The Book of John (Page 5)
As we read through John, look for evidence that Jesus is the Divine Savior. John’s Gospel is very helpful for strengthening your faith against religions and cults who deny the Trinity or the deity of Christ. In evangelism, tell others to read the Gospel of John first. The Gospel of John was written to foster saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Valuing Jesus (John 11:45-48)
Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead. Many people witnessed this event, but they had very different reactions. Some people believed that He was the Messiah; others plotted to kill Him for gaining such a big following. They all knew the truth We have a wrong understanding of what it means to believe in Jesus. We often view belief in Jesus as intellectual assent to the historical truth that Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the…
Raised from the Dead (John 11:38-46)
Jesus has told the disciples that Lazarus sickness was going to display His glory. He waited until Lazarus died before beginning His journey. He is now weeping at Lazarus tomb. Trust the Lord in order to see His glory Jesus asks them to do something that was crazy and offensive. He asked them to open Lazarus tomb. Lazarus’ body has been rotting for several days now, so they object to His request. However, Jesus reassures them to trust Him in…
The Mystery of Providence (John 11:1-37)
So often we read the Bible through a religious or spiritual lens and miss the truth that is in front of us. We overly spiritualize things and miss the plain reading of the text. In this passage, a close friend of Jesus dies. It is a passage dealing with intense pain, suffering, loss, death, and a host of human emotions and experiences. If we read the story of Lazarus in this light we will find many truths that will help…
You Do Not Know the Bible (John 10:34-42)
Upon hearing Jesus’ declaration that He was one with the Father, the Jews get ready to stone Jesus for blasphemy. Remember that the Jews were people who loved, revered, studied, and memorized the Scriptures. They “knew” the Bible very well. However, Jesus completely disarms them by quoting Scripture. He brings to light that these “biblical” people were largely ignorant of the Bible. Elohim The Hebrew word for “God” is elohim. It is the plural form of el meaning “god.” In…
The Deity of Christ (John 10:30-33)
In this passage Jesus declares that He is one with the Father. In case there is any doubt as to what He meant by this we can look at the reaction of the people present at the time. They clearly understood that Jesus was declaring Himself to be God. In His declaration, Jesus: Affirms the Trinity Jesus does not say that He is the same as the Father but that He is one with the Father. This opposes the false…
Can You Lose Your Salvation? (John 10:27-29)
There have been debates for centuries over loss of salvation. Can salvation be lost or forfeited? Can someone choose Christ and then later in life choose to reject Him? Can you be saved, and then fall into sin and go to hell? Jesus addresses this issue in our text, but He does so in a way contrary to our thinking. Salvation is ultimately God changing a person’s nature What is salvation? The contemporary thought is that salvation is primarily a…
Unbelief (John 10:19-27)
After Jesus finishes talking there is a deep discussion concerning Who Jesus is. They cannot decide if He is the Messiah or the Devil. When Jesus returns they ask Him why He has not told them if He is the Messiah. Jesus responds that He has told them and shown them by His miracles. The reason they do not follow Him is that they are not His sheep. From this we learn: Jesus is polarizing There is no middle ground…
The Infinite Power of Christ (John 10:17-18)
Jesus now explains that He has the authority to do all these things because of the love the Father has towards Him and the power that He has bestowed upon Him. Jesus has power to lay down His life and power to take it again. This is a power that is beyond our wildest imagination or dreams. This is an infinite power that we cannot even comprehend. Jesus has infinite power Jesus has all authority and power in heaven and…
One Sheepfold (John 10:16)
Jesus continues His analogy of sheep, the Shepherd, and the sheepfold. Jesus has more sheep Jesus has more sheep than just this one man who was born blind. He has more sheep than just His few disciples. The elect of God is a multitude which no man can number (Revelation 7:9). These sheep are from a different sheepfold The meaning of this is twofold. First, Jesus is leaving the people of this synagogue to go get the rest of His…
Does God Know You? (John 10:14-15)
Jesus has passed over many, many people and focused almost exclusively on this man who was born blind. He has ignored the hirelings, goats, and wolves to reveal Himself to His sheep. Jesus knows His sheep Long before a sheep ever grows to know the shepherd, the shepherd has known and cared for the sheep. Jesus knew the man before the man ever knew Who Jesus was. Jesus has an eternal foreknowledge of His sheep (Romans 8:29). This knowledge is…
Don’t Be a Hireling (John 10:11-13)
Jesus now contrasts His self-sacrificing love with the hirelings’ self-interest. Hirelings run from wolves A hireling was a hired hand who would watch the sheep for the shepherd. The sheep did not belong to him, and consequently he did not care for their well being. He was only interested in a paycheck. If a wolf came, the hireling would leave the sheep and run out of self-interest. Jesus here is addressing the Jews who refused to stand up to the…
Jesus Died for His Sheep (John 10:11)
Jesus has just told us that He gives life. He gives His sheep everything that the false teachers try to steal from them. He now expounds on this. Jesus is the Good Shepherd Jesus is again using the metaphor of sheep, thieves, and shepherds. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. He is obviously declaring Himself to be the Lord from Psalm 23. He is also showing that He has come to protect and provide for His sheep. He will lead…