John 5:17-30

Hi All!!! I am tring to be proactive and get everything I have posted, we will be focusing on John 5:1-16 for this week (July 29), but since Jared was ahead of the game and sent the next section I decided to post both of them for you......


Jesus is Divine – The Father and Son Sermon.

Discussion questions:
-In what ways are you like your father or mother? Do you share any common characteristics? Would
people be able to guess that you were his or her child? (Parents, what about your children? How are they like you or dislike you?)

-Is there anyone in your family that you would consider a “chip of the old block?” or most like a parent?

-If someone were to ask you how are Jesus and the Father connected? What would your answer be?
How are they alike? How are they different?

Text Questions:
-After reading this text how would you describe the relationship of the Father and the Son? What is the role of the son? What does he receive?

-Look at verses 19-24 again. We are being introduced to the mystery of the Trinity (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit are one God in the 3 persons or 3 essences. They are a Tri-unity). In these verses Jesus appears to be both subordinate and equal to the Father. The Father also gives power to Jesus. Can you be God and God’s son? Can the Son do things the Father can’t? How do you think all of this works?

-Look up Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 1:15-20, and Matthew 28:18-20 to get a fuller picture of the
relationship of the father with the son.

-Is this something that we can fully explain? Or is it something that God “reveals” to us and we are
called to trust and believe?

-Read verse 20-What do you think are the “these” and what do you think are the “greater works than
these?”

-Look at verses 24-30. We see almost the same material in John 3. Jesus says believe in me and you will have eternal life and not faith judgment. Then he goes on to speak of a judgment.
-What do you think it means to “believe” in him?

-What do you think it means to execute judgment?

-What is the resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment?

John 5: 1-16

 Hi all!

 This week we are trying a simple bible study that you can use anytime. We will try it for the first
part of John chapter 5. The High School Team uses this for high school bible studies and it is a great way to study the bible on your own. You read the text and ask 6 basic questions:

-1-What do I learn about God (Jesus, Holy Spirit, God the Father)?
-2-What do I learn about people (what are all these other characters doing? Are they good examples?
Bad examples? A little bit of both? Am I like them?)?
-3-Are there any Promises in this text?
-4-Are there any commands?
-5-What do I find most interesting (what “grabs” me or what do I have questions about)?
-6-How do I apply this to my life (are there ways I can live differently? Am I challenged to take action or
to think differently?)?

-Below are some of my thoughts and answers to these questions for John 5. Do this on your own first. It will be much more helpful that way.

John 5:1-16
G.O.P.C.I.A

God (what do you learn about God/Jesus in this passage? Where do you see Him? What’s He doing? Why is he choosing to do what he’s doing?
     -While going to a festival Jesus chose to go to a lot of broken people. He chose a mess.
     -He asks what sounds like a bit of a dumb question.
     -His word has the power to physically heal someone.
     -He is comfortable around six people and wants to help.
     -He claimst to be equal with God or in some way to be God’s son.
     -He sees sinning as worse than being physically crippled.
     -He works on the Sabbath because his father does as well.

Others (What are the other people doing in this story? What do you learn about them? What are they like? )
     -This man by the pool is seen as in-valid.
     -He keeps going to the same place over and over again for healing but doesn’t get it.
     -He doesn’t have help.
     -He can’t get there on his own when he tries.
     -He has excuses for why he can’t get healed.
     -The man believes Jesus. He gets up and starts walking.
     -He becomes controversial for having faith. Listening to Jesus makes him a witness and it gets him in trouble.
     -Some people hate that Jesus healed on the Sabbath.
     -Some people weren’t happy that he was walking.
     -People can focus on the little bad things but entirely miss the huge good thing.

Promises (Are there any promises in this passage?)     -Sin leads to bad things.
     -God is always working.

Commands (Are there any commands? What are they? What do they mean?)
     -Take up your bed and walk.
     -Stop sinning less something else happen to you.

Interesting (What “grabs” you in this story. What did you find most interesting? Why?)     -Who/what heals this man? The Word of God? The man’s faith? Both?
     -Water shows up again. Here this physical water is supposed to have healing power but Jesus is the real deal (we need to be born of water and the spirit. Water turned into wine. Jesus is the real well of living water. Jesus is the real healing water. Water is everywhere!)
     -Jesus is the WORD – The Word from John is speaking power into people lives.

