John 19 The Crown and the Cross

 

John 19 – The Crown and The Cross

 

Jesus and Pilate had been talking about a kingdom, so it was only right that the King have a crown. It was meant for mockery, but it preached a message, for Jesus was wearing the consequences of Adam’s sins (Gen. 3:17-19). But a crown is a sign of victory.  Even as the Roman guards held their mock coronation, they were unaware that the kingdom of God was truly at hand. He has overcome!

 

Jesus started out bearing His own cross, but then Simon was drafted to carry it for Him (Mark 15:21). We are not told why, although tradition says that Jesus fell and could not carry it. Considering all He had been through, that is not difficult to believe. Criminals carried the cross as a sign of guilt and Jesus was not guilty!

 

“It is finished!” was the cry of a conqueror, Jesus accomplished what all the old covenant sacrifices could not do (Heb. 10:1-18). The prophecies and types were fulfilled and the sacrifice for sins made once and for all forever. It was not a martyr that Joseph and Nicodemus put into the tomb, it was a victor. The price for all human sin was paid.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible

 

John 18 The Strength of Love

John 18 – The Strength of Love

 

Judas depended on the strength of numbers, Peter on the strength of his arm, annas and Caiaphas on the strength of their position, but Jesus on the strength of love and devotion to the Father. Jesus had a cup in His hand, not a sword, but that cup was His scepter. He was in complete control.

 

On the other hand, Peter fought when he should have yielded and followed when he should have fled. Yielding and fleeing looked like defeat, but they were the Father’s will; and Peter should have obeyed. While Jesus was giving His witness to the High Priest, Peter was denying the Lord. He was not trying to fit in; he just didn’t want to stand out. Sadly, this is far too often the response of believers when they are put on the spot.

 

As a Roman governor, Pilate was worried about the threat of another kingdom. Pilate was a skeptic teaching that truth is unknowable and therefore a matter of opinion, so if such a thing as absolute truth existed, there would be no way to know it. Ironically, the answer to Pilate’s question – The truth was standing right in front of him. He did everything possible to avoid facing the issue of Jesus’ guilt. He was portrayed as a man who refused to take responsibility.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible, J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

 

John 17 Jesus Prays

 

John 17 – Jesus Prays

 

In this, his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed for Himself, His disciples, and His church.

 

The prayer reveals our Lord’s spiritual priorities: glorifying the Father, the unity of the church, the sanctity of the church, and the winning of a lost world.

 

It also reveals the gifts he has given His people: eternal life, the word, and His glory. But note that believers are the Father’s gift to Him, just as Jesus is the Father’s love gift to us. It is all of grace!

 

Everyone will live eternally somewhere, but for those who believe, the eternal life Jesus spoke of means living forever in God’s presence.

 

The way a person regards the Bible is the way they regard Christ, the Living Word.

 

The word world appears 19 times in this prayer, for this prayer tells us how to “overcome the world”. We must seek God’s glory first, experience His joy, be sanctified by the Word, seek to win the lost, and encourage the unity of God’s people. As long as believers are in this world but living for the Lord, they will be protected from the evil one and indelibly marked as His by the truth. God promises to one day take His children home with Him, but until then, Jesus prays for their spiritual well-being and pleads for their safekeeping.

 

Glory is another key word. Christ laid aside His glory to come to earth, glorified God on earth, and was glorified when He returned to heaven. Christ is glorified in His church and has shared His glory with the church. We already have the glory; we are just waiting for it to be fully revealed. (Rom. 8:18-21,30).

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible and J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

 

John 16 The World's Opposition, Joy, Defeat

 

John 16 – The World’s Opposition, Joy, Defeat

 

The Lord warned them about the opposition that would come. Do not be surprised when you are persecuted by religious people for this has been going on since Cain killed Abel (Gen. 4; Luke 11:47-51). The Spirit helps us witness to the world and glorify Christ before the world (Acts 4:8ff), so depend on Him.

