2. -“Every fresh test as well as every new revelation is a summons to faith.” (Harrison)

- “Life is full of tests and trials, afflictions and sorrows, as well as blessings.  The Lord permits these things to come into our lives because He wants the wean us away from transient things and to fix our hearts of eternal [truths].” (Mitchell)

3.  They were troubled in “heart.”  All action begins in the heart (the immaterial part of humans, otherwise called soul, spirit, etc.).  the heart refers to mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity.  It is the seat of intellect, will, emotion, understanding, and discernment.  We are to guard our hearts (Proverbs 3:1,3,5; 4:23)

4.  The answer to the distressed hearts of the disciples was to renew their trust in God the Father and the Son. Jesus encouraged them by promises/provision for them both eternally and temporally.  Eternally He promised them an eternal home (vs. 2) and His return for His own (vs. 3).  Temporally He promised them the prospect of greater works (vs. 12), answer to prayer (vv. 13-14), the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with them (vs. 15), and peace as only He could give (vs. 27).

Do's and Dont's for Troubled Hearts

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John 13:36-14:6

Recap of 10/28/12 (John 13:36-38):

1.  The disciples in John 13ff were bewildered, fearful, facing an uncertain future.  Jesus’ announcements to them about His going away, His impending death, that one of the 12 was a traitor sent them into a tailspin.  Further, He told them that Peter would disown Him, that Satan wanted to “sift” them, and that they would all fall away.  In the words of Bruce Wilkinson and Ken Boa: “In this clear and vivid recollection of Jesus’ last discourse to His intimate disciples, John captures the Lord’s words of comfort and assurance to a group of fearful and confused followers.”

2.  Jesus’ instructions to the disciples provide us with a roadmap for dealing with life’s uncertainties. 

3.  First, we must not trust in our own strength. That was Peter’s failure.  

-we must know ourselves, our weaknesses, our breaking point, we must not ignore them.

-we must set boundaries for protection

-we are all one bad decision from failing as Peter did

-“Impetuous and well-meaning, Peter had to learn the hard way to gauge his weaknesses.  His example is very human and therefore very helpful.” (Merrill Unger)

4.  Second, we must not underestimate Satan and his designs on us:

-we must be alert, 1 Peter 5:8 (to sin, to anger, to doubting God and His Word)

-we must be clothed in God’s armor, Ephesians 6:13-18

-we must train vigorously, Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Philippians 4:8

-we must not neglect the spiritual disciplines (the Word, meditating, praying, etc.).  To neglect the spiritual disciplines is to show confidence in the flesh, handling life’s uncertainties without God.

 

The Unmistakable Mark Of A Disciple

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John 13:31-38 Recap of 10/21/12 (John 13:31-35): 1. After Judas’ departure Jesus began to teach the remaining 11 disciples in earnest. Bible scholars call His teaching the “Upper Room Discourse.” Of this teaching Everitt F. Harrison writes: “These precious words of Christ were spoken in the light of His impending departure to the Father and had in view conditions under which the Lord’s followers would have to carry on without His personal presence (16:4). Three principal strands of teaching are discernible: (1) commands and concerning the task set before the disciples, which was a fruitbearing witness undergirded and permeated with love; (2) warnings about the opposition to be faced from the world and from Satan; and most of all (3) an exposition of the divine provisions by which the disciples would be sustained and made triumphant in the coming days.” 2. Jesus would glorify God the Father and Himself be glorified by His acceptance of the Father’s will for Him especially seen in the cross. When we think of glorifying God we often think of it as some expression of verbal praise. But to glorify God is to give Him His rightful place as sovereign over our lives, to have His work displayed in our lives as in the man born blind (John 9) or the death of Lazarus (John 11). It’s not my words lifted to Heaven alone that glorifies God but my life offered to His will on earth. 3. The disciples were weak, immature, dis-united and disheartened. There love for Jesus had bound this dispirit group together, now He would be gone from them so it would be necessary for them to be “bound by a mutual love for each other.” In the dark days following the cross the thing that would keep this group from splitting was their love and commitment to each other. So Jesus gave them a new commandment that they love one another on the basis and by the example of His love for them.

