John #7: Nick At Night (John 3:1-21)

It’s one of the most famous stories from the Gospels – the story of a religious leader who has a nighttime meeting with Jesus – where Jesus cryptically conveys the scope and power of his plan – where those famous words were uttered: “For God so loved the world…”.

We’ll be reading John 3:1-21 this Sunday.

While v16 of this section is probably very familiar – much of what surrounds that text is pretty mysterious stuff. Nick wasn’t the only one who got confused – scholars have had multiple interpretations about some of the things Jesus says here for more than a thousand years.

It says that Nick is a ruler of the Judeans – which means he’s on the Sanhedrin. That being the case, he must have been well older than Jesus, a respected man in the community as well as the temple, and he must have been a person from a wealthy family. What do you think was going through his mind as he met with this young, homeless Rabbi from the sticks?

Based on what he says, does he seem friendly or hostile to you? By the end of the gospel, he certainly shows signs of being a follower of Jesus, but how do you imagine him this night as he meets Jesus for the first time?

Jesus’ answers certainly don’t fit the paradigm that Nick tries to set up. Jesus talks spiritual rebirth and Nick talks obstetrics…it’s sort of a mess.

In trying to make sense of Jesus’ statements about being born of water and spirit, think about the creation account and the Spirit hovering over the face of the waters – what insight, if any, does this give you about what Jesus may be referring to?

What condition does Jesus put on receiving eternal life? What does this condition mean to you?

Read v17. Read it again. If God’s purpose is not to condemn the world, how do you understand v18-21?

God’s purpose is not to condemn – how well do you think the church has presented that truth? How can we better embody what the gospel message is?

Hope you can join us this Sunday!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

John #6: A Better Temple (John 2:13-25)

I remember when…we’ll say a friend of mine…pulled the lever on a fire-alarm at my middle school, and the gleeful chaos that ensued as classes were emptied and students gathered outside (this, of course, was in a world devoid of modern security threats and active shooter drills). One little lever pulled and it resulted in the total disruption of normal activities, for a little while anyway.

(I also remember the dire consequences that….we’ll say a friend of mine…suffered as a result of that prank – so that sort of behavior is NOT being approved by sharing that memory!)

It’s hard to fully grasp the events that took place that morning that Jesus walked into the temple grounds in Jerusalem and started throwing people out, but I think it may have been similar to pulling a fire-alarm trigger. That’s the story we’ll be tackling this Sunday as we explore John 2:13-25.

It’s easy for us to immediately assign the guilt in this scene to the people who are crassly selling the accouterments of worship at the temple. How dare they sell sacrificial animals like a commercial enterprise…and yet…there was a legitimate purpose that these vendors served. Imagine living a long ways from Jerusalem and hauling the required sacrifice with you. Imagine that a dog nips at it’s heel along the way, or worse, a wolf takes a bite out of it’s ear. The sacrifice won’t be accepted and the expenditure of time and food for the trip would be for naught. It actually makes sense to provide a way, right at the temple, to buy a pre-approved animal to sacrifice.

In truth, we have no historical evidence or citations that would prove corruption or price gouging in the sale of animals or exchange of money in the temple courts.

There was actually something else going on that morning. Jesus was acting as an Old Testament prophet, staging a protest to momentarily stop the temple system. Why? A disruption and a replacement was being made.

If Jesus was forecasting the end of and replacement of the temple – what are the implications of that as you read it? V19 is a major clue as to what God intends – religious structures both physical and organizational will be replaced by a person. What can it mean to us today, as his followers in 21st century America? How can we prevent our own practice of faith from devolving into consumer ritualism?

This should prove to be a compelling study – hope you can make it!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slidshow.

John #5: The Best For Last (John 2:1-12)

Weddings are a joyous time in almost any time and culture. There’s always the air of hope and wonder in the formation of a new family, it just overflows with all the possibilities of life.