 

When Jesus was arrested, crucified, and buried, the world system rejoiced because their Enemy was out of the way. But today he is alive, and we have every reason to rejoice! The Lord does not replace our sorrow with joy; He transforms our sorrow into joy. The same baby that gives the mother pain also gives her joy. The world’s joy does not last, but the believer’s joy is forever (Ps. 16:11).

 

In the next few hours, the disciples would watch their world fall apart; and yet Jesus assured them that He was the winner. “I have overcome the world” is a fact, not a promise, and it applies to us today. We are overcomers through Him (1John 5:1-5).

 

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible

 

 

John 15 - Jesus' Life

 

John 15 – Jesus’ Life                                              

 

A branch is good for only one thing- bearing fruit. It may be weak, but it has a living relationship with the vine and can be productive. To abide in Christ means to be in communion with Him so that our lives please Him. We know that we are abiding when the Father prunes us, cutting away the good so that we can produce the best. We glorify God with fruit. Appearance can be deceptive. The ones not bearing fruit may look like the other branches for a while, but their failure to yield any harvest shows that they are not. These will be removed and thrown in the fire on the last day.

 

Abiding depends on obeying, and obeying depends on loving. Love and joy go together and make it easy for us to obey His will. We should love Him, love His will, and lone one another “fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, and peace (Gal. 5:22). A natural outgrowth of that abiding relationship is prayer. Jeus wants the Christians joy to be full!

 

We enjoy the love of Christ and of the brethren, but we also must endure the hatred of the world for His name’s sake. The more we are like Christ, the more the world system will oppose us. Depend on the spirit’s power and you will be a fruitful, faithful Christian. Jesus wants believers to bear fruit that is, live out the gospel, share the gospel, and win many to Him.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.

J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible.

John 14 Jesus and the Father

 

John 14 – Jesus and the Father

 

No wonder the disciples were troubled. Jesus was going to leave them, one of them would betray Him, and Peter would deny Him. Jesus encouraged them by telling them about Himself and the Father.

 

We have a home in heaven when life is over, and we shall meet Jesus and the Father. James M. Gray wrote, “who could mind the journey when the road leads home?” Blessed assurance!

 

Jesus reveals the Father in what He said and what He did during His earthly ministry. “I and my Father are one”. How can we not love the Father when He is like Jesus?

 

Jesus glorifies the Father through His people as they do God’s works and Keep His commandments. Apart from the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer, we could never glorify the Lord.

 

It is one thing for us to go to heaven and quite something else for heaven to come to us! There is a deeper fellowship with the Son and the Father for those who Love Him, seek Him, and obey Him. We experience His peace as we commune with the Father and the Son in love.

 

Jesus is the way to the Father; He reveals the truth about the Father; and He shares the life of the Father with us. Why should our hearts be troubled? Because He lives, we shall also live.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible. Nelson’s Quick Reference Study Bible, J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible.

 

John 13 - What Jesus Knew

 

John 13– What Jesus Knew

 

Because of what Jesus knew, He did what he did: He washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going. He knew that the Father had given Him all things. If you have all things in your hand, you will have no problem picking up a towel (I Cor. 3:21-23). Jesus taught them a lesson in fellowship and in keeping themselves clean before the Lord (I John 1-5-2:1). Jesus knew every event that would transpire as the time drew near for Him to depart from this world to the Father. Even though His beloved disciples would abandon Him, and one of them would betray Him. He loved them to the end.

 

What the disciples knew. Jesus taught them a second lesson: true happiness comes from humble service. Jesus gave them an example that we must follow today (Phil 2:1-11). Soon after this lesson, the disciples began to argue over who was the greatest (Luke 22:24-30).

 

What Judas knew. Jesus did not reveal Judas’s secret; in fact, He treated him just like the others and they detected nothing amiss. What love that Jesus should not only protect the man who betrayed Him but even wash his feet! Jesus with the towel is the perfect example of humility; Judas with the bread is a perfect example of hypocrisy and treachery.

 

What the world must know. The distinguishing mark of true disciples is their love for one another (I John 2:7-11), and it is the kind of love that the world can see. He commands us to love, and He gives us the power to obey (Rom. 5:5).

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible.