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What do we know?

How do we know what is true and what isn’t? People spend lifetimes proving truths, uncovering lies. Have you been told something to find out later it wasn’t the truth?

In 1995, a man by the name of Ray Santilli claimed he had footage of an alien autopsy from 1947. The autopsy was performed after the alien spacecraft crashed in Roswell, NM. Santilli said he got the video from a retired military cameraman from that time period. If he got it from a retired military cameraman it must be accurate and truthful, right? Well, it turned out it was a lie. Santilli admitted in 2006 that it was staged but claimed that real footage existed.

The letter to the Galatians was written by Paul to the churches in Galatia primarily because a false gospel was starting to spread. Galatians was said to be written around 48 A.D. This makes it one of the earliest, if not the earliest, NT letter. Jesus was still being proclaimed and worshipped as Lord and Savior, but some were adding to the things necessary for salvation, which then makes the gospel being taught partially true. If it is partially true then it is false. And a false gospel is then no longer the true gospel.

The Big Idea: The True Gospel is Critical

What is the true gospel? Paul reminds us of this in Galatians 2:16 saying, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Faith alone is how we are saved. If we have given ourselves to Jesus, our old self is dead and we now have the Spirit which is the work of Jesus in us.

The gospel is complete

Think of your favorite food dish. Mine is lasagne. If I took the core ingredients out and replaced them with other ingredients, would it be lasagne? Or, if I added ingredients that didn't belong, say cookies and coffee and wood chips, would it be lasagne)? No (and yuck). It would not be what it is supposed to be. Replacing the core ingredients or adding unnecessary things would no longer make it lasagne. This is the same with the gospel.

Adding requirements for salvation besides faith is not the gospel Jesus gave. Paul is addressing the churches in Galtia to show the error of their ways. There was a group called the Judaizers who were teaching that the OT law had to be followed along with the gospel. Basically they were saying that you had to be a Jew to be a Christian. This is wrong. We know we don’t have to become Jewish to follow Jesus so what does this have to do with us? As long as there are people who believe in a gospel plus other things, and teaching that, we have to know the true gospel and teach the true gospel. The gospel can only be what was revealed and accomplished by Jesus.

When we read the early chapters in Galatians, it would appear that Paul is mad at them. He probably is, but he is mad because he knows that adding to the gospel does not make loving Jesus better. Paul wants only the truth for the Galatians and only love that is created in a changed heart by Jesus does that. We know Paul cares for them and is in a struggle for the truth to be realized. He tells us in Galatians 4:19, “my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” He is comparing his feelings to childbirth, meaning he is in pain until the joy of the full birth. Until the Galatians stop and consider the true gospel, Paul will be in anguish.

Let’s stop and remember who Paul is, and was before Jesus changed his life. He was once Saul, a Pharisee. He persecuted the followers of Jesus (Acts 8:3) and he would have kept on doing it if Jesus didn’t reroute his life (Acts 9). Before Jesus interrupted Paul's trip to Damascus, he thought he was doing all the right things therefore being righteous under the law. He even reminds the Galatians in 1:14 of his old life. “And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.” Paul (then Saul) was living out the Law and opposing the gospel. It took the direct revelation of the true gospel by Jesus (Galatians 1:12) to change Paul so the true gospel is all he would stand to be taught. Just the gospel!

This goes for us. Knowing the gospel is the most basic teaching we should know as Christians. Basic doesn’t mean simple but foundational (Matthew 7:24). Religions that do not claim Jesus as the Son of God and Savior don’t teach the gospel. If the gospel isn't revealed how can people be saved?

Then why the law?

Why would people in the church want to teach both faith in Christ plus the law? We are creatures of habit. We will continue to do something even after we are told or learn. This group called the Judaizers had heard the law all their lives. It’s what they knew and they knew it came from God. When God gave the law, He didn’t do it from a lack of love for His people. He gave the law because He wanted His people to be different from the rest of the people in the world. And not just at that point in time but for all time. He also knew that Jesus was the ultimate answer to the Law and would fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) when the time was right (Galatians 4:4).

If the gospel is the only thing true for salvation, then why the law? Paul gives us a couple answers here in Galatians. Galatians 3:19 tells us, “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.” Law is a restraint to bad behavior, not to good. We see this in Romans 13 when Paul is talking about authorities. We know authorities as those who enforce laws . We have set up authorities throughout the world because we could not obey the basic prescription of life God gave us in the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1-17).

Paul tells us next that the law was our guardian. Galatians 3:24 says, “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” Have you ever been bowling and seen the lanes where they have bumpers guarding the gutters? Think of the law in that way. The goal in bowling is to knock down the pins at the end of the narrow lane. Those who are good at bowling do not need the bumpers. They have practiced and bowled enough to gain experience to avoid going in the gutter. They know going in the gutter is not good. Avoiding sin is like avoiding the gutter - you have to know it is there. And that is where the Law is like the bumpers. The Law says “on the other side of me is destruction if you avoid me”.

The law exposes our sin. Sin is the condition that keeps us from being what God originally created. Sin is what keeps us from God. Sin tells us we have to keep working harder and harder so we can be loved. Sin messed up the created good. Jesus said He came not to abolish the law or the Prophets but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). What does this mean? What do you do when you fulfill something? You make it complete. Jesus fulfilled the law by not sinning against the law. He fulfilled the prophets by doing what they predicted. He was sinless but became sin so we could be righteous to God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus changes us

The law can never free us. Only Jesus sets us free. Only Jesus can take away our sins to restore us with God and make us new people. The sacrifices made under the Law could not forever remove sin. Hebrews 10:4 tells us, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” The ultimate removal of sin was taken upon the cross by Jesus so we could live in His glory and bring glory to Him. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Jesus showed us that if we aren’t loving then we aren’t changed. Paul reminds us of the importance of love in Galatians 5:14 saying, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Laws don’t change our heart but expose the wrong (sin) and Jesus showed us what was right, and that was love for one another. Love speaks the truth of the gospel. Our love would be the first fruit. 

We read about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” The way which Jesus works in us to complete us is through the Holy Spirit. How do we know we are being completed? By our fruits and the first fruit listed is love. Why love? The whole law is fulfilled in love. Without love the others fruits don’t happen. When we love Jesus and know more and more about him, we begin to understand how enormous love is and how it shapes everything else.

The trouble we have is we continue in the flesh which keeps sin ongoing in our lives. Our salvation sets us free from the punishment of sin, which is separation from God, but there is still a sin nature in us that can produce some wicked things (Galatians 5:19-21). This is why we look to the fruit to determine, and for others to determine, our growth and sanctification. We can talk like Christians all day long. We can say the right things, do the right things, and appear to look good. We can show up on Wednesdays and Sundays and sit in the crowd. But, are you seeing fruit in your life? Are other people seeing fruit in your life? Our fruit exposes our love for Jesus and His gospel.

Now what?

We came out of the gospel of John with the great story of our Savior. When we read the other 3 gospels, we see and hear from Jesus. The trouble we can run into when we study the other books in the NT is hearing the author of those books and not the conviction of the Spirit that was given to them. Paul doesn’t share the gospel with the Galatians and then does not work to correct them without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He stands on the revelation that was given to him directly by Jesus and then tells them to get right. Not because he said so but because Jesus set them out on a mission. So goes for us also. Tell the gospel. Grow in sanctification. Bear fruit.

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What do we know?

What is your favorite story? Who is your favorite character in any story? Why are they your favorite?

Now, who has ever heard of Disney World? Who’s been? Walt Disney was one of the greatest visionaries to ever live. He and his brother started Disney in 1923 to create and tell animated stories. Over the years Disney, as a company, grew because of the focus on storytelling. We may know Disney now as a huge company with theme parks, TV channels and many, many movies, but it all started from a man's desire for people to experience a story. Walt was known to invest in the people who were creating and delivering the stories that made Disney famous.

Right now, we are reading part of the greatest story of all time - the story of Jesus. When we read the Bible and grow to know more about the story God has been weaving, it becomes our story. We are not separated from the Bible - we are a part of the story. As part of the story, we play a part, have a relationships with other biblical figures, and are connected with the ultimate creator of the story.

Stories have different components but they all have a beginning and an ending. We started John with “In the beginning” just like in Genesis. John didn’t create the story, he is telling it. He is in it. Stories can have heroes and they can have villains. Jesus is the hero in the Bible and in our story. We have a God who stepped down out of heaven to take care of salvation and provide the necessary preparation and instruction to be and make disciples until He returns.

The Big Idea: Jesus Serves, Prepares, and Prays

Jesus has spent 3 years with the disciples. They were witness to all He did. We know this since we have their writings and investigated accounts. He taught and spoke to many. But the disciples we know were more than just followers. He counted them as friends. Not just any friends but the closest of friends. Now is the time for Jesus to make sure they are ready for what is to come.

In John chapters 13-17, Jesus is closing in on the end of His earthly ministry and he has to make sure the disciples are ready. These few chapters, in my opinion, show us how important He held the disciples to be and how much He cared for them. John tells us in 13:1, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Loved them to the end. Jesus’ love encompassed them and we can be confident it does the same for us who love Him.

Service requires care

What does it mean to serve? Why do we serve? Service is an act where we are not focusing on ourselves but on others. Jesus came in the flesh to serve and give Himself up as a ransom (Matthew 20:28). What Jesus shows us in John 13 is what the heart of a true believer looks like - it’s willing to be humbled to serve. A good way to think about humility and humbleness is this - it is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.

Jesus washed the disciples feet. Think about that. Everyone took off their shoes and socks and Jesus put on rubber gloves then took a scrub brush and cleaned their feet. Wrong! The only thing correct in the previous sentence was Jesus cleaned their feet. They didn’t have shoes and socks, just sandals which would let all the dirt and ick on the ground get on their feet. People then were not walking on sidewalks and paved roads. It was dirt, sand, and whatever ground they walked on. Rubber gloves? Yeah, no. Bare hands. Scrub brush? No again. Bare hands.

What Jesus showed the disciples (and us) was that service to one another requires us to put aside any thought of glory we may get in those acts of service. We are to serve without the possibility of praise, or honor, or recognition. We serve because we are called to serve. Hear what Jesus says to the disciples in John 13:12-16 after He was finished. “When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.’ ”

When we think about our service to others, are we considering doing things that put us face to face with people or just giving a few bucks here and there? Hear me when I say giving money is a great way to help. Money is necessary to both individuals and groups. Having a heart for service is having one that isn’t locked in a safe with the money you want to hold on to. This goes for our efforts also.

Service with care means that our will to serve comes from a changed heart that wants to change hearts. It is obvious and it shows in outward efforts of our faith. Matthew 5:16 tells us, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Glory be to God, not us. God’s care is the greatest anyone can receive.

Preparation requires action

What are things you prepare for? What do you prepare for on a daily basis? If you play a sport, how do you prepare? It can feel like we are always preparing for something. I am preparing to write as I write other things and prepare to teach weekly. You are preparing for tests as you prepare a paper as you prepare for your next game. This doesn’t mean our lives are full only with preparing. You write your paper and turn it in. Gameday comes and you do your best. Our doing, though, is dependent upon our preparing. The last test you did poorly on, how much did you prepare? If little to none, you found out the value of preparation.

Jesus spent 3 years with the same guys. Not meeting for breakfast on Saturday to talk about the week. Not to watch the game on Sunday. They were together everyday, with the exception of times Jesus sent them away to proclaim the kingdom (Matthew 10:5; Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1). Throughout this time, He was preparing them for the time when he would not be there in the flesh. 

When you have a limited amount of time to teach and help to understand what was taught, you focus on what is most important. John’s gospel differs from Matthew, Mark, and Luke by showing us instances of intimate teaching we don’t see elsewhere. All of Jesus’ teaching is important. He proclaimed large, important ideas to groups and multitudes of people that are vital to truth. His teaching to the disciples, just He and them, were critical. They were going to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8) and take the gospel to the nations. 

What actions did Jesus tell the disciples to take in this final night as a group? We already covered how he modeled serving, so what else? What He taught to them can be grouped into three actions - Obey Me, Trust Me, and Imitate Me.

Obey Me

Love one another 13:34-35, 15:12-14; Keep my commandments 14:15; Keep my word 14:23-24; Abide in me 15:4-5 (9-11); Remember my word 15:20, 16:1-4

Early in the gospel of John, we see Jesus assembling His crew - the disciples. He doesn’t do this through threatening words or coercion but by invitation (John 1:39,43). We as mere humans, subject to the sin in the world and challenges around us, are skeptical. Especially in this moment in history we can have a hard time determining our allegiances. If left to ourselves, without the gospel, we can easily pick what seems good for today then change to pick what seems good for tomorrow, even if it is not beneficial for us. We would go from one idea to another without a consistent foundation. This is why the truth of the gospel is so so important. 

Jesus taught us that we should love our neighbor (Matthew 22:39; Leviticus 19:18). We hear this, preach this, but have a hard time living it. Not all people around us are “lovable”. These could even be people in your own family. What does it mean, then, when Jesus gives a new command to love one another just as Jesus loved them (John 13:34-35)? Love your neighbor was a simple standard all can strive to do. Love one another just as Jesus loved us makes Jesus the standard for “how” we love. To what extent, meaning how far will you go to love your brothers and sisters in Christ? The cross? This is the model Jesus is leading to obey (John 15:13).

“You are my friends if you do as I command you” (John 15:15). Kind of hard to avoid this cause this leaves us only two options - we can be Jesus’ friend or not. What do we need to do to be Jesus’ friend? We do what he said (commanded) to do. When has a friendship in this world depended on doing all that another person said? We don’t tend to look at those as friendships. We see those as toxic relationships.  So how does doing all Jesus commanded not make for a toxic relationship? Because He is God. Following Jesus means we want to do as He has instructed, even the commands we see as impossible. This is why we depend on Him in all things. There is a very popular verse in Philippians 4:13 where Paul writes, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” which isn’t always used properly in context. All that Jesus commands us to do, even the things that seem impossible to us, when we are satisfied (content) with Him. To put it plainly, when He is our ultimate love, His commands are easy to follow because we need nothing else to make us happy.

Trust Me

Don’t be troubled, believe in God, believe in me 14:1; Have peace and give peace 14:27; Take heart 16:33

Trust. That means to hope for the best but expect the worst, right? You ever heard that phrase? That’s not trust but people use it anyway to lower expectations and avoid being disappointed. It's a way for us to not get our hopes up. The gospel is not that way. The gospel says trust what the Lord has done and will do. This trust isn’t an expectation that since we love Jesus we will only have sunny days and easy times. Jesus tells us the opposite in our reading of John 13-17. He doesn’t do this to scare us. He does this because he knows the truth prepares us and so we trust in Him.

There are three words connected to the meaning of trust - confidence, faith, and hope. Jesus is going to be leaving soon, and we know it isn’t for a vacation. His earthly ministry is done. Even though He has poured into the disciples for three years and revealed all He was told, they are still uneasy. So what does He do? He gives them confidence, faith, and hope. He tells them not to be troubled. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” 

Imitate Me

Do the works I do 14:12; Ask me 14:13-14; Go and bear fruit 15:16; 

We are imitators. We may think we are original but we aren’t. We are a collection of things we have learned from other people. So the question is, are you learning from people who know the Lord and work to imitate Him, or are you learning from the world?

In another letter by John, 3 John, he tells us in 1:11, “Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” The word imitate in this verse is the same Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 11:1 where Paul writes, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

As imitators of Jesus we need to know what He said and did in order to do as He did. Will we be able to grant miracles and perform signs as he did? Or even as the disciples did? For the large (large) majority of us, probably no. Then what do we do? We give grace, show mercy, teach scripture, pray, and make the gospel known. 

Prayer requires relationship

What do you think I mean when I say relationship? In the least, 2 persons have to have knowledge of one another and have met. At its best, those 2 persons will have spent significant time together being vulnerable with emotions, true with words and care, and giving and gaining trust. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the best, where do you think each of the disciples fit in their relationship with Jesus? I’d guess that several would be high on the scale with 8 or more. Judas Iscariot was probably low. He walked around and spent time with Jesus but did he really have a strong relationship with Him?

How about you? On a scale of 1 to 10, where are you in your relationship with Jesus? If you are a believer of Jesus, it is because He has given you His saving grace from your belief in Him. Our salvation is individual meaning He saved me or He saved you, not He saved my dad so I am also saved. I say all of this to talk about prayer and specifically the relationship with Jesus in prayer.

In John 17, what is commonly called the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus is praying to the Father after He finished His teaching to the disciples. From what we can tell, Jesus is still with the disciples when He is praying to the Father. He just finished giving final instructions and teaching to them. He had told the disciples they are His friends since He has revealed all that the Father told Him (John 15:15). Now, Jesus is 

There are 2 things I want you to notice here - Jesus’ relationship to the Father and to the disciples. Throughout John we see Jesus telling us He does nothing unless the Father says, does, or commands it. When we know Jesus stepped out of heaven, the statements He makes about being one with the Father make sense. We can be challenged by their meaning and significance because we are mostly accustomed to having interactions with people around us. Our prayer life is so important and it is also challenging. What we can rely on, as Jesus portrays in His prayer, is we have a heavenly Father prepared to hear. 

Remember, the disciples are still with Jesus. They are hearing this prayer. When we read through John 17, and put ourselves in the place of the disciples, we hear the Lord speaking truth and giving us confidence. And I don’t mean confidence like “You can do it if you try!” or “I know you’ll do great!”. I mean confidence that we who proclaim Jesus’ name and put our trust in Him are His. Here are several things He says that gives me great confidence:

• I am praying for them. (v 9)

• All mine are yours (v 10)

• Keep them from the evil one (v 15)

• Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (v 17)

• Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world (v 24)

Our friendship with Jesus is greater than the friendships we have on earth. Our friends care for us, laugh with us, and help us when we need it. Jesus cares for us also. He made the truth known to us. He prayed for us. He responds to our prayers. And, He became a sacrifice so we can have a life eternally with Him. It’s hard to imagine in our “right-now” life what our eternal life will be because we can’t see it. What we know from scripture though is it will be greater than anything we have here and now. What we can be doing right now is to talk with Jesus more. Pray to Him. Thank Him. Give all to Him.

Now what?

Part of being a disciple is learning, which we do on Sundays and throughout the week on our own. A disciple that is making disciples is always learning. Part of this message was about preparation. We are always in a state of preparing and we are always doing. It would seem like we are a people who are going non-stop and struggle to prepare cause we are always doing. There’s truth in that. But like God calls us to rest, we need to prepare. Prayer helps us to prepare. Scripture helps us to prepare. One of my favorite verses is 1 Peter 3:15 which says we should “always be prepared”. 

I’d love to be prepared for everything. I’d love for you to be prepared for everything. We can get better the more we know Jesus who will prepare our minds, our hearts, and our efforts.

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What do we know?

So far in the Gospel of John (1-8), we have established why Jesus is here, who he is, and the authority He has. He is God. We get to look at Jesus’ ministry and scripture in the rearview mirror. What we are reading in John has already taken place. Theologians have had many years to study through the words and cultural meanings and challenges of scripture. Archeologists have uncovered hundreds of artifacts from the time of Christ which we read about in scripture. Historians have validated names and happenings from the Bible through non-Biblical sources. 

These are fantastic things! However, Jesus’ identity as God and man is crucial to the gospel narrative and no antique plate or unearthed crucified heal bone can show this. John’s gospel puts on full display, time and time again, the truth of Jesus’ identity as God and as man. He is Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.

The Big Idea: Jesus is who He says He is

Would you claim to be something you weren’t if the penalty for doing it would be death? Think about it like this. Would you walk into a police station as say, “I am a murderer and should be put to death for my crimes!” if you never even harmed anyone? I hope not. I wouldn’t. People would think something was seriously wrong with you if you did this.

What do you think was going through the minds of the people when Jesus did just this thing? Well, there wasn’t a police station, or murder, or even a crime. But what Jesus did was say He is God. There are only 2 results that can come from this - He’s telling the truth and is God or He is lying. If Jesus wasn’t God and was lying, then He was a blasphemer, which is punishable by death. This is what the Pharisees kept accusing Jesus of doing (John 10:33, Matthew 26:65, Mark 14:64, Luke 5:21).

Before Abraham was, I AM

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ ” (John 8:58 ESV)

John’s gospel writing leaves us with no way to say Jesus never claimed to be God. Skeptics would say different. They would say, “Jesus never literally said ‘I am God’ so why do you keep claiming he is?”. Well, because He did. John 8:58 tells us “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ ” This caps off Jesus speaking at the temple and chiding the Jewish leaders for not believing in Him. The accusations they give to Jesus and His responses about knowing the Father seem to escalate to this point in order for them to understand. Understand they don’t, but they know exactly who Jesus is talking about.

Is “I AM” sounding familiar to you. I hope so. But if you need a little help, let me jog your memory.

In Exodus 3:13–15 we read, “Then Moses said to God, 'If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’' God also said to Moses, 'Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.’ “

When Jesus tells them “before Abraham was, I am”, He is telling the Pharisees He is the living God. He’s not just saying “before Abraham was, I am” to purposely upset them. He’s making a declaration of truth! They wouldn’t listen to what He has said up to this point but He knew this statement would resonate. What the Pharisees would hear is what they already knew from what Moses experienced and wrote. 

We as people like to be validated by hearing something, preferably good, about ourselves. Jesus isn’t doing this for His sake, He’s doing it for theirs (and ours). John’s gospel records Jesus claiming His deity many times. There are seven times, seven statements, Jesus uses to describe Himself that we only get from John. 

I Am the Bread of Life

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’ “ (John 6:35 ESV)

Bread was a core part of the diet in Israel, as well as other places in the world throughout history. They didn’t have the options we have today to quickly get food. When they prepared food it came from what they could grow and harvest themselves. They knew the necessity of bread to their lives.

The Jewish community would also know from scripture of what their ancestors ate while in the wilderness. God provided manna for them which they would turn into cakes and bread. They did this for forty years. Now, they did not always like eating the manna during those forty years (Numbers 11). They would get tired of it and want some meat to eat. But think about what they would have if God did not provide it? They’d have nothing.

Jesus saying He is the bread of life obviously isn’t about food. And it really isn’t about Him turning into food. In verse 33, we get His meaning when He says, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” When God provided manna in the wilderness, it came down out of the sky, from heaven. Jesus may have been born to become man but He came from heaven. He is the one who gives life to the world.

I Am the Light of the World

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ” (John 8:12 ESV)

Think about a time you were in absolute darkness. Not in the metaphorical sense but in actual darkness. No light whatsoever. What could you see? Nothing. Absolute darkness is something we can be challenged to think about or picture in our minds. We have the ability to light up most any place we are. Even our phones have a flashlight on them. We have the ability to use a light to see where we are going and find things in the dark.

Jesus is telling us in John 8:12 that He is the light and can bring anyone out of the darkness. The sin we have, we are told, keeps us in the dark. We equate sin to darkness because we do not want it revealed to anyone and be seen. We can think if our sin is not known or seen then it doesn’t exist. But like a LEGO brick on the floor that your bare foot steps on in the dark, you understand sin that may be unseen does exist and is not painless.

All the things we do are known to God. A funny but not funny statement some people say is “Only God can judge me”. It is said in the context of “Who are you to judge or criticize me? You aren’t perfect. You have flaws.” It is true that we aren’t perfect, nor flawless. Only Jesus was flawless. The light He brings to our lives, and to the world, exposes all that we are. 

Nothing is hidden in Jesus’ light. When we give ourselves to Him, that light makes our darkness go away. Light and darkness don’t exist together. It’s either light or darkness. Without Jesus, darkness is all you have. With Jesus, the light shows us all of our imperfections and we can see all the things, the sins, that Jesus carried onto the cross for us. 

I Am the Door

“So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’ “ (John 10:7–9 ESV)

There are examples in the Bible which we don’t immediately relate to when they are used. This is one of them. Yes, we know what sheep are, and we have a good idea what shepherds do. You may be thinking, “I know what a door is. I have, like, 10 of them in my house. There are three that let us go in and out of the house.” This is where we need an understanding of what Jesus is talking about to grasp the magnitude of what He is saying.

The door Jesus is referring to here is the door into the sheepfold. A sheepfold is an area where the sheep are kept that was typically surrounded by rock walls. This kept the sheep in, but also worked to keep predators out. The people Jesus would have been speaking to during this time would know what a sheepfold is and its significance.

There was one way into the sheepfold - the door. This door was simply an opening. It wasn’t a big, thick wooden slab or metal gate you would close. The sheepfold was only protected by a person guarding this opening. The person guarding the sheepfold determined what, or who, got in. So guess what the sheepfold symbolizes? Dwelling with God in His Kingdom. This means Jesus is the one who determines who gets in and who doesn’t.

Jesus is exclusive. To say otherwise is to avoid the entirety of scripture. We hear in Luke 13:24, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Not many doors but door, Singular. “That’s not fair!” Is a common response to what Christianity says about salvation. If Jesus Himself did not say it, then it would be some made-up way for us to be exclusive. But Jesus said it. Jesus also said to love your neighbor. By this your neighbor could come to know Jesus and He can call them to Himself. 

I Am the Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:11–15 ESV)

Shepherding could seem like a boring job compared to jobs we can have today. Engineer. Astronaut. Gamer. Instagram influencer (just kidding). If you are an animal lover though, think about spending all your time taking care of the sheep in your care. It wouldn’t be just a job. Being a shepherd would define you.

We get to see the guiding and loving nature of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23:1-3. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”

Listening to Jesus say He is a shepherd makes sense, doesn’t it. He is God and He wants to take care of those who have been given Him to care for. Reading the passage in John 10:11-15 gives us a sense of Jesus’ relationship to us. He knows us, we know Him. He’s not just some guy doing a job, like the hired hand, then clocking out and going home. The sheep are cared for all day, everyday, around the clock. But if a time came that the sheep were threatened, the shepherd, a true shepherd, would put Himself in the way to the point of sacrificing His life.

Jesus as the Good Shepherd defines both a true guide and a protector that would sacrifice what he has been given. Both of these roles care for people. All those the Father gave to Jesus cannot be taken from Him (John 10:29). 

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’ ” (John 11:25–27 ESV)

Lazarus is dead. Something happened to him where he got sick and died. It happens. We are saddened by death but we know it is a part of life. But what if Jesus was your friend? I don’t mean like a shirt that says “Jesus is my homeboy”. I mean you have spent time with Him. You’ve eaten meals with Him. You truly know who He is. You know His power.

We see in John 11 something incredible. “Of course we do”, you may be thinking because of the miracle Jesus does. Yes, the miracle is incredible. All miracles are incredible because they are given by God. What is incredible in John 11 is we get to see the full scope of Jesus from His humanity to His deity. 

When Jesus is told that Lazarus was sick and to come quick, He stayed where He was. Sounds kinda mean, right? Like Jesus didn’t care. We know different. Jesus tells us in John 11:4 that what is going to happen will show His glory. His deity makes this known. When He arrives in Bethany and taken to Lazarus’ tomb, where others were mourning, Jesus cries. He weeps, we are told. There is His humanity. 

But what about the whole “resurrection and the life” thing? Jesus brought Lazarus from a state of being fully dead to being fully alive. Fully dead to fully alive. Jesus goes from fully dead on a Friday to fully alive on a Sunday. Only the power of Jesus as God can do this. He turns death to life, physically and spiritually. Our spiritually dead hearts are given life by him when we believe and trust in Him. We give our life to Him to give us the true life void of the eternal perils of sin.

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ “ (John 14:6 ESV)

This verse is one of the most well known of Jesus’ declarations. It summarizes so much of what Jesus taught in a mere simple statement. We talked about Jesus as “the Door” already. The door is what you walk through. When Jesus said He is the door, He didn’t say He was only one of the doors. He is the ONLY door. This statement is as critical to believing Jesus as Peter’s statement that Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 16:16).

As “the Way”, Jesus is saying He is the true way to get to the Father. There is no other way. Like “the Door” statement, He is saying the path to God is exclusive and cannot be obtained any other way. None. Being a good person? Nope. Only believing and trusting in Jesus. Keeping the law fully? Nope. Only believing and trusting in Jesus. Only believing and trusting in Jesus? Yes. I’m emphasizing only Jesus because it has to be said and reminded. 

What about “the Truth”? Well, the truth from God and what Jesus revealed while on earth is what we rely on as our standard. Anything that is counter to what the Father and the Son have revealed is not the truth. In our day and age, the truths we know from God can be counter to what the world calls truth. But as I just said, counter to God is not truth. Knowing God’s word is so very important for believers because it gives us the truth to stand up against false teachings and lies.

This the third “Life” Jesus says in these “I Am” statements. If we didn’t know He was life before now then we surely weren’t listening. Life, true and eternal life, is only given by Jesus. When we confess Jesus as our Savior, He makes our dead hearts come to life. And all life exists because of Him, as creator and sustainer. 

I Am the True Vine

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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. (John 15:1–2 ESV)

I do not grow things. I’m not a gardener nor have plants that require constant care. So, I’m not an expert on vines and have to rely on common information about vines. One thing I believe that we know grows on vines are grapes. We can think of a vineyard where grapes are grown to make wine. Wine was readily available in Jesus’ time. There was probably as much wine available to them as sweet tea is to Southerners today (or pop to Northerners). Wine was common since neither running water nor water treatment was a thing back then. 

Why does Jesus use this metaphor? Like all of Jesus’ comparisons, He would use what people would know. If Jesus’ ministry was today instead of when it was, He would speak to things that are common to us. A society in the 1st century would know agriculture, meaning most people would know what it takes to grow and care for food. Since we all don’t know about grapevines, there are 3 core parts for simplicity - the vine, the branches, and the fruit. Fruit grows on the branches and the branches grow on the vine. 

“I am the true vine” is Jesus’ claim. 

Branches with good fruit and no fruit will be attached to this vine. The branches that do not grow fruit are cut and thrown into the fire (John 15:6). Branches that grow fruit will be pruned to grow more fruit. Clear? No?

Again, Jesus is the vine. In order for the branches, us, to bear good fruit, we have to abide in (obey and depend upon) Jesus. Those who do not produce fruit, non-believers, those will be separated from Him. Jesus has all authority and sovereignty. For those of us who put our faith in Him, we are depending on Him and have a relationship. This maintains our connection with Him. Those that don’t will not stay attached.

Now what?

We don’t have Jesus physically walking among us like we read in John or the other gospel books. We don’t have Him sitting and eating with us everyday. We don’t have Him speaking to us and giving us teaching while sitting around a fire. His physical, human presence is not here. It can be challenging for us to relate to someone whom we’ve only read about. This is a reason why people who aren’t followers of Jesus sees the Bible as fiction. 

Our connection to Jesus is through the Holy Spirit that He had the Father send to us. We who believe do not sit in darkness. We may wonder or be confused at times but we aren’t separated from God. Like Jesus revealed Himself as God to first century Israel, the Spirit reveals to us.

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What do we know?

We have authority in all aspects of our lives. Parents, teachers, bosses, laws, and others. Our fallen nature, meaning the sin that is natural to all of us since Adam and Eve, does not like authority. As a matter of fact, our desire to have authority over God’s authority got us going down this road in the first place. We want to do what we want to do, even when it isn’t good for us. Even if it is against God.

What do we know about authority? What does it mean to be an authority? If you were to look at the definition of authority, you would see common words no matter the source. There are two words that stand out and represent what we, as humans, do with authority in many instances. These are power and control. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I’m in control here” or “I’m in charge, not you”? These are statements that are made when someone needs to show they are the authority.

Jesus stepped into this world in the flesh not having to say these type things. As creator, as sustainer, as God, His authority is eternal. He knows the authority He has. We can either believe Him or not, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus is in charge. 

The Big Idea: All authority is Jesus’. Always.

We learn in Matthew 28:18 that all authority on heaven and earth is Jesus’. Paul expands on this and gives us a fantastic summary of this in Colossians 1:16-20 saying, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,”.

In John 5, we see Jesus’ authority and where that authority comes from. The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, specifically the Pharisees, have a problem with Jesus. Jesus is doing things that disrupt their power. The power of the Pharisees comes from traditions they have created outside of the law and they expect those traditions to be treated as law and followed. But Jesus knows the true law, and as creator of it, He knows the intent of it. Only the eternal authority of Jesus can show what real versus created authority looks like here on Earth.

True authority comes from God

We looked earlier at the core components of most authority, which are power and control. Now I will say that not all authority on earth exhibits these components in self-serving ways. There are people who see their authority as a way to benefit others. But even if we have an earthly authority to benefit others, our inherent sin can create in us a desire to use that authority, though for good, to force what we determine is good in this world. 

Jesus’ authority is so incredible when we compare it to authority we have without Him. His authority, from the Father, displays real truth and real life, which shows His real power.

“Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’ ” (John 18:37) Jesus says He is bearing witness to the truth. This means that the truth already exists and he is not making it up. But what truth would this be? Where would this truth be from? The Father.

In John 5:19-47, we see Jesus refer to the Father a number of times. When we think of absolute truth, we think to the things God has established, what He has said, and what He has shown. Jesus tells us where His truth comes from in John 5:19–20, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.’ ” 

When we read on in chapter 5 we see many connections Jesus makes with the Father.  The Father says, the Son says. The Father does, the Son does. The Father has life, the Son has life. The relationship between the Father and the Son is never disconnected. They aren’t independent. They are one. 

Acting in truth is what Jesus wants from us. The truth displays His power - the power to give eternal life. Believing the truth and confessing the truth brings salvation (Romans 10:9). 

We read in John 5:21, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” There are two things here. First, our spiritually dead hearts are given life to live out the truth Jesus gives and to glorify Him. Second, when Jesus returns, the resurrection of the body will take place. No earthly authority we know can do this. Nothing, no thing, can give life unless it can create life. 

Jesus tells us later in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

Real truth and real life go hand in hand. We cannot live a life as intended by God without knowing the truth that He has given. This truth isn’t given anywhere except in His Word, in scripture. “And the Word became flesh” (John 1:1) says it directly that the Word came to life in the form of Jesus. 

Created authority comes from man

Who created games when you were little? When we make up games we also make up rules. The easiest way to become an authority is to be the one who creates the rules. Then you become the person who keeps up with everyone one else keeping or breaking the rules. This is a common way we see authority.

God provided laws for how He wanted His people to live, conduct themselves, and govern themselves for His glory. What we read in scripture is how Israel avoided those laws, forgot the laws, and had to be reminded multiple times of the God who gave them the laws. The laws were challenging. The laws exposed the sin in the hearts of the people. When we change from helping others to understand and obey the laws to creating rules to obey the laws, we have become a created authority.

This is where the Jewish authorities come in. The ruling authority in Israel that we read in the Gospels is called the Sanhedrin. Think of a very large supreme court with over a 100 judges on it. The Sanhedrin has its origin in the Old testament, in Numbers and Deuteronomy. God established the roles of the judges and officers to serve the people of Israel and uphold the law He gave. This became the Sanhedrin which consists of two groups - the Pharisees and the Sadducees. These two groups, though part of one large council, are very different. 

The Pharisees, whom we hear more of, are very zealous for the law. They are so zealous that they created more rules to keep the law. These traditions were then enforced by them on the Jewish people. The Sudducees, in contrast, were less zealous for the law than they were power and prestige. They didn’t want to upset the Roman authorities so they could be the Jewish authority. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not like each other, but when their authority was threatened by Jesus, they worked together to get Him out of the way.

We don’t get a positive view about these Jewish rulers from the Gospels, or even in Acts. We see them butting heads with Jesus and the apostles multiple times. We read several times in scripture where the Pharisees get bent out of shape over Jesus doing something on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23–28; Matthew 12:1–8; Luke 6:1–5; Mark 3:1–6; Matthew 12:9–14; Luke 6:6–11). Their concern is for the law they enforce instead of the glory of God.

This is what we see in John 5:5-17 when Jesus heals the invalid man. They miss the fact that a miracle has happened. The miracle, the act of grace from God, is overlooked to try and protect their own personal status. Our status can become our authority. We can get so wrapped up in our identity that anything that stands against it becomes an enemy. Even Jesus. The Sanhedrin had an identity of ruling. We make our wants and desires our authority. 

Living in authority is complicated, and necessary

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Jesus tells us this in Matthew 22:21 when He is being questioned by the Jewish leaders. Remember, during this period of history, Rome occupied a majority of the known world. This means they occupied Jerusalem. The Jewish authorities did not like Rome being there as the land was given to Israel by God and Rome did not have a right to it. Needless to say Israel did not want to obey Rome, but they appeased them so Israel could retain some authority over itself.

Ultimately, the Jewish authority had to rely on the Roman authority to put Jesus to death. Does this mean we should not trust any authority but Jesus? When we see what happened then, and then we look at the challenges around us today, shouldn’t we just live only around other followers of Jesus and create our own nation? As Paul would say, “By no means!” 

The gospel doesn’t tell us to talk amongst ourselves but to make it known that Jesus’ death and resurrection is the fulfillment of God’s promise and any who repent and believe can have what Jesus promised. Jesus makes it known that He doesn’t want us separated from the world until the right time, His return. Later in John 17:13–19 we read, “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

Our relationship to the world, and the authority in it, is complicated but necessary. There will be times when we align with culture in the world and times we won’t. We can’t go and make disciples without interacting with all nations, all peoples. We are commanded to do this. Paul tells us in Romans 13:1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” 

What if the authority is against God? What about the times when a law is the opposite of what Jesus commands? Our first thought should always be to what God has commanded. We can see many differences around us between God and the world. We see things in our country that are counter to the goodness of God. One thing to remember when we see these things - the world, the people around you that do not know Jesus, will not be “lawed” into heaven. Only faith in Jesus will get them there. 

Now what?

Knowing Jesus’ teachings and commands are critical for us as His followers. What is necessary for us is to do as Jesus commanded - love God with everything we have and love our neighbors (Matthew 22:37-40). Truth and life come from God and when we live that out and share that message we are showing the world that the authority of God is good.

What does scripture tell us?

Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (ESV)

2 Timothy 1:7–8
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

Resources

The Bible Project: John
https://thebibleproject.com/explore/john/

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What do we know?

The Gospel of John was written by - wait for it - the apostle John. Sorry for the obvious snark. The books of the New Testament were named for either the person who wrote it or who it was written for. This means the Gospel of Matthew was written by...Matthew. The book of Ephesians was written for...the church in Ephesus, where the people would be Ephesians. There are a few exceptions though. These would be Acts, Hebrews, and Revelation. That will be a discussion for a different time.

Something is different about the Gospel of John than in the other 3 Gospels. What do you think it is? The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are what are called the synoptic gospels. They are called synoptic because ‘they “see together with a common view” (the word synoptic literally means “together sight”). Matthew, Mark, and Luke cover many of the same events in Jesus’ life—most of them from Jesus’ ministry in Galilee—in much the same order. Nearly 90 percent of Mark’s content is found in Matthew, and about 50 percent of Mark appears in Luke. All of the parables of Christ are found in the Synoptics (the Gospel of John contains no parables).’ [1]

How is John different? The main difference between John and the others is how John contains more theological content about the person of Christ and the meaning of faith. John has a high focus for both the deity of Jesus and the humanity of Jesus. He introduces us to the full Jesus - from before creation to His ascension. When we add in the book of Revelation, which was also written by John, we get to see the full picture of Jesus - from beginning to end (to new beginning).

The Big Idea: Introducing, Jesus!