This Sunday as we continue our series on the Gospel of John, we’ll be reading about a wedding in ch 1:1-12. We’ll be examining the first sign that Jesus did in John’s account, turning water into wine.

For some Christians, this miracle is an embarrassment – it would be a lot easier to explain if Jesus had just invented grape juice (which does not exist in nature, it must be processed) – but that’s not the Jesus we get in this Gospel. (A person may struggle with substance abuse and I don’t mean to be flippant about that – I support all efforts to remain sober and sane in life. That being said, not all people have that struggle, and we don’t want to miss the meaning of this sign in the process of that support)

As you read through this story, in v11, what reason does John give for including this account? What does this sign reveal to you about God’s glory, his nature and power? How does it compare with the way the church represents the kingdom of God – is there a difference?

The water jars were used for ritual purification. Jesus looks at those reminders of human uncleanness and re-purposes them completely. What lesson does this sign teach us about the nature of what God is up to in our lives?

Have there been times in your life when the wine ran out (metaphorically, of course)? How about now? What does this sign encourage you to do about it?

We’ll explore these topics and a few more – hope to see you on Sunday!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

John #4: Following Jesus (John 1:35-51)

What does it mean to follow someone? It really depends on the context, I suppose. If you follow someone on Instagram it simply means you have an interest in keeping up with what content a person posts. If you follow a football team, it basically means you’re a fan – you cheer for them and wear their team logo on your person.

To be a follower of Jesus implies much, much more. Jesus’ first disciples will be the topic of our study in the gospel of John this Sunday.  We’ll be reading John 1:35-51.

As you read this account of Rabbi Jesus gathering his first Talmidim (disciples, followers) – what do you observe about following Jesus; what did it meant to them? Did they have questions, and what were they? What was their first order of business after they met Jesus? What significant thing happens with Simon – and what might it imply for him?

As the disciples tell their friends about Jesus – what is the invitation they give?

What would you invite others to “come and see” about Jesus? How has he significantly impacted your identity?

This will be a challenging study, I hope you can join us this Sunday!

Click here for a pdf version of the teaching slideshow.

John #3: Knowing Jesus (John 1:19-34)

“Who do you think you are?”

We’ve all heard that question asked at one time or another. It’s not a casual inquiry about our identity – it’s a challenge that is asking what right we think we possess to say or do a particular thing.

In our study in the gospel of John this week, John the Baptist will be asked that type of question. We’ll be reading ch 1:19-34 in our study.

When leaders come to investigate John the Baptist’s ministry, they are not trying to get to know him and understand him; it is an interrogation from the start.

They go down a list of possible people God could be sending, asking if he’s Elijah (Malachi 4:5) or “the Prophet” (Deut 18:18-19) – but John Baptist bluntly rejects every suggestion. I think there could have been a temptation to get all cryptic with these guys, maybe drop some hints that suggest a deeper importance to his work. John the Baptist doesn’t do that. If John the Baptist is a witness to who Jesus is, what do we learn about Jesus from the way John Baptist carried himself?

John the Baptist does answer their query – and what does he use to identify himself to them? How might we use Scripture as a basis for our own identities?

The next section, v29-34 has John the Baptist elaborating on his testimony. He describes something he saw happen with Jesus at his baptism, and then he described him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. How does John’s description of Jesus help us to know Jesus better? What do those titles and events tell us about the ministry Jesus as Messiah will undertake? What are the ramifications for us, who believe and accept him – how will it help us in our new lives as children of God (v12-13)?

I’ll tell you, there’s something about this book. I sensed that this was an important study we are undertaking, and that has only grown since we’ve started it. I hope you can join us as we get to know Jesus through John’s gospel!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

John #2: The Heart of God Revealed (John 1:6-18)

We live in what has been dubbed the “information age”. It is an unparalleled time where almost any information we want is accessible on the screens of our phones. Some have also noted that having access to information has not necessarily made us any wiser. With all the information there also comes a plethora of voices telling us what to think and do and what the highest good may be.