Actionplication (Ok so if this is the Word of God, how does it impact you today? Are you being called to act differently or think differently after reading this passage? How?)
     -Who do I see as in-valid or less than valid? Are there people that I don’t like or shy away from. I need to remember that God values them every bit as much as he values me.
     -Am I uncomfortable around sick people? How do I cultivate a better love for all people?
     -Where is God calling me to get up and walk?
     -Where do I need healing/help and do I ask God for that help? Or do I listen and obey the help he has already given me?
     -Where am I supposed to walk to? Where are things a mess and God has gifted me to help? Where can I be like Jesus?

John chapter 4: Jesus and the royal official

Discussion questions:

-Tell us about some “things” that are very real to you  but perhaps you can’t see.

-Are things that you can see more “real” than things you can’t see? Why or why not?

 Text Questions:

-Before we read this next story think back to the very beginning of John. “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.  . . And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”

-What we have here in Jesus is the Word of God (from all eternity) becoming a man. He has taken on flesh. He is one of us. He came to us and John wrote this book so that we might believe in Him, put our trust in Him and have life. He has already given us one sign of his miraculous power by turning the water into wine. He is about to do many more miraculous miracles.  People love the miraculous. There is a temptation for people to believe in the miraculous and not the “Word,” that makes the miraculous happen. Jesus will soon have many people following him around hoping to see more signs and miracles, but Jesus knows that faith, life and truth only come from trusting in Him and his word, not the miracles. Jesus will challenge this man to trust His word without seeing the miracle.  

-Read verses 43-53

-Look at verse 48. Why did Jesus respond this way to this man’s plea? How would you have responded?

-Why did Jesus perform these signs if he didn’t want people to follow him for the wrong reasons? –

-What’s the point of  Jesus signs?

-Verses 47-50. The official begs Jesus to come with him. His son is about to die. In his second response Jesus tells him to go home and that his son is well.  What would you have done if you were the official after hearing these words?

-How is the response of the official in verse 50 and 53 an example of what Jesus was desiring?

-Consider all of the “things” that Christians believe (trust, have faith in) that can not be seen. Name some of them.

-Consider this verse about what faith is:

   “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” –Heb 11:1

 Is this easy or difficult for you to have this faith? Or both? Discuss.

 Closing Reflection

     The distinction between believing because we’ve seen something and believing on the strength of God’s word remains important throughout the gospel. It reaches its final dramatic statement in Jesus’ gentle rebuke to Thomas in chapter 20. “Have you believed because you have seen? Blessed are those who haven’t seen and yet believe!”

      This is the challenge the gospel presents to us today. We are not invited to believe in an abstract idea, or a nebulous feeling or an indefinable spiritual experience. We are invited to believe in the Word become flesh. But genuine faith is always seeking the Word hidden in the flesh, not using the Word simply as a way to get to the flesh. As John’s story unfolds, we are again and again reminded that, if on the one hand, ‘God loved this world so much’ this is not because our life must remain bounded by this present world. When the world is embraced by God in love, this happens so that we may who live in the present world, dark and corrupt as it now is, may learn to love in return the God who has loved us.

      Let the clues lead you to the treasure. Let the signs lead you out of the traffic jam. Let the flesh lead you to the Word. Hear and believe.

John Chapter 4- Jesus and the Samaritans

John 4

Overview:

This story  is about our need for  “living water.” The Samaritan woman has always had her full of well water, which is stagnant and leaves her thirsty. Jesus is offering “living,” or running water. What he is really offering is God’s Holy Spirit. This will become more evident in John, but what he is getting at is the need to have God’s Spirit for life (we saw this in John 3 that we need Spirit filled rebirth).  When Jesus changes us he fills us with “living water,” and that  new water needs to push out the stagnant water that we have always filled ourselves with. For this Samaritan woman it becomes clear that she keeps going back to the well of relationships with men to satisfy her, but she is constantly left unsatisfied. Jesus is offering her different water that will so fill her that she won’t need to find herself in a husband anymore.

The Samaritan woman has tried to find love in all the wrong places. Because of her choices, she lives in shame and isolation(drawing water at mid-day to avoid interacting with others). But after her encounter with Jesus, she’s never the same. Jesus offers her living water and he also exposes her secrets. Through gentle questioning Jesus helps this woman recognize her thirst so she can receive the true satisfaction her heart craves. A new woman emerges from this encounter, and the once isolated person becomes the first missionary, shouting her testimony to all who listed.

