The Book of John

Let us meditate.

BIBLE  STUDY    First lesson        

THE  BOOK  OF  JOHN

                                     JOHN 1

The Eternal Word  John 1:1-5  (First read John 1:1-5 before answering the questions.)
1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning
with God.
3 God created everything through Him,
and nothing was created except through Him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created
5The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. (New King James Bible says, "and the darkness has not understood it.")

1.     Which verse makes it clear that God and Jesus are one?

2.     Who is here called the Word?  How do you know this?  How will a person reading the Bible for the first time know this? (See verse 17) (They wont know until they get to verse 17. That is why it is important to read it all as a whole.)

3.     Why do you think, Jesus is called the Word?  (Your opinion.)

4.     Read John 1:1-5 (In red above).  Then read Genesis 1:1-5  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3. Then God said, "Let there be light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then He separated the light from the darkness. 5. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night.   Compare the two readings by looking at these words:  beginning, created, life, light and darkness.

5.     How would you compare these readings to someone who is born again in to the family of God? ["Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; ..." (2 Corinthians 5:7).
       “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; …” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
       “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8).
       “I give them eternal life and they will never perish” (John 10:28)
       “ … that the Spirit of God lives in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16)?]
6.     In Hosea 6:3 we read: “Oh, that we may know the LORD! Let us press on to know Him.” In John 1:1-5 we get to know some things about Jesus; can you name them?

John’s Witness: The True Light  John 1:6-13 (First read through John 1:6-13 before answering the questions.)  
   
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He came into the very world He created, but the world didn't recognize him. 11 He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. 12 But to all who believed in Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn - not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

7.     Why did God send this man, John?

8.     What would you say God has sent you to do?

9.     What does a witness do? (Do you know the line that witnesses in court have to say before starting their witness?)

10.  Who is the true light?

11.  Is there a false light?  Read 2 Corinthians 11: 13, 14 and 15. "They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."

12.  Describe Jesus’ rejection in verse 10 and 11.  Have you ever been rejected because of Jesus?

13.  Who has the right to become children of God? (verse 12-13)

The Word Becomes Flesh  John 1:14-18  (Read through John 1:14-18 and then answer the questions.)

14 So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.

15 John testified about Him when he shouted to the crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for He existed long before me.'"
16 From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.

14.  Does the Word still dwell among us? How?

15.  Do we still behold His glory? How

16.  Can you describe a specific time you received His grace and truth?

17.  Read verse 15; How do we compare to Jesus? Who is it all about! (Read John 3:30)

18.  Why can Jesus declare who God is?  According to your Bible, where is Jesus in relation to God? (Verse 18)

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BIBLE STUDY  (The second lesson)                             John 1:19-51

      THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (Read through John1:19-28 before answering the questions.)

1.      What is the ‘secret’ of John the Baptist knowledge and ministry? Go to Luke 1: 15 (the last part of verse 15). Also read Luke 1:17

2.      Without the Holy Spirit; can we do God’s work? Read Acts 1:5

3.      How would you say that our past and our upbringing influence our lives and our work for God?

4.      In Luke 1: 19 the angel Gabriel says that God sent him to bring the good news or glad tidings about John’s birth. Considering how John comes to the end of his life (Matthew 14:10) What does God consider to be good news or good tidings?

5.      Who did John the Baptist say he is not?

6.      What did he say about himself?

7.      How are you the voice in the wilderness today? How can you make the way straight for the Lord? What other witness do we have (John 5: 36)?

8.      Who are you? What would you say; who are you?  John answered by referring to a passage in the Bible.  Is there a verse or passage or person in the Bible that you could quote if asked who you were? (Ephesians 1:1 and verse 5 Ephesians 2: 6 and verse 10 and verse 18; John 1:12;Psalm 139:14; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Romans 8:1-2; Philippians 3:20) What do you think others say about you?

9.      ²⁴  “If you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?” Why did John think he had the right to baptize?

10.   Can you think of rules that have changed over the years in our church? (Clothing (hats etc.), communion for children, people speaking in the pulpit, female ministers, songs, cell groups…)

11.   Did Jesus break rules? (See Luke 5:22 and Luke 6:2 and also verse 7.) Which verse should we always consider in all we do? (Luke 10: 27)

12.   Let’s read Luke 5:37-38 and Matthew 13:52. How can we apply these verses in our lives?

THE LAMB Of GOD John 1:29-34 (Read John 1:29-34 and then answer the questions.)

13.   How would John have known: ²⁹ “Look! The Lamb or God who takes away the sin of the world!” What did John witness from the Spirits prompting (verse 29, 30) and what did John see with his own eyes (verse 32)?

THE FIRST DISCIPLES  John 1:35-51 (Read through John 1:35-51 before answering the questions.)

14.   What did John say that made the two disciples follow Jesus?

15.   Why would the disciples want to know where Jesus stays?

16.   How will people know if Jesus is staying in your house?

17.   What were the results of this visit the two disciples had with Jesus (verse 41)?

18.   This passage records personal encounters between Jesus and his first five disciples. What did each of them have to say about Jesus? (verses 41; 45; 46 and 49)

19.   Write a sentence in which you describe Jesus in your own words.

20.   Jesus said to Nathanael: ^5o “^… You will see greater things than this.”  ⁵¹ “I tell you the truth; you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”  Now read Genesis 28: 12-17. Think on this and let us discuss it when we are together.

21.   Choose one verse from John 1 to write out and stick on your wall.

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Bible Study Third lesson John 2

John 2

WATER TURNED TO WINE  Read John 2: 1-12 and then answer the questions.

1.      Jesus was invited to a wedding. Do you invite Jesus to wherever you go? Will you be comfortable with him watching the TV programs you are watching; read the magazines you are reading; listen in on all your conversations at home and elsewhere?

2.      There was a crisis at the wedding; what was it? Who was responsible for this crisis (verse 9)?

3.      Had Jesus done any known public miracles at this stage of His life (verse 11)?

4.      John 2:3-5. Why this total confidence in her Son? What do you think? (What do you think she could have seen and experienced in the years she had spent with him? Things no one knows.)

5.      Do you have a concern you want to bring to Jesus? Talk to Him about it now.

6.      What would you say to Jesus if He replied now to your request: “What does your concern have to do with me?”

Go and read Matthew 5:24 “… first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Also read Psalm 139: 23-24 “Search me o God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”   What could block us from God?

7.      Now tell Jesus why your concerns have everything to do with Him!  (Psalm 55:22; Matthew 11:28; and 1 Peter 5;7)

8.      John 2:5 “Whatever He says to you, do it.” How can this apply to your life? Can you give an example?   Interesting to read 2 Kings 5: 9-12

9.      There was no wine.  What was available (John 2:6-7)?

10.   Where else in the bible was someone ordered to fill empty vessels in order for a miracle to take place?  Then he said, “Go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbours – empty vessels; do not gather just a few …. 2 Kings 4:3

11.   How can an empty waterpot or vessel be compared to you? What must we be filled with? Read 2 Corinthians 4:7 and 2 Timothy 2:21

12.   Can you run a marathon for Jesus? Can you be a doctor in India for Jesus? Can you tell a car guard that Jesus loves him? Can you give a bowl of soup to the hungry?  Can you give Him of your time in the Word every morning? Can you share what you have read in the word?

13.   Who did the miracle and who got the credit for it? (end of verse 9 and verse 10.)

14.   Somewhere in the middle of John 2:9 we read in brackets (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), Think of these servants. They were let in on the inside of Jesus’ first miracle.  What do you think went through their minds and what did they tell their families when they went home after that wedding job?  I wonder how their lives unfolded after Jesus’ resurrection.

15.   Did the disciples believe in Jesus before this miracle?

16.   Interesting to look at Nathanael from John 1:48-50 Was this the first greater thing? “You will see greater things than these” How many great things do we discover in God’s word as we study along! It is never ending. The more we seek, the more we find.

17.   What is your personal feeling about wine or alcohol?  How do you personally feel about this miracle?

18.   What do you notice in these verses about people set aside for God’s work.  Leviticus 10:9; Judges 13: 4-5 (Samson); Luke 1:15 (John the Baptist).

19.   Here are some verses on what the Bible says about alcohol: “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler;  And whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).  “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understandl what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:17-18).

                          Now compare the following verses with the above

 “…for everything created by God is good” (1 Timothy 4: 3-5).  “Don’t call anything unclean which I have made clean” (Acts 10:15).  “… Wine that gladdens the heart.”  (Psalm 104:15.)

“It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well- aged wine…” (ISAIAH 25:6 NLT).

 We know that Jesus drank wine and asked us to remember his blood that was given for us, by drinking the wine.

20.   What do you think is the right thing to do? 

Let us read 1 Corinthians 6: 12-13; and then 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

And I think the bottom line for us is:

Romans 14:20-21 “Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.

And  1 Corinthians 10:33 “I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.”

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 BIBLE  STUDY  Fourth  lesson JOHN 2

JOHN 2

JESUS  CLEANSES  THE  TEMPLE  Read John 2:13-22 and then answer the questions.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

1.      Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem. What did He find there in the temple?

2.      What did Jesus do about it?

3.      What did He say to those who sold doves?

4.      What did Jesus call the temple?

5.      Complete this sentence: “Do not make my Father’s house a house of …….……………….!”

6.      What prophecy was being fulfilled here.  a. How important was this to Jesus?  b. What is it like when something is eating you up or consumes you?  c. Have you ever had a problem that has eaten you up or consumed you?   d. We now have Jesus living in us; we should be consumed by that which grieves the Holy Spirit: can you name some things?

7.      Read Exodus 35:20-21 What is the difference between the goods that were brought to the temple in Exodus, and the goods that were found here in the temple by Jesus?

8.      What did the Jews demand from Jesus? (verse 18)

9.      Did Jesus’ answer make any sense to them? And to the disciples?  How would you apply the words that say “Your thoughs are higher than ours” in this situation.

10.    When did the disciples understand what Jesus was saying? Do you always understand what Jesus is doing in your life? When will you understand?

11.   If you were reading the Bible for the very first time and you stopped reading at verse 20, what would you have thought about Jesus saying he will build the temple in 3 days?  Why is it so important to know the Bible as a whole and to study the Scriptures from the beginning of a Book to the end?

12.   Your body is a temple of God. Can you think of things that have to be taken out?

                                                            Discussions: 

We have to strive to be like Jesus. When is it ok for us to turn the tables over? When is it not ok to turn the table over? Let’s look at what God’s word says and some examples in the Bible and some consequences.

Strive to be like Jesus:  Matt 5:48 Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.
1 Cor. 11:1  Be imitators of me, just as I am of Christ.   Ephesians 4:15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is head of His body, the church.

“Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4: 12-13).

What does the Bible teach us about confrontation:

Go to your brother in private and confront him, if he does not listen then call in a witness and then….(Matthew 18:15 )                                “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45).                                                                   “Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives” (Jude: 23).                  “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (Romans 14:19).                          “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Chris.” (Eph. 4:12).                             “Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost…” (Luke 19:10). (Personally; the only time I wipe my feet off someone’s salvation is when they are dead. Then I move on.    “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him...” (Eph. 4:15)

 AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: I had given them over to the devil so they can do their evil desires” (Romans 1:24).  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city! (Mark 6:11). “

MOSES: In Numbers 20:1-13 Moses was angry at the behaviour of the people and hit the rock; he bore the consequences. What is the difference here in what Moses did and what Jesus did? What was God’s orders to Moses about the rock?

ELI: 1 Samuel in 1 Samuel 4:18 seemed to have had the ‘tables turned over on him’. “When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led Israel forty years.” Eli was not punished for his children’s sins but because of being part of it. He did not stop it but got fat from their theft. If they would have repented and turned from their sins, would God have forgiven them? Samuel lived under the same roof, what was the difference between them and him?

JOHN THE BAPTIST turned over Herod’s table and ended up being beheaded. (Matthew 14:1-13.) Are you prepared to take the consequences for doing the right thing by turning over someone’s table?

Have you ever turned over the tables because of your believe?

What is on your table that would grieve the Holy Spirit?

What does Psalm 23 say about a table set before us?

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church; the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4: 12-13).

Lord what is Your work? It is work to know you. It is work to put things off so as to make time to be alone with you and in your word.  The only way to  build up the church is to come closer to You, to have Holy Spirit reveal your truths. It is to study your word and to give You number 1 place in our lives that will lead to unity in our faith and knowledge of Jesus. Always striving to live up to your standard, Jesus.

What is the aim of doing your work and building up the church?

Faith and knowledge of God’s Son.

The disciples turned over many tables by preaching the love of Jesus. A Christian is only allowed to hate sin but not any other person.

Except for the redemption story it is never good to push our interpretations down people’s throats.

The crux of the matter is that we have to live so close to Jesus and in the word that we will be led by the Spirit and when in doubt: CHOOSE THE LOVING WAY OUT!  "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3). Ephesians 4:15- but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ

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JOHN 3 
BIBLE STUDY  FITH LESSON 

My thoughts on John 3

Be Nicodemus or hide behind a piece of furniture in the room and listen in on this conversation in John 3. It will blow your mind.

Nicodemus got much more than he bargained for.  Nicodemus could never be the same again.

Imagine a stage. Dark. Then dim light from a candle. Only Jesus by the candle.  Silence.  Then a knock on the door.² “After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus.” I know how he felt. So much on his heart. So much to clear up. I want to talk to You, Jesus. I really need You. MARK 3:34  WHILE HE WAS ALONE WITH HIS DISCIPLES HE EXPLAINED EVERYTHING TO THEM. Let me always make time to be alone with you, Lord.

JOHN 3 

THE NEW BIRTH   John 3:1-21 (Read through John 3:1-21 before answering the questions.)  The red writing is directly from the Bible.

¹There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

1.      What do we know about the Pharisees’ attitude to Jesus?  (Matthew 12:14)

²This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

2.      With what attitude did Nicodemus come to Jesus?  What did he say about Jesus? (Also read Matthew 11:4-5)

3.      Why do you think he came to see Jesus in the night? Why do you think he came to see Jesus? Would you say that Nicodemus was a secret believer?  Give a reason for your answer. (John 19:39; John 7:45-52).

³Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4.      Look at what Nicodemus had said to Jesus and then look at Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus.  How do you understand this?  Do you think that Nicodemus as a Pharisee should have understood this? Why or why not?  (Read Joel 2:28-32 …I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…)  Did Nicodemus know the facts that are found in 1 Peter 1:3 “It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead?”

5.      Let us stop for a while and look at some Kingdom verses: “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’(Mark 1:14,15).  “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). Let us read Matthew 13:44-52.

⁴Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 

6.      How does this answer of Nicodemus relate to John 3:31?

7.       Is it right for us to ask if we don’t understand things?  Who should we go to for help if we still do not understand what we read and we have asked God?  What should we do if we still don’t understand and something just does not make sense to us? Read Deuteronomy 29:29 and Proverbs 3:5. (Pray that God will help you understand or be at peace with the situation.)

⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷ So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’  (NLT) Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

8.      What do you understand under this answer? It sounds as if we need to be born of two things. We should all have two births; name them? Which birth allows us to receive the Spirit and to enter the Kingdom? When did we lose our right to the Kingdom? Genesis 3:23

9.      Read 1 Corinthians 15:50. What cannot inherit the Kingdom of God? Let us never forget John 14:6!

⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

10.   If the Holy Spirit is like the wind and we are under its control; then who is in control of our lives?  Read 2 Corinthians 5: 14-15 “Either way, Christ’s love controls us…  He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

11.   Do you find that people who are not Christians have this same attitude of “How can these things be? Have they come up to you with questions that are just so irrelevant to Christianity? Have they said that Christianity is just a crutch for weak people? What other things have you heard that make Christianity ‘not true’ or makes them angry?  Why can’t they understand? Read 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 “When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. ¹⁴ But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive the truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” (Read up to verse 16) People must be born again to receive the Spirit and to understand the Kingdom things.

12.   Have you ever felt like saying to God; “How can this be?” Discuss. (I know when my sister lost her daughter and granddaughter she asked this question. (I know I have aske it of God.) Read Daniel 2:22; Psalm 135:6; Psalm 119:91 and Psalm 103:19.

¹⁰ Jesus, answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? ¹¹ Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

13.   Do you expect your pastor or cell leaders to have all the answers? As a Christian, do you think you should have all the answers? If you do not have all the answers what should you be sharing with others?  Acts 22:15 For you shall be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. If this section of John 3:1-10 was the only passage you had ever read in the Bible, what could you go out and tell people now?

14.   Notice the plural words ‘We’ and ‘Our’. Who is Jesus referring to? Read John 10:30;  John 1:1; Genesis 1:2.  (Do realize that as we read here or anywhere in the Word of God, We have God, Jesus and Holy Spirit speaking to us of what They know and of what They have seen. May God help us to receive His witness.)

¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?    ¹³ No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.   (Thinking of Luke 16:10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of man has come down from heaven” (John 3: 13 NLT).

15.   Can you think of some earthly things Jesus had taught us? (James 4:11; Luke 6:29; 2Cor. 6:14.k) Is it enough to believe them?

16.   What is Jesus saying here in verse 13? How do you understand this? Do you feel the holiness surrounding the Son of God? ‘Ascended’, ‘came down’, ‘is in’. ? Who is this whom we must lift up?  (I can’t help thinking of Jacobs ladder Genesis 28:10. It’s top in heaven, its body providing steps to come down and up.) Why do we believe that Jesus is from Heaven?

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

17.   Why did Moses lift up the serpent?  Who was helped by this serpent that Moses lifted up? What did they need to have removed? Numbers 21:9.

How can you lift up the Son of Man?

¹⁵ That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

18.   Why was Jesus lifted up on a cross and crucified? Who is helped by this? What do we need to have removed?  What is the result for those who believe?  How long is this life if fully lived? How long is eternity?

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life.

19.   This must be one of the most quoted and important messages Christians like to hand out. Why do you think this is so important?  Who loved the world? What did He give? Why? Who should have everlasting life? Is there any exception here? Who is ‘whoever’?

¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

20.   What is God’s desire?  Are we allowed to condemn the world?  What is expected of us?

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

21.   If someone is condemned, who is to blame? (God died for everyone without exception).

22.   What is the sin we are condemned for in verse 18? Also read John 16:9 and : “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed

23.   Why do people hate the light? 

24.   What happens to people’s evil deeds when they come to believe and accept Jesus? “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave out sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:7-8)NLT.

25.   Does the exposing process also happen to those who are reborn and believe in Jesus?  “I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me” (Romans 7:22-23).

26.    If we sin, what must we do?  “But if we confess our sins to Him He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:8).  “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:25). Read Romans 8:1 again. Also remember: “But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God (Romans 8:6).  (Do yourself a favour and read all of Romans in your free time – just for a God blessing.)

²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

27.   Matthew 5:16 says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  How does this verse agree with the above verse 21? (What light will you be shining? Who will see the good works? How will you know that the deeds have been done in God?  Who will be glorified?

28.   What do the following verses have to do with being reborn?

Turn Acts 26:18 and Col. 1:13 (the verses below) in to a prayer for someone you know who is not reborn:

Acts 26: 16-18  But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ¹⁸to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Colossians 1:13  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

 JOHN 4         BIBLE STUDY LESSON SIX 

¹Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John ²(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), ³He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

1.      Why did Jesus leave Judea to go to Galilee?

2.      Does it matter who does what in the Kingdom of God? Read 1 Corinthians 15:10-11 and then 2 Cor 11:23 and here follows 1 Corinthians 3: 5-11

“Who is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are one, … ⁹For we are God’s fellow workers … ¹¹For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

3.      Can you name disputes/disagreements between churches?

4.      What about your own church? Can you think of some things people are grumbling about? Things you are grumbling about?  Be honest, are these not legalistic things? Could this grieve the Holy Spirit?

5.      What does God want from us? John 17: 23 “I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved Me.” And  1 Corinthians 1:10 says: “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Also read 2 Timothy 2:14-18 and 24-26. (See what happened because of Korah’s Rbellion in Numbers 16.)

6.       It is very important that we know what Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Think about and let us discuss these words of Jesus.” and Galations 2:20 “I was crucified with Christ…..”

⁴But He needed to go through Samaria. ⁵So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7.       What did Jacob leave behind for the following generations (verse 6 and verse 12)? What will you leave behind for the following generations? What would you like to leave behind?   What will have eternal value?  “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).   

⁷A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

8.       Is this a coincidence that the woman comes to draw water, that Jesus is there and thirsty and that the disciples had gone away to get food?  Is anything in your life a coincidence? Read these verses before answering:

*“He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27).

*“Not even a tiny sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of our Heavenly Father and that even the hairs on our heads are numbered” (Matthew 10:29-30).

*“For I know the plans I have for you,… to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

*“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8: 28).

9.      Does Satan have a plan?  

John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8; John 8:44(b)  Why should you choose Jesus?

10.   Who has the need, Jesus or the woman from Samaria?

What is more blessed; to give or to receive? (Acts 20:35.)

What is harder for you; to give or to receive?

⁹Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

11.   What did Jesus come to teach all of us?

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile… the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him” (Romans 10:12).

“There is neither Jew not Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

12.   Who was asking the woman at the well for a drink? What did the woman know about Jesus?

Why is it important to treat strangers well? Who could you be serving while serving a stranger?

*“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2).

 *“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you   did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40).

13.   What is the woman talking about and what is Jesus talking about?

Can you think of an example of how you can bring an ordinary conversation to Jesus?

What would you answer if someone asks you: “Why do you believe in Jesus?”

How can you make the following verse true in your life “…must  worship Christ as Lord of your life (sanctify the Lord in your heart). And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way” (1Peter 3:15-16).

¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?

14.   The woman makes three statements. Why could Jesus not get the water from that well? Did the living water Jesus talks about, change the fact that Jesus needed water to quench his thirst; does the living water change the fact that the well is deep and without something to draw the water, it cannot be reached? What changes does the living water bring in to your life, and what will not change?

15.   You know that Jesus is the Son of God. Could you trust Jesus to bring forth the water for you if you had no means of getting it to the top?

¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

16.   Is she boasting  about Jacob?  What was Jacob’s only claim to fame?  

Acts 3:12-13 Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “What is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob –the God of our ancestors- who has brought glory to His servant Jesus by doing this.

17.   What can we boast about?

“If you want to boast, boast only in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). Also read Jeremaih 9:32-24  This is what the LORD says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. ²⁴But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight inn these things. I the LORD, have spoken!

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

18.   What water was Jesus referring to?  Read John 7: 37-39 “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ³⁹But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; …”

19.   Why must we thirst for this water? What will happen if we don’t thirst for it?

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. ²I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him? And James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Also read Isaiah 55:1; Proverbs 9:5; Matthew 13:12.