Living in good soil

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Sermon this week by: Steve Plank
Mark 4:1-9, 14-20

Satan,Betrayal, and Night

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Recap of 10/7/12 (John 13:18-30):

1.  Jesus predicts His betrayal so that the disciples would know that what would happen was not a surprise to Him.  He quotes Psalm 41:9 in support of His prediction.  William Barclay points out: “It was as Scripture said it would be.  There was never any doubt that the redeeming of the world would cost the broken heart of God.  Jesus knew what was happening.  He knew the cost and He was ready to pay it.  He did not want the disciples to think that He was caught up in a blind web of circumstances from which He could not escape.  He was not going to be killed; He was choosing to die.  At the moment they did not, and could not, see that, but He wanted to be sure that a day would come when they would look back and remember and understand.” 

2.  Jesus gave Judas numerous opportunities to change course, treating him as an honored guest at the Last Supper, but Judas yielded himself instead to be used of Satan.

3.  Judas is a cautionary tale in the sense that: A person can know doctrine, can associate with God’s people, can be found in worship services and at the Lord’s Table and yet now know Jesus as Savior.  (John Mitchell)

4.  Two good sources for Biblical teaching about Satan and demons are:  Balancing the Christian Life by Dr. Charles Ryrie and You Mean the Bible Teaches That …, also by Dr. Ryrie.

And It Was Night

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Recap of 9/30/12 (John 13:14-17):

1.  Humility is essential to the life, service, and exercise of authority of the believer.

2.  Humility is not, as commonly thought, thinking poorly about ourselves, it is not being preoccupied with ourselves (the freedom not to think about ourselves). “Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves (see Romans 12:3).  It does not mean that we should put ourselves down.” (NLT One Year Study Bible)

3.  Pride (self) gets in the way of humility.

4.  To deal with pride:

-we must realize and accept our position in Christ, finding our satisfaction and acceptance in Him.

-we must realize that all we have and all we are (gifts, talent, knowledge, position, status, means) are from God’s hand (1 Corinthians 4:7)

-when we think about others we must focus on how we may serve them, not on how we compare with them (2 Corinthians 10:12,18; Philippians 2:3,4)

-we must take control of our thoughts, asking “Would Christ think this way, or would he like this thought?” We must not let our thoughts be taken captive by our feelings.

-when feeling  ad about ourselves or threatened by others we must focus our thoughts upon Christ (Philippians 4:8)

5.  Jesus is the primary biblical example of humility (Philippians 2:4-8), Timothy is cited by Paul as another (Philippians 2:19-24).

6.  God’s attitude toward the proud (resistance) and the humble (providing grace) should be motivation for believers to seek humility.

 

The Towel and The Pecking Order

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Recap of 9/23/12 (John 13:14-17):

1.  The disciples saw life in terms of power, authority, recognition, rulership, much like the world.  They had to impress others with their importance.  Jesus saw life in terms of servanthood,  and humility.  He was not looking to impress others but to fulfill God the Fathers purpose for Him.

2.  “…every leader must examine his or her conduct against Jesus’ teachings concerning genuine greatness.  Our Lord taught and demonstrated by His life that servanthood was the path to effective service.  His servanthood symbols were a basin, a towel, and dirty feet.” (Author unknown)

3.  In chapter nine of Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline, he presents two kinds of authority, the authority of status (represented by the pecking order) and the authority of function (represented by the towel-based on Jesus’ action in John 13). The authority of status is characterized by a desire to control, manipulate, focusing on position and titles, service is discriminate and self-serving, seeking great service, expecting reciprocation, serving by moods and whims.  This kind of service is destructive to a body and ruptures community.  The authority of function on the other hand is characterized by a desire to serve in humility and hiddenness (seeking only God’s approval), doing any service, great or small, without expectation of being paid back, serving because there is a need, a lifestyle not temporary.  This kind of service build up a body, builds community.

 

Authority of the Towel

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Recap of 9/16/12 (John 13:1-13):

1.  John 13 begins the next major section of the book.  The outline we are following is:

              I.  Prologue  1:1-18

             II.  Public teaching and miracles  1:19-12:50

            III.  Private teaching  13-17

            IV.  Passion & resurrection  18-20

             V.  Postlude (Epilogue) 21

2.  John 13 provides one of the most poignant pictures of Jesus’ ministry as He washes the disciples’ feet.  One of the most powerful symbols of His authority is seen in the towel, the basin, and dirty feet.