In the first few chapters in the Gospel of John, he introduces us to Jesus. This is not a standard introduction. He doesn’t come out and say “Hey everybody, this is Jesus. He is 30 years old and enjoys long walks. The great thing about him is he is the Messiah promised to us. We should worship and obey Him. Any questions?” That would be like me saying “Hi, I’m Shannon. I think I’m pretty smart. You should listen to what I have to say.” If I were to say that I’d have plenty of people with a whole line of questions ready to ask beginning with “Why should I listen to you? Just cause you say I should doesn’t mean I should.”

Why Jesus is here

“Why” is such a great question. It’s short and requires a thoughtful answer. You can’t answer it with a YES or NO. It requires a reason. For Jesus, as we see throughout John’s gospel, “why” is answered and supported time and time again.

John tells us right in the first chapter why Jesus has come. John, the disciple/apostle, introduces us to John, the Baptist, early in chapter 1. To avoid confusion, let me distinguish between the John’s because when you read the gospel of John for the first time it can create confusion. I will call the apostle John “JA” and John the Baptist “JB”. First, they aren’t the same person. We get introduced to JB and learn about him in Luke’s gospel. JB is Jesus’ cousin. JB is the son of Elizabeth, who is the cousin of Mary, Jesus’ mother. JB is the baby who leapt in his mother's womb when Mary visited and was pregnant with Jesus. JB would have known Jesus all His life, but JA only meets Jesus when Jesus begins His ministry. JB serves a specific role, announcing the ministry of Jesus. JA serves Jesus and tells about Him through 5 separate writings (John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation).

Now back to the why.

In John 1:29–30, JA tells us “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’” 

Did you catch the why? Take away the sin of the world.

Jesus didn’t come to teach us good lessons in the hope we would be better people. Brushing your teeth twice a day, eating all your vegetables, and doing your homework everyday is not the message He gave to convince people to want to come to heaven. Jesus is the reason you and I can have eternal life.

Who Jesus is

We don’t have to wait long to find out who Jesus is. When I say “who”, I mean more than the surface level information. Most of us know He had a mom named Mary who was married to Joseph. But, John/JA doesn’t start out with that type of info as he tells about Jesus. He tells us the greater things about Him - His character, His greatness, His roles, and His title. Let’s talk about the number of things John reveals to us in just the first 4 chapters (John 1-4).

Jesus is the eternal God.

Right at the very beginning (John 1:1), John writes “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word was God. John is referring to Jesus as the Word, thus telling us Jesus is God. Not to mention he tells us Jesus is eternal. “In the beginning was the Word,...” (John 1:1). There hasn’t been a time when Jesus did not exist.

Word means God? God means Word? Huh?

Word in Greek is Logos. In Greek philosophy, Logos is used to refer to divine reason or the mind of God. The readers of John’s message would know what Logos means and make the association. If this isn’t good enough for you to establish Jesus as God, John goes on to record later Jesus telling us He is with His “I am” statements.

Jesus is a shepherd.

In ancient times the shepherd was not a revered job, meaning people weren’t competing to become one. It was a lowly job; a humble job. You hung out with animals at all hours of the day, rain or shine. 

You might be thinking “I thought Jesus was a carpenter?” When it is said that Jesus was a shepherd, this doesn’t mean it was his occupation, his job. Later on in John, as well as in other parts of scripture (Psalm 119:176;Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 50:6; 1 Peter 2:25), we are referred to as lost sheep and are lost without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). What is essential for the gathering of sheep? Since I can guarantee 99.9% of us do not work with sheep, I’ll tell you. A shepherd. Though John does not explicitly say Jesus is a shepherd in chapters 1-4, we see from Jesus’ words in John 10:27 that John views Jesus as a shepherd. 

In John 1:35-51, Jesus is bringing together the first of his disciples - Andrew, Peter, Phillip, Nathanael.  Jesus is beginning to gather His sheep.

Jesus is powerful.

Since we have said Jesus is God and therefore eternal, we know then Jesus is powerful. Look again at John 1:3 where John says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Jesus’ first sign (miracle) during His ministry was at the wedding in Cana when He turned water into wine. If we only see the water changing to wine, we could think it is just a cheap miracle. Thinking about it, we might say, “Couldn’t He have done something cooler than that?” Let me break this down for us. Jesus as God can do as He wants. The first ever miracle done was creation and who did that? Jesus. John reminded us of this in verse 1:3. Something, being creation, was made out of nothing. The natural universe we know did not exist until He made it. 

So, turning water into wine, may seem small compared to creation but the sign itself was huge since it showed people Jesus’ divine power. John tells us the impact it made in 2:11 “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” The disciples believed.

Jesus is wise.

Chapter 3 introduces us to Nicodemus, a Pharisee. He is a member of what is called the Sanhedrin which is the Jewish ruling council. This means Nicodemus is a Jewish official and an important person in the Jewish community. This also means he is very knowledgeable about scripture, specifically the Torah, which are the first 5 books of the Old Testament. I emphasize the Torah because it contains the Law. These are the rules the Sanhedrin would govern by and Nicodemus would be involved with this.

When Nicodemus comes to Jesus, Jesus has already had run-ins with the Jewish leaders. If we have negative encounters with someone or a group, we might have disdain for them. Simply put, we’d be ticked off at them. That’s not how Jesus treats Nicodemus. Nicodemus came to Jesus telling Jesus he knows He is sent by God and recognizing the miracles He’s done. Jesus responds with what appears to be cordial conversation and teaching.

We don’t know fully why Nicodemus wanted to meet with Jesus, but what we do know is Jesus spoke truth to him and used His wisdom to bring understanding to Nicodemus. Starting in verse 3:10, Jesus explains what Nicodemus needs to grasp. Within this conversation we get the ever famous John 3:16 verse. What you should see though is Jesus tells Nicodemus in 3:17 the ‘why’ of His mission.

To give truth in the face of criticism or misunderstanding requires wisdom. For us, this means we need to know what Jesus taught and how He taught it. What we see from Jesus in chapter 3 is that we have a God who not only has wisdom but works to make sure others gain wisdom.

Jesus is compassionate.

The account of the woman at the well in John 4 should be a mirror for us. I look at it in that sense. On the surface it appears to be a woman going about her day, which part of it is to go to the well to get water. This is not the case. She is out getting water by herself in the middle of the day. Culturally during that time, the well was a gathering place where community and conversation took place. Getting water would have also been done in the mornings, making her doing this at midday stand out. 

This woman was an outcast in the community. Jesus knew this. Jesus knew her. Yet Jesus gave her the keys to the kingdom.

Our sin may not have looked like this woman’s, but it was still sin. Those of us who proclaim Jesus as Lord had this moment (or moments) with Jesus when we were fully revealed His grace and mercy. What Jesus showed us through His encounter at the well was that we are known to Him - all the big, bad, and ugly - and His forgiveness can still be ours. The cross wasn’t for the worst of sin but for all sin. 

Sacrifice requires compassion. Compassion requires a love for others. This is the God we have.

Now what?

This is just the beginning of what John has to tell us about our Savior. I love learning so knowing facts is part of my gathering of knowledge. We saw at the beginning of this lesson the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) give us great facts about Jesus’ ministry on earth. John does this just as well and gives us insights into Jesus we don’t see in the other gospels. Jesus is God and we will come to know more as we study John. “Come and see”, as we are all invited to know Jesus. 

What does scripture tell us?

John 1:29–30
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’

John 1:43–46
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

John 3:2
This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Resources

The Bible Project: John - https://thebibleproject.com/explore/john/

[1 ] What are the Synoptic Gospels?: https://www.gotquestions.org/Synoptic-Gospels.html

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What do we know?

Halloween was a little over a month now. Depending on how old you are, you may have dressed up or helped a sister or brother with their costume. You then went out and got candy from a bunch of peoples houses, whom you may or may not know. Or, you waited till sister or brother got home and picked through their candy. In either instance there was a candy reward at the end of the night.

What all goes into a successful Halloween? Coming up with a good costume idea, finding the things you need to put the costume together, making the costume, putting on the costume, going out and getting candy, and coming home to count all you got. Lots of candy equals mission accomplished, right?

Think about it, on Halloween, you are on a mission. You go undercover and gather all the candy reward you can before returning to your everyday life. It is a short lived mission but you get an idea of what a mission is. It takes planning, preparation, and execution.

The Big Idea

As followers of Jesus, we are on a mission. We are on a mission because He put us on a mission.

What is the mission

What is a mission? A mission can be defined as an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation.

Jesus put us on a mission and we know this mission as the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20. All the things we should be doing once we give Jesus our ‘Yes’ should be based within this command from Him. When we listen to or read this instruction from Jesus, what stands out? Is it the actions we are to do? There are three things it sounds like Jesus wants us to do. However, He told us to do just one thing which I’ll explain in a few minutes.

Before we talk about the one thing, I want us to rethink, meaning we change the way we think, how we see the mission. Usually when we hear mission we think about going on a trip to a different country to share the gospel and create new relationships. These are short-term mission trips. You also hear about people moving to a different country to become missionaries. Going on short-term mission trips and/or becoming a missionary are great, kingdom-serving things. But if we are going to rethink the mission, we understand those things are only parts of the mission.

I want us to think about our mission with a specific order in mind, starting with this: WHY do we have a mission? After you think about the mission beginning with WHY, follow it with HOW and with WHAT. There has to be a reason WHY we have a mission for us to even want to be on a mission. No WHAT or HOW of the mission has any meaning without the WHY of the mission. The WHAT and the HOW of our mission should only come after the WHY of our mission. This means when we go spend a week in a different country, that is a HOW of the mission. If you go live in a different country, that too is a HOW of the mission. Our mission as a servant of Jesus does not begin with a HOW or WHAT but with WHY.

So then what is the WHY? Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37–38. He says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” The greatest thing we can do is to love Jesus with everything we have. This is the WHY for all of our missions. Mine, yours, all of God’s children. When we get out of bed in the morning and dread the day, we remember the WHY. The WHY motivates us more in times of trial than it does when things are going well. Loving is easiest in good times but harder during challenges.

Let’s go back now and summarize the Great Commission as WHY, HOW, WHAT.

• WHY: Love and serve Jesus, following His instructions.

• HOW: Going, baptizing, teaching.

• WHAT: Make disciples.

• Result: We have friends and neighbors connected to Jesus, not separated from Him. They love and serve Jesus, following His instructions.

Earlier I mentioned it sounded like Jesus gave us three things to do but it was just one. In the WHY, HOW, WHAT idea, that one thing becomes the WHAT. As you see above, the WHAT is to make disciples.

Preparing for the mission looks different when we put our WHY at the beginning of it. We love and want to serve Jesus and He said He will equip and prepare us.

Preparing for the mission

In Ephesians 2:10, Paul tells us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Did you hear that? We who are saved have already started to be prepared. God has our preparation outlined for what He has planned for us to accomplish. You may think, “Hey, that’s great! Can we get that outline so we can help God out?” This would deny God the glory and make the work ours wouldn’t it?

When we did the discovery exercise recently you answered a few questions. Did you think by answering “What do you enjoy most” and “What are you afraid of most” would have anything to do with the preparation of your mission? Questions have a way of nudging us to provide insight on ourselves that we may not give on our own or understand how they fit into our discipleship. Jesus definitely knows this, of course, as God. Jesus is a question asker. Jesus knows the answer. Jesus wants us to discover and understand what He has in store for us so we go and do it. We aren’t inventing things to do and getting them approved by Jesus. He has them planned and revealing them to us when he has prepared us to do them.

John 21:15–19 shows us an instance how Jesus gets information out of us in order to prepare us for the mission. Here Jesus is with Peter, giving him clear instructions, but the instructions aren’t the only focus of this conversation. Why is Jesus asking Peter basically the same question multiple times? Three times to be exact. Who remembers what Peter did the night Jesus was betrayed and taken to Pilate? He denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus foretold. Jesus is asking Peter three times to restore him, repairing him per se. Peter was a DIY disciple but could not DIY his relationship with Jesus. Only Jesus could fix it and this is what Jesus is doing here.

The greatest preparation, in my opinion, Jesus does for us is to show us how we have to truly depend on Him. Jesus did this for Peter by the fire, showing mercy to restore him. Go back to the beginning of John 21 and read verses 1-14. It sounds like a great fishing story, right? But here is what is going on. Remember, all these guys are professional fisherman. It is what they do for a living. Before Jesus showed up, they had not caught any fish. They had been out all night and just as the day was beginning, Jesus shows up and BAM they have fish. Jesus shows us His majesty not only in great miracles, like raising Lazarus, but also in what we would see as trivial (fishing). He is the God of all and can prepare us for all He wants for us to accomplish.

Going, Baptizing, Teaching

Reading Ephesians 2:10 again, let’s focus on the part of the verse “created in Christ Jesus for good works”. Remember our HOW from our mission? Here it is. Going, baptizing, and teaching are all good works Jesus has called us to and sends us out to do. These works don’t save us but show we have been saved; don’t forget that.

This excerpt from a commentary on Matthew’s gospel gives us a fantastic summary on our HOW:

“Disciple making is not simply what happens in a classroom for an hour or so each week; it's what happens when we walk through life together as a community of faith, modeling for one another how to follow Christ. We show one another how to pray, how to study God's Word, how to grow in Christ, and how to lead others to Christ. This is what Christ's body is to be about.”