It’s a challenge to cut through the noise and figure out what’s really important in life.

We’ve started a new series in the Gospel of John which we’ll continue this week, reading John 1:6-18. John wants to make a compelling declaration that of all the voices at work in the world, there is one voice…one Word that can reveal the important matters of life.

John the Baptist is introduced as a “witness” to the Light, who is Jesus. John the Baptist (JB to his friends) was pretty important in the Biblical narrative. Why do you think John the author wanted to make sure we understood his proper place in this account?

V 10-13 actually gives us an overview of the whole story that will unfold. Jesus is rejected by the world and not recognized by his own people, all of which will unfold in chapters 2-12. But for those who do believe in him, what happens? V12 tells us what God’s intent, his heart is. What does he want us to know about ourselves?

V 14 and following are so profound, and maybe the most important words said in Scripture. We’ll get into what is so scandalous about v14 for both Greek and Jewish thinkers in that time and context. There are several hyper-links in this section, pointing back to Moses on Mount Sinai, asking to see God’s glory and being partly refused. The glory now gets revealed, but in Whom?

V 18 tells us that Jesus reveals the Father’s heart to us – the middle of V14 tells us what it is. The one thing humanity needs to know…the most important thing…is what God is like and what He wants. Jesus reveals it, and man….is it ever Good News!

I hope you can join us this Sunday as we dive into this amazing section of Scripture. Let’s pray for a fresh awakening to the power of God’s grace at work in our world!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

John #1: The Word, The Life, The Light (John 1:1-5)

Have you seen the “He Gets Us” ads?  I really like them, personally. At first I was skeptical, as I tend to be about these sort of things – but looking into it a bit, it’s really grown on me. I poked around their website ( hegetsus.com ) and deeply appreciated what I read.

One quote that really resonated with me was this: “Throughout our shared history, Jesus has represented the ultimate good that humankind is capable of aspiring to. And though some no longer believe in God, most are still compelled by the idea of a person capable of unconditional love for others despite their differences. But many of us simply cannot reconcile the idea of that person with the way our culture experiences religion today. Whether it’s hypocrisy and discrimination in the church, or scandals both real and perceived among religious leaders, or the polarization of our politics, many have relegated Jesus from the world’s greatest love story to just another tactic used to intensify our deep cultural divisions. “

I think it touched me so because it highlights what I perceive as a deep deficiency in the American Church. We need more immersion in Jesus. We are followers of Christ – His words, actions, priorities and values should dominate our thinking on any current issue we face.

That’s why I’ve committed to God that while I still have breath and a place to preach, I’m going to keep coming back to the story of Jesus.

All that to say…we’re going to start a new series this Sunday, going chapter by chapter through the Gospel of John, and I’m beside myself with excitement!

It is vital that we not approach the Gospel of John like a textbook or a documentary. John’s gospel isn’t intended to educate us as it is to introduce us to….well, to God.

John will, in essence, be saying through his account – “If you want to know who God is, or what He is like, take a long look at Jesus.”

That’s what we will set out to do. Through John’s selected vignettes, we will get a different view of Jesus, and a deeper appreciation for what the Gospel is all about.

This Sunday we’ll be reading John 1:1-5, the prologue. Instead of a genealogy or a jump into the action as the other gospels do, John begins with a poem. And what a poem.

What other famous passage of Scripture starts with “In the beginning…”? What significance might that have for John’s account of Jesus?

John begins by talking about the Word – eternal, creator, light and life. He will later identify the Word as Jesus. The Greek word for…well, word, is Logos – and we’ll get into how both the Jewish people and the Greek world understood what logos meant – it’s pretty interesting!

In just the first few verses of this amazing book, we’ll discover hope and wisdom and strength for life…if we look for it in JESUS! I really hope you can join us for this study – any time we take time to look deeply at Jesus, it will be life-changing!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.