20.   For a long time I pondered on these words of Jesus, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” The more I drink of this water the more thirsty I become. The more God reveals to me through His Holy Spirit the more I want to know, the more I know how little I know. What did Jesus mean with these words? I still do not have the answer; do you?  It could mean that I won’t be thirsty for the world anymore? Is that the answer? In Him I have all that I need. Jesus is my living water; all I will ever need is more and more of Him. To know Him , to grow until I am like Him. To live and to die for Him.  What is your answer?

21.   “A fountain of water springing up into everlasting life,”

What happens to this “water” that Jesus gives you? What does it become and what does it give you?

¹⁵ The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

22.   Does this woman think Jesus is talking nonsense or does she believe Him?  What was her attitude?

23.   What must you do to receive this water?  

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

¹⁷ The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

24.   Why on earth do you think Jesus gave the woman this answer? What was He actually doing? Where was he probing? What was He saying? What was he opening up in her life?

25.   What could Jesus be saying to you now?

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ ¹⁸ for you have had 5 husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

26.   Is Jesus getting personal?

How personal is salvation?  What happens to our sins when we meet Jesus? Why is it ok to pour out your sins and weaknesses to Jesus? “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Also John 7:7

¹⁹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

27.   How could this woman have answered Jesus? Why do you think that she was not angry with Him?

28.   Is it your business to name peoples sins?  How do you feel when others tell you your weaknesses?

29.   Why is she talking ‘religion’?

²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

30. How important is outer appearance?  Read in Luke 18:9-14 about the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  (a) were they both in the same physical place? (b) Why was one’s prayer heard and the others prayer not heard?  (c) Would you say the difference was in the words they were uttering? (d) What did make the difference? (e) Also see Hebrew 13:9 “…Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules…” Hebrews 9:13-14 “Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God.

 ²²You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

31. (a) Is it enough to know what you worship? Galatians 1:11 … the Gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning…  I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. (b) What happens to us when we believe and accept Jesus as our saviour?  Galatians 3:29 “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 ²³But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

32.  (a) Who gives birth to the spiritual life? John 3:6 “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ Also read John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

33.  Why is the Father seeking true worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth? What will He do with them if He ‘finds’ them?

John 15:2 “…and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

Ezekiel 22:30 "I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

Can you think of any other reason why God would look for true worshipers?

What does the truth do to us?

²⁵The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

34. How come the woman knew about the Messiah that was coming?

35. Did Jesus tell us all things?  John 16:12-13 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears,…”

John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

²⁶Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

36. (a) Who is Jesus saying He is?  (b)Did the woman believe Him? (c) How do you know that? (d)What did she do with this knowledge?  (e) If they were not interrupted at this point by the disciples; what do you think the woman could have answered Jesus after His statement?

37.  Can you make a list of all the things the woman had learnt about Jesus and about God in this day, through her conversation with Jesus?

JOHN 4:27-34      Question 38-43 

John 4: 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marvelled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or “Why are You talking with her?”

38. (a) At what point did the disciples come in to the conversation? (b) Did the woman need to hear any more? (c) Why do you think no one confronted Jesus? (d) Why was Jesus breaking a social rule? Explain this with John 4: 34. (e) Is it sometimes wise not to speak out what you think? Does this work in Jesus’ presence?  Can it save others from being hurt? (Psalm 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”

²⁸The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ²⁹ “Come and see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” ³⁰ Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

39. (a) What did the woman leave behind. What does this tell you about a change of values in her life? What did you leave behind when you met Jesus? What should you still leave behind? (b) How do we know she could not wait to share the news?  (c) How important is it to share your news with others? Can you think of an example when you could not wait to tell someone something?

40. (a) Who did she tell?  (b) What impressed her most about what Jesus said?  (c) What impressed Nathanael the most in John 1:50? (c) How will it change your life if you knew that you had a camera on you all the time, recording your every move and thought? (d) Is it important for us to remember that Jesus hears every word we speak and think and sees our actions? Why?

41. What was the reaction of the men? What makes you think they were hungry for the Messiah? Do you experience that people today prefer to go to ‘new age’, fortune tellers or some other spiritual experience?  Could it be because they do not give them the truth about themselves? People love to believe that their power is within themselves?  Yet many go to Angus, Bonnke, Billy Graham. Discuss your thoughts.

³¹In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

³²But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”

³³Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”

42.  Read Matthew 6:31-33 “³²For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Now ask yourself: What does your Godly food diet look like?

³⁴Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

43. How does this involve you? 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are god’s field, you are God’s building… ¹¹For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Also read 1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

JOHN 4:35-38

³⁵Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest”?

44. Are you waiting to know what God’s will for you is? Are you not seeing what God wants you to do is what is in front of you now?

Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

45. Turn the above verse in to a prayer.

(Where are you looking? Where should your eyes be? Who will open your eyes to see the harvest?)

46. What is this harvest? Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV)

(Read Matthew 9:36-38 in your own Bible; also Luke 10:2)

³⁶And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours.”

47. What wages do the reapers and sowers receive?

“…rejoice together.”

“What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That's why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.” 1 Corinthians 9:18. (Matt 6:20 …treasures in heaven.)  (Philippians 4:19, “and my God will provide all your needs”.) "   ( Matthew 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give”.) Let us just read Matthew 10:5-20
"I will raise up Cyrus to fulfil my righteous purpose and I will guide his actin. He will restore my city and free my captive people without seeking a reward. I the LORD  of Heaven's armies, have spoken" (Isaiah 45:13)!

48. Have you ever laboured in prayer and explanations, telling someone about Jesus and you have had no ‘success’ with the person? (a)Were you sowing or reaping? (Don’t forget 1 Corinthians 15:58!) (b) Who is in control of the end results?

1 Corinthians 5:7, “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

1 Corinthians 8:1 “…Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. ²And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. ³But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

JOHN 5: 1- 15    Questions 1-14    Page 1-4 

(The red writing is directly from the Bible lesson. Blue writing Bible references.)

¹After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ²Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. ³In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.

1.  (a)Where was Jesus going to? What was He planning to attend? (Verse 1.)

      (c) Where did He end up? (e) Did everyone at the pool benefit by His visit?

2.  (a) What kind of people were found at this Sheep Gate pool?

      (b) If I said to you that the ‘same people’ can be found in a church; how would you interpret that?

      (c) According to Mark 2: 17 what ‘sickness’ is it that makes us all need Jesus? (Mark 2:17 “Healthy people don’t need a doctor- sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

     (d) What water would be moving in the church? John 7:37-39

⁴For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had.

3. What can you tell me about verse 4? (Maybe Deuteronomy 29:29?)

     

 ⁵Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. ⁶Now when Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

4. (a)  “a certain man” What was wrong with this man? (b) What could have been different with him compared to the others? (c) Why did Jesus pick him to be healed? (d) Can you point out to a time in your life that you feel Jesus had made you “a certain man” and put His favour on you?  (e) How come each one of us can now be special in His presence, all at the same time, no matter where we are?  “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you” (John 14:16).  “… and everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit …” (Acts 2:4).

5. (a)Why would anyone not want to be made well?  (State pension? Won’t know how to fit in with the outside world? Comfortable with his situation?  

6. Is there a relationship with someone in your life that is ‘not well’.  If God asked you if you want to make it well, would you say yes? What would Jesus then want from you?   “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar… ²⁴ Leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person…” (Matthew 5:23-24).  “… Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? (1 Corinthians 6:7).

7. Is salvation a healing? John 12:40; Acts 28:27 1 Peter 2:24 (b) What are you ‘healed’ from when you are saved? John 16:9 “The worlds sin is that it refuses to believe in Me.”(c) How can people be helped by you to be saved? Romans 10:14 (c) Did Jesus die on the cross to give you physical healing or to set you free from sin? (d) When will physical healing be perfected? Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

8. Use this opportunity to pray for someone whom you know has been in a bad condition for many years. Hand the person or persons over to Jesus for salvation and healing. Praise God for 5 minutes (Read Psalm 51:15 Unseal my lips, O LORD, that my mouth may praise You. Psalm 50:14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God ²³ But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honours Me. Psalm 96:1-1; Psalm 66:1-6; Psalm 57:9-11; Psalm 117; Revelations 15:3-4 and read out the following praise:

I worship and adore You, El-Elyon, the Most High God Who is the First Cause of everything, the Possessor of the heavens and earth. You are the everlasting God, the great God, the living God, the merciful God, the faithful God,  the mighty God. You are Truth, Justice, Righteousness and Perfection. You are El-Elyon – the Highest Sovereign of the heavens and the earth. Hallowed be Thy name!

Father, You have exalted above all else Your name and Your Word, and You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name! The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and His name is Jesus! Hallowed be Thy name!

9. (a) Do you have infirmities that have consisted for many years that you want Jesus to “make well”? (This can be a private matter between you and Jesus.)  Has Jesus not answered your prayer for many years?  What benefit is there in this for you? 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

⁷The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

10. (a) What was preventing this man from getting in to the water? (b) Why is it so important to meet with other Christians and to stay in the word? Read:

 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

 “¹⁰God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10,11).

“Share each other’s burdens ,…” (Galatians 6:2).

⁸Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” ⁹And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

11. (a) How does Jesus talk to us today?  (b) What instruction does Jesus give this man? (c) Can you think of other healings and what Jesus’ instructions were to the healed people?  What conclusion does this bring you to? (Mark 1:31; Mark 2:11; Mark 2:44; Mark 5:19; Mark 8:26; John 11:44.)

12. Did this man know Jesus? Did he have faith? (See verse 15) Read Romans 5:8 But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

And that day was the Sabbath. ¹⁰The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

13. Rules and regulations:  

(a) What did Jesus say about the Sabbath?  Mark 2: 27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath!”

(b) Which is the most important law? Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, “’You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ ⁴⁰The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

(c) How would you relate this law to what Jesus did on the Sabbath?

¹¹He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’”

¹²Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” ¹³But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. ¹⁴Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

14.  These words of Jesus make me think of Matthew 12:43-45.  Why is it so important to keep seeking Jesus and staying in and obeying His word after having been saved? John 15:4 Remain in Me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me. ⁵ … For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Think of things that make us sick?  (e.g. Not handing our problems over to Jesus and worrying ourselves sick, smoking, overeating, not eating, drunken driving, buying what we can’t afford, taking revenge that makes circumstances worse- eye for an eye, not asking for forgiveness… just disobeying God’s word.)

¹⁵The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Read Acts 4: 18-20¹⁸So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.¹⁹But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? ²⁰We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

                                                                                                                              

JOHN 5:16-18    questions 15-21 (a-c)

¹⁶For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” ¹⁸Therefor the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

15. What were the two things in the above passage that makes the Jews want to kill Jesus.

16. What does Jesus call the deed he had done (verse 17)?

17. Let’s read Colossians 2:16-23 to see what it says about rules and laws.

18. Do you call God your Father?  Why?

Galatians 4:6 And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  Also read Romans 8:15-16

19. Have you ever thought “I wish God would do a miracle, then they will believe.” What do we learn from this episode with the Pharisees.

Matthew 11:20-21 ²⁰Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. ²¹"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²"Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.…

Matthew 11:23
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

20. What are the dangers when we are too religious? What was the Pharisees problem? Find the answers in Romans 10:2-3  I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t undersand God’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. (Also Romans 9:32)

Acts 7:51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen (uncircumcised) at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? (Stephens words.)

21. Hard hearts

(a) What benefit was there in it for us that God’s people were disobedient?  Romans 11:11 …They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles.

Romans 11:20 Yes, but remember – those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe.

Romans 11:25 … Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

(b) What can God do with a hard heart?

Ezekiel 36:26  And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. (NLT)

Read Jeremiah 23:29 “Does not my word burn like fire?” Says the LORD. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?  and Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.

(c) Pray for someone you know with a hard heart and ask God to do what he says in these above verses. Take time to intercede for someone.

JOHN 5:19-23  (Question 22-33)

¹⁹Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

22. Can we do anything by ourselves?

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

23. CapstoneUniquenessGospel, Confirmation Of

FoundationsChurch, Christ Authority OverThe Foundation Of The Church

What value is there in things we do without Jesus?

Philippians 3:8-9 “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. "

24. How will we know what we have to do?

John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 17:26 “I (Jesus) have revealed You to them, and I will continue to do so. Then Your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

25. How will we and others know that we are doing God’s will?

Matt 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

²⁰For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

26. How do we know that God loves us as much as He loves Jesus (is this not the most awesome knowledge we can ever receive!).

 John 17:23

I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. (also verse 26)

27. What privileges do we have compared to the inheritance Jesus has in God?

Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Romans 8:7 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

28. Who is now doing this work given to Jesus by our Father?
John 14:12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

²¹For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

²²For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, ²³that all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent Him.

29. What is the main work of the Father in verse 21?

Read Ezekiel 37:1-14

Isaiah 43:11 “I, Yes I, am the LORD and there is no other Saviour.”

30. What was the main reason the Son was sent to the earth?

John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

31. How do people bring judgment on themselves?

John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.…

32. What do we know about someone who does not honour the Son (verse 23) ?

33.  Are all religions serving the same God? Why not? What is the one and only way to God ?

John 14:6.  I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Life and Judgment Are Through the Son

²⁴”Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into everlasting  life.

34. (a)What must we do to have eternal life? (b) What must we do not to come into judgement?   (c) Which other verses  can you remember that tells us how to have eternal life?

35. According to John 17:3; what is eternal life?

36.  Read Exodus 12:7 and verse 13 and compare this event with us passing from death into everlasting life.

²⁵Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. ²⁶For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, ²⁷and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. ²⁸Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice (see question 29) ²⁹and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

37.  What is the good deed that brings us to life? John 3:18 together with verse 24 above). What is the evil deed that will bring people to this condemnation (John 3:18)?

³⁰I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

38. (a) We have to be like Jesus. Do you seek your own will or that of the Father? (b)What did Jesus ask the Father in Luke 22:42? What was the Fathers answer?