As our HOW, going, baptizing, and teaching can sound simplistic but does it need to be complicated? No. But since it is a HOW it won’t always look the same. Going can be to your next door neighbor or a discussion with a person in the frozen dessert aisle at the grocery store. Being on a mission can be anywhere you are or directed to a specific place God is calling yo to go. Then there’s teaching. This calls us to be prepared. How’s your Bible knowledge? You able to teach in the frozen dessert aisle at the grocery store?

Now what?

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our mission. Hours can be spent talking through details on prepping and going. Hours should be spent talking through those as you are being discipled. A couple hours on a Wednesday night and Sunday morning hearing messages does not represent the full picture of discipleship. If you had a 1,000 piece puzzle which represented your discipleship, Wednesday and Sunday would only be a couple of pieces. How do we fill in the rest of the puzzle? Only by being in the Word, relying on the Spirit to reveal the pieces to put the puzzle together over time.

What does scripture tell us?

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John 15:8
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Matthew 7:21–23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

John 21:15–19
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

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Last week we had an exercise where students answered a short series of questions that gave them a chance to reveal some things about themselves. Those students who missed last week and were here this week got to complete the questions as well. What you see in the results below are the summarized answers from 28 students.

Questions have a way of nudging us to provide insight on ourselves that we may not give on our own. Not to mention, we aren’t always the best at talking about ourselves outside of the common things we do. “I had so much homework!” or “UUUUUGGGHHHHH RRRRRRRR!” can be the most insightful we get at times. But we know students have a depth of feelings and knowledge that is greater than the common characteristics they regularly show.

Two great insights came from students when we walked through the results and got into more detail on the responses:

1. Students have a great concern for people. They want to help how they can but they don’t want to disappoint anyone, specifically their parents.

2. Though different from one another, students share in some of the same interests and fears. They have more things in common than differences.

The next step is to create an individual “mission plan” for each student to help them grow into the mission they are on.

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Question: Which of these things do you enjoy the most? Each student ranked their top 3 answers.

Discussing the answers to this revealed both what they enjoy and what feels important to the students. For the large majority, activity through sports, being outside, or video games were the primary answers. Not too shocking. Spending a significant amount of time listening and learning needs an outlet. Playing in general gives us a sense of achieving immediate results (along with fun) that learning doesn’t.

How does this relate to the gospel and growing in relationship with Jesus? What students can take away from this is to see how every interaction with their teammates and friends is a mission opportunity. The playing field/court/course/etc is a mission field. Whatever we enjoy doing, wherever we enjoying doing it is a chance to build relationships to share the gospel.

Going to make disciples and teaching doesn’t have to take place on Wednesday nights or Sunday mornings. Matter of fact, the relationships being built that lead to gospel conversations may not lead to immediate opportunities to invite to church. Some may. God puts many chances in our lives to share with people. Some friendship connections happen quickly and others take time. Just remember, the things you enjoy are chances Jesus gives you to let someone know about Him.

Question: Which of these things are you afraid of most? Each student ranked their top 3 answers.

This question is so important, and not just for students, because it helps us to identify the things that hold us back from taking action. Looking at the 2 highest selected answers, the students fear has to do with a response from someone else. Disappointing people and being embarrassed requires someone to give us a response for something we did that was either disappointing or embarrassing. Either way, we would have had to do something no so good.

We could probably sum up several of these fears into one and everyone would select it: I’m afraid of looking stupid. We don’t like to look stupid. We don’t like being wrong. We don’t like to look anything less than the best we can. You know what? This isn’t a bad fear, nor does it have to stay a fear. This idea, this fear, can be turned into a discipline that helps us create good expectations.

Scripture tells us over 300 times to not be afraid. Why? Well, who is it that is telling us not to be afraid? God. So if God tells us hundreds of times to not be afraid, He must know something, have something greater in store, and helping us set an expectation that we shouldn’t be afraid. This and other expectations are given to us all throughout scripture.

Knowing God’s word helps set good expectations. When we are equipped with the word, we can be prepared for almost anything. Then, fears won’t stay fears but will turn into actions we take.

Question: Which of these statements encourages you the most? Each student ranked their top 3 answers.

Each of the options given for this question were all outcome-based encouraging statements. When you think about the top options students chose, what appears consistent is the response is in relation to something the student has come up with. “Great idea” and “I like how you think” doesn’t come from getting a math problem correct or getting chores done, but from creating something and/or voicing it.

This is one of those instances where we look at the answers and infer some things from them. We have a number of students that look to have creative and leadership aspects about them. Creativity isn’t always art and leadership isn’t always a title. Thinking about different ways to solve problems is being creative. Bringing people together for good reasons is a trait of leadership. Understanding the traits of students helps to guide them on the mission they’ve been called to.

Question: Which of these options describes you with other people? Each student selected up to 2 answers.

Question: What kind of Bible knowledge do you think you have? Each student selected up to 2 answers.

Question: What kind of Bible knowledge do you want you have? Each student selected up to 2 answers.

Below is the original questionnaire.

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We have been in a series called ‘You Are’ where we have been learning about our relationship to God. Like our current Sunday series ‘We Are’, teaching us about our collective relationship as a church body to Jesus, ‘You Are’ aims at the individual.

The lesson in week 1 taught about the value we each have because God gave us our value. Our ultimate value was sealed when Jesus came and sacrificed Himself on the cross, forever removing our sin, making us brothers and sisters in Christ. In week 2, we put focus on the fact that even though Jesus saves us as individuals, He puts others in our lives to help us out.

This week we did an exercise in self-discovery. Students gave answers to several questions that revealed a little bit about who they are. Day-to-day life for students can feel monotonous answering questions on a number of different subjects, but rarely getting the chance to say “this is me”. Not only that but how often do students get the chance to better understand themselves, start to identify their gifts, and then start using their gifts to serve Jesus?

The apostles Paul and Peter both speak of gifts that we are given. Those gifts are revealed to us in time and are for the mission God has called us to. When you give your “Yes” to Jesus, your mission begins. How Jesus will use you for this mission will look different for many, but we are all called to be on that mission.

Using the results from each student, an individual “mission plan” will be created for every student to help them grow into the mission they are on.

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The Big Idea

You are surrounded by helpers

What do we know?

Our value begins with what God gives us, which is that we are made in His image and the knowledge we are given by Him is priceless. Hearing this, does it sound like we should be proud of ourselves? I hope you don’t. Pride keeps us from growing with the help of others and can make us selfish.

We are meant to be in community. When God created all things, and then created Adam, He said it was not good for man to be alone. He created Eve specifically to be with Adam and then they were told to multiply and fill the earth. (You know this doesn’t mean to do math problems, right?)

From the beginning, God’s design was as a community where we would help and serve each other. Israel, though slaves in Egypt, was a community who shared in common struggles. Israel was also kept as a community when they wandered in the desert for 40 years. Then we saw God’s intent for us to grow together when Jesus brought together the disciples, then sent the disciples out to proclaim what He taught. When Jesus brings us to Him, He brings us into His family and puts us in His community.

Today we are going to talk about the idea that you (we) are surrounded by helpers. To start, let’s look at Romans 12:4-8: ‘For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.’

One body in Christ: Jesus leads

First and foremost, we must praise Jesus for the gospel which He fulfilled. His sacrifice on the cross is why we are here today and how we become a community. Look back at the Romans passage in verse 5 where Paul says “one body in Christ”. All of us who believe in Jesus and call him Lord, no matter our age, skin color, education, etc. are united in Christ. We are all connected through Jesus.

Paul, the writer of many of the New Testament epistles, uses the body as an example of the church multiple times in his letters. He tells us in Ephesians 1:22-23 again how we are the body and Jesus is head. It says, “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” Jesus’ as the head means He is the one with all the authority and rules over all things. This includes us and how He works in us.

We are a community which has a leader who is our Lord and Savior. At home, your family is a community and your parents lead that community. Think about the role they play. I bet they tell you what to do and what not to don't they? I bet you don’t always like being told what to do also. Let me let you in on a secret, none of us like authority we don’t pick. Sin messed that up and makes us want to be the authority. We want to tell others what to do. If you have younger brothers or sisters, you know what I’m talking about. But what changes our idea of and feelings about authority is Jesus.

Jesus as our leader, as the Ephesians passage says, is over all. What He says goes. When we say yes to the grace and mercy He gives, we say yes to whatever Jesus says. He says we should love our neighbor. Are we? What about honoring our mothers and fathers? We don’t when we back talk them, or disobey them. We sing a song called ‘You Hold It All’. It’s not ‘You get some of what I have but I still want to make the rules’. It’s ALL. We don’t have a God who reigns over some of creation but ALL.

We are part of a community: The body of Christ

Let’s go back to the Romans passage in verse 5, where Paul says ‘individually members one of another’. What do you suppose this is about? I am pretty confident you are familiar with sports like football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. What do they have in common, besides using a ball? They are team sports. Teams are groups of individuals that require us to depend on other people in order to do well. They are made up of people from different backgrounds, who have different abilities, and have different responsibilities depending on their position. A team, like a family, is a community.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 we hear something similar to the Romans passage. Paul talks about the multiple parts of Christ’s community, again using the body as an illustration. It says, 'For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.'

So what are we? We are the body of Christ, His community. We are made up of people from different backgrounds, who have different abilities, and have different responsibilities. Sounds like what I said a team looks like right? We are all brought together because of Jesus, not because we picked one another to hang out with.

Let’s think about the disciples for a minute. They got to spend their time and witness all Jesus did because Jesus picked them. They were regular people, nothing too special about them. Some were fishermen, one was a zealot, one was a tax collector. Do you remember what was said about tax collectors? They were compared to sinners and prostitutes, meaning to society in that time they were the lowest of the low (Matthew 9:10-11; Mark 2:16).

Now I said there wasn’t anything too special about them, but I was wrong. You know why? Jesus chose them. Those of you who have said I believe in Jesus and put your faith in Him are also chosen to be part of His team, His body. We are chosen because Jesus is great, not us.

Jesus gave me a role to play. When He said “You are Mine” I became part of His body. I can sit here and talk to you today because others Jesus chose used gifts He gave them to help me. He’ s given me gifts, and you have been given gifts as well. Like me, you play a role with the gifts you were given. Look once again at the Romans passage in verses 6-8, where Paul talks about the different gifts we are given. It says, ‘Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.’ These are only some of the gifts we are told about in scripture. The point is we are given gifts and we are called to share them.

The help we are given doesn’t stop with the people around us, but continues with the Spirit God puts within us.

We have a Helper who’s always there: The Holy Spirit

What do we know about the Holy Spirit? God the Father and Jesus we speak a lot about. We hear about the Holy Spirit, and we ask for God’s Spirit to lift us up, but the idea of the Holy Spirit seems kinda fuzzy unless we look at scripture.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, being eternal with God the Father and Jesus. Our first, but not last, exposure to the Spirit is in Genesis 1:2. In the Old Testament, the work of the Holy Spirit to bring and remove blessings was prophesied in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Joel. But what does the Spirit do for us now? In John 14, Jesus tells us this in two parts of the chapter:

John 14:15–17

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 14:25-26

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.”

The primary roles of the Holy Spirit for us is to regenerate us, meaning give us new life, when we proclaim Jesus as Lord and to make the work of Jesus active in believers. Simply put, when we accept Jesus, it’s the Holy Spirit that does it. The Holy Spirit is how God works in us.

What does this mean? I don’t fully know yet. As I did some reading and research preparing this, I discovered that I need to spend more time reading and praying to comprehend the Holy Spirit. What I can tell you is if this is how God chooses to work in us, and Jesus says God the Father is going to give us the Holy Spirit, I go with what Jesus says. If the Spirit lives within me, I need to let Him work on me.

Now what?

This lesson may seem deeper and wider than we’ve covered before, but it is important for us to continue to talk about things that can seem hard to understand. We will encounter more things that challenge us as we navigate God’s word. When we learn something new, we get to add to what we’ve already learned. And when we learn we get the chance to share.

So to finish we need to remember three things: We trust in Jesus as our Lord, we rely on one another and serve one another, and we depend on the Holy Spirit to work in us to become more like Christ. Each of these say more about who we are committing ourselves to than who we are. And committing yourself to God and to one another is how we are helped.

What does scripture tell us?

John 14:15–17, 25-26
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.”

Romans 12:4-8
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12:12-20
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

Ephesians 1:22-23
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

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The Big Idea

You are valuable because of the value God places in you.

What do we know?

What makes something valuable? Is it what it’s made of? Is it the price that it’s given? Is it how old it is? For something to be valuable, the value has to be given by someone. Do you know what the most expensive painting ever sold was and for how much? The painting by Leonardo da Vinci called "Salvator Mundi" was sold in an auction in 2017 for $450 million. The poster-sized painting was created by da Vinci around 1500. BTW, the painting is of Jesus and Salvador Mundi means ‘Savior of the World’.

From what you now know of the painting, how could it be $450 million? First, it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, one of, if not, the greatest artist ever. Next, it is over 500 years old and restored to great shape. Lastly, someone wanted it very bad. They knew it’s value would only continue to grow.

So what makes you valuable? Simply put, you are valuable because of the value God places within you. Let me say that again: You are valuable because of the value God places within you. Now you say it: I am valuable because of the value God places within me.