3.  This visual illustration of humility was needed because of the pride of the disciples seen in their ongoing dispute over which of them was the greatest.  A dispute which is evident in various passages of Scripture and which even inserted itself into this “last supper.”  (See Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 9:33-34; Luke 22:24-28).

4.  Jesus loved them despite their failures.  Dr. John Mitchell stated it this way:  “He knew all about the frailty and the failures of His disciples, yet He loved them to the end.  And He loves us clear through to the end, to the uttermost.  I repeat, our frailty, our faults, our failures, our circumstances never affect His love for us.  Now, I’m not excusing frailty, nor am I excusing failure.  But instead of becoming discouraged because of failure, we must have our eyes on Him and remember that even our failures have not affected His love for us.”

5.  The issue is clearly set before us by the writer who asked:  “Are you willing to follow Christ’s example of serving?  Whom can you serve today?”

The Hour Has Come

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Recap of 9/9/12 (John 12:28-50):

1.  In Jesus last public teaching before the cross He teaches that the essence of life is to live: sacrificially, putting others ahead of ourselves; courageously, accepting God’s will, living for His glory despite whatever suffering may come, to risk “place, profit, and prestige” to identify openly with Jesus; and by faith, responding to Him, exercising faith for salvation and day to day living.

2.  This prayer by Eugene Peterson expresses perfectly what Jesus was seeking to communicate about life in John 12:25,26: “May I never, God, forget that You are my Lord and I am Your creation; that however wonderfully you have made me, you have not made me to live to myself or for myself, but to You and for others, even as Jesus Christ did.”

3.  According to William Barclay at the heart of Christian life and faith are three paradoxes: 1) death to personal aims and ambitions leads to life and real usefulness to God; 2) “only by spending life do we retain it”; and 3) “only by service comes greatness.”

4.  Barclay explains courage in this way:  “Real courage does not mean not being afraid.  It means to be terribly afraid, and yet do the thing that ought to be done.”

 

Jesus' Last Instruction

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Recap of 9/2/12 (John 12:20-27):

1.  John 12:20-50 records the end of Jesus’ public ministry.  This is the last teaching He will conduct among the masses.  Chapters 13-17 deal with Jesus’ teaching for His disciples called the “Upper Room Discourse,” and chapters 18 to the end of the book deal with the crucifixion, the resurrection and the post-resurrection appearances to His disciples.

2.  As if to illustrate the hyperbolic statement of vs. 19 about the whole world going after Jesus, John mentions some Greeks who desired an audience with Jesus.  These Greek were probably “God-fearers,” those who liked the morality and monotheism of the Jews but did not go all the way to conversion to Judaism. 

3.  Jesus realizes that His “hour” has arrived, the hour of His passion, His rejection, scourging, crucifixion and resurrection.  His death was a necessity if there was to be a harvest of salvation.  He would willingly sacrifice His life (as our substitute) to secure eternal life for those who trusted Him. He gave His life so that others might gain real life. 

4.  His sacrifice also would provide a pattern for His disciples to follow of living sacrificially, placing others above themselves

5.  The thought of His coming travail troubles Him, as later it would in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. Jesus is not concerned only for the physical pain He would endure.  His agony is the thought of becoming sin. He the Perfect, sinless Son of God would have to become sin so that we could be redeemed (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

Enthusiasm without Worship

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1.  Comparing          Judas                   and                  Mary:

-Motivation           Loved money, selfish           Loved Jesus, selfless

-Method                 Utilitarian                              Sacrificial

-Character              Deceitful                                                Devoted

-Result                    Materialistic                          Material was a means to worship

-Bottom Line         Lavish waste                         Extravagant love 

2.  What others are saying about John 12:

-“True gifts to the poor are in the name of Christ, for the sake of Christ, and to win men to Christ.  Social service divorced from Christianity may spend the treasure of Mary according to the direction of Judas.” (Dr. Charles R. Erdman)

-”There is much charity and philanthropy in our day in which the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is not considered.” (Dr. James M. Gray)

