His disciples remembered that it was written,“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

John 2:13-22

His disciples remembered that it was written,“Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:17

I continue my study of John, and today, I unpack John 2:13-22 using the Sword Bible Study Method, and tomorrow I will take another pass at the text and summarize my thoughts from both today and tomorrow by providing an outline/divisions and main point for the text.  

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: It's not that Jesus despises trade or people making money, instead Jesus does not like it when people exploit a prominent Jewish holiday to serve their own interests.  We must remember that we exist to glorify God - not the other way around.  Passover served as a time of remembrance for what God did during the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  The text shares that the disciples remembered Psalm 69:9 where David writes how he was consumed with "zeal for [God's] house."  This zeal is what God seeks from us - we should be consumed for zeal and love for God.  God chooses those to whom He reveals Himself.  He reveals Himself to His disciples but not the Jewish leadership (with exception to Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea).  God alone hardens and softens hearts. 
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: The disciples understood what Jesus was doing with His righteous anger over what was happening in the temple courtyard - v17; the Jewish leadership should not have allowed such activities in the temple but they did and unlike the disciples they were not consumed with "zeal for [God's] house."  Instead they were consumed with zeal for their own interests - status, power, etc.  Both the the Jewish leadership and the disciples (at the time) did not understand what Jesus was referring to when Jesus said that the temple will be destroyed and rebuilt in 3 days - v19; the disciples ultimately understood what Jesus was referring to - v21 - after Jesus crucifixion and resurrection, and this furthered their understanding and conviction in God's Word as Truth and as God (John 1:1, 2 Timothy 3:16).  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should not seek our own glory above God's.  We should claim God's Word as Truth, that "no word from God will ever fail (Luke 1:37 NIV)," and that scripture is perfect and God breathed.  We should follow David and Jesus' examples to be consumed with zeal for both God and His house.  We should bring glory to God in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).     

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who saves!  I am not deserving of how You choose who to save and who not to save - that You chose me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

John 2:1-12

When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” John 2:9-10

I continue my study of John, and today, I take another pass at unpacking John 2:1-12 using the Sword Bible Study Method, and today I summarize my thoughts from both yesterday and today by providing an outline/divisions and main point for the text.  

Main point: Jesus responds to prayers but we must understand that His plan will not be thwarted.

1. Jesus acts with intent and a plan.
2. Jesus does respond to the cares and concerns of His people.
3. Jesus' response to our prayers and concerns does not conflict with nor deter His will.  

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: As I posted yesterday, Jesus does respond to our prayers while still sticking to His plan - in this case, you can see how Jesus made a point to His mother that His "hour [had] not yet come" - v4.  While the text is not clear, Jesus does accede to His mother's request and Jesus gives instructions to the servants and once the servants follow these instructions, water is turned into wine - v9. Because it was not Jesus' hour, He did not want His true identity to be more widely known, so His power was used in such a way that He revealed only a glimpse of His true identity to only a limited number of people.
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: While the servants did know that Jesus turned the water into wine - the text implies that this miracle was not well known among the wedding guests as even the master of the feast did not know - v9; those in the know included Jesus, the servants, Jesus' mother, and the disciples - v11.  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Jesus responds to prayers but we must understand that His plan will not be thwarted (see also Job 42:2, Isaiah 14:27).      

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  You acted with intent and a plan to save me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor how You continue to work in me.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

John 2:1-12

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” John 2:3-4

I continue my study of John, and today, I unpack John 2:1-12 using the Sword Bible Study Method, and tomorrow I will take another pass at the text and summarize my thoughts from both today and tomorrow by providing an outline/divisions and main point for the text.  

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Once again, as I posted yesterday, Jesus acts with intent and purpose - He has a plan; see v4 where He rebukes His mother for asking Him to make more wine by sharing "My hour has not yet come"; yet while Jesus does act with intent and He does have a plan, He responds to the cares and concerns of His people and in this case His own mother;  clearly this was not a need that reached the same level as other requests for healing, etc. but Jesus will respond to the cares and concerns of His people and STILL make His plan work; here Jesus produces wine from water - the first of His miracles that "manifested His glory" - v10.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Jesus' mother's request can be seen as a petty use of Jesus' power as the King of Kings; people often make petty requests of God - He is not a vending machine - vv3-4. Upon Jesus' turning of the water into wine, Jesus' disciples believed 
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should bring our cares and concerns to Jesus (1 Peter 5:7) and He wants to hear them - however, we should be mindful that Jesus is not a vending machine and we should seek His will not our own with our requests (see also Luke 22:42).    

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of compassion and grace - You want to hear our cares and concerns and You respond.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love, grace and mercy - my salvation - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

John 1:43-51

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” John 1:48-50

I continue my study of John, and today, I take another pass at unpacking John 1:43-51 using the Sword Bible Study Method, and I summarize my thoughts from both yesterday and today on the text by providing an outline/divisions and main point for the text.  

Main point: Jesus is Father/Son/Holy Spirit who saves, and we must share the Good News with others. 

