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...
According to John 5:35, John the Baptist certainly stirred up excitement and expectation for the arrival of the Messiah, but once Jesus began to make public appearances that involved correction of false beliefs and practices, along with placing himself at the center...
So what are believers to take away from this teaching in John 5:28-29, that Christ will assess the works of everyone in the end? For one, we are to live in the sight of God as those who will give an account. Listen to this description in Heb. 4:12 For the word of...
If life comes through hearing Christ’s word (John 5:25), not only at the point of conversion, but also throughout our lives in sanctification, how well do you listen? Do you take heed to the word, whether it is being taught in a corporate setting or a bible...
In light of the Son’s identical divine work as the Father, as put forth in John 5:19-23, how certain are Christ’s works in our redemption and how trustworthy is his wisdom in his teachings! It’s no wonder the Apostle Paul declares in Col. 2 that all the...
The portrait of Christ put forth in the Gospel of John does not allow for any middle ground with Jesus—either he is all that he said he is or he is nothing that he said he is, including the Savior of the world. We don’t get to choose what version of Christ we want to...
When the end of the age comes, how exactly will Christians and churches, and namely leaders of those churches, be assessed by the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of their faithfulness? A clear answer is that Christ’s assessment of our lives will be based on faithfulness to...
In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus is not rebuking the disciples for being human, rather he’s rebuking them for what they conclude about their situation—“We are experiencing the consequences of this storm; therefore, Jesus must not be able to defeat it or he doesn’t care about...
When true faith is present, demands will not be made of Christ, even if those demands are made under the guise of extraordinary faith—“We’re just trusting in the Lord for this to happen…” That sounds good, but what exactly are you trusting in? What specific promise or...
As we look at John 4:38, we find a crucial teaching to remain humble in our disciple making efforts, whether that’s evangelizing the lost or helping fellow believers become more Christlike. In the lives of those we know, others have probably gone before us in planting...
As has been revealed beginning in John 3, to be transformed from a worshipper of self into a worshipper of God takes an act of supernatural grace. To be a worshipper of God is not the natural default outcome of anyone’s life. And to be ever more humbled, consider how...
By the conclusion of John 4:18, Jesus has made it apparent that by not seeking the living water that only God can supply, the Samaritan woman has sought after vastly deficient sources to quench her thirst in life. That being said, we might be tempted to condemn this...
John wraps up this remarkable third chapter of his gospel by highlighting the superiority of the Son’s testimony and the consequences of receiving or rejecting that testimony. This means that no one can ever say that Jesus is merely a good option in which to place...
The beginning of Eph. 5 begins with a lofty call to imitate God. However, as soon as we hear this call to imitate God, how does our flesh want to strongly object?—“But we aren’t God, we are sinful, weak humans. Therefore, that’s an unfair standard to place upon us.”...
In light of what the Apostle Paul commands in Eph. 4:32, here are some questions to see where we are at with regards to exemplifying compassion: Generally speaking, are you able to enter in to another person’s plight even if their circumstances are the direct result...
The parable in Luke 7:41-42 encapsulates a principle even understood in the world, which is the greater the mercy shown, the greater the love should be given to the one showing mercy. Therefore, virtually every human being could come up with the right answer to...
Up to this point in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist has consistently been pointing others to the Messiah, the Lamb of God–Jesus Christ. However, what sticks out in John 3:27-30 is that John is not only one who understands it’s his entire purpose in life to...
John 3:19-20 contains another antithetical teaching from John, in that if someone loves the darkness, the one will, by default, hate the Light. There is no mixing of the two; in order to have one, the other has to be eliminated. And it follows that whatever one hates,...
Because God is love, John 3:16 teaches that he has a love for the world and that love manifested itself in the giving of the Son for the world. Now it is imperative we keep in mind that his love is not the least bit based on a positive or lovable perception of the...
Amidst a discussion with Nicodemus in John 3:9-15, Jesus unveils that while he left the realm of heaven during his incarnation, he never left the state of having direct communication and fellowship with the Father. This is truly remarkable! All that being said, think...
Last week, we concluded John 2 and discovered that Jesus was never going to be duped by spurious faith because has complete knowledge of what is in man, namely man’s natural state of spiritual deadness that is in bondage to the sinful nature and causes him to be...
In the end, based on the truths of John 2:24-25, Christ knows exactly why every single person gathers with the church, whether with pure or mixed motives. Christ will not entrust himself to one who is pursuing an affiliation with his church as a means of...
In John 2:20, the Jews ask Jesus a follow up question that proves they are far from discerning what Jesus was saying and that is because even the components of the redemptive plan of God are folly to the natural mind. Paul taught this exact truth in 1 Cor. 1:22 For...
The Scripture from Ps. 69, which is quoted in John 2:17 about Jesus Christ says that Zeal for your house will consume me. The zeal Jesus had for the Father’s glory led him to testify to this to the Jews gathered at the temple in John 7:18 He who speaks from himself...
Jesus’ mighty display of provision at the wedding feast in John 2 should greatly assist us in our understanding that we are completely helpless as it relates to fulfilling our greatest need. What was anyone at the wedding going to be able to do about the absence...
John 1:38 records that Jesus turned to acknowledge the 2 followers trailing behind him and asks a question to them—Not who, but what do you seek? What an incredible question! We are going to see a lot of self-centered reasons for following Christ in this gospel and...