-“It may be, Christian friend, in your desire and love and devotion to the Savior, that some other Christian will criticize you for doing something in service for Him.  That person may say you’re just wasting your time or your money.  What of it?  Others may call you a fanatic.  What of it, as long as your life is poured out upon Him?  And may I say very frankly, the more devoted you are to Christ, the chances are the more you will be criticized for it.  But what of it as long as your heart is occupied with the Savior?” (Dr. John G. Mitchell)

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Extravagant Love

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1 Timothy 1:1-17

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Take Off the Grave Clothes

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1.  “John carefully selects seven miracles out of the many that Christ accomplished (cf. John 21:25) in order to build a concise case for His deity.  They are called signs because they symbolize the life-changing results of belief in Jesus—(1) water to wine: the ritual of law is replaced by the reality of grace (2:1-11); (2 )healing the nobleman’s son: the gospel bring spiritual restoration (4:46-54); (3) healing the paralytic: weakness is replaced by strength (5:1-16); (4) feeding the multitude: Christ satisfies spiritual hunger (6:1-13); (5) walking on water: the Lord transforms fear to faith (6:16-21); (6) sight to the man born blind: Jesus overcomes darkness and brings in light (9:1-7); (7) raising of Lazarus: the gospel brings people from death to life (11:1-44).  These signs combine to show that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.” (Talk Through the Bible)

2.  When Jesus called Lazarus forth from the grave he came out still bound in the grave clothes, the clothes that spoke and smelled of the corruption of death.  Jesus orders them to “take off the grave clothes and let him go.”  Lazarus had been given new physical life but had to be released from the grave clothes to enjoy it.  In the same way those who come to faith in Christ pass from spiritual death to life.  In order to enjoy this new life we must take off the grave clothes of the old life and put on the new life.  We can’t live the new life in the grave clothes of the old, yet many Christians try to do just that.  A constant theme of the New Testament is that we must put off the old life and put on the new life (Romans 13:11-1 & Colossians 3:1ff are just two examples).

God's Delays Part 2

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God's Delays

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Recap of 7/22/12 (John 11:1-6):

1.  Of the seven signs (or “sign-miracles”) recorded by John in his gospel, the climatic sign is the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John 11.  As with the other signs, Jesus’ nature, power & authority is demonstrated to prove John’s thesis that Jesus is God incarnate.  Jesus authority over matter is seen in Him changing water into wine and multiplying the meager fish and bread of a small boy to feed 5,000 plus.  His authority over sickness and disease is seen in His healing of the official’s son, healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda, and healing of the man born blind.  His authority over nature is seen in His walking on water to the disciples on the Sea of Galilee.  His power and authority over death is seen in His raising Lazarus from the dead.  This miracle “exemplifies His power over the last and most irresistible enemy of humanity—death.”

2.  The setting for this seventh “sign-miracle” is the sickness and death of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Mary and Martha.  He was apparently a frequent guest in their home.  This trouble/tragedy comes upon them suddenly, not because of anything they had done.  They were not “out of God’s will” for John 11:4 makes it clear that this happened so that God might be glorified.  God will let difficulties happen to us, not because He doesn’t love us, but because He does and will test our faith and drive us to the place where we find our hope and rest in Him. 

-“Jesus permits this to happen because God will get glory in it.  We need to learn that we are not the center of the universe—nor is our home, our church, our town.  The headquarters of everything are in Heaven, and everything is running for His glory.  Nothing will come into our lives without His permission, and if He permits it, it is going to be for His glory.” (J. Vernon McGee)

3.   “When distress comes to a Christian it is dangerous to assert that the purpose is some benefit, and that the explanation is found in some future blessing.  The purposes of God are beyond our [knowledge] and suffering is an unexplained mystery; but it is absolutely certain that, for a friend of Jesus, the result of suffering will be some eternal good, some manifestation of ‘the glory of God.’” (Charles Erdman).