1. Jesus' acts with intent to seek and save the lost - vv43, 47-50, 51
2. Believers should have a right and true understanding of who Jesus is - vv45, 49 
3. Believers should act with intent to share the gospel with others - v46 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus found Philip and called Philip to follow Him; Jesus acts with intent and singular purpose to seek and save the lost, as He is not aimless and did not just "find" Philip; He was directed to go to Galilee to find Philip specifically as He was calling The Twelve (Luke 19:10, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27) - v43; same story with Nathanael.
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Philip shares the gospel - even before He has a more complete understanding of what the gospel is - with Nathanael; he invites Nathanael to "come and see" this Jesus and experience Him as Philip did; God gave him the words to use to describe who he met (the Promised Messiah) and prompted him to invite Nathanael to see for himself - v45-46.    
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should be clear who Jesus is, and we should study scripture and know God to equip ourselves to share the gospel with others.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God who saves and gives life now to the full and for eternity in Heaven.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor any of the blessings He pours out for me daily.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

 John 1:43-51

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” John 1:46-47

I continue my study of John, and today, I unpack John 1:43-51 using the Sword Bible Study Method. Tomorrow, I will follow up and outline the text and provide a main point. 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Although Nathanael insults Him, Jesus shows compassion and mercy to Nathanael - praising Him instead of being revengeful - v47; Jesus is all knowing as He sees and knows everything about us - vv46-48; Jesus offers more than just miracles - He offers salvation and a relationship with the Triune God - vv50-51.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Philip is "found" by Jesus and he becomes a follower/disciple of Jesus; Philip is from the same town as Andrew and Peter (Bethsaida) - vv43-44; Philip correctly identifies Jesus as the Promised Messiah - v45; Nathanael is initially a naysayer and does not believe Philip that Jesus is the Promised Messiah and Philip seeks to change his mind - v46; upon meeting Jesus and seeing that Jesus knows him without meeting him, Nathanael also correctly identifies who Jesus is - but with another attribute of the Triune God - the Son - vv48-49.   
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should not doubt who Jesus is - He is the Promised Messiah, King of Kings, Son of God, and sent by God; we should know with God, while He offers life to the full now to those who believe Him, He also offers "greater things" - eternal life in Heaven with Him - v51. We should follow Jesus as Philip and Nathanael did. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  Thank You Jesus for life to the full now and for eternity in Heaven with You and all the other saints.  I am not deserving of my salvation - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

 John 1:35-42

He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). John 1:41

I continue my study of John, and today, I outline and unpack John 1:35-42 using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

Main point: Jesus is the Messiah, He takes away sin, and for those who follow Him, He offers eternal fellowship and Truth.   

1. Jesus takes away sin - v35
2. Jesus is Truth - v38
3. Jesus offers eternal fellowship - v39
4. Jesus is the Messiah - v41 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus is once again called by John - accurately - the Lamb of God.  Jesus is the perfect spotless lamb - the final sacrifice who will atone for (take away) the sins of the world - v36 (see also v29); Jesus gains His first disciples - two who followers of Jesus now followed Him - v37; Jesus is interested in what people seek - He wants people to seek Truth (Him) - v38; the two new disciples refer to Jesus as Rabbi (Teacher) - v38; Jesus invites the two new disciples to stay with Him for the day as Jesus seeks fellowship with us - v39; Jesus is referred to as the Messiah (Christ) by Andrew - v41; Jesus calls Simon Peter (Andrew's brother) Peter - v42.
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Two of Jesus' first disciples are former disciples of John the Baptist but now follow Jesus - vv35-37 - reinforcing that Jesus is more important (ranking before) than John (see also v30); the two new disciples of Jesus seek teaching from Jesus - v38; they stay with Jesus at His invitation, they seek fellowship with Him - v39; one of the new disciples was Andrew - who was Simon Peter's brother - v40; Andrew correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah (Christ) - v41; Andrew brings Simon Peter to Jesus and Jesus tells him that going forward he will be called Peter - v42. 
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should correctly identify Jesus as the Messiah - Christ; He is also our Teacher as He is the Word (John 1:1) and Truth. We should follow Jesus and seek fellowship with Him.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are the Promised Messiah who loves, saves, teaches, and stays with me until the end of the age.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

 John 1:29-34

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

I continue my study of John, and today, I outline and unpack John 1:29-34 using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

Main point: Jesus is the Triune God who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and gives new and eternal life.   

1. Jesus is the final and perfect atonement for the sins of the world - vv29-30
2. Jesus is revealed as one of the Triune God's identities - along with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - v31-34 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus approaches and makes Himself known to John (who continues to baptize those who repent in the Jordan), and John describes Jesus as the Lamb of God (the perfect and final sacrifice), who takes away the sin of the world" - v29; John continues, describing Jesus the as the one he kept referring to as coming after John but also the one who was before me (existed since the beginning - see v2) and as the one ranking before (higher than) John, because He existed before John - v30; all persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (descending from Heaven like a dove and remaining with Jesus) - of the Triune God appear together as sent by God - vv31-33; God the Father spoke to John and shared that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit - v33; John once again in this chapter (see also vv14, 18) testifies regarding the identity of Jesus as the Son of God - v34.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: John fulfills his role to prepare the way for Jesus as he announces Jesus' arrival - v29; John wants everyone to be clear than he is less than Jesus - v30; John both performs and bears witness to Jesus' baptism, and also experiences the Father, Son and Holy Spirit during the baptism as he sees the Holy Spirit descend from Heaven like a dove and God talking to John sharing how the Holy Spirit remains with Jesus and Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit - vv32-33; John previously did not know Jesus but now understands more fully His identity as the Triune God - vv31, 34.  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): See Jesus as the Promised Messiah who takes away the sin of the world; follow the example of others who repent and believe in Jesus to experience forgiveness and salvation, and to experience baptism by the Holy Spirit as you will then be reborn as a new creation into the family of God. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an amazing God who loves and baptizes with the Holy Spirit, giving new and eternal life.  Thank You Jesus for my rebirth and salvation.  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.