John 13:1-17
1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
• John 13-17 mentions “love” 31 times, John 1-12 only mentions it 5 times.
• Shows us the “full extent” of love – "eis telos" – Greek for “ultimate calling”
o Christ’s love for us
V. 1. – “…Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end…”
V.2 – At this point, Christ knows He will die on the cross, and Judas Iscariot will soon betray Him.
V.3 – Christ acknowledges God’s control over the entire situation that is about to unfold.
• Footwashing was a very humbling service – even humiliating
o Usually…
Servant → Master
Wife → Husband, Father
Disciples → Teachers
• Christ’s actions – “an acted parable”
• A foreshadowing of Christ’s crucifixion
V.4 – “Laid aside” his garments – “Tithemi” → Crucifixion
V.12 – “Take up” his garments – “Lambano” → Resurrection
• Footwashing → Washing us clean of our sins
• Jesus even washes Judas’ feet, knowing that Judas will soon betray Him. The devil has put it in Judas’ heart to betray Jesus.
• Revelation of God’s character
WE CAN’T SAVE OURSELVES• Peter’s response to Christ’s washing the disciples’ feet is prideful, rebuking.
• Peter does not know the ways of God (Isaiah 55:8)
• Peter rebukes Christ’s actions because of his worldly views. He struggles to accept Christ’s act of humility due to its deviation from traditional conduct.
V.8 – “If I do not wash you, you have no part of Me.”
• “Part” – “meros” – one’s share of inheritance
• Our meros → heaven, salvation
• Accept Jesus – His words and His light
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
“Wonder” Bread – The Feeding of Five Thousand (Redeemer Group)
The Feeding of Five Thousand is the only miracle of Jesus, aside from the resurrection, that is mentioned in all four of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). It is important to realize the significance of bread in Bible times. Bread was the staple of the people’s diets; if there was no bread, it was pretty much the same as saying, “There’s no food.”
With this miracle, Jesus manifests God’s limitless power and resources to provide bread for the physical needs of His people and preludes His goodness and mercy to provide spiritual bread for His people – “the Bread of Life”. We’ll see that the Bread of Life is Jesus Himself.
John 6:5-15
5Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?"
6This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.
7Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little."
8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
9"There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" 10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place so the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.
12When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost."
13So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." • One denarius was equivalent to a day’s wages. A denarius was a silver coin used in Roman times.
• Takes place near Bethsaida. A multitude had formed to see Jesus.
• Additionally, in Exodus, God allows manna to fall from the sky to feed the hungry Israelites in the hot desert following their escape from Pharaoh.
o Manna was like flakes of bread that covered the ground every day like white frost.
o It was abundant, but God told His people not to save any for the next day, and at the end of the day, the manna rotted and was filled with worms.
o God wanted the Israelites to trust Him in that He would provide for their needs daily.
(v.6) Jesus already knows the miracle he is about to perform, so why does he ask this rhetorical question?
Because he wants to see what Philip's response will be.
When God tests us, we can respond in three different ways.
1. In fear
2. In confusion
3. In faith
Satan would have you respond in fear or in confusion, but God wants you to respond in faith.
o In 2 Kings 4:42-44, Elisha feeds 100 men with 20 loaves of bread. “God has said that we will eat, so we WILL eat.” And have some left over, mind you!
Two Take Home Messages
1. Absolute Surrender to God
a. The little boy didn’t believe he had enough food to feed five thousand people, let alone five people. He could have easily kept it for himself. However he chose to give all of the food to Jesus. And Jesus multiplied what he’d had.
b. When we give what we have to God, by using those things to love God, love people, share Jesus, and make disciples, God can multiply them one hundred fold. He can take what little we believe we have and work miracles.
c. Don’t doubt God’s ability to do what men and women cannot do. Remember God's promise - He'll NEVER call you to do something that He has not fully equipped you to do.
i. God to Abraham, promising he and his elderly wife a son (Genesis 18:14)
ii. Jesus to His disciples, talking to the rich young man (Matthew 19:26, 6:25-33)
Jehovah Jireh - the Lord Our Provider
2. You Need the Bread of Life!
a. Just as you would die if you didn’t have enough food to eat, you would experience spiritual death without the Bread of Life – Jesus.
b. John 6:35 - Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
c. For lost people, they are spiritually starving, and Christ is the ONLY bread that can provide sustenance to their hunger.
With this miracle, Jesus manifests God’s limitless power and resources to provide bread for the physical needs of His people and preludes His goodness and mercy to provide spiritual bread for His people – “the Bread of Life”. We’ll see that the Bread of Life is Jesus Himself.
John 6:5-15
5Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?"
6This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.
7Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little."
8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
9"There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" 10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place so the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.
12When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost."
13So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." • One denarius was equivalent to a day’s wages. A denarius was a silver coin used in Roman times.
• Takes place near Bethsaida. A multitude had formed to see Jesus.
• Additionally, in Exodus, God allows manna to fall from the sky to feed the hungry Israelites in the hot desert following their escape from Pharaoh.
o Manna was like flakes of bread that covered the ground every day like white frost.
o It was abundant, but God told His people not to save any for the next day, and at the end of the day, the manna rotted and was filled with worms.
o God wanted the Israelites to trust Him in that He would provide for their needs daily.
(v.6) Jesus already knows the miracle he is about to perform, so why does he ask this rhetorical question?
Because he wants to see what Philip's response will be.
When God tests us, we can respond in three different ways.
1. In fear
2. In confusion
3. In faith
Satan would have you respond in fear or in confusion, but God wants you to respond in faith.
o In 2 Kings 4:42-44, Elisha feeds 100 men with 20 loaves of bread. “God has said that we will eat, so we WILL eat.” And have some left over, mind you!
Two Take Home Messages
1. Absolute Surrender to God
a. The little boy didn’t believe he had enough food to feed five thousand people, let alone five people. He could have easily kept it for himself. However he chose to give all of the food to Jesus. And Jesus multiplied what he’d had.
b. When we give what we have to God, by using those things to love God, love people, share Jesus, and make disciples, God can multiply them one hundred fold. He can take what little we believe we have and work miracles.
c. Don’t doubt God’s ability to do what men and women cannot do. Remember God's promise - He'll NEVER call you to do something that He has not fully equipped you to do.
i. God to Abraham, promising he and his elderly wife a son (Genesis 18:14)
ii. Jesus to His disciples, talking to the rich young man (Matthew 19:26, 6:25-33)
Jehovah Jireh - the Lord Our Provider
2. You Need the Bread of Life!
a. Just as you would die if you didn’t have enough food to eat, you would experience spiritual death without the Bread of Life – Jesus.
b. John 6:35 - Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
c. For lost people, they are spiritually starving, and Christ is the ONLY bread that can provide sustenance to their hunger.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
A ‘Whale’ of a Time – Obey God and Leave the Consequences to Him (Redeemer Group)
Personal Testimonies/Preliminary Discussion
• Has God ever called you to do something, go somewhere, or give something up (an idol, perhaps, like we talked about several weeks ago)?
• Did you obey God’s command?
• If you didn’t obey, what was the consequence of disobedience?
The events in the Book of Jonah demonstrate the importance of obedience to God’s command, as well as trusting in God’s promise that He will never give us anything that we can’t handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). God assures us that, with obedience to His command and faith in His everlasting promises, He will reveal to us His wonderful plans for our lives. We are reminded, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him”; Jonah serves as an example of what happens when we place our own plans ahead of God’s. Remember Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
• Verse 1-2 - God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, a place of great wickedness. The Ninevites were known as “vicious, bloodthirsty Pagans” – they did not believe in the one true God. God had even threatened to destroy the city of Nineveh if they did not turn from their wicked ways.
o Discussion – Has God called you to a “Nineveh”? In other words, has God called you to a situation that was “less than comfortable” for you so that His work could be done?
• Verse 3 – Jonah is fearful of the violent Ninevites, so he decides to pay a large sum of money to get on a boat sailing for Tarshish (the opposite direction from Nineveh). Jonah had a plan of his own. We also know that Jonah was an arrogant man. Try this.
Edging
God
Out
o Discussion – When God called you to your “Nineveh”, did you obey? Or maybe you decided Nineveh was too dangerous for you. Or in American culture - it wasn't "cool" enough for you. Did you act opposite of God’s command? Did you oppose His instructions?
Jonah 1:4-17
4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."
7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"
9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."
10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"
12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."
13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
• Verses 4-12 - Because of Jonah’s disobedience, God sent a raging storm that crushed the ship that Jonah was on. The other sailors called on their own gods to find out what was causing the violent storm, but Jonah knew that the storm was caused by his disobedience of God’s command.
o Discussion – Because of your disobedience, has God ever “thrown a wrench in your plans?”
o When His children are disobedient or ignorant, God has the power to “get their attention”. And when God wants your attention, there's nothing you can do to avoid His wrath. But remember, His wrath is revealed to us as a means of discipline. God the Father disciplines us His children. The Bible indicates that the parent that does not discipline his or her children indeed does them a disservice - he or she "hates" them.
• Verses 13-17 – The other sailors, knowing that Jonah was responsible for the storm, attempted to row back to land, to no avail. Therefore, the sailors are forced to toss Jonah overboard, which immediately calmed the storm. Having seen the powers of God at work, the sailors believed in the Lord. Meanwhile, God sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, where he remained for three days and three nights.
o Realize that when God wants to get our attention, there’s nothing we can do to prevent all-powerful, Almighty God from getting His message across. “Ask Him to ‘examine’ you” (Psalm 26)
o When God’s trying to grab your attention, He manifests His power to both you and people around you.
o As a parent disciplines a child for disobedience, God disciplines His children for disobedience. At the same time, He is a merciful God.
In Jonah 2, Jonah prays for repentance from God for his disobedience. As a result, God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land – leading Jonah right back where he started!
• Because of your disobedience, have you ever felt like God moved you all the way back to 'square one'?
o God demonstrates that whether we cooperate or not, His Will is going to be done regardless. In obedience to His command, "God never said it would be easy, but He promised us it'd be worth it!"
In Jonah 3, God again calls Jonah to the city of Nineveh, and Jonah obeys. For three days, Jonah delivered the message of the God of Israel, a merciful and loving God. And the city of Nineveh, formerly a center of evil and wickedness, became a city that boldly proclaimed God.
• God used Jonah, in all of his humanly flaws, to accomplish great things. God gives us the power of testimony. Jonah was bleached by the stomach acid of the fish - a creature that was worshipped by the pagan Ninevites. Therefore, when Jonah arrived in Nineveh, the Ninevites willingly listened to him.
o God doesn’t always choose the people whom you’d always expect to do His work.
And rest assured that God NEVER calls ANYONE to do ANYTHING that He has not already fully equipped them to do.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
When we do as He commands, we will find that our priorities will fall in line - in line with JOY.
Jesus First
Others Second
Yourself Last
What is true peace?
Psalm 16:8
I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
We stand on God's promises, "when all other ground is sinking sand". Here's how!
Prayerfully
Engaged
And
Christ-
Endearing
• Has God ever called you to do something, go somewhere, or give something up (an idol, perhaps, like we talked about several weeks ago)?
• Did you obey God’s command?
• If you didn’t obey, what was the consequence of disobedience?
The events in the Book of Jonah demonstrate the importance of obedience to God’s command, as well as trusting in God’s promise that He will never give us anything that we can’t handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). God assures us that, with obedience to His command and faith in His everlasting promises, He will reveal to us His wonderful plans for our lives. We are reminded, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him”; Jonah serves as an example of what happens when we place our own plans ahead of God’s. Remember Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Jonah 1:1-3
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
• Verse 1-2 - God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, a place of great wickedness. The Ninevites were known as “vicious, bloodthirsty Pagans” – they did not believe in the one true God. God had even threatened to destroy the city of Nineveh if they did not turn from their wicked ways.
o Discussion – Has God called you to a “Nineveh”? In other words, has God called you to a situation that was “less than comfortable” for you so that His work could be done?
• Verse 3 – Jonah is fearful of the violent Ninevites, so he decides to pay a large sum of money to get on a boat sailing for Tarshish (the opposite direction from Nineveh). Jonah had a plan of his own. We also know that Jonah was an arrogant man. Try this.
Edging
God
Out
o Discussion – When God called you to your “Nineveh”, did you obey? Or maybe you decided Nineveh was too dangerous for you. Or in American culture - it wasn't "cool" enough for you. Did you act opposite of God’s command? Did you oppose His instructions?
Jonah 1:4-17
4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."
7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"
9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."
10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?"
12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."
13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
• Verses 4-12 - Because of Jonah’s disobedience, God sent a raging storm that crushed the ship that Jonah was on. The other sailors called on their own gods to find out what was causing the violent storm, but Jonah knew that the storm was caused by his disobedience of God’s command.
o Discussion – Because of your disobedience, has God ever “thrown a wrench in your plans?”
o When His children are disobedient or ignorant, God has the power to “get their attention”. And when God wants your attention, there's nothing you can do to avoid His wrath. But remember, His wrath is revealed to us as a means of discipline. God the Father disciplines us His children. The Bible indicates that the parent that does not discipline his or her children indeed does them a disservice - he or she "hates" them.
• Verses 13-17 – The other sailors, knowing that Jonah was responsible for the storm, attempted to row back to land, to no avail. Therefore, the sailors are forced to toss Jonah overboard, which immediately calmed the storm. Having seen the powers of God at work, the sailors believed in the Lord. Meanwhile, God sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, where he remained for three days and three nights.
o Realize that when God wants to get our attention, there’s nothing we can do to prevent all-powerful, Almighty God from getting His message across. “Ask Him to ‘examine’ you” (Psalm 26)
o When God’s trying to grab your attention, He manifests His power to both you and people around you.
o As a parent disciplines a child for disobedience, God disciplines His children for disobedience. At the same time, He is a merciful God.
In Jonah 2, Jonah prays for repentance from God for his disobedience. As a result, God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land – leading Jonah right back where he started!
• Because of your disobedience, have you ever felt like God moved you all the way back to 'square one'?
o God demonstrates that whether we cooperate or not, His Will is going to be done regardless. In obedience to His command, "God never said it would be easy, but He promised us it'd be worth it!"
In Jonah 3, God again calls Jonah to the city of Nineveh, and Jonah obeys. For three days, Jonah delivered the message of the God of Israel, a merciful and loving God. And the city of Nineveh, formerly a center of evil and wickedness, became a city that boldly proclaimed God.
• God used Jonah, in all of his humanly flaws, to accomplish great things. God gives us the power of testimony. Jonah was bleached by the stomach acid of the fish - a creature that was worshipped by the pagan Ninevites. Therefore, when Jonah arrived in Nineveh, the Ninevites willingly listened to him.
o God doesn’t always choose the people whom you’d always expect to do His work.
And rest assured that God NEVER calls ANYONE to do ANYTHING that He has not already fully equipped them to do.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
When we do as He commands, we will find that our priorities will fall in line - in line with JOY.
Jesus First
Others Second
Yourself Last
What is true peace?
Psalm 16:8
I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
We stand on God's promises, "when all other ground is sinking sand". Here's how!
Prayerfully
Engaged
And
Christ-
Endearing
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