The Unbroken Word

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Recap of 7/15/12 (John 10:31-42):

1.  If, as Jesus says, “the Scripture cannot be broken” (i.e. it is reliable and authoritative), John 10:35, then the teaching of Scripture cannot be rejected, it is vital to the believer in the following ways:

-it is vital to producing spiritual growth (1 Peter 1:23-2:2)

-it is vital to going on to maturity (Hebrews 5:11-14)

-it is vital to living skillfully (Proverbs 2:1-6)

-it is vital for equipping us for good works that should follow salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17)

-it is vital to intimately knowing Jesus Christ (John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27; 2 Peter 1:3)

-it is vital to spiritual warfare (Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 6:10-18)

-it is vital to true worship (John 4:19-24; Acts 17:23; Romans 11:33-12:2; Ephesians 3:20-21)

-it is vital to the doctrinal purity of the church (1 Timothy 4:1-6, 11-16; 2 Timothy 1:13,14;  4:1-4; Titus 1:9-10)

-it is vital to personal and corporate purity (Jude 3,4; Proverbs 29:18; Psalms 119:9-11)

-it is vital to proper relationships both in and out of the church (1 Corinthians 13 ; “one-another passages”)

2.  “May I say this to those of you who love the Savior?  Isn’t it about time that we Christians really got down to business with God and appreciated His love and His care and His knowledge?  To think that He calls you by name individually and personally.  He love you, cares for you, knows you, and is guaranteeing that one of these days—because you belong to His flock—you will stand in His presence conformed to the image of your Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  I say, what a Savior! What a Lord!” (Dr. Mitchell)

Eternal Life Means Eternal

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Recap of 7/1/12 (John 10:22-30):

1.  The setting for John 10:22-42 is the Feast of Dedication, today called Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights.  It was not one of the Old Testament festivals but was as one writer said: “…a minor, more recent celebration.”  It was established in 165/164 B.C. by Judas Maccabeus in honor of the rededication of the Temple which had been desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes who sacrificed a pig on the altar in 168 B.C.

2.  The religious leaders once again challenge Jesus about His identity.  The issue for them was not the need of more information but rather they were unwilling to believe and were just trying to trap Him.  Concerning the nature of their unbelief, Mitchell writes: “We begin to wonder about these enemies of Christ.  With all the evidence He’s presented to them, what more do they want?  They have seen His spectacular miracles.  They have seen Him heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, and feed the hungry.  What more do they want?  When a person is full of unbelief it doesn’t matter what you do.  They won’t accept the Savior.”  “We should…consider what this section teaches as to the moral element in faith and unbelief.  It is always a matter of the heart and will, quite as much as the mind.  Men do not believe because they do not desire to believe.  The same testimony makes true disciples and deadly enemies.” (Erdman)

3.  Jesus offers eternal life to those who put their faith in Him.  Life which is not just duration of time but is a quality of life Jesus describes as “abundant.”  It is not something that is given to believers in the future but it is their present possession.  It cannot be lost for it is secured by the Father and the Son (Romans 8:28-39).

The Shepherd, the Thief, and the Hired Hand

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Recap of 6/24/12 (John 10:1-21):

1.  In John 10, Jesus calls Himself both the gate to the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd, figures of speech to express how Jesus guides, provides for, and guards His sheep.  He doesn’t lose even one.  Because of his belief in Jesus, the man born blind of Chapter 9 is put out of the synagogue.  This prompts Jesus to characterize the Scribes and Pharisees as false shepherds, nothing but thieves and hired hands.  In contrast to them, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep.  This would be comforting to future believers among the Jews who would be excommunicated because of their belief in Jesus.

2.  “Why does the Lord compare His people to sheep? They are prone to wander (Isa. 53:6) and need a shepherd to guide them. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep intimately and calls them and provides for them (Ps. 23). How wonderful to be one of His sheep..” (Warren Wiersbe)

3.  “In ancient times the sheepfold was a circular stone corral with a single narrow opening.  After the sheep were inside, the shepherd would lie down across the opening, using his own body to form the gate or ‘door’ of the sheepfold.  Nothing could enter or leave the fold without the shepherd knowing about it.  Keep that image in mind as you read Jesus’ words in 10:7.” (The Daily Walk Bible)

4.  Sheep had to be protected because there were many predators in that day.  Often the shepherd faced death to protect the sheep.  Jesus gave His life for His sheep.  His death was substitutionary, voluntary, under His authority/control, and by command of God the Father.