You are valuable

So how valuable are you? The great theologian R.C. Sproul recalled when he was in high school, his biology teacher said his value was $24.37. This was determined based on the minerals in the body like zinc, potassium, and copper. That would be the equivalent for us of around $200. This is like saying you are only as valuable as your physical attributes. Then what does that mean for someone who isn’t able to walk or has other physical challenges? What about other challenges, say mental? Are they less valuable?

We are valuable because we are made in God’s image. Human beings, men and women, were made by God to represent Him. Think about that for a moment. Genesis 1:26–27 tells us, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Believing we have an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God that created all things and reigns eternally, being made as an image-bearer, His representative, can be a challenge to understand.

So how do we comprehend and understand “in our image”? We hear the word image and it makes us think “look like”. Someone has likely said to you “Oh, you look just like your mom” or “You and your dad are just alike”. God created us to be similar to Him, to represent Him on the earth. Nothing else that was created, of all that God created, was made to be similar to Him. What types of similarities could we have with God? Rationality and logic? What about a sense of morality, judgement, and justice? Let’s not forget graciousness and mercifulness. These are all characteristics we see from God throughout scripture.

All these things just called out are within us, God-placed, and not physical attributes of us. They are things we get from God and represent Him with and nothing is mentioned of how our physical size has anything to do to exemplify God. In fact, 2 Corinthians 4:7 says that “we have this treasure in jars of clay”, meaning that God has placed within us treasure but our physical, mortal body is like fragile pottery. He has priceless things wrapped up in a thin candy shell called humans. We put a lot of focus on what we look like, what we wear, etc. God’s like, “you are how I choose for you to be to show My glory”.

One last thing about being in God’s image, which has to do with the responsibility He gave us. When someone trusts you with something, what does that say about you? A common thought is that we have earned the right to be trusted. We have done something well time and time again and deserve the right to be given more responsibility. Sound about right? Have you considered the trust being given is because of the giver and not from our earning? Look back at Genesis 1:26 again where God said “let them have dominion”. At this point, we haven’t heard about Adam and Eve yet. God had decided before Adam and Eve did a single thing they would be more valuable than anything else He created. We know this because it was them, continuing on to us, that would look after what He created.

Don’t focus on what you aren’t

What happens when we don’t like something about ourselves? We usually just deny God what He is doing through us don’t we? Wait, what?! Not the answer you thought, huh? Follow me for a minute. When we don’t like something about us, we will say how much we hate whatever it is or that whatever it is could be better. Let’s say you aren’t as tall as you’d like to be and you really want to be a great volleyball player. You create an image in your mind that only tall people can be great at volleyball and then become discouraged. Why has God done this to you? We’ll come back to you in a bit.

John 9 introduces us to a man that has been blind since he was born. Growing up in first century Israel would not have been easy for him. If he lived in areas around Jerusalem, he would have had challenges getting from place to place, even with help from others. Israel is not a flat and smooth country. It would have been quite rocky then and navigating from place to place would be difficult. We have things in our day that would be luxuries compared to ancient Israel. Sidewalks with audio cues when to cross a street? Not back then. Service dogs or guide dogs? Probably not. This guy’s life would have been rough. We are told he was a beggar, needing the constant help of others to survive. How many times do you think he prayed to God to let him see? To fix his eyes?

Enter Jesus. As Jesus and the disciples were traveling one day they encountered this blind man. John 9:2-3 tells us what was going on and verses 6-7 tell us what Jesus did. (v.2-3) “And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’ (v.6-7) Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.”

Look again at what Jesus said. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Remember all that Jesus says and does is intentional, not random. The blind man was where he was supposed to be and how he was supposed to be for the glory of God to be shown at the right time. His blindness was to show what Jesus’ authority over all things was to look like. This man, once he was given sight, had a testimony that could only claim Jesus as Lord. What Jesus did to this man’s physical blindness, he is doing to our spiritual blindness. When we are spiritually blind we can only focus on the physical challenges we don’t like. When Jesus opens our eyes, our focus should change and be changing to recognize that we are going to be His workmanship in whatever way he wants.

Now, let’s get back to you and volleyball. You were discouraged and wondered why God made you how you are. We can feel that way at times. Our plans and His don’t always align. Looking in the mirror and seeing the “jar of clay” you can do one of two things - you can use it to the full value God has given or be mad and continually ask why. Let me recommend the first option and not the second (go read Romans 9:20). You may not be tall but if a passion for volleyball is what you have and a love for what Jesus commands is what you want to live out, put them together. Become a libero, the most skilled defensive player on the team. Be tough. Be quick. Encourage your teammates. Share the gospel! Not only can you be a great volleyball player, but you will be where God placed you to bring Him glory. You will be displaying all the value that was given to you by Him. Praise be to Him!

Now what?

We get the luxury of perspective when we read what Jesus accomplished. We even get insight into what he is going to do when he returns. What we don’t get is a sneak peek of how we do on our upcoming math test, or if our volleyball team wins the state championship.

Then what do we do? We use what He has given us, recognizing the value He has put in us, and we glorify Him with what He puts in front of us. We put scripture in our minds and in our hearts. We remember the love Jesus told us to give and we give it as best we can. We don’t look at things we don’t have and say “we can’t unless…”. We see the things we do have and say “I will with all You have given”.

Remember, we were broken from sin but Jesus fixed that. Our eternal blindness was wiped from our eyes.

What does scripture tell us?

Psalm 139:14
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

John 9:2-3
And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Romans 9:20
But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Resources
Read about the Salvador Mundi

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The decisions we make are deliberate, for the most part, and not random. Choosing hamburgers for dinner over pizza may not be a big thought out decision but there is a reason you pick one over the other. The choices we make show our preferences, things we like or do not like. Again, hamburgers or pizza. Or, Ironman or Batman. Or, Star Wars or Star Trek. This could go on and on.

What about choices that show what we value? The values we are striving to build in Engage are learning, endurance, graciousness, and obedience. Valuing these and making them a part of our lives determines the choices we make. Our choices say something about us as people and not just simply deciding between one thing or the other.

The exercise today was both fun and insightful. Everyone was asked the below 20 questions and all students were instructed to provide an answer. Some seemed silly but others were made to think about. The responses and the percentage of students that answered are included with each question.

1. Would you rather live without the internet or live without AC and heating? Internet 77%, AC/Heating 23%

2. Would you rather know the history of every object you touched or be able to talk to animals? Animals 69%, History 31%

3. Would you rather have all traffic lights you approach be green or never have to stand in line again? Line 100%

4. Would you rather have an easy job working for someone else or work for yourself but work incredibly hard? Hard 62%, Easy 38%

5. Would you rather have unlimited international first-class tickets or never have to pay for food at restaurants? Food 85%, Tickets 15%

6. Would you rather have all your clothes fit perfectly or have the most comfortable pillow, blankets, and sheets in existence? Pillow/Blankets/Sheets 100%

7. Would you rather only be able to use a fork (no spoon) or only be able to use a spoon (no fork)? Fork 54%, Spoon 46%

8. Would you rather find your true love or a suitcase with five million dollars inside? Love 69%, Money 31%

9. Would you rather be locked in a room that is constantly dark for a week or a room that is constantly bright for a week? Dark 62%, Bright 38%

10. Would you rather never use social media sites/apps again or never watch another movie or TV show? Social 62%, TV 38%

11. Would you rather be completely invisible for one day or be able to fly for one day? invisible 61%, Fly 39%

12. Would you rather be fluent in all languages and never be able to travel or be able to travel anywhere for a year but never be able to learn a word of a different language? Travel 62%, Language 38%

13. Would you rather be poor but help people or become incredibly rich by hurting people? Poor 77%, Rich 23%

14. Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleport 69%, Minds 31%

15. Would you rather be transported permanently 500 years into the future or 500 years into the past? Future 85%, Past 15%

16. Would you rather be born again in a totally different life or born again with all the knowledge you have now? Knowledge 69%, Different 31%

17. Would you rather know all the mysteries of the universe or know every outcome of every choice you make? Choice 69%, Universe 31%

18. Would you rather the general public think you are a horrible person, but your family is very proud of you, or your family thinks you are a horrible person, but the general public be very proud of you? Family Proud 92%, Public Proud 8%

19. Would you rather have a completely automated home or a self-driving car? Car 69%, Home 31%

20. Would you rather know the uncomfortable truth of the world or believe a comforting lie? Truth 77%, Lie 23%

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The Big Idea

Courage comes from Encouragement

What do we know?

Who likes to be told that they are going to fail? No one. That would be lame if you had a friend that always did that? You’d want to tell that person, “Thanks for being in my life but how ‘bout you keep your fail to yourself!”

The gospel doesn’t tell us we are going to fail. It does the opposite. It tells us we will have eternal life because Jesus already did the work. When He was on the cross and said “It is finished”, He meant it. Teaching you the truths Jesus proclaimed is my primary goal so you can have the courage to go and share the same truths. He’s told us to do this, hasn’t He? He said so in Matthew 28:18–20, which we know as the Great Commission, which tells us, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Who knows what courage is? The definition I found to best fit is the ability to do something that you know is right or good, even though it is dangerous, frightening, or very difficult. Does sharing the gospel sound frightening, especially if you are shy? It sure does. But is it the right thing to do? Jesus says so, so we say so too. Let’s remember though, Jesus will be the one to change the hearts of the people we tell and it is not us that does it. We talked previously about the parable of the sower in Mark 4. The seed (the gospel) we spread will fall on all types of ground and not all will take root and grow. But, the seed that falls on good soil will produce and increase much, much more.

How do we get courage? We like to think that we can always develop courage on our own and maintain that courage, but that’s just not true. We can have our own courage but we need courage from the encouragement people in our lives give to us. Look at the spelling of encouragement. Encouragement is when someone gives you the courage and confidence to do something. One of the values we have is graciousness. Encouragement comes out of the graciousness we have because we have been given grace and encouragement from a holy God.

We are talking about courage from encouragement because at times in our lives will be the encouraged or the encourager. You may think you are not old enough to be an encourager and these are adult things. You aren’t! This is not an age-related thing. When it comes to being a Christian, we are all called to encourage no matter our age.

Three ways we are encouraged we are covering are hope, joy, and strength.

Hope

The first thing I want to say about hope is that hope is not wishful thinking. It’s not wishing for something and “hoping” the wish comes true. When hope is used that way it cheapens it and becomes much less that what hope truly is; what the Bible says it is.

Hope is confidence in what God has promised. It is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.

Romans 15:4 tells us that our hope comes from Scripture. “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” How does scripture, words that we read in a book, give us hope? We first have to identify who gave us the words, the scripture. If they were only words from a regular person like you or me, they would only be words. God gave us these words through many people and the teachings and story that we are given connects over thousands of years. And when Jesus says to trust in the scriptures, that’s what we work to do. Our trust in what Jesus has declared to us gives us hope.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready to explain the hope that we have. “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”. If hope was just wishful thinking, how would you explain this hope with confidence? We couldn’t. It would be the same as telling someone how hopeful your favorite team would do in the game if they had a losing record. We can be confident and have courage with the hope we have because unlike our favorite team our Savior is undefeated. He will always be undefeated!

Joy

Like with hope, I want you to have the proper perspective on what joy is. We tend to talk about joy like we talk about happiness. Happiness is a great emotion but it is temporary. A great dinner can make you happy. A good movie can make you happy. Your parents buying you something will make you happy. But we also know that parents will do something or make you do something that will make you mad. So again, happiness is temporary.

Joy, biblical joy, is constant. Joy lets us look forward to something where we cannot wait till we get it. 1 Peter 1:8 tells us, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory”.

I think one of the most challenging encouragements we can have is joy and this has to do with us and having a selfish nature. Joy, to me, is Jesus constantly being on our minds and on our hearts. Remember what the greatest commandment Jesus told us was? Love God with all our heart, soul, mind (Matthew 22:37). If we are doing that then He is always at the top of our list and focus. But that’s not what we do. School, sports, activities, etc. fill our time. Have you ever considered in all that you do you do it for God’s glory? Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

James 1:2-4 tells us that we should treat our times of challenge as joy. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Think about that. Have joy when times are hard because that is God working on you.

Strength

What kind of things come to mind when you hear the word strength? Muscles? Steel?

How do you get strength? Read through these passages and see what is common across them:

• Psalm 46:1 tells us that God is our strength in times of trouble.

• Exodus 15:2, The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

• 1 Samuel 2:31, Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

• 1 Kings 19:8, And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

• 2 Corinthians 12:9–10, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

• Ephesians 3:16, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being

When we talk about strength in the Bible, we generally speak about the strength of God, the strength God gives or takes away. If we were to go through all scripture that mentions strength or strong or some variation, we will find that the large majority has to do with God and not us. Where people are mentioned, they have seen the strength of God or God has given them strength or taking it away.

Stories we have read outside of the Bible have created what we think about strength. I bet you can think of some recent movie characters that have great strength and power. The ones I'm thinking of get their strength unnaturally, meaning it comes from and external source (say a suit) or they are not from this world.

Now what?

We’ve talked about hope, joy, and strength individually but I bet you saw they were connected. You saw that God connected them all. Hope comes from the confidence God has promised. Joy builds when we look at what Jesus has accomplished and will accomplish, for you and through you. Strength is given in the times that we need what only the Holy Spirit can provide.

These things are given freely when we love and worship Jesus. Your hope/joy/strength may look different than my hope/joy/strength because we have a Christ who sacrificed for people. And knowing who we are and the challenges we face, He will shape our lives and lead us to where He wants us.