This story also shows us what Jesus thinks about the social and cultural dividing walls  that we put up in societies. He believes that his gospel-the living water that he has- is the most important thing and this living water will be available to everyone! He is talking to a woman of ill repute, who is also a dreaded Samaritan. She doesn’t understand him at first and then as she begins to understand  she makes excuses and brings up trivial religious discussion. Jesus is not deterred by any of these things. He loves this woman and wants her to come to love and worship God in spirit and in truth.  Jesus wants this woman to know Him and the living water that he brings. He will not be deterred by anything. Her sin does not bother him, nor her gender, nor her ethnicity, nor her excuses.

Key Terms:

-Samaritans: The land of Samaria was at one time part of the nation of Israel. When Israel was conquered by Babylon most Jews were taken into exile to other nations, but some Jews were left to care for the land. Other conquered nations were also displaced from their homeland and moved to the land of Israel. This is an ingenious plan to help avoid revolts and uprisings. If you could mix up the conquered nations and have them intermingle you squelch national pride, defense of land and  ethnic solidarity.  The remaining Jews and people from other nations intermarried. Thus when the Jews returned from exile there were people already living in their land who were half-Jews and half-Gentiles. The “pure” Jews saw the Samaritans as people who didn’t stay pure and caved to their foreign enemies. By Jesus time it was well known that Jews and Samaritans did not get along. The Samaritans had their own  land which was right in the middle of Israel with Israel both below them (Jerusalem area) and above them (Galilee where Jesus grew up) called Samaria. Jews from Galilee would have to either pass through Samaria to get to Jerusalem or the would take a longer route on the other side of the Jordan river to avoid Samaria all together. Usually they went the longer route to avoid the Samaritans. Jesus takes his disciples right through Samaria.

-Living Water:  This is one of the metaphors that Jesus uses to get at his work or renewal and new life.  Water is a major them in John and throughout the scriptures to describe the work of God. Water is a fundamental human need and Jesus shows others (particularly this woman) that he has the true living water. We have already seen Jesus baptized in water and with  Nicodemus the need for rebirth in water and spirit. Here Spirit and water are placed together again as this living water is the power of the Holy Spirit.

Discussion question:

Are there times in your life when you feel empty? What do you try to do to fill yourself up when you feel this way? Does it work?

Text Questions:

-Read verses 1-15: Pretend you are this woman. What do you think about Jesus after this first encounter? What would you think of him as a person? Is he strange, intriguing?

-Read verses: 16-26:

  - Why does the  Samaritan women responds the way she does?

  -How does Jesus respond to her excuses? Why does he respond this way?

  -How would you feel if Jesus told you all about your past?

-Read verses 27-38:

  -Look at verse 34-38. What do you think Jesus is getting at by all this talk of work and harvest? Try to

   explain these verses to us.

  -Read verses 39-43:

  -Why do you think this woman and then many other Samaritans respond so enthusiastically?

Reflection Questions:

This story is all about people needing “living water.” The Samaritan woman has always had her full of well water, which is stagnant and leaves her thirsty. Jesus is offering “living,” or running water. When Jesus changes us he fills us with “living water,” and that  new water needs to push out the stagnant water with which  we have always filled ourselves. For this Samaritan woman it becomes clear that she keeps going back to the well of relationships with men to satisfy her, but she is constantly left unsatisfied. Jesus is offering her different and “living water” that will so fill her that she won’t need to find herself in a husband anymore.

-Can a relationship with a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife fully satisfy you and give you everything you need in life? What can it give you? What can it not give you?

 -What are other things that we are thirsty for in this life? Can getting these things give us living water? Why or why not?

 -What do you think is this “living water” that Jesus gives you (does Jesus tell us in the story)? What does he give us that is so different and better than what we can get anywhere else?

-This woman when she encounters Jesus is changed in a big way. She was a social outcast, then meets Jesus, believes he is the Messiah and an hour later she goes and tells everyone about Him. She becomes this first great missionary.

  -Have you had an encounter with Jesus like this woman? If so try to describe it.

  -How has encountering Jesus changed your life? What’s different about your life after meeting Jesus?