In the end, John 11:17-35 obliterates the notion that the God of Scripture is a distant God, who may be high and exalted, but is largely uninvolved in the affairs of his people. If Jesus is the exact representation of God, then we can be certain that is not the case...
Notice that Jesus does not stop at reporting Lazarus’ death to the disciples in John 11:14, but continues on in v.15—and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there. This must have been downright shocking to their ears as they are initially dealing with the...
What did the fullness of goodness and knowledge, that Paul highlights in 15:14, create in the Roman Christians?—that they also have this ability to set things right in one another’s minds. They are capable of influencing one another towards greater spiritual clarity...
There’s no way to escape the fact that the promised sign of Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14 is surrounded by intense predictions of judgment for King Ahaz and the people of Judah. Sadly, the promises associated with this child would not benefit Ahaz because he refused to...
If Jesus is going to continue to make these lofty claims (such as John 10:30-I and the Father are one), how would God validate these claims, not only to those personally witnessing his ministry, but also to those who would read the accounts throughout the church age?...
Despite how the Jews insinuated that Christ has been withholding the truth in John 10:24, the fact of the matter is, the more clearly he reveals his identity, the more hostility is stirred up in those who hear it. This corresponds exactly to Jesus’ response in...
As Christ continues to unveil his tremendous roles in John 10, it’s necessary to explore how the Lord becomes one’s shepherd. What does it take for that relationship to be established and the abundant life from v.10 to be guaranteed? The answer to that question is the...
In John 10:5 and 8, Christ teaches that his sheep do not plunge themselves into strange teachings. Just to clarify—this teaching is not denying the reality of different maturity and discernment levels and seasons of growth, but instead, that if someone is attracted to...
In Mark 7:14-23, Jesus teaches that it’s the heart one is born with that defiles every person. The Bible is crystal clear about this, especially in Jer. 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? In light of that,...
In shining forth the light in John 9, the healing of the blind man magnificently illustrates spiritual salvation since there is a link between this man’s blindness from birth and man’s spiritual state from birth. The Apostle Paul writes in Rom. 5 that when God’s love...
The Jews certainly catch the gravity of what Jesus taught in John 8:51 and because they don’t find any truth in it, they consider it audacious he would speak such words. Reason being, Abraham was the father of the faith and kept God’s word and yet he couldn’t escape...
Unlike his hearers’ responses, Jesus responds directly to their assertion in John 8:42 and the original grammar assumes both parts of the conditional statement to be untrue—If God were your father (but he’s not), then you would love me (but you don’t). This is...
In John 8:31, Jesus supplies a condition which reveals one as being a true disciple. It entails continuing, abiding or remaining in Christ’s word. This isn’t just a one-time decision or a temporary receiving of God’s word. So essentially, Jesus is teaching these Jews:...
It seems safe to say that Jesus is proclaiming in John 8:24, that unless one believes that he is the only Savior who can take away one’s sins, the terrible prospect of paying for one’s own sins in eternal judgment awaits. This proclamation is true to the extent that...
In Ephesians 5:5-6, Paul’s exhortations regarding walking in the light, includes to not be deceived about God’s judgment on the darkness. It doesn’t matter what someone says they believe; if they live in darkness (sons of disobedience=those characterized by...
There are 4 reasons, based on the character of God, that we can place wholehearted confidence in our Bibles: 1. God proactively chooses to reveal himself Surely, we do not know him to be a God who delights in hiding his truth from his people. This is one of the...
It’s helpful to explore how these truths Christ proclaims in John 7:37-38 relate to the Christian life on an ongoing basis. For instance, perhaps some or many of you are thinking: “I certainly don’t feel like I have rivers of living water flowing out of me all the...
In contrast to the highly unlikely possibility in John 7:26, these people continue their rationalization in v.27, which exposes a major problem in their minds with Jesus’ claims to be the Christ—We know where he is from (Nazareth of Galilee), but everyone knows that...
Similar language to John 7:13 occurs in ch.12, except, by this point, some of the leaders have become convinced of Jesus’ identity. Here is v.42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear...
Jesus teaches in John 7:7 that the world hates him because he does not conform to the value system of the world, but instead testifies against it, calling it evil. This was already taught earlier in John 3:19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the...
Notice in v.70 how Jesus responds to Peter’s statement from v.69. He does not deny anything Peter said since all of it is 100% true, but he does seek to ground it in his own sovereign work—Is it not the case that I myself chose you, the 12? Jesus’ point here can be...
In John 6:63, Jesus is referring to two completely different realms—one is earthly and natural and universally accessed; the other is heavenly and spiritual and those who obtain it must be granted access (v.65). Therefore, spiritual change and insight into the truth...
It’s helpful to point out that in beginning in v.54 through v.58 of John 6, the verb tense of eat and drink is in the present, which means Christ is teaching the importance of a continuous, ongoing action. This is also put forth in v.56 with the outcome of this...
A proper understanding of John 6:36-40 should lead us to consider the following questions: Are you amazed by God’s enabling work in your salvation taught by Christ? Does this text help you refuse to place your confidence for persevering in the faith in yourself...
In John 6:35, Jesus is teaching that upon coming to him, the bread of life, in faith, one will never have to search anywhere else again for sustenance. This is clearly not referring to physical hunger and thirst, and to miss the spiritual emphasis of these words is to...
The crowd’s misguided seeking of Jesus in John 6:26 illustrates a massive problem in the human heart, in that we often aren’t even thinking about what we need to learn from Jesus, but are merely satisfied being full and happy and healthy in this life, which we...
In John 6:16-21, the main theme switches from Christ’s sufficiency to provide all that we need, to trusting that he is sufficient to accomplish his promises according to his perfect plan. Nevertheless, we can become frightened to the point of losing our bearings due...
In John 6:6, the reader is informed that Jesus’ question to Philip in v.5 is designed to give Philip an opportunity to express his faith in the One he has chosen to follow. Now this word for test has a wide scope of meaning in the NT and is even translated tempt...
It is a wonder that God’s salvation in Christ is not ONLY tied to the eternal and complete redemption of souls, but also the specific road Christ traveled down in the purchasing of those souls. Namely, it was a road consisting of betrayal, rejection and suffering. ...
In light of the fact that John 5:42 is a contrast to v.41, what is the relationship between seeking glory from man and what we love? It’s because seeking recognition from people indicates that we love what we get from people more than we love God. In other words, the...