What does scripture tell us?

Romans 5:1–8
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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The Big Idea

The gospel is for sharing.

What do we know?

We last talked about what is the gospel. For there to be good news there had to be bad news, and what was that? Sin entered the world. But, God promised a way that He would redeem us. That way is Jesus. Through Jesus’ sinless life and sacrifice, He took away the sins of the world. Those who believe in and have faith in Jesus are given the free gift of eternal salvation.

Jesus is the standard God sees when He looks at those of us who call Jesus Lord. This is because Jesus is our salvation, sent from God to redeem us from sin. This is the gospel - the good news.

What do we usually do with good news? We share it, right? When you get an A on a test you thought you would not do well on, you are excited. Your excitement can’t be contained so you have to share it. What if your favorite donut place is giving away free donuts for the day? You want your friends to know about it, and maybe, go and share some time eating free donuts together.

Is the gospel greater news than free donuts? You bet it is!

What the gospel means to you

We are all changed by the gospel but how the gospel changes us looks different from person to person. God didn’t make us like He made other things, nor did He make us all to be just like each other. We are individuals. We celebrate as individuals redeemed by God by celebrating God when we share His gospel.

Sharing the gospel is also an individual experience. When we are changed by the gospel, it is going to mean something to you when you tell others the gospel.

What does the gospel mean to you? When you are talking about the gospel, sharing the truth is important but so is what it means to you. The gospel isn’t just some words you repeat to others and boom they’re saved. The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16) that you have heard, believed, and are preparing to share that others may believe.

Does the gospel feel like the greatest gift you ever got? Then that’s what it means to you. Do you feel like you do not deserve the salvation you received? Many of us do and that is why the gospel is so graceful because the God who gives it is full of grace!

How you can share the gospel

Sharing the gospel can be the greatest thing you ever do. It can also be the most nervous you ever get. When we get nervous, or scared, coming up with something to say can be hard. When we prepare to share the gospel it doesn’t have to be an hour speech. What we want to say to people is the truth we know.

So how do we simplify the truth without losing the truth? How can we share the gospel without worrying we will forget something? As in all things we rely upon God through prayer. What we can do is be prepared, as we are told in 1 Peter 3:15, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”.

One way to prepare is by creating a couple tools - a gospel statement and a gospel story. Both of these are brief ways to share the gospel and allow more conversations to happen.

Our gospel statement is a short summary of the gospel that you prepare and memorize. It helps you to get a gospel conversation started. Some examples of a gospel statement are:

• The gospel is the good news of what God has done in Christ to secure our salvation.

• The gospel is the good news of what God has done through Jesus to redeem us.

• The gospel is the truth of God’s desire to be with His creation and sending Jesus to accomplish it.

Do you notice something in each of these examples? Jesus is in all of them. The gospel is not the gospel without the person of Jesus. The one “must” in our gospel statement is that Jesus is in it. It’s Jesus who completes the gospel.

Can you have more than one gospel statement? You sure can. Having more than one gospel statement is a good idea because you can have a statement that benefits the different types of people you will meet. We all want the nice, kind person to walk up and ask “Will you tell me the gospel?” but we would all like to win the lottery too. Sharing the gospel with people comes with recognizing how they feel at that moment. What you say to someone who is sad could be different than someone who is angry. Someone who is skeptical will be different than someone who is interested.

What about the gospel story? We’ve talked about how the gospel is more than Jesus’ time on Earth and that it covers the whole story of redemption God has provided. This could turn into a long story, however we can still be brief by including only these key elements of the gospel: Creation, Sin, Jesus, the Cross, and the Resurrection. This allows us to focus on what is the core of the gospel message we want to tell:

• Creation - God created all things and called them good. He created humans, Adam and Eve, who were to be over all that God created

• Sin - Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating of the tree of good and evil. The fruit of the tree was not sin but ignoring God's instruction was. Since that first sin, all of humanity has been convicted with sin.

• Jesus - Throughout scripture we are promised a redeemer that would make things new. This is Jesus. Jesus came to Earth with one goal - to make a way for us to be with God. He showed us through His life how we were to

• Cross - The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross took away our sin. Our sin could not be forgiven by just anyone but only by God the Son.

• Resurrection - Jesus rose from the dead, fulfilling the promise to defeat death once and for all.

What does a gospel story look like put together? Here is an example:

“God created a perfect world. When God created Adam and Eve, he created them in his image. He also gave them the ability to choose. When God gave Adam and Eve their instructions, He gave them the option to obey or not to obey. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree God told them not to eat. By listening to the lies of the serpent, they chose at that point to disobey God. From then on we as humans have received the curse of sin. But God promised one day that He would send a way that sin would be crushed forever. His promise is Jesus.

Through Jesus’ sinless life, He showed us how we are to live out a life that honors Him. When Jesus went to the cross and sacrificed Himself, He did so that we can have our sins taken away. Walking out of the tomb on the third day, which we celebrate as Easter, He showed the world that He was God and we could fully trust all He had taught and proclaimed.”

This is only one example but it shows the key elements.

Now what?

As a follower of Jesus, we have a mission to share the gospel. Our preparation to go and tell the gospel is important because it will help to make the gospel clear to those we tell it to. Even though we will tell the gospel, not everyone will believe it, so be prepared for this. In Mark 4, Jesus tells us a parable how not all the seed we scatter will produce a crop. That seed is the gospel message. Our role is to know it and share it. Jesus will do the rest.

What does scripture tell us?

Mark 4:1-25
This is a long selection of verses so select the link below to read the full passage.
https://www.esv.org/Mark+4/

Resources

Sharing the Gospel - In 3 Minutes or less

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The Big Idea

Jesus is the standard. And that is the best news ever!

What do we know?

What is the highest grade you can get on a test? For most tests the highest grade is 100. Then there are tests like the ACT or SAT that have different scoring but have a maximum score. A perfect score. A standard. What happens when you get an answer wrong on any test? You no longer have a perfect score. Bummer. But hey, missing one question isn’t bad.

This is how we see sin, however, this is not how sin works.

What is a standard? It’s a rule or principle that is used as a basis for judgment; A basis of comparison created by an authority. Who do you think sets the ultimate standard?

What is the gospel? We hear the word gospel a lot but do we clearly know what it is. Have you heard it called “the good news”? That is how the greek word for gospel is translated. We also hear gospel and think of the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, since they are called the gospels.

When we talk about “the gospel”, we are talking about God's plan of redemption and salvation. It’s not a moment in time but the fulfillment of a promise from the beginning of time all the way to the end of time. And at the center is Jesus - who He is and what He has done. Jesus is the standard by which we will all be judged, which is why the gospel is such good news.

In this lesson we are going to be covering a lot so you can get the full extent of the gospel.

If the gospel is the good news, what’s the bad news

Since we have the gospel - the good news - is there bad news? Sadly, yes. We will stand before God and be properly judged for what we have done. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Oooh, not looking good for us.

Sin is a challenging thing to talk about. We want to do what we want to do and not have anyone tell us we can’t. We don’t want to feel limited do we? With rules and limitations, there are chances that we can mess up and be wrong. Nobody likes to hear that they are wrong or have done wrong. But with sin we wrong God. We break the standard that He set for us.

Earlier it was called out that we see sin as missing a question on a test and getting a less than perfect score. In James 2:10 we are told, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” It is all or nothing when it comes to God. He wants our whole devotion. He wants our whole heart. Less than whole is less than love.

We humans were created in a way that we could choose to love God or not. He made all of creation. He said, “here are so many great things for you, just avoid this one thing”. Then what? Well that’s easy, sin right? Yes, but follow me here. We can look at the act committed by Adam and Eve and think the sin was just the act. They took the fruit and ate, boom, sin! But go back to what was just said - we could choose to love God or not. By eating the fruit, Adam and Eve chose themselves over God. That’s what made their sin so great.

God as creator did not have to make a way for us to be with Him once we messed up. He could have left it solely up to us to never ever commit a sin. But even if we never committed a sin ourselves we still have original sin from Adam and Eve.

Good thing God made a promise. He would establish a new standard in Jesus.

Jesus is the promise

The first time we see the promise of Jesus is in Genesis 3:15 with God talking to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This is called the Protoevangelium, the first announcement of the gospel. What we see here is that from the beginning, God declared there would be a way for all that was just broken to be fixed.

There are many prophecies about the Messiah that would come and rule forever. These prophecies were revealing who God the Father would send and sit on the eternal throne. These weren’t just predictions, they were promises to come. These were promises that Jesus came and fulfilled.

Jesus tells us how the scriptures, referring to the Old Testament, point to Him. In John 5:39, Jesus is talking to the Jewish authorities when he tells them “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,”. Then in Luke 24:25–27, “And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Some of the prophetic verses in the Old Testament include (1)

• He would come from the seed/offspring of Abraham and would bless all the nations on earth (Genesis 12:3).

• He would be a “prophet like Moses” to whom God said we must listen (Deuteronomy 18:15).

• He would be born in Bethlehem of Judah (Micah 5:2).

• He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).

• He would have a throne, a kingdom and a dynasty, or house, starting with King David, that will last forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

• He would be called “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” “Prince of Peace,” and would possess an everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7).

• He would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, righteous and having salvation, coming with gentleness (Zechariah 9:9-10).

• He would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).

• He would die among the wicked ones but be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9).

• He would be resurrected from the grave, for God would not allow His Holy One to suffer decay (Psalm 16:10).

If these promises weren’t fulfilled in Jesus, then He would have just been a man making a false claim. But we know different. We know different because the apostles knew different. Jesus was revealed to them, specifically Peter (Matthew 16:16), and they got to see what the gospel in action was all about.

Jesus is the gospel in action

Jesus’ earthly ministry only lasted 3 years. When we think about Jesus, or are being talked to about Jesus, our minds tend to think of what He did during those 3 years. We hear about the miracles. We hear about the teaching. We can now read and talk about all the things Jesus did and taught. Even though the events happened nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus death and resurrection made the gospel active.

When someone comes to accept Jesus and proclaim Him as Lord and Savior, we usually hear it happens after they hear the gospel. Romans 1:16 tells us the gospel is “the Power of God for salvation”. When we believe the gospel, we believe Jesus takes away our sins and saves us. We repent of our sins and confess to Him that He is our Lord. When Jesus becomes our Lord, He is the standard God sees when He looks at us. He is the only one that can give us this gift and will continue to shape us through the Holy Spirit. We trust in the work of God from the beginning of time until the time when Jesus returns. We don’t know the future but we trust and follow Jesus’ teachings and scripture to grow us. We put our faith fully in Jesus because He is the standard.

Now what?

Jesus’ saving work is in action as we speak. It is a living thing that will continue until He returns. When we know how the gospel saves and we are saved by grace through faith, our life begins to change. Graciousness grows greater in us. Forgiveness finds more ears. All of this comes from a great and good God.

Let’s finish with a quote from the great preacher Charles Spurgeon. “The God of the past has blotted out your sin, the God of the present makes all things work together for your good, the God of the future will never leave you or forsake you.”

What does scripture tell us?

2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 1:16–17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Resources

The Bible Project - Word Study: Euangelion - "Gospel"

Footnotes

1. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., “The Promise of the Messiah”, (November 22, 2006), https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/november-2006/the-promise-of-the-messiah/

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The Big Idea

Grace is given, not earned.

If you love and believe in Jesus and what He has done, you are an example of His grace.

What do we know?

We are people who love to get things. And when we do, the 2 best kinds of things are either nice or free (but preferably both). Think about something you really want for yourself. How would you feel if it was given to you? How about grateful?

Let's talk about grace. What is grace? A simple definition is something given that is not earned or merited. Do you know what this looks like in everyday life? If your teacher gives you 5 extra credit points on your test, that’s grace. When we talk about grace we usually talk about mercy also. A simple way to define mercy is not getting what you deserve. So, If you fail a test at school and your parents don’t ground you for 2 weeks, that’s mercy. A little advice - I’d study to get that grade up and not test the limits of a parent's grace and mercy.

We are always working and earning. Grades, allowances, and trust are just a few that are common to you. Life around us is cause and effect. We use words like fair or unfair depending on the outcome of what happens. Grace doesn't work this way. Being a gracious person means that circumstances shouldn't be a contributing factor to you giving grace.

We are saved by a gracious God

We have a God who loves us and scripture tells us this multiple times. God’s love is why we get grace. So, whenever we talk about grace, we have to talk about God’s character. Why would a holy God put up with the things we, His creation, has done. How can He still love us and give us grace? We are told in Exodus 34:6, “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”. Wow! How does that compare to what we create in our minds of who we want God to be for us? We think eternal present giver. And we are right that the gift he gives us is eternal.

Our salvation is a “free gift of God” (Romans 6:23). We don’t have to have our good deeds outnumber our bad deeds. We don’t have to make ourselves better to get His love. At our worst, in our sin, knowing the sin that would take place, Jesus still loved us and went to the cross (Romans 5:8). And when we confessed to Him that He is our Lord and He saved us (Romans 10:9), we committed ourselves to also be a giver of His grace.

The grace and mercy He gives us is to accomplish what He has in store for us, as Romans 8:28 reminds us, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God is continually working in our life, noticed or not.

What we do comes from what we are given

When we previously talked about obedience, we talked about how our obedience comes out of our love for Jesus. 1 John 4:19 tells us as much. If you want to know what that truly looks like, look at the apostle Paul. The apostle Paul was literally a changed man. Before he met Jesus, he was finding and killing Christians. If anyone, in our eyes, didn’t deserve Jesus’ love and grace it was Paul. God’s direct grace given to Paul was for his salvation.

Your trials might be grace for someone else. Do you see people struggling? You can be the grace God is giving them. We don’t set out to have bad things happen to us. Bad things just happen to us at times. But what if they aren’t bad things. What if the things we go through are lessons that become someone else’s grace?

Paul tells us in Philippians 1:12–14 how his being in prison has helped the gospel spread. “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Huh? It’s easy to give grace to people you like. How do you give grace to people who make trouble in your life? Are they the neighbors Jesus was talking about when He said we are to love them? Paul thought so. So much that the people keeping him in chains heard the gospel. The people who were charged with keeping Paul locked up and away from preaching the gospel continued the spread of the same gospel. That, my friends, is not luck but the grace that God affords the hearts of those whom He wants to hear it.

We can give grace

You are in a unique place in your life. You only have a few core responsibilities. Learn how to learn, experience what God has put in front of you, and create relationships. Your growth into young men and women is an exercise in graciousness.

This place where you are in life is intended for you to interact with people, living out what you have learned so far. So what have you learned, and I don’t mean just from a classroom? What has God’s primary lesson been for you? Has it been to love the people who God has surrounded you with? Has He helped you to recognize the grace you have received to go and give grace to others?

We don't have to know every single word of the Bible in order to share God's love and grace with others. Colossians 4:6 tells us to make sure how we talk to others is gracious. If we are mouthing off, being intentionally or unintentionally rude, our speech is not seasoned but burnt. If you love and believe in Jesus and what He has done, you are an example of His grace. So go and let others know Jesus is the giver of grace. And by doing this you will let them know you are too because of Jesus.

Now what?

Go and give grace. Are you currently giving grace or are you making people earn your grace? Our graciousness should resemble God’s graciousness - given and not earned.

What does scripture tell us?

1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.

Romans 6:23,5:8, 10:9
6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Resources

The Bible Project - Word Study: Ahavah - "Love"

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The Big Idea

We obey because Jesus loved us first.

When we believe and declare Jesus is our Lord (Romans 10:9-10), we commit to what He has called us to do. This includes following His commands and teachings. But don’t worry, He gives us Help.

What do we know?

We are rebels. No, not the ones fighting the galactic empire to destroy the imperialistic hold they have over all of the star systems. (Yes, this is a Star Wars reference.)

This means we are people who rebel. Let’s address the elephant in the room, the thing we don’t want to say about ourselves: we do not always want to obey God. We tend to resist things we do not want to do. We want to do what WE want to do.

The primary thing that stands in the way for us to fully obey God is us - you and me, individually. And who we end up resisting when we rebel are those in our lives that represent authority, and Jesus is at the top of that list.

If we know we rebel, how then do we work to obey? Is Jesus the main authority in your life? If you say He is, how are you doing with obeying His commandments.

The passage here in John 14:15 follows what we studied previously. Remember that Jesus was preparing the disciples, and us, for the long haul. Here, Jesus is telling us that if we truly are a follower of His we will obey His instructions.

This requires us to recognize three things.

We obey when we know His love

God is love I bet is something you have heard before. There are a number of passages in scripture on love. One of the clearest verses that speak to God’s love for us is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” There can be no objection by a believer in Jesus that this is the greatest gift ever given. What then does this tell us about the God who gave it? Psalm 51:14 tells us He is a God who saves.

Think about the adults in your life, the ones who are helping you to grow and learn and avoid pitfalls. When we talk about obeying, and disobeying, it’s usually associated with the person asking you to do something than it is the task you are being asked to do. Is it mom or dad? Is it a teacher? What about a coach? What if we place Jesus in front of us. How would you act, or react, if you were told to do something by Jesus? When we see Jesus commanding us to do something in scripture, do we immediately think He is doing it on a power trip, or as God in the flesh loving us and giving us instructions that benefit us in His kingdom?

What about forgiveness? We see the love of God from Jesus’ teaching in The Parable of the Prodigal Son starting at Luke 15:11. The son wanted all he could have now so he asked his father for his inheritance. He then ran off spending it all on reckless living as scripture tells us. The son didn’t take the money to invest and grow what was given to him. He ran off and spent it on who knows what. When the son had spent all of the inheritance, not having anything left and nowhere to turn, he returned home. He didn’t come home to a father that said “too bad”, but to a father that said, “I’m glad”.

Jesus uses this to teach how incredible and loving our Heavenly Father is. He knows our hearts, and he wants our hearts. He wants our heartfelt obedience so He knows that His word is on our hearts.

We obey when we know our sin

When we think about love, what comes to mind is either getting or receiving something. Have you ever considered love is also being denied something, being told “No”? I bet you don’t think about laws and instructions as love. When we think of laws, we think of “don’ts” and “don’ts” aren’t things you relate with love. But our God has given us don’ts, along with the dos, so He can be glorified in all of His instruction. If our God wasn’t loving, he could have told us “you guess if it is lawful or not”. But, He didn’t do that. He laid out the parameters upfront so we wouldn’t have to guess. (Soccer illustration, handball)

Sin is the opposite of obedience. It is the definition of disobedience. Adam and Eve sinned in the garden when they disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, messing it up for all of us. “Don’t eat the fruit” seemed like such a small, trivial request, right? No request or command from God is small and trivial. He gives it for a reason.

Sin is also a contradiction. Sin makes us think it can give us something greater than God can. Something that appears wonderful as sin is truly small because it can never be fulfilled by God. Think about the results of a lie. You are either busted in the lie or your lie is not discovered then more lies are needed to cover up the progressing lies. God is able to use our disobedience to shape us but how necessary was our sin?

We make mistakes. We mess up. What sets apart the person who loves God and the person who doesn’t is knowing that they sinned and seeking forgiveness through repentance.

We obey when we know what to put our hearts to

The “don’ts” always seem to dominate discussions, but what then are the “do’s”?

We as believers seek out what He says we should put our hearts to. What do you think we do when we put our hearts to something? We love. Then what are we supposed to love? Jesus’ commands. Let’s read John 14:15 again. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Such a simple, easy to understand direction given by Jesus.

Jesus was asked in Matthew 22 what the greatest commandment was and in verses 37–38 He tells us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Then in verse 39 He tells us, “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.

Consider this example. In a family, you typically have parents and siblings, brothers or sisters. Now not all families look the same but the family unit is similar in most situations. Think about these two commands as it relates to your family. Love your parents all you can, and love your brother/sister as you do yourself. If you aren’t doing those things, your relationship at home will be hard. Anything asked of you at home, then, would seem petty and even wasteful.

Everything we do in bringing glory to God is wrapped up in the two commandments. Many other “dos” could be listed here but our priority should be to take to heart the two core things Jesus said we should do. Obeying Jesus then looks like loving and worshipping Him, because that is what our heart tells us to do.

Now what?

We know God’s love for us. We know we are disobedient in sin. We now know what we are to love. What do we do with all of that? Once we know, we are to obey. Knowing God’s word is so important for two reasons. First, it’s what He has given us to know Him, love him, and why we should worship Him. Second, it’s the basis for us to discern how we navigate the world that we are in. But also, for those that have accepted Jesus, He has given us His Spirit. The “rules” of the world today are ever-changing, but God’s word is ever faithful. When the two conflict, it takes us remembering Jesus’ instruction and trusting in the Holy Spirit to keep His commandments.

What does scripture tell us?

John 14:15–17 ESV
[15] “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

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The Big Idea

We endure because Jesus has made the way for us and prepares us.

One of the values we work to grow in is endurance. We will have both ups and downs in our lives. We are not promised comfort and happiness as followers of Christ, but we are guaranteed that Jesus is truth and He is life. He prepares us with this truth so we can endure.

What should we know?

We prepare for things in life we enjoy or want to be better at. Let’s use sports as an example. No matter what sport you play, to be the best you can be you have to practice and prepare. An MLB baseball pitcher can throw around 100 pitches in a baseball game. To be conditioned to throw that many pitches, they have to both practice pitching and train their bodies. What if you play a musical instrument? The same principle applies.

Jesus is preparing the disciples to be His witness. You know what else Jesus is doing here? He is preparing us to endure!

Jesus has spent the last 3 years teaching the disciples, declaring Himself and the Kingdom of God. This is the last night they will have together before Jesus goes to the cross. At this point, Jesus and the remaining disciples are in the upper room. The disciples have had their feet washed by Jesus. They celebrated the Passover together. Judas has already left to betray Jesus to the Pharisees. The disciples have argued about which of them was the greatest (Luke 22). Can you imagine that? Jesus has washed your feet, celebrated a new covenant that He has given (Lord’s Supper), and you argue about who sits shotgun! I chuckle at this cause it is a reminder how gracious of a Lord we have and how silly we can be.

But let’s move on.

Jesus is bringing together core things the disciples must hear before he is taken away. Who all has been part of either a team or group where the coach or leader has given a pep talk before go time? What’s usually given in those talks is a message with final instructions, how hard you or the team has worked, what you are going to face, how you devote yourself to the moment, how the effort you give is bigger than the sum of your preparation, how much the coach believes in you.

So what is Jesus saying to the disciples here in the verses in John 14? How is Jesus preparing the disciples to endure what is to come?

Jesus is telling them to not be afraid. In all of the Bible, we are told to not be afraid around 365 times. We could read 1 passage every day and be reminded not to be afraid for the whole year. Jesus is giving the disciples comfort right now. Judas has left to go to betray Jesus and Jesus is about to literally go through excruciating agony. How about that! He’s not telling them to go run and hide. He’s not saying protect yourself. He is reminding them they don’t need to worry because all things have been taken care of. He’s got this! Trust Him!

Jesus is also telling them to believe in who He is. Does this seem a little hard to believe, that He would have to tell them this? Jesus has been with these guys for 3 years. Not messaging back and forth for 3 years, or checking out each others Instagram feeds, but actually walking around, sharing meals and such. They have witnessed literal miracles He did while standing by His side.

So why tell them this? We have to be reminded of the obvious, even the clearest things we have seen and heard. This isn’t because we are stupid but because the message is that important. He is telling them this so that they can be confident in what He is doing.

Whose parents have told you something like “I know you can do it! It’s not going to be easy but you can do it!”? Mine did. Why do they do this? They tell us this because they have confidence in us and want us to have confidence. We have a Savior that is so incredible that not only does He take on the death that we deserve but he prepares us to endure by giving us confidence in Him and what He promises to do.

Now what?

We can trust in Jesus because He said we can!

We can have confidence in Him because of who He is!

We can endure because His promise was delivered!

Our endurance is tied directly to our trust in Jesus. What has he told us? Do we know all that he has instructed? Do we believe Him? Paul reassures us in Philippians 1:6 saying “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” For those of us that believe Him, He has given us the gift of eternal life. The gospel is not a message of “you stand no chance” but Jesus already did it for you. We endure for all He has promised.

What does scripture tell us?

John 14:1–7
[1] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. [4] And you know the way to where I am going.” [5] Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” [6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (ESV)

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The Big Idea

Wisdom is knowing and understanding right things, the good things of God, but it’s also understanding there are consequences to wrong things.

When we are purposely told not to do something but do it anyway, should we be surprised if we have to face the consequences of our wrong actions?

What should we know?

We started this series on wisdom reading in 1 Kings 3:5-15. There, Solomon asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him. Not only did Solomon get wisdom but also riches and honor. Solomon became the richest, wisest man to ever live because God made it so. What happened over time, though, is Solomon ultimately rejected what God gave him and then consequences followed.

So what is happening here in 1 Kings 11:9–13? Why has God declared these things? What did Solomon do, or not do, that has caused God to be this upset?

Well, Solomon has made a number of very unwise decisions and actions over time. One of these decisions was to marry wives (yes I said wives plural) that were not of Israel. Your first thought might be that God was mad because Solomon had more than one wife. This is part of it, as God gave instructions in Deut. 17:14-20 for Israel’s Kings and part of the instruction was to not acquire many wives. The greater infraction in Solomon’s decision is that by marrying these women, he turned his heart away from God.

Think of it this way. I have a father. He is a wise dad and has given me instructions to follow so I grow into a good man. But what if I don’t listen to my dad and think that I know better than him, so I play video games all day and skip doing school work. This may be fun and last for a period of time but I have avoided the wisdom my father gave to me. My dad has responsibility for me and I am accountable to him. Do you think my dad would be happy with me if I did not do what he purposely said for me to do? No. Solomon’s disregarded the great wisdom given to him in favor of decisions he wanted to make. Simply put, he rebelled against God. He sinned.

Now what?

We talked before about the wisdom Jesus gave us in Matthew 7:24-27, either hearing and doing or hearing and not doing. Jesus told us the consequences. When we do what He has instructed, we are wisely following Him. When we trust Jesus and fully believe in Him, we see the instructions He gave us to be helpful for us.

We have scripture to show us wisdom. Like God gave directly to Solomon, He has given us His Word in order to know Him and obey him. Our choices, wise or foolish, impact us and impact those around us. Let’s be wise.

What does scripture tell us?

1 Kings 11:9–13

[9] And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice [10] and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. [11] Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. [12] Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. [13] However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” (ESV)

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